365 Days of Defiance, Day 106: Goosio salutes you

Today in Comics Actual History, April 16, 1942!


Panels from "Malta, Stronghold of Courage" in Real Life Comics #11 (Pines, November 1942), creators uncredited
Context:

365 Days of Defiance, Day 103: Even I don't know why this guy is called "Snow King."

Does the Sub-Mariner need help to fight a big monster, namely Torg, The Abominable Snow King?


Panel from Sub-Mariner (1968 series) #55 (November 1972), script and pencils by Bill Everett, inks by Bill Everett and Frank Giacoia, letters by John Costanza
Well, yeah...actually he does, so the sailors watching the battle vow to stand with Namor against the weedy foe! And also: why isn't a creature named The Abominable Snow King white and furry and hanging around the actual snow-covered mountains of the Himalayas, not just some ice caves at sea? Hmmm.


I mean, I guess if the Abominable Snow King was actually a big abominable snow man, he could be easily defeated by tossing him down a ravine. Wait, no, that wouldn't work: bumbles bounce. Luckily these easily killed humans are leaping to aid the super-powered mutant by...um, jumping up onto him. Dudes! This isn't a climbing wall at your local gym!


Still, Snow King climbing is is a little more exciting than rock climbing.


Later, just plain ordinary humans show up to put the kibosh on Mr. So-Called "Snow King" (yeah, I'm lookin' at you, Greeny) by bombing him from helicopters and sending out a buncha boats to save the other guys.


So, it's Snow King 0, Sub-Mariner 1, Humanity 6. Even Subbie has to hand it to them: in a thought balloon to save his own fishy face. Send those guys a nice Hallmark thank you card, Namor, ya bum!

So there you have it: Torg the Snow King! The monster so ice he only appeared in comics twice!



Panels from Avengers (1998 series) #43/458 (August 2001), script by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Alan Davis, inks by Mark Farmer, colors by Tom Smith, letters by Albert Deschesne
To conclude: "THAT'S NO KING!"

A Month of... Celebrities in Comics, Day 11: It's really love, dear / I knew it from the start / You came my way, dear / Took away my heart*

Carson! Parker! They're cops! Wait, no they're not. One hosts a popular late night talk show and one is Spider-Man. Here's Peter Parker appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon! Carson made occasional appearances in the Marvel Universe (most notably in Amazing Spider-Man #50), and heeeeeeeeeeres Johnny talking to Pete about his book of Spidey photos, Webs. The previous page has already told us that Pete was booked as a last-minute guest when Charles Nelson Reilly cancelled, and Peter's definitely on in the last five minutes of the show. Hey-yo!


Panels from Amazing Spider-Man #305 (Late September 1988), script by David Michelinie, pencils by Todd McFarlane, inks by a whole lotta guys depending on which page you're lookin' at, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Rick Parker
There's another almost celebrity appearance in ASM #305 earlier in the book, when Spider-Man signs an autograph for an off-camera Glenn Close.


Also in that panel: J. Jonah Jameson's handsomer cousin, and Abraham Lincoln. (Or maybe it's just this guy from Danger!! Death Ray:)


Also making an appearance, likely just out of the panel, Felix the Cat.

But we all know the real reason to read this comic is this panel:


That's right: nobody can resist the sight of sexy, sexy Peter Parker in a swimsuit. Rwaaaaaaar!

*Betcha didn't know Johnny's Theme (The Tonight Show Theme) had lyrics!:

Today in Comics History: First appearance in the New Universe of the Poopie Suit

Panel from Marvel Graphic Novel: The Pitt one-shot (April 1988); script by John Byrne and Mark Gruenwald; pencils by Sal Buscema; inks by Stan Drake; ink assists by Chris Ivy and Donald Hudson; colors by Janet Jackson; letters by Agustin Mas, Michael Heisler, and Rick Parker
This story is all kind of dull until you remember how sharp those wings are.

From the 1970s Recipe Cards of Mama Bull: Teenage Kitchen Fondue

Since I have always been six (which is a very good age to be), I have never been a teenager. And yet Mama Bull loves making us Teenage Kitchen Fondue. Which is weird, because I'm pretty sure our kitchen is not a teenager.


Fondue is all the rage in our home and we even have the special color-coded extendo-forks (I get the blue ones!). I'm pretty fond of cheese fondue, or cooking little meatballs inside a fondue cauldron of scalding peanut oil, but there is nothing quite on earth like Mock Cheese Fondue made but from Apple Juice. This is as opposed to Mock Apple Pie which is made from Ritz Crackers, so I'm guessing somewhere out there is at least one recipe for Mock Ritz Crackers made out of cheese.


Also, don't forget the Psychedelic Dessert Fondue, about which warnings have been given at Woodstock.

