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Vacation (All I Ever Wanted)

August 17, 2001

”All Aboard!”

It’s mid-summer. Only a few weeks until the Labor Day holiday. Vacations abound. And, for once, I’m abounding and will be away for a week. This vacation will not be bookended nor connected with a comic book show and that comes as a relief to yours truly. I enjoy comic book conventions very much from all aspects. I really enjoy meeting and greeting fans, seeing old friends and making new ones, and (last but not least) shopping for comics. But a vacation that is in-and-of itself a vacation, was badly needed. So we are going away. Thus, this week’s comments will be short, and the conclusion to last week’s story, Angel and the Blitz, Friday Night, will be written and posted next week.

SPX 2001

Don’t look for me. I won’t be there. Next year, perhaps.

Mid-Ohio Con

Look for me. I’ll be there. Thanksgiving weekend, 2001.

Wahhhhh!

Interestingly enough, or perhaps entirely uninteresting depending on your POV, I’ve become a fan of Steve Gerber’s 1970s series, Howard the Duck (HTD). To realize the seriousness of this, one must first understand that I’m not a fan of “humor” comics. In general, the humor comics I’ve read have been mainly devoid of humor, having about as much wallop as an episode of Different Strokes. For whatever reason, I decided to purchase a few issues of HTD recently. Much, oh oh oh so much, to my surprise and delight, I found myself enjoying this series. Gerber really knew what he was doing when he scripted this book. Two of the stories that stand out are “Master of Quack Fu” and “Howard for President.” Quite to my amazement, these stories are more realistically done than most of their “serious” super-hero counterpart magazines of that era. Gerber addresses gang violence, violence in cinema (and imitation of same), political corruption, individualism, scandal, and numerous other topics in these two stories. As a candidate for the presidency, Howard is considered very dangerous. As one individual stated (and I must paraphrase as I do not have the source material at hand): “My God, he tells the truth. He’ll be assassinated for sure.” The ultimate strength of this series (from the few issues I’ve read thus far) is that Gerber’s stories are so engrossing one forgets that the lead character not human. This is/was clearly not a funny animal comic, but a series of fantasy-based stories, the basis of which are grounded in current events. If you are like me and have a predisposition to avoid this series because its star is a jacket and tie-wearing fowl, by all means do yourself the favor of giving it a try. Back issues of HTD are extremely affordable. The bulk of the series was illustrated by Gene Colan who, as always, breathes into the stories a visual magic and style that is extremely appealing and instantly recognizable.

Altercations Update #151

The book progresses slowly but surely, with nearly three of the ten stories complete. New art will soon be posted at this site.

Original Art

Art from all books found in the catalog section of this site is available for sale. Pages are $20 to $25 each plus postage. Covers are priced individually. Write before ordering to ensure availability and to reserve pages.

NEXT: The conclusion (really!) of Angel and the Blitz, Friday Night.

Comments are always welcome. Write to: David
to voice your opinion.