The Life and Times of Johnny Storm

Adventures in Sound #25

The Life and Times of Johnny Storm

Now that I think of it, ‘Remco’ would have made a great Warlord villain

I have a question, something that has actually bothered me for years now: Did anyone, anywhere, ever own these action figures? And who comes off looking worse, Deimos or Machiste?*

Back in my youth I used to be a semi-fan of Travis Morgan and his center-of-the-Earth adventures as the Warlord of Skartaris, but even I never thought it was something that could support a toy line. As best as I can figure, the Warlord toys were a half-hearted bid by DC and Remco to cash in on that sweet Masters of the Universe moolah. (Though that might’ve been half-hearted since it was coming a couple of years later into the path of the MOTU juggernaut.)

I even kinda wonder if these were remaindered MOTU figures – doesn’t that constipated muscle-man design look familiar? All in all, these toys look pretty mock-worthy and I doubt I would’ve wanted them at the time.

Of course, now I want them bad.

*Trick question – it’s a tie.

How sausage is made: Links, links, links!

Hey there, ho there, settle down there!

Things are running a little tight today, but I didn’t want to put the brakes on the momentum of four (count ’em, FOUR) posts in a row, so here are some links that caught my eye and should catch your attention. Links are go!

And just like that, it’s a wrap for The Rack. After four years, writer Kevin Church and artist Benjamin Birdie have brought their webcomic to a close and I, for one, am sorry to see it go. The Rack has been something special; go read it from the beginning, and while you’re at it, why don’t you throw some money at the boys?

Speaking of webcomics, the monstrously talented Jeff Parker and artist Erika Moen have launched Bucko with a three page-intro, and if I were you I’d jump on that right now.

February is Black History Month, and I can’t think of anyone better to talk about black history and comics than David Brothers. Go read his thoughtful essay on his own experience as a comic book reader, which also serves as the introduction to a month-long series celebrating Black History Month.

Finally, a reason to go to Taco Bell.

And finally-finally, don’t forget today is the deadline to get your reviews in for this month’s Great Caesar’s Movie Club!

Adventures in Sound #24

Movie Club reminder: Enemy Mine is coming soon!

Just a friendly reminder that the current selection for Great Caesar’s Movie Club is Enemy Mine, a sci-fi classic of 1985 featuring a hairy Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr.’s interpretation of an alien speech impediment. Join in the fun, won’t you?

Due date: Tuesday, February 1

The deal: Write a review of this months’ selection, link it back to me and I’ll link back to you. Send me an e-mail or drop it in the comments so I know it’s there. Eazy-E!

Make contact: maxoromero [at] gmail [com]

In praise of Johnny Storm – no, really

By now we all know Johnny Storm – the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four – is the latest victim of a comic book killin’ over at Marvel.

In typical fashion, the Torch died heroically if somewhat pointlessly in issue #587 of the Fantastic Four. (I’ll spare the details just in case someone hasn’t read the issue yet, but seriously, if you read comics at all you’ve probably heard by now that he’s gotten the kibosh). Everyone knows it ain’t gonna stick, and in a year or two (if not sooner), Johnny will be back in all his flaming glory. It’s such a cliche that I felt cliched just typing that out.

The casual frequency with which superheroes get whacked at both Marvel and DC is just one of the reasons it’s hard for me to think much of the Torch’s death. Honestly – and I might get flack for this – I’ve never been that big a fan of the Fantastic Four. Sure, I enjoy reading an FF book now and then but I’ve never done it regularly, much less so in recent years (though I hear Jonathan Hickman has done a good job of bringing back all the elements that make the characters great).

Another part of it is – well, who cares about Johnny Storm? On top of being members of one of the premier super-teams in history, Reed and Sue have the dynamic of marriage and kids. Ben Grimm famously has a clobberin’ personality wrapped in the rocky shell of the Thing, which itself comes with its own particular angst.

But Johnny? Johnny’s a somewhat privileged, handsome kid who likes to drive fast cars, hit on women and lucked into super-powers that an android also called the Human Torch had about 20 years earlier. He also doesn’t need to work since his sister Sue married the patent-rich genius Reed. Mostly, he’s a glory-seeking goof.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized THAT’S THE POINT. Of all the members of the Fantastic Four, the Torch is the character people can most relate to, especially when you consider that at the time he was created most comic book readers were kids themselves. Johnny is the pure joy of being a kid with super-powers whose only responsibility is to go beat up bad guys with the help of a loving family. Talk about wish-fulfillment.

With that in mind, pour a 40 for our fallen homie and celebrate the comic book life of Johnny Storm and his adventures as the Human Torch with me. Every Friday I’ll be posting a scene featuring Johnny in action, in repose or at his philosophical best, and together we’ll see what made him such an important part of the Fantastic Four. At least until they bring him back or something.

For now, hold your cigarette lighters high and sing along – I can’t think of a better way to memorialize the Human Torch, can you?

Showdown at the discount store

Somewhere out there, I’ve got a rival. I don’t know anything about this person – young or old, man or woman, douche or righteous dude.

All I do know is this guy is buying all my comics.

