Archive | Christmas RSS feed for this section

The Saturday Comics: What Were They Thinking?

10 Dec

December 10, 2011

Sometimes comic companies seem to lose their minds. You look at what they put out and you wonder who they expect to buy it. I’m not talking about a badly written story or an issue with bad art, I am talking about a comic whose very cover makes you think that just maybe the publisher has had a stroke. This week I present five WTF? covers and I am proud/sad to say that I own four of them.

 

There was a time that Batman was so popular that you could put anything on the newsstands and it would sell as long as it had Batman on the cover. Now while I am firmly of the opinion that everything is better with apes, this one leaves me scratching my head.

First of all, the ape is wearing a cowl, presumably to protect its identity. But Batman goes right ahead and blows it by blurting out his name. Way to go, Bruce.

Secondly, the gorilla must have ripped that flag pole out of its base on the roof, and I am just not sure gorillas are that strong. And really, did Batman and Robin have no other way of getting across the rooftops? Did they  forget their Batropes at home?

And finally, why? Why bother? Does Batman really need an ape sidekick?

But I have to be honest. If I were a kid I would have totally bought that issue.

 

Sticking with Big Apes (forgive me) we have this issue of Konga’s Revenge, based on the Ape from Konga which you may recall from The Late Night Movie House of Crap.

This is a comic book starring a giant rampaging ape. Did that not offer enough creative opportunities that the creators found it necessary to send him back in time too? Is Konga that much more exciting when facing a Trojan warrior? In my opinion, once you have a giant ape running amok, why mess with a good thing?

But to be fair, King Kong once had to face ancient warriors too.

 

I’ve covered Jimmy Olsen comics before and I am more convinced than ever that DC had no clue what to do with that book.

 

I must admit that not only do I own this book, I love it. It really is a lot of fun. But above all, you have to admire the sheer ego, gall, and chutzpah it took for Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to put themselves into the comic- and as the stars, no less!

The premise is that, on “our” Earth, the editors and staff of Marvel Comics received a mysterious package that turned them into the Fantastic Four. That’s Stan Lee as Mr. Fantastic, Jack Kirby as The Thing, Sol Brodsky as The Human Torch, and Flo Steinberg as The Invisible Woman. Admittedly, the Marvel bullpen was already legendary, and none more so than Stan and Jack, but to put themselves out there are comic book stars? Sheer hubris.

 

Honestly, I look at that cover and I cannot decide between “genius” and “crap.” And while I think I fall on the “crap” side of things, I’ve got to say that with a cover like that, how could that comic not sell?

On the other hand, the movie is utter, utter trash.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spotlight: Nutty Nuchtchas

28 Nov

November 28, 2011

Nutty is a New Yorker turned Canadian, and road warrior. She visits more conventions per year than a former Star Trek cast member, but, despite her busy schedule, she manages to find time to make excellent contributions to the Beyond The Wall podcast (http://specficmedia.com/category/podcast/beyond-the-wall/) and SciFi Dig (http://www.scifidig.com/index.php?s=Digger+Chat), as well as produce her own monthly show of geek news and reviews, Nutty Bites (http://nimlas.org/NuttyBites).

She also creates art, comics, and cosplay pieces – info on all of which you can find at her site, http://nimlas.org

As is often said, no one is allergic to Nutty.

In a piece that is prefectly apt for this time of year, she hits the nail on the head of something I am sure we all noticed but takes it in a direction all her own.

—-

Is it just me, or has every holiday gotten bigger and bigger each year? Christmas is being advertised before Thanksgiving, there are isles in almost every store dedicated to Halloween, there are even Halloween greeting cards. The icons and symbols of each Holiday are being used to promote it and to sell the holiday. People used to do lights on their house for Christmas, now there are lights and decorations for Halloween and Easter too.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like a good bit of escapism as the next person. I talk like a pirate on September 19th, I carry a towel on May 25th and I say May the Fourth be with you. I like holidays and I will cling at even the made up ones to get my escapism on, it’s fun and it’s a way to add whimsy into everyday life.

What I’m curious about is what happens next? As the holidays grow larger and the symbol of the holiday (Santa, a Turkey, an Easter Bunny, a Shamrock) becomes more representative of what the holiday is about as opposed to the roots of the tradition, how will this evolve in the future?

I take you to 500 years in the future where you wake up to eat a green shamrock shaped food substance and go to work in your green bowler and everything you see that day is green. Your car is green, the streets are green, it’s like driving through emerald city (without the horse of a different color.) Everything is green until the next holiday, let’s say it’s Simpson’s Day, because of course by then the Simpsons will have historical status. Now you have painted your body yellow and dyed your hair blue. Your care is a garish cartoon color and your food resembles a cartoon donut. Everyday a holiday steeped in traditions you don’t understand so then there isn’t a special day that goes by.

Or, does this world I have projected sound like fun to you? I can say I’m not attracted to the idea of living in the Simpson’s world for a day or two.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →