It isn’t all about Marvel…

Well, I’m doing it! I’m crossing over into DC Comics territory. I was a Marvel Comics kid who would rarely pick up a DC title back in the early days of my collecting. For some reason, Batman and Superman and all those other DC characters didn’t interest me. I took the motto “Make Mine Marvel” to heart in those days. But,as I got older and more serious about collecting, I worked my way into the DC Universe.

This was when I mainly bought comic books with exciting covers. But, I also liked the monster stories. And because I liked monsters so much, I laid down my hard-earned 20 cents and purchased this DC comic book, The Demon #13 (Oct. ’73).

The Demon was a series created, drawn, and written by the great Jack Kirby. Kirby was king. He was the major talent behind the creation of the language of comic book art. He was a pioneer. He is probably the most influential artist in comic book history and, for years, I thought he sucked.

That’s right. I couldn’t stand his stuff. In my formative years as a cartoonist, I couldn’t understand why he was the king. As I worked to improve my drawing skills, I kept looking at his work and thought it was crap. “He can’t draw!” I would think.

Kirby didn’t draw anatomy well. Look at the hands he’d draw. How many knuckles does a human finger have? How long is a thumb compared to the fingers? Who has squared off fingertips? And that’s just the hands!

I could go on, but I did eventually come to appreciate the greatness of Jack Kirby’s art. So let’s just move on, shall we?

The Demon #13 might have been the first DC Comics title I’d ever purchased. He’s been a favorite character of mine ever since.

This was long before the Demon started speaking in rhyme. That’s the one thing that annoyed me about the later incarnation of the Demon. I like the Hell aspect and that the Demon is kind of evil while still being a good guy. And I love his alter-ego’s name: Jason Blood. Such a cool name!

The art I’ve selected from this issue are all full page illustrations, with one exception. In fact, one is a two page spread!

The cover (see above) has an interesting use of color to help direct the eye. Your attention is drawn to the Demon and his two adversaries. The monsters are less significant, but still important. And the Demon’s declaration, “I’m unleashing every terrible thing your mind can think of! Can you take it?” makes one wonder if he talking to his adversaries or is he talking to us? Probably both.

The two page spread is chock full of Jack Kirby goodness. Some of his best work is this big drawing stuff. It’s big, spectacular! And Kirby was very good at making sure that the design didn’t leave the reader confused. The storyline continues to flow through the dramatic art.

There’s also that black dotted cosmic fire thing the Kirby was so fond of using. I don’t know if he invented it, but it is a signature element of his art. And countless Kirby-influenced artists (myself included) have used the same effect.

So, the next page I’ve selected is the first page of chapter two. It introduces “the Monster”. A not so subtle take on the Frankenstein legend. Kirby’s version was created by Baron Von Evilstein.

Baron Von Evilstein! That’s fantastic! With a name like that how could you not be evil? That name can’t help but pigeon-hole a fellow. Even if he wanted to be a philanthropist, how could he while named Evilstein?

The Monster is huge. He’s craggy and menacing. And I love the metal bars that protrude from him. Maybe not quite the same as the flat-headed creature that Boris Karloff brought to life, but the similarities are there.

There’s a single frame that I’ve included that has its focus on the creatures hands.The hands are stretched out imploringly to a woman he sees as a friend. It brings to mind Karloff’s so expressive use of his hands in his portrayal of the Monster. No other actor who played the Monster ever came close to Karloff. Part of the reason for that, I think, is due to the way Karloff used his hands.

Let’s compare! Kirby’s monster…

…Karloff’s monster. The images mirror each other.

Speaking of hands, this brings me to the final piece I’ll be including. It’s the first page of chapter three. Kirby sums up the action of the scene while deftly bringing in the Demon. That’s a pretty cool hand there. We’re in for some action!

DC may not have held much interest for me back in the old days, but as you can see there was something good going on. I’ve remained a Marvel kid, but DC could also produce some pretty good stuff.

Hell. I’m a Marvel kid whose favorite character is Batman.

Go figure.

One Mystery Solved, Another Opened…

Earlier this week, my Facebook friend Michael Noble asked for my help in identifying a few characters on the shirt you see below.

He asked about the characters in row two, column four; row three, column four; and row four, column three. (I should make sure it is clear that rows are horizontal and columns are vertical.) The first two fellows in question were clearly members of Marvel’s Inhumans, but I wasn’t sure of their names. A quick search of the internets and I was able to put names to faces. The fellow with the green headgear is Karnak and the one with the odd looking tiara is Gorgon.

