T-shirt #156: EC Comics

T-shirt #156: EC Comics

The other day I spent ten minutes looking for my phone before I discovered it in my pocket. I even called it, but I had the ringer off. This is a good example of how things have been going lately.

I am recovering. Good sleep last night, but energy seems to wax and wane more than the moon.

Meanwhile, I love the support I have been getting from family and friends during my recovery. My wife took me to Meijer, which I usually try to spare her as she hates it (she said it wasn't so bad).

I received my first get well card yesterday. There's nothing like community.


And family. Not only did my family (this includes my wife) visit me in the hosptial, but my dad drove me to Fanfare during the worst of my bladder problem.

I love my dad very much. He's always been there for me. It's impossible to even catalogue how much he has given me in support and security and life over the previous 50 years.

He also gave me my love of comic books. My dad bought all of my first comic books for me and read them to me before bed time.

In the photo shared below, we are posing in Fanfare with the art book from Wally Wood's EC work. It is likely that my Dad owned many of these issues. I am still greatly pained from the loss of the comic books that I could have inherited. Born in 1935, it is possible that my father owned the first appearances of many  of the classic heroes, even Superman and Batman. He had hundreds of comics dating from at least 1940 (if not before) through 1953 that were all lost in a fire at his parents home. Likewise, all the comics my mother and her brother shared were simply given away, lost in the clearing of clutter and mess in their old farm house.

But Dad gave me comic books, and for that I am forever grateful.

Thanks, Dad. I love you.

Though I should mention that my mother played just as substantial a role in my love of comic books. She helped with allowance that allowed me to buy two comics per week. She bought the stack of comics that I always received as a gift on Christmas Eve, giving me something to read when I woke at three or four in the morning on Christmas and could not wake my parents until 7 a.m. But I have a huge love letter blog post for one thing my mother gave me in many ways as valuable to me as comic books in the works. Stay tuned.

Today's shirt is one of my favorites. It features the logo for EC Comics (Entertaining Comics though previously known as Educational Comics).

Starting in 1949, Max Gaines--who renamed the company Entertaining Comics after taking over following the death of his father--began a line of titles featuring horror stories, science fiction stories, as well as military and crime fiction. All the comics followed in the tradition of the "pulps" circa 1920s-1940s. Many of the titles would go on to become among the most famous in comic book history: Tales from the Crypt, the Vault of Horror, Weird Science, The Haunt of Fear, Weird Fantasy, Frontline Combat, Two-Fisted Tales, and Shock SuspenStories and Crime SuspenStories.

Great comic book talents like Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, Basil Wolverton, Al Williamson, John Severin, and Frank Frazetta worked on EC titles. Unlike many other companies of the time, EC credited all creators equally, giving the names of writers and illustrators in each comic and even publishing their biographies in the issues.

EC Comics became the number one target of the comic book witch hunts of the 1950s, which started with the inflammatory (though now very comical) book by Frederick Wertham, Seduction of the Innocent, and the Congressional hearing on juvenile deliquency that followed. Ultimately, with the creation of the Comics Code Authority (which I featured in T-shirt #63 and wear ironically), EC ceased publication of most of its titles, and by 1956, the company focused exclusively on its publication of Mad Magazine, one of the greatest influences on my life as reported in T-shirt #92, and surely to be reported on again soon.

Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror returned with movies and fiction novelizations in the early 1970s, which were among my favorite popular culture products during that time period. I must have read the books, by author Jack Oleck who had worked for EC, dozens of times each.

Once I graduated from college and started making some money, I set as a goal obtaining all the hard-cover reprint editions of the EC library. It is a goal I have not yet met.

The Wiki devoted to EC Comics is worth reading.

Two books to recommend.

Though I have not yet read it, the book The Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu well documents the Great Comic Book Scare and how it "changed America." I have heard nothing but glowing reviews, such as this one from the New York Times.

From pg. 266, Gaines addressing Congress: "The comic magazine is one of the few remaining pleasures that a person may buy for a dime today. Pleasure is what we sell, entertainment, reading enjoyment. Entertaining reading has never harmed anyone. Men of good will, free men, should be very grateful for one sentence in the statement made by Federal Judge John M. Woolsey when he lifted the ban on Ulysses. John Woolsey said, "It is only with the normal person that law is concerned. May I repeat," he said, "it is only with the normal person that the law is concerned." Our American children are for the most part normal children. They are bright children, but those who want to prohibit comic magazines seem to see dirty, sneaky, perverted monsters who use the comics as a blueprint for action...What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of our own children? ... We think our children are so evil and simpleminded that it takes a story of murder to set them to murder, a story of robbery to set them to robbery?"

Also, this time in comic book history is also well-depicted in the Pulitzer winning novel by Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I highly recommend it.

WEEKLY COMICS LIST
Superman Unchained claims the top spot this week.

It's difficult to do comparisons because Superman Unchained last came out on July 10th, and is now being released about a week, arguably two later. It took second that week (see T-shirt #113) but was beat out by The Waking Dead, which came out last week and was one of the last comics I read before I went to the hospital.

Other comics that came out on July 10th include Daredevil and Superior Spider-Man. Otherwise, this week is a close match to July 17th (T-shirt #119), though the week lacks Ultimate Spider-Man and Fantastic Four. But note that Fables, which back in July was in the back log, has been moved to the top stack. I cleared the back log. Also, it appears that Legion of Super Heroes is ending, AGAIN. This makes me sad. This is a book (like Teen Titans) that should be in production to serve the fan base alone even if sales are poor and the book loses money, assuming that this is economically feasible (which it may not be). Still, many of the comics on the July 17th list came out last week (August 14th). And so to get a full picture, you must also consult (assuming this rating system interests you; but it's also my way to get you to look at older blog postings) T-shirt #133. Note the backlog for that week is much the same as this week though I cleared Uber and Batman Incorporated, the latter I believe was also canceled.

CONFIRMATION: THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES CANCELED!

IFanboy: CancelPocalypse

CBR: DC Ends Legion

Bleeding Cool: Now the New 45 (not 52)

As much as I love the Legion, it's not always high in my stack each week. But with art by Kevin Maguire, I rated it higher. Had I known that it was really the very last issue, I might have read it first.
It was a very good sign off for Legion fans with beautiful art. By far, Paul Levitz is the best writer to ever work the book.

Here's what Paul Levitz posted to Facebook: Paul Levitz posted on Facebook: "The word came out yesterday. DC’s officially announced the end of the current run of the LEGION with #23…sad to see my old friends go, and hoping my tale for that issue with Kevin Maguire illustrating will be an honorable end. As a reader, I’ll miss them until their next incarnation, whenever and however that may come. As a writer, I’m privileged to have gotten three chances to work with this vast and wonderful cast, and now on to other projects and other worlds. To those of you who have supported my tales of the future since back when WONDER WOMAN debuted in prime time, Joe Namath played his last as a Jet, and the US thought Nevada was a reasonable place to test nuclear weapons…my thanks. Few of us get to play for so long in a world we loved as a child, and I’ll always appreciate the readers who made it possible. Long live the Legion!"

I am very sad. Despite what I wrote yesterday (see above) about DC absorbing losses on the Legion book, as IFanboy reports, sales estimates from January showed only a 16,000 copy sell through for book. Compare these numbers to figures like 177,269 for X-Men #1 in May or 129,036 for Batman #20. I am not sure if such low sales are sustainable for DC Comics, but with Levitz writing it, I would think the company could keep the comic afloat only to allow him his pet project.

As of now, DC has ceased publication of the Legion that has been consistent, despite a few breaks, since 1973. It's time for Legion fans to be a legion and speak out.

I love the Legion as I showcased in T-shirt #127. I am not done discussing this issue as I have at least two more Legion shirts to share.

BRING BACK THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES!! This is my clarion cry for the day.

To wrap before the list, allow me some quick thoughts on these other issues. The art in Superman Unchained is beautiful; I love Jim Lee's clean lines and realistic style. But the story was very disjointed and does not seem to be moving along at a satisfying rate. Avengers is teetering on the brink of being too confusing and too cosmic without enough grounding in real character interaction, but I am enjoying the book. I am underwhelmed by DC's Trinity War series. This is the least interesting crossover in quite a few years.
Both Nova and Daredevil continue to be excellent titles. And even the X-Men, which should be called the X-Women, improved with the fourth issue. I have not read farther yet.

COMICS FOR 1308.21

Superman Unchained #3
Avengers#18 (Infinity series)
Justice League Dark #23 (Trinity War series)
The Superior Nova #007
Daredevil #030
The Legion of Super Heroes #23
X-Men #004
Thunderbolts #014 (Infinity series)
The Superior Spider-Man #016
Fables #132
Thunder Agents #1

BACK LOG
Indestructible Hulk #012
Morbius the Living Vampire #008
Wonder Woman #23
Ultimates #29
Birds of Prey #23
Chin Music #2
Batman and Nightwing #23




- chris tower - 1308.24 - 19:15 and 1308.25 9:38

T-shirt #155: Batman by Alex Ross

T-shirt #155:  Batman by Alex Ross

THIS WAS A CHEAT!

If you read regularly, you may have caught this blog in its preliminary form, which was a cheat. On Friday, I posted an unfinished because I need to have a post published every day to make my goal of the 365 consecutive posts.

In the history of the blog so far, 155 entries, I have only cheated this way once by posting an unfinished entry with the intention to finish it tomorrow. But this has been a weird day. Trying to ween off the narcotics and just had the catheter out. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Have to re-train myself how to urinate. Joyful. And yet, on a daily basis, the Batman takes more punishment. (I had to someone tie in my situation to today's subject.)

For regular readers, I am so thankful for your support. So, you may have seen the rough draft and work in progress or maybe you are tuning in later for the finished product. I did not share Friday's unfinished product with any social media in the hopes that it would go unnoticed until I  could finish it.

ANOTHER NOTE BEFORE WE START: 

A good person (identity protected for to observe security protocol Alpha Delta Charlie Niner)--whom I do not know well and would like to know better--told me today that he regularly follows my blog and, thus, was apprised of my recent circumstances and had refrained from speaking to me in public because of my previous cries for privacy. The exchange with this smart, young man warmed my heart. Thanks, dude. You rock. It's just further proof that I am surrounded by a great and wonderful community and that many people apparently care about me as much as I care about them.

OFFICIAL AND YET WORKING DRAFT BEGINNING:

Hello again. I return to the regular blog production. This post has been over a week in the making. When I started this post, Grading Robot was at peak performance. I found that what I wanted to write about Alex Ross was going to involve more time and thought than I could devote during Grading Robot's most intense power time, and then, I had surgery.

For some odd reason, I thought I would have enough energy post surgery to not only finish this blog but get ahead during my hiatus.

So, I have some back log news, such as I had nice messages from a couple of TitanTalkers on T-shirt #144: Teen Titans, and when I tagged George Pérez on Facebook, he liked my post, which I consider a great compliment.




ERRORS IN T-SHIRTS BY COLOR

Last week, I categorized shirts by color and posted the list by frequency. I spent a fair share of time on this that I should have spent grading. What I did not do is ADD UP the list of numbers to see if it equaled the number of published posts. Originally, it was 15 shirts short. I fixed this problem, but now it seems to be one shirt short, which makes me fear that I have a numbering error somewhere. I went through the list of posts, and they are all categorized, even the unpublished drafts. But where is the missing shirt? I checked the counting, and it all looks accurate. So where is the missing shirt?

THE STORY OF THE BATMAN SHIRTS ON MACKINAW ISLAND - 1989


In 1989, I went on a vacation to Mackinaw Island with my parents. It was the summer the first Batman movie came out, the one directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.

In one day, I counted over 60 different Batman T-shirts worn by, as far as I could tell, were over 60 different people. I cannot be absolutely sure I did not count anyone twice. But it seemed as if everywhere I looked someone was wearing some kind of Batman shirt.

This experience was the first I can remember about the mainstreaming of comic books. Previously, I would see evidence of people into Spider-Man or Hulk, and the original Batman craze really swept the country when I was very little as discussed somewhat in T-shirt #94. But seeing so many Batman T-shirts in one day really brought to mind how hugely popular that movie was at least with people on vacation on Mackinaw Island.

With my tendency to go the other way from the popular and mainstream, I did not buy or wear a T-shirt related to that 1989 Batman film.

WE ARE BATMAN - the movie

What is it about Batman? Many people consider him to be their favorite hero. I wonder if other heroes had more mainstream exposure if this adoration would remain in effect. Don't get me wrong. Batman is awesome. But so are many others who have not enjoyed much in the way of general public exposure.


And yet there is something about Batman. His insuperable spirit. His development as a true renaissance man: great at everything. The punishment he takes as he tries to make the world a better place. His angst as he must become part of the darkness he hates to help the world stay in the light, a light he can rarely enjoy.

And, so, Batman. He inspires me, and he has inspired many others as well.

There's a great Batman related Kickstarter project, You should check it out: WeAreBatman.

I have funded a four Kickstarters in the last year. I wrote about one Kickstarter that I did not fund in T-shirt #122. I can't believe I missed the Kickstarter for Dear Mr. Waterson. I am likely to write about another Kickstarter that I did fund soon (as there will be T-shirts), which is Veronica Mars.

However, for this post, I would like to mention the documentary Legends of the Knight and the Brett Culp site WeAreBatman dedicated to the film.

This is a very inspirational project.

One person can make a difference.

From Brett Culp's site: "But this movie isn't about Batman. It's about us. It is about who we are as people & who we desire to become.

The most important Batman tales are not in comic books, TV shows, or Hollywood movies. They are within the people for whom the Dark Knight has become a symbol. Not a symbol of fear - as he is for evil doers - but a symbol of hope.

Over many decades, the Caped Crusader has motivated people around the globe to overcome devastating obstacles, to help & encourage young people, or to be a vital contributor to the community. His legacy has also been a vehicle for connecting us to each other & stirring the hero within.

LEGENDS OF THE KNIGHT is an inspirational documentary that tells the stories that Batman has uncovered in us & the power of heroic storytelling to transform the world. Our goal is to inspire everyone on the planet who loves Batman to embody his spirit, engage with the world, and make a difference.

Together, WE ARE BATMAN!

In the spirit of Batman, all revenues generated by the completed film that are beyond production, screening, distribution, & administrative costs will be donated to charitable organizations" (WeAreBatman, 2013).

Batman embodies the very spirit and essence of how one person can make a difference.

Legends of the Knight - Official Trailer

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALEX ROSS

Alex Ross paints some of the most beautiful art work in all of comic book history. He has given us vividly real depictions of many heroes. Ross' art inspires us to believe in the heroic nature of heroes, to believe in the power of the individual spirit, but mostly to believe that the heroes are real.

Many comic fans would list Alex Ross in their top ten favorite artists. I would be inclined to add him to this list as well, though I am still not ready to make that entire list. Some things, like best artists, must be discovered slowly and decided after much thought and sampling. I will not be hasty with the favorite artist list.

Notice that I have dropped "comic book" as an adjective to modify artist. Alex Ross may paint comic book heroes. He may paint for publication in the comic book format. But more so than the majority of comic book artists over the years, Alex Ross is a true, fine artist. His work elevates the imagery above and beyond the four-color process, which was, once upon a time, cheap and disposable.


Six of the ten art pieces on display in my office (nine are on the walls and one is not) six of them are pieces painted by Alex Ross, including the Batman and Superman pics seen here above. Also, the Marvel Heroes and Villains lithographs and the Kingdom Come poster all hang on my walls as seen in the photos right and below. I had the over-sized huge posters of the Justice League and the Crisis on Infinite Earths featured later in this posting mounted on dry board. They used to hang in my bedroom, but I did not wish to inflict them on my wife (not much chance that she would want them in our bedroom), and so, since my parents moved, they are sitting a top my comic book collection stored at their condo.

So, my point being that, obviously, I REALLY adore the art of Alex Ross.

His art is meant to be hung on walls and considered in the realms of fine art. Not that other artists do not deserve such displays and accolades, but Ross is one of the most deserving in the history of comic book art and illustration.

I am not going to go through Ross' entire catalogue and share reviews and thoughts on every work. There is a whole book entitled Mythology dedicated to his art work with just DC Comics. He painted many over-sized specialty comics for DC, featuring some of their most iconic heroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and two issues devoted to the Justice League. His Earth X series for Marvel was a delightful tour de force of geek lore for die-hard comic book fans.

I am going to write about two of his best books: Marvels and Kingdom Come, and then I am going to bring it back to Batman as write about Batman:Earth One as this is what appears in the photos of me with the shirt. I probably should have posed with an Alex Ross book.

Marvel Heroes Lithograph by Alex Ross

Alex Ross on Alex Ross From the Comic Creator interview provided in the link below: "Part of the joy I have always had in illustrating these things, with the attempt at such vivid realism, is the sense that hopefully the reader, like I, is somehow buying into this completely. That somehow it's a more immersive experience than the tale you're getting over here, whether it's a novel that you just have to imagine the images completely or a comic book with more two-dimensional pen and ink images where I'm filling in the gaps for you, giving you something that's lush and vivid and the illusion of every color and every angle of a form" (Comic Creator, 2013).

Marvel Villains Lithograph by Alex Ross

COMIC CREATOR MAGAZINE - WITH ALEX ROSS INTERVIEW

Another link and a short article:

 A CONVERSATION WITH ALEX ROSS
(From Pittsburgh paper 2011)

Look closely at the Alex Ross art. One of the best aspects of his work is that he paints his creation from live models who pose in costume for him.

Here's a treat from a great blog called "Aquaman Eats Bologna," which has, sadly, not been updated since 2011: ROSS THE BEST ART TODAY



MARVELS

MARVELS - short review

MARVELS - WIKI

Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross is one of the most original and compelling books in comic history. In the world of superheroes, it would be my first choice as a recommendation for a non-comic book reader who wants to sample the comic book superhero world. Male or female. It's a better entry into comic books for reluctant women readers than Sandman, which has to stop being the "go-to" comic that is recommended for the tiny (but growing) female readership.

Published  in 1994, Marvels blended realistic, painted art with fresh and innovative writing.

The most interesting thing about the book is its perspective. The main character is not a hero but is instead a news photographer named Phil Sheldon, who happens to be on scene to catch some of the most startling images from the birth of the age of superheroes. The book opens in pre-World War II America as New Yorkers witness the birth of the original Human Torch and his subsequent battles with Namor, the Sub-Mariner, before he joins the Invaders with Captain America among others to fight the Axis powers in the war.

The story continues after skipping ahead almost 20 years to the early days of the Fantastic Four and the coming of Galactus as well as the coming of the mutants, the X-Men, who are feared, maligned, and persecuted. The series concludes with the pivotal sequence in Spider-Man's early career as he is falsely accused of murdering police Captain George Stacy, father to his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, who is ultimately killed during a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.


As I wrote before, it's the perspective that makes Marvels so compelling. Not only are many of the shots from the perspective of the photographer looking up, as in the excellent panel with Giant Man featured above, but also the story shows us the fears of Sheldon, which reflect the fears of society at large, as they try to piece together what is happening from hastily shot still photographs, TV footage, or from watching the battle between Galactus and the FF from the street below the Baxter Building.

Marvels tries to answer the question of what the world would be like if these heroes were real and we were living in a world that must frequently recover from cataclysmic events, such as when Namor floods News York City.

Marvels  also addresses quite directly and ardently the question of bigotry against mutants as a metaphor for the public's bigotry against anyone or anything "different."

And though we Sentinels attack Charles Xavier during a TV interview, the emphasis is on the reaction of the viewers and not as much on the battle between the Sentinels and the X-Men.

And yet, Busiek keeps the story grounded in the human drama of Sheldon's pursuit of his career, which he tries to balance with family and home life. Ross' art aids Busiek beautifully in lush paintings of vintage 1940s and 1960s era America and the world of these Marvels, these heroes.

It's a masterful work and is the single best book for non-comic book readers. Watchmen is great but it's incredibly dense and quite a project for first-time readers. The Dark Knight Returns is fun and delightfully violent and yet better suited to fans who will catch all references and nods to comic book lore. I defy anyone to come up with a better single book that would inspire non-comic book readers wanting to try out super heroes to read more comics.



KINGDOM COME

KINGDOM COME WIKI

Following the huge success of Marvels, Alex Ross took a job over at DC developing a definitive look at its line of heroes. Unlike Marvels, Kingdom Come is neither about the early days of the dawn of the Age of Superheroes nor about what a realistic world of heroes would look like to the people on the street.

Kingdom Come is an Elseworlds story set in an alternate future in which the big three DC heroes--Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman--must come out of retirement to restore the ideals of truth and justice to a world inherited by amoral and dangerously reckless "heroes."

Kingdom Come features a huge cast of old and new heroes plus grown up versions of current youth heroes, such as Robin or Speedy (Green Arrow's sidekick). Even die-hard DC comics fans needed guides to interpret the poster and its huge cast as depicted (seen here again but matching the one that hangs in my office in the photo I shared earlier).

One of its most compelling story aspects as the re-interpretation of Captain Marvel as a brainwashed, misguided, emotionally-stunted adult manipulated by Lex Luthor and Mr. Worm.

Ultimately, Captain Marvel chooses heroism and sacrifice over his brainwashing as he almost beats Superman down, using the lightning he calls with his magic word "Shazam!" For those not in the know, Superman is vulnerable to magic.

Kingdom Come is a great comic book but casual fans or non-fans will find it dense and impenetrable. It is best enjoyed by die-hards or with fans of comics with enough background knowledge of the main players to get the most out of the story. Though the story may be dense and difficult for non-fans, it may prove to be enjoyable read if those reading can relax and realize that they cannot understand or "get" it all. If nothing else, the art is gorgeous to look at.

Kingdom Come is at it best when it is not trying to do too much and focuses on interactions between heroes, such as great scenes with Superman and Wonder Woman, wonderful sequences with Batman and Superman, and the epilogue, which is probably the best sequence in the story featuring all three heroes a year after the events of the main story.

Though Ross' art work for the Spectre and his companion, a minister named Norman McCay, is beautiful, the plot device is far too reminiscent on Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and even forgiving that neither the Spectre nor McCay seem integral to story, their function could as easily be fulfilled by someone else.

Still, Kingdom Come is immensely entertaining and fun to read, the art is gorgeous, and the re-interpretations of some heroes, such as Hawkman and Deadman (both of whom have been featured in this blog before as well as their Kingdom Come toys: T-shirt #49: Hawkman and T-shirt #43: Deadman.)







BATMAN EARTH ONE 
- Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

 Here's the book I am seen reading in the first photos for this posting of me in the Batman shirt as painted by Alex Ross. As I mentioned before, had I thought about the artist of the shirt's image, I would have grabbed an Alex Ross book.

However, I do not mind taking some blog space to plug this wonderful addition to the Batman canon. Earth One is a wonderful look at Batman's earliest years. I especially like the re-imagining of Alfred as more of a bodyguard and a war hero, a comrade of Thomas Wayne's. The book also introduces Lucius Fox, in a clear nod to the Dark Knight movies, for how Batman gets his gear. The book also explores an alternate explanation for the murder of Batman's parents, and it brings in Arkham Asylum as a much more integral and closer to home element of the Batman universe.

This book is a great read and worth exploration of Batman fans who loved Batman Year One.

Gary Frank is one of my favorite current artists (I know; there's that word again; I really need to narrow down this list of "favorites" sometime) and Geoff Johns writes another comic that I plan to write about soon (another post MANY weeks in the making): AQUAMAN.

REVIEWS

These are not my four favorite reviews or even the four best. I simply chose four from sites that looked interesting as I searched for images. Though I must say that the review by JR Forasteros caught my eye, and I like his review the best of these four.

jrforasteros review: a great site, whose most recent post is about why we should not freak out about Ben Affleck as Batman: READ HERE. Yes, I had to get that news about Affleck in here. I won't belabor the point. I agree with JR. Good post. Also check out Charles Skaggs news: DAMN GOOD COFFEE.

Talkinthatshit review - Good review, which, like all of them, contains spoilers. Not as much emphasis on the gentler aspects of the story as seen in the image above but a solid review that ranks this book among Johns' other work.

COMICS ALLIANCE - Not so much a review as a preview with early looks at several pages. Good to browse if you think you might want to buy and read this tome.

SCIENCE FICTION.COM - I do not agree with this reviewers criticisms, but to each his or her own.

There you go. More than enough, too much actually, on Alex Ross and Batman. Egads. This was originally chosen because I thought it would be a quickie.

I close with some imagery. First, the posters I mentioned that I used to have hanging on my bedroom wall.

Justice League over-sized poster

Crisis on Infinite Earths over-sized poster

- chris tower - 1308.23 - 19:37 and again on 1308.24 at 11:52

T-shirt #154: Captain Marvel: Shazam

T-shirt #154: Captain Marvel: Shazam

I am not fully back, but I am back. Sort of. Kind of. Almost.

I am reporting CLEAR MARGINS. The prostate contained 100% of the cancer.


I tried to go off the narcotics today and failed. More pain today. Felt a little weak and light headed after my walk. Went farther on the walk today but not yet up to two walks.

And the Tigers lost.

Today, I present (in some cases for the second time) pictures from a party I attended in 2006 at the home of my friend Darrough West.

You see me in all these pictures togged in my SHAZAM! or Captain Marvel shirt. The intent was to be Doctor Strange, hence the cape and Eye of Aggamotto on my forehead. However, as I have shared before, I do not have the Doctor Strange blue symbol shirt. So...

I improvised.

I thought my costume was a good improvisation as my goal was to create something iconic, with which I believe I succeeded.

I have less to say about Captain Marvel than most heroes. He's cool and all. I read a lot of his comics as a  kid. I loved the Jerry Ordway book (definitive), and I loved the recent reboot in Justice League as drawn by Gary Frank, which I mentioned in T-shirt #99. I also enjoyed the old 1970s TV show dedicated to Captain Marvel and his SHAZAM! transformation.

Plus, I may explore more on this hero whenever I finish my Alex Ross post as Captain Marvel (known to many by his magic word: SHAZAM) is featured prominently in Kingdom Come.

I also wanted to point out the striking resemblance between my friend Jeremy Welter and Captain Marvel, but I do not have a good picture of Jeremy. Maybe I will update.

I have other sundry content items (such as finishing my stack of Uber comics and the first volume of Mind Mgmt) but these subject will have to wait for another day.

This is going to be a short one. Still recovering but done with pajamas.

Enjoy the photos. Some kooky kids at that party 2006 Halloween party.

- chris tower - 1308.22 - 17:25

T-shirt #153: Pajamas: Free Tigers Shirt

T-shirt #153: Pajamas: Free Tigers Shirt

This picture is misleading. I NEVER sleep on my stomach, and even if I did, I can't now because I would crush the tube running from my catheter to the bedside bag.

I decided to take another day of hiatus. Semi-hiatus.

Energy is starting to return slowly.

Mr. T-shirt Blogger is taking a hiatus from the T-shirt blog for probably four days (that's the plan anyway.. and now I am up to six days). I will resume crazy, long, ridiculously complex posts that make your mind reel on  Thursday August 22nd (I hope).

Check out the photo below. I should look stoned. This photo was taken just a few hours after surgery. I had a lot of narcotics in my system. But I have already been able to start reading as evidenced by the books on my little table. And I was lucid and speaking clearly (more or less).

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND NEWS TIDBITS

• Supposedly coffee irritates the catheter line. I have cut back but did not eliminate the life-giving liquids. So far I have not felt any additional irritation.

• Speaking of irritation, my patience is directly proportional to my pain. I have to keep talking to myself to determine if something that is irritating me would normally irritate me and/or if I should be irritated about the thing I am irritated about.

• The Tigers sent down Phil Coke, which is a good idea. Maybe he can find his control in Toledo.

• Miggy is injured. Okay, we knew he was injured. But he may have a new injury. This may not be terrible as the Tigers played pretty well when he sat the last time.

• Apparently, The NSA scans 75% of the Internet: ARTICLE HERE.

• John Oliver geek rants over Iron Man fact fail. FUNNY. I happen to agree. Get it right, Mainstream media. Some of us take this comic book stuff seriously.
  
• My Jam for today is "King for a Day" by XTC.

• I had another bowel movement. I know that many of you tune in to my blog just for that fact, so there you go. It's big news for me right now.

• Energy is low, but I am reading and resting and daydreaming and sleeping and walking and cuddling with the pets.

• One week after I blogged about Geof Darrow and complained that he was not producing enough work in comics, he announced the release of a new issue of Shaolin Cowboy due in October.

• I may use this convalescence time to catch up on movies that I have been wanting to watch, such as X-Men First Class, Anchorman, The Island, Tron Legacy, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns parts one and two, Batman Year One, Superman:Doomsday, Road to Perdition, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Moneyball.

• I started watching Under the Dome and discovered that I know one of the lead actors: Alexander Koch. Congratulations Alex! He's doing a great job playing Junior Rennie.

• I often feel badly when I fall behind on a comic book I dearly love. I just read six issues of Fables, which has consistently been a GREAT comic book for over ten years and one of my favorites. I love it and should not allow it stack up. On the other hand, I also caught up on Batman Incorporated, which was the subject of T-shirt #7, which was good but not mind-blowingly fantastic. I like Grant Morrison's work a lot, but sometimes, it seems a bit obscure and overly complex. He seems to introduce storylines that don't go anywhere, or, rather, do not reach a natural or even a satisfying conclusion.

• I finished Stephen King's Joyland the day before my surgery. Very enjoyable read. King is great with "Americana" and "American" character. Carnies are the heart and soul of old-time America. Fun, short, and worth reading. King should do more short novels.

• I started reading City of Bones: the Mortal Instruments #1 after finishing Joyland as I want to get the book read before I go see the movie. So far, I am unimpressed. It's okay but hardly fabulous. But I will read the whole thing before I pass my final judgment. This book will not make even the top twenty books I read this year, so far, but I do expect the movie to be halfway decent.

• I am not yet off the narcotics; I am walking a substantial distance at least once a day.

• Satchel just went to Camp Fido, using the Pet Taxi for the first time.

• I kept my surgery private prior to the having of the surgery mainly because I did not want to think about it very much, and the more people I told, the more conversations I would have to have about it, which I was trying to avoid.

• I feel a little helpless, so I had to clean up the kitchen last night even though I was a little painful. Not doing laundry is also bothering me. Though Liesel has done a great jobs with these chores that are usually mine.

• Men my age or even a bit younger should have their PSA checked regularly.

• My two day hospital stay (not sure if surgery is included but I think it is) cost $33,000.

• Picture to the right is of me leaving the hospital after a two day stay wearing T-shirt #49, in which I discussed the coolness of wings and flight. These themes are probably why I grabbed the shirt to wear out of the hospital.

• Damn, why didn't I think to wear a T-shirt to surgery and photo document the whole thing? I actually did think of it and then rejected the idea.

• Liesel has gone back to work, and I have to teach another class this morning. Ho hum. Back to work.

- chris tower - 1308.21 - 8:40

T-shirt #152: Pajamas: SeaLab

T-shirt #152: Pajamas: SeaLab

Mr. T-shirt Blogger is taking a hiatus from the T-shirt blog for probably four days (that's the plan anyway.. and now I am up to five days). I will resume crazy, long, ridiculously complex posts that make your mind reel on Wednesday August 21st (though maybe not).

Taking at least one more extra day of recuperation.

Had a bowel movement!! I know that's something you all wanted to know. It's important to me that the bowels are waking up. I am very in tune with my bowels.

Recuperation is taking longer than I expected. I did not think about how much pain there would be after having my prostate cut out of my abdomen. I know; I mentioned this yesterday. But I think it needs repeating.

I thought I would be writing ahead on the blog while recuperating, but so far that has not happened. I may take another day or two of hiatus before I launch the next crazy long and complex posting.

This T-shirt came to me via John Kasdorf, a good friend of mine and Liesel's.

Back to comics, TV watching, and rest.

- chris tower - 1308.20 - 10:27