Panel from Thor Annual #2 (September 1966), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Sam Rosen
Thursday, January 06, 2011
365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 6
Panel from Thor Annual #2 (September 1966), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Sam Rosen
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Captain America's Weird Tales
Hey, do you remember where you were with Captain America came back from the dead? Sure you do. Just like everybody remembers exactly what happened when he got shot, right? Everybody remember that? Uh uh, Miss Sharon Carter...you can put your hand down.
So we all agree that we saw
Cap fighting a fifty-foot tall Red Skull in Arnim Zola's body who was destroying Washington DC?
Panels from Captain America: Reborn #6 (March 2010), script by Ed Brubaker, pencils by Bryan Hitch, inks by Butch Guice, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Joe Caramagna
Yep, you remember that. There was also some M.O.D.O.K.*s there. It was a pretty freaky scene, man. I took one look at it and figured I should lay off the brown M&Ms for a while.
But, y'know, Cap's modern day adventures...even the ones drawn by Kirby...can't hold a star-spangled flame-sputtering fourth-of-July firework to the weirdness and bizarrativity that is Captain America's Golden Age adventures. You think he was just hitting Hitler, manhandling Mussolini and tackling Tojo? Also, occasionally tho' gently noodling Nero Wolfe. (Know your history!)? Well, sure, he was doin' that. According to recently released now-public documents from the United States Department of Good Wars, approximately 67% of Captain America's official operations involved him posing for photo opportunities socking an Axis leader in the jaw.
But in between those times...and when Namor was busy tearing about tiny, tiny Japanese battleships...Captain America andRobin Bucky would get involved in what we like to call...
F'r instance: there's the time that Steve found dozens of severed heads dipped in wax!
from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941) script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Either that, or it's backstage at the studio where they're filming Futurama.
And then, of course we all remember that the original Cap and Bucky were sadly mistakenly lynched by a murderous mob who mistook them for arsonists. Boy, were their faces red! Well, justice is served, or whatever.
from Captain America Comics #6 (September 1941) script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
With Steve and Bucky out of service, of course the Red Skull was free to pull his old wacky tricks, forcing his victims to look at death, to look at Lady Gaga, and then, cruelest of all, to look at his Nightwing/Starfire fan fiction.
from Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), script by Ed Herron, art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
But don't worry! Like he does every year and a half like clockwork, Captain America returned from the dead, just in time to serve us all a hot, delicious, nutritious breakfast!
from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Yep, you can't keep the Red, White, and Blue Avengers down, not with bullets, or sticks, or stones, or insulting sissy nicknames! (And more panels ought to have a gutter breaking them in two that's made of pure primal lightning!)
from Captain America Comics #6 (September 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Heh heh heh! The noive of them calling Cap "Lacy Pants!" What an insulting and yet amazingly inaccurate catcall! Why, Cap is all man, and nobody's gonna say otherwise. You won't find Steve Rogers pressing wild flowers, putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars...
from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
(facehoof)
Pausing only for a lengthy misadventure featuring the disguised Cap being the dance partner of an unwitting Sergeant Mike Duffy during a 24-hour dance marathon (which was a plot to take over Fort Dix by that villainous Golden Age baddie The Jitterbug, Steve and Bucky board a plane and zip to Europe, the theme to Raiders of the Lost Ark playing all the while on their headphones as the aircraft moves over the vintage mid-century map. Yes, Steve is knitting. And yet he is still a he-man. Decades ahead of 284-pound defensive tackle Rosey Grier, Steve Rogers proved that real men do needlecrafts. Right there in that panel he's knitting himself a lovely pink shield cozy.
After all, no one would suspect a little old lady with the jaw of a muscle man and the forearms of a prize-fighter to be America's most efficient fighting soldier! Thus this deceit is very useful when you see somebody who looks like, or possibly smells like, a fifth columnist. Seems a little brutal just because the guy is such a green journalist that he's only had a quartet of stories published in the paper, but hey, Cap always knows right.
Of course, such a dramatic disguise is only necessary when you're out and about in enemy territory. In the privacy of a locked hotel room, there's certainly no need for Cap to keep wearing
D'oh!
Heh! We kid Cap. The one thing you can say about America's Favorite Star-Spangled Crossdresser (seriously, you thought the superheroine Miss America was a different character?) is that Cap wouldn't mind us having a bit of fun at his expense. If nothing else, Captain America has a really good sense of humor....
from Captain America Comics #9 (December 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
...a sense of humor that will kill you.
So there ya go. Some of Captain America's weirdest escapades. I'm not even gonna mention the time Cap wound up on Lilliput.
from Captain America Comics #69 (November 1948), art by Ken Bald
Well...maybe some other time.
*Miniature Ophthalmologists Drooling On the Karpet
So we all agree that we saw
Panels from Captain America: Reborn #6 (March 2010), script by Ed Brubaker, pencils by Bryan Hitch, inks by Butch Guice, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Joe Caramagna
Yep, you remember that. There was also some M.O.D.O.K.*s there. It was a pretty freaky scene, man. I took one look at it and figured I should lay off the brown M&Ms for a while.
But, y'know, Cap's modern day adventures...even the ones drawn by Kirby...can't hold a star-spangled flame-sputtering fourth-of-July firework to the weirdness and bizarrativity that is Captain America's Golden Age adventures. You think he was just hitting Hitler, manhandling Mussolini and tackling Tojo? Also, occasionally tho' gently noodling Nero Wolfe. (Know your history!)? Well, sure, he was doin' that. According to recently released now-public documents from the United States Department of Good Wars, approximately 67% of Captain America's official operations involved him posing for photo opportunities socking an Axis leader in the jaw.
But in between those times...and when Namor was busy tearing about tiny, tiny Japanese battleships...Captain America and
F'r instance: there's the time that Steve found dozens of severed heads dipped in wax!
from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941) script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Either that, or it's backstage at the studio where they're filming Futurama.
And then, of course we all remember that the original Cap and Bucky were sadly mistakenly lynched by a murderous mob who mistook them for arsonists. Boy, were their faces red! Well, justice is served, or whatever.
from Captain America Comics #6 (September 1941) script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
With Steve and Bucky out of service, of course the Red Skull was free to pull his old wacky tricks, forcing his victims to look at death, to look at Lady Gaga, and then, cruelest of all, to look at his Nightwing/Starfire fan fiction.
from Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), script by Ed Herron, art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
But don't worry! Like he does every year and a half like clockwork, Captain America returned from the dead, just in time to serve us all a hot, delicious, nutritious breakfast!
from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Yep, you can't keep the Red, White, and Blue Avengers down, not with bullets, or sticks, or stones, or insulting sissy nicknames! (And more panels ought to have a gutter breaking them in two that's made of pure primal lightning!)
from Captain America Comics #6 (September 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Heh heh heh! The noive of them calling Cap "Lacy Pants!" What an insulting and yet amazingly inaccurate catcall! Why, Cap is all man, and nobody's gonna say otherwise. You won't find Steve Rogers pressing wild flowers, putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars...
from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
(facehoof)
Pausing only for a lengthy misadventure featuring the disguised Cap being the dance partner of an unwitting Sergeant Mike Duffy during a 24-hour dance marathon (which was a plot to take over Fort Dix by that villainous Golden Age baddie The Jitterbug, Steve and Bucky board a plane and zip to Europe, the theme to Raiders of the Lost Ark playing all the while on their headphones as the aircraft moves over the vintage mid-century map. Yes, Steve is knitting. And yet he is still a he-man. Decades ahead of 284-pound defensive tackle Rosey Grier, Steve Rogers proved that real men do needlecrafts. Right there in that panel he's knitting himself a lovely pink shield cozy.
After all, no one would suspect a little old lady with the jaw of a muscle man and the forearms of a prize-fighter to be America's most efficient fighting soldier! Thus this deceit is very useful when you see somebody who looks like, or possibly smells like, a fifth columnist. Seems a little brutal just because the guy is such a green journalist that he's only had a quartet of stories published in the paper, but hey, Cap always knows right.
Of course, such a dramatic disguise is only necessary when you're out and about in enemy territory. In the privacy of a locked hotel room, there's certainly no need for Cap to keep wearing
D'oh!
Heh! We kid Cap. The one thing you can say about America's Favorite Star-Spangled Crossdresser (seriously, you thought the superheroine Miss America was a different character?) is that Cap wouldn't mind us having a bit of fun at his expense. If nothing else, Captain America has a really good sense of humor....
from Captain America Comics #9 (December 1941), script and art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
...a sense of humor that will kill you.
So there ya go. Some of Captain America's weirdest escapades. I'm not even gonna mention the time Cap wound up on Lilliput.
from Captain America Comics #69 (November 1948), art by Ken Bald
Well...maybe some other time.
*Miniature Ophthalmologists Drooling On the Karpet
365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 5
Panel from Thor v.2 #32 (February 2001), script by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Scott Hanna and Jesse Delperdang, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Wes Abbott and Richard Starkings
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Unnecessary Warnings of the Golden Age
Panels from Captain America Comics #10 (January 1942), script and pencils by Jack Kirby, script and inks by Joe Simon
365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 4
The first appearance of Volstagg the Enormous, from Journey into Mystery #119 (August 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Artie Simek
Monday, January 03, 2011
365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 3
The first appearance of Fandral the Dashing, from Journey into Mystery #119 (August 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Artie Simek
Sunday, January 02, 2011
365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 2
The first appearance of Hogun the Grim, from Journey into Mystery #119 (August 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Artie Simek
Saturday, January 01, 2011
365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 1
Second-printing cover of Thor v.3 #4 (December 2007), art by Olivier Coipel
Friday, December 31, 2010
365 Days with the Guy Freaking Out On the Cover of Action Comics #1, Day 6
cover of Superboy/Risk Double-Shot #1 (DC, February 1998), pencils by Joe Phillips, inks by Jasen Rodriguez
Exciting, huh? Join us again tomorr...
Ummm...oh, I'm so sorry about that. Er...would you prefer I do a different 365 Days character in 2011 than you, Freaking Guy?
