The Truth

The Real Wonder Woman Speaks

This week noted evangelical Christian and one-time Wonder Woman, Linda Carter spoke out in the pages of Philadelphia Magazine on Sarah Palin:

Don’t get me started. She’s the anti-Wonder Woman. She’s judgmental and dictatorial, telling people how they’ve got to live their lives. And a superior religious self-righteousness … that’s just not what Wonder Woman is about. Hillary Clinton is a lot more like Wonder Woman than Mrs. Palin. She did it all, didn’t she?

No one has the right to dictate, particularly in this country, to force your own personal views upon the populace — religious views. I think that is suppressive, oppressive, and anti-American. We are the loyal opposition. That’s the whole point of this country: freedom of speech, personal rights, personal freedom. Nor would Wonder Woman be the person to tell people how to live their lives. Worry about your own life! Worry about your own family! Don’t be telling me what I want to do with mine.

I like John McCain. But this woman — it’s anathema to me what she stands for. I think America should be very afraid. Very afraid. Separation of church and state is the one thing the creators of the Constitution did agree on — that it wasn’t to be a religious government. People should feel free to speak their minds about religion but not dictate it or put it into law.

What I don’t understand, honestly, is how anyone can even begin to say they know the mind of God. Who do they think they are? I think that’s ridiculous. I know what God is in my life. Now I am sure that she’s not all just that. But it’s enough to me. It’s enough for me to have a visceral reaction. And it makes me mad.

People need to speak up. Doesn’t mean that I’m godless. Doesn’t mean that I am a murderer. What I hate is this demonization of everybody but one position. You’re un-American because you’re against the war. It’s such bullshit. Fear. It’s really such a finite way of thinking about God to think that your measly little mind can know the mind of God. It’s a very little God that way. I think that God’s bigger. I don’t presume to know his mind. Or her mind.

Palin: The New Cheney

What I find so very, I would like to say "inappropriate" but really feel the word I want to say is "disgusting," is that she takes the event of her son going off to war, to maybe die for, in my opinion, no good reason, in a war of pure choice, that we should not be at all involved in, she takes this most solemn of occasions to further perpetrate the lie that Iraq had anything at all to do with 9-11. It is absolutely shameful and so very, very disrespecting of her son. She is a political hack drawn of the same cloth as John McCain. No wonder he chose her.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Showcase #78

Showcase #78 (On Sale: September 12, 1968) has very nice Johnny Double cover by Dick Giordano.

"Meet Jonny Double..." is plotted by Marv Wolfman, scripted by Joe Gill and drawn by Jack Sparling. Down-on-his-luck private investigator Jonny Double gets a case to help Wilson Twain, a financier who has received death threats from the synicate. Jonny begins questioning underworld informants and draws the attention of the criminals. After taking a beating, Jonny traces the crooks to businessmen Piker and Glass. He is spotted snooping in their office, and the crooks try to kill him. Jonny stays alive and defeats the crooks, leaving them for Lt. Branigan his former boss on the police force.

The last five single issue debuts in Showcase resulted in five six-issue series, but Johnny Double would not be so lucky. The story I have read, and I don't remember where, is that Johnny Double was supposed to be a "Disguise Expert/Bodyguard," who would through the use of disguise become the body double of someone targeted for murder. For some reason the "Double" name was kept, but the concept was jettisoned. Four years later Len Wein would revisit that concept in The Human Target in the pages of Action Comics.

As for Johnny Double, he was a character that, for a time, would not die. He was revived in 1970 in Challengers of the Unknown #79 (an issue also featuring Deadman and a few pages drawn by Neal Adams) and then more famously went on for a stint in Wonder Woman beginning in 1972.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

More Republican Dirty Tricks

How can anyone stand to belong to a party that must resort to tricks, lies, and out and out fraud to get elected? How can you stomach these criminals?

All I Want Is The Truth

"All I Want Is The Truth"

-John Lennon

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- House of Mystery #177

House of Mystery #177 (On Sale: September 10, 1968) has another beautiful cover by Neal Adams featuring those kids who can't keep out of trouble. Once again the Jack Adler coloring on this one is just beautiful.

We begin with "The Son of the Montross Monster" drawn by Mort Meskin and reprinted from House of Mystery #130. This is followed by a Room 13 page written and drawn by Joe Orlando. Next is Odds and Ends From Cain's Cellar drawn by Sergio Aragones and a text feature, "Last Meal," written by Charles King and illustrated by Joe Orlando. The cover story is next, "The Curse of the Cat," written by Anthro's Howie Post and drawn by Brother Power, The Geek's Bill Draut. We end with "Cain's Game Room" by Sergio Aragones. The entire contents is reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery #1.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Lack of Energy

I've had some not so great medical news this week and more just depressing nonsense at work this week and I am just drained and not in a good place. I will get caught up on the fun and games here when I can face the task with something resembling a clear mind. Sorry for the delay.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Brother Power, the Geek #2

Brother Power, the Geek #2 (On Sale: September 5, 1968) has a cover by the legendary Joe Simon, the creator of Brother Power. Not a bad cover this time out.

"A Visit from the Dead" is by Joe Simon though like last issue the artwork is generally credited to Al Bare and Bill Draut and Jack Oleck is considered the co-writer. As we last left Brother Power, the Geek he had driven his motorcycle off a bridge to a watery doom. As we pick up the story while fishing some kids accidentally hook a Geek. Then a guy named the Baron decides to steal Brother Power’s boots, so then he and his gang fly their homemade bi-plane to go do it.

Brother Power kicks their butts and recaps his origin. The kids get him a job in a market, where he starts as a mover and bag boy but moves up the ranks. He ends up finding work and encouraging other hippies (the group from the first issue show up) to do so, eventually getting hired by the J.P. Acme Corporation just as it was taken over by the wicked Lord Sliderule. Brother Power's ingenuity still made the assembly line run more efficiently.

Lord Sliderule launches an unmanned space missile that malfunctions and explodes and the factory is surrounded by tanks who want to destroy the Geek. Geek runs into the Baron, who has become a hippie, and has a glider crash into the tanks. Brother Power was last seen being shot into space on orders from Governor Ronald Reagan, after trying to prevent the sabotage of a rocket launch by Mad Dawg and his gang, knowing it would be blamed on hippies. yeah, it wasn't the tightest of plots.

This was the final issue of Brother Power, The Geek and it has long been regarded as one of the biggest flops in DC history. However, the demise of Brother Power, the Geek had little to do, actually, nothing to do with sales. While sales were modest, Brother Power's real problem was with some of the old-time DC staff. To be precise, Mort Weisinger.

Carmine Infantino has claimed in several interviews following his retirement that Superman editor Mort Weisinger disliked the character very strongly, and petitioned DC publisher Jack Liebowitz to shut down the title. Infantino and others who knew and worked with "Uncle Mortie" have said that Weisinger harbored an admitted dislike for the hippie subculture of the 60's, and felt that Simon portrayed them too sympathetically.

According to Joe Simon, the third issue was canceled just before the finished artwork was to be set up for print duplication, and to this day Simon refuses to discuss exactly what the plot of this issue was about, nor release any of the original art.

Would Brother Power, the Geek ever became a mainstream hit at DC? I kind of doubt it, but it certainly would have had a longer shot. Most of the books that DC killed during this time period were given a full year to make it or die; Geek never got that shot.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Wonder Woman #179

Wonder Woman #179 (On Sale: September 3, 1968) has a beautiful cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano.

"Wonder Woman’s Last Battle" is by Denny O'Neil, Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano and continues the amazing transformation of Wonder Woman. In this classic issue Wonder Woman relinquishes her powers and costume, her mentor I-Ching is introduced as is the new villain Dr. Cyber. As the cover says, "Goodbye to the Past!"

Continuing from last issue, Steve Trevor undertakes a mission to infiltrate the organization of high powered criminal Doctor Cyber. To do so, he is labeled a traitor by his own government. Wonder Woman wants to help Steve, but her mother informs her that the Amazons and Paradise Island must leave Earth's dimension to renew their magical powers. Wonder Woman elects to stay behind, but she must give up her powers and costume.

Wonder Woman returns to America as the powerless Diana Prince. Without the support of her Amazon heritage, Diana must seek a new career. She rents a storefront and soon meets I-Ching, a blind Asian master of martial arts. Ching trains Diana in hand-to-hand combat to take on Doctor Cyber.

Diana finally finds Steve Trevor who has been critically injured. While Steve is hospitalized, she and Ching stop a plot by Cyber's gang to use deadly toys against the families of America's leaders. Reprinted in Diana Prince: Wonder Woman Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Jack Miller.

Irony

Don't you just love these Christians? How ironic that Hurricane Gustav is now threatening to swamp their own convention and bring to millions memories of Katrina and how uncaring and incompetent Republicans really are. Perhaps these so-called Christian Republicans should listen to what their god is trying to tell them.

Let Them Eat Cake

“It just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” McCain told Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday” in an interview taped for Sunday.


We so agree John, now eat your birthday cake and shut up!

Obama Responds to Fey, Uh, I Mean, Palin

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Bat Lash #1

Bat Lash #1 (On Sale: August 29, 1968) has a cover by Nick Cardy. I never cared for the coloring on this one, maybe the weakest of all the Bat Lash covers.

"We're A-Comin' ta Get You" is plotted by Sergio Aragones, scripted by Denny O'Neil and drawn by Nick Cardy. Bat Lash leaves No Hope Junction to avoid a lynch mob. On the road he meets a monk named Sebastian who offers him kindness. Sebastian has one piece of a marker that leads to the lost fortune of Don Sergio Aragones. After parting ways, Sebastian is killed by outlaws seeking the marker. Bat Lash is wounded while fighting them.

Bat Lash recovers in the town of Wormhole not far from the monastery where Sebastian was headed. He tells the monks there that Sebastian was killed, but the monks are really the outlaws. They then frame Bat for Sebastian's murder.

Bat escapes from jail and locates another traveling monk who carries another marker to the treasure. He takes the monk's place and returns to the monastery. He then sells the crooks the second marker. The sheriff catches Bat on the way out, but he talks his way out of trouble. While romancing Sebastian's niece, he discovers a third marker needed to find the treasure. He allows the sheriff to take the fortune after capturing the outlaws. Bat keeps the money he made from selling the second marker and leaves town. Shamelessly never reprinted.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

One for the Centuries!

He knocks it right out of the stadium!

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #115

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #115 (On Sale: August 27, 1968) has one of my favorite Neal Adams' covers of all time. I know that so much of my appreciation is due to the masterful color work on this, but I also like the almost Wally Wood inspired Superman figure and the wonderful staging of the scene fore which Adams was so well-known.

"Survival of the Fittest" is by Leo Dorfman and Pete Costanza, In a very rare-for-the-time crossover, Aquaman guest-stars. In some even rarer-for-the-time continuity, Aquaman's quest for Mera (Aquaman #40-#48) is mentioned. DC was changing folks, slowly but surely. While reporting on the maiden voyage of a new atomic submarine, Jimmy Olsen rescues the crew when the sub is caught in a whirlpool. Aquaman then arrives to help save the submarine. The whirlpool was caused by Captain Bane, the disguised identity of the Old Man of the Sea.

Seeking revenge against Aquaman and Jimmy, the Old Man of the Sea arranges for Jimmy to gain Aquaman's powers. Then disguised as Superman he arranges for Jimmy and Aquaman to prove which is the best by taking them into the desert. Jimmy is barely able to stay alive, but Aquaman appears to die. The Old Man then strands Jimmy in the middle of the ocean without powers.

When he returns to Earth, Superman apprehends the Old Man, taking the trickster to a lifeless water world where he can't trouble Earth again. Superman also reveals that Aquaman survived when his body was returned to the ocean, the water revived it. Jimmy is also still alive having found a life preserver from the Titanic floating in the ocean.

The back-up is "The Kid Who Unmasked Superman" by Dave Wood and Pete Costanza. Duncan Brite joins the Jimmy Olsen Fan Club with the intention of discovering Superman's secret identity. When Superman visits the club, Duncan gets an impression of Superman's ear, a footprint, and a strand of his hair. Duncan then compares the evidence to men at the Daily Planet. He suspects Clark Kent, but Clark realizes that Duncan's motives.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Wake Up America!

Just beautiful!

What I Love About the Olympics, Part IV

Did I mention the volleyball cheerleders?

McCain's Housekeys

He Was Just Biden His Time!

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Superboy #151

Superboy #151 (On Sale: August 22, 1968) has a pretty damn cool cover by Neal Adams.

"D.O.A. – in Cold Blood" is by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Jack Abel. While on patrol Superboy checks out a light in the Smallville High School office. Momentarily blinded by a beam of light while flying through an open window he reaches out blindly and grabs someone. When his sight returns, Superboy finds that he grabbed Lana Lang and killed her. He also finds evidence that she was stealing mid-terms from the office.

