The DC Revamp -- Hits and Misses

Doug:  Wait - what?  Where the heck is Man of Steel #5?  Well, my partner Karen has been a frequent flier these past few weekends, and to give her a bit more time and to keep quality around here paramount, we've delayed your scheduled Superman fix to tomorrow.  Hopefully, in a Bizarro sort of way, it will be worth your wait!

Doug:  So, what to do in the interim?  How's about we discuss not only the fall-out of Byrne's re-imagining of the Superman mythos but also throw in heaping helpings of George Perez's Wonder Woman, Mike Grell's Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, Mike Baron's and Butch Guice's Flash, Tim Truman's Hawkworld, the Batman writers/artists carrying on the Frank Miller legacy, Steve Englehart's Green Lantern Corps, the new Justice League of DeMatteis/Giffen/Maguire, and Roy Thomas' Shazam!?

Doug:  Which of the new and/or revised DC mags did you latch onto?  We have many, many Marvel Zombies in these parts -- did you stay that way?  If so, were you aware of all of the changes (some of them quite ballsy, if you'll pardon that rough-around-the-edges term) DC was making?  Or, were you a longtime DC fan who suddenly felt like you were on the outside looking in?  Thanks in advance for flashing back with us today!

Bracketology: Dressed for Success -- 2nd Round, part 1

Doug:  You've arrived at the second round of our "Best Costume of the Bronze Age" polls.  On the sidebar you can find 32 superhero costumes going head-to-head in 16 polls -- choose your favorites, based on looks alone.  Save that love of hero and storyline for other discussions; in this little exercise, we're all about the duds!  Debuting on the brackets today are classic outfits like Batman and Black Panther, and some Bronze Age mainstays such as Adam Warlock and Nightcrawler.  The other half of the bracket is going to be fun as well, and we'll get to that on Wednesday.

Doug:  Today's question is for those of you who spent some time drawing characters and/or full comics when you were a kid.  Whose costumes did you think were especially fun to draw, and whose were a pain in the butt?  Were there certain artists' styles you tried to emulate?  What part of the anatomy gave you the most trouble -- hands, feet, or faces?  Were you good enough to draw from memory, or did you look at comics as you drew?  Thanks in advance for your comments today!

 

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Karen: Last weekend I hopped on a plane and flew out to my true home, the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area. Besides seeing An American Werewolf in London on the big screen (as I mentioned on Thursday), I also caught the U.S. premiere of a documentary, "Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan" at the Bal Theater in San Leandro. This is a wonderful documentary -I've seen others on Harryhausen, but this one really has it all: test footage, rare behind the scenes stuff, and plenty of footage with Ray himself. On top of this, the producers sought out many top film-makers, including Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Peter Jackson, etc., to interview about how Harryhausen has influenced them. It's great stuff.

Making this showing even more special was the fact that one of the producers, Tony Dalton, agreed to be Skyped in before the show so the audience could ask questions -despite it being 3:30 AM his time!Dalton was a delight, and explained that one of the intentions of the documentary was to help raise money for the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, which is seeking a home for Ray's models and artwork.

On top of all this, special effects gurus Phil Tippett and Dennis Muren were also in attendance, and after the film they got up and spoke about their careers, and Ray.

The finale was a showing of "Golden Voyage of Sinbad," which was coincidentally the first Harryhausen movie I saw in a theater. It was great to see it on a big screen again, after almost 40 years! The Bal Theater and Bay Area Film Events did a fantastic job.

The producers have said that a DVD of the documentary will be out "soon," so if you're a Harryhausen fan, keep your eyes peeled!

Man-Child and Mortoid: Marvel Two-In-One 2

Marvel Two-In-One #2 (March 1974)
"Manhunters From the Stars!"
Steve Gerber-Gil Kane/Joe Sinnott

Doug:  We could have called this "random-reads Friday", but we'll just go with it.  From time to time Karen and I see books in our collections and just toss out to the other "got this one?"  Today's one of those days when we could each say "Yes!"  So, here are our thoughts on a very early issue of one of our favorite Bronze Age titles, Marvel Two-In-One.  And it's a great start with that nifty Johnny Romita cover; but how shall the lanky-looking Gil Kane fare under the pen of Joltin' Joe Sinnott?  No time like the present...

Karen: I don't think we've reviewed many books written by Steve Gerber -Defenders I guess, but other than that, it's got to be very few. But he was a prolific writer for Marvel in the 70s, and he certainly had his own style.

Doug:  Nothing like a body plummeting from the sky to let a reader know that this one's going to be action-packed!  And when the body belongs to none other than future MTIO regular Wundarr, we're definitely in for some entertainment.  Oh, and did we mention Namorita on the splash page?  Nita's just sunning herself on the craggy shores of Hydrobase, where Namor and a group of amphibians have taken up residence (as per Subby's own title, in the late # 60's).  Nita soon realizes that Wundarr can't swim, so enters the drink and tows him to shore.  He's taken in some water, so our young heroine must give him CPR -- and she's not complaining.  Wundarr comes round, but then we go into an awkward "Me Tarzan, you Jane" sort of dialogue.  Nita quickly figures out that this dude's a couple fries short of a Happy Meal.  When the Avenging Son then bursts onto the scene, Wundarr take a Hulk-like powder, leaping away.

Karen: I was amazed by Wundarr's leaping ability. As Subby says, only the Hulk has exhibited that talent. Yet I recall Wundarr falling into the 15 ton weight category some years later.

Doug:  Nita chastises Namor for his brusqueness, and then tearfully says they have to pursue -- Wundarr is not as big of brain as he is of brawn.  We then cut to a starship in orbit above Earth.  Inside our some humanoids from the planet Dakkam.  In a very Krypton-like story, these guys relate how one of Dakkam's greatest scientists was convinced that the planet would be destroyed.  He crafted a rocket capable of delivering himself and his wife and their infant son to safety.  But his detractors didn't want him to cause a worldwide panic, and in their efforts to stop him the rocket was launched with only the baby.  And, much like the version we more commonly know, that rocket made it to Earth where the child grew to maturity and became super-strong.  However, unlike the legend of Superman, Dakkam never did die out -- the scientist had been completely wrong.  These emissaries of Dakkam had been sent with a killer robot (I love the name!  A "mortoid") to slay Wundarr, lest he ever come back to Dakkam to avenge his father.

Karen: Dakkam = Daxam?? Obviously Wundarr's dad was no Jor-El, but he has a lot in common with a certain man of steel.

Doug:  We then get a one-page recap of the events of Fear #17, Wundarr's 1st appearance where he met, of all people, the Man-Thing.  That didn't go so well.  Our next scene-shift takes us to a movie house just off Times Square, where the Thing and the Human Torch have just taken in "The Five Fingers of Doom" (because everybody was, after all, kung fu fighting in 1974) and are arguing the artistic value of such flicks.  Ben grabs a lamp post and mangles it, just to show the doom in his own fingers.  Johnny decides to take off, but Ben says he'll just mope around the Square.  He's feeling blue, having just battled the previously-mentioned Man-Thing in the inaugural issue of MTIO.  That big ugly has him feeling self-conscious.  Just then, who should come plummeting earthside, but Wundarr!  He lands right in front of a cabbie who can't avoid hitting him.  Angered and confused, Wundarr picks up the cab and throws it wildly.  But the Bashful One quickly gets out of his trenchcoat, catches the cab, and then it's of course Clobberin' Time!

Karen: I gotta say, I'm enjoying this Kane/Sinnott combo! You can practically feel the impact as WUndarr falls and is then struck by the cab. Great stuff!

Doug:  Yeah, this definitely predates the ol' "Unca Benjy!" Wundarr that we reviewed in our "Project Pegasus" reviews.  Ben takes it to Wundarr hard, and their battle is monitored by the Dakkamites up in space.  Ben begins to question what Wundarr's deal is, why he doesn't talk, etc.  He even muses if Wundarr might be related to Black Bolt!  Just then, Namor and Namorita arrive on Manhattan's seafront.  Questioning a moored sea captain as to Wundarr's whereabouts, the old mariner tells of the big battle going down in Times Square.  As the two Atlanteans take wing, Ben delivers the ending blow, nearly knocking Wundarr unconscious.  Feeling just a bit guilty and wondering if maybe Wundarr is mentally-impaired, Ben's knocked off balance by Namor's arrival.  Two things are great about that splash page -- first, Namor calls Ben a "craven brute", and second, Gil Kane's use of foreshortening is perfect.

Karen: I really love how the citizens of the Marvel universe are so cavalier about super-beings. The sailor Namor questions is sitting on the deck of his boat, having a beer and a smoke as he watches Ben and Wundarr beat the crap out of each other! I also liked the way Ben begins to suspect that Wundarr "ain't playin' with a full deck!" Despite his appearance and rough demeanor, Ben has always been a sensitive and perceptive guy, just another reason to like him. And I agree, that full-page art is fantastic.

