A Random Thought....

While I've been mostly inactive from blogging, I'm making a quick return to ponder a question that just occurred to me... We all know that Marvel's "Miracleman" reprints are credited to "The Original Writer" to avoid using Alan Moore's name. My question is: When they get to the stories that were drawn by Chuck Beckum/Austen, will they be crediting him as "Chuck Beckum" (the name he went by at the time) or "Chuck Austen" (his current name)? And if they do credit him as Beckum, would it be for the sake of historical accuracy, or simply to avoid the notoriety that the Chuck Austen name has accumulated?

Panel of the Week: My Little Donald Sutherland

What's this? Actual content? From me?

That's right, one of the comics I picked up this week had a panel so good, I just had to scan and share it. From the first issue of IDW's "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic," writer Katie Cook and artist Andy Price present a riff on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," with several ponies being replaced with blank-eyed, mindless duplicates. When the few unaffected ponies notice what's going on, they're pointed out by a shrieking Donald-Sutherland-in-Pony-Form:

And if that panel alone isn't worth the cover price, the rest of the story definitely is.

I can't promise I'll be able to make "Panel of the Week" a regular feature, but this was just too good not to point out.

Remember Whens-Day: Guardian by Karl Kesel

This week's Golden Age sketch: Jack Kirby's Guardian, by the ever-incredible Karl Kesel.

Remember Whens-Day: Miss Fury by Allen Rowe

Another contribution from pin-up artist Allen Rowe, this time depicting Tarpe Mills' Miss Fury.

Remember Whens-Day: Black Canary by R.C. Harvey

Cartoonist and comics historian R.C. Harvey contributes this charming Black Canary portrait:

Remember Whens-Day: Fighting American by Steve Rude

Was the Fighting American one of the last Golden Age heroes or one of the earliest Silver Age heroes? It's an interesting question, but why debate semantics when we can look at this gorgeous Steve Rude drawing?

Remember Whens-Day: Johnny Thunder by Chris Sprouse

The great Chris Sprouse provides this portrait of Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt.

Remember Whens-Day: The Gay Ghost by Bo Hampton

Bo Hampton provides this portrait of Sensation Comics' The Gay Ghost (or Grim Ghost, as renamed in more recent years). Okay, get the snickering out of your system...it meant something different back then.

Remember Whens-Day: Bozo the Robot by Dave Johnson

Next up in the Golden Age Sketchbook: Dave Johnson makes Bozo the Iron Man look cooler than he ever did in Smash Comics...

Remember Whens-Day: The Jester by Keith Giffen

Keith Giffen provides this portrait of Quality Comics' The Jester.

Remember Whens-Day: Ralph Farnham, Space Pirate by Me

Now here's an obscurity that I did myself. Way back when, I was reading the "Famous First Edition" overside reprint of Flash Comics #1, and was struck by this spot illustration from the issue's text story (written by Gardner Fox, illustrated by Sheldon Mayer):


I was just so tickled that the villain didn't get a futuristic or menacing name...he's just "Ralph Farnham, Space Pirate." And then there's that expression on his face...the world-weary look of "Yeah, that's right, the name's Ralph Farnham. Wanna make something of it?"

Well, I did make something of it: My own contribution to my Golden Age sketchbook.

Farewell to a Master

I've just heard the sad news that Gene Colan has passed away. I was a great admirer of his consistently wonderful artwork, from Daredevil to Tomb of Dracula to Howard the Duck. His work was striking, dynamic, bold...I could easily run out of superlatives to praise him.

One element of his work that always impressed me was that he was a master of faces. Consider Tomb of Dracula...a book that amassed an enormous cast of characters over its run, mainly because most of them were killed off almost as soon as they were introduced. But Colan never drew "stock characters"...he devoted as much care to making Dracula's "victim-of-the-month" a distinctive individual as he did to dilineating the series' regular cast.

Rest in peace, Gene Colan. Now, I'm going to reread some old Daredevils...

Musical Monday: Donna Troy Sings The Monkees

I got a sketch from Nick Cardy (a fact that still has me awestruck...I mean, I GOT A SKETCH FROM NICK CARDY!), featuring "the being known as Wonder Girl" to the tune of the Monkees' "Randy Scouse Git."
The being known as Wonder Girl
Is speaking, I believe,
It's not easy trying to tell her
That I shortly have to leave...

Musical Monday: Brandy Sings Looking Glass

From Frank Cho, a portrait of Liberty Meadows' Brandy, to the obvious tune by Looking Glass...

Quick Thought: Batman's Bright Segment

I picked up the past couple of weeks' worth of books this weekend, and something occurred to me while reading the Batman 80-Page Giant, specifically the Two-Face/Humpty Dumpty story.

I would not be at all surprised if either Dan Slott (who introduced Humpty in the Arkham Asylum: Living Hell mini-series) or Brad Desnoyer (writer of this tale) were a big fan of Theodore Sturgeon. Why? Because reading this story, I was suddenly struck by the similarity of Humpty to the protagonist of Sturgeon's short story "Bright Segment."

If you haven't read Sturgeon's story (which you should), it concerns a mentally-challenged handyman who finds a badly injured woman in the street. Trying to help, he carries her into his apartment. Although he immediately realizes he should have taken her to a hospital, he's afraid that he'll get in trouble because he didn't think of that first. So he decides that the only thing left to do is to "fix" her himself, using his own skills and whatever information he can glean from the first-aid and medical books he finds. (I won't spoil the story by saying anything more.)

While the similarity is striking, it could be just a coincidence. Still, I'll take any excuse to recommend Theodore Sturgeon to anybody.

Quick Thought on Green Lantern #55

If Bruce Wayne were an adorable wittle kittycat, he would be Dex-Starr.

Salvaging the Sentry

Ragnell and Chris Sims, among others, have articulated their complaints about The Sentry: Fallen Sun one-shot, and I couldn't agree with them more. The sad part is, I liked the original Sentry mini-series...even though I disliked the character even then. What made the mini-series work for me was precisely the thing that I've hated in his subsequent appearances...the fact that he was such a "Mary Sue," with Jenkins (and later Bendis) pounding us over the head with the Sentry's alleged awesomeness and his importance to the history of the Marvel Universe. In that mini-series, his too-good-to-be-true nature was just that...too good to be true. His perfection gave me the unsettling feeling that something was very wrong with this picture, and it paid off.

My take on it was that the Sentry wasn't this pivotal figure who sacrificed his place in history to save the world...instead, his powers changed the world into his own wish-fulfillment fantasy, warping reality into one where Bob was the most powerful...and more importantly, the most beloved hero in the universe. When he suppressed the Void, he didn't make the world forget; he just restored the world to the way it had been. The Sentry was no longer a part of the other heroes' lives, because he never had been.

This theory could also explain a great deal of Fallen Sun, such as why so many of the mourners seemed so out of character (Ben Grimm needing to be restrained from killing?) and why Bob's "fall from grace" was glossed over. I believe that, as he died, Bob's final thought was a desperate "Please don't remember me like this!" And his last burst of power once again changed the world to one where he was the greatest person on Earth and everybody loved him because he was such an important part of their lives. And I like to think that in time, that final reality-warp will fade, and everybody will remember their inspiring encounter with the Sentry...then step back and realize "Wait, that didn't happen!"

And when Rogue realizes what he did to her memories, Bob's going to be mighty glad he's already dead.

What's So Bright About This?

See Chris Sims' SPOILER post regarding the pointless elimination of one of the most enjoyable new characters of the past few years. Geez, it wasn't enough to relegate him to second-string "back-up" status after "the real guy" came back...they had to kill him off as well?

To quote an MST3K classic: "I am bugged!"

What If...I Started Posting Again?

Wow, it really has been a long time since I've last posted. My apologies...I've had a bit of an increased workload in my day job, I've become more active with Dad's Garage Theatre Company (where I just finished a two-month run of a new improv-show format), and, well...I've gotten addicted to FarmVille, so that's eating up my free time. (I'm ashamed, but I admit it.)

However, I'm on vacation this week, so I've got a little more time to post. So, I'll share an idea that's been rattling around my head for a while.


I was a big fan of Marvel's What If? series (the original one, and to a lesser extent, the '90s revival). Currently, I'm getting a lot of enjoyment from Siskoid's recap/reviews of the series. But there's an idea I've had for a What If story of my own...and I'm finally going to put it down on paper (okay, on a computer screen).


WHAT IF...

Returning home after capturing the burglar, and contemplating his guilt and responsibility...






...What if, instead of hiding is secret, Peter Parker went to his Aunt May and tearfully confessed how his inaction led to Uncle Ben's death? Surprisingly, she does NOT keel over (as Stan Lee probably would have had her do at the time), but reiterates the famous lesson in that final panel, adding that responsibility doesn't just mean doing the right thing, but also taking the consequences of your mistakes.



The next time Spider-Man appears on TV to perform his stunts, he concludes his act with an important announcement...he is retiring from performing. With that, he unmasks and tells his story, explaining that he will be using his powers for the greater good, rather than personal glory.


At school the next day, Peter is approached by an awestruck Flash Thompson, who asks for an autograph. Peter is taken aback, not only by the change in Flash's attitude, but because this sort of adulation was exactly what he was trying to avoid. He asks Flash if he'd actually listened to what he was saying on TV, but Flash doesn't get it.


Much of Spidey's early adventures proceed as in mainstream continuity; he still saves John Jameson's capsule, but J. Jonah Jameson still considers him a publicity-seeker, even moreso since his identity is public. Photography is out as a potential career for Peter, since he's known to be Spider-Man. (On the other hand, he is able to cash that check from his last TV appearance, since it's been made out to Peter Parker instead of "Spider-Man"...but that one payment won't last forever.)



Interlude: Norman Osborn, having adopted the identity of the Green Goblin, is contemplating his next move to impress the underworld and establish his reputation. He considers targeting Spider-Man, but despite Spidey's crimefighting record, Osborn ultimately dismisses him as an insignificant child. He instead decides that Daredevil would be a worthy opponent.



Peter Parker is frustrated and discouraged, feeling that he's getting all of the drawbacks of "celebrity" (loss of privacy, threatened lawsuits, plus the added fear for Aunt May's safety) with none of its advantages. Then, one night he returns home and finds Aunt May entertaining a guest...retired police Captain George Stacy. Without wishing to belittle Peter's accomplishments as a costumed crimefighter, Captain Stacy suggests that he could do much more as an actual police officer (with a few special allowances to make best use of his particular abilities). As a further incentive, Stacy mentions that he's heard a great deal from May about Peter's scientific interests, and refers him to the police academy's forensic training (while assuring him he can also work his way through college).


Cut to some time later: Officer Peter Parker reports for his first day on duty. Donning his uniform (mostly standard-issue, except he's been permitted to replace his regulation shoes with footwear that will allow his wall-crawling ability), he meets his new partner: Officer Jean De Wolff. As they drive off, Peter expresses hopeful enthusiasm for his new career. De Wolff responds "Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot." (I know, it's not her line, but I had to use it.)

The Gift of Insanity

Wishing Happy Holidays to everyone out there! As for me, I just want to mention one gift that particularly made my Christmas merry...the two-book set of the complete comics work of Fletcher Hanks: "I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets" and "You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation."

If you haven't heard of him by now, suffice it to say that Fletcher Hanks was a mad genius of the Golden Age of comics, creator of such demented characters as the all-powerful Stardust the Super Wizard, the skull-faced Fantomah, and the completely interchangeable triumverate of space heroes: Space Smith, Whirlwind Carter, and Buzz Crandall. (Hanks was also a horrible, abusive human being who came to a miserable end, as revealed by the reminiscences of his son Fletcher Hanks Jr...but that's another matter entirely.)

I'll just leave you with a typical image, courtesy of Paul Karasik's Fletcher Hanks website: