The original Twilight Zone, not the other one. Or the other other one. Or the other other other one. Or the movie.

§ October 5th, 2022 § Filed under swamp thing § 14 Comments

So I’d been using the DC Comics digital comics app to revisit the 1980s Saga of the Swamp Thing series…not like I haven’t read them a million times before, but it’s been a while. Plus, it’s nice being able to blow up panels good ‘n’ big on the iPad in order to enjoy a clear view of the linework and the details.

Like, for example, this panel from #19, taken from a flashback being related by Matt Cable and his abduction at the hands of a government agency. I suppose Shemp could’ve made a good fourth figure, but ol’ Julius is perfectly fine:

And from issue #16, a whole slew of Twilight Zone references throughout the issue (appropriate for the very TZ-ish tone of this story), including these two panels crammed full of them:


And a good cameo of Mr. Rod Serling himself in that second illo.

Speaking of the DC app and Swamp Thing, the problems noted in this post of mine from just over four years ago (the missing last line from #24, the dropped “color hold” from #21) are still there. Regardless, I enjoyed re-perusing those nearly 40-year-old friends of mine.

• • •

Been short on evening blogging time, so posts are a little light in content, so sorry about that. Should be back to normal Friday. Thanks for reading, pals.
 
 
 
 

images from Saga of the Swamp Thing #16 (August 1983) and #19 (December 1983) by Marty Pasko, Steve Bissette and John Totleben

14 Responses to “The original Twilight Zone, not the other one. Or the other other one. Or the other other other one. Or the movie.”

  • Sean Mageean says:

    The Groucho and Three Stooges cameos in the Swamp Thing panel got me to thinking about other possible Marx Bros./Three Stooges uncredited cameos…it’s been a long time since I read it, but doesn’t Groucho cameo as a doctor in the psych ward in the Alice Cooper issue of Marvel Premiere (no. 50) and/or isn’t there an Adam Warlock story by Jim Starlin where a cosmic Groucho appears on a clown planet or something…? And did Groucho’s likeness show up in Aztec Ace or Sabre or Master of Kung Fu?

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Andrew Davidson :

    Thanks!

    I did some checking as well — Marvel Comics has a minor character called Rufus T. Hackstabber who is a Groucho homage/rip off (named after Rufus T. Firefly, Groucho’s character in the 1933 film Duck Soup) …Hackstabber appeared in a couple of issues of Master of Kung Fu and also The Defenders.

    https://comicvine.gamespot.com/rufus-t-hackstabber/4005-
    87477/

    The Italian comic character Dylan Dog also has a Groucho homage character as his sidekick.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Sorry…I meant to type “Davison,” not “Davidson”

  • Chris V says:

    No, I don’t believe Groucho shows up in that Warlock issue. The clowns are agents of conformity and seem to be stand-ins for Marvel Comics editorial department at the time. The two lead clowns seem to represent Stan Lee and John Romita, while their subordinate clowns appear to represent Len Wein and Marv Wolfman (Marvel’s, at the time, two most recent editors), and the crucified clown who has had a falling out with the other three clowns would represent Roy Thomas (who was replaced as editor by Wein).

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Chris V:

    Thanks! I must have confused the “Stan Lee clown” for a Groucho clown. It’s been decades since I read that Warlock issue.

    Taking it back to the multiverse, there does seem to be a certain irony regarding the clown depictions in that Warlock story when one considers that Thomas would go on to have a similar problem at DC Comics when COIE editor Wein and writer Wolfman (along with Jenette Kahn, Dick Giordano, Paul Levitz, and whoever else) took away Earth-Two and the Multiverse.

    I wonder what Stan Lee, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Roy Thomas’ reactions were to Jim Starlin’s satirical depictions of them? Of course, Jack Kirby had already created Funky Flashman and House Roy…

  • Turan, Emissary of the Fly World says:

    So, I’ll be That Guy, and point out that “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar” is an episode of NIGHT GALLERY, not TWILIGHT ZONE.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Turan, Emissary of the Fly World:

    I was wondering if some of the alien masks in the panel above the “Tim Riley’s Bar” panel might actually be from The Outer Limits? Anybody see anything from the original series of The Outer Limits?

