Back for just a brief one, though once things are stabilized I'll be trying to get back on track again with regular updates. This, though, was too important to ignore. I'm disappointed that I'm a little late to report this- I didn't see it until recently, but we've lost another icon of our culture... one of my personal heroes.
Death of an American Icon
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
No, no, I haven't forgotten...
Being as there's as many as two people who read this thing, I've not forgotten about it or abandoned it. I'm wrapping up one full-time job this week to start a new job on Monday, and it's a very hectic time (anyone who's done the job-switch thing knows what I mean). I'll try to be back in action by the weekend if all goes well...
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
DAMMIT!
Today is a sad day in the history of American media. Jon Stewart, a man I regard as a bastion of sense and integrity, a man I look to for insight and truth in the morass of poop that is our modern world, used the word irregardless on The Daily Show today.
I am in mourning.
I am in mourning.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Good Lord!
Wow.
I had no idea what I was getting into here.
There was a little comic convention this past Sunday, and one of the local shops had a table with quite a few good deals, one of which was DC's first pass at Captain Marvel, 1972's SHAZAM! #1. For only a couple bucks, I couldn't turn it down.
Hoo-boy.
I was expecting it to be pretty cool- they'd actually gotten C.C. Beck back on the character, supplying the art for the feature story in the issue. Should be a nice little re-imagining of the character, maybe even giving us a little peek into how the mythos fits into early 1970s DC continuity, right.
WRONG.
It turns out, in pre-Crisis DC lore (at least according to this first issue), that Captain Marvel mysteriously disappeared 20 years prior (so 1952), and had just as abruptly reappeared. The explanation? Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana and his ugly children simply beamed the Marvel Family and their relevant supporting cast into space and put them in suspended animation. That was it.
"My sister, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and I were being honored by the mayor. All out friends were there... Suddenly, we were caught in a strange ray and pulled into the sky, along with some others in the crowd..."
That's it. Instant deus ex machina. Through a wacky series of mishaps, the Sivanas got trapped in suspended animation as well, in some sphere of mystery substance they created, until it got so close to the sun it started to break down, freeing Captain Marvel and his ENTIRE SUPPORTING CAST. I can't stress enough how insane that struck me. The absurdity of the beam explaining away 20 years was one thing, but to say "ah, screw it, let's put everyone else in the book up there too" and just leave it at that?
At first, I thought it was horrifyingly derivative and a total ripoff of Captain America. It just hit me a little while ago that this was actually the direct and obvious precursor to Judge Death being encased in Boing, which totally kicked all kinds of ass. So I guess I have to appreciate the absurdity for blazing a trail.
You totally sssscrewed me, Ssssivana!
I had no idea what I was getting into here.
There was a little comic convention this past Sunday, and one of the local shops had a table with quite a few good deals, one of which was DC's first pass at Captain Marvel, 1972's SHAZAM! #1. For only a couple bucks, I couldn't turn it down.
Hoo-boy.
I was expecting it to be pretty cool- they'd actually gotten C.C. Beck back on the character, supplying the art for the feature story in the issue. Should be a nice little re-imagining of the character, maybe even giving us a little peek into how the mythos fits into early 1970s DC continuity, right.
WRONG.
It turns out, in pre-Crisis DC lore (at least according to this first issue), that Captain Marvel mysteriously disappeared 20 years prior (so 1952), and had just as abruptly reappeared. The explanation? Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana and his ugly children simply beamed the Marvel Family and their relevant supporting cast into space and put them in suspended animation. That was it.
"My sister, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and I were being honored by the mayor. All out friends were there... Suddenly, we were caught in a strange ray and pulled into the sky, along with some others in the crowd..."
That's it. Instant deus ex machina. Through a wacky series of mishaps, the Sivanas got trapped in suspended animation as well, in some sphere of mystery substance they created, until it got so close to the sun it started to break down, freeing Captain Marvel and his ENTIRE SUPPORTING CAST. I can't stress enough how insane that struck me. The absurdity of the beam explaining away 20 years was one thing, but to say "ah, screw it, let's put everyone else in the book up there too" and just leave it at that?
At first, I thought it was horrifyingly derivative and a total ripoff of Captain America. It just hit me a little while ago that this was actually the direct and obvious precursor to Judge Death being encased in Boing, which totally kicked all kinds of ass. So I guess I have to appreciate the absurdity for blazing a trail.
