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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 Saturday, May 7, 2005
Today is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, the national holiday of comics fans and the comics industry. Many - perhaps most - comics stores will be giving away free comic books, both those prepared by comics publishers for this day and those from the stores' own inventories. Some shops even host comics creators and offer other fun activities for their current and hoped-for new customers. It's a terrific way to promote comics.
Alas, "America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer and Columnist" will not be taking an active role in this year's celebration. The press of family and work obligations will keep me away from comics shops on this special day. Sigh.
After the first FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, I reviewed each and every one of the giveaway publications prepared for the event. It took two or three columns.
Because of the great response I received from those columns, I was going to do the same thing last year. That didn't work out. I still feel guilty about the dozens of unread giveaways sitting in a box in the chaos which is my office.
This year, I didn't even make arrangements for getting all the free comics. I knew I would not be able to read and review them in a timely fashion. Double sigh.
So, here I sit, less than 24 hours before comicdom's big day, feeling pretty darn sulky about not doing my bit. I really hope to do much better next year.
One thing I *can* do this year is direct you to an incredible online collection of comics stories from the 1940s. Bill Nolan's PRESCRIPTION FOR EXCITEMENT can be found at:
home.comcast.net/~pfeonline
Nolan has lovingly scanned and posted over a hundred stories, most of them featuring super-heroes, at his website. He believes all of these stories are in the public domain and, considering that the publishers have all been out of business for half a century or more, I'm inclined to agree with him.
Some of these stories are good, some are awful, some are so awful as to be good entertainment, and some are just so deliciously wacky that I'm tempted to write new stories with the super-heroes featured therein. The most recent of the last category to seize my imagination was "Lynx and Blackie the Mystery Boy," reprinted from MYSTERY MAN COMICS #21 [April, 1941].
What got me was this splash page caption:
THE LYNX is a fighter of crime, foe of vicious racketeers, endowed by a famous biologist with tremendous energy to overcome all obstacles! His life work is to free America from the grip of rackets! Like a lynx, he pounces on criminals...
LIKE A LYNX, HE POUNCES ON CRIMINALS?!
Holy cow! I never realized law enforcement had such allies in the animal kingdom! Why haven't we equipped our police departments with legions of these furry fighters for good?
Sometimes it only takes a goofy line like that to win me over. I could have so much fun writing the Lynx and his mysterious boy, who, at least in this reprinted story, didn't seem to have civilian names or, for that matter, any lives outside of sitting at home *IN THEIR COSTUMES* and waiting for crimes to happen in their own front yard. Is that pathetic or what?
There is a dearth of Lynx and Blackie information to be found online. They first appeared in Victor Fox's MYSTERY MAN COMICS #13 [August, 1940]. Fox was probably best known for hiring the young Will Eisner to create a Superman copy (Wonderman) and subsequently getting his ass kicked in court when DC sued him for the imitation. There was never a second Wonderman story.
However, DC has overreaching when it declared Lynx and Blackie imitations of Batman and Robin. Even so, two years later, DC won that lawsuit as well. The court awarded DC damages to the tune of $2,000, but, by that time, Fox Publications had been in bankruptcy for several months.
The above information - to give credit where it's due - comes from Jon Berk's amazing article - "The Weird Wonder(ous) World of Victor Fox's Fantastic Mystery Men" - which can be found online at the equally amazing COMICARTVILLE:
www.comicartville.com/victorfox.htm
The only other Lynx information I was able to find is that his first name was "Jim" and also that he was apparently killed off in an issue of Bill Black's FEMFORCE.
Ah, Lynx! Ah, Blackie! We hardly knew ye!
With visions of FREE COMIC BOOK DAY dancing in my aging head, I'm determined to participate in next year's event. If there's any comics shop - in my neck of the woods or elsewhere in the country - which would like me to be part of their 2006 festivities, e-mail me and we can start making plans.
THE 2003 TONY ISABELLA FAREWELL TOUR was such a success that it's time to start planning another one for 2006. My Sainted Wife Barb is really tired of my never leaving the house.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 05/06/2005 | 05/07/2005 | 05/08/2005 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
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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:
Tony's Online Tips
840 Damon Drive
Medina, OH 44256
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