This MIGHTY CRUSADERS message board shows a recent all-new French comic story featuring Simon & Kirby’s FLY along with the debut of a character probably somewhat akin to what SPIDER-MAN would have been like had it stayed with Kirby!

http://www.mightycrusaders.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2988

Will Eisner’s brilliant HAMLET ON A ROOFTOP reappears over at THE BRONZE AGE OF BLOGS today. The creator of THE SPIRIT spent much of his life trying to refine ways in which graphic stories could and should be utilized and this urban retelling of Shakespeare’d most famous speech is a fine example.

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/10/hamlet-on-rooftop_14.html

Joe Kubert’s TOR has his first appearance revisited today at THE COMIC BOOK CATACOMBS. Originally created at St. John in the early fifties, the character would resurface at DC many years later in the 1970′s after his creator had long established a home there. It looks very modern and as good today as it did then.

http://comicbookcatacombs.blogspot.com/2009/10/coming-of-tor-from-1000000-years-ago-1.html

Finally today, here’s a typical violent, racist 1940′s tale of THE FIGHTING YANK, always a favorite Golden Age character to me (if only due to the fact that he was the star of the very first Golden Age comic I ever bought circa 1974).

http://nedor-a-day.blogspot.com/2009/10/fighting-yank-santa-maria-island.html

100 years ago today Herbert Block was born. Better known as Herblock, he became arguably the most influential American editorial cartoonist of his day. His day, in fact, began in the early days of the Herbert Hoover administration and his final cartoons appeared during the “W” regime in 2001 more than 70 years later! Herblock can be credited with coining the term “McCarthyism” and being a major thorn in the side of Richard Nixon. For more information-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herblock.

Today’s temporary (for now) return of the popular WACKY WONDER WOMAN WEDNESDAY features an early and not particularly good experiment in photomanipulation by yours truly (booksteve). Hey, I was just learning! The model is Brittany Rose, better known these days from my site BRITTANY ROSE AND ME http://brittanyrosepictures.blogspot.com/ , seen here in her senior picture from high school…on Paradise Island. If you’d like to see more Wacky Wonder Women, please leave comments below.

Is there nothing Popeye can’t do?

Popeye statue from Dark Horse, sculpted by Yoe Studios

Right from his debut in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theater, the Sailor Man proved himself a star in comic strips. For Popeye, the transition from the funny pages to comic books was easy as pie (spinach pie, of course). Making the big leap to the silver screen, in a series of wonderful animated cartoons? Child’s play! And who else but Popeye could go from animation to live-action feature film without batting an eye (or moving a muskle)?

No less than renowned director Robert Altman was behind the 1980 film, with cartoonist Jules Feiffer writing the screenplay. But I’m not done name dropping yet! To star as Popeye? Robin Williams, who else?

For music and lyrics, they turned to Harry Nilsson. Did I mention it was a musical? The conductor and arranger was none other than Van Dyke Parks (a favorite of yours truly, D.J. David B.).

This magnificent marriage of music and comics culminates in a great version of the Popeye theme song, sung by Robin and conducted by Van Dyke.

Turn up your speakers and click the link below!

I’m Popeye The Sailor Man - Robin Williams

Next week, tune in for more comics tunes.

An absolutely stunning 1980′s adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s THE EXILES by the late artist Tom Sutton from ALIEN ENCOUNTERS starts off the day today. Sutton’s later work often looked rushed to me but here it is intricately detailed and beautiful, showing just what a true talent he was in the field.

http://grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com/2009/10/tom-sutton-ray-bradburys-exiles.html

AGAIN WITH THE COMICS presents John Byrne’s HERBIE story from Dark Horse’s unsuccessful 1992 attempt at a revival of the Fat Fury. It turned out that HERBIE’s popularity really does depend on nostalgia and not just the weird humor. The public didn’t want new stories-just the old.

http://againwiththecomics.blogspot.com/2009/10/john-byrnes-herbie-story.html

Here’s Bill Ward’s bullet-breasted, stilleto-heeled TORCHY, inspired by Caniff’s MALE CALL and yet herself the obvious precursor to other blonde bimbo heroines such as LITTLE ANNIE FANNY and Wally Wood’s SALLY FORTH. Ward himself would spend the rest of his days attempting and failing to recreate the magic of TORCHY in ever more explicit and kinkier strips (whilst doing a tamer variation for CRACKED).

http://johnglenntaylor.blogspot.com/2009/10/im-back-and-i-brought-torchy.html

UNCLE ERNIE’S CREATURE LINK doesn’t identify the artist of the mad scientist tale they reprint from Harvey’s 1950′s CHAMBER OF CHILLS but it’s Howard Nostrand ripping off EC’s Jack Davis to beat the band. Nostrand was a chameleon artist whose own style-if he had one-was usually buried behind the styles of Davis, Wood or others.

http://barking-dogs.blogspot.com/2009/10/inside-man.html

A somewhat silly summary of a story from Quality’s UNCLE SAM QUARTERLY #1 with some nice art samples by later MAD-man Dave Berg and SPIRIT creator Will Eisner can be found at SLAY MONSTROBOT OF THE DEEEP today.

http://slaymonstrobot.blogspot.com/2009/10/real-anti-life-equation.html

Chris of INVINCIBLE SUPER BLOG fame guest-posts for PRISM COMICS’ QUEER EYE ON COMICS and serves up an equally silly look at Jerry Siegel’s 1964 LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES story, REVOLT OF THE GIRL LEGIONAIRES as seen though jaded modern eyes.

http://prismcomics.org/display.php?id=1229

The BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH UNOFFICIAL BLOG is a Spanish language blog which I’m sorry to say I didn’t bother to translate. I was too busy looking at all of the intricately detailed art reprinted including the rare KULL OF ATLANTIS.

http://somethingicwaes.blogspot.com/

I had the chance to meet John Stanley at a Con in Philadelphia in 1977 and I passed because I’d never heard of him. The fact that he was the guest of honor at a Con where all of the hot young guys from the Studio (Jones, Wrightson, Kaluta and Windsor-Smith) should have made me pay more attention but hey, I was 18 and thought I knew everything. That said, I now LOVE Stanley and STANLEY STORIES hass some timely LITTLE LULU Halloween foolishness today!

http://stanleystories.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-spirit-2-magicians-aide.html

On this date in history, the very much still with us JOE SIMON was born. Simon ranks near the top of the most influential figures in comics history for his creation of CAPTAIN AMERICA with Jack Kirby, his tenure as editor at early Timely Comics and Simon & Kirby’s long partnership that created and/or popularized kid gangs and romance comics. He also had a long tenure packaging books for Harvey and a long run at MAD imitator SICK. He was even involved (depending on your definition) in the convoluted history of the character that eventually became SPIDER-MAN. Author of a fascinating illustrated memoir, THE COMIC BOOK MAKERS, Simon turns 94 today!

I recently ran a couple of full page pieces on DC’s Golden Age modern cowboy, THE VIGILANTE over at BOOKSTEVE’S LIBRARY. Today, Pappy shows us not one but two exquisitely drawn Mort Meskin VIGILANTE stories from ACTION COMICS, both of which feature Charlie McCarthy as the antagonist…sorta.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2009/10/number-608-vigilante-and-dummy-x-2.html

Jack Davis was a busy guy in 1959. Not only did he do the book we plugged the other day while still working at MAD and doing album covers and commercial jobs but he also found time for more black humor with Topps’ YOU’LL DIE LAUGHING trading cards. Find ‘em all here.

http://1959ydl.homestead.com/

One of my favorite old-time cartoonists is H.T.Webster and today you can read quite a large selection of panels (all?) from the 1953 book, THE BEST OF H.T.WEBSTER. Gentle, impeccably delineated humor the likes of which is just nonexistant in the high-tech 21st century.

http://hairygreeneyeball2.blogspot.com/2009/10/thrill-that-comes-once-in-lifetime.html

Finally, this being Sunday, here’s a nice repository of Alfred Andriola’s CHARLIE CHAN Sunday strips from the late 1930′s. A definite graduate of the Caniff school, Andriola would go on to create the long-running KERRY DRAKE.

http://charliechanfamily.tripod.com/sundaycomicsarchive/index.album/october-30-1938?i=0

FANTASY INK shares covers from the 1940′s reality comic, IT REALLY HAPPENED, all of which happen to be by prolific comic cover artist Alex Schomburg in a wholly different style than the busy anti-Nazi covers he’s best known for at Timely and other wartime publishers.

http://fantasy-ink.blogspot.com/2009/10/it-really-happened.html

Dr Hermes goes on at some length about the Golden Age Vision from Timely/Marvel, a character who’s only recently been revived in his original version. Essentially a Spectre-type character, he was an early Jack Kirby creation.

http://dr-hermes.livejournal.com/278046.html

An interesting illustrated article at YESTERDAY’S PAPERS takes a look at spies in comic books, strips and other pop culture outlets touching on James Bond and Modesty Blaise and right up to Charlton’s FIGHTIN’ FIVE.

http://john-adcock.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-spy.html

One comic book that escaped the 1950′s witch hunts was TREASURE CHEST, a Catholic endorsed “educational” comic that was never available through typical outlets but from Catholic schools and churches between 1946 and 1963. Although filled with heavy-handed religious and sometimes political propaganda, one could also find art by such as Reed Crandall and Jim Mooney, all of which is available online along with every single issue of TREASURE CHEST-searchable by artist, series, writer, issue, year, etc. We wish more comics would go this route!

http://www.aladin.wrlc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?c=treasure&a=d&cl=CL6

Hey, it’s October! Halloween time again! Lots of blogs, comics-related and otherwise, celebrate the dark, the macabre and the strange this month. Here are a few weird postings. Ooooooooo!

Most SPECTRE fans agree that Jim Aparo’s version was the definitive one but many other artists have tried their hand at the Astral Avenger over the years. I personally have a fondness for Murphy Anderson’s and Gray Morrow’s versions. A little-remembered artist on the strip however was Bernie Wrightson whose debut appears this morning at Ol’ Groove’s place.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2009/10/famous-first-fridays-bernie-wrightsons.html

For your daily dose of black humor, check out 13 ELEGANT WAYS TO COMMIT SUICIDE, a 1959 novelty book by Harold Meyers with darkly humorous illustrations by MAD’s legendary Jack Davis. Davis was just on the verge of his most successful era as a commercial illustrator.

http://hairygreeneyeball2.blogspot.com/2009/10/13-elegant-ways-to-commit-suicide.html

Jim Starlin was just another comics artist to me until the story reprinted today by Pete Doree, THE BIRTH OF DEATH from Mike Friedrich’s ground-breaking, “ground level” comic book, STAR*REACH. Suddenly, he emerged full-blown as the slick, dark cosmic guru that would go on to tie together and complicate Marvel continuity for years.

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/10/jim-starlin.html

From 1964, MAGIC CARPET BURN creeps up on us with the first issue of Gold Key’s perhaps surprisingly long-running LITTLE MONSTERS comic. Originally just a back-up, the strip was given its own title when THE ADDAMS FAMILY and THE MUNSTERS became popular on television. It outlasted both series by several years!

http://magiccarpetburn.blogspot.com/2009/10/little-monsters-1-terrible-take-over.html