Filth, Naughtiness and Perversions!

Catchy title, am I right? I thought so. I ask you to show a little forbearance with this post as much, but not all is my opinion. So what kind of utterly degrading filth could possibly be found in the pages of your favorite comic book? Well, after the advent of the comic code not much, but the cover my friend that is a different story! What am I getting at? Give a minute I’ll get there, I promise.

Comics have had many dark periods, times when the industry was doggie paddling, desperately trying to stay afloat. The near death knell (post World War Two) of the super hero caused the industry to try new things, readers grow up lose interest, move on etc.  The 1990’s  was an era of highs and lows, retailers cropping up only to fold a few years down the road, distributors pushing for more retailers (who would ultimately fail in an oversaturated market) and publishers reeling from downturns as a result.

With all the potential pitfalls facing your Thor-fearing (ha-ha get it he’s a God, jeez I crack myself up), poor deluded retailer of comic yarns, why would you give them a never resolving problem to face with their customer base? Still wondering what I am talking about? Well friends I refer to nothing less than the most extreme of deviances, one which should shock any who witness its unchained horrors and the resultant effect on the psyche of our little minds and puppies…that’s right…I am talking about the VARIANT COVER!!!

Variant covers are a popular way to generate sales for the industry and spark excitement in the reader, or conversely they are a blatant marketing ploy to separate you and your hard earned stockpile of pre-designated comic book dollars! I tend to go with the latter of those two choices rather than the former, but hey I’m the Grinch who Stole Variants...too early for Christmas references? Ok then I am the…guy with no witty remark, who sulks about variants.

For the modern comic publisher (mind you I am talking more about the industry giants, than the smaller struggling firms) there are many different potential revenue streams to tap into. You have the comic book itself or line of them, the toys/collectables, TV/movie deals, and the occasional special event generating buzz and paydays. A variant cover is little more than a cash grab for the deluded completion junkie, who much like a Pokémon card collector on a three day crack binge, has got to “have ‘em all” (I feel your pain brother and sister comic geeks, I am right there with you!!)

Add to this the potential for disappointing the customer of local retailers, who can’t possibly keep up with the plethora of variants without going under and you have a poorly executed ongoing crime against nature…and comic lovers…and small dogs. Variant covers are the porn of comic books, “ooooh yea baby, should I get all 52 variant covers, and spend well over 200 dollars?” Yea I said it, DC I’m looking at you with your JLA 52 release. Now DC is not the only pimp in the variant cover porn game, they are all guilty of turning us into cheapened John’s with our name printed in the local paper after getting caught in a sting. Marvel, IDW, Dynamite, Image they are all guilty.

You may argue that if you don’t buy, they won’t supply, and you would be wrong!! This type of reasoning discounts the very nature of the avid comic book collector, i.e. that we are all a bunch of junkies. So there you have it boys and girls, comic books are sin, avarice, vice!! Variant covers are the dirty fantasies. We’re all a bunch of perverts. Man, I love how dirty I feel right now. With that said go forth and buy comics, you sicko!!

p.s. Leave a comment with your opinion/take/question, I promise I will get back to you faster than Kevin Smith on a deadline :)

The Hammer Strikes

What pray tell is a warrior to do when his mission is done, when there are no wars to fight, no battles to win, no wrongs to set right? That is the question facing the Mighty Thor in issue #314 (subtitled as "Acts of Destruction") what to do when the world seems quiet.

Since his introduction in Marvel Comic's Journey into Mystery #83, the Thunder God as envisioned by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby has been above all else a God on the move.(1)Issue# 314 gives us a brief glimpse of Thor's contemplative side.The story (first of two in this issue) shows the main characters -Donald Blake/Thor, Moon Dragon and Drax the Destroyer- all contemplating what to do with themselves, when it seems there is no purpose, no pressing issue, or long term plan to focus on.

The goodly lame doctor's clinic has closed due to funding issues, Moon Dragon presumed Celestial Madonna has been passed over for another, and Drax he who was created to destroy the Death God Thanos has been robbed of his mission by the Kree warrior Captain Mar-Vell (who along with Tony Stark and the Avengers butler Jarvis, makes a brief appearance.)

Drax attempts to destroy himself and in turn gives Moon Dragon and Thor something to do, that is you know save him (thats kind of what heroes are supposed to being doing after all.) I chose this issue to write about simply because it shows another side to the "super hero". Normally one expects action, from cover to cover in a comic book, but that would make the characters we read about, as flat as the pages they are printed on.

Comics and the fans who read them are not always looking for an escape from reality. There are times when we just need something to relate to. Who can't relate to being bored? Who would think even for a minute a God might be having a bad hair day (which with Thor's lovely flowing mane is nothing short of tragedy, right?) Those who write comics are men and women who have a gift for telling stories that draw the reader in. Sometimes writers get you with non-stop, pulse pounding action and at other times with commentary on our own "mere mortal" lives. So if you find yourself bored today, pick up a comic it's brain food (and it will give you something to do)!!

Marvel Comics "The Mighty Thor" #314 Volume #1, December 1981,cover price .50 cents with cover/art by Keith Pollard, written by Doug Moench. Second story "Tales of Asgard" art by Keith Pollard/Gene Day, written by Mark Gruenwald/Ralph Macchio. Current near mint pricing approximately 5.00 dollars. (2)
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1. Robert M. Overstreet, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (Timonium: Gemstone Publishing, 2012), 692. Current near mint listing per Overstreet is 40,000.00 dollars

2. Ibid, 941.

Pesky Romans

Welcome back to "Sounds Better In A Bubble," the comic book blog!! As I'm sure you are well aware, comics are a visual means of telling character driven stories, with that in mind I would like to share with you one of my favorite characters; "Asterix." Some of you may be unfamiliar with this title, but if you can find copies I promise you are in for a treat.

Co-Created by Rene Goscinny (writer) and Albert Udzero (illustrator), "Asterix" is the story of an unbeatable spirit and a response to the historical breaking of Gaul by Rome (i.e. actual figures from the past like Vercengetorix.) "Asterix le Gaulois", in English "Asterix the Gaul" first appeared in Pilote magazine a French publication started by the aforementioned creators as a strip.

The story is set during the Roman occupation of Gaul (modern day France) by Julius Caesar and his hapless legionnaires. I say hapless because old Julius has managed to conquer every tribe in Gaul with the exception of our protagonists people.Asterix is the leader of the "Invincible Gauls," a tribe who through Asterix's cunning,his enormous pal, Obelix's strength, and the local Druid Getafix's magic potion, are able to keep the invaders at bay.

Udzero's artwork is truly fantastic in this series. Asterix might easily be characterized as the "Mighty Thor's" mini-me, while his friend Obelix reminds one of a football with an egg on top. The colors pop off the page (especially in the modern trade's revamping of the original plate and line work) and pull the reader into this strange little world a thousand lifetimes ago.

The Gauls take on the Romans in adventures all over Europe, always managing to stay one step ahead of their would be masters. I began reading the stories in comic book form (they are available in trade/book form today) while living in Germany in the mid 1970's and found myself hooked immediately. Translated into more than a dozen languages, you can easily find the "Asterix" stories in English, or if you prefer as I do, read them in the original French.

While the stories are aimed at children there is a subtle subtext commenting on modern events that adults can relate to. The initial run created during Charles de Gaulle's tenure are (or may be viewed as) veiled commentary on the happenings in French political life at the time. Goscinny's writing and humor is sharp and witty, while not so overbearing that it would detract from a child's enjoyment of a very funny comic. After Goscinny's death his co-creator continued the series assuming writing and illustrating duties until retiring in 2011. He handed his legacy over to the publishing firm Hachette, which now owns the rights, with the next volume scheduled for release sometime in 2013.

Along with the wonderful comic, the magic that is "Asterix", has also been translated onto film. With better than a dozen animated versions, there are also several live action films as well. I am no film critic, but I enjoyed the goofiness that is this comics trademark on the screen very much. With that said, I hope you will avail yourself of some great Asterix stories. These may be difficult to find at your local comic shop, but look around and it will be well worth the time!!! (1)
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1. Link to the official site:
http://www.asterix.com/

Night Patrol

Well, the election is over, hope you had a chance to get out and take part in our democratic experiment. Enough about politics, let us move on to important matters (e.g. comic books.)

Today I would like to talk about a Charlton Comics title "Fightin' Army." Over the years there have been many so called fighting titles, but "Fightin' Army" will always be near and dear to my heart. The camp factor in this title is nearly over the top, the bad guys lose, the good guys always come together in the end, insurmountable odds are, well...surmounted.

Originally published as "Soldier and Marine Comics", in January of 1956 (issue #16) the title was changed to "Fightin' Army."(1) Each issue contains multiple short war stories, invariably with a pat Allied victory ending. Most of the stories are uncredited as far as writer or artist with some occasional exceptions.(2) Having said that, I encourage the reader not to discount the worth of this comic. Yes at times the stories seemed generic, or the art is less than exceptional, but there is often hidden value lying within what may seem otherwise.

As an example I offer up issue #128, from September of 1977. The cover, inside art and story writing are all uncredited. Sandwiched in between the expected World War 2 stories is a one page historical vignette on Hannibal, Carthage and his War Elephants. While brief this little educational piece is to me one of the best reasons to read "Fightin' Army." An attempt however small is made to bring the reader not just fiction, but something actually informative. While easily dismissed as blurb or fluff, as a child I found this to be fascinating. I knew the stories to be fiction, but looked forward to finding another issue (whether in a yard sale, flea market or on the news stand) for these little pieces of fact mixed in with the yarns.

The final issue of "Fightin' Army" #172 was released in November of 1984. I hope you will look into a back issue or two at your local comic retailer.

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1. Also see issues 76-77 "Captain Willie Schultz" with artwork by Sam Glanzman.

2. While generally uncredited some major names in the comic industry did work on "Fightin' Army", like Steve Ditko (co-creator of Spiderman), and Sam Glanzman (of Charlton's "Hercules" fame.)

The Commander In Chief

In honor of our impending jaunt to the polling place, I wish to pay tribute to those lead by our CIC; The American soldier. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with comic books, right? Well, plenty I would retort! The comic format has been used as platform to educate nearly as long as they've been around, and soldiers just like many other groups of young people make a great target audience. The U.S. Army recognized the potential for comics to be used as training tool in the years following World War One.

From 1939 through 1944 the Army issued "Army Motors" magazine. Printed by PMU-TAC, Camp Holabird at Baltimore, Maryland.(1) The purpose was to use a format that many soldiers were already or becoming increasingly familiar with(the comic book)to teach them how to maintain vehicles in an increasingly mechanized/motorized Army. To put this in to perspective Detective Comics was launched in 1937 with "The Batman" arriving in issue #27 in May of 1939. Action Comics #1 arrives in June of 1938 giving the world "Superman". The age of the super hero was born. The success of these comics helped to legitimize to some extent the medium in which they were presented.

"Army Motors" was a success in part due to the use of top tier talent.The same talent that was selling works at the five and dime could be put to use to further military readiness for an army gearing up for a potential conflict in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation. Men like Will Eisner, famous as the artist-writer of stories about Detective Denny Colt, a masked crime fighter otherwise known as "The Spirit", were used to bring to life "Army Motors." Eisner, drafted in 1940 used his comic stylings to engage a youthful audience in preventive maintenance of vehicles, thus keeping them in an operational state of readiness for deployment.

Post World War Two, their was a six year lull in publication of official comic styled works (seven years total as "Army Motors" ended in 1944.) In 1951 With Eisner as artistic director, a new magazine debuted "PS Magazine, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly." Focused not just on PM for vehicles it covered (and still does) everything from sidearms, artillery pieces, vehicle maintenance and more. Eisner enlisted top talent from the comic world to work on his magazine including Joe Kubert (Son of Sinbad, Sgt.Rock, founder of the Kubert School), Mike Ploog (Ghost Rider, Werewolf By Night), Murphy Anderson (Buck Rogers, Hawkman, Zatanna) to name just a few.

PS was originally published out of Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, it's current home is in Red Stone Arsenal, Alabama. Ask anyone you know who has served in the U.S. Army from 1939 to the present if he knows who "Joe Dope", "Sgt. Half-Mast McCanick" (promoted to SFC and now MSG), or "Connie Rodd" are, if they ever had to perform PM or fix anything, chances are he or she will know.These characters used in both "Army Motors" and "PS" are as familiar to most servicemen as Iron Man or Spider Man are to any child (or child at heart) today.

"PS Magazine" is alive and well today, with issue #720 issued for November 2012. So just as we former soldiers did our due diligence reading our comics to fix stuff, I hope that you will due yours by getting out to vote. It is a tribute, your right to vote, to our men and women in uniform, who put their lives on the line so that you may "maintain" it.
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1. PMU-TAC stands for Preventive Maintenance Unit-Tank Automotive Center. Camp Holabird would change its name to Holabird Ordnace Depot in 1942. Holabird was closed in the early 1970's

2. The following are two links one for an archive of PS by Virginia Commonwealth University, the second the official home of PS today.

http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/psm

https://www.logsa.army.mil/psmag/pshome.cfm

Trail Talk

Hello and welcome to "Sounds Better in a Bubble", my blog about comic books new and old. As a small boy my parents used the comic medium to encourage my interest in reading, an inspired idea that worked wonders. I could not (and still can't) get enough of comic books! My youthful favorites included Conan (both the "Barbarian" and "The Savage Sword of"), The Amazing Spiderman Thor, Action and Dectective Comics, and Jonah Hex. As an adult my tastes lean toward Golden and Silver Age comics especially those with military themes.

Some consider themselves "purists" devoting all of their energies to a particular publisher, I am not one of those. I enjoy titles from all over the comic spectrum. Whether it is DC, Marvel or smaller publishers like IDW, I believe great comics are everywhere just waiting to be found. Maybe I can lead you to some comic book gems both past and present, and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my blog!!!