You are currently browsing the archives for June, 2004
§ June 21st, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
The Bionic Woman #1 (October 1977)
So Jamie Sommers, AKA The Bionic Woman (with some of her bionic parts exposed, above) is, when she’s not kicking butt for the O.S.I., a school teacher in Southern California.
Jamie decides to call Rico’s mother about his schoolwork, and tells Rico as such…Rico then relates to his teacher, just out of the blue, that his grandfather wants to take him away from his widowed mother. However, this plot becomes important as a fella tries to snatch Rico after school lets out:
(That bit about Rico’s dad being a professional car racer has no bearing on the plot whatsoever, by the way.) Jamie stops the car, and puts the bionic squeeze on the kidnapper’s hand, telling Rico to get out of the car. Once he’s safe, Jamie apparently decides the smart thing to do is to let the kidnapper go, telling the boy that the man just wanted to take him to his grandfather, even though there’s absolutely no evidence presented in the story thus far to draw this conclusion.
Taking Rico to his beach house, Jamie is greeted by Rico’s mother Anita, who tells Jamie that the grandfather had disowned his son, her husband, and didn’t help him when he needed it. Now that he’s dead, Grandpa is trying to worm his way into Rico and Anita’s life, and she won’t have it. Anyway, apparently unconcerned about the attempted kidnapping, Anita and Rico dress for the beach as Jamie excuses herself.
However, Jamie doesn’t make it far before discovering that the house was being monitored by (we’re meant to assume) the grandfather’s minions:
Why it was important to note that Rico is in swim trunks is a mystery for the ages. Perhaps we’ve just learned something important about Harvey. So, Harvey, in green, and his pal, in blue, approach Anita and Rico on the beach. Jamie rushes into action and lays the bionic whammy on Harvey:
Jamie is shot with a “medicated wax pellet” gun, which knocks her out, and Anita, Rico, and Jamie are taken to the grandfather’s home in “the hills above the Ventura Air Force Base.” Now, I work in Ventura…I
lived in Ventura for a few years…I’m pretty sure that there’s no Ventura Air Force Base. Anyway, once at Grandpa’s house, Rico makes a break for it, and ends up dangerously close to a cliff. Jamie, awake by now, sees another threat:
Jamie picks up a rock, and pegs the snake…which then shocks Rico into falling off the cliff:
Luckily he fell onto the one lone branch that just happened to be right below:
Having failed in her previous attempt to kill the kid, Jamie decides to jump down to the branch:
Jamie grabs Rico just in time, and his grandfather, having rushed out with a rope, rescues his grandson. Rico rightfully reveals that he feared for his life at Jamie’s hands:
After being pulled to safety, Jamie wonders at the incredible feat of strength she managed with her non-bionic arm, having pulled up Rico who weighs, what, 35, 40 pounds?
Anyway, everything ends well, with Anita, Grandpa, and Rico back together as a happy family, despite all the criminal charges Grandpa is going to face for sending armed men to kidnap his grandson.
§ June 20th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
1. Crossgen files for bankruptcy…somewhere, Bill Jemas is laughing.
1a. Crud…Crossgen books sold very well at our store, and we had several people who hadn’t been reading Crossgen books beginning to sample their wares (beginning with Abadazad).
2. Overheard at the store today: “Hey, it’s Luthor…that guy from Smallville!”
3. Grotesque Anatomy is holding a Street Angel Squid Contest which I’ll let him explain.
4. Swamp Thing animated series to be released on DVD…I’m the only person you know who’s excited about this. (via pal Ian)
5. Here’s a treasure trove of scanned comics, including several 1930s White Boy Sunday strips, a collection of Abner Dean comic strips that may or may not be safe for work, depending on how uptight your workplace is, a 1951 Strange Adventures story by Edmond Hamilton and Alex Toth, and many more goodies. (via pal JP)
6. Happy Father’s Day! My dad turned me on to The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and he’s read every issue of Groo the Wanderer and Preacher, plus a good chunk of Ennis’ Punisher. I also let him borrow my copy of Last of the Independents, but I don’t know if he’s read it yet. And, he reads this website every night. Hi, Dad!
