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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 30, 2024 23:45:01 GMT -5
JiM #112 was the second Thor comic I ever read ("Prisoner of the Reds" was the first) and my second exposure to The Hulk (Amazing Spider-Man #14 was the first). Is it any wonder 6-year-old Cei-U became a Marvel zombie?
Cei-U! I summon the clash of the titans!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 30, 2024 8:22:42 GMT -5
The Golden Age character The Bouncer, created by Robert Kanigher and E.C. Stoner, was a statue of Antaeus that came to life whenever its sculptor, a 20th century descendant of the real Antaeus, was in danger. It was published by Fox and thus it comes as no surprise that it was one of the worst comics to ever see print.
Cei-U! I summon the stony stinker!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 30, 2024 6:07:40 GMT -5
Tales of Asgard: The Secret of Sigurd!: Thor, Loki and Balder encounter a big bruiser named Sigurd who likes to wrestle everybody he meets on the trail. He's hard to beat because he just seems to get stronger and stronger as you fight him. Balder remembers that Sigurd is descended from earth sprite and draws strength from the ground. So Thor grabs him and throws Sigurd into outer space and he doesn't come back and they don't have to worry about him anymore. So I guess this is a thing that happened. I'll bet I've read this story at least fifty times over the years and it's only when I read your synopsis that I realized that Lee and Kirby (mostly Kirby) shamelessly ripped off the myth of Hercules and Antaeus for their plot. It doesn't make me enjoy it any less but...
Cei-U! I summon that moment of clarity!
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Post by Cei-U! on Mar 29, 2024 4:16:42 GMT -5
I know what you mean. I never went through the "girls are icky" phase. My first crush, or at least the earliest one I remember, was a teenage Bernadette Peters after seeing her on The Jimmy Dean Show. Some three decades later, I had a front row seat at a benefit concert she gave for the Olympia Arts Council, during which she stepped down from the stage and sang directly to me. Talk about your deferred gratification!
Cei-U! Now if I could just meet Shelley Fabares!
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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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