Comic Book Plus Forum
Comic And Book Related => Comic Book Plus Reading Group => Topic started by: Quirky Quokka on January 07, 2024, 09:28:33 PM
-
Hi everyone
Happy New Year! As this is the first reading group selection for the year, I’ve chosen two comic books that each include a New Year story.
Whiz Comics No. 39 (1943)
This includes some old favourites like Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher. But the Lance O’Casey story (p. 48) is set in South China during Chinese New Year.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=35872
(https://box01.comicbookplus.com/viewer/6a/6a2ba6241508adad920eb6e8e4fbbe02/largethumb.jpg)
Kilroys No. 5 (1948)
This is a teen humour comic, a bit like Archie. There are several stories, but the last one involves a New Year’s Eve party (p.43).
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=17956
(https://box01.comicbookplus.com/viewer/4b/4b600e278499b90f2bee2ee9ea9ffb29/largethumb.jpg)
Although the New Year stories provide the theme for this fortnight, feel free to also comment on any other aspects of the art or stories in these books as you feel inclined.
Happy Reading
Quirky Quokka
-
Great selection - Whiz Comics - featuring Captain Marvel - the Golden Age comic book industry's biggest hit, and one of my all-time favorite superheroes is a delightful treat to begin the New Year. Thanks, QQ.
-
Great selection - Whiz Comics - featuring Captain Marvel - the Golden Age comic book industry's biggest hit, and one of my all-time favorite superheroes is a delightful treat to begin the New Year. Thanks, QQ.
Glad you like it, Lyons. I'll look forward to your comments if you have time. Otherwise, simply enjoy :D
Cheers
QQ
-
Whiz Comics #39
Captain Marvel Finds Utopia!
Billy just abandons his newscast to go stop Von Phool... how does he keep his job? And then later he has to stay for a week in Utopia. How much dead air is the station WHIZ broadcasting? ;) Cute, if predictable, story.
Golden Arrow
Okay story.
Colonel Porterhouse Rides Again
A fine Major Hoople stor... oh, I mean, Colonel Porterhouse, a completely different character. Ahem. ;) Amusing.
The Mad Artist
Kind of like the later Jughead Dipsy Doodle stories.
Jungle Raid
Okay.
Spy Smasher and the New Year's Eve Plot!
So why doesn't Spy Smasher use the goggles to hide his identity?
So in nine minutes he gets to the villain's hide-out, stops them, and calls the police? Yeahhhhhh...
Otherwise an okay story.
Lance O'Casey
Okay-see. ;)
The Slave of the Lamp!
Okay, but nothing special.
-
Billy just abandons his newscast to go stop Von Phool... how does he keep his job?
Crash, shame on you! You aren't supposed to think about things like that!
The same conundrum applies to Clark Kent and Lois Lane. To continue, how did Bruce Wayne, when a teenager, hold on to and grow his father's company?
How does Spiderman make enough money to exist on, from his photography?
Why don't other publishers came calling to outbid Jonah?
And why doesn't he hire a manager and syndicate his Spiderman photos instead of just selling them to JJJ? He could then be financially independent.
Where, exactly, does Xavier get the money to develop technology like Cerebro, the Danger Room, and the Blackbird? (The most known version of the aircraft is based on the suborbital jet SR-71, a model often used by the military for spying.)
Since he is not considered a scientist, did somebody else develop Cerebro and the Danger Room? If, so, who?
And what kind of license does he have to run a school?
Of course I could go on and on!
cheers!
-
Crash, shame on you!
Crash? :o
The same conundrum applies to Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
1. Up until the 1970s Clark was a newspaper reporter so could be said to be off looking for a story. It was only in the 1970s when he became a TV news anchor and the first story ended with Clark thinking, "Will Superman have to wait for commercial breaks?"
2. Why would Lois need to run off and perform a super-deed? Except for a couple of one-off stories she didn't have superpowers.
Where, exactly, does Xavier get the money to develop technology like Cerebro, the Danger Room, and the Blackbird?
Considering he's the most powerful telepath he probably engages in insider trading by reading minds. ;)
-
Crash? :o
Oncoming Alzheimers. :( :(
The same conundrum applies to Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
I was, of course, referring to their constant absence from the News desk.
Clark was constantly changing his clothes in a closet and flying out of the window in the middle of a work day.
Except for a couple of one-off stories she didn't have superpowers.
Back in the 50s and early 60s in those one-off stories she had every super-powers under the sun. More recently, if memory serves, she became SUPERWOMAN for a time. Or was that Lana?
The one Super-power she didn't have, for an investigative reporter, was the ability to work out that Clark was Superman. :-X :-X :-X
-
Never mind Lois having super powers, even better, for me at any rate, was Kathy Kane those times she gained super powers and flew about in that fantastic supersuit.
-
The one Super-power she didn't have, for an investigative reporter, was the ability to work out that Clark was Superman. :-X :-X :-X
For 40-some years she kept trying to prove Clark was Superman. She'd find some proof, Supes would have to show it was wrong and Lois would accept it.
Personally I like the theory that Lois knew, but psychologically didn't want to accept that that drip Clark Kent was Superman because Supes was more exciting and she'd have to accept the boring Clark with the exciting Superman. ;)
-
The one Super-power she didn't have, for an investigative reporter, was the ability to work out that Clark was Superman. :-X :-X :-X
For 40-some years she kept trying to prove Clark was Superman. She'd find some proof, Supes would have to show it was wrong and Lois would accept it.
Personally I like the theory that Lois knew, but psychologically didn't want to accept that that drip Clark Kent was Superman because Supes was more exciting and she'd have to accept the boring Clark with the exciting Superman. ;)
Lois suspected Superman and Clark were the same in some of the early comics, and she's also found out in several different versions of the story over the years:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/times-lois-lane-has-discovered-811640/
Cheers
QQ
-
The Kilroys #5
Ice Skating Is Nice Skating
Pop is an unpleasant character. Not a big fan of the art style. Otherwise okay story.
Come Out of Your Shell
Okay story.
That Weigh About Women
That splash page really gives the wrong impression of what the rest of the story is about. Also since the story reveals Jackson is 148 pounds it means the woman is 378 pounds. (526 - 148).
Ickey Ike
Eh, okay, I guess.
Hot-Rod Jockeys
About par for the course.
Kollege Kapers
Nice art.
Day Off
"Took out the trash and burned it" Now there's a dated reference. Also piled coal near the furnace. Otherwise okay, but predictable story.
Romance Rides the Airwaves
There's an evocative title, the kind you can give to 3 different writers and get 3 completely different stories. That was a cute story.
Count Screwloose
Uhhh... yeah... not my cup of tea.
Diane Herself
Message, message, be sure to notice the message. ;) Still a cute story, though.
Happy New Year!
Most of the story was just okay, but the final panel did make me laugh out loud.
-
Whiz Comics No. 39 (1943)
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=3587
You obviously have to buy the book to understand the cover.
Lets See.
Advisory Board Notice.
I have to wonder if Admiral Byrd actually ever read a comic?
And because I'm me, I have to wonder if anybody became rich from investing in War Bonds?
A Nazi in Utopia
So Utopia looks like ancient Rome and is in Yucatan. If you say so.
Golden Arrow. Like the art, adds a lot of energy to the narrative.
Colonel Porterhouse Rides Again
Fun story, The 'its just a dream or a fantasy' narrative is a standard comic book trope, going back to the beginning
The Mad Artist
As is drawing or painting a picture and walking into it.
Spy Smasher and the New Years Eve plot.
So this is 1942 going into 1943.
Middle of the War.
Straight-forward story, but hey, 'Happy New Year'
New Years Eve in South China.
But it's Chinese New Year.
[Incidentally in 2024 it's the year of the DRAGON and will be celebrated on February 10th.]
'No excitement on Chinese New Years Eve?' Just exactly where were they?
OK! on the next page we see no less than three Christmas Anthologies.
X-MAS COMICS, GIFT COMICS and HOLIDAY COMICS
Were they ever published?
Ibis the Invinciple
Question, would Ibis with his IbisStick, be a surrogate for Green Lantern?
The 'Hush my mouth' gag is clever!
-
X-MAS COMICS, GIFT COMICS and HOLIDAY COMICS
Were they ever published?
Scan of Xmas Comics #2 https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=72928
GCD entry for Gift Comics #2 https://www.comics.org/issue/225462/
GCD entry for Holiday Comics https://www.comics.org/issue/248727/
They all seem to be remaindered books (a new cover over a collection of returned coverless copies).
-
X-MAS COMICS, GIFT COMICS and HOLIDAY COMICS
Were they ever published?
Scan of Xmas Comics #2 https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=72928
GCD entry for Gift Comics #2 https://www.comics.org/issue/225462/
GCD entry for Holiday Comics https://www.comics.org/issue/248727/
They all seem to be remaindered books (a new cover over a collection of returned coverless copies).
Wow, 324 pages in the first two. That's a big Christmas comic.
-
Scrounge, that's about what I expected.
Although the one we have is a reconstruction. That's a good years read.
It's a pity the other two haven't surfaced so we could host them here.
cheers!
-
It’s cold cold cold here in southern Ontario this week and hunkering down and reading Captain Marvel seems to be a good idea. Always dug him just as much or a bit more than Superman, and for my money, he had the better serial. Nice artwork and I like how one of the bad guys looks like Harpo Marx.
