Category: Comic Books

The Ditko Public Service Package

Legendary comic book artist Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and the creator of Dr. Strange, has long been an adherent of Ayn Rand’s so-called Objectivism. I read both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead in college, while studying for my B.A. in Economics, and I think Rand’s ideas are ludicrous, but I enthusiastically support Ditko’s work.

The Ditko Public Service Package on Kickstarter, run by Robin Snyder, Ditko’s publisher, is reprinting an unusual book that came out over twenty years ago. The campaign has two more weeks to go, and I am very pleased that the fund has more than the $4900 that’s needed for the project. I contributed $106, with the extra six bucks for shipping.

Joe Sinnott, from Bing to Beatles

Joltin’ Joe Sinnott’s granddaughter Erin has been posting a very enjoyable weekly series of video Q&A’s with Joe on his Facebook page. Joe’s fans and friends know that he’s a big fan of Bing Crosby, and this week’s question comes from a fellow Der Bingle fan, who’s none other than my co-conspirator in fanboy endeavors, Dennis F. Rogers.

[flv:http://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Video/2012/JoeSinnottBing.flv 512 384]

Joe’s praise for Bing singing the plaintive Hang Me, Oh Hang Me makes it deserving of a listen, so here it is.

[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Audio/2012/12/BingCrosby.mp3|titles=Bing Crosby – Hang Me Oh Hang Me]

I’m pleased no end that Joe Sinnott also has a connection to the Beatles, because when they came to America in 1964, Joe had the distinction of being picked to illustrate the authorized comic book of their story…

… and here’s Joe talking about drawing the Beatles. A couple of years later he would be in the thick of his legendary run with Jack Kirby on The Fantastic Four.

[flv:http://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Video/2012/JoeSinnottBeatles.flv 512 384]

Dr. Horrible for President

Joss Whedon takes a secular view of the Endtimes, but he arrives at the same place as those on the religious right, who welcome its coming.

“It’s a brand new day…”

P.S. Whedon’s comment about “ungoverned corporate privilege” has some irony to it, considering that his movie The Avengers grossed more than $1.5 billion before going to video, and yet Disney-Marvel has no money for Jack Kirby, without whom the Avengers wouldn’t exist. With Whedon signing to direct the Avengers sequel, I’d like to think he can bring some pressure to bear on the studio to propose a settlement with Kirby’s family.

Outsourcing

I haven’t been feeling the blogging bug lately. Too much else going on, my mind on other things, etc. Some of the material I was going to post has been donated to better homes — favorite sites that are devoted to single subjects.

Rob Steibel runs the excellent Kirby Dynamics blog for the Jack Kirby Museum. I sent Rob scans from two magazines with articles about Stan Lee that were published ten years apart — Castle of Frankenstein (1968), and Circus (1978).

I am a devoted follower of the tipper-topper mostest bestest Beatles photo blogger, The Gilly on Tumblr. A long time ago I said I would post Ringo’s Photo Album from 1964, but after scanning the magazine I decided that The Gilly would do a superior job of presenting it, and I was right. The scans are at this link.