Late Night Fragments

It's been awhile and it's late at night...so here's some fragments.

No, if you were hopeful these would be fragments about the NBC show "Late Night" you will be dissapointed....but since you're here.

Late Night Host Rankings

1. Conan
1a. Dave
2. Seth

Speaking of which, I do recommend Conan's new podcast. Great for listening while doing yard work.

I took my son to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in December and was blown away. I loved it. It might be my favorite super-hero movie ever. One of the few movies I have ever seen and been visually stunned at how it looks. I suppose I haven't felt that way since Lord of the Rings: Two Towers with Gollum's animation (and before that the OG Jurassic Park). Spider-Verse just captures what comic book would look like brought to life. Also, the script, the characters, etc. loved all of it.

My Favorite Comic Book Movies

1. Spider-Man 2
2. Spider-Verse (may move up, I need to see SM 2 again to really know)
3. Ant-Man (probably too high, but it's cute and made me laugh)
4. Spider-Man 1
5. Captain America 1 (really liked this more than most people)
6. Iron Man 1
7. Guardians of Galaxy (1 & 2 ...why not)?

(I like Spider-Man, in case ya didn't notice)

Also, I have seen a ton of the Marvel movies with some major exceptions...like I think I have only seen the first Avengers movie and I missed Black Panther but whatever. I am super-heroed out. That's why Spider-Verse knocked me off my feet. Marvel movies are fine, they are good but it's like pizza. By itself, once a week, it's amazing....but if you have it every day during the week....it gets a little old.

And since I am on a list-rage...

Pizza Chain Ranking

1. Pizza Hut
2. Papa Murphy 

3. Little Caesar's
4. Domino's 
4. Papa John


I dunno, I don't feel that strongly about any of that...except we have Little Caesar's every Friday and man, some Fridays that makes me sad.



The kids and I just finished up our eight-show run of Willy Wonka a few weeks back. Fragments are forthcoming....but it went great and it was a lot of fun.  There were few nights during our two week run that I woke up at 2 or 3 AM in a nervous half-dream and thought I had forgotten to get on stage. I actually got out of bed and was ready to leave...very bizarre.

The other night I had a strange dream featuring going to the bathroom that was built in a "bounce house" with my son. When we came out Tom Hanks was there and we took a walk with him as he bounced my son's basketball. He ended up accidentally dropping it down a ravine and was like, "don't worry, I'm very wealthy".

I recently had a couple of weird things happen between myself and a friend at work. I can't get into all the details (it's not dramatic) but my friendship isn't the same anymore and I'm not sure it ever will be. Makes me sad but I remain hopeful. We are currently on "ok" terms (I think).  

Work has also be exhausting, I still feel like I am recovering from Wonka and my crazy programming coordination, which has moved up a level this semester with no pay! A little stressed, but what can I do?  I am getting ready to go travel with students around the country and that does make me excited...I am hoping this summer will rejuvenate me and my friendship with my colleague as well.

Spurs made the playoffs again. Yay. Now that the big three were dismantled and they are a non-contender, I thought I would lose interest....but nope...I found them just as interesting as before! I thought I would have more time to read about important things. Oh well, that's sports for ya. I think they have a great shot to beat the Nuggets....but hey, if they don't, oh well.

It's way too late and I gotta go.

Life can be pretty tough sometimes but I am thankful for the life I have. Don't take anything for granted because some days, even having Little Caesar's is pretty good.

Don't forget to take out the trash and early vote.

My Five Favorite Comic Book Cliffhangers: A Post In Which I Ramble On About All Sorts of 80's Suff

As we age we tend to look back on our youth with rose-tinted glasses. We long for a "simpler time" when things like blogs didn't exist and an elderly stupid television star was president (Wait - nevermind).

Even if the past is "objectively" worse in many ways (and wow, it was). The past represents a siren call of a past that never was. For example, I HATED the fact that if I missed a Muppets show or a Saturday morning cartoon there was a good chance I would NEVER see it again. And yet I find myself longing for those days. Everything seemed to matter more. There was no "undo" button on typewriters after all.

Dungeons & Dragons was the "Moby Dick" of my Saturday mornings. I loved the show but there were two problems. One issue was that it came on late in the morning (10:30-11:00) when my Mom started to pry me away from the TV (I was usually parked in front of the TV by 6:30 AM on Saturdays). The second problem was my Mom hated this show, I am sure she thought it was evil. So, it was with a little excitement and pride that I watched this show with my kids the last few years (usually when my wife was not home as she thinks it's a little evil too).

I've blogged about the past A LOT and I recently (kinda) wrote about how a technologically backwards time could be kinda cool (in my ode to mix-tapes). But the truth of it all is that it could be a real bummer being a comic-book-collecting kid in the 1980's.

Just an excuse to post this photo from Unbreakable. I haven't seen the movie in years and although it is slow, I think it has to be my favorite movie about comics. Wait, are there other movies about actual comic books anyway??

It was hard collecting comics when I had an inconsistent cash flow coming in. I was a lazy kid and frequently went months at time without earning an allowance. Even if I did earn my  allowance, I often blew through my money on toys or baseball cards. I see this all the time with my kids, they will happily spend their money on the wasteful, Dollar-Store happiness....over actually waiting for something or saving just a little more money to get what they've been dreaming about.

Secondly, I couldn't always control when I went to the store.  This meant when I bought a comic book that ended on a cliff-hanger, I was going to cross my fingers and hope I would see it on the newsstand the next month. But I also had to hope that no one else would buy that particular issue either because the drug store and my grocery store usually had no more than 2-3 copies of the most popular titles. Then, if I did see the next issue in the wild, I would pray I had the money or I had to beg my mom to buy it for me.

There was no internet, so if I missed an issue, I would never know what happened.

So, because no one asked me...here are my top five cliff-hanger comics that I read as a kid.

Disclaimer: I am not stating these particular comics are objectively the best cliff hangers. They're not. These are just a few of my favorite comics that I bought as a child and I was unable to track down the next month's comic. In many cases, I would re-read these comics for years and I had no idea what happened.

#5 - Fantastic Four #294 - "Hero Worship"

 

This is a great comic book. It has everything that I love about comics; a nice mix of character, action and mystery. It also dabbles a little in alternate universe/time travel stuff, which I have always loved. 

The main gist of the plot is the team steps into a "world" (it's a long story) that worships the Fantastic Four (as when they first appeared in the early 1960's). The population has even been genetically modified to mimic the powers of the team. The team is seen as "heretics" and they are attacked by the entire city's population. 

The comic ends with the apparent death of the team (the leader of the city zaps the team with a Ray-Gun and they turn to skeletons...so cool). I think I bought this issue in one of those comic "three packs". The customer could see two of the issues but the third issue was behind one of the others. My used bookstore frequently has mid-to-late 80's FF and I kept waiting to see #295 but after several years of waiting, I finally ended up buying issue #295 on Amazon a few years ago and I finally found out the rest of the story. 

SPOILER: They didn't really die but it's a satisfying conclusion to this story.  

#4 - Mickey Mouse # 219 (the first Gladstone) 

The first part of Floyd Gottfredson's "The Seven Ghosts".

I loved going to the mall as a kid. My favorite stores at the mall was the video game store (EB?) and Walden's Books. I can still remember the smell of a good ol' Walden Books. Once inside a Walden's I would head straight for the magazine section and the comic rack. In 1986 (there's that year again) I saw something I had never seen on a comic rack, Disney comics. I was nine, so I was definitely intrigued. I loved cartoons but because we didn't have the Disney channel, I couldn't get enough of Disney cartoons or Disney characters. I could tell they were reprints of older comics and this piqued my interest as well. I already loved old stuff.

It turns out this was the first month's collection of of the Gladstone company. Apparently, it had been several years since Disney comics had been available. I remember not being sure if I should buy this particular comic or a Spider-Man comic and that says a lot about how impressed I was with this comic. At nine-years-old I was a little embarrassed that I would buy a "Micky Mouse" comic because it might be considered for "younger readers". However, I got over it and got the issue.

This is "part one" of Gottfredson's "The Seven Ghosts" (originally the storyline ran in the Sunday comics in the 1930's).  Gottfredson had been given a peek at the early production of the cartoon "Lonesome Ghosts" and he loosely based "The Seven Ghosts" on what he saw.

