Did you know that EC artist Jack Kamen’s son invented the Segway? He did! Speaking of Segways…or rather segues… today’s links all flow reasonably well from one to another. Enjoy and then keep flowing on down to DJ David B’s Tuesday audio treats.

If you missed Craig Yoe’s SECRET IDENTITY lecture on Joe Shuster at DR SKETCHY’S this past Saturday (along with its accompanying related life drawing), you can find it over at BOOKSTEVE’S LIBRARY courtesy of YouTube poster filmnoir22. Sadly it’s JUST the lecture parts but still…

http://booksteveslibrary.blogspot.com/2009/11/craig-yoe-lectures-on-joe-shuster-at-dr.html

For an earlier look at Mr. Shuster (as well as his partner in pretty much creating the comic book industry as we know it) visit SILVER AGE COMICS for a nice long review of author Marc Tyler Nobleman’s 2008 children’s book, BOYS OF STEEL. This book should be in every comics fans library of any age!

http://sacomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-review-boys-of-steel.html

For a brief interview with Mr. Yoe himself, let’s drop by the AKRON BEACON-JOURNAL for a nice basic look at a local boy made good. Thanks to Tony Isabella for pointing this link out of FACEBOOK this morning!

http://www.ohio.com/news/69634952.html

Speaking of FACEBOOK, I’m proud to count amongst my FACEBOOK friends reknowned painter Ms. Catherine Jones who in a former life as comic book artist Jeff Jones is represented today with a 1969 Charlton FLASH GORDON story over at DIVERSIONS OF THE GROOVY KIND.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2009/11/random-reads-monster-men-of-tropica.html

We recently lost Soupy Sales, who was my idol growing up, and possibly yours if you were a kid in Detroit, Los Angeles or New York City. Known primarily as the host of a kiddie show, Soupy was also a recording artist. And not just a typical one-off album to tie in with his TV show. Soupy recorded several solid LPs and a bunch of great singles. For a while, he was even signed to Motown!

Like his television program, Soupy’s records weren’t just for kids. He performed his regional hit “Do The Mouse” on The Ed Sullivan Show – the same night that The Beatles performed! Any kiddie show host who can hold his own with the Fab Four must be pretty good.

With all the sensational songs Soupy sang, it stands to reason that at least one of them would involve comics and cartoons. (Or else, why would I, D.J. David B., even bring it up?) Sure enough, Soupy included “Speedy Gonzales” on his album “Soupy Sales Sez Do The Mouse and Other Teen Hits.” Speedy, as all you loyal ITCHers know, was a Mexican mouse featured in cartoon shorts from Warner Bros.

Interestingly, “Speedy Gonzales” was originally recorded by Pat Boone in 1962. Soupy’s record wasn’t released until ’65. Record collectors will enjoy the significance of Pat having one of his hits covered for a change. Ain’t that a shame!

In memory of Soupy Sales I am proud to present his recording of “Speedy Gonzales,” from back in the days when men were men and mice were mice, and nobody ever heard of political correctness.

Click the link below to hear Soupy sing!

Speedy Gonzales - Soupy Sales

Inspired by Craig’s book SECRET IDENTITY, SILVER AGE COMICS takes a detailed look at the story behind one of the kinkier code-approved comics of the 1960′s, namely the issue of LOIS LANE that depicts our intrepid girl reporter taking a cat o’ nine tails (or six in this case) to a creepy puppet Superman whilst the real man of Steel is chained helplessly by kryptonite. Wow. And this was the very first issue of LOIS LANE I ever bought!

http://sacomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/lois-lane-73.html

Speaking of Craig’s books, COMICCRAZYS shares a brief but typically wacky Milt Gross tale from 1948 today. Watch for Craig Yoe’s MILT GROSS bio/collection coming soon to better comic shops near you!

http://comicrazys.com/2009/11/08/pete-the-pooch-hi-jinx-6-1948-milt-gross/

Ger Appeldorn (who contributed to Craig’s Gross book. I sense a theme here!) shares some very early, pre-superhero Jack Kirby newspaper strips that rip off RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT.

http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2009/11/prince-of-comics-monday-cartoon-day.html

Karen and Doug over at BRONZE AGE BABIES are discussing a 1970 Archie Goodwin IRON MAN/SUB-MARINER crossover with examples of art from the unusual team-up of EC’s Johnny Craig and Sam Grainger. I realize that this seemingly has nothing whatsoever to do with Craig but how much you want to bet he might have read that issue?