    Here’s more on Groucho homage Rufus T. Hackstabber:

    https://www.cbr.com/shang-chi-groucho-marx-rufus-hackstabber/

    And here’s a Groucho cameo in Dick Tracy:

    https://comics.ha.com/itm/memorabilia/comic-related/chester-gould-dick-tracy-sunday-comic-strip-original-art-groucho-marx-tribute-the-chicago-tribune-1955-feast-your-eye/a/813-3017.s

  • Brad Walker says:

    In JLA Annual V1 #3, “JLApe (i of VIII) – Gorilla Warfare,” the delegates-turned-apes from Freedonia and Sylvania are Groucho and Chico, with dialogue lifted from the Marxian ouvre.

    In Justice League of America #116, the issue that introduced Charley Parker as the Golden Eagle, he and Green Arrow fight three clown faced crooks who resemble the Marx Bros.

    In Crossfire and Rainbow #2 the main villains are Marx Brothers impersonators.

  • Brad Walker says:

    They’re not comics, but I feel I should mention Those Dreadful Fairy Books (A DFB, Another DFB, Yet Another DFB) by Jon Etter. The two most prominent supporting characters are Rigoletto and Pinky (Rigoletto talks that way ’cause he’s a brownie). It’s not quite Hobbitfeathers, but close.

    https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07PH3KX6W&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_G470XB3YQSX5WWTR40W1

  • will richards says:

    There’s also an early Judge Dredd tale drawn by Brian Bolland about face-changing crooks who use the Marx Brothers’ likenesses, amongst other IIRC

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Brad Walker and Will Richards:

    Thanx for the Groucho and other Marx Bros. homages info. !

    I forgot all about that Crossfire & Rainbow mini-series–but Evanier always had a lot of Hollywood lore going on in Crossfire–a very good and underappreciated comic–what with Elvis and Marilyn impersonators and great Dave Stevens covers! But, yeah, now I recall the Paul Gulacy cover with the Marx Bros. impersonators.

    By contrast, I wonder how often Three Stooges impersonators were featured in comics (beyond that Swamp Thing issue)–or Laurel and Hardy impersonators, or Abbott and Costello impersonators? All of those comedy teams have had their own comics series at one time or another (as have Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, and Bob Hope)–but I don’t think the Marx Bros. ever landed their own comic series…or am I mistaken?

    Imagine if Alan Moore and Brian Bolland had created a Marx Bros. series or one-shot!

  • Brad Walker says:

    Here’s an appearance I just thought of. In Adventures of Bob Hope #97 the villain is Groucho who’s trying to corner the market in raccoon caps. He even calls himself J. Cheever Loophole, Groucho’s character name in At The Circus.

    Time was when Hope and Jerry Lewis had best-selling books at DC, but of course that was after the heyday of the Marx Brothers.

    As to the Three Stooges, they made two appearances in Power Pack. In Issue 21 Larry and Moe (or Lawrence and Moses) are thwarted by Katy and Jack, guest appearance by Spider-Man. In Issue 46 the antagonist is their brother Jerome (Curly); this time the kids are assisted by the Punisher and Dakota North.

    American Mythology published a book entitled Laurel and Hardy Meet The Three Stooges. I wasn’t impressed by their Stooge-only books so I passed it up and ow it looks like it’s gone to collectible status.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Brad Walker —

    Thanks for the info.!

    That’s funny to picture a Curly homage vs. The Punisher and Power Pack –“woob-woob-woob”! Did he do the Curly Shuffle?

    That Bob Hope vs. Groucho story sounds fun!
    I was checking out some of those old Bob Hope comics covers at comics.org –some great Bob Oksner and Neal Adams cover art on the later issues—I guess BobHope’s nephew who turns into the powered character Super-Hip was visually based on the late, great Brian Jones–founder member of The Rolling Stones. Too bad those old Bob Hope comics seem to be hard to find in better than ‘Good” condition —I wouldn’t mind owning some in “Fine” or higher grade.
    These three covers are really cool–or groovy:

    https://www.comics.org/issue/71339/cover/4/

    https://www.comics.org/issue/71340/cover/4/

    https://www.comics.org/issue/71346/cover/4/