Follow the Leader: Your Classic Film / Book 'Bucket List'...

 

Redartz:  Wow, almost a month into the new  year and we haven't let the Leader out of the box! It's been awhile, so for the benefit of anyone new to the routine , here's the deal: 

The first commenter to check in gets the honor of naming the topic for the week! We're all pretty easygoing here, so the subject matter is wide open. Comics or film, music or popular culture,  dinosaurs or dragons; it's up to you, You, the one sitting there with a hot topic on your mind. We know, you've been holding it in memory for weeks. Well, now's your opportunity. BitBA Assembled awaits...

Chew the Fat: About a Certain Sailor Man ( Who Chews Spinach)...

 

Redartz: "Well, blow me down!" This week, way back in 1929, a monumental event was recorded in the newspapers of the day: the first appearance of a squinty-eyed, massively muscled, pipe smoking sailor named Popeye. He actually started as a bit player in a comic strip called "Thimble Theatre", but soon his popularity propelled him into a starring role. Popeye's creator was Elzie Segar, who told his tales until 1938, when Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf took the reins (upon Segar's passing). These tales were filled with humor and adventure, and with many odd characters. Among Popeye's acquaintances were Olive Oyl (his girlfriend, who actually preceded him in "Thimble Theatre"), her brother Castor ("Castor Oyl", get it?) and J. Wellington Wimpy (eternally in search of a free meal). His foes included Bluto and the Sea Hag. And then there were those characters less simple to categorize: remember Eugene the Jeep? Alice the Goon?  And that's just the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

Many of us probably met these characters first in the Popeye cartoons that were omnipresent on Saturday mornings and afterschool afternoons. Whether the theatrical cartoons from Max Fleisher Studios...

 

 Or the television cartoons from King Features...

...chances are every one of us could sing his theme song by heart. Certainly the melody will live eternally in our collective  memories. As will the perfect voice characterizations: Jack Mercer's  Popeye and Mae Questal's Olive Oyl. Those cartoons were definitely among my favorites; and I for one was very pleased to eventually learn that the spinach-munching hero was featured in print!

Indeed,  his newspaper strip continues still. He was also featured in countless comic books; with artists such as "Chick" Henderson and George Wildman. Like the Hanna Barbera creations, Popeye was published by a variety of companies through the years: Dell, Gold Key, Charlton and Harvey among them. Here's a few examples, showing some of those inimitable characters we mentioned above...

 Our UK friends may have encountered Popeye in an Annual such as this one...

 This brief overview is but a taste; a prompter for your memories and opinions. Let's discuss all things relevant to Popeye and his various "entertainminks"...

Funny Books: Funny Books, Funny Cartoonist-Fred Hembeck...

 

Redartz:  What is it that brings us here to visit and debate each week? Quite simply, it's a fondness for discussing popular culture, be it comics, television, film or whatever. Waaaaaay back in the latest 70's, long before the availability of these convenient comics blogs, there arose a commentator. And not just a commentator; he was (and is today) a cartoonist, writer, humorist, and storyteller. His name is Fred Hembeck. 

I first discovered Fred on the "Daily Planet" editorial pages of DC comics . His little comic strips featuring (and having some fun with) the company's cast of four color characters never failed to elicit a laugh from this reader. So when I saw the Hembeck name on some new magazines from Eclipse and Fantaco (on the shelf of my local comic shop, of course) I grabbed them up.

 

 

These books not only had comic strips, they also had 'interviews' with various comic characters (with the unmistakable persona of Fred himself doing the interviewing). There were cover reproductions, with Fred redrawing classic comic covers in his unique style. There were stories of Fred's comic fan history (often quite lengthy). And always, the material was covered in a lighthearted, conversational manner. Listening to (reading/watching?) Fred tell of his childhood comics was an exercise in nostalgia. He was describing things I (and many of you, probably) had thought and/or experienced. Kind of like a comics blog, but on paper and with only one speaker (no commenters). 

 

 

A bit later, Fred was tapped by Marvel to give us all "Fantastic Four Roast", in honor of the FF's 20th. anniversary. Several years ago I did a post on this book over at Doug and Karen's Bronze Age Babies. For anyone interested, here's the link:

 http://bronzeagebabies.blogspot.com/2016/05/fire-up-grill-for-fantastic-four-roast.html

That story was a gem. And Hembeck later did more work for Marvel, including Spectacular Spider-Man 86, and even later both destroying and selling the Marvel Universe.  His work  in the years since can be found in many places, having done much more for numerous publishers and publications. 

