QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE THURSDAY 05-29-08
By John Judy
(Did I mention everything’s shipping a day late because of Memorial Day?)
ACTION COMICS #865 by Geoff Johns and Jesus Merino. Featuring the return of the original Toyman. Not a hoax, not a dream!
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #11 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Superman is dead, but I’ll bet there’s more to it than that. This series is Pure Fun. Recommended!
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #6 by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard. Have you ever lost control of your powers, accidentally killed a beloved superhero and then that beloved superhero’s team-mates find out? Does Hallmark even make a card for something like that? Recommended.
BATMAN #677 by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. “Batman R.I.P. the storyline that will change the Dark Knight forever” continues. And by “forever” we mean “not forever.” It’s Grant Morrison so you have to look.
DAN DARE #6 of 7 by Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine. It’s Dan and the Royal Space Navy versus that dirty Mekon and his black hole! Get your mind out of the gutter and place yer bets! Recommended.
THE DANGEROUS ALPHABET HC by Neil Gaiman and Gris Grimly. A dark romp through the alphabet with pirates, sewer-monsters, and organs in jars! Highly recommended for fans of Charles Addams, Edward Gorey and the like. Great for kids who need literacy and a good scare!
DAREDEVIL #107 by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. A new four-parter begins as DD must make his peace with his failure to save his wife from madness. Highly recommended.
ESSENTIAL RAMPAGING HULK VOL. 1 SC by Lotsa Seventies Marvel Bullpenners. Okay, all you really need to know is that the Hulk had a black & white magazine back in the day and this book collects those issues. Sadly this volume does not include issue #23, the infamous “Bruce Banner almost gets raped in a YMCA group shower” issue. It does include RAMPAGING HULK #1-9, THE HULK #10-15, and for some reason INCREDIBLE HULK #269. We’re gonna see a lot of this stuff for the next few months so brace yourselves.
FINAL CRISIS #1 of 7 by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. Not a lot of detail on this other than it’s by Grant and the guy who did all the great covers on “52.” Oh, and it involves a lot of redesigns on Kirby’s Fourth World characters. Worth a look anyway.
GIANT-SIZE ASTONISHING X-MEN #1 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. The grand finale of the Whedon/Cassaday run in which some will live, one “won’t walk away”, and the denizens of Breakworld finally start spinning on their heads and moonwalking! Recommended!
GREEN LANTERN #31 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. Yet another re-telling of Hal Jordan’s early training by Sinestro, but this one’s by Geoff and Ivan so it should be good.
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #15 by Matt Fraction and Khari Evans. Another done-in-one Tale of Iron Fists Gone-By. I kinda like these. Recommended.
JACK KIRBY’S OMAC: ONE-MAN ARMY CORPS HC by Da King! Collecting the entire eight-issue series for the Kirby Kompletist on your list! With a forward by Mark Evanier, author of “Kirby: King of Comics.”
JUDENHASS GN by Dave Sim. The creator of “Cerebus” takes on the holocaust and its cultural and historical roots. There’s a preview on-line at http://www.judenhass.com/ and it looks extraordinary. Highly Recommended, but probably too intense for younger readers. Far and away the pick of the week.
KING-SIZE HULK #1 by Jeph Loeb, Art Adams, Frank Cho and Others! Not “Economy-Size!” Not “Family-Size!” And especially not “Super-Size!” It’s “King-Size Hulk #1” and three new tales and a bunch of reprints all to help the current Red Hulk storyline make sense! Gotta look!
MARVEL 1985 #1 of 6 by Mark Millar and Tommy Lee Edwards. It’s complicated but evidently a bunch of super-villians have invaded our world and now it’s up to a 13 year-old boy to get the heroes to saddle up after ‘em! But it’s 1985 so they’re all too busy listening to Falco and getting their MBAs! Zoinks!
NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS SC by Fred Hembeck. Thirty years of work, 900 pages, and a forward by Stan “Da Man” Lee make this a Must-Have for fans of Comicdom’s most prolific cartoon humorist.
NEW AVENGERS #41 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. The New Avengers are doomed unless Ka-Zar can save them from 1980s Skrull versions of themselves! It’s come to this….
NORTHLANDERS #6 by Brian Wood and David Gianfelice. Prince Sven builds alliances against his Uncle. Unfortunately it involves Saxons. Recommended.