http://bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-cant-we-be-friends-part-two.html

Young Will Eisner may not have had a great grasp of how the American system of government worked in 1941 but he sure recognized an opportunity he saw it. Having gotten into trouble for (allegedly) basing his character WONDERMAN on SUPERMAN, here he co-opted UNCLE SAM as an already known public domain symbol of America and turned him into a super-hero. Meet America’s favorite Uncle and his sidekick Buddy from Quality’s UNCLE SAM # 1.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2009/11/number-625-comic-book-civics-lesson-if.html

Author Phillip Wylie’s novel GLADIATOR is often cited as a major influence on Jerry Siegel’s creation of SUPERMAN. In America’s Bicentennial year Marvel Comics presented a long-delayed adaptation with art credited to Rich Buckler but actually mostly by the great Tony DeZuniga. Read all about the issues involved and sample the art with the Groovy Agent today.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2009/11/groovy-guest-post-man-god-story-that.html

One of my favorite movies as a child was CAPTAIN SINDBAD, an oft-revived 1963 fantasy adventure starring a post ZORRO and pre-LOST IN SPACE Guy Williams at his swashbuckling best. You know how we love TARZAN and MAGNUS illustrator Russ Manning around here. I just found out that Russ drew Gold Key’s comic book adaptation and here it is now!

http://hairygreeneyeball2.blogspot.com/2009/11/russ-mannings-captain-sindbad.html

When Atlas comics debuted in the mid-seventies, it promised innovative new strips. In fact, what were delivered were often note for note takes on existing strips from Marvel and DC. SAVAGE COMBAT TALES featuring SGT STRYKER’S DEATH SQUAD, for example, analogous to both DC’s SGT ROCK and Marvel’s SGT FURY but with the added benefit of being written by BLAZING COMBAT’s Archie Goodwin. Each of the three published issues had a nicely drawn back-up tale, also. Here’s Goodwin’s Aussie pilot WARHAWK with art by the great Alex Toth.

http://grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com/2009/11/warhawk-by-archie-goodwin-and-alex-toth.html

One cool thing (of so many) about sixties DC comics was that every once in awhile, they would publish a page showing the covers of comic books from foreign lands. Today, Bully takes up that mantle and shares a whole bunch of Mexican SUPERMAN covers in two seprarate pieces, often side by side with their American inspirations.

http://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/im-on-mexican-whoa-oh-superman.html

http://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/lose-your-load-leave-your-mind-behind.html

Pete Doree waxes nostalgic about the seventies version of BATMAN and then replays a fairly standard encounter with the Joker from one of the dollar comics of the period. Script is by Denny O’Neil who has as much claim to call the Dark Knight his own as Bob Kane ever did. At is the always reliable team of Irv Novick and Dick Giordano.

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2009/11/this-onell-kill-you-batman.html

In 1963, Gold Key published one single issue of FREEDOM AGENT, a bizarre sort of cold war/1950′s sci-fi James Bond drawn by workhorse artist Alberto Giolitti. The whole thing can be found here, complete with its trademark painted GK cover.

http://www.goldkeystories.com/2009/11/giant-makers.html

In 1976, Stan Lee and John Romita started a SPIDER-MAN newspaper strip that was pretty darn good but it was long past the days when strips could sell papers so it disappeared quickly in most cities. The strip didn’t end, though. COMICS IN CRISIS takes a brief look at just how bad that same strip has gotten after dragging on now about three FREAKIN’ decades too long, still credited to Stan the Man and with art for the past twenty years or so by little brother Larry Lieber.

http://againwiththecomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/newspaper-comic-strip-spider-man-is.html

Nick Cuti and Joe Staton’s E-MAN is another often revived series. It’s a hard to describe strip that’s part super-hero, part sci-fi, part adventure, part whimsy. See for yourself in the first appearance of Alec Tronn from his 1973 Charlton debut here:

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2009/11/famous-first-fridays-e-man.html

Recently we linked to the oft revived BLACK TERROR in what appeared to be a goofy plastic costume. Here we have multiple BLACK TERROR stories of the character in his prime from his own book as well as from AMERICA’S BEST COMICS and EXCITING COMICS. Art by Mort Meskin, Ruben Moriera, Alex Schomburg and Frank Frazetta.

