Comic Books – Page 64 – Prattling before the Pratfall

Chabon on Capes and Cowls

If clothes can make the man, what can a costume do for a superhero? Ye old buddy D.F. Rogers has sent the link to a New Yorker article by Michael Chabon about the why behind the masks. Chabon won a Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and he was a screenwriter for Spiderman 2. The New Yorker also has a Podcast interview with Chabon, and for convenience I’ll post it here.

[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Audio/2011/Nov/chabon.mp3|titles=Michael Chabon interview]

And while we’re thinking about The New Yorker, Charles Schulz never got a cartoon into its pages, although he had reasonable success selling submissions to The Saturday Evening Post. However, Snoopy has made at least one appearance in the New Yorker.

Edward Frascino, The New Yorker, 11/2/1992

Shielding Stephen Colbert

It’s no surprise to this old comic book fan that the death of Captain America wouldn’t last very long. There’s a new hero in action, taking Cap’s place. But what of the indestructible shield that belonged to the original Captain America? Isn’t it now in the possession of none other than Stephen Colbert?
[flv:/Video/2008/JAN/ColbertMarvel.flv 440 330]

Simpsons From Seasons Past

I’m a rather on-and-off fan. For example, I watched every episode of the first three seasons of The Simpsons, then dropped it. No particular reason, except there was a baby in the house to take care of!

But I never got back in the habit, and since then I don’t think I’ve watched an entire single episode all the way through, but I’ve heard about episodes that I’d wished I’d seen. Stan Lee’s guest spot from five or six years ago was one of them. By chance, I caught part of that episode tonight. The black box around the image is because it came from an SD source shown on an HD channel.
[flv:/Video/2008/JAN/Simpsons.flv 440 300]

Sinnott’s Brush Strokes With Greatness

Author Tim Lasiuta has posted a comment reminding me to mention his great book Brush Strokes With Greatness, The Life And Art of Joe Sinnott. Glad to do it, Tim! Love the book. I couldn’t find a good scan of the cover online, so I did one myself. Click to enlarge. I gave a copy to my best buddy Dennis Rogers for his birthday. Dennis rated special mention on the Joe Sinnott Web site, as seen at this link. Joe autographed my copy last month at The National in New York, aka: the Big Apple Con.

Joe Sinnott, Brush Strokes With Greatness

Anybody who has dipped a #2 sable brush into a bottle of india ink and tried with all their heart to draw a controlled and clean line with it, as I have, can really appreciate just how masterful Joe Sinnott is at his craft. What’s amazing is that at age 81 he’s a good as ever!

Bob Andelman, Mr. Media

Bob Andelman, aka Mr. Media, makes a comment on one of my posts about Monte Schulz, at this link. Andelman has posted an audio interview with David Michaelis, the author of the controversial book Schulz and Peanuts.

I’m going to do something I don’t normally do, and that’s hotlink to Mr. Andelman’s MP3 file. I think he should give streaming audio a try, and this is my way of nudging him in that direction. I would also suggest editing the properties of the MP3 files to include an artist and title, so the player could display something like “Mr. Media” and “David Michaelis Interview.” First, the David Michaelis interview…

[audio:http://www.andelman.com/mrmedia-pod/MM-DavidMichaelis101707.mp3]

I recommend listening to what Michaelis has to say, but as I’ve said before, while reading the book I’ve come around to an understanding what Monte and his sisters Amy and Jill are getting at in their criticism of Michaelis’ analysis of Charles M. Schulz as a man and as a father.

I’m very pleased to see that Andelman has also posted an interview with none other than Joe Sinnott, who I saw in New York a week ago. Thanks very much for this, Bob!

[audio:http://www.andelman.com/mrmedia-pod/MM-JoeSinnott071007.mp3]

Big Apple Con — Marvel Comics Panel

Mark Evanier comments at this link on a panel he moderated at the Big Apple Con last weekend. Hey, I recognize that photo! My best friend Dennis took it, and Evanier gives him credit for it. Here’s another version. Refer to Mark’s post for the names.

Big Apple Con - Marvel Comics Panel

I could have listened to these guys talk all day! Dick Ayers told some great stories from WW2, and it was fascinating hearing these talented pros delve into their past as comic book creators, when they were all sitting at home drawing and writing, working as freelancers, yet bonded together in the minds of fans by Stan Lee’s insistent descriptions of Bullpen camaraderie.

The PA system at the hotel was, to say the least, inadequate. I hate — emphasize HATE — technical problems such as these. Evanier complained, and the A/V boy in me sprang into action, doing the best I could to make the audio sound as good as possible.

Gary Friedrich wrote many issues of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, as well as the 70’s version of Ghost Rider that was turned into a movie earlier this year that I didn’t much care for, as I stated here. During the Q&A portion of the panel I made a point of telling Gary that he helped me think through my opposition to the Vietnam War when I was 14. I cited the Sgt. Fury summer double issue from 1969, but it was actually the 1970 annual special. Click the thumbnail picture to see the particular page I was thinking of.