tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1887240870757398532024-03-02T07:47:01.619-05:00The Lair of the Silver Fox.If you think I'm old NOW, you should have seen me when I was younger!The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.comBlogger753125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-22174176987810360852021-08-18T22:26:00.006-04:002021-08-18T22:51:38.770-04:00ORSON, 2004-2021, R.I.P.<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPYGWOmjJAY/YR3GB4gJfXI/AAAAAAAAY-g/ulYqDtdKBM47ikrj2G499r22jKgYE9ZnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/FB_IMG_1612069796042.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="720" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPYGWOmjJAY/YR3GB4gJfXI/AAAAAAAAY-g/ulYqDtdKBM47ikrj2G499r22jKgYE9ZnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/FB_IMG_1612069796042.jpg" width="320" /></b></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">June 1st, 2004 </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">to August 16, 2021</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b></div>The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-48722007624380639892020-07-15T18:01:00.000-04:002020-07-16T00:53:56.089-04:00Roy Hilbinger, 1953-2020, R.I.P.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpVBVnpJMhU/Xw9xmhHXpiI/AAAAAAAAOzE/s94mjJBwL_QermMBhG-8xWVG5sS1Q1ibACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/12-29-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpVBVnpJMhU/Xw9xmhHXpiI/AAAAAAAAOzE/s94mjJBwL_QermMBhG-8xWVG5sS1Q1ibACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/12-29-08.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I know, I know. I haven't blogged in months. Facebook and other interests have pretty much taken the place of blogging in my life. But today's post actually concerns someone I met via the blogs, so posting about him here seemed all too appropriate.)</span></i></div>
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Today I learned that my friend Roy Hilbinger died. Roy and I met online twelve years ago, via something called "Theme Thursday." No, we never met face to face, but I can proudly say we were friends. Not "blogger friends." Not "Facebook friends." Friends. In fact, roughly ten years ago, he was going through a very difficult time, and he and I briefly considered having him stay with me until he could get back on his feet.</div>
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Ten years ago, in response to the chain-letter "awards" bloggers often gave each other, I created "The Silver Fox's THRUST HOME Award," given to the authors of specific blog <i>posts</i> that truly impressed <i>me</i>. In ten years, I've only given out four or five of these awards. The very first one was given to Roy, <b><a href="http://roys-world.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-going-back.html" target="_blank">for this post</a></b>, and his notification of his winning it was proudly placed on his own blog's sidebar, and kept there for ten years.</div>
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THE THRUST HOME AWARD</h2>
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<a href="http://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2010/01/announcing-silver-foxs-thrust-home.html" style="color: #de1605; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="The Thrust Home Award" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sIs__JDXhow/S0es_jh1YhI/AAAAAAAACJQ/z03BWx51neM/S187/Thrust_Home_Award.JPG" height="187" id="Image3_img" style="border-width: 0px;" width="140" /></a></div>
<span class="caption">Given by The Silver Fox for meritorious blogging</span></div>
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He was a well-read, well-spoken, multi-faceted man of compassion and conscience, a man filled with creativity and integrity. He also had great taste in music... meaning his musical tastes were very similar to my own.</div>
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The world needs more people like him, but now, instead, we have one fewer. Life is rarely fair.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wdHPGslZirs/Xw98Hm5tkhI/AAAAAAAAOzU/9RvcP3T1RsEOB95mT_9sHSMnwVW7BBX1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/roy_by_bob2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wdHPGslZirs/Xw98Hm5tkhI/AAAAAAAAOzU/9RvcP3T1RsEOB95mT_9sHSMnwVW7BBX1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/roy_by_bob2.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
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Happy Trails, you old hippie.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks for your time.</span></div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-19595768235610581552019-11-22T15:05:00.000-05:002019-11-22T15:54:28.732-05:00Happy Birthday, Roy Thomas! ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" (on a Friday) Post!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBsQJPQdS2g/XDUCWt_TV3I/AAAAAAAANB4/LlG5tz8U5WAtnFEcl9DPTyDyWBOPqrH6ACLcBGAs/s1600/roy+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="364" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zBsQJPQdS2g/XDUCWt_TV3I/AAAAAAAANB4/LlG5tz8U5WAtnFEcl9DPTyDyWBOPqrH6ACLcBGAs/s400/roy+poster.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<i>Today's post celebrates the birthday of <b>Roy Thomas</b>, one of comic books' true living legends. I've had the pleasure of meeting Roy on two occasions -- <b><a href="https://www.terrificon.com/" target="_blank">TerrifiCon</a></b> 2017 and </i><i><b><a href="https://www.terrificon.com/" target="_blank">TerrifiCon</a></b></i><i> 2018 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT -- and so today, I'll be editing and combining my older posts about those two meetings.</i></div>
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<i>(I should note something here: I've reported </i>so<i> extensively on this blog about TerrifiCon that you may wonder if I </i>work<i> for convention runner Mitch Hallock, or at least wangle myself some free tickets every year. Nope. I write these posts simply because I honestly enjoy the convention immensely. But if you're reading this, Mitch, I can be bought...)</i></div>
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<i>My first year attending TerrifiCon was 2017, and it was a short visit. My friend John and I were only there for a few hours, and I only met four comic pros.</i></div>
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<i>One of those pros was Roy Thomas. Here's the edited story of my very first meeting with Roy in 2017, and as always, let me remind my comic-reading friends that most of my </i>blog's<i> readers do </i>not<i> follow comics:</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esElVbK_kL0/Xdg7q7-pQFI/AAAAAAAAOK8/6R6EJ5AygK4NNobsMSZCSWxfor_7_crIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/01+Roy+Thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esElVbK_kL0/Xdg7q7-pQFI/AAAAAAAAOK8/6R6EJ5AygK4NNobsMSZCSWxfor_7_crIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/01+Roy+Thomas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Roy was a BNF (Big Name Fan) in the early 1960s, eventually taking over the editorship of the fanzine </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Alter Ego</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> from </span><i style="text-align: justify;">another</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> BNF, Jerry Bails. In 1965, he was a school teacher who became a comic book pro and worked for DC Comics for about an hour... Okay, okay, it was really <i>eight days, </i>which isn't much longer.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">He eventually went to work for Marvel. </span>As I told Roy himself, I've been a fan of his since he started working there. ("That would be <i>fifty-two years</i> ago," Roy replied [in 2017]... not that either he or myself are anywhere <i>near</i> that old...)</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">His first extended writing job for Marvel was on <i>Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos</i>, a title which I read, but admittedly, I didn't immediately notice that the book was being written by someone other than Stan Lee. From there he progressed to another of my favorites, the original <i>X-Men</i> title. He also wrote <i>The Avengers</i> for quite a while. He was the second person to write <i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i>, and the third to write <i>Fantastic Four</i>. He was responsible for Marvel's acquiring the rights to Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian in 1970, which began the "sword and sorcery" trend in comics. Thomas had (and has) a real love for the Golden Age comics he read as a boy -- he often revived or re-imagined Golden Age characters in the titles he wrote -- and he put that love to use in a series called <i>The Invaders</i>, which was set during World War II and featured 1940s Marvel characters such as Captain America (and Bucky), the original Human Torch (and <i>his</i> kid sidekick, named Toro for some unknown reason), and Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. In the mid-1970s, Thomas was instrumental in arranging Marvel's comic book adaptation of a new science fiction film... a little something called <i>Star Wars</i>. Roy wrote and Howard Chaykin drew the first six issues, which followed the plot of the movie. And I've left out a lot.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Okay, you can take a breath here.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QOMI0yGObs/WZylbTOOobI/AAAAAAAAJ88/29Pevix25xAKWRzHkgz8_RvUKn1fTFmbQCLcBGAs/s1600/tc+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1103" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5QOMI0yGObs/WZylbTOOobI/AAAAAAAAJ88/29Pevix25xAKWRzHkgz8_RvUKn1fTFmbQCLcBGAs/s400/tc+7.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was the issue I <i>almost</i> had Neal Adams sign as well!</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--nPH1M8ij1g/WZylcpyNKQI/AAAAAAAAJ9A/0QBQoIeMIxgayhfL75ILV9tFNt1fVce5gCLcBGAs/s1600/tc+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="1094" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--nPH1M8ij1g/WZylcpyNKQI/AAAAAAAAJ9A/0QBQoIeMIxgayhfL75ILV9tFNt1fVce5gCLcBGAs/s400/tc+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The issue below, <i>What If</i> #4, contains a story by Roy that <i>finally</i> explained how Captain America had appeared until 1949, since he was supposed to have "died" in 1945! Roy said that he himself had really enjoyed that story. I told him that I'd read it yet again the previous night, at which point he asked "Did it end the same way?"</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mBb6UsDQ31s/WZyleqtebYI/AAAAAAAAJ9E/smmW3uhb-6Ule5y4hS3LgwXY7op4n6dQACLcBGAs/s1600/tc+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mBb6UsDQ31s/WZyleqtebYI/AAAAAAAAJ9E/smmW3uhb-6Ule5y4hS3LgwXY7op4n6dQACLcBGAs/s400/tc+9.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDSP6XSnIlI/WZylfDYu00I/AAAAAAAAJ9I/DbXJ4FpZ4loh-d9HntiqTKWUz_CPetSGwCLcBGAs/s1600/tc+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="812" height="157" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDSP6XSnIlI/WZylfDYu00I/AAAAAAAAJ9I/DbXJ4FpZ4loh-d9HntiqTKWUz_CPetSGwCLcBGAs/s400/tc+10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I went on to tell Roy how much I loved his stories (for both Marvel and DC) about <span style="text-align: center;">the </span><span style="text-align: center;">Golden Age heroes. He answered that those were his favorite to write.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">In the 1980s, Roy Thomas started writing for DC Comics. He wrote stories for such various titles as <i>Wonder Woman, Batman, DC Comics Presents</i>, <i>Secret Origins</i>, and the <i>Legion of Super-Heroes</i>, and created or co-created such series as </span><i>Arak Son of Thunder</i> and <i>Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew</i>... but his best work for DC was arguably his huge volume of work involving the Golden Age superheroes, particularly the Justice Society of America. The JSA appeared in <i>All-Star Squadron</i> (set in the early 1940s),<i> </i>the<i> America vs. the Justice Society</i> mini-series<i>, The Last Days of the Justice Society </i>one-shot<i>,</i> and in various issues of <i>Secret Origins. All-Star Squadron </i>birthed two spin-off series, <i>Young All-Stars</i> and <i>Infinity, Inc.</i> The long-running <i>Infinity, Inc.</i> featured children and protégés of the JSA members in modern times.</div>
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Perhaps one of my all-time favorite JSA-related tales was from the <i>Infinity Inc. Annual</i> #1. This was a story which largely concerned the Golden Age Green Lantern, a character whom I gush about <b><a href="http://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2011/07/comical-wednesday-how-green-was-my-errr.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>, and his daughter and son, Jade and Obsidian. That's the <i>third</i> comic I had Roy sign.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L1LeOYbE1H8/WZyliLf_RQI/AAAAAAAAJ9M/IU--olJ6qJE7rhyGyKOqvNmUA2riMkkPQCLcBGAs/s1600/tc+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L1LeOYbE1H8/WZyliLf_RQI/AAAAAAAAJ9M/IU--olJ6qJE7rhyGyKOqvNmUA2riMkkPQCLcBGAs/s400/tc+11.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LT-Wl31vkuA/WZyljjoDOTI/AAAAAAAAJ9Q/2gH-6z1mc40theE_3vW9bv66ddaD4X_DgCLcBGAs/s1600/tc+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="720" height="337" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LT-Wl31vkuA/WZyljjoDOTI/AAAAAAAAJ9Q/2gH-6z1mc40theE_3vW9bv66ddaD4X_DgCLcBGAs/s400/tc+12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Roy (and writer Kurt Busiek) also appeared on a panel John and I attended later, where Roy talked at length about having taken over the scripting of <i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i> from Stan Lee in 1971. Roy also discussed the Spider-Man costume shown below, which he's owned since the mid-1960s. This was created for publicity purposes, and Roy himself used to wear it! (For an <i>extensive</i> article about the costume, its history, and numerous rare photos of Roy wearing it over the years, click <b><a href="http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-roy-thomas-spider-man-costume.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>!)</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hP2n8Au1Y7U/WagqbM6sgjI/AAAAAAAAKFM/0dUEbo7aEuMAMgdTPACOwlrWFqqWwpUdQCLcBGAs/s1600/Spidey+costume.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hP2n8Au1Y7U/WagqbM6sgjI/AAAAAAAAKFM/0dUEbo7aEuMAMgdTPACOwlrWFqqWwpUdQCLcBGAs/s320/Spidey+costume.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This photo, taken by my friend John, shows Roy's Spider-Man costume. <span style="text-align: justify;">If you look closely, you'll note</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">that </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">the legs </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: justify;">of the outfit are <i>purple</i> rather than the proper <i>blue</i> that most of the rest of the suit is made of.</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This photo, also taken by John, shows just a small section of the convention</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JhksyLvyo4g/WaRlIYGvjJI/AAAAAAAAKAo/kYvIRkUwyNoE4inYWZWifi3S5md44ZbpACLcBGAs/s1600/roy+and+finn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="750" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JhksyLvyo4g/WaRlIYGvjJI/AAAAAAAAKAo/kYvIRkUwyNoE4inYWZWifi3S5md44ZbpACLcBGAs/s400/roy+and+finn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Someone had the good idea to have Roy, who co-created the Iron Fist character</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">with </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">artist Gil Kane in 1974, meet Finn Jones. Jones has the title role in Netflix'</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Iron Fist </i></span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">series</span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">, and appears </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">in <i>The Defenders</i> as well. I assume that </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">something</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">was </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">said to Jones along the lines of "If it wasn't for Roy, you wouldn't have this job."</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Left to right: John Cimino, Roy Thomas, Finn Jones, and TerrifiCon boss Mitch Hallock.</i></span></b></div>
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Summing up (yes, finally!), I enjoyed this convention immensely, and only have two minor regrets.</div>
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The first is that I <i>only</i> had artist Jerry Ordway sign my copy of <i>All-Star Squadron</i> #20, considering that the damned thing was written by none other than <i>Roy Thomas!</i> I mean, just <i>look</i> at that cover, which has such a <i>great</i> place for Roy to have signed it.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Djd1YUMWsiM/Xdg6Hf-948I/AAAAAAAAOK0/8MYH84tqNk4YfKSEgcUVtupb_RPDBQs5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/all-star+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="425" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Djd1YUMWsiM/Xdg6Hf-948I/AAAAAAAAOK0/8MYH84tqNk4YfKSEgcUVtupb_RPDBQs5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/all-star+20.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XNOxrht2JEY/WZyll6CBuuI/AAAAAAAAJ9U/hyMB0JZ-50ANfPjZ7SRrz8HZVJAV9eZAACLcBGAs/s1600/tc+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XNOxrht2JEY/WZyll6CBuuI/AAAAAAAAJ9U/hyMB0JZ-50ANfPjZ7SRrz8HZVJAV9eZAACLcBGAs/s400/tc+13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And my <i>second</i> regret? Well, I kinda wish I'd met con guest Jessica Henwick, who plays Colleen Wing on <i>Iron Fist</i> and in <i>The Defenders</i>. I mean, just <i>look</i> at her.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oDi7xE_67vk/WaSPZtjYf8I/AAAAAAAAKBY/N_N8grpiEv0QnHRpaodfqNmnedACFwu3gCLcBGAs/s1600/jessica+henwick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="590" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oDi7xE_67vk/WaSPZtjYf8I/AAAAAAAAKBY/N_N8grpiEv0QnHRpaodfqNmnedACFwu3gCLcBGAs/s400/jessica+henwick.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And I see that Roy Thomas didn't pass up <i>his</i> chance to meet Jessica Henwick. Roy, you <i>dog</i>, you!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TORAxPvDLCo/WaSYiKBLL1I/AAAAAAAAKCg/5XMk4MtqwyAW_lr2u6BGZCtI96KCWXDpgCLcBGAs/s1600/roy+and+jessica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="1200" height="310" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TORAxPvDLCo/WaSYiKBLL1I/AAAAAAAAKCg/5XMk4MtqwyAW_lr2u6BGZCtI96KCWXDpgCLcBGAs/s400/roy+and+jessica.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Left to right: Mitch Hallock, Roy Thomas, Jessica Henwick, and John Cimino!</i></span></b></div>
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* * * * *</div>
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<i>And now for my story concerning TerrifiCon 2018:</i></div>
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I've probably read more comic books written by Roy Thomas than any other writer, except <i>maybe</i> Stan Lee.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i2TJnHSJ_mI/XDT2nTIKzwI/AAAAAAAANBY/-wNPUDpT7ecwN5lVl7_8U7DInUYz4FQaQCLcBGAs/s1600/sgtfann6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="323" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i2TJnHSJ_mI/XDT2nTIKzwI/AAAAAAAANBY/-wNPUDpT7ecwN5lVl7_8U7DInUYz4FQaQCLcBGAs/s640/sgtfann6.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">A young Roy Thomas, as penciled by Dick Ayers and inked by John Severin.</span></b></i></div>
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Probably due more to good timing than anything else, the line at Roy's table at Terrificon 2018 was much shorter than the one at Terrificon 2017. The very first book I had him sign of the three I'd brought was – you guessed it – <i>All-Star Squadron</i> #20. And needless to say, he automatically signed it right where I hoped and expected he would!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPGB0yhRhb8/XDPkvQTEWmI/AAAAAAAANAQ/KP4J7by08HsqGSJx7Do7k8GAS1iiVa8CgCLcBGAs/s1600/04+Ordway-Thomas+All-Star+Squadron+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1034" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPGB0yhRhb8/XDPkvQTEWmI/AAAAAAAANAQ/KP4J7by08HsqGSJx7Do7k8GAS1iiVa8CgCLcBGAs/s400/04+Ordway-Thomas+All-Star+Squadron+20.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjUkxIVxtXg/XDPkvVmr7mI/AAAAAAAANAU/rhfp9eoJpz4JL9HueqZkDT1LNdQrFVP1wCLcBGAs/s1600/05+Ordway-Thomas+All-Star+Squadron+20+%2528close-up%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1600" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjUkxIVxtXg/XDPkvVmr7mI/AAAAAAAANAU/rhfp9eoJpz4JL9HueqZkDT1LNdQrFVP1wCLcBGAs/s400/05+Ordway-Thomas+All-Star+Squadron+20+%2528close-up%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Much</i> better, eh?</span></b></div>
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A few paragraphs back, I mentioned that Roy edited the comic fanzine <i>Alter Ego</i> in the 1960s. Well, in the 1970s, two additional, “professional” issues of <i>Alter Ego</i> appeared, and I'd brought both for Roy to sign.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jc7H17L3n3w/XDT_wMcAoiI/AAAAAAAANBo/LNUdSXfGIt8mHqeaNsumBo9qacRyJziPQCLcBGAs/s1600/06+Alter+Ego+10+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jc7H17L3n3w/XDT_wMcAoiI/AAAAAAAANBo/LNUdSXfGIt8mHqeaNsumBo9qacRyJziPQCLcBGAs/s400/06+Alter+Ego+10+a.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwRbPJQQ2WQ/XDT_wzmZ2FI/AAAAAAAANBs/kuYxFrRehUgancSo2zvoz1Dy88PbGLWmACLcBGAs/s1600/07+Alter+Ego+10+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="579" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwRbPJQQ2WQ/XDT_wzmZ2FI/AAAAAAAANBs/kuYxFrRehUgancSo2zvoz1Dy88PbGLWmACLcBGAs/s320/07+Alter+Ego+10+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Roy and I briefly discussed the caricature of artist Gil Kane (no relation to Batman co-creator Bob Kane) on the cover of <i>Alter Ego</i> #10. Roy remarked that even though Kane's face in real life was nowhere near that thin, the drawing by the late Marie Severin (1929-2018) was unmistakably that of him.</div>
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It was when I handed Roy my copy of <i>Alter Ego</i> #11 that things got... interesting.</div>
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The cover of that issue featured yet another Marie Severin caricature, a spot-on sketch of legendary artist Bill Everett, creator of (among many other characters) Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5f64munYFlA/XDPliAI6QlI/AAAAAAAANAo/iyDWT6Pvdngu8nn5WfWbzIgMQ-j33luLQCLcBGAs/s1600/08+Alter+Ego+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="383" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5f64munYFlA/XDPliAI6QlI/AAAAAAAANAo/iyDWT6Pvdngu8nn5WfWbzIgMQ-j33luLQCLcBGAs/s400/08+Alter+Ego+11.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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Severin's original sketch (which follows) was redrawn slightly and “framed” by several examples of Everett's own characters, as were drawn by Bill for <i>Alter Ego</i>'s long-awaited issue #11.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fcPGmvbXPEA/XDPlLlbdXNI/AAAAAAAANAg/GJv0djYKGBMfLnPXJpZ_skKEOS52XrzZACLcBGAs/s1600/09+Everett+by+Severin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fcPGmvbXPEA/XDPlLlbdXNI/AAAAAAAANAg/GJv0djYKGBMfLnPXJpZ_skKEOS52XrzZACLcBGAs/s320/09+Everett+by+Severin.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
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Roy took the book from me, but before he even signed it, he turned to the young guy seated on his right (Roy's friend and manager/agent John Cimino), and said, “This is the one I don't have.”</div>
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I immediately – <i>immediately</i> – said, “You can have <i>that</i> one.”</div>
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At first, Roy's attitude was something along the lines of how he didn't want to take my book away from me... but I wasn't having any of <i>that</i>.</div>
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Then he offered to <i>buy</i> it from me, and asked how much I wanted for it. I thought <i>Okay, wiseguy,</i> and calmly said “Three thousand dollars.” He knew I was joking, of course, but his eyes grew wide and he rapidly thrust the book back toward me like it was a poisonous snake.</div>
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Please keep in mind that this was/is <i>not</i> a rare and/or pricey collectible. A search on eBay will produce up to a dozen copies for auction at prices varying between five and twenty dollars. So it's not like Roy couldn't have found one if he'd made the effort himself. But he hadn't, for whatever reason.</div>
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And that was the point.</div>
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I told him I didn't want <i>any</i> money from him, and I tried to think of a way to tell him that after having enjoyed his writing for <i>fifty-three years</i>, it would thrill me no end to be able to repay him in even the tiniest of ways. I didn't actually say that, because I realized how corny it would sound even before I'd assembled all the words in my mind.</div>
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Finally, Roy told me about a two-volume set of trade paperbacks collecting the “best of” <i>Alter Ego</i> #1-11. These volumes went for about twenty bucks apiece. Roy offered to trade <i>both</i> of those books for my <i>Alter Ego</i> #11. <i>That</i>, I agreed to!</div>
