T-shirt #106 - Captain America

T-shirt #106 - Captain America, Jack Kirby, and KUDL costume night


As promised, I present Captain America. If only I could find the shirt, which may be packed away at my parents' house. On today's blog, you will see pictures of me wearing the shirt in 2007 at the Kalamazoo Ultimate Disc League (KUDL) costume night.

The subject of KUDL costume night (which this season will be observed on July 15th) would be enough for an entry, especially with these wacky pictures. However, I am dressed as Captain America (at least with just the shirt), and so today's subject will be devoted to the most patriotic of heroes, though I promise to keep it relatively short as I went a bit nuts with yesterday's entry.

In terms of page length, this one is going to be long, but there's more pictures and links than text.

THE CAPTAIN AMERICA SHIRT

I think I have only worn the Captain America shirt three times: once around the house after I bought it and twice playing Ultimate, once at costume night in 2007.

Dan Lipson and me - KUDL Costume Night 2007

Me with Andrew "Little" Hamilton - KUDL Costume Night 2007
... I have no idea what we're doing...

CAPTAIN AMERICA

I can't really say that Captain America has been one of my favorite heroes or even one of my favorite Marvel heroes. As cool as he is, and though the throwing shield thing is very cool, he would not make my top five in either category. After all, as I have established on this blog already--and will continue to establish--I am quite a bit more fond of those heroes that are not the flagship characters, such as--at Marvel--Silver Surfer, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, and the Son of Satan.

Though Captain America has not always been a favorite, I have not avoided him; I have read issues of Captain America avidly for most of my life.

The Marvel Comics Wikia Database: Captain America continues to be a great resource for information about comics and the history.

Captain America #100

My first issue featuring Captain America was Tales of Suspense #96 from December of 1967, featuring an Iron Man story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan (an artist who is in my top five faves of the 1960s), and the Captain America story "To Be Reborn" by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, in which Steve Rogers is drawn out of retirement and back into uniform as Captain America.

I did not have any Avengers comics before Tales of Suspense #96 came out. My first comic of the Mighty Avengers was #63 from April of 1969. I bought Avengers Special #3, which retold Cap's origin and return to the then present of the Marvel universe and joining the Avengers when it came out in July of 1969.

I might own Captain America #100, the first issue of his own title after the cancellation of  Tales of Suspense, but I do not have access to my comics here. (NOTE: Another reason to update the blog someday.) I know I have read the issue in reprint.

My next issue was Captain America #119, after Steranko's short run, and once again a story featuring the awesome GENE COLAN.

Art by John Cassady

Cap gave up his uniform again and fought for justice as Nomad in 1974. I was getting nearly every issue up to Jack Kirby's return to the book after his years at DC Comics starting with issue #193 (January 1976). Though I skipped out in the later 1970s, I read sporadically and started tuning in for every issue when John Byrne took on the title. I loved the mid-1980s run by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck. Though many fans criticized Mark Gruenwald, I enjoyed his tenure on the book from 1985-1995. He logged the most consecutive issues by any single author in the character's history. Gruenwald epitomized what comics are in essence: a business. It's not easy to create earth-shattering, creatively-rich, and innovative stories monthly for ten years. Gruenwald's stories may not have broken new ground, but he kept the character's story coming month after month for 137 issues. I loved Mark Gruenwald as a writer and a person, as I had the chance to know him during my brief time in the Marvel offices in 1985. Gruenwald died in 1996 of a heart attack at the age of 43.

Mark Waid's run on the book followed Gruenwald, and then there was Rob Liefeld, who did what is known as Captain America Volume 2. Not much to say about that. Waid returned with Ron Garney for Volume Three in 1998, which ran fifty issues with the wrap-up by Dan Jurgens and Bob Layton in 2002. The thirty-two issue run of Volume Four began in June of 2002 with some of the most definitive work on Captain America to date by John Ney Rieber and John Cassady. Though a great creative team like that cannot produce thirty-two issues and Volume Four concludes in 2004 with a team of The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman and Scot Eaton. This is what comics is all about. It's manufacturing. It's production month after month after month, and few can keep it up like Kirby or Gruenwald.

Art by Sreve Epting

Volume Five began the era many praise today as the character's finest (next to classics by Kirby) with 50 issues by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. In this arc, Brubaker introduced the Winter Soldier, Cap's old sidekick Bucky, whom Cap thought had died in their final battle against the Nazis in World War II, but who survived and had been brainwashed and stored cyrogenically, thawed for assassinations when needed. These years also featured the assassination of Captain America with Bucky taking on the role of his departed comrade. In the end, Steve Rogers was not dead and he ultimately returned to the role of Captain America. The sixth volume consisted of nineteen issues; Brubaker continued as the writer, the initial issues were drawn by Steve McNiven and later by Alan Davis, Patrick Zircher, and others.

There are tons of great stories in these volumes, but I want to focus on Jack Kirby's legacy and on the recent set of issues (Volume Seven), which is an extended love letter to Jack Kirby and his ingenious contributions to the saga of his first and greatest creation:

Captain America (though credit must be given to co-creator Joe Simon, also).