Doug:  Nita tends to Wundarr while Subby squares off against Ben.  Of course Ben is really confused now, but hey -- whenever pointy-ears wants to scrap, Ben's game.  Back in space, the Dakkamites worry that the entrance of the Atlanteans will turn the tide of battle in Wundarr's favor and that the Thing now will not kill him.  So they decide the must get involved.  Steering their ship toward Earth, they descend until they are hovering above Times Square.  At that point our two conversationalists, along with the Mortoid, float down to the ground.  Wundarr is neutralized by a beam of some sort.  Namor and Ben decide to put aside whatever differences they had and fight the giant robot.  It takes all of six panels for them to destroy it.  The Dakkamites decide that they can't tangle with all of the super-types, so they beat it back up into their ship.  On the ground, Ben breaks the grip that Wundarr had on Nita's wrist.  But before he can even ask what the heck has just gone down, Namor tells Ben that Wundarr is a baby trapped in a man's body and needs care; Nita echoes and encourages Ben to be someone Wundarr can love.  Then they take off, and leave the Thing alone holding the super-child.

Karen: The "Mortoid" really doesn't stand a chance, does he? It's fun reading the exchanges between Ben and Namor -old foes who know each other very well. The last panel, with a shocked Ben holding Wundarr, really makes you feel for both of them!

Doug:  I thought this was a pretty good story, but needed to be either a two-parter or at least the lead story in a Giant-Size.  The ending seemed very rushed.  Gil Kane is such a good storyteller with his varying perspectives and the aforementioned foreshortening.  Sinnott helps him out a bit, but I'll be honest -- while I appreciate Kane's style I've never completely warmed to his faces and sometimes-stressed hands and fingers.  There's no doubt he knows how to tell a story -- for my money, though, he's just not as polished as one of the Buscemas.  But it's a pretty good-looking book, and the sacrifice of two pages for Wundarr's backstory was necessary, as I don't know how many folks back in the day would have read Fear #17.

Karen: I enjoyed this, even if it did seem somewhat brief. Gerber shows a real understanding of the characters and I thought they were all pitch-perfect. A nice little one-off story.

There's A Bad Moon Risin'...

Karen: This last weekend I saw "An American Werewolf in London" on the big screen, at the historic Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. There was a good sized crowd and they were really into the film. It was fun to see it on the big screen -I'd only ever seen it on TV. It had a quirky mix of humor and horror that didn't always succeed, but for the most part was enjoyable, and certainly had the most startling werewolf transformation yet seen. Any thoughts?

Bracketology: Dressed for Success! 1st Round, part two

Doug:  Second half of the first round, fans -- new polls are posted on the sidebar.  I took the ones we just completed down immediately due to space considerations on the sidebar; however, I've included the raw vote numbers on the scanned brackets, below.  Use this space to discuss the battles going on, and any thoughts on the polls just concluded.  Another interesting line of commenting that has run through our nominations process is -- who were those artists who were can't-miss costume designers?

We'll be back on Sunday with updated brackets, and the first series of second round polls.  Remember -- we're voting for the best costumes, not the best characters or favorite storylines in which these characters were featured.  Whose costumes best fit their name/powers/personality?  And thanks for playing!

Who's the Best... Thor Artist?

Doug:  Today we begin a new series of posts allowing our readers to state their case (and kudos to one of our commenters for suggesting this sort of topic -- my apologies for failing to recall who (but I believe the original suggestion was for best Conan artist)).  We've had a lot of success through the years with our Open Forums, Discuss..., Face-Offs, and Versus posts.  Today we are asking you to consider which, of all the artists who have penciled the God of Thunder, is the best.  Certainly that's a subjective question, so what we're really after is the Why? Because! that you'll bring to the table.  We've already scheduled our next edition for next week, as we're optimistic this will once again provide a wonderful opportunity for our community to engage in conversation.  And as always, thanks in advance!

Building a Better Lex Luthor: The Man of Steel #4

 

The Man of Steel #4 (November 1986)

"Enemy Mine..."

