Saturday, April 06, 2013

Psylocke Psaturday #10: Why the long face, Miss Braddock?


Panels from the Captain Britain story "In All the Old Familiar Places" in The Mighty World of Marvel #16 (September 1984); plot, pencils, and inks by Alan Davis, script by Mike Collins; letters by Steve Craddock. Color version from Captain Britain trade paperback (1988), colors by Andy Seddon.

My admiration for Alan Davis's gorgeous artwork is second to no bull, but geez, Mister D, that second panel...ain't no way she's gonna be a supermodel with a nose and a chin like that. We'll just chalk it up to her being excited to see Braddock housekeeper Emma again, shall we?

This week's Psylocke Psurveillance Psummary:
  • Hair: purple.
  • Eyes: blue.
  • Skirt: knee-length.
  • Chin: tremendous.
Next week: Things start to get very bad. Start.


See?

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 96


House ad for House of Mystery #167 [Dial H for Hero] (June 1967); printed in Challengers of the Unknown #56 (June-July 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Jim Mooney, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp


Today in Comics History, April 6, 1990: Scarlett Johansson is completely unaware that Darkseid is sneaking up on her


from Black Widow: The Coldest War graphic novel (April 1990); script by Gerry Conway; pencils by George Freeman; inks by Ernie Colon, Mark Farmer, George Freeman, Mark Harris, Val Mayerik, and Joe Rubinstein; colors by Lovern Kindzierski, letters by Ron Muns

Today in Comics History, April 6: Commissioner Gordon comforts the abnormally swollen head of Charlie Brown


from Batman #405 (March 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

Friday, April 05, 2013

Meanwhile, on Earth-Acme...

Nick Fury cat is forming the Furvengers.


365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 95


House ad for Secret Hearts #112 (June 1966); printed in Falling in Love #83 (May 1966)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Gene Colan
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp


Today in Comics History, April 5: [INSERT ANOTHER JOKE ABOUT COMMISSIONER LOEB'S TALKING OFFICE DOOR HERE]


from Batman #405 (DC, March 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

Thursday, April 04, 2013

A Tinny Roman guns for the Challengers of the Unknown

Earlier today, we saw teen heartthrob Tino Mannary, winner of the 1967 Suspicious Name Award, plotting to kill each one of the Challengers of the Unknown! The team that lives on borrowed time! (Also, liver and onions.)


Panel from Challengers of the Unknown #56, (June-July 1967), script by Arnold Drake, pencils and inks by Bob Brown

It's also the issue where the Challengers experience bizarre LSD hallucinations!


Yep, it's the debut of all-around nogoodnik Tino Mannary...whose name is a labored anagram for Martin Ryan, little brother of The Brady Bunch star Robert Ryan the late Challenger of the Unknown Red Ryan! Gasp! Also, his name is an anagram for Yam or Tannin, and I think we all enjoy yams and/or tannin. Yam or tannin! It's what's for dinner.


Still, I keep coming back to this panel featuring Tony Rain Man Tino Mannary's hit list:


Just for fun, I thought, What If™... Yarn Moat Inn Tino Mannary had picked four other famous targets to put on his death-list shortlist! (And I think it would go something like this.)


Or maybe he'd focus in on a quartet that owes absolutely nothing to the Challengers of the Unknown, uh uh, no way, absolutely no influence or inspiration at all, nosiree:


Or maybe he's like to bump off a more radical group of four:


Here's a happy quartet that could in the crosshairs of Any Minor Ant Tino Mannary:


And I think it's about time these four paid for their crimes against humanity:


Here, why don't you try one? Extra credit for using anagrams of "Tino Mannary"!


Here's a last bonus one: Annoy Martin Tino Mannary is out to assassinate rock band Loverboy!


Yes, it's true that Loverboy has not four but five members. But they get a bonus for performing the official theme song of Trainman Yon Tino Mannary! Play us off, Meek Iron Mike Reno, Dual Pane Paul Dean, Good John Sun Doug Johnson, Fart Meet Tent Matt Frenette, and Sire Dean Penknives Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve!



365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 94


House ad for Challengers of the Unknown #56 (June-July 1967); printed in Detective Comics #363 (May 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Bob Brown, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Inset art adapted from this interior panel:


Panel from Challengers of the Unknown #56, script by Arnold Drake, pencils and inks by Bob Brown

Nope, that's not Slade Wilson Jr., Kid Deathstroke, but rather Tino Mannary, pop star, super-genius, innovative inventor, racecar driver and business wunderkind! Yep, this guy was Kitty Pryde before Kitty Pryde was Kitty Pryde! All hail the sensational Marty Stu find of 1967: Tino Mannary!



Can't get enough fannery of that wonderful Tino Mannary? Check back later tonight, cats and kittens! (Also: humans.)

Today in Comics History, April 4: Commissioner Gordon regrets going to Gotham City's new 52-Car Drive-Through Auto Wash


from Batman #405 (March 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, April 4, 1988: When Daredevil orders a pizza, you can bet it gets there in under thirty minutes


from Black Widow: The Coldest War graphic novel (Marvel, April 1990); script by Gerry Conway; pencils by George Freeman; inks by Ernie Colon, Mark Farmer, George Freeman, Mark Harris, Val Mayerik, and Joe Rubinstein; colors by Lovern Kindzierski, letters by Ron Muns

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Worst. Logo. EVER.

Yeah, we may complain about some of the bad logos on contemporary comics, but take a big steaming gander at this one:


Cover of ?????????* #1 (November 1985), painted cover by Garry Leach

Gee, it's like they were purposefully trying to kill Todd Klein, isn't it?

*Laser Eraser and Pressbutton

Today in Comics History, April 3: Science discovers that electricity = Monster from Hell



from Atomic Robo and the Shadow from Beyond Time #1 (Red 5, April 2009, top) and #2 (May 2009, bottom), script by Brian Clevinger, pencils and inks by Scott Wegener, colors by Ronda Pattison, letters by Jeff Powell

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 93


House ad for Who's Who in the DC Universe (1985); printed in World's Finest Comics #314 (April 1985)
Atomic Knight art by Murphy Anderson, from Who's Who #1:


Page from Who's Who: The Definite Directory of the DC Universe v.1 #1 (March 1985), pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson

And if you can't get enough Who ('s Who) excitement, you really need to check out Siskoid's Blog of Geekery and his "Who's This?" feature, focusing on the C-listers in Who's Who and forgotten DC Universe heroes and villains of the past! Like, say, this fellow they call "Bat-Man"—he puzzles me!

Today in Comics History, April 3: Dr. Alec Holland unwisely selects Cleveland as his vacation getaway


from Swamp Thing Annual (2012 series) #1 (DC, December 2012), script by Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft, pencils and inks by Becky Cloonan, colors by Tony Avina, letters by Carlos M. Mangual

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

What If™...Taylor Swift Lived in the Marvel Universe?

Your Armor Is Iron But Your Heart Is Steel
I Don't Like You When You're Angry
Your Heart's Been Frozen Since 1945
It's Always Clobberin' Time But It's Never Me Time
Face It Tiger You Hit the Jackpot (But Then I Got Tossed Off a Bridge)
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Wolverine


365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 92


House ad for The Atom v.1 #7, The Flash v.1 #167, My Greatest Adventure v.1 [The Doom Patrol] #80, and Mystery in Space v.1 [Adam Strange] #84 (all June 1963)
printed in Batman #156 (June 1963)
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp


Monday, April 01, 2013

Today in Comics History, April 1: The day Superman dropped LSD: The day Superman dropped LSD

As you may have seen last night, March 31: Superman has the most boring-ass diary in the world!


from "The Night of March 31st!" from Superman #145 (DC, May 1961), script by Jerry Siegel, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Sheldon Moldoff

You know, what is it that Supergirl has or hasn't done between this story back to her arrival on Earth in Action #252 (May 1959) to deserve being still hidden under a Kryptonite curtain? I'm guessing Kal-El needed that extra time in order to clear all the legal ownerships on that "S" shield so Kara can never make any money off her likeness. Wow, that clever, clever Clark! Also: that dirty, rotten Clark!

Superman hurries to the Planet and does his best impersonation of Kool-Aid:



Apparently Lori Lemaris has grown a pair...of legs! Say, I wonder if that singing crab is anywhere around here?


Ha ha ha! It's just as I predicted...Supergirl reveals herself! She's had it up to there...no, there...wait...here, with Kal-El! You can tell he's mad because he took some time to change into his comfortable Sears casual slacks.


Then, ownership of Super-Pets is transferred! This might be a weird, weird, day. Still, any appearance of Streaky the Super-Cat is welcome as far as I'm concerned. And it isn't even Caturday!


It's a madhouse, I tell you! A MADHOUSE!


Anticipating that issue of John Byrne's Superman where Lois dates Mr. Mxyzptlk, Lois...um...dates Mr. Mxyzptlk! Yep, it's true...chicks dig the fifth dimension.


Consternation, uproar! Supes and Mxy square off! Hey, judge...he's got a foreign object in the ring...a ball o' Red Kryptonite! Oh no! Superman will turn into a clock or a grand piano or Senator Estes Kefauver! You just can never predict what Red Kryptonite will do to Superman unless you look at the cover of the comic book.


Oh, there's a poster in it! I wonder what that poster will be!


No, no, no. Not that poster, this poster:


Now, let's visit Lana Lang, who is now acting like a complete jerk. So, regular ordinary Lana Lang, then.


Superman's pals arrive to save the day! Notably absent: Jimmy Olsen, fair-weather friend that he is.


Thus: THE GREATEST PANEL IN COMIC BOOK HISTORY:


Yes, folks, it's the only Superman story* that ends with a "plop!" *Aside from some copies of "For the Man Who Has Everything."


Now, 'round about this time the Duke Boys were in a mess o' trouble you may be wondering What the Sam Scratch is going on here? Characters acting out of character, drawn incorrectly, canon completely violated...why yes, it's a Rob Liefeld story!

No, actually, to save you the trouble of turning your computer monitor upside-down (I tried it and I do not recommend it), here's the editorial explanation: those Superman creators just gone plain insane!


Why, it's an April Fool's gag with lots of deliferate mistales. Can you spot them all? Well, I did notice Lois said "sorry" to Clark...now that's out of character!

I wonder how much of this story was inspired by DC's letter columns at the time, which mostly seemed to consist of readers complaining that they'd spotted a mistake in the comic book. It only costs a dime, you ingrates!


Yep, here's the editors baiting the readers. "G'wan, ya comic book-readin' ninnies! We dare you to spot the mistakes!"


A few issues later (in Supes #148), the fans react!


Now here's the round-up and the winners. Say, Linda Strickland, we sure hope you still have that gorgeous Curt Swan original art! I'll take it off your hands for a couple bucks.


This still is not in any way the complete list of mistakes in the story. I highly recommend hunting down the full story and finding the mistakes yourself! (It was republished in Adventure Comics #339, The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, and Showcase Presents: Superman v.2. It's well worth checking out...it's a fun story, and that's what we here at Comics Oughta Be Fun! love the best. And that's no April Fool!