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 Friday, January 11, 2008
Catching Up
Posted by maggie
You know how it happens sometimes that you think, "Hey, I wonder how long it's been since I ..." And then you fill in the blank with such routine duties as, say, getting a lube job and oil change for the car, having a dental check-up, draining the house's hot water tank [which, just for the record, I've never gotten around to doing], or changing the batteries in the smoke alarms [which, again for the record, I do every spring and fall]. In my case, one of those routine bits of maintenance is posting the list of comic books that have been reviewed by CBG. Imagine my reaction which I realized this morning that I'd put it off for the last four issues! Yikes! So they're posted now, along with their ratings. And so is the separate listing of the top picks from those four months. At last.
1/11/2008 11:48:38 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00) 
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Given Comics' Relationship with Characters ...
Posted by maggie
You might want to keep an eye on a new blog at National Public Radio: "The 'In Character' Blog."Headed, "Great characters: What makes them? What does it take to create them? Why do they matter?" the site features essays on icons -- which must, sooner or later, include some of icons of our own. (And the site is open to nominations, so start thinking.) To date (including reader nominations): Lassie (mentioned earlier in my blog) Mr. Spock Blackie DuQuesne Dorothy Gale Buffy Summers Carrie Bradshaw Laura Ingalls Mary Richards Come on, folks! Which characters would you nominate?
1/11/2008 9:16:19 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Onion Picks 2007's Comics
Posted by maggie
Yesterday, the Jan. 3 issue of The Onion appeared in my mailbox, and I was especially intrigued by the fact that the issue's "Words" feature was devoted to its (well-informed) staff's picks of "The Best Comics of 2007." Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, and Tasha Robinson came up with the following six: Pascal Blanchet. White Rapids. Drawn & Quarterly. $27.95. The Luna Brothers. Girls: The Complete Collection. Image. $99.99. The Fillbach Brothers. Maxwell Strangewell. Dark Horse. $19.95. Gilbert Hernandez. Chance in Hell. Fantagraphics. $16.95. Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus. DC. [actually, several volumes, the first two of which were released in 2007 at $49.99 each] Rick Geary. The Saga of the Bloody Benders. NBM. $15.95. The text of the feature is also available online -- accompanied by (at the moment) 149 comments that may lead you to further thoughts on the topic. (Warning: The Onion is not an all-ages publication, and neither are its discussions.) By the way, the Geary is just the lastest of his "Victorian Murder" series, which began in 1987 and all of which I recommend: 1 A Treasury of Victorian Murder (Mary Eleanor Pearcey, E.W. Pritchard, The Ryan Mystery) 2 Jack the Ripper3 The Borden Tragedy4 The Fatal Bullet (assassination of James Garfield) 5 The Mystery of Mary Rogers6 The Beast of Chicago (H.H. Holmes) 7 The Murder of Abraham Lincoln8 The Case of Madeleine Smith9 The Bloody Benders(When a book club I belong to was reading Erik Larson's highly praised The Devil in the White City about Holmes [born Herman Webster Mudgett], I brought in The Beast of Chicago, which brilliantly conveyed details of events outlined in the Larson book.)
1/10/2008 10:22:24 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Monday, January 07, 2008
This Lad and Lass Love Lassie
Posted by maggie
So I'm happily listening to NPR's Morning Edition today, when I hear a familiar voice in a feature on Lassie. His Wisconsin accent ringing from my radio, Dark Horse Vice President of New Business Development Michael Martens extolled the collie, as did his wife, Cindy Marks. So give a listen to the delightful essay by Ketzel Levine. 
1/7/2008 9:50:50 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Missing Bill Idelson
Posted by maggie
There are few sites I visit whenever I have online access and a few spare moments in which to inform myself. Mark Evanier's (see link on the left) is one of those few. Every so often (too often), one of his beautifully crafted postings hits me hard. So it is with the news (otherwise absent from my usual news sources) that Bill Idelson has died.
Most of the readers of my blog will blink and say, "Who?" A few will say, as I did, "Oh, no!"
Check Mark's tribute to Idelson's wonderful talent. Then come back here.
OK, this isn't about a figure from comic books. But Idelson was - from his youth - involved in one of the finest radio comedies of all time: Vic and Sade. And that's no small accomplishment. His delivery - always on target - shone as brightly as that of performers decades older than he was. [Aside regarding Vic and Sade: Paul Rhymer's classic is an acquired taste that, once aquired, makes its owners life-long devotees. Among them: Ray Bradbury, a member of his own informal group, The Vic and Sadists.]
And I'd hoped to meet him in October 2007, when he was scheduled to attend the Friends of Old Time Radio convention. But his health had failed to the point at which he couldn't attend.
In any case, his career did not end with a show that I never heard while growing up. He went on to a life of creative delights. His website (which will probably be retired) promoted his seminars. And (on a more personal level that never involved me with him but gave an added affection for his work) my daughter handled book design on his Story of Vic & Sade. You'll find that and his Bear Manor Press book on writing at the company's site. I'm not at the moment seeing a listing on his Gibby, a thinly disguised autobiography that Valerie also designed, but it's fascinating.
And that's not to mention his skills as a performer. Among his roles was that of the seldom-seen Herman Glimscher, Rose Marie's boyfriend, on The Dick Van Dyke Show. His was a wonderful, rounded talent displayed in a variety of creative roles in a life devoted to entertaining the rest of us.
1/2/2008 6:40:47 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Leap Year Again ...
Posted by maggie
Is there another comics connection to Leap Year besides Sadie Hawkins Day? (Or was Sadie Hawkins Day an annual event carrying out the tradition of Leap Year? Or does anyone in these liberated times even know what I'm talking about?)
Or ... Wait a minute ... another comics connection besides Sadie Hawkins Day and Superman's birthday ... Right?
1/1/2008 8:59:48 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Monday, December 31, 2007
Updating
Posted by maggie
With 2007 barrelling to a close, I find my mind drawn to the ongoing challenges of updating. It's something most news suppliers find challenging, and many use that challenge as little more than a footnote, at best.
But here we are with recent losses including Wayne Howard and Paul "Zeus" Grant and (on a different note) the ending of Tom Ryan's TUMBLEWEEDS, and I realize all over again just how many people in the industry I haven't managed to keep up with.
It was great to see Gary Friedrich appearing at some conventions in 2007. How many other well-known figures from years back have we lost touch with? These aren't necessarily Facebook-type folks; whom should we be seeking out these days, anyway?
Son Stephen got an entire book out on this sort of project years ago (TENACITY OF THE COCKROACH), but can't we start tracking down people in a less elaborate way?
12/31/2007 1:47:55 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Sunday, December 30, 2007
Yes, I'm Still Lurking About
Posted by maggie
It's been a bit since I posted here, though I've put up a couple of items on CBGXtra.com. Life is more complicated electronically, when a full computer is not at hand. I'm babysitting at the moment, Grandkids Jonah and Grace just having paraded through the room, announcing, "We're grounded, because we don't like anybody."
Could it be a reference to the 2008 primaries?
In any case, comics are still a part of life. SpongeBob has been a part of Christmas festivities in the homes of both my kids, and Jonah's bedtime reading night before last was the Christmas story of Donald, Uncle Scrooge, and the kids and the giant gold nugget. Hoo hah!
12/30/2007 9:56:10 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Sunday, December 23, 2007
You ARE Reading Mark Evanier's Blog, Aren't You?
Posted by maggie
Whether it's for behind-the-scenes information on the Writers Guild strike, for views of classic cartoons with more background than I'd ever find on a DVD disc, or for such factual matters as the posting of the correct (as opposed to Wikipedia) date of birth for John Severin, I try to check out Mark Evanier's blog every day.
Oh, and he's also got his own links to comics news -- such as this one regarding a worker being fired for posting a Dilbert cartoon. Geez.
I've linked here -- but there's an ongoing link to Mark in the "More Links" to the left, for your convenience.
12/23/2007 6:50:47 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
What the Heck?
Posted by maggie
It's just been brought to my attention that at least one Internet site says CBG is discontinuing itself in 2008. As we're all aware, absolutely everything on the Internet is True -- so I'm bewildered. Which is to say what you're probably already aware of: You should always try to verify stuff you may come across on the Internet. Especially the report that CBG is going away. Because we're not. In fact, we're simultaneously (in CBG #1639) tooting our horn over CBG's celebrating its 25th anniversary in Iola and planning issue #1640. Stay tuned.
12/19/2007 1:49:31 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Keep These in Mind As You Shop for Gifts
Posted by maggie
I meant to post these Christmas morning -- but I'll be miles away from my scanner then. So take a look now. (Though you may not be able to see the dates on these scans, by the way, they both appeared in newspapers in 1993.) Ho ho ho!  
12/19/2007 8:41:40 AM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Dang! No Posts Since Last Week?
Posted by maggie
Sorry, sorry, sorry! Things have been crazy, of course. In olden times (when Don and I were publishing Newfangles, which predated CBG and TBG before that), comic-book companies would stub their toes in the dirt about missed shipping schedules and say that the reason for foul-ups this time of year was that there were complications because of Christmas. Such excuses continued into TBG days and occasionally into CBG days -- and we would occasionally point out that publishers might do well to invest in a new device called a calendar and plan accordingly. Because Christmas shouldn't come as a surprise; it could actually be planned for. And, yes, we've wrapped up Comics & Games Retailer today and plan to wrap up CBG tomorrow and then go on with our lives. But to do that, most other things have been set aside. For example, tonight I plan to scan comic-book panels that display less than accurate drawings of archers in action. (Just wait. You'll see the letters column next year.) But at the same time we've been wrapping the issues, I've been wrapping (and shipping) family gifts (including a huge box of doll furniture for Granddaughter Grace; don't tell her). Which sort of activity has precluded a lot of blogging. So what are your holiday plans?
12/18/2007 5:41:14 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
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