In which Mike gets an answer to a question he didn’t even know he had.
So in perusing this site, I came across a link to “The Rules of Moopsball”, an HTML-version of an entry from the 1970s science fiction anthology Orbit 18. I first came across it in my local library when I was probably about 10 or 11 (so, let’s say, about 1980), and thought it was absolutely fantastic. It’s not a story, but rather a convoluted set of rules for a fantasy-oriented sporting event (think Calvinball with wizards).
Now, in the 1980s, several references to a sport called “Moopsball” were made in the Legion of Super-Heroes comics. I remember thinking at the time that this was either a coincidence, or perhaps an homage to the original 1970s “Moopsball.” I thought “homage” was less likely, because why would some superhero comic book use a random reference to (what I believed to be) a fairly obscure story from an old sci-fi anthology?
Well, more fool me, since the Moopsball website reminded me that the writer of the original “Rules of Moopsball” is Gary Cohn, who wrote a bunch of comics in the 1980s, including cocreating Amethyst and Blue Devil.
So there’s the comics connection…it likely was a homage.
Moopsball…of all the things I never expected to talk about on this site….
One of the entries I didn’t use on my Doctor Doom’s Top Ten Euphemisms for Sex list: “Governing the trembling toadies.” Yeah, that’s a direct quote from a Fantastic Four comic…I think Marv Wolfman was responsible for that one.
Anyway, thanks again to pal Dorian for helping out with the list…”besting Richards” and “allying with the Sub-Mariner” were his.
Speaking of pal Dorian, his recent list of unproduced action figures came from a discussion we were having at the shop last week, and I thought I’d comment further.
One, I know that DEVO figures were announced at some point, but I don’t know if they were ever released. This article mentions the possibility of figures, and it’s brought up in this interview, but otherwise the Googling is inconclusive. It seemed like it was a done deal a couple years ago…where’d they go?
Two, I don’t know if I really insisted on Deep Throat figures…but I think the action features would be amusing.
Three, I agree 100% on a David Bowie “Thin White Duke”-era action figure. Can’t you just picture it?
Four, I’m not kidding about Reanimator action figures. Why a Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West figure hasn’t been produced yet is beyond me.
Five, one of the unproduced action figure lines I mentioned that Dor didn’t was a line based on the proposed then aborted ’70s TV show revival of Star Trek. Trek is second only to Star Wars in molding little plastic figurines about of every…single…character…to walk across a screen or have a syllable of dialogue. I mean, c’mon, a Lieutenant Xon figure? What’s taking them so long?
Since The Killing Joke is going to be reprinted in this new edition of the DC Universe Alan Moore collection, I guess that means the original prestige format Killing Joke is no more. Which is a shame, because I can still sell the prestige format book, but it may be a harder sell as part of a larger, more expensive trade paperback. Better check with Diamond and stock up…if they’re not gone already. I also still have demand for Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?…again, I hope people looking for it are willing to dish out for a fat book filled with stories they aren’t looking for. And yes, I know all the stories are by Alan Moore, and therefore good readin’, but people who want just one particular story aren’t usually thrilled about buying a bunch of extra material just to get it. I saw it happen with the Dini/Timm Batman: Mad Love one-shot, and I think I’m going to see it again.
In happier news: Showcase Presents The House of Mystery. 552 pages of classic DC suspense comics. Fantastic.
