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Zainab Akhtar’s excellent Comics and Cola blog runs a feature called “Comics Shelfies” which includes pictures of various comics collections. Usually the Expedit or Billy is called into play, but for Michael DeForge, the plastic milk crate is the basic storage unit. I can definitely relate, as for years my life was based around the much loved “Mard” from Ikea, which they stopped making ten years ago. DeForge’s collection is gorgeous and somehow poised for just the kind of action you’d expect from the animator/cartoonist.

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Well, Episdoe VII is officially under way. Principal cast has been announced and shooting has started. As a life-long fan, I have much confidence in JJ. Contrary to many, I totally enjoyed what he did with Star Trek and thought Into Darkness was better than his first one. To me, it seems Mr. Abrams is a fan first and a businessman second. I hope that he makes my beloved universe his own, acknowledges the fans and makes something not only for kids, but also those of us who never really grew up.

I have my hopes for what I would like to see in the new trilogy; characters like Mara Jade and events like the death of Chewbacca. Don't get me wrong - I don't want to see Chewbacca die. Jar Jar heads that list. Chewbacca's death was an epic moment and a great sacrifice. He swore a life-debt to Han and it should be a necessary moment, even if it does not occur as it did in the Expanded Universe novel.

The cast consists of a young group of relative unknowns. Sound familiar? Still, there is one Harry Potter alum, two from Coen Bros and one that endured Attack the Block. One of the biggest treats for me is to see Max Von Sydow join the ranks of Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. In case you are not familiar with this legendary actor, he starred in the classic Strange Brew.

I could rant about how great the original trilogy was, everything wrong with the prequels and what they musn't ruin in the new movies. I won't do that. We all have our own opinions and own hopes. Isn't that what Star Wars is really about...hope? It is adventure, humor, mystery, love and good conquering evil. On top of all that, it gives us hope...hope that there is something bigger, greater out there - something that binds the universe together. It gives us hope that we can revisit our childhood and remember the things that made us happy.

Star Wars remains one of the earliest inspirations for my own writing. The Hero's Journey is a universal map that applies to my first novel, The Fourth Queen. I even tried my hand at some SW Fan Fiction (which might end up on this blog some day).


"They're for sale, if you want them."

As I continue my training in the Jedi way, I find that I can part with material things. To that end, I have created a Facebook album featuring over 300 figures collected since 1995. Feel free to make me an offer on any or all of them.

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To date I believe this story has only seen the light of day in a limited edition (500 copies, 450 of which were signed, numbered and made available for sale) hardcover single story edition. Hair O' The Chine was published by Bruccoli Clark in 1979. The subtitle for this story is "A Documentary Film Script" and as Robert Coover has been known to do, it's a close and interesting look at a fairy tale, in this case that of The Three Little Pigs.

As Coover has also been known to do, this story takes a look at this particular fairy tale through lenses such as religion as well as sexuality. Slightly similar to his often anthologized story "The Babysitter," this story is told in fragments--though it differs, in my opinion, from "The Babysitter" in that Hair O' The Chine's fragments appear to be in chronological order.

It's been some time since I've read anything about, or including The Three Little Pigs itself, much of what Coover brings about was still familiar to me. However, the sections involving the pig and the wolf (told in documentary style to be explained shortly) were interspersed with sections about a man and a maid--two individuals that very may well have been in the original fairy tale--but even if they weren't, they fit in very well in Coover's story.

The documentary film style fragments specific to the pig and the wolf include scene descriptions (fade, pan, zoom in, etc.) and voiceovers for what is being "seen" by the reader. Much of the voiceover work is describing what how scholars and theologians have described what they've seen and determined the work to mean.

Cut to the pig in the window, as before. Silence, except for a faint distant whimpering and the soft tinkle of the children's song, heard before. The camera occupies itself with a slow scan of the entire tableau. The song and the whimpering gradually fade away. After a pause, the Voice clears its throat and, in something of a monotone at first, resumes:

     Many have related this Temptation Sequence...

Quick pan back to the pig in the window, Voice continuing uninterrupted:

...to that of Christ in the Wilderness, while still other paraphrasts, grabbing at that infamous...ah...apple, argue again for the Adamic thing. Titus, whom we have mentioned, while not entirely throwing in with the theologians, has certainly furthered their cause with his exploitation of the well-known etymological relationship--indeed, identity--between "hog" and "lamb" in his book, Christ and the Brick, though his primary purpose is to demonstrate that Christ founded his church on a brick, not a rock. Now, may I have--?

Zoom back to reveal entire tableau once more with the text below. Voice:

Yes. Now, insofar as the red apple is a timeless image, of course, the one-track Adamists do not seem entirely astray, but their thesis that the abundant corn is a symbol of Eden, and the butterchurn one of labor in exile, shows how truly remote these boys are from this or any other world. All right, then, the actual temptations, so-called, are three: the pig is invited to a cornfield...

Zoom in to the cornfield at the extreme right of the tableau.

...an orchard...

Pan left to the apple tree

...and a fair, to receive ears of corn...

Back to the cornfield.

...russet apples...

Again to the apple tree.

...and a "bargain," which turns out to be...

Pan left to the butterchurn.

...yes, a butterchurn. On each occasion, the pig feels obliged somehow to accept the invitation, and on each occasion, the pig's danger is augmented. We seem to discover here, do we not, something approximating a series of trysts, of boy-girl dates, with the wolf making greater and greater advances. Though the pig escapes easily the first time, he--or she--must send the wolf chasing "an apple" the second time, and finally must wallop him with this the...uh...oh, oh...

Children's music distantly again, played on bells, as before. Close-up of the butterchurn in the clearing, as seen earlier. A slender hand reaches out from off-camera and touches it with the tip of one finger.  The finger trails softly down the length of the churnstaff.

I've tried, with this selection from just beyond the middle of this story, to dip at least a little into each of the things Coover's got going on throughout this story. There's not so much of the man and maid here (though that is the maid's finger trailing softly down the length of the churnstaff in what one can only assume at this point, especially with the Voiced "uh...oh, oh..." above, to be just as sexual as one would believe from a Robert Coover story.

As always, Coover gives his readers much to think about, much to simply enjoy, and many fantastic, winding, meandering, thrilling sentences.

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One of the ways many people stumbled onto their first comic was through the promotional comics that used to come bundled in with action figures. You know the ones – you buy a He-Man figure, and in the box comes a comic which shows him in action, fighting against all the other characters who coincidentally also have action figures available too.

Well, if you do remember those comics, then here’s a kickstarter for you – Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley, and Tim Seeley’s MINI COMICS INCLUDED.

Mini Comics Included will be a set of six mini-comics, which replicate the sort of comics which used to come packaged in with action figures and board games. Each drawn by a different artist, with Moreci and the Seeleys writing all six issues. And if you pledge towards the project, you can get your hands not just on the comics – but also on action figures which have been custom made to go along with the comics.

I spoke to Michael Moreci about the project, and how it came into existence.

Steve:  Mini Comics Included are based on the comics that used to be enclosed in the box whenever you bought toys like He-Man action figures, or Transformers. What are your memories from those mini-comics?

Michael: I have such amazing memories of Christmas morning, unwrapping presents with my older brother and revealing glorious He-Man action figures. We were into other stuff as well—I was especially a fan of the Super Powers figures—but He-Man was the alpha and omega of my childhood. Rick, my brother, and I would play with these figures all day long, making up stories, designing our own cartoon ideas, and acting them out. We’d cut up comics and paste new panels together that made little sense, but the stories were ours.

As a matter of fact, I really think that’s the beginnings of my love of storytelling in general, the ability—and encouragement from my parents—to make stuff up on my own. To wonder, to imagine. I read so many comics—mainly the minis that accompanied He-Man figures—and watched so many cartoons that the structure of stories got ingrained in me at a young age.

Specifically, with the comics, I was always hooked by the curiosity “what’s next?!” factor. Because, let’s face it, a lot of those comics were simply rad catalogues. Their whole purpose was to show off the next villain or weapon or whatever. Like, He-Man would suddenly bust out this underwater gear and, as an adult I’m like “where the hell did that come from? Dude’s  wearing a loincloth and nothing else…” But as a kid, my mind was immediately set to “must have!” mode. Luckily, my mom worked at a toy store, so I had a hook up.

The comics were cool because, yeah, they were sometimes promo pieces, but they were also simple stories. They were just cool stories that enhanced the experience of being a He-Man fan, or a comic fan.

Steve: Why recreate that style of comic, in particular?

Michael: A lot of the discussions the three of us have regarding comics—and a lot of people have about comics—is the lack of fun, just pure, raw, fun. Guys like Kirby, Mantlo, Toth, you name it, were all exceedingly enthusiastic and had these wild imaginations. And that doesn’t exist all that much anymore. We’re too serious of an industry, like we won’t be regarded enough if we allowed our work to do all those wonderful things comics are capable of doing.

Getting back on point – Steve, Tim , and I have all had this itch to do something that harkens back to this particular comic/cartoon/toy era that we love so much and influenced us so heavily. And we wanted to do it right—nothing watered down, nothing compromised. We want to take readers back to a time when comics were something to enjoy, pure and simple. You read them because you were like “oh my God, who is this new character?! Is he good? Bad? What does this mean?!” But, again, so much of comics, right now, is set in its ways. Stories have to be told in a certain way, for a certain audience, in a certain format. We’re breaking all those rules because, one, we want to do something fun and original and totally unique; and two, we absolutely know people want this. These are the comics we love, but they’re also the comics people want.

