'Best of TBH Politoons'
Cory!! Strode
Marvel 'Essentials'
I read two of the latest "Essentials" from Marvel this weekend, and now that they are all done with the 60's stuff, they are moving into the 70's for more material to reprint. Stan Lee quit writing, comics sales declined, and Marvel jumped on any trend that was remotely popular for their secondary comics leading to such great stories as:
Ghost Rider fighting a shark in 1977, LOTS of HP Lovecraft stuff showing up in Dr. Strange and two books that fed off of horror trends from the time.
"Essential Tales of the Zombie" reprints the entire run of the 10 issue Black and White magazine, and it shows just how much the idea of a zombie has changed. If someone says zombie now, you think of the George Romero movies and all of the different variations thereof (of which I've written two novels...let me know if you want to read them). But in the 70's, Zombie meant VOODOO! So, all of the stories in this book revolve around some sort of voodoo ritual, unless they are filling space with 50's horror reprints.
Each reprinted magazine about Simon Garth, a wealthy businessman who was turned into a zombie. Later in the run they added a character no one can take seriously now: Brother Voodoo, who was used as a joke character through the 80's by Fred Hembeck. The Simon Garth stories are by Steve Gerber, who's first couple of stories are pretty run-of-the-mill horror/revenge tales. Later, he brings in his standard theme about how the people around the monster are more monstrous than the monster itself, but unlike his mainstream Marvel work, he's not afraid to kill off supporting characters giving a sense quickly that no one is safe. It's not Gerber's best, but it's a notch above the other stuff in the book. Brother Voodoo just comes off as standard 70's stuff, and the "voodoo" rituals are about as accurate as a 1940's movie, and border on offensive. They also reprint the text features, so there is a BRILLIANT deconstruction of "Live and Let Die" by Don McGregor, proving that that is the movie that ruined the Bond franchise and a novella in 2 parts by Chris Claremont (who went on to write the X-Men for 20+ years) that has prose so purple, Prince should have been wearing it. The rest of the magazines are filled out with short horror stories, some new and some reprinted from the 50's, and none of them are worth a second glance.
The other book is "Essential Marvel Horror", which is a nice way of saying they are scared to put on the cover "The Essential Son Of Satan", since it's a reprint of the "Son of Satan" stories from the 70's. It's painfully obvious that this comic was meant to get the same people who watched "The Exorcist" and all of the cheap Italian knockoffs that filled theaters for YEARS afterwards. Other than an interesting few issues by Steve Gerber (again), the comic is mostly dross, and is so over-the-top silly that I expect Mike and Bots to show up eventually. It also reprints the few Satana stories, which were clearly meant to be a mix of Vampirella and the "Satan" stuff of the time, as she's Satan's daughter. For those worried that Marvel Comics are Satanic, they eventually revealed that they were both really children of Mephisto, Marvel's Satan stand-in who spent the first 20 years of his comics life tempting the Silver Surfer so that the Surfer could be Marvel's Christ figure. It's funny to me that in the 70's, you could have a comic book next to Ritchie Rich called "Son of Satan" and no one said boo, but Marvel is so scared of the Religio-crazy backlash that they just go for a generic title.
The good thing for me is that they have both sold VERY well, and more than the Super-hero essentials, so Marvel will probably keep reprinting their scarce Black and White magazine work, which was artistically head and shoulders above the regular comic art of the time, although the stories didn't take much advantage of the freedom of not having to conform to the restrictive "Comics Code" censorship. Zombie gets a 4 out of 5 and Horror gets a 3 out of 5, and both are great reads for people who miss the exploitation entertainment of the 70's.
Cory!! Strode (The Best Dressed Man In Comics) has written comic books, novels, jokes for comedians, Op Ed columns, the on-line comic strip
www.Asylumon5thstreet.com and has all kinds of things on his website, www.solitairerose.com
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
DAVID ESPO: Pelosi Says She Would Drain GOP 'Swamp' (The Associated Press)
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule. ... Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."
digby: Gutter Politics (Posted on makethemaccountable.com)
I knew the Republicans would react like animals if they ever found themselves on the losing end of an election. I knew they would engage in rampant lying, race baiting and sexist stereotyping. I was a tiny bit surprised that they would support 52-year-old-man on teenager sex, but it didn't shock me.
Gabor Steingart: America's Middle Class Has Become Globalization's Loser (spiegel; Posted on rawstory.com)
At the beginning of the 21st century, the United States is still a superpower. But it's a superpower facing competition from beyond its borders as well as internal difficulties. Its lower and middle classes are turning out to be the losers of globalization.
If I were raped today, I would not report it (guardian.co.uk)
Julie Bindel on why she has lost faith in the system.
Marcel Berlins: A law to vet volunteers who work with children will harm the very people it is designed to protect (guardian.co.uk)
Famous people who do good works with children will not be immune. TV presenter Johnny Ball says he will refuse to be vetted.
Annalee Newitz: Welcome to the C.S.A. (AlterNet.org)
A fake British documentary explores what would have happened if the South had won the Civil War.
Daniel Engber: Borat Tricked Me! Can't I sue him or something? (slate.com)
On the other hand, a claimant would have a tough time proving his case. Everyone that Borat interviews knows he's being filmed for a movie, and no one tells them to say embarrassing things.
Troy Patterson: Easy-Listening TV (slate.com)
ABC's nauseating lineup of yuppie dramas.
David Bruce: Wise Up: Food (athensnews.com)
Some people have wit and intelligence. For example, at Perk's Coffee House in Athens, Ohio, employees are trying to get people to put their spare change in the tip jar by claiming to be collecting money to send skinny celebrities such as Kate Bosworth and Nicole Richie chicken salad sandwiches and applesauce donuts.
Reader Comment
Ack!! Barack!!
Hi Marty,
I had to write to weigh in on the Barack Obamamania that seems to be
fanning
across editorial pages all of a sudden. Interesting how the right wing
pundits
are the biggest cheerleaders........why would that be exactly?
I've love to hear what your readers think.
Personally, I find him refreshing but hardly presidential material after 1
term in office.
Hillary is my senator and I'm going to really pissed if she runs for
president after
only 1 term because she has promised my state the moon during this campaign.
Why don't senators realize that the 2000 election rendered states rights
null and void.
When the Supreme Court overruled the Florida Supreme Court the baby was
thrown out with the bathwater. For a strong country to become its true self
the 50 individual states
have to regain their power. Strong senators are the key.
Anyone want to respond?
Sara
Thanks, Sara!
Comments?
The Wall St. Poet
Pity The Poor Health Insurer
I just learned that my monthly health insurance premium will go up 95 percent in January. "Poor me and other bill payers," I thought. Then I realized it was health insurers that really deserved to be pitied - simple businessfolk seeking only to make substantial, ever increasing profits...
Pity The Poor Health Insurer
Pity the poor health insurer,
His profits have gone through the floora,
Covering people he'd rather ignora,
Pity the poor health insurer.
Woe for this beacon of free enterprise,
Who year after year for weak earnings must strive,
If only the sick ones did not stay alive,
Things would be easy, he'd mightily thrive,
Pity the poor health insurer.
His coverage list, he'd sure like to weed it,
To drop all the hurt and the sick folks who bleed it,
Their greedy health needs, he must constantly feed it,
Because some bureaucrats went and decreed it,
Pity the poor health insurer.
*******
©2006For more satirical verse:
www.wallstreetpoet.com
Reader Suggestion
Haunted Places
Joke For Purple Gene
Smart Blond
There was a blonde who found herself sitting next to a Lawyer on an airplane. The lawyer just kept bugging the blonde wanting her to play a game of intelligence. Finally, the lawyer offered her 10 to 1 odds, and said every time the blonde could not answer one of his questions, she owed him $5.00, but every time he could not answer hers, he'd give her $50.00. The lawyer figured he could not lose, and the blonde reluctantly accepted.
The lawyer first asked, "What is the distance between the Earth and the nearest star?"
Without saying a word the blonde handed him $5.00.
Then the blonde asked, "What goes up a hill with 3 legs and comes back down the hill with 4 legs?"
Well, the lawyer looked puzzled. He took several hours, looking up everything he could on his laptop and even placing numerous air-to-ground phone calls trying to find the answer. Finally, angry and frustrated, he gave up and paid the blonde $50.00
The blonde put the $50 into her purse without comment, but the lawyer insisted, "What is the answer to your question?"
Without saying a word, the blonde handed him $5.
~ Marian the Teacher
Thanks, Marian!
Purple Gene
New Diet
Purple Gene's review of his new healthy/happy diet based on recently published scientific information:
MOVE OVER JENNY CRAIG - PURPLE GENE'S DIET IS HERE !
There's been a plethora of important scientific studies done on the benefits of certain foods and supplements recently that blow the lid off the "No Pain…No Gain" mantra for diet and physical fitness….I've been on my diet for years….and I'm as healthy as hell….and happy!
HERE"S MY DAILY DIET!
6 AM…………….COFFEE….I have a double shot of expresso
12 PM……………RED WINE….I have a glass of Merlot ("Duck Horn")
4 PM……………..BROCCOLI….I have 2 helpings of steamed Broccoli.
6 PM……………..RED WINE….I have a glass of Zinfandel ("Rombauer")
8 PM……………...VIAGRA….I have 50 Mgs of the Little Blue Pill
10 PM……………..MARIJUANA….I have 2 puffs of "Humboldt Gold".
HERE'S THE SCIENTIFIC BENEFITS!
COFFEE……………Lowers risk of Diabetes, Parkinson's and Colon Cancer.
Helps manage asthma.
Stops headaches.
Elevates Mood.
Prevents cavities!
RED WINE…………Protects against certain cancers.
Protects against heart disease.
Positive affect on cholesterol levels.
Lowers blood pressure.
Healing power of anti-oxidants.
BROCCOLI…………Loads of Vitamin c and Vitamin A.
Serving has same amount of calcium as milk.
More fiber than wheat bran bread.
Protects against breast cancer.
Protects against Melanoma skin cancer.
VIAGRA…………….Prevents enlarging of the heart.
Adds to your strength, stamina and energy.
Helps your breathing when you're high (over 10,000 feet))
Useful in weight loss.
Controls erectile disfunction.
Aids in the health of your sexual relationship.
As you can see, this diet is fun and functional. I recommend it only for adults. I have a scoop of "Vanilla Bean" Hagen Daz ice cream every once in a while. I run everyday with my dog Chester!
Purple Gene says "Cheers….stay healthy, happy…and hard!!!!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and cooler.
The kid turns 14.
First Review Friday
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert Friday will publish his first review since he entered the hospital for treatment of salivary cancer in June.
Ebert, who is recovering at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago from complications that followed the initial surgery, chose to review Stephen Frears' "The Queen" as he works to regain his health. He said Wednesday on his Web site that he hopes to publish occasional reviews during the coming months and is planning to return to work full time at both the Sun-Times and his TV show, "Ebert & Roeper," early next year.
He also said he is planning to mount his annual Overlooked Film Festival in April and to cover February's Academy Awards and May's Cannes Film Festival.
Roger Ebert
Memorabilia Auction
Dick Clark
Fifty years after his first appearance on the show that became known as "American Bandstand," Dick Clark is ready to let go of the microphone.
The famed host is auctioning off a number of items from his personal collection of musical memorabilia, including the microphone he used beginning July 9, 1956 - his first day on the rock 'n' roll show that made him famous.
Other items to be sold include a bass guitar that Paul McCartney played when he was a Beatle, a beaded glove that Michael Jackson wore in his moonwalking phase and the harmonica that Bob Dylan played in "The Last Waltz."
