365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 52

Panel from What If? Special #1 (June 1988), script by Peter B. Gillis, pencils by Steve Ditko, inks by Pat Redding, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Diana Albers

365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 51

Panels from Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, letters by Artie Simek, colors probably by Stan Goldberg

Arroooo from You: Satisfactory Comics #7

Arroooo! I mean, hello! It's me, Bully, your little werewolf-lovin' pal here, dipping another hoof into the arroooo-packed mailbag here at Bull Industries Central HQ to provide your with yet another midnight hour chilling journey into the supernatural world of arroooo! Tonight's spooky SFX has been submitted by Ingenious Isaac Cates, from the beautifully brilliant minicomic Satisfactory Comics by Isaac and Mike Wenthe. Let's tune in to arroooo, shall we? Yes, let's!:



Panels from Satisfactory Comics #7 (May 2007), by Isaac Cates and Mike Wenthe

But...as I often tell ya...man (or even little stuffed bulls) cannot live on arroooo alone! These panels are from Isaac n' Mike's wonderful and clever "The Graveyard of Forking Paths," a "choose your own path" comic where you follow any orange arrow from panel to panel to build yourself a unique and distinctive story. The whole comic's gotta be seen to be fully enjoyed, and you can check out the entire page here at this post on the Satisfactory Comics blog! You can read more about this specific issue here, and if that whets your appetite for a fine, fun minicomic, you can click on the Paypal link on the bottom of the post to order up a full issue, or see their "Welcome, Visitors" section in the upper right hand blog corner to check out some of their other fine publications. Tell 'em a little fuzzy bull howling arroooo sent ya!

It might not be Halloween tonight, but you can bay at the moon all you like! Better yet, send me in an arroooo (or a similar sound effect) scanned from any comic book we haven't covered here yet. Make sure you tell me what comic book it comes from, and email your scans to this address:

Or, you can post it on your own blog and send me a link so I can link back and properly credit you for your arroooo!

Thanks, Isaac, not only for keeping the spirit of minicomics alive, but for properly celebrating and honoring the grand old tradition of arroooo! For this, we here at Bully HQ hereby award you the Bully-Prize, Choose Your Own Adventure Division, in which every ending is chock-full of witches, goblins, ghosts, and your recommended daily requirement of arroooo! Keep 'em comin' in, folks, and until next time, a little werewolf riddle: How do you make a werewolf stew? A: Keep him waiting for two hours! Arroooo!

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Bruce Banner?

The Hulk is on the loose! (And I think we all know how painful that can be!) It's the early days of the Marvel Universe, before Civil War, before Wolverine, even before Gwen Stacy. And, without the delightful Gwendy, it's a cold, cold world we peer into, when General "Thunderbolt" "Yes, That Was Totally My High School Football Nickname, No, Don't Look It Up in the Yearbook" Ross drops into the Baxter Building to buy some postcards of the Negative Zone ("We're Positive You'll Have a Great Time in the Negative Zone!") and to consult with the Fantastic Four. What's he there to confer about? Well, it seems like the Hulk is on the loose!...oh wait, that's where I came in.

Since no one had a copy of The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe in those days, this is the era before the world knew that "Bruce Banner is the Hulk!" So, when there's smash-and-crash sabotage afoot at missile bases in the Southwest, General Ross immediately suspects the Hulk. He then went on to accuse the Hulk of the Kennedy Assassination, the Great Train Robbery, and the Humungous Smashing Epidemic during Rick Jones's 1965 comeback tour. Ross enlists the FF in his plan to stop the sabotaging Hulk, and each member of that cosmic-powered cwartet steps forward in turn to boast how he will stop the Emerald Eviscerator dead in his green gumboots.

The Thing prefers his usual physical approach. Remember, kids: Ben will, Ben will, rock you!:

All panels from Fantastic Four #12 (March 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, letters by Artie Simek, colors probably by Stan Goldberg


Johnny Storm, an avid subscriber to Games magazine, plans to trap the Jade Jumbo in a burning maze of fire. Hey, that was my favorite Johnny Cash song!



Even Mr. Fantastic isn't immune to bragging that he can get the Viridian Vindicator under wraps. Whoa, bad touch, Reed! Bad touch!



And what of the fourth member of our Fearless Foursome, The Invisible Girl? How will she stop the...um, Spinach-Colored Smasher? Well, everyone pretty much agrees she'd be better off standing on the sideline and making sandwiches.



So, when the saboteur turns out not to be the Hulk but rather a Dirty Red Commie Spy (by kind permission of Iron Man comics magazine)...



...guess which one of the FF saves the day? That's right, bub, it's Sue "I'm As Good As Lincoln's Mother Anyday" Storm:



And guess who gets the credit for the capture? That's right: not Sue.



