Year: 2008

"Good Lord! They’re already loose!!"

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Loaned to me by pal Tom (not that pal Tom, but by this pal Tom) are a couple of the Joe Kubert School-produced ‘zines from when he attended there. The first is Manticore, published in 1976:


The jam cover design is credited to Steve Bissette, and drawn by the students.

This next one, Parade of Gore, came out in ’77 and features a Bissette-drawn cover:


Here’s a closer look at part of the Parade of Gore logo. I love the expression on the left-hand A:


Other contributors to these mags include Rick Veitch, Tom Yeates, John Totleben, Rick Grimes, Ron Randall, Dave Dorman, pal Tom…it’s a fun look at some early work by these creators.

Tom also told me that there were tons of these ‘zines floating around the school; that they would use them for toilet paper (probably an exaggeration) and that they’d use them for traction to get stuck cars out of snowbanks (probably not an exaggeration). All together now…AAAAARGH!

In which Mike speaks about just a few things very briefly, and then plugs his eBay auctions.

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  • So you may remember a while back, during my Swamp Thing/blogiversary week, when I wrote a bit about Darkseid’s appearance in Swamp Thing. Well, the man what wrote ‘n’ drew that funnybook, Rick Veitch, has a few words to say about it as well, particularly about his motivation behind introducing the characters into the book.

    And though I said it before in that old post, I just want to say it again: I love Veitch’s use of the phrase “academic chicken.” It still tickles me.

  • Speaking of Mr. Veitch, his new collection Heartburst and Other Pleasures is now in stores. Included is the title work, originally a Marvel Graphic Novel; “The Mirror of Love,” written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Veitch and Steve Bissette; and other short pieces of lovable dementia. Highly recommended, as are all his other recent collections (Abraxas and the Earthman and Shiny Beasts).

    Other new items of note this week:

    Final Crisis #1 – perhaps you’ve heard of it…I went for the “sliver” cover, because I’m obsessive enough to want all my Final Crisis covers to be the same type, and the “classic DC hero” variants have a creepy Flash cover coming up that I’m not going to want staring back at me.

    Oh, and the insides are pretty good, too. Very beautifully drawn by J.G. Jones, and Grant Morrison sets things up quite nicely for the shenanigans that are to follow.

    Comics Journal #290 – contains quite possibly more discussion and debate about that recent Charles Schulz biography than any normal human can stand. Includes a lengthy essay from son Monte Schulz. There are also some reprints of 1950s horror work by Bob Powell, including the unmissable “Wall of Flesh.” Honestly, it’s worth buying this issue of TCJ just for that story. But you should read the rest of the mag, too.

    Have I mentioned the Hembeck Omnibus yet? It’s fatter than your mom and twice as funny, and well worth every penny (the book, not your mom). There are spots here and there where the lettering is just a tiny bit too cramped and a little muddy, but still perfectly readable, if eyestrainable. But trust me…it’s great! Buy two! Also – contains naked Hembeck! Who wouldn’t want that?

    Speak of the Devil #6 – the last chapter of Gilbert Hernandez’s story of…well, dysfunctional relationships and murder, murder, murder! Fun for the whole family. It’s a fast and wrongly-entertaining read, and if you didn’t get it in the single format, get the inevitable collection. Also, there’s a short interview with Gilbert, where he says a thing or two about this series.

    King Size Hulk #1 – Marvel was nice enough to “double-cover” this comic, so that you get both variant covers instead of having to choose. The stories inside…well, it’s half Red Hulk hijinks which, if you like the Red Hulk stuff (which I do, actually), here’s more of it. The other half is reprints, including the first appearance of Wolverine which, frankly, as Hulk comics go, isn’t all that. But if you don’t have the story already, here’s your chance to finally own it.

  • It’s the CROSSOVER OF THE AGES: pal Dorian meets Bully the Little Stuffed Bull, and the horrific carnage is documented in bloodcurdling full color right here.

    And where did this pulse-pounding confrontation take place? At the Bookexpo America 2008 in Los Angeles, and you can read Bully’s report starting here, and continuing here.

  • I do intend on going back to discuss some of the responses to my post about the various reboots of the Legion of Super-Heroes. A lot of you made some very good points, and I do want to address them. Hopefully I’ll have the time to do so soon.
  • I apologize in advance for this commerical announcement:

    I’m trying to raise a little scratch, so I’ve started selling a few things through my personal eBay account again. You can find a link in my “commercial section” of my sidebar, too…I’ll be listing more things over the next few weeks. If you are so inclined, and I happen to have anything you’d like, please feel free to help out…and keep checking back for new items. Any and all purchases will be greatly appreciated. Plus, I guarantee that every item has been personally touched by me — now that’s a selling point!

    And to make myself feel better about begging folks for money, let me try to help out someone else trying to raise a little extra summer fundage: Alan David Doane has a bunch of stuff for sale, with lots of great deals.

