R: World's Finest #302 (April 1984), pencils by Ed Hannigan, inks by Klaus Janson
(Click picture to Frank Miller's-ego-lets-him-think-he-did-this-first-size)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Same Story, Different Cover: First appearance in comics, Dan DiDio
R: World's Finest #302 (April 1984), pencils by Ed Hannigan, inks by Klaus Janson
(Click picture to Frank Miller's-ego-lets-him-think-he-did-this-first-size)
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 21
Panels from The Batman Strikes! #15 (January 2006), script by Matthew K. Manning, pencils and inks by Wes Craig, colors by Heroic Age, letters by Travis Lanham
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Zen of Batman: Being Cool and Staying in School
From Batman: "The Joker Goes to School" (March 2, 1966), written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.; directed by Murray Golden
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 20
Screen shot of Alan Napier as Alfred, from Batman "True or False Face," broadcast March 9, 1966, script by Stephen Kandel, directed by William Graham
Thursday, January 19, 2012
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 19
Panels from Batman Chronicles #14 (Fall 1998), script by Lisa Klink, pencils by David Boller, inks by Aaron Sowd, colors by Noelle Giddings, letters by Albert DeGuzman
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 18
Panels from Gotham City Sirens #16 (November 2010), script by Peter Calloway, pencils by Andres Guinaldo, inks by Javier Bergantiño, colors by Jonathan D. Smith, letters by Travis Lanham
Today in Comics History: Emma Frost visits her sister; fails to sell any Mutant Scout cookies
Panels from Generation X #49 (March 1999), script by Jay Faerber, pencils by Terry Dodson, inks by Rachel Dodson, colors by Felix Serrano, letters by Richard Starkings
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 17
Panels from Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (March 1986), script and pencils by Frank Miller, inks by Klaus Janson, colors by Lynn Varley, letters by John Costanza
Monday, January 16, 2012
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Martin Luther King, Jr., letter from Birmingham jail, April 16, 1963)
Tonight's feature is a (slightly-expanded) reprint of my post from January 19, 2009.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. While it's a matter of concern on each and every day, today is an especially important day to reflect and act on human and racial rights. Seriously, folks, this is still a major concern today. Don't just analyze the concept as it applies to mutants in the Marvel Universe...
Or, as "The Man" so eloquently put it:
"Stan's Soapbox" from Marvel covers cover-dated December 1968
Give or take a few Civil Wars and Superhuman Registration Acts here and there, that spirit still resides in the contemporary Marvel Universe. Take, for example, Storm's speech in Black Panther Annual #1, which celebrates the work and the spirit of Dr. King and other workers for tolerance, equality, and love:
Page from Black Panther Annual #1 (April 2008), script by Reginald Hudlin; pencils by Larry Stroman and Ken Lashley; inks by Roland Paris, Carlos Cuevas, and Jonathan Sibal; colors by Matt Milla and Val Staples; letters by Cory Petit
That's a nice bit, isn't it? Mind you, never forget that there was an issue where Storm teamed up with Martin Luther King. No, it's not another photoshopped ish of Marvel Team-Up from my "If I Ran Comics" series (although!...hmmmm)...but rather...well, let me start off this way. Remember that Planet of the Gangster Aliens?
No, no, no, not that one, but rather this one:
Panels from Fantastic Four #91 (October 1969), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Sam Rosen
Yes, it's Kral, the Skrull world where they're all cos-playing as 1930s gangsters, with some sidetrips into Ancient Rome gladiator fights that pit the Thing against Torgo.
No, no, not that one, but a giant super-strong robot/cyborg type of guy who learns about humanity from Mister Ben Grimm just in time for Reed, Johnny and Crystal to arrive on the planet, dress like extras from Bugsy Malone and overthrow the Kral government to get themselves a piece of the action:
Panel from Fantastic Four #93 (December 1969), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Artie Simek
And 'round about now you're asking me What the Sam Scratch does this have to do with Dr. King, Bully? And that's a very good question. Y'see, eventually the Fantastic Four re-visits Kral, but it's the FF featuring Black Panther, Storm, The Thing and The Human Torch. (Poor Sue, she's always missing out on the Skrull Gangster Planet!) Except, just like Captain Kirk wondering what kind of civilization would spring up after the Enterprise left Sigma Iotia II, here we get to see the aftermath of the FF's previous visit. Yes, on Kral it's now roughly the 1960s and we have a Skrull who has taken on the identity and the ideals of...wait for it...
Panels here and below are from Black Panther v.4 #33 (February 2008), script by Reginald Hudlin, pencils and inks by Andrea Divito, colors by Val Staples, letters by Cory Petit
A group of Skrulls has begun a civilization-changing revolution against the regime of Skrull gangsters by becoming Dr. King and the only X-Man who was never on the team:
Of course the underground revolution wins and the FF escape for home, leaving plenty for room for an eventual sequel (c'mon, send the Runaways there!), but not before plenty of moral discussion and some good old fashioned arena-fighting action. It's a neat little parable, much in the vein of the better episodes of Star Trek, about how alien planets are sometimes not so different than our own—both hate and intolerance, and peace and love, can come to blows throughout the galaxy.