But that third fellow. Hmm. Nick Fury came to mind, but there’s no eye patch. Ben Grimm in an un-Thing state maybe, but a further search revealed the hair was wrong.

There was that Native American character who hung with the Fantastic Four for a while. What was his name? Some help from people on the Nostalgia Zone’s Facebook page provided the name: Wyatt Wingfoot.

Hmm. But was it him? I did more image searching and found that Wingfoot’s hair was a black, not brown as on the shirt. He also was drawn with a prominent widow’s peak. I wasn’t sure. It was probably him, but I just couldn’t tell.

Enter Michael Oachs, a FB friend of the Nostalgia Zone. He had been able to hunt down the source of many of those superhero portraits. He posted to the comments thread the cover of Fantastic Four number 54. That was a tremendous help!

With the issue number now known, I was able to determine that Wyatt Wingfoot was part of the story of that comic book. And on the cover you can see that Wingfoot’s hair is black, not brown. The widow’s peak may not have been prominent, but it was clear now just who that character was.

Mystery solved.

However, that opened another mystery. Specifically, why was Wingfoot, a secondary character, included but not the Invisible Girl? (Early days of comic book sexism there, she later became the Invisible Woman.) After all, she is a major character and she is on that cover. Why not include her?

Captain America, the Silver Surfer, the Falcon, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Wolverine round out the characters not included on the cover of FF #54. And, to be thorough, the names of the remaining cast are: Triton, Mr. Fantastic, Karnak, the Thing, Black Bolt, Gorgon, Black Panther, the Human Torch, and Wyatt Wingfoot.

The makers of that design could have easily nixed Wingfoot, slid Spider-Man in that spot, and added the Invisible Girl where ol’ Spidey had been. That way there would be an entire column with the members of the Fantastic Four. Makes sense, doesn’t it? I suppose that wouldn’t make the multitudes of Wyatt Wingfoot fans very happy, but it would make more sense.

I thought the shirt was a relic of the ’70s, an item stuck away in Mr. Noble’s closet for many years. But, I was wrong. It turns out the shirt was purchased from a Target store within the last 15 years or so. Not a spring chicken of a shirt, but still fairly recent.

Which means this shirt was made well after Marvel realized calling her the Invisible Girl was demeaning and belittling of the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four. (Writer/illustrator John Byrne was responsible for her name change and explored her powerful potential when he worked on the title in the 1980s.) I find that Target or whomever was responsible for the shirt using just male characters to the point of excluding a major character for a minor one a little disturbing.

Must be the patriarchy.

Packing peanuts!

Feel free to comment and share.

Images used under Fair Use.

 

 

 

Bright eyes ain’t that bright

I just have time to dash off a quick spoiler and nitpick of the 1968 sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes for this week’s blog. It’s all about being able to suspend one’s disbelief. The audience has to be able to go along with the idea that apes can speak. If the movie can’t get its audience over that hump, it’s going to fail. Planet of the Apes did manage to get the viewers on board and, so, it was a big hit.

BUT! My pedantic nature is compelling me to pick away at this one.

Everyone in the film does a fine job. Charlton Heston is great as the cynical astronaut who finds himself on such a topsy turvy planet. Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, and Maurice Evans make terrific science-minded apes and Linda Harrison as Nova looks pretty hot. (Nova may be a mute savage, but she stills manages to shave her legs and armpits. Good to know personal grooming habits are important to hot savages.) The make-up effects are top notch, especially for 1968. And Jerry Goldsmith’s musical score is fantastic!

Who wears short shor… er… loincloths?”

I really do like the movie. It’s terrific entertainment.

So, here’s the pedantry (and the spoilers): Heston plays Taylor, a cynical astronaut sent out into deep space with three other explorers. They put themselves in suspended animation and awaken after their craft has crash landed on a strange new world. They discover the female member of the crew had died some time earlier when they were all suspended. Damn.

The remaining members of the expedition set out to explore their new home. There are plenty of similarities to earth on this planet. The planet has the same atmosphere as earth. They discover the same kind of plants as on earth. There are birds and horses and people. Those people don’t speak, but they are still human.

They discover that there are apes on this planet. The apes dress in clothes. They can ride horses. They carry rifles. And they can speak!

They speak ENGLISH! What are the odds an alien species would speak English?! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Taylor gets separated from his crew mates and he temporarily loses the ability to speak. (His regaining his speech leads to one of the greatest moments in cinematic history.) He is captured and is taken in by two scientist chimpanzees. Taylor is thought to be a threat and a freak once he regains his speech, so the leaders of the ape community decide he must be destroyed.

