April 2nd: April Fools’ Boxing Day.


You may remember me mentioning pal Tom Foxmarnick on the site before, like when he gave me this swell SWAMPDOK drawing, or when I featured a couple of the ‘zines from his Kubert School years.

Well, the other day he gave a photocopy of the above drawing he did while at the Kubert School, circa 1979. Well, he did the pencils on it, anyway…the inks were by one of his instructors: Dick Giordano. Tom asked me if I’d put it on my site, since, with Mr. Giordano’s recent passing, folks might be interested in seeing a mostly-unknown sample of his work. So, there you all go. Pretty neat. Thanks, Tom!

• • •

In other news:

  • As a couple of people have noted here and there…yes, there may have been a bogus item or two in yesterday’s End of Civilization post in honor of April Fools’ Day, the Internet’s Favorite-est Tradition. Most people commented on one, but nobody said anything about the other, which, admittedly, was mostly just for me.
  • Adam Knave brings you…a Man-Thing Public Service Announcement.
  • Are you reading Awesome Hospital, a comic rejected by some online webcomics initiative because it was, in fact, too awesome? You really should be.
  • And speaking of Chris Sims, he and Rusty Shackles have created a thing so great that you will fall to your knees and weep tears of bitter despair that it does not actually exist.

Progressive Ruin presents…the End of Civilization.

So, Diamond Previews, we meet again. Well, I suppose I have to look through you and see what wonders you’re offering this month. And if any of you folks out there in the viewing audience want to follow along with me, grab your own copies of the April 2010 edition and…um, follow along, I guess.

p. 153 – Star Trek Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor #1:


I was all ready to get my nerd on and say “hey, that’s a Puppeteer from Larry Niven’s Known Space stories!” but when I scanned the pic, I was suddenly able to more easily read the text on the cover there:


Sorry, didn’t feel like scanning it again. It says “With thanks to Larry Niven for the loan.” Ah, well. Still, I probably need to own this.

p. 180 – Brigade #1:


“A complete re-imagining of the original smash series” featuring the villain of Genocide. I don’t know how they’re going to top Genocide’s previous appearance.

p. 221 – Time Lincoln: Fists of Fürher #1:


It’s too bad I didn’t care for the original Time Lincoln comic (as reported here) because normally I’d be all over Lincoln versus Hitler. And let’s face it, all things considered, Hitler was going to pop up in this eventually.

p. 252 – Darkwing Duck #1 The Duck Knight Returns:


Hold on there just a gosh-danged minute. Says here that the writer of this comic is my old pal (and a founding member of the Associated Comics and Pop Culture Webloggers of Ventura County, CA and Outlying Environs) Ian Brill. Hey, I know it’s April Fool’s Day…you’re not going to pull one over on me, Boom! Studios!

p. 254 – Donald Duck #355:


THIS IS A FETISH FOR SOMEONE.

p. 266 – Complete Adventures of the Big Boy Archives Vol. 1:


I find it hard to believe that there would be any demand for this whatsoever. Though I have to admit I can’t wait to see the new Alex Ross cover.

p. 374 – The Twilight Zone Series 1 8-Inch Action Figures:


The action figure translation of the Gremlin, while perhaps accurate, did it no favors, did it?

And from the solicitation info:

“Each exceptionally lifelike character….”

Er, there’s at least one character pictured there for whom the term “lifelike” may not apply….

p. 376 – Elvira Mistress of the Dark 7-Inch Deluxe Action Figure:


Sorry, guys, the dress is molded on.

p. 376 – Tonner DC Stars Power Girl Deluxe Collector Doll:


Power Girl and Elvira on the same page of Previews? We’re violating some cleavage zoning laws here, I think.

p. 383 – Watchmen Mez-Itz Figures:


Sooner or later, that one piece of Watchmen merchandise is going to come out that’s going to make Alan Moore cast that final devastating magical spell that will destroy the world. This is close. We’re at, like, 11:59 on the Alan Moore Magical Doomsday Clock.

p. 387 – Star Wars Clone Trooper Recon Kit:


Basically a bugjar that’s a Star Wars tie-in in that the Star Wars logo is molded into the plastic. Sure, why not.

p. 394 – Psycho-Man Mini-Bust:


No joke here. Just another sad lament that I do not own a Control-Box like the one he’s holding there. And not a prop one, either…I need one that works. Science, get crackin’.

p. 397 – Star Wars “Farmboy” Luke Skywalker Mini-Bust:


“BEHOLD my phallic symbol!”

p. 402 – Doom Generation Action Figures:


I have to say this comes as a surprise, though the very idea of the “Pruning Shears Jordan” figure makes me a little queasy. Nice touch having each figure’s retail price be $6.66, however.

p. 406 – The Hoff “In Your Pocket” Talking Keychain:


Plays clips of David Hasselhoff reciting his catch phrases, like “Don’t hassle the Hoff” and “I’m hoff for you,” and hopefully nothing from this.

p. 406 – Star Wars “In Your Pocket” Talking Keychain:


Unless there’s the Jawa “Utinni!” sound, I’m not interested.

p. 416 – Star Trek Shirtless Kirk Cologne for Men:


There is nothing that is not fantastic about this. “Set phasers for stunning,” it says on the box, and truer words have never been spoken.

While discussing this at work, I was asked what Shirtless Kirk would smell like. “He would smell like adventure,” I replied.

p. 428 – Dinosaur Monopoly 2010 Edition:


“Go directly to the K–T extinction event…do not pass GO, do not collect $200.”

p. 428 – Elvis Monopoly 2010 Edition:


“Go directly to the toilet…do not pass GO, do not collect $200.”

p. 429 – Family Guy Monopoly 2010 Edition:


“Go directly to the flashback with the pop culture reference…do not pass GO, do not collect $200.”

p. 429 – Nintendo Monopoly 2010 Edition:


“Go directly to the Donkey Kong 22nd level kill screen…do not pass GO, do not collect $200.”

p. 430 – Watchmen Heroclix Collector’s Box Set:


I’m telling you guys…no Seymour in the set, no deal.

“Featuring Swamp Thing!”

I posted a picture of this a while back, a blurry image from an auction I happened to spot on the eBay. However, with a whole lotta thanks to Reader Bob, who just happened to have a spare copy of this layin’ about, I now have my very own copy:


This is a magazine-sized 1980 Australian reprint of issues 15 through 18 of the original Swamp Thing series, written by David Michelinie and drawn by Nestor Redondo. The stories are in black and white, which makes for a nice showcase for Redondo’s beautiful linework:


Wrapping up the package is a Rip Hunter Time Master story and, inside the back cover, the poem “Slogging Through The Swamp on a Murky Evening” written by Swampy’s creator Len Wein.

Thanks for the neat item, Bob! And thank you, Murray!

Progressive Ruin Industries is undergoing a technical upgrade…

…so no post today, friends.

(Actually, I just got a new computer, and I’d been so intent on the process of getting everything reinstalled and transferred from the old computer and blah blah blah suddenly it’s “oh, hello, sometime after midnight!”

Hopefully everything will be back to normal tomorrow. And that my scanner will still work. EEP!)