Mind you, as much as Storm reveres Dr. King's views, a mutant superhero and African queen (no, not this one) has gotta fight for what a mutant superhero and African queen believes in:
Anyway, bigotry. Once again, Stan Lee puts it well:
"Stan's Soapbox," from Marvel comics cover-dated October 1978
If you didn't bother to read that, let me just repeat Stan the Man's pertinent point:
To sum up: As another great man once said:
'Nuff said.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. While it's a matter of concern on each and every day, today is an especially important day to reflect and act on human and racial rights. Seriously, folks, this is still a major concern today. Don't just analyze the concept as it applies to mutants in the Marvel Universe...
Or, as "The Man" so eloquently put it:
"Stan's Soapbox" from Marvel covers cover-dated December 1968
Give or take a few Civil Wars and Superhuman Registration Acts here and there, that spirit still resides in the contemporary Marvel Universe. Take, for example, Storm's speech in Black Panther Annual #1, which celebrates the work and the spirit of Dr. King and other workers for tolerance, equality, and love:
Page from Black Panther Annual #1 (April 2008), script by Reginald Hudlin; pencils by Larry Stroman and Ken Lashley; inks by Roland Paris, Carlos Cuevas, and Jonathan Sibal; colors by Matt Milla and Val Staples; letters by Cory Petit
That's a nice bit, isn't it? Mind you, never forget that there was an issue where Storm teamed up with Martin Luther King. No, it's not another photoshopped ish of Marvel Team-Up from my "If I Ran Comics" series (although!...hmmmm)...but rather...well, let me start off this way. Remember that Planet of the Gangster Aliens?
No, no, no, not that one, but rather this one:
Panels from Fantastic Four #91 (October 1969), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Sam Rosen
Yes, it's Kral, the Skrull world where they're all cos-playing as 1930s gangsters, with some sidetrips into Ancient Rome gladiator fights that pit the Thing against Torgo.
No, no, not that one, but a giant super-strong robot/cyborg type of guy who learns about humanity from Mister Ben Grimm just in time for Reed, Johnny and Crystal to arrive on the planet, dress like extras from Bugsy Malone and overthrow the Kral government to get themselves a piece of the action:
Panel from Fantastic Four #93 (December 1969), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Artie Simek
And 'round about now you're asking me What the Sam Scratch does this have to do with Dr. King, Bully? And that's a very good question. Y'see, eventually the Fantastic Four re-visits Kral, but it's the FF featuring Black Panther, Storm, The Thing and The Human Torch. (Poor Sue, she's always missing out on the Skrull Gangster Planet!) Except, just like Captain Kirk wondering what kind of civilization would spring up after the Enterprise left Sigma Iotia II, here we get to see the aftermath of the FF's previous visit. Yes, on Kral it's now roughly the 1960s and we have a Skrull who has taken on the identity and the ideals of...wait for it...
Panels here and below are from Black Panther v.4 #33 (February 2008), script by Reginald Hudlin, pencils and inks by Andrea Divito, colors by Val Staples, letters by Cory Petit
A group of Skrulls has begun a civilization-changing revolution against the regime of Skrull gangsters by becoming Dr. King and the only X-Man who was never on the team:
Of course the underground revolution wins and the FF escape for home, leaving plenty for room for an eventual sequel (c'mon, send the Runaways there!), but not before plenty of moral discussion and some good old fashioned arena-fighting action. It's a neat little parable, much in the vein of the better episodes of Star Trek, about how alien planets are sometimes not so different than our own—both hate and intolerance, and peace and love, can come to blows throughout the galaxy.
Mind you, as much as Storm reveres Dr. King's views, a mutant superhero and African queen (no, not this one) has gotta fight for what a mutant superhero and African queen believes in:
Anyway, bigotry. Once again, Stan Lee puts it well:
"Stan's Soapbox," from Marvel comics cover-dated October 1978
If you didn't bother to read that, let me just repeat Stan the Man's pertinent point:
You wanna dislike someone? Be my guest. It's a free country. But do it because he or she has personally given you a reason to feel that way, not because of skin color, or religion, or foreign ancestry, or the shape of their toenails, of any other moronic, mixed-up, mindless motive! Because, if you justify your hatred by smearing everyone in any given group with the same brush, then you're a bigot, Charlie!
To sum up: As another great man once said:
'Nuff said.
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 16
Via the miracle of email, pal "Mighty" Mike Sterling asked me
Screen shot from Justice League, "Starcrossed, Part 3," written by Rich Fogel & Dwayne McDuffie, directed by Butch Lukic), original air date May 29, 2004
Thanks, Mike! (Now I gotta find a panel of Swamp Thing and Alfred palling around together...)
Would you like a screenshot from the Justice League cartoon featuring Alfred about to go mano-a-hawko with a Thanagarian?HECK YES!
Screen shot from Justice League, "Starcrossed, Part 3," written by Rich Fogel & Dwayne McDuffie, directed by Butch Lukic), original air date May 29, 2004
Thanks, Mike! (Now I gotta find a panel of Swamp Thing and Alfred palling around together...)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 15
Panel from Nightwing: Alfred's Return one-shot (July 1995), script by Alan Grant, pencils and inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Albert DeGuzman
#4,200
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