§ June 19th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
True 3D #1 (Dec 1953)
§ June 18th, 2004 § Filed under indies, mad magazine Comments Off on The pull-quote master.
1. Mark Evanier posted a link to an excellent, if disturbing, Mountain Dew commercial that features Mad Magazine mainstay “Spy Vs. Spy.” Bonus: a pitch for a Spy Vs. Spy movie.
2. Somehow I managed to miss Big Larry as much as calling me out for a “cover blurb” for Scurvy Dogs (under June 1st). Now, I loves me the Scurvy Dogs…that was one of the very first links I put on this weblog of mine…and it’s one of the few titles that we keep every in-print issue on the new comics wall at the store (along with Demo, Girl Genius, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and Lenore). Well, unfortunately, the best I’ve come up with is “It’s really, really good…but maybe if there were fewer pirates in it, and maybe if it wasn’t as funny, and if there were a talking dog somehow involved, it would be even better. Oh, and more car chases” — but I’m afraid he’d use it, and everyone who saw it on the cover would think I’d experienced some kind of debilitating head injury as a child.
3. For God’s sake, don’t let Nana die! Help out Jason Yungbluth by buying some of his funnybooks and T-shirts so he can put out another issue of America’s Funniest Comic Book Starring A Clown And A Talking Cat, Deep Fried!
§ June 17th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
Wonder Woman #170 (May 1967) – cover by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito
§ June 17th, 2004 § Filed under this week's comics Comments Off on Hopefully no other Batman comic will ever again address the Killing Joke Joker origin.
New comics day!
Seaguy #2 – the genius continues! Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart bring us a comic that feels like it’s every comic you’ve ever read, squeezed into a three-issue mini-series. I love this comic.
Plastic Man #7 – Scott Morse fills in with Plastic Man helping Woozy out on a date. It’s a beautifully illustrated comic (not that the previous issues by Kyle Baker weren’t), and lots of fun as well. I’ve said it before…all the people who are skipping this series because they apparently wanted a serious Plastic Man comic are really missing out.
Captain Marvel #24 – remarkably depressing…well done, and a logical resolution to this storyline…but depressing. Here’s hoping the next, last issue of the series ends on an up note!
Justice League: Another Nail #2 – this is one crowded funnybook, but Alan Davis draws everything so well you really don’t mind.
Also (and this could be a *possible spoiler* since I’m discussing story specifics) the new issue of Batman: Gotham Knights seems to establish once and for all that some of the details of the Joker’s origin as seen in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke are canon. However, given that the flashback sequence in this issue is as apparently related by the Joker — who, in The Killing Joke, states that he remembers his origin differently each time — the story could still be suspect. A couple interesting notes: 1) the sequence of events in the B:GK Joker origin appears to be slightly different from the one in KJ; 2) The Joker’s real first name is finally revealed in comics for the first time* (and should come as no surprise), even if it was in flashback and possibly suspect; and 3) The Joker seems remarkably sane as opposed to most of his appearances…which makes this story strangely affecting and the Joker that much more menacing.
And, as I was poking through our previews for next week’s comics…the forthcoming issue of Excalibur has crushed all belief I had in the basic goodness of the universe. You’ll see what I mean.
*…though part of his first name was revealed in Legends of the Dark Knight #50, a few years ago. This is part of my brain that could be used for useful information.
§ June 15th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on This is my 300th post…
…so to celebrate, lemme reach again into the long-neglected AiT/Planetlar Box o’Love, and pull out The Couriers 02: Dirtbike Manifesto by Brian Wood and Rob G. Not much to say, really…it’s another one of Wood’s tautly-told fun and not terribly deep action movies with humor and gunplay, as the two couriers in question (Moustafa and Special) find themselves tracking down gunrunners in “redneck country” — a bit outside the city-life to which Moustafa and Special are accustomed. Again, the dialogue is sparse, telling you exactly what you need to know, and the art is deceptively simple…at first glance, it looks rushed and crude, but as the story continues, you begin to appreciate its expressiveness. Some of the fast-action “blur” effects (as when Moustafa rolls out of the way of gunfire, near the beginning of the book) don’t work quite so well, but these sequences are few and far between. So, it’s another fun book from Ait/Planetlar, and worth a look. Also, if you haven’t read the first Couriers book, don’t worry…I hadn’t either, and had no problem getting into the story. What little backstory you need (mostly, just setting up what Moustafa and Special do for a living) is given to you right away.