Now you guys can talk all you want about implausible plot lines with Batson running off whenever he likes, or Superman never being discovered by Lois. But that drunk hearing a homemade bomb from the street has to rank up there in the hall of fame. Spy Smasher had a good serial too.
You gotta love comics.
Liked the art on the Chinese new year issue, and yeah, that 300 page comic would have been all anybody would have to have bought me for Christmas. I thought I had the world by the tail when I got an 80 page DC giant.
Kilroy kept me reading to see how close they could come to stealing from Archie without OVERTLY crossing that line. Almost like one of those suspense movies where you keep waiting for someone to spring a trip wire on a bomb.
The two books were a lot of fun, Q.Q., Never would have thought of a New Years theme.
-
You're so right Morgus. The good Captain did have the best serial, and I like the Spy Smasher one.
As for the comics, I knew of Captain Marvel in my younger years but the American comics were pretty unknown up here, but there were the Miller b&w reprints which occasionally turned up, whereas Superman, Action etc were on newsagents' counters, often not in number order as they came over as ballast prior to 1960. But I fell in love with the Big Red Cheese when I bought some of the Spanish b&w reprints while on holiday in Spain 20 odd years ago. Then it was a labour of love tracking down digital versions of the originals and the British and Spanish language reprints. Wonderful entertainment, equalled only, imo, by Superman comics during the period when Swan and Anderson were drawing it. They were a class act.
-
Regarding Captain Marvel. I've never cared much for him. I don't hate him, I just don't connect with the character.
I've often wondered how it is that comics readers develop a love for one character but not another. I think it's mostly time and chance. When I started reading comic books as a kid Captain Marvel was already off the radar. Fawcett's comics operation was long gone and literally the only knowledge I had of the good Captain was an advertisement in some old non-CM comic a friend got from his older brother. It was an ad for the "Captain Marvel Magic Eyes" poster. I wondered who Captain Marvel was. But with no comic shops or thrift stores it remained a mystery until Jules Feiffer's The Great Comic Book Heroes appeared years later.
By that time (1965) I was halfway through high school and thoroughly into "realistic" style Silver Age characters. Especially Julie Schwartz' DC line: The Flash (I worshipped Carmine Infantino), Green Lantern, and Adam Strange and the Atomic Knights in Strange Adventures. I'd been primed for that sort of strip by reading Flash Gordon (Raboy) and Buck Rogers (Anderson, Tuska). I passed 1955-1956 in the Philippines, where there was an English language newspaper but no comic books. When we returned to the USA I got into Dell TV and movie comics.
So I came to Captain Marvel as a "future adult" rather than as a kid. The silly storylines and cartoony art simply did not compute. When I began reading fanzines I noticed CM fans all seemed to be a few years older than me and had grown up buying his comics off the stands. So I could understand why such fans would like CM but personally I never warmed to him. [It didn't help that in the 70s C. C. Beck wrote countless fanzine diatribes about how only the Captain Marvel formula was real comics and all modern comics sucked.]
-
I've often wondered how it is that comics readers develop a love for one character but not another. I think it's mostly time and chance. When I started reading comic books as a kid Captain Marvel was already off the radar.
Until the 70's I was totally unaware of Captain Marvel. I was more aware of the British MarvelMan.
I think part of the reason why you and I don't love the character as much as other, is that CC Beck and the other creators were aiming them definitively at Children, most of the rest of the Superheroes seen aimed at an adolescent audience.
Your observation that,
I noticed CM fans all seemed to be a few years older than me and had grown up buying his comics off the stands.
would bear this out.
I have recently come to the thought, that Captain Marvel actually won the fight with Superman.
The demise of Fawcett caused an exodus of creators to DC [Not CC Beck though] and they gave us Supergirl, Superboy, various superpets, the legion of Superheroes and the kinds of stories that had been common in Captain Marvel comics. In other words, the fall of Fawcett gave DC the 50's Superman mythos!
By that time (1965) I was halfway through high school and thoroughly into "realistic" style Silver Age characters. Especially Julie Schwartz' DC line: The Flash (I worshipped Carmine Infantino), Green Lantern, and Adam Strange and the Atomic Knights in Strange Adventures. I'd been primed for that sort of strip by reading Flash Gordon (Raboy) and Buck Rogers (Anderson, Tuska).
You and I are obviously of a similar age, but in those years while we are on the same page regarding Flash Gordon [Raboy], Gil Kane, Adam Strange and the Atomic Knights, Also with DC, Challengers of the unknown, Doom Patrol, JLA. But actually I was drawn back to comics in that period via Dell and Gold Key - Magnus Robot Fighter, Space Family Robinson, Dr Solar, [ which blew me away] and after that and then only, by Marvel.
Against Kirby, Ditko, Kane, Speigle, Manning and co, Infantino's work at that time, seemed to me minimalist to the point of annoyance. These days, tho, I have come to admire Infantino's editing skills.
In general, through the Mid-50's to the early 70's whoever was doing the art production for DC robbed the work of much of it's energy, it was mostly dead on the page [Look at early Gil Kane] in contrast to Marvel where the art nearly jumped off the page.
John Verpooten does not get the credit he deserves.
Then again i was disappointed by Tuska's work for Marvel.
In the same period he was turning out work for Gold Key's anthology books like Twilight Zone that was far superior.
I passed 1955-1956 in the Philippines, where there was an English language newspaper but no comic books.
Probably needed to be on a US army base. [Or were you?]
cheers!
-
Yeah, Paw, Curt Swan was great at Superman. I always wondered what it would have been like if HE has drawn Captan Marvel in a revival. I mean, DC owned Captain lock stock and barrel, why not? It would have been the same if Neal Adams had gotten a crack at drawing Blue Beetle. I think that would have been interesting. And Crash, that extendsd to Infantino too. I wanted to see what HE could have done with Blue Beetle. To my mind they were linked by a sort of ‘clothes make the man’ vibe.
I can’t describe why I dig C.C Beck’s style so much and it can vary a lot. But when it’s on point, there’s a streamlined 40’s vibe to it that can make me smile. And truth be told, I dug the old reprobate ranting on like Charlton Heston about how all the comic guys were going to hell in a hand basket.
Except him.
-
I think you've spotted it. "there’s a streamlined 40’s vibe to it that can make me smile"
Same for me.
When I re-read, as I do occasionally, the early JLA issues, they are a bit daft, perhaps silly and the art isn't up to the Beck standard, imo. I still get a thrill from them though apart from the fact those early issues are so important. Like Panther, I grew up with Marvelman, Young MM, and Family. Also Ace Hart and other superheroes/villains in b&w British comics as apart from ballast shipments which were intermittent and unreliable, there was no distribution of American comics until late '59 (some claim 1960).
Anyway, I've always loved the obscure side of comics.
A revelation when our newsagents carried those DC tiles that crash mentions, glossy, full of colour and exciting.
Reading Captain Marvel in the British and Spanish reprints is still enjoyable, silly and fun and I think the stories look great in B&W.
Swan on The Big Red Cheese? Adams, at his peak, on Blue Beetle? Now there's a fantasy worth having.
-
Oh, to be clear, I'm a fan of CC Beck. Loved his attitude and his idiosyncrasy.
I loved Otto Binder and Beck's Fatman, the human flying saucer. Which to my disappointment, only lasted 3 issues.
To be found here.
Fatman the Human Flying Saucer
https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=2064
Then there were some non-Fawcett work, like
Delecta of the Planets
To be found here.
in the 6 issues of
Don Fortune Magazine
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=5434
It would be nice to have that in an archive volume. Hint! Himt!
Captain Tootsie, anyone?
[Believe it or don't, I believe he turned up in Savage Dragon]
DC should have let Binder and Beck do Captain Marvel and not attempt to integrate the character into the DC 'Universe'.
And speaking of a fantasy worth having,
Binder and Beck on Superman?
or thinking of what DC did with Stan Lee,
Binder and Beck's JLA?
cheers?
-
Well, it seems there's lots of discussion on memories of Captain Marvel and the British Marvelman. I'm a 60s kid, and I don't ever remember seeing Captain Marvel or Marvelman comics in Australia. In fact, my introduction to Captain Marvel was at the movies. There's a film buff in my town who's the grandson of pioneering Aussie filmmaker Charles Chauvel (or so I've heard). Anyway the grandson (Rick) used to run Rick's Flicks, which showed classic movies once a month and there would also be a short. A couple of times, Captain Marvel was the short, but I never saw the whole series. I would have gone to those films in the 1990s or early 2000s. I hadn't seen the original comics until I joined this site. And don't get me started on the stoush between Marvel and DC that means DC now has to have Shazam instead of Captain Marvel!
A couple of years ago, I read a book on comic book history, and was interested to learn that they had modelled Captain Marvel's face on Fred McMurray because they wanted him to be more of an everyman than Superman. I wonder if they asked Fred's permission? Also, the following article argues that Mary Marvel was based on Judy Garland and Spy Smasher was based on Errol Flynn. I can definitely see Fred. Not so sure of the others.
https://screenrant.com/shazam-appearance-looks-based-on-1940s-actor-fred-macmurray/
Random trivia, over and out :D
Cheers
QQ
-
Whiz Comics 39
(1) Captain Marvel Finds Utopia
The opening splash panel is reminiscent of the first view of Shangri-La in it's lost valley, as seen in the 1937 film "Lost Horizon" (one of my all-time favourite films), released only a little over 5 years before this comic book hit the newsstand shelves. And, of course, with many families in USA having been devasted in The Great Depression of the 1930s, and with a major Worldwide War broken out in various regions of The World, it's not surprising that people were thinking about a place with no cares or woes, no needs unfilled, need for money, and, thus, no greed, jealousy, and hatred. The breaking into a new year is the perfect time for aiming for a big change, as every new year brings that possibility. Star newscaster, Billy Batson, leaves his newscast in its middle, for what must be the umpteenth time, leading us to wonder why he hasn't been fired long ago. I guess his boss knows that Batson is also Captain Marvel, and has gone mad, now knowing that "magic" runs The World, and the laws of science no longer hold, and so nothing matters. The Universe is totally random, and nothing makes sense anymore.So, let him keep his job, so these wonderful Fawcett comic books can have meaning! Captain Marvel is, indeed, a marvel. He covers several hundred air miles in a matter of mere seconds. It's really tough for crooks to make their escapes when he's onto their wicked deeds.
