shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 11, 2020 17:39:07 GMT -5
Yes. Seems like the entire book is just heroes we already know with slightly different names. Kind of amazing that a legitimate superhero somehow grew out of these embarrassing roots. I’m not quite as critical since superheroes where a new concept to many writers in general without getting sued by using a Superman clone, and I’m sure Superman himself was accused of being “a John Carter magician combined with circus underwear” back in the day as well, in spite of the altruistic mission of fighting for justice, as well as Batman being a clone of Zorro and the Shadow, but I suppose what really matters is how the character is developed from there. I think it's a little more clear-cut here. Not five semi-Superman imposters, but rather each hero is specifically ripped from a different already established hero. |
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Post by electricmastro on May 11, 2020 19:39:29 GMT -5
Anyway, speaking of heroes, more recommendations:
Gerona - Triple Threat Comics #1
Hillman - Airboy Comics #v3#9 [32]
Dynamic - Scoop Comics #3
Eastern Color - Heroic Comics #19
Novelty Press - Target Comics #6
Columbia - Big Shot Comics #32
Dell - Popular Comics #74
Ace - Four Favorites #8
Centaur - Stars and Stripes Comics #5
Lev Gleason - Daredevil Comics #10
Fox - Science Comics #6
Harvey - Speed Comics #23
Nedor - Thrilling Comics #38
Quality - Police Comics #22
Archie - Blue Ribbon Comics #13
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 11, 2020 20:50:58 GMT -5
Quality - Police Comics #22 I absolutely intend to get around to Police Comics sometime soon. |
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Post by MWGallaher on May 12, 2020 6:42:16 GMT -5
Late to Planet Comics #37:
I went a binge a few years back reading this series. Reading "Me To Your Leader Take" as a kid in the book "All In Color For a Dime", had left me eager to read "The Lost World" in its entirety. As a young comics fan in the early 70's, I checked out that book of comics essays out from the library again and again, and man, did author Richard Ellington make this feature sound great!
And, for its time, I think it was indeed great. As of issue 37, the premise has stabilized, with Hunt Bowman and his girlfriend defending the remaining humans on Earth from the invading, Yoda-talking Volta-men, but it's not to its heights yet. It started out quite differently, with the "Lost World" being a completely different planet that the last Earthman Hunt Bowman traveled to, and the nemeses the Volta-Men had a different look and conventional speech. Plotting would become more intricate, unusual supporting characters were introduced, such as an Earth-sympathizing Volta child, threads of continuity were woven into the ongoing narrative. Terrific stuff, and this story is a pretty decent sample of the imaginative alien threats, but still has the simplistic, action-focused plot of early Planet Comics stories.
Mysta of the Moon: One of the things I find interesting about Planet is how the features evolved. Mysta was introduced in the final installment of "Mars, God of War" and took over his slot in the previous issue, #36. Mars had a more unusual premise: the Greek God of War returns to influence the future of interplanetary warfare.
Red Comet: It's interesting to compare this to the original from issue #13. It's really not "re-drawn", but rather re-scripted, with rearranged panels. The new script includes snappier dialog, elimination of some redundant text, and softens the originally-brutal ending.
Flint Baker and Reef Ryan, Space Rangers started out as two separate features, merged into a team, and eventually sidelined Reef to feature Flint and his young sidekick as the titular Space Rangers. Like most installments, I find it hard to pay attention to this story.
Gale Allen: Planet always gave the kids their fix of pretty girls!
Star Pirate: Hey, Murphy Anderson art! Early Murph, but always a pleasure to see his slick inks! But his art makes this feel like it was supposed to be a humor feature (Planet did have an intentionally comedic series in its earlier days).
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Post by MWGallaher on May 12, 2020 6:53:09 GMT -5
Mystery Men Number 1:
I only have eyes for Zanzibar. George Tuska's over-powered magician character is a favorite of mine, but this debut story barely hints at the totally bonkers tone of future installments. This one was crazy, gang. Take my word and fast forward through a few issues to read each short, surreal installment.
The rest of this issue is just too off-putting to struggle through, although I did enjoy skimming Rex Dexter for the Dick Briefer art.
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Post by Prince Hal on May 12, 2020 15:59:03 GMT -5
Wait till you read about Barney Ruditsky, the detective profiled on page 30. Quite a character. His post-1939 adventures (and misadventures) involve Sinatra, DiMaggio, Arnold Rothstein (of 1919 World Series infamy), Shirley Temple and Robert Mitchum, a batch of gangsters, Hollywood movies, TV shows and lots more. Who'd a thunk it? Check the notes on Barney Miller and Max Allan Collins, too. everything.explained.today/Barney_Ruditsky/ |
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Post by electricmastro on May 13, 2020 2:31:32 GMT -5
Also, speaking of the Blue Beetle, here’s his often overlooked contribution to the war effort (Blue Beetle #32, July 1944). Art by E. C. Stoner.  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 13, 2020 7:13:30 GMT -5
Discussion #23...  Krazy Kat (1916)"The greatest comic strip of all time," or a random trek into absurdity? Krazy Kat is one of the more controversial works in the canon of American sequential art. Now here's your chance to weigh in on the debate! May 13th thru May 15thA free and legal public domain scan can be found here |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 13, 2020 10:25:20 GMT -5
Discussion #23... Krazy Kat (1916)"The greatest comic strip of all time," or a random trek into absurdity? Krazy Kat is one of the more controversial works in the canon of American sequential art. Now here's your chance to weigh in on the debate! May 13th thru May 14thA free and legal public domain scan can be found here That link is dead for me. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 13, 2020 13:11:15 GMT -5
Discussion #23... Krazy Kat (1916)"The greatest comic strip of all time," or a random trek into absurdity? Krazy Kat is one of the more controversial works in the canon of American sequential art. Now here's your chance to weigh in on the debate! May 13th thru May 14thA free and legal public domain scan can be found here That link is dead for me. It's not the link. The site appears to be down. If it isn't up soon, I'll extend this through May 15th. |
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Post by Prince Hal on May 13, 2020 14:08:30 GMT -5
I got to read the first strip in that collection before the site went down. (That's happened before at Comic Book Plus.)
