You are currently browsing the archives for February, 2012
So hey, what’s up with this little guy?
Why, that’s an enlarged detail from one of the drawings by pal Tom Foxmarnick that appears in the February 2012 issue of
ImagineFX, currently on the stands! It has a nice full-color two-page spread of Tom’s work, and well worth checking out.
I’ve featured Tom’s art on this site before, which you may remember from the most terrifying MODOK-variation of all time, or this pic of Swamp Thing and Man-Thing wreaking some havoc. You can also see more of his work on his Deviantart page, or, if you bought that horror anthology Taboo, you can read his story “Check-Out Time in #2, or “39th and Norton” in #7. Or you can catch his work in pretty much any issue of CARtoons from the ’80s through the ’90s.
Anyway, Tom’s a swell guy, and I’ve always enjoyed his fine cartooning, so I’m always happy to plug it whenever the opportunity arises.
• • •
Speaking of pal-plugging, pal Cathy has put together the final word on all you people out there who consistently misspell Spider-Man. Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking about
you. If you’re having trouble remembering if “Spider-Man” requires a hyphen, then print out
this informative cartoon and, I don’t know, glue it to the inside of your car’s windshield or something. And learn well from it, my friends…learn
very well.
I got in way too late Friday night to think of anything clever, so instead here’s another scan of a vintage role-playing item from that collection we acquired: Authentic Thaumaturgy, published in 1980:
This is a general use supplement for use with any role playing game, featuring “a professional occultist on improving the realism of magic systems used in fantasy simulation games.” …I suspect the “professional occultist” part is the kind of thing that gave easily-panicked parents the vapors during that brief period when the evil influence of role playing games was clearly what was wrong with today’s youth, along with their zoot suits and their jazzy music.
Speaking of which, during that whole anti-Dungeons and Dragons hoohar that inspired, among other things, this…I never heard anyone bring up the point that (with the version of D&D that existed at the time) the ideal roll when rolling up character stats with the six-sided dice was three sixes. I mean, c’mon, that’s totally a gimme right there.
Okay, I’m sure somebody had to bring it up, but never within earshot of me. I did hear one really great “evils of fantasy role playing” thing at the time, but I already talked about it here so you can go back and relive the memories of Progressive Ruin Classic at that link, if you’d like.
Anonymous asks:
“No comments on Swampy appearing in the Animal Man Annual?”
Sure: I hear Swamp Thing is going to be appearing in the Animal Man annual.
There you go.
Speaking of Swamp Thing, I hope my last post didn’t give the impression that I don’t want people to email me about Swamp Thing stuff…of course I do. But I was getting so many emails (and the occasional comment!) about some site posting the Swamp Thing PSA that I thought I’d better put the kibosh on it before my Gmail account hit its storage limit.
I did spend a few minutes at the shop Wednesday evening talking about Swamp Thing media and merchandise with one of our longtime customers…no, I didn’t bring it up, he did, honest. We discussed the greatness of the movies, I warned him about the animated series, noted that my ownership of Swamp Thing slippers could someday be considered “evidence,” and most importantly…
…whatever happened to the costumes worn by the late Dick Durock in the Swamp Thing films? …My guess is that they probably fell apart and were discarded long ago, but who knows? Perhaps they were saved and preserved by some loyal Swamp Thing fan? I’m sure there’s an answer, and my half-hearted Googling did nothing, but perhaps someone out there knows of their fate. Not that I want to wear the costumes around the house or to work or jury duty or anything.
Of course, if I never get my exclusive movie-worn costume, I can always resort to making my own, thanks to the helpful tips from this eHow article:
“Spray the green and yellow spray paint in a random pattern around the costume. This will add more color depth to the costume, and create a sense of the camouflage that an actual swamp monster would require in a swamp.”
Well said.
Also discovered during my Googling adventures, this site offering my Swamp Thing slippers photo from one of my self-links up there, with these usage hints:
“You can use this FREE Swamp Thing Slippers Picture for many uses such as Graphics Design, Posting on a Social Network like MySpace, Friendster, Facebook or Hi5!”
Yes, please do use my photo of Swamp Thing slippers on your Google Pluses and your GreatestJournals. Here, let me improve it for you:
I mean, that’s what all you kids do with images on your Orkuts and your Voxes, right? “Bling” ’em up? I’m just trying to stay “hep” with you young “cats.”
…I do know about that one site posting about the Swamp Thing Greenpeace PSA.
In fact, I posted about that very PSA six years ago.
Another goodie from the Box of Ye Olde Role-Playing Games – the 1980 Iron Crown Enterprises release The Iron Wind:
The back cover:
According to
this site, this book had a print run of 5,000 copies, and after it had been out for a while, the black and white covers were stripped off the as-yet unsold covers and replaced with color covers.
Like several items in this particular collection, the sales receipt from the original purchase of this book was found inside:
As a result of being kept in the book for, oh, 30+ years, a rectangular “tanning” spot was left by the receipt on the pages it was kept between. …Hey, that’s not “damage,” that’s “character,” I tell potential buyers.
images from Sugar & Spike #39 (February/March 1962) by Sheldon Mayer, Steve Urkel from parts unknown
…so here’s a Comic Images card trading card from 1988, featuring Galactus:
Somewhere there is fanfic somehow linking
this guy to Galactus. …Unless I’m the first, in which case I’m not sure I could live with that burden.
BONUS: A History of the X-Men sticker from 1987 featuring Farouk AKA The Shadow King:
…Whaddaya mean, you don’t think that’s a bonus? I thought you people
liked dudes in fezzes.
While issues #77, #78 and #79 of Marvel Comics Presents contain chapters from Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Weapon X” serial, which is the primary reason anyone 1) bought those comics, and 2) remembers them now, I would suggest that you not overlook the three part Sgt. Fury / Dracula team-up titled “Rumanian Rumble” that runs in those same issues:
Yes, Sgt. Fury, the Howling Commandos, and Dracula, teaming up to fight Nazis. …I don’t consider that a spoiler, I consider that
incentive.
So my recommendation to you: dig these comics out of your long boxes, or go buy ’em as back issues, and read this story. And if the clerk at the shop says “oh, hey, this Windsor-Smith Wolverine story is
awesome,” you look him straight in the eye and you tell him “Brother, you don’t
know from
awesome.”
Also, there’s a back cover on #79 by Mike Mignola, and here’s the relevant portion of it:
Mostly, I’m just posting that to get Mignola Fan #1 Former Employee Aaron to buy it. But you should buy it, too. I mean,
c’mon:
images from Marvel Comics Presents #78 & #79 (1991) by Doug Murray, Tom Lyle & Joe Rubinstein – back cover detail from #79 by Mike Mignola
This is Bio One, a 12-page digest-sized booklet published by TSR in 1974:
It’s a rules supplement that “provides a complete and accurate system of damage location and effects for any gunpowder period of warfare.” In other words, it tells you where the bullet hit, how badly it hit you, how much bleeding you’re currently experiencing, whether anyone can stop that bleeding, and so on.
It includes this amazing bit of business: the Abdominal Wounds Chart, which divvies up a torso into numbered sections, and each section having a subseries of multiple possibilities of injury (or lack thereof):
For example, if you’re shot in section #7, a randomized die roll could specify your injury as lung damage, or as rib damage, or as both, or perhaps, if you’re lucky, as no damage at all (like it bounced off your “medicinal” flask in your pocket, or your Bible inexplicably bound with solid steel covers).
It’s an interesting, if almost too-exacting approach to role-playing gunfire injury…it wouldn’t surprise me if similar systems weren’t implemented in later games. And if they were, I’m sure someone out there will let me know in the comments.
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »
