So every once in a while, I remember that Ambush Bug totally killed a dude during his first appearance in DC Comics Presents #52:
Of course, they started to go in a totally different direction with the character right after this appearance, leaning more towards “lighthearted parodic fourth-wall breaking goofball” rather than “creepy murderous dude.” Though you get a little bit of “creepy murderous dude” in
Bug’s next appearance, when he ties a Superman cape to an alien and drops him off a building. The alien doesn’t die, but still, not for lack of trying.
Also featured in this issue, and speaking of “creepy” – a rare appearance of Ambush Bug’s unmasked face:
BONUS: everyone loves a parade, and the parade in this very issue features guest-appearances by Cerebus and
Fred Hembeck Superman:
…as well as one of the elves from
Elfquest:
I forget the character’s name. It’s “Frodo” or something, right?
images from DC Comics Presents #52 (December 1982) by Paul Kupperberg, Keith Giffen & Sal Trapani
Saturday was the last day of Employee Aaron’s full-time employment at our humble funnybook store, so please join me in wishing him well in his new professional endeavor: SUPER SECRET SPY A GO-GO 3000.
Aaron was a joy to work with, his cheerful demeanor always inspiring, and it’s not going to be the same without him. Well, mostly without him, as his new job as SUPER SECRET SPY A GO-GO 3000 is Monday through Friday, leaving the possibility of getting him into the shop on the occasional weekend. Plus, his lovely wife Kempo is still putting in a few hours at our shop every week, so he’s certain to come by the shop sometime…and then we can recapture him say hello.
We’re going to miss Aaron around here, and we all hope the best for him. Good luck, pal!
Special thanks to pal Kevin for taking the photo and comic-ing it up.
It’s that time once again, when I flip through the new Diamond Previews and pick out and poke at those new goodies that catch my attention. And if you want to follow along, grab your copy of the October 2011 edition and…um, follow along, I suppose!
p. 131 – Hellblazer Annual #1:
Finally! At long last, a
Hellblazer annual! I’ve been waiting so long for the
Hellblazer series to be given a chance to shine in a special extra-length adventure! And by “waiting so long” I mean “the twenty years since the
last Hellblazer Annual #1.”
p. 138 – Superman Patina Mini Statue:
This just reminds me that, aside from movie tie-in merchandise, we’re probably not going to see a whole lot of licensing with Superman in the new shortsless get-up.
p. 139 – Just-Us-League of Stupid Heroes Series 1 Action Figures:
Huh. These are supposed to be parody figures, but they didn’t change Aquaman at
all.
p. 145 – Snake Eyes #8:
With a special photo-cover featuring an exclusive look at a scene from the next
G.I. Joe movie! Or pics of G.I. Joe action figures. Same diff.
p. 223 – Evil Spock T-Shirt:
I think they misspelled “Sexy.”
p. 229 – Archie #627 Archie Meets KISS Part 1:
I hope this leads into future storylines where the Archie gang meets other musical acts. “Archie Meets G.G. Allin” is the one I look forward to the most, I think. …Don’t use G.G.’s microphone, Reggie!
p. 266 – Lord of the Jungle #1:
“For the first time in its 100 year history the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs story, Tarzan of the Apes is told UNCENSORED!”
“First time,” eh? AHEM. I beg to differ:
p. 337 – 1000 Ways to Die TPB:
Mostly, I’m just amazed there’s a comic book version of this TV show. I think they missed a bet, though, in not focusing on the many ways
comic book characters die. …Would have had the Ted Kord Blue Beetle fans interested, at least.
p. 341 – The DC Superhero Chess Figure Collector Magazine:
The characters from
Checkmate are going to be featured in this series eventually, aren’t they?
p. 345 – If You Give A Kid A Cookie, Will He Shut the F*** Up? HC:
So is making
faux-kids’ books with profanities in the title the new fad now?
Charlotte’s F***ing Web?
Harry Potter and the Chamber of S**t?
What the C*** Did I See on Mulberry Street?
From the F***ed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?
Anyway, as literary fads go, it’s better than zombies. Unless they mix those in, too. It’s Motherf***ing Zombies, Charlie Brown!
p. 345 – Bugf#ck The Worthless Wit & Wisdom of Harlan Ellison:
And here’s
another faux-kids’ bo…oh, wait, hold on. The “f#ck” threw me off.
p. 357 – Splitscream T-Shirt:
Uh…what?
p. 364 – The Punisher Jakes Knit Cap:
Just imagine if this was the Punisher’s identifying clothing, instead of the skull shirt. I don’t know if that would be hilarious or somehow even more terrifying.