"Lonesome Ghosts" is quite delightful but the only thing they really have in common is that  Micky, Donald and Goofy are running a detective agency and there are ghosts involved. That said, it's basically completely different from what Gottfredson created. Here it is if you're into old cartoons (and really, who isn't?):




Incidentally, I had "Lonesome Ghosts" on my Fisher-Price Movie Viewer, which is basically a hand-powered film projector. I used to watch "Lonesome Ghosts" in slow motion, backwards and forwards, etc. over and over (and over) again.  Of course there was no audio, but it was still pretty cool. Alas, we only had the "Lonesome Ghosts" and "Cinderella" cartridges. I still have this and my kids enjoy it from time to time as well.

Anyway, this is getting off subject.....

"The Seven Ghosts" comic starts with Mickey creating a detective agency with Donald and Goofy. Their first case surrounds a rich "man's" house that is seemingly haunted. It has humor, action and of course, mystery. Mickey is street-smart and plays the cynic to the supernatural occurrences. Goofy plays the believer and whole heartily believes the ghosts to be his friend. Finally, Donald puts on a brave face but is frightened at the slightest noise. The cliffhanger of this particular issue ends on Goofy seemingly proving that the ghosts are in fact, real.

It was a great cliffhanger and I never was able to find the next issue. I was finally able to read the end of story 15-16 years later in graduate school. I ended up winning a bid on eBay of a giant collection of Gottfredson's Mickey comics (printed in the late 70's).  Gottfredson and Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) really were the masters. If you like a old comics that tell a mystery, check out the storyline (there are multiple re-prints available). 


#3 Amazing Spider-Man 280 - "Introducing the Sinister Syndicate"

I think I was obsessed with this issue, I would just remember staring at this cover forever.

This is just classic 80's Marvel. Spider-Man has his black suit on (my favorite Spider-Man costume), Silver Sable's in it and it's full of great action. Sure, it's basically a trope (super-villains team up on the super-hero or a duo and the hero(s) fight back against all odds), but it works.

The plot line has Spider-Man helping Silver Sable track down the Jack O' Lantern for cash (Peter Parker is in need of cash to help Flash Thompson's legal defense). Instead of tracking down Jack O' Lantern (or maybe because they are set-up) they end up being trapped at Coney Island fighting for their lives against the new "Sinister Syndicate". The issue ends with Spidey and the Silver Sable injured and surrounded by the evil squad of villains.

Let me be frank, it's a pretty basic comic but the cliffhanger made me obsess over it. See, that's the cool thing about cliffhangers...while I was waiting I imagined what would happen next. Sure, it was a given Spider-Man would come out on top, that's not the point. It was fun to try to figure out just how he would do it.  I never was able to track down #281 but maybe someday on one of comic-book runs (usually at used book stores around town). I know it's available digitally but somehow, I think it will feel a lot better if I find it in the wild.



 #2 Marvel Team-Up # 59 - ”Some Say Spidey Will Die By Fire...Some Say By Ice!" 

 

I think I picked this issue up in "Free Comic" promotion somewhere down the line. It was first published in 1974 and for a long time, this was the oldest comic that I owned. Heck, it's likely still in my top 10 or 15 oldest comics I own. It's one of the Chris Claremont issues (before he went on to X-Men fame) and the art is top-notch as well. For a Marvel Team-Up, its downright abnormally good (usually MTU are pretty generic and lame).

This was the first issue I had seen or heard about Yellow Jacket and I thought he just looked so darn cool. Anyway, the bad guy known as Equinox appears and is ready to kill Spider-Man.

As I kid I found this villain a little scary. Something about his eyes and crazy violent dialogue.

Spidey ,Wasp and Yellow Jacket take on Equinox and in the last few pages, Equinox blows up a tanker that was behind the Yellow Jacket. The last page reveals that Yellow Jacket has been seemingly killed.  

Keep in mind I was probably 10 (or under) when I read this and I had never seen or heard of the Yellow Jacket before. I was unaware that comic book characters literally CANNOT STAY DEAD (there's a law or something)...and being I had never heard or seen him in the 80s' I thought this was his actual death. I was blown away and I wanted to know what happened the next issue. I still had no idea. Also, there was this really seductive scene with Yellow Jacket and the Wasp in the first few pages that I remember being really fascinated with at the time. 

# 1 Transformers #79 - "The Last Autobot" 

I loved Transformers. I loved the cartoon, I loved the toys, so of course I loved the comics. By the time I started collecting (1984-1985) the comic has been out out for a few months. I somehow traded my way into one of my favorite comic cross-overs (and cover) of all-time in Transformers #3

The size proportions are terrible but you can't NOT be pumped when you see this cover. It was a dream come true for my 9 year-old self. Also, check out Gears in the corner box. Gears actually had a major role in this issue (and at least in the Marvel line, never again).

Bob Budniksy wrote the first 55 issues of Transformers. The first 35 are mixed with a third of the issues being duds, another third being decent and another third being quite well done. Some of my personal faves are when the Dinobots take on Megatron (#8), the Blaster - Cybertron Saga (#17-#18 - shoulda been longer), the Scraplets Epic with Blaster and Goldbug (#29-#30).  

Somewhere in the mid-30's the series started to get pretty lame and stayed bad for the next twenty issues or so. The art got much worse and it seemed Hasbro pushed for more story lines introducing an endless amount of characters that no one cared about. So somewhere after #35 or so I dropped out of keeping up with the Transformers (I remember thinking the Headmasters were really stupid).  I checked back in at the comics rack and I even bought the issue when a "Powermaster" Optimus Prime was back, but even I though it was pretty disappointing.

So, while I was stepped away from my Transformers fandom, something pretty amazing happened. Budniksy brought in the UK writer Simon Furman and Furman helped right the ship. I didn't catch on until issue# 67 (which despite the art, was a terrific alternate future story that tied back in to the main storyline).

If Budniksy is the father of Transformers (he actually created most of the toy names and personalities), then Furman is the soul of Transformers. Furman created more than just a backstory, but a mythos that was much deeper than just a simple toy line. Characters were more flawed, more conflicted...basically more human.

Here's the cover of #70. I saw this at a gas station and it got my attention. I was instantly back to being hooked on the Transformers comic.

From this point on, Furman was working with some great artists like Wildman and Senior (who's work I had obviously missed in the strong "Matrix Quest" storyline). Furman's work in the last two years of the Transformers' comic is simply outstanding (especially the storyline from #67-#75).  If you are a fan at ALL of Transformers and great storytelling, start with Furman's run at #55 and finish up with #80. 

Anyway, most of action peaks with issue #75 (Unicron!!)  however, Furman was still weaving quite a web when Transformers got the axe. You see while #79 is a pretty typical comic, I knew #80 would be the last issue of Transformers. At this point in time, the toys were off the shelves and I assumed this was the last I would ever read of the Transformers. 

No one knew that there would be re-boot after re-boot and re-boots of reboots from all the crap from the 80's and 90's. 

So, #79, while an okay comic was only a "real" cliffhanger because I could NEVER find #80. There is an actual cliffhanger, but it's complicated to explain....the larger point is that it was a cliffhanger for me. I always wondered how the comic storyline would end.

I went looking almost everywhere a kid without a car could look but I never did find #80. In the early 2000's I started picking up used comics again and I could always find Transformer comics here and there. I managed to pick up about a third of the total series. I think I have about 50-60 of the total comics. However, after the movie series came out, I have never seen one Generation 1 Marvel comics in the wild again (at used bookstores, etc.). I ended up reading a scan of #80 in the early 2000's and it was okay...but it could have never lived up to all the hype and mystery.  Still, all that interest led me to check out reprints of the UK story lines (which feature Furman and Senior). Those are also highly recommended. 

So, I have finally finished my blog post here and I've just read this massive blog post of crap. I have no idea why it happened but it was kinda fun and I hope it finds someone, somewhere a little joy out there as well. Go read a comic and forget your problems for the day.

Lies, Damned Lies and Comic Books

No one likes being lied to. We generally want people to tell us the truth but we reconize there are a few honest exceptions.

A) When we ask a loved one what they think (when we're really asking for approval)
B) Advertising

I mean, we expect it.

I hate Burger King. About 8 years ago I swore I would never eat it again. Then I was stuck at an oil change place about a year ago and the free Wi-Fi at the next door Burger King enticed me.  I got a drink and then I was hungry and I decided how bad could fried processed chicken be? It was awful, never again!!!!!

