MY BEWILDERED HEART

Love Letters #19 [Quality; March 1952] appeared on newsstands in my
birth month of December 1951.  There were 31 issues from November
1949 to June 1953 before the title changed its name to Love Secrets
and continued for another 25 issues to December 1956.  The secret
of the issue shown above is that I know nothing about it save what
can be seen on the cover.

I don’t know who the cover models are, but, for some odd reason, I
looked at them and said “They could be a young Johnny and Virginia
Romita.”  I also don’t know what stories were in this issue and who
wrote and/or drew them.  All I know is that the following artists
worked on the book in or around 1951: Harry Anderson, John Buscema,
Sam Citron, Chuck Cuidera and John Forte.

My bewildered brain awaits enlightenment from bloggy thing readers
who know more than I do.  Which, clearly, is not a difficult feat
to accomplish.

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Speaking of love...

Sainted Wife Barb must love me beyond reason.  Last Saturday night,
after my garage sale, after her weekend job, after dinner, after we
went to Target to score Candy Corn Oreos and M&Ms White Chocolate
Candy Corn, she actually watched Sand Sharks with me.  That’s the
very definition of above and beyond.

It’s taken Sand Sharks an usually long time to get to DVD and the
SyFy Channel.  I can see why.  Despite fun performances from Corin
Nemec, Vanessa Evigan and Robert Pike Daniel, the movie feels like
a homework assignment completed hours before class. 

The borrowing from Jaws is clumsy, the CGI monsters don’t have a
fraction of the  screen presence of the Jaws shark and the script
omits things that could’ve been interesting.  For example, we are
told a party thrown by Corin Nemec’s maniac hustler character years
before resulted in deaths, but no details are ever provided.  And,
unless both Barb and I dozed off at the same time, we never saw how
two other characters, trapped on rocks surrounded by waiting sand
sharks - Tremors steal - escaped that predicament. 

Finally, I saw the last scene shocker coming the moment they set it
up just prior to the sand sharks crashing a beach party.  Still, I
don’t really expect quality entertainment from movies such as this.
I just expect mindless fun that takes me back to my days watching
Ernie “Ghoulardi” Anderson hosting monster movies on Cleveland TV.
And, last Saturday night, watching the movie with Barb and hearing
her hilarious comments on the film, added to the fun.  In my book,
that’s a win-win.

By the way, Candy Corn Oreos are tasty.  M&Ms White Chocolate Candy
Corn? Like awesome exploding in your mouth.  I must have Barb hide
these from me.

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Regular readers of my bloggy thing will recall I had an issue with
Back Issue magazine over misinformation about my earliest dealings
with DC Comics was injected into an interview by the interviewer.
I’m delighted to report that issue has been resolved.

Back Issue has agreed to correct the misinformation in an upcoming
issue and I’ve agreed to fact-check any Isabella references their
readers include in their articles.  What I’m doing is strictly in
the interest of getting the facts right.  I don’t care if someone
hates the work I’ve done in comics - well, okay, I do care a little
- but I’m determined to correct errors of fact about myself as much
as possible.

I’m also cooperating with Back Issue writers on the condition they
send me their articles before publication.  Again, I’m only looking
at the facts involving me or my work and not the opinions thereof.
In recent weeks, I’ve answered questions on Super-Villain Team-Up,
Super-Team Family, The Champions, Marvel’s British weeklies and
probably a few others I’ve forgotten. 

Back Issue is an entertaining and informative magazines, one that
I enjoy greatly.  So I’m happy to help its writers get their facts
correct.  It’s not always pleasant to recall the past, but I think
the importance of preserving comics history, even the minor comics
history in which I played a part, is important.

****************************** 

Speaking of those British weeklies...

When I started at Marvel Comics on Halloween 1972, my first job was
putting together The Mighty World of Marvel, which reprinted early
issues of Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the Hulk.  Before long,
that one mag became three with the additions of Spider-Man Comics
Weekly and The Avengers Comics Weekly.

While going through boxes in my Fortress of Storage, I was crushed
to discover that the issues of those weeklies on which I had worked
had been destroyed by water damage.  Apparently, this happened just
before they were moved into storage. 

I have no idea what the back-issue market is like on these British
weeklies.  I’m afraid to see what they’re going for on eBay.  But,
if any one out there among my bloggy thing readers has copies for
sale or trade, please contact me.  I’m looking for issues from 1972
through 1974, which I think covers my time working on the weeklies.

Trade deals could even include my writing for your comic books and
websites.  The barter system lives!

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SPOILERS AHEAD!

While reading a review of Bigfoot on my pal Christopher Mills’ cool
DVD Late Show page, I found myself wondering if any one is keeping
tabs on the celebrities killed in monster movies.  I’m not talking
films like Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid where characters played by pop
music celebrities meet their demise.  I’m talking about celebrities
playing themselves and getting killed.

Bigfoot kicked Alice Cooper about twenty miles in the movie of that
name.  Micky Dolenz of the Monkees got eaten by a giant python in
Mega Python Vs. Gatoroid.  Joey Fatone of NSYNC got gobbled up in
Jersey Shore Shark Attack.  

There must be others or, at least, there should be.  Additions and
suggestions are both welcome.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new Rawhide Wednesday.

© 2012 Tony Isabella