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From Yahoo News’ front page headline story thingie:

Goes to this story, in case you need to Read More About It.

ad from Smash Comics #85 (Oct. 1949)

HAUNTING YOUR

UNQUIET DREAMS

EDIT: Oops! Reader Rob pointed out that the great Dr. K covered another, very slightly different yet still creepy, ad in this series just recently, which I’d somehow forgotten or missed. Sorry, Doc, didn’t mean to step on any internet toes here!

• Thanks for playing along with the Sluggo/Swamp Thing vote posts from the last couple of days. I needed something light and silly to improve my mood, and you all really came through. Your comments from day one and day two were, by and large, very funny and silly and right in tune with the tone of the posts. You’re a bunch of swell folks, and don’t let anyone tell you any different.
• At long last, after nearly four decades of existence on this planet, I’ve finally contributed something positive to society. You may recall this post, where I questioned the physics involved in flinging Rex the Wonder Dog from a quicksand pit up onto a high ledge. Well, said panels and the potentially problematic physics therein have been pondered by honest-to-goodness college professors, as well as used as an instructional tool in an actual college class.

  Thanks to reader Walaka for making my day!

• Tim O’Neil is continuing his discussion of the ’90s comics market, a topic of particular interest to me (as anyone who’s read my site for any length of time likely knows). He makes some good observations about societal influences on comics content from that period, as well as contrasting Marvel’s and DC’s publishing strategies. Good reading for people interested in extended ruminations on recent comics industry history.
• Congrats to pal Nat for the tenth anniversary of his company, About Comics! Nat’s a swell guy! Buy his stuff!
• The newest installment in the insurance industry’s longest running gossip column is up at Beaucoupkevin‘s. As per usual, take it with a huge grain of salt!

A jubilant Swamp Thing celebrates his victory.

The results are in from yesterday’s election, and, by a ratio of approximately 2 to 1, Swamp Thing, 36, of Louisiana, has beaten out Sluggo Smith, 8, of the Wrong Side of the Tracks.

Voters cited Mr. Thing’s stance on the environment as one of the deciding factors in this election. Strangely, past scandals in Mr. Thing’s life seemed to have little negative impact, such as the revelation in 1986 of swampside dalliances with social worker Abigail Arcane, and Mr. Thing’s subsequent attack on Gotham City following Ms. Arcane’s arrest.

However, Mr. Thing’s ample media exposure, for these events and others, both positive and negative, seemed to work in his favor. Mr. Smith’s media presence in recent years has been much less, leading to lower voter recognition in comparison to Mr. Thing. Also, some noted Mr. Smith’s lack of international recognition, perhaps indicating a weakness in foreign policy. Other concerns included Mr. Smith’s lack of a stable economic policy, resulting in repeated financial shortfalls in his immediate area of influence. Mr. Thing had no stated economic policy, but in this case it appears “no news is good news,” as the voters apparently preferred a lack of policy to a bad one. While Mr. Smith did have a strong recycling policy, Mr. Thing’s more wide-ranging general environmental scope of his platform was seen as vastly preferable.

Swamp Thing taking 2/3rds of the vote may be interpreted as a clear mandate from the people, but one must not discount the strong social influence Sluggo Smith wields. Though not taking the election, Mr. Smith still holds sway over his legions of followers, who contemplate his every move and find themselves entranced by his philosophy of unburdened living. Mr. Thing will need to take this “Sluggo Effect” into account over the course of his term…a term that will almost certainly be closely scrutinized by both sides of this election.

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As you may have heard, comics blogger and salesperson Carla Hoffman, along with her husband Lance, suffered serious burns as they were attempting to evacuate the Santa Barbara fires.

They are expected to recover, but they have lost their home. If you would like to help them out…here, from the official Montecito Fire Department web page is a press release (PDF download) detailing the Lance and Carla Burn Fund, including information on where to donate.

I’ve only met Carla and Lance once, but I’ve spoken with Carla several times on the phone, as her store and ours regularly do business with each other. She’s always a treat to talk to, friendly and exuberant, and I always thought quite well of her. And Lance was quite the good guy, too, and I know Carla thinks the world of him, judging from her writing in her various blogging outlets. So please, everyone wish the best for Carla and Lance, and hope for their quick recovery…physically, economically, and emotionally.

Well, it was just a joke, really, making fun of my bit of recent overkill discussing the Smallville TV show. But good gravy it started some discussion, which I really wasn’t expecting.

I’d like to contribute to the discussion, somehow, except I really don’t remember much about Misfits of Science. I know I watched an episode or three, and seem to have some vague memories of it. I remember the ice-powered guy, who, according to the Wikipedia article, vanished after the pilot episode due to objections by Marvel Comics over similarities with its X-Men character.

Aside from that, I remember suggesting this show to a former customer of mine who worked for a DVD company that specializes in producing cult/special interest TV DVD boxed sets. I think I suggested they could capitalize on the publicity over the Courteney Cox TV show Dirt, which was on the verge of starting at the time and being advertised incessantly. Marketing a old TV show featuring Courteney Cox could…well, not drive sales into the stratosphere, but at least grab an extra pair o’eyes or two. Well, that’s what I thought.

Didn’t happen…I also suggested Run Joe Run, and The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty, with mostly equal results. (Waldo Kitty, apparently, did get an episode or two onto some boxed DVD set.) Ah, well.

So, sadly, I have only two posts about Misfits of Science (including this one) in me, rather than twelve. Sorry about that, but feel free to talk about it in the comments section.

And someday I’ll talk about comics again. You know, just for a change of pace.

from Dell Giant #34 (September 1960)

…the first of twelve consecutive posts about Misfits of Science: