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.

10 Things That Haven't Changed About Me

Birthdays give us a chance to reflect on how much we have changed and grown but when you get down to it, there's a lot about myself that hasn't changed. If my past self met my current self (and the universe didn't implode) then those two guys would have a lot in common and could go out for pizza

I'm trying to get back in the swing of blogging and it's been awhile, so here's another list of useless information.

Here are 10 Things that Haven't Changed About Me:


1. I still have a weird sense of humor (think MST 3000 & "Tim & Eric")

2. I still drink too much soda and tea (and now coffee too)

3. I still always try to remember my dreams first thing in the morning.

4. I still day dream about how different life could be (the good, the bad and the nightmares).

5. I still sing out loud around the house, make up songs, whistle, hum, play air guitar or drum on my legs or the on the counter/ table all the time. Yes, I am still married, I don't know how I haven't driven her mad with my singing.

6. I still love peanut butter way too much.

7. I still love comic books, weezer and the Spurs.

8. I still surprise myself when I look in the mirror and remember just how white I am.

9. I still get the Inspector Gadget theme song in my head.

10. I still stay up too late, usually not accomplishing much of anything.

BONUS

11. I still write on the blog and have an obscene amount of grammatical errors! Yeesh. 

Quote of the Day

"I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." 

 

- Stephen Grellet

Home Again, Back to Reality

Well, I'm back.

I was away for 24 days from home in Ireland and London but most of my time was spent in Northern Ireland.  I loved my time there in a land full of contradictions. Of violence and of peace. Of beauty and despair.

In other words, I felt at home.

It's really hard to even put into words what the experience was like.

We spent two weeks at Corrymeela. Corrymeela is a peace center in Ballycastle, which is on the Antrim coast and beautiful beyond words. It's on a cliff side facing Rathlin Island and you can see Scotland on a clear day.  I would sneak out at random times during the day and just stare out at the ocean and take it all in. However, Corrymeela isn't just beautiful because of the location but because of it's mission and the people that help make it happen. 

On my last night at Corrymeela I was treated to clear evening and a sunset. The sun finally said its final goodbye a little before midnight. I just keep walking in circles to take it all in.
 

Now I am home again, and slowly (but surely) coming back down into real life. Kids screaming, work, bills to pay, ya know, reality. It's not bad, it's just normal. Actually, I couldn't wait to get home. Those last 3-4 days were tough on me. I was ready to see my wife and kids.

I am already working on a travel blog but until then....here is a poem I wrote while I was at Corrymeela. In fact, this was one reason how I knew what I was experiencing was having an impact on me...I started writing poems again!

Enjoy. 

We were at Corrymeela one night,
after the Shabbat prayer,
When the Zimbabwean began to sing…
We sang as Israelis, Rwandans, Americans and Egyptians.
We sang as peace teachers, peace believers, peace dreamers, peace makers.
We were at Corrymeela one night,
when it occurred to me,
could we wrap this moment into a package and share it with the world?

Sum-sum-summer time Fragments

It's been a long time, so here are some summery fragments

The school year came and gone (almost) and now I am a father to a soon-to-be middle schooler and a my youngest starts kinder in August!

(Insert obligatory reference to how time files and how mind-blowingly crazy that is).


The Spurs lost to Golden State in the conference finals. Bummer, but given the injuries to Leonard and Parker, completely painless from a fan perspective. I hope the Warriors lose. There is lip-service paid to the last 20 years of the Spurs run, but I don't think anyone will really appreciate it until it's too late. Just unbelievable work ethic and luck. 20 years in playoffs, 10 conference finals appearances, 6 finals appearances and 5 championships is astounding.

I am two weeks away from going to Ireland/UK and getting excited but also overwhelmed at all the stuff we need to get ready and plan.  I will have a travel blog at some point when I get back. It will be one week with the love of my life and another two in Northern Ireland on my own as part of my graduate program.

