Category: Cartooning

Dog Rat’s Soap Box

That’s what I was listening to then, so lemme see… what about the comic books was I reading? Oh, this one was a very big deal for me. Spectacular Spider-Man #1, a new magazine format comic, on sale April 9. Costing as much as three regular comics (minus a penny), with Spidey in black & white? Sure, why not!

The Spectacular Spider-Man #1, 1968

Marvel was finally free of its oppressive 10-year distribution deal with competitor DC, setting the stage for the big DC implosion that year. Editor Stan Lee was expanding the Marvel lineup like crazy with new titles, while publisher Martin Goodman was working a deal to sell the company, and screwing people in the process.

Fabulous Flo Steinberg didn’t get a well-deserved raise, so she quit. Jack Kirby didn’t get a promised contract and Stan gave the new Silver Surfer book to John Buscema, putting the wheels in motion for Jack’s departure two years later.

https://seanhowe.tumblr.com/post/177947385267/martin-goodman-sells-marvel-comics-to-perfect-film

The Wealthy Land of Lichtenstein

Michael Cavna at The Washington Post reviews WHAAM! BLAM! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation.

Now, long after Lichtenstein’s death in 1997, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing a stamp set to commemorate his birth centennial; its release will be celebrated April 24 in a ceremony at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/04/05/roy-lichtenstein-documentary/

I didn’t know the USPS is issuing stamps this month in Lichtenstein’s honor. The timing of the documentary’s release couldn’t be better.

Ghosted by Ghosts?

Job applicants who never hear back are applying for positions that don’t exist.

Among those who said they advertised job postings that they weren’t actively trying to fill, close to half said they kept the ads up to give the impression the company was growing.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/that-plum-job-listing-may-just-be-a-ghost-3aafc794?mod=hp_lead_pos12

This raises some questions and concerns. Is the Bureau of Labor Statistics getting accurate information? The Fed is basing its interest rate decisions in part on the “robust job market.”

Speaking of ghosts. When Hanna-Barbera in Los Angeles was at its early peak, Famous Studios in New York was doing better limited animation for television. Wendy performs “The Red Shoes.”

https://youtu.be/3wa3XnmI-2k?t=1

Lichtenstein POP ART Productions

Whaam! Blam! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation is now available for online viewing. The documentary receives my highest recommendation, not only for setting the record straight, but for how it presents both sides of the case.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BVJSVN18/

Much of Lichtenstein’s appeal depends on scale, so I recommend watching the documentary on the largest screen possible. Seeing the giant canvases displayed at auctions, in museums and galleries, only to be brought down to size both literally and figurately, makes the praise heaped on Lichtenstein by his apologists in the high art world seem laughable.

This documentary became not only necessary, but possible, by research that’s been done by fellow Westfield State alum David Barsalou. The reference David makes in this brief video clip is to an Art History course that was taught by Barbara Harris.

In this clip Russ Heath, one of the all-time great comic book illustrators, talks about Stan Lee giving him his start in comics.

Whether or not Stan realized that he had, in an indirect way, helped to make Lichtenstein’s fame possible, in 1965 he briefly embraced the Pop Art label, as seen in the corner box at the top of this post.

It’s disappointing that Bill Griffith, who I’m very much a fan of, doesn’t see a problem with Lichtenstein’s comic book appropriations. Griffith, who attended Pratt Institute during Lichtenstein’s initial burst of fame, seems to be expressing more of an art student’s view than one coming from a cartoonist. It was almost sad for me, seeing Griffith’s position undercut so deftly.

DC 94 yr. GIANT, Joe Giella

Joe Giella, June 27, 1928 – March 21, 2023. Photo from Joe’s Facebook page.

What Joe Sinnott was to Marvel, his friend Joe Giella was to DC. Joe passed away yesterday at age 94.

Batman newspaper comic strip panel by Joe Giella
Joe Sinnott visiting with Joe Giella. Photo courtesy of Mark Sinnott.

Mark Evanier has this remembrance.

Joe Giella, R.I.P.