Special bonus fantastic stuff!: Say, how do the FF know that Voyager-Doctor lookalike Karl Kort is the bad guy framing the Hulk for a crime he didn't commit? Flash back a few pages where Kort makes a hasty exit and drops his wallet, which The Human Torch picks up with a flaming lasso. What, young man, are your arms broken? Lazy teens these days:



What terrible and evil secret can be found in Karl Kort's wallet that incriminates him as the dastardly deed-doer? A stack of dirty commie rubles used to pay for the operation? Folded notes and plans outlining the terrible terrorist attacks? His driver's license showing that his middle initial is "K"? No. It's because he left his Communist Party registration card in his wallet.



Communism: it didn't fall because of corruption in the Red Party, or because of the superior political skills of Ronald Reagan. It simply crumbled because the commies were complete dumbasses.

365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 50

The Thing ice cream treat: orange-chocolate coated vanilla ice cream on a stick with gumball eyes, released to coincide with the first Fantastic Four movie (2005)

Arroooo from You: Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1

It's midnight, the witching hour! Bleh! (in my Dracula voice). And it's long past my bedtime. But I just had to stay up to share with you another amazing arroooo from the Bully mailbasket, this one submitted by artful Andy Goldman. Say, could it be the same person as this Futurama character? Naw, I doubt it. I'm betting our Andy is much more refined. He's already shown his great taste by reading my little puppet-town cow-blog!

Andy's submitted a pitch-perfect arroooo from the heck-filled Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1:


Panel from Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1 (April 2007), script by Mike Mignola, pencils and inks by Duncan Fegredo, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Clem Robins

Man, that's a great panel. Doesn't it make you just wanna go out and put your Duran Duran LP on and listen to "Hungry Like the Wolf"?

Like Andy, your name can be saved in perpetuity on future Google-searches by sending in your own arroooo (or similar) scanned from any comic book we haven't covered here yet. Make sure you tell me what comic book is comes from, and email your scans to this address:

Or, you can post it on your own blog and send me a link so I can link back and properly credit you for your arroooo!

Thanks, Andy! Your submission of a beautiful and moody arroooo earns you the coveted Bully-Prize, Howling Wolf Division! Now, time for a little snack before I go to bed. But I have to eat it carefully so my little stuffed tummy doesn't get upset. In other words...don't wolf your food.

I scream, you scream, we all scream. Especially Alan Moore.

Hey kids, with the Watchmen movie just 'round the corner, let's take a gander at all the Watchmen merchandise we can buy! Yes, that's right; there's lot of it! You can get Watchmen action figures, t-shirts, watches, posters, key chains, pencil cups, candy, notebooks, playing cards, underwear, mugs, plush toys, calendars, postcards, bobbleheads, messenger bags, magnets, bookmarks, lighters, flasks...holy cow, there's a lotta Watchmen crap. There's even this:


...which, as I understand it, is a glowing blue balloon. I blew mine up and have been bouncing it around all day. So exciting!

By far my vote for craziest Watchman tie-in merchandise is Nite Owl Dark Roast Coffee by "Veidt Enterprises":


Yes sirree, folks: that is a real product. Now you too can experience the ennui and quiet despair of aging Dan Dreiberg each and every morning when you wake up from your nightmare of atomic destruction!

Golly, with all this merchandise, Mister Alan Moore just must be rolling over in his beard. But you know, I've come up with a marketing product tie-in that doesn't seem to have occurred to Warner Brothers and DC Comics—a natural pairing of the ultra-violent world of Watchmen and the sweet, creamy taste of pure frosty enjoyment. That's right—for the first time ever, I'm pleased to debut the new line of exclusive limited editions (put 'em in Mylar and then in the freezer!) of

Ben & Jerry's Watchmen Ice Cream Flavors

(Collect all six, fanboys!)







Who watches the Watchmen? I dunno, but I'll sure be eating them all summer long! Make mine a double scoop, Mister Moore!

365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 49

"How to Draw the Thing" page from The Thing #5 (November 1983), by John Byrne

I don't think these new contact lenses are gonna work out

Cereal Morning Cartoon: Snap, Crackle and Pop Rice Krispies Commercial

Arroooo from You: The Abominations #2

Hey, we got mail in the old Bully e-box! Today's Arroooo from You comes from cheerful commenter Adam, aka Colossus_2000 (Hmmm, any relation to this dude?), who submits a mighty arroooo from a comic book that I didn't even know existed: The Abominations, a super-team featuring Hulk nemesis The Abomination and some other mighty guys, including Shulk (the future She-Hulk!) and Mok the War Dog, who contributes an arroooo equivalent that says it all:


Panel portion from The Abominations #2 (January 1997), script by Ivan Velez Jr., pencils by Angel Medina, inks by Brad Vancata and Scott Koblish, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Jim Novak
Click picture to Abomi-size

Really, I ain't kidding: do click picture to Abomi-size, 'coz what you're seeing there is only one small corner of a frenzied and frantic two-page spread that Colossus_2000 was kind enough to send in. Not only does it contain arroooo, but everything else but the kitchen sink too! So, click away to see the full Cinemascope experience! Do it! Do it now!

