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WWF Comic Battlemania

Traci Adell, the WWF, Fatale on TV, and the Web of the Snyder – Part 1

First This

It occurs to me, duh, that I have not yet wished everyone a Happy New Year. Sorry. So, without further ado,
Happy New Year!


The last year has been a tough one for most people I know. Many are unemployed, almost everyone has struggled and only a very few have done well. Here’s hoping that 2012 will be better. And that planet Nibiru doesn’t crash into us on December 21st.


Thoughts for the New Year:


Nike, Inc. “Just do it.”


Jimmy V:  “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”


Winston Churchill:  “Carry on, and dread nought.”


My Grandma Elsie quoting a mummers play:  “Take a drink from my bottle, let it run down thy throttle; rise up and strive again.”


B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown:  “Keep your sunny side up….”


John F. Kennedy:  “All of this will not be finished…even perhaps in our lifetime on the planet. But let us begin.”


Me, at DEFIANT:  “Just don’t quit.”


I hope your holidays were groovy. Press on regardless.

More About Broadway and Fatale

First
On this, the eighth day of Christmas I have no use for maids-a-milking. These items, on the other hand….
 
Murder weapon as Christmas gift:
A gift I gave to a psycho-chicken Elf who remains at large. “Slay” bells ring….
 
The tentacles of power:
A gift I gave to myself. Power mad? Yes, I am.
 
 
Fatale
Fatale was an experiment in many ways. Fatale was created to be Broadway Comics’ answer to the “Bad Girl” trend, popular in the 1990’s. Being me, I wanted to do a Bad Girl who was every bit as extreme as those pneumatic vixens who led the charge but less puerile and more real.

Regarding What Has Gone Before and a Modest Proposal

Marvelman has left a new comment on your post “And So This Is Christmas Plus More Sex <http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/12/and-so-this-is-christmas-plus-more-sex.html

It’s a small world. I came on this blog to recommend that Jim take a look at Azzarello & Chiang’s Wonder Woman. I highly recommend it. However, I’m not sure that each issue contains as much exposition as it should. I think it’s possible a new reader would find herself lost. Which brings me to two questions…

1) Jim, how do you feel about the “what has gone before” pages which are now printed on the first page of many comic books?

2) Do you think it is alright for some books in a line to be directed at a general audience and others to be intended for comics-savvy readers? Or, would that just lead confusion about what a brand (e.g. Marvel, DC…) represents?

ANSWER:

RE:  “…how do you feel about the “what has gone before” pages which are now printed on the first page of many comic books?”

And So This Is Christmas Plus More Sex

First, a Few Items

An Apology to Mark Waid

Mark Waid wrote this scene, which I showed as an example of an out-of-character use of Aunt May for the purpose of a shocker:

I had no idea that Mark had written that scene, not that it would have mattered. I’m an equal opportunity complainer. Anyone may find him or herself honked at here.

Here’s where I went wrong: I judged the scene against Aunt May’s character as it was when I was at Marvel. The Aunt May I knew of was a very old-fashioned woman, the epitome of propriety, who no more would have had sex out of wedlock than my Victorian-era Grandma, who was born in 1888. But, I’ve been told that Aunt May became a little more of a modern Golden Girl subsequently, and that the scene is not out of character for her. Okay.

Sorry, Mark.

Sex and Drugs – Part 2

First This

Commenter Rio Herrera clued me in about the two talented creators I met at the signing at Chuck Rozanski’s Mile High Comics Mega-store in Denver.

 

They are, far right, Scotlyn Xing Xin Bedford and far left, a young man who introduced himself to me as Phil. Rio also heard him called Phil. The Mile High Newsletter identifies him as Cory Watts, so I’m still not sure.
The guy in the white shirt is Chuck, and the looming ogre is me, of course.
But anyway, the property these two gentlemen were representing is called Ximphonia. You can find out more about Ximphonia and their other creative works on the Dreaming Symphonic-Beauty Empire website. Here’s a link:
Scot and Phil had a table near where Chuck stationed me. They drew quite a crowd—in fact, when I had a brief break and went over to see what all the fuss was about, I couldn’t get near enough to see.  At the end when things were calmer, I finally did get to talk to them and they were, indeed, as mentioned above, gentlemen. Very smart and talented gentlemen. I wish them well.

Jerry Robinson and Steve Ditko

Defiant 1 offered a link to a must-read article in this comment:

Defiant1 has left a new comment on your post “Jerry Robinson http://www.jimshooter.com/2011/12/jerry-robinson.html?showComment=1324615552055#c4127676358749850686

Interesting blog post about Robinson teaching Ditko…

http://blakebellnews.blogspot.com/2011/12/being-punked-by-jerry-robinson-other.html?spref=tw

Sex and Drugs

Let’s do the drugs first. Whoo-hoo!

 

Drugs

 

I think I wrote the first drug use story in the Comics Code era. It appeared in this issue of Action Comics:

 

It was the second feature, a Legion of Super-Heroes story entitled “Forbidden Fruit.” Comic Book Database, www.comicbookdb.com, while often useful, gives credit for writing this story jointly to Mort Weisinger and me. Why do they do that? Mort never co-wrote anything with me, or even made a significant edit on any of my scripts. Sigh. No, I wrote it, just me.

 

The story was published in April of 1969.

Mile High Times

Friday afternoon, Chuck Rozanski picked me up at the Denver International Airport. My trip from Newark Liberty had been the usual ordeal. Maybe a little more so. I had to go through one of those full body scans. I’m sure the scan-pic will be on the web soon, so anyone so bored as to be wondering whether it’s boxers or briefs will know. We were held at the gate for a while because the aircraft maintenance people had to change a lightbulb. I guess it was an important one. So, we were late taking off and late arriving.

Therefore, Chuck had a long wait for me. As he was hanging around outside the secured area, he noticed a lot of military people also sort of hanging around. They had on camo pants and boots, but on top wore loose sweaters. All of them. No weapons showing. But these people weren’t just passing through on their way somewhere, they were on duty. Eagle-eyed Chuck also noticed TSA types scattered about, Denver and State Police here and there and people in civvies who were people-watching with intensity.
The Watchers noticed Chuck noticing them. A group of Watchers, trying to be discreet and failing, sort of surrounded him.
Then I showed up and we went on our way. Chuck pointed out the Watchers as we left. Wow. Was there a terrorist threat? Or was it just Christmas/holiday season precautions?

Eduardo Barreto

I understand that Eduardo Barreto died a day or two ago as well. I didn’t know him, but he did a couple of jobs for companies I ran along the way. He was a tremendous talent.

Joe Simon

Joe Simon

Joe Simon passed away on Wednesday.I met Joe Simon in the Green Room at QVC HQ in West Goshen, Pennsylvania some years ago. He was there to do a promotion for a slate of comics collectibles. Me too. I’d never even seen a picture of him, but he recognized me and introduced himself. What an honor to meet him! Joe was one of the most gracious and nicest people I’ve ever known. We got together a few more times after that, and each time he couldn’t have been nicer. And, of course, he was a fundamental force in our industry, a giant upon whose shoulders we all stand. What a great man. What a great loss.

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