Saturday, July 11, 2015

Reading Room: SECRETS BEHIND THE COMICS by STAN LEE...Secrets 7-10!

 ...as he shows us how a comic story is created!
Note: the "Marvel Method" of a writer giving just a basic plot outline or even a page-by-page synopsis to a penciler who would have greater input into the story direction didn't come about until the early 1960s, when the sheer volume of material Stan Lee was editing/art directing/writing by himself became too much to handle.
We'll return to Secrets Behind the Comics in the near future.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Reading Room: SECRETS BEHIND THE COMICS by STAN LEE...Secrets 4-6!

...in this incredibly HTF book from 1948!

All this has been mere prologue.
BTW, you probably don't recognize most of the characters Lee mentions.
Timely/Atlas/Marvel hasn't published most of them in decades.
Note: the blonde model/actress Hedy Devine, (aka "Hedy de Vine"), is not the Hedy who became part of the team of Patsy & Hedy, who had their own book through the mid-60s.
That was brunette Hedy Wolfe, who was a teenager, like her "frenemy" Patsy Walker.
Both of them eventually became part of the Marvel multiverse.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Reading Room: SECRETS BEHIND THE COMICS by STAN LEE...Secrets 1-3!

For those, like myself, who aren't (sob) going to San Diego this weekend...
...here's a "how-to" manual from The Man himself...Stan Lee!
(As if you couldn't tell from the "soft-sell" text!)

Tomorrow...
MORE SECRETS!

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Reading Room JUDAS COIN "2087 AD: Manhunter 2070" Conclusion

...tracking his latest quarry leads Starker into another encounter with the two "red-haired Greenies" who, years earlier, tricked and left the bounty hunter for dead.
But neither Starker nor the two con-women realize what the true prize is...

Did the coin survive...and cause the star to go nova?
Could it end up in the hands of someone we know in the 30th Century?
Only time will tell...
If this tale by Walt Simonson is, in fact, Manhunter 2070's swan-song, it's a helluva finale, and one I'd like to think creator Mike Sekowsky would've appreciated!

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Reading Room JUDAS COIN "2087 AD: Manhunter 2070" Part 1

...a 1990 mini-series that "resolved" the story of Manhunter 2070...by killing him!
But, DC's continuity being what it is (or isn't) these days, it seems you can't keep an interplanetary bounty hunter dead for long.
In 2012, comics legend Walt Simonson wrote and illustrated a graphic novel...
The coin falls into the hands of various people throughout recorded history (including a number of both notable and almost-forgotten DC characters), the final chapter takes the reader to a near-future those who read our recent re-presentation have more than a passing familiarity with...
Looks like Starker learned his lesson from their previous encounter.
But things are not quite what they seem, as you'll see tomorrow!
The now out-of-print graphic novel is a fascinating look at a master at work.
Simonson does each chapter in a different style mirroring each part's differing time period.
The "future" chapter is rendered in a kool manga/anime "look", though still utilizing Walt's trademark storytelling techniques.
(Having his favorite letterer, John Workman, along, doesn't hurt!)
Simonson also adheres to original story continuity, inserting references to occurrences from the earlier tales and keeping the characters to their pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths personalities!
It's a helluva book, and well worth picking up at your local comics shop (or e-book provider) to read the complete tale!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Reading Room KIDNAPPED BY A SPACE SHIP "Part 4 - Marooned on a Doomed World!"

...as the tweens from 1970 (and their adult chaperones) explore an uninhabited alien city...
(Ahem) Perhaps they could use the same sort of material the flying saucer was fabricated from?
As this tale from Treasure Chest V14N14 (1959) demonstrates, even "men of science" can miss the obvious.
Hopefully, next Monday, the genius who designed the spaceship will figure it out!
Writer Frances Crandall followed the accepted concepts of space travel postulated by scientist Wener Von Braun and, illustrated by Chesley Bonestell in various books and magazines like Conquest of Space, and popularized in numerous 1950s movies like Destination Moon and Angry Red Planet!
Artist Fran Matera was also the art director/art editor for Treasure Chest, but is best known for his long run on the Steve Roper and Mike Nomad newspaper strip.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Give a Loved One a Customized 12-Month Calendar that Begins (and Ends) on Their Birthday Month!

25% OFF all
Atomic Kommie Comics
2015-2016 12-Month Calendars 
Perfect for office, dorm, or bedroom!
The IDEAL gift for the hard-to-please pop culture fan in your life (or yourself)!
And they can be customized for birthday months!
 You can customize any of these calendars to show, for example, July 2015 to July 2016 (if your birthday guy or gal has their natal day in July)...or August 2015 to August 2016...etc!
Sherlock Holmes: the Greatest Sleuth of All!

Basil Rathbone IS Sherlock Holmes!
WereWolves and Vampires
Vampires of Pulps and Comics
Werewolves of the Comics and Pulps
Zombies of Comics and Pulps
Plus MANY MORE!
Classic comic book and pulp magazine covers and movie posters, scanned from the originals and digitally-remastered and restored!
Normally $19.99!
From NOW to Midnight July 11, all customizable calendars are only $14.99!
NOT available in stores, only on-line!
Order now...before time runs out! ;-)