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Roy asked for my mailing address, so I wrote it on the front cover of <i>Alter Ego</i> #11, and...</div>
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No. Come on now. You <i>know</i> I didn't do that.</div>
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I wrote it on a piece of cardboard handed to me by John Cimino. (John, by the way, writes a blog entitled <i><b><a href="http://hero-envy.blogspot.com/">Hero Envy -- The Blog Adventures</a></b></i>. And that's far from <i>all</i> he does!)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CfqH_FOcIuw/XDT2_C__1DI/AAAAAAAANBg/ZGalABMDNlIXWyz4yClefOAlG9lJ7F-dQCLcBGAs/s1600/John-Cimino-Roy-Thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CfqH_FOcIuw/XDT2_C__1DI/AAAAAAAANBg/ZGalABMDNlIXWyz4yClefOAlG9lJ7F-dQCLcBGAs/s320/John-Cimino-Roy-Thomas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">John Cimino and Roy Thomas. (Photo NOT taken at TerrifiCon.)</span></b></div>
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But just to be safe, since he was afraid he might lose my address, Roy handed me his personal business card. I'd have scanned <i>that</i> for this post, but I would have had to redact almost all of it. His home address. His email address. His phone number.</div>
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Looking at that card in my hand, the eight-year-old comic fan deep inside of me felt like I felt <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-keys-to-kingdom-comical-wednesday.html">the day I spoke with Jack Kirby</a></b> on the telephone.</div>
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Or the day I visited Dick Ayers at his home. (I'll tell you about that someday soon.)</div>
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I received the two books in less than a week.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufwCLPhkGGY/XDPl-0xjukI/AAAAAAAANAw/bBo9RfUJeHQFYPadYn5IMgjSDcSgqa4VgCLcBGAs/s1600/10+AE+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufwCLPhkGGY/XDPl-0xjukI/AAAAAAAANAw/bBo9RfUJeHQFYPadYn5IMgjSDcSgqa4VgCLcBGAs/s400/10+AE+1.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-43w_KQV8Mks/XDPmn01TOiI/AAAAAAAANBA/LZyxYDT7HrEfxvzVuHzIy6_4rAZzr4nMACLcBGAs/s1600/11+AE+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1235" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-43w_KQV8Mks/XDPmn01TOiI/AAAAAAAANBA/LZyxYDT7HrEfxvzVuHzIy6_4rAZzr4nMACLcBGAs/s400/11+AE+2.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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Both were signed "Thanks + Best Wishes -- Roy Thomas 2018."</div>
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In spite of suddenly having all of this contact info for Roy, I resolved not to make a pest of myself, and, seeing that I'm <i>not</i> eight years old... I haven't. Roy and I <i>have</i> exchanged a handful of emails on several subjects since then, and there <i>is</i> one bit of cool news which I'd <i>dearly</i> love to share with all of you, but I can't... <b style="font-style: italic;">yet</b>.</div>
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Anyway, it wasn't until after I left Roy's waiting line that it even occurred to me that while I was doing all this chatting, negotiating, and all-around schmoozing there were probably a slew of people behind me wondering why the hell this white-haired bearded dude dressed in black was spending so much time talking to Roy Thomas. And usually, I sympathize with such people and try to make my own "business" brief.</div>
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But <i>this</i> time?</div>
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Screw 'em.</div>
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Thanks for <i>your</i> time, fellow babies.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: purple;">And a Very </span>Happy Birthday<span style="color: purple;"> to Roy Thomas!</span></b></span></div>
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The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-41332196806321339142019-10-31T18:43:00.002-04:002021-05-22T23:06:42.882-04:00 Best! Weekend! Ever! (or, "Tales of TerrifiCon 2019, Part Five-and-Final") ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div style="text-align: justify;">
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WARNING! This is an <i>extremely</i> long post. I'm known for being excessively wordy when I write, and less so when I talk. But <i>this</i> time? Pack a lunch. And an overnight bag.<br />
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Okay, then, here we go! If you're a comic book fan, you're almost certain to enjoy all the artwork I'll be throwing at you in this post. If you're <i>not</i> a comic book follower, I still think – hope? – there will be enough here to catch your eye and make you stay all the way to my last word.<br />
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And once again, I'm going to point out to those of you who are comic book enthusiasts that most of my blog's regular readers are <i>not</i> comic fans, so if you encounter a fact here and there that makes you say “Everybody knows that,” well... it ain't necessarily so on <i>this</i> blog.<br />
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As mentioned in <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/10/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of_30.html" target="_blank">Part Four</a></b>, my time at TerrifiCon 2019 was an early birthday present for Mrs. Lynch's little November baby. And the best part of said present was that a true artistic legend, Jim Steranko, was a guest of the convention... and <i>I got to have dinner with the man!</i><br />
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Those of you who don't follow comic books may be thinking “Oh, how nice, David got to spend some time with one of those people who draws funnybooks.” Well, dining and talking with Steranko as opposed to someone else who just happens to be in the same business is almost like the difference between sitting with your brother-in-law who plays bass for a local rock band, or spending time instead with Elvis Presley. And, truth be told, that's not a bad comparison. In terms of his artistic innovations, his personal charisma, and his influence on the next generation of comic creators, Steranko – people often leave out the “Jim” part of his name, because there's only <i>one</i> Steranko – really <i>is</i> a rock star.<br />
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Or a rock <i>god.</i> Small G. Keep it understated.<br />
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Granted, Steranko wasn't the <i>only</i> innovative artist in comics during the late 1960s. I hear a couple of voices in the back row asking “What about Neal Adams over at DC?” Adams and Steranko were familiar with each others' work, of course. In fact Neal Adams worked a tribute to Steranko into one of his panels for the “Deadman” feature in <i>Strange Adventures!</i> (In case you can't read the words in the mist, they say “Hey! A Jim Steranko effect!”)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DUrRcpnK5X4/XbsNgXwOmpI/AAAAAAAAOD4/th9fb2OYl3wDJJfiV63jxkGCpBmcWhzdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Adams.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1289" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DUrRcpnK5X4/XbsNgXwOmpI/AAAAAAAAOD4/th9fb2OYl3wDJJfiV63jxkGCpBmcWhzdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Adams.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anyway, I'd learned to read in 1960 or so, and was reading practically all the Marvel titles by early 1964. Now here we were somewhere around the beginning of 1967. At that point in my own comic-reading history, I was already tiring of Marvel's endless continued stories, made almost unbearable by the <strike>shitty</strike> spotty newsstand distribution of the time, which made me keep missing issues in all these ongoing storylines! And <i>then</i>, a couple of years later they had the nerve to raise the price of their comics from twelve cents to an unheard-of <i>fifteen</i> cents! So all I saw of Steranko's work at first was his inauspicious beginnings in <i>Strange Tales</i> on their “Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” feature. Nice, but not really much different from what I was already used to from Marvel. And for two or three years, until the early 1970s, I bought very few comics compared to the mid-1960s, when I literally read almost anything I could get my hands on.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LtVPniBDWRI/XbsOR2C9R8I/AAAAAAAAOEM/X8F3ZExL9m4FcQcX3YSrnomvUdf-nPUywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/00a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1178" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LtVPniBDWRI/XbsOR2C9R8I/AAAAAAAAOEM/X8F3ZExL9m4FcQcX3YSrnomvUdf-nPUywCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/00a.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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Then one fateful day – and I'm not overstating it by saying that – I was going through a stack of recent comics at my friend Jeff's house and I saw <i>this:</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZqGwa6op9A/XbsN39h4f3I/AAAAAAAAOEA/xJzWcvz2kQomuFTsmwBYqdOt3YcsZ5Q4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZqGwa6op9A/XbsN39h4f3I/AAAAAAAAOEA/xJzWcvz2kQomuFTsmwBYqdOt3YcsZ5Q4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/00.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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The comic I held was <i>coverless</i>, but I immediately fell in love with it. The artwork was incredible. I even liked the judicious use of color. But what the hell <i>was</i> it that I was holding? I was too enthralled by the comic to look at the indicia, the information that's (usually) at the bottom of the first page that tells you what you're reading.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8QuCIRgAr-I/XbsOd8UwCII/AAAAAAAAOEQ/IrHeiRWteiI800tLitDILPQ0twCDxvHkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/indicia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="431" height="201" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8QuCIRgAr-I/XbsOd8UwCII/AAAAAAAAOEQ/IrHeiRWteiI800tLitDILPQ0twCDxvHkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/indicia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I turned the page, and saw a blond man in a trench-coat, which he doffed to reveal the costume of Captain America! As it happened, this was a copy of <i>Captain America</i> #111. (The last issue of that title which I'd owned had been #109, drawn by Jack Kirby. Steranko drew #110, #111, and #113.) I read on. <i>Why wasn't he wearing his damned mask?</i> I wondered. I read further, only to find to my astonishment that Cap's long-dead partner, Bucky, had somehow returned from the dead. (Back in those days, deceased comic characters didn't get resurrected quite as often.) I kept reading, and discovered to my relief that this “Bucky” was actually a character named Rick Jones, a sort of sidekick for Cap that used to hang around with the Hulk before him.<br />
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For all intents and purposes, that's the day that I truly discovered Jim Steranko.<br />
<br />
Okay, I'll let the pictures take over for a bit. Here are some more shots from <i>Captain America</i> #111:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0_sU_uIuVs/XbsOzgsgJLI/AAAAAAAAOEc/KN-CmLWlJmU9EJKyjgYjlzGUZwP0U6SWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0_sU_uIuVs/XbsOzgsgJLI/AAAAAAAAOEc/KN-CmLWlJmU9EJKyjgYjlzGUZwP0U6SWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/07.jpg" width="357" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--cXOm6movUI/XbsO0ycgbaI/AAAAAAAAOEg/PIKAdA2nWdUBNhxro5ACqqhUXO_2kkvEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/08.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--cXOm6movUI/XbsO0ycgbaI/AAAAAAAAOEg/PIKAdA2nWdUBNhxro5ACqqhUXO_2kkvEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/08.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dT5VrHzOoyw/XbsO-YB3J2I/AAAAAAAAOEk/ieTVvh4fHfsGYj6y2n4RQV2Sb9HW_nu-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="185" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dT5VrHzOoyw/XbsO-YB3J2I/AAAAAAAAOEk/ieTVvh4fHfsGYj6y2n4RQV2Sb9HW_nu-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/09.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
<br />
And by the way, Cap <i>did</i> eventually put his freakin' mask on!<br />
<br />
To continue... I started researching Steranko's output, only to find out that he'd been doing some mind-blowing work here and there. He had worked on <i>Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.</i> which now had its own title.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6lvGDbc0Aw/XbsPM3JQqXI/AAAAAAAAOEs/KZxMxoeIKjgtWVkFvo9wEwp280-KmQx2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="538" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6lvGDbc0Aw/XbsPM3JQqXI/AAAAAAAAOEs/KZxMxoeIKjgtWVkFvo9wEwp280-KmQx2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/02.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xD16U2jIuhY/XbsPN2pRRFI/AAAAAAAAOEw/XWAQ-aVASa03f-SG19plDhnx-VCchLrqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="901" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xD16U2jIuhY/XbsPN2pRRFI/AAAAAAAAOEw/XWAQ-aVASa03f-SG19plDhnx-VCchLrqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/03.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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He had worked on <i>X-Men</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wtf6kUfLgG0/XbsPW2XCROI/AAAAAAAAOE4/cDZ9QnlxDP4kq1p4EVyuGx85ioQdsBMWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="442" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wtf6kUfLgG0/XbsPW2XCROI/AAAAAAAAOE4/cDZ9QnlxDP4kq1p4EVyuGx85ioQdsBMWACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/04.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vrz2HpEagnc/XbsPYL5VPAI/AAAAAAAAOE8/nOGjVHT2Mu0XAzK6R7ihkAwC-iGowMkRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vrz2HpEagnc/XbsPYL5VPAI/AAAAAAAAOE8/nOGjVHT2Mu0XAzK6R7ihkAwC-iGowMkRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/05.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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And <i>while</i> he was doing his work for Marvel, he was art director for an ad agency <i>and</i> he played regularly in a rock'n'roll band! (Rumor has it that the man never sleeps.)<br />
<br />
Nor did he slow down <i>after</i> he left Marvel, either. Here, in only an approximate order, are just <i>some</i> of his contributions to pop culture.<br />
<br />
He found time to do this <i>Star Trek</i> poster... (I purchased one of these '70s posters sometime during the '80s.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QqjFll0FkXM/XbsPr5eNNxI/AAAAAAAAOFQ/vNWZu6dZTUUfZJWDPklTfl8SjveTwtdLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QqjFll0FkXM/XbsPr5eNNxI/AAAAAAAAOFQ/vNWZu6dZTUUfZJWDPklTfl8SjveTwtdLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/10.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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He developed his own character, Talon... (I bought one of <i>these </i>posters along with the <i>Star Trek</i> poster.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kKFrGtFp6u8/XbsP6MYL9XI/AAAAAAAAOFU/8yL7O_53Mh0rENdYqTgpZmUTWq4veuaSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1127" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kKFrGtFp6u8/XbsP6MYL9XI/AAAAAAAAOFU/8yL7O_53Mh0rENdYqTgpZmUTWq4veuaSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/11.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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He returned to Marvel to do one story for one of their romance titles, as well as several covers.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYnqMlwcE_Y/XbsQBtkT1pI/AAAAAAAAOFc/WnO5zyiTXb4Snwzcf3bqqvhiJnW0-NOYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/06.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="627" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYnqMlwcE_Y/XbsQBtkT1pI/AAAAAAAAOFc/WnO5zyiTXb4Snwzcf3bqqvhiJnW0-NOYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He produced two volumes of <u>The</u> <u>Steranko</u> <u>History</u> <u>of</u> <u>Comics</u>, an incredibly informative project which never saw a third volume.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAuv68RIIvQ/XbsQSI3EKWI/AAAAAAAAOFo/VZrAWRwT1GQAyu8k3YINUFkYt8gbA1ErwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="550" height="416" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAuv68RIIvQ/XbsQSI3EKWI/AAAAAAAAOFo/VZrAWRwT1GQAyu8k3YINUFkYt8gbA1ErwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">By the way, I can name every single comic character on that cover!</span></b></div>
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He provided cover illustrations for about two dozen paperback novels reprinting various issues of the 1930s and 1940s pulp legend, The Shadow.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ9yp9X6Cyc/XbsQdtvR_7I/AAAAAAAAOFw/O7BMSlmtkMAL6ragHoG8QbE_ZKeDPJgawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="227" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ9yp9X6Cyc/XbsQdtvR_7I/AAAAAAAAOFw/O7BMSlmtkMAL6ragHoG8QbE_ZKeDPJgawCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/14.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_UvPVH8Bvo/XbsQbv5Cm5I/AAAAAAAAOFs/i6a-F8SNsroPOQAqqNKKh3LG3LF4_MNmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_UvPVH8Bvo/XbsQbv5Cm5I/AAAAAAAAOFs/i6a-F8SNsroPOQAqqNKKh3LG3LF4_MNmACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/13.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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He adapted the 1981 film <i>Outland</i>, starring Sean Connery.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vd_p8wtvdDw/XbsQv4gHIHI/AAAAAAAAOGE/LYGKxqgJ7sI5U314PFlNgT-LawugOVJXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vd_p8wtvdDw/XbsQv4gHIHI/AAAAAAAAOGE/LYGKxqgJ7sI5U314PFlNgT-LawugOVJXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He found time to do little stories here and there, like this one from <i>Superman</i> #400...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tvQoCCDWmx8/XbsZATSNPfI/AAAAAAAAOGw/ty6SvNkUoN8IjhpO48O_tUwt-oXP48fDACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tvQoCCDWmx8/XbsZATSNPfI/AAAAAAAAOGw/ty6SvNkUoN8IjhpO48O_tUwt-oXP48fDACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He did the cover for this comic book revival of <i>The Green Hornet</i>...<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nLrxXxZMmg/XbsRBMqWxxI/AAAAAAAAOGQ/ajbNS7nx4U4Z61aetyY_BUqt3bwzs2IeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1037" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nLrxXxZMmg/XbsRBMqWxxI/AAAAAAAAOGQ/ajbNS7nx4U4Z61aetyY_BUqt3bwzs2IeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/17.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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(And here's the <i>same</i> illustration without all the excess crap that publishers require.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--OLXQjkt73Q/XbsRM0gwgaI/AAAAAAAAOGU/BmP6Mj7Oqb0XaBseodxCtiyEFuixG702gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/18.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1527" data-original-width="1100" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--OLXQjkt73Q/XbsRM0gwgaI/AAAAAAAAOGU/BmP6Mj7Oqb0XaBseodxCtiyEFuixG702gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/18.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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He even did character designs for <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q9HJPHbRzAk/XbsRZhbXgyI/AAAAAAAAOGc/6PkOn3rYeHQDTCWPvklROyXIut0tFzbiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="295" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q9HJPHbRzAk/XbsRZhbXgyI/AAAAAAAAOGc/6PkOn3rYeHQDTCWPvklROyXIut0tFzbiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/19.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
So, all of you non-comic people – if there are any of you <i>left</i> after all that – have I impressed upon you how important this gentleman is? (And as I ask that, I'm sitting here smiling because I <i>left out so much!</i> He's been a magician and an escape artist, a magazine publisher, and more... and more... and more...!)<br />
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Thus endeth one of the longest introductions in history.<br />
<br />
On the evening of August 9th, TerrifiCon offered a dinner with the man himself, as it happened, and this exclusive get-together was part of my birthday present from my friend John (as explained in <b><a href="http://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/10/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of_30.html" target="_blank">my last chapter</a></b>).<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LGOwqNLWUMo/XbsUysFpgsI/AAAAAAAAOGo/uOiKMbRms88nvCu071LeiOf8N3zFsOaVACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dinner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="883" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LGOwqNLWUMo/XbsUysFpgsI/AAAAAAAAOGo/uOiKMbRms88nvCu071LeiOf8N3zFsOaVACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Dinner.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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As also mentioned <b><a href="http://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/10/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of.html" target="_blank">last time</a></b>, I skipped the Howard Chaykin panel that evening just so I could rest up for the scheduled four-hour event. I showed up only five or ten minutes before the 8:00 p.m. start, hoping I still had a chance to get a good seat, since I didn't know whether we had assigned seating or not<br />
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Surprisingly, I was the first one there. In fact, I was all by myself in our little dining area for several minutes. There were three identical tables, and nothing in the room's layout that indicated where Steranko would sit. That's when I took these photos, the only photos I ended up taking that entire evening!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CvSvC2C8r4c/Xbs0GdO78eI/AAAAAAAAOG4/b5Y2Nc18fu8xjv4L4MhMfjs8Wyd3T2Q0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dws1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CvSvC2C8r4c/Xbs0GdO78eI/AAAAAAAAOG4/b5Y2Nc18fu8xjv4L4MhMfjs8Wyd3T2Q0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/dws1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mvV6J26mBRg/Xbs0HbG93jI/AAAAAAAAOG8/hsN_ft926IogS8u5LibpoRS_b_9fvLBnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dws2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mvV6J26mBRg/Xbs0HbG93jI/AAAAAAAAOG8/hsN_ft926IogS8u5LibpoRS_b_9fvLBnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/dws2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GniDjyY4Nf0/Xbs0IlGlNAI/AAAAAAAAOHA/f5xoKHn_4LIjqrRV8bGetEIFo-FgqbvPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dws3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GniDjyY4Nf0/Xbs0IlGlNAI/AAAAAAAAOHA/f5xoKHn_4LIjqrRV8bGetEIFo-FgqbvPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/dws3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Finally</i>, the other guests began arriving. "My" table started filling up. In no time at all there were somewhere between two and three dozen people, waiting for the guest of honor, who seemed to be running a bit late. And since the people I sat with all got along so well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that things were just as cordial at the two other tables. At least, I didn't see any punches thrown. But it was no surprise that we all got along so well. We had a lot in common.<br />
<br />
Eventually, the word came down. Steranko was running a bit late. Due to a faulty intercom, many of the convention-goers didn't realize that TerrifiCon had <i>closed</i> for the night. We were told he'd join us sometime before nine, if that was okay. Okay? Of course it was okay. None of us were going to leave, certainly.<br />
<br />
When The Man arrived, he sat at each table for a generous interval while the rest of us ate our meals and conversed with him. I say "the rest of us" because I'm pretty sure Steranko himself didn't eat. Apparently, he eats as often as he sleeps.<br />
<br />
He looks a lot younger than his actual age, and I get the impression that he is now what he's always been: A fascinating, talented, bundle of energy with an eye for the ladies.<br />
<br />
After we'd finished our desserts, Jim let us question him about his own life, and not just the comic-related stuff. He talked about working in comics, yes, but also about performing magic and his various escapes, the extreme poverty he suffered growing up, how he was bullied by a ruthless street gang, and so on. And he was more than happy to let us guide the proceedings with our questions.<br />
<br />
Jim Steranko is a remarkable storyteller. I'm not going to try to do justice here to any of his longer stories, but I am going to mention the subject<i> I </i>got him to open up about. I asked him to tell us about the time he <i>slapped Bob Kane,</i> the co-creator of Batman. (I should justify it a bit to say that Kane slapped Steranko <i>first</i>. If you need more information about the sleazier side of Bob Kane, you can read <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2017/12/bob-kane-part-three-glory-hog-comical.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b> of mine.) I'd read about the incident for the first time only recently, although I believe it happened in the 1970s, not very long after Volume One of <u>The</u> <u>Steranko</u> <u>History</u> <u>of</u> <u>Comics</u> had come out.<br />
<br />
At first he seemed reluctant to discuss it, but as he got into the story, he became more and more animated. Or maybe <i>agitated</i> is a better word. Toward the end of the story, he was right in front of me, jabbing his finger toward my chest for emphasis as he spoke. I'd hate to have him angry with <i>me</i>.<br />
<br />
(And now that I've teased you mercilessly about that tale, if you'd like to read about it elsewhere, <b><a href="https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/time-jim-steranko-slapped-bob-kane-san-diego-comic-con" target="_blank">here's a link!</a></b>)<br />
<br />
Steranko talked on and on -- it was kinda like reading one of my posts -- and Mitch Hallock, the head honcho of TerrifiCon, told me he was getting a bit nervous because our crowd was supposed to be out of the room by midnight... and it was already apparent that <i>that</i> just wasn't gonna happen!<br />
<br />
It got later and later (or should I say earlier?) and Jim finally started autographing comics and other items for those assembled. (The ticket for the dinner included the chance for each of us to have two items signed.) He wasn't in any rush to do that, either. It seemed like he spent ten to twenty minutes with every one of us as he signed the things we'd brought.<br />
<br />
The first item I handed him was a trade paperback reprinting a series of <i>Airboy</i> stories drawn by artist Tim Truman (who was also at this year's TerrifiCon). Truman did the interior art, but Steranko had done the cover! So I got my book signed by both.<br />
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Back in the 1990s, I had purchased a limited edition poster of that <i>Airboy</i> trade paperback cover. It was signed and numbered by Jim Steranko himself. He took time to tell me that he had enjoyed doing that trade paperback cover because he had loved the original <i>Airboy</i> series when he was a boy in the 1940s.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ4cwt9cs5k/XbtPalK246I/AAAAAAAAOHs/O0X0dDL-vn4GYZEwFqvb-EYFcQ6wRYtvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20+Valkyrie+poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="413" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ4cwt9cs5k/XbtPalK246I/AAAAAAAAOHs/O0X0dDL-vn4GYZEwFqvb-EYFcQ6wRYtvACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20+Valkyrie+poster.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the poster image, but this one wasn't autographed like mine.</span></b></div>
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But <i>my</i> autographed Steranko poster had been damaged during a move. I told Jim that I had horrible luck where Steranko collectibles were concerned, and went on to explain that not only had I ruined the <i>Airboy</i> poster, but that I also owned one of the original 1970s <i>Talon</i> posters shown above, and when I took <i>that</i> from my closet to bring it to TerrifiCon, I discovered that it was cracked and spoiled with age.<br />
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The second item I gave him to autograph was the membership kit to the Shadow Secret Society, an organization Steranko had been involved with years earlier. As evidenced by his many Shadow paperback novel covers, he was and is a huge fan of the character.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAPNPFD853c/XbtQs72xB5I/AAAAAAAAOH0/ppKqziJd7CwX5yxK8XVJ5koOhUdR9rj5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Shadow+-+Steranko+Club+Kit+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="800" height="330" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAPNPFD853c/XbtQs72xB5I/AAAAAAAAOH0/ppKqziJd7CwX5yxK8XVJ5koOhUdR9rj5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Shadow+-+Steranko+Club+Kit+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> This isn't a photo of <i>my</i> kit. This is just a photo I found online which shows you the envelope's contents.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKDGqBk1rpE/XbtQv5aCwSI/AAAAAAAAOH4/X6usWR1MS0gmj09O4AFk0CA8u2WDVc_IwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Steranko+1a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKDGqBk1rpE/XbtQv5aCwSI/AAAAAAAAOH4/X6usWR1MS0gmj09O4AFk0CA8u2WDVc_IwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Steranko+1a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was close to 1:30 when the evening finally wrapped up. Several of the two dozen or so guests had already left, but those of us who remained assembled for a group photo.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T0hMlDXhkS0/XbtSQ0zZhzI/AAAAAAAAOIM/vMTAp_1PYTonnWCSG3rHUTFJJW1CRcstACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Steranko+Dinner.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T0hMlDXhkS0/XbtSQ0zZhzI/AAAAAAAAOIM/vMTAp_1PYTonnWCSG3rHUTFJJW1CRcstACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Steranko+Dinner.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I find it pleasantly surprising that the shortest man in the line somehow seems to tower above the rest of us.<br />
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What I <i>don't</i> find surprising is that Steranko is standing right next to the only woman in the line!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0sx-RmF4PaY/XbtTKN5n5HI/AAAAAAAAOIc/7TD0dnxXNkYkkIzmYWOdTZe1opI86UbCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Steranko+Dinner+--+The+Man.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1489" data-original-width="964" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0sx-RmF4PaY/XbtTKN5n5HI/AAAAAAAAOIc/7TD0dnxXNkYkkIzmYWOdTZe1opI86UbCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Steranko+Dinner+--+The+Man.jpeg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jim Steranko standing next to my new friends, Jenny and Brian Gordon.</span></b></div>
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The next day, I ended up at Steranko's table, because I had one <i>more</i> comic for him to autograph. He had two assistants, one male, one female. Even the man referred to him as "Steranko," like he was talking about Elvis, or Cher, or Madonna...<br />
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While I was in line, I noticed all the things he had on his table for sale. Posters and prints, mainly, but also some books and magazines, including both volumes of <u>The</u> <u>Steranko</u> <u>History</u> <u>of</u> <u>Comics</u>. And the posters included the <i>Star Trek</i> and <i>Talon</i> posters shown above.<br />
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Two places ahead of me in line stood a man with not one but <i>two</i> copies of <i>The Incredible Hulk Special</i> #1. Only the cover was drawn by Steranko.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjnJddL51XI/XbtXmfcpAmI/AAAAAAAAOIk/YZm3YH4JFDk4uqLQWuyYS5wuHuFbZzzzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/21.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IjnJddL51XI/XbtXmfcpAmI/AAAAAAAAOIk/YZm3YH4JFDk4uqLQWuyYS5wuHuFbZzzzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/21.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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Steranko handled the books <i>very</i> carefully, but in spite of that, when he slid one of the comics toward him, <i>its cover came completely off!</i> Everyone present held their breath, and the comic's owner had a look on his face like he'd just watched a truck run over his dog.<br />
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Obviously -- to me, anyway -- the cover that detached so easily must have been attached by the proverbial thread to begin with. All Jim could do was have his assistant refund the money the man had paid for the signature. I have to wonder whether that young man blamed Steranko for the damage. I wouldn't have.<br />
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When it was my turn, he remembered me from the previous night. I pointed at the <i>Talon</i> poster and he nodded sadly. He obviously remembered my little horror story, too.<br />
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Then I asked him something he'd probably been asked for years, although at this point, forty-plus years after Volume Two, it's more of a running joke. I asked when Volume <i>Three</i> of <u>The</u> <u>Steranko</u> <u>History</u> <u>of</u> <u>Comics</u> was going to be completed. He smiled and replied "Oh, it's all finished," but before I could even raise an eyebrow, he tapped his temple and said "Up here."</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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Finally, I handed him <i>Captain America Special Edition</i> #1. This was a two-issue deluxe series from 1984 which reprinted Steranko's three <i>Captain America</i> issues, plus other material.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZWk7juDJAQ/XbtdGkbH8SI/AAAAAAAAOIs/9pq5Tzh2q58c_5gA9EZTKx3p13qUlLjGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Steranko+2a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1054" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZWk7juDJAQ/XbtdGkbH8SI/AAAAAAAAOIs/9pq5Tzh2q58c_5gA9EZTKx3p13qUlLjGACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Steranko+2a.jpeg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpkqE9Ld0Rw/XbtdHR17M1I/AAAAAAAAOIw/h37OB_tiqmU5Ud8jA9KV1B7zG7VHUB9zwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Steranko+2a+signature.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="918" height="312" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tpkqE9Ld0Rw/XbtdHR17M1I/AAAAAAAAOIw/h37OB_tiqmU5Ud8jA9KV1B7zG7VHUB9zwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Steranko+2a+signature.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Captain America Special Edition</i> #1 contained <i>Captain America</i> #111, the issue which had first turned me on to Jim Steranko's breathtaking art. I flipped through the issue before he signed it, showing him how I became enthralled with the original comic, page by page. And <i>yes</i>, I told him the <i>entire detailed story</i> which <i>you</i> read earlier, describing my reactions about the <i>coloring</i>, and <i>Cap</i> fighting Hydra without his <i>mask</i>, and <i>Bucky</i>...<br />
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As he signed it, he looked up at me and said "Wow, that's a great story."<br />
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Jim Steranko. <i>Jim Steranko</i> said <i>"Wow, that's a great story."</i> To <i>me</i>.<br />
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TerrifiCon 2020 is gonna have to bust its metaphorical <i>butt</i> to top <i>this</i> year's convention.<br />
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* * * * *</div>
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Those of you who read my blog last year when I posted about TerrifiCon 2019 may recall the huge Thanos figure on display. Well, "he" was there this year, too.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EvyKtMIE6ck/XbthDRnqLMI/AAAAAAAAOI4/005Llu5z5gA3W3gv_itYToNwAhqjjwfzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Aftermath+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EvyKtMIE6ck/XbthDRnqLMI/AAAAAAAAOI4/005Llu5z5gA3W3gv_itYToNwAhqjjwfzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Aftermath+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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However, after the convention was <i>over</i>, he looked like <i>this</i> at one point.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKDnhZubKIo/XbthrEUgEfI/AAAAAAAAOJE/yUlh8JVWS4ofvT1kQTCnc9RDS4tVx5azgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Aftermath+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="881" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKDnhZubKIo/XbthrEUgEfI/AAAAAAAAOJE/yUlh8JVWS4ofvT1kQTCnc9RDS4tVx5azgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Aftermath+4.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
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And the hall looked like <i>this</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uE7YrWG06TI/Xbth1u8MNUI/AAAAAAAAOJM/FiaYHrx31ekzShOvsv0jHFCFuR3xYcV0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Aftermath+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1110" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uE7YrWG06TI/Xbth1u8MNUI/AAAAAAAAOJM/FiaYHrx31ekzShOvsv0jHFCFuR3xYcV0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Aftermath+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6N6G2sDv_hg/Xbth9x12EmI/AAAAAAAAOJU/yw0nP9m6KUcXZA3hriRC2asDcgcQsKSnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Aftermath+00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1110" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6N6G2sDv_hg/Xbth9x12EmI/AAAAAAAAOJU/yw0nP9m6KUcXZA3hriRC2asDcgcQsKSnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Aftermath+00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Seems kinda sad somehow, dunnit?</div>
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See you next August!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RjSnX9bNkZU/XbtiGRWlljI/AAAAAAAAOJY/0azaYkgzLmAM7P6Xa5cGBfpQAZuBSh52gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/terrificon+2020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RjSnX9bNkZU/XbtiGRWlljI/AAAAAAAAOJY/0azaYkgzLmAM7P6Xa5cGBfpQAZuBSh52gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/terrificon+2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlcyyaXPfzw/Xbtic2SrkDI/AAAAAAAAOJs/aDrtGWbbljwNipuszPyhSFIDTYIJAnaWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Batman+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZlcyyaXPfzw/Xbtic2SrkDI/AAAAAAAAOJs/aDrtGWbbljwNipuszPyhSFIDTYIJAnaWACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Batman+Cover.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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And if you read this, <i>please</i> comment? Especially if you came here from Facebook. Thank you.</div>
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Thanks for your time, <i>and</i> your perseverance!</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-58043331105356722942019-10-30T12:12:00.000-04:002019-10-30T19:56:07.442-04:00 Best! Weekend! Ever! (or, "Tales of TerrifiCon 2019, Part Four") ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfEA12-kLz0/XbhwqaFLULI/AAAAAAAAOBU/DLHPwKIApSYPg1n6H5lQBPU63oFWYZzyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bat-Signal+-+Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfEA12-kLz0/XbhwqaFLULI/AAAAAAAAOBU/DLHPwKIApSYPg1n6H5lQBPU63oFWYZzyACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bat-Signal+-+Edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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By the time the end of my second day at TerrifiCon 2019 rolled around, I had had a<i> great</i> time, a <i>wonderful</i> time, and -- dare I say it? -- a <i>terrific</i> time... and I was pretty relaxed, to boot. <i>So</i> relaxed that the very same guy who'd allowed himself to be photographed only to avoid being impolite to <b><a href="http://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/09/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of.html" target="_blank">Greg Hildebrandt </a></b><i>willingly</i> posed for, and <i>just</i> as willingly <i>paid</i> for, a photo of himself (shown above).<br />
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Yep, as the running title of "Best! Weekend! Ever!" implies, I had... well... certainly <i>one</i> of the best weekends I've<i> ever</i> enjoyed, and definitely the best weekend in <i>recent</i> memory.<br />
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And frankly, I owe it all to my friend John.<br />
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Regular readers of my blog have seen John's name before, usually in relation to some movie or concert he and I have seen together. He and I have a lot in common and have been friends for about thirty years now.<br />
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John's job pays pretty well, and it enables him to be extremely generous, to friends, co-workers... It's kind of amazing, actually.<br />
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My attendance at TerrifiCon this year -- my ticket, the motel room, meals, and the little "bonus" which will be the focus of Part Five of this blog series -- was an early <i>birthday present</i> from John. (My birthday isn't until November. John's is in December. Just sayin'.)<br />
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Now, how do you <i>repay</i> something like that?<br />
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I mean, in strictly <i>monetary</i> terms, you <i>can't</i> repay it. Well, <i>I</i> can't, anyway. (And besides, friends don't put dollar amounts on favors they do for each other.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7O4Tfe1kwRs/XbiXisslF6I/AAAAAAAAOBs/KQHZd300a2w02qQEfL588BMO8fct7AijgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="845" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7O4Tfe1kwRs/XbiXisslF6I/AAAAAAAAOBs/KQHZd300a2w02qQEfL588BMO8fct7AijgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/claremont.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While I was going crazy on August 9th and 10th getting signatures from almost twenty comic creators, John was being much more selective. There are only a handful of creators in the various entertainment fields whom he follows faithfully. One of those creators is a writer named Chris Claremont.<br />
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Those of you who follow comics don't need to be told who Chris Claremont is. And for my readers who <i>aren't</i> familiar with the comics world? Well, let's see if I can sum up the man's influence in only one (long) paragraph:<br />
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Even if you don't follow, and never really have followed, the world of comic books, I'm betting you've heard of the X-Men. The original team was created in the early 1960s, and was never as popular as other Marvel Comics characters, such as Spider-Man, Thor, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, the Hulk, etc. They created an “all-new, all-different” X-Men team in the mid-1970s, and almost from the start, Chris Claremont took over writing their stories, and developing their characters, and introducing sub-plots... Roughly 45 years after he took over the reins, they've gotten <i>much</i> more popular. They're one of the biggest drawing points Marvel Comics has. Claremont hasn't been the primary X-Men scripter for many years, but, not to slight any other writers or artists, his influence helped make the team what it is today in the public eye.<br />
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And Claremont was going to be at TerrifiCon 2019, so I decided that <i>John's</i> birthday present this year from me was going to involve Chris Claremont somehow. Easier said than done. When John sees something he wants, he generally buys it right then and there. And he was at TerrifiCon, too. He naturally planned to meet Chris Claremont, get a couple of items signed, and probably buy one or two items from Claremont himself...<br />
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So I had to get creative.<br />
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I've been selling comic books and other collectibles for most of the last 45 years, usually as a secondary source of income. And from the early to the mid-1990s, I was selling new comics and related merchandise. During that time, I received a lot of promotional material, mostly what are called "POP" (point of purchase) posters. I still have a lot of this junk – I mean, quality merchandise – in my boxes at the flea market where I peddle my papers, so to speak.<br />
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In 1995, Claremont had left Marvel Comics and was working for DC Comics on a comic title he'd co-created called <i>Sovereign Seven</i>. DC had sent a 3-D promotional advertising display to comic dealers to introduce the book. It consisted of a small holographic poster and a crazy little contraption that unfolded to make a 3-D version of that same little poster.<br />
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And I had one. I still had one. And I knew that John didn't have one, nor would he be likely to come across one since it was distributed to dealers only and was never offered commercially.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mz20pvEW9XI/XbmmZdKiM8I/AAAAAAAAOB0/E0zI64ZSCLATS_FJ_ZtMjZ0NWP4fzUloQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sovereign+7+3-D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="952" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mz20pvEW9XI/XbmmZdKiM8I/AAAAAAAAOB0/E0zI64ZSCLATS_FJ_ZtMjZ0NWP4fzUloQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Sovereign+7+3-D.jpg" width="331" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(I got this photo from eBay. Mine wasn't shrink-wrapped.) </b></span></div>
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John and I attended some panels and did some other things together that weekend, but some things separately. So it was easy for me to make sure that <i>John's</i> meeting with Claremont and <i>my</i> meeting with Claremont took place at different times.<br />
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For myself, I had Chris autograph a trade paperback collecting the 1980 X-Men stories comprising what comic fans have called “The Dark Phoenix Saga” for almost forty years. This was a thrilling storyline that had me eagerly awaiting each monthly installment in the tale. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RjFt0VeHWH0/Xbmm0h6X2pI/AAAAAAAAOB8/zgfuPqfwzMM9BWsgryD2ICYSMXKnTC8IQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RjFt0VeHWH0/Xbmm0h6X2pI/AAAAAAAAOB8/zgfuPqfwzMM9BWsgryD2ICYSMXKnTC8IQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/claremont+2.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABnXjHrN7y0/Xbmm1aDkXeI/AAAAAAAAOCA/UuRh7wDyUPQgtNQfVfYOcePbTnJwqHXRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1136" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABnXjHrN7y0/Xbmm1aDkXeI/AAAAAAAAOCA/UuRh7wDyUPQgtNQfVfYOcePbTnJwqHXRACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/claremont+3.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Then it was time to have the <i>Sovereign Seven</i> material signed. The 3-D piece was in perfect condition. It had never been opened into its 3-D state. I wanted to have Chris Claremont sign the little poster for John. <br />
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But before I asked for his signature, I spent a couple of minutes telling him about my friend John. First I explained how John was a huge fan who had already bought some things from Claremont the day before. I also told Chris about a few things John had done for me in the past. Finally I talked about my “early birthday present,” and all it entailed. I asked Chris if he could personalize the <i>Sovereign Seven</i> piece for John. <i>Really</i> personalize it. <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9eM4RPibCxM/XbmnLCb1iJI/AAAAAAAAOCE/zRFrVWzHvjYJSuYevyDPkcNVeCspyBQYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont+-+JRT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1159" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9eM4RPibCxM/XbmnLCb1iJI/AAAAAAAAOCE/zRFrVWzHvjYJSuYevyDPkcNVeCspyBQYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/claremont+-+JRT1.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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Here's what he wrote:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0IxhuXfsKDs/XbmnLpc8W7I/AAAAAAAAOCI/XMt9dsSv2MIsP8xQhYx3N6OzSp5YpfwzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont+-+JRT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="768" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0IxhuXfsKDs/XbmnLpc8W7I/AAAAAAAAOCI/XMt9dsSv2MIsP8xQhYx3N6OzSp5YpfwzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/claremont+-+JRT2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"To John --"</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4n69I1XHK94/XbmngTI1uyI/AAAAAAAAOCY/yp6YWmWlHScinRibQ8ozOHl0DZIwibDeACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont+-+JRT3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="888" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4n69I1XHK94/XbmngTI1uyI/AAAAAAAAOCY/yp6YWmWlHScinRibQ8ozOHl0DZIwibDeACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/claremont+-+JRT3.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“Happy Birthday to a True Friend.”</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P-bERFdtjcc/XbmnsPS573I/AAAAAAAAOCc/hyfn3EgYun0YfulN3q5JflAsigGoaIviQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/claremont+-+JRT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1456" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P-bERFdtjcc/XbmnsPS573I/AAAAAAAAOCc/hyfn3EgYun0YfulN3q5JflAsigGoaIviQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/claremont+-+JRT4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Chris Claremont"</b></span></div>
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John was attending TerrifiCon for all three days, Friday through Sunday. I was only going to be there for the first two. Before I left Saturday evening, I handed John the signed <i>Sovereign Seven</i> material, saying “There is no way in Hell I am going to wait until December to give you this.” <br />
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Well, it's only fair. He gave me <i>my</i> birthday present early. <br />