SHE-HULK #29 by Peter David and Val Semeiks. In which we learn why She-Hulk was disbarred! She authored the White House torture memo! Kidding. It was nothing that bad. If it was she’d be teaching law at Berkley…
STARMAN OMNIBUS VOL.1 HC by James Robinson, Tony Harris and Others. A hardcover edition of issues #0-16 of the series that started the Great Revival of the Golden-Age DC heroes. Highly recommended.
THOR #9 by J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel. More of Straczynski’s stories of Asgardian Gods adjusting to their new lives in Midgard. This one gets better each month. Highly recommended.
TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD ARCHIVES VOL. 1 SC by Tom Beland. The collected autobiographical adventures of a free-lance cartoonist living in Puerto Rico.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #122 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. Quite a good little story about Ultimate Shocker. I’m not kidding.
UNCANNY X-MEN #498 by Ed Brubaker and Mike Choi. In which we discover the source of the psychedelic disturbance in San-Fran and a bunch of Russkies learn it’s never a good idea to mess with the X-Men. Fun stuff.
WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #3 by Fred Van Lente and Salva Espin. Some early “untold” adventures of Kitty Pryde and Wolverine. Featuring funny animals that talk.
X-MEN LEGACY #212 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. The untold origin of Professor X, guest-starring Gambit. Someday X-continuity will be figured out by someone. That person should be President of the World. Forever.
All this and PREVIEWS from Marvel and Diamond Comics to boot!
www.johnjudy.net
Monday, May 26, 2008
3 comics articles in Monday's New York Times
One is probably bad news:
"Warner Tries a New Tactic to Revive Its DVD Sales," By BROOKS BARNES, New York Times May 26, 2008
LOS ANGELES — Retail’s love affair with the DVD is on the rocks and Warner Brothers Entertainment would like to patch things up.
Faced with a decline in DVD sales, Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner, is planning an unusual effort around its upcoming adaptation of the popular graphic novel “Watchmen.” Directed by Zack Snyder and set for a March 2009 release, the big-budget movie tells the story of a group of retired superheroes who are tied to a conspiracy that could change history.
The twist is that Mr. Snyder, known for turning the Spartan comic book series “300” into a global hit movie, is also directing a separate-but-related picture that Warner plans to distribute exclusively on DVD.
The second film, tentatively called “Tales of the Black Freighter,” follows a side “Watchmen” storyline about a shipwreck and will arrive in stores five days after the main movie rolls out in theaters. The DVD will also include a documentary-style film called “Under the Hood” that will delve into the characters’ backstories.
The second, also in the business section, is on a webcomic that I hadn't heard of, and won't be reading:
This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix
By NOAM COHEN
Published: May 26, 2008
XKCD.com is serving up an online comic strip with jokes for a very specific audience: techies.
and the third is on Jamie Hewlett's post-comic book career in animation and is interesting:
Opera Meets Animation to Tell a Chinese Tale
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
Published: May 26, 2008
“Monkey: Journey to the West” is a newfangled sort of opera that is making its American debut at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A.
The Post covered this as well, although in less detail - "It's the Year of the 'Monkey' at Spoleto USA: Reinvigorated Festival Casts a Spotlight on Circus-Opera Hybrid," By Anne Midgette, Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, May 26, 2008; C01.
"Warner Tries a New Tactic to Revive Its DVD Sales," By BROOKS BARNES, New York Times May 26, 2008
LOS ANGELES — Retail’s love affair with the DVD is on the rocks and Warner Brothers Entertainment would like to patch things up.
Faced with a decline in DVD sales, Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner, is planning an unusual effort around its upcoming adaptation of the popular graphic novel “Watchmen.” Directed by Zack Snyder and set for a March 2009 release, the big-budget movie tells the story of a group of retired superheroes who are tied to a conspiracy that could change history.
The twist is that Mr. Snyder, known for turning the Spartan comic book series “300” into a global hit movie, is also directing a separate-but-related picture that Warner plans to distribute exclusively on DVD.
The second film, tentatively called “Tales of the Black Freighter,” follows a side “Watchmen” storyline about a shipwreck and will arrive in stores five days after the main movie rolls out in theaters. The DVD will also include a documentary-style film called “Under the Hood” that will delve into the characters’ backstories.
The second, also in the business section, is on a webcomic that I hadn't heard of, and won't be reading:
This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix
By NOAM COHEN
Published: May 26, 2008
XKCD.com is serving up an online comic strip with jokes for a very specific audience: techies.
and the third is on Jamie Hewlett's post-comic book career in animation and is interesting:
Opera Meets Animation to Tell a Chinese Tale
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
Published: May 26, 2008
“Monkey: Journey to the West” is a newfangled sort of opera that is making its American debut at the Spoleto Festival U.S.A.
The Post covered this as well, although in less detail - "It's the Year of the 'Monkey' at Spoleto USA: Reinvigorated Festival Casts a Spotlight on Circus-Opera Hybrid," By Anne Midgette, Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, May 26, 2008; C01.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Sunday NY Times on comic art
Actually both of these are animation -
"Resistance Is Futile" By SETH SCHIESEL, New York Times May 25, 2008, is on Nintendo videogames and begins "It's O.K. to liken Shigeru Miyamoto to Walt Disney."
and those of us raised Christian and of a certain age will relate to this obituary: Dick Sutcliffe, 90, Dies; Began "Davey and Goliath", By BRUCE WEBER, New York Times May 25, 2008. They used to show these shorts at Sunday School once in a while around 1973 or so... I don't remember how as that was before VCRs, but I don't recall a film projector being hauled in either.
"Resistance Is Futile" By SETH SCHIESEL, New York Times May 25, 2008, is on Nintendo videogames and begins "It's O.K. to liken Shigeru Miyamoto to Walt Disney."
and those of us raised Christian and of a certain age will relate to this obituary: Dick Sutcliffe, 90, Dies; Began "Davey and Goliath", By BRUCE WEBER, New York Times May 25, 2008. They used to show these shorts at Sunday School once in a while around 1973 or so... I don't remember how as that was before VCRs, but I don't recall a film projector being hauled in either.
Comics on sale at Shakespeare Free For All
Liz, our gal on the ground, was volunteering at the Shakespeare Free For All and reported that two comic book versions of Hamlet were available last night. Coincidentally, the manga version was reviewed yesterday in Scotland in "Comic superhero muscles in on Macbeth," By Marc Horne, Scotsman 25 May 2008.
Still to come (someday) are my reviews of the Shakespeare comic books that have been appearing this year. Liz also picked up both of last night's books for me so they'll be in the mix as well.
Still to come (someday) are my reviews of the Shakespeare comic books that have been appearing this year. Liz also picked up both of last night's books for me so they'll be in the mix as well.
Hopes and dreams dashed in New Orleans
Our Man Thompson lost the National Cartoonist Society award to Jim Meddick and Monty. A cabal of DC-area lawyers are already planning on taking this to the Supreme Court for a ruling on a recount of hanging chads, I hear.
In the meantime, we congratulate Meddick - his strip runs in the Washington Times. Al Jaffee took home the deserved Reuben award, and Wiley's strip today makes sense. All the winners were posted by Alan Gardner on his Daily Cartoonist site.
And here's the Non Sequiter fold-in linked to above, folded and rotated 180 degrees, for those who couldn't quite picture it:
In the meantime, we congratulate Meddick - his strip runs in the Washington Times. Al Jaffee took home the deserved Reuben award, and Wiley's strip today makes sense. All the winners were posted by Alan Gardner on his Daily Cartoonist site.
And here's the Non Sequiter fold-in linked to above, folded and rotated 180 degrees, for those who couldn't quite picture it:
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Zadzooks on new Iron Man comics
See "Iron Man must stop Mandarin," By Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times May 24, 2008.
Friday, May 23, 2008
HERO INITIATIVE SPONSORS JOSH MEDORS AUCTIONS
Nobody asked me to run this one, but it also sounds like a worthy cause.
HERO INITIATIVE SPONSORS JOSH MEDORS AUCTIONS
Frazetta books and amazing Tom Beland sketchbook included!
LOS ANGELES (May 23, 2008)-Artist Josh Medors is fighting a rare form of cancer in his back, and The Hero Initiative, the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need, is aiding in that fight.
Hero is currently running three eBay auctions with net proceeds benefiting Josh, the artist of Frank Frazetta's Swamp Demon. Included are:
. A copy of EC Comics' legendary Weird Science-Fantasy #29, AUTOGRAPHED by Frank Frazetta and graded 5.5 in CGC's Signature Series.
. A copy of Ghost Rider (Magazine Enterprises, 1951) #4 AUTOGRAPHED by Frank Frazetta and graded 5.0 in CGC's Signature Series.
. An incredible sketchbook from Tom Beland, writer/artist of True Story, Swear to God. This book contains over 60 pages of Tom's roughs from True Story, and represents months of work from him. It's a rare look inside the heart, mind, and process of an artist!
These auctions can be found at:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZheroinitiative
And further auctions benefiting Josh can be found by searching "Josh Medors benefit auction."
In addition to these auctions, The Hero Initiative will be taking additional measures to help Josh in his convalescence.
"Having an organization like the Hero initiative is a blessing," said Josh Medors. "Even when things are going great, trying to make it as a freelance comic illustrator can be tough. The support the comics community has shown has been amazing. Now having the Hero initiative involved has made it possible for me to focus on what is important, getting better. They are a wonderful, caring organization, and their help has given me a hope and made it possible for me to focus on something I love very much-creating comics."
"Anyone who's read my stuff knows how cancer has affected myself and my family," said Tom Beland. "Fighting the disease is one nightmare, figuring out how to pay the bills is another nightmare in itself. I've never met Josh. But when I heard his story, I immediately thought of my parents and how tough it was on them financially. This is what we do in this business. We group together to help one another. Owning this sketchbook is like owning one of my personal diaries. If you're a fan of comics, or a fan of my work, then do me a favor. Get off your ass and bid like a crazy person. Step up and make me proud of you."
The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call 310-909-7809 or visit www.HeroInitiative.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR ARTWORK PLEASE CONTACT:
Janine Bielski
Hero Initiative
310-909-7809
HERO INITIATIVE SPONSORS JOSH MEDORS AUCTIONS
Frazetta books and amazing Tom Beland sketchbook included!
LOS ANGELES (May 23, 2008)-Artist Josh Medors is fighting a rare form of cancer in his back, and The Hero Initiative, the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need, is aiding in that fight.
Hero is currently running three eBay auctions with net proceeds benefiting Josh, the artist of Frank Frazetta's Swamp Demon. Included are:
. A copy of EC Comics' legendary Weird Science-Fantasy #29, AUTOGRAPHED by Frank Frazetta and graded 5.5 in CGC's Signature Series.
. A copy of Ghost Rider (Magazine Enterprises, 1951) #4 AUTOGRAPHED by Frank Frazetta and graded 5.0 in CGC's Signature Series.
. An incredible sketchbook from Tom Beland, writer/artist of True Story, Swear to God. This book contains over 60 pages of Tom's roughs from True Story, and represents months of work from him. It's a rare look inside the heart, mind, and process of an artist!
These auctions can be found at:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZheroinitiative
And further auctions benefiting Josh can be found by searching "Josh Medors benefit auction."
In addition to these auctions, The Hero Initiative will be taking additional measures to help Josh in his convalescence.
"Having an organization like the Hero initiative is a blessing," said Josh Medors. "Even when things are going great, trying to make it as a freelance comic illustrator can be tough. The support the comics community has shown has been amazing. Now having the Hero initiative involved has made it possible for me to focus on what is important, getting better. They are a wonderful, caring organization, and their help has given me a hope and made it possible for me to focus on something I love very much-creating comics."
"Anyone who's read my stuff knows how cancer has affected myself and my family," said Tom Beland. "Fighting the disease is one nightmare, figuring out how to pay the bills is another nightmare in itself. I've never met Josh. But when I heard his story, I immediately thought of my parents and how tough it was on them financially. This is what we do in this business. We group together to help one another. Owning this sketchbook is like owning one of my personal diaries. If you're a fan of comics, or a fan of my work, then do me a favor. Get off your ass and bid like a crazy person. Step up and make me proud of you."
The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment. For more information, call 310-909-7809 or visit www.HeroInitiative.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR ARTWORK PLEASE CONTACT:
Janine Bielski
Hero Initiative
310-909-7809
More Gene Colan fundraising info
Rufus Dayglo writes in again:
Cliff Meth's started auctioning stuff to help Gene Colan, our friend and fellow Artist!
Check out his blog for amazing signed stuff and original art!
Link...
http://thecliffordmethod.blogspot.com/
Also on Ebay, more items will be added soon! Bid and help Gene! User name on EBAY is genecolanbenefitauction
Link...
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZgenecolanbenefitauction
I'm donating Tank Girl and Metal Gear Solid Art and signed books, if any artists or writers are reading this please contact Cliff Meth through his blog and donate.
Also, if you can make a cash donation contact Cliff Meth through his blog..
Time for us to give back, and help one of the greats of the Comic Book Industry!
Thanks everyone, every little bit helps!
Rufus Dayglo (Team Tank Girl)
Cliff Meth's started auctioning stuff to help Gene Colan, our friend and fellow Artist!
Check out his blog for amazing signed stuff and original art!
Link...
http://thecliffordmethod.blogspot.com/
Also on Ebay, more items will be added soon! Bid and help Gene! User name on EBAY is genecolanbenefitauction
Link...
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZgenecolanbenefitauction
I'm donating Tank Girl and Metal Gear Solid Art and signed books, if any artists or writers are reading this please contact Cliff Meth through his blog and donate.
Also, if you can make a cash donation contact Cliff Meth through his blog..
Time for us to give back, and help one of the greats of the Comic Book Industry!
Thanks everyone, every little bit helps!
Rufus Dayglo (Team Tank Girl)
Thompson chat on Post
Richard 'Cul de Sac' Thompson and Scott 'Argyle Sweater' Hilburn successfully navigated the Washington Post chat software today at 1 pm with Suzanne Tobin, even though Hilburn said he didn't make it to the NCS con in New Orleans. To read what they said, see "Meet the Comics Pages: Scott Hilburn and Richard Thompson, Cartoonists, "Argyle Sweater" and "Cul de Sac", Friday, May 23, 2008.
Herblock exhibit sort of covered by Wash Times
Actually, although the exhibit is about three miles from their main building, they ran an AP article yesterday. See "Herblock lampoons the presidents again" By Brett Zongker - ASSOCIATED PRESS, Washington Times May 22, 2008.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
OT: Ed Stein and Denver Square
Ed Stein pulled the plug on his strip Denver Square this week. The strip was a hyper-local one, set in Denver and by a Denver area cartoonist. Mark Wolf interviewed Stein this week. The reason I link to this is that Stein's first collection of the strip was an early book review I did for IJOCA -- so early that I can't even find it on my computer. But if you see a Denver Square collection, pick it up - you'll enjoy it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
May 23: Our Man Thompson on Post chat
So, Richard leaves town on a 26-hour (hahahahahaha!) train ride... just to be interviewed by the Washington Post! Man, he apparently just lives Richard's Poor Almanack. The damn thing must write itself...
Scott Hilburn who does Argyle Sweater will also be fighting for keyboard space.
Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. ET
Meet the Comics Pages
Scott Hilburn and Richard Thompson
Cartoonists, "Argyle Sweater" and "Cul de Sac"
Friday, May 23, 2008; 1:00 PM
Join Washington Post Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin on Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. ET at the National Cartoonists Society convention in New Orleans for a discussion with Scott Hilburn, creator of "The Argyle Sweater," and Richard Thompson, creator of creator of "Cul de Sac."
I guess the Ms. Tobin wanted to justify that travel budget, and rather than take a $10 cab ride to Arlington got this through the Post's accountants. I think I need to meet her - take notes, that sort of thing...
Scott Hilburn who does Argyle Sweater will also be fighting for keyboard space.
Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. ET
Meet the Comics Pages
Scott Hilburn and Richard Thompson
Cartoonists, "Argyle Sweater" and "Cul de Sac"
Friday, May 23, 2008; 1:00 PM
Join Washington Post Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin on Friday, May 23 at 1 p.m. ET at the National Cartoonists Society convention in New Orleans for a discussion with Scott Hilburn, creator of "The Argyle Sweater," and Richard Thompson, creator of creator of "Cul de Sac."
I guess the Ms. Tobin wanted to justify that travel budget, and rather than take a $10 cab ride to Arlington got this through the Post's accountants. I think I need to meet her - take notes, that sort of thing...
Our Man Thompson in New Orleans for NCS award showdown
Richard's up for a best strip award - see his blog for details - and says he will also be chatting on the Post's website on Friday.
Toles goes MAD
Tom Toles' editorial cartoon today is based on the fold-in by famed MAD cartoonist Al Jaffee. Here's a good article on Jaffee from the NY Times, and some online fold-ins. Jaffee is nominated for the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben award this weekend (and Richard Thompson's up for best strip) and I believe he will win it. I don't know if Toles was making a prediction, or just was reminded of Jaffee's work, but according to Dave Astor, Wiley's made a bet who'll win by doing an early Sunday strip - check the Post on Sunday and see if either of us was right.
And for those reading it online, with less fold-in experience than us long-time Mad readers, here's what it looks like folded:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Weingarten corrupted three comic strips for Post Hunt
Gene Weingarten's May 20th chat had some comments about a 'comics' clue to the Post Hunt.
Arlington: G-Dub. How in THE hell can anyone claim that the "Comics" clue was hard? The comedians made it obvious what the topic was, Liz and Ginger walking around with the comics pages made it obvious where to look (not to mention that everyone was reading the Comics section) and the numbers weren't terribly hard to find. What was hard about it?
(Every other clue was @#$! impossible, btw.)
washingtonpost.com: And yet there were people who -- when offered a Comics section -- declined, saying "I have one at home."
Gene Weingarten: Heh heh.
As Tom said yesterday, the monitors at the fortune cookie site watched several times as small children were tugging at parents' clothing saying, "It tastes like coconut!" and the parents said, "Ssh. We're trying to solve the puzzle."
and later...
Consiracy Theories: It's bad enough that clueless Post readers may be misled by the clues planted in the magazine and comics, but what about the rest of the country? Is there an army of folks coming up with diabolical explanations for the numbers appearing in the three comics? Or do they get an explanation somewhere somehow (without stumbling on the Post)?
Gene Weingarten: Yeah, I owe a great thank you to Stephan Pastis, Jef Mallett, and Berkeley Breathed. They were great sports about it. I'm sure they're getting dozens of letters from elsewhere in the country asking, yknow, what that "nine" was about.
and...
Opus Hunt: Gene,
A friend was telling me about Hunt (she went, I couldn't) and when I looked at the Opus strip, the first thing I thought of when she pointed it out was Al Hirschfeld. Did Breathed do that on purpose? And were the other numbers in the strip used as decoys?
Gene Weingarten: Yep, it was an homage to Hirschfeld, I believe. "Nine" was done exactly the way Hirschfeld did "Nina."
The other numbers were coincidence! He wasn't trying to be deceptive.
...with some debate over that...
Washington, D.C.: Did you notice that both Breathed and Mallet hid other numerals in their strips? The s in the title "OPUS" was a 5. In Frazz, the word "school" had both a 5 instead of an s, and an 8 instead of the two o's. The second occurrence of that word didn't have the 5, but it did have the 8. So we weren't sure which hidden numbers to use, until we finally noticed the "nine" on the doctor's coat, and decided to use the spelled-out numbers "six," "eight," and "nine," and ignore the hidden numerals 5, 8, 8 and 5.
Gene Weingarten: I disagree about the S being a 5.
But we noticed the "oo" looking like an eight. We noticed this at the very last minute. It turns out that is simply how Patty Mallett (who inks Jef's art) makes a double o! If the hidden number had been anything but eight, we'd a been scrood!
This is all nonsensical, until you go to the Post website. This video explains that Weingarten's friends Stephan (Pearls Before Swine), Berkeley (Opus) Breathed and Jeff (Frazz) Mallett snuck in clues for the Post Hunt.
Arlington: G-Dub. How in THE hell can anyone claim that the "Comics" clue was hard? The comedians made it obvious what the topic was, Liz and Ginger walking around with the comics pages made it obvious where to look (not to mention that everyone was reading the Comics section) and the numbers weren't terribly hard to find. What was hard about it?
(Every other clue was @#$! impossible, btw.)
washingtonpost.com: And yet there were people who -- when offered a Comics section -- declined, saying "I have one at home."
Gene Weingarten: Heh heh.
As Tom said yesterday, the monitors at the fortune cookie site watched several times as small children were tugging at parents' clothing saying, "It tastes like coconut!" and the parents said, "Ssh. We're trying to solve the puzzle."
and later...
