Comics, not comics, and Half-Minute Mikester #1.
So a few folks were intrigued by the Steve Ditko Man-Bat comic advertised in that post of mine from yesterday. The most interesting thing about that very short-lived series (aside from an appearance of the Ten-Eyed Man, as my commenters noted) is that the first issue features a rare, if not solitary, example of Ditko drawing Batman.
I don’t own any of the Man-Bat funnybooks myself, and I was in kind of a rush to get out of the store last night (had to go buy drywall screw anchors — it was vital) so I forgot to grab a copy of #1 from the store stock for some choice scanning.
Luckily this fine fellow also found Man-Bat worthy of examination, and presents a couple pages from that issue. The above image was taken from one of those scans…makes me wish Ditko had drawn more Batman in his career. What an interesting presentation for the character.
Nothing to do with comics, but as a longtime Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fan I wanted to point out this new DVD release of The Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark. The premise of this DVD series is that Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett, and Mike Nelson (who played “Tom Servo,” “Crow T. Robot,” and “Mike Nelson” on MST3K) have been hired by an eccentric billionaire to provide commentary tracks for films that otherwise lack them…and, of course, the films are appallingly awful, giving the three guys plenty of opportunity to crack wise and/or groan in horror.
And, having watched it, I can tell you…when the movie is playing, and Kevin, Bill, and Mike are in full swing, it’s like MST3K (Sci-Fi Channel era, anyway) is alive again. There’s no visible silhouette of seats and the three guys watching the movie, but in an odd way that evokes the MST feeling a little more by not constantly presenting three guys instead of one guy and two robot puppets. The jokes are just as funny, if a little racier at times, and the sketches…well, there is a half-time “lunch break” where the guys leave the theatre and have a lunchtime meeting, and some bookending material, and if you didn’t like the out-of-the-theatre shenanigans from MST3K, you probably won’t like the sketches here either. I thought they were amusing, though it was a little disconcerting hearing Crow’s voice come out of Bill Corbett’s body. I can’t really match the two up, for some reason.
Also, at the end of the presentation there’s a 2005 copyright date, and if that’s not a mistake, then this particular Film Crew installment has sat on a shelf somewhere for a couple years. Huh.
But overall, a lot of fun, and a welcome return (of sorts) to the format of one of my favorite and much missed TV shows. If you buy the Film Crew: Hollywood After Dark DVD through this link, I think pal Dorian will get a little scratch from it, if I’ve got it set up right. I should set up an Amazon link for myself, someday, but in the meantime let Dor reap the benefits of my laziness.
Plus, my DVD came with a Film Crew patch:
Hey, neat!
(For the sake of completeness, I should note Rifftrax, where you can buy inexpensive and hilarious downloadable commentary tracks by Mike Nelson for big-budget Hollywood films and TV shows. Mike is often accompanied by the aforementioned Kevin, and Bill’s been known to put in an appearance or two. As has noted MSTie Neil Patrick Harris.)
(Sorry, went on a bit about this. Hey, we’re all fanboys about something.)
Because no one stopped me…Half-Minute Mikester #1:
Okay, a few things:
1. This is what I’m talking about, re: Justice Society.
2. That’s my laundry room, not the bathroom, wiseguy. But, that said, I think I know where the next Half-Minute Mikester is being shot.
3. Yeah, there’s a wee bit of an echo.
4. I sound a little tired and monotone-ish…I guess installing those drywall screw anchors took a lot out of me.
5. God, I missed Nexus.