In other news:
Pal Dorian doesn’t have access to a computer for the moment, but updates to his site should resume shortly.
The Return of Johnny DC! Well, he’s exchanged his professor’s cap for a cape, but that’s a great darn logo.
Everyone’s already discussed the new DC solicitations, but I just wanted to note how glad I am to see the Superman: True Brit book by Kim “Howard” Johnson, John Cleese, and John Byrne…I know it’ll be more Johnson than Cleese, but having any involvement from Cleese on a Superman book has got to be worth waiting for. Plus, in regards to the new Adam Strange series…that’s a great redesign for Adam’s helmet.
Hello, everyone from The Randi Rhodes Show Forum! Don’t “skip past most everything” — read the rest of my site! I won’t bite, I promise!
And, to wrap up my 300th post…I bring you Detective Comics #300:
§ June 15th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
Flat Earth (the Mike Sterling of Another World) has been posting the editorial pages and links to sample art from the Cancelled Comic Cavalcades (here and here).
Bob Rozakis discusses the CCC in this article, which continues on for several more parts (links to which you can find at the bottom of this page).
Oh, and for all you people reading Identity Crisis and wondering who the Calculator is…Rozakis, the creator of the character, details his history here, here, here, and here.
§ June 14th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
So I really don’t know a whole lot about this particular comic, beyond that it features tennis pro
Stan Smith and that it came out sometime in the early 1970s. Oh, and that it features the art of Frank McLaughlin.
Anyway, this comic features a little girl, Marie, asking Stan Smith for tips on playing tennis. Like any sports pro would, Smith immediately agrees and proceeds to spend the rest of the day giving Marie valuable one-on-one tennis training for absolutely no cost whatsoever. However, along with proper racket handling and positioning on the court, apparently Pepsi is required for your best tennis play:
And Pepsi looks silently on as Marie gives her touching and heartfelt thanks to Smith for his lessons:
On the back cover – oh, look, apparently Pepsi sponsored this comic. Who knew?
I leave you with this final tip, not just for improved tennis skills, for for a healthier life in general…just remember to drink lots and lots of Pepsi at every opportunity:
§ June 13th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on Links, ahoy!
1. Chaosmonkey posts a re-dialogued piece of Avengers art that makes me laugh for very immature reasons. Thor’s line, in particular.
2. Les Super-Heros DC en France. Check out the live-action-TV-version-of-the-Tick-esque costume on the Flash here.
3. Well, there’s that topic of discussion going around (as seen here, here, here, here, and here) where you’re supposed to pick your “dream teams” for various comic books. I started on my list (Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan on Superman, Matt Baker on Lois Lane, Jack Kirby on Man-Thing (you know that would be cool), Mike Parobeck on Batman, Lou Fine on Fantastic Four) when I realized all the creators on my list have passed away. How depressing. However, they’re not any less likely than some of the teams that have been suggested.
Living creators, this time: Dan Clowes and Fred Hembeck switching off on Jimmy Olsen, Grant Morrison on Rogue and Gambit (just to cause aneurysms in X-fans), George Perez on JLA (I know he’s done it before, but no one does a group book like him), Garth Ennis and Todd McFarlane on Jonah Hex (just because I think McFarlane’s art is well-suited for a western-style comic…go with me on this…and as long as he’s paired with a real writer, it wouldn’t be too bad), Harvey Pekar on Spider-Man (all those people who thought Spidey was unique because of his “real-life” problems before…they ain’t seen nothing yet), Brian Bolland on Batman…well, that’s enough.
EDIT: Just thought of another one…now, I’m not casting aspersions on the character’s current curator Kyle Baker (pretty much as close to an actual “dream-team” style creator-character match-up as you’re gonna get), but what would a John Stanley Plastic Man comic have been like? The mind boggles, reels, then boggles again.
Oh, and Kaz on Herbie the Fat Fury, just to be perverse.
EDIT AGAIN: Congratulations to pal Andy and his wife for having successfully spawned a beautiful baby boy.
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
