Marvel Novel Series!

I remember seeing these on the shelves at Honolulu Book Store Ala Moana and being mystified at these "grown-up" versions of comic book characters I loved...I was particularly haunted by the Iron Man cover...at the time, I didn't know who Modok was and assumed it was the name of the "other" Iron Man.

A Childhood Star Wars Misconception

The "Second" Book?

Remember back in late 1977 when Star Wars was all the buzz and George Lucas first said that Star Wars was part of a NINE-CHAPTER epic, and going to the bookstore and thinking this Alan Dean Foster book "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" was the second book in the series? And that "Han Solo At Star's End" MUST be the "third" book? OK maybe was it just me and my classmates who believed it.

The "Third" Book?

To be fair, we were only 6th graders at the time and had no idea that Star Wars was originally a standalone movie before its success made them re-title it as "Chapter IV: A New Hope" and that this "Nine-Chapter" thing was something Lucas made up off the top of his head and there WEREN'T any actual "books" to be found!

 I remember thinking the original Star Wars novelization was the first, Splinter Of The Mind'e Eye being the second, the Han Solo Books as the third and fourth books, and then asking my fellow classmate "where are the other five books?" to which he slowly told me the truth about my wild goose chase.

Back then, every kid had this book

Still, whenever I see images of Splinter Of The Mind's Eye, it still invokes that rush of Star Wars excitement and I can remember when it seemed like the whole universe of the Star Wars legend was all out there to discover!

Futuristic Cheesecake

Mmmm, Futuristic Cheesecake! Jetsons had that Pinup Art style down pat, and the episode "Miss Solar System" showed just how wonderful and STYLISTIC their girls could get! 
Yeah, Mr. Spacely knows What's Up:

Invoking the good girl art of artists like Playboy regulars Jack Cole and Doug Sneyd (two absolute MASTERS of the genre) the designs of the sexy Miss Solar System contestants really reflected the sixties sexy swinging style!

Heck, even the regular characters reflected this cool art style, as evidenced in a water cooler scene earlier in the episode. Those gals look mighty fine, too!

...and boy, Hanna-Barbera sure loved Gina Lollobrigida. After her Flintstones' doppelgänger Gina Loadabricks, this futuristic "Gina Lolla-Jupiter" character marks the second homage to the Italian Beauty!

Favorite Comics: Legion of Super-Heroes #11

Remember when  the serious tone of the X-Files would occasionally be interrupted by a fun, silly episode  to brighten things up? Well, that’s JUST what the maniacs did for the serious and violent world of LEGION 5Y with issue 11 featuring a very FUN and HILARIOUS solo story featuring  Tenzil Kem (the amazing MATTER-EATER LAD) as a blundering Lawyer whom, along with his sweet sidekick/assistant Calorie Queen, attempts to defend Polar Boy in court!

As everyone knows,  Tenzil’s got one of the sillier powers on the LSH, and I love how they crafted the VERY silly and charming story where Tenzil is so inept as a lawyer that even Brek Bannin himself doesn’t believe in his skills, but he has so much heart and gumption ya gotta love him anyway.

And the way they humorously use his “powers” of being able to eat matter is some of the funniest stuff ever, with dialog like:

(Pouring a cup and taking a sip)

 “Cal, this tastes like yesterday’s crank case oil…

Is it too much to ask for a FRESH pot of crank case oil?”

(Eating in a greasy hole-in-the-wall Diner)

“What IS this stuff? I may be able to eat all matter, but I’ve got to draw the line SOMEWHERE!”

(discards meal and begins eating the ashtray full of cigarette butts instead)

A New Take On The New Mutants

Don’t know if you saw the trailer for the NEW MUTANTS upcoming movie, but instead of your usual glossy super-heroes whopping on each other, they are shooting it like a teenage horror movie style, dark and brooding with jump-scary style editing. Could work, at this point they don’t have anything to lose.

Anyway just today they uploaded the promo pic of the group. At first I thought it was crappy, (my first thought was, why are they all so dirty???) but someone pointed out that they’re paying homage to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell which I kind of like!

The cherry on the top came when someone on reddit pointed out that the Ilanya Rasputin character has a puppet of Kitty Pryde’s dragon “pet” Lockheed on her hand, which I find hilarious!

Already love Anya Taylor Joy from the very spooky and moody movie THE WITCH (or, the VVitch) and of course Arya Stark as Wolfsbane is going to be something to see!

No.1 With A Bullet

I saw the cover of issue #2 of the Image Comics series "No.1 With A Bullet" and was so intrigued by the art that I had to take a closer look. When I did, I saw that there was still a copy of issue #1 underneath, and so, without a single idea of what the comic was about, decided to pick it up both for something to read later that afternoon.

 At first I had a hard time even grasping what was going on much less what the story was about, All I knew was that the comic was following the frantic and stressful life of an intern for a huge TV Talk Show named Nash Huang, and at first, the story seemed so hipstery I was afraid I had given up "Snot Girl" only to be saddled with yet another "Cool young teens" comic.

But then the issue reached its climax where Nash finds she is a victim of a "Sex Tape" of sorts- someone has used  the new "Iris" contact lens camera to record her having sex at an old Christmas party and had released it online. The comic then changes from a seemingly frivolous one to a very real and emotional story as Nash deals with cyber-bullying, judgement from her neighbors and co-workers...and dealing with a crazy fan who is stalking her and has already invading her private residence! This is an intriguing story that I'm gonna have to follow through to the end!

Legion Of Super-Heroes Poster

Here's something fans of the 1993 Legion Of Super-Heroes reboot might remember- when Issue 13 came out, it came with an insanely cool pull-out poster of the team, and I was so stoked I had it mounted and laminated so i could hang it on my wall! 

Yeah, it's pretty beat-up and discolored nowadays, but it survived every move I made in the 25+ years since I got it, and it always goes back up on my wall when I've moved to a new place and designated the 'comic" corner" of my home!

Injection, Vol.3

Hallelujah, Injection volume three is finally HERE! Man, it is always hard waiting for these stories to be run and then collected into trades, but Injection is even longer as it's only bi-monthly, but it's such a  great and intriguing story!

Re-reading my original five issues (i originally picked up Injection issue by issue but the wait was too damn long) and second trade paperback before digging into Vol. 3 to refresh my memory!

Maus Vol. I and II

Re-reading this classic once again. I remember when it first came out, somehow the idea of having mice and jews and Cats as Germans seemed so overly clever  and calling the book by the German name for Mouse turned me off.... It wasn't until years later when my friend Gerg (who was a HUGE fan of the book) handed the two collections to me and said "Read 'em if you feel like it. If not, don't worry about it." Since I had the books right there I decided to give it a chance and I was immediately swept away by Art Spiegelman's captivating storytelling. Now it's one of my all-time favorite graphic novels to read and re-read again.

The Man Called Nova 1-25 (Complete Run)

Ohhhh man, this series did NOT hold up well over the years.

Almost excruciating to re-read.

Re-Reading The Classic Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons WATCHMEN

I was rapping with a co-worker about Bladerunner 2049 (We both loved it) and somehow the 2009 Zack Snyder film Watchmen came up. We both agreed that the movie was pretty good,  but when I began talking about the comic, he said he hadn't read it.

I told him  some of the differences in the comic and movie, including the BIG change of the 'threat" at the end. Well, that weekend I had to order a bunch of comics online and decided that if I saw a cheap copy of the collected Watchmen Graphic novel, i'd pick it up for him.

Lo and behold, there was a copy for only a few bucks! I ordered it and upon it's arrival I decided  to re-read it again to brush up on my memories . DAMN, what a GREAT freaking BOOK! The things I loved about it were as good as ever and there were even a few things I noticed that I NEVER saw before...that's how DENSE this book is, every PAGE is just filled to the BRIM with images and ideas, and MULTIPLE readings are required to soak it all in!!!

Truly one of the greatest Comcis of all time!

Queen Theater Then and Now

Someone uploaded a picture of the old Queen Theater back in its heyday circa 1950s or so (the Abbott and Costello movie "It Ain't Hay" came out in 1943, so maybe even earlier?) and since that theater is still standing there i thought I'd snap a pic to see how much it's changed since then....

Huh, gotta say that though obvious things like the marquee and theater sign itself are completely overhauled, I'm surprised by how much things as still the same!

Posted by zinkognito @ zdorama.blogspot.com

Happy Halloween!

Back in the 60's Tom Fagan organized the annual Rutland Halloween Parade centered around Marvel and DC superheroes alike, and the festival would occasionally show up in the pages of the comics, like Amazing Adventures 16 where the Beast encountered the Juggernaut!

The Human Fly

One of the more obscure titles that Marvel published in the 70's, The HUMAN FLY was a character that my friend Larry really dug for some reason, and I specifically remember a much-read copy of issue 18 at his house!!

 The Human Fly was a puzzling one....the by-line read that he was “The WILDEST Super-Hero…because he’s REAL!”, but me and most of my friends weren’t sure if he REALLY was a “real” character or just a “Made Up” character we were MEANT to think was real.

Come to find out the Human FLY WAS based on a real person, stuntman Rick Rojatt:

“Rojatt, a Canadian, says he once was a Hollywood stunt man—although the California union has no record of him. He also says he was in an auto accident in North Carolina six years ago which killed his wife and 4-year-old daughter and badly injured him. He had 38 operations in four years, he says, which allowed him to walk again but left him with a body that is “60 percent steel parts.” He says he conditions himself by rising at 3 a.m., running six miles and then plunging into a bathtub full of ice cubes.”

-From People Magazine 1976

Howard the Duck #18: "If You Knew SOOFI"

How many of you remember Anita Bryant and her Anti-Gay “Save The Children” crusade which resulted in her getting a pie in the face and inspiring Steve Gerber to create the villainous organization SOOFI (Save Our Offspring From Indecency) in HOWARD THE DUCK?