From the Bicentennial issue? I will include this
in full size at the end.

 JACK KIRBY'S RETURN TO CAPTAIN AMERICA

I have created a category for Jack Kirby in the blog because he is the master and a subject I plan to return to over and over again.

I have written about Jack Kirby four times already (counting today). Most notably, I provided the basics of how badly he and his estate has been cheated in T-shirt #83: The X-Men Logo to the tune of over SEVEN billion dollars and counting. I also wrote about Jack Kirby in T-shirt #53: Agent of Shield, and T-shirt #104: Silver Surfer etc.

Two of the first comics I ever owned were drawn by Jack Kirby: Tales of Suspense #96 and Fantastic Four #69 (both published in December of 1967). I became an avid Jack Kirby fan from those very earliest days. I read Jack Kirby Fantastic Four, I read Jack Kirby Thor, I read Jack Kirby Captain America, and the Uncanny X-Men, and the Avengers, etc.

When Kirby left Marvel in 1971, I started reading his DC Comics, such as OMAC (which recently had a Kirby love letter of its own), The New Gods, Mister Miracle, Kamandi, and the most awesome Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.

When Kirby returned to Marvel, I was in full comic-buying mode and spent my money faithfully on Captain America, The Black Panther (a Kirby themed shirt will be featured in the near future in this blog), 2001: A Space Odyssey, Machine Man, Devil Dinosaur, and my personal favorite--one of my all-time most favorite comic books: The Eternals.

Kirby's late 1970s Marvel period began in January 1976 with Captain America #193 - "The Madbomb, Screamer in the Brain." I have featured art from this first and other issues later in today's blog entry. The Eternals debuted in July of 1976, and Kirby's The Black Panther started in January of 1977, by which time Kirby was cranking  out 60-80 pages of art per month, including covers and maintaining (as writer, artist, and editor) four ongoing, regular titles. To use "Marvel-esque" words, this kind of output is ASTOUNDING and ASTONISHING, even UNCANNY and FANTASTIC!

This is the most fertile and amazingly creative period of Jack Kirby's career in comics. Though many "comic fans" criticize this period (some feel Kirby cannot write realistic-sounding dialogue), most comic book fans and readers will be quick to agree that this period is one of the most rich and innovative in Marvel Comics history.

LINKS ABOUT JACK KIRBY

I own a nifty coffee table style book by Mark Evanier on Kirby called Kirby: King of Comics, which won the Eisner for best comic related boom in 2009.

Kirby: King of Comics Wiki

Kirby: King of Comics Amazon

TwoMorrows Publishing - You Can't Go Home Again - Kirby Collector Twentyninth Issue

Buying Kirby Collector magazine: at TwoMorrows

Jack Kirby | Ridiculously Awesome

Jack Kirby Interview | The Comics Journal

IO9: The true story of life at Marvel Comics in the glory days of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

The Jack Kirby Chronology: 1970-1979

The 7 Most Awesome Moments From Jack Kirby’s ‘Captain America’

Diversions of the Groovy Kind: Making a Splash: "Madbomb"--Jack Kirby's Return to Captain America and Marvel


Author of the blog at the next link, Scott Edelman worked at Marvel Comics in the 1970s during the time Kirby returned after his years at DC. Kirby was abused by the staffers during that time, and things got so bad that Stan Lee had to intercede. These anecdotes are explained in the "You Can't Go Home Again" article
linked above.

Years later, Edelman is taking more cheap shots at Kirby by criticizing this panel from Captain America #207.

Not that I consider Kirby some saint but is this kind of criticism really necessary? Seems to me that Edelman has an axe to grind and is pulling out some obscure and forgotten panel to make the point that Jack Kirby needed Stan Lee, even though many agree that Jack's solo work is some of the most brilliant comic book work ever created. Granted his dialogue, external, or internal as seen here, is often stilted, but Kirby was not trying for "realism," which is often what comics strive for anyway (lack of realism), especially in the late 1970s.  I say, shame on you, Scott Edelman.

Read Edelman's comments here: Failing Better - Shame on you, Captain America!

CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 7

The current run of Captain America is part of the Marvel Now line issues #1 (January 2013) through issue #8 (August 2013) with one issue (#9) left in the story, which is being called "Captain America in Dimension Z." (Note dates are two months in advance as per the norm in comics.)

Written by Rick Remender
Pencils by John Romita Jr.
Inks by Klaus Janson
Colors by Dean White

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read on if you want to avoid spoilers.

This current run of Captain America comics is truly brilliant. Remender and Romita JR with Janson and Knight have synthesized what makes Kirby so great and given it all a modern look.

Like the 1970s Kirby issues, Remender chops Cap out of the current continuity, placing him in "Dimension Z," which is run by his old foe (and a Kirby creation) Arnim Zola. Cap spends TWELVE YEARS (yeah, not sure how Remender plans to deal with this plot element but he has claimed that Cap will be "forever changed" by this story line) in Dimension Z, avoiding Zola and raising Ian, a clone of Zola, who he rescued from Zola's headquarters.

Flashbacks to the childhood of Steve Rogers provide further (and new) back story for the character as present day Cap fights through the horrors of Zola's nightmare dimension with all sorts of Kirby-esque tropes, such as the costuming of Zola's daughter Jet Black, the kindly Phrox with whom Cap and Ian take refuge, and the growing Zola virus embedded in his chest (as revealed at the end of issue #3).

Issue #4 begins with a page that reads simply: "ELEVEN YEARS LATER," and at the end issue #5, after Ian has been taken by Jet Black, to be returned to Zola, Cap cuts out of his chest this growing techno-organic presence before he sets out to get his son back.

The reviews and articles do a good job explaining why Captain America Volume Seven is so great. Check them out as well as the Marvel AR videos.

REVIEWS AND ARTICLES: CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 7

Review - Weekly Comic Book reviews - Captain America #5

Review - Figureheads.ov.pop - Captain America #6

Review - Comicosity - Captain America #6

Reviews of Remender's work - collected on Comic Hype

USATODAY: Remender gives a pulp SF edge to Captain America

NEWSARAMA: Captain America Won't be the same post-Zola War, Remender Says

Remender's "Captain America" Fights for Freedom & Family - Comic Book Resources

Rick Remender on ‘Captain America,’ ‘Devolution’ and the Desecration of Charles Xavier [Interview]

Marvel AR

I always had trouble with the Marvel Augmented Reality, so I finally deleted the APPs from my phone and tablet, but I was very disappointed because I wanted to access this content. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Marvel is posting the AR videos to You Tube. How much do I love social media? A LOT.

Here's three videos from the AR app: two with artist John Romita Jr and one with writer Rick Remender about recent issues of the Captain America series.

Captain America #7: Rick Remender - Marvel AR

Captain America #7: John Romita JR talks - Marvel AR

Captain America #5 - John Romita Jr. - Marvel AR

CAPTAIN AMERICA 

I must give a nod to the recent movie Captain America: First Avenger (2011), which I thought was quite good and far superior to the two CBS live action films from 1979. (SIDE NOTE: The first Cap TV movie premiered on my birthday in 1979, which I thought was quite a treat until I watched it.)

As a fan of the Winter Soldier story in the comics, I am quite excited about the next film Captain America: the Winter Soldier (2014), especially because Robert Redford has been cast.

Captain America By Jack Kirby

An art gallery of various images from Kirby's 1970s work on Captain America. The blog closes with a Captain America painting by Alex Ross.

From the Bicentennial issue?

Captain America #197 - pg. 10

Captain America # 199 pg.2

Captain America 193 - 02

Captain America 193 - 03

Captain America 199 - 04

Captain America 196 - 05

Captain America 208

Captain America 214

Captain America Bicentennial?

Some of my favorite (though not all)
of my Kirby Captain America covers follow.

art by Alex Ross

Okay, this entry took way longer than I had planned. If you actually made it to this point, THANK YOU!

- chris tower - 1307.05 - 13:25

T-shirt #105 - Ultimate Spider-Man

T-shirt #105 - Ultimate Spider-Man or "Maybe dat's your pwobwem, too."

Expecting Captain America?

It occurred to me that Captain America may have been a better choice for the blog post for July 4th.

I could have switched gears, as I may feature Cap soon (ahem, tomorrow!). But I already had much of this entry written, AND I wanted to share my first EVER YOU TUBE video. So there, you have it. My convoluted reasoning.

Today, I am featuring my first Spider-Man T-shirt on the blog. Along with Batman and Superman, Spider-Man was one of my first and favourite childhood heroes, especially since ABC ran a Spider-Man animated series from 1967 to 1970 at the beginning of my years as a comic book reader; ASIDE: my comic reading began when I was given my first comic (an issue of Detective Comics)  in 1966. A live action Spider-Man series also followed in 1977 on CBS.



The first Spider-Man comic I owned was Amazing Spider-Man #54, published in November of 1967.

I have read ASM#54 many times. I cannot say it is my favorite Spider-Man comic, but it is the one I have probably read most often and as such Doctor Octopus is the Spider-Man villain with the most resonance for me. And so, as such, the current story line in the Spider-Man comics in which Doctor Octopus has taken over Peter Parker and Spider-Man's life--Peter is essentially dead--is fascinating to me.

I posed for the picture with today's shirt and the CD set of archived Spider-Man comics to emphasize that like Batman, Superman, Aquaman, The Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, and several others from my first days in comics, Spider-Man has been a part of my life for over 40 years.

ROMANCING THE SPIDER: This issue, ASM#54, was my first experience with John Romita, Senior's art. As I wrote in T-shirt #83, John Romita is one of my top-five favorite 1960s artists. Romita had a great deal of experience drawing romance comics in the 1950s and early 1960s. The issues he drew of Amazing Spider-Man were styled in many ways like romance comics, especially in the depiction of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy's relationship. I attribute Romita's romance-themed work as part of what sparked in me an affection for melodrama and soap opera.

From ASM #59

Romita's realistic style stood out among the many more fantastic or surreal comic artists of his time. His pencils were tight and sharp, unlike many others. His training in romance comics blended swipes from movie stills, which fueled the realism of his art, and from newspaper strips, such as Milton Canniff's Terry and the Pirates.

NO GWEN STACY: Though I liked the first three Spider-Man movies (2002-2007) with Tobey Magurie (I liked some more than others), I found it a bit odd that Peter's relationship with Mary Jane Watson took center stage and was characterized as the great love of his life rather than emphasizing his relationship with Gwen Stacy, which in the comics played out as the greatest love of his life and his greatest tragedy, at least until Mary Jane learned he was Spider-Man and they got married.

In the films. the central focus of Mary Jane Watson in Peter's life followed more closely the rebooted origin and early years established by the Ultimate Comics line and with Brian Michael Bendis' definitive Ultimate Spider-Man, which ran for 109 issues from the year 2000 through 2009. Though I like Kirsten Dunst as an actress, and though she did a fine job in the films, I did not feel that she was right for Mary Jane Watson, either as seen in the original Romita pencilled classic issues in the 1960s and 1970s or in the new Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis and Mark Bagley.

The T-shirt for today depicts the version of Spider-Man from Ultimate Spider-Man.

I felt it was a mistake to feature Mary Jane in the first ever Spider-Man movies as Peter's greatest love, and so, I was much relieved and pleased to see the new film (released in 2012) establish Gwen Stacy as Peter's romantic interest. Emma Stone seems aptly cast as Gwen Stacy, and I did not mind the re-conceiving of her character as Curt Connors' assistant in the labs at Oscorp. Though this is a huge departure from the classic version of the character, it is a welcome update to bring the young woman into the 21st century and give her a brain. Though beautiful and loving, the classic version was really much like the main characters of romance comics with few characteristics other than her romantic interest in the leading man and lots of crying.

From ASM #66

I borrowed these images from a neat blog called The Spider-Man Journal, in which Sean Wilson charts the important events of Spider-Man's life as depicted in the classic issues by Stan Lee and John Romita, which he argues are the best and that the current incarnation (as of 2012) cannot live up to the Lee-Romita years.

From ASM #42

from ASM #43

MARY JANE IS COOL: Do not misunderstand. I really like Mary Jane Watson. I am not a Mary Jane hater. In fact, some of my favorite comics in recent years include an ongoing set of titles titled variations of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.














The original "party girl" with the classic line of "face it, Tiger. You just hit the jackpot" is dear to my heart, not just for the great Romita art of MJ's introduction, but for the Sixties flair and style of the character, who later became Peter Parker's best friend and wife before the JMS run ended and Peter Parker's history was altered and re-booted.

As much as I love the original Mary Jane from the main Marvel universe, I probably have a greater fondness for the Mary Jane character from the Ultimate Spider-Man series, who is much more intelligent, thoughtful, and bookish than the actress/model/party girl of the originally introduced Mary Jane character who debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #42.

Ultimate Spider-Man #13

This is another puzzler about the casting and choices of the Raimi Spider-Man films. Though Liz Allen is Peter Parker's first "romantic interest (dating back to the origin story and page one: Amazing Fantasy #15), J.Jonah Jameson's secretary Betty Brant is Peter's first "girlfriend." And though Mary Jane debuts in ASM #25 with her face covered, her actual (and famous) introduction comes in ASM #42, which is after Gwen Stacy's introduction in ASM #31.

Check out one of the sites I list below as one author catalogued all of Peter's love interests, including the Black Cat, Debra Whitman, Glory Grant, Gwen Stacy's cousin Jill, Michelle Gonzales, Carlie Cooper, and even Cissy Ironwood, featured in issues of Marvel Team Up.

Though I love Mary Jane, and I really liked seeing Peter marry her, I still feel the movies should have followed the original comic book chronology rather than some inaccurate pastiche of original material and the Ultimate stories. So far, the new set of movies seem more promising as MJ will not appear at all in the next film: The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

INTERNET SPIDER RESOURCES

There are many wonderful Internet sites dedicated to Spider-Man and his cast of characters with commentary and/or fan appreciation, such as this one dedicated to Peter Parker's many loves (via Comic Book Resources):

WHEN WE FIRST MET - THE MANY LOVES OF PETER PARKER

Or this one that seems to have links to the daily newspaper strip:

Spider-Man Crawl Space

Or the related to the whole Mary Jane vs. Gwen Stacy thing, see

THE MANY LIVES OF GWEN STACY - part one - The Girl Next Door has a bit of a mean streak

  MANY LIVES OF GWEN STACY part two: The Mary Jane Factor

Also, a great tribute to John Romita, Sr.

I cannot sign off of today's Spider-Man festival without giving a shout out to the current Ultimate Spider-Man comic, in which Spidey has been re-envisioned as a young, African-American boy named Miles Morales. I am not such a purist that I cannot enjoy a good re-imagining, and this book is not just good, it's FABULOUS (see cover pics above)!

MJ may be cool, but Gwen was a classic 1960s chick...










From Amazing Spider-Man #47






WEEKLY COMIC BOOK STACK

As I began two weeks ago, I continue my weekly comic book stack feature. These are the ranked comics.

GREEN ARROW: I do read the deep stacks. I caught up on Green Arrow, and I love the new creative team and the book's direction, so this jumps to the top of the stack.

DC: Yes, nearly all the deep stack comics are DC comics. But I do have DC comics each week ranked highly if not number one, so I don't think I can be called a "Marvel Zombie."

COMICS FOR JULY 3rd 2013

• Green Arrow #22 
• Iron Man #12 
• Avengers A.1 #001 
• Avengers #15 (Prelude to Infinity) 
• Daredevil: Dark Knights #2 
• Thunderbolts #12 
• Ten Grand #3 
• Sattelite Sam #1 

DEEP STACK (the list of comics that are added to other unread issues in the series awaiting the time when I "catch up." Some of the catching up stretches back over ten years. Batman Incorporated #12, Detective Comics #22, Earth 2 #14, Fairest #17, Green Lantern #22, Action Comics #22, Uber #3.

EXTRA BUY: Avengers: Season One (hardcover)

THE SPIDER-MAN POEM

From 1993-2001, I participated in the Creative Writers in the Schools program. CWIS was a grant funded Michigan arts program in which schools brought in creative writers for one or two week residencies. On average, I would visit 3-4 schools a year in April, May, and June.

At each school, I performed what I called "The Spider-Man poem" but what is really a poem called "Maybe Dats your Pwobwem, too" by Jim Hall. I am sharing both the text of the poem (from the mini-comic I made to give to students, which is why I am called "your writer pal") and my FIRST EVER YOU TUBE video. I thought I had video of myself performing the poem in one of my final women's studies classes in 2008, but I cannot seem to find it. I recreated it here in the video, wearing today's shirt, for your edification and amusement.

(And, yes, you may note that I have a bleach stain on my Ultimate Spider-Man shirt. Sadness.)

The Spider-Man Poem

 Chris Tower·

"MAYBE DATS YOUR PWOBWEM TOO"
--The Spider-Man poem BY JIM HALL
--As performed and made famous by your writer pal Chris Tower

All my pwobwems
who knows?
Maybe evewybody’s pwobwems
is due to duh fact
due to duh awful twuth
dat I am Spider-Man.

I know, I know.
All da dumb jokes.
No flies on you.
Or duh one about what I do wit awl dose extwa legs in bed.

Well, dat’s funny, yeah.
But you twy bein Spider-Man
for a month or two.
Go ahead.

You git dose cwazy calls from duh gubbener
asking you to twap sum buwgewar
whose only twyin to wip off color TV sets.
Now, what do I care ‘bout color TV sets?
But I pull on duh suit
dah stinkin’ suit
wit duh suckkah cups on dah fingas
an den get my wopes
an wittle bundle of equipment.
And den I go fwying like cwazy
acwoss duh town
from wooftop to wooftop
‘til der he is
sum poor dumb color TV slob
and I fall on him
and we westle a widdle
until I get him all woped.

So big deal?

You tink when you Spider-Man
sumtin big gonna happen to you.
Well, it don’t happen dat way.
Nuttin happens.
Gubbener calls.
I go.
Bring him to Polwice.
Gubbener calls again.
Like dat.
Over and Over.

Sometimes I tink I twy sumetin diffunt
sumetin excitin’ like wacing caws.
Sumetin’ to make my heart beat at a diffunt wate.

But den, you can’t quit bein’ sumetin’ like Spider-Man.
You Spider-Man fo’ life.
Fowever.

I can’t even buin by suit.
It woin’t buin.
It’s fwame wesistant!

So maybe dat’s your pwobwem, too.
So maybe dat’s duh whole pwobwen wit everyting.

Nobody can buin dey suits.
Dey all fwame wesistant.

Who knows?

- chris tower - 1307.04 - 13:13

T-shirt #104 - Silver Surfer, Daredevil, Black Panther

T-shirt #104 - Silver Surfer, Daredevil, Black Panther - ZAZZLE!

I came upon this T-shirt in an Internet hunt for a shirt featuring the Black Panther, which I found elsewhere.

In my quest, I also found a shirt featuring THREE superheroes at ZAZZLE! (See it at this link!)

Black Panther, Daredevil, and the Silver Surfer all on one T-shirt??

How could I resist?





I could not. So, obviously, this is a newly owned T-shirt, which just arrived in the mail not too long ago (a week or two, such is my time ahead on the blog).

I barely escaped ZAZZLE without going completely superhero shirt buying  crazy as the company has produced a whole series of shirts featuring trios of characters, such as ...


Phoenix, Black Cat, and Tigra

Falcon, Magneto, and the Vision

and

Spider-Woman, the Wasp, and Psylocke.

I almost bought the one with the Falcon and the Vision, but I was not too crazy about these two heroes being paired with Magneto.

Why the Silver Surfer with Daredevil and the Black Panther? I have no idea.

Also, I cannot identify the artist, but I do like the art. It may be Oliver Coipel.

I invite speculation.





Here, in the photo above,  I am posing with my SILVER SURFER OMNIBUS that was a birthday gift years ago from my dear friend Abigail  "Crabby" Nappier, who just got engaged to another good friend and a super person, William "BJ" Cherup.


DAREDEVIL & BLACK PANTHER: I plan to feature both of these heroes later in the blog (not today, in the future), so I am going to set them aside as subjects for this entry. Plus, the Silver Surfer is the front image of the shirt. He gets the nod.

FLYING: One of the best things about Silver Surfer is his flying "surf" board. This is such a cool feature of the Silver Surfer that I made a new category called "flying" to track all the heroes with flying as a primary ability or TV shows/movies that in some way feature flying prominently. Flying is very important. It's fantasy related. You do know what the Freudians say about flying dreams, right?

Surfing through the air is another level of cool to the flying fantasy thing. Plus, the surf board makes a great weapon.

As you can see in one of the images, I have a little Silver Surfer toy. I also have a much larger Silver Surfer toy, but it's packed in a box somewhere. If I find it, I may update this blog. Be warned!

NEW T-SHIRTS:  I also started a category to track new shirts that have been purchased or given to me as gifts since I started the blog that were specifically meant to be featured on this blog. So far out of 104 shirts, nine of them fall into this category. Two shirts were purchased since the blog began but had been ordered before its beginning and so they did not qualify.

SILVER SURFER: I could write volumes about the Silver Surfer, as he is one of my all-time favorite superheroes. But time constraints both mine (how much time I can devote to writing) and yours (I know people want to see shorter entries) confine me somewhat, though be warned, I may update!

The Wikipedia page is worth your time: SILVER SURFER WIKI.

And, yes, I just donated to Wikipedia. If you use it and use it often, I advocate a donation to this non-profit organization.

The Silver Surfer may seem like a silly concept (the name is silly), but the character is very cool. From the pseudo-Shakespearean angst that characterized his early appearances under the watchful eyes of creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in the pages of Fantastic Four to the 1960s solo book written by Lee with art by the great John Buscema (also lauded in T-shirt #21), the Silver Surfer is one of Marvel's most enduring characters and one of its most unique. Jack Kirby deserves the lion's share of the credit for the creation of the Silver Surfer, though some of the most definitive work with the character came about with the Lee and Buscema stories featured in the Omnibus that were originally published between 1968 and 1970. 

There was also a great addition to the Silver Surfer lore with the Epic Comics edition by Moebius and Stan Lee published in 1988 and 1989. I have a still from this short series at the end of today's entry.

The Silver Surfer has appeared in many comics over the years and has enjoyed several incarnations of his own solo series, too (sorry for not listing all the great creators who have contributed to his ongoing story).

NEEDS HIS OWN SERIES! Like the Black Panther, also on the shirt, and others heroes soon to be featured on this blog (notably Doctor Strange), the Silver Surfer is very deserving of his own series, which he does not currently enjoy.

Far and away, the Silver Surfer was the best thing about the two Fantastic Four movies, I have video with clips to feature posted here on today's blog entry.

VIDEOS: I am also featuring two other cool videos with today's feature because they do more with the Silver Surfer and his coolness than I can do with words. 

Enjoy!

And beware of updates to this entry.

And happy engagement to my friends Beej and Crabby, who soar like the Silver Surfer. I know, I know. Corny.

SuperHeroes - Silver Surfer Intro Video

Birth of the Silver Surfer Video

Thor vs Silver Surfer and Galactus-Full fight Video

AND now for something completely different: EARTH UNAWARE by Orson Scott Card.
I just finished reading this book, and though I always post my reviews to Good Reads, I decided to include my blurb review here, too.

Despite his political and religious beliefs, causing him in some ways to be a bigot, I have always liked OSC's work and do find him to be overly pedantic in his fiction, either the fantasy stuff or the SF stuff. I have read all the Ender universe books, and I am excited that he is filling in the early days prior to Ender's Game and telling the story of the first Formic War. It's good stuff, even though he conscripted a co-writer, though I know some people have written him off due to his anti-gay rights bigotry. I get that. And yet, I am too invested in his world building and characters to stop reading now. I know I must accept hypocrisy in some things. This is one of them.

That's all for now.

- chris tower - 1307.03 - 14:20

T-shirt #103 - Aloha

From left to right: Ivan, Liesel, me, and Piper.
Photo taken June 28th 2013.

T-shirt #103 - Aloha - my family part two

Aloha.

Most people think "Aloha" means hello and goodbye.

That's a Westerner adaptation of a word that has a much deeper meaning, a powerful meaning of spirituality and life force. A way of life.

I have been learning more about Hawaii in recent years because my wife is Hawaiian. She was born and raised on Oahu.

These pictures were taken at my parents' new condo during a combined Father's Day and Birthday celebration. I wanted more pictures of family to feature on my blog. I have twice featured pictures of my parents: T-shirt #69 and T-shirt #41, and in T-shirt #101, I featured my sister Lori and her husband Noel Beard. And though I featured my family on Mother's Day in T-shirt #52, I used our holidays/new year's card picture and not a recent picture taken specifically for this blog.

"The world will turn to Hawai'i
as they search for world peace
because Hawai'i has the key...
and that key is Aloha."
-- Auntie Pilahi Paki

I re-iterate what I wrote in T-shirt #52. I am very blessed. I feel like I won the lottery in falling in love with my wife and being lucky enough that she loves me, too, and agreed to marry me.

I also think it's very cool that she's Hawaiian. I have already learned a lot about Hawaii from her and her aunt Rochelle, who gave me a Hawaiian geography lesson when she stayed at our house during her visit when she attended our wedding. I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting Hawaii, but I am hoping to do so soon and greatly look forward to it.





My wife bought me this shirt as a gift--and at random--long before I even thought of the idea for this blog let alone started it. But she knew I liked T-shirts, and this shirt raised money for a good cause.

You can read about the campaign funded by this shirt at the Hawaiian Insider.

The sales of the shirts raised funds for the relief efforts in the wake of the Tsunami that hit Japan (and parts of Hawaii) in 2011.

The quote that is featured on the back of the shirt comes from Auntie Pilahi Paki (a poet and philosopher) known as the "keeper of the secrets of Hawai'i." Read more about her and her teachings at:

What is Aloha? Poster.

If you check the link to the poster, you may begin to have a greater understanding of "Aloha." I have found a great connection, correspondence, and synchronicity, with ALOHA and its greater meaning, which simply is kindness, unity, gentleness, humility, and patience. I love the idea of Aloha as a "spiritual principle that conveys the deepest expression of one's relationship with oneself, the creative and life-giving forces, one's family and community, and with one's friends and strangers" (What is Aloha? poster).

There's also Practice Aloha for more information and poems and such.

Also, check out this video (it's not as good as the poster but it's inspiring):

What is Hawaiʻi, What is Aloha 2012



RULES OF CHRIS

One thing I hope to explore in my blog are the rules of Chris (IE, my rules) for living.

NUMBER ONE RULE OF CHRIS: Be nice.

Being nice means treating others as you wish to be treated. If expressed in greater depth and complexity, as a fully developed idea, it is Aloha.


I am deeply indebted to my wife for introducing me to the concept of Aloha and sharing some of the teachings of Hawaiian life with me. I look forward to exploring more and learning more. Mahalo, Liesel.

I am humbled by the rich history of the islands and the amazing grace and beauty of the Hawaiian people.

In a small way, I am learning to practice Aloha with my family.

I love my family.

- chris tower - 1307.02 - 18:14

PS: It is a sad day today because my sister Lori had to say goodbye to her cat Tara, who was very ill. Tara had lived with Lori for 18 years. Much love to my sister as she grieves.

We're a little blurry, but it's not easy to see us because we shimmer.

T-shirt #102: WIPU

T-shirt #102: WIPU

Today's entry is a brief one and very picture-oriented. Though I promised weekly Monday KUDL shirts, this is not a KUDL shirt. But since, it is one of my favourite Ultimate shirts, I must feature it. AND I have groovy action photos taken by KUDL's best photographer Lindsay Phillips. Thanks Lindsay!!

This is the logo both front and back for the Western Women's Ultimate Team known as WIPU: Western Invisible Pink Unicorn. I think it's an awesome team name and an awesome logo, so I had to buy the shirt. Luckily, they make cuts for fat, old guys.

I also love supporting women's Ultimate. I like when I see other Ultimate men being strong and loud supporters (and monetary supporters) of women's Ultimate teams. Ultimate needs more women's teams.

Okay, I know it's silly, but I could not resist posing with a disc even in my office.

Here's some action photos from pick up play on Wednesday June 19th, which is the last Wednesday I could attend for five weeks due to a class I am teaching.

I look much fatter than I think I look.

You may notice that this guy is skying over me to catch the disc, but at look at how close I am to getting the D! For a hobbled old guy who can barely walk let alone run, I did all right.

Yes, I can catch. And check it out kids! This is the way to catch a disc: TWO HANDS.

Or as my good friend Little joked last week: "Use THREE HANDS! THREE HANDS!"

Remember kids: watch the disc into your hands as you catch. Then again, if I was actually cutting, I would be running to the disc not standing still and leaning forward because I am too old and tired to lift my feet.

Though it is a lovely thing to admire your throw, it is also a good idea to cut right after throwing because you will always be open.

Damn.

Why can I never remember to do that?

Hey, Ultimate peeps, see you at the fields!

Hey non-Ultimate peeps: are you inspired?

- chris tower - 1307.01 - 8:40

T-shirt #101: Jetsons

I know Noel has his eyes closed, but my
sister's smile is nicer in this one. 

 T-shirt #101: Jetsons & Family - part one

Today's blog post is dedicated to family. I have a second upcoming post about family as well.

Upon working on the blog, one of the neat things I discovered is that there are intersections of shirts and people. For instance, when a friend visited from out of town, I took the opportunity to feature a Star trek shirt, an interest we shared: T-shirt #81; when having breakfast with my friend Chris Dilley I wore a shirt that I could connect to the subject of friendship: T-shirt #54; and I have twice featured pictures of my parents: T-shirt #69 and T-shirt #41. See? The T-shirt blog is nothing if not self-referential and in touch with its own history.










In composing the entry for T-shirt #69--dedicated to Space Ghost--I had wanted to feature a picture of my parents and a picture of my sister. But as fate would have it (or the gremlin who lives in my phone), the HTC Evo ate the picture of my sister, and so I was left with just featuring my parents, again. Not that that's a bad thing. For those keeping careful records, I did mention my intention to pose for a shot with my sister in T-shirt #69.

The occasion to get a picture with my sister and as a bonus with her husband, Noel, came at the most recent family gathering: a combination Father's Day and birthday celebration at my parents' house. (My father turned 78 on June 26th 2013.)

I purposefully grabbed a Jetsons shirt, which is another Hanna-Barbera creation, like Space Ghost.

My sister has always been an important part of my life, and we watched a lot of Jetsons and other Hanna-Barbera products together. She was born when I was seven years old, so I had enjoyed years of being an only child  before she came along. I was never sorry my parents had another child. We were very close growing up. My sister is a wonderful person, and I am very proud of her. She and her husband just bought their first home; her faith in God is strong and a source of inspiration.

Her husband Noel is obviously very good for her, and after over ten years of marriage, they seem solid and in love.

Noel won me over when he was too choked up to get his wedding vows out easily at the ceremony. He loves my sister, which makes him highly regarded in my book.

One of the aspects that makes the Jetsons so great is family. The Jetsons are a family. There's an allure to stories about families, and many of my favorite TV shows from my formative years were about families: The Jetsons, The Munsters, The Addams Family, The Herculoids, the Fantastic Four, The Beverly Hillbillies, Good Times, All in the Family, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, and to a lesser extent, the Flintstones. (I was never a huge fan of the Flintstones.)

There's more than schedule-programming going on here. We are being programmed to place a great importance in family. Or maybe our culture's high regard for the family unit is reflected in these media products. Surely, something like the family unit and the importance of having a family unit is not an idea that the media needed to create. This idea existed prior to shows like the Jetsons. And yet, much of what I think about families or more importantly what I EXPECT of families comes from these TV shows that model families and how they function, shaping our expectations and behaviors.

The Jetsons appealed to me particularly strongly because it was a futuristic family with flying cars, high-rise homes, robots, and all sorts of advanced gizmos. Elroy was cool. I wanted to be Elroy.

I am frequently amazed when I research one of my beloved childhood media products to find out things I did not know, such as The Jetsons originally aired from 1962-1963, and given my birth year, this means I watched all of it later in reruns.

................................................UPDATE......................................1307.18......................................

Slightly ahead of the news feature with my own posting:

CBS SUNDAY MORNING NEWS BIT ON THE JETSONS

"Everything about "The Jetsons" was space-age cool. And in 1962 when it first debuted, it all seemed oddly possible. From suits to make us fly, to colonies on the Moon -- even pneumatic tube transport. The Jetsonian future -- the year 2062, to be exact -- seemed full of promise. Just ask Matt Novak, a self-described Jetsonologist.Novak tells Cowan that he agrees "The Jetsons" is "just a cartoon, and I totally understand and recognize it. But as a parody show, I think it's important." He analyzed all 24 episodes of the original series for Smithsonian Magazine, making the case that despite being a half-century old, "The Jetsons" still sets the bar for what we expect."The Jetsons represent this retro-future, but in a lot of ways, a lot of those elements still feels very futuristic to us," Novak said.......After all, gadgets are still only as good as the people who use them, even in the year 2062."

 via @CBSNews

That's all for now. No great catalogue of Jetsons lore, though I will leave you with a top ten list for those who love the top ten lists.

TOP TEN LIST OF FAVORITE HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTIONS

1. Space Ghost
2. Jonny Quest
3. Atom Ant
4. The Herculoids
5. The Jetsons
6. Fantastic Four
7. Wacky Races
8. Super Friends
9. Birdman and Galaxy Trio
10. Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Yogi Bear, QuickDraw McGraw, Top Cat, Scooby Doo, Hong Kong Phooey, Harlem Globetrotters, and Josie and the Pussycats.

The Jetsons Intro

"Jane! Get me off this crazy thing!!"

I wanted to name Satchel after the Jetsons'
dog: "Astro."

-chris tower - 1306.30 - 17:46

PS and update: I forgot to mention that this shirt was a gift from my parents for Christmas in 2010.