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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 28, 2024 13:37:44 GMT -5
One of the founders of the Direct Market and historian of the Comic Book Industry Bob Beerbohm, has passed away at 72. I just saw this over on Facebook. I never met Bob in person but he was very helpful to me as I was researching and writing my book. In his later years, he could be combative, even downright unpleasant, in asserting his views on various comics-related controversies but even his detractors couldn't deny the importance of his work in spotlighting the history of the medium prior to the development of the modern comic book in the early 1930s. His death is a profound loss to the world of comics history.
Cei-U! I summon the fallen giant!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 28, 2024 3:07:07 GMT -5
I like it in the pages of Strange Tales where Stan Lee clearly forgot that the FF's identities were public and had Johnny Storm desperately trying to prevent folks from learning that he was the Human Torch. For months! That's not quite what happened. It was Larry Lieber who scripted those first few Torch stories from minimal synopses provided by Stan. Lieber, having not read the actual FF comics (few pros read their employers' output in those days), assumed that Johnny had a secret ID like every other super-dude. Stan, who trusted his baby brother's writing prowess, didn't get around to reading those early stories for several months. Once he did, he quickly instructed Larry to correct his error. I heard the Lieber brothers talk about this at a ComicCon panel 20 years or so ago. Had Stan told the anecdote, I might have doubted its veracity but Larry had a much better memory and wasn't much interested in exaggerating his role in Marvel history.
Cei-U! I summon the filial faux pas!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 26, 2024 21:16:20 GMT -5
I've always thought that a comics line featuring popular childrens' book characters like Curious George, Madeleine, The Berenstain Bears, and the like with the right creatives and a good marketing plan could do very well... or has someone already done it and I missed it?
Cei-U! I summon a severely overlooked demographic!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 24, 2024 10:52:37 GMT -5
I have to confess, I don't ever notice who colors or letters comics. And I don't think I ever saw a difference in the finished product. Charlton comics were often lettered by "A. Machine".
...which was, quite literally, a machine. The pencil art was rolled into an oversized typewriter originally designed to handle blank cereal boxes (Charlton printed a lot more than comics) and some staffer or other would type all the captions and dialogue before the art was forwarded to the inker. It made the comics look even cheaper than the low-grade paper and slipshod printing did.
Cei-U! I summon the cut corners!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 24, 2024 8:39:25 GMT -5
I'm not going to make it today. A friend is coming over to help me repot some house plants.
Cei-U! Sorry!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 24, 2024 1:32:54 GMT -5
Coloring credits are missing from those Charlton books (and from all comics of that period) because coloring was the last stage in production and the assignment was frequently made after the lettering was complete. It wasn't until the '70s that the process was streamlined sufficiently to accommodate colorist credits.
Cei-U! I summon the paint pots!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 23, 2024 13:40:11 GMT -5
Has it been explained why a space-faring species like the Kryptonians didn't have colonies on other worlds, or ambassadors, or merchants, or explorers who would all have escaped the destruction of their world? Was it a case of extreme xenophobia? Were Kryptonians, like ancient Egyptians, loathe to stay away from the Nile at the end of their life for religious reasons? I'm not versed on Kryptonian lore, so maybe they weren't really space-farers... they might have had limited interstellar travel capabilities, despite their scientific advances at home. Able to visit other systems, but not in so easy a fashion that it would be a common thing. I'd need an Encyclopedia Kryptonica! I can't speak for post-Crisis developments but in Silver/Bronze Age lore, Krypton's space program had only advanced to the point of exploring the planet's moons despite their advanced technology in other areas. Jor-El was the first to develop a craft capable of interstellar travel and even it (Kal's rocket, of course) required a space warp to reach its destination. Krypton was aware of other worlds, including Earth, but only one man, Superman's great-grandfather Var-El, actually traveled off-planet on what proved to be a one-way trip (see DC Comics Presents #37). This is what I can remember off the top of my head. It'll take someone more steeped in Superman arcana than me to answer the rest of your questions.
Cei-U! I do what I can!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 23, 2024 13:26:50 GMT -5
I can't speak for every copy but my scanned copy of the original does indeed have a blank page there. Pretty weird, if'n you axe me.
Cei-U! I summon the mystery!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 23, 2024 7:19:43 GMT -5
I recognize the inks as being Giordano, but is the penciller Bob Brown ? No, it's Sal Amendola.
Cei-U! I summon my handy-dandy Action Comics index!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 22, 2024 8:40:08 GMT -5
Exactly. Who doesn't like free alcohol? Me. But then I'm a recovering alcoholic so...
Cei-U! I summon the Diet Coke!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 22, 2024 1:16:40 GMT -5
I've been toying with the idea of picking this series up and now I'm convinced: I gotta have it!
Cei-U! I update my want list!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 21, 2024 16:56:28 GMT -5
Not sure how much difference it makes but the publisher of Amazing Fantasy was Atlas Magazines while Amazing Spider-Man's was Non-Pareil Publishing so they would've been considered two distinct titles rather than the latter being a direct descendant of the former.
Cei-U! I summon the messed-up family tree!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 21, 2024 16:07:47 GMT -5
Just finished reading (ok, mostly skimming) Amazing Adventures/Adult Fantasy/Fantasy 1-15. Other than great art from Ditko, the curiosity of the first expressly stated mutant character in Marvel history (Tad Carter) in issue 14 (pre-dating X Men by a year), and a certain story about a Spider-Man in issue 15, not much to single out. Anyway, in the last issue there is a one page text piece stating that the mag would continue with more Spider-Man stories going forward. Obviously this didn't happen, and ASM #1 didn't appear for about 6 months. Lee always told the story that he knew issue 15 was going to be the last one and that Spider-Man was just thrown in there because he wanted to publish that story before the book was canceled. Then, when the sales figures came in for issue 15 several months later, Goodman ordered Lee to come up with a permanent Spidey book. However, the inclusion of the aforementioned text piece in issue 15 suggests that, at least when the book went to press, Amazing Fantasy, and the Spider-Man feature, were going to be continuing the following month (or 2 months if it was bimonthly, not sure). So my question is, when was it really decided to cancel Amazing Fantasy? And why was it after plans for future issues and a new direction, featuring presumably Spider-Man as the lead feature, were already set in motion? Although I don't have time to track down the exact details, I believe the decision to cancel Amazing Fantasy came after issue #15 went to press. Given that the contents of the first two issues of Amazing Spider-Man were pretty obviously meant to appear in Amazing Fantasy #16-19, Goodman probably lowered the boom around the time #16 would've been in production, catching Stan off guard. It then took an extra month and the cancellation of Linda Carter, Student Nurse (remember, Marvel's distributor, the DC-owned Independent News, put a cap on the number of titles Marvel could release per month) for AS-M to be put on the schedule. The book went monthly once the bi-monthly Incredible Hulk got the axe.
Cei-U! I summon the tentative answer!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 21, 2024 12:55:13 GMT -5
Jack Edison was the stuntman who built the Batmobiles. He was introduced in The Untold Legend of Batman #3 and, as far as I know, was never seen or mentioned again.
Cei-U! I summon the misfire!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 21, 2024 9:19:49 GMT -5
Magneto's appearances in the late 60s and early 70s prior to the New X-Men relaunch were, for the most part at least, horrible. His Avengers appearances were forgettable at best, and his appearance in the Inhumans story in Amazing Adventures #10 was soooo terrible. Maybe someone would have something good with him, but I think most of what people like about Magneto was developed by Claremont and company. He was really crap for a long time before they fixed him. Yup. Until Claremont, Mags was just another generic teeth-gnashing Marvel super-nogoodnik ("You dare defy the..." etc., etc.).
Cei-U! I summon the by-the-numbers baddie!
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