Remember, you can get your name in lights up here on Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun by sending in your own arroooo (or similar) scanned from any comic book we haven't covered here yet. Email your scans to this address:

Or, you can post it on your own blog and send me a link so I can link back and properly credit you for your arroooo!

Thanks, Colossus_2000! For duty above and beyond the call of Bully-boosters, I hereby award you a virtual Bully-Prize (Howling Arroooo Division)! In the words of Thor, son of Odin, the mighty Norse god of thunder: "Verily, dude, thou totally rocketh!"

The Best to You Each Morning

Regular readers of my blog might remember a few months ago when I made Rice Krispie Crunchy Fudge Sandwiches, the delicious treat that's fun to eat! Or, in other words, how I turned all this:



into this:



Yum. Them's good eatin'.

You might also remember my tale of trying to find the recipe online when I needed it. One minute it was there on the RiceKrispies.com website...then it wasn't. Now you see delicious cookies...now you don't! I was wondering if Snap, Crackle and Pop were trying to gaslight me! Those mischievous little elves that they are.

Turns out, not at all! Soon afterwards i got a lovely personal email from a man called Karl Miller at Kellogg's, who has the wonderful job title of "Senior Brand Manager, Rice Krispies." Whoo! When I grow up, I would sure like being a brand manager of delicious, delicious cereal. I'm totally envious of you, Mr. Miller.

Mr. Miller told me that RiceKrispies.com was in the process of revamping their website and never fear, the recipe would be back up soon for many, many happy generations of cookie-eatin' little stuffed bulls (and kids, and adults too!) And here it is! I'm happy to say the official recipe is complete and definitive, so bookmark it now so you can make 'em any time you want! (Send me a couple when you do, okay?) The rest of the revamped site looks great too, and there's plenty more treats to be made from Rice Krispies, from the familiar and delicious Marshmallow Treats to a recipe I just gotta try: Baked Cinnamon French Toast! But never forget, just like Mama Bull always did, make sure you use the original, official Rice Krispies in every recipe for maximum tastiness! And snapping, crackling, and the other one.

I've really gotta thank Mister Miller for getting in touch with me and letting me know what's going on. That's how you do marketing, folks—friendly, professional, and filled in the middle with melted chocolate. So thank you very much for watchin' out for the cooking needs of a little stuffed bull, Mister Miller...if you're ever in Brooklyn, drop by and I'll pour you a big bowl of cereal. (You can even use my Tony the Tiger bowl if you like!) Oh!—and he also sent me a lovely photo of some very special Crunchy Fudge Treats the crack team at Kellogg's whipped up for yours little stuffed truly:



Yummmmmmmm. Now those are cookies fit for a little bull! Thanks ever so much, Mister Miller. We're totally a Kellogg's family right here in our little household, because it's not just the cereal but also the people who work there who are...to quote a tiger pal of mine...grrrrrrrrrreat!

365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 48

Panel from What If? #21 (June 1980), script by Bill Mantlo, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by Tom Orzechowski

365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 47

Cover from FOOM #5 (April 1974), art by Rich Buckler

Ten of a Kind: Hail to the Chief/From a little stuffed beef

See also.

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

Arroooo from You: Bad Dog #1

In this little stuffed bull's quest to be the internet's prime destination for seekers of knowledge...or, at least, seekers of comic book panels featuring the word arroooo or variations thereof...I'm now opening the floodgates, and the Bully mailbox, to your own suggestions and submissions of arroooo! Got an arroooo that's burnin' a hole in your pocket? Send me a scan of the panel and please identify the comic book it's come from, and I'll post it (sooner rather than later, I hope) here under the arrooo category, so that your care and attention to the subject of arrooo will be therefore committed to posterity! I'll credit your submission and link back to your online presence (if any). You can't loooooooooooooose!

Send your submissions to this email address:

Or, you can post it on your own blog and send me a link so I can link back and properly credit you for your arroooo!

First up, a lovely submission from Mister Dorian Wright (hi, Dorian!) who runs nature's most perfect blog, (postmodernbarney.com), which is full of clever, incisive commentary, comics scans accompanied by funny punchlines, and gorgeous, hunky men. Dorian sent me this panel from the recent Bad Dog comic:


Panels from Bad Dog #1 (2009), written by Joe Kelly; pencils, inks, and colors by Diego Greco; letters by Thomas Mauer

Thank you so much for the arroooo, Dorian! Consider yourself a howling success at hunting down arroooos!

365 Days with Ben Grimm: Day 46

Panels from Fantastic Four #40 (July 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Artie Simek

Ten of a Kind: There I go, turn the page

(More Ten of a Kind here.)