As long as the exaggeration is not egregious, I'm cool with it. It could be pointed out that the above example would be "egregious" but no one goes to fast food not knowing what they are getting into.  I know they are trying to sell their crap, they exaggerate, no biggie.

I was shopping for a used car several years ago and the ad that was placed said the interior was in "perfect condition". I thought, "Well, maybe they are really trying to say, 'it's really well maintained'". So I  test drive the thing only to find the back seat completely ripped up (from the looks of it, from a fountain pen). I mean the car sucked anyway, but it made me a little angry. BECAUSE HE LIED.

This all brings me back to comic books, and really, what doesn't bring you back to comic books anyway??

With a few exceptions I don't really read new comic books. I pretty much collect mid 70's to very early 90's. However, I doubt anything has really changed. In the summer I bought a stash of comics and noticed a trend. There were a lot of misrepresented covers on these particular comics.

As anyone will tell you the MOST important thing about the comic is the cover. A good cover and the comic will sell itself without anyone even cracking it open. I've bought many a comic that had an amazing cover but the story sucked. So, the temptation is there, you know, to let us say, fib just a little on what actually happens inside the comic. Ya know, just a teensy bit. So, let us explore some examples:

Example # 1 Marvel Fanfare # 2 (1982)

 



This is such a cool cover (it's a wrap-around actually). It's colorful, it's action packed and it's actually honest. I mean these dudes fight the X-Men for a few pages. Pretty much sets up who the heroes and villains are in the story and reveals one of the major plot points. 

 

I  picked up this for a two bucks at the used bookstore. This is such a classic comic: wonderful art, a colorful rehashing of the previous storyline, lots of exposition (that works) and of course the action,  and finally a cliffhanger ending. The thing I hate about new comics is the emphasis on art. They have these wonderful scenes but it takes all of 5 minutes to read the damn thing that costs 4 bucks! Makes no sense. In earlier eras, they packed action but also lots of conversations and exposition. Maybe I just like old stuff.  The comic has a nice 10 page Hawkeye story too.  

 

Honesty Level: FOUR STARS (out of four stars)

 

Example # 2 Shogun Warriors # 2 (1978)

 



Let's get this out of the way. This is a stupid comic. I have a high tolerance for dumb comics and this one blew away all of my expectations. There was one cool part where the old "Mr. Miyagi" guy reveals an underground training tunnel but that just leads to a boring and totally unnecessary scene, in which the new robot bodies can show off their "powers" by destroying training equipment. 

Anyway, back to the topic at hand - the battle portrayed above DOES NOT HAPPEN. In fact, as indicated above, not much of anything happens except a huge set-up for a battle that DOES NOT HAPPEN.

Apparently only one of the huge "robots" had seen any "action" the issue before and the other two were introduced in this issue (remember, in all-important, under-ground cave training action). So the "leader" of the Shogun Warriors (that's the big dumb robot-looking things) goes to fight some huge, generic MUD MAN (that he already faced last issue). He fires one shot at the MUD DUDE, saves a train that was going to fall off the bridge that the MUD GIANT had demolished. Then, the MUD FIEND splits into three giants:  FIRE MONSTER, WATER-GIANT-TROLL and still, the huge MUD THING. Other two "good guys" show up, and.....ISSUE OVER.

Honesty Rating: 1 STAR (out of 4 Stars). 

One star because the comic actually did introduce new characters as portrayed on cover and technically, they did join the battle -- but it just didn't start yet.

Example # 3 Web of Spider-Man #16 (1986)

Okay, this cover looks intriguing. You got a scary dude with a hat on and a reaper-thingy. Then a buff white dude with a pitchfork with SPIDEY'S MASK ON IT!?!? Looks like maybe a serial-killing red-neck cult is involved. Wait a sec ---DOES SPIDER-MAN DIE!?!?!  Also, note not ONE but two HUGE promotional boxes. This is a warning sign. The more boxes, the crappier the storyline inside the comic.

Inside the boxes,  it's a pure hyperbole - otherwise known as lies. These are evil lies told to children to rip the 75 cents from their little stubby fingers. The lie is so good but your eyes might not be - so here's the content of the box at the bottom of the cover:

"If you buy only ONE comic this month, face it, True Believer -- THIS is IT!"

