What Are You Reading?

Doug: I think it's been a long time since we've checked in with each other concerning what lies atop (or a'bottom for that matter) the reading pile. I know I never feel like I read enough, although at the end of any day I guess I've read quite a bit either in the context of work, checking Twitter a few times throughout the day, or a daily newspaper early in the evening. But in terms of some seriously dedicated reading, I always feel deficient. So in the interest of prying into your personal lives and interests, here goes:

Doug: Presently I find myself in the middle of no less than four books, and that's a lot of plates to be spinning for me. Academically, I'm a few chapters into Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder and Hitler's Beneficiaries by Gotz Aly. Both are quite interesting and each book fills in my knowledge for the purpose of my teaching but also in regard to my "summer job" at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Each of these books is engaging, and neither appears to be a slog to get through. I just seem to never find a decent run of time to dedicate to really digging into them with the attention that I need to give in order to truly internalize the material.

Doug: On the lighter side of fiction, I've mentioned a few times that I began A Princess of Mars over the summer. It really never grabbed me, and although close to 3/4 of the way through I am not very eager to return. I think I'd rather re-read The Return of Tarzan, or perhaps return to The Complete Chronicles of Conan. Those short stories were nice, and as we remarked earlier Robert E. Howard seems to stay away from some of the formulaic storytelling tropes employed by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I especially enjoy reading one of those short tales and then finding the adaptation in my first four volumes of Essential Savage Sword of Conan. It's great to see the words of REH set to the comic medium.

Doug: Comics-wise, you know I've been enjoying the Marvel Pocketbook edition of The Astonishing Ant-Man: Origins; the last story I read was the 3-parter with the Hulk that originally ran in Iron Man #s 131-133. David Michelinie, Jerry Bingham, and Bob Layton paid homage to Avengers #s 93 and 140 in IM #133. I've also returned to Ed Brubaker's Captain America, finishing the Red Menace: The Ultimate Collection and now well into The Death of Captain America: The Complete Collection. Brubaker's writing is simply excellent, and the cadre of artists who illustrated these stories are top shelf.  I must declare that when I've sat down to read one of these trades I do not want to put it down. It is so entertaining. And there aren't a lot of comics that I read that are like that - page-turners. James Buchanan Barnes has really become a complex character for me, rather than the one-dimensional sidekick I'd previously believed him to be. We remarked about it earlier, but Brubaker has respectfully touched on elements of war that had been glossed over for decades. That Captain America never killed in WWII? Foolish, and Brubaker deals with that. Again, as we've said (we do have an abundance of conversations around here, don't we?) in the past, I will pass on the modern coloring for a brighter palette. But I don't let that kill my pleasure from soaking in the narrative. And I've come to employ a tactic encouraged by our friend Edo Bosnar -- in regard to the return of Bucky Barnes I just treat these as a sort of What If? or Elseworlds tale and leave it at that. I just want to find enjoyment without the continuity baggage, and Brubaker et. al accomplish that for me. I've also recently purchased the collections of Captain America: Reborn and The Winter Soldier (purchased in Lima, OH last Saturday). Once I'm done with this massive "Death of" trade, I'm hoping to get into my soon-to-arrive copy of The Monster of Frankenstein, Vol. I. I've only read the first issue and some other appearances of the Monster, so am looking forward to digging a bit deeper. And, another hardcover I need to get off the shelf is Legion of Super-Heroes Archives, Volume 13 -- gotta love some Bronze Age Superboy!

Doug: Your turn -- let's hear about your triumphs, shortfalls, and wish lists!

Comic Events When They Actually Meant Something!

