Friday, October 24, 2008

Charlie Droople Lives!

I'm probably all alone in this - but I'm just so thrilled about this news that I want to dance (or at least smile). The great Fred Hembeck has posted on his website the entire 'Best of All Possible Worlds' story featuring Charlie Droople. One of my favourite comic book characters of all-time (although he only made a single appearance in a relatively obscure Charlton back-up). This means that I don't have to dig up my well-worn copy of Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves #5 every time I wanted to re-read this wonderful story by Skeates and Aparo. It is novel, it is witty and it breaks just about every comic book convention that exists. Since I've been married, I've come to better appreciate Skeates' message about how comic book addiction just might have an impact on real life. Haven't we all felt like Mr. Droople at one time or another?

Just follow the link and then click on the page numbers to follow the story. There's also a great Hembeck cartoon that appeared in one of the Charlton issues of the late, great Comic Book Artist magazine.

http://www.hembeck.com/More/AparoStory/AparoOne.htm

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that link. Ever since you highlighted this obscure gem on Classic Comics Christmas over at CBR a couple years back I have been intrigued. Now I have seen why you have singled out this book as so special. It's like Grant Morrison, Scott McLeod and J.L. Borges all rolled into one. Astonishing!!! Thanks again.

M W Gallaher said...

Yeah, Scott, it's great to have a link to this complete story online. Skeates and Aparo did another mindblowingly weird Dr. Graves story, one with lots of empty word balloons...suddenly I'm imagining a collection of their Charlton collaborations...