Matt Tauber

THE YEAR IN CANIFF

2009-12-07T15:01:00.032-05:00

2009 was a great time to be a fan of Milton Caniff, the man best known for his comic strips Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon. New books, DVDs and an ongoing web presence are an amazing feat for an artist who departed this plane over 20 years ago. The name, spirit and life's work of Milton Caniff are alive and well. While I think we'll never top Caniff centennial of 2007, this was still a huge year for Caniffites -

NEW RELEASES

The Complete Terry & the Pirates: Volume 6 was released early in the year, ending the reprinting of Milton Caniff's run of 'Terry' in its entirety. Aviation buffs take note - the 1945 strips focus primarily on air actions involving Terry, Hotshot Charlie and Flip Corkin. Then in 1946, the war ends for the world, but there are plenty of new intrigues for Terry Lee and Hotshot in postwar China. Just a reader's note: if you're new to these stories and want to be surprised, save the detailed text pieces that appear in the front of the book at the end.

Steve Canyon: 1955 came out from Checker BPG, and it's an exciting change. They switched from the standard trade paperback format to a new square format. The big knock against the Checker reprints thus far (1947-54) has been the reprint size of the strips - 6" x 1 5/8". Now they have a little more breathing room at 8" x 2 3/8". The 1956 volume was due out in September, but has yet to be released. I'm actually concerned about Checker as their website is down and I haven't noticed any recent releases. Anybody with a line on Checker's status, please let me know.

Volume 2 of Steve Canyon on DVD The 1958-59 TV series is being painstakingly restored and converted to digital by John Ellis and his loyal minions from the original films. The show is being released in three sets. Volume 2 includes episodes 13 - 24 of the TV series, as well as guest commentary tracks from aviation experts and guest stars from the show (like Richard Anderson). They are now taking pre-orders for Volume 3, due in 2010. I can't stress enough what a labor of love this has been for Ellis and his desire to put together the most comprehensive, quality product possible. Visit him today at the Steve Canyon DVD website.

ON THE WEB

Daily reprints of Steve Canyon and weekly reprints of Male Call are hosted by Dan Thompson at RipHaywire.com.

Doug Drexler continues his reprinting of the "Eel Island" story from 'Steve Canyon' over at Drex Files.

IN THE NEWS

The National Aviation Hall of Fame inducted its class of 2009 at an Enshrinement Ceremony on July 18th in Dayton, Ohio. The Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award was presented to the Apollo astronaut crews at the NAHF President's Reception and Dinner. Twelve of the surviving Apollo astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernanand Gene Lovell, were there to accept the award. July 20th was the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The Spirit of Flight has been awarded every year since 1981. Many of the Apollo astronauts are already enshrinees of the Hall as individuals.

The Cartoon Research Library at the Ohio State University went through many changes. First, they received the contents of the International Museum of Cartoon Art (IMCA). The IMCA had been created by Mort Walker of Beetle Bailey fame and the collection had been rendered homeless after losing financial backing in 2002, with the contents stuck in storage ever since. Second, they received a $1 million donation from Jean Schulz, widow of Charles Schulz, as well the challenge of a matching gift of $2.5 million. Third, they received a $7 million gift from the elizabeth Ireland Graves Foundation in memory of Billy Ireland. Ireland was a cartoonist for the Columbus Dispatch and a mentor/boss to Milton Caniff. The Library is using these gifts for a major expansion. The name has also expanded to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Research Library and Museum. Not bad for a library that started when the contents from Caniff's childhood home were donated and stored in two classrooms in the journalism building!

We recently reported on the death of Shel Dorf. Dorf was letterer of the 'Steve Canyon' comic strip from 1975 until the strip's end (shortly after Caniff's death) in 1988. Dorf was key to the production of 'Canyon', as lettering came before the pictures in Caniff's strips. Caniff would write it in Palm Springs (later New York) and then dictate the strips over the phone to Dorf in San Diego, who would letter them and then mail them off to Dick Rockwell. Rockwell would do the rough pencilling and then send it off to Caniff for changes and finishes. I wrote more about Dorf and Caniff here.

Billy Ireland drawing by Milton Caniff
Shel Dorf photo by Alan Light

MATT'S MUSIC REPORT

2009-12-02T09:15:00.024-05:00

Recent Releases of Note

Beatles - entire catalogue*

Adrian Belew Power Trio - e (available at Belew's website

Johnny Cash - A Heartbeat and a Guitar [book]

Johnny Cash - I See a Darkness [graphic novel]

Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Elvis Costello - Live at the El Mocambo [reissue]

Elvis Costello - Spectacle [TV DVD set]

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Demos

Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart

Jay Farrar/Ben Gibbard - One Fast Move Or I’m Gone

Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky

Genesis - The Movie Box 1981-2007 [5 DVD]

Nanci Griffith - The Loving Kind

George Harrison - Let It Roll [compilation]

Jayhawks - Music from the North Country

Paul McCartney - Good Evening, New York City [CD/DVD]

Willie Nelson - American Classic

Willie Nelson - Lost Highway

Willie Nelson - Special w/Ray Charles [DVD]

Randy Newman - The Princess and the Frog [sndtrk]

Tom Petty - Live Anthology [4 CD set]

Frank Sinatra - New York [4 CD/1 DVD box set]

Son Volt - American Central Dust

Regina Spektor - Far**

Bruce Springsteen - “Wrecking Ball” [iTunes single]

They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science!

Loudon Wainwright III - High Wide & Handsome: the Charlie Poole Project [2-disc]

Wilco - Wilco (the album)

“Weird Al” Yankovic - Internet Leaks [iTunes EP]

“Weird Al” Yankovic - Essential [2-disc compilation]

Neil Young - Neil Young Archives,Vol.1***

*The complete original UK Beatles catalogue has been remastered for CD. The remasters are in stereo and each album will be available individually, with the previously separate ‘Past Masters’ discs (which collected the non-LP tracks) combined as one set. The stereo albums (16 discs) are also available as a box set. The albums that were originally mixed for mono (‘Please Please Me’ through ‘The White Album’) will make up a remastered mono box, are not available individually.

** Includes 5 tracks produced by Jeff Lynne.

***The archives project, announced about 15 years ago, is finally here! It’s available in multiple formats: 10-discs on Blu-Ray with Book, 10-discs on DVD with Book, 8-discs on CD with booklet. The advantage of the Blu-Ray ($300) and DVD ($200) sets is that they will have both audio and video content. Also, with Blu-Ray you will be able to download new content as it becomes available. The CD ($100) set just has the music and no book, which is just fine with me. All the discs, and the book, can be purchased separately of the box sets.

Upcoming Releases

Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back [2/15]

Ringo Starr - Y Not [1/12]

Watson Twins - Talking to You, Talking to Me [2/9]

On Tour in the Tri-State

Abbey Road on the River - Louisville – 5/27 – 5/31

Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart - Columbus, IN – 2/27; Kent - 3/6

Jim Gaffigan - Columbus – 2/27

Magnetic Fields - Bloomington – 3/5

Manhattan Transfer - Vincennes – 3/6

Poco - Cincinnati – 2/27

Star Wars: in Concert - Cincinnati – 12/11; Indianapolis – 12/12

Reviews

Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart (Columbia) - If you like Bob Dylan's voice (and who doesn't), but wished he would make a straightforward, Andy Williams-style Christmas album, then this CD is for you! Crooning his way through a set of Christmas standards, this is Dylan as you've never heard him before. Personally, I really like it. The songs start in earnest with slick production and Welk-esque backing singers, then Bob croaks his way in. It brings a smile to my face every time.

Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky (Sub Pop) - As with it's predecessor, this song collection from Season 2 of their HBO series mostly falters without the visuals and the context of the show. The packaging, however, is a thing of beauty that recalls the LPs of long ago. A die-cut tri-fold with a 70s-ish illustration as the cover. Inside, the CD has it's own inner sleeve and it comes with a fold-out poster of the album cover art. Alas, the interior picture, a live shot of the duo in concert, only makes you wish you had more of their live debut EP, a form where they excel.

Willie Nelson - Lost Highway (Lost Highway) - If you were a 76-year old living legend, the last thing folks expect you to do is tour 2/3 of the year and release four albums...unless you're Willie Nelson. Only two of this year's releases are new material, the Texas swing of 'Willie & the Wheel' and the songbook-mining of 'American Classic'. 'Naked Willie' took This collection is a compilation of his past six years on the Lost Highway label, with plenty of goodies to entice completists to buy the songs again. Like Willie's albums, the collection is a mixed bag of mainstream country, alt.country, Western swing, live cuts and even reggae. As for the goodies, there's three previously unreleased songs and his duet hit with Toby Keith - "Beer for My Horses".

They Might Be Giants - Here Comes Science! (Disney Sound) - Continuing their lucrative association with Disney, TMBG brings us the latest in goofy but educational albums and their fourth bona fide children's record. They once explored children's music as a goof, a la 1994's "Why Does the Sun Shine?", a remake from a 1959 album of science-based children's songs. Fifteen years later they go all the way with their own science record, paying homage to their earlier foray with a faster version, but following it up with "Why Does the Sun Really Shine?", drawing on a half-century of expanded knowledge. The rest runs the gamut of astronomy, biology, physics, paleontology and chemistry. This is aimed at older kids than the previous two Disney Sound releases. Yours truly, still a kid, after all, can't stop dancing along to "Electric Car". Like 'Here Come the ABCs' and 'the 123s', 'Science' includes a DVD with videos of the songs.

NOW IN OUR 3RD YEAR!

2009-11-25T09:03:00.015-05:00

The second anniversary of this blog on November 9th almost passed unnoticed. Strange that I would pass up an opportunity to pat myself on the back. I've really enjoyed blogging this past year and even though I don't have many readers, I enjoy the creative outlet and I'm proud of the work that goes into these posts (i.e., I try not to half-ass it). Here are some personal highlights -

The posts I'm happiest about are the ones dealing with Milton Caniff. He's the reason I started the blog in the first place. There's not enough Caniff to blog about every week, but I've managed to do about a fourth of my posts about his work. Two of my coups last year were interviews. Dean Mullaney was the editor of The Complete Terry & the Pirates series which ended this year. In addition to Dick Tracy, he's taken on Rip Kirby by Caniff pal Alex Raymond. Lucy Shelton Caswell is the curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Research Library and Museum. Since our interview, the library has gone through many changes, the most recent of which is the addition of Ireland's name. The estate for Ireland, who was Caniff's mentor, has made a generous donation of $7 million, and plans are apace to expand the library on campus.

My favorite post of the year was detailing my adventures in Chillicothe tracking down Noel Sickles' sites with my son Noah in tow. It's the most satisfying, personally, and the one I've had the most compliments on. Even folks who normally have no idea what I'm talking about liked it. I hope to get back there sometime. Here are part one and part two.

I don't like to get political on the blog as there are plenty of other forums for that. Using historical inaccuracy to advance an agenda does draw my ire. I think I'm the only one to expose the Obama inaugural train hoax in which the press went overboard trying to compare the new president to Abraham Lincoln.

Another project I've really enjoyed is presenting, strip by strip, a complete Sunday comics section from May 29, 1966. The 1/3 and 1/2 page sizes of the strips make the Sunday funnies of today dinky and miserable. I'd like to think, even in their reduced state, that the comics are still a big selling point for newspapers. I'm only about a third of the way through as they used to print 8 pages of funnies!

My most-read post this year was my overview of George Harrison compilation albums. Thanks to a link from a Dylan fan site (which I've forgotten), I received hundreds of hits. Sadly, a big chunk of my traffic is courtesy of Google Images and not the actual content of the blog (people love Julie Bowen!). Thanks to everyone who subscribes, follows and checks in on a regular basis. I'm gratified by those of you who found it and stuck with me. My only wish is that more of you leave comments so I know that you're out there!

PAUL MCCARTNEY LIVE ALBUMS IN REVIEW, 1990 - present

2009-11-19T14:03:00.023-05:00

This week, Paul McCartney released 'Good Evening, New York City', a 2 CD/1 DVD live package from his concerts at Citi Field in New York this past July. It interested me that in his 40 year solo career, he had one live album in the first 20 years, and this is his fourth live album in the latter 20. For the purpose of this review, I'm only including albums made from his live tours, as opposed to one-off projects like MTV's "Unplugged", the 'Live in Red Square' DVD or last year's Grammy-nominated 'Amoeba's Secret' EP.

Since the 1989-90 world tour, McCartney has made a habit of releasing a document of his tours, either via album or video or both. 'Tripping the Live Fantastic', the 3-LP or 2-CD set, was a big deal in 1990. McCartney hadn't released any live album since 'Wings Over America' in 1976, and while that live album consciously avoided Beatles material, by this time McCartney was comfortable with performing material from his entire career. In fact, the set list would set the tone for his future tours, with the song choices going heavier on the Beatle material than the solo work. 'Tripping' is about 60/40, with the solo material comprised generously of songs from his latest album, 'Flowers in the Dirt', which was seen as a comeback from his mid-'80s nadir, 'Press to Play' and the flop film 'Give My Regards to Broad Street'. The tour band included Hamish Stuart (guitar/bass), Robbie McIntosh (lead guitar), Wix Wickens (keyboards), Chris Whitten (drums) and Linda McCartney (keyboards). There was also a concert film, 'Get Back', the last film directed by Richard Lester of A Hard Day's Night.

Paul is Live was released just three years later after Paul went back on the road in a couple of years to support his album, 'Off the Ground'. The band lineup was the same, except for Blair Cunningham replacing Whitten on drums. The Beatles/solo ratio is about even, with half the solo selection from the new record. It works as a great companion to 'Tripping', as there is only one repeat songs - "Live and Let Die", a McCartney concert staple that has appeared on every live album he's done. The 'Paul is Live' cover itself is a cheeky doctored duplicate of the Beatles' 'Abbey Road' cover that fueled the "Paul is dead" rumors of the 60s/70s.

Back in the U.S.: Live 2002 finds Paul on his first major tour following the death of his wife Linda. He's assembled a new band of Rusty Anderson (guitar), Brian Ray (guitar) and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (drums). Wickens was back with his keyboard wizardry, replicating and standing in for the multitude of backing instruments for which the Beatles became known. The Beatles vs. solo ratio reverts to 60/40, with only three songs from his latest album, 'Driving Rain', presented together in a lump near the top of the show.

There was no album for his '05 'US' tour, played with the same band lineup, but there was a DVD release - The Space Within US. 2/3 of the show was different from 'Back in the U.S.', including four songs from his latest album, 'Chaos & Creation in the Backyard'.

Good Evening New York City. So, is this new collection different enough? I think so. While half the tracks match its '02 predecessor, the balance is an interesting mix of tracks worth the price of admission. For those who need to hear the concert staples, there's "Band on the Run", "Hey Jude", "Let It Be", etc. For those tired of the staples, there's a lot to like, including "Mrs. Vandebilt" (an album cut from 'Band on the Run'), two songs from 1997's 'Flaming Pie', and Beatle masterpiece "A Day in the Life". As a nod to the present, there are two strong songs apiece from his recent albums 'Memory Almost Full' and 'Electric Arguments'. The lesser known material makes up the bulk of disc one, while disc two is all Beatles, save for "Live and Let Die", which has made it onto every live disc yet.