Superboy brings the body to the police station and turns himself in to Captain Hall. The police show him a note from Lana that tells them she is afraid of Superboy. An examination of the school office doesn't match Superboy's story about the accident. The Boy of Steel is then locked up.

Superboy begins to suspect Lana is still alive after he receives a note that disintegrates, and after Lana's body is missing from the coffin. Using his x-ray and telescopic vision from inside his jail cell Superboy locates Lana in the hands of Anton Lumar, a photographer who has found a method of making three dimensional photo duplicates that disintegrate.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

VP Observation III

Kaine he string us along for much longer?

VP Observation II

Time is quickly going Bayh, and still no VP.

What I Love About the Olympics, Part III

Kerri Walsh.

VP Observation I

Obama is Biden his time on this VP announcement.

Question of the Day

Will our goading of Russia back into a cold war stance extend the life of the Space Shuttle? Do you think the US will want to rely on Russia for all its rides into space for five to six years?

What I Love About the Olympics, Part II

Brazilian Women's Volleyball!

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Metal Men #34

Metal Men #34 (On Sale: August 20, 1968) has another interesting cover by Mike Sekowsky and Jack Abel.

The Metal Men star in "Death Comes Calling" by Robert Kanigher, Mike Sekowsky and George Roussos. Continuing from last issue, the police attempt to apprehend the Metal Men after the robots have lost the public trust. The chase is interrupted when an alien from another galaxy is attracted to Earth by unusual volcanic activity. The Metal Men attempt to stop the alien, but they only succeed in endangering the authorities. The Metal Men decide to return to the lab until the authorities ask for their help. However, Tina remains in the alien's hands.

The police are unable to harm the alien either. When the alien animates store mannequins into an army, the police are forced to summon the Metal Men again. While the robots battle the wax army, Tina lures the alien into an active volcano.

Edited by Jack Miller.

Oh, We're All So Worried!

So the big story yesterday and today is...

McCain Lead Obama in New Poll

Oh, I'm so frickin' frightened! NOT!

What are they not telling you, while they ignore every other poll that says Obama is still ahead of McCain? You need to remember, and you heard it here first, all the way back in March, Zogby polls are always wrong. They are like the crap movie reviewers that stay in business because they can always be counted on to love the latest crappy film. Zogby is around to boost news rating with screaming headlines making predictions that turn the latest political contest on its ear, but which will eventually be proven to be wrong. But gosh, the news networks all get a slight bump in ratings for a day or two.

Remember, never ever get yourself worked up over a Zogby poll.

What I Love About the Olympics, Part I

The cheerleaders at the beach volleyball arena.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Star Spangled War Stories #141

Star Spangled War Stories #141 (On Sale: August 18, 1968) has a not so impressive Enemy Ace cover by Joe Kubert. It is also the last issue to use this lack-luster Enemy Ace logo.

Inside we have Enemy Ace in "The Bull" by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. This story was reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #7, Enemy Ace Archives Vol. 1 HC and Showcase Presents:Enemy Ace Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

John McCain, Putting Family First!

The McCain ad we would like to see...

"When John McCain returned from Viet Nam to find his wife suffering lingering injuries from an automobile accident, he immediately began having affairs. Finally he found a beautiful woman worth tens of millions of dollars, and deserted his first wife to marry her."

"John McCain, putting his family first! His second family, that is! It's never to late to betray your promises to get what you want."

Exclusive! China Prepares to Dominate Animal Olympics!

In an effort to dominate the upcoming Animal Olympics, China is forcing day-old panda bears into a strict routine of calisthenics, including push-ups. Will their insidiousness never end?

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #87

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #87 (On Sale: August 13, 1968) has a cover by Neal Adams. This one just doesn't work for me; the Superman figure seems distorted and unnatural looking due to the angle and the Cor-Lar figure in green is only in this bizarre position so that her legs do not extent off the cover.

We begin with "Feud of the Super-Femmes" by Leo Dorfman, Irv Novick and Mike Esposito. Continuing from previous issues, Lois has gained super-powers with the help of Kandorian scientist Cor-Lar. However, the scientist forces Lois to retrieve a rare bird from another world. Lois brings the bird back to Kandor, but is told that Earth's atmosphere is now poisonous to her. Cor-Lar then takes Lois's place on Earth while Lois remains behind as a super-hero in Kandor.

Lois rescues a Kandorian archaeologist and discovers a secret cache of Jor-El's inventions. Inside the cache is a supply of Kandorite, a mineral that can remove super-powers from anyone native to Kandor. She also learns that Cor-Lar lied about Earth's atmosphere being poisonous. She returns to Earth and exposes the scientist to Kandorite to remove Cor-Lar's powers. Lois's powers wear off, and Cor-Lar is returned to Kandor to pay for her crimes.

The back-up is "The Jealous Lois Lane" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #31 and is drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Lois Lane agrees to test a special emotion detecting device for Professor Potter. When Lois becomes jealous a bell will sound. As the girl reporter follows Superman around, she becomes jealous, but she prevents the bell from ringing. When she returns to the Planet, Superman is there, and the building fire alarm accidentally sounds. Everyone believes it is the bell from the emotion detector. Lois is upset because she had tried hard to make the Man of Steel believe she was not a jealous person. Wow, and they saw fit to reprint this one.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Too Old To Be President?

Decide for yourself. This might help.

McCain's Flip-Flop On Off-Shore Drilling A Week After Hess Fundraiser

The first three sentences say it all...

On June 10, John B. Hess, a top executive at the oil company with his family name, summoned friends to the 21 Club, a former speakeasy in Manhattan, and delivered $285,000 to John McCain and the Republican National Committee.

A week later, McCain traveled to Texas and announced his support for offshore oil drilling.

Hess Corp. is an East Coast gasoline retailer with major refining and exploration operations, some of which happen to be offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

What a whore. Or is that giving the hard-working women of the street a bad name?

Science Fiction Becomes Fact!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

McCoy: Where are we going?
Kirk: Where they went.
McCoy: Suppose they went *nowhere*?
Kirk: Then this will be your big chance to get away from it all.

Those Star Trek guys always were ahead of the curve!

Ya Think?

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Manitoba - A man accused of beheading and cannibalizing another passenger on a Greyhound bus in Canada pleaded Tuesday in court for someone to "please kill me," and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Wow, they are the masters of understatement in Manitoba.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Secret Six #4

Secret Six #4 (On Sale: August 6, 1968) has only a so-so cover by Jack Sparling.