Dick Clark
Not A Reality Show Fan
Micky Dolenz
Reality shows featuring aging rockers including Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons have proven popular with TV viewers. But Micky Dolenz - who starred in the 1960s sitcom "The Monkees" - doesn't want any part of it.
"Literally, I've been in meetings and I've been pitched at least half a dozen different shows and ideas for me to be in some reality kind of thing," Dolenz says wearily.
"I just can't get excited about it. I don't watch them, they bore me to death."
Micky Dolenz
Jimmy Stewart & Ella Fitzgerald
Stamps
A man who had a wonderful life, went to Washington and later was accompanied by a giant white rabbit will be a highlight of the Postal Service's new commemorative postage stamps for 2007. James Stewart will be featured on the 13th Legends of Hollywood stamp.
Next year's honoree in the Black Heritage series will be Ella Fitzgerald, widely known as the first lady of song for her great vocal range, flexibility and the joy and excitement she brought to music.
From comic book heroes like Hulk and Spiderman to the beautiful northern lights and stately lighthouses, there's something for just about everyone planned for nest year's stamps.
Stamps
Stradivarius Courier Service
Sheila Johnson
BET co-founder Sheila Johnson played courier when her alma mater, the University of Illinois, ran into a snag while trying to arrange transportation for four Stradivarius instruments for its American Music Month Celebration.
The Smithsonian Institution had agreed to lend the 17th century instruments - two violins, viola and cello - but they were too fragile for cargo, The Washington Post reported. Also, the museum required a flight without layovers, which is hard to do from Washington to Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
So Johnson, a billionaire who plays the violin, offered up her jet. The plane left Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday with Johnson, two curators and Johnson's former violin teacher, Susan Starrett, Bendure said.
Sheila Johnson
Quits As Virgin Records Executive
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri - superproducer, rapper, and the boyfriend of Janet Jackson - has confirmed to The Associated Press that he has quit as a top executive at Jackson's label, Virgin Records, amid disappointing sales of Jackson's new album.
Dupri became head of urban music at Virgin, a unit of EMI Group PLC, just last year. His abrupt departure comes after the underwhelming performance of Jackson's latest release, "20 Y.O." Dupri was an executive producer of the record and helped determine its creative vision, along with Jackson and her longtime producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Dupri, who declined further comment on his departure, has produced a multitude of hits for other artists, most notably last year for diva Mariah Carey. His work on her multiplatinum, Grammy-winning "The Emancipation of Mimi" was widely credited as being a chief reason for her comeback. He also was a top producer on Usher's eight-million selling "Confessions" album.
Jermaine Dupri
3-D Debut
'Beowulf'
Director-producer Robert Zemeckis, behind such films as "Forrest Gump" and "The Polar Express" will release his latest effort, the digitally enhanced live-action "Beowulf," in Real D and other large-format 3-D theaters on November 16, 2007, the same day it opens in traditional theaters.
The Paramount/Warner Bros. co-production is expected to play in more than 1,000 Real D theaters, as well as other 3-D locations, in what should be the largest day-and-date large-format 3-D release ever. It's likely that Imax would be the other large-format theater, though no deal has been signed, according to sources close to the film.
"Beowulf" will be the third Zemeckis film to bow in 3-D. His 2004 holiday film "The Polar Express" from Warner Bros. played in Imax 3-D to a combined total domestic gross of close to $46 million, while this year's Sony Pictures release "Monster House," on which Zemeckis served as an executive producer, earned more than $10 million on 178 Real D screens.
'Beowulf'
Anti-Science
Atavistic Actors
Days after actor Michael J. Fox appeared in a TV ad urging Missouri voters to support stem cell research, opponents will unveil their own commercial during the World Series Wednesday night.
The Cardinals' starting pitcher for Game 4, Jeff Suppan, is among several celebrities who appear in the minute-long ad. Others include Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, Kansas City Royals player Mike Sweeney and two actors - Patricia "Terri Schiavo's Pal" Heaton of TV's "Everybody Loves Raymond" and Jim Caviezel, Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson's Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ."
