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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, June 13, 2005
Superman made his debut in ACTION COMICS #1 [June, 1938] and we've been celebrating that anniversary all week long here at TOT Central. We're at ACTION COMICS #364 [June, 1968] and its gripping "medical crisis" cover by Neal Adams, who, a few years earlier, had been drawing the BEN CASEY newspaper strip. Mort Weisinger was the editor of this issue, but the presence of another editorial hand is quite evident as well.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Superman is "The Untouchable of Metropolis" in this thriller, the middle chapter of a three-issue serial. The Man of Steel has been infected with Virus X, a Kryptonian form of leprosy recreated by Lex Luthor from his prison laboratory. Supes is dying, but he's trying to go out fighting crime in a containment suit. Leo Dorfman is the writer with Ross Andru (penciller) and Mike Esposito (inker) providing what I remember as very exciting art, not unlike that to be found in the Marvel Comics titles I preferred.
The other editorial hand I mentioned would belong to E. Nelson Bridwell, one of the most knowledgeable editors DC Comics ever had and not merely knowledgeable about comics. I didn't work with him for long - just six months or so in 1976 - but I don't think there was anything he didn't know. Some publishers have encyclopedias in their offices; DC had Nelson Bridwell.
"Virus X" figured prominently in "The Last Days of Superman," a favorite of mine from SUPERMAN #156 [October, 1962], though the actual virus didn't appear in the story. Superman just erroneously believed he had contracted the disease; he was really dying from a concealed chunk of kryptonite. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that it was Nelson who came up with the notion of using the name for the leprosy that infects Superman in 1968.
"Dollars to doughnuts" is a phrase I use when I'm getting my Silver Age on. Try not to mock me for using it.
There's more. When the danger of infecting others becomes too great, Superman shoots himself into space and towards "the hottest sun in the universe." He figures he'll die in space with that sun destroying the disease he carries. But, before he goes out like a Viking, Superman makes out a will...and two items in that will have to be pure Nelson.
Superman leaves Jimmy Olsen souvenirs from shared adventures, as well as a special Superman-made sports car. He leaves Lois Lane a string of priceless pearls which he's collected for her over the years. Here's that Bridwell touch:
Superman was building Jimmy's sports car and collecting those pearls in "The Super-Key to Fort Superman," the ACTION COMICS #241 tale from 1958 which was the subject of Saturday's TOT. It's not a big deal, but it's a nice add-on for fans who read and remember the earlier story.
"The Untouchable of Metropolis" ends with Superman heading for the sun which will destroy him and his disease. Since I don't want to leave you hanging and since the SPOILER WARNING is still active, I'll let you know Superman doesn't die in the next issue. The sun's heat eradicates the Virus X from his body, curing him to continue doing his noble work for truth, justice, and the idealized American way. What a terrific serial!
ACTION #364 also featured Supergirl in "The Kiss of Death" by Dorfman and artist Kurt Schaffenberger. Despite my clear memories of the Superman story, I don't recall anything about the Supergirl tale. I'm guessing it involved kissing and dying. Maybe Supergirl contracted Kryptonian halitosis or something.
Our salute to Superman will continue, though I can't guarantee my recollection of the stories yet to come.
******
BONUS NOSTALGIA
SCOTT SHAW wrote about "The Untouchable of Metropolis" almost five years ago in his great ODDBALL COMICS column. You can still read his December 8, 2000 column by going here:
www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/archive.cgi
Be warned...with over 1000 columns archived, not to mention a new installment every week, ODDBALL COMICS could be the nostalgia equivalent of the Hotel California.
******
COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE
Batman is the cover-feature for August's COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1607 [F&W Publications; $5.99], which arrived at Casa Isabella a few days ago. The issue also features an interview with Star Wars cover artist Dave Dorman, a preview of Comic-Con International, the debut of a new column by Beau Smith, and the continuing columns of Andrew "Captain Comics" Smith, John Jackson Miller, Heidi McDonald, Craig "Mr. Silver Age" Shutt, Peter David, and others.
