Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Today in Comics History, November 23, 1963: "It's my birthday! The Doctor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814. He got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge. "Stevie Wonder sang in 1814?" "Yes, he did! But you must never tell him."

So, there are parodies of science fiction...

Wow, NBC could have NEVER afforded these special effects!

Okay, the TV 21 comic in his pocket is a nice easter egg touch!

Wow, even Alf is unimpressed by all this.

from "Timing Is Everything!" in Alf #38 (Marvel, February 1991), script by Michael Gallagher, pencils by Rusty Haller, inks by Marie Severin, colors by George Roussos (?), letters by Rick Parker (?)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 327: Have you seen the little piggies / Handing out brochures?

'Sorry, this wasn't my first oinkin' choice of fonts, but you get the idea the flyer is tryin' to put forward, right?'

House ad for Spanner's Galaxy 6-issue limited series (1984-1985); printed in World's Finest Comics #312 (February 1985)
Ad art by Tom Mandrake

Today in Comics History, November 23, 1989: Star-Lord gets in trouble skipping astronaut training to watch the Doctor Who 26th Anniversary Special

'But they're gonna get Colin Baker AND Tom Baker!'

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan

Friday, November 22, 2013

This is Relevant to My Interests

I'm not allowed to read this comic book because it is for adults only, but if ever a comic book could be said to be termed as "This is Relevant to My Interests," this is it!

Here I come to save the daaaaaaay!

Cover of Pop Art Funnies #6 (2005-2006?), pencils and inks by Martin Hirchak, colors by Carl Lundgren

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 326: He's the hero that beats up men and animals! Nobody really likes him.

'There he is!' 'Where?' 'There!' 'What, behind the gorilla?' 'It IS the gorilla.' 'You silly sod! You got us all worked up!' 'Well, that's no ordinary gorilla! That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered simian you ever set eyes on!' 'You tit! I soiled my armor I was so scared!' 'Look, that gorilla's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer!' 'Get stuffed!' 'He'll do you up a treat, mate.' 'What's he do, nibble your bum?' 'He's got huge, sharp--he can leap about--look at the bones!' 'Go on, Bors. Chop his head off!' 'Right! Silly little bleeder. One gorilla stew comin' right up!...Aaaugh!' 'Jesus Christ!' 'I warned you! I warned you, but did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little gorilla, isn't it? Well, it's always the same. I always tell them...' 'Oh, shut up!'

House ad for Showcase #66 (B'wana Beast] (January-February 1967); printed in Metamorpho #10 (January-February 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Joe Giella, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Thursday, November 21, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 325: Hey! Cavegirl! Leave Kamandi alone!

'Noooo he's my kid brother and if I lose him my mom will ground me! And by ground, I mean she'll hit me with a rock, seeing as how all we HAVE is rocks!'

House ad for Anthro #4 (January-February 1969); printed in Wonder Woman (1942 series) #180 (January-February 1969)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino
Prehistoric days! Before they invented bellybuttons!

This is just some pyramid scheme!

Cover of Anthro #4, pencils and inks by Howie Post

Today in Comics History, November 21: The phrase "Oh, this won't end well" is invented

from Avengers (1963 series) #60 (Marvel, January 1969), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by John Buscema, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Sam Rosen
Janet pasted the less dramatic version in her scrapbook.

Geez, Hank, can you use some Pym particles to shrink this panel down a little shorter?

Geez, Hank, can you use some Pym particles to shrink this panel down a little shorter?

from Avengers Forever (1998 series) #2 (January 1999), script by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Jesús Merino, colors by Steve Oliff, color separations by Graphic Color Works, letters by Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 324: Great sun of Krypton, why? Why didn't I run this on July 3rd?*

Humidity's rising / Barometer's getting low / According to all sources, Smallville's the place to go / Cause tonight for the first time / Something that you'll enjoy / For the first time on Earth-1 / It's gonna rain Superboy!

