Jack Kirby's 98th Birthday

Today would have been Jack "The King" Kirby's 98th birthday.

Read Comics in Public Day 8-28-2016

Tomorrow August 28 is Jack "The King" Kirby's birthday. It is therefore celebrated internationally as Read Comics In Public Day. 

JL #40 "....Dangerous Brain Storm!" Afterward

So, what did you think?

I will be the first to admit that some of the art was not very good. I guess when I take time off my artistic abilities kind of stagnate? Or maybe I just get lazy or rushed? Some of the art is good, but too many panels remind me myself of Vince Colletta with dull or blank backgrounds. And for that I apologize. I will try to do better in the future.

Of course, I have said it before and I will say it again: I consider myself more of a writer than an illustrator. And I DO like the story, and some of the dialogue. Let me tell you about how this particular story metamorphosed....

JL #40 ".....Dangerous Brain Storm!"

JL #40 ".....Dangerous Brain Storm!" Forward

This was a difficult story to get finished! Originally I intended it to be finished in July, before I went to Japan. However,  as you will see when you read it, it's *kind of* a continuing saga. So I had to do some coordination with the next issue before I could finish this one. Then I got terribly busy at my office, and had to go on a business trip or two. I didn't want to cart all of my pages and pens etc with me to Nebraska to work on it, so I brought the script to #41 with me instead. That was a mistake, because I then go into THAT story, and wanted/needed to finish the script for that one! And lastly, my collaborator on #42, the very rad Andy Kapellusch,  asked me to do various prep work on THAT issue before I went to Japan as well....

JL #40 "....Dangerous Brain Storm!" The Cover

Take a gander at this fantastic piece of art by the fantastic Luke Daab! 

I asked for a piece featuring Batgirl in a dramatic pose, with the JLAers defeated around her, and this is what I got! LOVE the "retro" feel he was going with here, too. 

Nice work, again and always, Luke! 

When I asked him why Aquaman wasn't included, he told me he didn't want to show Aquaman defeated. So....extra points for that response!! 

You can commission Luke Daab yourself at his site Daab Creative

->Walt Kelly's 100est & Second Birthday!<-

Walt Kelly was the first artist whose name I actually knew.

"I Got You Babe" at 50

Fifty years ago this month the classic love-song and karaoke standard "I Got You Babe" by Sonny& Cher hit Number One on the Billboard chart. It stayed there for three weeks in August 1965.

Happy Birthday, Richard Sanders!

Today is the birthday of actor-writer Richard Sanders. Sanders was a classically trained Shakespearean actor from Pennsylvania when he got the quirky role of Les Nessman, news director on WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982). While enjoying that role, Sanders also wrote five episodes of the series, all of them centering on his character.

The Story Thus Far....! "Like Moths To A Flame!"

As we head into our NEWEST Justice League adventure, 

let's take a moment to look at what has happened previously....!  

Happy Birthday, Hugh Wilson!

If you have never heard of Hugh Wilson, the talented writer, producer, and director, you have missed a lifetime of great comedy.

RIP Don Newton

On August 19, 1984 comic-book artist Don Newton suddenly died of a massive heart attack. He was only 49 years old.

Happy Birthday, Gene Roddenberry!

Gene Roddenberry was born on August 18, 1921. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, then returned to California and worked as a police officer before he broke into screenwriting and then producing.

Happy Birthday, Davy Crockett!

Can you name the US Representative from Tennessee who battled against President Andrew Jackson, then lost a re-election bid so moved to the Mexican state of Tejas to help fight for its freedom? Of course you can!

Happy Birthday, Lesley Ann Warren!

Today is the birthday of Lesley Ann Warren, star of stage, screen, and television!

Happy Birthday, Gary Larson!

Per a note I found on Creators Syndicate: 

A Note from Gary Larson

RE: Online Use of Far Side Cartoons

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I'm walking a fine line here.

RIP Joe Kubert

Three years the comic-book industry lost another legend, when the irreplaceable Joe Kubert died. He was 85 years old.

Happy Birthday, Missouri!

Today marks the anniversary of the day the great state of Missouri joined these United States of America. Missouri was officially admitted as the 24th state on August 10, 1821. That means that The Show Me State is 194 years old today. (Funny, she doesn't look a day over 176). I wonder if there will be a huge party in 2021 to celebrate the bicentennial?

Happy Birthday, Sam Elliott!

Today August 9 is actor Sam Elliott's birthday. He is 71 years old.

Sam appeared in a very small role in the classic film, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid in 1969. This movie stars Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Katherine Ross. Nearly ten years after this, he actually met Katherine Ross, and they fell in love and got married in 1984.

T3I Crime Busters THRILLER DILLER

If you don't know who The Three Investigators are, they are three teen-aged boys named Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the most intelligent one, so he is First Investigator. Pete is the most athletic one, and he is usually available to accompany Jupiter on various investigations, so he is Second Investigator. Bob was originally injured and couldn't do as much physical activity as his pals. He also had a part-time job at the local library. So he was named Records and Research.

Hiroshima 70 Years Later

The world entered the Atomic Age seventy years ago today, when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese port city of Hiroshima.

The Coming of the Man-Bat!

Man-Bat made his debut in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970). At the time of his debut there was something of a horror and Gothic "boom" going on in pop culture, as the Hammer Films were very popular and also movies such as "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist" were making money in Hollywood. Also, the Comic Code Authority had begun to loosen its rules, including those forbidding vampires, zombies, and "creatures of the night." (As a reference, Marvel Comics dived head-first into the horror genre at this time, as The Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf By Night, and The Ghost Rider all made their debuts within months of each other, in 1972).

Happy Birthday, John & Loni!

Yesterday Aug 3 was the birthday of John C. McGinley.

Tomorrow Aug 5 is the birthday of Loni Anderson.

Happy Birthday, Tony Bennett!

Tony Bennett is 89 years old today.
He is a veteran of World War II, a dedicated pacifist, and the oldest living artist to get a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (his duet with Amy Winehouse, "Body & Soul," reached #87 when he was 85 years old).
Mr. Bennett has won 18 Grammy Awards, including Best Male Vocal Performance, Album of the Year, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
And he's a hell of a singer.

I didn't like Tony Bennett when I first heard him. His older recordings, which my parents had, were mostly lush orchestrations such as "Because of You" (1951). I basically thought of him as another Perry Como....and this is not a compliment.