"Escape for an Enemy" is plotted by E. Nelson Bridwell, scripted by Joe Gill and drawn by Jack Sparling. This issue focuses on King Savage. The Hollywood stunt man had been a fighter pilot during the Korean War. After having been shot down and captured by the North Koreans, he escaped imprisonment and made it back to his own lines in time to warn U.N. forces of an imminent Chinese ambush. But while imprisoned, under torture, King revealed valuable information about American forces. As he reveals here, it was Mockingbird who provided King the tools and weapons which enabled him to escape prison in time to warn the U. N. troops of the North Korean ambush.

The Six's mission is to rescue a North Korean general from the Red Chinese before he can be executed as a traitor and to turn him over to the U.S. authorities for interrogation. This general just happens to have been the commandant of the prison camp where King was held during the war and the one who forced King to betray his country.

This issue has another example of Dick Giordano's "hands off" style of editing, giving his writers and artists pretty much free reign to create as they saw fit, causing mistakes to be made.

In this issue Joe Gill wrote a thought balloon for Carlo that says, "If Doc is Mockingbird…I had to make this look good!" Now since the underlying gimmick to this entire series is that one of the members of the Secret Six is actually Mockingbird, and nobody knows who he is, this little faux pas just eliminated Carlo from suspicion and therefore weakened the basic premise of the entire series.

I wish I was home and could get hold of my Secret Six issues as some people on the net say this "mistake" actually took place in issue #2, not issue #4. Argh! Who to trust, who to trust?

Edited by Dick Giordano.

A Perfect Definition of Republicans

"They're very good at negative campaigning. They're not so good at governing."

-Barack Obama

The Next Camaro

I may not want to fill the tank, but I sure like the way it looks.

Registration Changes Are Bad News For Republicans...

...but also a clear warning to Democrats.

The bad news for the Republicans:

In several states, including the traditional battlegrounds of Nevada and Iowa, Democrats have surprised their own party officials with significant gains in registration. In both of those states, there are now more registered Democrats than Republicans, a flip from 2004. No states have switched to the Republicans over the same period, according to data from 26 of the 29 states in which voters register by party. (Three of the states did not have complete data.)

In six states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, the Democratic piece of the registration pie grew more than three percentage points, while the Republican share declined. In only three states — Kentucky, Louisiana and Oklahoma — did Republican registration rise while Democratic registration fell, but the Republican increase was less than a percentage point in Kentucky and Oklahoma. Louisiana was the only state to register a gain of more than one percentage point for Republicans as Democratic numbers declined.

The bad news for the Democrats:

Over the same period, the share of the electorate that registers as independent has grown at a faster rate than Republicans or Democrats in 12 states. The rise has been so significant that in states like Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina, nonpartisan voters essentially constitute a third party.

The Democrats need to think long and hard as to why voters, after the absolutely disastrous eight years of Bush, are wary of embracing them the way they should, as the only viable alternative. When you are on the big stage you can't get stage fright and the Democrats have cowered in the wings for so long now, afraid to attack Bush and the thugs he brought into government, that there is now a major shift in the country to belong to neither party. Most Americans hate the Republicans, but can't quite trust the Democrats, and that distrust is solely the responsibility of Reid, Pelosi and their ilk; if you won't get rid of the crooks, why should we think you are any better than they are?

Seeing the Light

"A few months ago, I wrote that John McCain was an honorable man and he would run an honorable campaign. I was wrong."

-Joe Klein

This I Would Pay to See

LOS ANGELES - Lindsay Lohan said Friday that police have no business getting involved in her personal life, a day after the police chief explained that the paparazzi were no longer an issue — in part because the 22-year-old actress had evidently "gone gay."

Call me a dirty old man if you like, but I would pay to watch Lindsay Lohan and her girlfriend do "the deed."

I'm just sayin', that's all.

Arghh! This Guy Is Really Beginning To Piss Me Off

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

Forget that Obama is "flip-flopping" so much you would think his last name was McCain, he is now embracing the plans of the greedy oil companies that are duly embraced by the ignorant Republican masses.

Like I said, this guy is really beginning to piss me off!

Another in a Long List of Reasons to Hate Wal-Mart

We already have a long laundry list of reasons to hate Wal-Mart, from killing "mom and pop" stores, to using Mafia-like "persuasion" to get a better deal than anyone else, to treating their employees like serfs, to enforcing it's own morality on America through its censorship of products. I hate the bastards; they are nothing but corporate thugs and need to be dealt with accordingly.

I internally cringe every time I have to step inside one of these despicable stores (usually I am taking my parents to get something and it is the closest store to their house). I hate this company with a passion. Now I have another reason to do so.

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) is mobilizing U.S. store managers to lobby against Democrats in November's presidential election, fearing they will make it easier for workers to unionize, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if store workers unionize, the paper said.

About a dozen employees who attended meetings in seven states said executives stressed employees would have to pay hefty union dues and get nothing in return, and might have to go on strike without compensation, and warned that unionization could force the company to cut jobs as labor costs rise, the Journal reported.

The Wal-Mart human-resources managers who have run the meetings didn't tell those attending how to vote in the November elections, but made it clear that voting for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, would be tantamount to inviting unions in, the Journals said.

Wal-Mart could not be reached immediately for a comment.

If I never step into another Wal-Mart it will be too soon.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Challengers of the Unknown #64

Challengers of the Unknown #64 (On Sale: August 1, 1968) has a cover by Joe Kubert that I have always loved.

"Invitation to a Hanging" is by Robert Kanigher and Jack Sparling. The Challengers are invited to the execution of three criminals who vow to seek revenge from the grave. After the convicts are killed, the judge and district attorney who convicted them are killed by their apparent ghosts. The Challengers investigate and discover the grave of their boss Doc Hemlock is empty.

The Challengers are captured and taken to Hemlock's hideout. The crook is actually still alive and is using robot duplicates of the executed convicts to exact his revenge.

The back up story is the origin of the Challengers, "The Secrets of the Sorcerer's Box," a reprint from Showcase #6 by Dave Wood and Jack Kirby. Four men, Rocky Davis, Ace Morgan, Red Ryan, and Prof. Haley are scheduled to appear on the television show "Heroes". Ace is piloting the plane carrying the men to the show. The plane runs into poor weather, causing it to crash. The men miraculously survive. Red’s watch which should have been destroyed works perfectly, causing Ace to suppose the men are living on "borrowed time". At Prof’s suggestion, the men band together to take more risk as the Challengers of the Unknown.

A request for the daredevil services comes in from Morelian, an alleged descendant of Merlin. His assignment for the Challs is to open a mystic box that has four segments.

