Archive for March, 2007
Marvel Team Up #15
Andy recently lumped the Ghost Rider onto a list of least favorite characters next to Moon Knight when responding to a previous post. While I have nothing but the utmost respect for Andy, it makes me sad on this occasion to see him so terribly, terribly wrong.
Non-comic readers attending multiplexes all across America are becoming acquainted with Ghost Rider in a form consistent with the portrayal that made the character hugely successful in the dark days of the 90’s: “Satan’s bounty hunter” or a leather-jacketed “spirit of vengeance”, armed with the eerie “penance stare” to wither the souls of his enemies and bring the grim n’ gritty to another mylar bag in your long box.
This Ghost Rider is, of course, pure bullshit.
The Ghost Rider I first encountered in the pages of a Marvel Team-Up from 1973 was not simply a Punisher-retread as later depicted. Garbed in a Vegas showman’s jumpsuit and performing circus stunts in his civilian identity, Johnny Blaze didn’t seek out the guilty to deliver judgment; rather, he fought his alter ego in the same fashion as Bruce Banner, giving in to the need to release his inner demon when pursued by the minions of hell and other weirdoes and goofballs. Unlike Dr. Banner, Blaze was frequently able to bend the demon to his will, and some mean trick cycling augmented his array of supernatural powers. It was far more entertaining to read about than the simpleminded revenge fantasy of later interpretations.
Len Wein wrote the first meeting of these two characters, and Ross Andru pencilled the story. Ross was the guy who introduced me to Spider-Man, and his visual style remains the definitive look for the character for me. This issue of Marvel Team-Up appeared at about the same time as Andru was beginning his fifty-odd issue run on Amazing Spider-Man; the artwork appears slightly less developed than the later issues I remember so fondly, but the flavor is definitely there.
I think you guys are going to have to sit through a Ross Andru post somewhere down the line.
But back to our story: The father of Ghost Rider’s girlfriend once had an uneasy partnership in the circus business with Drake Shannon. When their feud came to a head, they staged a race to determine who would be the sole owner of the show. Shannon tried to cheat and lost—spectacularly—but has returned to reclaim ownership of the show he believes is rightfully his from his former partner’s daughter. Only he’s not Drake Shannon anymore—he’s The Orb!
The Orb has a proud spot on my list of all-time favorite goofball villains. While some evildoers get their start through nuclear accidents, others through genetic experiments, still others through supernatural avenues, the origin of The Orb stands unique among Marvel’s hall of infamy:
He decided to become a bad guy after a motorcycle accident in which he skidded over 25 yards of pavement ON HIS FACE!
Of course, our heroes thwart The Orb’s evil plans, leading to the obvious, thrilling conclusion: a motorcycle chase to the finish! Even Spider-Man, with all his vaunted arachnid powers, realizes that this situation calls for some mean trick cycling, Spidey-style!
The Orb makes an unwise choice to try to escape by riding down a subway tunnel (if only Spider-Man had just painted it on the wall!), riding right into the path of an oncoming train. Ghost Rider searches in vain for the body, and we are left to wonder… will we ever see this arch-villain again?
Writers, here’s a real news story that can serve as a springboard for a fictional crime tale:
“More than half the world’s diamonds are traded in Antwerp’s gem district, a maze of tiny streets hugging the main train station. Its turnover of $23 billion a year makes it one of the densest concentrations of valuables on earth.”
| Dual Pistols You preferred a weapon with 21% power over speed and 69% range over melee. |
| You use Dual Pistols.
Best done with relatively light pistols like Berettas, a pair of pistols is the quintessential Street Samurai’s arsenal. Stylish and fast, a pair of pistols is inaccurate but fearsome. You excel at providing cover fire and look cool while doing it. Your opponents will dive for cover when you reach to your sides. |
 |
My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The What’s Your Signature Weapon Test |
I was looking at wonkette.com this morning, and one of the ads caught my eye. It was the same bus stop that I used to drive past every morning! Turns out it was for the Web site of a local artist who photographs signs. Sometimes he alters them in PhotoShop.
This one I can vouch for; this is exactly how it looked at the corner of 4th and Spring this fall. You can see the big Chase Bank banner ad in the background.
I suspect this one will be a tough one to guess, but you guys always find ways to surprise me…
(click image to use the sepiatonerize)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007)
I feel bad saying so in such an indie-friendly crowd, but one of my favorite books right now is DC Comics’ “52.”
52 is everything your average Big Two event is not. It requires no crossovers; it is its own crossover. It has no stars — Batman and Wonder Woman have appeared only once each, and the biggest name among the recurring characters is probably Steel. And not only is it not late, it comes out monthly.
Issue 42 wrapped up the Ralph Dibny storyline, and it’s one of the strongest so far. The resolution took me completely by surprise, but makes perfect sense in hindsight. And it plays with concepts of life and death, salvation and damnation. Superhero comics are at their best when they take on the big themes, use amazing powers, and throw in something surprising.
Most amazingly, it made me really care about Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man. He was wasted in Starman, and I’d always thought of him as the poor man’s Plastic Man. This makes me wish I’d gotten to know him better.
52 is good, solid four-color adventure. I’ll be back next year for the sequel, “Countdown,” which will feature our friend Sean McKeever.
Just when I’m already feeling bad about not blogging so much, I see that our friend Caleb Mozzocco has put up a 4,903-word post on Plastic Man, complete with about two dozen pictures.
That’s dedication.
Dara’s mention of the X-Files reminds me … I used to love that show.
I mean, really love it. I used to have Mulder and Scully action figures. I saw “Playing By Heart,” which co-stars Gillian Anderson. And I have about a dozen episodes on VHS at home.
