Neal Adams, Joe Kubert and Stan Lee

Talk about your comic book teamups! I don't know how many readers I share with THE NEW YORK TIMES but today's Times presents a lengthy article (available at least temporarily at this link:Comic Book Idols Seek to Aid a Holocaust Artist - NYTimes.com) about how the above three legends of the comic book industry are coming together to help a woman who painted pictures for Dr. Mengele at Auschwitz! Seen here is the Adams page shown from the upcoming project.

Random Panels of Comic Book Weirdness # 36

I wish I could remember and plug the blog where I saw it but yesterday I saw a YouTube clip of Alan Moore going on at great length in that marvelous accent of his about how Herbie Popnecker (whose adventures are currently getting the Archives treatment from Dark Horse) is his all-time favorite superhero! Moore points out that all the women loved him but that he could never figure out why. Hmm...This Herbie panel might give SOME indication (Ron Jeremy, look out!).

Cap in Focus!

Responding to a reader's call for a less blurry rendition of the back cover CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY poster we ran recently, we've uncovered the startlingly crisper version seen here. After a few false leads (ahem...cough, cough!), there it was on the back of the Golden Age CAPTAIN AMERICA # 4.

Boys of Steel

I always hesitate to call it a review when I talk about books by folks I've come to know via the Internet but here's another one. Let's call it a plug, then. This is Marc Tyler Nobleman's BOYS OF STEEL. We've mentioned it before here but today I got my own copy and it's really great. Many years ago, I came up with the idea of a series of children's books that would offer biographies of people behind the scenes of television shows, books or characters with whom kids would be familiar. The general perception was that while some might generate some interest, most would flop. I GET that but I still think there's a need for such books. How else are kids expected to find out about these things? BOYS OF STEEL is exactly the sort of thing I had envisioned. A hardcover picture book telling a simplified version of the lives of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the book spins their story in a very positive way up through the triumphant success of Superman. A two page text afterword even summarizes the rest of the often tragic story, up to and including the most recent positive court rulings regarding the Man of Steel's ownership.

The illustrations by Ross MacDonald (not the mystery writer!) are a nice mix of 1940's style children's book illustrations and golden age comic art style. I am curious, though, as in spite of the afterword talking about recent copyright rulings, I see no mention whatsoever of Superman's copyright in the fine print. You know, "The character of Superman is tm and copyright DC comics. Used by permission." I mean, yes, it's not about the guy with the cape but he DOES appear. Did I miss something or is there some legal reason that kind of thing is no longer required?

Nitpicking aside, kids love Superman and kids and comics collectors of all ages should enjoy this wonderful addition to their bookshelves! Makes me wish, yet again, that I had gotten to meet Jerry Siegel at the one comic book convention I attended that he was supposed to be at but he cancelled sick at the last minute. Sigh. Can't wait to see what Marc comes up with next!

Marvel Comics # 1 Ad!

Here is an ad from aCOMPLETE DETECTIVE magazine dated October, 1939. As you can see, the ad is clearly touting the first appearances of The Human Torch,Sub-Mariner (yes, I know all about MOTION PICTURE FUNNIES WEEKLY #1 but you know what I mean!), and Marvel in general. It should go without saying but just in case you wanted to take them up on the dime offer in the ad, please note that the last time one of these suckers publically changed hands it went for about half the money in Scrooge McDuck's money bin! If I were you, I'd settle for the relatively recent Marvel reprint.

Update-Update-Update

Well, we sold my wife's late mother's house. After nearly a year of getting nowhere, we went with a new realtor, got an offer in three hours, counter-offered, had it accepted and had a handshake deal in less than six hours. Contracts were signed, closing dates set and later postponed but at the end of the day...WE DID IT! We spent the past week paying off all of our debt except our mortgage! Even paid off the @#!!$$ piece of $%#@ car...just a few days after having to pay to get new tires and new brakes!