"Captain Marvel can't make a fool, of Von Phool!" The Nazi spy ring Kommandant was named a VERY un-German-sounding name, only to use that terrible pun-styled word gag. First of all, the word "von" just means 'from, so, should not be capitalised. I'm sure there is no place called "Phool", which could be an origin location of a person or family. IF there were, it wouldn't sound like the English word, "fool". The "Ph" (would be a borrowed Greek spelling that COULD sound like an "F", but oo sounds like long O as in Das Boot (sounding like English "Boat".
The villains jump out of their plane as Captain Marvel pulls it back towards USA. They land in an area of Yucatan, in a valley surrounded by what are drawn to look like high mountain peaks. But Yucatan is entirely flat (about as flat a large peninsula as can be found anywhere on The Globe. They should have had them land in a hidden valley over The Sierra Madre range, if the author wanted the location in Mexico. But, the thick jungles of The Yucatan were barrier enough to hide the ruins of long-since abandoned Mayan cities for hundreds of years. So, why use the lost valley in a mountain range (just for the Shangri-La reference?). And THIS weird part of The Yucatan, not far from The Equator, has NO trees (and, apparently, almost no rain! - somewhat like Somalia's situation. A place like that would be more like Hell, than a Utopia. Pharo, the local's leader (wise man) is dressed in Greeklike robes, and his people speak Shakespearian English in the familiar form. Are they Quakers?
Naturally, the German Spy can't get along with the kindly and "weak" locals, but his 2 Italian underlings mirror the US cliché of The Italian Military, as having no stomach for war, and combat, and so, take well to the peaceful, friendly atmosphere. It was no coincidence that US military was, by the date of this issue, already planning to invade Sicily, and soon after, mainland Italy. So US policy was to have as much cooperation with The Italians as possible. So, US propaganda and public mage of The Italians was much less of a dangerous "evil" enemy than that of The Germans, who led The Axis European War effort in all ways. And that also is reflected in the story's ending in which The German attempts to take over the Utopic City, and murder The old wise leader, while the 2 Italians refuse to help him in that effort. And, they choose to remain living there, in harmony with the local "peaceniks".
(2) Spy Smasher And The New Year's Eve Plot
"America Smasher" (probably a German Nazi Super Spy, operating in USA, uses the backdrop of revelry on New Years Eve (similar to Egypt using Yom Kippur to make a surprise attack-first strike against Israel during The 1970s, and Hamas doing the same, recently). The Spy Smasher flies outside the hotel window, after changing into his tights and cape (which must have taken at least 10 minutes). Does he have the super power of real flight? Or does he just jump and glide a bit, and hope not to break his legs or wrists in his landing?
So! America Smasher is NOT from northern Germany! The villains are always so idiotic. They always have the chance to kill their nemesis, but NEVER do that. They always leave a time bomb or Rube Goldberg complicated several-step murder device that ALWAYS fails. Spy Smasher's alter ego returns to the party. No one at the party heard the brawl, with bodies hitting the floor, and men screaming, and no one came out to see what had been going on, to be able to witness "Spy Smasher's alter ego changing his garb to that of Spy Smasher. Spy Smasher didn't need any super powers in this story. I'd rather have seen him dive out of the window, and do a tuck and roll to land, safely, than appear to fly out, and just run after the villains from there.
(3) Lance O'Casey - New Year's Eve In South China
Stars of adventure/action series often start off stories in which they get into life-ending danger, with the complaint that "I could use a little excitement - but nothing like that could happen here!" And before the man can finish that sentence a bomb explodes, destroying the nightclub or restaurant, or an unknown assailant streaks towards him, wielding a sharp knife, from behind the curtains! And, of course, the requisite dying man hands the star the secret plans, or voodoo icon, or damaging letter, before he could reveal what his situation is about. This is solid cliché, and no surprise. But it works very well. And, seconds later, at a heart- exhausting pace, without break, the Tiger Woman, against whom our heroes were warned to not let possess the valuable box, shows up pointing a gun and demanding them to hand over. Of course, as a matter of principle, the 2 heroes refuse, and at risk of death, run away (without being hit by bullets). And The Chinese New Year provides the perfect hiding place by fugitives running only a short distance from their pursuers.... ducking under the blankets of a parade dragon. Genius! And, all of this leads O'Casey and sidekick to the capture of The Tiger Lady's drug (Opium) ring. not bad. lots of action, and local colour. And with a moral message from the sidekick, at the end, that O'Casey was lucky he didn't eat any of the candy balls (filled with opium). The art is better than the first 2 stories I read.
(4) Ibis - The Invincible - Magic Against Magic
The purveyor of White Magic in a darkened World plagued by evil sorcerers! It has an expected beginning, with a wormy soul, of questionable work ethic, digging through the city's War Effort scrap metal dump, late at night, and finding the answer to his dreams, Aladdin's magic lamp. But this tale has an unusually clever plot, wherein the new owner gives the genie (slave of the lamp) the opening to take his freedom, and in addition, become ALL-POWERFUL! It's a great idea - but TOO great to waste on the minuscule page count allowed for each story in this type of book.
I often encountered this problem in developing plot ideas for Uncle Scrooge stories, knowing that if I used this or that concept with endless possibilities for a mere 10-page story, my editor wouldn't allow that idea to be used again if an opportunity to use it in a long 20+ page story in a special book would arise (such as happened with "Scrooge's Marriage". So, literally hundreds of what seemed like great story ideas were shelved by my production group, hoping we'd get chances to use them in a proper format.
Despite this problem, I'm intrigued to see how the author developed and finished this story. The Genie is, of course, power mad and wants revenge for having to do the bidding of many "masters" over the centuries. Now he'll see how it feels to force his will upon ALL who cross his path. But, Ibis' trusty "Ibistick" sends him to the location of this new danger. Ibis sends a magic forcefield to shield The Genie's victim, and the Genie runs away. The Genie, tired of stealing money and jewels wants a consort, who can be Empress of The World to his new emperor position. As he knows Ibis' ancient Egyptian "ladyfriend", Taia, from encounters thousands of years before, he sets out to steal her away. I love the page showing both the Genie and Ibis growing larger, and larger, trying to outgrow the other to win a duel to the death. They end up larger than The entire Earth and other planets.
What a disappointment!!! The ending is simply that Ibis' magic wand is more powerful than the power of the lamp, and Ibis orders The Genie to re-enter the lamp. We saw absolutely NOTHING of what horrific things The Ibistick could do to him that would make him instantly obey, and become a slave again, dashing all his dreams. The whole idea of having sequential artwork along with some narrative and dialogue in story-telling is because SEEING and "hearing", together, leaves much more impression of what happens in a story, than just hearing about it. Identifying with it is easier if you "see" it happen, before your very eyes. You will "believge" it more, and identify with the emotions of the characters. And as I surmised, the 10-Page limit forced a cutting down of the plot's scope, and caused this story to end abruptly, and unnaturally, and so, to become very unsatisfying.
-
A couple of years ago, I read a book on comic book history, and was interested to learn that they had modelled Captain Marvel's face on Fred McMurray because they wanted him to be more of an everyman than Superman. I wonder if they asked Fred's permission?
Nope. Sometime in '80s or 90s Entertainment Tonight asked either Fred or his estate (he was still alive at the time, but I'm not sure if he was still giving interviews) and the response was that they had not heard that story before.
There are a number of superheroes (and other comic characters) who got their likeness from actors, some have been confirmed, some it just seems logical. Gil Kane admitted to using Paul Newman as the basis for Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan, of course the artist lived next door to the actor at the time. Ray (The Atom) Palmer was also based on an actor, but I forget the name and I can't find the comic it was mentioned in. Doctor Strange is believed to have been based on Vincent Price. Sabrina the teenage witch was based on Kim Novak, who starred in Bell, Book and Candle which inspired the first Sabrina story.
-
Well, it seems there's lots of discussion on memories of Captain Marvel and the British Marvelman. I'm a 60s kid, and I don't ever remember seeing Captain Marvel or Marvelman comics in Australia. In fact, my introduction to Captain Marvel was at the movies. There's a film buff in my town who's the grandson of pioneering Aussie filmmaker Charles Chauvel (or so I've heard). Anyway the grandson (Rick) used to run Rick's Flicks, which showed classic movies once a month and there would also be a short. A couple of times, Captain Marvel was the short, but I never saw the whole series. I would have gone to those films in the 1990s or early 2000s. I hadn't seen the original comics until I joined this site. And don't get me started on the (1) stoush between Marvel and DC that means DC now has to have Shazam instead of Captain Marvel!