Taylor escapes and is able to learn that the planet had once been inhabited by humans who were far advanced to the present day dominant species.

He gains his freedom and he and the sexy savage ride off into the sunset to discover his destiny.

Before I nail the pedantry, let’s review: Taylor is now many centuries in the future from when he left home and he thinks he’s on another planet far away from earth. This planet has the same atmosphere, same plant life, same birds. It has horses and humans and apes. The apes speak. The language they speak is English.

Are we together on this?

Taylor and Nova are having a pleasant horse ride when they stumble across something big. They find the ruins of the Statue of Liberty. And it’s only then when Taylor finally realizes he’s on earth. A little slow on the uptake there, Bright Eyes.

“Well, look at that, Nova. We got one of them back home, too!”

The Who Ranked By Me!

Whenever I’m involved in the age old debate as to which was the better rock band: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? My answer is always the same, “That’s easy! The Who.”

Since October 2, 1982, the night I saw The Who in concert for the first time, I have viewed the world through Who-colored glasses. They are my favorite band of all time. And Pete Townshend is my favorite songwriter, singer, and guitarist of all time. Hence my answer to that debate.

The Who have turned 50 recently and, to celebrate that achievement, they’ve released another “best of” compilation and have embarked on a North American tour. (The tour is on hold until Spring 2016, due to Roger Daltrey having a wee bit of the viral meningitis. We’re told he is doing well, but needs to rest a while before resuming the grueling task of performing live in front of thousands of adoring fans, of which, this coming May, I will be one.)

The British music magazine NME recently ranked the ten best albums by The Who. That struck me as odd, because The Who released a total of 11 studio albums, so why not rank them all? You know, this list goes to 11. Get it?

However, their list would have to go to 12, if they had featured them all, because they included the band’s seminal live album Live At Leeds (1970).

These kind of lists can’t help but be a little controversial. Not everyone will agree with the ranking choices. (Really, NME? Tommy number one? How pedestrian.) My listing will probably do the same for other Who fans, but it’s my list so I get to pick ’em!

I will include Live At Leeds, but none of the many, many compilations the band has released over the years. Most notable among them are Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy (1971) and Odds And Sods (1974). Both are excellent, but I will not include them here.

So here it is: My ranking of the albums released by the Greatest Rock Band in the World!

12) Endless Wire (2006): This album feels more like a Townshend solo project with Daltrey doing most of the singing. With John Entwistle not being involved due to a wee bit of a case of death, this feels less like The Who than their early 80s, post Keith Moon albums. It does have plenty of good stuff on it though. ‘Black Widow’s Eyes’, “God Speaks Marty Robbins’, ‘We Got A Hit’ are all very good. Roger’s voice has aged, but Pete’s seems ageless. Maybe it’s just me.

My favorite track: ‘Endless Wire (Extended)’

11) It’s Hard (1982): This and Face Dances were criticized unfairly. Yes, the manic drumming of Moon was replaced by the steadier beat of Kenney Jones, but Townshend was still churning out some great tunes. Daltrey’s voice was in excellent shape and Entwistle’s writing contributions were very good. ‘Athena’, ‘Dangerous’, ‘One At A Time’, and ‘Cry If You Want’ all make this album an enjoyable, if uneven, listen.

My favorite track: ‘Eminence Front’

10) Face Dances (1981): Fans probably weren’t sure what to expect with this first album since Moon’s untimely death, but the opening track, for me, is one of the best of The Who’s albums’ lead off songs. Still a bit uneven, but I think it’s much better than some critics were willing to admit. ‘The Quiet One’, ‘Daily Records’, and ‘Another Tricky Day’ are all stand outs.

My favorite track: ‘You Better You Bet’

9) My Generation (1965): The title track was the song that made it likely that if The Who had never produced another song, they would still be remembered as making one of the strongest, angriest, spit-in-the-facest songs ever recorded. The rest of this debut album demonstrates The Who’s early maximum R & B sound. Aside from the title track there are a few other gems worth checking out including ‘The Good’s Gone’, ‘A Legal Matter’, and the driving instrumental ‘The Ox’.

My favorite track: ‘The Kids Are Alright’

8) Who Are You (1978): This was to be the last of the “real” Who albums, and for me it feels a bit disjointed. The title track was written after a drunken encounter by Townshend with members of the Sex Pistols. At the time, Townshend was a great fan of Punk Rock as he felt that the kids could now take care of Rock’n’Roll while he could explore different ideas in music. He did that on this and future albums. Some of the songs play almost as Broadway theater fare. Stand out tracks are ‘Had Enough’, ‘Sister Disco’, and, of course, the title track.

