RAWHIDE WEDNESDAYS 13

Previously in Tony Isabella’s Bloggy Thing:

The Rawhide Kid is one of my favorite comics characters.  Inspired
by Essential Rawhide Kid Vol. 1, which reprints Rawhide Kid #17-35,
I write about the Kid every Wednesday.  There are spoilers ahead.
You have been warned.

The Rawhide Kid #29 [August 1962] has a gritty cover by Jack Kirby
and Dick Ayers, three stories starring the title character, and a fourth
non-series story.  Though the Grand Comics Database has “?” for the
writer of the cover copy, that copy was almost certainly written by
editor Stan Lee.  One of the three Rawhide Kid stories is a redone
version of an earlier story.

“The Trail of Apache Joe” (7 pages) leads with a great splash page
of a barroom bully terrorizing the patrons of said establishment.
Rawhide sends the bully running, but, while the other patrons are
thanking him, the town’s elderly sheriff gets the drop on the Kid.
The sheriff offers his prisoner a deal: bring in the dreaded Apache
Joe and the lawman will use his influence with the governor to get
the Kid a full pardon.  The highly-motivated Kid does just that in
a short-but-exciting action sequence.  But, when he brings Apache
Joe in, he learns the old sheriff has passed away without telling
the new sheriff about their deal.  Rawhide manages to escape, but
there’s still a price on his head. 

All three of the Rawhide Kid stories this issue are by Lee, Kirby,
and Ayers.  It’s likely Lee and Kirby co-plotted them, but, absent
evidence, we can’t know for sure. 

“The Little Man Laughs Last” (6 pages) is my favorite story in the
issue.  It opens with the Rawhide Kid leaping from his horse to a
stagecoach because he doesn’t want to ride “a hoss all the way to
Abiline!” I assume Stan meant “Abilene,” either the city in Kansas
or the one in Texas.  We’ve seen the Kid take a stage coach in the
past.  Apparently, his horse just follows along in case he’s needed
in the last panel, as he is in this story.

Two imposing passengers - you can see them on the cover - get tough
with the Rawhide Kid, falsely accusing him of pestering the lovely
young woman riding with them.  Before the confined brawl can really
get going, the stage is held up by outlaws.  The passengers cower
before the bad guys, but the Kid takes on the gang all by himself.
He also slaps around the bullies a mite.  Removing his hat, Rawhide
bows before the lady and says:

“Sorry for the rough house, ma’am! Sometimes it takes us small
fellas a little while to tame those big tough hombres! Anyway, I
reckon you won’t have to worry about them no more!”

The lovely lady plants a kiss on the cheek of the surprised Rawhide
Kid and says: It’s not them I’ll worry about, Kid! It’s you! How
will I ever get you out of...my heart??”

The startled Kid rides off as the woman reflects: “I fear I’ve
scared him off! It took the harmless kiss of a helpless female to
do what killers’ guns and fists could not accomplish!  Farewell,
Rawhide Kid!! No matter what your size, you’re the biggest man I’ve
ever met!”

Next up was “Yak Yancy, the Man Who Treed a Town” (5 pages), a
non-series story by Lee and Ayers.  I’ll get to that one in just a bit.

The third and final Rawhide story of the issue is “The Fallen Hero”
(5 pages).  With a few changes, it’s the same plot as “The Defeat
of the Rawhide Kid” from issue #20 [February 1961].

Rawhide rides up to a farmhouse and asks for water for him and his
horse.  The farmer and his young son Davey are glad to help even a
stranger.  Davey recognizes the Kid and asks for an exhibition of
Rawhide’s shooting prowess.  After a brief show, the youngster asks
his dad if the Kid can stay for dinner.  To Davey, the Rawhide Kid
is a hero and he wants to be a famous outlaw just like him.

The Kid bullies Davey, prompting a facedown with Davey’s dad.  The
Kid’s guns don’t scare the father and he proceeds to deliver unto
Rawhide a righteous beatdown.  The “cowardly” Rawhide makes tracks
for the wide open spaces.  But Davey’s dad knows what the Kid just
did for Davey and, when Davey is old enough to understand, he will
tell him what kind of a man the Rawhide Kid really is.

Rawhide pretending to be an actual outlaw is a frequent element of
these short tales.  Once his stories got longer on a regular basis,
I don’t think it was ever used again.

Getting back to “Yak Yancy, the Man Who Treed a Town”...

This story is way too short for its plot.  The title character is
an outlaw who tyrannizes his henchman Bull.  When they come across
a small secluded town, Yak decides to take it over.  He gathers an
army of thugs and does just that.  He appoints himself mayor, fines
the bank whenever he feels like it, imprisons townspeople to make
it easier to rob their homes, ranches, and businesses. 

A stranger comes to town, applying for a job as a deputy because he
plumb likes to fight outlaws.  When Yak draws on him, the stranger
shoots the gun out of his hand.  Yak orders his gang to shoot the
stranger, but they are interrupted by the arrival of the Cavalry.
The stranger is Colonel Carter of the Fifth Cavalry. 

How did the cavalry know about Yak’s takeover of the town?  Bull,
tired of being pushed around, got a message to them.

In its five pages, “Yak Yancy” seems cramped.  More pages could’ve
shown more of the townspeople reacting to the situation and more of
Bull reaching his breaking point.  As I see it, the basic story is
good enough that it could have been a long Rawhide Kid adventure.
Here’s how my version would have gone:

The Rawhide Kid is living peacefully in the town.  When Yak Yancy
takes over, he tries to lie low, but he can’t stand seeing good and
decent people under the thumb of the outlaw.  The Kid fights back,
but even he can’t beat a small army by himself. 

Mayor Yancy tries the Kid for his “crimes” and sentences him to be
hanged.  That’s when Bull, inspired by the little guy’s courage,
sends a rider to get the cavalry and organizes the townspeople to
fight back and save the Kid. 

The townspeople fight back, the cavalry arrives, and now it’s Yak
and his men who are outnumbered.  They surrender.  Colonel Carter
tells Bull there’s an opening in his troop for a good man like him.
Pretending not to know who Rawhide is, he asks the Kid to go on a
quick ride to see if any of Yancy’s men got away.  He tells the Kid
that if any of the outlaws reach the border - just a few miles to
the north, by the way - they would be out of his jurisdiction and
he’d be unable to take them in. 

As the Kid rides off, Colonel Carter tells Bull he wishes he had a
dozen men like that little guy.  However, in his thoughts, Carter
is wishing he had a dozen men like...the Rawhide Kid!

More Rawhide Kid excitement next Wednesday. 

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
  
© 2012 Tony Isabella

NO BEACH PARTIES FOR AQUAMAN

Aquaman #11 [September-October 1963] was the first appearance of
Mera, who would marry the Sea King a few years later.  Looking at
this Nick Cardy cover nearly half a century after it showed up on
newsstands in the summer of 1963, this occurred to me:

Beach vacations have been a staple of American life since we’ve had
appreciable leisure time.  Yet Aquaman, a character uniquely suited
to such activities, never had a cover in this first series of his
in which he interacted with beachgoers.  Such a cover/story might
have made him more familiar to the kids buying comic books in 1963.
Instead, almost all his 1960s adventures put distance between him
and his readers.  The only “beach” cover I can recall has Aquaman
lying seemingly dead on a beach circa 1969.

Jack Miller’s “The Doom From Dimension Aqua” (25 pages) was drawn
by Nick Cardy.  I don’t recall buying or reading this issue in my
youth.  That doesn’t surprise me.  Aquaman wasn’t a “must have” for
me back then.  I didn’t start buying the title regularly until #31
[January-February 1967] when my earnings began to keep pace with my
comic-book appetite.

This issue was edited by George Kashdan.  In addition to the cover
story, there was a single-page “Homer Goes Skin Diving” gag by the
prolific Henry Boltinoff and “The Fantastic Frogmen,” a single-page
text article.  In 1963, comics readers would get some serious bang
for their twelve cents.

******************************

I’m slowly reading one of the most terrifying books I’ve ever read
and it’s not by Stephen King.  This book is so scary I can’t read
more than a few pages at a time...and it’s so scary because it is,
incredibly, sadly true.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander [The New Press; $19.95] exposes our country’s
“Get Tough on Crime” and “War on Drugs” policies for what they are:
monstrous unconstitutional attacks on black and minority Americans
to create a new “undercaste” among our citizens.

The events described in this book will infuriate you.  I certainly
didn’t need new reasons to hate Nixon, Reagan and other right-wing
scumbags, but I found those reasons here.  I also found reasons to
hate Bill Clinton and every other Democratic Party officeholder -
including President Obama - who have played key roles in enabling
and funding the ongoing attacks on simple fairness and basic civil
rights.  On justice itself.

I got the book from my local library system.  I’ll be buying my own
copy.  As a writer, it offers me many inspirations for stories.  As
an American citizen, it convinces me that this issues needs to be
brought front and center in this election and in every election to
follow until the injustice is ended.  It is, simply put, a powerful
book that every American needs to read.

ISBN 978-1-59558-643-8

******************************

I managed to watch some movies this past week/weekend.  The best of
the trio was one recommended by a reader of this blog.  I do read
your comments, my friends, and follow your suggestions on frequent
occasions.

Larry Crowne (2011) was the movie recommend to me by “Leviathan.”
Written by star and director Tom Hanks with Nia Vardalos, the film
is about a man who, after two decades in the Navy and several years
of excellent service to a big-box store, is fired because it’s been
decided by the suits that his lack of a college education means he
has no chance to advance in the company.  So, for the first time in
his life, Larry goes to college where his professors include Julia
Roberts and George Takei.