A couple of years ago, I read a book on comic book history, and (2) was interested to learn that they had modelled Captain Marvel's face on Fred McMurray because they wanted him to be more of an everyman than Superman. I wonder if they asked Fred's permission? Also, the following article argues that Mary Marvel was based on Judy Garland and Spy Smasher was based on Errol Flynn. I can definitely see Fred. Not so sure of the others.
https://screenrant.com/shazam-appearance-looks-based-on-1940s-actor-fred-macmurray/
Cheers
QQ
(1) That's a new word for me (at least in knowing the official definition and origin of the term). I've always guessed from context and its sound, that it meant something along the lines of "ongoing battle against". I looked it up in my oxford dictionary, and found it was a term that The Aussies and Kiwis picked up while fighting in The Boer War. I've got some family that were Afrikaaners, but never heard them use that term. Also, I can't recall a Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans or analogous dialect term close enough to have come from the same root. I guess the term is also used a bit in The UK; but I never heard it used in Canada, or by any family members.
(2) I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of panels of Captain Marvel, and hundreds of still photos and scenes of Fred MacMurray in films and TV, and never once noticed ANY resemblance between the two, other than they both had dark-coloured hair. Captain Marvel has the jutting squared-off jaw of many comic book strong-man and strong hero types, with a fairly squared head. To my recollection, Fred MacMurray had a long face (like a bloodhound), that mimics to long and relatively narrow shape. So, to me, they don't resemble each other in the slightest.
-
The Kilroys 5
Natch- Happy New Year
Natch won 2 tickets to the New Year's championship football game, and plans to take his girlfriend. Her father, who doesn't like Natch, also wants to go to that game, but is too late to buy tickets. Due to dancing with a scheming new girl that Natch's rival brought to his girlfriend's party, his girlfriend dumped him, and decided to go to the football game with his rival. And to try to get her back, he has to take her father to the game, hoping he'll put in a good word with his daughter, on his behalf. A really dull, obvious story, with nothing clever. or unexpected. really weak. I'd have been fired if I ever turned in 2 stories like that in the same year. I've read most of The Kilroys' stories in most of their issues, and liked very, very few, even slightly. I find it hard to believe that that series lasted over 50 issues. It doesn't hold a candle to the Golden Age "Archie", or "Henry Aldrich", or "Andy Hardy" stories. just copying the situation, but not having naturally funny writers doesn't work - even with good artwork (although Dan Gordon's artwork on this series is even too "cartoony" for my taste. He's great with funny animals, but his humans are too "zany-looking" for non-Zany humour. Now, IF he had been drawing a series like Milt Gross' "Count Screwloose" (filler in this book), or "That's My Pa!", his style would work fine (maybe with a bit of zany exaggeration added).
The in-house advert exclaiming to The World that the prospective reader will wet his or her pants from rolling-on-the-floor laughter from the extremely funny stories in this book they are about to read, is dreadfully ironic, and an evil lie. As an editor, I'd never have accepted the series. The irony here reminds me of the inane laugh tracks added to American sitcoms during the 1950s and 1960s, that were so corny that they were insulting. Reading this was insulting, and a waste of time, except for the experience learning about bad writing and seeing how Dan Gordon's art style changed slowly during those 6 years.
It appears that the hack writer read a book on how to write situation comedy, which pointed out that an unexpected twist ending is necessary to an ironic situation, caused either by dumb (bad luck) and/or helped along by a coincidence, causing a misinterpretation of what is happening and the totally wrong decision is made that leads to the good or bad (but funny) ending for the protagonist and/or his/her adversary. All that IS a good story set-up and framework. BUT, the story's characters need to show emotion strongly, so that it appears believable, and the reader can empathise with the protagonist, and "live in the story" (e.g. have a "stake" in what is happening in the story. Otherwise, what's happening in the story is meaningless to the reader, like watching paint on the wall drying). Also, comic art MUST be exaggerated to have effect. The only character that showed much emotion was Judy's father, the cop. His anger was clear. Although I'd have varied its form and intensity more, leading to a creschendo, at which point we think that judy's father forbids her to see Natch again, and we see Natch in the depth of despair. The cop DID say that in words, and even that he'd grind Natch's skull to dust IF he'd ever dare to set foot in his house again. But, based on the art in his expression, as well as Natch's reaction, I just didn't believe he meant that. In comic book stories, the artwork is so VERY crucial, because we use so few words. It is really a much higher quality of artistic expression than the lay public, as a whole, appreciate.
I'm not sure if I will discuss any of the other "stories' in this book, as (other than Milt Gross') the rest suffer from similar problems. I did notice that Natch's father looks almost like a carbon copy of Jimmy Hatlo's "Little Iodine's" father (with a longer nose).
-
Hey, Crash, you got me thinking about how I tripped across CM. It wasn’t the comics either. Mom was reading SOMETMES A GREAT NOTION by Ken Kesey and he used comic characters as illustrations to the characters emotions. Like I read “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series because of Green Lantern and found out about Green Latern from the Donovan song.
‘Panther; yeah. Binder and Beck on Superman. I am convinced the only reason it didn’t happen was because Beck hacked them off. Rave on, C.C. A Binder and Beck JLA would have been Anarchy In The USA but worth every panel.
Robb: now I can’t UNSEE Little Iodines’ dad (Henry Tremblechin??? Was that his name??)
-
Hey, Crash, you got me thinking about how I tripped across CM. It wasn’t the comics either. Mom was reading SOMETMES A GREAT NOTION by Ken Kesey and he used comic characters as illustrations to the characters emotions. Like I read “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series because of Green Lantern and found out about Green Latern from the Donovan song.
‘Panther; yeah. Binder and Beck on Superman. I am convinced the only reason it didn’t happen was because Beck hacked them off. Rave on, C.C. A Binder and Beck JLA would have been Anarchy In The USA but worth every panel.
Robb: now I can’t UNSEE Little Iodines’ dad (Henry Tremblechin??? Was that his name??)
Yes, it was. Good memory.
-
"Stoush" Great. I'd say "Stooshie". Actually I use the word quite a lot.
-
"Stoush" Great. I'd say "Stooshie". Actually I use the word quite a lot.
It makes sense that the term "stoush" got back to Scotland, as I recall that a Scottish regiment fought in The Boer War. Or maybe it was an older, commonly-used Old Dutch word that was carried over to Scotland (and the Scots Taal) during the Medieval Flemish wool trade-related heavy immigration, that later eventually fell out of use in Standard Dutch and Old English(if it ever was in). It likely would have been spelt thusly: "stoesj" or "stoesch".
-
Also spelt, "Stushie". But my version could well be a local, Lanarkshire, variant. As you'll see in this link there are umpteen versions:-
https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/stashie (https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/stashie)
-
Also spelt, "Stushie". But my version could well be a local, Lanarkshire, variant. As you'll see in this link there are umpteen versions:-
https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/stashie (https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/stashie)
Those 1850-1870s references prove a pre-Boer War origin. The British took over The Cape Colony in 1800. So there could well be borrowings from Afrikaans from 1850-1896. Or, perhaps there was an old West Germanic root mutual to Aengelsk, Saxon, Frisian and Salian Frankish that was native to both Scots and Old Dutch from their beginnings, but has become obsolete in Dutch.
Perhaps the Dutch word, "stoer", meaning "tough", or "robust", was once a cognate of "stoesch", or "stoesj", which would have sounded much like the Scots word, without the diminutive -y or -ie suffix? We'll probably never know.
-
Robb said:
Naturally, the German Spy can't get along with the kindly and "weak" locals, but his 2 Italian underlings mirror the US cliché of The Italian Military, as having no stomach for war, and combat, and so, take well to the peaceful, friendly atmosphere. It was no coincidence that US military was, by the date of this issue, already planning to invade Sicily, and soon after, mainland Italy. So US policy was to have as much cooperation with The Italians as possible. So, US propaganda and public mage of The Italians was much less of a dangerous "evil" enemy than that of The Germans, who led The Axis European War effort in all ways. And that also is reflected in the story's ending in which The German attempts to take over the Utopic City, and murder The old wise leader, while the 2 Italians refuse to help him in that effort. And, they choose to remain living there, in harmony with the local "peaceniks".
Thanks for that extra historical info, Robb. I hadn't fully understood the significance, but that makes sense.
SuperScrounge said the following about whether Captain Marvel's appearance is based on Fred McMurray:
Nope. Sometime in '80s or 90s Entertainment Tonight asked either Fred or his estate (he was still alive at the time, but I'm not sure if he was still giving interviews) and the response was that they had not heard that story before.
There are a number of superheroes (and other comic characters) who got their likeness from actors, some have been confirmed, some it just seems logical. Gil Kane admitted to using Paul Newman as the basis for Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan, of course the artist lived next door to the actor at the time. Ray (The Atom) Palmer was also based on an actor, but I forget the name and I can't find the comic it was mentioned in. Doctor Strange is believed to have been based on Vincent Price. Sabrina the teenage witch was based on Kim Novak, who starred in Bell, Book and Candle which inspired the first Sabrina story.
That's interesting that Fred or someone from his estate said they hadn't heard of that before, because I thought it was well-known before then. And thanks for those other names. Will have to look out for those resemblances.
But Robb said:
I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of panels of Captain Marvel, and hundreds of still photos and scenes of Fred MacMurray in films and TV, and never once noticed ANY resemblance between the two, other than they both had dark-coloured hair. Captain Marvel has the jutting squared-off jaw of many comic book strong-man and strong hero types, with a fairly squared head. To my recollection, Fred MacMurray had a long face (like a bloodhound), that mimics to long and relatively narrow shape. So, to me, they don't resemble each other in the slightest.
Wow, that's an amazing number of panels on Captain Marvel. I can still see some resemblance if you look at photos of Fred when he was younger, but there are differences. I can still believe it might have been 'inspired' by Fred, though not an exact likeness.
Regarding the Kilroys, Robb said:
I find it hard to believe that that series lasted over 50 issues. It doesn't hold a candle to the Golden Age "Archie", or "Henry Aldrich", or "Andy Hardy" stories. ... The in-house advert exclaiming to The World that the prospective reader will wet his or her pants from rolling-on-the-floor laughter from the extremely funny stories in this book they are about to read, is dreadfully ironic, and an evil lie. As an editor, I'd never have accepted the series.
I agree it's not as good as Archie and Andy Hardy (I'm not as familiar with Henry Aldrich) and I too squirmed at the inhouse press telling how fantastic the comic was going to be. I'm not sure if you ended up reading any of the other stories, but I did find the New Year's story was one of the weaker ones. The Kilroys lasted 8 years and Archie is now into his 81st year and still going strong, so I guess that tells us something.
Morgus said:
Like I read “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series because of Green Lantern and found out about Green Lantern from the Donovan song.
Which Donovan song was that, Morgus? I saw him in concert back in the 80s and had one of his greatest hits albums. It also reminds me how I found out about a lot of old sci-fi movies from the lyrics of 'Science Fiction' at the start of 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' and now have some of those in my collection.
And Robb and Paw Broon were talking about 'stoush'. It's not a word I would use much, but I didn't realise it wasn't well-known around the world. I always learn things in this group.
Thanks for your comments everyone.
Cheers
QQ
-
Whiz Comics #39, January 1943
As Panther noted, there are some big names on the editorial board with Eleanor Roosevelt and Rear Admiral Byrd. I seem to recall having a discussion about these boards before. Did they ever actually read these comics?
Captain Marvel Finds Utopia
The story was probably typical of superhero comics at that time. They have to bop the Nazis or the Japanese, but there’s also a bit of humour in the story and style. As Morgus noted, one of the bad guys looked like Harpo Marx, and some of the Utopians reminded me of Asterix comics. But once you notice that Captain Marvel looks like Fred McMurray, there’s no turning back -- at least for me there wasn't. Cap sure knows how to beat those Nazis, and there is some good action in the art. The two Italian sidekicks even reform. A nice wholesome story for the time.
Captain Marvel Ad
Why is a chef in stereotyped blackface telling us in rhyme about Cap Marvel’s letter?
Golden Arrow
On p. 24, why did Golden Arrow immediately give the townsfolk a clue about where he’d hidden Jim? No surprise then that one of the baddies is quick to find Jim.
Can we be assured that no horses were harmed in the making of this comic book? The horse probably would have broken his leg on that trip wire on p. 27.
A few holes in the story, but some good art, especially the horses and action shots.
Colonel Porterhouse Rides Again?
Interesting device to have Colonel Porterhouse and the kids reading a Golden Arrow story right after we’ve read a Golden Arrow story.
How come the boy Porterhouse and the whippersnapper Porterhouse still look like the old Porterhouse? At least there’s a resemblance!
I wondered if the mention of the roller towel was ‘product placement’. A quick google search found that they were invented in the 1930s, but probably weren’t in wider use until after the war. And is this story set back in the 1800s anyway? Not sure what year it’s supposed to be.
Mr Mealy is never going to win Father of the Year if he’s so quick to give up his daughter rather than his cattle. Finishes on a bit of a weak joke, but was probably funnier at the time.
The Mad Artist
Really a one-page plug for War Bonds. Though is he paying the money into war bonds or getting his dividends back?
Spy Smasher and the New Year’s Eve Plot
This is my first Spy Smasher story, so I’m not sure how many continuing characters there are. They really love that word ‘smasher’, with Spy Smasher, America Smasher and Axis Smasher.
The first narration box raises an interesting question. This comic book came out in January 1943, so heralding in the New Year would have caused mixed feelings. Another year that begins with the world at war, but will this be the year that brings an end to the conflict?
So the plans are taped to the Admiral’s chest? I hope he waxed first. And let’s hope they don’t do a strip search. But it’s okay because the code is in his office. Umm … isn’t that one of the first places the bad guys would search? I also wondered why they needed the code. Weren’t there diagrams? But I guess the devil is in the detail.
The award for the best line goes to ‘What a pickle!’ Yes, Spy Smasher, you certainly were in a pickle with that bomb strapped to you. Lucky that really tall drunk heard the bomb from the street (as Morgus noted) and was able to save the day. And it was all wrapped up in time to bring in a jolly good New Year.
Lance O’Leary and the New Year Story
I wasn’t familiar with Lance O’Leary and the story didn’t give a lot of clues as to his occupation or purpose. But Mr Google tells me he was a seafarer and adventurer out for profit. Mike was his young sidekick (though Mike looks like a middle-aged man in most of the art, and certainly no younger than Lance). Too bad Hogan the monkey doesn’t make an appearance.
https://www.toonopedia.com/lanceo.htm
I liked the original setting, being in South China during Chinese New Year. Though the lanterns and the Chinese dragon were the only things that would tell you that. There were a few holes in the story. Even though it turns out to be a fake squad of police, would Lance and Mike happily walk in amongst them the whole way, and wouldn’t real police have discouraged that? So that should have been their first clue. Also, it would have been pretty hard to empty a whole box of opium into the guard’s pocket just with bumping into him. But I did like it overall and I’d read another of his stories.
Ibis the Invincible – The Slave of the Lamp
How did I reach my sixties without ever hearing about the ibistick? I couldn’t get over the fact that it looked like one of those wands you dip into soapy water and use to blow bubbles.
A nice plug for saving up your scrap metal for the war effort. But if you try to pilfer any, there will be consequences, you unpatriotic swine! I’m not sure why they made it Aladdin’s lamp, when it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Aladdin. Is that the only kind of lamp that produces a genie? Not according to ‘I Dream of Jeannie’, but I digress.
Not the greatest story and extremely far-fetched even for a superhero. They really grew to be the size of planets?
Overall
Overall, this would have been a fun comic that I would have been happy to read when I was a kid. A mix of heroes and ordinary folk beating the bad guys, plus some humour and pretty good art on the whole.
-
Which Donovan song was that?
"Sunshine Superman." It was a big hit in the USA; don't know about the rest of the world.
Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea. Yep!
My best buddy at the time was a fellow comic book fan. We did know who Green Lantern was and got a huge kick out of his appearing in a popular song. I confess we also used it as an excuse to play snob with the poor uneducated masses.
-
!/ According to this dictionary, the word STOUSH is Australian in origin, which would mean it probably came into usage from Scottish origin. I've always been familiar with it. The Boer War? There were Australian troops at the Boer War, so who knows?
stoush transitive verb, ˈstau̇sh - -ed/-ing/-es
1
Australia : to hit hard : strike, thrash
2
Australia : defeat
stoush - plural -es
Australia : fight, brawl, violence
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoush
2/
Naturally, the German Spy can't get along with the kindly and "weak" locals, but his 2 Italian underlings mirror the US cliché of The Italian Military, as having no stomach for war,
This is not just a cliche [cliches usually have some factual origin] and it's not just the US who categorized WW2 Italian Troops that way. But Italians in WW2 weren't cowards. Their attitude was similar to US troops in Vietnam, 'They were there because the Government sent them there,but they had no personal investment in the war or Mussolini's government. I've read books on the Australian troops defense of Tobruk in North Africa and they make similar observations.
3/
Robb, on Captain Marvel, Fred MacMurray, we are, old mate, in fundamental disagreement.
I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of panels of Captain Marvel, and hundreds of still photos and scenes of Fred MacMurray in films and TV, and never once noticed ANY resemblance between the two, other than they both had dark-coloured hair.
Try the smile, the eyebrows and the height, the brow, the hair style, the chin.
Have a look here.
Internet Media Discussion Boards
https://imdb2.freeforums.net/thread/82684/macmurray-inspiration-captain-marvel-shazam
Also, in Kurt Busiak's Astro City series MacMurray was used as the template for the character, 'The Gentleman' in obvious homage to Captain Marvel/MacMurray.
-
Which Donovan song was that?
"Sunshine Superman." It was a big hit in the USA; don't know about the rest of the world.
Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea. Yep!
My best buddy at the time was a fellow comic book fan. We did know who Green Lantern was and got a huge kick out of his appearing in a popular song. I confess we also used it as an excuse to play snob with the poor uneducated masses.
Thanks for that, Crash. I have heard the song but not for years, so that song lyric wouldn't have registered with me. I don't think I'd heard of Green Lantern until watching 'Big Bang Theory', when Sheldon would give the catch cry every now and then and they took the Green Lantern lantern to a party - LOL I've since educated myself.
And here's the film clip of the song with lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCQ0LmZkSjQ
And here's Sheldon with the Green Lantern lantern:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xKwPG408Uo
Cheers
QQ
-
Captain Marvel Ad
Why is a chef in stereotyped blackface telling us in rhyme about Cap Marvel’s letter?
I believe that's Steamboat, who worked for Billy Batson until the backlash against mushmouf style drawings got him removed from the series.
Mushmouf is a term sometimes used for drawings of people based on the blackface stage makeup. There's probably several different ways of spelling it, but they all refer to the big lips of the mouth.
