R.I.P. Keith Giffen.

In recent times, I’ve shied away from “R.I.P. posts”, for no more a reason than to reduce the sadness at this humble Blog… but this week was just too much to ignore for such a flimsy reason!

Keith Giffen, one of the most unique writer/artists ever to work in comics passed away on October 09, 2023, at the age of 70.

To say that Keith Giffen was a huge part of my comics-reading life would be an understatement... and, if anything, that would be the ONLY "understatement" applicable to the work of Mr. Giffen.  

One could easily say that he helped define DC Comics of the '80s! 

He had a long and very popular run on THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES... but that was a title I mostly didn't read, so I'll take general fandom's word on that. 

But, oh the characters and concepts he created - or co-created - was a wondrous mix of (Overused Word Alert) "legendary", beloved, and some just a little ahead of their time! 

Perhaps his most revolutionary concept was his completely unique take on the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, which (hard to believe) was then sputtering and petering-out with the infamous and ill-advised "Justice League Detroit".

Out with the old, in with the new... Detroit? 

Keith Giffen then swooped-in to save us (the readers) by "giving Detroit de boot" and unleashing a then-unheard-of spin on the superhero team!

Out with Detroit, in with ... ? 

Writer David Barnett, online for theguardian.com describes the series thusly:

"[Justice League (1987)] with co-creators JM DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, perhaps best showcased Giffen’s gift for comedic writing and injecting an almost soap opera mentality into superhero books.

"Justice League, later Justice League International, had an almost prescient, real-world tone, with a maverick millionaire capitalist, Maxwell Lord, essentially staging an Elon Musk-style takeover of the superhero team, getting them United Nations funding and government approval.

"The personal interactions of the characters were just as important, and the series came across more like Friends than the usual superhero fare."

Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Black Canary... and Guy Gardner became the new focus as laughs and dangers mixed in ways rarely seen before! 

Even further out-there than JUSTICE LEAGUE (which became JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL with issue #7, 1987 - and JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA  [no "of"] with issue #26, 1989), was the "still (Overused Word Alert - again) legendary after all these years" AMBUSH BUG!

First appearing in DC COMICS PRESENTS #52 (1982) Ambush Bug "became legend" as a result of some truly zany appearances in various issues of ACTION COMICS (1984-1985) and one issue of SUPERGIRL.

Ambush Bug heckles Superman! 

With this character, TRULY anything goes! As did The Bug himself, with scattered mini-series from 1985-2009!

Then, there were a few short-lived series that were (as mentioned above) "just a little ahead of their time" such as THE HECKLER (1992-1993), an outrageous series that had me laughing out loud! 

And VEXT (1999), both lasting only SIX ISSUES EACH! 

But, for me, Keith Giffen's Crown Jewel is none other than The Main Man himself... that fragger of bastiches on a planetary scale... everyone's favorite comic book character (...and if he's not yours and you value your life, PLEASE  don't tell him!)... LOBO!  

 

Below: An early Lobo with Guy Gardner in Keith Giffen's Justice League International.

Is it any wonder that Lobo and Guy Gardner were two of my most favorite DC characters of the '90s? 

...With THIS GUY to guide them, how could they miss?! 

Lobo transcended comic books with his appearance in SUPERMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1996), and another in the subsequent JUSTICE LEAGUE animated series. 

I met Keith Giffen at one of the many New York cons in the '90s, and he autographed this LOBO issue for me!

 

My last encounter with a Keith Giffen comic was an unlikely one... yet somehow fitting for Mr. Giffen.  He reunited with his JUSTICE LEAGUE / JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL / JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA co-conspirator J.M. DeMatteis for SCOOBY APOCALYPSE which, unlike some of his tragically cut-short titles, ran for 36 issues (2016-2019)! 

Aw, c'mon folks, Scooby had a lot worse done to him (cough!) "VELMA" (cough!) 

Rest In Peace, Mr. Keith Giffen, and THANK YOU for all the great comics you've delighted me with!

 

...Especially the ones with LOBO! 

Uncover Batman's Mystery Casebook with Sholly Fisch!

It's the World's Greatest Detective and the World's Greatest Comic Book Writer (...well, ONE OF the latter in MY view, anyway) together again for ONE historic meeting... ONE day only... SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4th... when the old tower clock strikes NOON! 

And, while Batman *might* just limit his appearance to the printed page (...or, maybe he'll show up silently behind you - ya NEVER CAN TELL with him), SHOLLY FISCH will be there to meet, greet, and sign copies of his new graphic novel, BATMAN'S MYSTERY CASEBOOK!

Sholly describes the book as "a collection of Encyclopedia Brown/Minute Mysteries-style solve-it-yourself mysteries that let you match wits with the World's Greatest Detective." 

So, if you're anywhere around the northeast (or, even if you're not), consider coming down (or up, depending on your location) to...

A&S Comics

563 Cedar Lane

Teaneck, NJ 07666

...at 12 NOON!  If Batman isn't there, you can always match wits with Sholly Fisch - a gentleman of considerable wit himself!    

Remember, for us New York/New Jersey Metro area/northeasterners, it's much closer than San Diego, and far easier to get into than the Javitz Center - and, frankly, not really that much further away!

I made the NYC-traversing trip from Long Island for a previous such "Sholl-event" for the late and VERY lamented SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP'S 50th and final issue and, December weather and conditions permitting, I expect to do so again.  So, you might even be able to "match wits" with me as well... provided I remember to take them along.  

Hopefully, I'll see you there!

PS: Don't forget to check out the SECOND SERIES of THE BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES, presently on its second issue (of 12).  #1 pictured below.

There, you can match wits with Batman, the Scooby Gang, and Sholly Fisch... and perhaps learn something new about TURKEY... the nation, not the bird!  

You can read my index for the issue at Grand Comics Database HERE!

The Secrets of "Mickey Mouse Super Secret Agent"!

One of the most fascinating aspects of the creatively fertile period of the mid-1960s for American Disney comics was - and continues to be - the three "subset" issues of Gold Key's MICKEY MOUSE title (issues 107-109) dubbed "Mickey Mouse Super Secret Agent"!   

Covers and first page scans below... 

Written by Don R. Christensen, drawn by Dan Spiegle and Paul Murry, and lettered by Rome Siemon, this alas-short-lived experiment continues to resonate with fans (like me) and draw the curious (like some of you?) to this day.  

My original "comics mentor" (decades before I thought I could ever break into comics and text-article writing), Mark Evanier has posted a comprehensive look at "Mickey Mouse Super Secret Agent" at his Blog - and, with full credit and appreciation to Mark, I link to it HERE!  

Enjoy!  

R.I.P. Pat McGreal

It's always sad to prepare a "R.I.P." post, as every one of them I create is in tribute to someone who "made my life a little better, or nicer", by either their presence or their accomplishments.  

But, it's all the more so when it's a member of the small creative community that I've been privileged to be a part of - the Disney comic book creative community.  

Pat McGreal passed away May 31, 2021. 

I never met, and know little or nothing about, Pat McGreal, but I DO know that he was too young to be the subject of a post like this!  

With his spouse Carol, Pat McGreal wrote some of the best contemporary Disney comic book stories, which have appeared in comics published by Gemstone and IDW.  

Among my personal favorites were the "Shambor" series of Mickey Mouse tales, and "Ten Little Millionaires", an outer-space version of  "Ten Little Indians" - with ROBBERIES taking the place of murders, of course!   The latter is reviewed in my Blog post on the issue!

In that post, I discuss a few "McGreal-isms" that have worked their way into Disney comic book dialogue - my favorite of which is Gyro Gearloose's exclamation "Great Tesla's Coil!" 

So much so that I integrated it into my own dialoguing work, because it's too perfect not to!  

From Luciano Bottaro's masterpiece "Uncle Scrooge's Money Rocket", as it appeared in Fantagraphics DISNEY MASTERS Volume 2 (2018). 

So, thank you, Pat McGreal, for your place in The Great Continuum of Disney Comics Creators, and for so many inspired and enjoyable moments on the printed page! 

(The Return of the Phantom) Blot, Out!

 ...Or "Blot, Out! II - The Sequel"!  

In THIS POST we looked at "DISNEY MASTERS Vol. 15 MICKEY MOUSE: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE PHANTOM BLOT" from Fantagraphics Books.  Now, let's look at it again - but through the lens of the GRAND COMICS DATABASE, and with yours truly as your host and indexer - HERE!  

Try and top THAT for detail, I.N.D.U.C.K.S!  ...Aw, we're just kidding... We love I.N.D.U.C.K.S!  It's the most valuable source for information on the world-wide totality of Disney comic books!

But GCD is no slouch either... and it's got me and a bunch of other dedicated folks bringing you the best coverage of comic books in general.  Both should be prime components of any comic book fan's arsenal! 

I don't know if I'm "The World's Number One Phan" of the "Phan-Tom Blot", but if I'm not somewhere in the top ten, I've really been squandering my life since 1964!  

As part of my overall dedication to "Blot Boosting", I also wrote the "Feature Object" for The Phantom Blot at GCD .  You can see that HERE!  

And, if you dare, you can even check out my own GCD "Creator Object" HERE! 

...Yeah, that last one is a little much to ask, but indulge me, okay? 

However, the REAL focus of this post is The Phantom Blot, and the wonderful, new Fantagraphics book dedicated to him - and one of his most classic artists, Paul Murry.  

For anyone who's read the book by now - or would like to - now's the time, and here's the place, to leave your comments and have a good old time "talking Blot"!

  

See ya in the Comments Section!  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: You'll Love This Comic a Bushel and a Peck!

I wish I had written this ad copy!  

From the final page of WALTER LANTZ NEW FUNNIES # 232 (Dell Comics, Cover Date: June, 1956). 

And, just because we like it so much, here's a BONUS AD from WALTER LANTZ NEW FUNNIES # 230 (Dell Comics, Cover Date: April, 1956). 

...Aw, heck!  I would like to have written this one, too!  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Why Dialogue Matters!

Comic book dialogue is VERY important... and not just because people pay me to write it, but because it can delightfully enhance when good - and seriously blunt when bad - the gag it's associated with!  

Take this example from DELL FOUR COLOR #135 FELIX THE CAT (Dell Comics: Cover Date: February, 1947)...

A mad scientist has created a death ray that Felix has stolen and reversed the polarity, creating instead a "life-ray"!  You know... bringing things to life, rather than killing them.  

The expected chase ensues, and one of Felix's delaying tactics is to bring a billboard of a tough boxing champ to life, just in time to kay-o the mad scientist!  

Now, the gag is good enough on its own, but the added dialogue "Boy! - I thought I'd never let that punch go!"  implies that, for as long as that billboard has been around, the boxer has been "frozen" in some sort of "eternal wind-up" and could never release that built-up energy, until Felix intervened!

That is what puts the gag into "Laugh-Out-Loud-Territory"... at least for me!  ...And that's why good dialogue matters!  

 

Even The Beagle Boys know THAT!