The movie is a delightful romantic comedy, but it’s also a terrific
examination of character and characters.  Leviathan thought I’d get
a kick out of Cedric the Entertainer as a neighbor of Larry’s who
runs a perpetual garage sale.  I did...because Cedric made the role
much more than a running joke.  There are other great characters in
this movie and several great performances.  Particular shout-outs
must go to Holmes Osborne as the college dean, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as
a free spirit fellow student and Wilmer Valderrama as Mbatha-Raw’s
boyfriend and leader of a scooter gang. 

Larry Crowne is one of those movies I’m recommending to my friends,
which group also includes my legion of bloggy thing readers.  Set
aside an evening to watch this little treasure.

****************************** 

While I wouldn’t rate it as high as Larry Crowne, I was very much
delighted and entertained by The Muppets (2011).  Written by star
Jason Segel with Nicholas Stoller and directed by James Bobin, the
film revolves around a number of triangles.  There’s the romance of
Segel and the wonderful Amy Adams with a lovable third wheel in the
form of Segel’s Muppet kid brother.  There’s Kermit, Piggy and the
frog’s dedication to the Muppets.  There’s the Muppets, eager for
a comeback, Chris Cooper’s nasty-ass oil magnate who wants to tear
down the legendary Muppet Theatre and drill for oil, and the vile
Moopets tribute band who want to replace the originals. 

The Muppets has amusing songs and dancing, as well as heart-warming
moments of personal courage and growth.  It’s wild and wacky where
it needs to be, inspiring where it must be.  Not to mention the fun
of spotting the many cameo appearances.  If you’ve ever been a fan
of the Muppets, you’ll love this film.

******************************

Though it’s one of countless “mockbusters” rushed to market by The
Asylum, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes (2010) was mildly
entertaining in a Saturday-night-at-home-alone manner.  As some of
you may know, I’m fascinated by the Asylum and it’s knock-them-out
quick style of filmmaking. 

This one stars Ben Syder as a not-particularly-interesting Sherlock
Holmes, but makes up for that with Gareth David-Lloyd of Torchwood
fame as Dr. Watson, Elizabeth Arends as the mysterious Anesidora
Ivory, accomplice to Holmes’ villainous brother Thorpe, and Dominic
Keating as that brother.  You may know Keating from his recurring
roles on Heroes and Star Trek Enterprise.  So, for one thing, this
movie has some decent acting.

What sold me on the movies were the dinosaurs.  Sherlock Holmes vs.
dinosaurs?  I’m there, though I was disappointed the movie has no
mention of Professor Challenger, Sir Conan Doyle’s other terrific
creation.  Still...dinosaurs in London.  Yes!

Paul Bales wrote the movie.  Among his other writing credits: Nazis
at the Center of the Earth and 2010: Moby Dick.  As a producer, he
has worked on 2-Headed Shark Attack, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Mega
Shark vs. Crocosaurus, Mega Piranha, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus
and Supercroc.  There’s no reason for me to name all those movies
except that their titles make me giggle.

This is not a movie to put too much thinking into.  Just grab the
beverage of your choice and some popcorn, then sit back and pretend
you’re a kid again.  There are far worse ways to spend an hour-and-
a-half.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
  
© 2012 Tony Isabella

VAST ACCUMULATION OF STUFF SALE 6/4

I have a Vast Accumulation of Stuff and I want to sell most of it
in the next five years.  Some of this stuff is being offered first
to readers of this bloggy thing of mine.

Every Monday, I post a list of still available items.  This items
will remain available until I either offer them on eBay or put them
in my summer-long garage sale.

Here’s how the sales work:

First come, first serve. In other words, the quicker you e-mail me,
the better your chance of getting the item or items.  All items are
in very good or better condition unless otherwise noted.

Bonus savings.  If your order totals between $50 and $99.99 before
shipping charges, you get an additional 5% off.  If your order is
over $100 before shipping charges, you get an additional 10% off.

Items will be shipped via United States Postal Service.  There is
a $5 charge for shipping and handling via media mail. That charge
helps defray my expenses.  If the charge seems high, look at it in
light of the low prices on most of these items.

Payments are by check, money order or PayPal.  My PayPal address is
the same as my email address.  Purchases will be shipped within a
week of checks clearing,  money orders received or PayPal payments
received.

Because this is a one-man operation done between family, household
and work responsibilities, these items are only available to buyers
within the United States and to APO buyers.

Here’s the list of items still available...

ANGEL OMNIBUS. IDW. ($8)

APOLLO’S SONG by Osamu Tezuka ($5)

BATMAN: BRUCE WAYNE THE ROAD HOME. DC hardcover. ($8)

BATMAN: DARK JOKER - THE WILD by Doug Moench, Kelley Jones and John
Beatty HC ($10)


BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD by Judd Winick, Doug Mahnke and others.
DC Comics. ($10)

BATTLE ROYALE 13 by Koushun Takami & Masayuki Taguchi with English
adaptation by Keith Giffen unopened ($3)

BEST OF STAR TREK by Mike W. Barr, Diane Duane, Peter David, Tom
Sutton, Dan Jurgens, Curt Swan, James Fry & Gordon Purcell ($8)

BIG NATE IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF by Lincoln Peirce HC ($5)

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL: MASSACRE by Hiroaki Samura. Dark Horse
manga. ($5)

BOOK OF HUMAN INSECTS by Osamu Tezuka. Vertical. HC manga ($7)

CAPTAIN BRITAIN VOL. 1: BIRTH OF A LEGEND by Chris Claremont, Herb
Trimpe and others HC ($20)

CHAFF N’ SKAFFS: MAI AND THE LOST MOSKIVVY by Amanda and Luke
Feldman, illustrated by Luke Feldman.  HC children’s book ($5)

CHILL by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi. Vertigo GN ($4)

CITY OF SPIES BY Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan and Pascal Dizin ($5)

CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE CAL MCDONALD MYSTERIES OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 by
Steve Niles. Dark Horse. ($8)

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION: INTERN AT YOUR RISK Manga by Sekou
Hamilton and Steven Cummings ($4)

DEAD@17: THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES by Josh Howard ($4)

DEATH FROM THE SKIES: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE END OF THE WORLD by
Philip Platt Ph.D ($5)

DEATH KAPPA so bad its...nah, it’s just bad DVD ($1)

DEVIL DOG: THE AMAZING TRUE STORY OF THE MAN WHO SAVED AMERICA by
David Talbot with illustrations by Spain Rodriguez HC ($7)

DITKOMANIA #78, 79, 85, 86. Fanzines. (75 cents each)

FANTASTIC FOUR: THE WORLD’S GREATEST COMICS MAGAZINE by Erik Larsen
and others. Collects 12-issue series. HC ($12)

FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN by Gerry Conway & Allen Milgrom.  Reprint
of original series and Flash back-ups. ($7)

FRANK CHO: APES AND BABES BOOK ONE HC ($15)

GACHA GACHA THE NEXT REVOLUTION by Hiroyuki Tamakoshi Volume 1, 2,
4, 6, 7, 8, 11 ($6 each)

GREEN LANTERN: SLEEPERS Books One, Two, and Three by Christopher J.
Priest, Mike Baron and Michael Akn HC prose trilogy (all three for
$22)

HOUSE OF MYSTERY: UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT by Matthew Sturges, Luca
Rossi and Jose Marzan, Jr. Vertigo. ($5)

HUMAN TARGET by Len Wein, Bruno Redondo and Sergio Sandoval.  DC.
($6)

IN PLAIN SIGHT: SEASON ONE DVD unopened ($20)

INU-YASHA: A FEUDAL FAIRY TALE 4 by Rumiko Takahashi ($5)

INU-YASHA: A FEUDAL FAIRY TALE 5 by Rumiko Takahashi ($5)

IRON MAN VS. WHIPLASH by Marc Guggenheim, Brandon Braga & Phillippe
Briones ($6)

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #57 ($5)

JSA: BLACK REIGN by Geoff Johns and Rags Morales ($4)

JUNGLE BOOK (NBM; 2009) by Rudyard Kipling, art by Tieko. Oversized
HC ($5)

JUNIOR MISS #33 [Marvel; 1949] good condition ($10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST Volume 1 HC ($20)

KICK ASS by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. HC ($10)

KITCHEN PRINCESS 7 by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi ($3)

KITCHEN PRINCESS 8 by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi ($3)

KONG: KING OF SKULL ISLAND by Joe DeVito HC ($13)

LEGION LOST by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Olivier Coipel HC ($20)

LOSERS: TRIFECTA by Andy Diggle and Jock ($5)

MAMMOTH BOOK OF EXTREME FANTASY ($5)

MIGHTY SAMSON #1 Gold Key ($16)

MIGHTY SAMSON #3 Gold Key ($10)

MIGHTY SAMSON #4 Gold Key ($10)

MIGHTY SAMSON #5 Gold Key ($10)

MIGHTY SAMSON #6 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #7 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #8 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #9 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #10 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #11 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #12 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #13 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #14 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #15 Gold Key ($6)

MIGHTY SAMSON #16 Gold Key ($6)

MONSTERS, INC. Collectors Edition 2-Disc DVD unopened ($5)

NEW TEEN TITANS: WHO IS DONNA TROY by Wolfman and Perez ($10)

OUT OF PICTURE: ART FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN Volume 1 (Villard,
2007), features short illustrated stories.  Oversized softcover
($6)

OUT OF PICTURE: ART FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN Volume 2 (Villard,
2008), features short illustrated stories.  Oversized softcover
with more pages than first volume ($8)

PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON Vol. 1-4 plus CODENAME SAILOR V Vol. 1-
2 (all 6 for $32)

SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #31 by Alan Moore, Rick Veitch and John
Totleben ($2)