Most important, Mama Bull's recipe card has a Screen Actors Guild card of its own, because she lent the card to neighborhood friends Michael Diamond, Adam Yauch and Adam Horovitz. "Such nice boys they are," says Mama Bull, "but why is their music so loud?" Here we can see the recipe card in its starring role!


And now thanks to the magic of YouTube, you tube too can watch the guest appearance of Mama Bull's recipe card in this very same Beastie Boys music video!:


"Body Movin'" music video by The Beastie Boys (November 1998), directed by Adam Yauch
The video itself is a spoof of (and uses footage from) the groovy 1968 Italian action movie Danger: Diabolik, based on the even-groovier European comics series by Angela and Luciana Giussani. And the character inspired Grant Morrison's X-Men character Fantomex, so in terms of Six Degrees of Comics World Separation, that means my Mama is connected to Xorn in fewer connections than you might think! Also, she is connected to robot pals Crow and Tom Servo, because Danger: Diabolik was the film riffed on in the final episode* of Mystery Science Theater 3000! Watch it here now!



To sum up: Mama Bull's fondue recipe card is famous around the world for its starring role in a sexy Italian action movie. That's pretty much more than any of us can say, unless you are of course regular Comics Oughta Be Fun! reader and commenter Monica Vitti. Ciao, baby!



*Yes, yes, I know, Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders. I pfui on your Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders.

Preacher Science Theater 3000

Because I thought Jesse Custer needed some pals with which to watch John Wayne movies (especially McLintock!):


Panel from Preacher #32 (December 1997), pencils and inks by Steve Dillon, colors by Pamela Rambo; and Mystery Science Theater 3000 art by Steve Vance; all inexpertly Photoshopped by yours little stuffed truly
And here's a tip of the little bull's fancy top hat to the fabulous Charlotte Finn, who inspired and helped me find the Preacher panel needed. Check out "Preacher Ma'am," her great re-read and review series on Comics Alliance!

Where the Heck II: Veteran of the Secret Wars (Continuing Credit Where Credit Is Due)

We're about halfway through Marvel's gynormous Secret Wars mega-event, or as I prefer to call it "You liked the Age of Apocalypse? Well, here's fifty of 'em!". Although they're kind of using up their "What If?" quota for the 2010s pretty fast, I'm enjoying a lot of the series, especially Planet Hulk, X-Men '92, Runaways, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Ghost Racers, Giant-Size Little Marvel, Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps, and the "nontinuity" of Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars flashing back to the original Secret Wars. And last week's Howard the Human was as delightfully surreal as I had hoped, with glorious art by Jim Mahood, reminding me of Mark Martin's Gnatrat from the 1990s. (And yes, that's a big compliment from yours little stuffed truly.)

But you may remember when I recently chided Marvel Comics for listing the creators of Iron Man incorrectly in Armor Wars #1. To sum up briefly, the "created by" line reads


when it should read

Iron Man created by Stan Lee, Don Heck,
Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby

Yeah! Don't forget Heck and Lieber, guys!

Sadly, though, the credits pages of Armor Wars #2 continued to insist


And #3 and 4 averted redressing the problem by avoiding any "created by" credit whatsoever:


C'mon, Marvel! You've got one issue of Armor Wars left in the miniseries to give Heck 'n' Lieber their due. especially since you'd gotten it right up until that point, as seen in tehthecredits of Superior Iron Man #9:


Heck, if you can get this guy's credit right...


That's about all I need to say right now about Secret Wars: Fight for the Right to Party, except for this...


Panel from "Misty and Danny Forever" in Secret Wars: Secret Love #1 (October 2015); script by Jeremy Whitley; pencils, inks, and colors by Gurihiru; letters by Clayton Cowles
…which is set on a realm of Battleworld so bizarre that Colleen Wing's apartment door opens outwards (even though its hinges aren't on the outside). Are they on the same world as Mystery Science Theater 3000's "Gunslinger?"


If so, I so wanna see the Daughters of the Dragon fight Roger Corman!

(And remember:)

Iron Man created by Stan Lee, Don Heck,
Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby

365 Days of Star Wars Comics, Day 85: Robot Roll Call!

Panels from "Skippy the Jedi Droid" in Star Wars Tales #1 (September 1999), script by Peter David, pencils by Martin Egeland, inks by Howard Shum, colors by Harold MacKinnon, letters by Vickie Williams

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 13: The Enclave's Transfer-Grid

Previously on 365 Days of KirbyTech... Reed Richards has used a Micro-Tool Assembly Unit in order to assemble a copy of The Enclave's Electronic Bracelet, which, as the FF saw on Reed's Heat-Image Tracer, was used by rogue scientist Dr. Jerome Hamilton, the kidnapper of Alicia Masters, to transport her from her apartment to the Enclave's HQ, the Beehive!

