- Played Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” 28 1/2 consecutive times, keeping track on a posted piece of paper
- In-store Tetris competitions
- Made up half-baked musical numbers on the spot (“The Leprechaun Punisher” – “Priority Mail – The Musical” – “Mike Racer”)
- RUBBER BAND GUN FIGHT!
- Used a megaphone to announce special deals at our “Midnight Madness” sales
- Used a megaphone for pretty much any other reason we could think of
- Displayed Crack Comics and Speed Comics together in the glass case (well, I thought it was funny)
- Recounted, in excruciating detail, our Trade Wars 2002 adventures
- Set fire to a comic out in the parking lot (don’t remember which comic…oh, okay, it was West Coast Avengers)
- Picked up another employee and twirled him around in the air, making him scream like a girl
- Read Kitty Pryde’s dialogue from the Kitty Pryde & Wolverine mini-series in a gravelly voice (a la The Venture Brothers‘ Doctor Girlfriend)
- Learned a lot about gay porn (thanks, Dorian…I think)
- Put up a promo poster for Jonni Thunder AKA Thunderbolt up by the register with other new promo posters, some 20 years after the series was over
- Debated, at length, the DC Universe timeline, and how the presence of the Teen Titans screws it all up
- Got a wandering balloon-sculpture expert to make us all kinds of cool balloon-sculpture-type stuff (sword, hat, etc.)
- Had conversations entirely in tough-guy gangster-type voices with former employee Corey
- Played “Makin’ Bacon” by the Pork Dukes on the store stereo (trust me, that’s entirely inappropriate)
- Had a “Suit and Tie Day” (ironic, no?)
- Wore this
- Mom jokes. Lots of them
- Stood on the roof, wearing no pants (may be apocryphal)
- Hired Kid Chris
- “Mike’s Super Disco Party Dance-Off!”
- Occasionally brandished The Peacemaker in a friendly-yet-threatening manner (The Peacemaker: wooden baseball bat with a peace sign scratched into the handle)
- Knowingly and willingly sold copies of Youngblood to customers
- Played the circle game
- Kept around a ziplocked bag filled with former employee Rob’s lengthy shorn locks
- Did impressions of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street
- Allowed myself to be one of the objects of a county-wide scavenger hunt
- Gathered material for weblogs
And now, one of the last words you’d ever expect Gambit to say.
“Wonky?” Really?
This mini-comic, measuring only 4 by 6 1/2 inches, was packaged in one of Pizza Hut’s “Creators’ Choice” X-Men cartoon videotapes from 1993. It came packed with a trading card and a mini-poster, neither of which, alas, are still present. Here’s the cover, by Bill Sienkiewicz, of the one from which I scanned that first image:
The interior pencils, on this issue at least, are by Alex Saviuk. You can see the cover of the second issue, along with other Pizza Hut comic book promos, here.
The inside covers feature brief messages from the writer (not of this particular comic, but of the X-Men in general, at the time) Fabian Nicieza, and from Marvel Comics presenter Stan Lee:
ME: “Whoo hoo! Stan says it’s okay to not like you!”
EMPLOYEE AARON: “Awwwww….”
If you’d like to learn more about Pizza Hut’s X-Men promotion, here’s something that’ll take thirty seconds of life away from you…just click on the next pic for the YouTube video. No embedding allowed on this video, so you gotta click through to see it:
Apparently there was a time when large Bishop cardboard stand-ups roamed the Earth, at least in places other than comic book stores:
"Good Lord! They’re already loose!!"
Loaned to me by pal Tom (not that pal Tom, but by this pal Tom) are a couple of the Joe Kubert School-produced ‘zines from when he attended there. The first is Manticore, published in 1976:
The jam cover design is credited to Steve Bissette, and drawn by the students.
This next one, Parade of Gore, came out in ’77 and features a Bissette-drawn cover:
Here’s a closer look at part of the Parade of Gore logo. I love the expression on the left-hand A:
Other contributors to these mags include Rick Veitch, Tom Yeates, John Totleben, Rick Grimes, Ron Randall, Dave Dorman, pal Tom…it’s a fun look at some early work by these creators.
Tom also told me that there were tons of these ‘zines floating around the school; that they would use them for toilet paper (probably an exaggeration) and that they’d use them for traction to get stuck cars out of snowbanks (probably not an exaggeration). All together now…AAAAARGH!
In which Mike speaks about just a few things very briefly, and then plugs his eBay auctions.
- So you may remember a while back, during my Swamp Thing/blogiversary week, when I wrote a bit about Darkseid’s appearance in Swamp Thing. Well, the man what wrote ‘n’ drew that funnybook, Rick Veitch, has a few words to say about it as well, particularly about his motivation behind introducing the characters into the book.
And though I said it before in that old post, I just want to say it again: I love Veitch’s use of the phrase “academic chicken.” It still tickles me.
