News from me - August 17, 2001

August 17, 2001

BACK IN THE SIXTIES, a comic book series called T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents failed to attract a large-enough audience to keep its publisher afloat. How odd then that, more than thirty years later, there are enough fans of the comic to warrant a whole issue of Comic Book Artist devoted to it. But there apparently are. Jon B. Cooke and his thunderous squad of interviewers and researchers have tracked down most of the surviving contributors for interviews, and even dug up heretofore-unpublished artwork. The result is a terrific overview and a tonweight of comic book history and information that would have been lost if Jon and Company hadn't cobbled together this issue. So far, every issue of CBA has managed something of the sort. I only wish it had come along years ago, so more creators could have divulged more info before they left us.

You can pick up a copy at any good comic shop or by visiting the TwoMorrows website and, yes, I'll even supply you with a link.

I'VE RECEIVED a number of e-mails asking me who's going to take over as the voice of Garfield now that Lorenzo Music has left us. (I've also received an embarrassing number of phone calls and e-mails from folks who covet the job.) The answer is that no one involved in the Garfield business wants to discuss it now. Too soon, too soon.

ATTENTION, THREE STOOGES FANS! Saturday evening, American Movie Classics is running Soup to Nuts, an almost-never-seen, 193o feature starring Ted Healy, for whom the Stooges were originally stooges. And in in supporting roles, you'll find Moe, Larry...and Shemp, since this — the Stooges' first screen appearance — was made before Shemp left the group and was replaced by Curly. (Years later, Curly had a stroke, whereupon Shemp returned to the act in his stead.) The movie was allegedly written by the famed cartoonist, Rube Goldberg, who has a small cameo. Most of it was ghost-scripted, however, by Lou Breslow, who later wrote some of the weaker Laurel and Hardy movies. Probably not a cinema classic but, hey, it's history.

THE BROADWAY SHOW, The Producers, not only sells out every night, they also sell standing room and any tickets that become available due to cancellations. Someone who attempted to purchase the former recently posted a message to one of the newsgroups that tells how the process works. Here's a link that oughta allow you to read this message. (By the way: For those of you tracking such info or holding tickets for September 4-9, Matthew Broderick is taking that week off.)

SOME PEOPLE THINK that Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, The Hulk and many other super-guys had their greatest adventures in a series of one-page Hostess ads that ran in their comics in the seventies. And it's true: Seeing Batman battle the Joker for hostess of a couple of twinkies or Dr. Octopus purloining Spider-Man's fruit pies was kinda entertaining (in a silly way) and no worse than certain of their "real" exploits. You can see them for yourself because someone has set up a website that purports to display every one of these four-color classics. Get there by clicking here.

I WOULD LIKE to recommend a political reporter/commentator to you. His name is Joshua Micah Marshall and he writes for, among other outlets, Slate, Salon, New Republic and The American Prospect. Every day or so, he posts an interesting "Talking Points Memo" on his website and I find them always worth reading. See if you don't, too, by clicking on this link.

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