Steve: You’ve worked with Steve Seeley frequently, with the current Hoax Hunters series at Image being one of the most high profile works. How did you all come together on this project in particular, and realise it was something you wanted to try and make a reality?

Michael: Steve and I, and Tim, share a similar affinity for this era of nerd culture, that late 70s early 80s cartoon, comic, toy, etc.  I mean, we’re three 30s-ish geeks, how could we not?

It’s not just that, though. We’re also creators who like to think outside the box, creatively and professionally. And doing a Kickstarter has been on our minds for awhile, but we wanted to do it right. Meaning, we wanted their to be a reason we were doing a Kickstarter, not just some cash grab to make good on our names. That’s lame.

So, one night we were drinking—as we are wont to do—and kicking around ideas. We had something there, like we were scratching the surface. We knew we wanted it to be inspired by those comics and toys we loved, but that wasn’t quite enough. It still didn’t have that “okay, but why?” factor. And Tim hit it: Mini comics. Everything took off from there, making them a certain size, getting the toy designers on board, even the weird incentives. Because, truly, this isn’t something we could do anywhere else. Not like this. That’s is what makes it a perfect project for Kickstarter—we’re not just giving away art or head sketches or whatever. We’re all in on this the mini comics theme, and the drive is a ton of fun because of that.

Steve: How has the process of working with the Seeleys been? Both on Hoax Hunters, and now with Mini Comics Included.

Michael: Tim and Steve are like brothers to me. We work really well together because we share both common interests and common values. We’re workers, we’re that prototypical Midwestern no-frills get-the-job-done type professionals. We love what we do, but the cornerstone of how we operate is grounded in dedication to the work.

Yet, as similar as we are, we’re also very different. We each bring something different to the table and, out of that, we refine the best possible product. That’s how Hoax Hunters is—Steve and I often have different sensibilities and have to find a middle ground; the process of doing so makes us really understand where we’re coming from on a story level, and the book is better for it.

Steve: So, to the comics in particular – how did you decide which characters to use for these stories? Did you have some of the characters in mind already, or did you create them just for this project?

Michael: For the most part, yes. These were kind of pet projects that we knew, to some degree, would not thrive in the Direct Market system. This was an opportunity for us to cast off those shackles and say, “okay, we’re doing these stories right here, right now.” Steve and I have been chipping away at Prime-8s, and we had done an Omega Family short for Double Feature Comics awhile back. Tim had done a Colt Noble one-shot with Image awhile ago as well. His other two ideas are just exercises in weird and crazy stuff that Tim digs. So, beware.

The main requirement, though, was to align the stories with the spirit of the project. This isn’t one big excuse for a vanity press—some stories didn’t make the cut. We were looking for a specific type of playfulness. For instance, Literary Commandos is a G.I. Joe riff; Prime-8s is kind of He-Man meets Ninja Turtles; Colt Noble has He-Man written all over it. The feel of the book matters. Without that, it doesn’t matter what size it is or what toy you may have purchased; the story, and art, has to function. Speaking of, the artists on these titles are incredible. Paul Tucker, Brent Schoonover, Sean Dove, Clint Hiliniski are all absolutely killing on these books, and we selected them because they’re such perfect, perfect fits.

Steve: How long are each of the issues?

Michael: Sixteen total pages for each comic.

Steve: Are there any characters you’re particularly fond of? I couldn’t help but notice there is a frog cyborg, and I immediately need to know everything about this character, please.

Michael: Ha, well, that’s actually a frog totoro, though easily mistaken as a cyborg. He’s the leader of the hyper-evolutionaries who make havoc for the Omegas. That’s all Paul Tucker—his design sensibility and playfulness are out of this world. Watch that name, he’s going places.

Hmmm… favorites. Well, Dracula Man (from Superbeasts) is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard in a while. I love the Prime-8s villains, Dogtastrophe (you know, a play CATastrphe, get it?) and the K-G-Bee. And what’s not to love about a four-armed gorilla named Fourilla? There’s Marksman Twain, that’s a good one. Kikintha Balls…oh, and Daxxis from Omega Family. Love that Woolly Mammoth…thing.

Steve: BUT! Has it been difficult to create characters who can match up to the might of The Street Sharks?

Michael: Where would democracy be without them? And Battletoads?

In terms of raw power, I’d need to wrap up Travis Bickle with Driver with a mutated dinosaur to enter the arena. Those were some badass sharks.

Steve: How tongue in cheek will the comics be? Looking back now, we’re aware that the comics were a way to try and sell more toys to kids – are you going to play with that, at all, or are you playing things straight? Is it tempting to try a more satirical approach with the stories, and wink at the readers?

Michael: We sort of play with the stories. As mentioned above, we’re totally aware that these comics were often promo pieces, and that’s that. But one thing we absolutely did not want to do was get ironic with this. Nobody enjoys nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. So we had to walk a fine of embracing the  idea too much and making it a sell aware wink at the tradition. I think the balance we have is a good one. We embrace it and honor what we’re working with, but make it our own as well, in a very loving way. Again, we want to recapture that feel of the time, and the best way to do so, we think, is to make it somewhat contemporary but retain the best sensibilities

Steve: How do you see the project moving on, if this Kickstarter is successful? Could we see a second wave in the future?

Michael: Oh boy…that’s like asking a woman who’s crowning if she’s thinking of having another kid. Okay, maybe not QUITE like that, but I’ve already had nightmares about the launch, and I’m writing this before actually doing so. I’m so thrilled about the project, but it’s also going to be a massive undertaking, from start to finish. I would love to do six more titles and make this a thing, and I think Steve and Tim would also. Right now, I’d say I’m hopeful. After all, we still haven’t told the story of the Blasteroids!

Many thanks to Michael for his time. So, one last mention – you can find Mini Comics Included on Kickstarter here. You can also find Michael on Twitter here!

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Here’s a new social media.commerce site that has an interface geared at people who collect: Hazarai!. Let’s call it Etsy meets eBay for nerds—you can list stuff you want to sell with no fees. They also have a blog with such useful content as a holiday gift guide, a good interview with David Lloyd about Aces Weekly and a post where folks from Jeffrey Brown to Paul Pope talk about their most treasured collectibles.

Here’s an excerpt from the Lloyd interview:

DL:  I just asked.  One of the reasons why I’ve managed to get these guys and girls on board is that I said to them “You can do 21 pages of whatever you like.”  I say that because I know that’s one of the things that attracts people.  Creators rarely get asked that, they get asked by publishers “Oh, can you do Green Lantern, can you do this, we’d like you to do a new version of this” but they rarely get asked to do anything they like.  So that attracted people in a major way.  But I can’t honestly give you any other clues as to why people came on board with this other than they liked the idea, they liked the concept. We all express ourselves best when we have no limits to what we want to express.  It’s just beautiful, beautiful stuff.

If you’re looking to buy something geeky, poking around the main Hazerai! site should find something for the nerd on your list. Like who wouldn’t want earrings in the shape of Link’s fireshield from LEGEND OF ZELDA? No brainer!

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Christmas is being held on December 25th this year, so you’ve only got a few weeks left to find something decent to give your family and friends. But never tremble with frostbitten fear! Because there are still places you can go, events you can take part in, and presents you can get for your demanding little sister. But… only if you’re British. Sorry, everywhere else in the World!

Today see the Leeds Alternative Comics Fair take place for the 5th consecutive year, promising a great lineup of small press and self-published creators and makers such as Kristyna Baczynski, Adam Cadwell, Gareth Brookes and organisers Steve Tillotson and Hugh Raine. Held at Nation of Shopkeepers in Leeds (which is a BAR), it’s a great, fun event, and will be running today. Oh! You’d better run!

We also see Newcastle’s Canny Comic Con kick off today, with guests including Bryan and Mary Talbot, Gary Erskine, Al Ewing and those Art Hero boys everybody’s talking about nowadays. Another festive tradition in Britain, the CCC is another brilliant way to find some last-minute (you still have several weeks, but I like to instil fear in an audience) presents for people.

Oh, but again – that’s happening today. You’d better run! Again!

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Cartoonist Julia Wertz (Fart Party, The Infinite Wait and Other Stories) has just launched Julia’s Junk Shop on Etsy, and if you are looking for gifts for that certain someone, you might find something here. besides Wertz’s own very funny books, there is jewelry made of Peanuts, earrings made of sea glass, and many other pleasing items. Check it out.

PS: you might not be able to see this unless you on Facebook, but Wertz also has a haunting set of photos of a trip to a ruined Catskills resort that is very much worth checking out.

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Well, you’ve probably heard about the recent record breaking sale of Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man cover, which sold for $657,250.00 .  Now, that’s interesting, in and of itself, as that cover was published in January 1990, and isn’t considered as iconic as some of his other Spider-Man or Hulk covers.  (His Spider-Man #1 cover recently sold for $358,500.00 at the same auction.)

But here’s where it gets really interesting… from the auction description:

Todd McFarlane The Amazing Spider-Man #328 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1990). Spidey demonstrates his awesome new powers on the Hulk, in this earth-trembling cover illustration by Todd McFarlane. Brimming with the raw energy that sky-rocketed McFarlane to the top of the industry, this cover illustration includes its original logo and masthead paste-up copy. The art has an image area of 10″ x 15″ and, aside from some light glue staining, it is in Excellent condition. Signed by the artist at the bottom. From the Shamus Modern Masterworks Collection.

According to the press release announcing the record sale:

“The auction is on track to break $9 million and become the single highest grossing comic and comic art auction in history,” said [Todd] Hignite [Vice President of Heritage Auctions]. “We’re thrilled with the results and especially thrilled for Martin Shamus, who had the foresight and good taste to acquire these pieces more than two decades ago.”

Martin Shamus operated [operates? No business name is mentioned.] a comics shop on Long Island, New York, and is the father of Gareb and Steven Shamus.

But… how many pieces has he recently placed for auction, and how much was realized?  Thankfully, a quick search on the phrase “From the Shamus Modern Masterworks Collection” lists 109 references on the Heritage Auction website.

• Glenn Fabry Batman: Vengeance of Bane II Painted Cover Original Art (DC, 1995) $7,767.50
• Carl Potts and Jim Lee Punisher War Journal #7 Wolverine Page 15 Original Art (Marvel, 1989). $1,613.25
• Todd McFarlane The Amazing Spider-Man #319 Page 19 Original Art (Marvel, 1989). $28,680.00
• Todd McFarlane The Amazing Spider-Man #319 Splash Page 1 Original Art (Marvel, 1989). $28,680.00 [sic]
• Dale Keown The Incredible Hulk #388 Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1991). $11,352.50
• Glenn Fabry Batman: Vengeance of Bane Special <
  4 Comments on What Am I Bid?: Recent Comics and Movie Auction Results, last added: 8/6/2012
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  jacob goddard said, on 8/5/2012 6:01:00 PM
  

  What’s the story? That some fanboys are 1%ers?
  I can only hope that this spills over into actual “art comics” and the most innovative among us get a good payday for being flavor of the moment.
  CF’s pages are worth way more than they are selling for.

  jacob goddard said, on 8/5/2012 6:04:00 PM
  

  Crumb’s work blazed this trail 20 years ago, let us hope it continues.

  Torsten Adair said, on 8/5/2012 7:28:00 PM
  

  CF?

  The Hernandez Brothers are getting some good auction sales, but who knows who gets the money.

  There are different ways to value objects. Collectible auctions (and yes, almost all art falls under “collectible”, whether it’s renaissance masters or New Yorker cartoonists) provide some justification, that the original art from a comic book is valued both for the artistic and historic merit.

  Part of this post is the sheer desire of some of those objects… what would you bid on if you won the lottery? Or you can view it as a museum exhibition.

  Todd said, on 8/6/2012 6:52:00 AM
  

  The thing that bothered me about this is the total ignorance of the Heritage guys relative to an auction in June for a piece of Tintin cover art. It fetched 1.3 million euros when sold by Artcurial in Paris. It was the cover to the Tintin in America album from the early 1930’s.

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1997 saw Rodent Press bring out a chapbook entitled prophets and brothers, a collection of four short stories by Brian Evenson. The cover is pretty basic though the word "prophets" does wraparound from the back to the front. There were 250 copies of this chapbook published.  As a collection, it may be the most focused on Mormonism that he's put togehter--though I do wonder if that might not be  aided greatly by the fact that there are only four stories and not 150 plus pages worth of work.

I looked online for this for a couple of years before I was able to track one down at a price I thought was reasonable.

Six years later, Earthling Publications put out a second chapbook--what at the time appeared to be a novella entitled The Brotherhood of Mutilation. This was put out in two versions, 300 signed and numbered softcovers copies (of which this is number 10) and 15 hardcover, lettered, traycased, editions (I've never seen a hint of a sign of one of these online over the last five or six years of looking).

Turns out that four years later, Evenson published another novella length work, "Last Days", in Unsaid Magazine. Close readers would notice that the protagonist in this new novella, Kline, is the same from The Brotherhood of Mutilation, and in fact, "Last Days" picks up where the other left off. Underland Press would publish the two works together as Last Days in 2009. It's a work that sticks with you long after you finish reading it. Typing this post has various scenes popping back into my head this evening.

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I have to admit that the first thing that drew me to Patrick deWitt's second novel, The Sisters Brothers (Ecco, 2011), was the cover (apparently I'm not alone per this interview).

It was designed by as the first book desgined by Dan Stiles who if I read it right was more of a poster designer doing his first book cover and if that's correct--damn he started off BIG.

The best thing is that deWitt's novel is as badass as the cover--just a truly great book that should be read by damn near everybody. It's funny, brutal, entertaining, raw, and simply wonderful.

No idea how, but I apparently got added to a list of people Ecco was sending out signed and numbers copies of a 12" x 18" poster of the cover to. There were 150 of them per the numbering system on the bottom of the copy sent my way (number 17). This is another I look forward to framing, simply to hang andhave people ask What is that all about? so I can push a copy of the book on them.

 

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The South of the Beast broadside is one that I pre-ordered (thus saving half the cost or so) from NewLights Press.

NewLights currently has a great broadside available and it's a fundraiser--the money raised ($720 so far) goes toward helping out agains the costs of the recent fires in Colorado.

NewLights also has the one Evenson collectible I'm going to have a hard time justifying the cash for unless I hit that lottery I never play one day--The Drownable Species, a story by Brian Evenson/Object by Aaron Cohick--which runs $400. The thing is, looking at this broadside, and the fire broadside, I can imagine the quality of this higher priced object and hope to one day find myself in a position to say to myself that $400 makes sense (and hopefully while it's still available at that price).

Anyway, the South of the Beast broadside takes a section from Evenson's short story of that title and was printed, and then de-laminated (thus the holed, I assume) in what sounds like a pretty drawn out process. There were 25 of them created (this is number 3) and the words (I suppose not so oddly) are very Evensonian. It's something I feel the need to get under glass and frame quicker than some of the other objects as it feels very fragile.

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So, this broadside really isn't titles Extraordinary Renditions, it is instead titled "Elivi's Gulyas" (sorry, I've only used typepad for 7 years now, I don't know how to add accents).

It is Andrew Ervin's wife's recipe for gulyas--or goulash (I'm taking Andrew's word, I always thought it was ghoulash for some reason).

This broadside was created by Coffee Hosue Press, who published Andrew's book in September 2010 (it's wonderful--look for it asap) and sent it to various booksellers and book lovers alike to celebrate the forthcoming title. I am happy to have been both on CHP's review list at the time, and a friend of Andrew's who also thought I'd enjoy this and suggested they send me a copy.

I will also say that I'd probably not had goulash in a good twenty years as I think the old family recipe passed along with my maternal grandmother. Tried this one out one weekend in January and it was damn good food.

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A special broadside created for a reading Brian Evenson did at the Bankhead Visiting Writers Series back on September 21, 2006. It was printed by Patrick Masterson and includes a portion of the title story from Brian's debut full-length short story collection, Altmann's Tongue.

It is signed and numbered by Brian--a total of 125 were made (this is number 16) and seems like a pretty cool thing for a reading series to do for the writers visiting and reading at their series.

I personally came into possession of this thanks to a Rain Taxi auction where I placed the winning bid. As a huge Evenson fan (as future "collectible" posts will help note), and one that loves that collection in particular, it was something I couldn't pass up at the time. I'm glad too as I've not seen it available elsewhere all that frequently since then.

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"Mr. Jones,of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes."

And so begins what might be my favorite book, George Orwell's Animal Farm. If not my favorite, definitely the one I've read more times as an adult than any other book (there are books from my childhood that I know I read in the dozens, if not hundreds, of times). Long enough ago that I don't remember when or where, I found a copy of the 50th Anniversary Edition from Harcourt Brace (Good Lord, that was published 17 years  ago itself). Not only does it contain the text of the novel,  but also includes Orwell's proposed preface as well as a preface that was included in the Ukranian Edition, both of which make for interesting reading. However, the true attraction to this particular edition is the artwork from Ralph Steadman.

The bio for Steadman on the back flap states:

"Ralph Steadman was born in Cheshire on May 15, 1936 (the day the Spanish Civil War began). He has won many international awards. Widely known in the United States for his illustrations of Hunter S. Thompson's classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and other works, his own previous books include Sigmund Freud, I Leonardo, Between the Eyes, Paranoids, and The Big I Am."

Prior to picking up this copy I don't believe I'd ever heard of him, which seems to be a defecit on my part. The art absolutely enhances this book very well--an image shown here is the two-page spread where Napoleon emerges, upright on two feet for the first time. It's a good example of how  in the design of the book Harcourt Brace did not limit Steadman to single pages, but allowed his art and the text to run together in places, to very good use. There are approximately 100 pieces of art by Steadman within the covers of this version.

It's one of those books in my collection that doesn't simply feet like a book, or even a great book, but something that slides into that "collectible" category along with the limited edition books, or chapbooks, or broadsides. It's also larger than the standard book, maybe 9 1/2 x 12 inches, causing it to stick out a bit on one's shelf.

For some reason, the ever-changing mantra from the barn wall, serving as the back cover of this edition, seems to fit all too well these days:

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It’s been a crappy horrible day, but here’s something to end it on that should make you smile. The kids today may not be aware that Cracker Jack gifts weren’t always lame-of pencil toppers (seriously — who the hell needs a pencil topper???) but were once an array of tiny toys and gadgets all assembled from die cast plastic. And now it seems largest collection of Cracker Jack toys ever assembled going up for auction. It’s all part of the Dreier Collection, a massive pop culture collection which is being auctioned off by Profiles in History on July 28th. You can view the whole thing below.

PR:

With a little over a week until their four day July Hollywood auction, Profiles in History, run by Joe Maddalena, is proud to announce that the largest collection of Cracker Jack toy premiums ever amassed will be up for auction. The Cracker Jack toys are a part of The Dreier Collection, which will be auctioned off on, Saturday, July 28th. Their Animation Auction will be, Sunday, July 29th, and the Treasures from the Hollywood Vaults auction has been moved to, Monday, July 30th and Tuesday, July 31st. All auctions will take place in Los Angeles.

When German immigrant Frederick “Fritz” William Rueckheim and his brother Louis concocted an early version of their popcorn, molasses and peanut confection at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, they called it simply, “Candied Popcorn and Peanuts.” But in 1896 Fritz devised a way to keep the popcorn kernels separated by adding a small quantity of oil to each spinning vat. Prior to this innovation, the product stuck together in chunks. In 1896, the first batch of “Cracker Jack” was made. An enthusiastic customer is said to have coined its household name by exclaiming, “That’s crackerjack!” Later, the song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” gave Cracker Jack priceless publicity for free when the line, “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!” was first sung in 1908. In 1912 mystery novelty items or “prizes” were included in every box of Cracker Jack. Among the very first prizes were baseball cards. Over time, prizes have included everything from charms to whistles; from tin toys to temporary tattoos. The original tagline for Cracker Jack w

1 Comments on Weekend distraction: Biggest Crackerjack Toy Auction in history about to go down, last added: 7/20/2012

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Caged Wisdom said, on 7/20/2012 10:01:00 PM

It’s definitely worth taking the time to page through the online catalog auction. Pez dispensers, cereal toys, Superman movie props and Ferris Bueller’s jacket! Great stuff. http://issuu.com/profilesinhistory/docs/dreiercollection?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23000000

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As soon as I hear any news about new cuddly toys, you can bet I’ll let you all know about it! And I’ve already got one such announcement for you already, you lucky cuddlers of the Internet. StylinOnline have unveiled a set of San Diego Exclusive Big Bang Theory plush figures today, available both at their SDCC booth and online, as part of a combo pack.

You have your pick of either Leonard or Sheldon, as presumably people were worried about making a cuddly Penny figure. Each doll comes with a T-Shirt so you can dress up like your nerdy cuddle-buddy. Sheldon, who isn’t afraid of who he is and what he loves, wears a Flash shirt. Leonard, the perpetual worrier/one who looks suspiciously like a male model whenever he takes his glasses off on the show, wears a hoodie.

To the booth, cuddly toy fans! To the booooothh!!!

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BY JEN VAUGHN - Last month, Logan Kugler lit a fire under our butts about sending Star Trek figures into space! One small step for plastic . . . you get it.

His Kickstarter campaign was successful and there a rather precious teaser video available here or you can watch the official Discovery Channel version! Kugler is working up on a follow-up project and mentioned something even about fanzines and comics. Oh, we do hope so!

—

Jen Vaughn would also like to go to space.

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Hopefully folks in Mount Dora and Central Florida can stop by and see me! I love hearing from readers!

I will be signing my latest release, Book III of The Empyrical Tales: The Secret Queen, and I will have a few surprises.

First stop, Barrel of Books and Games in downtown Mount Dora. Today (June 2) from 4pm to 6pm, come check out this amazing store. They have a huge selection of new and used books. Plus, their collectibles are amazing. They have everything from Angry Birds to Big Bang Theory Bobbleheads to Star Wars. AT 144 W 5th Ave in Downtown Mt. Dora about 45 minutes from Orlando.

On June 9th, I will be at HighFive Frozen Yogurt in the Loch Leven Landing shopping center. This one is for a good cause. Both the author and HighFive will be donating a portion of the proceeds to our local elementary school PTO. I will be there from 1pm to 4pm. I want to see somebody come challenge the HighFive Titan! The store is at 18977 US Hwy 441, in between Five Guys Burgers and Publix.

This is only the first wave. I am working on events with some author friends and at least one of the public libraries. If you can't make it in person, I recently updated my website where you can order autographed copies at a new, special price - www.MillerWords.com

For all you Kindle readers, I have the privilege of being one of the first to use Kindlegraph Live! Kindlegraph.com is a site where authors can personalize autographs for their digital readers. With KG Live, when you see me at an event, you can buy one of my eBooks on your eReader or smart phone. Then I can send you an autograph. All you need is an email address, and it doesn't even have to be a Kindle address.

Keep following my blog or follow on Facebook.com/EmpyricalTales to stay informed of the latest appearances.

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By Steve Morris

Fans have been crying out for this for too long, so it’s a relief to find that Marvel have finally come up with a way for people to smell just like Tony Stark, all dripping with sweat inside a tight metal suit all day, coated in oil and rust and leftover martini. But not just Stark! No, Marvel have decided to offer fans the chance to smell like any one of the Avengers (wait – nobody cares about Hawkeye, right?).