John Byrne-Byrne/Dick Giordano

Karen: With this issue we enter the second half of the mini-series. John Byrne has established the new Superman, new Lois Lane -isn't it time we met Lex Luthor? Well, we'll get there, but first we get to see how the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois has evolved. It's been eighteen months since Clark showed up at the Planet and scooped Lois on the first Superman interview (very naughty of him). Lois is still ticked off! The two are going together to some big event and Lois has shown up at Clark's apartment to pick him up. She's early, and Clark still needs to shave. Being invulnerable, however, makes that personal hygiene task a bit difficult. Clark excuses himself and goes into his bathroom, where he turns on the electric razor that he apparently keeps for situations like this! Then he pulls out a piece of curved metal, from the rocketship he came to Earth on. Using his heat vision, he burns away his five o'clock shadow. Then he and Lois head out. He starts for the elevator, but she leads him to the roof. Their host has sent a helicopter for them! Clark frets that the roof is not designed to hold its weight, and Lois remarks that Luthor is pretty much above the law. Ah yes, they are going to a party held by Lex Luthor! 

Doug:  Byrne sure gives us a different Lois Lane from what we're used to, doesn't he?  I thought Clark's personal shrine to his own football career was... interesting.  He never comes across as conceited, so I'm not sure even if it was a ruse why he'd have such a thing.  Did you think the step-by-step explanation of the shaving was a bit long?  I did -- I mean, it's clear that some of Superman's powers have been revised but I just thought that played a panel or two longer than it needed to. 

Karen: The shaving sequence seemed very Silver Age -maybe it was a tribute.  As they fly off, Lois says that Luthor pretty much owns Metropolis, and this disturbs Clark. Lois states that Lex has an interest in just about every business in Metropolis, and  that he is the second or third richest man on Earth. Despite his power, he's never been caught doing anything illegal, although Lois has tried to dig up any dirt. They fly out of Metropolis and head out to sea, where Luthor's gigantic ship, the Sea Queen, awaits them. 

Doug:  Despite my misgivings above about the shaving explanation, the narrative of Lex Luthor's status in the new DCU was handled well.  It was necessary information, and provided in the context of the story; rather than just have Lois and Clark show up at Luthor's party, Byrne used two panels showing their flight path to provide this education. 

Karen: Once they've landed, Clark mentions that Lois and Luthor are a well-known 'hot item,' and this makes Lois bristle. She says Luthor wants her -he's a collector -but she has no interest in him romantically. But it's because she resists him that Luthor continues to pursue her. Lois and Clark are escorted into a plush apartment, and we get our first clear view of Luthor: a paunchy, balding, middle-aged man. Not quite what we're used to! As an aside: I've been watching the TV series Hell on Wheels and it struck me that Luthor here looks a lot like actor Colm Meaney from that show, right down to the red hair and cigar! 

Doug:  The panel right before we get our first look at Luthor is really well done, with just headshots of Clark and Lois -- minimalist, but really nice.  Too bad the muddy newsprint of 1986 doesn't make it pop.  This Luthor... I couldn't even picture this guy in the green/purple battlesuit! 

Karen: Luthor tries to give Lois a kiss but she turns her head aside. He shakes hands with Clark and complements him on getting the Superman scoop. We learn that Luthor and Perry White are former friends now. When Lex expresses surprise that Perry isn't there, Lois says, "Oh, come on Lex, Perry doesn't much care for living in the same solar system with you, you know that. He'd never come to one of your parties." 

Doug:  Curious.  But I don't recall that there is any sort of reveal coming later.  Could just be my memory failing me again. 

Karen: Luthor asks Clark for a moment alone with Lois. He had sent her an expensive designer dress to wear -just a loan, the card said. But now he tells Lois it's a gift. She becomes livid. She never would have put it on if she'd known he was giving it to her. He tries to convince her to keep it. "You know how much I desire you," Luthor says. "Give me the chance, and I could make you the happiest woman in the world." But Lois is having none of it. She hollers for Clark, who enters the room looking confused. Lois asks to borrow his suit jacket. As he gives it to her, she tells him to turn around "and be as wide as you know how." Not hard, considering how massive Clark looks! Lois removes Luthor's gift and storms out of the room wearing Clark's enormous jacket! But just as she leaves, she insults Luthor by telling him he's starting to look like Fred Mertz! 

Doug:  Luthor is just sleazy, isn't he?  The scene with Lois dropping the gown, on the spot, was great -- sexy, angry, and funny all at the same time. 

Karen: The two reporters are heading for a way off the ship when a gun is thrust into Lois' face. A group of shabby-looking terrorists have taken over the ship. Clark places himself in front of Lois -who can't believe how fast he is - and when he tries to talk to the thugs, gets clocked in the head with a gun. The terrorists throw Clark overboard and Lois is stunned. She's herded to a room along with the other passengers, including the mayor. 

