This blog should be sub-titled: a journal of my life in geek.
I get my geek on with things about which I am geeky: comic books, Baseball, Ultimate, science fiction, my favorite bands, books I have read and loved, and Jungian psychology to name some of the most frequently traversed subjects.
I began this project simply as a way to count my T-shirts. I own a lot of T-shirts. But how many do I have? Do I have 365? We shall find out.
When I started this blog, I thought about how each T-shirt means something to me. I bought it for a reason, after all. I set myself the task to post an entry about a new T-shirt every day as a way to simply write something every day, a warm up for writing fiction, which is my passion. Writing is like exercise. Warm ups are good for exercise. But after completing a month of blogging about T-shirts, I have learned that this blog serves as a journal; it documents my life in geek, sort of a tour of my interests in pop culture. The blog serves as a tool for self-inventory, for assessment and analysis of self and the origins of self, for stepping through the process of individuation in catalogues, lists, and ranks.
The blog also made me aware that I have some serious gaps in my T-shirt ownership, and I am in the process of collecting some new T-shirts for several of the great popular culture icons that I truly love. Stay tuned.
I was also a bit surprised that people checked out my blog and continue to check it, read it, and even comment on it. I am very appreciative of this readership. Please feel free to share your thoughts in my comments section. I will respond.
Also, please note that I have moved the original introductory text to the side bar. And now, I present to you the most recent entry of 365 T-shirts: a journal of my life in geek. Thank you for reading.
(Second Update - 1310.24. First Update - 1306.05 Originally Posted - 1304.25.)
Deep in the mechanical trenches of woe and chthonic agony, Grading Robot wishes you a Happy Halloween.
And for once, a record low in text.
Today's t-shirt features Death of the Endless. Don't let her cute and cherubic face fool you. She will be the end of you. She will be the end of us all.
Now enjoy some more pictures and a few (very few compared to Monday) classic comic book monster covers.
Today is another KUDL Wednesday. I found this shirt in my closet as yet one more KUDL shirt that I own that I have not yet featured. This shirt is from the 2007 season and is a cotton shirt. It's an original shirt, not the retro reprints we distribute at KUDL tonight.
Today's blog features a comic book adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's classic story "The Tell-Tale Heart" as adapted for comics in Creepy magazine published by Warren Publishing starting in 1964.
For a preview of some of tomorrow's content or for more Halloween-themed comic book material check out:
This story was presented by the blog, DIVERSIONS OF THE GROOVY KIND, at this link: THE TELL-TALE HEART.
Here's the text by The GROOVY AGENT about this story.
(Sidenote: I worked with Archie Goodwin when I worked an internship at Marvel Comics while in college.)
"One of the greatest crime/horror stories in all of literature is Edgar Allan Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart". This classic has been adapted into nearly every entertainment medium--more than once--and probably will continue to worm its way into the popular consciousness for...perhaps...ever. Here's a classic comicbook version by Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall. These scans come from Comix International #4 (1976), but the story was first published in black and white in Creepy #3 in 1965" (Groovy Agent, Diversions of the Groovy Kind Blog, Oct. 29, 2013).
Trying to be scary this week with Halloween approaching on Thursday.
This is another shirt by Robert Lewis, who was at one time a Kalamazoo resident. I have lost track of him despite owning three T-shirts of his art work. This is his vampires shirt.
Today is somewhat of a quickie as I am behind the eight ball. The AQUAMAN ENTRY: T-shirt #221 took me three days to complete. It seems like the cards were against my posting of the Aquaman entry much like Aquaman himself is a toxic Internet search and much maligned and ridiculed by the public at large. Last night, still not finished, I decided to post what I had completed and go to bed. But checking my blog while in bed, via my tablet, I discovered that I had not published the blog, only saved it. So I published from my tablet. This morning, Tuesday October 29th, I started to work on it, to finish it, but I converted it to draft as I did, which unpublished it, meaning I do not have a blog published for yesterday. I may have a couple of other gaps in my publication history because of this lateness and delay and then converting to draft. But now I know, and I will not make the same mistake in the future.
Anyway, I am still scurrying to finish today's and get ahead on the week. I am planning to feature Halloween related content all week, though Aquaman was not really part of that theme.