Oh, no problem...say, are you Jimmy Olsen?
Well, anyway: TOMORROW: 2011 begins with a real new 365 Days with...!
We gather together to watch cheesy movies
If you're not out partying this fine New Year's Eve, Bully-fans...and even if you are...then don't miss my guest stint over at my pal DBBurrough's blog Unseen Films all night and well into the first day of 2011: because I'm watching those bot-riffed cheesy movies that you don't often get to see: "Unseen Turkey Day," the seldom-seen episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 that aren't released on DVD!
I'll be watching 24 straight hours of MST3K from 6 PM tonight until 6 PM tomorrow, until I run out of movies, until my VHS machine burns out, or until I fall asleep (whichever comes first). Join me (won't you) for Unseen Turkey Day!
And now, to get in on the fun, Dr. Scott Cyclops and TV's Hank reenact one of their favorite comedy bits from the series:
I'll be watching 24 straight hours of MST3K from 6 PM tonight until 6 PM tomorrow, until I run out of movies, until my VHS machine burns out, or until I fall asleep (whichever comes first). Join me (won't you) for Unseen Turkey Day!
And now, to get in on the fun, Dr. Scott Cyclops and TV's Hank reenact one of their favorite comedy bits from the series:
365 Days with Hank McCoy, Day 365
(Click picture to in-your-face-size)
So, how did you like 2010? We've had a lot of fun, and we've looked at a lot of Beast. And on this New Year's Eve, I think it's important to remember the general philosophy of Dr. Hank McCoy: be smart, be furry, be blue, and and be loved. Gosh, you wanna just hug the big blue galoot, doncha?
Panels from X-Men #70 (March 1998), script by Joe Kelly and Joe Casey, pencils by Jeff Johnson, inks by Dan Panosian, colors by Steve Oliff, letters by Richard Starkings and Emerson Miranda
The Beast was actually my "entry character" into the Marvel Universe: I first read and loved the origin of the X-Men in the Son of Origins of Marvel Comics trade paperback I found in the library. Barely a couple weeks later, I picked up my first Marvel superhero comic: Avengers #197, which featured a bouncing furry blue superhero named...Hank McCoy. It was both my introduction to the evolution of the Beast himself as well as to the grand history and comprehensive changes in the Marvel Universe. And I've been hooked on Marvel...and Dr. McCoy...ever since. For a furry little beast like me, you couldn't ask for a better role model.
At the end of that Avengers #14 story from which the big double-page spread above comes from, there's a nice little bit with scripter Kurt Busiek and artist George Pérez about the possible return of Hank McCoy (or, as George calls him, "that funny little monkey-man." Busiek's got the right idea: Hank will always be back. And I'll always be happy to see him.
So, in conclusion, ladeez and germs, let's give a big hand to The Beast. If he's enjoyed the past 365 days half as much as me...well, you do the math. (It's difficult with hooves.) Thank you, Hank!
Final panel from X-Men '95 (October 1995), script by J.M. DeMatteis and Ralph Macchio, pencils by Terry Dodson and John Paul Leon, inks by Jon Holdredge and Shawn Martinbrough, colors by Mike Thomas, letters by Richard Starkings
Thursday, December 30, 2010
You are also responsible for the deaths of Phoenix, Uncle Ben, and Gwen Stacy
Are you as battle-savvy and fast-thinking as Captain America? Let's test your skills and give you some real impetus to succeed! Ready...? Go!
You have fifteen seconds to save Bucky or he dies!!!
Now, let's see your score!
Way to go, numbskull! Next, why don't you kick some kittens and shake Doctor Doom's hand, ya commie?
Now, let's see your score!
365 Days with the Guy Freaking Out On the Cover of Action Comics #1, Day 5
cover of Superman (1987 series) #136 (DC, July 1998), pencils by Dan Jurgens, inks by Joe Rubinstein, colors by Patrick Martin
365 Days with Hank McCoy, Day 364
Panel from Marvel Holiday Special 2004 (2004), script by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, pencils by Roger Cruz, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Chris Solomayor, letters by Clem Robins
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
In the 1940s, Captain America's adventures were twice as exciting wide
If you don't look at these double-page splash spreads from 1940s issues of Captain America Comics, then Hitler will win!*
*Naw, he still ain't gonna win. But hey, look at them!
from Captain America Comics #10 (January 1942), written by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon; pencils by Al Avison, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon; inks by Reed Crandall and George Klein
(Click any picture to buy-bonds-where-you-work-or-bank-size)
from Captain America Comics #8 (November 1941), written by Otto Binder, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by All Gabriele and Joe SImon
from Captain America Comics #20 (November 1942), written by Stan Lee, pencils and inks by Al Avison
from Captain America Comics #18 (September 1942), written by Stan Lee, pencils by Al Avison, inks by Syd Shores
from Captain America Comics #19 (October 1942), written by Stan Lee, pencils by Al Avison, inks by Syd Shores
*Naw, he still ain't gonna win. But hey, look at them!
(Click any picture to buy-bonds-where-you-work-or-bank-size)
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