Steve Ditko Cover of the Week - The Fly #5

Steve Ditko and Rudy Nebres together? Whodathunk? Luckily, the fine folks of Red Circle did and the result was this great cover. It looks like the Fly has stepped into the pre-hero Marvel Age and is under attack by a Tales to Astonish reject. This is a wonderfully atmospheric cover, and I really like the collaboration between Ditko and Nebres. Inking Ditko must be quite a challenging as so many inkers are accustomed to tightening pencils, and yet if Ditko's pencils are tightened too much they lose all of their organic charm. On Stalker, Wally Wood did an excellent job of polishing Ditko's work without losing the Ditkoesque nature, and I think Nebres succeeds here. This Fly series is being added to my 'To Buy' list. That's the joy of Ditko - you never know where he'll pop up next.

You've Been Warned: DC Super-Stars #9

Generally, I have a great deal of patience for DC reprints. Quite often, the haphazard way in which they are organized and presented is quite charming. Want to thrown a Captain Triumph reprint into a Superman 100-Pager? Sure, why not? You think Ibis, the Invincible is a good fit for Detective Comics? Who am I to argue? The sheer randomness of it all is quite startling, and it’s begs the question of who was behind the wheel. I can live with that though – as it is obvious that DC just wanted to stuff as many stories into a book as possible. At the very least, the reader never knew exactly what he or she was going to get.

It’s a whole other story when DC tries to put together a ‘Themed’ reprint collection, as the are normally only held together by the loosest of threads. “The Man Behind the Gun” is perhaps the lamest of all of this type of books cranked out by DC in the 70s. It main flaw is that it is attempting to say something about the power of the gun for both good and evil and is using a very weak selection of random stories to get the point across. At least with Super-Heroes vs. Super Gorillas, we weren’t expected to do any thinking. The editorial stance by DC (Jack Harris, specifically I guess) is beyond loony. It’s hard to read a text article that delves into the history of gunpowder after reading a story about a Luthor-invented Super-Gun.

The fairly impressive and sinister cover belies the silliness inside. We start with the aforementioned Superman tale from 1961. Wouldn’t a Batman tale involving a gun have been far more appropriate? Next we have a Nighthawk story with lovely Ruben Moreira artwork. Not only is it a fairly weak story, but this one was reprinted 4 years earlier in Johnny Thunder #1. Reprinting reprints? That’s lame even for DC in the 70s. Next up is a standard issue war story involving courageous gunners on a damage boat (boy – we are including all type of guns here, aren’t we?). It’s nothing exciting, but the Andru and Esposito art is certainly dynamic. When I first saw this cover – I thought the book would be mainly gangster stories, but there is only one, from a post-Code issue of Gangbusters. It’s a so-so story sadly missing the moralizing that tends to make crime comics fun. The GCD says this was drawn by Gene Colan, but it tastes more like Ralph Mayo to me. Finally, we are left with a fairly solid sci-fi story from an early issue of Mystery in Space about a very destructive ray-gun. If this story were actually written in the 70s, the potential dangers of such a gun would have been explored. Instead, it is just used to kill Plutonians and the like.

All in all – it a weak collection of reprints ostensibly linked together because of the presence of firearms. It gave me a headache, and everything after the cool cover was a real letdown. Avoid.

Val Lewton on TCM: A Moody Marathon

I get the feeling that someone at TCM got the Val Lewton Horror Collection for Christmas and thought “Holy crap – we’ve got to run a marathon of these”. I certainly can’t fault that logic, and they really are a treat to watch back to back. I picked up the DVD collection back in 2005 and thought the same thing – but I don’t work for a network so nothing came of it. I only caught bits an piece of some of the movies on TCM (about 10 minutes of I Walked With a Zombie while rocking my 4 month old daughter to sleep, and 10 minutes of Isle of the Dead while eating breakfast this morning). What strikes me is how unbelievably captivating they are – an atmosphere is established immediately and it sucks you right in. The Val Lewton Collection came with a documentary “Shadows in the Dark”, which was quite illuminating. As far as I can tell, the TCM marathon included a new doc – I’ve recorded it and look forward to watching it when I get a quiet moment. Rather than go through each movie, I thought I’d share a few random thought on a few of them because that sort of rudderless opining is why blogs were created. If I find the time or inclination, I may eventually comment on all of them.

