2017-05
2017-05
Tuesday May 30, 2017
Weird Comics History, Episode 12: Underground Comix, Part One
Tuesday May 30, 2017
Tuesday May 30, 2017
Grab your pickaxes and mining helmets, this week Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) uncover the seedy underbelly of comics history! First, a detailed look at Tijuana Bibles and a sadistic sex comic drawn by Superman co-creator, Joe Shuster. Then we take a long look at the careers of satirist and publisher Harvey Kurtzman and talented yet tragic Wally Wood, including their independently-produced works that would be so influential to a generation of comics creators. Will the reason behind the "X" in "comix" be revealed? You'll have to listen to find out!
BREAK SNIPPET:
Will Eisner speaks well of Harvey Kurtzman at the Dallas Fantasy Fair on July 5, 1990 https://youtu.be/z5OFquX5riA
SOURCES & LINKS:
Tijuana Bibles: Art & Wit in America's Forbidden Funnies, 1930s to 1950s by Bob Adelman (Simon & Schuster, 1994)
Vintage Tijuana Bible Library (WARNING: VERY NSFW) http://www.tijuana-bibles.com/tijuanabible-comics.html The Incredible True Story of Joe Shuster's Nights of Horror http://cbldf.org/2012/10/the-incredible-true-story-of-joe-shusters-nights-of-horror/
Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD and Revolutionized Humor in America by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics, 2015)
Humbug (2 volume set) by Harvey Kurtzman, et al. (Fantagraphics, 2008)
Trump: The Complete Collection by Harvey Kurtzman et al. (Dark Horse Books, 2016)
A Brief Biography of Wally Wood http://www.twomorrows.com/alterego/articles/08wood.html
witzend (2 volume set) by Wallace Wood et al. (Fantagraphics, 2014)
TAGS: comics history, comic book history, underground comix, harvey kurtzman, wally wood, tijuana bibles, bazooka joe, joe shuster, humbug, trump, witzend, help!, american history, pop culture history
Sunday May 28, 2017
Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 41 - Manifest Destiny #1 (2013)
Sunday May 28, 2017
Sunday May 28, 2017
Circle the wagons and prepare for American history when Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) read a more recent comic about a much older time: Skybound Comics' Manifest Destiny #1 by Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts! There's scant biographical information about the creators, but plenty of information about the expedition of Lewis and Clark, of which they go into great detail. Then, our fellas read through the entire first issue of Manifest Destiny and do their best not to offend too many folks from the United Kingdom, or Australia, or both. After revealing some secrets of the Oregon Trail, Chris and Reggie talk about the comics history of history...in comics, and then list some other works of comic book historical fiction that we happen to like. Listening to this episode constitutes thirty percent of your final grade, so you don't want to miss it!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
facebook.com/cosmictmillhistory
@cosmictmill
chrisisoninfiniteearths.com
Thursday May 25, 2017
Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 23 - Batman #681 (R.I.P.)
Thursday May 25, 2017
Thursday May 25, 2017
As requested by esteemed comics enthusiast Matches Balone, Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) read Batman #681 from 2008! They give some details on writer Grant Morrison and penciller Tony S. Daniel, and provide a synopsis of the entire Morrison run on Batman that led to this issue--and beyond! They also speculate on the true identity of Batman's nemesis Doctor Simon Hurt, a character we may never see again. Join us for the monumental death of Batman...then his resurrection, then his death again, and another resurrection!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
FURTHER READING:
http://rikdad.blogspot.com/2009/05/wizard-211-platinum-batman-rip.html
http://sequart.org/magazine/775/deconstructing-batman-r-i-p/
http://www.comicmix.com/2008/11/26/the-stories-that-informed-batman-r-i-p/
TAGS: comic books, comics history, Batman, Grant Morrison, Tony S. Daniel, DC Comics, biography, Black Glove, Doctor Simon Hurt, Bruce Wayne
Sunday May 21, 2017
Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 40 - Captain America #405 (1992) "CAPWOLF!"
Sunday May 21, 2017
Sunday May 21, 2017
This week, Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) become werewolf hunters when they read issue #405 of Captain America from 1992 by Mark Gruenwald and Rik Levins--"Dances With Werewolves!" Including the usual creator biographies and history of the character, our duo go through every issue of the six-part "Man and Wolf" story arc, paying special attention to issue #405 which contains the emergence of Capwolf! Then they wrap it all up with a cultural and comic book history of werewolves, and list a few other times in comics that heroes were subject to bizarre transformations. You'll want your silver bullets loaded for this one, it's a howler!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
facebook.com/cosmictmillhistory
@cosmictmill
chrisisoninfiniteearths.com
BREAK: A snippet from an episode of Mark Gruenwald's public access cable television show from 1984, "Cheap Laffs"
Thursday May 18, 2017
Weird Comics History, Episode 17: The Lives and Times of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Thursday May 18, 2017
Thursday May 18, 2017
Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) talk about the lives and careers of two of comics' greatest luminaries: Joe Simon and Jack "the King" Kirby! They discuss Jack and Joe's respective childhoods right up to the moment they meet, and continue along their whirlwind and somewhat unorthodox paths through comics' Golden Age. Then you'll learn about Kirby's ascendancy to rewrite the way comics were told while Simon quit comics...sort of. They also detail the late lives of the legendary Captain America creators, including the legal battle with Marvel fought by Jack Kirby's estate that was settled very recently! You'll definitely want to learn about these creative powerhouses that changed the comics industry--several times over!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
BREAK CLIP: WBAI August 28, 1987 celebration of Jack Kirby's 70th birthday (snippet)
SOURCES:
http://www.tcj.com/the-joe-simon-interview/
http://kirbymuseum.org/biography/
Kirby’s vs. Marvel (2011-2014)
http://www.copyhype.com/2011/08/marvel-v-kirby-work-for-hire-and-copyright-termination/
Simon vs. Marvel (2003)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/books/16gust.html?_r=0
Stan v Jack - Who did what
http://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/ff_Lee-Kirby.html
My Life in Comics by Joe Simon, Titan Books, 2011
TAGS: comics, history, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Marvel Comics, Captain America, Young Romance, romance comics, Fantastic Four, Archie Comics, Harvey Comics, DC Comics, Challengers of the Unknown, New Gods, Kamandi, Thor, the Hulk
Sunday May 14, 2017
Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 39 - Green Lantern #51 (1994)
Sunday May 14, 2017
Sunday May 14, 2017
This week, Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) stay chill while recounting the origin story of Kyle Rayner in Green Lantern vol. 3 #51 by Ron Marz and Daryll Banks! After some creator biographies and some catch up with the character and the story leading up to this momentous issue, they detail the entire comic book, including Kyle's ultra-hip lingo. After a break, C & R get to the real juicy stuff: how Peter Gabriel influenced the creation of Kyle Rayner, and a little salacious murder...most refrigerated! Not to be missed!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
facebook.com/cosmictmillhistory
@cosmictmill
chrisisoninfiniteearths.com
Thanks to V. Ken Marion for the suggestion!
BREAK: SciFi4Me Interview: Ron Marz at Texas Comic Fest June 13 2015 https://youtu.be/ioJ5yncY0jM
Thursday May 11, 2017
Weird Comics History, Episode 18: The Strange Story of the Sentry
Thursday May 11, 2017
Thursday May 11, 2017
This week, Chris (@AceComics) takes Reggie (@reggiereggie) back to Marvel Comics' 21st Century renaissance to look at a "lost" character: the Sentry! A Superman-esque caped hero designed by Golden Age stalwart Artie Rosen in 1961, but unpublished and quietly shelved. After Rosen's passing, character designs were discovered, and it was up to Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee to bring the Sentry--Marvel's first superhero--into the light of day! They examine the Marvel Knights miniseries and discuss future adaptations of the character. Then, Chris and Reggie discuss some sales figures and whether or not the series was successful. Plus: a special secret surprise! Enjoy!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
chrisisoninfiniteearths.blogspot.com
BREAK CLIP:Golden Age artist Allen Bellman interviewed at Florida SuperCon 2012
FURTHER READING:In his benevolence, Chris has photographed some important articles and other writing about the Sentry, which can be downloaded here! http://tinyurl.com/gpwmu82
TAGS: comics, comic books, history, Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, Artie Rosen, Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee, Rick Veitch, Joe Quesada, the Sentry, Watchdog, Fantastic Four, Reed Richards, the Hulk, X-Men, Archangel, Angel, Warren Worthington
Sunday May 07, 2017
Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 38 - ElfQuest #1 (1978)
Sunday May 07, 2017
Sunday May 07, 2017
Hail and fare well! This week Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) dig into the self-published classic comic ElfQuest #1 by Richard and Wendy Pini from 1978! First, we learn a little about the weird comics historian himself, Chris, and his connection to the ElfQuest series. Then, after a little bio of the married creative team, they describe the entire first issue--and continue detailing the entire story of the First Quest! Then our stalwart adventurers unravel the publishing history of ElfQuest and where you can find evidence of the series outside of their own book. It all wraps up with a look at other married creative couples in comic books, and how you can go read ElfQuest online--for FREE!
weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
facebook.com/cosmictmill
@cosmictmill
chrisisoninfiniteearths.com
elfquest.com
Chris reviews ElfQuest 25th Anniversary: chrisisoninfiniteearths.com/2016/02/elfquest-25th-anniversary-special-2003.html
BREAK: youtu.be/vVMiyXvfU18
From 1993, at Los Angeles' Golden Apple comic shop, an excerpt from "Sci-Fi Buzz" tv show which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1993-98. There's a brief interview with Wendy and Richard Pini, and bits and pieces from the Golden Apple appearance from the "Fantasy with Teeth Tour".