SAMURAI DEEPER KYO 1 by Akimine Kamijyo ($3)

SCRAPBOOK OF FRANKIE PRATT: A NOVEL IN PICTURES by Caroline Preston
HarperCollins, 2011. HC. ($5)

SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY VOL. 1 by Grant Morrison and others HC
unopened ($20)

SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY VOL. 2 by Grant Morrison and others HC
($20)

SPIDER ISLAND: HEROES FOR HIRE #1 by Abnett, Lanning and Hotz ($1)

STAR TREK: THE MODALA IMPERATIVE by Michael Jon Friedman, Peter
David and Pablo Marcos ($8)

STAR TREK: WHO KILLED CAPTAIN KIRK by Peter David, Tom Sutton and
Ricardo Villagran ($7)

STAR WARS #80 by Jo Duffy, Ron Frenz, and Tom Palmer ($4)

STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME FOUR - ALLIANCE ($6)

STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME SEVEN - STORMS ($7)

STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME NINE - MONSTER ($7)

STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME TEN - EXTREMES ($7)

STAR WARS VECTOR VOLUME TWO ($7)

SUPERMAN/BATMAN: THE SEARCH FOR KRYPTONITE by Michael Green, Mike
Johnson, Shane Davis and Matt Banning ($5)

SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank and Jon Sabal ($4)

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN DELUXE EDITION by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank
and Jon Sabal HC ($12)

TEEN TITANS: BEAST BOYS AND GIRLS ($5)

TERRY MOORE’S ECHO: BLACK HOLE ($5)

TERRY MOORE’S ECHO: THE LAST DAY ($5)

TOY STORY 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION DVD 2-Disc Set unopened ($5)

TWO-STEP by Warren Ellis, Amanda Conner, and Jimmy Palmiotti ($5)

WAKING DEAD BOOK TWO by Kirkman and Adlard HC unopened ($15)

WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY: ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE by Gail Simone and
Horacio Domingues. DC. ($5)

WONDER WOMAN ARCHIVES VOLUME 5 HC unopened ($25)

Thanks for your patronage.

Tony Isabella

I WAS A DEAD MAN

House of Mystery #2 [February-March 1952] was one of DC’s earliest
attempts to do something like a horror comic.  Though I have never
read this issue, other issues from this era are tepid compared to
the more interesting shivers coming from EC, Marvel, ACG and other
publishers.  However, the tepid approach to terror served DC well.
When the crackdown on horror comics landed hard, DC continued with
this title without drawing much fire.

The Grand Comics Database credits Curt Swan as the pencil artist of
this cover with Ed Smalle as a possible inker.  I’m not real good
at art identification, but, if this is Swan’s work, he just didn’t
bring the scary to the piece.  In the late 1960s, Swan would draw
some stories for The Unexpected - edited by Murray Boltinoff - and
those jobs were very effective.

The GCD does not have writer credits for any of the stories in this
issue.  Writers known to have written for the title in these early
years include Don Cameron, Jack Miller, and Dick Wood.

Here are the stories/artists listed in the GCD:

“The Mark of X” (8 pages; Swan pencils, George Klein inks)

“The Secret of Salzo the Great” (3.66 pages; Mort Meskin pencils)

“Tree of Doom” (7.66 pages; Jim Mooney pencils and inks)

“I Was A Dead Man” (8 pages; Swan pencils, Sy Barry inks)

“The Strange Experiment of Dr. Grimm” (6 pages; Sheldon Moldoff
pencils and inks).

In case you’re new to my bloggy things - we’re getting real close
to a thousand views per day - these openings usually feature comic
books published in the month of my birth [December 1951] or comics
from the month [July 1963] when I decided I wanted to work in the
comics industry.

******************************

My chances of living to a ripe old age are probably somewhat lower
than I would like because I keep doing stuff like this:

I’m in a parking lot.  I see a guy - early/late 30s - wearing what
looks like a sports team jersey at first glance.  On closer look,
his number if “2" and his team name is “AMENDMENT.”  That strikes
me as a clever shirt/statement.

He catches me looking at his shirt and his truck, which is covered
with various bumper stickers nowhere near as clever as his shirt.
He gives me an intense stare and asks me “What are you looking at?”
There’s only a slight growl in his voice.

I tell I think his shirt is clever.  He actually grins.  He asks me
if I know why the right to bear arms is the second amendment.  The
quip comes out of my mouth before I can stop it:

“Because gun nuts can’t count any higher than two?”

It takes him a beat, but then he laughs.  He tells me I’m a funny
guy and we part without any animosity.  Of course, when I get home
and tell her about, Sainted Wife Barb reads me the riot act.  She
was not amused.

******************************

This next few weeks are going to be busy/crazy/hectic for me.  My
son Eddie is graduating from The Ohio State University this weekend
and I’ll be spending two days in Columbus.  Before I go there, I’ve
got to write my monthly Comics Buyer’s Guide column and take care
of some other household/personal matters.