On a deserted island, Rocky opens the first compartment. Inside is a giant egg which hatches overnight into a giant humanoid creature. The creature walks across the ocean destroying ships and taking Red in the process. Ace and Prof. pursue the monster which eventually drops Red. Prof. eventually figures that the monster is composed of pure thought and wishes the creature away.

Red is returned to the island where Rocky has opened the second segment of the box. A freezing sun is inside which draws the heat from everything, freezing Rocky. Red manages to trap the sun in a vacuum sealed container.

Ace and Prof. return to the island, and Ace opens the third segment. A device which spins a web of plastic flies out at tremendous speed. The Challs follow the device to Australia, eventually gaining control over it with the container it was originally contained in.

When the Challs return to the island, Morelian has opened the final section of the box. Inside is a ring which supposedly gives him immortality. He flies off in his plane, but quickly crashes down upon the box. The box has what contained the immortality not the ring, which was sudden death.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Houston, we have WATER!

OK, it's more likely, "Pasadena, we have WATER!" but what the heck! Confirmed!

WATER ON MARS!!!

Am I jazzed or what?

LOS ANGELES - The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time, scientists reported Thursday.

By melting icy soil in one of its lab instruments, the robot confirmed the presence of frozen water lurking below the Martian permafrost. Until now, evidence of ice in Mars' north pole region has been largely circumstantial.

Comic-Con -- Second Thoughts

Last time out I reported on all the things I missed on Thursday; it was a long list. What I saw on Thursday was actually a very short list.

This year we were staying at the DoubleTree near the freeway and about a mile from the Convention Center. Except for a couple of strange happenstances with room service, we really liked the hotel and it was a lot less expensive than the W where we stayed last year. We actually got into our room earlier than we expected and headed down and waited about 10 minutes for the shuttle to arrive. We were at the convention center in about 10 minutes and amazingly had our badges about 10 minutes after that. The lack of on-site registration really seemed to streamline the whole process.

As we always do, we headed directly to Room 8, home of most of the Mark Evanier-led panels. As we got there he was interviewing letterer Todd Klein. I found it fascinating, wife wife may have found it boring. We sat through it and moved closer to the front when it ended to get a better seat for the Golden/Silver Age of Comics panel that is a yearly highlight of the con for me, and this year was no different.

Mark presided over a panel of comic greats: Al Jaffee, Russ Heath, Larry Lieber, Jerry Robinson and Al Feldstein. Jaffee was the only one I had never seen before, but I could sit and listen to these guys for hours, though we only had an hour and a half. It flew by. I don't remember right now a thing anyone said during the panel, but I do recall that I was surprised at how much work Jaffee and Feldstein had done pre-EC/Mad.

After that, I wanted to hang around for the Dexter panel, but neither of us felt like standing in the outrageously long line. The whole town was plastered with Dexter billboards declaring "Power-Saw To The People." As an aside, I really dislike the way the con now handles the lines for 6A, 6B and the ginormous 6CDEF. The weave them in and out of the hallways in long narrow lines, that does not seem to be much of an improvement to the old days, when you just walked into any door to the room and took a seat. Now all the rooms have designated entrances and exits and it doesn't improve much, if you ask me; but no one is.

Who Dropped a Dime on Stevens?

Who do we have to thank for the indictment of dirtbag Republican Senator Ted Stevens? Some give the credit to the FBI, who has been investigating Stevens for a while now. Some give the credit to the two top executives of the once-powerful contracting firm VECO Corp. who 1) provided the "gifts" that Stevens is accused of accepting, and 2) cooperated with the FBI and provided information about Stevens.

But I beg to differ, I think the person who did in Ted Stevens is Karl Rove. It was Rove's tightly-woven fantasy of a "permanent Republican majority" that gave Stevens the balls to be so blatant in his graft. Since the Republicans in congress had made it clear that they were never going to turn in one of their own and given that Rove made it clear that they would be in power forever, why try to hide your dishonesty?

Thanks Karl, we owe you one.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Action Comics #367

Action Comics #367 (On Sale: July 30, 1968) has a Neal Adams cover.

"Mysteries of the Superman Awards" is by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and George Klein. This is George Klein's final inking effort at DC, a career that began in 1944 inking a Jack Kirby Boy Commandos story in Detective #85. After being pushed out of DC by Carmine Infantino, Klein would move to Marvel where he would produce amazing runs on The Avengers inking John Buscema and Daredevil inking Gene Colan. Klein's final assignment at Marvel was inking Jack Kirby in The Mighty Thor #168-169. There is no telling how long his career at Marvel would have lasted (Klein was the uncredited inker of Fantastic Four #1 in 1961), but tragically, Klein died in 1969, in his fifties, of cirrhosis of the liver, six months after getting married.

In our story, Superman attends an award ceremony in which worthy people receive an achievement award for helping the Man of Steel. This year's winner is Clark Kent, but Superman and Clark cannot appear together. While Lois looks for Clark, Superman tries to dream up a way to cover his secret identity. His robots are unable to respond because his apartment is being painted, and Bruce Wayne is attending the ceremony too, so Batman can't fill in for Clark.

While Superman thinks of a solution, the commissioner tells the audience the stories of the past three award winners which include a baby who disabled a scientist's prediction machine, a hermit who saved Superman from the Revenge Squad, and a forest ranger who died while saving Superman from Kryptonite, then donated his heart to save another life.

Our cover story is "The Evil of Alpha and Beta" by Cary Bates and Kurt Schaffenberger. Continuing from last issue, Supergirl exposes herself to Gold Kryptonite to permanently remove her super powers. She then assumes her Linda Danvers identity and is discovered outside the shield that surrounds Stanhope College. The evil Alpha and Beta capture her and bring her back inside. Had she still possessed her powers, Supergirl would have triggered a bomb that would destroy the school.

Once she gets inside the shield, Linda meets David Carew, a student which Alpha and Beta believe will invent valuable Noricon. David and Linda try to free the students from hypnosis, but David sees the Linda Lee robot. Supergirl then reveals herself and convinces David that the robot is the real Linda.

Before they can find and dismantle the bomb, Supergirl sees Superman returning from a space mission and attempting to break through the shield. Supergirl tries to warn Superman about the bomb before he reaches the shield.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Comic-Con -- First Thoughts

I always have this strange feeling after Comic-Con that I missed most of what I wanted to see. This is usually the result of everything I want to see happening at the same time on Saturday, but that was not the case this time. I think the organizers of this year's Comic-Con spread the goodies out much more evenly over the four days than was done in the past. And yet, I still feel like I missed most of the good stuff.

