Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Fame! I'm going to live forever!
Or at least until the end of this post.
I hope.
But 40 years ago this week, it seemed the whole country had gone Fame crazy.
On the UK album chart, not only was the movie's Original Soundtrack at Number One but, sat supreme at Number Two, were The Kids from Fame with their album The Kids from Fame.
And that wasn't the limit of it, as Irene Cara was simultaneously dwelling resplendent at Number One on the singles chart, with her track Fame.
After all that celebrity hitting me in the face, it looks like I'm going to have to take refuge in the relative obscurity of whatever it was Marvel UK was giving us that week.
From that cover, it looks like Professor X is having one of his legendary mind battles with some villain or other, while Spidey battles a petty crook.
From this, I can only assume it's a tale taken from the pages of Marvel Team-Up. Tragically, the identity of the issue eludes me.
But wait! What's this? Thanks to this book, you can win a trip in a fighter plane?
Hold on. Was that how Boris Johnson swung it?
Elsewhere, we get the first installment of what's described as a fantastic, four-part poster.
I remember The Mighty World of Marvel offering a similar set-up, right at the start of its run. How nostalgic for us all.
And, just to treat us, we get a half-page of readers' drawings of their favourite Marvel heroes.
It's a plan that involves trapping the monster in an indestructible rubber cage while the formidably foreheaded fiend seizes control of the United States' nuclear arsenal.
You do have to wonder how Ross managed to keep his job after that mess-up.
In this one, we get more news from Scooby-Doo's Ghostly Club House and, in a new adventure, the gang must deal with a spectre that's haunting a bank.
I'm assuming he's also stealing its money but I can't officially confirm that.
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47 comments:
That's Marvel Team-Up #118 on the Spider-Mancomic, a Professor X team-up continuing straight on from the Wolverine team-up in the previous issue with the huge claws on the cover that everyone hates. That's Mentallo he's fighting on the cover, one of those characters that appeared in a Top Trumps set at one point with nobody knowing who he was.
Thanks for the Marvel Team-Up clarification, Dangermash. Mentallo did always seem to lack a certain something.
Ah, Fame.
I had the soundtrack on a bootleg cassette bought from the market in Erith.
I’m less fond of it now, but the film does feature some of the best film editing of all time in its first ‘Auditions’ section.
People knew who Trump was back in the 80s didn't they, dangermash...?
-sean
Any opinions on Truss v Sunak? They are both awful but who's the awfulest?
I just watched the movie clip for Irene Cara's fame single (rather than the TV version) and was surprised how young the the various characters look. When I watched this upon release I found the it jarring how old the supposed high school students appeared (Leroy, Bruno, Coco etc.). They got the last laugh...
Sean, not sure if you're joshing, but I think DM is referring to the Top Trump card game. I believe a few of us had the mid 70's Marvel UK edition.
DW
BTW, I just read that Mick Austin Judge Corey, which I hadn't previously seen. What a cracker.
DW
I’m struggling to find anything pertinent to say about these three comics. So maybe i can mention the WAKANDA FOREVER trailer i just watched instead. Have to say, it looks pretty cool.
b.t.
DW, it was intended as a bit of a joke, although admittedly not a very good one (I did wonder whether they have Top Trumps in the US, and if not what American readers here made of the original comment).
Anyway, never mind that, I had a look at Marvel's solicitations for this month (don't ask me why) and it seems Neil Gaiman has pulled his finger out, and we can expect Miracleman: The Silver Age #1 in October!
Ok, the first issue will still be old stuff - wtf, six variant covers for a reprint comic? - but still, the new material can't be far off now (actually, theres a Miracleman #0 out in October too, but that doesn't count imo).
Mind you, I'll believe it when I actually see it...
www.comicsbeat.com/marvel-comics-october-2022-solicitations/
-sean
I saw that Wakanda trailer b.t. - I take it that was Namor toward the end?
-sean
Namor? I just hope they don't screw that up. I suspect they will. I was rather appalled by their treatment of Black Bolt.
He didn't deserve that.
Steve, about that Scooby-Doo issue up there. Is that the rare collectors item issue in which Velma reveals that she is actually Squeaky Fromme?
It explained a lot, but it led to a lotta continuity headaches after the Ford administration.
M.P.
thanks for sharing this
I had read a couple of years ago that Buckingham was redrawing all his older Silver Age material so that the book felt consistent overall (because his style has naturally changed over 30 years). So it might be worth looking at the first couple of issues anyway.
However, they haven’t mentioned that in the more recent press releases, so not sure if it still holds true…?
I’m slightly less enthused about finally seeing this because I read those first two issues back in the day and they were far, far less interesting than Golden Age, and seemed to represent Gaiman preaching to the converted (the grating opening with quirky superkids particularly) rather than stretching himself. Nothing he’s written in the time since has done much for me. We shall see.
I found most of Gaiman's work, since Violent Cases, to be a bit meh. I'll probably pick these up out of curiosity but I don't think Marvel Man was ever the same post Warrior. Eclipse didn't know what they had and acted accordingly.
