Saturday, June 15, 2013

Psylocke Psaturday #16: It's a nice day for a purple wedding

Since today is (well, maybe) the anniversary of Jean Grey and Scott Summers's wedding, let's go out of chronology this Psaturday and take a peek at Psylocke's appearance at the Wedding of the Century until Storm got married to Black Panther which had about the exact same eventual happy result.


Two-page from X-Men (1991 series) #30 (March 1994), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Matt Ryan, colors by Joe Rosas, letters by Bill Oakley

Can you spot her? Here she is!


OH FOR PETE'S SAKE JOE ROSAS ASIAN PEOPLE ARE NOT ORANGE

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 166: That's what I was telling him, Babs


House ad for Superman #279 (September 1974); printed in Detective Comics #442 (August-September 1974)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Here's the Dynamic Cover of that issue:


Cover of Superman (1939 series) #279 (September 1974), pencils and inks by Nick Cardy

Today in Comics History, June 15: Another happy Marvel Universe marriage that will last forever

All-New X-Men #7 places this as the date...


from All-New X-Men (2013 series) #7 (Marvel, April 2013), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Marte Gracia, letters by Cory Petit

...that this event took place:

cover of X-Men (1991 series) #30 (Marvel, March 1994); pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Matt Ryan, both of whom are pictured somewhere on this cover (right-hand back rows?) along with Fabian Nicieza
(Click picture to bridezilla-size)

Not pictured: perennial bridesmaid Emma Frost.

Yes, it's a date for dresses straight out of the late 1980s:


from X-Men (1991 series) #30 (March 1994), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Matt Ryan, colors by Joe Rosas, letters by Bill Oakley

...and for allegorical lessons on how to tie bow ties:




Scott was so grateful that Charles Xavier tied his bow tie for him, that right there and then Cyclops vowed to never kill Professor X.

Happy Nineteenth Anniversary, you crazy kids!

Hey, wait, in 1994, June 15 was on a Wednesday BENDIS YOU LAZY RESEARCHER



A late addition!: observant commenter Green Luthor said:
But... didn't Scott and Jean get married in the winter? There was snow on the ground around the mansion, but Storm used her powers to make it, like, 70 degrees there so the wedding would have nice weather. (I'm not misremembering this, am I?) So... yeah, that's definitely some lazy research there...
Huh, yeah, you're right, GL! The story in X-Men #30 takes place in January!


So, thank you, GL! With your eagle-eyed help, we can yet again see that Brian Bendis could have done the proper research, but he just didn't care.



Today in Comics History, June 15, 1933: Disney's live-action remake of TaleSpin is not a success


from Doc Savage (1975 magazine series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe

Remember: it's all based on characters created by Rudyard Kipling:


Bear Attack! Month, Day 15: Able to bodyslam tall grizzlies with a single bound


Panels from the Superman Sunday comic strip (December 10, 1939), art by Joe Shuster

Friday, June 14, 2013

Today in Comics History, June 14, 2004: Greg Rucka's Renee Montoya/Crispus Allen slash fiction has a fundamental flaw at the heart of its premise


from Gotham Central #24 (DC, December 2004), script by Greg Rucka, pencils by Michael Lark, inks by Stefano Gaudiano, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Clem Robins

Today in Comics History, June 14, 1933: Captain Scott arrives at the South Pole slightly off schedule


from Doc Savage (1975 magazine series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe

The Fall of Metropolis: Apocalypse Literature and Man of Steel

Below you'll find an image from the current movie Man of Steel, and below that, a photograph taken the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City.




I saw Man of Steel in the theatre today...or more accurately, about three-quarters of it. The memories that the first image above brought to my mind of the events of the second disturbed me to such a great degree that, for the first time in my life, I left a film before it had ended. (And I sat through Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes in its entirety, folks.)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 165: Gee, what a real swell guy


House ad for Jimmy Olsen #95 (September 1966); printed in Batman #183 (August 1966)
Comic cover art: pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp



Bear Attack! Month, Day 14: Batteries > Bears


Ray-O-Vac battery ad from Detective Comics #156 (February 1950), creators unknown

Thursday, June 13, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 164: A Life More Olsen


House ad for Jimmy Olsen #104 (September 1967); printed in Batman #194 (August 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Wait, what's this? Huh, it looks like the word WEIRDeST has been pasted on top of this ad!:


Hmm, I wonder what the word underneath it was before they posted "weirdest" on top. I'm going to make an educated guess, actually: because turning into a turtle or a witch doctor or Elastic Lad is just another day in the life of James Susan Olsen, I'm guessing it was probably this:


Tomorrow: Even more Olsen!

Bear Attack! Month, Day 13: For Wolverine, diplomacy fails yet again




Panels from Wolverine (1982 limited series) #1 (September 1982), script by Chris Claremont, breakdowns by Frank Miller, finishes by Joe Rubinstein, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by Tom Orzechowski


6,000.

Today in Comics History, June 13, 1943: Following a terrible mishap with spilled red ink, the tiny golf pencil is invented


cover of Sgt. Rock #372 (DC, January 1983), pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, letters by Gaspar Saladino

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Today in Comics History, June 12, 2003: Titles for posts of this series become increasingly become increasingly uncomfortable to write


from Batman: Orphans #1 (DC, February 2011), script by Eddie Berganza, pencils by Carlo Barberi, inks by Juan Vlasco, colors by Chuck Pires, letters by John E. Workman, Jr.