For the first time that I recall there were lots of "must see" events happening Thursday, like Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly promoting The Day the Earth Stood Still remake, or the entire cast of Torchwood there to promote the best show on BBC America. How about Noel Neill taking about her career and playing Lois Lane on the Superman TV show, or William Katt discussing The Greatest American Hero? Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou discussing Push? Want something more "comic-like?" How about J.G. Jones or Paul Gulacy discussing their artwork? Stan Lee? The Mark (Evanier) and Sergio (Aragones) Show? How about a panel on Modern Masters featuring Frank Cho, Michael Golden and Mark Schultz? All of this happened the first four hours of the convention, before my wife and I even got there. We were still driving down the freeway and checking into our hotel and taking the shuttle to the convention center when all this was going on.

If the Comic-Con organizers have done anything it is make it imperative to arrive on Wednesday for Preview Night, just so you can get your badge and Events Guide and plan out your Thursday morning.

So what did I see? What did I like? I'll tell you next time.

Back From Comic-Con

Got back in this afternoon from Comic-Con International in San Diego. It was an odd sort of con this year; crowded from Thursday on, though it didn't seem as bad on perennial big-day Saturday. I missed most of what I wanted to see, either not really wanting to stand in these enormous lines or just not being on the ball. All in all though I think the "no tickets sold on site" rule left the con with a huge, but manageable crowd. More on my con experiences in the next few days. I have to pack for Florida (leaving on a 6:40 AM flight), pick up my car, drive to my hotel, unpack, get some food and then maybe, maybe I will have some time for blogging.

Maybe.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Showcase #77

Showcase #77 (On Sale: July 25, 1968) has a wonderful Angel and the Ape cover by Bob Oksner and Tex Blaisdell.

"Angel and the Ape" is by John Albano, Bob Oksner and Tex Blaisdell and this is John Albano's first writing for DC. Albano would go on to creat one of the biggest western hits DC ever had in Jonah Hex. Mr. Trumbell hires Angel O'Day, a private investigator, to protect him from men trying to kill him. Angel and her partner Sam Simeon, an intelligent gorilla help fight off several attackers, then Sam leaves to deliver a comic strip to Stan Bragg, editor of Brainpix Comics.

After dropping off the artwork, Sam returns home where he receives a call for help from Angel. She has been kidnapped along with Trumbell. Sam traces them to the local zoo and rescues Angel. Together they locate Trumbell and his captor, the zookeeper. Angel exposes the zookeeper as a spy who was trying to retrieve secret plans hidden inside a cast on Trumbell's foot. While the plans seems to be for a new rocket, they are actually plans for a new ride at Disneyland.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics --Teen Titans #17

Teen Titans #17 (On Sale: July 23, 1968) has a beautiful Nick Cardy cover.

"Holy Thimbles, It's the Mad Mod" is by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy. The Teen Titans travel to London for a Command Performance at which they will meet the Queen. On a sightseeing tour, Robin becomes accidentally locked in the Tower of London, leaving Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Wonder Girl to retrieve the Queen's royal sceptre, stolen by the Mad Mod, without the Boy Wonder's aid. Their costumes gimmicked by the Mod so as to halve their super-powers, the Titans are unable to stop the villain, until the ruse is discovered and they change uniforms. Then Aqualad rescues an escaping Mod from drowning, while Kid Flash and Wonder Girl defeat his henchmen, and the sceptre is returned to the Royal Family.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

"Hey, if anyone would like to shoot Obama..."

"I believe that either today or tomorrow -- and I'm not privy to his schedule -- Sen. Obama will be landing in Iraq with some other senators..."

-John McCain on Friday

Yet when the press reported that McCain's son was serving in Iraq -- he feared the coverage would make him a target.

"The McCain campaign objects strongly to this intrusion ... The children of presidential candidates in this election cycle should be afforded the same respect for their privacy that the children of President Bush and President and Senator Clinton have been afforded."

I guess if it is the guy you are running against though it is open season. What a disgusting creep.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Batman #205

Batman #205 (On Sale: July 18, 1968) has a pretty cool Irv Novick cover.

"Blind as a... Bat?" is by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick and Joe Giella. Continuing from last issue, the police believe that Batman is dead and have taken him into custody, thinking him to be an impostor. Batman escapes from the police and switches outfits with a member of the Schemer's gang. The police take the man in the Batman costume to jail, while Batman dressed as a blind man meets Robin to prevent an armored car robbery. They succeed in stopping the crooks, but Robin is captured.

The Schemer takes Robin to a camouflaged submarine where he intends to fire missiles to take down an airplane carrying gold. He then plans to salvage the gold from the ocean.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Doom Patrol #121

Doom Patrol #121 (On Sale: July 16, 1968) has a very dramatic Joe Orlando cover that says it all: "Is this the Beginning or the End of the Doom Patrol?" For many years this was the end, as in a startling final issue, Doom Patrol creator Arnold Drake kills them all!

In "The Death of the Doom Patrol?," by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani, the Doom Patrol is destroyed. Striking back at all her former allies, Madame Rouge returns and apparently destroys the Brotherhood of Evil. She then launches a series of devastating attacks against the Doom Patrol in their own headquarters. To safeguard innocent bystanders, the team retreats to an island base prepared by the Chief for emergencies, unaware that they are being tracked by Madame Rouge and her new ally, Captain Zahl, an ex-Nazi foe of the Chief.

Immobilizing the three heroes, Zahl issues an ultimatum: either they allow him to blow up the island and destroy them, or he will cause a similar blast to destroy a tiny fishing village of fourteen inhabitants. The Doom Patrol members heroically vote to sacrifice themselves, and Zahl detonates the island over Madame Rouge's protests. The world mourns the loss of the Doom Patrol, and Steve Dayton vows to find and destroy the murderers of his wife.

Talk about an ending! From day one the Doom Patrol was Arnold Drake's baby and when the book ended he took his baby with it. Elasti-Girl, Negative Man and the Chief all die in this issue. Robotman, the Brain and Monsieur Mallah all appear to die as well, but survive as revealed in Showcase #94 (1977) and New Teen Titans #14 (1981). It appears that this ground-breaking issue has never been reprinted.