Later today, I’ll be posting the list of items still available for
purchase from my Vast Accumulation of Stuff.  However, I won’t be
posting new items for sale this week.  Hopefully, that will resume
next Tuesday.

Also this month, I have Barb and my 28th wedding anniversary, the
wedding of my nephew Lou and his bride Erica back in Columbus, and
Eddie’s 24th birthday.  There’s also the possibility Eddie will be
starting a new job at the end of the month.  Exciting times.  Busy
but exciting.

In between all of the above, I will be getting ready for the start
of my summer-long garage sale.  The official start is planned for
June 29 and 30...with the further expectation that I’ll be holding
such garage sales at least every other Friday and Saturday.  I’ll
keep you posted.

The garage will be kept in garage sale mode all summer long.  You
will be able to come and shop at days and times more convenient to
you...as long as you make a prior appointment to do so.  My aim is
to restock my sale boxes continually throughout the summer, which
means there will almost always be new stuff for you to buy.  More
details will follow.

Come July, I hope to have some other Isabella plans to share with
you.  Events I’m not yet able to write about have slowed me down,
but I’m determined to move forward on multiple fronts.  It will be
more fun if you’re moving with me.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
  
© 2012 Tony Isabella

WHAT CHANCE HAVE YOU?

Amazing Spider-Man #5 [October 1963] was not the first Spider-Man
comic book I bought.  That would be issue #9 [February 1964] with
the first appearance of Electro and the somewhat incredible scene
of Peter Parker faking photos so that they seem to show Spider-Man
changing into Electro.  Hey, the kid had those doctor bills to pay
for Aunt May.  Though that bit never sat right with me, everything
else in the issue was so darn cool I only missed one other issue of
the title over the next several decades.

After reading Fantastic Four Annual #1 that summer, I went looking
for Spider-Man and other Marvel comics.  Which wasn’t easy as they
sold out quickly at my neighborhood drug store and grocery stores.
My enthusiasm for Marvel was what led me to find out when the new
comics arrived at those stores every week and make sure I was there
to get first crack at them.  Even so, it was four months before I
got to buy a new Spider-Man comic book.

Once I bought that first Spider-Man comic book, I went on the hunt
for the back issues.  I’m pretty sure I got Amazing Spider-Man #5
in a baseball cards and comic books trade with a kid who went to my
school.  My interest in baseball cards was secondary to my love of
Marvel Comics, which gave me lots of trade fodder.

In the issue, Spidey was “Marked for Destruction by Doctor Doom!”
Not to cite Doom as a role model, but, every now and again, I get
the urge to create a list of people I have marked for destruction.
Maniacal laugh.

The 21-page story was scripted by Stan Lee, drawn by Steve Ditko,
and likely co-plotted by those two comics greats.  The basic story
is summed up nicely at the Grand Comics Database: Dr. Doom tries to
trick Spider-Man into helping him defeat the Fantastic Four. When
Spider-Man turns him down, he decides to capture Spider-Man. Flash
Thompson dresses up as Spider-Man for a prank and Dr. Doom mistakes
him for the real Spider-Man and captures him instead, and Flash has
to be saved by the real Spider-Man.

Spider-Man was definitely the underdog in this battle, which made
for lots of exciting moments.  The Fantastic Four appeared in the
story, which was another neat thing.  To me, DC super-heroes like
Superman and Batman seemed like they scheduled play dates with each
other.  Marvel heroes just bumped into one another.  The latter was
much more appealing to an 11-year-old boy beginning to realize how
random the universe could be.

The GCD also notes that Amazing Spider-Man became a monthly title
with this issue and that this was the first time Doctor Doom used
a robot to take his place.  These days, if a Marvel hero appeared
in just one title, we would think him a slacker...and Doc Doom has
gone through more robots that New Yorkers have gone through super-
sized sugary drinks.  

Not to let politics intrude on our nostalgia here, but, even while
Mayor Bloomberg is trying to ban soda drinks over 16 ounces in the
Big Apple, he’s also proposed another ban that would more directly
affect comic books.  Under this new ban, DC and Marvel would have
to limit their big crossover events to 16 issues.  While I usually
believe government should stay out of our bedrooms and comic-book
shops, it’s hard to disagree on that one.

Keep reading my bloggy things for more comics from the month of my
birth and the month of my awakening.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
  
© 2012 Tony Isabella

THE DOOMED DECISION

Hopalong Cassidy #62 [December 1951] starred the cowboy hero played
by William Boyd in an incredible 66 films.  Boyd’s Hopalong was a
clean-cut hero, very different from the original Hopalong Cassidy
as created by novelist Clarence E. Mulford in 1904.  That original
Hopalong Cassidy is described by Wikipedia as “rude, dangerous, and
rough-talking.” Mulford wrote 28 Hopalong Cassidy novels and many
short stories.  He would later revise those novels and stories to
bring them in line with his creation’s screen image.

