No live-action Demon yet, far as I can tell.

§ February 1st, 2023 § Filed under dc comics § 29 Comments


Sure, I know, everyone’s seen this, James Gunn’s announcement of DC’s movie/TV plans over the next couple or three years. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the announcement that we’re getting a Swamp Thing movie out of this. Maybe.

According to Gunn, this is the first stage (or most of the first stage) of their decade-long multimedia plan of, well, catching up to Marvel. (That Gunn repeatedly uses the word “marvelous” in this pitch is, as I’d said on Twitter, either a poor choice of words on his part, or entirely deliberate.) This “chapter” is titled “Gods and Monsters,” recycling a title previously used by DC, and so called because, like I said before, Swamp Thing is involved here, as are the Creature Commandos, in a move that I’m pretty sure no one predicted. The “Gods” part would be the new Superman film, a movie with the Authority (also a surprise, particularly to the original artist), and Supergirl, and so on. And then there’s the Green Lantern and Booster Gold TV shows coming to HBO Max, not sure which side those fall on. Or I’m just being too literal.

Of course, I’m like someone asked to watch a new Netflix show or pick up a new Marvel first issue…I’ve no confidence in any of this actually lasting. The way the new regime at Warner Bros. cuts/cancels/just outright buries things, like shelving the nearly-complete Batgirl movie and dropping a bunch of stuff off their HBO Max service, I feel like all it’s going to take is for one thing to underperform in this proposed slate of releases, and, poof, Gunn is gone, all the shows are cancelled, and we’re back to square one. And by “square one” I mean “a Batman movie of some kind.”

I mean, I don’t know, maybe Gunn and whatever that other guy’s name was have got some pretty solid contracts locked down allowing them the time to develop these properties. But with Swamp Thing the last in line here, I’m not holding my breath. I’m glad to see it’s on their minds, anyway.

29 Responses to “No live-action Demon yet, far as I can tell.”

  • Andrew says:

    I have diminished confidence in DC/Warner/Discovery as well. As I watched, the child within thought “HOW NEAT!” but the adult outside skoffed and was like “harumph, they’re setting up for a cinematic version of the DC Implosion”. Of course, one could argue that that already occurred last summer but I’m sure there’s more to come bc this is Hwood after all and as you mention, the first sign of trouble and everything interesting will get dumped for yet another Batman movie (not that I have anything against Batman but has I’ve been fatigued by Batman since the early 90s and there shows no sign of that abating). I’ll get excited about these for real once I see a trailer. I love Gunn’s enthusiasm, however, and hope that lasts through at least a few projects.

  • Daniel T says:

    I think they’ll stick with this plan until the Superman movie comes out. And if it does Black Adam numbers (or maybe if it does just sub The Batman numbers) there will be a pretty immediate pivot.

    I’m looking forward to Creature Commandos and am interested in Waller (the writing is key on this one) and the Green Lantern thing, though I doubt they’ll throw enough money at it to do it properly.

  • King of the moon says:

    Instead of “True Detective” gimme a Steven Bochco Hillstreet Blues or NYPD Blue style shoe but it’s the Corp

  • Jon H says:

    Oa:911

  • DK says:

    I’m most excited oddly enough for Boo$ter Gold, if they can get the tone right on that one (it shouldnt be a comedy, by the end of the initial Jurgens run his sister was dead, his companies all failed, everyone hated his guts, he can never return home, he can’t even fix his suit) then the rest will follow well.

    This lineup honestly seems like one created by someone who actually read and enjoyed DC Comics.

    What they also did is successfully answer the question “What can DC do that Marvel can’t”, Swamp Thing horror/suspense for one, Apollo & Midnighter is another.

    If Disney is absolutely committed to every single Marvel movie being a light PG-13 Action Film that SELLS TOYS and CREATES IMMERSIVE RIDE OPPORTUNTIES AT DISNEY WORLD then Gunn is gonna zig instead of zagging and give us Tom King Supergirl and Amazon Politics and GL solving weird crimes. Good.

  • Snark Shark says:

    “A New/Old Age of Gods And Monsters.”

    DK: “What can DC do that Marvel can’t”

    Consistently get bad reviews for their movies?

    “Gunn repeatedly uses the word “marvelous””

    I’d bet it’s intentional. He knows what he’s doing there.