You totally sssscrewed me, Ssssivana!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Spiderman 3
Well, Spiderman 3 is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to it. I've been really happy with the Spiderman films, as comic movies go. With a little luck and some massaging of the work schedule, I'll get to see it when it hits theaters on Friday. Today, though, I decided to dig into the bowels of my archives and bust out some Spiderman goodness from the last film.
I warn you now that this is about the dorkiest thing you're apt to see today, and if you don't think you can take it, turn back now.
I have a friend named Matt who is a very talented artist (euphemism for "unemployed"). Matt also happens to be very twisted, and where these two traits intersect there is ALWAYS something good to come out of it. One of Matt's more entertaining hobbies is whipping up the most ridiculous costumes he can cobble together and going to movie premieres. This is usually reserved for Star Wars films, and I've observed, but not participated. KFC Bucket Boba Fett with two-liter soda bottles taped together is nigh-legendary, as are the stormtroopers wearing armor composed entirely of paper plates. Darth Vader with an office calculator Velcroed to his chest, though, would be my personal favorite.
But once... ONCE... the costuming was too hilarious and the opportunity too good to pass up... and that was for Spiderman 2. There was a standing plan for a group of us to see the midnight showing; we gathered in preparation at my house, and the moment I opened the front door and Matt was already in costume, I knew he was finally going to get me to join in the silliness. I couldn't stop laughing the entire time-- and now you shall all see a tiny little chapter of my shame, because I swore I'd do daily updates for a week, and I didn't have time to work on anything else I've wanted to put up here.
Who I am is not important. Just know that I'm in there and that we got a rousing ovation when we walked into the theater.
I warn you now that this is about the dorkiest thing you're apt to see today, and if you don't think you can take it, turn back now.
I have a friend named Matt who is a very talented artist (euphemism for "unemployed"). Matt also happens to be very twisted, and where these two traits intersect there is ALWAYS something good to come out of it. One of Matt's more entertaining hobbies is whipping up the most ridiculous costumes he can cobble together and going to movie premieres. This is usually reserved for Star Wars films, and I've observed, but not participated. KFC Bucket Boba Fett with two-liter soda bottles taped together is nigh-legendary, as are the stormtroopers wearing armor composed entirely of paper plates. Darth Vader with an office calculator Velcroed to his chest, though, would be my personal favorite.
But once... ONCE... the costuming was too hilarious and the opportunity too good to pass up... and that was for Spiderman 2. There was a standing plan for a group of us to see the midnight showing; we gathered in preparation at my house, and the moment I opened the front door and Matt was already in costume, I knew he was finally going to get me to join in the silliness. I couldn't stop laughing the entire time-- and now you shall all see a tiny little chapter of my shame, because I swore I'd do daily updates for a week, and I didn't have time to work on anything else I've wanted to put up here.
Who I am is not important. Just know that I'm in there and that we got a rousing ovation when we walked into the theater.
Quick Hit
I don't have a Sunday update today, so I'm just going to say if you live in Minneapolis or Chicago and can get to a place that stocks indie small press books, check out Uptown Girl by Bob Lipski. It's funny, sincere, has a really good heart behind it, and the ladies like it too (it's the only comic my wife reads). Bob is also one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and a damn good looking cat, if I do say.
Come to think of it, you can do mail order and even subscribe by mail via the site, so never mind the "if you live near" stuff... go get it!
Come to think of it, you can do mail order and even subscribe by mail via the site, so never mind the "if you live near" stuff... go get it!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Mart Nodell
There was a period of time when a circuit of comic conventions would run up and down California, and EVERYONE who was active in the industry ended up at these things. Of course, San Diego was always the main show of the year, but in the San Francisco Bay Are where I grew up, there were also a few shows a year where you were absolutely certain loads of industry people would be in attendance. Whether or not this is still the case I cannot say, but I can't imagine that it's quite the same as it used to be - with the possible exception of the San Diego Con (which is nothing like it used to be AT ALL).
About fifteen years ago I was at a show in the San Francisco area, and there behind a table was Martin Nodell, creator of the original Green Lantern back in 1940. At that time I was going through a major Green Lantern phase, getting everything I could to build out an eventual run of GL from Showcase 22 on. Naturally, I became very aware and very interested in the Alan Scott GL character as well, but this was at a time when almost nothing was happening with the Golden Age DC heroes, and they were certainly nowhere near the prominence they're at now.