Karen: I have to 'fess up -originally this post was going to be a piece of shameless self-promotion. It was going to be a 'Bronze Age Babies Bulletin' that plugged the new (and super-cool) Back Issue! # 82 featuring Bronze Age Events, on sale soon from Twomorrows Publications in print and digital format (you can get it here). In this issue, I get to discuss the glory of the Avengers-Defenders War (or Clash, if you prefer) with such greats as Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, and most of all, Stainless Steve Englehart! It is always a blast to have the chance to interview folks who had such a tremendous impact on my youth. As the theme of the issue is events, there are also articles on the great JLA/JSA  team-ups, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Secret Wars, the Infinity Gauntlet, and more.

Karen: But thinking about all those great old Bronze Age comic events made me want to do more than just a plug for the issue. It made me want to discuss what made events so much more special and exciting back in those days. It seems like now, all we have are events. Certainly the Big Two shape their entire comics line around a major event (or two) that typically lasts the entire year, and this happens every year, and has for some time now. The Event unfolds in its own book, touches most of the other titles in the line, and also gives birth to ancillary titles. Look at  Civil War - according to an article on IGN, it encompassed 93 individual comics. 93! This wasn't an event, it was a major financial commitment.

Avengerin' and Defenderin' cover by John Byrne

Karen: It seems to me there are a couple of things that really distinguish the events of old from today's "mega-events." One is that events used to actually feel significant. It's like that saying -"when everyone's special, no one's special." The same could be said for comic events. They used to be something that happened occasionally, and in a more organic way. 

Karen: I know when I worked on my article on the Avengers-Defenders War, I recalled that at the time the books came out, it felt really important -a cross-over like that, between two team titles, was a real first. Also, like the JLA/JSA extravaganzas, it  was a summer event, unfolding over the school vacation months of 1973, which lent it even more of a special air. In fact, writer Steve Englehart wanted to do something special for that summer, since Marvel wasn't producing any annuals that year. So as a young reader, it was a great treat while you were on school break -assuming you could find all the issues on the newstand!

Karen: The other thing that makes the earliest events stand out is that they were put together with a sense of sincerity -there was a desire to do something extra-special, something that would thrill the fans, something that would be fun. Certainly that was the case with the JLA/JSA meet-ups each year. Those annual events were eagerly awaited by comics fans each year, initially featuring just the two teams, later expanding to sometimes include other groups like the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Freedom Fighters, the Seven Soldiers of Victory - hey, the more the merrier! These issues really gave fans some bang for their buck -or 15 cents, whatever the case might be. Likewise, the Avengers-Defenders War took Marvel's two biggest teams at the time and pitted them against each other in one-on-one (or two-on-one) match ups, just because it would be a hoot. There really wasn't an ulterior motive at work. Similarly, the Marvel annuals, while hit or miss, sometimes fell into this category as well, providing fun and sometimes important events, like Fantastic Four Annual #6, with a battle against Annihilus and the birth of Franklin Richards; or the one-two combo of Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, with the huge smack-down of the Avengers, Captain Marvel, Warlock, The Thing, and Spider-Man versus Thanos. Now those were events -and they only lasted an issue or two!

 Karen: We can see the seeds of today's bloated mega-events in the later Bronze Age events. Crisis on Infinite Earths was not only a 12 issue series but it crossed-over to numerous titles (don't forget the red skies!), and of course, had a massive (some might even say devastating) impact on the entire DC line. Secret Wars had less of an impact on titles and characters -the black Spider-Man costume which later became Venom was probably the most lasting effect -but of course, the mini-series genesis was in a toy tie-in, not exactly the most noble of purposes. At this point, the events became bigger and also began to serve purposes other than just being a cool thing to do for the fans. The companies soon realized that the fans would dutifully buy up all the issues connected to the event, and before long, we were plagued with things like The Mutant Massacre and Invasion! With few exceptions, the event became more about money and less about someone coming up with a neat story idea.

Karen: And that's how we got where we are today, with the perma-event situation. Since I'm no longer a regular comics reader, I don't feel the pain like I once did, but I still sympathize with those who try to keep up with it all. I can't help but think that the impact of these events is far less when something huge and universe-shattering occurs every single year. Me, I still get a thrill when I see the Avengers and Defenders go at it, or Spider-Man working up his nerve to face Thanos. And I didn't have to buy 32 issues to understand the whole story.