Connie Farrow, a spokeswoman for Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, a supporter of the amendment, called the ad "a pathetic attempt to distort the facts and mislead voters."
"To believe the claims made in their ad you'd have to believe that over 100 nonprofit patient and medical organizations, including the Missouri State Medical Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, just to name a few, are conspiring to mislead voters," Farrow said. "And that defies commonsense."
Atavistic Actors
Baby's Name Was Wrong
Jayden James
Britney Spears has named her second baby son Jayden James -- and that, finally, is official.
The September 12 birth certificate, filed with Los Angeles officials this week, was the latest twist in the rumor and secrecy that marked the arrival of the once publicity-hungry pop star's second baby.
Not only was the birth at a Los Angeles hospital never officially announced by Spears or her husband Kevin Federline, but sources close to the couple led the world's media to believe that the boy had been named Sutton Pierce.
But the official birth certificate records that Jayden James Federline was born September 12 at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. Jayden, who at six weeks has yet to make his public picture debut, was born two days before the first birthday of Spears' first son, Sean Preston.
Jayden James
Part Of botched Raid
`Deputy Shaq'
Shaquille O'Neal was present during a botched child pornography raid last month while working in Virginia as a reserve sheriff's deputy, a Bedford County Sheriff's officer said.
The Miami Heat center, who pursues his interest in law enforcement during the offseason, denied Tuesday taking part in serving the search warrant at the wrong house Sept. 23. However, Bedford County Sheriff's Lt. Michael Harmony confirmed to The Associated Press that O'Neal was there.
A.J. Nuckols described being "held at gunpoint, taunted and led into the house," and said the home was ransacked by a "paramilitary search-and-seizure team" that took computers, cameras, DVDs and VHS tapes.
Authorities later realized they had been given the wrong IP address, which Internet service providers can use to identify users, leading them to the wrong physical address, Harmony said. It was the Internet company's mistake, he said.
Harmony said the sheriff's office apologized, but Nuckols mischaracterized the incident. Harmony said officers were wearing bulletproof vests and may have been in dark or camouflaged clothing, but were not carrying assault rifles or wearing helmets.
`Deputy Shaq'
Arrested In London
Naomi Campbell
British police arrested supermodel Naomi Campbell in London on Wednesday on suspicion of assault, police and media reports said.
The arrest came after a woman went to the police claiming she had been attacked at the residence, the spokesman said.
Campbell's spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The Sun newspaper, however, quoted him as saying she had done nothing wrong.
Naomi Campbell
Upset Over US 'Exile'
Ottawa
The Canadian government said on Tuesday it was most unhappy that a U.S. judge had sentenced a sex offender to a three-year term of "exile" in Canada rather than a jail sentence at home.
The New York state judge accepted a proposal from former teacher Malcolm Watson, 35 -- convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old girl -- that he be allowed to live in Canada on probation and not spend time in a U.S. jail.
Watson, a U.S. citizen, lives in the town of Fort Erie, Ontario, with his wife and children. He had commuted to work at a girls' school in nearby Buffalo, New York.
Ottawa
Visa Revoked - Barred From US
Adam Habib
One of South Africa's most respected political analysts said Tuesday that U.S. authorities barred him entry after he arrived for a series of meetings with organizations such as the World Bank.
Adam Habib, executive director of the government-funded Human Science Research Council's program on democracy and governance, said that he was held for several hours after he arrived in New York early Saturday and then asked about possible links to terror organizations.
He said that he was then informed that his visa had been revoked and was escorted to a Johannesburg-bound plane under armed escort. No explanation was given.
"I am completely puzzled," said Habib, who is well-known in South Africa as an outspoken political commentator who frequently denounces intolerance and terrorism. He also was an anti-apartheid campaigner before white rule was toppled with all-race elections in 1994.
Adam Habib
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