    Oh, and check out pal Dorian’s Amazon store, too. I recommend Myths for the Modern Age.

Progressive Ruin presents…the End of Civilization.

filed under Categories End of Civilization

Bizarro-Mike loves all these items from new Previews! Previews am not June 2008 edition! Bizarro-Mike not want you to follow along, and ‘specially not want you to find links to earlier installments in sidebar!

Bizarro-Mike not start looking at items now! You not look also!

p. 133 – The Joker Poker Set:

“This unique collectors’ item includes a deck of 54 prop replica Joker cards (as seen in The Dark Knight film!) and a standard ‘playable’ 4-suit, 54 card deck defaced by The Joker.”

I like how “playable” is in quotes, as they know you’ll try to use this set for a poker game, and the people you’re playing with will put up with it once, at most, maybe.

p. 263 – Hack/Slash #15:


Just noting this ad as part of this site’s ongoing Jeffrey Combs-watch. “Not just a cheap knockoff, this is the real Reanimator as created by H.P. Lovecraft and envisioned by filmmaker Brian Yuzna!” says the ad copy. Are there other Re-Animator knockoffs around that have been causing problems?

p. 286 – High School Musical Volume 1 GN:


Because nothing works better in comic book form than a story that depends heavily on musical numbers (Neil the Horse aside).

p. 410 – The DC Vault A Museum-in-a-Book Spiral HC:


Oh, good…the Marvel Vault book was getting lonely on the remainder tables.

p. 418 – Dilbert 2.0 20 Years of Dilbert:

“Also included is a piracy-protected disc that contains every Dilbert comic strip to date….”

By “piracy-protected,” they mean “protected at least until the many man-hours and tons of money poured into the DRM protection scheme is handily undone by a quickie bit of programming by a bored 15-year-old computer geek in Ohio…assuming whatever ‘protection’ they’re using isn’t already obsolete by the time this comes out.”

Whoops, sorry, turned into Boing Boing for a moment.

p. 419 – Whack-A-Zombie Kit:


This isn’t so much about the item, which…well, just what we need, more zombie stuff. But I wanted to note the Previews “Zombie-Riffic!” slug that’s accompanying this solicit. Is that new? Have I missed that in past catalogs? Do zombie-related items really need the extra attention?

p. 441 – Rasl T-Shirt:


Demonstrate your immense love of the one whole issue that’s come out so far by sporting this shirt!

p. 442 – Iron Man Belt Buckle:


For some, big clutching hands displayed right above the crotch would be a turn-off. For others, a selling point. Which are you?

Additional theoretical selling point: if the repulsor emitters on Iron Man’s palms glowed. Or blinked.

p. 443 – Otaku Collegiate Navy T-Shirt & Hoodie:


Now, there was a time when being called an “otaku” was something you didn’t want to happen to you, right? I didn’t just imagine that?

p. 454 – Lego Indiana Jones “River Chase” Set:


Huh…I was wondering how they were going to repurpose all those “Crocodile Hunter” playsets.

p. 464 – Rocky 3 Minimates Box Set:


How can you not love Minimate Hulk Hogan? “Thunderlips,” man…”Thunderlips.”

p. 479 – Indiana Jones Artifact Desk Accessories:


Featuring the Ark of the Covenant Card Holder, the Fertility Statue Pencil Cup…

…and the Holy Grail Paperclip Cup. I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what Jesus used it for, too.

p. 481 – Star Wars Spirit of Obi-Wan Bobblehead:


Okay, this is only really amusing just because you know Sir Alec Guinness would have been royally pissed off by this. It wouldn’t have stopped him from cashing the checks, of course.

p. 497 – Shining Wind 1/8th Scale Statue Series Blanc Neige – Wind Edition & Elwyn:


The solicitation text makes sure to note the costuming and props for these figures, but thankfully the inset images zoom in good ‘n’ close on the important selling points.

p. 528 – Marvel Metamorphs:

WHAT MUST NOT BE SEEN – Hulk vomits out the remnants of his victims:


Wolverine pushes the limits of his healing power:

“…[Gives] kids a whole new perspective on their favorite heroes!”

I’ll say.

p. 537 – Pooh & Friends Halloween Figurines:


I knew Disney’s animated remake of Silence of the Lambs would come to no good end.

Marvel Previews p. 61 – Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe:


Well, good, we’re always getting requests for this comic. I’m glad Marvel brings it back into print on occasion. Hmmm….what’s it say in the description, there…?


“SKRULL VARIANT?” For a reprint of a comic from 13 years ago? That has nothing to do with Skrulls?

…Oh, wait, it says “Skull variant.” Never mind.

Then again…there are letters missing from “pencils” and “available,” so that “skull” could be missing an “R,” too.

So…

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…what’s the point of soliciting retailer orders for multiple covers of Wizard if they’re going to all get covered up by the same video game ad in the mag’s protective baggie?