BAB Classic: Every Color But Black: Legion of Super-Heroes 216

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #216 (April 1976)
"The Hero Who Hated The Legion"
Cary Bates-Mike Grell

Note: This post was originally run on January 6, 2010.

Karen: Doug and I are both big Legion fans, and we've discussed a number of Legion stories we'd like to review. We have reviewed a few stories over in our old blog (Two Girls, A Guy, And Some Comics), but we only looked at Silver Age stories, not Bronze Age. And for us, Bronze Age is really our favorite era. Legion was the first DC comic I began reading regularly, shattering my former Marvel zombie existence. I loved the Legion and its fantastic, futuristic adventures. So it might seem odd that I'm inaugurating our Bronze Age Legion reviews with a comic I can't stand.

Doug: I'd echo your sentiments, Karen. Legion was probably the DC I was most committed to; I did pick up Teen Titans, Batman and Detective, and Secret Society of Super-Villains, but Superboy and the Legion was always the book I'd take over the others if and when I had to choose.

Karen: Legion #216 introduces us to Tyroc, the first black Legionnaire. Ordinarily, such integration is something I would applaud. But this issue is so incredibly myopic and insensitive, that it's all I can do to keep myself from throwing it across the room. Even when I first read it at the age of twelve, I knew something didn't smell right, even if I couldn't exactly explain why.

Doug: Being MUCH younger than you, Karen (I was only 10 when I read this), I also recall thinking this was a bit strange. I'd been brought up in the era of busing and instructed by my parents that a person was to be valued regardless of skin color, religious persuasion, etc. So this separatism was strange to me.

Karen: You see, dear readers, in the wonderful Earth of the 30th century, it seems that all black people have segregated themselves to an island, so they can avoid everyone else -whom they apparently hate. As a tour shuttle driver says, "Below is the island-city of Marzal, an independent, totally self-sufficient community...populated by a black race that wants nothing to do with the outside world!" Ooh, a black race! Wow! It makes them sound as if they aren't even human.

Doug: Say what you will about the Legion reboot in the 1990's, but they created Legionnaires who weren't humanoid. It seemed like back in the Silver Age the only thing they could do to differentiate sentient "races" was to alter skin color -- green, blue, orange, etc. This "effort", and it comes off that way, to "diversify" the Legion was so forced and flagrant... and it continued just several months later with the introduction of Dawnstar. So I guess then they had "red" skin, too. Bro--ther...
Karen: The Legionnaires -Superboy, Karate Kid, Brainiac 5, and Shadow Lass - head to Marzal to recover a downed satellite, which actually contains stolen jewels. A group of thieves is also after the jewels. On the island the Legionnaires encounter only hostility from the residents. A native hero, Tyroc, who has strange (poorly defined) sound powers, crosses paths with both the Legion and the thieves. He makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the Legion, and feels the Legion has ignored the people of Marzal when they were in need, possibly because they are black.



Doug: I thought it was hilarious when Brainy interupted Cosmic Boy and offered "the plan", only to be shot down with a rebuke of "Not so simple, Brainy!" How often do you suppose that ever happened?? And Tyroc... I agree. We don't understand his powers and are given no background. He states that he is Marzal's champion, but do others among his "people" have similar powers? Is he a mutant? Does his costume somehow give him his voice abilities?

Doug: Additionally, I just really think that scribe Bates was pinning responsibility for the problems of blacks in America squarely on the blacks. The separatism, while at the same time blaming the Legion of all of Marzal's ills, seemed to fly in the face of LBJ's Great Society. I realize we were almost a decade removed from that by the time this saw the spinner racks, but still.

Karen: Tyroc infiltrates the thieves. They find the satellite only to discover it has become lethally radioactive. Exposed to the deadly radiation, a struggling Tyroc signals Superboy with an ultrasonic whistle. He seems surprised that the Legion would help him. We then get an unbelievably lame statement from Superboy about how the Legion is "color blind! Blue skin, yellow skin, green skin [pointing to Shadow Lass, Karate Kid(!), Brainiac 5]...we're brothers and sisters...united in the name of justice everywhere!" Tyroc decides he's been wrong about the Legion and will take them up on their offer to try-out for the team.

Doug: Pretty quick change of heart, don't you think? Didn't it seem to say that no matter how screwed up you think we've made you, we can still make you better -- hey, you need us! It was almost like the Legion was the ticket out of the ghetto.

Karen: I guess Tyroc could be "validated" by joining the right-thinking Legion! Just how in the world did anybody at DC think this was a good story? It's interesting to note the comments of artist Grell in a recent issue of Back Issue magazine (#33), where he says of this story, "Every couple of months I would pester them: when are we going to do this black Legionnaire? Finally they came up with one of the sillier powers I ever saw: Tyroc's. I'm surprised they didn't name him Tyrone, because the ultimate explanation for why there were no black people ever in the Legion of Super-Heroes...all the black people had gone to live on an island. I wonder what Martin Luther King would have to say about this? Weren't these people alive in the 1960s? Were they completely unaware of the civil rights movement?"

Doug: Grell tells similar stories in The Legion Companion from TwoMorrows, as well as Back Issue #14. He does contradict himself as to his original intent, which was to have a guy-gone-bad who happened to be black. In BI #14, Grell suggests that it was in Superboy #207; in The Legion Companion, he says it was in #210 ("Soljer's Private War"). Whichever it was, he was told by Murray Boltinoff that if they had a black character who was bad, they'd catch a ton of grief from their black readers. Grell contends that he protested, left the art the same, and the figure was merely colored pink instead of brown. According to Grell, anyone who looked closely could have told what was going on. Grell was assured that a black hero was in the works, and that he would be in the Legion. According to Grell, he was basically handed Tyroc and told to design the costume.
 
Karen: As you mention, there's this bizarre implication that the problem resides with the black people of Marzal alone - that they are the ones who are prejudiced and overly-sensitive. It sounds like the kind of argument you often hear from people who say racism and prejudice are over-exaggerated problems. You know, the same sort of people who claim they aren't racist by saying, "Some of my best friends are black (or Asian, or Hispanic, etc)". Or the Louisiana judge recently in the news who refused to marry inter-racial couples but said he wasn't a racist, that he even let black people use his bathroom! Gee, how open-minded of him.

Doug: But the thing about stereotypes is that at some point they're true -- do you think that's what Bates was after? But that should never be the focus -- labeling, classifying... And that's exactly what this book did. You and I have both stated that even as youngsters we felt something wasn't right. But how many other impressionable young minds didn't catch on? Did this book do damage in the era of busing and integration? Hey, the race riots in America's high schools (I recall my aunt being released early from school several days because it wasn't safe to be there) were only a couple of years old at this time.

Karen: I honestly don't know what Bates was going for here. I've never read much of his work, so I don't know if this is unusual for him or what. It just comes across as idiotic.

Karen: Grell's costume for Tyroc is a hoot, looking like nothing less than a odd mish-mash of Vegas Elvis and Isaac Hayes (with cute little elf booties thrown in for no apparent reason).

Doug: Yep, in one of the sources I read Grell likened it to a cross between a Vegas Elvis suit, a pimp, and Fred "the Hammer" Williamson!

Karen: Hey, I think we have another candidate for Fashion Disaster!


 
Karen: The back-up story in this ish involves former Legionnaires Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel, and more than anything, it made me feel uncomfortable, as it sort of hints about what married life is like for a couple that can instantly become a threesome. I guess now I know why Duo Damsel was always showing up, despite her incredibly useless -for combat anyway -power. I heard that now she can make tons of duplicates. I don't even want to think where they could go with that idea.