    Andrew:

    “the DC Implosion”. Of course, one could argue that that already occurred last summer”

    Yeah, it kinda DID. Cavil OUT, Jenkins OUT, Black Adam bombing.

    “yet another Batman movie (not that I have anything against Batman but has I’ve been fatigued by Batman since the early 90s”

    Yeah! he’s a GOOD character, but he’s not their ONLY good character!

    King of the moon: “the Corp”

    “Homicde: Life In the Galaxy” or “Law And Order: Intergalactic Crimes Unit”.

  • King of the Moon says:

    Jon H and Snark Shark, I like how you think and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter

  • I agree on being bemused re: Creature Commandos, but who would have thought PEACEMAKER would get a S2? And I loved that show.

    Because of that show, and the opening (which Gunn explains on YouTube and we see the practicing), I believe anything Gunn does will work.

    I know it will likely never happen, but I would die for a PLANETARY film.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Personally, I’m mostly disappointed by James Gunn’s announcement.

    Okay, a legit Swamp Thing movie is cool –especially if it has an Alan Moore vibe. And if Gunn lets Matt Ryan cameo as John Constantine.

    Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Supergirl movies…meh. If it was Ted Kord Blue Beetle film I’d be more interested. Maybe Kord will be in the film as the mentor figure. Call me cynical, but I think DC’s just trying to get a live action Blue Beetle film out before Marvel gets a live action Miles Morales film out. and Power Girl I’d be stoked! I’ve never liked cheesy Booster Gold and would rather see a Firestorm movie. Supergirl has always been a fairly bland character–a Power Girl film would be way more interesting! Or how about a film adaptation of Grant Morrison’s “Pax Americana”–that way Gunn could do his twist on Watchmen utilizing the original Charlton characters–and we get Vic Sage Question and Ted Kord Blue Beetle! Make it an Elseworlds film or whatever.

    That Flash actor sucks–so I hope at the end of the film he’s phased out and a new actor as Flash emerges. Maybe a Wally West iteration. However, It will be cool to finally see Michael Keaton as Batman again!

    Viola Davis is a great actress, so the Amanda Waller project should do alright, plus Gunn is enamored of the Suicide Squad in general and Peacemaker in particular.

    Creature Commandos cartoon…okay…whatever…maybe if it were live action with clever homages to Universal Monsters it would be cool.

    I will see the Shazam! sequel, as I enjoyed the first film. And I’ll check out the Aquaman sequel.

    I think Gunn shouldn’t have fired Henry Cavill– so, I I don’t know about his Superman project, but maybe it will prove to be good.

    Honestly, the only JL character I think should be switched out actor-wise is The Flash. Everybody else was solid. I think Gunn should do a sequel to Snyder’s JL. Just have it be James Gunn’s JL — but continue the project by introducing the New Gods and a having a two-part war on Apokolips. We were supposed to be getting a New Gods film anyway, right? And why not a Mister Miracle streaming show? If done with some humor, it could be like Marvel’s Ant-Man films–but without shrinking. Also, it would serve to bulk up the Kirbyverse…with cameos by various New Gods members and the Forever People. What the hell, Jimmy Olson could even have a supporting role covering Mister Miracle’s great escape. How about a cameo by Jim Steranko as the original Mister Miracle, Thaddeus Brown (since Kirby was inspired to create M.M. by Steranko’s escape artistry). Bryan Cranston could be cool as Funky Flashman.

    Batman: Brave & the Bold might be good, and it is interesting to bring Damian into the mix–but it would also be cool if they actually teamed Batman up with other heroes in a series of films…sort of like, mini-JL-type films but with fewer heroes. Maybe get some JL characters who weren’t in the Snyder film in there…Batman and Hawkman; Batman and Zatanna; Batman and Green Arrow and Black Canary; etc.

    Okay, the Authority might actually be interesting.

    A Hal and John GL project I can get behind. I wonder if Alan Scott will cameo?

    However, since the Doom Patrol and Titans TV shows look to be getting cancelled, I’d say DC should be slating live action films with those teams. And I still favor The Question (Vic Sage), Metal Men, Legion of Super-Heroes, JSA, Deadman, Spectre–or Justice League Dark (although I dislike that name and would rebrand it as “The Shadow Pact”). And what happened to the New Gods, Plastic Man, and Blackhawk projects???? Why not do an Elseworlds Freedom Fighters film set on Earth-X? Omega Men, with Momoa as Lobo???