At this point, for those who aren't familiar with Martin Nodell as a personality beyond comics creator, you need to know that he and his wife, Carrie, were practically inseparable. If Mart Nodell was at a show, his wife was there too. And she was his BIGGEST fan. She took a lot of interest in what he did and knew his work quite well- just about anyone who's been involved in conventions will tell you that the two of them were two of a kind and a joy to behold.
I talked with the Nodells for a little while and asked if I might be able to get a Green Lantern sketch. He replied "Well, I don't really do that." It was perfectly understandable - he wasn't a hot artist in the spotlight or anything, he was there to meet fans and enjoy his time later in life, not produce anything on request. We talked a bit more and I showed him something I had brought with me, hearing that he would be in attendance at the show. A Green Lantern action figure.
Bearing in mind that this was many years ago, nothing in the way of superhero toys was out there to the extent that we see things in the market today. Even with Mego toys in the 70s and Super Powers in the 80s, a character like Alan Scott being committed to plastic was unimaginable. It was just a generic body with hair made from modeling putty, some paint, and a cannibalized Super Powers Red Tornado cape (boy, this really makes me want to see if I can find it- I'm sure I kept it somewhere), but they probably hadn't ever seen more than a handful of anything like that. I remember that Carrie was especially tickled at the figure. Her delight, I am fairly certain, is why Mart Nodell gave me a sketch he drew up on the spot.
To this day, stories like this are what make me love comics, particularly from a historical standpoint. These men who were simply looking to pay the rent in an industry that was looked down on as the hind end of print media became heroes in their own right, creating cultural icons that will outlast us all. Being able not only to have real interaction with these people, but to come away with such a positive experience, is both a privilege and an honor that we can't take for granted, because so few are left.
Martin Nodell passed away on my birthday in 2006. It was, and likely will be, the saddest one I have.
About fifteen years ago I was at a show in the San Francisco area, and there behind a table was Martin Nodell, creator of the original Green Lantern back in 1940. At that time I was going through a major Green Lantern phase, getting everything I could to build out an eventual run of GL from Showcase 22 on. Naturally, I became very aware and very interested in the Alan Scott GL character as well, but this was at a time when almost nothing was happening with the Golden Age DC heroes, and they were certainly nowhere near the prominence they're at now.
At this point, for those who aren't familiar with Martin Nodell as a personality beyond comics creator, you need to know that he and his wife, Carrie, were practically inseparable. If Mart Nodell was at a show, his wife was there too. And she was his BIGGEST fan. She took a lot of interest in what he did and knew his work quite well- just about anyone who's been involved in conventions will tell you that the two of them were two of a kind and a joy to behold.
I talked with the Nodells for a little while and asked if I might be able to get a Green Lantern sketch. He replied "Well, I don't really do that." It was perfectly understandable - he wasn't a hot artist in the spotlight or anything, he was there to meet fans and enjoy his time later in life, not produce anything on request. We talked a bit more and I showed him something I had brought with me, hearing that he would be in attendance at the show. A Green Lantern action figure.
Bearing in mind that this was many years ago, nothing in the way of superhero toys was out there to the extent that we see things in the market today. Even with Mego toys in the 70s and Super Powers in the 80s, a character like Alan Scott being committed to plastic was unimaginable. It was just a generic body with hair made from modeling putty, some paint, and a cannibalized Super Powers Red Tornado cape (boy, this really makes me want to see if I can find it- I'm sure I kept it somewhere), but they probably hadn't ever seen more than a handful of anything like that. I remember that Carrie was especially tickled at the figure. Her delight, I am fairly certain, is why Mart Nodell gave me a sketch he drew up on the spot.
To this day, stories like this are what make me love comics, particularly from a historical standpoint. These men who were simply looking to pay the rent in an industry that was looked down on as the hind end of print media became heroes in their own right, creating cultural icons that will outlast us all. Being able not only to have real interaction with these people, but to come away with such a positive experience, is both a privilege and an honor that we can't take for granted, because so few are left.
Martin Nodell passed away on my birthday in 2006. It was, and likely will be, the saddest one I have.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