Doug: Duo Damsel and Jamie Madrox -- there's a party! Ahem. Just kidding! But hey, despite my claim of enlightenment on racial separation, I have to admit that this one went right over my head. I just thought Chuck Taine was a big pansy! But, now that you mention it...

Face-Off: The Iconic DC Actors

Doug:  Since we're in between our 2-part look at Alex Ross's and Paul Dini's Superman: Peace on Earth, I thought we'd pause for a bit and ponder a question.  The inspiration for said question was an article in the recent treasury-sized issue of Back Issue! magazine.  One of my favorite "big books" of the 1970's was the Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez-illustrated Superman vs. Wonder Woman.  At the beginning of the article was a photo of television's Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, with co-star Lyle Waggoner.  And here's what immediately leapt to mind:

DC has struggled (sometimes mightily) in getting any traction under Superman and/or Wonder Woman projects on the big or small screens since the late 1970's; Superman has obviously been involved in a few long-running series like Lois and Clark and Smallville, but do Bronze Agers think of Dean Cain and Tom Welling first when they think of Supes?  And part of that may be due in no small part to the performances and general looks of actors Christopher Reeve as Superman and the aforementioned Carter.  Any actors who venture into those iconic costumes are forever measured against what for many Bronze Age Babies remain the definitive performances of those two characters.  So, finally, here's the question:  Between Christopher Reeve and Lynda Carter, who will "own" their trademark role the longest?

The Song of Red Sonja: Conan the Barbarian 24

As a public service, today's post might be considered as falling somewhere around (if not just past) a rating of PG-13.  -- The Management

Conan the Barbarian #24 (March 1973)
"The Song of Red Sonja"
Roy Thomas-Barry Smith

Doug:  Hot pants and chain mail is what all the Hyborean babes are wearing this time of year, isn't it?  Well, at least between these covers it is.  And speaking of the front cover...  Wow.  That's not bad, huh?  I really like the sepia tone of the mob as it offsets the protagonists.  Genius.  And hey, filed under "great minds think alike", our colleague Andrew Wahl had lusty rogues on the brain just like I did, apparently.  Please jump to his site to not only catch his thoughts on Conan the Barbarian #'s 23 and this one, but also on the lead story of Marvel Feature #1 (you'll recall that I reviewed the other tale last month). But enough hyperlinking -- let's get to some sword-slinging!

Doug:  We open in Makkalet in a tavern, where Conan and the other denizens cheer on the beautiful yet deadly Red Sonja as she dances atop a table.  As the tempest rises among the drinkers, a hulking figure makes his way toward Sonja.  Called "Big Jax" and sporting a nasty wound on the side of his skull, he takes Sonja by the arm.  Defensive at first, she relaxes when she sees it is him.  But Conan of Cimmeria is not so understanding.  On a sidenote, it's been awhile since we looked in on Barry Smith's version of the barbarian.  You know, fans have frequently commented that Smith's Conan was leaner, even lithe, compared to the depiction of the warrior by John Buscema.  I'd argue that in the previous issue and this one, that Conan is perfectly suited to segue into Buscema's epic run -- which commenced in the very next issue.  It's unclear whether Conan protests to Big Jax out of chivalry or his own sexual desires (unclear -- yeah, right) for the warrior-maiden; but regardless, it's soon three pages of "game on!"  Best line in the scene, from our hero = "You!  Bald-pate!  Let the wench finish her dance!"

 

Doug:  Conan and Sonja steal away from the brawl, and make their way to a pond to cool off.  Sonja tells that chain mail is not the best thing for bathing, and emerges from the depths sans her top.  It's been well-documented that Barry Smith originally drew Sonja topless; >

From the Comic Book Database:  Notes: Artwork here was censored by unknown Marvel artists, uncensored Windsor-Smith original version was subsequently printed in Marvel Treasury Edition #15 and Savage Sword of Conan #82, but recent Dark Horse TPBs used the censored version. Cover here is also colored by Windsor-Smith. Some sources credit John Buscema with the censoring work.

