Category: Comic Books

Taking Sides

Chuck Jones hated Bob Clampett for claiming he created Bugs Bunny. Jack Kirby resented Stan Lee for claiming he created the Marvel Super Heroes. Fans often express their opinions in these matters as if they have a personal stake in them, regardless of whatever the full truth may actually be.

Steve Ditko’s position on the creation of Spider-Man is a particularly frustrating example. Ditko wanted credit that he felt was denied to him by Stan, which wasn’t legally Stan’s to give anyway. But Ditko also acknowledged that he had accepted payment under a work for hire arrangement. The rigid Ayn Rand logic that Ditko followed allows both of these viewpoints to be valid, leaving them irreconcilable.

With that in mind, as a follow-up to yesterday’s post, did Ub Iwerks hate Walt Disney for claiming he created Mickey Mouse, and did Walt resent his studio’s co-founder for leaving to become a competitor? Not likely from this photo, taken not long before Disney’s death.

Bettie’s Bangs and Hard Knocks

Betty Page was a one-of-a-kind pinup girl. Appearing mostly in low-brow magazines, Bettie’s appeal was more kitschy than sleazy. Bettie (her preferred spelling) was happy to pose nude, but Irving Klaw never had her do that in his famous fetish photos. Personally, I don’t get the attraction of fetish material, and Bettie thought of it as a funny performance.

Bettie Page Reveals All, an affectionate yet unflinching portrait, is on Amazon Prime. The documentary is a bit amateurish, like the magazines Bettie appeared in, but I recommend it for both the cheesecake photos (there’s an old-fashioned term) and for Bettie’s life story.

For years, Bettie’s fans wondered where she was. The documentary really does reveal everything, including how she went from this…

… to this.

Bettie’s resurrection was thanks to comic book artist Dave Stevens. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dave saved Bettie’s life, as the documentary explains. Bettie died less than a year after Dave’s untimely passing. Tim Estiloz, a comic book fan and friend, who I met through Joe Sinnott, once interviewed Bettie.

Who Binge Watches the Watchmen?

One thing I didn’t need was another streaming video service, but I got talked into giving HBOmax a try. Over the past three days I’ve watched the nine episodes of HBO’s Watchmen sequel.

The series pushes hard on culture war issues. The presentation owes a lot to the stylistic influence of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Some hardcore Watchmen fans have complained the series doesn’t remain true to Alan Moore’s original vision, but it carried me through from one episode to the next. HBO has made the soundtrack available on YouTube, and it’s worth scrolling through the playlist for tracks that may be of interest.