Anyway, herewith a few remarks.
Think Chuck Jones read this strip? Shades of Wile E. and the roadrunner!
Herriman was an interesting, er, cat. Like Krazy, whose gender flowed at a quick pace, often within the same strip, panel, or line of dialogue, Herriman was similalrly a transgressor, in his case, a black man who passed for a white man. The Krazy Kat strip was a wonderful exercise in reversals of all kinds: a black cat is madly in love with a white mouse; the cat misunderstands bricks aimed at her his/her head by the mouse as love notes; and the police dog looks out for the cat.
The landscape is often Daliesque, sometimes more like Picasso, usually spare, looking vaguely like the American Southwest, though this particular strip was more crowded and colorful.
I'd have to dig deeper, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised to find that Herriman's poetic wordplay and skillful use of dialect influenced Walt Kelly. Herriman's lines beg to be read aloud. No surprise that e.e. cummings loved the strip.
Herriman might well have lost his livelihood as a cartoonist (He worked on a big LA paper) had he been outed as a black man, which makes these tales of this fascinating triangle so touching. Krazy Kat strips can remind us of how unexplainable love is, how complex we are as creatures, and how we can get used to our version of the "world," no matter how weird it may seem from the outside looking in.
Krazy Kat is a strip that rewards immersion. You just have to get used to the ways of this unique world that Herriman gives us. Sometimes the little skits and scenes seem as perplexing and bleak as a Beckett play; sometimes, they are as romantic as a sonnet. No matter what Krazy is always a beam of hope, despite all the cruelty and injustice Ignatz deals out. And Ignatz, deep down, seems to love Krazy, too, if only because she is the reason he exists.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,878
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Post by shaxper on May 13, 2020 15:21:21 GMT -5
Krazy Kat is a strip that rewards immersion. You just have to get used to the ways of this unique world that Herriman gives us. Sometimes the little skits and scenes seem as perplexing and bleak as a Beckett play; sometimes, they are as romantic as a sonnet. No matter what Krazy is always a beam of hope, despite all the cruelty and injustice Ignatz deals out. And Ignatz, deep down, seems to love Krazy, too, if only because she is the reason he exists. This is beautiful, my friend. |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 13, 2020 15:43:49 GMT -5
I love Krazy Kat so much!
About three years ago, I saw there was a new biography of creator George Herriman at the library and I checked it out. Fascinating! The Herriman family was considered "colored" in New Orleans. Herriman's birth certificate says "colored." But when George was about ten, the whole family moved to the Los Angeles area … and all of a sudden, they weren't "colored" anymore!
I read a lot of African American history and I'm curious about "passing," but this was the first time I ever came across it by accident when reading a biography where I wasn't expecting it. I have to admit, I haven't read any Krazy Kat since I read the biography, so it will be interesting to read some of the Krazy Kat strips with some of my new knowledge about Herriman.
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Post by Prince Hal on May 13, 2020 15:48:20 GMT -5
Krazy Kat is a strip that rewards immersion. You just have to get used to the ways of this unique world that Herriman gives us. Sometimes the little skits and scenes seem as perplexing and bleak as a Beckett play; sometimes, they are as romantic as a sonnet. No matter what Krazy is always a beam of hope, despite all the cruelty and injustice Ignatz deals out. And Ignatz, deep down, seems to love Krazy, too, if only because she is the reason he exists. This is beautiful, my friend. Thanks, shax. It's a strip that fascinated me when I read reprints of it as a kid or saw the King Features cartoon version on TV. I probably couldn't quite get the non-linear narratives, and the different-ness (if that's a word) of it all. Some things you just have to grow into, I guess. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 13, 2020 16:01:08 GMT -5
I love Krazy Kat so much! About three years ago, I saw there was a new biography of creator George Herriman at the library and I checked it out. Fascinating! The Herriman family was considered "colored" in New Orleans. Herriman's birth certificate says "colored." But when George was about ten, the whole family moved to the Los Angeles area … and all of a sudden, they weren't "colored" anymore! I read a lot of African American history and I'm curious about "passing," but this was the first time I ever came across it by accident when reading a biography where I wasn't expecting it. I have to admit, I haven't read any Krazy Kat since I read the biography, so it will be interesting to read some of the Krazy Kat strips with some of my new knowledge about Herriman. It's a really good book. Being a creole of color it was a lot easier for Herriman to pass as someone with Greek or other southern European ancestry. Beyond that the book was just a generally great look at the birth of the comic strip and a look at certain types of cartoons, such as sports cartooning, that were huge at the time and are now largely forgotten. |
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