Problem is that none of this has kicked in yet. I don't FEEL debt-free. I felt guilty when I bought a turntable the other day to play our still substanial record collection. It's still in its box. The only other indulgences I've allowed myself thus far are a handful of back issues of PSYCHOTRONIC (several featuring work by my Christa co-author, John O'Dowd) and my own copy (as opposed to one I borrowed awhile back to review) of Mark Evanier's KIRBY book! This is what I call "the ten dollar rule." When I was a teenager, I'd beg my mother for ten dollars for this, that or the other. If and when she finally gave in, I'd take the money, head off to Woolworth's, decide I didn't really need or want this, that or the other all that much and inevitably return the money to her. Sigh.

Other than that, I've been dealing with new blood pressure medications (the old ones only seem to give me the side effects!), prepping bookdave to start middle school in a couple weeks, scraping layers of paint off my front porch and preparing for our annual inventory at work after losing a valuable employee.

Speaking of work, I continue to miss all the most interesting visitors! We already wrote of William Shatner recently. Since then, I missed a return visit from Ron Jeremy (seen here with one of our employees with all identifying info removed to keep the company off my back) and now this week John Waters! I'm told he was quite delightful!

 

1956 Election Preview-The Republicans

THE REPUBLICANS
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER-In spite of his health issues and complaints of his overall ineffectiveness, Eisenhower won reelection in 1956, taking Nixon with him back into office. The General became known for his golfing and his heart attacks as much for anything he actually did in office.
RICHARD M. NIXON-Maybe you heard of him. He campaigned unsuccessfully against Kennedy in the 1960 elections (if only he had shaved!), then had an equally unsuccessful bid for California governor. He announced that the press "…won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore" and for a few years he was correct. In 1968, running on a law and order platform in a confused time of change, Nixon finally became president (after appearing on TV’s LAUGH-IN asking, "Sock it to ME?"). Although mercilessly mocked, he was considered a statesman and a supporter of the moon landings, international relations and "peace with honor" in Vietnam.
Things changed. Although Nixon won reelection by a landslide in 1972, the Watergate scandal grew, revealing his paranoia, his dark side and his illegal activities all around, causing Nixon to be the first (and to date only) US President to resign the office. His choice for Vice, Spiro Agnew, had already himself resigned and been replaced by Gerald Ford. Ford became the country’s only non-elected (official) President and promptly pardoned Nixon. In disgrace, "Tricky Dick" returned to China, the scene of one of his biggest triumphs. In later years, a controversial series of interviews with David Frost showed the man’s human frailties like no other. He continued writing books on political and social issues until his death in 1994.
EARL WARREN-Although he continued as a controversial Chief Justice until 1969, Warren’s name will forever be associated with the Commision that investigated the assassination of JFK. He died in 1974.
CHARLES A. HALLECK-Became House Minority leader from ’59 to ’64. After that he was replaced by the younger Gerald Ford. Although he remained in the House until 1969, his very conservative beliefs and support of the War in Vietnam worked against him in the sixties. In spite of that, he became a popular TV Republican of his day. He lived until 1986.
SHERMAN ADAMS- A powerful Chief of Staff under the ailing Eisenhower, Adams nonetheless resigned in ’58. He returned to New Hampshire where he opened a popular ski resort. He died in 1986.
GEORGE M. HUMPHREY- In 1957 he returned to private sector where he eventually became head of National Steel. The Senate later investigated a scandal dating to his time in the Eisenhower administration. Declining health led to his death in 1970.
WILLIAM F. KNOWLAND-Went from being Senate Minority Leader to Senate Majority Leader. He developed a long rivalry/friendship with Lyndon Johnson as his opposite number. He had withdrawn from seeking the ’56 nomination when Eisenhower recovered enough to run. In ’58 he left the Senate to fight a hard campaign for governorship of California but he lost. He inherited the Oakland Tribune newspaper in 1966 but had personal issues that ultimately led to his suicide in 1974.