Doug:  If I had a dollar for every time I've read "I've never seen anyone move that fast!" in a comic book, I'd be retired by now. 

Karen: Well, of course Clark wasn't hurt at all. It was simply a convenient way for Clark to disappear and Superman to make his appearance. The Man of Steel lifts the entire ship out of the water, thinking to himself that it's odd that things seem lighter when he is flying, as our pal William said in the comments on issue 1. As everyone is startled by the ship rising, Lois uses this as an opportunity to wrest a gun from one of her captors and begins firing on the rest. What a gal! However, she misses one and Superman -having already set the ship down on dry land -swoops in front of her to deflect the terrorist's bullets. He makes quick work of the man, and the mayor comes forward to thank him. 

Doug:  Wrest a gun?  Wonder if ol' boy sustained any permanent damage to the nether regions?  So what's the story with things being lighter when aloft than when on the ground?  Is that part of the "force field" deal?  I loved the way Byrne depicted the crushing of the baddie's gun. 

Karen: As Superman shakes the mayor's hand, Luthor comes out and gives him a check for $25,000. Supes is puzzled, and Luthor tells him that he's putting him on retainer. When Superman tells Luthor he's not for hire, the plutocrat laughs and says that everyone in Metropolis works for him. He then says though that the Man of Steel was not really needed, as his security team could have handled the situation. He just wanted to see Superman in action. Lois and the Mayor are livid that Luthor endangered people just so he could check out Superman. Lois says that Luthor is an accessory to murder, thinking that Clark is dead. Superman then reassures her that Clark is alive, that he saved him -the first in probably many hundreds of times he'll have to do this, I suppose! Even so, the Mayor says that Luthor is guilty of reckless endangerment, and deputizes Superman on the spot to haul Luthor in. Luthor is incredulous - "You can't arrest me. I'm Lex Luthor. I'm the most powerful man in Metropolis!" "Not any more," the Mayor says. The expression on Luthor's face shows his shock and indignation. Things have changed in Metropolis, quite dramatically. Luthor is arrested and booked, and put in a cell. 

Doug:  Throughout this book, I think the zenith of Byrne's art was his depiction of various facial expressions, never more passionately evident than on the page you reference.  Byrne also shows a defeated Luthor very convincingly.  I really cannot say enough about the art in this fourth installment of the series. 

Karen: A few days later, we see Superman fly a woman in labor to a hospital just in time to deliver. he's feeling pretty good about it, even chuckling to himself that the woman gave her boy "Superman" as a middle name. Just as he leaves the hospital he has the feeling his photograph has been taken, but before he can ponder that, Luthor confronts him on the steps to the hospital. He tells Superman that he made a big mistake in arresting him. He says it is he, not Superman, who controls Metropolis. He tells Superman flat out that he's going to destroy him for this, and he'll make sure everyone knows it was he who did it, but he'll never be arrested for it! And so Superman's greatest enemy is reborn for the 80s. 

Doug:  So here we have the burning hatred that was so evident through the Silver and Bronze Ages.  This time it's not about hair falling out, but about a man spurned by a woman, and the fear that he may be spurned by a city.  This is a powerful scene; Byrne the writer has done a bang-up job, too! 

Karen: It was a novel enough idea to make Luthor a powerful businessman rather than a scientist. He had resources aplenty to make Superman's life miserable. But a part of me will always prefer that green and purple power suit!

 

 

One More Time, About Michael Duncan

Doug:  Last week, upon news of the passing of movie star and larger-than-life personality Michael Clarke Duncan, I ran a quick post stating my family's relationship to the man.  I'd like to ask your indulgence in following that up with a few stories and photos.

Doug:  First, what follows is a column from our local newspaper, written by Tim Yonke, one of the assistant editors who covered our community college's basketball team when Duncan was a player:

      As a fledgling sports writer in the late 1970s my primary beat was covering the Kankakee Community College men’s basketball team. Among the players I covered was Michael Duncan, who would later become acclaimed actor Michael Clarke Duncan.

      Duncan died Monday after nearly two months of treatment following a heart attack. He was just 54 years old.

If you were lucky to know “Dunk” — as he was known by his teammates back then — you likely would have never forgotten him. His 6-foot-5, 225-pound body and imposing muscles were impressive, but it was his huge smile, deep laugh and indomitable spirit that left a mark on your heart.