House ad for Superboy (1949 series) #159 (September 1969); printed in Wonder Woman #184 (September-October 1969)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino
*Because I hadn't found it yet. Instead, I'm still happy to have posted this house ad, which asked the musical question "Where's Flop?"

But right now, a super-gorgeous cover by the greatest hero of the Expanding Earth, Neal Adams!

'Oh no! It's the Super-Fallout!'

Cover of Superboy #159, pencils and inks by Neal Adams, letters by Gaspar Saladino
This cover falls square into the theme of that old familiar comic trope: "This scene does not appear in this comic book!" There is no "rain of the Supermen" (see what I did there?). Superboy sends out four, count 'em, four Superboy robots around the world. And they never fall from the sky at the same time. However, this comic does feature the first DC Universe Earth-1 appearance of The Giant RKO Logos! Seriously, these things are taller than Italy. That means each of these gargantuan radio masts is more than 800 miles tall! Their giant footprint casts a shadow that withers over two billion bushels of crops! To build them took the entire mining output of Asia, Europe, and Africa for six hundred years! They extend to outermost layer of the atmosphere, the "exosphere!" (Thank you, Wikipedia, for that last fact.)

'It's a picture of a radio!'

Panel from Superboy #159, script by Frank Robbins, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Wally Wood
Also in this comic book: this scene!

Hey, what's Rogue doin' in a DC comic?

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 323: We at DC celebrate the loss of four pages

Creatures, Bizarros, and Things that Stalked Smallville / Menaces Hyper giving Jimmy a chill / Monster X and gifting Lois some rings / These are a few of Supes' scariest things!

House ad for 80-Page Giant #6 [Superman] (January 1965); printed in Detective Comics #335 (January 1965)
Comic cover art: pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
Not to be confused with the first 84-page Superman Annual, which came out four years earlier.

Not so much an annual, more a sort of board game.

Not so much an annual, more a sort of board game.

Cover of Superman Annual #1 (August 1960), pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Stan Kaye, letters by Ira Schnapp

Monday, November 18, 2013

Comics News for November 18, 2013

And he would have taken over the city, too, if Ted Baxter hadn't screwed it up.

Aquaman Attempts Underwater Spit-Take, Ed Asner Revealed As Kingpin of Crime, Suburban Peeping-Tom Problem Escalates

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 322: Unbelievable or fantastic? (Either.)

I kind of get the feeling that Aquaman doesn't want to be a part of the Titan-shaming, right?

House ad for Teen Titans (1966 series) #25 (January-February 1970) and Strange Adventures #222 (January-February 1970); printed in Detective Comics #395 (January 1970)
Comic cover art: Teen Titans #25: pencils and inks by Nick Cardy, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Strange Adventures #222: pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino
Hey look: in the ad, Adam Strange is fighting by day, but on the cover, it's all happening at night!

'Hagar the Horrible, NOOO!'

'Coz that's the way they roll on Rann.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Psylocke Psaturday Psunday #20: Well, X-Men, you can't say that Dallas doesn't love you

Hey! You're just in time for The Fall of the Mutants! Or, as it's known in the United Kingdom, Autumn of the Mutants.

Today in Comics History, November 17, Star Wars Life Day: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it

"Goodnight, But Not Goodbye" by Bea Arthur as Ackmena from The Star Wars Holiday Special (Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox Television, November 17, 1978), written by by Ken Welch and Mitzie Welch

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 321: A Date with Debbi, Fatsy, Patsy, and Minus

Well, technically just better-stuffed with Archie-style gags and talking mice, but there you go.

House ad for Date with Debbi #13 (January-February 1971), and The Three Mousketeers (1970 series) #5 (February 1971) printed in Aquaman #55 (January-February 1971)
Comic cover art: Date with Debbi #13: pencils by Stan Goldberg, inks by Henry Scarpelli
The Three Mouseketeers #5: pencils and inks with Phil Mendez
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino