Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Ten of a Kind: Mental Organism Designed Only for Komics

MODOK's sitting in the background grumbling about how much Captain America is costing him in beekeeper henchmen... (Tales of Suspense #94)

Well, that's what you should expect when you leave your MODOK in the microwave. (Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine #4)

Except he's pronouncing it 'BLUE-DY MUH-DRUH' thanks to his giant uvula. (Captain America #313)

Put on your 3-D glasses NOW! (Hulk #288)

He's sooooo guilty of breaking the fourth wall. (Captain America #289)

'...And forcing me to wear this ridiculous costume!' (Ms. Marvel v.1 #7)

Wait, he has legs? WHY WERE WE NEVER TOLD THIS (Iron Man #74)

Poor MODOK...the Hulks are attacking him and all he wanted to do was head down to the drug store to get some face cream. (Fall of the Hulks Alpha)

He's just upset because he can't scratch his butt. (M.O.D.O.K.: Reign Delay one-shot)

I'm a MODOK, he's a MODOK, she's a MODOK, they're all MODOKs; wouldn't you like to be a MODOK too? (Marvel Adventures Avengers #9)

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 167: DC Radio/TV/Movie Comics House Ads Week, Day 1: You will believe a man can be advertised

Please click for the next slide on the filmstrip when you hear the beep.

All this week: house ads for DC characters on TV, radio, and in the movies, and the comics based on them! First up: a little something for not only everybody who people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story, but also those who can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe! Also, for everybody in Costa Del Lex, Luthorville, Marina del Lex, and Otisburg....Otisburg?!?

Also, eat the peanut butter.

House ad for Superman comics and Superman: The Movie (1978); printed in Batman #311 (May 1979)

STARRING MARLON BRANDO AS SUPERMAN!

Warner Brothers house ad for Superman: The Movie (1978)

Bear Attack! Month, Day 16: One wood soldier rides away

And now, Steven Spielberg's The Young Peter Parker Chronicles

'Possibly it was some Ray-O-Vac batteries.'

Panels from "The Lifeless Man!" in Strange Tales (1951 series) #88 (September 1961), pencils and inks by Steve Ditko

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.

Meanwhile at the front door, Bishop is beating up Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

Meanwhile at the front door, Bishop is beating up Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...

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!

'Psst, Ororo...who's going to tell Betsy she overdid it on the self-tanner?'

'Psst, Ororo...who's going to tell Betsy she overdid it on the self-tanner?'

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:

'And now the WGBS Traffic Report: There's stacks of primary-colored traffic backed up at the corner of Swan and Anderson...'

'And now the WGBS Traffic Report: There's stacks of primary-colored traffic backed up at the corner of Swan and Anderson...'

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...

'We won't give you the year or the time; you'll have to figure that out for yourselves.'

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:

Geez, if Rachel's dress was any tighter it would be behind her.

Geez, if Rachel's dress was any tighter it would be behind her.

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:

Well, they definitely have the 'something blue' part well-covered.

Well, they definitely have the 'something blue' part well-covered.

Whose tie is he tying, COLONEL SANDERS?!?

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!

Filmed in Leni Riefenstahl-vision!

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

Geez, this place is more Madripoorish than Madripoor.

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

In the bushes, the watching Bane thinks 'Ah! So THAT's how you do it!'

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

AIEEE SECRET WARS SPIDER-MAN HAS BEEN MURDERED

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

Inside that cabin, Charlie Chaplin is cooking up a hot delicious shoe!

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

So sit right down and drink a Molson / And get to meet James Susan Olsen.'

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

'Who loves ya, baby!'

Bear Attack! Month, Day 14: Batteries > Bears

'Hey there, buddies! Don't be so alarmed! I'm just wondering if you happen to have a pic-a-nic basket in there! No need to...ARGGGH! ARGHHHH! YOU BLINDED ME!'

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

Not pictured: Mustaschioed Olsen, Rocket-Attack Olsen, Arctic Blast Olsen, Nellie 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!:

'That is some weird, wild, way-out stuff, isn't it, Ed?' 'Hey-oh!'

'That is some weird, wild, way-out stuff, isn't it, Ed?' 'Hey-oh!'

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:

Tune in tomorrow for Tax Accountant Jimmy Olsen!

Tune in tomorrow for Tax Accountant Jimmy Olsen!

Tomorrow: Even more Olsen!

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

Wait, why is he both THINKING and CAPTIONING at the same time?

Wow, Wolverine REALLY loves his day job as a chartered accountant!

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

Why did he call his diary 'Mom and Dad'?

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

I mean, I could say something like 'Colossus ruffles boy's hair,' instead of mentioning the elephant in the room/credits, but sorry.

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"

'Wait, is that you, Strangler?...Oh, you nut! Get back in here, you crazy guy!'

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

Wow, Bruce can still fit into the same tux he wore to junior prom!

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

'Also: wanting to meet Superboy is one thing, having him punch the walls of reality so I come back to life is another.'

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

The only way this panel could look more Australian is if those kangaroos were drinking Fosters.