 

 

 

 

One of those publications is what prompted today's topic. "The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus", published by Image Comics. A copy sat on the shelf at a bookstore last weekend when my wife and I stopped in to use Christmas gift cards. Not having been aware of this volume, and remembering Fred from years ago (those earlier volumes being sold off with the rest of my books years ago), that book was my pick for the day. And a good pick it was. The book lives up to it's name; it's gigantic. Omnibus is right, for those of you familiar with Marvel's various Omnibi. It's going to take a good while to read it all, so I've many weeks of light, amusing reading ahead. 

 

 Here's a few pages to give you a taste of Fred's trademark humor. Sorry about the scans, but have you ever tried putting an omnibus in a scanner?

 

 

So for any of you who also enjoy Fred's work, or are just now discovering it, let's hear your thoughts. And just in case you might be reading this, thanks Fred! You've got a way with words and pictures that makes the reader feel like an old pal visiting with you for a chat. Well done...

 

Panel Discussion: The Nearly Ubiquitous Cover Art of Gil Kane!

 

Redartz:  Good day, everyone! For any reader of comics during the Bronze age, especially Marvel comics, the name Gil Kane is very familiar. As are his covers. It seemed no character, no genre, no title could be named that didn't have an example or two of Gil's work gracing the cover. And I must be honest here: at the time, I really wasn't a fan. Which was sometimes frustrating, as frequently as Kane's images were found standing out among the spinner racks. 

However, as years went by, my opinion changed. Now I love Gil's work, and find it dramatic, energetic and unique. Granted, the choice of inker always makes a big difference on the final effect of the art. Therefore, as we pore over the following gallery of Kane Kovers, note that only the inker is listed beneath the images. Of course this is due to Gil being the penciller in all examples (and it saved your humble host a lot of typing). 

Let's start out with a few DC works. Kane worked for DC prominently during the Silver Age, and later returned there during the 80's. During which time, incidentally, I greatly enjoyed his work on Action Comics with Marv Wolfman scripting.

 

Gil Kane inks

Gil Kane inks

Murphy Anderson inks

Gil Kane inks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gil Kane inks

Murphy Anderson inks

 

 Next, we have a generous selection of Kane's Marvel cover work. Again, note that every type of comic you can think of has some of his touch upon it (with the exception, perhaps, of teen humor; anyone know if Gil ever did a cover for Millie the Model?), 

A couple personal preference notes: on everyone's favorite web-slinger, the combination of Gil Kane pencils and John Romita inks is just about as good as it gets. Their work goes together like, say, chocolate and peanut butter (for all you fellow Reeses Peanut Butter Cup addicts). 

Another observation: Vince Colletta was never one of my favorite inkers, but he seemed to be a good fit for Gil Kane. The two Conan covers they did below are phenomenal.

Indeed, Kane really seemed to shine on his covers for Conan the Barbarian. He really had a knack for those monsters and 'damsels in distress'. On that title, if the cover art wasn't by Barry Smith or big John Buscema, you could almost be guaranteed a Gil Kane cover. And he didn't disappoint...

 

Frank Giacoia inks

Bill Everett inks

Pablo Marcos inks

Bill Everett inks

Dan Adkins inks

John Romita, Joe Sinnott inks

 

Dave Cockrum inks

Vicente Alcazar inks

  

 

 

Klaus Janson inks

 

Frank Giacoia inks

John Romita Sr inks

 

 

 

John Romita Sr. inks

 

Vince Colletta inks

Frank Brunner inks

 

Frank Giacoia inks

Dave Cockrum inks

Vince Colletta inks

 

 

 

 

Mike Esposito inks

 

 

Joe Sinnott inks

Mike Esposito inks

 

 

 

 

Gil Kane inks

Tom Palmer inks

Klaus Janson inks

 

 

 

 

Finally, here's a few examples of Gil's cover work as seen in the original art. You can never ogle enough original comic artwork, in my opinion. Especially when it is this pleasing to the eye...

Kane  pencils, Frank Giacoia inks

 

Kane pencils, Klaus Janson inks

Kane pencils, John Romita Sr. inks

 

Now that you have had your fill of Kane Kandy, let's have your thoughts. What Kane work did you like; or didn't? What other covers grabbed your notice? Which inkers worked best with him, and which were....less successful? The table is wide open, have at it!