I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve mentioned Jane Austen on my site.
So last New Comics Day, I made a joking reference to Employee Aaron about Marvel’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice being, in fact, Kitty Pryde and Prejudice…which inadvertently alarmed a customer who was within hearing and had a copy of said comic in his hands, who promptly did a double-take at the book. Not that I can blame him, because 1) this is Marvel we’re talking about, whose only apparently problem with their X-Men publishing line is that it isn’t large enough, and 2) the young woman on the cover of the Pride and Prejudice comic does fit within the generally accepted range of illustrated portrayals of Ms. Pryde (i.e. female, young, brown hair). Plus, any world with this in it can’t dismiss the possibility of a Jane Austen/X-Men crossover.
The moral of the story: don’t let Mike get within earshot of the customers. And don’t let him beg them for food or coins, which has nothing to do with the above story, but is generally a good idea anyway.
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Netflix Marathon Update: The two-part origin of Two-Face is not just one of the greatest Batman cartoons of all time, it’s one of the greatest Batman anythings of all time. I’d seen it before, but seeing it again reminded me…that they managed to get something as twisted and psychologically dark as this onto Saturday morning (EDIT: or whenever) television is nothing short of a miracle. Richard Moll’s voicework as the tragic Harvey Dent is wonderful, effortlessly shifting from the smooth D.A., to the tortured innocent, to the growling “Big Bad Harv.” The series was excellent from the beginning, but it was this two parter, I think, that really drove home that fact that this was something different in the superhero adventure cartoon genre.
A couple of bits of sad news:
Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein has lost most of his home to a fire…his family is safe, but unfortunately their pet dog perished. Harlan Ellison’s message board seems to be the place to go for information on this tragic incident. My sympathies and best wishes to the Wein family in this difficult time.
Legendary cartoonist Frank Springer has passed away, and my condolences to his family and friends.