But is there some sort of giant receiving unit which brings Hamilton, his crimson helmet, and his snazzy white slacks, along with Alicia to the Beehive? Why, yes. You bet your sweet Kirby there is.


Panels from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #66 (September 1967), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 9: Calm down, Mike Sterling, it's not who you think

Cover of Movie Classic #142 [The Creature] (Dell, December 1962-February 1963), painted cover by Vic Prezio

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 257: Alphabet Antics House Ads Week, Day 7

DC Comics alphabet house ads
Y: from Action Comics #114 (November 1947)
Z: from Detective Comics #130 (December 1947)


Bonus Saturday week-end Alphabet Antics wrap-up feature!:

Two-page house ad for Batman and the Outsiders in DC Sampler #3 (Late Fall 1984); script by Mike W. Barr; pencils, inks, and letters by Jim Aparo

(Click picture to Duke of Oil-size)

Bonus Saturday week-end Alphabet Antics wrap-up feature, Part 2! Here's some animals DC didn't think of for their ads:


Splash page from "The Alphabetical Animal Adventure" in World's Finest Comics #42 (September-October 1949), pencils and inks by Al Plastino

Bonus Saturday week-end Alphabet Antics wrap-up feature, Part the Third! And here's the Mystery Science Theater 3000 short that's been running through my mind all week and inspired the title of this feature. Watch out for the plagiarism from Ogden Nash!





Now we know our ABC,
Thank you for the ads, DC.

We gather together to watch cheesy movies

If you're not out partying this fine New Year's Eve, Bully-fans...and even if you are...then don't miss my guest stint over at my pal DBBurrough's blog Unseen Films all night and well into the first day of 2011: because I'm watching those bot-riffed cheesy movies that you don't often get to see: "Unseen Turkey Day," the seldom-seen episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 that aren't released on DVD!



I'll be watching 24 straight hours of MST3K from 6 PM tonight until 6 PM tomorrow, until I run out of movies, until my VHS machine burns out, or until I fall asleep (whichever comes first). Join me (won't you) for Unseen Turkey Day!

And now, to get in on the fun, Dr. Scott Cyclops and TV's Hank reenact one of their favorite comedy bits from the series:

Mystery Science Monday: Gumby in "Robot Rumpus"

"Robot Rumpus," a Gumby cartoon (1956), this riffed version from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode #912 (1998), featuring Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy

Mystery Science Monday: Talk Soup Theater 3000

The cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 meets "Señor Sock" from Talk Soup



Mike and the Bots riff on The Jerry Springer Show on Talk Soup

Mystery Science Monday: Money Talks

Part 1


Part 2

"Money Talks" (1955). This MSTed version is from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 621 (1995), starring Mike Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy.

Mystery Science Monday Friday: Catalina Caper (Celebrating "Beach Party Week"!)

Sure, I'm on vacation, but what better way to spend a sunny balmy summer day than to laze about on the beach with plenty of other doughy white people? So throw your ham sammiches, Coppertone, and AM transistor radio into the pic-a-nic basket and let's head down to the sand to celebrate Beach Party Week, PostmodernBarney's in-depth survey and celebration of the classic films that we all grew up with: Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party, Beach Blanket Bingo, and of course the ultimate beach movie, Where Eagles Dare. I don't have anything to post on the movies that star Annette and Frankie and Cubby and Moondoggie and Jughead and the gang, but here's a segment of one of my favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes, the classic Catalina Caper, a beach movie starring Tommy Kirk, Little Richard, Lyle Waggoner, and introducing the ethereal Creepy Girl. Let's watch, shall we?


Segment from Catalina Caper (1967), this MSTed version from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode #204 (1990), starring Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu and Kevin Murphy

Can't get enough of that wonderful Tommy Kirk? Check out, through the magic of YouTube, the whole episode. Or, if you don't want to take morsels of food out of the mouths of the children of Joel, Trace, Kevin and the rest, you can buy the whole episode (plus 3 more) legally:



Trust me. It's the way Frankie and Annette woulda wanted it. Right, Frankie and Annette?

Mystery Science Monday: "One of thirty-two short films about...this guy."

"Once Upon a Honeymoon" (1956), Part One, directed by Jerry Fairbanks. This MSTed version is from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 701 (1995), starring Mike Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy


Here's part two:

Mystery Science Monday: Aquatic Wizards

"Aquatic Wizards" (1955), MSTed version from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode #315 (1991), featuring Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy

Mystery Science Monday: Progress Island U.S.A.

Part 1 of "Progress Island U.S.A." (1973), this MSTed version from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode #621, featuring Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Trace Beaulieu



Part 2

Mystery Science Valentine: What to Do on a Date

"What to Do on a Date" (1950), directed by Ted Peshak. MSTed version from Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode #503 (1993), featuring Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy