En Vacances

I'm actually taking the family to Provence, not Paris - but I love this book and couldn't pass it up. I am computer-free for the next couple of weeks so you won't be seeing any new entries until June 7th at the earliest. Hopefully, I get a few moments to catch up on some reading during my trip, but my kids aren't exactly quiet. First vacation in ages, and I'm very excited. I shall return tanned, rested and rested - and possibly stinking of wine and cheese. À Bientôt.

Exit Stage Left: Captain America #454

Remember the mid-90s, when Marvel and DC decided to throw decades of continuity into a blender and produce countless relaunch milkshakes? While the new product was rarely as good as the original, the swansongs are often an interesting read. This story seems like it is straight out of the Silver Age (except for the 90s Imageish artwork and the overly gritty dialogue), with South East Asian labour camps and a motorcycle chase. The action is quite decent, but it is the relationship between Cap and Sharon Carter that I found most intriguing. Sharon has become an outlaw, fighting for freedom outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s parameters. She and Cap ultimately find have a meeting of the minds, and part with a renewed sense of mutual respect. It is a solid final issue and it does feel like closing of a long chapter, but it is still not enough to wipe the memory of Heroes Reborn from my mind.

You've Been Warned: Marvel Preview #13

The UFO Connection is a rather strange story about UFOs, time travel and a whiny girl named Sissie. David Anthony Kraft writes a ton of exposition and some terribly annoying dialogue between father and daughter. The moments of the father's near mental breakdown(s) are particularly over the top. The main story is divided into two halves with some text filler in between them. Often, the filler in these mags is quite amusing but for stories about UFO sightings and Illuminati, these are pretty boring. Herb Trimpe's pencils are decent, but I prefer the Klaus Janson inks than those of Pablo Marcos. Overall, the artwork is crowded out by the words. Normally I'm a fan of marvel black and white mags, but this isn't one of them. For completists only.

Trade Marks: Pyongyang

Guy Deslisle spent a couple of month's working for a French animation studio in North Korea's capital and all we got was this wonderful travelogue. Both Delisle's narrative and his artwork are straightforward and stripped of all but the essentials. This was an excellent approach. By taking a backseat to his surrounding, Delisle lets the lunacy of North Korea speaks for itself. This piece is at its best in its darkly humorous moments. Delisle is careful not to simply point and life at his subjects, ensuring that there is an underlying sense of pathos throughout the story. Some of what is revealed is simply jaw dropping, whereas other bits are more typical of life in any foreign land. I'll openly admit that Delisle is now responsible for approximately 80% of my knowledge about North Korea. The book is at its weakest when it began to spin its wheels a bit in the second half, making repeat visits to certain themes. but Delisle closing image, however, is very strong - leaving the reader both hopeful and depressed. Trade Mark: A-

Frank Frazetta: 1928-2010

Word spread quickly today that one of the great illustrators of the 20th Century had passed away. I'm far from a Frazetta expert, but it's impossible for anyone not to be a fan. In the realm of fantasy illustration, his work raised the bar to a level that few could match. Without Frazetta's powerful covers, I doubt that characters such as Conan and Tarzan would have maintained their popularity through the years. He infused an incredible sense of power into each of his pieces. He turned Conan into such a powershouse, that only Schwarzenegger could portray him. Aside from his comic book and paperback illustrations, he also did some terrific movie poster, including this poster for The Gauntlet. I like it because he's able to make Eastwood and Locke look like an urban version of John Carter and Dejah Thoris.

He did some of the finest work the comic book industry had ever seen. His Shining Knight, Buck Rogers and Thun'da work remain highly desirable to this day. He also played a large role in making the Warren magazines such a success. I'm not sure what we would have seen the great work by the likes of Boris Vallejo and Ken Kelly had Frazetta not been such an inspiration. I know that there has been some controversy within the Frazetta family over the last little while, but none of that should take away from the treasure trove of fanstic artwork produced by Frank. R.I.P. and thanks for everything!

Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Strange Tales #146

How about this one? Can you believe that this was the first Dr. Strange solo cover? First, he took a back seat to the Human Torch, then to the duo of Johnny & Ben and finally to the gang from S.H.I.E.L.D. While this series has plenty of strong covers, I think they missed a great opportunity by not showcasing Ditko's powerful connection to Dr. Strange on more covers. I like to think that this cover was commissioned specifically because it was Ditko's swansong on the strip. In all likelihood, it was pure coincidence. What a great cover, though. I really think that a character as ethereal as Eternity could only have been designed by Ditko. A nice way to end a fabulous stint at Marvel, as his final Spidey cover is not one of my favourites.

Highlighting House Ads: Marvel 1979

Look at all of these wonderful books. I have a ton of comics from 1979, but somehow I don't own a single one of these books. How did that happen? I was young back then, and even something as inexpensive as $3.95 would have seemed outrageous to me. It's too bad that none of these ever ended up under my Christmas tree, though. I'd really love to have that Surfer book. I've admired it for ever, but have never come across a bargain copy. That boxed set of Origins and Son of Origins would be pretty sweet, too. I think Marvel has reprinted the How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way in recent years, as I believe I spotted it recently at an LCS. I don't know if 1979 has been remembered "for the greatest Art Classics ever" as the hyperbolic text claims, but it should features some pretty cool collections. The thing I love the most, is that Simon & Schuster picked up the postage. Where's my time machine?

Reprint This! Dell's Universal Monsters

At some point in the early 60s, Dell acquired the license to publish comic books based on the Universal monsters. Some of these were adaptations of the films, while others were original stories. Most were reprinted at least once in the 60s (some in the Movie Classic series), but I don't believe that any of these have seen the light of day since then. Of course, these are now trapped in licensing purgatory, but wouldn't it be great if someone could convince Universal to allow them one more press run? All five books: Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolfman and the Creature would result in one amazing TPB.

According to the GCD, the Frankenstein book is only loosely based on the first James Whale movie. With the Vic Prezio cover, and the promise of Bob Jenney art, I'd be happy if it adapted Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell. More Jenney art can be found in the Wolfman book, which is an original story. As far as I know, the Dracula book is not based on the Stoker book, nor the Tod Browning film. I'm not sure about the Mummy book (is this the rarest of them all?), but it features Jack Sparling artwork, and I bet he tackled this material quite nicely. I have read the Creature book, and it is an awesome adaptation of the film, with superb Jenney art. I'd like a volume in colour with nice reproductions of the covers, as they are fantastic. A couple are by Prezio, are the others by LB Cole? Dark Horse, this seems to be right up your alley. I'm on my virtual knees.

Gil Kane Cover of the Month: Sensation Mystery #115

The cover to Sensation Mystery #115 (May-June, 1953) first caught my eye back in the early 80s, when I saw it in the colour cover gallery of an Overstreet Price Guide. It is one of the most beautifully designed covers to any DC horror/mystery book. The 'stairway to nowhere' is the perfect hook for grabbing a young reader's attention. I love how the guy with the candelabra lets the woman go first down the stairs: "After you, my dear". The shadows on the stone wall are perfect. The GCD states that Frank Giacoia inked this one, and I can't argue with that. I certainly don't think that it was Joe Giella or Bernard Sachs, two men who worked on many of the Kane covers of the period. Although this was several years into Kane's career at DC, you can still see the Caniff school nfluence in his faces. I adore this cover, and would love to get my hands on a copy of the actual book.

Quick DVD Reviews

Torso (1973)
Italian director Sergio Martino’s tense film is a mini masterpiece of the Giallo world. Perhaps, it is not much more than a collection of set pieces, but those set pieces are incredibly striking. Martino knows how to build suspense, as evidence by the ‘kill’ in the forest. I think this must have been a very influential film for both the slasher genre, and any thriller with a cat and mouse element. It’s worth seeking out and the Blue Underground disc I rented had a terrific print, with a good dub. Grade: A-

Whip It
I am no fan of Drew Barrymore, but there were enough interesting cast members here for me to give it a try. It’s not exactly Citizen Kane, but Barrymore didn’t embarrass herself (although she was the weakest element on screen). I get a bit creeped out by Ellen Page’s Dorian Gray looks, but she can certainly act. Daniel Stern and Marcia Gay Harden were the real standouts for me, and I thought it was sooo great to see Juliette Lewis again. Overall, the movie struggle to find the proper tone, and I wish Barrymore had avoided throwing so much dumb humour into a ‘Coming of Age’ story (or is it the other way around). Nothing groundbreaking (or even memorable), but worth a rental. Grade: B-

Sherlock Holmes
Guy Ritchie finally found the right mix of style and substance. Of course, I don’t think this movie would have been much without Downey Jr. and Law but Ritchie was smart enough to take a back seat to the performers. Story wise, I feel that … well, it doesn’t really matter. Butch and Sundance proved that chemistry really trumps everything else. This is first and foremost a buddy movie and my fingers are crossed that the two main stars come back for a least one more round. Grade: B+

District 9
I wish I had seen this one before all of the hype. It just didn’t live up to expectations and I imagine my criticisms are nothing new. The concept is superb and the pseudo-documentary style format works very well. I can even live with the transition into a more traditional narrative, as it was a natural progression while following the protagonist. The real issue is with the final act, a typical overly long Hollywood ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ battle that is so out of place that I think part of the director's credit should go to Stud E. O. Entterphearence. Like so many films - the execution could not keep up to the concept. Grade: B

