Friday, July 18, 2025

Follow-Ups

Multiple random bits and follow-ups today.  Let's see where we go because I certainly don't know myself...

DC Studios opening logo

Yesterday, I watched Superman (2025) for the third time in under a week; this time in IMAX, which is the BEST format to see the film.  It gives you superior sound and the fullest extent of the viewing screen, really immersing you into the picture.  One of the reasons for the multiple viewings is from my family members who want to see it with me!  (Ahhhh, the benefits of being a lifelong comic book fan, I can offer expert testimony and commentary.)  And as I predicted, my enjoyment of the movie continues to grow.  I can honestly say I love it.

I appreciate Lois more and more, and find the interview scene to be such a clever way to not only recap pre-story events, but to expose the heart of their relationship and motivations as people.  It was Clark's, "People were going to die!!" line that really hooked me the first time.  Having lost his family, his world, etc.; he doesn't want anyone to go through the pain he has. This is why he tries to save everyone, including squirrels and B.E.Ms (bug-eye-monsters).

Sometimes when I hear an album for the first time, a few songs will immediately catch my ear and become quick favorites.  These are the ones you want to listen to over and over.  But with multiple listening's (usually three - the same number to get to the center of the tootsie roll pop), you start to uncover other hidden gems.  They've been gradually infiltrating your mind, transitioning from background to foreground with subtle themes or moments that you don't realize you're becoming attuned to.  Similarly, when you're cleaning you take care of the obvious things first and once they're out of the way, look what's underneath!  And so it can be with some movies.

As I marinate on Superman again and again, I can unpack all the good things contained therein.  The jokes land better because I'm prepared for them*, and the performances are seen more fully (not just the words but the gestures, especially on a giant screen).  Guy Gardner is rising in prominence when initially (to me) he was overshadowed by Mister Terrific.  Critics who complain about the busyness of the film and the almost overwhelming number of characters to process, aren't wrong, but that's only if you're a one-time-only consumer.  As a creator do you produce your story to the lowest common denominator and simplify the storytelling, or do you challenge people to engage more fully?  Here I think it worked, but it doesn't always.

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Superman (2025) - Movie Review and Analysis

My wife and I got to watch James Gunn's new Superman movie yesterday.  And we both really liked it.  You should go see it.  

If you're a "skimmer", then that's all you need to know.


Now that the thesis statement is out of the way, let's go to the executive summary (without spoilers):

Actually, while you're about to read the ES, I'm going to be composing the more detailed spoiler-filled analysis below the jump break.  I'll see you back up here later.  Don't go away.

Executive Summary

James Gunn's Superman is fun and entertaining, and sure to be a crowd pleaser with most.  The story, characters, and stylistic choices are well thought out, creating a valid reinterpretation and synthesis of the Superman mythos over the decades, which should resonate well with modern audiences.  This is not the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, Copper Age, or even the Modern Age version of Superman - it's the Gunn Age (aka "all of the above") - and that's how it should be.  The acting is well executed and the overall movie, while not perfect, exceeds expectations from what we were shown in the trailers.  It's great to have a less tortured version of Superman again.  And I for one, not only want to see the film repeatedly, but I want more of this new DCU.

Friday, July 11, 2025

Ironically Iconic Images from Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 5 - the 1973 to 1975 era

Happy 7/11 Day, aka Slurpee Day!

1977 Hulk cup

Most of my early comic book purchases were made at the 7-11 in Colonial Heights, VA, near my hometown of Matoaca. Two of them were quite significant and memorable:

#1) I was flipping through a comic in the backseat of our Chevy Impala (it's a wonder I didn't get sick!) on the way to said store where I first saw the House Ad for Godzilla #1.  And lo and behold, when I arrived, it was there right on the spinner rack! Truly, one the most thrilling comic book purchases in all my 48 years of collecting (only a few months at that time).  A couple of years ago (2023) at the Baltimore Comic-Con I discovered an artist (Doctor Chopper) who creates 3D art from comic book clippings. He had one of that very same House Ad, which now is proudly displayed in my study along with some other Godzilla collectibles.  Whenever my granddaughter, Athena, comes over I sing her the theme song from the 1978 cartoon and we count all the Godzilla's (figures and comic images) in the room:

Up from the depths

Thirty stories high

Breathes Fire

His Head in the Sky 

Godzilla, Godzilla, Godzilla ...

And Godzoooooooky!

If you want to know, I currently have ten. (And eight year old me liked the cartoon much better than 55-year old me.)


 
Only 8 are shown in this photo.