< the Comics Code Authority would have none of it, however, and several panels had to be redrawn showing a) Sonja's breasts covered and b) Conan's hands above the water, rather than cupping her bottom. In addition to the doctored up sex scene, some commentators say that there are apparently hints of masturbation abounding in this tale (see the last art sample for one instance I've seen referenced).  As I was finalizing this post to run yesterday, I received my digital copy of Back Issue! #61, which celebrates the treasury-sized books of the Bronze Age (and is, incidentally, published in tabloid form!).  Perusing it quickly, what to my wondering eyes should appear but the very panels I've referenced above, and including the uncensored version that ran in MTE #15.  I've included it, below the version that was on the newsstands.  The author of the BI! article containing these panels is comics scholar John Wells, and in the text he reports that the artist who did the re-do was none other than art director John Romita.  Look closely -- you decide:  Romita or Buscema?  In the same paragraph, Roy Thomas is quoted in regard to the uncensored version running in the Treasury (treasury-sized books were considered magazines, and were not subject to the Comics Code Authority), saying "I'm pretty sure that running the uncensored version was an accident." 

Doug:  At any rate, the romance-that-doesn't-happen is interrupted by the sound of horses.  It's the night watchmen come to find out what all the ruckus is about.  While interviewing the innkeeper, Conan and Sonja steal one of their horses.  And Sonja now tells Conan what she'll have him do this evening (which is not at all what Conan wants to do) -- ride to the royal palace, on business.

 

Doug:  On the grounds of the palace, Conan and Sonja stop at a phallic-like obelisk (I guess since Barry Smith had decided he was done on the book, he was going to go out all guns a'blazing).  Sonja tells that inside are enough riches to allow these two to retire from their mercenary ways.  Conan, eyeing the sleek black finish of the tower, figures that Sonja needs him to scale it.  He kids here, though, in asking what he should need her for.  Putting another ill-fated move on her, Conan is told at first that it's business now and play for later; then he's pummeled!  "By Crom, girl -- I've killed men for less than that!"  "For what?  For not letting you kiss them?"  Priceless.

Doug:  Conan scales the tower without incident, and soon drops a rope to Red Sonja; she in turn scampers up to the top.  As they enter the treasure chamber, Conan is astounded at the sheer wealth at his feet.  But something seems amiss, as Sonja asks him to leave the room -- to inspect the corridors for guards.  Conan buys it, and vanishes.  With corruption in her eyes, Sonja recalls the commission she had received from the king of Pah-Dishah -- to go to Makkalet, pretend to be their allies, and then steal back the serpent tiara that had been given previously as a dowry.  She finds the object of her quest -- and is transfixed by it's lifelike appearance.  And suddenly, it explodes into a living, breathing, writhing, thing of mystical terror!

Doug:  Barry Smith finishes this story, and his tenure on the regular title, in a flourish of awesomeness.  Conan fans would be treated to the Thomas/Smith team only one more time, in the magnum opus "Red Nails" (printed in color in the Chronicles of Conan, volume 4, which I am using for this review).  Conan re-enters the treasure chamber to find Sonja backed against the wall by the menace of the serpent.  Apparently the thing is real enough, as it bleeds at Conan's blade.  Our heroes soon find that along with its dagger-like fangs it is also a constrictor.  As Smith shines here, so does Roy Thomas -- Sonja: "No!  I'll help you-- whether you want my help or not!"  Conan: "Then bat your sea-green eyes at that thing -- or maybe wiggle your hips!  That worked with me, at any rate!"  As the barbarians battle, Conan is finally able to deliver a death blow, which breaks the spell and returns the beast to a tiara.