Witchfinder General
I can’t believe that American International rechristened this one The Conqueror Worm for its US release, as this is such an awesome title. The long delayed DVD released actually occurred back in 2007, but I just got around to watching it last night. For a low budget period piece, this is a nasty little thing. Vincent Price is magnetic as Matthew Hopkins, the self appointed Witchfinder General. The story spins its wheels a bit, but I was happy to spend a bit of time in the Cromwell-era muck. It may come across as dated (nothing is really shocking in today’s world of torture porn) but it is quite a unique film and a must see for fans of both Price and classic British horror. Grade: B

Cheap Grapes: Marques de Valcarlos Crianza 2005

I'm always on the lookout for nice, inexpensive wines from Spain; a country that is terribly underrepresented in LCBO stores here in Ontario. This Navarra from 2005 hit shelves two months ago, and we're nearly onto our second case of it in the SOTI household. This one has something for everyone. It's medium bodied, but dark fruit flavours - mostly in the vein of cherries and blackberries than strawberries. There is also a subtle 'smoked' effect that lingers nicely. The thing I like about Spanish wines is that they often hit shelves with a couple of more years of mileage than French or Italian wines. That makes most of them ready for immediate consumption, but I think this one could handle another 2 or 3 years in the cellar. It sells for $13.95 here, so my guess is that it could be found for $10 in the US and maybe 7 or 8 quid in the UK. Highly recommended.

Who Painted the 'Orca' Poster?

The poster from which this detail is taken appeared as part of an ad on the back cover of just about every comic book I bought as a 6 year old. For years, I was very intrigued by this image. When I finally got around to seeing the movie on VHS, I was very disappointed to find that it did not come close to living up to the drama of the poster. As an aside, could you imagine a world in which movies actually lived up to the excited of their posters and/or trailers? What I would love to know, however, is the name of the artist responsible for this painting. I've become quite good at spotting Jack Davis and Nick Cardy posters, but I don't know much about non-comic book commercial illustrators of the era, and the identity of this artist eludes me. It has the same feel as the poster for the De Laurenitis King Kong movie poster. Does anyone know? Thanks in advance.

Comic Book Robot of the Month: The Champ

One thing that is often forgotten when the origin of the Junk Heap Heroes is discussed (wait, does anyone but me actually discuss that?) is the role played by The Champ, an impressive robot built by the top secret US spy agency known as G.E.O.R.G.E. What I love most about The Champ is that he sports the trench coat and fedora look. Just how many robots have try to fool us by wearing outfits such as that? In addition, he was lucky to be design by Dick Dillin. Dillin had a lot of fun with robots, often adding very quirky component. The glowing red eyes and crab claws give The Champ some real character. His task is to defeat the Blackhawks to prove that they are washed up as heroes. He does an excellent job, trash talking along the way. Is he the first trash talking robot? I sees certain similarities between the Champ and the Construct robots created by Dillin for the JLA series in the 70s. I'll tackle those another day.

Add It To My Want List: Marvel Treasury Edition #23

OK, while I would love to have each and every tabloid sized book from Marvel and DC , Marvel Treasury Edition #23 from 1979 is right at the top of my list. It features some terrific Conan material that I don't believe has appeared elsewhere. First off, it has the "A Witch Shall Be Born" story from Savage Sword of Conan. This is the one in which our favourite Cimmerian gets crucified (on a St. Andrew style cross, if memory serves). It is all very gruesome. I've seen it via my computer, but I'd really love to see all of that Buscema/Chan artwork in full treasury sized glory. There's also a map of Conan's world - I don't know if that was produced especially for this volume.

In addition, there are some terrific full-page pin-ups produced by some fantastic artists such as Alex Nino, Tim Conrad and Gray Morrow (included above). While I'm not normally a huge fan of pin-ups, I've always thought that they were appropriate for Conan as it was the covers to those old paperbacks that attracted so many fans in the first place. What really intrigues me about this volume, however, is that it collects the Conan newspaper strip. I have no recollection of this strip, so perhaps it was not in any of the Toronto papers. Strips often don't work all that well when published in book format, as the narrative can be both choppy and repetitive but beggars can't be choosers and from what I've seen, the reproductin quality looks superb.

Charlton Notebook: Monster Hunters #6

This is an above average entry for this Charlton series. I really dig the Mike Zeck cover, as he seems to be channeling Gil Kane in his monster design. You'll note the similarity to the monster on the cover of Master of Kung-Fu #75. The lead story "Beast or the Burden" is a very entertaining Ditko-drawn Mad Scientist vs. Police Inspector tale, with a clever ending. The middle tale, "Who Prowls the Night" is the weakest, with art by the Nicholas/Alascia, but it is decent. The finale is a crazy Stonehenge based tale, wherein a couple of astronomer from Wisconsin and kidnapped and carted off to England to witness a pagan ritual that does not come off as planned. Fun stuff.