Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!

Saturday, February 22, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 53: One-Punch (Spider-)Man

Still, it's a Point One issue, so you don't have to pay much attention to it.

Panels from Amazing Spider-Man (2014 series) #19.1 (September 2015), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Carlo Barberi, inks by Juan Vlasco, colors by Israel Silva, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History: Wow, James T. Kirk really gets around

We can trace his connections to Benjamin

Panel from "Colonel David (Mickey) Marcus — Fighter for Freedom" in Real Fact Comics #21 (July-August 1949),
script by Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, George Kashdan; letterer unidentified
This panels is actually about Colonel David "Mickey" Marcus. Read more about him.

Friday, February 21, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 52: This is indeed a disturbing universe

'Well, ERMINE, sure! Why didn't you say so?'

Panels from "Great Incomprehensibility!" in Secret Wars Too one-shot (January 2016), script by Al Ewing, pencils and inks by Jacopo Camagni, colors by Jesus Aburtov, letters by Travis Lanham

Thursday, February 20, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 51: Electric Boogaloo

'...something my uncle used to say. He'd say 'Peter, never pick up those Volkswagens by the bumper. It'll come right off in your hand.'

Panels from Spider-Men II #4 (January 2018), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils by Sara Pichelli, inks by Sara Pichelli and Elisabetta D'Amico, colors by Justin Ponsor, letters by Cory Petit

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 50: Moral of the story: don't put your stove right next to your sofa

Panel from Amazing Spider-Man #38/479 (February 2002), script by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils by John Romita, Jr., inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Dan Kemp, letters by Richard Starkings and Wes Abbott
In my humble little stuffed opinion, Aunt May discovering and dealing with the revelation that her nephew is Spider-Man was one of the greatest growth stories and potential spin-off for dozen upon dozens of fresh storylines. (So of course, they retconned it away.)

Today in Comics Real History: They battled up Iwo Jima hill / Two hundred and fifty men / But only twenty-seven lived / To walk back down again

The comics you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the comics industry view of today's society, these panels are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.

Call him drunken Ira Hayes / He won't answer anymore / Not the whiskey drinking Indian / Or the Marine that went to war

Panel from "Scoops... Pictures to Remember" in Real Fact Comics #5 (DC/National, November-December 1946), pencils and inks by George Roussos

Gather 'round me people / There's a story I would tell / 'Bout a brave young Indian / You should remember well / From the land of the Pima Indian / A proud and noble band / Who farmed the Phoenix Valley / In Arizona land

Gather 'round me people / There's a story I would tell / 'Bout a brave young Indian / You should remember well / From the land of the Pima Indian / A proud and noble band / Who farmed the Phoenix Valley / In Arizona land

Down the ditches a thousand years / The waters grew Ira's peoples' crops / 'Til the white man stole their water rights / And the sparkling water stopped / Now, Ira's folks were hungry / And their land grew crops of weeds / When war came, Ira volunteered / And forgot the white man's greed

Panels from "Iwo Jima" in Marines in Battle #1 (Marvel/Atlas, August 1954), pencils and inks by Gene Colan

Call him drunken Ira Hayes / He won't answer anymore / Not the whiskey drinking Indian / Or the Marine that went to war

Panel from "A Jap in Every Hole" in Attack! (1958 series) #54
(Charlton, October 1958), script by Joe Gill (?), pencils by Don Perlin (?)

There they battled up Iwo Jima hill / Two hundred and fifty men / But only twenty-seven lived / To walk back down again / And when the fight was over / And Old Glory raised / Among the men who held it high / Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

There they battled up Iwo Jima hill / Two hundred and fifty men / But only twenty-seven lived / To walk back down again / And when the fight was over / And Old Glory raised / Among the men who held it high / Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

Panels from "Was It Worth It?" in Fightin' Marines #26 (Charlton, August 1958); script by Joe Gill (?);
pencils, inks, and letters by Sid Check

Ira Hayes returned a hero / Celebrated through the land / He was wined and speeched and honored / Everybody shook his hand / But he was just a Pima Indian / No water, no home, no chance / At home nobody cared what Ira'd done / And when did the Indians dance

Ira Hayes returned a hero / Celebrated through the land / He was wined and speeched and honored / Everybody shook his hand / But he was just a Pima Indian / No water, no home, no chance / At home nobody cared what Ira'd done / And when did the Indians dance

Panels from "Dateline — Iwo Jima!" in Battle #70 (June 1960), plot by Stan Lee (?), script by Larry Lieber (?),
pencils and inks by Carl Burgos, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek

For a less rah-rah comic book retelling of the Battle of Iwo Jima, I highly recommend the entirety of EC's Frontline Combat #7, available in many reprint formats.

Call him drunken Ira Hayes / He won't answer anymore / Not the whiskey drinking Indian / Or the Marine that went to war

Cover of Frontline Combat #7 (July-August 1952); script, pencils, and inks by Harvey Kurtzman,
colors by Marie Severin, letters by Ben Oda

Then Ira started drinking hard / Jail was often his home / They let him raise the flag and lower it / Like you'd throw a dog a bone

Then Ira started drinking hard / Jail was often his home / They let him raise the flag and lower it / Like you'd throw a dog a bone

He died drunk early one morning / Alone in the land he fought to save / Two inches of water and a lonely ditch / Was a grave for Ira Hayes

from "Iwo Jima,", script and vellum layouts by Harvey Kurtzman, inks by Wally Wood, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Ben Oda

Call him drunken Ira Hayes / He won't answer anymore / Not the whiskey drinking Indian / Or the Marine that went to war

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes / But his land is just as dry / And his ghost is lying thirsty / In the ditch where Ira died

from "Mopping Up," script by Harvey Kurtzman, pencils and inks by Jack Davis, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Ben Oda

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 49: Sad Living Tribunal Is Sad

He can't even cry because his tears turn into steam.

Panel from Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 (February 1992), script by Jim Starlin, pencils by Angel Medina, inks by Terry Austin, colors by Ian Laughlin, letters by Jack Morelli

Monday, February 17, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 48: That Time Is Now

Wow, that was one heckuva pause there, Spidey.

Panels from Spider-Man (1990 series) #51 (October 1994), script by Howard Mackie, pencils by Tom Lyle, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Kevin Tinsley, letters by Richard Starkings

Sunday, February 16, 2020

365 Days of Power and Responsibility, Day 47: Old Guys with White Beards Theatre Presents, Part 2

Panels from Spider-Gwen (December 2015 series) #1 (December 2015), pencils by Jason Latour, pencils and inks by Robbi Rodriguez, colors by Rico Renzi, letters by Clayton Cowles