Monday, September 8, 2014

Reading Room MEDUSA CHAIN Part 1

In the mid-1980s, both Marvel and DC "discovered" the graphic novel format...
 ...and unleashed a slew of them onto an unsuspecting audience!





This one-shot was part of the mid-1980s "DC Graphic Novel" program publishing creator-owned properties in a magazine-sized format.
Unfortunately, it was rather hastily-conceived and implemented, resulting in a hodgepodge of books in various genres that were never properly-promoted.
The project was terminated after seven issues, with only Jack Kirby's Hunger Dogs showing a profit, and that was due to the heavy promotion received by anything New Gods-linked since the Super Powers line of products (based on the New Gods characters) were introduced at that time.
Written and illustrated (in full color) by the highly-underrated Ernie Colon, this never-reprinted "futuristic film noir" gem deserves a wider audience than it received back over 30 years ago.
So, for the rest of the week, we'll be re-presenting it.
Enjoy.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Horror Comics of the 1950s...PERFECT for HALLOWEEN!

Before videogames came along, comics, tv, and movies were said to be the contributing factors to...(gasp)...JUVENILE DELINQUENCY!
Noted psychiatrist Dr Fredric Wertham SAID SO in his classic book Seduction of the Innocent!
I say...CELEBRATE the stuff your grandparents said would warp your parents' minds!
After all, they turned out OK, didn't they?
Didn't they?
Oh, well...
What could be more appropriate for Halloween than the frightening images of Horror Comics of the 1950s™ on tote bags, t-shirts, mini-buttons,and other ghoulish goodies?
Are you ready to be scared?
Click HERE...if you dare!

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Friday, September 5, 2014

The World's Greatest Escape Artist(s) Meet...

...in a 1993 "Elseworlds" story set in early 1900s Gotham City.
The non-continuity tale re-imagines Batman (or "Bat-Man" as he's referred to) operating in a Victorian steampunk reality where science and the occult intermingle.
Besides Houdini, there are vampires aplenty, plus re-interpretations of several Batman characters including Alfred, Vicki Vale, and (surprise) The Joker.
The award-winning graphic novel is well worth reading, if you can find it.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Reading Room WORLD AROUND US "Great Houdini"

For kids in the 1950s-60s, the go-to for fast and accurate info (if you didn't have an encyclopedia in those pre-Internet days) were the World Around Us comic series...
...and that's where we'll find the longest and most accurate graphic retelling of the life of Houdini!
(And the artwork was great source material for covers of reports about the subject matter.)
World Around Us #25 (1960) was subtitled "Illustrated Story of Magic" and featured a number of tales about magicians though the ages.
BTW, the World Around Us series, despite featuring artwork by a who's who of Golden and Silver Age greats including Jack Kirby, Reed Crandall, Gerald McCann, Gray Morrow, Dick Ayers, Sam Glanzman, George Evans, and Angelo Torres, has never been reprinted!
The Houdini tale was illustrated by Norman Nodel, who is best-known for his artwork for the "Doctor No" movie adaptation that appeared in Classics Illustrated in England, but in DC's Showcase Comics in America!
You can read the American version and see the changes made between the British and US editions HERE.