In a 1999 interview with Katherine Keller (no relation to me), Arnold Drake spoke of his beloved Doom Patrol:

Murray Boltinoff the editor, came to me one day, or I went to him one day and he said, "We're having a lot of trouble with My Greatest Adventure, it's starting to lay an egg. The era of the superhero has taken over completely. My Greatest Adventure has ordinary heroes. We need some kind of superhero to punch it up." So I said okay, went out and came back a couple of hours later with the basic idea about the man in the wheelchair who is the great brain, and runs this group of superheroes who hate being superheroes. That was the new aspect. That was the thing that made Doom Patrol different, these people hated being superheroes. And they were a little bit self-pitying, just a little bit, and the chief was constantly telling them, "Stop crying in your beer." That made them something that wasn't around at the time.

I enjoyed that experience, not only because it was a fresh idea, but also because I did 48 issues, and this gave me a chance to develop the characters and to get into ever more complex relationships, and so on. That's why I really liked it, because I controlled it. I could make it do what I wanted it to do. In most magazine houses, I would write a character for 3-4 issues, then somebody else would come in and write it. And then someone else would come in, and that's grown even worse today, it's even more so today. The result is there's no real continuity, everybody's making up his own little universe. Everybody's got his own Batman or his own Superman. And I think that probably weakened it, made them less real.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

El Tango De...

As I drove to work today I heard a song on the radio and it brought back to mind the time when I saw the most amazing version of the that song, in the movie Moulin Rouge. So here it is, from Moulin Rouge, El Tango De... But that would be telling. Watch and enjoy!

Latest on IndyMac

My wife drove by the headquarters of IndyMac in Pasadena yesterday and said it was so sad that she started to cry. It's hard to explain how we can feel bad about a place we did nothing but complain about for the past three or four years, but we do. I worked at IndyMac longer than I worked at any other company, just beating my 10 years at Information Handling Services/Sogitec Inc./AMTEC Information Services/Electronic Data Services (different company names, but all the same people working on the same things at the same locations).

I have a small checking account there (the free one I got when I was an employee) where my current paycheck is direct-deposited. We also have a HELOC with IndyMac. They froze all HELOCs this morning, so we are having to postpone some home improvements we had planned. Other than that, life goes on.

Is This What is Called Straight-Talk?

God, the amount of important things this asshole no longer remembers could fill a few volumes of the World Book.

IndyMac Bank Siezed By The Feds

From the the Los Angeles Times...

The federal government said it took control of troubled IndyMac Bank today, in what regulators called the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

The Office of Thrift Supervision in Washington, the chief regulator of Pasadena-based IndyMac, said it transferred control of the $32-billion bank to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

As I wrote earlier this week, I was lucky to get out of IndyMac with the exceptional severance package that I did, well over half a year's pay and six months of paid COBRA medical. The people laid off earlier this week got 30 to 60 days severance.

Some of the bosses at IndyMac were real jokes, but for the most part I loved working on the construction lending software there and I like most of the people I interacted with. Most, but not all of them, got out well before now. The few that were there at the beginning of this week were just too damn loyal for their own good.

I first started working at IndyMac when it was called Countrywide Conduit and had 80 employees total. I was the first contract programmer they hired and spent, off and on, 11 years there. Kind of a sad day for me. Oh, and I need to transfer my direct deposit out of the free employee account they let us all keep after we were laid off.

It's as if God created the devil and gave him...

There has been an unconfirmed sighting of a great white shark at South Beach on Martha's Vinyard, the island where "Jaws" was filmed, resulting in the forced closure of two beaches. Chief Brody, where are you when we need you?

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Green Lantern #63

Green Lantern #63 (On Sale: July 11, 1968) features Neal Adams' first Green Lantern cover. In a few years Neal, along with Denny O'Neil, will take over this strip creating some of the most important comics of all time (certainly some of the most reproduced comics of all time).

"This is the Way... the World Ends" is written by, speak of the devil, Denny O'Neil in his first of two Green Lantern stories, and drawn by Jack Sparling and Sid Greene. While visiting his brother Jim Jordan is California, Hal Jordan is suddenly teleported to another planet. He uses his power ring in an attempt to contact other Green Lanterns or the Guardians, but he finds no trace of either. He then has a vision of a little girl telling him to return to Earth.

Green Lantern arrives on Earth which is now a barren wasteland. He finds one living person on the planet, a woman named Teira. After rescuing her from some gaseous yellow cloud creatures, he brings her to her father Gracchus.

Gracchus explains that Earth was destroyed by a recent attack, but Green Lantern doesn't believe him. He then demands the truth. Gracchus tells him that he was a scientist from Ort, a planet consumed in a perpetual state of war. Gracchus wanted to end the war, but his people did not. He then fled to Earth, but found that war was a constant plague there as well.

Now he has brought Green Lantern back in time before life exists on Earth to prevent it from ever developing. Yep, now that is a Denny O'Neil plot! Never reprinted.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

What is the point of going to the Olympics...

...if you can't order the leg of Shih Tzu medium rare?

It's Time To Drag Him There In Chains!

That little piece of shit, Karl Rove, defied a congressional subpoena and refused to testify Thursday about allegations of political pressure at the Justice Department, including whether he influenced the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama.

Rep. Linda Sanchez, chairman of a House subcommittee, ruled with backing from fellow Democrats on the panel that Rove was breaking the law by refusing to cooperate -- perhaps the first step toward holding him in contempt of Congress.

Bring the fucker in wearing shackles. Enough is enough!

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- House of Mystery #176

House of Mystery #176 (On Sale: July 9, 1968) has another fairly spooky cover by Neal Adams and the Adams' kids are back!

Inside we have "The House of No Return" a reprint from House of Mystery #131 drawn by Sid Greene. That is followed by "The Roots of Evil" by Marv Wolfman and Jack Sparling. This is Wolfman's first full script for DC and was reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

All A Matter Of Timing

I was flying to Florida this week and reading an article on jobs in the US Airways Magazine stuffed into the pocket of every seat on the plane. It mentioned that you need to know when to leave a place that is laying people off. Some of my fellow ex-IndyMac employees were discussing the exact same thing a few months ago, saying how, despite how none of us wanted to leave our jobs, we felt that the company actually treated pretty well those of us that they let go. We all got a month's pay for every year we worked there, plus free COBRA medical for the same amount of time.

Never was this proven more true than this week when IndyMac announced the layoff of 3,800 employees; half of their workforce. These loyal ones, who have stuck with the company through think and thin will be getting one to two months severence. I know the company doesn't want to screw these people over, but the companie's finances are the companie's finances and this is the best they think they can do.

Hold On!

I remember seeing this film as a kid at the movies and it just so happens to be on this week on TCM. It is a pretty bad film as I remember, but the music should be wonderful. Hold On! is Herman's Hermits' "A Hard Days Night" with Shelley Fabares (I would watch Shelley read the phone book!), Sue Ane Langdon, Herbert Anderson (Mr. Mitchell on the Dennis the Menace TV show), and Bernard Fox. I've set the TiVo and when I get back from my next trip to Florida I plan on watching it! In the meantime, here is the title track from the film.