Blogger get your stinkin' Times New Roman paws out of my post! I want to use Arial, not to be confused with Ariel.

#2) Now, I have an underdeveloped jaw, which is probably why I'm quickly developing a turkey-neck in my advanced years (I hate it!).  So when I was young, the dentist said I had to get six adult teeth removed to make room for my remaining teeth to drop.  They had to put me under to perform the oral surgery.  I was promised by my mother that I would be able to buy one comic for each tooth!  She knew what motivated me. (It would've been $2.10 before tax [6 @ 35 cents] or $10.67 in 2025 dollars.)  So, after counting backwards as I began to breath the gas, the next thing I remember is my mother and sister walking me out the back door of the dentist office.  I think I was around 8 years old.  Not only could I barely walk, but I was still in a post anesthetic fog where my vision (and brain) wasn't fully cleared yet.  However, I was bound and determined that I would pick out my comics that day before we went home.  And we did.  Probably the closest time I've ever been to being in a semi-drunken stupor (I'm a teetotaller).  I was going through those spinner racks (there were usually two) trying to find something I wanted/needed. (The image in my head is similar to the vaseline covered lens of a Dark Shadows dream sequence - my peripheral vision was nonexistent.)   And wouldn't you know, I have no rememberance of what I got that day!

But that's not what I had decided to write about this morning.  More after the jump break...

Friday, July 04, 2025

This Space Reserved - A Mega-Sized Marvel Masterworks Read-Thru

 


First off, Happy Fourth of July! It's America's 249th Birthday, and last night kicked off the "America 250" celebration that will continue throughout the year.  The Red, White, and Blue is back, baby!  I can still remember the excitement for the Bicentennial back in 1976.  It really promises to be a fun time.  So many things are turning around for the good these days (Praise God!).  And if today's music isn't as good as those bygone times, we can just catch an old American Top 40 with Casey Kasem broadcast on iHeart Radio!  I'm listening to one I recorded years ago right now from June 26, 1976!

Is it possible to digress before you even start?  If so, I think I just did ...

I really should have weighed these!

In less than two months, I finished reading all that you see shown above.  I started on May 8th, and finished last night (July 3rd).  And that was after reading the Marvel Masterworks (MMW): Doctor Strange #11 right before that, which was preceded by my first reading of John Wyndham's classic Midwich Cuckoos. My inspiration was the forthcoming (no pun intended) Fantastic Four: First Steps movie coming out in three weeks. Now, I have reservations about this movie.  I don't like Mister Fantastic with a moustache and the female Silver Surfer is S-t-(bad word).  However, I love that it takes place in the 60s, something I always thought should be done.  Anyway, in case the movie flops and fails to generate renewed FF reading interest, I figured I better take advantage of the anticipation, just in case.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

TIME DELAY

Last night, my wife and I were watching a few minutes of The Sound of Music, the 50th anniversary Blu-Ray edition. We had started it the night before, while babysitting our second granddaughter for the first time.  This version contains a nifty "My Favorite Things" function that allows you to select one of four special features: production photos, sing-along lyrics, movie/real-world facts, and trivia. We had activated the lyrics and facts, so during the "Do Re Me" song montage of Salzburg, Austria locales, up popped the caption stating that filming began in April 1964.  Now, savvy movie aficionados (or buffs) know that The Sound of Music is a quintessential 1965 film, which marks its 60th anniversary this year in 2025.  You can even see it in theatres for a brief run this coming September. And therein lies the theme of this latest installment of Matthew's Musings, Time Delay.

The title of this post immediately sprang to mind, along with the beginnings of a musing. Do I keep it to myself or share it with others? Well, if you're reading this, then you know the answer...

A piece of art, writing, or entertainment is defined by the time it is presented, published, or released.  However, in most instances (with the exception of electronic writing, such as this blog), there is a gap in time between when the work is developed and when it is ready for public consumption.  Subconsciously (or maybe even consciously) we understand this, but that doesn't stop our time association with whatever it is to be slightly askew from actual reality.  Thus, creating a perception reality that is just as real to us and more impactful.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Good Bye to Comics

 I have been contemplating exiting getting comic books for awhile. There will be exceptions and the occasional Omnibus or what not, but essentially saying goodbye to comic books once and for all.

My passion for collecting original art is one part of the equation. With comics at $5 bucks a pop, that adds up quickly and leaves a lot more money for buying original art. 