Fawcett published 84 issues of Hopalong Cassidy and, when DC Comics
acquired the property, they continued the numbering for another 50
issues.  Boyd owned the license to the character and, presumably,
the rights to these 134 comic books.

The photo cover features Boyd and his horse Topper.  At present, we
don’t know who wrote the stories contained in the issue, but hard-
working comics fans and historians have identified the artists as
Joe Certa and Max Elkin. 

The Grand Comics Database offers this synopsis of the cover story:
By kidnapping a judge's son, the rustling rancher forces the
judge to rule in his favor.  In the other Hopalong Cassidy stories,
the cowboy hero is almost fooled by a bandit pretending to be his
own twin brother and contends with an arsonist seeking revenge on
Cassidy for the drubbing he received after Hopalong caught the man
beating a horse. Humorous back-up strips featured “Whitey Whiskers”
and “Black and White.”

More vintage comics to come.

******************************

Let’s look at some more Free Comic Book Day giveaways, commencing
with Kaboom!’s Adventure Time with Finn & Jake/Peanuts flipbook. I
wasn’t familiar with the former - I’ve seen ads for the cartoon on
TV - but that wasn’t an impediment to my reading and enjoying the
stories.  It has a gentle charm with a bit of bite.  I could see a
kid going for this comic book big-time.  It’s not something I would
read unless I had a business reason for doing so, but, at 60 years
old, I’m nowhere near the target age group.

The Peanuts side of the flip book was more in my wheelhouse.  The
classic strips by Charles M. Schultz still delight.  The new stuff
by Ron Zorman, Vicki Scott, and Paige Braddock is fun.  I think the
new stuff could use some tuning, but I also think Peanuts fans will
get a kick out of this title.  In terms of attracting new readers
with their FCBD giveaway, Kaboom did well.

******************************

Fantagraphics’ Barnaby and Mr. O’Malley by Crockett Johnson is one
of my favorite FCBD offerings.  Maggie Thompson says Barnaby, an
utterly charming strip about a young boy, his fairy godfather and
their odd friends, “may be the best comic strip you’ve never seen.”
Courtesy of a few paperback reprints back in the day, I have seen
it and loved it.  While I’m sure Fantagraphics hopes to make a few
bucks reprinting the strip in five annual volumes, I think bringing
this classic comics work to new and old readers is akin to doing God’s
work.  Yes, Barnaby is that good.

******************************

Every time I pick up a DC Comics comic book, I want to love it.  I
want to love every comic book I pick up, but that’s only half the
reason I want to love every DC comic book.  Because, when I love some
DC comic book, I don’t hear from some jerk, often some jerk working
for DC Comics, about how I just don’t like DC.

Truth be told, I don’t much like DC Comics the corporation because
of how it’s treated comics creators, including myself.  And there
are a few specific people at DC I don’t much like because they are
such incredible douche bags.  I also don’t much like what seems to
be too many editors expecting writers to tell the
editors’ stories or, more exactly, what those editors are
deluding themselves into thinking are stories. 

I should consider playing it safe and not review DC comic books at
all, or just review the ones I like.  Which is what DC and, truth
again, most comics publishers would prefer happen with their comic
books as well.  But that would diminish the value of my reviews for
my readers and sully what I consider to be the honorable craft of
reviewing comic books.

I don’t assume my readers follow my suggestions blindly.  I figure
they see what I like and - this is important - what I don’t like.
Then, having compared their likes and dislikes to mine, they make
informed decisions on whether or not they might like something I’ve
recommended to them.

DC Comics - The New 52 FCBD Special Edition is one of several FCBD
books to come out of DC and its various imprints.  It starts with
a preview of something called the “Trinity War,” which is probably
the New 52 Universe’s first major event.  Oh, goody.  You know how
much I love DC and Marvel events.  Whoop-de-doodle!

This event gets off on the wrong foot with me immediately, giving
the Phantom Stranger an origin and a not particularly interesting
one at that, and making the Question a mystical character.  While
I wasn’t thrilled with the Ayn Rand crap that drove Steve Ditko’s
version of his creation, it was intriguing and unique and, though
Denny O’Neil did Ditko a disservice in altering the Question as he
did, those stories were also worthwhile.  I do realize the New 52
characters aren’t intended to be the same as their original selves,
but messing with the basics is off-putting to me.

The long preview is followed by a handful of shorter previews for
other new DC titles.  Some look interesting and some don’t.  Avid
“New 52" fans will doubtless want to read the new titles and there
isn’t a blessed thing wrong with that.  Good for them.  Assuming DC
Comics wanted to preach to the choir with this FCBD giveaway, they
succeeded.

Idle queries.  Are the Thunder and Lightning listed as members of
the Ravagers supposed to be Black Lightning’s kids?  And shouldn’t
comics writers and editors know the definition of “ravage” well
enough to realize it’s a really dumb name for a super-hero team?
Or are these characters supposed to be rapacious villains?  I may
never know.  