That’s right: Official Marvel fragrances are now available for you to buy, created by Jads International. Fans can pick up officially-licensed Hulk “Smash”, Loki “Mischief”, “Patriot Cologne”, Iron Man “Mark VII”, Thor “Worthy” and, uh, “Black Widow Perfume”. I guess they decided against calling it “Red Ledger Perfume”, in the end. Most excitingly of all, however, is the chance for us to finally experience the age-reducing joy of Nick Fury’s “Infinity Formula”.

If there’s one thing viewers took away from the Avengers film, it’s that they want to smell like Hulk and Thor. Can you even begin to imagine opening up a bottle of Captain America’s “Patriot” and whiffing in the scent of freedom, democracy, and AMERICA? I bet it’s got some good ol’ Apple Pie in it.

The only downside of this news is that there is still no way for fans to smell like Agent Phil Coulson, other than to rub themselves against Clark Gregg repeatedly. Well, if one must…

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by Casey Burchby

One of the only fistfights I’ve ever been in was over Garbage Pail Kids – proof they were a dangerous influence, no? I was eight and a kid named Chad lived down the street. Chad was bad. His family was shady. Their house was overgrown; the lawn was a small parking lot. Chad was the kid I’d play with – maybe – if no one else was around. But Chad had had Garbage Pail Kids. So with some hesitation, I decided to do a little business with Chad. I had a card he was dying for. He promised me several cards in return for just that one. I jumped at the offer, which I knew was foolish. Little did I know Chad planned to welsh.

After using all of the diplomatic tools at my disposal, I brought out my eight-year-old guns and punched Chad in the neck. This caused a stir in the neighborhood for most of that afternoon, and gave unintended leverage to parents who wished to see Garbage Pail Kids burn in hell. My collection was decimated by the loss of Rappin’ Ron, and I was never the same.

But now everyone missing that one card can complete their collection (at least virtually) with a volume just out from Abrams. The book is a wonderfully designed tribute to these shit-disturbing cards in all their graphic, full-color glory.

Created by Art Spiegelman (who provides an introduction here) and sold by Topps, the cards built on the success of previous trading card series including Topps’ own Wacky Packages. The first run of GPK was entirely drawn by John Pound, whose original single-card design was executed (but never used) for Wacky Packages. (Wacky Packages trading cards satirized all manner of consumer products: Cheerios became Cheapios, Taster’s Choice became Taster’s Choke, etc.)

In his chatty introduction, Spiegelman also cites a briefly popular (but now largely forgotten) Topps series from the 1960s as an inspiration for GPK: Ugly Stickers, which were simply images of abstract, crazy-looking creatures with names like Jeff and Melvin. Yet they were drawn by comics legends Will Elder and Basil Wolverton; and that series was followed by the similar Slob Stickers by Jack Davis.

Spiegelman’s short four-page intro does possibly more to put these faddish cards in their proper creative context than anyone has ever attempted before. He provides a very welcome bit of history and reminiscence. The remainder of the book’s 224 pages consists of exquisite reproductions of each and every card in the first five series (1985-1986), plus a short afterword by artist John Pound.

Credit for the wonde

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This interview with Young Justice Lead Character Designer Phil Bourassa has a few clues if you want to connect the dots. Early in he explains his intro to the world of animation:

Phil Bourassa: I got into animation a little bit by accident, I guess. Originally I had wanted to be a comic book artist. I published an independent book about ten years ago with a grant from the Xeric Foundation, hoping I could use it to get work in the industry. As fate would have it, one of the people who bought my comic happened to be a producer for WB at the time. She gave my book to Denys Cowan, (co-creator of Static and the rest of the Milestone characters) who was just getting ready to start developing the third season of Static Shock. I guess he liked my work well enough to take a chance on a newcomer. At that point, they were looking to get a fresh take on some of the characters and were probably hoping I would be able to bring a new perspective. I think they figured out pretty quickly how inexperienced I was, but still let me stick around long enough carve out a little spot for myself on the crew.

And later in the interview:

WF: As we wrap up this Q & A, care to give us an idea of what we can expect in upcoming episodes of Young Justice, perhaps any particular designs or new characters you’d like to point out?

PB: I’m not sure what episode will have aired by the time you guys run this interview, needless to say, season one is gonna end with a bang! As far as characters to look out for in the second season, let’s just say there is one we will introduce that brings my animation career full circle.

That’s either a total fake-out or a strong indication Static is joining. The fact that DC is keeping the character in the mix in Teen Titans despite his own book’s cancellation would tend to corroborate this.

What do ya’ll think? Would this be a good move?

• That Xeric book by Bourassa was something called FIRST WORLD, BTW.

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