I am recording a 11-12 part story for the kids (as I did for Peru in 2014) with music, sound effects, different voices, etc. They take about 3 hours per 8 min. episode, which means I have my work cut out for me in the coming weeks (late nights, here I come).  The worst part is finding music to fit my vocals.

Started reading The Brothers Karamazov. I dunno, something about turning 40.... I look forward to grad school ending and being able to really read again.

Started thinking about centering my Intro to Humanities course on sci-fi (only one section). Maybe down the road.....

Going to teach an apologetics course at my church in the fall. Last winter I did one for the high school, I look forward to updating the curriculum and getting better discussions. I may also add a few more weeks of material. Fun stuff for a nerd like me.

Still no word on my study abroad to India (largely because the person in charge of getting it done is incompetent). 

I keep hearing 90's music in commercials. Glad people are making money but gosh that makes me feel a little sad on the inside. 

I saw Guardians in the Galaxy 2, it's okay, I liked it okay. It's was A.O.K.. Good, made me laugh a few times....so pretty okay. 

I think I liked Moana better.

I love being a dad but sometimes I want to vomit hearing the screams.

That's all for tonight. Pet your pet a little extra today and without telling anyone, go to the grocery store and buy one of those little ice cream cups and eat it there. When you get home, tell no one and feel good about your little secret (I've done before and it's very thrilling).  Also, it helps that my grocery store has a little cafe and has spoons.

Fare thee well! 

The Lost Forest at 40

I used to have a lot of friends. In fact from my senior year of high school until my mid-30's, I probably had too many friends to keep proper track of.  If you will indulge me, think of my friends as a large forest.

There were a good share of small brush (casual friends), trees (good friends) and some older, tall friends (friends I had for years, some since I was a child).

But now that I'm pushing 40; things have changed. It's true that people move and people change. Also, there's our familial duties and responsibilities.  It's hard to be good friends with anyone, when everyone is so busy with work and their families. I have made all the excuses in the world about this phase of my life being "natural" or "normal" but I've noticed what used to be a robust forest is now barren with only few decaying trees around me.  


One by one, year by year, I lost trees. At least one was a tree lost in a lightening strike, but most died due to a drought or neglect. Most of my "new" friends are shrubs and are pretty much destined to be just that. I have a hard time connecting to anyone really.

Here's the run down:

One friend I used to hang out with in graduate school days but he moved away soon after he was married and we had nothing much in common anyway. He moved back a few years ago but as I said we never really had much in common to begin with except beer. But the beer was good, man.

One friend got mad at me because of a political argument in 2006 and he has refused to forgive me even though I never made a personal remark during in the argument. I have repeatably asked to be forgiven for any insult implied and explicitly stated over the years to apologize....all to no avail. However, I am done asking as he obviously isn't worth the effort or time.

In 2010, I told one friend we were adopting from Ethiopia and he was like, "Oh". Then we proceeded to talk about Obamacare and got into a fight. We have spoken since then but he lives in another city and it's never been the same since then. I don't think it's personal, but then again, I don't really know. I lost his phone number years ago and he never calls or texts.  I don't think I've seen him in at least 6 years. He occasionally likes photos I post of my kids on FB. 

One friend cannot be bothered to leave his family or ESPN. Even to maintain friendships. I saw him at his father's funeral 3 years ago and that was the only time I had seen him in the six years. I did exchange congrats for his Cubs win in the World Series. I also deleted one of his comments on one of my FB posts about race and police brutality back in the fall. That's pretty much our relationship....nothing.

I lost contact with another friend (he was never a big talker anyway). He moved away, I lost his number and he never contacted me on FB or my phone and I never contacted him. Now it would just feel awkward and I have no idea what we would talk about.

One couple that both my wife and I liked at church moved to another state two years ago. We really liked them. We visited them last spring break (and again in the summer on the way back home from a trip) but again, we won't be seeing them much in our day-to-day lives. 

Another couple that we love at church is moving to Brazil in the winter. The husband is one of two men I have actually connected with at church (the other one is described above and already moved).