I think I'm in the minority, but personally I'd like to see more of the solo stuff. His prolific output from 1976-96 is only represented by one song. Some of his major hits haven't been touched on any of the above albums - "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", "With a Little Luck" and "Goodnight Tonight" to name a few. Maybe we'll hear them on future tours and future live albums. He's only 67, after all.

SHEL DORF, 1933 - 2009

2009-11-13T14:05:00.018-05:00

Shel Dorf presenting the Inkpot Award to Milton Caniff, San Diego, 1982 (photo by Alan Light)

News spread quickly in the past two weeks about the death of Shel Dorf on November 3rd after a long illness. There have been several obituaries on Dorf, some remembrances from friends like Mark Evanier and R.C. Harvey, and a special tribute site. The press obits all focus on Dorf's role as a founder of San Diego Comic-Con, the largest comics convention in the world. I'd like to spotlight Dorf's relationship with Milton Caniff.

Masthead of Dorf's editorial column from 'Steve Canyon Magazine'

Shel Dorf lived every fan's dream. Growing up, he read, clipped, collected and marveled at comic strips. "Why are you clipping out comic strips?" asked his concerned mother, "You don't see other people doing that." He went further by sending fan mail to cartoonists and establishing friendships with his heroes. One of those he admired most was Milton Caniff, who corresponded by mail and later invited Dorf to his studio in 1964. Caniff honored Dorf by making him a character in 'Steve Canyon' - a football player named "Thud Shelley" who appeared in two different storylines. Dorf later became an integral part of the strip's ongoing creation when Caniff hired him as his letterer in 1975. Dorf replaced the retiring Frank Engli, who had been Caniff's letterer since the early years of 'Terry & the Pirates' Caniff didn't like to letter himself. "[M]y lettering is terrible," he told interviewer (and fellow comics legend) Will Eisner in 1982. Dorf worked on the strip with Caniff and Dick Rockwell until its end in 1988.

While he was Caniff's friend and employee, Dorf never gave up being a fan. He did several interviews with Caniff about his craft, two of which appear in Milton Caniff: Conversations, an indispensable Caniff reader. Dorf was also the editor for the first three issues of 'Steve Canyon Magazine', a quarterly publication from Kitchen Sink that reprinted the 'Canyon' strip from its 1947 beginning. The magazine, begun in 1983, benefited from the participation of both Dorf and Caniff. Dorf also edited a Caniff book - 'Milton Caniff's America: Reflections of a Drawingboard Patriot', which collects much of Caniff's patriotic-oriented material, including his special Christmas Day strips in which he would break continuity to highlight, as Dorf wrote, "the sacrifices made by out military to protect freedom and the importance of keeping our guard up."'Steve Canyon', 12/25/1981, lettered by Shel Dorf, as reprinted in 'Milton Caniff's America', 1987, Eclipse Books

'Steve Canyon', three strips from 1984 lettered by Shel Dorf, as reprinted in 'Comics Review' #4, 1984, Manuscript Press

COMIC CITY CONVENTION - CINCINNATI

2009-11-09T07:39:00.013-05:00

There was a comic book/anime show this past weekend at the Radisson in Covington, Kentucky (right across the bridge from downtown Cincinnati). It has been many many years, maybe ten or more, since anyone put on a show in the Cincinnati area. The last two attempts to put on a show called Pop Culture Con failed before the shows could even go on. So I was skeptical when this new show was announced by Comic City, a comic dealer out of Nashville. I was doubtful that he could make a Cincinnati show a success, especially since his Evansville show earlier this year drew all of 35 people. Unlike the Evansville show, however, this show had a more impressive guest list, most notably Tony Moore (of 'Walking Dead' fame), Kabuki creator David Mack (who lives locally), Gary Friedrich. Friedrich was a writer for Marvel Comics in the 1970s where he co-created Ghost Rider. That Friedrich's name was misspelled on the flyers for the show and their website was not encouraging. Two guests that puzzled me were voice actresses from the 1985-88 "Jem" cartoon series. I was curious because I know boys did not watch this show and the girls who watched it have moved on with their lives. I don't think women cling to their childhood nostalgia the way that men do.

I was surprised to see that there is a "Jem" fanbase out there, with several Jem sites. Regardless, Jem herself was sick and didn't make the show. Gary Friedrich was also a no-show. Perhaps he's trying to reignite his copyright lawsuit against Marvel and Sony. Even lacking some of their guests, like "Heroes" writer R.D. Hall, the show wasn't pathetically lame like I expected it to be. It was a small convention, set inside a hotel banquet room, but it didn't feel cramped. There were a couple dozen dealers, with comics, toys, DVDs, t-shirts, and various anime stuff for sale. It was a good show for bargain hunters. At larger conventions, it's not uncommon to see dealers try to blow out their cheaper stuff at 50 and 25 cents. This was the first time I saw 10 cent boxes, and lots of them. Granted, it's generally overstock from the '90s that nobody wants at any price (junk is junk), but there may have been decent stuff that's new to some people.

The highlight of the show was meeting the couple at left. Ferdinand and Sandra Tan are enthusiastic collectors who specialize in Disney comics and memorabilia. This was only the second show they've ever done, and their passion for Disney is infectious. They're very friendly and personable and it was nice to see other folks who are dealing comics for the fun of it.

I don't know that this show was a success, but it made me believe a Cincinnati show is doable, and it shouldn't take a promoter from Nashville to get it done. While the area is ably served by some great comic book shops, I think there is room for future events like this, only with better guests who actually appear.

notes on The Complete Peanuts, 1971-1972

2009-11-03T06:58:00.015-05:00

The Complete Peanuts volumes have been coming out like clockwork - two a year with two years of strips in each volume. I can't believe that next year they'll be halfway through. 1971 and 1972 introduced the character of Marcie, which allowed for the expansion of Peppermint Patty's role, including a two week story where she fights the school dress code. Having read Peanuts strip paperbacks since I could read anything at all, one of my favorite aspects of these new collections is that they reprint strips that have never been reprinted before. So, some strips are like old friends, some strips feel new to me and some really are new to me. Below are some strips that I found odd/interesting:

Charlie Brown turns the tables on Lucy - 1/21/71

A strip with dates that reveals Charlie Brown's age - 4/3/71
I always thought Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown were the same age, but here she's 7 to Chuck's 8. Tho' this is nit-picking hindsight and Schulz probably never gave it a thought. - 1/6/72

A couple of music references that caught me by surprise. First Dylan (5/12/71)...

and Don McLean (7/7/72)

A highlight from a story sequence in which Linus asks Snoopy to hold his blanket so he can break the blanket habit. Snoopy then turns the blanket into a sportcoat! - 11/12/71

The recent revival of "Star Trek" in syndication was enough of a phenomenon to capture Snoopy's imagination - 2/7/72.

A prescient comment about today's disastrous reforms - 11/18/71

Charlie Brown tells the story of how he got Snoopy - 1/30/72

All the strips are available at Peanuts.com.

STEVE CANYON

2009-10-26T07:11:00.014-04:00

When you've done ten or so years of a popular and successful comic strip, the inclination is to do ten more, and keep doing it until you can no longer do it. That's the comic strip business, where you keep at it because the hard work of launching a strip and building a readership is behind you. But if you were Milton Caniff in 1945 you may have also come to a different conclusion. Caniff had built 'Terry & the Pirates' into a daily part of American life. He lived well and was paid well for his work, but at the end of the day the strip was owned by the Chicago Tribune syndicate. The fate of the strip, and its profits, were out of Caniff's hands. More than anything, Caniff wanted the security for his wife that ownership would provide should something ever happen to him.