My favorite track: ‘905’

7) A Quick One (1966): This was The Who’s second album and their label thought that since The Beatles were writing all their own songs The Who should, too. They asked that each band member write two songs for their new release. Townshend and Entwistle had the gift, but Moon and Daltrey weren’t quite ready. (Roger only managed one and that was with Pete’s help.) The result is slightly uneven, but there is some nice stuff on here. ‘Run Run Run’, ‘Boris The Spider’, ‘Cobwebs And Strange’ and ‘A Quick One, While He’s Away’ are very satisfying. The song ‘A Quick One, While He’s Away’ is a nine minute track that is made up of separate parts and helped lay the groundwork for Tommy.

My favorite track: ‘Sad So About Us’

6) The Who Sell Out (1967): One of the first concept albums in rock music, Townshend’s idea was to link the songs together as though this was all part of a pirate radio station’s playlist. There are commercials and announcements woven in between the tracks with some of the tracks themselves being commercials. The concept tails off in the second half of the album which includes the song ‘Rael’. That song has many musical elements that Townshend would later use on Tommy. Some of the best tracks are ‘Mary Anne With The Shaky Hands’, ‘Tattoo’, ‘I Can’t Reach You’, and ‘Sunrise’. I recommend getting the deluxe version of this album as it pulls off the concept more thoroughly than the original release.

My favorite track: ‘I Can See For Miles’

5) Tommy (1969): This was the release that made the band rock superstars and finally got them out from under the debt accumulated from all that instrument smashing. The album sounds a little under-produced, but it’s the under-produced nature of this album that made it more suitable to be played live. The story of Tommy (a blind, deaf, and dumb boy) is meant to take the listener on a spiritual journey. I’m not sure it worked out that way, but with such tracks as ‘Christmas’, ‘The Acid Queen’, ‘Go To The Mirror!’, ‘I’m Free’ and ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, Tommy became a landmark album.

My favorite track: ‘Pinball Wizard’

4) Live At Leeds (1970): This is the best live album I have ever heard! The Who are at their height of musical exploration. The track for their song ‘My Generation’ lasts nearly 15 minutes as Townshend wends his way through a monster guitar solo. The original release contained a mere six songs, but it managed to show the world this is what a live rock album should be. Half of the songs are covers including ‘Young Man Blues’ and ‘Shaking All Over’. Again, I recommend getting the deluxe version. It has much, much more! Plus it gives the listener a chance to hear the band members bantering with each other as they introduce the next song to be played. Damn! I wish I could have seen them then.

My favorite track: ‘Summertime Blues’

3) The Who By Numbers (1975): This is kind of the forgotten Who album, but I think it is outstanding. Much less ambitious that all those concept albums and rock operas that had gone before, this collection of songs finds The Who a bit quieter and coming to terms with getting older. At the time, there were some who worried this might be a sort of suicide note from Pete. Apparently, they didn’t listen much to the uplifting ‘Blue, Red, and Grey’. Lots of good stuff on here including ‘Slip Kid’, ‘Squeeze Box’, and ‘Success Story’ (a great Entwistle tune). Let’s try to remember this one, OK?

My favorite track: ‘However Much I Booze’

2) Who’s Next (1971): This album was the leftovers from Townshend’s very ambitious and confusing project Lifehouse. The project sent Pete into an emotional spiral and it had to be put off. (Pete has never completely given up on it, though.) So, Who’s Next was put together. And, wow! These are leftovers? Townshend’s early embracing of synthesizers led to their greatest opening track ever! This album is full of great rock moments. ‘Bargain’, ‘My Wife’, ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ all became staples of rock radio.

My favorite track: ‘Baba O’Riley’ (Still gives me goosebumps!)

1) Quadrophenia (1973): Tommy be damned! This is The Who’s greatest album! Completely composed by Townshend, this brilliant album has helped a lot of young people deal with the awkward times of their lives when they just didn’t know who the f@#k they were. As a concept album, Quadrophenia is the most fully realized effort by The Who. There was some criticism that the album was over-produced, but that doesn’t matter to me or the many, many other Who fans who pick this one as their favorite. Its stand out songs include ‘The Real Me’, ‘I’m One’, ‘I’ve Had Enough’, ‘5:15’, and ‘Love Reign O’er Me’. This is an album that must be listened to from beginning to end.

My favorite track: ‘Drowned’

50 years of The Who. Not too shabby.