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I've been a fan of Paul Gulacy's art since – yeah, yeah, you guessed it – the 1970s. His earliest work was somewhat derivative of comics legend Jim Steranko, something that Gulacy never tried to hide. In fact, an early story from Marvel Comics' <i>Master of Kung Fu</i> actually has a character, Demmy Marston, whose look was based on Steranko.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tC5wRLJIikU/XbmudsmT8JI/AAAAAAAAOCs/JcwLk3DhffMKMwW4zKRJCGz5bQIeEfoKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gulacy+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="978" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tC5wRLJIikU/XbmudsmT8JI/AAAAAAAAOCs/JcwLk3DhffMKMwW4zKRJCGz5bQIeEfoKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Gulacy+01.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The quality of Gulacy's work improved issue by issue. And so did his talent for drawing likenesses. In one of his earliest <i>Master of Kung Fu</i> stories, he "borrowed" from television and drew a character based on <i>Kung Fu</i>'s Kwai Chang Caine (played by David Carradine).<br />
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Eventually, Shang-Chi, star of the <i>MoKF</i> feature, looked uncannily like Bruce Lee (something Lee's <i>widow</i> may or may <i>not</i> have called Stan Lee about, to protest). </div>
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Yes, as I said, Gulacy's artwork got better...</div>
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And better... <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQKBUK9-veE/XbmwXxJO1qI/AAAAAAAAODM/nfh_JeSa7NUb7WIgWBgPLUNXZvsZ-eB1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gulacy+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="604" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQKBUK9-veE/XbmwXxJO1qI/AAAAAAAAODM/nfh_JeSa7NUb7WIgWBgPLUNXZvsZ-eB1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Gulacy+04.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
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And better still (note the Marlon Brando lookalike)! <br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xcJDKoBK1Xk/XbmwgX28WrI/AAAAAAAAODQ/YRPDQ1bxQhwlRLV-jLECuc6pUVArEZi-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gulacy+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="638" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xcJDKoBK1Xk/XbmwgX28WrI/AAAAAAAAODQ/YRPDQ1bxQhwlRLV-jLECuc6pUVArEZi-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Gulacy+05.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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I was lucky. When I arrived at Gulacy's table, there was only one person in the line before me, so when it was my turn, we got to talk for quite a while. The one thing I clearly recall from our conversation was when I mentioned that during his <i>Master of Kung Fu</i> days, it used to bother me that the <i>interiors</i> of the issues contained his fantastic artwork, but the <i>cover</i> art was usually by someone else. Sometimes it was a very well-drawn cover, sometimes not, but when it wasn't drawn by <i>him</i>, it irked me. He admitted that the reason was that he was usually so late turning in the issue itself, they didn't have time to have him draw the cover as well!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q7KP6RllsA/Xbmydk5dzPI/AAAAAAAAODc/PxikNb3PaQkpu_ZtX8h8Up3Y2xPmLCLbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gulacy+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1035" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q7KP6RllsA/Xbmydk5dzPI/AAAAAAAAODc/PxikNb3PaQkpu_ZtX8h8Up3Y2xPmLCLbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gulacy+1a.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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And that wraps it up for today, fellow babies.... <i>except </i>to tell you that the fifth-and-final chapter will prominently feature the legendary artist mentioned briefly above, <i>Jim Steranko!</i><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJP1yeCdgQ4/Xbm1xVll2vI/AAAAAAAAODo/EDZju0XWvsUHN2ozebjd4g4lSQD9ZdGQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/steranko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="838" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJP1yeCdgQ4/Xbm1xVll2vI/AAAAAAAAODo/EDZju0XWvsUHN2ozebjd4g4lSQD9ZdGQACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/steranko.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'll be posting Part Five sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening!<br />
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And again, if you read this, <i>please</i> comment? <i>Especially</i> if you came here from Facebook. Thanks so much!</div>
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And thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-49256479052024275932019-10-29T11:37:00.005-04:002019-11-06T15:40:12.025-05:00Best! Weekend! Ever! (or, "Tales of TerrifiCon 2019, Part Three") ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4gnX4Uj1ZA/XbMw3UybBNI/AAAAAAAAN98/zX7lNx3EqMMWbcsTbnzw_bNwGlOoDcsdACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Wuhl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="320" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4gnX4Uj1ZA/XbMw3UybBNI/AAAAAAAAN98/zX7lNx3EqMMWbcsTbnzw_bNwGlOoDcsdACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Wuhl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Long time, no see. So much for my plans to bang out these TerrifiCon 2019 posts at a rapid clip. <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/09/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of_15.html" target="_blank"><b>Part Two was several weeks ago.</b></a> I'll spare you the details as to <i>why</i> this happened, because we've got a <i>lot </i>of catching up to do!<br />
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Before I begin, I just want to mention to anyone who's been directed here from Facebook that most of my regular blog readers are <i>not</i> comic fans, so if I write anything that makes you react by thinking “Everybody knows that,” keep in mind that the readers of these posts might actually <i>not</i> know “that,” whatever “that” may be.<br />
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2019 marks the thirty-year anniversary of 1989's <i>Batman</i>, the film starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Kim Basinger. Therefore, I'm going to make Part Three of my TerrifiCon 2019 series Batman-related... pretty much.<br />
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One of the TerrifiCon panels I attended on August 9th and 10th -- I didn't go on Sunday the 11th -- was called "Batman 89: Looking Back at the Bat with Robert Wuhl." Actor/comedian/writer Robert Wuhl played reporter Alexander Knox in the <i>Batman</i> movie, and his panel consisted of reminiscences about that and a few other aspects of his career (such as <i>Bull Durham, Arli$$,</i> and <i>Good Morning, Vietnam</i>).<br />
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By the late 1980s, fandom's tastes had changed during the twenty-odd years since the light-hearted, campy <i>Batman</i> TV show had been a mega-success. The comic fans of that later era wanted a Batman who was much more serious in tone. Wuhl spoke briefly about the controversy concerning whether or not Michael Keaton could <i>handle</i> a serious role. Most movie-going comic fans, who knew Keaton mainly from roles in films like <i>Beetlejuice</i> and <i>Mr. Mom</i>, didn't think he was a good choice.<br />
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Wuhl, however, had seen Michael Keaton in a 1988 movie called <i>Clean and Sober</i>, a film which I had seen as well before <i>Batman</i> was completed and released. So when Robert Wuhl asked if anyone in the audience was familiar with <i>Clean and Sober</i>, my hand shot up and he spotted me. A minute or two later, he mentioned the film once more, and pointed to me and said "He knows."<br />
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There's still enough fanboy in me to love stuff like that.<br />
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I've been a fan of writer/artist Howard Chaykin since I first started noticing his name in the mid-1970s. The very first artwork I saw of his that really made an impression on me was in a title called <i>The Scorpion</i>, which he created for a company called Atlas/Seaboard. The Scorpion was later reworked for Marvel Comics into probably my favorite Chaykin creation, Dominic Fortune.<br />
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Chaykin, by the way, has drawn Batman on a few occasions (notably in a one-shot called <i>Batman: Dark Allegiances</i>), enough times to justify his inclusion in today's post, although I won't actually be discussing any of his Batman-related projects.<br />
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Chaykin has a reputation for being outspoken and controversial, but (in my opinion) usually not in a way that's actually offensive. He'd been the sole guest at a panel called “Howard Chaykin Still Has Something to Say,” a Friday evening event which I'd unfortunately missed because I was resting up for... well... something I'll tell you about in Part <i>Five!</i> I was wondering how Chaykin would behave – or misbehave – when I actually met him in person.<br />
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I've previously described how I often try to bring something other than the same old thing for an artist or writer to sign, hoping he or she will react with a bit of surprise. Sometimes it works, as when I brought the <i>Terry and the Pirates</i> Sunday pages to have Greg Hildebrandt sign (described in <a href="http://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/09/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of.html" target="_blank"><b>this post</b></a>). Sometimes it <i>doesn't</i> work, like when I brought my copy of <i>Star*Reach</i> #1 to have Jim Starlin autograph last year (as described in <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/12/terrificon-2018-part-three-comical.html" target="_blank">this post</a></b>).<br />
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I brought that same issue of <i>Star*Reach</i> to Howard Chaykin, since his artwork graced the <i>back</i> cover, but he didn't really react at all to my choice, either, which was fine, of course. He signed it, which is all that counts.<br />
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The other book I brought to him was a well-worn trade paperback that reprinted <i>The Shadow: Blood & Judgment</i>, his controversial – There's that word again! – 1986 updating of the multi-media crime-fighting sensation from the mid-20th century! (More on <i>that</i> character in Part Five!)<br />
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And just for the record, Mr. Chaykin was <i>quite</i> pleasant to talk with. I only wish we'd had time for a longer conversation, especially after he related a teaser of sorts to a story of how he and a friend had hitchhiked cross country as teens. These two kids were picked up at one point by a trio of <i>rodeo clowns</i> that belonged to the <i>KKK!</i> Evidently, his young friend was quite worried that the three men would discover that he and Chaykin were both <i>Jewish</i>, but Howard assured that they would never suspect anything, because the two teens didn't have <i>horns!</i><br />
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I'd met Jerry Ordway two years earlier at TerrifiCon 2017, as told <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2017/08/terrificon-2017-part-one-of-very.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>. One comic I was hoping to have him sign <i>this</i> year was a brand new one-shot title, <i>Captain America & the Invaders: Bahamas Triangle</i>, an Invaders story written by legendary writer/editor Roy Thomas which prominently featured – duh -- Captain America. I hadn't been able to find a copy before the convention, and was hoping that Jerry would have one for sale. Luckily for me, he did have one. In fact, if I recall correctly, he had <i>only</i> one left by the time I approached him. He was rather apologetic that he was charging me for his signature <i>and</i> for the comic itself, which I thought was admirably humble.<br />
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As I mentioned above, 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the <i>Batman</i> movie. Well, it was none other than Jerry Ordway who'd illustrated the comic book adaptation of the movie, a project which showcased Ordway's uncanny knack for drawing recognizable celebrity likenesses.<br />
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The very <i>best</i> part of having Jerry sign my copy of the Batman movie adaptation was that I finally got to ask a question that's been on my mind for literally thirty years!<br />
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There's a flashback scene in the film which shows the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents when Bruce was a boy. The killer was a young hoodlum named Jack Napier, who later becomes the Joker. In the movie itself, they had actor Hugo Blick play Jack Napier as a young man, but <i>instead</i> of drawing Blick, Ordway simply drew a young Jack Nicholson.<br />
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I thought it was a brilliant move when I first saw it thirty years ago, and I finally got to ask Jerry if the scripter (Dennis O'Neil) had suggested this switch, or if it had been Ordway's idea. I got my answer. It was Jerry Ordway's decision.<br />
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Another artist whom I've been a fan of for roughly forty years is Mike Grell. Mike's been associated with the character of Green Arrow several times during his long career -- he's <i>also</i> drawn Batman, in keeping with this post's theme -- and I had him sign <i>this</i> book:<br />
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I should point out here that although Mike drew the origin of Green Arrow <i>inside</i> this issue, he did <i>not </i>draw the cover. The cover -- including the image of Green Arrow, of course -- was by Joe Staton. (More on <i>him </i>in a minute or two!)</div>
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I was the first one in the line at Mike Grell's table that day. He hadn't even arrived yet. And when he did show up, he apologized repeatedly for keeping me waiting while he distributed two different commissioned sketches of DC's Black Canary to the people who'd already paid for them the day before. So I got to see both sketches.</div>
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For obvious reasons, I don't have scans of the one-of-a-kind Black Canary sketches that the two fans walked away with, but here's <i>another</i> sketch of that character, just to give those of you who are unfamiliar with Grell's work an idea of what he can do!</div>
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All I can add to that is that the <i>first</i> sketch he handed out that day was better than the above drawing, and the <i>second</i> one was much, <i>much </i>better!</div>
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Anyway, if you're wondering why I had Grell autograph the comic shown above anyway, it's quite simple. Joe Staton, the cover artist of <i>DC Super-Stars</i> #17, was <i>also</i> at this year's TerrifiCon!</div>
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Joe's yet <i>another</i> artist I've been a fan of since the 1970s. I told him so, naming a few of his 1970s credits. When I listed <i>The Avengers</i>, a title he began drawing in 1974, he commented that I've obviously been reading comics for a long time. I tugged on a lock of my white hair and said "Yeah... well..."</div>
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While we talked about several different series he'd worked on, he pointed out a recent comic which he was giving away, a <i>crossover</i> between Dick Tracy and the Will Eisner character, The Spirit! I'm a big fan of <i>both</i>. Joe offered to sign the freebie for me at no charge.</div>
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The <i>DC Super-Stars</i> #17 shown during the Mike Grell section of this post features the never-before-told origin of DC's heroic Huntress character, introduced in late 1977. It ties with <i>All-Star Comics</i> #69 as her first appearance. The Huntress was Helena Wayne, daughter of the Golden Age Batman, the Batman that was a member of the Justice Society of America starting in the 1940s.</div>
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As it happens, Joe Staton has yet another connection to the Golden Age Batman. In a 1979 two-part story that appeared in <i>Adventure Comics</i> #461 and #462, writer Paul Levitz actually<i> killed</i> Batman... and Joe Staton was the artist.</div>
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I have the entire run of JSA stories from that period, and had Joe sign this gem for me!</div>
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Okay, we have <i>finally</i> reached the end of this post, and to make it up to those of you who have waited so very long for my TerrifiCon 2019 series, I will be posting Part Four and Five before the weekend, so you can read 'em all at your convenience!</div>
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And if you read this, <i>please</i> comment? <i>Especially</i> if you came here from Facebook. Thank you.</div>
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And, as always, thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-74004305202198494892019-09-15T17:56:00.001-04:002019-09-16T14:00:30.765-04:00Best! Weekend! Ever! (or, "Tales of TerrifiCon 2019, Part Two") ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Don't worry, I'll explain the above notation later in this post!</span></b></div>
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As I warned you <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/09/best-weekend-ever-or-tales-of.html" target="_blank">last time</a></b>, the stories-within-a-story comprising my five posts about TerrifiCon 2019 will not be in chronological order. Instead, the various anecdotes will be arranged to suit my own idiosyncratic narrative style.</div>
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It's a pretty good guess that the two oldest comic pros at the con were Sy Barry and Joe Giella, both of whom are ninety-one years old. Both were pencilers and inkers who were better known as inkers. Both worked for both Timely Comics and DC Comics during their careers. They both worked on comic strips as well as comic books.</div>
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Sy Barry inked (and sometimes penciled) <i>The Phantom</i> comic strip for King Features Syndicate. His run on the strip lasted over thirty years, from 1961-1995. Sy's brother Dan (1923-1997) drew the <i>Flash Gordon</i> strip from 1951-1990, for King Features as well.<br />
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Joe Giella is probably best known for inking the Flash, Green Lantern, and Batman. But during his long career, he also assisted <i>both </i>Barry brothers on their respective strips.<br />
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Fittingly enough, Sy Barry's table was next to Joe Giella's. I approached Mr. Barry first, holding a copy of King Comics' <i>The Phantom</i> #22. It was the first and only comic featuring that hero which I'd owed in my youth, although the copy I own today is not that same one. Mr. Barry carefully flipped through the issue, commenting that the penciled <i>and</i> inked art on the inside of the book was not by him, but was by <i>another</i> artist (Bill Lignante, according to <b><a href="https://www.comics.org/" target="_blank">Grand Comics Database</a></b>).<br />
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Oops.<br />
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I nervously asked him if he had at least drawn the <i>cover</i>. He had. That was good enough for me to have him sign it, of course. Minor catastrophe averted.<br />
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Next was Joe Giella's turn. <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/11/terrificon-2018-part-two-comical.html" target="_blank">Last year</a></b>, at TerrifiCon 2018, I'd had him sign three different comics. One of those was the first and only <i>Flash Annual</i> from the Silver Age. This year I brought another Silver Age issue from that series, <i>The Flash</i> #145. This was my first exposure to a villain called the Weather Wizard, one of my childhood favorites from the Flash's fabled "Rogues Gallery" of villains.<br />
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The next book I gave Joe to sign was <i>Green Lantern</i> #26, the second appearance of the villainess Star Sapphire. It seemed only fair to bring this particular comic, since last year I'd had Joe sign <i>Green Lantern</i> #16, her very <i>first</i> appearance!<br />
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Finally, a real treat... for me! In the mid-1960s, the success of the <i>Batman</i> TV show goosed the popularity of superhero titles, and that ABC-TV program is generally given credit for the proliferation of guys and gals running around in tights for the next couple of years in the world of comic publishing.<br />
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But shortly <i>before</i> that TV show premiered, the Archie Comics Group revived several of its superheroes from the early 1940s. Most of these characters banded together as a group called The Mighty Crusaders. Bluntly put, the art by Paul Reinman in issue #1 of <i>The Mighty Crusaders</i> was just okay, and the stories by Jerry Siegel (Yes, the same Jerry Siegel who had <i>co-created Superman</i> roughly thirty years earlier!) weren't all that great, either. But I was nine years old, and hardly a discerning critic.<br />
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Anyway, as I learned shortly before the convention, much of <i>The Mighty Crusaders</i> #1 was inked by Joe Giella! And although I was aware of the fact that he'd worked for many different publishers during his long career, I had been under the assumption that his 1960s work was all for DC. So, my secret is out. I <i>don't</i> know everything.<br />
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Another guest at TerrifiCon 2019 was Colleen Doran, who first came to prominence as the creator/writer/artist of <i>A Distant Soil</i>. But listing only that among all her other credits is like saying Stan Lee wrote <i>Fantastic Four</i>. Well yeah, sure, <i>but</i>...!<br />
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I brought only one comic for Colleen to sign, a stand-alone <i>Sandman</i> issue written by Neil Gaiman which tied up a loose end from DC's Silver Age. (In fact, it's one of the books pictured above in Colleen's TerrifiCon photo collage.) And when she asked if I wanted it personalized to me, I said yes. I generally don't <i>ask</i> for someone to include my name with their signature (to save them time), but if they <i>offer,</i> I always say yes. That shows them I don't intend to turn around and <i>sell</i> my signed item.<br />
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Over the years, I've owned, read, and enjoyed a <i>lot</i> of comics by Michael Golden, but the only comic I could think of which is currently in my collection is the 1984 <i>Batman Special</i> #1, featuring a great story pitting Batman against a villain called The Wrath. The Wrath was a villain whose origin and m.o. was similar to Batman's, except <i>his</i> career was devoted to killing <i>lawman</i> instead of capturing <i>criminals</i>. Fascinating story written by Mike W. Barr, but <i>boy</i> am I getting sidetracked here!<br />
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Before I got to speak with Mr. Golden, I got to talk with Renee Witterstaetter, who is evidently Mike's manager. However, as you can see if you read what's listed under her photo above, Renee's credentials in comics (and elsewhere) involve quite a bit <i>more</i> than being someone's manager.<br />
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After asking her what Golden charged for signatures, I couldn't resist telling her that I <i>already</i> had <i>hers</i>.<br />
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To make a long story short -- well, as much as <i>I</i> can <i>ever</i> accomplish <i>that</i> -- in 1994, Dick Ayers (Yes, <i>that </i>Dick Ayers!) and I submitted an original comic concept to Ms. Witterstaetter, who was then an editor in Topps' relatively-short-lived comic book division. Her initial enthusiasm and desire to see more from us was unfortunately curtailed by Topps' unexpected decision to stop buying new concepts.<br />
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When I told her all this (in much greater detail, me being me), she began to apologize, but I ended up telling her the apology was unnecessary because 1) it wasn't her fault, ultimately, and 2) being a comics pro is like being a professional actor. If you can't take rejection, you have no business being in that line of work.<br />
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So <i>that</i> explains the illustration at the very top of this post.<br />
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And oh, before I forget! I actually <i>did </i>get my <i>Batman Special </i>signed.<br />
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More TerrifiCon news coming very soon!<br />
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And if you read this, please comment? Especially if you came here from Facebook. Thank you.<br />
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And thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-2072431948331038132019-09-07T13:13:00.005-04:002019-10-31T19:36:10.664-04:00Best! Weekend! Ever! (or, "Tales of TerrifiCon 2019, Part One") ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Up until about a week before TerrifiCon 2019, I was admittedly getting carried away. Between comic professionals whom I wanted to get signatures from, and media personalities whom I <i>also</i> wanted to get signatures from, I had a list of roughly <i>three dozen</i> people whose autographs I hoped to obtain. If you want to see my original list, <i>minus</i> a few last-minute add-ons by TerrifiCon, click <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-terrificon-prelude-comical-wednesday.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.
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Luckily, almost a month before the convention, my sanity returned. I realized that there were several comic creators whose signatures I planned to get who didn't really matter to me. It was getting to be more like "Hey, Joe Artist is going to be at TerrifiCon! I must have <i>something</i> in my flea market stock I can have him sign!"<br />
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Well, two things finally occurred to me: 1. I'd be "collecting" things that didn't have all that much personal meaning for me. 2. Since most artists and writers charge a fee for signatures... I'd be wasting money. Ooh. Can't have <i>that</i>.<br />
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There were three cancellations, unfortunately, those being writer/artist Keith Giffen (who'd cancelled last year as well), writer Marv Wolfman (whom I'd met at TerrifiCon 2017), and one of the biggest "name" artists on my list, writer/artist George Perez.<br />
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Something else that saved me a s***load of money was when I found out how much the movie and TV celebrities were getting for <i>their</i> autographs. I won't name names here, but the lowest was $30, and the highest was more than <i>$100</i>.<br />
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And so... I crossed every last one of <i>them</i> off my must-get list. (The biggest disappointment was having to purge Val Kilmer. I've always been a fan of his, but I <i>loved </i>him as Doc Holliday in <i>Tombstone</i>.)<br />
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Okay, before I actually stop rambling and start telling about my two-day weekend (Friday and Saturday, August 9th and 10th), allow me to point out that I've arranged all my little anecdotes to accommodate <i>my outline</i>, so my stories will <i>not</i> be in chronological order.<br />
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<i>Let us begin.</i><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ocv92jPPvTs/XXKli3H18AI/AAAAAAAANpY/ToWcpUGoDvMyYZYHZAZIVWc-jEAX8cTggCLcBGAs/s1600/friedlander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="844" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ocv92jPPvTs/XXKli3H18AI/AAAAAAAANpY/ToWcpUGoDvMyYZYHZAZIVWc-jEAX8cTggCLcBGAs/s400/friedlander.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The first comic pro I visited was the lovely and charming Barbara Friedlander. As I told <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/11/terrificon-2018-part-two-comical.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>, TerrifiCon 2018 was Barbara's very first convention. I was the one who told her she had a table where she could sit and greet fans. (How she'd missed that fact I'll never know, as TerrifiCon's head honcho Mitch Hallock seems to have almost everything down to a science.) I also had a nice chat with her last year, explaining how and why comic professionals usually charge for their signatures.<br />
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This year's TerrifiCon was Barbara's third convention ever, if I understood her correctly. She and I discussed the merits of TerrifiCon, and she implied that she may make this the only convention she'll regularly attend. Our conversation lasted fifteen minutes, maybe more. I loved the information I learned from her, and she seemed a bit surprised at the comic lore that I knew. Evidently, she has yet to learn that at a comic convention, people like myself are hardly an anomaly.<br />
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As far as obtaining Barbara's signature once again, she was recently the subject of a lengthy article in the 157th issue of <i>Alter Ego</i>, the comic fanzine edited by Roy Thomas. Since the cover didn't feature Barbara, I had her autograph the first page of the article itself.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJUas1lyj8k/XXKmxsK2llI/AAAAAAAANpk/PQCrVy20Hww_qRFuwtOjaSGeLz2NErltwCLcBGAs/s1600/friedlander+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1233" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJUas1lyj8k/XXKmxsK2llI/AAAAAAAANpk/PQCrVy20Hww_qRFuwtOjaSGeLz2NErltwCLcBGAs/s400/friedlander+1.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-77tmYvoCgDg/XXKmyWIsoHI/AAAAAAAANpo/ibe1hBLiDRIEGqm8r_6VCTKhPd3bxqaIQCLcBGAs/s1600/friedlander+2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-77tmYvoCgDg/XXKmyWIsoHI/AAAAAAAANpo/ibe1hBLiDRIEGqm8r_6VCTKhPd3bxqaIQCLcBGAs/s400/friedlander+2a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I got to see Barbara later at not one, but two different panels. The first was Friday's "<span style="text-align: start;">Romance Comics with Barbara Friedlander," a title which kinda speaks for itself. The second was Saturday's "</span><span style="text-align: start;">Growing Up Is Hard to Do," a panel where several industry pros talked mainly about changes that have taken place in the Archie Comics during the past few years.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">One of the great things about comic conventions is that one frequently gets to talk with the pros long enough to make some sort of impression on them so that they remember you from one meeting to the next. Before the first panel, Barbara waved to me and later even gestured toward me when one thing or another was mentioned that she and I had discussed at her table.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Starting in 1959 or so, I've been a comic book reader, collector, dealer, historian, and even the writer of a handful of comics. But the above-mentioned sort of interaction still gives me what comic and sci-fi fandom calls the "goshwow" factor.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">There were <i>plenty</i> of goshwows at this year's TerrifiCon!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUNXgh4F8pE/XXKqJ3sCn1I/AAAAAAAANp0/CLNDcoVolyYRXF_AyihB29fTaUrT4BpZwCLcBGAs/s1600/lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="850" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUNXgh4F8pE/XXKqJ3sCn1I/AAAAAAAANp0/CLNDcoVolyYRXF_AyihB29fTaUrT4BpZwCLcBGAs/s400/lee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">One of the comic artists I obtained a signature from was Jae Lee. Lee came to prominence in the early 1990s, at a time when far too many of the "fan favorite" artists seemed to have similar styles of drawing. His style was radically different, something I commented on and complimented him for. (Hey, if I <i>didn't</i> like his style, I wouldn't have stood there waiting for him to sign my book, would I?)</span></div>
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One thing I like to do whenever possible is bring something for a creator to sign that someone else probably <i>didn't</i> bring. If Joe Pro has a line where half the fans are having him sign the first issue of <i>Captain Prunesqualor</i>, I want to be the one to make him say, "Hey! This is the nude sketch I drew of my high school girlfriend on the back of a McDonald's bag in 1974. Where the hell did you get this?"</div>
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Sometimes what I bring gets a reaction like that. Sometimes not. <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/12/terrificon-2018-part-three-comical.html" target="_blank">When I met Jim Starlin last year</a></b>, one of the books I had him sign was a copy of <i>Star*Reach</i> #1, something I thought would be obscure enough to provoke a reaction. Nope. What he <i>did</i> notice and comment on was that my copy of <i>The Death of Captain Marvel</i> was a first printing. Then he and I discussed how he sneaked Superman onto the back cover of a Marvel graphic novel.</div>
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Which segues into the following <i>two</i> stories.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKUB8AZJ3I4/XXKy0VLr1WI/AAAAAAAANqM/8jtdIioaOCAWDrK0ucosOtVlVArECk10QCLcBGAs/s1600/rozakis-kupperberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="844" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKUB8AZJ3I4/XXKy0VLr1WI/AAAAAAAANqM/8jtdIioaOCAWDrK0ucosOtVlVArECk10QCLcBGAs/s400/rozakis-kupperberg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This year, one of the convention guests was Bob Rozakis, best known as a writer for DC Comics who also worked in their production department. Rozakis was also known as DC's "Answer Man," in a long-running feature in DC's titles.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuYM47aGzLk/XXKy_owplbI/AAAAAAAANqQ/JPCcXtFqKnIUMuJkcPIkPWi5u0jjND2IQCLcBGAs/s1600/rozakis+--+answer+man.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="237" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuYM47aGzLk/XXKy_owplbI/AAAAAAAANqQ/JPCcXtFqKnIUMuJkcPIkPWi5u0jjND2IQCLcBGAs/s400/rozakis+--+answer+man.png" width="147" /></a></div>
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Bob Rozakis and artist Stephen DeStephano created a character called 'Mazing Man in the mid-1980s. "Maze," as he was known, was a slightly addled little fellow who thought of himself as a superhero, and always wore a costume. His superheroics were mostly confined to things like unclogging drains, rescuing treed cats, and babysitting. (The 'Mazing Man character was described in much greater details in my post <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2011/08/skivvied-superheroes-comical-wednesday.html" target="_blank">"The Skivvied Superheroes, Part One."</a></b>)</div>
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The <i>'Mazing Man</i> series wasn't a big success in terms of sales, but it was critically acclaimed. Personally, I loved it.</div>
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I thought I'd pleasantly surprise Bob Rozakis by bringing a <i>'Mazing Man</i> promotional poster that DC released before the series itself premiered. These posters were sent to retail comic shops, so I assumed they'd be in relatively short supply.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nJFCbybB3_0/XXK4Qof1-sI/AAAAAAAANqc/66QcGBf3Fi47WE_VjmkOgydZ1wF1-t4jQCLcBGAs/s1600/rozakis+poster+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="776" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nJFCbybB3_0/XXK4Qof1-sI/AAAAAAAANqc/66QcGBf3Fi47WE_VjmkOgydZ1wF1-t4jQCLcBGAs/s400/rozakis+poster+a.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
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Well! When I made my way to Bob Rozakis' table, I saw that he was selling complete collections of <i>'Mazing Man</i>, and <i>Hero Hotline</i> (another series he did with DeStefano). The <i>'Mazing Man</i> collections had all twelve issues, three later one-shots, a 'Mazing Man appearance from DC's <i>Secret Origins </i>title...</div>
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...and that damned poster.</div>
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Bob Rozakis had a <i>ton</i> of 'em.</div>
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I had him sign it anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8QenoUavRT8/XXK6eWZH1FI/AAAAAAAANqk/DkS7Ln-sGhYj8CCpevOFMhhMx6xU9oWWQCLcBGAs/s1600/rozakis+poster+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="1600" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8QenoUavRT8/XXK6eWZH1FI/AAAAAAAANqk/DkS7Ln-sGhYj8CCpevOFMhhMx6xU9oWWQCLcBGAs/s400/rozakis+poster+b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kvV16Bq30J0/XXPhIyplMVI/AAAAAAAANq0/8liPZQoZECw-fXFiPHMkGAT7cG0M2A-WgCLcBGAs/s1600/Kupperberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="845" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kvV16Bq30J0/XXPhIyplMVI/AAAAAAAANq0/8liPZQoZECw-fXFiPHMkGAT7cG0M2A-WgCLcBGAs/s320/Kupperberg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Seated next to Bob Rozakis was Paul Kupperberg, whom I'd met <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/10/terrificon-2018-part-one-comical.html" target="_blank"><b>last year</b></a>. Between Friday and Saturday, I ended up talking to both of them quite a bit... mostly asking about the ever-changing start time for a panel called "A Look Back at DC History with Bob Rozakis." It was kinda fun how they'd both smile and wave to me whenever I walked by their tables... which was often.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sk6iQfJ4af8/XXK9g4AvKdI/AAAAAAAANqs/H4YRwKyXVSQWI1CtiEcvqVKZor4z-DplwCLcBGAs/s1600/hildebrandt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="845" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sk6iQfJ4af8/XXK9g4AvKdI/AAAAAAAANqs/H4YRwKyXVSQWI1CtiEcvqVKZor4z-DplwCLcBGAs/s400/hildebrandt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There was someone else whom I was hoping to "ambush" with my choice of an item or items which I wanted signed. Greg Hildebrandt (with and without his late brother Tim) has long been associated with fantasy illustrations, movie posters, calendars, and much more than I should list in a post that's already dragged on for this long.</div>
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In the mid-1990s, however, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt spent a year illustrating a comic strip, a revival of the classic <i>Terry and the Pirates</i>, arguably the greatest adventure comic strip <i>ever</i>. The original strip was created by Milt Caniff in 1934 and was later helmed by George Wunder. It lasted until 1973.</div>
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<i>Terry and the Pirates</i> was rebooted for the 1990s by writer Michael Uslan, with the Brothers Hildebrandt slated to do the art chores. <i>None</i> of the Massachusetts papers carried the feature, but being a big fan of the Milt Caniff original, I coerced a Webster, Massachusetts, newsdealer to secure me a daily copy of New York's <i>Daily News</i> so I could follow the strip!<br />
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When I approached Greg's table, he was busy speaking with someone else. I approached his wife and manager, Jean Scrocco. I asked her about Mr. Hildebrandt's fee for signatures, and then showed her the three <i>Terry and the Pirates</i> Sunday pages that I'd brought.<br />
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You should have seen her eyes bug out.<br />
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She excitedly called Greg over and told me that I was the very first to bring him <i>Terry and the Pirates </i>Sunday strips to sign.<br />
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Greg told me the same thing during a conversation that lasted approximately twenty minutes. He and I talked about our mutual love for the original Milt Caniff comic strip, and how intimidated he and Tim had been to participate in the '90s update, and... well... all sorts of <i>other</i> things pertaining to their take on the strip.<br />
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It was <i>Greg's</i> idea to get a photo of himself, me, and the very first <i>Terry</i> Sunday that I'd had him autograph. I <i>hate</i> being photographed, but in this instance, how could I possibly refuse?<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F5jbWpjUyac/XXPj3Dw0VWI/AAAAAAAANq8/N7juO5nwda4ua4Def5Dj2GCMYNUsETVrwCLcBGAs/s1600/Hildebrandt+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F5jbWpjUyac/XXPj3Dw0VWI/AAAAAAAANq8/N7juO5nwda4ua4Def5Dj2GCMYNUsETVrwCLcBGAs/s400/Hildebrandt+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axkOe_qRkpw/XXPj4EQhF9I/AAAAAAAANrA/NO6CtjuJq-Q_g5xIZIoOgq-nldrtyHNUQCLcBGAs/s1600/Hildebrandt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axkOe_qRkpw/XXPj4EQhF9I/AAAAAAAANrA/NO6CtjuJq-Q_g5xIZIoOgq-nldrtyHNUQCLcBGAs/s400/Hildebrandt+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kaBhVVhjhTE/XXPj5TnGylI/AAAAAAAANrE/yb54SsDF6hoHrthaqO_I33BUkzWkX3RXgCLcBGAs/s1600/Hildebrandt+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kaBhVVhjhTE/XXPj5TnGylI/AAAAAAAANrE/yb54SsDF6hoHrthaqO_I33BUkzWkX3RXgCLcBGAs/s400/Hildebrandt+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNSEqdw-1gU/XXPj6JKbFGI/AAAAAAAANrI/t1EneaG6vL4VpKr8_Wh3U6xkHE0LOOhjgCLcBGAs/s1600/Greg+Hildebrandt+and+Me+%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="733" height="361" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LNSEqdw-1gU/XXPj6JKbFGI/AAAAAAAANrI/t1EneaG6vL4VpKr8_Wh3U6xkHE0LOOhjgCLcBGAs/s400/Greg+Hildebrandt+and+Me+%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Two handsome, white-haired, bearded gents. I'm the shorter one.</b></span></div>
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This whole meeting with Greg Hildebrandt occurred before I'd spent two full hours at TerrifiCon 2019 on Friday, August 9th. And my weekend got even <i>better</i>, as it turned out.</div>
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You'll see.</div>
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Now. As it happens, even this relatively trimmed version of my TerrifiCon story will take <i>five chapters</i>, so I'm going to post them as they're written rather than space them out for a month. Therefore, you can pretty much ignore the literal interpretation of "Comical Wednesday" while this story unfolds. It'll be more like "Comical Whenever the Hell I Feel Like It!"</div>
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And if you read this, please comment? Especially if you came here from Facebook. Thank you.</div>
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And thanks for your time.</div>
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The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-36291145935964645912019-08-28T15:27:00.001-04:002019-08-28T22:08:34.090-04:00Aren't YOU Nice?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4UIoYVoPpk/XWbUYcmKpZI/AAAAAAAANoM/gXoTiN1mpW4dTFgvao4P1rkQED7G94H5ACLcBGAs/s1600/brake+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="770" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4UIoYVoPpk/XWbUYcmKpZI/AAAAAAAANoM/gXoTiN1mpW4dTFgvao4P1rkQED7G94H5ACLcBGAs/s400/brake+light.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Okay. You're driving in traffic. Someone wants to pull out of a parking lot or side road. You stop to let him out, just to be polite.</div>
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You drive a little farther. Someone else wants to pull out of a parking lot or side road. You stop to let him out, just to be polite.</div>
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You drive a little <i>farther</i>. Someone <i>else</i> wants to pull out of a parking lot or side road. You stop to let <i>him</i> out, just to be polite.</div>
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Do you <i>really</i> want to be polite to someone? Try being polite to <i>me</i>, the guy in the car <i>behind</i> you! I'm gonna be late for a freakin' appointment, thanks to you and your freakin' politeness!!!</div>
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Ass.</div>
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<i>*sigh* </i>Thanks for your time.</div>
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P.S. ~~ Coming <i>very</i> soon, I <i>promise!</i> My posts about this year's <a href="https://www.terrificon.com/" target="_blank"><b>TerrifiCon!</b></a></div>
<br />The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-33796686899246546342019-07-10T05:00:00.000-04:002019-09-06T13:53:38.326-04:00Color Blind, Part Two ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Sequel-of-Sorts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcF8R12Q-go/XRO3k_3XdhI/AAAAAAAANjg/jaj2m6reumEHyRpc7njyTiOyz82SGkdDACLcBGAs/s1600/00+Gangsters+and+Gun+Molls+4+p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1517" data-original-width="1600" height="378" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcF8R12Q-go/XRO3k_3XdhI/AAAAAAAANjg/jaj2m6reumEHyRpc7njyTiOyz82SGkdDACLcBGAs/s400/00+Gangsters+and+Gun+Molls+4+p1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The above illustration is the splash panel to a story called (obviously) "Payoff in Blood!" The story, which appeared in <i>Gangsters and Gunmolls</i> #4 (June, 1952), was a story about the murder of Jake Lingle, a <i>Chicago Tribune</i> reporter who had connections with Al Capone.</div>