Consiracy Theories: It's bad enough that clueless Post readers may be misled by the clues planted in the magazine and comics, but what about the rest of the country? Is there an army of folks coming up with diabolical explanations for the numbers appearing in the three comics? Or do they get an explanation somewhere somehow (without stumbling on the Post)?
Gene Weingarten: Yeah, I owe a great thank you to Stephan Pastis, Jef Mallett, and Berkeley Breathed. They were great sports about it. I'm sure they're getting dozens of letters from elsewhere in the country asking, yknow, what that "nine" was about.
and...
Opus Hunt: Gene,
A friend was telling me about Hunt (she went, I couldn't) and when I looked at the Opus strip, the first thing I thought of when she pointed it out was Al Hirschfeld. Did Breathed do that on purpose? And were the other numbers in the strip used as decoys?
Gene Weingarten: Yep, it was an homage to Hirschfeld, I believe. "Nine" was done exactly the way Hirschfeld did "Nina."
The other numbers were coincidence! He wasn't trying to be deceptive.
...with some debate over that...
Washington, D.C.: Did you notice that both Breathed and Mallet hid other numerals in their strips? The s in the title "OPUS" was a 5. In Frazz, the word "school" had both a 5 instead of an s, and an 8 instead of the two o's. The second occurrence of that word didn't have the 5, but it did have the 8. So we weren't sure which hidden numbers to use, until we finally noticed the "nine" on the doctor's coat, and decided to use the spelled-out numbers "six," "eight," and "nine," and ignore the hidden numerals 5, 8, 8 and 5.
Gene Weingarten: I disagree about the S being a 5.
But we noticed the "oo" looking like an eight. We noticed this at the very last minute. It turns out that is simply how Patty Mallett (who inks Jef's art) makes a double o! If the hidden number had been anything but eight, we'd a been scrood!
This is all nonsensical, until you go to the Post website. This video explains that Weingarten's friends Stephan (Pearls Before Swine), Berkeley (Opus) Breathed and Jeff (Frazz) Mallett snuck in clues for the Post Hunt.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Who donated Spider-Man to the Library of Congress?
It's a new parlor game! One blogger guesses Stan Lee although he was going by memory rather than rereading my original post. I don't think he's right as the art probably sat around for years after it was first published, and as one of his commenters also noted, Sara Duke says it was given to the donor as a gift that he's now passing on. Blake Bell for example has demonstrated that the artwork was reshot again years later for reprints in Marvel Tales, for instance. Also it wouldn't have to be one of the original bullpen members as it wouldn't have been considered that important until the Marvel offices had grown a lot.
Wow, Sara Duke is the new version of Woodward and Bernstein. Who is DEEP POCKETS?
Wow, Sara Duke is the new version of Woodward and Bernstein. Who is DEEP POCKETS?
Cul de Sac marches into Maryville
Our Man Thompson's picked up a paper with a space vacated by Preteena's cessation - "Cul De Sac comic debuts today," Maryville TN Daily Times May 19 2008. Today Maryville... tomorrow Knoxville!
Gene Colan charity benefit book
I was sent the following email today from Rufus Dayglo. Gene Colan's one of the greats of Marvel Comics. I just sent in my $23.00 via Paypal -
Gene Colan, the legendary Marvel Comics artist is ill in hospital with a failing liver, and his family need financial help.
My good friend, the writer Cliff Meth has done a book with Gene Colan, and Cliff sent me the following info.
PLEASE buy this book. The money will immediately help with Gene's medical bills.
From Cliff...
"Gene and I are doing for Aardwolf Publishing.
It is called METH, COLAN & OTHER THEOLOGIANS and will include everything that was in our PERVERTS, PEDOPHILES & OTHER THEORLOGIANS (a Barnes & Noble "Horror Pick of the Week" from 1997 that saw multiple printings) as well as new stories by Gene and I, along with introductions by several of the comic industry's noted luminaries.
People can order the signed/numbered limited edition now by sending $20 + $3 shipping to sales@aardwolfpublishing.com [via Paypal] -- proceeds directly and immediately benefit Gene."
Again... buy this book. help Gene.
Thank you!
Rufus Dayglo (IDW Artist)
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