Yours truly is represented by my "Tony's Tips" column, a few reviews scattered throughout the issue, and my monthly "Tony's Back Page" feature which seeks to regal readers with tales from my long and occasionally humorous career. This time, it's the penultimate installment of the saga of my pre-career rejections.
If you'd like to support *this* daily online column and fear becoming addicted to donating dollars via our TIP THE TIPSTER link elsewhere on this page, another way to do it is to buy books, comic books, and magazines which print my writings. CBG has been one of my few steady accounts over the years and, the healthier they are, the better the chance of my continued employment with the magazine. Not to mention the possibility of other projects with CBG's parent company...to which I quickly add that a) CBG's new format is doing quite well, even better than expected, and b) there are no present "other projects" in anything other than the very earliest "wouldn't it be fun" talking stages.
Buying CBG helps keep TOT going. Donating via PayPal is even better. Don't force me to start selling videos of myself over the Internet. Think of the children.
******
COMICS IN THE COMICS
With apologies to Lewis Black...
When comic books, comics references, or self-referential humor appear in newspaper comic strips and panels, we try to catch them for a segment we call COMICS IN THE COMICS.
Pat Brady's ROSE IS ROSE strip for May 22 is self-explanatory, save that husband Jimbo has been shown in the past to have been an avid comics reader and customer of his friendly neighborhood comics shop. His son Pasquale also reads comic books.
A few days after the above strip ran, at the 59th annual National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards in Scottsdale, Arizona, Brady was named the Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. It's the Society's highest honor.
For this year's other winners, check out the official NATIONAL CARTOONIST SOCIETY website at:
www.reuben.org
******
TONY POLLS
Today is your last full day to vote on this week's TONY POLLS questions. We're asking you to check out the nominees for the 21st annual TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION and choose your favorite in each of 11 categories. The questions remain active until sometime after midnight. You can cast your ballots at:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
Previously, we asked you to vote on comics-related vacations. Here are the final results of those votes.
If you could go on vacation to any of these comics-related places or events, which would you choose?
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL (San Diego).....36.78%
Superman Museum (Metropolis, IL).....12.64%
Walt Disney World (Orlando, FL).....6.90%
Charles M. Schulz Museum (Santa Rosa, CA).....6.32%
International Comics Festival (Angouleme, France).....5.75%
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (Orlando).....5.75%
Comic Expo (Bristol, England).....4.02%
Frank Frazetta Museum (East Stroudsburg, PA).....4.02%
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (New York City).....4.02%
Mile High Comics (Denver, CO).....2.87%
Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.).....2.30%
Cartoon Art Museum (San Francisco).....1.72%
Frankfurt Book Fair (Germany).....1.72%
OSU Cartoon Research Library (Columbus, OH).....1.15%
Raptus International Comics Festival (Norway).....1.15%
Camp Snoopy (Minneapolis).....0.57%
Heritage Comics (Dallas, TX).....0.57%
Lucca Comics Festival (Italy).....0.57%
MSU Comic Collection (Lansing, MI).....0.57%
Other.....0.57%
If my finances and health permitted it, I would be at Comic-Con International every year. With the same "if"s, I'd visit the Universal Studios Islands of Adventure every year because, for the comics and cartoon fan, it's much cooler than nearby Disney World. But, because I thoroughly enjoyed my one brief visit to England a decade or so ago and because I have so many dear friends across the ocean, I cast my vote for the BRISTOL COMIX EXPO. If only someone would send this poor boy to comix camp.
If you could go on vacation to any one of these DC Universe places, which would you choose?