p. 368 – Ghostbusters Terror Dog Light-Up Mini Statue:
So is this Sigourney Weaver, or is this Rick Moranis? …Somewhere, a Ghostbusters fan is worrying about this. Or, uh, just buying two of them, I guess.
p. 370 – Femme Fatales Bo Peep PVC Statue:
According to the solicit, the statue “re-imagines the demure shepherdess as a fierce highlands warrior with wolfskin boots and gauntlets and a shepherd’s crook that will take your head off.” …”Re-imagines” seems like understating it just slightly.
p. 382 – Mr. Potato Head Kiss 2011 Collector Set:
So when do
these guys team up with Archie? Also, how different is this set from ones in previous years? Is the 1983 Collector Set sans makeup? …Or you can just take off the makeup pieces, maybe.
p. 398 – Disney Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack Sparrow Mickey Vinyl Collector Doll:
I am upsetting myself by picturing Mickey in the place of Johnny Depp in all the
Pirates films, so I’m stopping now.
p. 399 – Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor with Cowboy Hat Figure:
Has the Doctor shown up in a sombrero yet? I’d buy a Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor with Sombrero figure.
p. 410 – Mixo DC Heroes Kooky Kans:
Apparently these are like cylindrical lunch boxes, or…something, I guess? But I swear, when I first glanced at the picture, I thought it was superhero-themed deodorant cans. Too bad…that’d probably do well at conventions.
p. 411 – Superman and Supergirl Emblem Pendants:
The Supergirl emblem’s solicitation text states that Supergirl “wears a distinctive version of the House of El’s sigil.” And by “distinctive” they mean “perhaps…slightly more pinkish, maybe?” Or “more glare in the photo?”
p. 411 – DC Comics Pint Glasses:
“Superman Pick-Up Lines” is about as fundamental misunderstanding of the character as…well,
this. And let’s face it, “wanna come to my Batcave” just plain crosses the line from “subtext” to full-on “text.”
p. 418 – Star Trek Mighty Wallets:
So here I was, all ready to make a joke about “they don’t use money in
Star Trek‘s future, hurr hurr,” but
Previews totally beats me to it in the actual solicitation text. …Well played,
Previews, well played. You have won this battle.
p. 418 – Star Wars Imperial Forces Wallpaper:
In case you needed something to finish off the nursery, along with the TIE fighter mobile, the R2-D2-shaped milk bottle, and the furry Ewok diapers. My best to you, your spouse, and, of course, baby Lobot.
p. 418 – Star Wars Wacky Wisecracks Figures:
…And there was no forgiveness, not ever again.
So a couple of weeks ago I was talking about a Sugar and Spike story dedicated to “Nugget Pete,” a 90-something year old gent who’d been writing in and requesting an S&S story featuring Native Americans.
Well, longtime Ruinite C. Elam popped into the comments on that post to drop in a couple of message board links giving us a little more detail on Mr. N. Pete. Those message board entries were made only days after my own initial posting, so clearly the Nugget Pete zeitgeist was making its way across the comics nerdinet.
The first features a Sugar and Spike letter column containing what seems to be Nugget Pete’s first letter to the series, written back when Pete was but a strapping young lad of 87. And, sure enough, he’s asking for stories with Native Americans. “I suggest you put in something about cowboys and Indians – That never hurt a magazine yet.” …Words to live by!
The second link has another S&S letter column, this time from another fan (this one only 75 years old!) referring back to Nugget Pete’s letter and wondering if that was any inspiration for the grandpa/cowboy character Shelly Mayer introduced into the S&S strip. Mayer’s response, paraphrased: “yeah, probably.”
Anyway, that was a nice follow-up to what was (to me, anyway) an interesting tidbit of funnybook history. Thanks, C. Elam, for pointing that out to me!
So a gentleman dropped by the store with a few pages of original comic art for sale…we don’t really deal in original art, but we brokered a deal between that person and one of our regular customers. He ended up buying a Kirby Hulk page from the fellow, and passed on the other pages — a couple of Carmine Infantino pages from a 1980s Green Lantern back-up story, and a Gil Kane page I only got a brief look at and didn’t identify.
I wish I did identify the Kane page, because the next day I happened to spot this underneath one of the store’s glass counters:
It’s a word balloon that had apparently been pasted onto a page, though clearly the glue had become old and the balloon popped right off. It’s not from the
Green Lantern back-ups, so it must be from the Gil Kane page. The dialogue suggests it’s from
Wonder Woman, though the page didn’t seem to be a
Wonder Woman page just from my brief glance at it. Could be wrong, though.
Anyway, I’m hoping this customer of ours has the contact info for the gentleman he bought the art from so I can return this loose balloon to its proper place. Also, slightly curious to see what the original balloon said that this new one was covering. Oh, and what comic this is actually from, too, I suppose.