Next up is that I left Marvel years ago and can no longer even recognize their Universe. I picked up Dark Ages which is fun and Death of Doctor Strange which has been a decent read. Anything else I have tried from Marvel has left me cold. They missed out on doing legacy material years ago. They could have had the characters age slowly. This could have given us a Fantastic Four with Reed and Sue's kids, Johnny could have married Crystal and had a child, Ben could be still the muscle for the group. Instead we are left with the 400th iteration of "new" stories from Spider-Man on whomever. From afar it seems they also went go for broke or woke. So Clea being new Dr. Strange isn't a natural evolution of the character - but of course Dr. Strange is now a woman. I guess the Ancient One could be Stephen or he will be dead for a year or two. Daredevil is now Electra? No matter, Marvel comics is what made me fall in love with comics.  That love for Marvel is gone.

DC I was still getting a few stories and loved the DCeased stuff and Knights of Steel has been fun, but in continuity looks like woke virtue signaling to the nth degree. Gay Superman, Robin, Gay young Aquaman and who knows what else is just too much. Heck I don't really care who the characters are sleeping but it is more like LBQT etc romance comics. The heroic story is missing. So my love for DC has been lost.

My current love of comics is fueled by DC silver and bronze age more obscure characters and material like Reckless from Brubaker and Phillips. 

Really I'm okay with all of it as these are the characters owned by the corporations. The printed comic book has been circling the drain for decades and are really the vinyl records of today. Maybe this gets to a new market looking for this material and in a digital format. And as a 66 year old white heterosexual male I should not be your target audience long term anyway. Still I wouldn't mind a few books that harken back to a different era. I mean I loved Morrison's run on Batman and was disappointment when it was thrown in the trash immediately (actually during his run). I also would love DC to publish Space Ranger, later Challenger of the Unknown runs and that type of stuff. It appears that material has to await public domain status. 

So the couple pictures I have posted here are cover mock-ups by two artist who I consider to be masters of their craft Bo Hampton on pencil and inks and Tom Ziuko on colors. Both gentleman are very active and are open to commissions. 

All is this is outlining why I have decided to end getting comics by year-end. It is without animosity or any hue and cry of this is wrong, it is this is no longer for me. Not a good thing, not a bad thing. It is hard to leave behind getting new comics as it has been part of my life for 60 years plus and I even had a comic book store for 4 years in the 90's. 

I'm a little sad, but I prefer to look forward to getting new art, finding those special projects in comics that I will still want to get and read. I hope the industry survives with not just TV and movies as reading a story is still a great experience and is more engaging then any show or movie.






Saturday, July 10, 2021

Are Old Silver Age Comic Pages Stolen Art?

 

Matthew and I are planning on doing a series of relatively short posts celebrating some of the artists we enjoy. I have gone down the original art rabbit hole and now admire artists whose comic books I may never have even read. That is a tale for a different time. Still it is my interest in original art, reading biographies and articles on creators and seeing certain pages out for sale in public have made me wonder about the legal ownership of some art.

To explore this point I am picking one single page. I choose Amazing Spider-Man #27, the splash page as it sold on Heritage Auctions for $239,000 in 2016. Steve Ditko died in 2018. I have read he never sold any of the art that Marvel returned to him. Furthermore, it is well known that Marvel never returned all of his artwork. It is also widely known that at least one artist stole art from Marvel to sell for his own gain (supposedly to make up for what he felt was too low of a page rate for his work).


So, who owned the art? Did Marvel own it or is it now considered rightfully Ditko’s property. Is the agreement that Ditko signed to get his art waive all his rights to any art not returned? If yes, then did Marvel own the art? Who originally had the art and sold it?  

My point is that if the art was “stolen” by an employee of Marvel or someone else and they sold it, then all the sales from the beginning are null and void – right? I mean if a Leonardo Da Vinci piece of art is lifted from a museum – no matter who buys it – they do not own it legally.

Does that mean Ditko’s heirs, Kirby’s heirs and all the rest of the artist who have heirs – all have a legal case to get the art back??? I mean there is a lot of original comic art from certain eras that I believe have legitimate ownership issues.  Recently I bought a couple of Murphy Anderson pages from a 1971 sci-fi story he drew, and it was part of the Murphy Anderson Collection, so hopefully sold by the family.

I keep thinking this would blow up the original art world like no one’s business because the high rollers and often myself are sometimes buying art with no clear ownership trail. This mainly applies to Golden and Silver Age art for the most part, but that is where there are big bucks involved. Happily, I have purchased most of my art from the artist or their agents.


Update - This blogger did a detailed post outlining the whole thing - Still think there is a lawsuit this as the price of the art makes it more and more likely someone will sue. 

https://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2021/03/jack-kirby-and-art-of-theft.html