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(A little aside here: The proper, legal title of this comic book certainly <i>appears</i> to be <i>Gangsters and Gun Molls</i>, right? That's certainly the way it appeared in ads for the title, and various text pieces back then.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZroabA5grec/XRO9EqkG-BI/AAAAAAAANjo/pqB06MzZqJ8HIBdbOSI6cZQ_Fkh3Ald2wCLcBGAs/s1600/Gangsters+and+Gun+Molls+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1118" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZroabA5grec/XRO9EqkG-BI/AAAAAAAANjo/pqB06MzZqJ8HIBdbOSI6cZQ_Fkh3Ald2wCLcBGAs/s400/Gangsters+and+Gun+Molls+4.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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Well, the page that contains information like a comic's title, publisher, publication date, publication frequency, and the like is called the <i>indicia</i>. Here's the indicia for <i>this</i> comic book:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YTv1u7_g6XM/XRO-uv_TjsI/AAAAAAAANj4/IXQFgFfTI0YOOd4aUMltXh2L-i080eiFwCLcBGAs/s1600/00+Indicia+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="770" height="64" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YTv1u7_g6XM/XRO-uv_TjsI/AAAAAAAANj4/IXQFgFfTI0YOOd4aUMltXh2L-i080eiFwCLcBGAs/s400/00+Indicia+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, you see? The title is legally <i>Gangsters and Gunmolls</i>, as I wrote above! See how carefully I [usually] research this crap for y'all, fellow babies?!?)</div>
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Now, here's an <i>additional</i> wrinkle: Lingle's story contains several references to Lingle himself, Al Capone, George "Bugs" Moran, and other notable criminals of the 1920s and early 1930s, but you'll find <i>none</i> of those names in this story. I suppose that someone in the publisher's legal department figured there'd be enough relatives of the true-life characters to bring a lawsuit or two or three. So Jake Lingle became "Jack Long," Capone was "Joe Reynold," Moran was "Ed Sumner," etc.</div>
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And then, of course, there's my <i>favorite</i> change, where the St. Valentine's Day Massacre became the <i>New Year's Day</i> Massacre!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5vRw_5G6gM/XRPEI2k7dLI/AAAAAAAANkA/mYoxRiXJxaY_7GM4rGQrECssvRBe5QOSACLcBGAs/s1600/00+Valentine%2527s+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5vRw_5G6gM/XRPEI2k7dLI/AAAAAAAANkA/mYoxRiXJxaY_7GM4rGQrECssvRBe5QOSACLcBGAs/s400/00+Valentine%2527s+Day.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All of these changes were made right before publication. You can tell that many
of them are paste-overs if you look closely at the lettering.</div>
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But you know what? <i>None of this really matters,</i> because I'm not here to discuss the <i>story</i> with you! Nope. Instead, <i>I'm</i> just going to discuss the effed-up <i>coloring</i>, as I did in <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/06/color-blind-comical-wednesday-post.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">my last Comical Wednesday post!</a> (In other words, you just got stuck reading a long-ass <i>introduction</i> for an equally long post.)</div>
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So, here's how it breaks down.</div>
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Our colorist made heavy use of yellows, greens, and browns. That's because the four-color process these people had to work with was <i>extremely</i> limiting in those days.<br />
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The limitations I mentioned above are why my picky little comments during the rest of this post will <i>not</i> include wisecracks about how the colorist dressed someone in an all-red suit (and hat), or a bright green suit & hat, or a bright yellow suit, etc.</div>
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Nope, my comments aren't about silly choices. My comments are about the colorist's <i>consistency</i>, or lack of same.</div>
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So here we go! Jack Long, a guy in a green suit, is murdered by a guy in a <i>brown</i> suit... and yellow gloves.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0loX28-q6s/XReJFiyOhzI/AAAAAAAANkI/QUVoIFtufPE6acAyHxkKLPYKe8gqXA40wCLcBGAs/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0loX28-q6s/XReJFiyOhzI/AAAAAAAANkI/QUVoIFtufPE6acAyHxkKLPYKe8gqXA40wCLcBGAs/s400/01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is followed up by a shot of a woman wearing a yellow outfit (with a green hat and matching handbag, no less).</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vGoi3xgEKp0/XReJLys9uHI/AAAAAAAANkM/J2PveFEsIGkIUOFsup_6Zi_MhbXrxv2QQCLcBGAs/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="990" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vGoi3xgEKp0/XReJLys9uHI/AAAAAAAANkM/J2PveFEsIGkIUOFsup_6Zi_MhbXrxv2QQCLcBGAs/s320/02.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Suddenly, though, our murderer has inexplicably changed his brown suit for a yellow one. That's in this <i>first</i> panel, anyway. In the second panel, our killer appears to be standing behind the cop who's chasing him, doesn't he? But nope! That's just an innocent man in the crowd, whom the colorist either assumed was the killer, or – as is my guess – the colorist just didn't care.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1t2kgqRe1Ko/XReJYj-IDYI/AAAAAAAANkY/WjFxqQeXfYQPH79B1DpDujgBXJOaqjFgwCLcBGAs/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1t2kgqRe1Ko/XReJYj-IDYI/AAAAAAAANkY/WjFxqQeXfYQPH79B1DpDujgBXJOaqjFgwCLcBGAs/s400/03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In this panel, they find the yellow glove the killer dropped.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUsJ_51XaTI/XReJdhk5AlI/AAAAAAAANkc/ql6_nYb3QoE25gpNEiar_8_09F7pq4ccwCLcBGAs/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="979" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUsJ_51XaTI/XReJdhk5AlI/AAAAAAAANkc/ql6_nYb3QoE25gpNEiar_8_09F7pq4ccwCLcBGAs/s320/04.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Now, here we are, later in the story. (Actually, earlier. This is a flashback sequence.) Jack Long, the reporter in the green cap, white shirt and red tie in panel one, is wearing a <i>red</i> shirt and tie in the <i>second</i> panel. Of course, one has to look closely to notice the tie at all, due to its being miscolored. And notice also that the policeman took the time to shave off his handlebar mustache between one panel and the next. Can't blame the colorist for <i>that</i>, though.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GlQyr7e3AHk/XReJoNQbcgI/AAAAAAAANkk/1bkHHbrQqD4WkLnsuJ5WzBJ723oRkqhRQCLcBGAs/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GlQyr7e3AHk/XReJoNQbcgI/AAAAAAAANkk/1bkHHbrQqD4WkLnsuJ5WzBJ723oRkqhRQCLcBGAs/s400/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here we see Jack Long again, only minutes later, colored again in his original white shirt.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzvNkLD0jh8/XReQ11WNBqI/AAAAAAAANk4/dMJKONLHKIkctOEE3RAHGfgs-bjsHte7gCLcBGAs/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzvNkLD0jh8/XReQ11WNBqI/AAAAAAAANk4/dMJKONLHKIkctOEE3RAHGfgs-bjsHte7gCLcBGAs/s320/06.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
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<i>Much</i> later in the story! A hired killer totally unrelated to any other we've seen so far just happens to be wearing a yellow suit.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-40-bC7tcOWA/XReQ6A0nJ8I/AAAAAAAANk8/OWxbrhXZXs8g2Buv4ew2SNfDzg4eIvKPgCLcBGAs/s1600/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="645" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-40-bC7tcOWA/XReQ6A0nJ8I/AAAAAAAANk8/OWxbrhXZXs8g2Buv4ew2SNfDzg4eIvKPgCLcBGAs/s400/07.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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And shortly thereafter, we see yet <i>another</i> guy wearing one of those oh-so-stylish yellow ensembles!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oARSUpQygkk/XReQ_BvhyXI/AAAAAAAANlA/Z6szaAeK9k01At3Aovci2WUjuo7piEtdACLcBGAs/s1600/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1306" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oARSUpQygkk/XReQ_BvhyXI/AAAAAAAANlA/Z6szaAeK9k01At3Aovci2WUjuo7piEtdACLcBGAs/s400/08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The guy here wearing the green cap and the yellow jacket only appears in this panel. But who knows, he may have been taking fashion tips from the woman I showed you earlier! Anyway, he gives a tip to an undercover man dressed in purple.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv6Vottd5y8/XReRIQX6iWI/AAAAAAAANlI/-aoWq2ks0yMuLWyNl2gv2UTGaSxGgl5rQCLcBGAs/s1600/09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="987" height="309" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv6Vottd5y8/XReRIQX6iWI/AAAAAAAANlI/-aoWq2ks0yMuLWyNl2gv2UTGaSxGgl5rQCLcBGAs/s320/09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The tip leads the police right to Long's killer, now identified to the reader as “Lon Breston,” the guy who'd worn the yellow gloves. Here, as then, Breston is wearing a brown suit and hat, but by now, I'm convinced that he was just colored appropriately out of dumb luck.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4S0KXrWcLA/XReRMCrTpuI/AAAAAAAANlQ/bP24u3o2kLMDCMh4NfvqlVr1SfYJmHPRwCLcBGAs/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1060" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4S0KXrWcLA/XReRMCrTpuI/AAAAAAAANlQ/bP24u3o2kLMDCMh4NfvqlVr1SfYJmHPRwCLcBGAs/s320/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The “blond killer” is convicted. I don't know about you, but I'm rather impressed that so many witnesses even <i>noticed</i> that Breston was blond, since he wore that brown hat at the time of the murder.</div>
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Oh, and I want to point out here that the “all-important” clue mentioned earlier, the yellow glove that Breston dropped, was <i>in no way responsible </i> for Breston's apprehension and conviction! (Or if it was, the story's author didn't see fit to <i>share</i> that little fact with us.)</div>
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Now, I suppose at this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, fine. The colorist was a lazy and/or clueless s.o.b. who, in all fairness, shouldn't really have been expected to <i>read</i> the story he had to color. So what?”</div>
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Well, I just pity the poor little <i>kids</i> who had to read this story and do the mental gymnastics to understand who was who in the various scenes. But I'm funny that way.</div>
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Thanks for your time!<br />
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P.S. ~~ TerrifiCon Update! The TerrifiCon website has released a <b><a href="https://www.terrificon.com/media---cosplay-guests.html" target="_blank">list</a></b> of prices that various celebrities (that's media celebrities, not comic book creators) will be charging for signatures on various items. These fees range from $25 to <i>$110</i>. Not for me, thanks. I'd rather spread my money around to the thirty or so <i>comic book creators</i> on my list! The celeb I was most looking forward to getting an autograph from was Val Kilmer, but to save $80 -- yes, $80 -- I'll just sit at home and watch <i>Tombstone</i> for the tenth time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-90422493812639621012019-07-05T12:13:00.004-04:002019-07-07T17:47:20.683-04:00Who's the Boss? ~~ A "Grammar Nazi" & "David'Z RantZ" Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whZeW0obeNY/XR92duVS9MI/AAAAAAAANlo/CRMBINjAOp0rMnTnpt-rZvmDGEQjlhQVACLcBGAs/s1600/Bruce-Springsteen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whZeW0obeNY/XR92duVS9MI/AAAAAAAANlo/CRMBINjAOp0rMnTnpt-rZvmDGEQjlhQVACLcBGAs/s400/Bruce-Springsteen.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<b>No, not <i>this</i> "Boss."</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why the hell do people say "You're not the boss of me?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Boss of me?</i> Like the English language isn't already awkward enough?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do people say "That's the car of me," or "This is the wife of me," etc.? No. <i>No</i>. They say "That's my car" or "This is my wife."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I'm appointed Emperor of Earth, people will need to get my permission before they're allowed to do stupid shit like this!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for your time... or should that be "Thanks for the time of you?"</span></div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-89436965022180083982019-06-29T12:10:00.003-04:002019-07-01T11:56:27.001-04:00Suffer the Children...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YxUWcVZuwz0/XReL6kjJWrI/AAAAAAAANkw/M9FJP9_y-Wk1UYX5dnsw2ICe8BPYcF1-QCLcBGAs/s1600/gramps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="500" height="257" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YxUWcVZuwz0/XReL6kjJWrI/AAAAAAAANkw/M9FJP9_y-Wk1UYX5dnsw2ICe8BPYcF1-QCLcBGAs/s400/gramps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today's post will be <i>much</i> more personal than I usually get.</div>
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On both Facebook and my blog, I often make little observations about growing older. Today's yet another example.
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It recently occurred to me that I've known many of my Facebook friends since they were children, although in each case, I myself was already an <i>adult</i> when we met. And I mean those that were <i>little kids</i>, not – for example – customers already in high school when I worked at <b><a href="https://www.thatse.com/" target="_blank">That's Entertainment</a></b> in the 1980s.
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And of course, I'm <i>not</i> counting any of those whom I met during my <i>own</i> childhood, whether it was in grammar school or high school.
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It's kinda scary to think that these little kids are now in their twenties, thirties, forties, or even early <i>fifties!</i> Most have children of their own.
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In absolutely no order:
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There's the neighbor girl who used to write what were inarguably the world's worst “knock-knock” jokes. She's about to hit thirty years of age and talks as if she's ancient.
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And then there's the daughter of a dear friend, a friend who died almost twenty years ago. I still recall when this little girl loved Tigger, but she was absolutely petrified at the thought of Chucky from <i>Child's Play.</i> I assume such is no longer the case.
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In the early 1990s, when I had a comic store of my own, one of the customers was a likable young adolescent who was occasionally targeted by bullies. Six or seven years later, he had turned into a tall, burly young gent. I would love to see someone try to push him around now.
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When I was in my very first band, the bass player's girlfriend had a younger sister who for all intents and purposes eventually became like a sister to me. I haven't seen her in years, but I still feel the same way about her. I wonder if she still has the “Cranberry Eyes” necklace and the Wayne Newton Christmas LP...</div>
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When I was in my mid-twenties, I became close friends with a young lady in her mid-teens. She in turn had a sister of about eight or nine. Over twenty years later, I encountered the eight-year-old, now a strikingly attractive adult. Quite the surprise, once I finally recognized her.
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When I sold comic books and other collectibles at the now-defunct Auburn Flea Market, there was an enthusiastic fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who used to rifle through my comic boxes so quickly it made me nervous. Twenty-five years later, she's one of my unofficial “daughters.”
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There's a guy whom I used to say I've known since <i>before</i> he was born. IIRC, his mom was waiting in their car, going into labor, while his dad and I were rummaging through a huge collection of Golden Age comic books in someone's home. At least, that's the way I like to remember the story.
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Coincidentally, several years later, not one but <i>two</i> of that guy's younger sisters turned out to be friends of my second fiancée's daughter. I saw a lot of both of them as they grew up. Both were bright kids with engaging personalities. And today, they're Facebook friends of mine, too. Talk about a small world.
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And that “second fiancée's daughter” I just mentioned? She's still in my life. She's my daughter for all intents and purposes and I couldn't love her more if she were a blood relation. During the last 35+ years we've been through more than even long-winded David would attempt to write about.
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Last, but <i>certainly</i> not least, is the daughter <i>of</i> that “daughter.” I first held her when she was only ten hours old, and have since watched her and her husband bring two sons into this world – soon to be joined by a daughter – and plan to be around for as long as I can to watch them grow. Maybe someday, <i>they'll</i> be my Facebook friends, too!
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Thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-65193157341500075622019-06-23T04:00:00.000-04:002019-06-23T04:00:09.488-04:00Passages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtxKPf045l4/XQ0c0DLGBbI/AAAAAAAANjY/N4IYv93j16EakJN2KUcuJ84f9XOo1QMCQCLcBGAs/s1600/stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="346" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EtxKPf045l4/XQ0c0DLGBbI/AAAAAAAANjY/N4IYv93j16EakJN2KUcuJ84f9XOo1QMCQCLcBGAs/s400/stars.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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Something strange happens with age.</div>
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Someone's life interacts with yours once, twice, or more during your youth. Then you and he (or she) fall out of touch for many years, and you only find cause to think of them on rare occasions.</div>
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But one day you discover that this person who's not a current part of your life <i>died</i> years ago, and against all logic, you still feel an incredible sense of loss.</div>
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I've been through this <i>twice</i> in the last couple of months.</div>
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Once concerned a woman I'd known all through our school years, but hadn't seen since 1974. She died a few years ago but I only learned of it two or three weeks before today.</div>
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Another concerned a man I'd come to know when I owned my comic shop. I hadn't seen him in twenty years or so, and I recently discovered he died almost that long ago.</div>
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In both cases, I felt that incredible sense of loss that I mentioned above.</div>
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If I may be allowed to get a bit dramatic here, let me just quote Jim Starlin and say "Never again will the stars shine as brightly for me."
