Here’s another Australian comic book superhero from the 1950′s, The Crimson Comet by the great John Dixon. Though Dixon did superheroes, like the Australian version of Catman, clearly he was more interested in plainclothes adventurers like the aviator Tim Valour (which, thanks to the extra added ‘u’ in his name I keep mentally calling Tim Velour, but then I’m profoundly damaged).

I say it’s “obvious” because this story works a lot better when it focuses on private eye Ralph Rivers than when it finally shifts to The Crimson Comet, who appears to be a slightly altered version of Timely’s The Red Raven.

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For the past several weeks we’ve been presenting songs related to Spider-Man, in order to prove my point which is that there sure are an awful lot of songs about Spider-Man! (We don’t have very lofty goals here, folks.) I’ve been saying how Batman is the clear winner, but Spidey is a close second.

Just so Batman doesn’t get jealous, let’s swing the spotlight onto the Caped Crusader and enjoy a classic bat-tune.

As I’ve said many, many (many) times before, this is probably the most covered song in all of comicdom: the theme from the 1966 Batman TV show. This time we’re hearing a big band arrangement by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Take it away, Brian!

Click the link below and Batusi.

Continuing our Women’s History Month coverage, today we have a several pages from a variety of year 1913 issues of Cartoons Magazine, of male cartoonists’ commentary on women’s fashions. And in particular, on prudish by even 1913 standards, attempts by male politicians to regulate what women could wear, for the reason that “scandalous” dress by women could lead to the corruption of men’s morals. (Sounds pretty similar to Taliban reasoning, though not dealt with nearly as harshly.)

Click on the above & below pages, to make the cartoons & text large enough to read.

Doug Wheeler

Women’s History Cartoons Magazine Centennial

I was never what you would call a “game guy”, especially during the very early days of video games; at that point I still didn’t have reliable access to cable TV. So I can’t really explain why of my favorite 80′s comics was DC’s Atari Force. I cannot, do not and will not argue for a single moment that it was one of the best comics of the 80′s but for reasons vague and mysterious I continue to have a warm spot in my heart for this fairly conventional space opera with superhero overtones. I don’t make fun of people who wax nostalgic about Micronauts and Rom Space Knight so I hope you will all do me the same courtesy.

Writer Gerry Conway (and later Mike Baron) did their best with a by the numbers premise which went a little something like this; ragtag band of misfit outsiders protect an uncaring future Earth from their own personal “big bad”, a masked cosmic/supervillain sporting a cape. This one is called Dark Destroyer but the only way to really distinguish him from all the others is his color scheme; for some reason this one avoided the basic black ensemble which is traditional for this trope.

Our main hero was your basic angry young man with dimension hopping powers that was so 80′s he had a Rambo/Staying Alive/ Megaforce headband to keep his unruly mullet in place. Apparently Christopher Champion hasn’t heroic enough of a name for this guy so he was also called, under the misguided impression that it sounded “cool”, Tempest.

Much more of interest to adolescent me was Dart, an Irish/Indian mercenary telepath even if she was colored the same dull gunmetal gray that most Middle Easterners got saddled with at DC Comics until at least the early 2000′s.

The rest of the team was made up of a bunch of alien looking (at least for the 80′s) aliens (Morphea, Babe and Pakrat) who were interesting if only because they seemed to have absolutely no business being on a ragtag band of misfit outsiders. Because while each of them had an alien “power” of some sort none of them was of much use in a fight. But to be absolutely honest I admit I stuck around through the series 20 issue run primarily because of the great artwork by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. This was the first time Garzia had a title of his own, and as you can see for yourself, he produced some beautiful work for the series.

For the record Atari Force was connected to a series of licensed comics DC did for Atari that featured a much less interesting ragtag band — they were essentially the sort of nice, but dull space heroes DC specialized in during the 1950′s, except with much tighter outfits.

I would explain further, but I don’t care and the text page from Atari Force #1 has already done the heavy lifting for me.

For Women’s History Month, we have two Cartoons Magazine articles on the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, one each from August 1913 and September 1913.

Click on the above & below pages, to make the cartoons & article large enough to read.

Doug Wheeler

Women’s History

As you undoubtedly know by now, I’ve proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that there are a heckuva lot of songs about Spider-Man. Did you think I was lying? By my count, Spidey is second only to Batman when it comes to having a ton of comics tunage. And now, another one! A song you’ve probably never heard and yet it’s a great little record. The Ray Wall Band gets the credit here.

If you thought I was done with my musical tribute to ol’ webhead, you’ve got another think coming. Be here next Tuesday for another Spider surprise.

Click the link below and enjoy.

Women’s History Month continues with the above sequence found in artist T.E. Powers‘ 1912 collection of his continuing comic strip, Joys & Glooms. As evidenced by “Votes for the Women”, Powers was anti-Women’s Suffrage, his comedy touching upon several of the most popular fears & stereotypes of what would happen to men, should women gain the vote.

Click on the above comic strip to view it in large enough detail to read it.

NOTE: read first the top tier of panels across both pages, then the bottom tier.

Doug Wheeler

Women’s History

For Women’s History Month, we present an article on Police Women, found in the September 1913 issue of Cartoons Magazine.

Click on the above & below pages, to make the cartoons & article large enough to read.

Doug Wheeler

Women’s History

For Women’s History Month, we have two Cartoons Magazine articles on the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, one each from June 1913 and July 1913.

Click on the above & below pages, to make the cartoons & article large enough to read.

Doug Wheeler

— Doug