The drama of this decision is best detailed in R.C. Harvey's Caniff biography, Meanwhile... (which Harv has thanked me for endlessly plugging). But a highlight includes drawing two more months of 'Terry & the Pirates' than his contract required, so he could bring a fitting end to his 'Terry' before George Wunder took over. There was also his fear that anything he drew for the new strip, announced a year before he left 'Terry', would be the property of the Tribune. So he didn't draw anything for what would become 'Steve Canyon' until he finished out his Tribune contract. This left him with very little lead time, though more than when he took on 'Terry' in 1933, as discussed here. It's hard to imagine today the idea of a "superstar" cartoonist, but that's what Caniff was in 1947. When the strip debuted in January 1947, it was as big as "American Idol" is today.

Canyon, who started out as an ex-military pilot for hire, had been in either uniform or reserve since the Korean War. Now he was involved in Vietnam and in the next few years the tide would turn against the strip, as the public's anti-war sentiment built up and Caniff held fast to his military loyalties.This strip from May 29, 1966, is two decades removed from that auspicious debut, but there is no less respect for Caniff, given the glorious half-page berth on the comics sheet. While 'Steve Canyon' was a daily strip, Caniff was ever mindful that some folks only read the Sundays. This strip wraps up a long storyline, but what it can't do in words it makes up for in movement. Canyon (here in disguise) and the Navy chaplain have a conversation, and while it is a fluid monologue the action does not stay in one room. Caniff takes us from the chaplain's office onboard ship to a smaller boat to the port town to the military base, barracks and airstrip. This is the magic of comics. Played out in real time, the conversation wouldn't have made it off the naval destroyer. But as readers we are so caught up in the chaplain's speech that the distance traveled isn't jarring. Rather, it flows naturally. It's a great example of storytelling techniques that are unique to the comics medium as well as Caniff's mastery of it.

FUTURE CANIFFITE

2009-10-24T01:26:00.004-04:00

Already showing his love for Steve Canyon and Milton Caniff is my 4-day old son, Jonah. Jonah was born on October 19th at 2:50 PM weighing 8 pounds. Here at the blog I'm excited by having another son with whom I can share my love of comics, but also worried about another son I have to keep from destroying said comics.
While older brother Noah will be dressing as Captain America this Halloween, I have yet to sell my wife on the idea of Jonah as Bucky, Cap's youthful partner, as she already feels Captain America is too obscure a character!

DICK TRACY

2009-10-14T23:11:00.013-04:00

I haven't read much 'Dick Tracy', which is the only reason I can give for not being a fan. I've heard many raves about it, particularly for the early stuff being reprinted by IDW under their Library of American Comics imprint. Those volumes are being compiled by our pal Dean Mullaney, the man behind 'The Complete Terry & the Pirates' series.

'Dick Tracy' was created by Chester Gould and debuted in 1931. Gould pitted his straight-shooting, square-jawed detective against an array of bizarre gangster villains, including Pruneface, Measles and B-B Eyes (some of whom showed up in the star-studded 1990 movie version).

By this May 29, 1966 strip, Gould was in his late '60s and the strip was 35 years old, it's heyday long behind it. Rick Fletcher, his assistant since 1963, would take over the art when Gould retired in 1977. This decade of strips is most notable for Gould's odd choice of having Tracy in adventures on the moon with the moon people that lived there. This Sunday seems earthbound, however, with Gould poking fun at the staid nature of his character. Tracy is showing off his collection of bullet-ridden fedoras. Note that one of his trademark hats dates back to 1931, the same year the strip debuted.

The strip is currently written by Dick Locher and drawn by Jim Brozman (example below). Locher has a long history with the strip. He was Gould's assitant the four years before Fletcher, then took over from Fletcher in '83 and was also drawing the strip until this year. Here's the link to the current strip. Sadly, it doesn't live up to Gould's quality and the most interesting aspect are the negative comments posted below the strips.

DICK ROCKWELL ARCHIVES

2009-10-06T14:48:00.019-04:00

Dick Rockwell has long been the undersung and sometimes unknown factor in the success of 'Steve Canyon'. Rockwell was Milton Caniff's assistant on the 'Steve Canyon' strip from 1953 - 1988. I think his role has been somewhat obscured and diminished by history. A unique book of his was recently sold on Ebay which gives more insight into his contribution. Based on the numbers he gives us, the vintage of what's labeled 'Steve Canyon Sampler' is early '80s. I'm not sure what the book was for, but perhaps it was an attempt to get other work or even his own strip.Here's Rockwell's own description of his working relationship with Caniff -

The pencils reproduced below, particularly the before/after comparison, is a valuable insight into how important Rockwell was to the finished strip. Rockwell had to create the placement of figures/objects/backgrounds based on the pre-existing placement of words and captions and brief notes from Caniff. Caniff would ink the final strip, making it his own style. He could change things here and there, or even re-do it, but typically he rendered what Rockwell had given him.

This is to take nothing away from Caniff. By the time he hired Rockwell to assist, he was in his mid-forties and had been burning the candle at both ends for three decades. He deserved a break, and even with Rockwell's help he didn't get much of one. In addition to writing and finishing the strips, Caniff worked tirelessly to promote the feature, handle a mountain of special requests, and work with the National Cartoonists Society. By the launch of 'Steve Canyon' in 1947, Caniff had become an elder statesman of his field, though he was still rather young with a long career ahead of him ('Canyon' didn't end until Caniff's death in 1988). Rockwell remained relatively unknown to the public as Caniff's assistant. It wasn't that he languished in obscurity, or that he got a bad deal. This was how it worked in the newspaper strip business. Assistants and ghost artists (artists who drew in place of the named artist), were uncredited. In this case, both men knew it was Caniff's name that sold the strip. Rockwell was glad to have the steady gig and is clearly proud of his accomplishment and contribution to 'Steve Canyon'. When Caniff died, Rockwell was allowed to carry out the existing storyline before the strip was cancelled. His final strip was a tribute to his employer, mentor and friend -

MID-OHIO CON REPORT 2009

2009-10-04T21:48:00.029-04:00

Sweet Christmas! It's Matt with Power Man.

It was another great year at Mid-Ohio Con. Though it didn't top last year's show, where I met Joe Kubert, there were lots of great guests and it was easily one of the best Mid-Ohios ever. I've usually attended solo, so also having four of my peeps to hang out with made it extra fun. This year's variety of guests had me plundering the archives to find stuff to sign.

Fred Hembeck is a cartoonist I've enjoyed since childhood. I'm always tickled by his zest for the minutiae of comics. Apparently he doesn't like to travel, so it was great to meet him at this rare appearance.

Mike Grell is something of an underrated legend. He's best known of his work on Green Arrow and for his creations Warlord and Jon Sable, Freelance. He's also a helluva nice guy to meet. He's currently working on the recently revived Warlord series for DC.

The con had the one-two punch of having both creators of Swamp Thing at the show. Writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson (pictured above). Wrightson's most recent work is a graphic interpretation of Frankenstein. Wein and Wrightson's Swamp Thing issues were reprinted this year as part of the DC Comics Classic Library.

The above comic really takes me back. It's one of the first comics I ever owned. I didn't start collecting comics until I was 10, but I got this issue at about age 6 or 7. Marvel sometimes packaged their comics in 2 or 3 packs in plastic bags that were sold in grocery stores and I was given one for Christmas. The man below is Keith Pollard, the artist who drew the cover. He signed my comic during one of those rare times he didn't have a long line of fans.

It was also great to chat with comicdom's biggest booster, Beau Smith, pick up books for my kids from Dave Aikins and meet artist Arvell Jones. It was also good to see artist Gary Kwapisz at a show. He's an industry veteran who's still passionate about comics. He's currently working on a historical Civil War epic with Chuck Dixon. I also got to meet James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando on "Heroes". Don't worry, Ando, I haven't given up on your show like some fair weather fans! Thanks to all the guests who made the trip to Ohio. I hope to see my pals and another terrific lineup of guests next year.

The gang (L-R) Lucas, Bill, Ted (showing off), Matt, Todd

No con coverage is complete without some costumed fans.

BEATLE NEWS

2009-09-23T09:01:00.025-04:00

BEATLEMANIA RETURNS! With the reissue of the Beatles catalog and the release of the Beatles:Rock Band video game, all on 9/9/09, there is almost too much Beatle news to report! I'll try to condense it to a 'best of'...

WELL, the wait really is over for Beatle fans who've been waiting a long time for EMI and the Fabs to utilize the technology of master tape to digital transfer that has advanced in the 20+ years since the Beatles albums were originally released on CD. I'm waiting for Santa to bring mine, but I've sampled a friend's and they sound AMAZING. The albums are available in stereo and all but the last three in mono, though the stereo releases can be had separately or as a box set, while the mono discs are part of the box set only. There is a petition out there asking EMI to release the mono discs as separate albums.

SELLIng a million albums in the U.S. in five days means chart domination. The first week, the Beatles reissues took 13 of the top 14 spots on the Billboard Catalog album chart(Michael Jackson sales are still going strong). Reissues are exempt from the Billboard 200, but the box sets are considered new product. The Stereo box debuted at #15 and the Mono box at #40. The Mono box, which the press release and Beatles.com originally said would be limited to 10,000, sold 12,000 in the U.S. alone the first week.

'NOWHere Boy, the biopic about John Lennon's teenage years, premieres next month at the London Film Festival. The movie is based on the memoirs by Julia Baird, John's half-sister, and stars Kristin Scott-Thomas as Aunt Mimi.

CHEAP Trick has been performing the 'Sgt. Pepper' album live from start to finish in special concerts. It's a great idea, and the musicianship is terrific, tho' Robin Zander's lead vocal on almost every song becomes a little tiresome. It's also seems a bit of bad timing to release it two weeks before the remasters and a flood of Beatle product. How did they get it to sound so much like the original? Must be Geoff Emerick, original 'Pepper' engineer who co-produced the recording. 'Sgt. Pepper Live' is now available on DVD and CD. Fear not, ye fans of Cheap Trick's original music, their tour with Def Leppard takes off next month. Also, look for Bad Company's live tour of the Monkees' 'Headquarters' coming soon.

AS IF there wasn't enough caterwauling on "The View", the shrieking sirens welcome Yoko Ono on Wednesday (9/30). Ono proves her business savvy once again. With all the publicity over the Beatles remasters, she's obviously an in-demand media guest. What better time to release her new album? No need to introduce the ladies of "The View" to primal scream therapy as they've been broadcasting it for years.

CAPTAIN ACTION & STEVE CANYON

2009-09-15T16:02:00.014-04:00

About a year ago, my pal Todd Fox asked me why there was a Steve Canyon costume for Captain Action. To catch up those outside my esoteric enclave, Steve Canyon is a comic strip hero created by Milton Caniff and Captain Action was an action figure produced between 1966-68. You bought the basic Captain Action figure and then bought costumes/disguises/uniforms to turn him into other super-heroes like Superman, Batman and Flash Gordon.

Todd's question intrigued me. I doubted that the young boys who were fans of Captain Action would also be fans of the Steve Canyon comic strip. The "Steve Canyon" TV series (currently available on DVD)had been off for years and the merchandising associated with the show was long gone. He had no cartoon or comic book, so what was the connection?

I decided to research the problem at my favorite library, the Cartoon Research Library and Museum at OSU. It was also during this visit that I interviewed library curator Lucy Shelton Caswell. I looked through boxes of material relating to Steve Canyon and Captain Action, most of it correspondence between Caniff's agent, Toni Mendez, and Ideal, the toy company that made Captain Action.

Some of this research has made it into a terrific new book - Captain Action: the Original Superhero Action Figure. The book, by comics maven Michael Eury, gives you everything you ever wanted to know about this beloved line of toys. It has a history of the toy, complete character biographies and pictures of every toy and ancillary item in the Captain Action line. Steve Canyon gets plenty of coverage, equal to that of Superman and other better-known characters. If you're a Captain Action collector, or recall him from your childhood days, this book is a must-have.

Eury's origin of Captain Action (C.A.) finds the Ideal toy company looking to compete with Hasbro's popular G.I. Joe line. With C.A., you didn't have to buy multiple figures to have different adventures. Using the basic figure as the template, you could make him become other heroes. My friend Jim Alexander, a Captain Action fanatic and contributor to the book, theorizes that in trying to compete with G.I. Joe, Ideal wanted to some military characters the toy could become. Thus we had Sgt. Fury (army), Steve Canyon (air force), and even Flash Gordon (astronaut). Gordon, along with Canyon and the Phantom, were all comic strip heroes used for Captain Action, so maybe more young boys followed the adventure strips than I realize.

Another possible reason for choosing Canyon is that Ideal was also the licensor for toys from the 1958/59 "Steve Canyon" tv series, specifically the Jet Helmet and the Glider Bomb. Based on that existing relationship, it was simple enough to modify the old contract to fit the new Captain Action deal. Like the fervor surrounding the TV series, enthusiasm for Captain Action didn't last very long and the line ceased production in 1969. The book details how that brief boom created a special bond between child and toy that engendered loyalty and resurging interest into the present day. Eury has done toy collectors a huge favor by creating this comprehensive and entertaining document that is fun without being frivolous and definitive without being dry.

EMMY PICKS AND NODS

2009-09-11T10:40:00.033-04:00

TV's biggest night, the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, is Sunday night. Being a big TV fan, I wanted to weigh in with my picks on some of the major categories as well as mention a few that I feel were overlooked for a nomination. There's not a lot for me to quibble with for two reasons: 1)since having my son Noah I've watched much less TV, and 2)most of the shows I like are well-represented. I don't list all the nominees, so if you want to see the entire list, it's at the Emmy site. Here goes...

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
MY PICK
Flight of the Conchords - I never laugh harder than at the misadventures of this New Zealand novelty duo, Bret and Jemaine. I especially seeing Murray, the band manager and my favorite character, getting more of the spotlight this season. From organizing a motley street gang to holding a benefit concert for canine epilepsy, this show might be too offbeat for Emmy voters, but a win could lead to a third season!

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
MY PICK

STEVE CARELL as Michael Scott on "The Office" - Carell is a four-time nominee with no wins. This was really his season, striking out on his own with the Michael Scott Paper Company, only to return in all his mismanaging glory. His biggest competition, Alec Baldwin, won last year, so Emmy may shine favorably.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
MY PICK
TINA FEY as Liz Lemon on "30 Rock" - She's won the Golden Globe, the SAG and the WGA this year. Her fifth Emmy would tie it all up in a nice bow. The public reaction to her non-"30 Rock" turns as Sarah Palin on "SNL" (which already won her an Emmy at the non-televised event) erases any doubt as to who's winning this one.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
MY PICK

RAINN WILSON as Dwight Schrute on "The Office" - What, no Emmy yet for Dwight Schrute? When the book of most memorable modern TV characters is written, reserve a chapter for Wilson's intensely earnest and uncomfortably creepy assistant (to the) general manager. Maybe three times is a charm. Though in voters' "30 Rock" fever, it could go to my fellow UE alum Jack McBrayer (who's role as Kenneth is also deserving, but maybe next year).

OVERLOOKED
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER as Kevin Malone on "The Office" - What is it about Kevin? Is it his blatant ogling of Pam? Is it his ineptitude at his job? I think what was Emmy-worth this season was his articulating the difference between "is she hot or not?" and "would you do her?". How many other TV characters have their own movie trailer?

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
OVERLOOKED
JENNA FISCHER as Pam Beesly on "The Office". She's not even nominated in what may be her strongest year in the series. She had a lot more do to when Pam quit Dunder Mifflin to join Michael's ill-conceived start-up company. Does she deserve an Emmy? Yes. Did I add her to this entry just to post hot pictures of Jenna Fischer? Um...probably.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

MY PICK
CHRISTIAN CLEMENSON as Jerry Espenson on "Boston Legal" - Ok, so he's already won (as a guest actor in '05 before they made him a regular). But his character, a lawyer struggling with Asperger syndrome, grew so much in the intervening years that the performance is deserving of a new win.

OVERLOOKED
JOHN SCURTI as Lt. Ken "Lou" Shea on 'Rescue Me'. Scurti's character, to my thinking, is the heart of the show. His character is a great counterpart to Denis Leary's Tommy Gavin. I think part of him wishes he had what Tommy Gavin once had - the hot wife and the kids, another part is sickened that Tommy squandered his blessings, and another part is Tommy's balls-to-the-wall best friend for life. The audience is always hoping that he'll turn it around. In five years he's gone from a suicidal low to deliriously happy in love to a being resigned to a life of drunkenness and failure. This year he was on the upswing again, coping through it all with his own brand of caustic humor.

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TV MOVIE
MY PICK
Into the Storm - Actor Brendan Gleeson embodies Winston Churchill in this portrayal of the war years. More force of nature than man, you believe a Churchill-less Britain would have gone down in defeat.

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
MY PICK
Generation Kill - The writers behind one of my favorite all-time TV shows, "The Wire", give us a look into the lives of a Marine unit at the beginning of the current Iraq war. In the fight for their lives, inept commanders, language barriers and confusing rules of engagement become their biggest enemies. I was actually surprised to see it on the list, since these award shows generally favor recent fare, and this came out last summer. It's out on DVD.

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
MY PICK
It's clearly the year of "30 Rock", with 22 nominations and four out of the five spots for this category. I'm going to cross my fingers for the fifth spot - the "Prime Minister" episode of "Flight of the Conchords". Murray attempts to get the visiting prime minister of New Zealand a meeting with Obama. Jemaine finds unexpected benefits of being an Art Garfunkel impersonator. Hilarity ensues.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the Emmys (there's actually a good host this year).

ARCHIE

2009-09-08T13:01:00.019-04:00

Continuing our reproduction of a May 29, 1966 Sunday comics section (other examples found here.

I didn't grow up with the 'Archie' strip, so it's one that's always a pleasant surprise. I'm more familiar with the Archie comic books and the Archies cartoon show. The strip finds the familiar 'Archie' gang in a gag-a-day format that's had a phenomenal run from 1942 that continues today. The strip has usually been produced by writers and artists who've also worked on the Archie comic book line. The original, and longest-running, artist was Bob Montana, who set the gold standard for the look of the Archie characters. IDW, which produced the 'Terry & the Pirates' collections, has recently announced a plan to reprint these early strips, edited by our pal, Dean Mullaney.

The strip's remaining roster reads like a who's who of Archie legends - John Goldwater, Dan DeCarlo and Stan Goldberg. The strip has been written by Hamilton, Ohio resident Craig Boldman since 1992. It is currently drawn by Fernando Ruiz, although the Creators Syndicate website still has the bio for the recently retired Henry Scarpelli.

Archie has been in the news recently. Last year it was due to a controversial move by Archie Comics to create a line of new look comics, with more updated, realistic versions of their characters aimed at the tween audience. This past month it was due to the announcement that Archie is marrying Veronica. The story takes place in the future, however, and may or may not happen (also known as an "imaginary story", popularized by the Superman titles of the 1950s/60s). If your looking for a copy of Archie #600, in which Archie pops the question, go see my friend Kendall at Up Up and Away (he ordered too many).

I'm continually amazed by the longevity and success of Archie Comics. There's not much interest in Archie in the insular comics world, so his popularity and success comes from regular, everyday folks. His digest-sized exploits can still be found in grocery store checkout lanes across the country. What is the appeal? Is it Archie as everyman? Is it the eternal love triangle of Archie/Betty/Veronica? Or do people just find the name Jughead funny? Whatever it is, we're about 65 years in, and Archie's not even close to retirement.

The strip presented above is by Bob Montana, who at this point had been on the job for 24 years! Instead of Archie and his pals, this strip features Riverdale High's beleaguered principal, Mr. Weatherbee. I love that first panel. Oh, for the days when secretaries sat on the corners of desks!

CANIFF AT GEPPI'S

2009-08-28T11:03:00.024-04:00

Recently I told you about my trip to Geppi's Entertainment Museum. What I saved for this week were the Milton Caniff-related items that I saw.

One of the most impressive displays in the museum is Geppi's large collection of Big Little Books and Better Little Books. There were seven 'Terry & the Pirates' BLBs, and I think the museum has all but one. What's remarkable about the collection, in addition to its comprehensiveness, is the like-new quality of the books. Not bad for cheap books printed in the 1930s and 40s, most of which have been tattered and torn by the kids who read and loved them.

This next item is from Mad Magazine #68 (Jan 1962). It's the original art for Wally Wood's piece entitled 'The Comic Strip Characters Christmas Party' (shown above as it was printed), in which Wood drew over 90 characters, imitating the individual style of the different cartoonists. I've zoomed in (below) on the only meeting between Terry Lee and Steve Canyon. Canyon says, "Say, Terry! I understand Milton Canff is coming! Are you prepared to meet your 'maker'?" The Canyon figure is Caniff-esque, while Terry is clearly drawn in the style of George Wunder (Caniff's successor on 'Terry' who drew the strip from 1947-1975).

This final item nearly knocked me off my feet. With all the original comic strip art framed on the walls, I expected to see an original Caniff. I didn't expect to see the teaser strip for 'Terry & the Pirates'. This strip served as an announcement and advertisement of the new strip. As we know from RC Harvey's peerless Caniff biography, the first daily appeared October 22, 1935, just one week after Caniff signed his contract with the Chicago Tribune Syndicate! I hope it didn't give the reader the idea that this was a static cast. Of the six characters introduced, only Pat, Terry and Connie would be around by February. A careful observation of the strip left me with a conundrum. It announces that the strip "starts in this space tomorrow." But October 22nd was a Monday, so the previous day would have been a Sunday. The Sunday paper would have it's own separate comics section, not the internal pages where the strips ran Monday through Saturday. So, it wouldn't have run on a Sunday. But then it wouldn't have run Saturday for the same reasons.

Riddles aside, the teaser strip makes a lot of promises - exotic adventure, villainy, romance, comedy. Boy, did Caniff ever deliver on those promises! If you saw this strip anywhere else besides the Cartoon Research Library you'd say, 'That should be in a museum.' Thankfully, it is.

The teaser strip as reprinted in The Complete Terry & the Pirates volume 1.

to JILL...

2009-08-28T06:56:00.008-04:00

In broken moonlight, we pause to sigh.
Our wedding day, five years gone by.
What words we spoke, I cannot say.
I was lost in you that day.
We pledged our love, the kind that never fails,
Then danced through meadows and happy trails.

Now I'll put this picture back in it's folder.
So we all can forget that we're five years older!

MORK & MINDY VIDEO NOVEL

2009-08-20T13:01:00.013-04:00

Na-no, na-no, culture lovers! Let's say it's 1979 and you like the TV show "Mork & Mindy". And let's also say you missed seeing the pilot from last fall, or you saw it but really want to see it again. What can you do? You probably didn't tape it, because VCRs are around but they're about $800 - $1000. Syndication is a few years away and the DVD release is *gasp* 25 bleems in the future. Shazbot! But wait...maybe you can read it. Video Novel to the rescue!

From 1977-1980, there was a brief publishing experiment where the movie was told using word balloons superimposed over stills from the movie. These were different from movie novelizations, where a movie is told in prose form. Called fotonovels, video novels or photostories (depending on the publisher), the brevity of the fad only enhances the bizarre kitsch factor.

There is a comprehensive list of these fotonovels. Of interest to me is that "Mork & Mindy" is the only sitcom. Most of them are geared towards science fiction, though movies like 'Rocky II' and 'The Champ' were also intended to appeal to kids. John Travolta headlines two of the novels - 'Grease' and 'Saturday Night Fever'. "Star Trek" is the fotonovel king! Twelve episodes and the first two films were adapted into fotonovel form. The brand was so strong that the 'Star Trek II' photostory was released in 1982, two years after everyone else stopped making them!

Movies and TV shows were once fleeting things. Here and gone. If you really liked a movie you had to see it multiple times, because when were you going to see it again? Folks today who see a new movie multiple times are just strange, since it will be out on DVD in about 3 months. That's why network TV premieres of movies used to be a big deal, but now they're a ho-hum enterprise. Movie memorabilia of the past, such as movie posters, was a way of owning a piece from a movie you liked. I guess movie novelizations filled this role as well. Though with the prevalence of home video I can't understand why they're still being written. You don't need a souvenir to remind them of the movies you like because you can own the movie. I'm not sure why the fotonovel didn't have a long life. Perhaps they seemed as goofy back then as they do today.

I know what your thinking (if you've read this far), a whole blog entry about a "Mork & Mindy" book? Matt must be putting me on...

DONALD DUCK

2009-08-13T15:44:00.009-04:00

Continuing with my plan to post a complete Sunday comics section from May 29, 1966, here is a 'Donald Duck' strip. [earlier strip posts can be found here]

Like most Disney work, even though it is signed 'Walt Disney' it's really the work of other artists - in this case artist Al Taliaferro and writer Bob Karp. Taliaferro had been drawing Donald since the temper-prone duck's comics debut in Disney's 'Silly Symphonies' strip in 1934. It was this earlier strip where we first saw Donald's nephews - Huey, Dewey and Louie - who were the co-creation of Taliaferro and writer Ted Osborne. Donald took the nephews along when he got his own strip in 1938. It was drawn by Taliaferro from then until 1969, so this '66 strip is at the tail end of that historic run. The strip lasted into the late 1990s ('98, maybe? That's the last date I got from the worldwide Disney comics database).

Many of these strips were reprinted in comic book form, though I don't have a good reference for that. Disney currently posts old daily comic strips on their website for fans - D23. Early last year, this Sunday strip made the comics blog rounds, as it shows Donald apparently murdering Goofy!

DIXON TOUR WRAP-UP

2009-08-10T11:00:00.011-04:00

The tour crew - Ted Haycraft, Chuck Dixon, Todd Fox, Matt Tauber

This past weekend I was on the Chuck Dixon Midwest G.I. Joe Tour, which was previewed last week. Joining Chuck on the tour was artist Todd Fox, who has worked with Chuck off and on over the past 20 years, most recently on this year's Airboy special from Moonstone. Acting as tour organizers, entourage, security, publicists and otherwise hangers-on were myself and Ted Haycraft. Comics and pens in hand, we boldly set out to cut a swath of excitement through the heart of America. But first, a pitstop to the tomb of William Henry Harrison in North Bend, Ohio. I brought my son Noah along to see this local monument to Tippecanoe.

Up Up and Away in Cincinnati was the first stop. Owner Kendall Swafford made us feel welcome and I was excited to show my out of town friends the best comic store in the city. There was a great turnout in this fan-friendly atmosphere. It's no wonder that Kendall was nominated for this year's Spirit of Retailing award. One of the highlights was seeing Chuck meet the parents of his editor on G.I. Joe, Andy Schmidt. Sadly, Chuck didn't learn any good dirt with which to blackmail Schmidt.

Chuck and Todd greet fans at Up, Up and Away.

Saturday morning we were greeted at Comic Book World in Florence, Kentucky. Owner Paul Mullins was out of town, but Mark Craddock and the gang there took great care of us with their enthusiasm and hospitality. Chuck was glad to not only greet the fans, but to also find some Groo back issues for his son.

There was no time to lollygag in Florence with a two hour window to get to the other Comic Book World in Louisville, Kentucky. Store manager Doug Adams has an infectious love of comics that was apparent by the crowd of customers who came to the signing. A highlight was getting to meet Todd's uncle and aunt. His uncle Jack Fox is a Louisville radio legend. Have you heard the voice in the airport that tells you not to leave baggage unattended, or that the moving sidewalk is coming to an end? Chances are that it's the voice of Jack Fox. Doug capped the event by generously taking the tour crew out to dinner. Our restaurant and hotel had been taken over by the local hot rod convention, and we got to see some classic cars and one that was really far out.

Ted interviews Chuck for 14 WFIE in Evansville.

Sunday we had an afternoon signing at Comic Quest in Evansville, Indiana. The Quest is near and dear to me, as I worked there from 1990-97. Todd Fox was anxious to greet the fans on his home turf. The customers who came to see Chuck were truly pleased, particularly one G.I. Joe fan who didn't even know about the signing and just happened to come in that day. We also got some media coverage from NBC affiliate WFIE. I was bummed that my pal, store owner Jim Jones, couldn't make it, but it was still a great way to wrap up the tour.

Thanks again to everyone who came out and made this tour an enjoyable success!

ALERT! - Chuck Dixon Midwest G.I. Joe Tour this weekend!

2009-08-03T15:01:00.012-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHUCK DIXON 4-CITY TOUR

Legendary comic book writer Chuck Dixon is doing a four-city signing tour this weekend - August 7th – 9th.

• Friday, August 7th – Up Up and Away – Cincinnati, Ohio – 4pm-8pm
• Saturday, August 8th – Comic Book World – Florence, Ky – 11am-2pm
• Saturday, August 8th – Comic Book World – Louisville, Ky – 4pm-7pm
• Sunday, August 9th – Comic Quest – Evansville, Indiana – 1pm-5pm

Chuck Dixon is the writer of the G.I. JOE comic book for IDW Publishing. This tour coincides with the opening weekend of the big-budget summer movie – G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA. Dixon has two recent Joe collections - 'G.I. Joe: Volume One' and 'G.I. Joe Movie Prequel'.

Chuck Dixon is celebrating 25 YEARS as a professional comic book writer. He is best known for his seasoned tenure writing the BATMAN family of titles for DC Comics, including 80 issues of DETECTIVE COMICS, 100 issues of ROBIN and long runs of NIGHTWING and BIRDS OF PREY. He is also a fan-favorite for his work on AIRBOY, THE PUNISHER and GREEN ARROW. In addition to G.I. JOE and G.I. JOE: ORIGINS, he is writing THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY for Dynamite Comics, the continuing adventures of 'The Man With No Name' character brought to life by Clint Eastwood in the renowned 1960’s Spaghetti Western film trilogy. Dixon is also a regular contributor to Bongo Comics' exploits of THE SIMPSONS and will soon be writing STARGATE UNIVERSE.

Comic book artist Todd Fox will be Chuck Dixon’s special guest on the tour. Fox is the co-creator of AYM GERONIMO and has been a frequent collaborator with Dixon on characters such as THE PUNISHER, RACER X and AIRBOY.

Yours truly has been involved in the organization and promotion of the tour. So come on out to these fun events and meet Chuck, Todd, me and this guy. You can also check out our tour page on Facebook.

GEPPI's ENTERTAINMENT MUSEUM

2009-07-29T18:32:00.025-04:00

I recently went to the Baltimore/D.C. area and made a special trip to Geppi's Entertainment Museum. The museum is a treasure trove of key comic books, original comic strip art, vintage toys and more. The museum is owned by Steve Geppi, owner of Diamond Comic Distributors, the lone major comic book distribution company that services all of the comic book stores.

The starting point of your museum journey is a history of comics told in comics. As you enter, there is a display case with some of the biggies - Action Comics #1 (the first Superman, All-American Comics #1 (the first Green Lantern), Four Color #9 (the first Donald Duck in comics and the first appearance of Huey, Dewey and Louie), New York World's Fair #1, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #1 and this gem, the first appearance of Batman in Detective Comics #27. All of the books were in top shape, but I was really amazed by the condition this book was in, as if it had just been pulled off the rack in 1939.

Three kiosks provide a fun introduction to the world of comics. Each kiosk has two comics that you can view digitally. They include Fantastic Four #1, Amazing Spider-Man #1, Superman #1, Detective Comics #27 and Four Color #9.

There is a large collection of comic strip art on the walls, which I'll talk about in a later post. There's not much in the way of original comic book art, but there are several original covers to the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. Geppi also owns Gemstone Publishing, which prints the Guide. I went ga-ga over this early cover drawn by Joe Kubert.

The remaining rooms of the museum take you through different eras of popular culture as represented by the artifacts of the time, mostly toys. I bet only a handful of people have this complete mint set of Peanuts vinyl figures. They were made my Hungerford Plastics in 1958. The character you might not recognize is the clean version of Pig Pen.

This is a Mickey Mouse Record Player made by G.E. I had one as a kid and, to my wife's surprise, I no longer have it. I'll have to ask my brothers if it was theirs originally, because the ones I've seen online are all form the late '60s, and I would have played with it in the late '70s. In trying to find more info about it, I stumbled on an ultra-cool blog about Disneyland Records.

I didn't have this Donald Duck game, which was made in 1938. Like a lot of what I saw, I was taken aback by the like-new condition it's in. It's not just that it's complete and in beautiful shape, but that it's been that way for 70 years!

BEATLE NEWS

2009-07-22T11:45:00.028-04:00

HEINZ Edelmann, art director for the 'Yellow Submarine' animated film, is dead at 75. Edelman created the look of the psychedelic cartoon, including character designs for the Blue Meanies, Nowhere Man and the Beatles. Edelmann's name is not well-known, owing to a widespread belief that the art style was done by or based on the work of Peter Max. The impression has been aided by Max's own claims of involvement.

GORDOn Waller, one half of the hit duo Peter & Gordon, is died of a heart attack on July 17, 2009. Peter & Gordon had a debut #1 smash with the McCartney-penned "World Without Love" in 1964, leading to a string of hits before they broke up in 1968. Peter Asher left performing to become a record executive. Waller carried on with his solo album, cheekily titled 'and Gordon', but found no success. The duo reunited for a few select shows in recent years, reinvigorating Waller, who recorded a couple of solo albums.

MUSIC mogul and all-around villain Allen Klein died on July 4th. Klein took over as manager of the Beatles in 1969. Klein got them what was then the best royalty rate of any artist and brought order to their company, Apple, which was in chaotic shambles. Paul McCartney, though, never trusted Klein and a further rift was driven between McCartney and the other three, leading to McCartney's lawsuit to get out of the Beatles. Klein was managing George Harrison in 1971 when Harrison was accused of plagiarism of the song "He's So Fine" for his #1 hit "My Sweet Lord". After a falling out with Harrison, Klein bought the company that owned "He's So Fine" and continued the suit, which lasted until 1993 (Harrison eventually won).

ART Director and designer Tom Wilkes died June 28th. Wilkes was best known for his album cover designs, such as George Harrison's 'Concert for Bangladesh' and 'Starr Struck: the Best of Ringo Starr v.2'. His other designs include the Rolling Stones' 'Beggars Banquet', Neil Young's 'Harvest' and John Prine's debut.

PAUL McCartney was on Letterman last week to promote his short U.S. tour. He performed live for 20 minutes with his band on top of the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater. You can view the 22-minute video, most of it unaired, here.

WITH the death of Michael Jackson, the music industry was abuzz with speculation about the fate of the Beatles catalogue, including the rumor that he left them in his will to Paul McCartney. Jackson had purchased a controlling interest in the publishing rights in 1984 for $47.5 million. He sold half of that to Sony in 1995 for $95 million. Lawyers for Sony and for Jackson's estate have both stated that the song rights are not for sale. On a side note, it was McCartney himself who suggested music publishing to Jackson as a promising investment!

OF COurse, the biggest Beatle news to come out since my last report is the reissuing/remastering of the entire catalogue on 9/9/09. They will be released in both stereo and mono. The stereo mixes are the ones that the public is most familiar with. Those will be available individually and as a box set. For decades now, Beatlephiles have been stressing how much better the Beatles music was in mono, that mono is the 'true' Beatles. The first four albums were released in mono, albums #5-10 in mono and stereo, and the last three in stereo only (counting 'Magical Mystery Tour' as an album...quiet, Tom!). So, now was the regular fans chance to get them all in mono, right? WELL, you can, but they are only available as a box set, not individually, AND the box, at $240 on Amazon, is overpriced. There was some web anger over the Beatles' website announcement that the mono box would be limited to 10,000. Correspondence posted by some, if it's valid, from Amazon and EMI (the record company), have allayed these fears. I'm just hoping the price will come down, or I'll have to hope that Santa brings it!

THE Soundrack for the new Judd Apatow film, Funny People, has four Beatles connections. It leads off with "Great Day", the closing track to Paul McCartney's 'Flaming Pie' album from 1997. It contains an acoustic demo by John Lennon of "Watching the Wheels", which was unreleased until 1994's 'Acoustic' collection. It also includes "Photograph" by Ringo and the movie's star, Adam Sandler, doing a rendition of "Real Love".

'JOHN Lennon & Plastic Ono Band: Live in Toronto '69' was released on DVD this week. I've read some complaints about the audio quality being substandard to the 'Live Peace in Toronto 1969' CD, but the real turn-off might be Yoko's primal wailing. I don't have either, so I can't say if the good bits save it or not.

MY OVerview of George Harrison compilations made my all-time one day record for hits on this site. Thank you, readers! While I didn't buy the new CD (I did download two tracks from iTunes), a lot of you did. 'Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison' peaked at #24 on Billboard.

THE Hollywood Chamber of Commerce recently announced who was getting a star on the Walk of Fame in 2010. It looks like Ringo Starr will finally get his star. John Lennon and George Harrison each received his star posthumously, in 1988 and earlier this year, respectively. Other musicians to be honored include Randy Newman and Roy Orbison.

HI & LOIS

2009-07-15T15:03:00.012-04:00

I almost didn't post this, but I'd like to eventually present the complete May 29, 1966 Sunday comics section we began here. 'Hi & Lois' has never been a favorite of mine, but it's usually good for a chuckle and has long been a comforting staple of the funny pages. The payoff in the strip above, however, only tepidly justifies the long build-up.

The strip is relatively young at this point, coming only twelve years after it's 1954 debut. The strip was created by Mort Walker, as writer, and Dik Browne, as artist. It was a spin-off of Walker's 'Beetle Bailey' strip, and if anyone can think of another comic strip spinoff, please let me know. The titular Lois is Beetle's sister. 'Hi & Lois' was more popular in it's early years, earning several peer awards from the National Cartoonist Society, including a Reuben for Browne. Despite it's popularity (it's syndicate website boats 1100 newspapers) it has never migrated much further from it's source, though it did have a short-lived comic series in 1970-71 and was part of the strip reprint paperback boom in the 1970s and early '80s.

The current strip is a true family legacy, as sons Greg and Brian Walker have stepped in for Mort and Chance Browne replaced his late father. I was tickled by this recent daily -