Doug:  Sonja explains that the wizard of Pah-Dishah had given her an incantation to keep the serpent tiara an actual crown.  However, she forgot what to say as she first held the precious bauble.  Sonja offers Conan to take as many jewels as he can carry -- he declines, saying he has to live yet in the city.  Then he tells her that he fought tonight, after all, for other rewards.  Leaving the tower, Sonja rappels quickly downward, far faster than the Cimmerian.  He calls to her to slow down, but as she hits the ground she quickly lights the rope afire.  It literally burns through Conan's hands, and he falls hard to the ground.  Stunned, with legs that won't work quite right, Conan nonetheless reaches Sonja -- who is not atop her mount.  He tells her that she'll pay him now with kisses aplenty.  She explains that no man shall have her, lest he first best her in battle.  And that is something (as she rides away, knocking Conan down yet again) he shall not do this night.  Beyond angry, Conan smoulders as he limps back into town -- vowing to have that woman, even if she least expects it.

Doug:  This story has been lauded by many critics and commentators, and I'll happily stand in that line.  This is full of action, it's sexy, it has brawling and sorcery aplenty, and as said above it's a tour de force sort of send-off for the team that had evolved this strip over the previous two years.  When you think back to the style Smith was using on the earliest issues, and look again to the top of this post at the cover to this issue...  Again, we know that Roy Thomas and Barry Smith collaborated on Conan the Barbarian one more time; but if they'd not, then I think we'd all feel OK that this story was their legacy.

I'd Like Two Helpings of the Comic, But Hold the Television Show...

Doug:  Everyone who's been around here for some time knows that Karen and I are huge fans of TwoMorrows' Publications Back Issue! magazine, and of course that Karen's been published between those covers on multiple occasions.  While I'd been waiting anxiously for this month's Avengers extravaganza to arrive on my doorstep (which it did, yesterday), I've been looking at, and neglecting, last month's issue about licensed comics.  There are extensive retrospectives on DC's and Marvel's licensing of the Burroughs stable of characters and Indiana Jones in comics, but the major part of the magazine is an article on 25 years of Star Wars at Dark Horse Comics.  Which brings me to today's point -- Do you have characters you love in one medium, but there's just never been any resonation in other mediums?

For example, I really dig Star Wars, but I've not ventured into any of the novels or comics, and while I intended to watch Cartoon Network's Clone Wars I never have.  Similarly, I've read a few Marvel novels -- notably in the Bronze Age -- but don't seek those out.  However, if I could have afforded it back in the day, I'd have eaten up the Planet of the Apes B&W magazine!  But, I've not been interested in the vast amount of POTA comics that have stocked the shelves over the past 20 years.

Where are your limits for your favorite characters, films, or television shows?  Are there things you really like in one format but don't care for in others?  Or conversely, are there pop culture icons that you can't get enough of, regardless of the format?  Thanks!

Doug says: "Check out some of my Stuff!" Part 3

Hey, I'm back with more goodies from Fort Knox (don't I wish!!). Speaking of investing in this hobby we love, I guess I turned that corner after two events. The first was the marketing travesty that was the 1990's, what with all of the multiple covers, foil covers, bagged comics, events, crossovers, blah, blah, blah. After initially being sucked into that mania, I figured it out pretty quickly that nothing from that era would a) stand up, and b) be worth much to the next couple of generations. The second event that made me more of a "possessor" than a "collector" was the completion of my complete run of Avengers (a future topic for this column). At the same time I was zeroing in on the last couple of dozen issues that I needed, a good friend of mine -- you may know of him: Don Kramer, noted DC Comics artist -- was attempting to complete a run of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Fantastic Four. Don was very picky about the books he'd buy -- he was not only wanting the run, but also to have it in pretty good condition. I'll discuss my strategy at a later date... Let's just say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


On to this post's "stuff":

Slurpee Cups/Glasses


A couple of weeks ago I gave you a peek at some of the Slurpee cups in my collection. This time 'round I want to show off a few more (I have others that you haven't seen yet, including the very-much desired X-Men cup with Dave Cockrum -- the first licensed Wolverine image! Unfortunately, I used it for beverage consumption, washing it regularly. Consequently most of the silkscreen has worn off. Doh!!).

