Uncategorized

“Artist Jerico Woggon Celebrates His Work and the 60th Birthday of Retro Comic Book Supermodel Katy Keene”

From The Star Online:

Since the introduction of maxi/limited series in 1982, DC Comics has succeeded in delivering a killer product every decade. In the 80s, it was Crisis on Infinite Earths (and to the sentimentalists Watchmen) followed by Kingdom Come a decade later. Although we are just into a new year and midway into the first decade of the 21st century, my third re-read has given me adequate reason to conclude that Identity Crisis has already got this decade all sealed up.

Okay, okay…in my discussion regarding the new Youngblood and “Doctor” superheroines in my last post, I forgot the female version of Dr. Light. I also forgot that Dr. Fate was a lady for a brief period of time. Still, my point still stands that…um, well, there’s a point there, somewhere.

Also, there’s a new comics weblog out loose in the wild, by the name of Filing Cabinet of the Damned. To his post championing a new, as yet unmade, Marvel HeroClix character, I can only say “well said, sir, well said.”

I didn’t realize that Doug, who was one of the winners of my Swamp Thing: Bad Seed contest, was also the mighty DougBot, frequenter of my comments sections and proprietor of his own weblog, the Giant Fighting Robot Report. If I had known, I would have linked him then. Sorry, Doug!

Also, any forthcoming comments from pal Dorian, regarding my vanity vis-a-vis my quote (and his, too) on the back of AiT/Planetlar‘s new release Proof of Concept are lies, damned lies, no matter how true they may be. Anyway, it’s nice to see the book in its finished format…seeing the action figure cover in color is a treat!

As promised, here are the results for the contest. But first, a little preamble:

I know I’ve said it a lot but it bears repeating…a big fat wet “THANK YOU!” to Ken Lowery, over there at Ringwood, who chipped in and bought two more copies of Swamp Thing: Bad Seed for me to give away. Beneath that gruff, rough-and-tumble exterior beats a generous heart. Thank you, Ken!

Also, I took a couple steps as to be as fair as possible in the selection process. First, as the entries came in (and boy, there were a lot of them), I would copy-‘n’-paste the text from the e-mail into a separate document, away from any identifying information that could influence the decision. And second, I let my girlfriend Nora pick the winning entries.

And before I start listing the winners, those of you who entered and didn’t win please remember rule #6 of the contest: “By entering, you hereby agree not to complain if you don’t win.”

Without further ado, to-do, or doo-doo, here are the wieners winners!

1. Nora’s favorite of the bunch was this one from Doug, which tickled me as well:

“Give me the copy of Swamp Thing or I will write another awful DC-universe spanning crossover. Starring Lobo. And no talking monkeys.”

Of all the entries that involved direct threats, I think I like this one the best.

2. Josh hits me up poetically with a request for some Swampy book goodness:

“white kryptonite could

not accomplish what she did.

locklear ruined you.

i would like that trade

because i am very cheap.

i stole your haiku.”

Like several others, mention was made of the Swamp Thing movie, but his was the only entry to specifically invoke the specter of Return of the Swamp Thing, combined with a reference to Silver Age Superman continuity and to my recent haiku post. Well played, sir, well played.

And, in the interest of full disclosure…yes, Josh is a former employee of our store, dating back to those happy and carefree pre-pal Dorian days. But then, that’s why I took the steps I did to prevent any favoritism and accusations of behind-the-scenes shenanigans. Honest. I swear. (Note to self: next time disqualify current and former employees!)

3. In the “hitting a little close to home” department comes this entry from Jim:

“My favorite toy was the action figure with the hands on cords that retracted if you squeezed the legs.

It’s at my home..

I’m 35.”

Get out of my head…get out!

And there you go…those three lucky winners will get copies of the Swamp Thing: Bad Seed trade paperback from DC Comics/Vertigo.

Let me again thank everyone who entered…I enjoyed all (well, most) of your entries, and I wish I could afford to give away prizes to everyone (well, most everyone) who took the time to participate.

