In Memorium: Mike Smith

No. It's not comics-related, but it still made me sad. Some really great tunes came out of these guys!

Mike Smith (2nd from left in the photo), lead singer of the popular 1960s band The Dave Clark Five, has died. He was 64. Smith was admitted to a London hospital earlier in the week and passed away on Thursday, February 28, 2008, after contracting pneumonia. The illness is believed to have arisen after the singer suffered a chest infection, stemming from a previous [2003] spinal chord injury that left him paralyzed below the ribcage.

The Dave Clark Five were one of the popular British invasion groups in the 1960s and the band enjoyed successful runs on the US Billboard chart with singles such as Because, Can’t You See That She’s Mine, I Like it Like That, Glad All Over and Any Way You Want It. The band, originally from north London, were immortalized in the 1965 feature film Catch Us If You Can (directed by John Boorman), the plot of which centers around a glamorous young couple on the run.

The Dave Clark Five were eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, receiving the fifth most votes, but they were denied induction by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner (Up yours, dude!) in order to allow the induction of Grandmaster Flash because no rap group was inducted into the hall. So boo-frigging-who to Wenner for his slap in the face to the DC5. In addition to Smith, fellow bandmate Denis Payton died from cancer in December 2006. Both would have been present had the band actually been inducted in 2007.

The Dave Clark Five will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008.

21st century blaxploitation

Yeah, check this out.

That's some very cool 1970's characters interacting on the first issue cover of Alex Ross upcoming Avengers/Invaders mini-series from Marvel Comics.

Let's see, besides Wolverine, there's Jessica "Spider-Woman" Drew, Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers, the whole 70's Invaders squad of Captain America & Bucky, Human Torch & Toro and the Sub-Mariner, all posing right alongside Spider-Man, the Wasp and Iron Man.

Oh, and then there's that large befuddled-looking, black gentleman standing at the back.

What ... Luke Cage, you say? Is that really supposed to be Power Man?

You mean to tell me that the veritable "Hero For Hire" himself is in that very image .... minus his trademark yellow and blue fighting togs?

Ah, I see, he's supposed to be projecting a "street-level" image these days. I guess I understand that, but it seems like nothing more than a "token" gesture to me.

C'mon Cage, put your classic hero duds back on, my man. I mean Sweet Christmas, what's this four-color world coming to?

Can you dig it?

Recommended (and on sale today): Justice League: The New Frontier

The highly anticipated direct-to-video animated film adaptation of Darwyn Cook’s acclaimed Justice League: The New Frontier hits stores today. Special features include a documentary on the forty-seven year history of the Justice League, commentaries, a documentary on early mythological villain archetypes that were adapted into the Justice League stories, a featurette on the themes & elements from the comic-to-film version of New Frontier, three episodes of Justice League Unlimited, and a 10 minute preview to DC’s next animated film; Batman: Gotham Knight.

An impressive lineup of celebrity voice talent is on hand, including Kyle MacLachlan, Jeremy Sisto, Lucy Lawless, Neil Patrick Harris, David Boreanaz, Phil Morris, Miguel Ferrer,Brooke Shields & Kyra Sedgwick.

"You know about transmigration of souls; do you know about transposition of epochs--and bodies?"

Camelot 3000 was one of its first direct market projects to be published by DC Comics between 1982-1985 [the latter part of the 12-issue limited series written by Mike Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland ran terminally late].

King Arthur, the wizard Merlin and several reincarnated Knights of the Round Table reemerged into an overpopulated future world of 3000 A.D. where they had to fight off an alien invasion masterminded by Arthur's old nemesis, Morgan Le Fay. Fulfilling the ancient prophecy that he would return when England needed him most, Arthur was accidentally awakened from his resting place beneath Glastonbury Tor by a young archeology student, Tom Prentice, whom Arthur took on as his squire and later a knight. The two of them subsequently traveled to Stonehenge, where Merlin lied trapped by the mystical creature Nyneve, and awakened him to help them retrieve Arthur's legendary sword, Excalibur.

King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot were traditionally portrayed as the familiar doomed triangle of lovers; with Guinevere reincarnated as American military commander Joan Acton, and Lancelot reborn as French industrialist and philanthropist Jules Futrelle. Sir Galahad was reborn as a Japanese samurai and devout adherent of bushido. Sir Percival, early on suffered the fate of being genetically altered into a monstrous giant, but he retained his gentle manner. The loutish Sir Kay revealed to Arthur that his characteristic obnoxious demeanor was in fact an intentional affectation meant to reduce tensions between the various members of Arthur’s court, by uniting them in mutual dislike of Kay.

In this version, Modred is not the son of Arthur's sister, but is instead the bastard child of Arthur by another woman. After Modred's birth, he had been taken away by a peasant woman to be hidden away from Arthur, but she was intercepted by Sirs Kay and Tristan. Arthur then attempted to drown the baby to keep him from becoming a threat to any legitimate heir; but then unknown to Arthur, the baby survived. In the year 3000, Modred is reincarnated as Jordan Matthew, a corrupt United Nations official in league with Morgan Le Fay, and who later fuses the recovered Holy Grail to a suit of armor.

The most divergent treatment of any of Arthur’s knights is that of Sir Tristan, who is unexpectedly reincarnated as a woman. This transformation forces him to reexamine his previous conceptions of gender roles and his own sexuality. Although his relationship with Isolde -- also reincarnated as a woman -- is tested by his new identity, their enduring love for one another eventually triumphs, and the two become lovers.

Barr and Bolland received widespread acclaim for their work on Camelot 3000, including a 1985 Kirby Award nomination for Best Finite Series.

Trivia: You get extra credit if you can identify the source of the title quote.

From the Dust Bin: Freedom's Five

This terrific Geoff Isherwood illustration is of the very obscure Marvel super-team, Freedom's Five. They first appeared [in flashback only] in The Invaders #7 (July 1976). Intended solely to help establish some heroic back history for the newly introduced British Invader,Union Jack, the team also incorporated an actual, former one-shot Marvel hero, the Phantom Eagle - here's the skinny:

From 1914 to 1918, a group of five Allied heroes of unknown background fought together as the Freedom's Five. (Left-to Right) The Silver Squire, Sir Steel, the Phantom Eagle, Union Jack and the Crimson Cavalier waged war against the Germans, their allies, and their superpowered agents, such as the vampire Baron Blood.

Unfortunately, nothing more is known about the Freedom's Five; their origin has not yet been revealed, nor have any more of their exploits.

1970's Flashback: Captain Britain

Captain Britain , also briefly known as Britannic, was created by X-Men writer Chris Claremont and Incredible Hulk artist Herb Trimpe, the character first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly #1 (October 13, 1976). The character was later revamped in the mid-1980’s in stories written by acclaimed British writer Alan Moore and artist Alan Davis.

Captain Britain was meant to be the British equivalent of Captain America (who made a number of guest appearances in the original series; along with his arch-foe, The Red Skull). Endowed with extraordinary powers by the legendary magician Merlyn and his daughter Roma, Captain Britain was assigned to uphold the laws of Britain.

Brian Braddock was a shy and studious youth, living a relatively quiet life in a small town with his parents and siblings (older brother Jamie and his fraternal twin Elisabeth). After the death of his parents in an automobile accident, Brian accepted a fellowship at Darkmoore Nuclear Research Center. When the facility was attacked by the Reaver, Brian escaped on his motorcycle, seeking help. Although he soon fatally crashed on his motorcycle, Merlyn and his daughter the Omniversal Guardian Roma, resurrected Brian. They offered him the chance to become a superhero! He was asked to choose either the Amulet of Right or the Sword of Might. Considering himself to be no warrior and unsuited for the challenge, Brian rejected the Sword and chose the Amulet. This decision transformed young Brian Braddock into England’s Champion, Captain Britain.

The character has also become part of the extended X-Men family as a member of Excalibur.

Classic Cutie: Valerie Leon

British actress Valerie Leon is largely known for her appearances in various "franchise" films such as the Carry On series, and the James Bond films (she was in two, The Spy Who Loved Me & Never Say Never Again).