My best friend at work is moving to the west coast this summer to be near his partner. I am really bummed about that. I have other friends at work, but he's the one I joke around with the most and we both share a love of free food. It just won't be the same.


Another is still a friend but we haven't been in contact at all since the summer (they were invited to the Xmas party but his kids were sick). The last time I saw him in person was a lunch last spring. He is the one friend that even read this blog at one time but again, he's busy with church family and family family and I suppose there just ain't much time left over. There's really no hard feelings on many of these friendships, but it's hard to say they are friendships when I never talk to most of them.

I do have one friend, my former best man at my wedding. We do actually talk and even occasionally hang out, but it's not often. He's really my only "active" friend.

Another friend lives in NYC and he visits when he is in town, but that's only a few times a year.

I do have a good friend at work but she is female and I can't be having drinks with her late at night or watch a Spurs game with (she's not much of a sports fan). I can never really get too close with a female anyway as I know I don't want a "best" female friend, as I am married. Hey, I ain't no Mike Pence here - we have gone to lunch, but there has to be boundaries and I respect them.  
 

I have a bunch of friends at work and church who I am friendly with, but I am not really, "real" friends with. I like many of these people but there's always something there to separate them from becoming a good friend. I am a weird guy, so I can't really blame them.

So my big forest is gone and some of the new trees that had been planted are being ripped up and moving out of my forest.

I know all of this sounds pathetic, and it is....but sometimes a guy has to vent into the void (ya know, the internet). A void that will go on for nearly forever, but still a void. And the good thing about a void is that it just takes it.


It's a strange place to be but I can't complain all that much.

I am in love with the love of my life and I have three amazing kids. I love my job and I like most of my co-workers. My parents and in-laws are alive and healthy and my family is in decent financial shape. Oh yeah, we belong to a church that loves us.

I do have a few friends left....and some of those decaying trees could get healthy again. My forest is not in good shape, but I have hope spring will come some day. 

Hello from my fragmented World

Well, I haven't been able to blog at all this semester because.......the usual (family, work, school, life, also Nintendo).  My graduate program has a two week break and then I strap in for one more class (and the capstone class in Northern Ireland in June). 

The further I have been away from blogging the more I feel like I have nothing to write about, nothing to say, nothing I want to say. Every blog ends due to ennui....

But not this one. Not yet. I have posts in my head. 

Fragments on Video Games.

Fragments on my Senior Year

Fragments on Weezer (about time)

More thoughts on comic books, specifically my love affair with with 1975-1991 Marvel comics (yes, 1991).

More thoughts on friendships and getting older. 

In the meantime, here are updates:

I finally got a NES Classic. It's been great and I love the fact my five year old, H  and I play Zelda together. It's been a great bonding thing.

My 11 year old, C, started her own photography business. Incredible. She's already gotten 3 gigs of her own.

E, my 8 year old has these fascinating, detailed art/crafts/cards/stories, there's almost a new project everyday. She's also obsessed with Amazon's Just Add Magic, watching every episode, over and over and over again. 

C and H had birthday parties.

We went camping during spring break. It was pretty great.

I applied to lead a study abroad to India for summer of 2018. My colleague that went to Peru with me is moving away, so I had to find someone new. I am bummed he is moving but I think I found a person I can work well with and not be annoyed with.  I was just happy I could find anyone that gives a hoot. We find out in April (I hope) or at the latest, May.

I am looking forward to my travels this summer and I am looking forward to my 40's to be full of travel. To India in 2018 (fingers crossed), maybe Brazil (friends are moving there), possibly India again and then....who knows? Maybe back to Peru or a European Study Abroad with my last old friend remaining. Who knows? But I won't be sitting on my hands waiting around.

All this to say is life is pretty good and pretty busy. Turns out I have some time on my hands this weekend and I may get the writing itch.

But if I don't, I won't.

Until next time, don't forget to take out the trash and be sure to call your Mom this week (she misses you).