Like the Save The Children Organization, SOOFI had similar plans to “Cleanse America” of its “filth” …and targeted Howard for indecency because he was walking around without any pants on! HAHAHAHAHA

It’s a widely held belief that Gerber alluded the “person under the mask” of SOOFI Leader Supreme Soofi to be none other than Anita Bryant herself; though no real mention of Anita is mentioned, the folksinger was well known for her association with Florida Orange Juice, and the SOOFI’s round orange “Citrus Heads” (as Howard calls it) certainly hints at this, and when the Supreme SOOFI confesses to Howard that she is “a Girl from the Sunshine State”, who else could it be!?

Howard The Duck was such a GREAT comic- Steve Gerber infused the most sharp and witty satirical takes on the problems of the 70’s into Howard’s exploits!

Posted by zinkognito @ zdorama.blogspot.com

FreakAngels (Complete Run)

 FreakAngels as originally an online comic, and it was a joy to tune in each week and read the four of five new pages of story and beautiful art. They were part of my weekly ritual, and for the first time in years, I've been having a hankering to re-visit my old friends back in Whitechapel...

Outcast, Vol.5: The New Path

Volume Five of the awesome OUTCAST arrived so it's time to dig out my earlier trade paperbacks and read the series all over from book one again!!! Really love this series.

Desolation Jones: Made in England

Reading Desolation Jones again for the umpteenth time. Man I love this book. Such a cryin' shame that Warren Ellis baled on this one after (thankfully) completing this first story arc "Made in England".

As I re-read this again, I consciously tried to pin down what I love about this comic so much, and you know what, it comes down to the characters. I LOVE the characters here, especially Jones' relationship with Emily, the chemically-altered Special Agent who got operated on to produce alluring pheromones but instead with a botched trait which gave off an aura of near-revulsion instead.

No man or woman can stand to be near her, and so it is Jones alone who can endure her company and be there for her when her loneliness becomes unbearable. Very touching.

Unfollow, Vol.3: Turn It Off

I have to say that while I was initially intrigued by the idea of a billionaire giving away his fortune to 140 chosen people, by the time the second book came out, it had veered so far from what I was expecting that I decided to drop the book. But then I read that the third trade paperback was going to be the conclusion of the series, and, having invested my money into the first two books, made a point to pick it up later when I could get it cheap.
 What instead happened was, I got tickets to see the new Bladerunner 2046 movie but found that tit was going to be tow hours before my showing. With so much time to kill, I wandered into a comic store in the neighborhood, and, seeing the third Unfollow book. decided to pick it up and read it after all.
Meh, have to say it still didn't grab me and will probably not read it again, but it was an adequate way to kill some time.

East Of West, Vol.7

Been a YEAR since East of West Volume Six came out (Volume Seven was scheduled to be released in early June but kept getting postponed til September) and so I decided to dig up all my books and start reading them all over again from the beginning. Gonna take my time reading this one so I'll be preoccupied with this for awhile....Damn, this is such a great freaking series!!!!!

The Walking Dead Vol.28: A Certain Doom

Continuing on with "The Walking Dead" and is it just me or is this turning into the most boring, repetetive series ever? I swear this same scenario has been re-used over and over for years now.

Dropping "Snotgirl"

After reading the latest issue of Bryan Lee O'Malley/Leslie Hung's "Snotgirl", I think I'm going to drop it as a monthly purchase and wait for the trade paperbacks from now on. Normally I wait for an arc to end before dropping a title (like I did with "Injection") but with three more issues to go at 2.99 a clip, it would still be around the same price to buy the issues collected at 9.99 per book.

Leslie Hung's art is beautiful but the storyline just hasn't grabbed me like I thought it would, and its meandering plot would be better served reading all at once.

The Incredible Hulk #182: "Between Hammer and Anvil!"

The Incredible Hulk, Issue #182! Coming right after issue 181's famous debut of Canada's Wild n Wool Wolverine,  this one also featured Wolverine briefly at the beginning of the issue where he is being called back by his government. Because he was in it, issue #182 is a pricey comic to own, and so very few people have actually read it. 

That’s a shame because this issue’s story “Between Hammer and Anvil!”, where Hulk meets the kindly traveller Crackajack Jackson, is one of the sweetest and most touching stories EVER.

Crackajack Jackson is on his way to the state Penitentiary to meet his incarcerated son “Hammer” Jackson. Along the way he befriends the Hulk, and during their travels, he teaches Hulk the alphabet and shows him how to write his name, saying “A man ain’t nothin’ if he ain’t got his name!”

What they don’t know is that Hammer and his partner Johnny Anvil have escaped the prison and have crossed paths with a VERY bizarre-looking alien, who gives them the power of  a cosmic chain…and when Crackajack and Hulk show up, there’s gonna be a battle ahead!

A very touching and bittersweet ending, Crackajack Jackson became a person that Hulk would reflect on in later issues as a true friend of his.
Posted by zinkognito @ zdorama.blogspot.com

Manifest Destiny Vol.5: Mnemophobia & Chronophobia

This is a series which seems more like TV show than a comic with its episodic set up: Lewis and Clark and the Gang discover a new threat. The threat attacks them (and usually kills a member). They figure out how to defeat it. The End.
And yet, I  like reading this series, in much the way i loved turning in to each episode of Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno's Incredible Hulk" TV show years back....simply comfort food for thought!