The buxom Brit was featured in the Hammer horror film, Blood From The Mummy's Tomb, and worked with Peter Sellers in Revenge of the Pink Panther.

Her genre television roles were equally varied in such series as The Saint, The Avengers and Space: 1999.






[Thanks Karswell!]

Profile Antics: Bill Ward

Bill Ward was one of the premiere "good girl" comics artists of the 20th century. His risque illustrations in various mens magazines could actually "draw" your attention away from the pages of nude photos - - - and that's saying something.

The talented Ward also logged some time during the golden age of comics working on Quality Comics features Captain Marvel, Bulletman, Mr. Scarlet & Ibis the Invincible, although his contribution was largely on backgrounds. He provided full art duties on select issues of Blackhawk before moving onto freelance work for another publisher and then Ward did a hitch in the Army, where he created his most famous character, Torchy.

Torchy really paved the way for Ward's latter career turn into mostly ribald, or more sexually-explicit work like, The Adventures of Pussycat, Stella Starlet, Sugar Caine & the sexual escapades of Harold Brown in Juggs men's magazine.

Bill Ward passed away in 1998.

Adventurizing for 70 years .....

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi (1907–1983). The series which first appeared in 1929, has been a favorite of readers and critics alike for over 70 years.

Set in a painstakingly researched world closely mirroring our own, The Adventures of Tintin presents a number of characters in distinctive settings. The hero of the series is a young Belgian reporter and traveller. He is aided in his adventures by his faithful dog Snowy (Milou in French). Later, additions to the cast included Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus and other colorful supporting characters.

The success of the series saw the serialized strips collected into a series of albums (23 in all), spun into a successful magazine and adapted for both film and theatre. Tintin is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, with translations published in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies of the books sold to date.

The series has long been admired for its clean, expressive drawings and its engaging, well-researched plots straddle a variety of genres: swashbuckling adventures with elements of fantasy; mysteries; political thrillers; and science fiction. The stories within the Tintin adventures always feature slapstick humor; offset later by sophisticated satire and political/cultural commentary.

Unconquered Claws

Here is a glimpse of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in next years X-Men Origins: Wolverine film which is slated for release in May 2009 (much like the newly pushed back J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie; darn it).

1970's [From the Dust Bin] Flashback: Hard John Apple

Warren Publishings venerable titles Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella all got their starts in the Swinging Sixties, but they continued to please throughout the Disco Decade of the Seventies, too. The 1979 Eerie Yearbook (regular issue #106) collected four mid-60's tales by writer Jim Stenstrum, and artists Richard Corben & Jose Ortiz that featured the amoral, freelance contract killer Hard John Apple; under the title "Hard John's Nuclear Hit Parade".

Set within a post-apocalyptic world following two religious wars that have virtually wiped out humanity, left the planet deserted and left the survivors struggling in a dog-eat-dog world, Eerie #106 presented an all-too common genre theme from those years, with one man trying to make a difference in a world that had already died aborning. I haven't had the issue in many years, but it made a a good impression on me at the time and I seem to remember Hard John going out with a real bang at the end - - - and taking the last remaining army (Russian/?) with him.

Asterix the Gaul

The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books by original writer René Goscinny and artist Albert Uderzo, however since the death of Goscinny in 1977, Uderzo has continued the series solo. The series follows the exploits of a village of ancient Gauls as they resist Roman occupation. They accomplish this by means of a magic elixir, brewed by their druid, which gives the recipient superhuman strength; which is then often used for comic effect, as in a recurring sequence where the villagers sally forth from their village to rout the attacking Romans so easily as to consider it great sport. In many cases, their resistance leads the main characters to travel to various European countries (but they've also strayed as far as Egypt, America, India and other non-European locations) in every other book, while the remaining volumes are set in and around their village.

The 33 main books or albums (one of which is a compendium of collected short stories) have been translated into more than 100 languages and dialects beyond the original French.

Being a longtime comics fan, I had heard of the series, but really only discovered its joys in the last couple of years. The artwork and tongue-in-cheek puns filtered throughout the series [predominantly evident in various character names] makes the Asterix books a delight for all ages.