    Also–why not mine all the cool Kirby characters for Christ’s sake?!? Beyond New Gods, get The Demon, OMAC, and Kamandi projects rolling!

  • Sean: I’m old, man. Ted Kord is nobody’s mentor. Dan Garret is Ted Kord’s mentor. Pax Americana would help that. Remember LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE? The first issues spotlighted Superman being taken away from Metropolis. When asked about who protected the city while he was gone (I forget specifics), we see the original Blue Beetle, fin and all, lifting up a giant lizard in front of the Daily Planet.

    A Crimson Avenger/Nathanial Dusk film? No reason DC can’t try period pieces.

    And if there was a Hal Jordan.Barry Allen GL/Flash film, I’d be happy with that.

    I’m all for Metal Men and add Metamorpho, please. And why can’t there be an Atom movie?

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Wayne: I haven’t read the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle stories, but, according to Wikipedia:

    “In the latest relaunch of the DC Universe, DC Rebirth, Jaime is working with Ted Kord to study the beetle attached to Jaime’s back and remove it. Once again, the beetle’s origin is retconned, as revealed by Doctor Fate, who tells Kord that the beetle is not alien, but magical, similar to the original continuity pre-Infinite Crisis.”

    So, based on that, Ted Kord could be a supporting character and mentor. But this is one of the problems with DC having over 70 years of published comics with numerous reboots and many characters who share the same superhero name. I think if the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle film is a success, Gunn should consider a streaming show with a title like: “The Legend of the Blue Beetle.” It can start in 1939 with Dan Garret (or Garrett) Blue Beetle and perhaps even feature some other Fox Features Syndicate public domain characters like The Flame, The Green Mask, or Samson–or bring in some of the DC, Fawcett, or Quality Comics Golden Age heroes for cameos.

    I just found out that Charlton Comics licensed some Fawcett characters, including Ibis the Invincible and Lance O’Casey, in the 1950s after Fawcett folded due to DC’s lawsuit. Ibis would make sense to cameo, as would Dr. Fate. Anyway, yeah, I’d love to see the first Blue Beetle, fin and all, lifting up a giant lizard in front of the Daily Planet–or the Daily Star. Dan Garrett really does deserve acknowledgement, as, debuting in 1939, he was among the handful of first mystery men along with Superman, Bat-Man, Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Namor, and the Human Torch.

    https://www.comics.org/issue/11905/cover/4/

    Then, Ted Kord can be brought into the mix as the guy who inherits the mantle of the Blue Beetle. If Gunn went for a Steve Ditko aesthetic as per the Charlton Comics iteration of Kord as BB in the series it would be cool. Maybe bring in some Charlton Action Heroes from the Silver Age as well. Or, again, adapt Morrison’s Pax Americana.

    Agreed that DC should try period pieces! Actually, why not just do a late 1930-early 195s-period piece streaming series titled “The Golden Age” for several seasons and try to shoehorn as many Golden Age DC characters (and acquired Fawcett, Quality, etc. characters) in there as possible. It could even be considered an Elseworlds project if need be. Maybe we could get Plastic Man and Blackhawk in there if they aren’t getting their own films. Nathaniel Dusk could also be brought in–or, he could have a different streaming show, potentially with The Crimson Avenger, and maybe Slam Bradley, Dr. Occult, and the Sandman making cameo appearances. Maybe shot in black and white with a film noir aesthetic.

    Your mention of a Hal and Barry film makes me think that Gunn should just straight up adapt a live action iteration of Darwyn Cooke’s The New Frontier–again, make it Elseworlds if need be, but it would be so fun to see Silver Age iterations of DC’s characters brought to the big screen or in a streaming series.

    And I agree that a Metal Men film or streaming show could also feature other Silver Age characters like Metamorpho. That would be fun. In mentioning an Atom movie, I’m guessing you mean Ray Palmer? I think there are at least three DC characters name The Atom: Al Pratt, Ray Palmer, and Ryan Choi. I guess the main consideration there is that Marvel beat DC to the punch with it’s Ant-Man film franchise. But maybe an Atom streaming series–or Atom and the Hawkman–might be cool. Work in the backstory elements of The Doll-Man from 1939 being the first shrinking character, mention Al Pratt, and them have Ray or Ryan be the modern Atom.
    I’d rather that Gunn used The Brave & the Bold as a live action streaming show to team up various DC characters who probably will never get solo films.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Sorry about the multiple typos–I’m tired and it is late…

  • Wayne Allen Sallee says:

    Sean: My oldest reading copy of the Golden Age BB was #6. A few years back, I did some ghostwriting for a guy and along with payment, he sent me a pristine copy of BB#4. So I have a comic from before Germany invaded Poland. Being half-Polish, that means something.

    It sounds like the scarab has been retconned to what it already was, with the old magic word thing to activate it. The GA BB was both a cop and an archeologist and a guy who had adventures on Jupiter so I don’t know when the magic word started.

    I brought up The Atom (Ray Palmer), because one of the earliest comics I was given as a kid was the B&B with Metal Men and the Atom.

    In general, I like streaming shows much more. But I haven’t been to a theater since I went with my nieces to see MOCKINGJAY. I like the idea of Hal and Barry because Barry seemed to ground Hal to Earth. And yes, team-ups should be one-offs. Or three-parters adding a new character in each episode.

    I suppose everything is wishful thinking, though I’m still amazed that Peacemaker got his own show and that I loved it. Maybe his old neighbor is Dan Garrett.

  • Aaron says:

    Based on the returns of the original Aquaman movie, Warner Discovery may have to intentionally bury Aquaman 2 in order to keep this lineup from changing. I like Gunn’s first take but I hope he has some flexibility in his creative plans. (Much like a DC comic book writer when faced with editorial demands, I suppose.)

  • Snark Shark says:

    “who would have thought PEACEMAKER would get a S2?”

    Who would have thought he’d have a TV show or be popular in ANY way? he was a B lister from Charlton, which makes him a D lister at DC! I haven’t seen it, but that show looked GOOD!

    “since Kirby was inspired to create M.M. by Steranko’s escape artistry).

    I DID NOT KNOW THIS!! How awesome is Steranko?

    “” Justice League Dark”

    More like JUSTICE LEAGUE DORK! Maybe it was their placeholder name, and they couldn’t think of a GOOD one.

    “get The Demon, OMAC, and Kamandi projects rolling!”

    Yes! And at Marvel, DEVIL DINOSAUR and MACHINE MAN! (I like Kirby’s oddball characters best).

    “Blue Beetle, fin and all, lifting up a giant lizard in front of the Daily Planet.”

    What IS it with Reptiles who CONTSTANLY ATTACK OUR FREE PRESS? AND HOW DO WE STOP THEM??

    “And why can’t there be an Atom movie”

    The general public would think they’re copying Ant-Man. They’d be WRONG, but it’s what they’d think.

    “the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle stories”

    I’ve read a few! they’re not bad!

    “or bring in some of the DC, Fawcett, or Quality Comics Golden Age heroes for cameos.”

    Or go for the same character from different generations, and get Hawkman, Hawkman, and Hawkman!

    “The Doll-Man from 1939 being the first shrinking character”

    Or is Gulliver from “Gulliver’s Travels” the first shrinking character? Or maybe that doesn’t count, since he was in a land of giants.

  • Wayne Allen Sallee says:

    Snark Shark: regarding Hawkman, there were three issues of LEGENDS OF THE DCU that had the same [I can’t effing remember] battle three Green Lanterns. In the 1880s Abin Sur, 1940s Alan Scott, 1990s Hal Jordan. (They really should collect that series. All of LEGENDS.)

    And I think Peacemaker was a D-lister at Charlton, so…

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Wayne: Very cool that you have a a pristine copy of BB #4!

    Again, Gunn and DC should really due a streaming show called “The Golden Age”– start it in the late ’30s with characters like Dr. Occult, Slam Bradley, Hop Harrigan, and maybe retcon Nathaniel Dusk in there. Basically the detectives, adventurers, pilots, etc, of the pre-Superman era. By the end of season one they could start introducing the concept of the “Mystery Men” with Crimson Avenger, Sandman, and G.A. Blue Beetle. They could bypass the A-listers altogether if they want to keep them contemporary, but still use most of the Golden Age JSA members plus assorted G.A. characters from other acquired publishers. I want to see a live action Red Bee battling a shark like on this amazing Lou Fine cover to Hit Comics no. 5!

    https://www.comics.org/issue/1107/cover/4/

    I’d also love to see a live action adaptation of the classic Paul Levitz and Joe Staton “Secret Origin of the JSA” story.

    https://www.comics.org/issue/31286/cover/4/

    Re: Hal and Barry, and wishful thinking–since Gunn is already co-opting the Brave & the Bold name, a “Showcase” or “DC Presents” streaming show would be nice for team ups featuring one-offs or two-parters or three-parters with various characters.

  • Wayne Allen Sallee says:

    Sean:it woulds be easy enough to retcon Dusk (and Silverblade!) into the early 40s. I thing Slam Bradley would make a good character to keep in that era, as opposed to how he ended up in the Catwoman series from the 00s. You keep trying to get Gunn on the phone.

    Fox Syndicate *dad* have a MYSTERY MEN comic, which included Blue Beetle and two others. They made a point of having the number three on the cover, unless that was another book from Fox.

    Not knowing how to ever manage my money properly, I have the Gwandaland editions off Red Bee and Neon the Unknown.So I have the shark cover and I even have it as a b&w postcard that came in a box of 50s covers like FRANKENSTEIN and THE UNSEEN.

    All my pre-1941 books are BB.A lot are reading copies back when Chicago Comic-Con was in the dumpy Congress Plaza downtown, and I could walk out of there spending little money at a time when I had little money. I did get a coverless copy of WORLD’S FINEST#3 for a dollar, I can remember that. That was the year First Comics just started up.

    B&B was the name of the six-issue mini-, with FASTER FRIENDS in bigger letters. It was a neat trade, each issue covering specific past issues, girl troubles, GL hanging out with Green Arrow. Each issue a one-off.

    I wonder if Gunn would ever look at Levitz as a consultant?

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Alan:

    That’s a cool story about Chicago Comic-con and picking up a coverless copy of World’s Finest # 3 for a buck. Low grade is better than no grade–as the saying goes…especially for Golden Age books. I could imagine that back then even a lot of old Timely Comics would have been reasonably affordable compared to now. I’ve also bought some Gwandanaland editions –mostly of old MLJ characters like The Comet, The Fox, The Web, etc. Plus some random editions of very obscure characters which are now in the public domain.

    I could see Max Allan Collins doing a great job writing a screenplay or teleplay for a DC streaming show set in the late ’30s-early ’40s with Slam Bradley, Dr. Occult, Nathaniel Dusk, Hop Harrigan, Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Dan Garrett Blue Beetle, etc. Some elements from Roy Thomas’ Crimson Avenger mini-series and Secret Origins C.A. story could be adapted; likewise elements from Matt Wagner’s Sandman Mystery Theatre–just don’t make the character look like Guy Davis’ wretched art!

    I think Gunn should hire Paul Levitz as a consultant–along with Mark Evanier as a Kirbyverse consultant; and Roy Thomas as an Earth-2/Golden Age consultant. Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Grant Morrison, and Neil Gaiman should all be consultants as well. And maybe Howard Chaykin and Mark Waid.
    You would basically want consultants to be creators who grew DC Comics from the Bronze Age on and are experts on its characters, lore, and history–and then your Vertigo visionaries as well. Tap the knowledge from these top tier guys –rather than going with Tom King and Brian Bendis’ rotten Brand Echh stories.

  • Wayne Allen Sallee says:

    Sean: I know Max and I love him to death–read his Nathan Heller novels if you haven’t–but he did an Elseworlds that was a variation of a story he wrote for the BATMAN comic. Writers can do that, it sucks but hey, not everyone reads every book. I think that’s the only thing anyone ever called him on at one of the writing conventions I was at. Collins lives just over the Mississippi in Iowa. I guess my point is that I’d want to see writers do original stories.That all probably reads weird, but I think you catch my drift.

    Don’t bring someone on who will bastardize their own work. Starro exists for DC in the Suicide Squad film, but nowhere else did Peacemaker meet up with green butterflies. I think that’s what any consultant should be there for. Did you know that in the Vigilante comic, Peacemaker kills the second Vigilante on a plane?