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2009/11/black-terror-batch-of-covers-and.html

Well whaddaya know? Speak of the ever-underrated Mort Meskin and two more of his stories pop up on the Net, this time a couple of horror tales from WITCHCRAFT.

http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2009/11/inky-meskin-friday-comic-book-day.html

BOOM! We start off today with an interesting (and slightly wacky) look back at the unprecedented and unusual hype that DC Comics used when Jack King Kirby migrated over from Marvel back in 1970.

http://slaymonstrobot.blogspot.com/2009/11/comic-book-about-nouns.html

Jon K regularly shares a bizarre collection of images of on and off-model BATMAN toys, games and other merchandise (both licensed and unlicensed) from around the world over at THE BATCAVE TROPHY ROOM. Check it out Bat-fans!

http://batcavetrophyroom.blogspot.com/

Ed Carey’s early 20th Century comic strip DICTIONARY JACQUES premieres at BARNACLE PRESS with more than 20 examples from 1912 and 1913. The site describes the vintage strip thusly-”The situation is simple enough: Jaques is a Frenchman who relies on his dictionary to understand his surroundings, but misinterprets the definitions he reads.”

http://www.barnaclepress.com/list.php?directory=DictionaryJaques

This was posted last March but I was alerted to it today through the site http://sekvenskonst.blogspot.com/ . It’s a rare 2 page Don Rosa story published only in Norway back in 1998! Technically it is NOT a Disney duck story although you do have a familiar-looking anthropomorphic duck, his nephews, his lucky cousin and his inventor friend. Nudge-Nudge. Wink, Wink!

http://www.wolfstad.com/dcw/blog/2009/03/rare-don-rosa-speedskating-story/

For Marvel Comics’ 70th Anniversary, the UK newspaper site TIMESONLINE presents 70 factoids about Marvel. Most of them are accurate, detailed and genuinely interesting. Then you get to the part about how paul Simon wrote the theme to the sixties SPIDER-MAN cartoon. WTF? He did not. Stick around to page 7 for their retraction which gives no hint of where THAT one came from.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6892313.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

Where do comic book artists go when they aren’t drawing comics? Well, back in the sixties and seventies many of them went to record companies and did LP covers. Here’s a nice selection that ranges from Frazetta and Wood to Barry Windsor-Smith and Bill Ward. Great expanded size on these, too.

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2009/11/record-jackets-art-by-bill-ward-frank.html

Here’s an 18 week run of color Sunday strips from Russ Manning’s official STAR WARS comic strip. The veteran TARZAN artist and creator of MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER did the strip originally (with assistance from Dave Stevens if I recall correctly) before being replaced due to poor health by reported Lucas favorite Al Williamson.

http://ilovecomix.smugmug.com/S/Star-War/Star-Wars-01-Constancia-Affair/9448944_q63UD/1/633753421_S4rRk#633753421_S4rRk

Finally, tooting my own horn again here’s another piece I did yesterday on the 1960′s BATMAN newspaper strip. This one covers what has to be one of the Dynamic Duo’s most bizarre team-ups ever-with TVand radio comedian Jack Benny!

http://booksteveslibrary.blogspot.com/2009/11/jack-benny-meets-batman.html

On this date in 1928, Osamu Tezuka was born in Osaka, Japan. A large part of the credit (or blame dependant on your point of view) for the proliferation of Manga and Anime in America and other parts of the Western world can be placed securely at the feet of Dr. Tezuka. Known as “the Japanese Walt Disney,” “the God of Manga” and “the godfather of Anime,” it was Tezuka whose 1960′s TV cartoons ASTRO BOY (now a major motion picture) and KIMBA THE WHITE LION (previously…ahem…a major motion picture as Disney’s LION KING) introduced Japanese animation and later comics to foreign shores.

His earliest Post-war comics in Japan sparked that country’s Golden Age of Comics. Tezuka is credited with affecting the concept of the giant, rounded eyes for his characters inspired by US cartoons. He was a prolific and sometimes controversial cartoonist and animator and, according to Wikipedia, a massive 400 volume collection of his manga in Japan is still nowhere near comprehensive. Tezuka died in 1989.

Seen here is a scene from his 1970 experimental full-length adult pop art anime production of Kureopatora (AKA CLEOPATRA or CLEOPATRA, QUEEN OF SEX).