|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 21, 2017 16:19:36 GMT -5
Sorry, I've been neglectful of my duties... But here's something interesting. It's a four-pager from Feature Comics 34 (July 1940) starring Rance Keane, who, best I can tell, is a cowboy-detective. Here he's in a fish-out-of-water story in which he's inadvertently involved in the theft of "the oldest edition of Shakespeare in the world." It's so weird for lots of reasons, not the least of which is that avoids any kind of Shakespearean pun. Much of the detecting occurs "off-screen," Rnace has a bizarre sidekick named Pee-Wee who looks like a kid in an artist's beret wearing a gigantic fake moustache, and the end of the mystery is no end at all. And, no, therew as no follow-up in the next issue... Here it is in al its mini-glory. Oh, and the title given to it by the GCD, et al. would provide a bit of fun today: "The Shakespeare Snatch." Pages courtesy comicbookplus.com/?dlid=58090   Moments later, Rance, in his city-slicker garb, is able to find the criminal, Professor Thespis, who has a breakdown worthy of Norman Bates when he was captured in the fruit cellar in Psycho.  |
|
|
|
Post by foxley on May 22, 2017 1:40:13 GMT -5
Well, that was certainly odd. I think we learned more about the quiz show than we did about the thief and his motives. A dishy Will Shakespeare graces the cover of this GN about his life:  |
|
|
|
Post by Farrar on May 22, 2017 13:50:30 GMT -5
Just thought of a subtle Shakespearean reference in Marvel's feminist superheroine book The Cat - one of the supporting cast was named Mal Donalbain. In Macbeth, the sons of King Duncan are Malcolm and Donalbain. Which reminds me -- I've been meaning to post this:   |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 22, 2017 14:36:21 GMT -5
Just thought of a subtle Shakespearean reference in Marvel's feminist superheroine book The Cat - one of the supporting cast was named Mal Donalbain. In Macbeth, the sons of King Duncan are Malcolm and Donalbain. Which reminds me -- I've been meaning to post this: "Most wonderful," to quote Olivia. Something to rescue that Titans revival from history's ashcan! |
|
|
|
Post by foxley on May 23, 2017 1:55:40 GMT -5
I'm curious here as to which character Veronica has been cast as. Lady Montague? Lady Capulet? Surely not the Nurse...?!  |
|
Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
|
Post by Crimebuster on May 23, 2017 12:06:54 GMT -5
There have been a lot of Archie stories over the years involving Shakespeare.  There's this thing they do occasionally called "The Archie Art Players" which is like Classics Illustrated, only all the characters are portrayed by members of the Archie cast. i find these to be just about universally insufferable, but your mileage may vary. There's also a classic story where Jughead and Veronica are cast in Romeo and Juliet and Jughead is such an amazing kisser that Veronica falls in love with him.  |
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on May 23, 2017 12:47:53 GMT -5
There have been a lot of Archie stories over the years involving Shakespeare. There's this thing they do occasionally called "The Archie Art Players" which is like Classics Illustrated, only all the characters are portrayed by members of the Archie cast. i find these to be just about universally insufferable, but your mileage may vary. There's also a classic story where Jughead and Veronica are cast in Romeo and Juliet and Jughead is such an amazing kisser that Veronica falls in love with him. After all these years, Archie comics can still make me smile!!! |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 23, 2017 15:04:49 GMT -5
And Barry Allen as... Hamlet! Ophelia! Claudius! Horatio! and everybody else, too!   |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 25, 2017 14:11:44 GMT -5
Speaking of the Flash and Shakespeare, we mustn't forget the legendary Dexter Myles, a Shakespearean actor who appeared in a few Flash and Kid Flash stories in the Silver Age (and beyond). Don't know if Gardner Fox was a Shakespeare-lover or not, but it was pretty clear that he liked the look and histrionic personality of the classic Dick Tracy character, Vitamin Flintheart:   Here's Vitamin in the movies, as played by Ian Keith...  Dexter's hamminess was sometimes emphasized,  but at least in his first appearance, in the Kid Flash story in Flash 138, he had been a big star, if Wally West's parents are to be believed.  He eventually becomes a guide, and then the curator of the Flash Museum, where his confidence in speaking to audiences serves him well when he talks to the many visitors.  |
|
|
|
Post by foxley on May 25, 2017 22:33:17 GMT -5
To be honest, I have no idea what is going on here, but it involves Hamlet:  |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 26, 2017 15:43:38 GMT -5
The guy on the horse is named Hotspur...  |
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on May 26, 2017 19:44:26 GMT -5
Now that's some serious Bard-fu, Sir Hal!!!  |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 27, 2017 8:46:14 GMT -5
To be honest, I have no idea what is going on here, but it involves Hamlet: It sure does! Here's the first page and the link: comicbookplus.com/?dlid=16396 |
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on May 27, 2017 8:48:25 GMT -5
And does anyone know anything about this story, by Frank Stack, who wrote and drew this story as Foolbert Sturgeon? Extra info: "FRANK STACK Born in Houston, Texas on Halloween, 1937, Frank Stack initially gained fame in the 1960s under the pseudonym “Foolbert Sturgeon.” In 1962, he produced what is generally credited as the first underground comic book, The Adventures of Jesus. He continues to create comics work, but is also a painter and a tenured Professor of Art at the University of Missouri. Published work includes T he New Adventures of Jesus, Dr. Feelgood, Dorman’s Doggie, Etchings and Lithographs by Frank Stack, Naked Glory and Our Cancer Year written by Joyce Brabner and Harvey Pekar. Frank’s speculation in comics on the death of Shakespeare, originally done for Blab! was reprinted in Rosebud 25." (Undergrounds are not my bailiwick.)  |
|
|
|
Post by Rob Allen on May 27, 2017 18:53:49 GMT -5
I've got some of Stack's "Jesus" comics ("the New Improved Testament!") but I know nothing about this Shakespeare story. It looks interesting.
|
|