      While some may think Duncan was a star player during his two years in Kankakee, that wasn’t exactly the case. He sat at the end of the bench his entire freshman season. I remember Coach Denny Lehnus constantly screaming at him for mistakes on the court during practice. I wasn’t sure he’d even be back for a second season.

      However, Duncan took Lehnus’ stern words for what they were — tough love. He worked hard over the summer and improved so much that he became the starting center on a squad that began the season 17-0 and became the No. 1-ranked junior college team in the country. You could tell back then how much success meant to him.

Later that year the Cavaliers lost the state championship game in overtime. Nearly 45 minutes after the game as his teammates came out of the locker room, there was Duncan still dressed in his uniform sitting in front of his locker sobbing.

Duncan moved on to St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., to play the next year. I went along with the KCC coaching staff to see Dunk play one winter night. It was a game that he played little and not very well. We waited afterward to speak to him, and, as usual, he was the last to leave the locker room. He came out to hug everyone with tears in his eyes, feeling he had disappointed his friends who had come to see him play.

       That’s why everyone who knew him, loved him. He cared. And, not just for himself, but for everyone around him.

Even after his hard work had gotten him an award-winning career as an actor, Duncan still kept in touch with his Kankakee friends. 

     Mike Golowski, the point guard on that KCC team, routinely exchanged phone calls and texts with his friend and even visited him in Los Angeles a few years ago. Their conversations were always filled with laughter.

      KCC teammates like Pat Halloran, Greg Montgomery, Kevin Jones and Bob Trewartha, to name a few, knew Michael not just as a fun-loving teammate, but as someone they could depend on. I’m sure they all took pride in the success Duncan had achieved and I guarantee they felt it couldn’t have happened to a better person. 

      Duncan had a wonderful relationship with former KCC administrator and game announcer Dick Frey. On away trips, the pair would have eating contests when the team stopped for meals. Their battles were both fun and legendary.

      The news of Duncan’s death was certainly upsetting to former KCC assistant coaches David Holstein, Dennis Clark and Jeff Bennett, who were first-hand witnesses to Michael’s drive to success. Bring Duncan’s name up in a conversation and watch their faces light up with a smile.

      Duncan would always keep in touch with Lehnus, whom he looked at as a father figure. And, why not? Michael was raised by a single mother in the housing projects on Chicago’s tough south side.

      While a number of his players looked at Lehnus that way, Duncan was always special. It was like he was part of Lehnus’ family. His wife, Marlew, and daughters Kelli, Kim and Kerri, adored Duncan and reveled in his achievements after KCC. Their memories of Michael are always of a hulk of a man who had a smile that could light up a room.

For myself, I also relished in Duncan’s accomplishments, often telling my wife and children about the big guy on the television or movie screen, and how I got to write about him when he was playing basketball at KCC. 

      While Dunk may be gone, we will get to see him again in DVDs and on television reruns. There’s no doubt that we’ll be smiling when we do. 

Doug:  I'll also relate a couple of stories that are told about Duncan.  On one very cold, snowy January evening in 1980 as the team was leaving practice, my father-in-law walked out of the gym with Duncan.  Coach asked him if he needed a ride.  Duncan refused the offer twice.  Persistent, Coach asked again and Duncan relented.  So the obvious question was "Where am I taking you?"  These were back in the days when the program was just growing and players largely had to find their own housing.  Duncan had found a family that lived in one of the poorest communities in the state (maybe in the entire Midwest), and it was 17 miles away from town.  Duncan had been hitch-hiking that route twice daily so he could get to class and play ball.  Unbelievable.

Doug:  I mentioned last week that my son, then a 9-year old, had the opportunity to meet Duncan while traveling with my father-in-law's team.  You can see photos of the encounter below.  On that trip the team had arranged through mutual friendships to practice at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA.  Additionally, legendary UCLA coach John Wooden was to address the team following practice.  As things were underway, Duncan arrived and watched the second half of practice.  Coach Wooden addressed the young men, and then in the moments of transition between Wooden's talk and the locker room, Coach Wooden called to my father-in-law, "Coach, is that Michael Clarke Duncan?"  Affirmed, the old Coach asked, "Do you think he would want to have his picture taken with me?"  Can you believe that?  The most successful college basketball coach in American history was worried that someone might not want to get a picture with him.  Priceless.

 

Doug:  Thanks for letting me share these thoughts this afternoon.