Isle of the Dead
Right off the bat let me tell you that while there is an island, there aren’t many of the ‘Dead’. What we’ve got here is a fairly claustrophobic tale of a small group of people quarantined on a Greek island. They slowly succumb to disease one by one. If you are expecting the suspense of a film like Cat People, you should look elsewhere. If you’d like to see Karloff playing a stern Greek General with curly hair, this is the film for you. Even without the ‘horror’, it’s actually quite interesting, as I don’t think I’ve ever seen Karloff play a role like this. He is very convincing – a real joy to watch. I’m just impressed that someone gave the green light to a film set during the 1912 Balkan war.

I Walked With a Zombie
Obviously, this is the greatest movie title of all-time. Although the collaborations with Robert Wise and MarkRobson were strong, the team of Lewton and Tourneur simply cannot be beat. There are so many great shots in this film, that I’d be surprised if they didn’t teach it in film school. As he was cranking out B movies for a failing studio, Lewton always had a tight budget and it’s a testament to his skill that he could always do so much for so little.

The Seventh Victim
This is a true hidden gem. I’ll bet this one would likely qualify as Lewton’s most misunderstood film and I would really think that it had people scratching their heads back in the 60s. This script could indeed use some tightening and there are some redundant characters, but like Cat People and Zombie, the atmosphere is gripping. I’ve got to think that some people were paying attention as certain items such as a creepy shower scene and a satanic cult composed of cheery seniors were later used by big name filmmakers. Certainly far from a perfect film, but both Kim Hunter and Jean Brooks are strong and there are enough ‘ahead of its time’ aspects of this film to warrant repeat viewings.

Memoirs of a Bronze Age Baby: Star Wars #17

I turned 5 years old in 1977, so to say that I grew up a Star Wars nut would be a gross understatement. I had Star Wars figures, colouring books, posters, blankets etc… When it came to Star Wars comic books, however, I somehow only got my mitts on them from time to time. Of course, like many kids of that era, I started off with the Treasury Size Editions. I still have the tattered remnants of my Vols.1 and 2 – complete with my attempt to write my name on the back cover of #1. I also have the double sized version, compiling both issues.

My first floppy book, however, was issue #17 and what a strange way to start. Although we start of aboard the Millennium Falcon, we are transported back to Tatooine via Luke’s daydream. We learn a great about Luke’s pre-Episode IV life and this is almost like a prequel minus Jar Jar Binks. The great Dave Cockrum cover really stands out, as it harkens back to a time when I actually thought Luke Skywalker was cool. Inside, the Goodwin/Claremont story is strong, and fits nicely into the Star Wars saga. Herb Trimpe is obviously having some fun – who wouldn’t? We’ve got a return (or is that pre-turn?) of the Sandpeople. I had a real fascination with them as a child, so they are always an added bonus. I only hope that my kids are able to be totally consumed by something the way Star Wars consumed me. This book was a big part of that, but my copy has been lost somewhere along the way. I always casually keep my eye out for it, but it never pops up. I recently bid on an original art page from the issue, but lost by a ton. Apparently some other have fond memories of the Trimpe/Milgrom work on this issue.

My Favourite Places in the World: Freshwood Grill

I’ve written about far away places in West Africa and Louisiana, but this is a great little spot just around the corner from my house. The Freshwood opened a couple of years ago on Roncesvalles Ave, and my wife and I have been there for brunch many times. It’s got a great menu with lots of interesting choices at reasonable prices, a nice garden patio during summer and it is very kid friendly (we don’t take our 2 year old son and 3 month old daughter out much, but we’re comfortable with them here). We’re having major renovation done at our house, so we’ve been without a laundry room for a while. This means I get to make a weekly pilgrimage to our local Laundromat, reminding me of my undergrad days. Luckily, the Freshwood is just a few doors up Roncesvalles, and I can park myself there with a pint (Amsterdam Two Fisted, thank you very much) and read some funnybooks (made my way through a chunk Weird Western Tales last time) while 4 loads of laundry dry simultaneously. Is it shallow of me to say that this is the highlight of my week? If you’re ever in the High Park/Roncesvalles area, check it out.

http://http://www.freshwoodgrill.com/index.html

Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Amazing Adult Fantasy #8

When you think of the countless pre-hero monster stories drawn by Steve Ditko for Marvel, it’s surprising how few covers he contributed to their line of fantasy titles. Jack Kirby got the lion’s share of the work. It’s a shame, for as much as I love Kirby, it’s nice to see Ditko’s perspective. Ditko does appear to have been the “go to” cover guy for Amazing Adult Fantasy. It’s for this reason, that this title’s covers really stand out from those rest – they are just so darned Ditkoesque. I love the design of this cover, as he is playing around with reality – something he did much more of for Charlton. Stripped of all unnecessary details, we are left simply with the two men and the menacing Krill. I’m sure that someone will note that the Krill’s shadow is all wrong because the moon is on the other side, but let’s not get too picky here. Perhaps there is some sort of yard light casting that shadow. It’s for you to figure out, after all this is the magazine that respects your intelligence.

Sweeney Todd: There Will Be Blood (and Pies)

With a little boy who’s just turned 2 and a 3 month old girl still reliant on her mother for sustenance, my wife and I don’t get out on our own all that often. The other day, we managed to get ourselves organized and get out to the movies for the first time in over a year. As it is such a rare occasion, we try to pick something best seen on the big screen. This time around, we settle on Sweeney Todd knowing that the Burton/Depp/Bonham-Carter triumvirate was likely to make for a memorable visit to the cinema.

First let me say, that I tend to despise musicals. Ever since I was a child, they have just never sat well with me. As a young teen, I recall squirming in my seat at the Pantages watching those sweaty cats warble ‘Memories’ for the 3rd or 4th time. Every time I see the Sound of Music, I just want to jump on screen on strangle Frederick so that he’ll stop trying to hump Maria’s leg. So, I don’t tend to rush out to see musicals – but I always enjoy seeing the latest idea to emanate from Burton’s Robert Smith inspired head so Sweeney it was. I’ve decided that I really like musicals so long as they meet a couple of requirements. The first is that they must star Depp, Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman and Borat. The second is that there must be a good amount of bloodletting. This film was way more violent than Dream Girls!

I’m sure that this film will be criticized for a variety of reasons. Perhaps Burton has messed around too much with Sondheim’s original vision (I wouldn’t know). Perhaps because Depp has pulled the Elsa Lancaster wig out of the closet one too many times (not in my opinion). I’m sure that some will decry the gore (especially if they’ve made the mistake of taking their 10-year old daughter along). I’m not sure what people have against Burton - but I can’t think of another director these days who can get me excited about each new project. From the goofiness of Big Wee’s Big Adventure to the sappiness of Big Fish, I’ve enjoyed every step of the way.

This is just another addition to a fine body of work. Burton will get one of those lifetime Oscars in 30 years and we’ll stare in awe when they roll the clips from various movies. This guy still makes honest to goodness movies. He is able to puts his crazy thoughts onto the screen – that’s a real accomplishment. From the set design (a slightly gothic pseudo-Dickensian London) to the costumes (stylish but not ostentatious) to the casting (from Depp to each and every Extra) – everything is perfectly executed. The leads are fantastic and I was really impressed with the young actors. In the midst of all of the killing and general chaos, one gets a real sense of desperation. Everyone is a loner, looking for someone to whom they can cling. That’s the lasting impression I get – along with that ‘Joanna’ song that’s been stuck in my head all day. Grade: A

Single Issue Hall of Fame: Brave and the Bold #197

When I first started interacting with fellow comic book fans online, I was pleasantly surprised how many people named this issue as one of their favourite Batman stories. I bought it off the rack as a kid, and was likely bummed out that Jim Aparo didn’t draw the interior art. I also imagine that most of the nuances of the story passed well above my head. It was nearly a decade later, as I re-read all of my old comics books during a period of serious procrastination, that I discovered what a wonderful gem we have in Brave and Bold #197. Alan Brennert’s story would likely not be published today for two main reasons: 1) It involves Earth-Two, that old Petri Dish where one could play with characters without impacting continuity too much and 2) It involves fairly realistic human emotions.

In their relatively advanced years, Batman and Catwoman come together and develop a real understanding of each other’s motivations. There is a scene that I consider to be among the top comic book ‘moments’ of all-time. As she watches Batman remove his costume, Selina gasps as at the scars that he has developed over the years. Those few panels say as much about Batman as anything you’ll ever see. Joe Staton’s pencils are perfect for this story, as he manages to give Earth-2 the necessary timelessness. His square-jawed Batman bridges the gap between Dick Sprang and Bruce Timm. I don’t know how long it will take for the DC Showcase series to reach issue #197, so I highly recommend that you hit all of your favourite comic book haunts and track down a copy.