But God help me, I can’t bring myself to watch any of them. I skip it if I see it in reruns. I can’t for the life of me remember how the overall arc turned out. I’m so over that show, we need a new word for “over.”
A quick look at the X-Files page on Jumptheshark.com shows that a large percentage of visitors think that show never “jumped the shark.” 472 voters vote for “never jumped,” 254 say it jumped after the Movie, and 205 say it jumped after Mulder left.
Personally, I think it got bad when Mulder left, but it jumped for good when he came back. Does anyone else remember the episodes where Mulder had cancer or something, and then found out the Cancer Man was his father, and then they had him strung up on some kind of cross thing?
At that point, I was done with David Duchovny and his ego. I was just settling in to see some workmanlike Gillian Anderson/Robert Patrick work, and the Mulder kept showing up out of the blue. Are we telling a story here, or working around this guy’s golf schedule?
That was it for me, man. It was time to get into Buffy.
FBI agents Quesada and Alonso.
Cute, but kinda tacky.
I mean, if you’re gonna’ make sly comic book creator references, go with the real deal. Kirby. Ditko. Toth. Siegel. Lee. etc.
On the other hand, they did end up on the wrong end of a gun, so maybe it’s all for the best.
Great episode otherwise. Another couple of unexpected twists. Wow.
I meant to post this earlier, but forgot. In his column a couple of weeks ago, Steven Grant lead with this bit of news about my (formerly) favorite show of all time, Lost:
“Word came down last week that ABC’s former hit series, LOST (Wed 10P), one of the handful of shows credited with turning the network’s fortunes around a few years back, is in trouble. Seems viewership, already down this year, dropped off badly for the return episode two weeks ago – it was supposed to be calculated to bring everyone up to date and jumpstart interest, and generally got good reviews from TV critics – and lost about a quarter of that audience by last week, prompting open if unofficial suggestions from ABC that all mysteries might be wrapped up by season’s end, with the implication it could also be the series end as well if things don’t start looking up.”
He then goes on to lay out this concise analysis of what’s been turning fans off about the show:
“Too many storylines, too many questions, too few resolutions.”
That, in a nutshell, is why I’ve become quite disillusioned with the show as well. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to pan the show because it’s still light years beyond the majority of the crap on TV. The creators deserve a lot of credit for concocting an amazingly intricate and fascinating mystery, a fantastic cast of multicultural characters with rich back stories, and just really solid, skillful writing. But the show has become a victim of its own success. In order to keep it on the air for years to come, they’ve fallen into the The X-Files trap of stretching out the main storyline infinitely, constantly introducing new plot elements, but never answering any of their audience’s questions.
“Structurally, here’s the problem with stories like LOST. It’s what I call the “Master Of Kung Fu” concept: catch or kill Fu Manchu, and the series’ reason to exist ends. Don’t catch or kill Fu Manchu, and the protagonists ultimately come across as impotent, whatever minor victories they might achieve. “
If the ratings drop really is accurate, and there’s any truth to the rumors that the show might be winding up by the end of this season or the next, then I’d welcome that as real good news for the fans. Because frankly, I’d rather have a planned exit, tying up all the loose ends and bringing the story to its intended conclusion, than an unceremonious cancellation or worse yet, a painful decline into irrelevance, a la The X-Files.
By the way, Steven also writes a bit about the “parabolic arc” nature of a story, using Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow as an effective analogy. Good stuff, especially for you writer types.
Saw this on The Pulse, thought I’d share with everyone. Moonstone will be publishing comics based on the old Captain Action line of toys (and a DC comics series) from the 60s.
“Moonstone wants to give CAP his due in comics!We’re looking for proposals of no more than two pages.
The premise is entirely up to you!
Create a NEW “back story” as well as set CAP on a course for new adventures! We’re looking for that one GREAT IDEA, and we know it’s out there! (Please remember that CAP is a licensed property, and as such, if approved, would be considered “work for hire”.)
All proposals will be subject to review. You can e-mail proposals to contact_us@moonstonebooks.com”
Not much info there, to be sure. But what the heck, give it a shot if you’re up for it.
Dan Vado is a fountain of depression about the industry. But sooo true. The bit about where he’d not do it all over again is the most stinging statment. I’d seriously like to check in on the viability of downloadable comics. Not like webcomics but more highend. Check out his eyemelt setup. But alot of the ‘kids’ don’t seem to care and torrent their comics.
Well guys, now you’ve done it. You guessed all the other pages so easily, I’m forced to pull out the big guns. Hopefully this page will be more of a challenge.
As always, if you have the comic book this came from, please recuse yourself from the game.
(click image to use the mouthsize)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007)
Via Wendy, comes this call for artists, as posted on Craig’s List:
“Hello everyone!Pesto is looking for artists to showcase in a rotating series called 21 DAYS.
Every 3 weeks, we will display 7 pieces of wall-mountable artwork by a local artist. We are particularly interested in college students, but any and all Columbus artists are encouraged to submit their portfolios for consideration. The decisions to sell and broker the artwork are SOLELY the artist’s responsibility, but Pesto will provide the wall space at no charge to the artist. If artwork is sold, Pesto will NOT charge any type of commission/fee. This is our gift to our community and we are excited to provide an opportunity for local art to have an audience.
21 Days will begin soon. All interested applicants should choose their 7 submissions and contact us for more information.
Thanks!”
If interested, answer via the e-maill address on the listing, or just call Pesto.
This month marks the debut of Brainbot, Jr., the new comic strip by yours truly and Tom Williams. Brainbot will appear once a month in the pages of Columbus’ own little music and entertainment magazine, Melt. In addition, we plan on featuring bonus strips, original art, and other surprises on the new Brainbot, Jr. website.
Go grab yourself a copy. Or check us out online.
