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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Monday, April 4, 2005
Here's what I've been reading (and listening to) this weekend. COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1604 [F & W Publications; $5.99] weighs in at 244 pages and I just passed page 105. We're now a good number of issues into CBG's new monthly format and I'm still liking it a lot. So far, this May-dated edition has both amused and dismayed me for reasons having nothing to do with CBG itself.
The amusement derives from the reaction of comicdom's extreme GOP-heads to editorial director John Jackson Miller's latest essay. Taking his starting point from Warren Ellis' online contention that the so-called "Blue States" are more comics friendly than the "Red States," Miller examined sales in each as well as the non-political factors also in play in these regions. I thought JJM went to great lengths to be fair in looking at the evidence.
However, since his factual conclusions pretty much supported Ellis' contention, albeit not necessarily for the political reasons Ellis emphasized, those nutty GOP-heads saw, ah, red, and proceeded to attack CBG for being a bastion of evil liberalism. Naturally, there were cries for my head, for Peter David's head, and for Mark Evanier's head, this despite the fact that Mark has not written for CBG in two or three years. Yawn.
I swear...no one plays the "victim" card better than the GOP-heads. They control the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, and maybe even a majority of the media outlets. What they do not own outright, they bend to their will or, at least, intimidate to the point where George Bush and his mob get a free pass on scandal after scandal. And yet, every time things go even the tiniest bit other than they would wish, they go into a drama queen routine that would do LA CAGE AUX FOLLES proud.
I just hope that, when the tide turns, as it always does, and decency and reason are again in ascendancy in this great nation of ours, that we afford them the same kind of amusement they afford us in this hour of our discontent.
My dismay? In the CBG Fan Awards, readers voted for IDENTITY CRISIS as their favorite comics story. Apparently, a large portion of comicdom gets off on manipulative brutality and on super-heroes who commit monstrous crimes. Clearly, I need rethink my previous notions of entertainment and heroism.
Just 400 words into this column and I've probably pissed off dozens of readers. It's a good start.
******
Somehow - time does fly - I got months behind in my reading of SHONEN JUMP [Viz; $4.99], this despite the comics anthology being one of my favorites. In between reading CBG's many fine articles, columns, and reviews, I'm also trying to catch up on Yuyu Hakusho, Shaman King, Naruto, and the rest. This could take a while because six issues of SHONEN JUMP add up to 1800 pages of manga. I don't think there's a better value in comics.
******
When reading and writing start to take their toll on my aging eyes, I dim the lights and put in one of the 10 CDs that comprise the MASKED MARVELS boxed set [Radio Spirits; $39.98]. It features 10 hours and 25 episodes of digitally restored and remastered radio adventure with a cast of heroes that includes the Shadow, the Lone Ranger, the Green Lama, the Green Hornet, and the Superman-Batman team. Included with the set is a 32-page booklet written by my pal ANTHONY TOLLIN and packed with facts about these shows. It'll be a while before I finish listening to the set and write my official review, but I think we're looking at five Tonys here.
That's what I'm reading and listening to these days.
How about you?
******
GALLIFREYAN GAZETTE
Regional newsletters don't come much better than the Whoosier Network's GALLIFREYAN GAZETTE. Although the latest issue - #214 - is inexplicably dated "January, 2004" on its front page, editor and publisher Mark C. Dooley does a spiffy job of combing the Internet for and compiling news on such fan favorites as DOCTOR WHO, BABYLON 5, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, and other television shows and movies. Then, probably using the same sort of space-time distortion powers which allows an issue published a year ago to feature the latest news from 2005, he crams it into 12 pages. Which includes photos and a full page of his MARK AND DEE comic. The only explanation which makes sense is that the GG is actually the print equivalent of a Tardis.
(Actually, the correct "March, 2005" date *does* appear on the issue's cover, but I couldn't resist needling my buddy Mark...and I wanted to use the Tardis joke.)
Subscriptions to THE GAZETTE (12 semi-monthly issues) are $17 in the USA, $20 in Canada, and $22 everywhere else. Send check or money order payable to Mark C. Dooley at:
THE GALLIFREYAN GAZETTE
c/o Mark C. Dooley
2817 22nd Street
Columbus, IN 47201
On our scale of zero to five - see the handy chart provided on the right side of this page - THE GALLIFREYAN GAZETTE earns itself a distinguished four Tonys.
******
ODDLY NORMAL
Otis Frampton's ODDLY NORMAL [Viper Comics] is another one of those comic books I want to like so much more than I do. It's the coming-of-age story of an unusual girl with an unfortunate name and the luck to go with it.
Oddly Normal - that's her name - is ten years old with green hair and pointed ears. Her father is an ordinary decent sort of a fellow while her mother is a witch and was formerly a reporter from the other-dimensional realm of Fignation. They fell in love, got married, and gave birth to Oddly. As you can imagine, life is not at all easy for a young girl who stands out from the middle school crowd so dramatically.
Frampton's characters are pleasant. He introduces them both quickly and well, then brings Oddly to a point of frustration where she makes an ill-considered wish that comes true...thus setting the stage for the remaining three issues in the series.
Frampton's writing and art are equally pleasant. The captions and dialogue read smoothly. The art moves the story along in clear fashion. But he never quite sweeps me into this first issue before the "to be continued" on the last page. It's a pleasant comic, but it lacks intensity and weight.
This first issue is designated a "con exclusive" on the cover. On the Viper Comics website [www.vipercomics.com], it sells for $5 with the regular first issue selling for $3. The latter is a fair price in today's marketplace.
I'm sure some readers will like ODDLY NORMAL #1 better than I did. This doesn't surprise me; it's a perfectly okay comic. Which is why it gets a perfectly respectable three Tonys.
******
TONY'S MAILBOX
Digging deep into my e-mailbox, I have this note - sent to me last July - from LEE BENAKA:
I greatly enjoy your column at WORLD FAMOUS COMICS and check the site for updates almost every day. I noted with interest the mentions of original comic art in your column. I have a small collection of comic art and am lucky to own three pages from GHOST RIDER #12, which you wrote. That was a great story, and the art by Frank Robbins was very nice as well, though I'm slightly surprised Herb Trimpe didn't pencil it since the Phantom Eagle was featured. You can see the pages here, if you wish:
www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=1778
I've always been amused by a typo that appears in the second panel on page 23, where the Ghost Rider exclaims:
"Murderer? That's great, fella. You hassle that old geezer for sixty years 'cause you're a poor looser?"
I can't imagine you were responsible for the error, but do you remember noticing it? I don't recall seeing too many spelling errors in the 1970s Marvels, and I'm not sure who had proofreading responsibilities at that time. When I was a Marvel intern in 1990, Jack Abel had that responsibility. Anyway, I just wanted to say I enjoyed your work then and enjoy it now.
Thanks for bringing back fond memories, Lee. Working with the great Frank Robbins was one of the highlights of my Marvel career. He was a good guy, a knowledgeable man, an amazing storyteller, and one of the most dependable artists ever.
"Phantom of the Killer Skies" was originally written for Herb Trimpe, but, for reasons I don't recall, he wasn't able to fit it into his schedule at the time it was needed. It was my great good fortune that Frank Robbins was available.
As for the spelling mistake, well, I can't recall if that was a typo in my script or a lettering error. I do contend it was the kind of error which wouldn't have been missed when Roy Thomas was editor. He was a bear for proofreading and the comics were better for that. We knew if we missed something, Roy would call us on the carpet and deservedly so. His standards were high.
I have much love and respect for some of the editors following Roy's time in the top spot, but Marvel just wasn't the same after his departure. The cover of GHOST RIDER #12 is a particular sore point with me because that sexy blonde appears nowhere in the story itself and the editor knew that. I thought then and now that the sexist cliche was dishonest.
Anyway, though I may well have made the "looser" typo in the script for GHOST RIDER #12, I wouldn't have been the proofreader of the issue. I would have been making my own dumb mistakes as editor of various Marvel black-and-white mags like MONSTERS UNLEASHED and TALES OF THE ZOMBIE.
Thanks for sharing the original art with us, Lee, and also for giving me another opportunity to wax nostalgic about a exciting and happy time in my life.
******
TONY POLLS
Today is your last full day to vote on our current TONY POLLS questions. We have the semi-finalists in our "who should be Wonder Woman" competition for you to choose from, as well as the nominees for the Hugo Awards in "Best Dramatic Presentation" long and short forms...and the usual "what should Tony review" questions. To cast your ballots, go to:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
I'll be posting new poll questions on Tuesday with the final voting in the Wonder Woman category being the first and foremost of them. The excitement builds as the top five or six finalists go up against a new contestant...the Unknown Actress!
******
In the April 2 edition of this column, I wrote:
"One thing Jack Kirby's late 1950s covers show is... he really could draw striking women. This time around, for the cover of HOUSE OF SECRETS #3 [March-April, 1957], he draws the legendary queen of the Nile or a reasonable facsimile thereof."
To which ANDREW LAUBACHER responded:
More of an unreasonable facsimile as far as the colorist goes, though. You would think that even in the 1950s someone would have realized Cleopatra would never have been a fair-skinned blonde, wouldn't you? Eh, whatcha gonna do?
Thanks for the keen observation, Andrew, and thanks to all of you for spending a part of your day with me.
I'll be back soon with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 04/03/2005 | 04/04/2005 | 04/05/2005 >>
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
Please send material you would like me to review to:
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