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Thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-69460972836498752932019-06-19T14:00:00.000-04:002019-06-19T14:21:43.307-04:00Color Blind ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ1KZjHvlkg/XQpfSWC1_HI/AAAAAAAANhU/lULJra1jkyQzWmjOLQ3lUaZ12tg5r4k0wCLcBGAs/s1600/Splash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ1KZjHvlkg/XQpfSWC1_HI/AAAAAAAANhU/lULJra1jkyQzWmjOLQ3lUaZ12tg5r4k0wCLcBGAs/s400/Splash.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Look, ma! <i>No color!</i></b></span></div>
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For many years now, all aspects of a color comic book's creation have been handled before said comic leaves the publisher and makes its way to the printer. But such was not always the case.</div>
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Back in the early 1960s, when the Marvel Universe was just getting its start – as was my ability to read comics or anything else – the coloring was done at the printer, and done separately as opposed to someone sitting there painting colors all over the original comic book art. Sometimes this caused problems, both minor and major.</div>
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Now, I've already showcased a few coloring SNAFUs (plus several other goofs) from comics' Golden Age <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2011/09/nobodys-perfect-comical-wednesday-post.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>, but today I'm going to focus on the early 1960s Marvel Comics I mentioned above.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SXFKHBy3ZE0/XQpi8NYZYrI/AAAAAAAANhc/3vYSuCN9iUw1veZid9Vp4bMSkIIZCb1rQCLcBGAs/s1600/ff+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SXFKHBy3ZE0/XQpi8NYZYrI/AAAAAAAANhc/3vYSuCN9iUw1veZid9Vp4bMSkIIZCb1rQCLcBGAs/s400/ff+01.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fz1LCRFbwYc/XQpi9T7VQfI/AAAAAAAANhg/2kO4IVBJ3wwb1BBb2Y3Jhj4XvFyungvkwCLcBGAs/s1600/ff+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fz1LCRFbwYc/XQpi9T7VQfI/AAAAAAAANhg/2kO4IVBJ3wwb1BBb2Y3Jhj4XvFyungvkwCLcBGAs/s400/ff+02.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Admittedly, I didn't read the stories which originally appeared in <i>Fantastic Four</i> #4 or #6 – the first two Silver Age appearances of Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner – until they were reprinted a bit later, so I can't say with any certainty whether his swimming trunks were green or red <i>inside</i> the book. But as I've mentioned in several older posts, <i>my</i> very first look at a Marvel comic was 1963's <i>Fantastic Four Annual</i> #1, in which the FF battled Namor.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ky0OGsG688/XQpjafMwdYI/AAAAAAAANhs/27JK2QBbKH06bVB-pKNmW8MmcBZgX076QCLcBGAs/s1600/ff+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="486" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ky0OGsG688/XQpjafMwdYI/AAAAAAAANhs/27JK2QBbKH06bVB-pKNmW8MmcBZgX076QCLcBGAs/s400/ff+03.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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Notice, if you will, that Subby's trunks are, once again, colored bright red on the cover. Not so inside. Inside they were green. In fact, every interior drawing of the Sub-Mariner which I saw as a kid had him wearing <i>green</i> trunks, but <i>someone</i> at the printer sure seemed to like putting him in <i>red</i> trunks on the <i>covers</i>. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jHKqbC3W0Wc/XQpjnIUDDkI/AAAAAAAANhw/UI6TKDC0KQU3dqb3pDTL61jkXbj7ZP0aACLcBGAs/s1600/ff+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="401" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jHKqbC3W0Wc/XQpjnIUDDkI/AAAAAAAANhw/UI6TKDC0KQU3dqb3pDTL61jkXbj7ZP0aACLcBGAs/s400/ff+04.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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Of <i>much</i> greater import was this <i>next</i> example. Every issue of <i>Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos</i> featured Sgt. Nick Fury and a handful of American soldiers that made up his squad. These soldiers had a variety of nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. “Dum Dum” Dugan was descended from Boston Irish. Dino Manelli was Italian, presumably the son of Italian immigrants. “Rebel” Ralston was a Southerner (from Kentucky, IIRC). Izzy Cohen, from Brooklyn, was Jewish.</div>
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One of these soldiers was Gabriel Jones, the squad's bugler.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-quKtXuRtoS8/XQpmiq4qYII/AAAAAAAANiM/kq-zY_wRkZU2BGr36r4L-UPShBbxGWqFQCLcBGAs/s1600/gabe+jones+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1600" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-quKtXuRtoS8/XQpmiq4qYII/AAAAAAAANiM/kq-zY_wRkZU2BGr36r4L-UPShBbxGWqFQCLcBGAs/s400/gabe+jones+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzbOsyHt3og/XQpkqG0ipMI/AAAAAAAANiA/gNck045IYLEXh5xW2Zf_oWRcDdUgjgf7ACLcBGAs/s1600/gabe+jones+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="479" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzbOsyHt3og/XQpkqG0ipMI/AAAAAAAANiA/gNck045IYLEXh5xW2Zf_oWRcDdUgjgf7ACLcBGAs/s400/gabe+jones+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The problem was that Gabe was what polite society then (1963) called a <i>Negro</i>. Stan Lee had to <i>constantly</i> remind the printers to color Gabe the drab grey color that comics then used for African-Americans. (It could have been worse. For example, comics in those days colored Asians a pale yellow.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQ1NhEDS-EU/XQpoWF-eOQI/AAAAAAAANiU/6En1dBMiAqcYdsSYyxgw_jjnnCQW8O6-QCLcBGAs/s1600/gabe+jones+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="461" height="387" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQ1NhEDS-EU/XQpoWF-eOQI/AAAAAAAANiU/6En1dBMiAqcYdsSYyxgw_jjnnCQW8O6-QCLcBGAs/s400/gabe+jones+03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It wasn't until a year or two later that they started coloring African-Americans a more palatable brown.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KssvjfxugN8/XQpoaClDD0I/AAAAAAAANiY/1LVQTcvKX7gs2hrCsF9mO3eskuhIzKnlgCLcBGAs/s1600/gabe+jones+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="401" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KssvjfxugN8/XQpoaClDD0I/AAAAAAAANiY/1LVQTcvKX7gs2hrCsF9mO3eskuhIzKnlgCLcBGAs/s400/gabe+jones+04.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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I'm throwing in my <i>next</i> example just for the hell of it.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rACLWKeeutc/XQpxbi2UmyI/AAAAAAAANik/QixDrqFG9oAfWgVI6ZTGd45blochKRkSgCLcBGAs/s1600/Grim+Reaper+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rACLWKeeutc/XQpxbi2UmyI/AAAAAAAANik/QixDrqFG9oAfWgVI6ZTGd45blochKRkSgCLcBGAs/s400/Grim+Reaper+1.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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The Marvel readers' first glimpse of a villain known as the Grim Reaper was on the cover of 1968's <i>The Avengers</i> #52. And if the coloring of <i>his</i> costume is an “error,” it's only one of <i>judgment!</i> Green, blue, red, purple...! Doesn't look too “grim” to me. I guess they just didn't think that calling him the <i>Gaudy</i> Reaper would be as dramatic.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VT0CvDfkfTo/XQpxpBgjlfI/AAAAAAAANio/dIdw94A0hho3DOCJqY9i0Q95E8KshEJzgCLcBGAs/s1600/Grim+Reaper+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="434" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VT0CvDfkfTo/XQpxpBgjlfI/AAAAAAAANio/dIdw94A0hho3DOCJqY9i0Q95E8KshEJzgCLcBGAs/s400/Grim+Reaper+2.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrO5UdK2Y9c/XQpxqtBZu5I/AAAAAAAANis/mazStTEhO2MRO6VvfHVfseoPxTnLj8jfACLcBGAs/s1600/Grim+Reaper+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1081" height="381" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nrO5UdK2Y9c/XQpxqtBZu5I/AAAAAAAANis/mazStTEhO2MRO6VvfHVfseoPxTnLj8jfACLcBGAs/s400/Grim+Reaper+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Later appearances of the Grim Reaper gave him much more suitably-colored attire. But hey, don'tcha just love the way artist George Perez simply <i>ignored</i> the fact that the villain had a <i>prosthetic hand</i> in the shot where ol' Grimmy is donning his mask?</div>
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Another title whose covers were plagued with sloppy coloring decisions was <i>The X-Men</i>. My first exposure to the group was issue number five.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-0pQpTrbzk/XQpx2OFmQgI/AAAAAAAANi0/xCrn3QwZguEtk_gJNx-tyTMkLw0XGwpEQCLcBGAs/s1600/x-men+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v-0pQpTrbzk/XQpx2OFmQgI/AAAAAAAANi0/xCrn3QwZguEtk_gJNx-tyTMkLw0XGwpEQCLcBGAs/s400/x-men+01.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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The colorist got the X-Men's uniforms right – the all-red Angel doesn't count because he was in a cage of sorts and they colored him for dramatic effect – but Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil was <i>all</i> screwed up.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3akYvYnnZMQ/XQpx8ymgtqI/AAAAAAAANi8/H6_IWw-6ltkRYwJP6Vb9HVGReBDQfl9fwCLcBGAs/s1600/x-men+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="285" height="352" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3akYvYnnZMQ/XQpx8ymgtqI/AAAAAAAANi8/H6_IWw-6ltkRYwJP6Vb9HVGReBDQfl9fwCLcBGAs/s400/x-men+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You see, Mastermind (the guy in green) was supposed to be dressed in light brown. IIRC, the Toad usually wore a mix of orange and grey, but here he's in yellow! Quicksilver, wearing blue here, was supposed to have been attired in dark green. (Although he <i>did</i> get a light blue uniform years later.) And the young woman who <i>is</i> decked out in green? Well! That's none other than the Scarlet Witch. Yes, the <i>Scarlet</i> Witch. Now, what color do y'all think <i>she</i> should have been wearing?!?</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YEgXXfGpxkg/XQpyJS9kwCI/AAAAAAAANjE/yAYT4WcYjrE5B6Q_XDtKDQ-k18iNRSdHgCLcBGAs/s1600/x-men+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="83" data-original-width="246" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YEgXXfGpxkg/XQpyJS9kwCI/AAAAAAAANjE/yAYT4WcYjrE5B6Q_XDtKDQ-k18iNRSdHgCLcBGAs/s400/x-men+03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thankfully, they got Wanda's costume colors right on the cover of the <i>next</i> issue, <i>The X-Men</i> #6, but guess what?</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AlQ3fU5rKOY/XQpyZraEHVI/AAAAAAAANjQ/Sy6z4QhD1qIJl-ZCpD0EMkLLPOVU55IQwCLcBGAs/s1600/x-men+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AlQ3fU5rKOY/XQpyZraEHVI/AAAAAAAANjQ/Sy6z4QhD1qIJl-ZCpD0EMkLLPOVU55IQwCLcBGAs/s400/x-men+04.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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The colorist put our old pal, the Sub-Mariner, in those<i> <i>razzer-frazzer</i> </i>RED trunks again!
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Thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-83197549606425085482019-06-18T19:32:00.000-04:002019-06-18T19:32:20.262-04:00Another Freakin' Space Filler!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SY_-cYD8x6w/XQlxQ5N4luI/AAAAAAAANhM/oXy6JCv2pWc7iAy9DIihrH48ZTaGGcnnQCLcBGAs/s1600/television-test-pattern-radio-tv-news-january-1949-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="900" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SY_-cYD8x6w/XQlxQ5N4luI/AAAAAAAANhM/oXy6JCv2pWc7iAy9DIihrH48ZTaGGcnnQCLcBGAs/s400/television-test-pattern-radio-tv-news-january-1949-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well, I'm finally making an effort to scan my blogroll, to catch up on reading <i>your</i> blogs, fellow babies. For the last few weeks, I've been spending my time doing several things, including -- as most of you are aware -- playing on Facebook like it's a new toy.</div>
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Facebook's attractions are many. Instead of writing one of my long-winded posts, I can often "share" a meme that approximates what I wanted to say. That means I can post two or three or even more posts each day. And the reactions from many of my Facebook friends for <i>each post</i> is often a lot quicker than the comments to any one of my blog posts come trickling in.</div>
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Anyway... As I post this, a very few of you may have <i>already</i> seen a comment or two or three from me, depending on the frequency of <i>your</i> posts. And I've noticed that several of you only visit <i>my</i> blog when I comment on <i>your</i> blog, so if those comments of mine have sent you racing here only to find <i>this</i> very post... well, I'm sorry I didn't leave anything more interesting for you to read!</div>
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Maybe I'll leave something of substance soon.</div>
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Maybe.</div>
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Thanks for your time.</div>
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The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-77426629941337782632019-06-11T19:46:00.000-04:002019-10-31T04:33:36.741-04:00A TerrifiCon Prelude ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9m-mkGsMP90/XQAE_yiVQLI/AAAAAAAANg0/ElJ05FrelJgywi4sGrfP5OxWEATBe8erACLcBGAs/s1600/TerrifiCon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="344" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9m-mkGsMP90/XQAE_yiVQLI/AAAAAAAANg0/ElJ05FrelJgywi4sGrfP5OxWEATBe8erACLcBGAs/s400/TerrifiCon.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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My very first visit to <a href="https://www.terrificon.com/" target="_blank"><b>TerrifiCon</b></a>, the convention held each summer at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut, consisted of only a handful of hours in 2017. I walked away with signatures from four comic book professionals whose work I'd seen during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and/or 1990s. (I told about my experiences <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2017/08/terrificon-2017-part-one-of-very.html" target="_blank">here</a></b> and <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2017/09/terrificon-2017-part-two-of-very.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.)</div>
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Last year -- that's 2018, in case you're not keeping track -- I obtained one or mire signatures from <i>fifteen</i> different comic pros. And I reallllly went overboard as far as posting about it. Rather than a <i>two</i>-part post, it was a <i>five</i>-part post! (<a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/10/terrificon-2018-part-one-comical.html" target="_blank"><b>Here</b></a>, <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/11/terrificon-2018-part-two-comical.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>, <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2018/12/terrificon-2018-part-three-comical.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>, <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/01/terrificon-2018-part-four-comical.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>, <i>and <a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/01/terrificon-2018-bonus-comical-wednesday.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>!</i>)</div>
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And this year? Well, this year, I intend to <i>double</i> that amount of celebrity autographs. That plus-or-minus <i>thirty count</i> of signators will include both comic professionals and a few media types (actors and voice-over artists, that is).</div>
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And in case you're wondering, this year's "report" on TerrifiCon will emphatically <i>not</i> give details about <i>all</i> the people whose signatures I obtain. So no, it will <i>not</i> be a <i>ten-part </i>post. I<i> promise.</i></div>
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Now I'm going to shut up and just throw photos at you of those who -- as of June 11th -- I intend to bug for their autograph. First I'll show the comic pros, in alphabetical order, then the media guests, in alphabetical order as well. I've made a few larger than the rest. (Those are the ones whom I personally am really excited about!) Feel free to click on any that interest you for a closer look.</div>
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See you at the bottom!</div>
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Thanks for your time!</div>
<br />The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-4628456044981806922019-06-06T16:57:00.001-04:002019-06-07T11:30:52.016-04:00D-Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WONBpI1JtpM/XPl3jK94cUI/AAAAAAAANdQ/UFkthGEK1A8DKwVV-ti8XhSoIw69s4V3QCLcBGAs/s1600/Dad+in+WWII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="771" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WONBpI1JtpM/XPl3jK94cUI/AAAAAAAANdQ/UFkthGEK1A8DKwVV-ti8XhSoIw69s4V3QCLcBGAs/s640/Dad+in+WWII.jpg" width="477" /></a></div>
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Today's post is (obviously) devoted to all who fought during the massive invasion forever known as D-Day, June 6th, 1944. We must always remember those who lived and died, for all played their part and made a difference.<br />
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My father was a soldier during World War II, from 1943-1945. That means that he was<i> in</i> the army on D-Day, but I have no idea if he actually <i>participated in</i> the D-Day invasion that happened seventy-five years ago today. Why? Well, although he took me to see World War II-related movies at the drive-in, and watched WWII-related movies and television programs with me at home, he <i>never</i> discussed his actual war <i>experiences</i>.</div>
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No, for that kind of thing, I was "stuck" reading Marvel Comics' <i>Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos</i>, and later titles from both Marvel and DC like <i>Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders, Our Army at War</i> (later <i>Sgt. Rock</i>), <i>Star-Spangled War Stories, Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen</i>, and other comics of that ilk!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iB2B7ZpttCc/XPl6ORuSA4I/AAAAAAAANdY/VIQQJkF0dlsGGjYxZzicQ5j0p7ewBnT8gCLcBGAs/s1600/Sgt.+Fury+Annual+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iB2B7ZpttCc/XPl6ORuSA4I/AAAAAAAANdY/VIQQJkF0dlsGGjYxZzicQ5j0p7ewBnT8gCLcBGAs/s640/Sgt.+Fury+Annual+2.jpg" width="419" /></a></div>
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<i>Sgt. Fury</i> was always my favorite of the war comics, though. Its earliest issues were drawn by Jack Kirby, but by issue #8 (the first issue I got brand new), the artwork was by Dick Ayers. Imagine my joy thirty years later when I got to <i>meet</i> Dick and even <i>work</i> with him on an unsold comic book series of ours!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOD477kjEoU/XPl7dDSd7XI/AAAAAAAANdo/z6yUgtQr9FUmfTne-IAT11yCxq8vZVzYACLcBGAs/s1600/Sgt.+Fury+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOD477kjEoU/XPl7dDSd7XI/AAAAAAAANdo/z6yUgtQr9FUmfTne-IAT11yCxq8vZVzYACLcBGAs/s640/Sgt.+Fury+9.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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And how did my father feel about my love for the war comics? I don't think he gave it much thought, really. But when I read <i>Sgt. Fury</i> #9 (pictured above), it sent me to the <u>World</u> <u>Book</u> <u>Encyclopedia</u> to find out more information about this "Hitler guy." That, and similar situations where (for example) issues of <i>Journey into Mystery</i> (later <i>The Mighty Thor</i>) made me consult the <u>World</u> <u>Book</u> on various characters from Norse mythology like Loki, Odin, and Balder, are no doubt why my parents always encouraged my comic book habit.</div>
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There was <i>one</i> issue my father took exception to, and that's <i>Sgt. Fury</i> #32, pictured above. He looked at the cover in mild surprise, complaining about how ridiculous it was that the Nazi soldiers were missing Nick Fury and his men at such close range.<br />
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Thanks for your time.</div>
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The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-8715753176850644392019-05-30T18:49:00.002-04:002019-05-30T18:50:29.801-04:00Ohhh, MAN!!! ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post... on a Thursday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKzihcR8mxw/XPBbiMsuLpI/AAAAAAAANcE/ff47r6wH-78hcRw76eQNOeXN1nh4DA46gCLcBGAs/s1600/Spider-Man_and_Batman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKzihcR8mxw/XPBbiMsuLpI/AAAAAAAANcE/ff47r6wH-78hcRw76eQNOeXN1nh4DA46gCLcBGAs/s400/Spider-Man_and_Batman.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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For once and for all, people... It's <i>Spider-Man</i>. Not <i>Spiderman</i>. <b>Spider-Man!</b> If I see one more "authoritative" article about comic books that does this...!!!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okclYYuou4M/XPBb3zi2o_I/AAAAAAAANcM/8QZ6ukyFFPIgsbcQNikbUxJEpU5_EoxSgCLcBGAs/s1600/Spider-Man+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="979" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okclYYuou4M/XPBb3zi2o_I/AAAAAAAANcM/8QZ6ukyFFPIgsbcQNikbUxJEpU5_EoxSgCLcBGAs/s400/Spider-Man+1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Although admittedly, even <i>Stan Lee</i> didn't get it right all the time at first, as shown in the following examples from <i>Amazing Fantasy</i> #15.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KsZLH2Nq1M0/XPBcADd7cUI/AAAAAAAANcQ/g4HPuKJ6ojQ-1FZPm0OB2INx_lO069jhwCLcBGAs/s1600/Spider-Man+1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="979" height="105" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KsZLH2Nq1M0/XPBcADd7cUI/AAAAAAAANcQ/g4HPuKJ6ojQ-1FZPm0OB2INx_lO069jhwCLcBGAs/s400/Spider-Man+1b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wJDVO08rJP0/XPBcCmSlNII/AAAAAAAANcU/XtFUgfnii3k7aQYHFqQgW82JV2jv8t2pQCLcBGAs/s1600/Spider-Man+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wJDVO08rJP0/XPBcCmSlNII/AAAAAAAANcU/XtFUgfnii3k7aQYHFqQgW82JV2jv8t2pQCLcBGAs/s400/Spider-Man+2.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QexuIsEJL7Y/XPBcEr9QLaI/AAAAAAAANcY/GrKr19eJ5r4zln7gKFizS7UbXHV0LayWACLcBGAs/s1600/Spider-Man+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="724" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QexuIsEJL7Y/XPBcEr9QLaI/AAAAAAAANcY/GrKr19eJ5r4zln7gKFizS7UbXHV0LayWACLcBGAs/s400/Spider-Man+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdxLT0vK1l0/XPBcGvvyv8I/AAAAAAAANcc/ddi-mW3fzlg2i_EKAgtIOV-dormIu1I9ACLcBGAs/s1600/Spider-Man+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="246" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdxLT0vK1l0/XPBcGvvyv8I/AAAAAAAANcc/ddi-mW3fzlg2i_EKAgtIOV-dormIu1I9ACLcBGAs/s400/Spider-Man+4.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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And this one, from<i> The Amazing Spider-Man</i> #3, was even <i>worse!</i><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMBQE6hRUaM/XPBcTRMMEEI/AAAAAAAANco/UuocsMQKcNYyz-Ciqts_-lITup5dPnLuQCLcBGAs/s1600/Doc+Ock+and+Superman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="400" height="390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uMBQE6hRUaM/XPBcTRMMEEI/AAAAAAAANco/UuocsMQKcNYyz-Ciqts_-lITup5dPnLuQCLcBGAs/s400/Doc+Ock+and+Superman.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And, on a related note, you'd never write<i> Bat-Man</i> instead of <i>Batman</i>, would you? Well, <i>DC Comics</i> did, in Batman's <i>very first story!</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fY4axpzcd3c/XPBdZ43QduI/AAAAAAAANc4/6AeWr-mCDhQX4i9mIL7o6jb5NRA6wIOEQCLcBGAs/s1600/Bat-Man+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="451" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fY4axpzcd3c/XPBdZ43QduI/AAAAAAAANc4/6AeWr-mCDhQX4i9mIL7o6jb5NRA6wIOEQCLcBGAs/s320/Bat-Man+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UbYTbPbACU/XPBdbRypygI/AAAAAAAANc8/FgyBR5yCfyglFvujdYXF2Vvt-UjaQs7BACLcBGAs/s1600/Bat-Man+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="677" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UbYTbPbACU/XPBdbRypygI/AAAAAAAANc8/FgyBR5yCfyglFvujdYXF2Vvt-UjaQs7BACLcBGAs/s320/Bat-Man+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It makes it <i>so</i> much more difficult to correct someone when they can point to these previous screw-ups and claim that they were <i>correct,</i> dunnit?</div>