-
Kilroys No. 5 (1948)
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=17956
Well, nobody much has commented on this book! And that means, nobody has commented on the catch-phrase, "Kilroy was here!' found on every cover of the series.
The Story Behind the Phrase "Kilroy Was Here"
https://www.thoughtco.com/killroy-was-here-4152093
Yet again, Australians were probably there first, re 'Foo was here' in WW!.
We do punch above our weight.
The article notes,
For a few years during and after World War II, he was ubiquitous: a doodle of a big-nosed man, peering over a wall, accompanied by the inscription "Kilroy was here." At the height of his popularity, Kilroy could be found just about everywhere:
I'm old enough to have seen that doodle in many places.
Somebody at ACG, for it is they, seems to have thought that having a comic based around that catchphrase was a good idea. Not that it was a bad one. It did last 54 issues, which is pretty good for a golden age comic.
Re the cover,
He broke an electricity pole with his head, and kept skiing?!
Is he related to Clark Kent?
Ice skating i s nice skating
Page one
I like the details. I also have a dog that snores. Makes me laugh. And I had a Valve radio like that which I bought second hand. Great sound too.
page 2 - He calls his Mom, sweetheart?
Page 3 - well-observed, classic sibling behaviour.
The writer seems to take a strong interest in current verbal usage.
'Don't be corny!' 'For corn's sake!' Never heard either of these used in those context before.
After all the blustering from Dad, and the opposition to his negativity from his wife, the ending shows the real strength of their relationship.
That weigh about women
Well-paced and a good and unexpected gag at the end.
Ikey Ike
A Verbal gag. Would have gone well on radio.
Hot Rod Jockey's
I note that on the first panel of every story, there is always a visual gag, not necessarily related to the narrative. But that is a good attention-getter.
Bob Wickersham is good with the build-up to his punch-line in all his stories.
Bob Wickersham [Bob Wick]
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/wickersham_bob.htm
And here's a site I have not come across before, and will be spending some time on.
MOONLIGHTING ANIMATORS IN COMICS: Bob Wickersham
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/moonlighting-animators-in-comics-bob-wickersham/
Excerpt;-
In the early 1930s, he joined Walt Disney’s studio, and became a full animator by 1933. He animated on several Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies and Donald Duck cartoons throughout the ‘30s. Wickersham worked on a few scenes in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Fantasia, but was uncredited for his animation on both films. He left Disney to work at Max Fleischer’s studio in Miami, which offered a higher salary for preparation of their first feature film Gulliver’s Travels. He worked at Fleischer’s as an animator and story artist, contributing to several theatrical shorts and their second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town.
That explains his pacing. I note also he seems to also do his own lettering.
Cal Howard often wrote the stories for the Kilroys magazine.
note, 'Often'. I would hazard a guess that his relationship with writers, was something of a Kirby/ Lee relationship.
Kollege Kapers.
Don't know who drew this, its a different style, but it's easy on the eyes.
Romance Rides the Airwaves
I'm a disc jockey mom! Usual visual gag.
Count Screwloose was a strip character by Milt Gross.
Gross Exaggerations: The Meshuga Comic Strips of Milt Gross
https://www.tcj.com/reviews/gross-exaggerations-the-meshuga-comic-strips-of-milt-gross/
So, finally, Happy New Year!
All the narrative elements are there in the art on panel one.
He's getting dressed to go out, there's a picture of Judy on the wall and two football tickets on the dresser and a calendar showing, January One. Subliminal cues.
Pretty obvious conclusion, but plenty of detail and all regular characters used well .
QQ, thank you! You have caused me to find a new wonderful site and introduced me to two creators i was not aware of and whom I will be following up.
The book, Gross Exaggerations looks like something I will have to have.
Thanks again!
-
This post was started on 07/01/24 and that's two weeks ago, so there will be a new one tomorrow. Reading Group was a regular crew of 4, but is now a crew of 3 and an open slot for guests.
I have a special guest lined up for tomorrow and I think you are gonna like what he has in mind.
If you would like to be a guest, or have a suggestion as to what to cover,
Click on this link and we will consider it.
https://comicbookplus.com/forum/?topic=18734.0
Happy reading!
-
Robb, on Captain Marvel, Fred MacMurray, we are, old mate, in fundamental disagreement.
I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of panels of Captain Marvel, and hundreds of still photos and scenes of Fred MacMurray in films and TV, and never once noticed ANY resemblance between the two, other than they both had dark-coloured hair.
Try the smile, the eyebrows and the height, the brow, the hair style, the chin.
Have a look here.
Internet Media Discussion Boards
https://imdb2.freeforums.net/thread/82684/macmurray-inspiration-captain-marvel-shazam
Also, in Kurt Busiak's Astro City series MacMurray was used as the template for the character, 'The Gentleman' in obvious homage to Captain Marvel/MacMurray.
Thanks for the link, Panther. I can definitely see the resemblance.
Cheers
QQ
-
Captain Marvel Ad
Why is a chef in stereotyped blackface telling us in rhyme about Cap Marvel’s letter?
I believe that's Steamboat, who worked for Billy Batson until the backlash against mushmouf style drawings got him removed from the series.
Mushmouf is a term sometimes used for drawings of people based on the blackface stage makeup. There's probably several different ways of spelling it, but they all refer to the big lips of the mouth.
Ah, thanks SuperScrounge. I didn't realise he had been a character in the series. That makes sense now. Really stands out as politically incorrect when you see it these days, but that was 1943. When I was a kid, the 'Black and White Minstrel' show was on TV and even then I remember thinking how stupid it was for white people to put on blackface. I didn't understand the sociopolitical situation, but it still seemed wrong. I hadn't heard the term 'mushmouf' before, so thanks for that.
Cheers
QQ
-
Kilroys No. 5 (1948)
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=17956
Well, nobody much has commented on this book! And that means, nobody has commented on the catch-phrase, "Kilroy was here!' found on every cover of the series.
The Story Behind the Phrase "Kilroy Was Here"
https://www.thoughtco.com/killroy-was-here-4152093
Yet again, Australians were probably there first, re 'Foo was here' in WW!.
We do punch above our weight.
The article notes,
For a few years during and after World War II, he was ubiquitous: a doodle of a big-nosed man, peering over a wall, accompanied by the inscription "Kilroy was here." At the height of his popularity, Kilroy could be found just about everywhere:
I'm old enough to have seen that doodle in many places.
Somebody at ACG, for it is they, seems to have thought that having a comic based around that catchphrase was a good idea. Not that it was a bad one. It did last 54 issues, which is pretty good for a golden age comic.
Re the cover,
He broke an eletricity pole with his head, and kept skiing?!
Is he related to Clark Kent?
Ice skating i s nice skating
Page one
I like the details. I also have a dog that snores. Makes me laugh. And I had a Valve radio like that which I bought second hand. Great sound too.
page 2 - He calls his Mom, sweetheart?
Page 3 - well-observed, classic sibling behaviour.
The writer seems to take a strong interest in current verbal usage.
'Don't be corny!' 'For corn's sake!' Never heard either of these used in those context before.
After all the blustering from Dad, and the opposition to his negativity from his wife, the ending shows the real strength of their relationship.
That weigh about women
Well-paced and a good and unexpected gag at the end.
Ikey Ike
A Verbal gag. Would have gone well on radio.
Hot Rod Jockey's
I note that on the first panel of every story, there is always a visual gag, not necessarily related to the narrative. But that is a good attention-getter.
Bob Wickersham is good with the build-up to his punch-line in all his stories.
Bob Wickersham [Bob Wick]
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/wickersham_bob.htm
And here's a site I have not come across before, and will be spending some time on.
MOONLIGHTING ANIMATORS IN COMICS: Bob Wickersham
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/moonlighting-animators-in-comics-bob-wickersham/
Excerpt;-
In the early 1930s, he joined Walt Disney’s studio, and became a full animator by 1933. He animated on several Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies and Donald Duck cartoons throughout the ‘30s. Wickersham worked on a few scenes in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Fantasia, but was uncredited for his animation on both films. He left Disney to work at Max Fleischer’s studio in Miami, which offered a higher salary for preparation of their first feature film Gulliver’s Travels. He worked at Fleischer’s as an animator and story artist, contributing to several theatrical shorts and their second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town.
That explains his pacing. I note also he seems to also do his own lettering.
Cal Howard often wrote the stories for the Kilroys magazine.
note, 'Often'. I would hazard a guess that his relationship with writers, was something of a Kirby/ Lee relationship.
Kollege Kapers.
Don't know who drew this, its a different style, but it's easy on the eyes.
Romance Rides the Airwaves
I'm a disc jockey mon! Usual visual gag.
Count Screwloose was a strip character by Milt Gross.
Gross Exaggerations: The Meshuga Comic Strips of Milt Gross
https://www.tcj.com/reviews/gross-exaggerations-the-meshuga-comic-strips-of-milt-gross/
So, finally, Happy New Year!
All the narrative elements are there in the art on panel one.
He's getting dressed to go out, there's a picture of Judy on the wll and two football tickets on the dresser and a calendar showing, January One. Subliminal cues.
Pretty obvious conclusion, but plenty of detail and all regular characters used well .
QQ, thank you! You have caused me to find a new wonderful site and introduced me to two creators i was not aware of and whom I will be following up.
The book, Gross Exaggerations looks like something I will have to have.
Thanks again!
Thanks for all of the extra info and links, Panther. I remember seeing the 'Kilroy was here' drawing on things when I was at school, though not so much in recent years. I didn't realise it was on every cover, so good pick up! I'm glad it led you to some other comic book creators and sites you enjoy. I'd never heard of it before and only found it when I was searching for something that included New Year. Always good to discover new things. It's not up there with Archie for me, but not bad either.
Cheers
QQ
-
The Kilroys #5 - 1947
This was a new comic book for me. I'd never heard of them before, but according to the inside cover, it's 'the most wanted comic in history', brought to us 'in response to nationwide demand', 'the greatest comics magazine show on earth' etc etc. As Robb mentioned, that's all a bit much. They're certainly setting the expectations high and I don't think they came anywhere near delivering on that. But it was popular enough that they had 54 issues from 1947 to 1955, so a lot of people must have liked them. I liked it, but didn't love it. Not up there with Archie, but I liked it better than the Wilbur comic we did a while ago. Pretty corny by today's standards, but probably fit with the humour of the day.
Ice Skating is Nice Skating
So I assume the Dad, J. Edgar Kilroy, is named after J. Edgar Hoover. But why? It's funny to show him blowing his top in a number of the panels, though I have trouble with the idea of a 'nice' father screaming at everyone like that all the time. The family seem to take his temper with a grain of salt, so some enabling happening there. But it was a different time and probably seen as funnier than it is now.
Natch looks a bit like Archie, but not as appealing. And why does his friend Jackson have a profile that looks like a pig's head?
An interesting reference to Little America and Admiral Byrd. I had to look up Little America to see that it was in Antarctica. According to my friends at Wikipedia, Byrd was involved in his fourth Antarctic expedition in 1946-7, so it would have been very current. As we saw, he was on the advisory board for the Whiz comic we looked at, so I hope he packed lots of comic books for the trip.
Not a bad gag at the end and some good art. Also interesting use of solid block colours in some places (e.g., red for the father and green for the daughter on p. 3 of the story).
That Weigh In About Women
I remember seeing those weighing machine in department stores, but did they always have fortunes? It was kind of like an Archie or Andy Hardy plot. Not bad.
Ickey Ike
An interesting way to twist what the girls had been saying about fashion and relating it to stamps. Though I thought the red-haired girl was doing Linda Blair's scene from The Exorcist! And I learned a new word. Mucilage is a type of glue. All those years of collecting stamps as a kid, and I never knew that.
Hot-Rod Jockey
I figured 'Fritz Chrysler' must be an in-joke, so I looked it up and discovered there is a violinist called Fritz Kreisler. I liked the slant on the story. It starts as another tale complaining about teenagers and their cars, but the adults end up seeing that the kids could teach them a thing or two.
Kollege Kapers
Obviously they weren't too worried about correct spelling at Kollege :D It took me a minute to realise that each panel is a separate gag, rather than four panels that make up one story. Art not as good in this one. The guy who swallowed the harmonica looks like a monkey and the fellow who steps on the girl's feet looks like a ventriloquist's dummy. His head and neck seem plopped on.
Romance Rides the Airwaves
So the guy who is fat-shamed gets his revenge and then his comeuppance. A bit of a nastier bent in this story, so I wasn't crazy about this one.
Count Screwloose
So this was billed as this month's guest feature. Was he a character in another comic or were they just giving him a test run?
I liked his original way of getting over the fence, and we all learn what a kumquat is. I'm surprised the kumquat killed him rather than all the smoking. Pretty silly, but I guess being farcical was the point.
Happy New Year
A fairly standard New Year's plot for a teen comic, but okay. I was surprised at the mention of Al Jolson as a 'new crooner' when he was getting towards the end of his career when this comic came out (he died in 1950). So is this comic meant to be set earlier than the actual years of publication?
Best line in the comic goes to Katie - "I gotta go wack my rack on a new batch of bubble gum."
And wow, an ad for a ballpoint pen with a retractable point. What will they think of next?
Overall
I thought this book was an interesting find. Seems pretty corny now, but I can see how it would have been a fun comic at the time. Some interesting art and a few story twists. Natch isn't a patch on Archie, but he's better than some. Not a bad little book.
Cheers
QQ
-
Kilroys No. 5 (1948)
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=17956
Well, nobody much has commented on this book! And that means, nobody has commented on the catch-phrase, "Kilroy was here!' found on every cover of the series.
(1) The Story Behind the Phrase "Kilroy Was Here"
https://www.thoughtco.com/killroy-was-here-4152093
(2)Yet again, Australians were probably there first, re 'Foo was here' in WW!.
We do punch above our weight.
The article notes,
For a few years during and after World War II, he was ubiquitous: a doodle of a big-nosed man, peering over a wall, accompanied by the inscription "Kilroy was here." At the height of his popularity, Kilroy could be found just about everywhere:
I'm old enough to have seen that doodle in many places.
Somebody at ACG, for it is they, seems to have thought that having a comic based around that catchphrase was a good idea. Not that it was a bad one. It did last 54 issues, which is pretty good for a golden age comic.
(3) Bob Wickersham [Bob Wick]
https://www.lambiek.net/artists/w/wickersham_bob.htm
And here's a site I have not come across before, and will be spending some time on.
MOONLIGHTING ANIMATORS IN COMICS: Bob Wickersham
https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/moonlighting-animators-in-comics-bob-wickersham/
Excerpt;-
In the early 1930s, he joined Walt Disney’s studio, and became a full animator by 1933. He animated on several Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies and Donald Duck cartoons throughout the ‘30s. Wickersham worked on a few scenes in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” sequence in Fantasia, but was uncredited for his animation on both films. He left Disney to work at Max Fleischer’s studio in Miami, which offered a higher salary for preparation of their first feature film Gulliver’s Travels. He worked at Fleischer’s as an animator and story artist, contributing to several theatrical shorts and their second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town.
That explains his pacing. I note also he seems to also do his own lettering.
Cal Howard often wrote the stories for the Kilroys magazine.
note, 'Often'. I would hazard a guess that his relationship with writers, was something of a Kirby/ Lee relationship.
Kollege Kapers.
Don't know who drew this, its a different style, but it's easy on the eyes.
Romance Rides the Airwaves
I'm a disc jockey mon! Usual visual gag.
(4)Count Screwloose was a strip character by Milt Gross.
Gross Exaggerations: The Meshuga Comic Strips of Milt Gross
https://www.tcj.com/reviews/gross-exaggerations-the-meshuga-comic-strips-of-milt-gross/
So, finally, Happy New Year!
All the narrative elements are there in the art on panel one.
He's getting dressed to go out, there's a picture of Judy on the wall and two football tickets on the dresser and a calendar showing, January One. Subliminal cues.
Pretty obvious conclusion, but plenty of detail and all regular characters used well .
QQ, thank you! You have caused me to find a new wonderful site and introduced me to two creators i was not aware of and whom I will be following up.
The book, Gross Exaggerations looks like something I will have to have.
Thanks again!
(1) I saw lots of Kilroy signs in several big cities in Europe during the early 1950s. I even saw some in Canada. I guess Canadian soldiers saw it in Europe, and copied it at home, or American soldiers drew them when visiting? I have since seen them all over The World. It was a "hobby' picked up by lots of people.
We even had our own Danish version of that, called Örva, which can be seen on building walls all over Denmark) It was very big in the 1970s. It was immortalised by Danish cartoonist, Freddy Milton, in his "Graffiti Mesteren" graphic novel. The cartoon differs a bit from Kilroy, in that it is a round smiley face, with another circle (protruding) in front, to form the nose. I assume using the umlaut instead of the Danish Ø, is used to imply it is a Swedish phenomenon, as Danes are too respectful and civilised to deface property.
(https://i.ibb.co/FgW6DMh/Familien-Gnuff-3.jpg)
(2) I didn't know that The Aussies were first with that idea, with "Foo" graffiti during WWI. Very interesting. Now that idea has been copied by people all over The World. I've seen graffiti, stating "I was here!" written by Canaanite slaves working in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula copper mines from 1500 BCE, and in The Egyptian desert from 8,000-9,000 years ago, when The Sahara was still green with lakes and trees. Back then it was only painted pictures, but no writing, of course.
(3) Bob Wickersham had a long run with WB Animation after Disney, but he also worked about 10 years for Sangor Studios drawing comic book stories for Ben Sangor's ACG and Ned Pines' BetterNedor Publishing. The The Main artist for The Kilroys was Dan Gordon, who drew this issue's front cover and both inside covers' advert pages. He drew almost all, if not all the series' covers, and the bulk of the family's stories.
(4) Milt Gross, one of the zaniest cartoon artists had several different newspaper cartoon strips. We also have 2 comic books of his from 1947, on CB+: "Milt Gross Comics" in our ACG section. They include "Count Screwloose" and "That's My Pa" stories, as well as a few one-shots.
-
Better get in my two cents' worth before it's too late!
First, regarding Kilroy. I knew the guy with the hanging nose and the phrase "Kilroy Was Here" from my cradle days but I was surprised some years ago by an entry in a British book showing the character with the slogan "Wot, No Char?" written above it. The book said the character was a well-known British invention. It didn't mention Kilroy. Thanks to the Internet I learned that in fact there were two strains of Kilroy, one American and one British, which became intermixed. In Britain the character was originally called "Chad." Wikipedia says he might have been invented in Britain in the late 1930s, spread by British troops during WWII, and eventually conflated with Kilroy. Here's the entry, which has much interesting background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here
Now, on to Whiz Comics #39
Captain Marvel is an interesting story. Everyone has already commented on its (il)logic. I like that the Italians are are allowed genuinely to reform. Rob makes some good points about the politics of the thing. The story relies on comfortable old stereotypes that would have been familiar to everyone. Utopia is a Romanesque paradise run by wise men in togas speaking stilted English. (Did anyone notice that there are no women in Utopia?) Italians are weak-willed, somewhat comical shoemakers.
