A lot is happening in April if all goes as planned. Some features will be continuing and some will be returning after making for the "King of Monsters". The central focus though will be on one of the most riotous and raucous planets in the Marvel mythos, and that is Earth-665 the home of "Marble Comics" and of a certain fondly remembered spoof comic dubbed Not Brand Echh!
I love Not Brand Echh! It speaks to all that was endearing about the Marvel Bullpen, a willingness to not take themselves too seriously and a willingness to invite all their readers to have a laugh or two or ten at their expense. This the realm of "Marble Comics" and features such luminaries as Spidey-Man, Charlie America, Ironed Man, the Fantastical Four, The Revengers, and a little guy named Forbush Man. I will be taking a good leisurely look at each of the thirteen issues of the classic Silver Age run. I've debated long and hard how best to respond to these delightful books and I think I've hit on a keen plan. I will write a classic LoC (Letter of Comment) to Stan and the Gang regarding each issue. That way I can indulge myself in the delightful fantasy of coming to each issue as a new reader, fresh and unbowed by the hoary weight of time.
In "The Sunday Funnies" feature it will be all Popeye this month with the two final volumes of the wonderful Fantagraphics reprints of E.C. Segar's original strips followed hard by both volumes of the memorable and sometimes stunning strips by Bobby London from the late 1980's. London tried his damnedest to make Popeye relevant to a modern world and get the strip some attention and he did, but it was a mighty struggle.
On Saturdays look for reviews of books about comics. I've been reading a lot of great nonfiction about the men and women who make the comics I crave written by the fanboys who gobbled them up with such glee so many years ago. Expect to see some of these more curious tomes pictured above get a highlight as the month unfurls. Pre-historical information about the genesis of Marvel Comics, a peek at the ultimate fanzine, and the intoxicating work of Fred Hembeck, if it all works out.
And if time permits, I might even check out the funny animal tome above. But we'll have to see how the month unfolds.
And finally the "Classic Crisis" series will return, representing some vintage Dojo material about some of the most incredible comics ever concocted, those featuring crossover between DC's Justice League of America and their Earth-2 counterparts the Justice Society of America. These teams are not alone and are joined by heroes and heroines from Quality Comics and Fawcett Comics as well DC heroes from the future and the past.
Who says a blog has to be good? Well regular readers of the Dojo know full well it ain't me. Enjoy amigos!
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