I was a very hit-and-miss collector of these cups when they were available at retail. While we didn't have a 7-Eleven in my hometown, my sister and I spent a week each summer at my aunt's and uncle's in St. Charles, IL (I mentioned this in an earlier post). They had a 7-Eleven right down the block. What I most remember is cutting a deal with the manager at the store to sell me these wonderful cups, but without the Slurpee - hey, a 10-year old can only take so much brain freeze in a week's time! I should add that I didn't get any break on the price, even sans the icy concoction. I ended up with maybe a dozen of the cups for the first series, and another 12-15 the next summer. Just great fun! It used to irritate me, though, when on the way to the store I'd see a cup, inevitably showcasing a character I'd not yet collected, smashed on the sidewalk by some obviously less-sophisticated miscreant. Years later, as an adult, I came across glasses that contained the same artwork as the '77 cups - I believe there were five in the set, although I can't verify that. I have three of those glasses in my collection, as you can see from the photos.

For some great details on the cups, their artwork, the backstory to how the artwork was chosen for the cups (and sometimes even modified), and a checklist (including the issue/page number for the cups' artwork), please see Back Issue #34, available from TwoMorrows Publishing. You can get a hard copy or a digital edition here:
http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=784


Here's an interesting nugget from the article (finely written by Lex Carson): The characters on the cups had to be good representatives of Marvel (and this speaks to some of the artists' work that was chosen/not chosen), and could not be fearsome -- in fact, some of the art that was altered involved changing grim expressions to smiles!



Glassnews.com reports that there are four major sets: a 1973 DC comics set (which includes a very sexy Lois Lane and some killer Dave Cockrum art on the Legion cups!), two 1975 Marvel comics sets, and a 1977 Marvel comics set. The 1973 and 1975 sets have a still picture of each character on the front, often with the logo from their comic book. On the back of each cup is a summary of the character’s origin, powers, and supporting characters -- the Black Bolt cup shows him thinking, not speaking (a fine touch slanted toward the true Marvel aficionado). One of the 1975 sets is taller than the other. As far as the glasses go, I can never seem to find too much information about them. However, when researching for this post, I did come across the FF and Cap/Falc glasses for sale (although noted as "backordered") -- you can check it out here: http://www.superherostuff.com/OtherItems/GlassesMugs/images/captglass77.html


Leave a comment -- do you have these? How about the tall glasses that were available (locally for me, at least) at Hardee's -- they showcased DC characters. I have a Wonder Woman glass, but bought it years later at a flea market. I'm sure many of our readers have more recent collectibles like these -- cups from the Batman franchise of the late 80's-early 90's, the X-Men cups that were available at Pizza Hut about the time Jim Lee was drawing the series, etc. Let us know!!

Karen here. Doug has asked me to share some of my Slurpee cup memories as well. I don't actually have my cups any more, but at one time I had a pretty fair amount. When the DC cups came out, we didn't have a 7-Eleven near us, but my grandparents did. So we got Slurpees when we went to see them, and I think that was my introduction to the Legion! I recall having the Cosmic Boy cup, and wondering why he wore pink! By the time the Marvel cups were out, we had a 7-Eleven about 3/4 of a mile from our house, and we went there frequently ( it was also right next to Taco Bell!). So I had a lot of the Marvel cups. My big mistake was putting them in my windowsill; they faded quickly that summer! They're all gone now, except for the Warlock one I got at the San Diego Con last year. They wanted $15 for it but I managed to talk them down to $10. That cup is in beautiful shape. I do still have 3 DC glasses that were from a promotion at Taco Bell - Batman, Robin, and Aquaman. A friend broke Superman a few years ago and I think I broke Wonder Woman. Of course they are all terribly faded - we put them in the dishwasher! What did we know back then?