I don't want to get too deep into the Fred MacMurray controversy, but in my opinion Captain Marvel was inspired by MacMurray in much the same way Bugs Bunny was inspired by Clark Gable in It Happened One Night. Beck was after the "feeling" of MacMurray's screen persona rather than producing a caricature or a likeness. Tall, solid, good-looking without being too good-looking, tough when necessary but usually just a decent sort of guy. I grant that some of Capt M's features resemble MacMurray's, particularly the chin. Personally, I think Alex Ross' rendition of CM with Fred MacMurray's face looks kind of silly.
While on the subject of Fred MacMurray, I grew up with My Three Sons and The Absent-Minded Professor. When I began to learn more about Golden Age Hollywood during my college years I was surprised to see that he wasn't fit just for comedy roles. Double Indemnity was an eye-opener.
And speaking of likenesses, does anyone remember the Green Lantern episode in which Gil Kane drew one of the villains as President Lyndon B Johnson? I seem to remember it was a story featuring Sonny & Cher clones.
I never paid much attention to Golden Arrow except when George Tuska did the art. Incidentally, the GCD credits Louis Cazaneuve with the art even though it bears Warren King's signature. I think they're wrong. It wouldn't be the first time (see Lance O'Casey below).
The story is typical western hero stuff. Old West folk were awfully eager to hang people. I guess when you only have 8 or 9 pages to work with the public has to jump to conclusions or else you'll run out of space. The main catch here has already been spotted: Golden Arrow tells everybody where he's hidden the suspect. That's a lousy job of hiding. King's figures are rather approximate but his layouts are lively and he does good horses. I was brought up short by the panel of GA standing on his horse. I didn't remember ever seeing that. Then two days later I saw another western in which the hero stood on his horse. Can some equine expert tell me if this was a real thing? Did movie cowboys ever stand on their horses?
I didn't understand Colonel Porterhouse at first because everyone in the story refers to him as "young" Amby Porterhouse who is "just a boy." I eventually realized this is a gimmick. The Colonel is spinning a yarn about his imaginary adventures so we see him as he is today. It's a clever artifice, really. I suspect though that I wasn't the only confused reader.
Despite my well-known preference for realistic-style drawing, there's something about George Storm that has always appealed to me. I like his adventure-story style better than his outright cartoon style. This strip seems a bit rushed. It's funny how the villains all have those oval Segar-style mouths. The story reads like a regular Golden Arrow story with jokes. Porterhouse uses his version GA's trademark "Hi-Yo Silver" stand-in, "Scratch gravel, White Wind!" For some reason GA himself doesn't use it in this issue.
The Mad Artist is an oddball idea for a War Bond ad.
Spy Smasher had a great name and a great costume but his stories were always blah. I haven't seen the serial--maybe he's more interesting on the screen. This story is as rudimentary as you can get. Attending a party with secret plans taped to your chest rather than locking them in a vault? Gimme a break! And how did America Smasher (not a great name) know the General's code was in his office? Anyway, thank goodness for the sharp-eared drunk.
The artist does a nice job, sometimes with a bit of help (panel 4 of our page 44 is a well-worn Alex Raymond swipe).
I like the Lance O'Casey character because he was drawn mostly by Harry Anderson. Which brings me to the GCD credit. Sometimes I wonder who the heck fact-checks their credits. Anyone who knows Clem Weisbecker's art knows this ain't him, and anyone who knows Harry Anderson knows this is him. This may not be Anderson's inks, but many of his signature traits are on display here, including his sexy ladies.
The story is nothing special. I nominate one line of dialogue as the Understatement of the Year: "Pardon, please...I do not feel well," spoken by a guy with a huge knife buried in his back.
Ibis the Invincible gave me the best laugh of the book when the guy who looks like a Dick Tracy villain first sees the genie and exclaims, "Well, hush my mouth!" The rest of the story displays the same faults as every other Ibis story. The Ibistick can do anything except if doing something would solve the problem early. Most of the time Ibis uses it for small jobs like "Make me small!" instead of just saying something like "Ibistick, shrink the genie and put him back in the lamp!" I wonder how many thousands, if not millions, of souls perished when the giant Ibis and giant genie stepped on them.
Thanks, QQ, for recommending this book because it's one I'd likely not have read otherwise.
-
The Kilroys #5
Everyone else has already said most of what I have to say about this comic. I didn't think it was so great, though I didn't have Robb's powerful negative reaction. It's just a typical teen comic. Meh stories with occasional smiles, competent but ho-hum artwork.
Pop Kilroy does indeed resemble Henry Trimblechin. He also overacts outrageously. Many of his poses are well-drawn but too extreme for the situation. Best example: the conniptions he goes through when Katie says she wants to go skating after all. Dropping to his knees and begging, with sweat pouring off him, seems overwrought even for a humor comic. However I looked at a few other Archie knock-off comics and noticed many of their fathers also overacted. Maybe it was a shtick?
I don't know what to make of Natch. Much of the time he acts like a typical comic book teen hero but on occasion he seems a bit dimwitted, more like the teen hero's sidekick. Two examples are when he thinks "good news" means a new shipment of bubble gum and when he gets upset when the grocer says Lady Luck smiled on him. Any clearheaded kid would know what that meant. Also, naming him "Natch" seems an odd choice. "Natch" is slang for "Naturally." No one would name their kid this. It's a nickname, then. How did he get it? I dunno. Better just to name him Archie or Wilbur or Ezra or...
On a related subject, I think the background reference to that "new crooner, Al Jolson," was meant to be a joke. Jolson was very old hat by this time, and I believe we're supposed to read the line as demonstrating how clueless the boy is. I may be wrong. In the next panel he sings a line from "The Anniversary Song," which was a huge hit for Jolson in 1946-1947. The comic came out in 1947. Maybe the boy likes the song but doesn't realize Jolson dates back to the 1920s. A bit of trivia: the tune to "The Wedding Song" was written by Romanian composer Iosif Ivanovici in 1880 and had a long life as an instrumental, "Waves of the Danube." Jolson and Saul Chaplin added lyrics in 1946 and gave it new life as "The Anniversary Song."
"Hot Rod Jockeys" offers an inkling of what could have been a nice idea. Pa getting busted by a cop, then discovering his son is dating the cop's daughter, isn't anything new, but the cop shows unexpected depth when he confesses his love for jalopies. This show of humanity might have given an interesting subtext to the series. On one level he and Kilroy are enemies, not because of personal animus but because they want to protect their children from what they perceive as bad influences. On another level they are kindred souls who share a love for speed and a nostalgia for their younger days. Their wavering between these extremes would have made an interesting minor theme. But this was 1947 and comic book characters didn't develop. Everything returned to the status quo ante at the end of each story.
Whoever drew Kollege Kapers drew some very pretty girls. I thought it might be Al Hartley but the figures seem slicker than on Icky Ike.
Nice choice of books, QQ. Thanks.
-
Better get in my two cents' worth before it's too late!
...
While on the subject of Fred MacMurray, I grew up with My Three Sons and The Absent-Minded Professor. When I began to learn more about Golden Age Hollywood during my college years I was surprised to see that he wasn't fit just for comedy roles. Double Indemnity was an eye-opener.
And speaking of likenesses, does anyone remember the Green Lantern episode in which Gil Kane drew one of the villains as President Lyndon B Johnson? I seem to remember it was a story featuring Sonny & Cher clones.
...
I didn't understand Colonel Porterhouse at first because everyone in the story refers to him as "young" Amby Porterhouse who is "just a boy." I eventually realized this is a gimmick. The Colonel is spinning a yarn about his imaginary adventures so we see him as he is today. It's a clever artifice, really. I suspect though that I wasn't the only confused reader.
Thanks, QQ, for recommending this book because it's one I'd likely not have read otherwise.
Thanks for that, Crash. Never too late to comment. We have the DVD of 'Double Indemnity' and I love it. One of the best noir movies of all time. Though I could never quite believe Fred was a bad guy. Hubby and I were just talking about this yesterday, actually. Neither of us can quite understand the allure of Barbara Stanwyck, but we'll blame her for seducing and corrupting the otherwise innocent insurance guy.
Wish I'd seen the Green Lantern story you mention. Lyndon B. Johnson plus Sonny and Cher clones? Has to be a winner!
And thanks for explaining Captain Porterhouse. The joke was lost on me, but that makes sense.
Cheers
QQ
-
The Kilroys #5
On a related subject, I think the background reference to that "new crooner, Al Jolson," was meant to be a joke. Jolson was very old hat by this time, and I believe we're supposed to read the line as demonstrating how clueless the boy is. I may be wrong. In the next panel he sings a line from "The Anniversary Song," which was a huge hit for Jolson in 1946-1947. The comic came out in 1947. Maybe the boy likes the song but doesn't realize Jolson dates back to the 1920s.
Nice choice of books, QQ. Thanks.
Ah, that makes sense. I didn't realise that Jolson had a hit with 'The Anniversary Song' around that time, so I think you're probably right that the clueless boy thought he was a new singer. An in-joke for the Moms and Pops.
Glad you found some fun in these books.
Cheers
QQ