Category: But I Digress…

Originally published January 5, 2001, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1416

The following arrived via email the other day:

I’ve always wanted to be Supergirl. I’m 12 years old, my name is Ashley. I have prayed and prayed for it to come true but nothing ever happened. So one day I went to school this boy named Justin who says he was Superman and he could fly that day I was wearing my Supergirl shirt. He looked at my shirt and laughed. No one believes in me. I don’t even believe in me. So please let me know if you can help me or if you could believe in me. It makes me sad to think about how me myself doesn’t believe in me. Please write me back.

Your Friend Always,

Ashley

Continue Reading “To be a Supergirl” →

Originally published December 29, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1415

There is much talk of how director/writer/producer M. Night Shyamalan (wouldn’t it be fun if the “M” stood for “Moon?”) has managed, with remarkable ingenuity, to sneak a “comic book movie” into the public perception without the public being aware—until the movie has actually started—that a comic book movie is what’s being seen. Which he did. But it’s not the first time he’s done it.

Continue Reading “Movie reviews: Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense” →

Originally published December 22, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1414

In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”

In Wizard magazine’s end-of-the-year letters column, the following missive appeared from Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada:

Continue Reading “Quesada vs. McFarlane” →

Originally published December 15, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1413

I fell asleep watching CNN and its continuous coverage of the presidential mess—and I had a dream. In my dream, Bush, Gore, and Nader were each reading newspapers while “Fugue for Tinhorns” from Guys and Dolls was playing. Bush’s headline read, “Bush Wins!” Gore’s read, “Gore’s Got More!” Nader’s read, “Nader The Spoiler!” Then there was a trumpet fanfare, they lowered their papers, and each sang in succession…

Continue Reading “Bush vs. Gore vs. Nader: The Musical” →

Originally published December 8, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1412

Well, well… who says that there are no third acts in life?

First act: The Presidential campaign. Second act: Election Day. Third act: The Aftermath, during which time the usually State-rights-oriented GOP is suddenly all for stopping Floridians from exercising their voting rights, and Dubbya backs hand counts as governor but not as a presidential candidate. Meantime the Democrats risk looking like little girly-man whiners, playing a high-stakes game that could backfire all the way into 2004 if the votes don’t turn around, while waiting to see if Gore’s appointing the Jewish Lieberman as his running mate pays off in a huge number of votes from Israeli-situated Floridians. At least, that’s how matters stand in this snapshot moment in time (naturally the situation will have shifted again by the time this column sees print.)

Continue Reading “Bush vs. Gore, part 2” →

Originally published December 1, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1411

Toward the end of the 1930s, two young men teamed up to produce a comic book hero. They then sold all the rights to the character to a publisher for what seemed, to the young men, like a huge sum. The character then went on to make the publishers millions and millions of dollars, of which the character’s creators saw precious little. Meantime the character himself spent some time fighting Nazis, branched out to star in radio and in movie serials, and then, post war, had his adventures degenerate into silliness, while his original creators struggled to find themselves.

I am of course referring to Josef (Joe) Kavalier and Sam Clay (born Clayman), contemporaries of such luminaries as Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, and Stan Lee. Kavalier and Clay, creators of the famed hero of the Golden Age, the Escapist. What’s that, you say? Never heard of the Escapist? Perhaps Luna Moth, then, a.k.a. the kinky “Mistress of the Night” whose collected adventures (The Weird Worlds of Luna Moth) became a head-shop bestseller when published by Nostalgia Press in 1970?

Continue Reading “Book review: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” →

Originally published November 24, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1410

Assorted stuff:

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I have more or less sworn off appearances at comic book stores. There have been a few fun times here and there, but most of them have been… how shall I put this… less than rewarding.

Continue Reading “Store appearances & more McFarlane vs. Twist” →