I won't point out that I mentioned Namor being in the Wakanda trailer last week, due to an embarrising spelling mistake.
DW
M.P-
Screw up Namor? Count on it
Steve-
While never having read any issues regarding the villain brain- battling Professor X, my guess on the villain is Mentallo.
When my sound/light production company pal/ boss closed his music store, and when we had no shows booked, we set- up at record conventions to sell off his inventory.
We booked a few tables at a convention in South Carolina. When we pulled in, there was a large group of folks outside of the hotel, and starting cheering & waving at us. We thought that was TWILIGHT ZONE weird
"Y'all came alla way down from Pittsburgh to come to our little show!!" I can say, at least back then, southern hospitality was a FACT.
They gave us the best placed tables in the show., and we made quite a bit of dough. Guess chalk it up to new blood & product. There was only one bad part, though...
Two aisles directly across from us was a little white man & a tall, effeminate POC young man. He was decked out like Olivia Newton-John head-to-toe. They had a turntable set-up, and the kid was prancing & dancing about relentlessly playing PHYSICAL & FAME, (VERY LOUD) over and over.
And over. And over. And over. And over. And over...
Saw other dealers attempt to tell them to quit it. First time I ever saw someone put their fingers in their ears and say, "La, la, la, la la! Can't hear you!"
After about 4-5. hours, the dealer realized he hasn't doing any business because of his boyfriend's (?) ongoing audio onslaught.
He threw a temper tantrum, then started playing a Prince album. Over and over, and over, and over. Till the end of the show. With non-stop blatant dancing flourish.
-Killdumpster (A/K/A Killskip. Lol!)
Apart from the kid doing the fingers-in- ears "la-la-la-la" thing, there was only one other person I've ever seen do something physically ridiculous.
This hillbilly that believes himself a type of "manager" at my hotel has a tendency to bitch at the barmaids, twitching back & forth with his fists on his hips like Yosemite Sam.
Humans certainly can be cartoons.
-Killdumpter
That Scooby Doo covers stirs some cartoon memories - albeit vague ones.
That's the Blue Falcon & Dynomutt, facing off against a guy in a vegetable costume.
Didn't Blue Falcon & Dynomutt have a cartoon of their own at one point, in the later 70s? My memory's vague on this.
I suppose Hanna Barbera attempted a few superheroes - Hong Kong Fooey (?), Space Ghost, & the Blue Falcon - but they were mostly just a mickey-take of the superhero genre.
The internet says Blue Falcon was a art dealer. Maybe he's kind of the Midnight Man, Anton Mogart's opposite number!
Phillip
cover not covers!
an art dealer! duh!
Phillip
FAME. Charlie much preferred “BREAKIN!” to fame since it was more break dancing and more ethnic and less salacious. Plus the songs were fun. Was there a sequel to Fame? Breakin had “Electric Bugaloo” which, quite frankly, is one cool title!
Not to change subjects but i just learned there are huge forkin scorpions 🦂 in the south of France! Scared the be-geezus out of me! Like 4” long.
Charlie - I think there's an inverse relationship between scorpion size & lethality. Big scorpions are less of a problem.
Phillip
Charlie, the biggest scorpion that ever lived was 8 foot long. Admittedly, it lived in the sea and is now extinct but, still...
Phillip, I don't remember the Blue Scorpion but I vaguely recall Dynomutt.
MP, I've just Googled Squeaky Fromme. From what Wikipedia tells me, she seemed to be quite a... ...character.
Thanks to those who've mentioned the Wakanda trailer. I shall take a look at it.
Colin, I sense that Truss is totally insane and Sunak's an out-of-touch lightweight. Either way, I can't see either of them being able to cope with the job.
However, I can see Truss deciding we don't need elections any more...
Geeze.. Squeaky Fromme? Lol. What a blast from the past!
One of Alistair Cooke's tapes/cds on the 1970s features Squeaky & the gang.
Phillip
Squeeky was a member of the Manson family. Watch the live footage of Charlie Manson and his gang of harpies: 🦇 💩 crazy lunatics. I actually got nervous watching the 50’year old footage.
Charlie's angels -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeeYkuvPm9s
Matthew, DW - Neil Gaiman's work isn't generally to my taste either, but I do think he's a pretty good writer. I doubt anyone else could have followed Moore on Miracleman and done something to the standard of 'Golden Age'. That was better than I expected, so I'll give the new one a chance.
Although its Gaiman's third MM 'book' after that should be the really interesting one, as - like Moore earlier - he comes back to a story he's had in mind for years (I think there were already a couple of full 'Silver Age' scripts completed on top of the two issues that actually came out).
On Mark Buckingham... I always thought it was a shame they didn't get anyone better originally, but on the plus side at least he isn't a standard super-hero artist.
Disappointing to see that long-time MM fan Barry Windsor-Smith isn't back doing the covers this time round.
The other comic that caught my eye in that October list was the Tomb of Dracula #1 reprint...
-sean
Steve, I see Sheffield is keen to hold the Eurovision next year -
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/jul/29/uk-cities-bid-to-host-eurovision-sheffied-glasgow-ukraine
I did not know Sheffield was the UK's 'first city of sanctuary'. What metropolitan elitists you are up there in the jewel of the north. Good for you.
Given the actual situation in Ukraine I'm not sure being twinned with Donetsk is quite the convincing argument in Sheffield's favour that fella from the council appears to believe it is, but still - good luck.
-sean
Sean-
I haven't seen Gaiman's run on Miracle Man, but I'm hard pressed to figure out how they could come up with a new direction on that comic after Moore.
It's like with Swamp Thing. I mean, how do you follow that?!
As a comic book writer, Moore strikes me as being like a kid who not only does not put his toys away in an orderly fashion after he's done playing with them, but actually blows them up with firecrackers.
The next kid is $#!t outta luck. Unless he can figure out a new angle quick. Swamp Thing wasn't really all that bad after Moore, but it wasn't exactly great, either.
But that's part of Moore's power as a comic writer, I guess. He doesn't care about leaving characters unscathed for future writers. What has happened stays happened, which is what you would expect from literature. Maybe not comics so much.
M.P.
Gaiman’s first book on MM is actually really good - possibly the best thing he’s ever written. He manages to skirt the issue of ‘where do you take a story that has nowhere to go’ ingeniously by doing a series of excellent science fiction character studies.
And because it was a very early project of his when he was still fizzing with good ideas and eager to impress (as opposed to a few years later when he became hugely successful and stopped trying so hard and began dragging stories out interminably) it’s a much more dense and satisfying read.
Highly recommended.
Charlie here… SEAN- its great being on the same time zone with you guys! I am seeing your “charlies amgels” link and i will have Those nut jobs stuck in my head all day long, now, But that’s OK, because it will displace the nut job Wagatha Christie story which resolved itself yesterday, lol.
You know, it’s really interesting from a logistical perspective how the French have to run their comic book stores. Because so many of their comics are hardback books, like DC Thompson annuals, they display them on the shelves as in a library.
This really precludes you from flipping the books forward, as one would do when they are held in long boxes, so that you can see the covers quickly.
I mean, it’s really a tedious process and probably limits sales in someway given so much of our hobby is driven by the art.
Wagatha Christie?
Steve-
Saw a news story about Squeaky Fromme a few years ago. She was living in a North eastern state. Not quite sure which one, but I believe she was married, and remember seeing her neighbors stating that they liked her.
-Killdumpster
The French must be doing something right with comics, Charlie -
https://bleedingcool.com/as-book-sales-fall-in-france-comics-sales-rise-by-over-6/
Matthew, yeah, 'Golden Age' is the best thing I've read by Gaiman. Maybe thats because it was relatively early on, but Sandman was a bit hit and miss for me so I tend to think with Miracleman the concept of the series worked against some of those tendencies in his writing that usually put me off. The tone had already been set before he started on it.
The thing that makes me apprehensive is that it sounds like they might be wrapping up the whole story with 'Silver Age', rather than doing three 'books'... but we'll find out soon enough whether the new stuff is any good.
After that, apparently MM becomes part of the Marvel universe. I think we're all looking forward to seeing him go up against Dr Doom, right?
-sean
Steve, I wonder if Sunak will stay the course until September 5th or whether he'll throw in the towel hoping to get a job in Truss's cabinet. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sunak team is discussing it with the Truss team as we speak. Foreign Secretary perhaps?
My electricity usage isn't very high so the amount I pay every month is less than the amount the government is giving us from October-March which means I'll be getting free electricity for six months.
But, Colin, the £400 is only a loan. You'll still have to pay the full price of the bills. It'll just be delayed.
As for Sunak, I wouldn't be surprised if he quit politics completely. But who knows?
Steve, the £400 was originally only a loan but I'm pretty sure the government has since said they will pay for everyone to get the reduction and it won't be added on to later bills.
Well, if the government said so Colin, obviously its going to happen...
-sean
Yeah the new increased £400 energy payment is now a grant ( i.e. not to be paid back)Colin unlike the original £200 that was indeen a loan.
Where can Charlie score some free pounds! 😆
Got shtick at the currency exchange today (Saturday). “But monsieir, we cannot exchange old English money on
weekends onlbon weekdays. Sorry monsieur.”
Good grief…
Thats the French for you Charlie - just look at how they forced le Brexit onto the Brits!
It was quite amusing to hear some government wonk on the news earlier in the week, complaining about the queues in Dover. Its all the fault of the French - why are they checking everyones' passport on the way into er... France?
-sean
Btw, theres a piece about Neil Gaiman in todays paper if anyone's interested (you're a fan aren't you, Steve ;)
Apparently Sandman starts on Netflix next week...
www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jul/30/neil-gaiman-sandman-netflix-interview
-sean
Tonight's edition of 'Profile' on Radio 4 was all about Liz Truss. Apparently she has three younger brothers but only one of them was prepared to speak about her and neither of her parents or any other relatives were interviewed either so maybe that shows how uncomfortable Truss's left-wing family feels about her Tory politics?
SEAN! Now it makes perfect sense! When we were in Paris the King George V metro stop was closed every day, lol
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