Today in Comics History, June 12: Mrs. van Dell begins to regret naming her son "Strangler"


from "The Flying City Room" in Big Town #2 (DC, February 1951), script by France Herron, pencils by Dan Barry, inks by Sy Barry

Today in Comics History, June 12: Despite serious architectural subsidence, the Vandermeer ball goes on


from Batman #272 (DC, February 1976), script by David Vern, pencils by José Luis Garcia-López, inks by Ernie Chan, letter by Ben Oda

The Uncanny Prescience of Jason Todd


Panels from Batman #370 (April 1984), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Don Newton, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ben Oda

Today in Comics History, June 12, 2010: Slumping otters make the news


from Animal Man (2011 series) #20 (DC, July 2013), script by Jeff Lemire, pencils and inks by John Paul Leon, colors by Lovern Kindzierski, letters by Jared K. Fletcher

Today in Comics History, June 12, 1933: Pickpockets stalk the gold mine camp


from Doc Savage (1975 magazine series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 163: Collect 'Em All

House ad for Batman #327 and Superman #351 (both September 1980);
printed in World's Finest Comics #264 (August-September 1980)
Comic cover art: Batman #327: pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, colors by Tatjana Wood
Superman #315: pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Dick Giordano

Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

(Click picture to 8-more-pages-size)

Bear Attack! Month, Day 12: Manhunter's Martian Mitts Maul Monstrous Man-Bear



Panels from "The Last Days of J'onn J'onzz" in Detective Comics #306 (August 1962), script by Jack Miller (?), pencils and inks by Joe Certa

And now, the Three Greatest Lines of the Entire Silver Age!:


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Batman Did It First: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)

Hey, I bet you remember this exciting action sequence from the worst James Bond movie, Octopussy Moonraker, in which 007 is trapped in one of NASA's high-speed G-force test centrifuges, in which the astronauts not only train but they also mix their delicious, cold refreshing Tang. How will James get out, how will he get out?


Oh. He used a gadget. Cheatypants. James Bond is a big cheatypants!

Well, that was pretty impressive, Mr. Simon Templar, but I think that you know what we say around here: Batman Did It First! And he did it in this story entitled "Batman Pounds a Beat!" Not to be confused with the tale of financial espionage and how Bruce Wayne supported the United Kingdom's move from cash sterling to the euro, entitled "Batman Beats the Pound!"



Panels from "Batman Pounds a Beat!" in Batman #77 (June-July 1953), Batman and Robin figure pencils by Bob Kane, other pencils by Lew Schwartz, inks by Charles Paris

Whoa, mama! Batman did that in 1953, and James Bond didn't do that until 1979. Later if you watched it on the ABC Sunday Night Movie! In fact, since Ian Fleming published the book of Moonraker in 1954, maybe he stole the idea from Batman! Huh? Huh? Did you ever think of that? Fleming, ya rotten bat-plagiarist! Except the novel Moonraker had nothing to do with the movie and is in fact the only James Bond novel which takes place entirely in England, without a single scene in any exotic locale such as Hong Kong, Jamaica, or Gotham City. So I guess we can't pin this crime on Ian Fleming. (Darnit!) And the novel has been reprinted many, many more times than the Batman story.


Why, you might even say that Batman is...too hot to handle!


NOW CUT THAT OUT MISTER FLEMING

Play us off, Dame Shirley!



365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 162: It'll Never Last


House ad for Lois Lane #86 (October 1968); printed in Teen Titans (1966 series) #17 (September-October 1968)
Comic cover art: pencils by Neal Adams, inks by Al Plastino

Bear Attack! Month, Day 11: Jack Nicklaus Attacks!



Panels from "Assignment: How I Spent My Summer Vacation" in Archie at Riverdale High #94 (December 1983), script by Rich Margopoulos, pencils by Stan Goldberg, inks by Rich Lapick, colors by Barry Grossman, letters by Bill Yoshida

Monday, June 10, 2013

I was going to do a big post for you tonight...

...but my copy of The Ditko Public Service Package arrived today!


You can order yourself up a copy here!

Today in Comics History, June 10: Jane gathers more to talk about with her therapist


from "The Wild One" in Young Lovers #17 (Charlton, December 1956), script by Joe Gill (?), pencils by Bill Molno (?), inks by Sal Trapani (?), letters by Jon D'Agostino

Today in Comics History, June 10, 1916: Ellie Marsten does not enjoy Fifty Shades of Grey


from Sandman (1989 series) #1 (DC, January 1989), script by Neil Gaiman, pencils by Sam Kieth, inks by Mike Dringenberg, colors by Robbie Busch, letters by Todd Klein

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 161: Today in 1969, DC totally gives up on attracting the female audience


House ad for Swing with Scooter #20 (August-September 1969)
and Jimmy Olsen #122 (September 1969); printed in Batman #214 (August 1969)

Comic cover art: Swing with Scooter #20: pencils and inks by Henry Scarpelli
Jimmy Olsen #122: pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Neal Adams

Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Bear Attack! Month, Day 10: Next up on PBS: Ken Burns's Animal Civil War


Panel from "George Washington's Teeth!" in Herbie #8 (March 1965), script by Shane O'Shea, pencils and inks by Ogden Whitney, letters by Ed Hamilton

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Ten of a Kind: Hangin' Out in the 3-1-3












(More Ten of a Kind here.)