Hockey Covers

Although part of the national identity up here in Canada, hockey has traditionally had a relatively small audience in the U.S. This may partially explain why there are so few comic book covers dedicated to the sport. Or so I thought… Once I actually started tracking down hockey covers, I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of hockey covers out there in funnybook land.

Anyone who has ever been scheduled to play a game at 11:30 PM knows full well that ice time is scarce at many of the nation’s arenas. This great cover from House of Secrets #113 by Nick Cardy brings to mind the battle for ice time. It gives the reader a an idea of what a figure skater finishing up her rehearsal feels like with a bunch of beer leaguers breathing down her neck. I'm not sure who's coming up through the ice, and that bit of the cover seems a little unecessary. Horror and hockey is like a natural fit, but it’s a combination that has only been used a few times.

If you’ve purchased a copy of Heroic Comics, you know that it’s one of the most affordable Golden Age comics on the market. You also know that it’s one of the lamest titles out there. The saving grace is the painted cover (as well as some bit and pieces of artwork by some of the biggest names in comics). This cover from Heroic #57 is absolutely stunning and shows the perils of hitting the pond too early in the season. I can’t figure out who drew this cover. The initials ‘AT’ are at the bottom right. Alex Toth did draw some stories for Heroic and I’ve certainly seen him sign his work ‘AT’ before but I’ve never seen him paint a cover. I don’t have my Toth checklist handy (it’s in storage) so I can’t check. I was trying to think of other artists with similar names who had worked on Heroic, but all I came up with were Al Ulmer, Arthur Simon and Al Williamson. Anyone know if this is Toth?

I had to include this Charlie Biro cover from Boy Comics #50 as it’s about the craziest hockey scene I’ve ever witnessed. I didn’t know the Hanson Brothers played hockey during the Golden Age. I don’t own this book, but I’d love to read the story ‘The Most Hated Coach in hockey’, but I’ve always wondered how Biro would portray Mike Keenan. It's not exactly the safest rink for spectator either, as someone needs to install glass along the boards. As for the play on the ice, try to make sense of CB’s shot on goal. That puck has a mind of it’s own. “CB’s Miracle” indeed.

And now for the inevitable Toronto Maple Leafs cover. Babe Ruth Sports was one of only a handful of comics to deal with real life sports, kind of a four color Sports Illustrated. The cover to Babe Ruth Sports #7 features Hockey Hall of Famer Turk Broda. Not only was he one of the finest goalies of his generation, he definitely has one of the coolest names of all time – probably better suited to a Scorcese gangster film than between the pipes. Does anyone know who drew this cover. Not Harvey stalwart Lee Elias, that’s for sure. Perhaps Bob Powell & Co?

Unlocking the Strange Door

Every now and then, I stumple upon a slighty flawed, but nevertheless immensely enjoyable, old movie that I feel has been neglected by the sands of time. I'm not talking about a movie like Citizen Kane, but something more like He Walked By Night or The Stranger. I've found another one to add to that list, The Strange Door from 1951. Included as part of a Boris Karloff collection as a horror film from Universal, what we find instead is a moody little thriller, with Karloff playing a supporting, yet memorable role. The real star of the show he is Charles Laughton, who never met dialogue that he couldn't chew up and spit out with delight. He plays a demented, slightly effete aristocrat who has been waiting 20 years for payback. He overacts with great glee, even with a mouthful of venison one scene. It's great fun - without an ounce of horror.

The plot moves along quite nicely, and the supporting cast is adequate, if only a little wooden. A dashing Alan Napier appears all too briefly. I was actually quite surprised to learn that this film was released in 1951, and it feels much more like a Universal film circa 1938, and I mean that as a high compliment. It's a shame that this kind of film became extinct, replaced by giant insect movies. It's an interesting little forgotten gem, and worth checking out.

Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Haunted #1

Steve Ditko definitely broke new ground with the cover to Haunted #1. If I had a background in fine arts, I'd be able to say something very profound and academic about his technique of using the smaller vignettes to for the features of the larger face. As I don't, I'll just say one thing: it's freakin' awesome. This comic must have leapt out readers perusing spinner racks back in the day. There was nothing else like it. This cover simply oozes Ditko cool. I don't think I saw Steve experiment with this technique again, which is too bad because it's really cool. Perhaps that's what happens when you hit a home run in your first trip to the plate - you move on to new challenges.