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Thanks for your time </div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-13949325983290708282019-05-23T16:54:00.000-04:002019-05-24T10:08:33.172-04:00Tim Conway, 1933-2019, Doris Day, 1922-2019, R.I.P.<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_tATWypV8Q/XOcCaGqY4cI/AAAAAAAANZA/B9DQ9T5KK0I3le_CYNclxGUeKEoZcFQfwCLcBGAs/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_tATWypV8Q/XOcCaGqY4cI/AAAAAAAANZA/B9DQ9T5KK0I3le_CYNclxGUeKEoZcFQfwCLcBGAs/s400/01.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I was incredibly saddened to hear of the May 14th death of comedian Tim Conway, at the age of eighty-five. (Although you'd never know it by the fact that it took me more than a week to get this post written and... errr... posted.)<br />
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My very first exposure to Mr. Conway was when he played Ensign Charles Parker on the World War II sitcom, <i>McHale's Navy</i> (1962-1966).<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LeABie7nVPo/XOcCigQKzPI/AAAAAAAANZE/w5UH9y2WdEolAGkLHid8kXkdQYvtg1-UwCLcBGAs/s1600/02+McHale%2527s+Navy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="543" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LeABie7nVPo/XOcCigQKzPI/AAAAAAAANZE/w5UH9y2WdEolAGkLHid8kXkdQYvtg1-UwCLcBGAs/s400/02+McHale%2527s+Navy.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
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I then beg<span style="font-family: inherit;">an following</span> his TV career faithfully, although at times, it seemed like I was one of the only television viewers to do so.</div>
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After <i>McHale's Navy</i>, the shows Conway starred in throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s all died fairly quickly.</div>
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From McHale's Navy, Conway went to <i>Rango</i> (1967), and then <i>The Tim Conway Show</i> (1970).</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGIeHruLYKg/XOcC1_YxqcI/AAAAAAAANZQ/yYVkWYKDCjYS7OzcLmZdttlv-5i9Ty85QCLcBGAs/s1600/03+Rango.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="335" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGIeHruLYKg/XOcC1_YxqcI/AAAAAAAANZQ/yYVkWYKDCjYS7OzcLmZdttlv-5i9Ty85QCLcBGAs/s400/03+Rango.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rango (1967)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With Joe Flynn, who had played Captain Binghamton on
<i>McHale's Navy</i>.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Both were regulars on <i>The Tim Conway Show</i> (1970).</b></span><b style="font-size: small;">
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Next, also in 1970, came <i>The Tim Conway Comedy Hour</i>. Maybe they felt that the word "comedy" would help sell the show as a... well... as a comedy? It did not. Personally, I enjoyed it. (Of course, I wasn't quite fourteen...) It had comedian Art Metrano as "The Tim Conway Orchestra" and a pre-<i>All in the Family</i> Sally Struthers as "The Tim Conway Dancer." Yes, dan<i>cer</i>, not dan<i>cers</i>. Folks, ya hadda be there!</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NVTpczJjsKI/XOcDhFS2jFI/AAAAAAAANZg/SK8fq6gFoxw9earrMTcL0fRz-baMjCWNACLcBGAs/s1600/05+TimConwayComedyHour+1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="221" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NVTpczJjsKI/XOcDhFS2jFI/AAAAAAAANZg/SK8fq6gFoxw9earrMTcL0fRz-baMjCWNACLcBGAs/s400/05+TimConwayComedyHour+1970.JPG" width="365" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Tim Conway Comedy Hour</span></b></div>
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Conway joined the cast of Carol Burnett's show, which was imaginatively titled <i>The Carol Burnett Show,</i> during its 1975-1976 season, and he certainly seemed to have found his niche. He became well-known for making his fellow cast members -- primarily Harvey Korman -- crack up during filming, but Conway's comedic talents far surpassed that simple bit of business.</div>
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Conway's many regular characters on <i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> included Mr. Tudball (Carol played his incompetent secretary, Mrs. Wiggins)...</div>
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Mickey Hart in "The Family" sketches...</div>
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...and "The Oldest Man," who took forever to do anything or get anywhere. He even took a full minute or two to fall down a flight of stairs! Tim played the Oldest Man in countless scenarios.</div>
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One of my favorite Conway sketch roles was in an updated version of "Cinderella," where Tim played pop star "Elfin John!"</div>
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During the 1970s and into the 1980s, Conway did several films, many for Disney, and some (both Disney and non-Disney) co-starring Don Knotts.</div>
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After <i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> ended in 1978, Tim went on to do other TV shows, and began appearing as a diminutive character named Dorf.<br />
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I'll confess that I sort of lost track of Conway's career after <i>The Carol Burnett Show</i>, mainly due to the fact that my TV watching was rather limited during the late seventies and throughout most of the eighties. Having said that, the enjoyment he gave me throughout my youth cannot be measured.<br />
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Unfortunately, this is one of those "kiss of death" things which I often half-heartedly joke about on this blog.</div>
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A little over a week ago, on a Friday night, I was going through my hall closet, a closet which contains mostly hardcover and paperback books, and numerous magazines. I removed several items which I plan to have signed by various comic book personalities and TV/movie celebrities at this summer's TerrifiCon in Connecticut. I also "pulled" a few that I decided to part with by (hopefully) selling them at the flea market where I set up every Sunday.</div>
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One of several books I brought to the flea market was a biography of singer, actress, and animal rights activist Doris Day. I placed the book out for sale on Sunday, May 12th. She died the very next day, aged ninety-seven.</div>
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I wasn't very familiar with Doris Day's singing career until I was an adult. I did know her as a movie and television actress.</div>
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My favorite film of hers was 1961's <i>Lover Come Back</i>, where her co-star was Rock Hudson, and their supporting cast included Tony Randall, Edie Adams, Ann B. Davis, and Donna Douglas, and Tim Conway's old foil, Joe Flynn!</div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aMeBdaICj1I" width="560"></iframe></div>
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Her TV series, <i>The Doris Day Show</i> (Where <i>do</i> they get these titles?!?), was notorious for being plagued by constant cast and format changes throughout its five-year run.</div>
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Although I always enjoyed her work, I was never a huge fan of Doris Day's, hence the brevity of this so-called tribute, but thought her worthy of inclusion here, especially to make yet one more reference to that whole "kiss of death" syndrome which keeps occurring on this blog.</div>
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Thanks for your time.</div>
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The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-72597951580168171852019-05-09T16:34:00.003-04:002019-05-22T11:16:42.795-04:00Speed Freaks? (Reprinted from "David'Z RantZ," 4/15/08)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C4zz_DLqY3Y/XNSN6HXvVMI/AAAAAAAANVk/kBHNJuMgXzcKygvS2JxQqq01PgRFn9QrwCLcBGAs/s1600/flash-vs-quicksilver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="635" height="377" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C4zz_DLqY3Y/XNSN6HXvVMI/AAAAAAAANVk/kBHNJuMgXzcKygvS2JxQqq01PgRFn9QrwCLcBGAs/s400/flash-vs-quicksilver.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">No, no, no, fellow babies, this is <i>not</i> a "Comical Wednesday" post. Just ignore</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">the </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">illustration above. </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Well... Don't <i>ignore</i> it, exactly, but... Oh, never mind.</span></b></div>
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Somewhere between those geological eras known as the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic -- or, more specifically, before the widespread use of the "call waiting" function -- one of the most irritating things we humans had to deal with was the following scenario: </div>
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You want or -- even worse -- <i>need</i> to contact a friend, relative, business associate... whatever. So you walk to the nearest phone, and...</div>
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(<i>Excuse me? No, no, I said "you walk," not "you reach into your pocket!" Cell phones as we know them hadn't been invented yet! The only "mobile phones" to speak of were a special kind of electronic appliance that was installed in your car, and was large enough to comfortably seat your three smallest children. The kind of telephone I'm talking about using here was on a cord that was actually attached to a wall, like a cable TV line. And although so-called "telephone jacks" did exist, most telephones stayed in whatever room they had originally been installed in, and...</i></div>
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<i>Can I please get back to my story?</i>)</div>
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So, anyway... You call your friend, and get a busy signal. Remember, this example pre-dates "call waiting," so you get an annoying buzzing sound in your ear that tells you that the person you're attempting to call is already talking to someone who can't <i>possibly</i> be as important as <i>you</i> are. So you hang up.</div>
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Ten minutes later, you call back. Still busy. ("Geez, how long does this guy talk, anyway?") </div>
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You wait another ten minutes, and call again. Still busy! ("Okay, he <i>has</i> to be off soon!") </div>
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So you call again, five minutes later. <i>Still</i> busy?!? ("Oh, for... !")</div>
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This goes on for another fifteen or twenty minutes. Your calls are now spaced about one minute apart. Plus, to add to the aggravation, at this time in mankind's history there is no such handy feature as an automatic "re-dial" button on your phone, either.</div>
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On your penultimate try, you dial, hear the grating busy signal once again, slam the phone down, lift it up again and <i>immediately</i> dial your insensitive friend's number once more, even 'though you know in your heart of hearts that if he was on the phone four seconds earlier, he'll still be on it now.</div>
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<i>However...</i></div>
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The phone rings. It <i>rings!</i> He's finally <i>off the phone,</i> and can receive your all-important call!<br />
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Except...</div>
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There's no answer. <i>There's no answer!</i></div>
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Why? Well, because your friend <i>isn't home</i>, of course.</div>
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So, you ask yourself, "How the hell could he hang up the telephone, and then vanish <i>immediately</i>?"<br />
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You're understandably furious. You promise yourself that the next time you see him, you're going to grab him by the front of his shirt (let's hope your friend <i>is</i> a "him" if you plan that approach, by the way), lift him a foot or two off the ground, and scream, <i>"What the f**k do you </i>do<i> after an hour-long phone call?!? Hang up and immediately jump out the nearest </i>window<i>?!?"</i></div>
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But you don't... You do what we all do, or did. (I'll now drop my pretentious use of the present tense, describing a scene ostensibly taking place in the past!) You calmed down, and forgot.</div>
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So we never learned just how these people "did it."</div>
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You know, until now, I never appreciated "call waiting" very much. (Probably because <i>I'm</i> usually the one who's put "on hold" while the person I'm speaking with takes a call from someone else who, as in my example above, can't <i>possibly</i> be as important as I like to believe that <i>I</i> am. I resent it enough when a corporation puts me on hold, but I <i>really</i> hate it when a <i>friend</i> does it!) But after reading what I just wrote, I suppose I should admit that "call waiting" really does have <i>some</i> advantages.</div>
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But I digress.</div>
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The passage of time, coupled with minor technological innovations like "call waiting" and the "re-dial" button, have all but done away with instances like the above. Ah, but technology can be a double-edged sword! The oh-so-wonderful internet has given us something equally annoying in the place of my telephone horror story!</div>
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Here's the <i>new</i> variation: While you are working at your computer -- specifically, checking your e-mail -- an e-mail arrives from a friend (or relative, or... hell, you know the drill). You don't even take the time to sign on to Yahoo Messenger, or MSN Messenger, or AIM, or ICQ, etc. Nope! You just dash off a quick e-mail in response, and wait.</div>
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And wait.</div>
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And<i> wait.</i></div>
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And this waiting is made even more irritating if you employ services such as MSG<b>TAG</b>, as I used to (a little thingamabob that e-mails you as soon as your message is actually read), because the absence of a notification such as theirs proves that your e-mail has <i>not</i> been read. And I don't mean "read, but not yet replied to." I mean, not even <i>seen</i>!</div>
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So, you ask yourself, "How the hell could he send an e-mail, and then vanish <i>immediately</i>?"</div>
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And you're frustrated (but at least you're not furious!), frustrated to the point that you promise yourself that the next time you see him, you're going to grab him by the front of his shirt (and let's still hope your friend <i>is</i> a "him" if you plan that approach), lift him a foot or two off the ground, and scream, "<span style="font-style: italic;">What the f**k do you</span> do<i> after you send an e-mail?!? Unplug your computer and immediately jump out the nearest </i>window<i>?!?"</i></div>
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But you don't... You do what we all do. You calm down, and forget.</div>
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So we'll never learn just how these people "do it."</div>
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I'm pretty sure <i>this</i> is what they were referring to in <i>"The Lion King"</i> when they sang "Circle of Life."<br />
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But... hey! Y'know somethin'? As John Astin (as "Buddy" on <i>Night Court</i>) used to say... "I'm feeling <i>much</i> better now." This "RantZ" page beats the hell out of tranquilizers, any day!</div>
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Thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-36645794477644343722019-04-26T15:29:00.002-04:002019-04-26T15:43:07.465-04:00The Livin' End...game. ~~ A "Comical Wednesday" Post (on a Friday!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiKmQXYvgmM/XMNaovjNaiI/AAAAAAAANVA/3QoHoii7DG8BC6yn4XHoVc8S3esVJi5_QCLcBGAs/s1600/crap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="960" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiKmQXYvgmM/XMNaovjNaiI/AAAAAAAANVA/3QoHoii7DG8BC6yn4XHoVc8S3esVJi5_QCLcBGAs/s640/crap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b>"Awww, crap...!" Oh, well, there <i>was</i> a 50/50 chance of this...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Damn! <i>Avengers: Endgame</i> delivers, from the initial surprise that Dr. Strange <i>faked</i> his "dissolving" in <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i> just so he could work behind the scenes against Thanos, to the scene where Thanos tells Captain Marvel "My <i>methods</i> may have been flawed, but my <i>motives</i> were pure!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So now we're supposed to consider Thanos an <i>antihero?</i> And as far as this whole proposed "Thanos and the New Avengers" franchise goes? I'm sorry, but I'm <i>not</i> buying it.
I suppose they had to try <i>something</i> after killing off Captain America, Iron Man, <i>and</i> Thor (due to all three of their contracts expiring), but... <i>No, no, no, I'm just kidding!</i> I won't give you <i>any</i> spoilers here! But the movie <i>was</i> incredible. Go see it for yourself, ASAP!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for your time.</span></div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-17638569442224967212019-04-23T16:33:00.003-04:002019-04-23T16:34:54.719-04:00A Place Holder of Sorts...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PI2THfSIF0c/XL925bI_JxI/AAAAAAAANUs/sxbbzGMFxN0CI45B1yabWpjKz-SqX1RswCLcBGAs/s1600/please-stand-by-television-set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="477" height="353" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PI2THfSIF0c/XL925bI_JxI/AAAAAAAANUs/sxbbzGMFxN0CI45B1yabWpjKz-SqX1RswCLcBGAs/s400/please-stand-by-television-set.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I suppose you could say that the main reason I'm posting this is so you don't have to keep looking at <b><a href="https://silverfoxlair.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-body-of-work-grammar-nazi-post.html" target="_blank">a corpse's feet</a></b>.</div>
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I've been busy doing several things, and admittedly one of those things is that I've been playing a lot on Facebook. It's quite a "time-suck," which is close to -- but not necessarily the same thing as -- a time-<i>waster</i>. I'm having fun there, and I must admit I <i>haven't</i> been having a hell of a lot of fun on this blog lately.</div>
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More to come on <i>that</i>, hopefully soon.</div>
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I <i>will</i> take this opportunity to apologize to those of you whose blogs I haven't visited and/or commented on lately. I'll make my rounds in the <i>very</i> near future. No, really.</div>
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What <i>else</i> have I been working on, you may wonder? About ten years ago, I finished a book called <u>My</u> <u>Island</u>, a memoir. Now, after changing all the names and a few minor details, I'm now calling it a "roman a clef." More on <i>that</i> later, and again, "hopefully soon."</div>
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That's all for now. Sorry I wasn't more entertaining.</div>
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Thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-85700297576224272772019-04-06T13:19:00.003-04:002019-04-06T13:19:24.886-04:00A Body of Work? ~~ A "Grammar Nazi" Post!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlTTyGiB2oQ/XKje-xFHzBI/AAAAAAAANUQ/pmI_iNcXtfUqZ8EYra1zRr1KyLiCvtnqgCLcBGAs/s1600/Stiffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="839" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlTTyGiB2oQ/XKje-xFHzBI/AAAAAAAANUQ/pmI_iNcXtfUqZ8EYra1zRr1KyLiCvtnqgCLcBGAs/s640/Stiffs.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I know, I know, I'm always complaining about spelling and grammar errors that I find, and this time's no exception. They wrote "body's" when they meant "bodies." But cut me some slack this time. I am <i>deservedly</i> outraged, because <i>this</i> mistake was in the 2008 edition of the <i><u>Writer</u>'<u>s</u> <u>Market</u>!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for your time.</span></div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-48353287384817971632019-04-01T16:06:00.003-04:002019-04-01T17:47:50.362-04:00A Moving Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHZL4Fy7RAE/XKJv3KhDTXI/AAAAAAAANUI/YrehNkgTpaUyz9MHqSVJOjg9OSoYS13bgCLcBGAs/s1600/appt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHZL4Fy7RAE/XKJv3KhDTXI/AAAAAAAANUI/YrehNkgTpaUyz9MHqSVJOjg9OSoYS13bgCLcBGAs/s400/appt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So.</div>
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I was sitting at my desk this morning, with plenty of time before I had to get ready for a 10:45 doctor's appointment, when my phone rang.</div>
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The woman calling told me she was calling about that very appointment; two nurses had called in sick, so she said she either had to "reschedule" me or "move" me.</div>
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"What exactly do you mean by 'move' me?" I asked.</div>
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We both laughed.</div>
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She replied "We have an opening today at 1:45."</div>
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"Well, that would still be 'rescheduling' me, wouldn't it?" I asked.</div>
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She agreed that it was.</div>
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"That's why you made me wonder when you said 'move' me," I explained.</div>
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Just sayin'.</div>
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Thanks for your time. </div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188724087075739853.post-90480098603002091812019-03-27T11:28:00.004-04:002019-03-27T12:24:10.931-04:00A "Short Shorts," "Grammar Nazi," AND "David'Z RantZ" Post!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zsvg7lA4I4w/XJuVkw_eh1I/AAAAAAAANTw/xHm0ymKkdagVf1Pvu3yo6qalG2PDuOtiACLcBGAs/s1600/woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="599" height="395" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zsvg7lA4I4w/XJuVkw_eh1I/AAAAAAAANTw/xHm0ymKkdagVf1Pvu3yo6qalG2PDuOtiACLcBGAs/s400/woman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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No "Comical Wednesday" post this week. Nope, just some stuff I stole from my own Facebook page.</div>
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<b>1.</b> Have you noticed this? There are far too many people online nowadays who use the word "women" when they mean "woman." It's annoying. Just sayin'.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_k1w6QUKj4/XJuV6QBltuI/AAAAAAAANT4/qCbuJIEZJ3QZr54hbUQ4R1QntarSjePWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Sweating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4_k1w6QUKj4/XJuV6QBltuI/AAAAAAAANT4/qCbuJIEZJ3QZr54hbUQ4R1QntarSjePWgCLcBGAs/s400/Sweating.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>2.</b> And I'm really getting sick of people online meaning to write <i>"sweet"</i> but writing <i>"sweat!"</i> There is <i>quite</i> a difference. (And yes, I know the Eagles sang about "sweet summer sweat" in "Hotel California," but hey...)</div>
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Thanks for your time.</div>
The Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730805376957629641noreply@blogger.com17