Yes, this is really what I’m posting about today.

filed under Categories bouncing boy, moustache 1 Comment

BEHOLD

THE MOUSTACHE
OF BOUNCING BOY

For some reason, I found myself oddly amused and compelled by Chuck “Bouncing Boy” Taine’s moustache, first appearing late in Vol. 3 of Legion of Super-Heroes.

I was unsure about it at first, but ultimately I think it gives Chuck a little more character, just a touch more realism. It makes him look more like a plain ‘ol guy, you know…comfortable with himself and not at all imposed by all the perfect physiques in the skin-tight outfits runnin’ around him.

I was certain there was a shot of him using his bouncing powers with moustache, but I can’t find it at the moment. That’s okay, because I’m sure it can’t match how I’m picturing in my mind – a thin strip of hair, stretched across his surface like a furry equator.

Keep rockin’ that ‘stache, Chuck.

images from Legion of Super-Heroes #51 (Oct. 1988) & #54 (Winter 1988)
by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen & Mike DeCarlo

This raises more questions than it answers.

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from Spooky #137 (July 1973)


A ghost…from another planet…that travels in a flying saucer through space…to challenge other ghosts to, well, “ghost-offs.”

That, my friends, is “high concept.”

"You cannot overcome my laser-proof breasts!"

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from Legion of Super-Heroes #9 (July 1990) by T. & M. Bierbaum, Keith Giffen, Paris Cullins & Bob Lewis


This is Laurel Gand, the Supergirl-replacement/continuity implant that popped up in the Legion’s “soft” reboot (a magical reconstruction of the universe’s history — don’t ask) that followed the previous soft reboot (the “five year gap” that 1) pushed the Legion from 1000 years in the future to 1005 years in the future, and 2) made everything darker and grittier).

That particular image was from the flashback issue explaining just who this new Laurel Gand person was. I sorta liked that costume, reflecting the color scheme and design of her ancestor/teammate Lar Gand (AKA Mon-El), as well as the costume of the no-longer-in-that-particular-continuity-for-the-time-being Supergirl. Laurel Gand’s regular costume also reflected the original Supergirl’s, sort of, in that she wore a headband…but she also had some serious butt-floss shorts, which did not reflect Supergirl (at least not until Michael Turner got his hands on her).

She also took on Supergirl’s romance with Brainiac 5:


That’s from one of the many text pages from early in the post five-year-gap issues, usually explaining what the readers missed in said five years. In this case, this “Legion Confidential” report (for in-story fans of the Legion — a nice touch of realism, I always thought) adds further continuity-plug support for this new character.

Well, I wasn’t expecting to churn out a couple paragraphs about Laurel Gand today. See what reading tons of Legion comics can do to you?

Another thing I’ve been meaning to address is the multiple reboots of the series. We know the big reboots, where Legion continuity was started from scratch (Zero Hour, the recent reboot with the Mark Waid series), and there were, as I mentioned, soft reboots …attempts at revitalizing/reworking the series without ignoring what came before (the five year gap, Legion Lost, etc.). The Legion Omnicom has a good overview of all these shenanigans. It all feels like a desperate flailing-about — repeated attempts at trying to find a take on the Legion that’ll click with a larger fan audience than the die-hard Legion fans who’ll read anything with the Legion logo on it. The Teen Titans franchise sort of went through this after the New Teen Titans series ended, but sales are reasonably strong for the new Teen Titans book(s) now.

The most recent Legion series reboot started strongly enough, but now sales seem to be back down to what pretty much every other Legion series has sold over the last ten or fifteen years. (Judging by our store’s sales, anyway…I haven’t checked actual sales figures — or what passes for ’em — but I expect they’ll at least in part reflect my observations.) DC’s been trying to build interest and curiosity (and, apparently, some measure of frustration) in the team, by having at least two or three distinct, and mutually-exclusive, versions of the Legion running around in current titles…leading into a tie-in to the imminent Final Crisis crossover. Whether that’ll revive interest in the Legion again remains to be seen…I’m thinking likely not, though there ain’t nothing wrong with publishing a George Perez-drawn Legion comic in the attempt.

Lemme ask you guys…I’ve been a die-hard Legion fan for nearly 30 years now. I’ve stuck through the reboots and continuity brouhahas all this time because I happen to like the concept of the team, and the interactions among this particular group of characters, and all the goofiness that comes with it. How many of you have been reading Legion for an extended period of time? How many of you were Legion fans, but had enough of the various tinkerings with the formula and dropped the book? How many of you came on with one of the various reboots, attracted by the fresh starts they offered? Please let me know in the comments.

And please forgive my “laser-proof breasts” joke. But, honestly, look at that panel! How else am I supposed to take that? (EDIT: And I’m apparently not the first to point out this panel for a little good-natured mockery, which surprises me not in the slightest.)