Today's theme is dedicated to VAMPIRES. Following are five of my favorite vampires. Not ranked. I did not put a lot of thought into this. I just went with the first five vampires of my life. There are a couple of important omissions, which may be featured in the days to come. But for now, I share five of my favorite vampires, arranged chronologically both in my life and as they popped into my head when I thought about vampires.
Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.
1. BARNABAS COLLINS - JONATHAN FRID
I am a child of the 1960s-1970s, and as such, I was an avid viewer of Dark Shadows, a daily soap opera featuring an actual vampire along with ghosts and werewolves and witches and time travel that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971.
Awesome. Jonathan Frid was the first vampire in my life. I saw his work before even Bela Lugosi's Dracula, though Lugosi's predates Frid's.
From 1972-1979, Marvel Comics published The Tomb of Dracula comic book, which is one of the best comics in its genre of all time and definitely one of my TOP TEN COMIC BOOKS OF ALL TIME if I were to make a list (and expect a list before the end of my T-shirt year).
The comic was originally conceived and written by Gerry Conway, but the writer that distinguished himself best with the work and made the comic such a blockbuster success and a stunning read was Marv Wolfman.
The artist for the entire run of 70 issues was Gene Colan, who is one of my favorite 1970s artists and one of my favorite comic book artists of all time.
Here's just a taste with four images, two covers. I recently bought a TOMB OF DRACULA t-shirt (and may get a second one before my year is done). This shirt would be the perfect feature for Halloween, but I am not going to be able to write the love letter to that comic and to the great Gene Colan by Thursday, so I will have to feature the shirt another time.
Even the collected black & white volumes are well worth the investment and perusal.
3. BELA LUGOSI AS DRACULA
This is a classic. 1931 epic from Universal. But I came late to the party. I did not first see this stunning film until my teenage years, long after I was an ardent Dark Shadows and Tomb of Dracula fan. But still, I give Bela the edge in Dracula portrayal over my notable omissions, Christopher Lee and Gary Oldman.
4. NOSFERATU - Werner Herzog film 1979 - played by Klaus Kinski
Once again, I saw Herzog's Nosferatu long before I saw the original film from 1922. Though the original, NOSFERATU 1922 WIKI, is frightening, I give the edge to Herzog's Nosferatu, possibly and simply because I saw it first.
It's still one of the most frightening films I have ever seen.
5. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER VAMPIRES - ANGEL AND SPIKE
Knowing that I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- and if you don't know that, then check out T-shirt #170. But there's no way I make a short list of favorite vampires without Angel and Spike. And there's no choosing between them. Angel and Spike. Tie for fifth in today's list.
I will probably need to expand on why these two characters are so awesome at some point, but maybe I will save that for the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer t-shirt as I own another.
As I mentioned Friday, my Aquaman entry has been in the works for months. This would be more impressive if I had actually written anything. Instead, I have read about Aquaman and pondered the key question: Why do I like Aquaman so much?
I fear becoming a bit of a broken record. I love most of the main superheroes. So, if I start each entry with a blanket statement of "I love so-and-so," this will become rather repetitive. And yet, with the exception of Nightwing, Aquaman is my favorite DC superhero. If I demote Nightwing to the sidekick role from whence he came (as the original Robin) of the big name superheroes, the original Justice League, Aquaman is far and away my favorite.
But why?
Once again, refer to T-shirt #62 for more on the Nightwing love. Why Aquaman?
He's king. It's a bit like the Arthurian epic. He's king of the seven seas. King of Atlantis. He is protector of environmental rights of the oceans. He can swim really fast. He has a hot lover/wife/queen. His costume is an unusual mix of bright colors.
But he was not the first ocean hero. the Sub-Mariner (Namor, which is ROMAN spelled backwards in case you never noticed that before) pre-dates Aquaman by two years, appearing in a comic for Funnies Inc. and created by Bill Everett. AQUAMAN came along in 1941 in issue 73 of DC Comics' More Fun Comics.
The image on today's shirt was created by Alex Ross, who I wrote about profusely in T-shirt #155. It's an excellent image and depicts Aquaman very well.
This has been one of my favorite shirts and most often worn shirts for years (since around 2008).
You also see me posing with the old MEGO Aquaman toy. I have referenced this toy several times as it has been visible in pictures of my office on this blog for months as I contemplated and wondered, what the heck am I going to write about Aquaman?
THE TROUBLE WITH THE BLOG - THE MAMMOTH
The trouble is the mammoth. I tend to think that I have to create a definitive entry, an enormous and impossibly long love letter to my subject especially when I only have one shirt devoted to that subject. At this time, this is my only Aquaman shirt, so I want to write everything about Aquaman that I can possibly think of to write. But I am holding back. I am going to obtain at least one more Aquaman shirt before the year is out. I will have more opportunities to deliver Aquaman love letter content. Still, the entry will be long as I have many links, many images, and a huge cover gallery.
1960s FILMATION SERIES
Surely, the root of my love for Aquaman goes back to the Filmation animated series from 1967 and 1968 as part of the Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure. Aquaman was also one of the SuperFriends, the classic 1973 animated series.
I will share two clips from the Filmation series. There's much more Aquaman content on YouTube if you're interested.
VIDEO CLIPS FROM AQUAMAN FILMATION SERIES
Aquaman - The Rampaging Reptile-Men
The Adventures of Aquaman - 06/36 War of the Water Worlds
I have posted the link above (in my links list) to an article on the TEN reasons why Aquaman is "bad ass." I think the list is a good summary of why I love Aquaman: he is King of the Seas (as I already wrote), he does more than talk to fish, his wife is also a superhero, he travels through time and space, he deals with real loss, he commands armies, he played with deadly animals as a kid, he founded the Justice League, he doesn't have time for your crap, he fought gods and punched death, and he will throw a bear at you.
The last item alone is reason enough to check the link. Tossing polar bears = bad ass.
But the big item is the one this guy did not really number: HE'S KING. It's the reason the classic 1960s-1970s stories of Namor, Sub-Mariner at Marvel are so good. They focused on the kingdom and struggles with running the kingdom, being the king. Aquaman's great story line has always been his legacy and his role as King of Atlantis, which proclaims to hold dominion over all the seven seas.
When the comic provides the right mix of action stories and Atlantis kingdom stories, it is at its most successful. It's Arthurian. It's the stuff of legends.
Though I have been steeping myself in Aquaman lore to write this blog entry, I am going to restrict myself to the current run in the New 52 as to why Aquaman is such a compelling character and his stories are so rich and full of pathos.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! The following section contains SPOILERS. If you wish to read the recent run of Aquaman issues, skip the next section or read aware that you will have the story spoiled. AQUAMAN CURRENT ISSUES - THE NEW 52
Not to overstate here, but the current run of Aquaman issues are among the best comics currently being published and always hit my the top of my list because of their quality and not just because I love the character so much.
In September of 2011, as part of DC's New 52 re-launch of the DC universe, the company published Aquaman #1 written by Geoff Johns, pencils by Ivan Reis, and inks by Joe Prado. Of all the New 52 books, it held the most promise and was surely the one that instantly captured my attention and jumped to the top of my stack.
I was not the only one impressed with the new Aquaman comic book. The new comic has become a regular mainstay in DC's top ten best-sellers every month. Issues five and six of the current run (see review for issue five in list below) outsold every Marvel comic those months (in early 2012). Generally, for 2013, Aquaman ranked overall in the 20s, somewhere from 21-29th, in overall sales by title, usually with sales of 50-60,000 individual comics.
From the start, this run of Aquaman comics re-defined the character and distinguished itself not only as one of the best DC Comics being published, but as one of the best superhero comic books being published today.
Charles Skaggs, author of the blog DAMN Good Coffee...and HOT! has reviewed both Aquaman #1 and Aquaman #5. His review of Aquaman #1 is linked below. His comments about the first issue do a better job than I could possibly do, and so I present some of them here. See the full review via the link.
"Seemingly on a mission, writer Geoff Johns goes right at all the misconceptions and jokes about Aquaman. He takes out some bank robbers by upending their getaway truck in the middle of the street with no ocean and no fish anywhere in sight. He walks right into a seafood restaurant and orders fish and chips, telling an obnoxious know-it-all that he doesn't talk to fish. And best of all, he shuts down said know-it-all riding him about being nobody's favorite superhero with nothing more than a hardened glare and a large, pointy trident. This could get a bit annoying if Johns oversells the "Aquaman isn't a joke" campaign issue after issue, but for now it's more than appreciated" (Skaggs, September 29 2011, DAMN GOOD COFFEE AND HOT - REVIEW AQUAMAN #1).
The first two story arcs are already collected in hardcover and trade paperback, available wherever comics are sold (such as the local shop FANFARE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, via Amazon, or any of the many online vendors of comic books). The third volume is due in November of 2013 and the fourth in May of 2014.
The first volume, THE TRENCH, introduces creatures from a trench at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, impossible depths unreachable by anyone but Aquaman. After volcanic activity opens the trench, the creatures make their way to the surface seeking food. The creatures capture dozens of humans to store as food for their people and their queen, taking their prey to the breeding ground in an extraterrestrial space craft at the bottom of the Atlantic, "from a time before Atlantis sank" Aquaman says. He defeats the queen, seals the trench off, and rescues the captured humans, kept alive in egg-like pods. The last two issues of the first volume continue to explore Aquaman's character, his past, and his relationship with Mera, whon in past continuity was his wife but in this version they are unmarried. Charles Skaggs review of issue five can be found below. Issue six, "Mera Unleashed," well establishes her character and her opposition to her father, defending Aquaman. The stories are all tightly written (Geoff Johns) and the art is masterful (Ivan Reis and Joe Prado). Aquaman's character is reinvigorated, and those creatures from the Trench are not only a new and terrible menace, but eventually factor into the story arc in the current issues (October-November 2013).
One of the strengths of the New 52 allows DC to re-start character history and continuity mid-stream. Most 52 comics started a few years into the story line of each hero, allowing for back story development as well as forward story progress. For those readers who like New 52, this is a way for DC to cherry pick what creators like from the rich history of the characters that runs in stories back to about 1938. But it also allows creators to invent new back story and history for characters, types of stories that would not have been told in the 1940s. Such is the case with Aquaman Volume Two: The Others. A grisly murder brings back together a group of super heroes that Aquaman led many years ago, before meeting Mera and before assuming the Throne of Atlantis. Just as Johns established a good relationship between Arthur (Aquaman) and Mera, he mixes it up with the introduction of Ya-Wara, one of the Others, a warrior accompanied by a black panther, wearing a bikini. Mera is not pleased. The Others re-unite to solve the murder of Kahina the seer, who we readers know was killed by Black Manta in the first chapter of the story. The Others are all interesting characters and evoke a wealth of history for Aquaman and all the adventures and experiences he had before the start of the New 52 stories.
The third volume, Throne of Atlantis, connects to a series of issues throughout the DC universe. Atlantis attacks the surface world. The Justice League respond. Whose side is Aquaman on? Paul Pelletier takes over art duties after Ivan Reis leaves the book. These issues explore Arthur's troubled past and his position in regards to Atlantis, will he re-take the throne? Classic Aquaman characters are re-introduced, such as Vulko and Tula, who in this incarnation is Aquaman's sister, shared with his brother Orm, the Ocean Master, acting King of Atlantis. In the end, Arthur must attend to things that have been happening in Atlantis, actions perpetrated by Atlanteans, while he was running around on the surface playing super hero with the Justice League. Meanwhile, Mera has problems of her own, trying to fit in with the "surface world." There's a final quote by Murk, a loyal soldier of Orm's, who tells Tula that "we can't trust the surface world to do right by us, Tula. They hate us," which sets up the future story lines and the rift between Atlanteans and surface dwellers.
The most recent story arc and what will become the fourth volume, Death of a King, is unfortunately the last for Geoff Johns, who is leaving the book with issue #24. As of the writing of this blog, a new writer has yet to be announced.
I am going to close my comments here, but I plan to return to re-cap and review this current story arc and write a rebuttal to the review of issue #24 linked above.
This is more than enough Aquaman content for now. I hope I have enticed you. If not the many images and links, may entice and inspire.
Why are you not reading this book? And if you are, good for you.
Do I expect any reader to click and investigate all these links? No, of course not. And this content may either move to my next Aquaman entry (once I buy another T-shirt or four) and/or be updated here. In any case, this is a good resource for Aquaman content. Not only is my blog searchable, but I added an Aquaman category. That's how special he is.
My favorite blogger, Charles Skaggs, did a post back in July on why Aquaman is a risky search and leads to "toxic" websites. The Aqua-dude gets no respect!
Leave it to the fans! If you have not heard of FILKING, then you have obviously never been to a geek fan con. Filking as a term came about as a typo of folk [music]. It is a special brand of music mostly performed at science fiction and other related types of conventions.
One of the premier filk bands of all time in the fan world (Ookla the Mok) has a song dedicated to Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman), which is considered of the band's "greatest hits."
Ookla The Mok Arthur Curry Live
Yesterday's filking is today's "fake movie trailer." Just last week, one fan posted this fake trailer for an Aquaman movie, which is hilarious and wonderful.
Aquaman The Movie (Official Fake Trailer)
AQUAMAN IMAGE GALLERY
- chris tower - 1310.28 - 9:00 & 1310.29 10:17
NOTE ON DATES: I originally published this post on Monday 10/28/13 (1310.28), but on Tuesday when I reverted it to draft to work on it and finish it, this changed the publication date. I thought the publication date was fixed once established. Not the case. Now I know. Just sayin', I did not miss a day.
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Today's t-shirt features Death of the Endless. Don't let her cute and cherubic face fool you. She will be the end of you. She will be the end of us all.
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T-shirt #223: KUDL 2007 BLOOD Red.jpg)
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T-shirt # 222: Vampires by Robert Lewis.jpg)
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SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! The following section contains SPOILERS. If you wish to read the recent run of Aquaman issues, skip the next section or read aware that you will have the story spoiled.
The first volume, THE TRENCH, introduces creatures from a trench at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, impossible depths unreachable by anyone but Aquaman. After volcanic activity opens the trench, the creatures make their way to the surface seeking food. The creatures capture dozens of humans to store as food for their people and their queen, taking their prey to the breeding ground in an extraterrestrial space craft at the bottom of the Atlantic, "from a time before Atlantis sank" Aquaman says. He defeats the queen, seals the trench off, and rescues the captured humans, kept alive in egg-like pods. The last two issues of the first volume continue to explore Aquaman's character, his past, and his relationship with Mera, whon in past continuity was his wife but in this version they are unmarried. Charles Skaggs review of issue five can be found below. Issue six, "Mera Unleashed," well establishes her character and her opposition to her father, defending Aquaman. The stories are all tightly written (Geoff Johns) and the art is masterful (Ivan Reis and Joe Prado). Aquaman's character is reinvigorated, and those creatures from the Trench are not only a new and terrible menace, but eventually factor into the story arc in the current issues (October-November 2013).
One of the strengths of the New 52 allows DC to re-start character history and continuity mid-stream. Most 52 comics started a few years into the story line of each hero, allowing for back story development as well as forward story progress. For those readers who like New 52, this is a way for DC to cherry pick what creators like from the rich history of the characters that runs in stories back to about 1938. But it also allows creators to invent new back story and history for characters, types of stories that would not have been told in the 1940s. Such is the case with Aquaman Volume Two: The Others. A grisly murder brings back together a group of super heroes that Aquaman led many years ago, before meeting Mera and before assuming the Throne of Atlantis. Just as Johns established a good relationship between Arthur (Aquaman) and Mera, he mixes it up with the introduction of Ya-Wara, one of the Others, a warrior accompanied by a black panther, wearing a bikini. Mera is not pleased. The Others re-unite to solve the murder of Kahina the seer, who we readers know was killed by Black Manta in the first chapter of the story. The Others are all interesting characters and evoke a wealth of history for Aquaman and all the adventures and experiences he had before the start of the New 52 stories.
My favorite blogger, Charles Skaggs, did a post back in July on why Aquaman is a risky search and leads to "toxic" websites. The Aqua-dude gets no respect!
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