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
  
© 2012 Tony Isabella

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO

Alley Oop #2 [September-November 1963] was one of two 1960s Dell
issues starring the comic strip character created by V.T. Hamlin.
Alley Oop comics had previously been published by Dell and Standard
in the 1940s and Argo in the 1950s.  The caveman hero’s adventures
took place in prehistoric times, in modern times, and thanks to a
time machine, throughout history.

The Grand Comics Database doesn’t yet have credit or story info on
this issue, but Alley Oop #1 [December 1962-February 1963] has an
“All New Stories” blurb on its cover with stories and art credited
to “Matt(?) Fox.”  However, the Who’s Who of American Comic Books
1928-1999 lists Dave Graue as the cover artist of these Dell comics
and Jack Mendelsohn as their writer. 

For the time being, I’m going to be alternating my opening comments
between comic books published in my birth month of December 1951,
and comics published in July 1963, the month when I first realized
I wanted to make comic books for a living.  Lots of good stuff or,
at least, interesting stuff in those months.

******************************

My catch-up reading of X-Men titles has reached issues dated 2012,
so I’m almost there.  After that, the plan is to take a month off
from such large comics reading projects and read a bunch of other
titles.  Maybe even some you recommend.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

Uncanny X-Men is the flagship title of the X-Men Universe and not
without reason.  Writers Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen have done
some good work there.

The earliest 2011 issues had the X-Men laid low by a mutants-only
flu while a nasty corporation used X-Men DNA to give its customers
mutant powers.  It was a good story arc with possibilities for some
future stories.

Magneto’s presence on Utopia is a major public-relations problem.
That was addressed in the done-in-one Uncanny X-Men #534.1.  Yes,
the X-Men have hired a PR firm to improve their image.  That makes
great sense to me.

Breakworld, first introduced by Joss Whedon in Astonishing X-Men,
made a comeback in issues #535-538.  It wasn’t a spectacular arc,
but it was solid and entertaining.

Wolverine doesn’t trust mutant messiah Hope, fearing she might be
a new recipient of the supremely powerful and destructive Phoenix.
That seems like a logical concern to me and it’s addressed in the
done-in-one #539.  One of the things I like about the X-titles I’m
reading is that the conflicts don’t come out of thin air.  They are
logical, realistic, serious conflicts.

Uncanny X-Men #540-543 are “Fear Itself” issues and they are just
as awful as most of the several hundred comic books devoted to that
awful idea.  Among the dumb things: Colossus is now apparently the
new Juggernaut.  Bitch. 

That brings us to X-Men: Prelude to Schism and Schism.  The former
was an attempt to look at four key mutant shakers and movers in the
X-Men Universe prior to their having to make some tough decisions.
I can’t fault the attempt, but the execution was less dramatic than
I’d hoped it would be.

My quick summary of Schism:

Cyclops addresses the United Nations requesting that the Sentinels
they have been hiding for future use be dismantled.  His logic is,
well, logical.  The Sentinels practically outnumber the surviving
mutants, they are expense and they are undependable.  The address
is undone when teen mutant anarchist Quentin Quire forces the UN
representatives to voice their dirty little personal secrets.  With
their reputations defiled, the countries of these representatives
activate their Sentinels.  Also included in the mix are the schemes
of a new pre-puberty Hellfire Club, murderous middle-schoolers that
are more scary than silly. 

When Utopia is threatened with extinction, most of the experienced
X-Men are scattered around the world dealing with Sentinels going
berserk.  Wolverine wants to evacuate the island.  Cyclops wants to
call on young mutants to defend it.  It’s an emotional disagreement
between the two, which only gets dumb when they start slugging it
out as doom approaches.

When the threat is over, Wolverine decides to quit Utopia and take
as many of the mutants with him as are willing to go.  He plans to
restart Professor Xavier’s school.  Cyclops tries to convince the
mutants to stay.  Many characters have to make tough decisions in
the aftermath of Schism and I was pleased to see that their reasons
made pretty good sense to me.  The X-Men titles show more thinking
behind the stories than many super-hero comics.

Cyclops has become an incredibly complex character.  He strikes me
as always being on the line and in danger of crossing it.  I have
some sympathy for his positions, given that the mutant population
doesn’t even number 200.

Wolverine is a mess in most of his appearances.  But if the bloody
nonsense of those appearances have led him more into the role of a
thoughtful protector, it would be excellent character development
for him.  Alas, it likely won’t be reflected in too many stories on
account of the fans like all that slashing and the maiming and the
killing that have become associated with Logan.

Wolverine and the X-Men #1, one of the few “Regenesis” issues
I’ve read to date, was great fun.  When I've read more of these
post-Schism X-titles, I’ll write more about this issue.  Keep
watching future bloggy things..

I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
  
© 2012 Tony Isabella