The End of the JLA - A Good Death

Even though I was a Justice League maniac as a child, I was in the midst of an early high school ‘too cool for comics hiatus’ when this series ground to a halt. I’d always heard about how bad these last few years of the JLA were, but I’d never read any of them. As I understand, this storyline all takes place as part of the ‘Legends’ maxi-series. A few years back, I bought a copy of the Legends TPB for $4, and wish I’d spent it at Starbucks.

I saw these 4 issues at a deeply discounted price, and thought I’d pick them up just so that I actually had a clear idea how things ended. You know what? This storyline was much better than I had expected. Sure, it’s obvious that this is a pretty lame JLA (and a lame-duck one considering the re-launch had already been announced), but with the right words and pictures almost anyone can be the subject of a compelling story. If the fans are calling out for Vibe’s head, you can give it to them – but do it in such a way to make them realize a little too late that he may have had a place in the DCU. Steel’s death is handle even more deftly, as it is hard not to feel a mixture of sorrow, pity and relief for him.

This stuff is far from perfect, but it’s a pretty damned good read and seems to be an appropriate way to brings and end to this tile that had enjoyed a 25-year run. My admiration for J.M. DeMatteis continues to grow. He was obviously giving the marching orders to shut down the JLA, and he fought off the temptation to avoid write something too nihilistic or, even worse, too sentimental. In the end, it’s a decent, quiet story and the loss of life serves as an act of cleansing.

Memoirs of a Bronze Age Baby: Wonder Woman #267

If you go back and check out Wonder Woman issues circa 1980, you’ll notice that there are a ton of captivating covers. This one really got my attention, and I plucked in off the newsstand wondering ‘Who is that guy in the orange outfit?’ This was my first exposure to Animal Man, as I most admit to really liking his style right off the bat. DC’s triumvirate was a pretty serious lot back then (still are, I guess. Animal Man appeared to have fun with crime fighting without seeming too clownish (I’m talking to you, Dibney!) – he seemed to be the perfect Yin to Wonder Woman’s Yang.

The story intimated that Animal Man he had a history in the DCU (although no issues were noted) so I set out to find back issues features this rather unique character. It wasn’t long before I tracked down copies of Strange Adventure #195 and #201. If I recall correctly, they would have set me back 30 or 40 cents back then. I was pretty excited, half expecting him to become a major player in the DCU and so I waited. I waited, waited and waited. Where did he go? Aside from appearing in the next Wonder Woman issue, the DCU remained Animal Man-free for the next few years. I guess I was wrong about the A-Man renaissance; that would have to wait. Oh well, it’s still fun to go back and read this one as Gerry Conway must have had a soft spot in his heart for Buddy Baker.

Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #29

All right folks, time to steer away from the mildly esoteric and dig out a very mainstream Ditko cover. This one may not be seen as one of the true iconic Spidey covers, but I really do think it's my favourite Ditko cover from the title. The Scorpion was introduced in issue #20 and that one featured a solid cover, but it is a fairly static image when compared to this one. There is such a great fluidity of motion here, as the bodies bend in a very Ditkoesque manner. It's a very simple snapshot, but it tells the reader that a life or death struggle is within the pages. I really did the Scorpion's regulator - a bit of Ditko sci-fi thrown in for fun. Of course, a good dose of Ditko water is always a bonus. Too often I find that the captions on Marvel covers really detract from the art, but the tagline 'Never Step on a Scorpion' is a good one.

You've Been Warned: Fantastic Four #241

Now, I don’t think much of what emanates from John Byrne these days but I can’t deny the fact the he was producing some awesome stuff in the early 80s. I’ve been re-reading his Fantastic Four run recently and it is pure comic book goodness. Somehow, Byrne manage to lay a big egg in the middle of that run. Normally a meeting between the Fantastic Four and the Black Panther is a reason to celebrate, but this time out I am just left to scratch my head an ask what went wrong.

It’s an unbelievably high concept, grand scale story involving a 2,000-year old Roman civilization living deep within a Wakandan mountain. This is mini-series, possibly max-series stuff but Byrne rushes us through the proceedings (possible because he knew how ludicrous it all is) and wraps this up more than a little too nicely in the last 2 pages. Something to do with an alien helmet keeping the deceased alive, and simultaneously eating away at the self-proclaimed Emperior to the point that when Sue tries to unmask the Phantom of the Opera, she gets the Invisible Man. As an added bonus, we get plenty of Frankie Raye being annoying throughout. A serious bump in an otherwise smooth road.