13 Shriners

by john on February 3, 2012

in Sights

Tagged as: shriners

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Variation on a time slip

by john on January 31, 2012

in Sights

Tagged as: photography, photos, science fiction

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Super Six #14

by john on January 31, 2012

in Secret History of E.L. Comics,Sights

Great crazy flame monster with tail, a weird science fiction mystery, and the best cover I ever drew!

Tagged as: Fabulas Five, Funtastic Four, Stretcho, Super Six, The Flame

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Super Six #13

by john on January 24, 2012

in Secret History of E.L. Comics,Sights

I love the stretchy, horny alien. He and Stretcho look like they’re doing a stretchy dance together. I don’t know why they’re going to this alien planet, but I’m sure glad they did.

Tagged as: Fabulas Five, Funtastic Four, Stretcho, Super Six, The Flame

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Super Six #12

by john on January 3, 2012

in Secret History of E.L. Comics,Sights

Isn’t this a treasure for the paying customers – all tiny pin-ups, no story, no furthering of the great membership dramas that have defined this book for it’s first 11 issues, causing two name changes. The problems of membership and costume change are, in fact, much bigger than natural disasters, alien invasions, or super crimes for this team. All the norms of superhero work are thrown out the window in the name of slavish devotion to new threads, new monikers, new powers. And even the pin-ups are sideways, which is in no way useful. The highlight, though, are the secret identities. Mike Conka? Steed Ared? Rod Hammer – if ever there was a porn star name in an EL Comics title, that is it. When did the Conka family come over from the old country, I wonder. If there’s a Conka in California and a Conka in New Jersey, are they both descended from the same Conka ancestor? And is Ared short for Aredestenes or something like that? I also wonder whether The It feels belittled by the other rock guy – Mr. Strange. Now that’s an awesome, singular name that respects the quirks of the individual. A name like The It probably makes poor Ben Camo feel like an unwanted statuette relegated to the basement.

Tagged as: Fabulas Five, Funtastic Four, Lightning, Mr. Strange, Stretcho, Super Six, The Flame, The It, Thunderbolt

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Fabulas Five #9 – 11

by john on December 30, 2011

in Secret History of E.L. Comics,Sights

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When we last left the Funtastic Four, they had added on a member after a very casual recruiting process. In this issue, the first under their brand new name, they lost a member. Will they have to go back to being the Funtastic Four? And why did they think Ben was bulletproof in the first place? I think it was the fault of the press, actually. You'll notice that upon drinking the super strength potion, Ben lays claim to nothing more than super strength - it's that dastardly Daily Sun that claims, very erroneously, that The It has returned. All the publicity probably went to Ben's head and he thought he was indestructible. It's a sad thing that happens in superheroics all the time.

I like the down to business reaction to Ben's death at the end. Sure, it's sad, but it's also an administrative pain in the butt. As we saw last issue, setting up recruitment is hell.

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First thing first - don't those saggy, big old shorts on The It make you sad?

Second thing second - The Human Fish? He may be my favorite superhero ever. Or is he a villain? He looks like a villain. I wonder if he's in the next issue.

Third thing third - I love the optimism of the new It. Tragedy strikes with cosmic meteors and he makes lemonade. I wish we could all be like that.

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So where exactly is The Human Fish? Could someone explain why anyone would go to all the bother to create a character as AWESOME as The Human Fish and then drop him without explanation? And I thought Ben was The Human Fish, anyhow. Why is he suddenly not The Human Fish? And why is this super team such a load of bunglers? They come up with a super power machine - apparently - and the moment they stick the guy in who was previously The Human Fish but is now no longer, it goes on overload and explodes, and the best they can do with it is to shrug their shoulders and say, "Uhhhhhh ... Super Six, yeah, Super Six, we planned it that way all along."

Of course there is always the possibility that I misread the previous issue and The Human Fish was actually a separate person who was attacking Ben with lightning. If that is the case, then what happened there? Did they battle it out? Does human beat fish every time???

Regardless of any of that hysteria, I do make note that the Fabulas Five lasted all of three issues. And the title had such potential! It was so coherent!

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Tagged as: Fabulas Five, Funtastic Four, Human Fish, The It

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The Day Peace Came #1

by john on December 24, 2011

in Secret History of E.L. Comics

This is no way to treat EL fans during the holidays – the title proclaims Capt. Fantastic, but that’s Hercules on the cover. Still, any comic that quotes from Snoopy’s Christmas in such a triumphant way can’t be all that bad.

Tagged as: Capt. Fantastic, Christmas, The Animal

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Yulecast 2011

by john on December 23, 2011

in Sounds,Yulecast

Featuring Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler, Chip Fisher, VoiceDude, Eux Autres, Dan Zanes, 45 RPM, The Pipettes, Linda Laurie, Boy Least Likely To, Meaghan Smith, Werbo, Mojochronic, Idiot Glee, Rose Maddox, Malajube, The Atom, Found Sound Orchestra, Joel Levinson

Listen now

 

Or listen later

(download link)

Tagged as: 45 RPM, Boy Least Likely To, Chip Fisher, Christmas music, Christmas podcast, Dan Zanes, Emmy the Great, Eux Autres, Found Sound Orchestra, Idiot Glee, Joel Levinson, Linda Laurie, Malajube, Meaghan Smith, Mojochronic, Rose Maddox, The Atom, The Pipettes, Tim Wheeler, VoiceDude, Werbo

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Ghost of Christmas Mixes Past: Yulecast 2006

by john on December 23, 2011

in Sounds,Yulecast

Featured are the Glad Singers, Joe Williams, The Raveonettes, Harry and the Potters, The Go Gos, Chris Isaak, Daghan Baydur, Billy May, The Wiggles, Bugs Eat Books, Girls Aloud, Bonanza, Mark Mothersbaugh, Chewbacca, Polyphonic Spree

Listen now

 

Or listen later

(download link)

Tagged as: Billy May, Bonanza, Bugs Eat Books, Chewbacca, Chris Isaak, Christmas music, Christmas podcast, Dağhan Baydur, Girls Aloud, Glad Singers, Harry and the Potters, Joe Williams, Mark Mothersbaugh, Polyphonic Spree, The Go Gos, The Raveonettes, The Wiggles

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Ghost of Christmas Mixes Past: Yulecast 2007

by john on December 22, 2011

in Sounds,Yulecast

Featuring Go Home Productions, Three Suns, Ludiine Sagnier, Johnny Mercer, Neil Hannon, New Christy Minstrels, Al Hirt, Quelles Paroles, Dağhan Baydur, Girls Aloud, Jeff and Sue Mitchel, Lenlow, The Surfers, Amos Milburn, Gred and Forge, Madness, Harry and Hugo, The Sixth Great Lake, Mae West, Dorothy Provine, Ra John and the Rubba Dub Dub Bub Band, Cary Grant, The Cavedogs

Listen now

 

Or listen later

(download link)

Tagged as: Al Hirt, Amos Milburn, Cary Grant, Christmas music, Christmas podcast, Dağhan Baydur, Dorothy Provine, Girls Aloud, Go Home Productions, Gred and Forge, Harry and Hugo, Jeff and Sue Mitchel, Johnny Mercer, Lenlow, Ludiine Sagnier, Madness, Mae West, Neil Hannon, New Christy Minstrels, Quelles Paroles, Ra John and the Rubba Dub Dub Bub Band, The Cavedogs, The Sixth Great Lake, The Surfers, Three Suns

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