How I Spent My Fourth

I spent a lot of the day working on the code for PopThought.com. The site, which I wrote all the code for, has been under attack by a bunch of fuckers from China for about two weeks now. Every time I think I have patched up any holes they can exploit, they find another one. These Chinese bastards have wasted about 40 hours of my free time in the past couple of weeks and I will fucking kill them with my bare hands if I ever get in the same room with them.

Later in the day my wife and I drove around town looking at all the 4th festivities and then headed over to next door Claremont where we caught the tail end of their city parade. We then got in our exercise by walking along with the parade and down into the downtown area.

Once home we attempted to make some hurricanes, but without any grenadine this is impossible, so we settled on some Italian soda and rum, which was pretty good. We snacked on coconut shrimp and celery sticks and then settled down to watch this week's Swingtown on TiVo.

By that time it was 9:00 and the fireworks were beginning. We live in the foothills overlooking the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys and from the end of the point where we live you can see nine different city's fireworks display, including our owns which are being fired just about a mile and a half away.

When the sky lights were over we went back home, my wife to bed to read and me to watch a film that I am so glad they show now almost every 4th of July. Given the state of our nation it should be mandatory for every American to watch this film, for as Edmund Burke said, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.”

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Brother Power, the Geek #1

Brother Power, the Geek #1 (On Sale: July 4, 1968) has a cover by the legendary Joe Simon, the creator of Brother Power. Man do I dislike the color on this one.

You can't say DC wasn't trying new ideas, as Joe Orlando reacalled in Comic Book Artist #1, "Carmine (Infantino) called me into his office and told me I was Joe Simon's editor. Joe had Brother Power the Geek's first issue written and drawn so I just did the paperwork. I didn't think that it was my kind of book but it was Joe Simon! Can I give him corrections?! Not me! Am I going to stand in the way of the man who originated Romance comics? So Brother Power, the Geek did not become the Newsboy Legion but it was fun working with Joe"

This first issue, "A Thing is Born," credits the story and art to Joe Simon, yet it has been widely reported that in actuality the book was co-written by Jack Oleck and drawn by Al Bare and Bill Draut. Regardless of the actual creators, the first issue opens with a motorcycle gang running over a group of hippies. Seeking refuge, some of the hippies hide in a tailor shop, and one of them puts his clothes on an old dummy to dry them by the radiator. The dummy is struck by lightning and comes to life. The motorcycle gang burst in, and the dummy fends off their attack.

The hippies quickly dub him Brother Power and alternately, the Geek (the book was originally supposed to be called “The Freak” but higher-ups at DC thought that was too drug-related). They teach the Geek to talk, but naturally it is their version of English is 60’s comic book hippie lingo.

Our two hippie friends and Brother Power go to the Psychedelic Circus Parade, but it’s actually a trap by the motorcycle gang from earlier, the Mongrels. Brother Power is kidnapped, and the hippies band together to save him, dressing in weird superhero costumes. It’s described in the actual dialogue as a “comic book hero happening!” There is a huge fight which also involves a strong man, but the good guys get free and Brother Power becomes leader of the flower children.

After this, Brother Power decides to run for congressional office (I'm not making this up), but the gang comes after him. Confronted by the gang again there is another fight and and then the cops get involved. The book ends with Brother Power driving a motorcycle off a bridge to a watery doom.

To say this is not your typical DC comic book is to put it mildly. According to Simon, the concept behind Brother Power was derived heavily from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, right down to reanimation with the use of lightning. At the same time, Simon was also attempting to capture the sort of "wandering outcast philosopher" characterization that made Marvel Comics' Silver Surfer a cult hit amongst the college student readers of the period.

Brother Power has long been regarded as one of the biggest flops in DC history; next issue being his last, but as I will go into next issue, the demise of Brother Power, the Geek had little to do, actually, nothing to do with sales. See you then.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Happy Fourth of July!

Terrorist Fist Jab

40 Years Ago Today From DC Comics -- Wonder Woman #178

Wonder Woman #178 (On Sale: July 2, 1968) introduces a radical departure for DC's #1 super-heroine as The New Wonder Woman debuts in a hip sort of cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano.

"Wonder Woman’s Rival" is by Denny O'Neil, Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano and it is a radical turning point for the character, one that within two years would be totally forgotten, as if it never happened. (as a kid watching the undoing of the next few year's worth of books really pissed me off). Steve Trevor is accused of murder after he is seen getting into a fight with Alex Block shortly before the man is killed. Steve claims that he was with a female hippie at the time, but the girl cannot be found since he never learned her name (the problem with using loose hippie girls as your alibi!). Steve is forced to stand trial where Wonder Woman gives damning testimony telling the court that Steve told her Block did not deserve to live. Steve is found guilty of murder and sent to prison.

Wonder Woman hopes to clear Steve, but she is unable to blend in with the hippie culture. In her Diana Prince identity, she gets a make-over, then enters the hippie club where Steve met the girl. She is tipped off by a hippie named Buck, but he is killed before he can tell her more about the girl. Diana is able to trace the girl's ring to a pawn shop and finally gets the girl's name and address.

Diana then meets up with Steve friend Roger Seely, who was Block's business partner. They contact the girl, who can now provide an alibi for Steve. Seely, the real killer, then reveals himself and tries to kill the girls. Wonder Woman save the hippie, then captures Seely and clears Steve. When Steve begins to express a new appreciation for Diana, Wonder Woman decides it is time for her to change too. Reprinted in Diana Prince:Wonder Woman Vol. 1 TPB.

This issue only covers the changes to the Diana Prince identity, and it is really next issue that the huge changes take place, but this was such a breath of fresh air in 1968. There was always this hypocrisy in Wonder Woman/Diana Prince that bothered me and it had to do with the way she presented herself as Diana Prince. Diana pined away over the hunky Steve Trevor, who was sometimes a real asshole and not a very nice guy, simply because of his looks; it was pretty much a physical attraction. At the same time Wonder Woman created this sexless Diana Prince identity and would get pissed that Steve wasn't attracted to her and instead had the hots for the sexy Wonder Woman. Even as a kid I saw the hypocrisy in this. At least in the books for the next few years, this was removed from the series and the series was better off because of it. More on this in later issues.

Edited by Jack Miller.

Someone Is Not Telling the Truth Again!

Why is it always a Republican?