- Speaking of Mr. Veitch, his new collection Heartburst and Other Pleasures is now in stores. Included is the title work, originally a Marvel Graphic Novel; “The Mirror of Love,” written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Veitch and Steve Bissette; and other short pieces of lovable dementia. Highly recommended, as are all his other recent collections (Abraxas and the Earthman and Shiny Beasts).
Other new items of note this week:
Final Crisis #1 – perhaps you’ve heard of it…I went for the “sliver” cover, because I’m obsessive enough to want all my Final Crisis covers to be the same type, and the “classic DC hero” variants have a creepy Flash cover coming up that I’m not going to want staring back at me.
Oh, and the insides are pretty good, too. Very beautifully drawn by J.G. Jones, and Grant Morrison sets things up quite nicely for the shenanigans that are to follow.
Comics Journal #290 – contains quite possibly more discussion and debate about that recent Charles Schulz biography than any normal human can stand. Includes a lengthy essay from son Monte Schulz. There are also some reprints of 1950s horror work by Bob Powell, including the unmissable “Wall of Flesh.” Honestly, it’s worth buying this issue of TCJ just for that story. But you should read the rest of the mag, too.
Have I mentioned the Hembeck Omnibus yet? It’s fatter than your mom and twice as funny, and well worth every penny (the book, not your mom). There are spots here and there where the lettering is just a tiny bit too cramped and a little muddy, but still perfectly readable, if eyestrainable. But trust me…it’s great! Buy two! Also – contains naked Hembeck! Who wouldn’t want that?
Speak of the Devil #6 – the last chapter of Gilbert Hernandez’s story of…well, dysfunctional relationships and murder, murder, murder! Fun for the whole family. It’s a fast and wrongly-entertaining read, and if you didn’t get it in the single format, get the inevitable collection. Also, there’s a short interview with Gilbert, where he says a thing or two about this series.
King Size Hulk #1 – Marvel was nice enough to “double-cover” this comic, so that you get both variant covers instead of having to choose. The stories inside…well, it’s half Red Hulk hijinks which, if you like the Red Hulk stuff (which I do, actually), here’s more of it. The other half is reprints, including the first appearance of Wolverine which, frankly, as Hulk comics go, isn’t all that. But if you don’t have the story already, here’s your chance to finally own it.
- It’s the CROSSOVER OF THE AGES: pal Dorian meets Bully the Little Stuffed Bull, and the horrific carnage is documented in bloodcurdling full color right here.
And where did this pulse-pounding confrontation take place? At the Bookexpo America 2008 in Los Angeles, and you can read Bully’s report starting here, and continuing here.
- I do intend on going back to discuss some of the responses to my post about the various reboots of the Legion of Super-Heroes. A lot of you made some very good points, and I do want to address them. Hopefully I’ll have the time to do so soon.
- I apologize in advance for this commerical announcement:
I’m trying to raise a little scratch, so I’ve started selling a few things through my personal eBay account again. You can find a link in my “commercial section” of my sidebar, too…I’ll be listing more things over the next few weeks. If you are so inclined, and I happen to have anything you’d like, please feel free to help out…and keep checking back for new items. Any and all purchases will be greatly appreciated. Plus, I guarantee that every item has been personally touched by me — now that’s a selling point!
And to make myself feel better about begging folks for money, let me try to help out someone else trying to raise a little extra summer fundage: Alan David Doane has a bunch of stuff for sale, with lots of great deals.
Oh, and check out pal Dorian’s Amazon store, too. I recommend Myths for the Modern Age.
The Jimmy Olsen story "The Human Porcupine" was apparently fraught with errors.
Dig the politically incorrect editorial reply:
BONUS: What DC Editorial recommends as proper Jimmy Olsen Fan Club attire:
from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #67 (March 1962)
Progressive Ruin presents…the End of Civilization.
Bizarro-Mike loves all these items from new Previews! Previews am not June 2008 edition! Bizarro-Mike not want you to follow along, and ‘specially not want you to find links to earlier installments in sidebar!
Bizarro-Mike not start looking at items now! You not look also!
p. 133 – The Joker Poker Set:
“This unique collectors’ item includes a deck of 54 prop replica Joker cards (as seen in The Dark Knight film!) and a standard ‘playable’ 4-suit, 54 card deck defaced by The Joker.”
I like how “playable” is in quotes, as they know you’ll try to use this set for a poker game, and the people you’re playing with will put up with it once, at most, maybe.
p. 263 – Hack/Slash #15:
Just noting this ad as part of this site’s ongoing Jeffrey Combs-watch. “Not just a cheap knockoff, this is the real Reanimator as created by H.P. Lovecraft and envisioned by filmmaker Brian Yuzna!” says the ad copy. Are there other Re-Animator knockoffs around that have been causing problems?
p. 286 – High School Musical Volume 1 GN:
Because nothing works better in comic book form than a story that depends heavily on musical numbers (Neil the Horse aside).
p. 410 – The DC Vault A Museum-in-a-Book Spiral HC:
Oh, good…the Marvel Vault book was getting lonely on the remainder tables.
p. 418 – Dilbert 2.0 20 Years of Dilbert:
“Also included is a piracy-protected disc that contains every Dilbert comic strip to date….”
By “piracy-protected,” they mean “protected at least until the many man-hours and tons of money poured into the DRM protection scheme is handily undone by a quickie bit of programming by a bored 15-year-old computer geek in Ohio…assuming whatever ‘protection’ they’re using isn’t already obsolete by the time this comes out.”
Whoops, sorry, turned into Boing Boing for a moment.
p. 419 – Whack-A-Zombie Kit:
This isn’t so much about the item, which…well, just what we need, more zombie stuff. But I wanted to note the Previews “Zombie-Riffic!” slug that’s accompanying this solicit. Is that new? Have I missed that in past catalogs? Do zombie-related items really need the extra attention?
p. 441 – Rasl T-Shirt:
Demonstrate your immense love of the one whole issue that’s come out so far by sporting this shirt!
p. 442 – Iron Man Belt Buckle:
For some, big clutching hands displayed right above the crotch would be a turn-off. For others, a selling point. Which are you?
Additional theoretical selling point: if the repulsor emitters on Iron Man’s palms glowed. Or blinked.
p. 443 – Otaku Collegiate Navy T-Shirt & Hoodie:
Now, there was a time when being called an “otaku” was something you didn’t want to happen to you, right? I didn’t just imagine that?
p. 454 – Lego Indiana Jones “River Chase” Set:
Huh…I was wondering how they were going to repurpose all those “Crocodile Hunter” playsets.
p. 464 – Rocky 3 Minimates Box Set:
How can you not love Minimate Hulk Hogan? “Thunderlips,” man…”Thunderlips.”
p. 479 – Indiana Jones Artifact Desk Accessories:
Featuring the Ark of the Covenant Card Holder, the Fertility Statue Pencil Cup…
…and the Holy Grail Paperclip Cup. I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what Jesus used it for, too.
p. 481 – Star Wars Spirit of Obi-Wan Bobblehead:
Okay, this is only really amusing just because you know Sir Alec Guinness would have been royally pissed off by this. It wouldn’t have stopped him from cashing the checks, of course.
p. 497 – Shining Wind 1/8th Scale Statue Series Blanc Neige – Wind Edition & Elwyn:
The solicitation text makes sure to note the costuming and props for these figures, but thankfully the inset images zoom in good ‘n’ close on the important selling points.
p. 528 – Marvel Metamorphs:
WHAT MUST NOT BE SEEN – Hulk vomits out the remnants of his victims:
Wolverine pushes the limits of his healing power:
“…[Gives] kids a whole new perspective on their favorite heroes!”
I’ll say.
p. 537 – Pooh & Friends Halloween Figurines:
I knew Disney’s animated remake of Silence of the Lambs would come to no good end.
Marvel Previews p. 61 – Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe:
Well, good, we’re always getting requests for this comic. I’m glad Marvel brings it back into print on occasion. Hmmm….what’s it say in the description, there…?
“SKRULL VARIANT?” For a reprint of a comic from 13 years ago? That has nothing to do with Skrulls?
…Oh, wait, it says “Skull variant.” Never mind.
Then again…there are letters missing from “pencils” and “available,” so that “skull” could be missing an “R,” too.
Harvey Korman (1927 – 2008).
So long, Harv.
So…
…what’s the point of soliciting retailer orders for multiple covers of Wizard if they’re going to all get covered up by the same video game ad in the mag’s protective baggie?
Yes, this is really what I’m posting about today.
BEHOLD
THE MOUSTACHE
OF BOUNCING BOY
For some reason, I found myself oddly amused and compelled by Chuck “Bouncing Boy” Taine’s moustache, first appearing late in Vol. 3 of Legion of Super-Heroes.
I was unsure about it at first, but ultimately I think it gives Chuck a little more character, just a touch more realism. It makes him look more like a plain ‘ol guy, you know…comfortable with himself and not at all imposed by all the perfect physiques in the skin-tight outfits runnin’ around him.
I was certain there was a shot of him using his bouncing powers with moustache, but I can’t find it at the moment. That’s okay, because I’m sure it can’t match how I’m picturing in my mind – a thin strip of hair, stretched across his surface like a furry equator.
Keep rockin’ that ‘stache, Chuck.
images from Legion of Super-Heroes #51 (Oct. 1988) & #54 (Winter 1988)
by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen & Mike DeCarlo
This raises more questions than it answers.
from Spooky #137 (July 1973)
A ghost…from another planet…that travels in a flying saucer through space…to challenge other ghosts to, well, “ghost-offs.”
That, my friends, is “high concept.”