It was a lot of fun, and I’ll certainly do it again soon.

In the “it’s an ill wind that blows no one any good” department…lots of Will Eisner items have shown up on eBay today. 36 items at last count were added following the news of his passing (compare to 9 items on Monday, 15 on Sunday). And yes, a few do make mention of his untimely death.

I only bring it up because as a retailer, every time a newsworthy death like this occurs, we get an awful lot of people dropping by the store anxious to make a buck…the “it’ll be worth more now that he’s dead” crowd, which is always very distressing. (Granted, it’s not as prevalent in our hobby as it is in, say, sports.) Pal Dorian has mentioned that we got a couple people looking for Christopher Reeve items after his death, for example. I’m sure some of those items listed on eBay today are there for the express purpose of taking advantage of the “publicity” around the man’s death.*

What I am hoping will happen is that people will hear about Eisner, should his passing get coverage in mainstream news (it’s on Yahoo, at least), and become genuinely interested in his work.

I hope.

I don’t have any personal anecdotes regarding Eisner, beyond a story or two I’ve been told by a cartoonist of my acquaintance, but I have enjoyed the man’s work and I certainly appreciate the influence he’s had on the industry as a whole. And, if it’s even the slightest consolation, if he had to leave us so soon (and yes, I’m considering his age of 87 as too soon), at least he went knowing that the vast majority of his major works are still available and still finding new audiences.**

Mark Evanier, as always, steps up to the plate with his usual skill to tell us about Mr. Eisner.

* Before I get anyone irritated at me…I’m certain some of those listings are just coincidence, and not timed to take advantage of Eisner’s death. I’m not that cynical.

** As compared, for example, to Isaac Asimov, where, at least in all our local bookstores, only about a half-dozen books of his can readily be purchased. And one of those is only in print to tie in to a lousy movie.

We’ve lost one of the comic artform’s pioneers…Will Eisner has passed away. I’m sure we all wish his friends and loved ones the best.

According to the 2005 “IN/OUT” list at the Washington Post, “Ultimate Marvel” is OUT, “DC All-Stars” is IN.

(list found via TV Tattle)

That’s the opening panel for “Jimmy’s D-Day Adventure,” from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #86 (July 1965)…how does Jimmy find himself in such an unusual predicament? Well, lemme ‘splain….

The story beings with our intrepid Daily Planet reporter at the Pentagon, watching vintage World War II films from a recently-opened Nazi archive. Jimmy looks admiringly at the canisters of film on the table next to the projector: “Those cans of film contain the greatest untold stories of the war!”

The next day, Jimmy opens up his carrying case, which he had conveniently left on the table next to the canisters while watching the film, and sure enough: “Oh, oh! One of the cans of film accidentally slipped inside my case!” Yeah, sure, Jimmy.

Anyway, he pops the film into his projector for his own private viewing, and what does he see but…someone who looks just like him, hanging with Hitler!

How to solve this mystery? Delve into old military records? Do actual reseach? Not in a Superman comic, mister! Fortunately for Jimmy, 1) he was able to get an authentic military outfit from a nearby costume shop, 2) he took German in high school, and 3) his scientist pal Professor Potter just happened to have given him an experimental time machine. The time machine, by the way, is a “time-bomb,” which apparently explodes and sends you hurtling back in time:

Seems like that would be slightly dangerous, but apparently it works, as Jimmy finds himself back in World War II. Although he spots General Eisenhower, Jimmy decides that it’s more important to go looking for his Nazi doppleganger, so he heads off to get behind enemy lines.

Eventually, Jimmy gets in over his head and finds himself pinned down in a battle zone with a paratroop squad. Disguising himself as a German soldier, Jimmy leads the squad to the enemy lines, telling the Nazi forces there that he has captured the Americans and that he’s “take the prisoners to the woods and execute them!” Of course, it’s just a ruse to allow the American soldiers to escape. Jimmy, however, sticks around, as he figures this is the best way to infiltrate the enemy army and find his mysterious double.

The German general confronts Jimmy (or “Von Olsen,” as he is now known) and asks how he “captured” the squad. For some reason, Jimmy claims that the “crystal ball” part of the time machine he’s lugging around is, in fact, a real crystal ball, allowing him to see the future and predict the movements of the enemy! In short order, Jimmy’s supposed clairvoyant powers (actually, a cheat sheet of WWII events and battles that he has hidden in his sleeve) are exploited by the Nazis. However, the story carefully notes, Jimmy never gives the Nazis enough information or time to really act on his predictions, so I don’t know why they put up with him for so long.

But put up they do, and it’s not long before Jimmy is brought before Adolph Hitler himself! Seeking to prove his “powers” to Hitler, Jimmy predicts another attack:

Again, the prediction comes too late to really be an advantage to the Nazis, and this pattern continues for several weeks:

Finally, the Nazis are fed up. They finally realize there’s something fishy with this Von Olsen guy, since all he ever does is predict Nazi defeats. Hermann Goering decides to test Jimmy’s loyalty….

Hitler and his entourage (including Jimmy) stop in at a Belgian farmhouse for a lunchtime meeting, and are waited upon by a peasant girl who is very obviously upset at having to serve her “guests.” As she is setting out the meals, she drops a piece of paper that, Jimmy discovers, is a message to the Allies reporting on German troop movements! Surprisingly, Jimmy rats her out…only to be told that this was a test of his loyalty, that this girl is in fact Lotte Lutz, a Gestapo agent!

Jimmy laughs to himself as he reflects on his vast breadth of knowledge: “She gave herself away! Belgian peasant girls usually wear wooden shoes, like the Dutch, not fancy high-heeled ones like this dame!”

Lotte Lutz is impressed with Jimmy, even as he reflects on the odd coincidence of her name while stretching his acting skills to the limit:

His loyalty proven, Hitler promotes Jimmy, and the ceremony is filmed…providing the very footage Jimmy saw on his “accidentally” acquired film reel! What a surprise, if you happened to miss the very first panel of the story.

Shortly afterwards, Hitler asks “Von Olsen” to predict the outcome of their next battle…which, as it turns out, is the Battle of the Bulge! “There will be a big break-through,” Jimmy responds ambiguously.

However, the next day as Jimmy returns to the Nazi headquarters, Hitler is pissed! Jimmy has failed to predict an assassination attempt on Hitler’s life by Hitler’s own officers! Believing Jimmy to be in on the conspiracy, Hitler orders him searched and Jimmy’s cheat sheet is discovered:

The jig is up…Jimmy beats feet, with Goering and Himmler hot on his tail. As he charges out of the headquarters, Lotte Lutz is waiting outside with her gun drawn. “Maybe this L L will be my doom, after all,” thinks Jimmy. “Usually L Ls bring me luck!” he adds, though I don’t think that particular assertion is supported by any other Superman family story, ever.

However, fortune does fall Jimmy’s way, as Lutz is the worst shot ever (or, perhaps, has fallen head over heels in love with the young time-travelling reporter and secretly decides to help…we never know for sure) and manages to shoot off pieces of the giant blue swastika over the headquarter’s entrance:

An S.S. guard throws a grenade at Jimmy, but as it goes off, Jimmy is whisked back into the future as the “time-bomb’s” energy supply has expended itself. Also, the film Jimmy acquired though unseemly means has disintegrated due to exposure to the time-bomb’s effects, destroying all evidence of his collusion with the Nazi forces.

The story wraps up with Jimmy extending his particular “L L = luck” delusion to ridiculous extremes:

Not shown: Jimmy getting hauled off by the feds for stealing and destroying U.S. government property.

Found via Boing Boing…artist (and frequent early Mad Magazine contributor) Frank Kelly Freas has passed away.