    Chicago-Comicon was started up by Bob Weinberg and this guy Larry (who owned the first “specialty shop” in Chicago, opened in 1974) and in the 80s to early 90s, it was at the Congress just down the street is the Buckingham Fountain. After Bob’s las kid started college and he got a bit of cancer in him, Larry and Bob sold to Wizard Entertainment. I was working at a comic shop, as you know, when Image started up, and Bob gave me a bunch of tickets for the Image signing booth, and I gave them to the workers and they thought it was great. But WW tripled the cost of tables and so most sellers just bought money-making books. No more boxes like where you found that Gen13.

    Larry had a guy working in a store to the east of his, there was overstock there. I found BLUE BEETLE#44 in the B/MISC. Selling price $2.00. I felt like the guilty kid not wanting to get caught, but the guy never blinked. It’s actually one of the better BBs I have. #6 was my previous oldest comic, on the back cover there is an ad where a guy says that by going to electronics school, he now has a job that pays $15 a week.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Wayne:

    I get the point about writers doing original stories. My point was that since Max thrives with detective genre fiction –and since Road to Perdition was a successful albeit altered adaptation of his graphic novel–he might be a good candidate to write a teleplay or plot for a DC streaming series set in the late ’30s going into the early ’40s. When one thinks of the wealth of classic Warner Bros. film noir movies from that era, the streaming series could include dozens of great homage scenes to some of those films–and could even be shot in black and white. And why limit it to just Warner Bros.? There could be references to the Thin Man films, or “Out of the Past,” etc. Or for Hop Harrigan, there could be a riff on some scenes from the film “Only Angels Have Wings.” For Speed Saunders, adventuring in China, there could be riffs on “The General Died at Dawn.” My other point is that some aspects of pre-existing comics featuring the late ’30s DC characters should be used–even if it is retconned stuff that Roy Thomas or other writers created. For instance, if you’ve never read it, the Roy Thomas/Gene Colan origin for the Crimson Avenger in Secret Origins, vol. 3, no. 5 is quite clever. Anyway, it’s all just an exercise in imagination. But, again, with 70 + years worth of characters DC could be doing so much. Think of a “Showcase” type streaming series that could have two-parters or three-parters starring The Viking Prince, or Arak, or The Shining Knight.

    Re: Peacemaker–I know it is a wildly popular show and all, but sometimes I wonder what Pat Boyette would think, were he still alive, of how his creation has be bastardized…

    I thought John Cena would have been good as Ben Grimm/The Thing.

    Re: G.A. Blue Beetle–do you have any of the classic Jack Kamen cover-art issues in your collection? Also, did Kooba Cola (which was advertised in Fox Feature Syndicate comics) ever exist, or was it just a scam on Victor Fox’s part?

  • Wayne Allen Sallee says:

    Sean: like I said, my comment about Max can cover quite a few writers, maybe it was because they were prolific at the time (The Black Dahlia was in the news again) and he had a Nathan Heller book out about Elizabeth Short, then he did one Batman Elseworld that was almost the same and yet another piece. Maybe since BD was in the news again, the thought was the comics would boost sales. Anyhow. He’s a good guy and he has always with with a researcher, someone who helped fill in Chicago history from 1931-1945. There’s your consultant, right there. When it comes to comics, that goes back to the other comic names you mentioned.

    I don’t have a problem with PEACEMAKER. He was in the only watchable SS film for me. I have the Action Heroes archives and most of the originals in fairly decent condition, and the comic was a place in time, really. (Tweak him a bit and he could have been in THUNDER AGENTS, if he was created at Tower.)

    I wonder if there is anyone tasked with looking up living relatives? So many of these creators are just about lost to history.

    Kooba Cola was real, just very regional. FOX was in Holyoke MA. It would be like me finding a bottle of Fresca in Chicago. Myself, I’ve never seen a copy of GRIT, the newspaper DC advertised, and all my old DCs never had any coupons clipped out for Palisades Park NJ. But everyone wanted those darn Marvel Value Stamps.

    In my own writing, I’ve made up product names for no real reason. Or described a character being in a sequel of a Robert Mitchum film, a film that didn’t exist. Kooba was real, but I doubt it was original enough for it to exist outside of New England.