PARADISE ISLAND.....18.99%
Superman's Fortress of Solitude.....14.53%
JLA Watchtower.....12.85%
Bottle City of Kandor.....10.61%
Flash Museum (Central City).....8.38%
Rann.....5.59%
Bizarro World....5.03%
New Genesis.....5.03%
Batman's Bat Cave.....3.91%
Dinosaur Island (War That Time Forgot).....2.79%
Space Museum (in the future).....2.79%
Daily Planet (Metropolis).....2.33%
Blackhawk Island.....1.68%
Titans Tower (San Francisco).....1.68%
Smallville.....1.12%
Gorilla City.....0.56%
Happy Harbor (the original JLA HQ).....0.56%
Thanagar.....0.56%
Belle Reve Prison.....0%
Other.....1.12%
I had voter's remorse mere moments after casting my ballot for SMALLVILLE. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy relaxing on, say, the Kent farm. It's that I could drive about ten minutes and find the same setting in my real-world neck of the woods. As best as I can recollect, I was feeling low that day and seeking relief from the rancorous totalitarism of the Bushies.
In retrospect, Dinosaur Island would have made for an exciting vacation. Paradise Island would have been fun, too, but I'd have to keep a beach towel on my lap at all times.
If you could go on vacation to one of these Marvel Universe places, which one would you choose?
ASGARD.....20.90%
Baxter Building.....20.34%
Blue Area of the Moon.....10.17%
Avengers Mansion.....9.60%
Xavier School.....8.47%
Savage Land.....7.34%
Wakanda.....6.78%
Monster Isle.....3.95%
Nexus of All Realities.....3.95%
Atlantis.....2.26%
SHIELD Helicarrier.....2.26%
K'un-L'un.....1.13%
Daily Bugle Building.....0.56%
Latveria.....0.56%
Skrull Homeworld.....0.56%
Wundagore Mountain.....0.56%
Gamma Base.....0%
Madripoor.....0%
New Attilan.....0%
Other.....0.56%
WAKANDA was the easy choice for me. It has your "big-as-all-outdoors" jungle fun *and* your incredibly high tech fun!
Truth be told, though, I would have had a tough time picking one of the other choices after eliminating the places where I could bump into a wrong button and cause a personal, global, or universal catastrophe...and the places where I would certainly get beat down in a barroom brawl or worse...and the places where I would stand an above-average chance of getting eaten.
The Marvel Universe is mostly not harmless.
If you could go on vacation to one of these comic book or comic strip places, which one would you choose?
ASTRO CITY.....35.63%
Duckburg (Donald Duck).....13.22%
Riverdale (Archie).....8.62%
North Am (Magnus Robot Fighter).....5.17%
The Valley (Bone).....5.17%
Mongo (Flash Gordon).....4.60%
Deep Woods (The Phantom).....4.02%
Sin City.....3.45%
Beanworld.....2.87%
Central City (The Spirit).....2.87%
Gasoline Alley.....2.30%
Okefenokee Swamp (Pogo)....2.30%
Palomar (Love and Rockets).....2.30%
Planet Smoo (Akiko).....2.30%
Mega-City One (Judge Dredd).....1.72%
Fear City (Deadbeats; Soulsearchers).....1.15%
Moo (Alley Oop).....0.57%
Camp Swampy (Beetle Bailey).....0%
Cursed Earth (Judge Dredd).....0%
Other.....1.72%
THE DEEP WOODS was another easy choice for me. So many cool sights to see and, when I would feel the need for a more scholarly pursuit, there's the Phantom Chronicles with its centuries of tales of courage in the cause of justice.
I did consider Duckburg, but the realization that the hottest date in town would be Magica DeSpell was a turnoff. I also gave a thought to Riverdale, but gazing on the likes of Betty, Veronica, Midge and Cheryl would make me feel like a dirty old man. In the case of Midge, that would likely be amended to "a dirty old man in traction." Sigh.
I received some interesting e-mails on the above questions and will be running them tomorrow. Until then, thanks for spending a part of your day with me. See you soon.
Tony Isabella
<< 06/12/2005 | 06/13/2005 | 06/14/2005 >>
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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