 

 

I know, I know, this is a set-up storyline (as the other promotional thing tells us it's the first in a series of a new storyline). And no one, not even a 7 year-old is going to think they are going to kill Spider-Man. But still.... 

 

The spooky red-neck guys do chase down a mother and child (the cover seems to show two adults) but there is NO SPIDER-MAN to be seen. This all happens in the first two pages. Then the huge set-up begins -  Peter Parker getting crapped on for a few pages (of course) and then Parker and another reporter (Joy Mercado) go out on location to an small Appalachian town where some weird stuff is going on. The locals don't like the reporters, Peter and Joy fights off a gang of dudes and then they hide, they are quickly discovered, get captured, and then are led to an underground secret hide-out. Peter escapes, changes to his Spidey uni, beats up a couple of guards in four panels and on the last page (full-page reveal) some dude named Magma is behind it all. That's it. Pretty boring. 

 

No scary encounter with spooky red-necks.

 

Spider-Man doesn't lose his mask, nor is he in any real danger.

 

Finally, the plot is pretty garden-variety for comics (the whole small-town gone weird or small town population missing thing is a common trope).

 

Honesty Rating: 0 STARS (out of 4 stars).

 

I know the editor was in a quandary as there is nothing in the plot that was really that exciting. At all. However, using a generic cover could have worked (just Spidey flying through the air or something cool like that). However, the hype of the boxes on the cover are just inexcusable.

 

So, there ya have it. One more reason not to trust anyone attempting to sell you something.

 

I could go on and on with a few more examples but then I would get bored and not be writing at my top level and I wouldn't want to disappoint you and lie about something now would I? 

Art Post #4: The Final Chapter

One of my favorite comic books growing up was from a Marvel Tales reprint of the ASM #33, "The Final Chapter".  The story revolved around Spider-Man needing a serum to save Aunt May. For some inexplicable reason, Dr. Octopus had it (to this day I have never read the preceding issue, so I don't know why this was the case).

The story begins in Dr. Octopus' underwater hideout (which, by the way, if you are super-villain is pretty cool).  Apparently, the two had battled and now Spider-Man is pinned down by a massive hunk of machinery as water slowly rises below him. Thankfully, Doc Ock is no where to be found but Spider-Man is still left in a desperate plight. Using sheer willpower (well, and super strength) Spider-Man lifts the machinery off.  Totally exhausted and injured, he nearly drowns, fight off dozens of henchman and barely make it back to hospital in time to save Aunt May's life all in 20 pages.

Maybe Spider-Man is what made me think it's normal to talk to yourself. This goes on for five pages. Looking back, it's a little overkill with the floating heads...but I still love it.

To my nine or ten-year old mind - the story inspired me. The willpower exhibited - the "never say die" approach appealed to my adolescent dreams of manhood. I read this one over and over again.  I love the art in this comic too - it was Ditko at his best.

Recently, I was re-reading some comics and re-organizing them and came across this comic. It seemed like a good idea to attempt to re-create. I am not great at drawing life-size heroes, but a hero surrounded by machinery and water....I could try. I think it turned out alright.

The Final Chapter - 2011

Detail

You'll notice I drew Spidey looking at the viewer, while the original has Spider-Man looking down, about to give up.  I didn't do this on purpose, but my rendering almost looks as if, this is the next moment after he determines, "I'm doing this."

Excuses

Well.

I hit a wall of real life with the start of a new semester and prepping for teaching the young married class at church.

Then I had some writer's block (didn't want to delve into the back burner ideas yet).

Then I got involved in an art project (a recreation of the cover of one of my favorite Spider-Man - ASM #33).

I read this in an "Marvel Tales" version. It had such an influence on my pre-pubescent brain about what it meant to be a man....(light blub goes off for how comic books affected my ideas of gender). The story still holds up okay (for comics) and it has some of Dikto's best work (and I am not really a big of fan of his).

Then I had ideas but no desire to actually write them (an MLK post that never was might be some day).

Now, I am just bored with it all.

So...the next post will be an art post!

After that, we'll see where this month takes us. I now spend many a night prepping for the World Civ class that I have never taught before. It really sucks the life right out of me.

Onward and upward!!!!