    Oh, and I do have the Kamen art. I even have a BB for the cover that would eventually become Captain Atom. It is from 1955 and the cover is gorgeous.

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Wayne:

    Re: “I wonder if there is anyone tasked with looking up living relatives? So many of these creators are just about lost to history.” Roy Thomas and other writers at Alter-Ego have done a pretty good job of tracking down living relatives of some of the more obscure deceased Golden Age creators and interviewing them, and running the interviews, which is cool.

    Speaking of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents — another writer who totally missed the point and wrote a horrible iteration is Nick Spencer. There was no respect for Wally Wood’s characters and Tower Comics’ characterization of them in his Brand Echh take! Then he gave us Hydra-Cap…

    And speaking of Robert Mitchum, a recent issue of either Shudder or Vampiress Carmilla Magazine had a story in which one of the characters was drawn to look like Mitchum. Another recent story had a Vincent Price look-alike. It’s always fun when they do that. Jim Aparo would also draw famous people in the background of some Brave & the Bold comics in the ’70s.
    Another thing that could be cool if a 1930s DC streaming series were to be created would be to go in the direction of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.” That was a fun film!

    Great that you have the Kamen art issuesof BB!

    Atomic Kommie Comics’ blog disputes the existence of actual produced and bottled Kooba Kola, beyond Victor Fox’s ads for it.

    https://atocom.blogspot.com/2010/03/kooba-cola-drink-that-never-was.html

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Then again, there does seem to be evidence for Kooba Cola having existed here:

    https://www.facebook.com/koobacola/

  • Snark Shark says:

    Wayne Allen Sallee: “Snark Shark: regarding Hawkman, there were three issues of LEGENDS OF THE DCU that had the same [I can’t effing remember] battle three Green Lanterns. In the 1880s Abin Sur, 1940s Alan Scott, 1990s Hal Jordan.”

    Cool! Hawk3 vs. Green3!

    “And I think Peacemaker was a D-lister at Charlton, so”

    Well, possibly! I’ve only seen a little of their stuff, and not much impressed me, except Ditko’s art on The Question.

    Sean Mageean: “I want to see a live action Red Bee battling a shark like on this amazing Lou Fine cover”

    GOOD GAWD, that man could draw!

    “Brave & the Bold”

    I think Silver Age Batman and Silver Age Lex Luthor should star in a comic titled “The Brave & the Bald”.

    Wayne Allen Sallee:

    “Did you know that in the Vigilante comic, Peacemaker kills the second Vigilante on a plane?”

    I read all 50 issues of that series, and didn’t remember that. But it’s not surprising.

    ” a guy says that by going to electronics school, he now has a job that pays $15 a week.”

    The Secret Origin of Bill Gates!

    “But everyone wanted those darn Marvel Value Stamps.”

    OH those damn things!

    Sean Mageean: “Thin Man”

    i love that film! Still need to see the sequels.

    “Nick Spencer… he gave us Hydra-Cap”

    I was irrationally angry about HydraCap, an dI didn’t even read the comic!

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Snark Shark:

    Yes, Hydra-Cap was just a lame concept. That’s not Steve Rogers.

    Marvel Value Stamps were evil –their mere existence resulted in the mutilation of many a fine Bronze Age Marvel comic!

    Silver Age Ditko Charlton Action Heroes are fun reads–The Question, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Captain Atom and Nightshade. Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt by Pete Morisi is fun as well.

    For The Brave and the Bald–How about Apache Chief and Lex Luthor? Or Super-Chief and Martian Manhunter? Batman is way overused…

  • Snark Shark says:

    “Batman is way overused”

    Well, yes, but he IS brave, and DC comics would want the title to SELL. And since he WAS the star of the Brave and the Bold…

    “Yes, Hydra-Cap was just a lame concept. That’s not Steve Rogers.”

    100%!

    “Marvel Value Stamps were evil”

    So annoyed when I see one cut out… then relieved when the other side is (usually) NOT a story page!

  • Sean Mageean says:

    Snark Shark:

    How about a DC/Marvel crossover event:

    the Brave & the Bold one-shot–featuring Batman & Balder the Brave ?!?!!

  • Snark Shark says:

    YES! The Brave and the Balder! or the Brave and the Bravest! Either way, Loki guest app. to help sales!