Follow The Leader: Episode 15: Classical Music Anyone?

Martinex1:  The floor is yours!  So grab a mop and an idea and get this conversation started!  Cheers!

Panel Discussion: Jean Grey or Wile E. Coyote?

Martinex1: Chris Claremont and John Byrne were hitting on all cylinders in the late 70s during their seminal run on Uncanny X-Men, reaching their apex in the Hellfire Club and the Death of Phoenix arcs. Supported by the inks of Terry Austin, the colors from Glynis Wein and the letters of Tom Orzechowski, the books were top notch. It was lightning in a bottle and the character interaction and subplot styles were often imitated as the Bronze Age started to wind down.   Few could capture the magic of that series. 

One of the most memorable pages came from X-Men #137,  a double-sized issue cover dated September 1980.  It of course depicted the tragic death of Jean Grey, the beleaguered and distraught Phoenix.    Considering that the story culminates in the death of a fairly major heroic character, it interests me that the moment is handled in a mid-sized panel on a very busy page.   There is a large amount of text as the last three panels have Cyclops verbalizing what just occurred.  Those middle panels however are exceptional and memorable.

I am going to focus on those panels for the rest of the column, as over the years I have become more and more disconcerted by them.   This short passage, at least for a while defined the Marvel approach.   Stories were laced with tragedy and pathos.   Even the word balloons quivered with the import.   The colors were diffused as the bright light of realization as well as the physical blast struck.   I believe this is a truly historical moment in comics.

Having said that, this is where I take a complete detour in my analysis.  I have developed a strange perception of these three panels, over time I was distracted by some artistic elements.   I could not look at these panels without thinking, "Ditko, Disney, and ACME."   See if you are with me as I dissect this scene.

I don't know if John Byrne was channeling Steve Ditko or paying homage to him in the first panel.  But for years now I cannot look at that Jean Grey and not see the large heavily lashed eyes of a Ditko damsel.  I had feelings of deja vu as I looked upon the arched eyebrows, the peaked hair and the full lips and open mouth; surely this had a Ditko influence.


But my interpretation didn't stop there.   The second panel with Cyclops agape reminded me of something else.   It was the tongue and the open mouth.   In my eyes it was cartoony in a way that super-hero comics tended to avoid.  I know it is an artistic technique in which the bright light highlights certain features - and Byrne uses that technique often and well.   But that mouth and the floating tongue seemed like something from a Disney film.   Again, I could swear I had seen this before.

And then there was the third panel.  An explosive blast disintegrates Jean Grey.   The mighty Phoenix is felled.   But somehow my view of it has shifted to Wile E. Coyote and the various contraptions that ultimately lead to his temporary demise.

Strange I know... a classic scene devolved to Ditko, Disney, and Wile E. Coyote.   You may think I am off the rocker, and you may demand that Redartz take over permanently.  But before you persist take a look at the following scenes that I have cobbled together and tell me then that I am not onto something.

Take a look at Clea with the wild hair, large lashes, and even a tear drop.  And from Hercules, a character yells; indeed this came out some time after X-Men but look at that tongue.  And of course our beloved Coyote blasted to ash.

Still not sure - okay here is another.  Both Betty and Liz have those eyes and curvy eyebrows.   This Disney villain shows a little more throat but you get the idea.   And how many cannons and guns have pointed at Wile over the years?   Still not convinced....

Ditko again.   A "Cyclops" from Disney's Lilo and Stitch" (I don't believe in coincidences).  And a typical Warner Brothers' blast.  Okay, okay, just one more...

Squirrel Girl by Ditko.   Evil stepmother doing the Cyclops yowl.   And nothing but a silhouette.

So that is my art critique for the week.   Tell me that you won't look at this scene differently from now on!  Only at the "Panel Discussion" on the BITBA site can you get such depth!   Cheers all!

Animation Congregation: Bugs vs. Daffy

 


Redartz:  Greetings, everyone! For our first 'meeting' with the Animation Congregation, we shall consider two of the towering figures of the cartoon world- Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Bugs has been giving fits to Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam since his debut in 1940. Daffy actually predated Bugs by a few years, first appearing in 1937. These two wiseacres have led the Warner Brothers cartoon pack ever since, both becoming iconic characters in popular culture and sharing hundreds of Saturday mornings with us all.

Both Bugs and Daffy have appeared in countless cartoons on the strength of their own solo appeal. But some of their most memorable appearances have been those in which they appeared together. Usually those team-ups amounted to a mutual irritation fest. Take "Rabbit Seasoning" for example. A 1951 Chuck Jones gem, it begins with Daffy trying to get the best of Bugs by setting him up as a target for Elmer Fudd. All his preparations avail him naught, however- when Bug shows up, the battle of wits entails (incidentally, both combatants seem to have more ammunition in this battle than the third party, Elmer). A brief bit of the action:

Truly some classic stuff here! But my personal favorite teaming is one that really focused on Daffy- the brilliant "Duck Amuck". Another 1951 production from Chuck Jones (he was really firing on all cylinders that year), "Amuck" really showcases the animators' talents. Sound, setting, costume: all are fair game for chaotic creativity in this free-for-all. Running the gamut from full scenery to blank screen, it actually gives Daffy the chance to show his 'perfoming range' under the most challenging circumstances. Indeed, it is essentially a one-man (one duck?) show- the notoriously egocentric Duck should have loved it. However, (spoiler alert) his friend and adversary Bugs is revealed as the culprit behind all Daffy's onscreen travails. Once again, it seems Bugs has it over ol' Daffy (not that Daffy would EVER admit that).

By the way, both of these cartoons are among those in the great DVD set "Looney Tunes Golden Collection". One of the best video purchases I ever made; it offers several Saturday morning's worth of cartoon greatness. Indeed, reviewing these on the disc for this post was a case of 'homework' being a pleasure! 

So, if you had to pick: who would you count on for the biggest laughs- Bugs or Daffy? Is there a particular Bugs/Daffy donnybrook that really left you breathless? Which one was more successful at foiling Elmer's hunting excursions? Is it Duck Season or Rabbit Season?  Load up your ACME shotgun and take your best shot...