Besides regular trips to my comic shop. I also tend to hit second-hand stores, library sales and used bookstores. (I’m still waiting to find that mythical garage sale where I’ll find a box filled with old titles that the owner is just giving away. And then, THEN my geek fortune will be made! I’ll be a king among nerds! Bwa-ha-ha-haaa!)

One place I’ve been hitting lately is Savers, which is sort of like a nicer and better organized Goodwill. Someone must have just recently donated part of their comics collection because I’ve been finding the most unexpected books there lately. Y’know when you go to a coffee shop and then when you get there you find out they serve pizza, too? Like that.

If you’ve ever pawed your way through boxes and jumbled shelves of books, you know that finding a decent graphic novel or trade -  much less one that’s in good condition – can be rare. When my wife and I were in Savers a few weeks ago I was poking around the books when I noticed a nearly new copy of The Chronicles of Conan, Vol. 14. “Huh,” I thought. “That’s pretty cool. And it’s going for four bucks?”

A no-brainer, right? I must’ve been in a coma at the time because I passed on it. First, I thought, “Oh, c’mon, this will still be here next time. Who else is going to be looking for comics here?” EXCEPT THAT THERE WAS. And the next time I looked for the Conan, it was gone – along with a couple of other titles I was looking at. Someone else was trying to ride the sudden wave of comics, and from then on it was a race.

There’s also the added twist of the store’s wholly inscrutable tag system. It’s more complicated than I want to get into, but the important part is that on Thursdays items with whatever colored tag chosen for that week are a dollar.

One. Dollar.

So not only was my recently discovered trove of trades going for cheap, one day out of the week some of them were really cheap. No wonder the good stuff was disappearing!

After that, if it was Thursday I was at Savers. There were some books I picked up tag or no tag – my rival was out there, circling like a shark waiting to gobble up what he could – but I’ve still managed to load up on trades and graphic novels for a buck each.

Not everything on the shelf have been winners (a lot of it, honestly, is crap), and some of it – like Dan Slott’s run on She-Hulk and J.P. Stassen’s Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda – are books I already have. But what I have picked up is either something I was interested in or could replace singles squirreled away in longboxes.

So far I’ve managed to pick up:

Three Shadows – Cyril Pedrosa

Betsy and Me – a collection of Jack Cole’s syndicated newspaper strip, sadly cut short after just more than two months by the comic master’s suicide in 1958.

Red Eye, Black Eye – A chronicle of the cross-country Greyhound travels of K. Thor Jensen

The Amazing, Remarkable Monsieur Leotard – The amazing and remarkably beautiful book by Eddie Campbell and Dan Best.

Superman: The Bottle City of Kandor – ‘Cause Daddy’s got to have his Silver Age Superman.

Desolation Jones, Vol. 1 – Warren Ellis writing, J.H. Williams III. ‘Nuff said.

The American Way – An entertaining, if sometimes heavy-handed, superhero story set in the simmering American South on the edge of the Civil Rights Movement; written by John Ridley and penciled by Georges Jeanty.

Flaming Carrot Comics, Vol. 6 – Absurdity in its purest, finest form as rendered by Bob Burden. Don’t you judge me.

Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 2 – The second book in the iconic series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. I somehow managed to pick this up for just 69 cents.

All told I’ve managed to  bring a  little more than $140 worth of comics home for about 10 dollars. I love my comic shop, but there’s no way I could (or should – they have to make a living, y’know) get even two of the same titles for nearly that price. Besides, any money I save is usually destined for monthlies and other trades anyway, so it’s all part of the comic book cycle of life.

And in any case, like most unexpectedly rich veins of precious gold, this one is about to run dry. Trades and graphic novels are becoming harder and harder to find lately – I’ve even taken to squinting at the children’s and non-fiction sections just in case there’s a mis-shelved book. I may have to admit that I’ve had a good run, but the inexpensive fattening of my collection is probably going to be a lot tougher from now on.

At least I can comfort myself knowing that times are lean for my shadowy rival, too. And it’s not like I’ve been sharing this sweet spot with anyone el …

Ah, crap.

Some words about Arizona

This blog hasn’t been a place for lots of political discussion, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. But like many people, I’ve been thinking a lot about the tragic shooting in Tucson, Ariz.

As most of you probably already know, Jared L. Loughner is being charged with murder and attempted murder in the deaths of six people (including a nine-year-old girl) and the injury of 14, one of whom is Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords was the first one shot, and is believed to have been Loughner’s primary target.

To say this incident is horrific is to understate it. To characterize Loughner as a monster is beyond dispute. To lay the blame at the feet of politicians who practice what amounts to thinly veiled hate-speech, as well as the irresponsible media that blithely repeats it without question, is more than justified. Seeing a member of the comic retail community taking apparent joy in murder is repugnant.

The whole thing is maddening, and disgusting, and more complex than I’m willing to get into here. It probably seems ridiculous to say a superhero comic book could have something to say about an incident like this, but I was reminded of a particular comic I first read years ago that has stuck with me for its basic truth. It encapsulates a small part of how I feel about guns, and the people who would use them to carelessly, callously,  strike out at others.

I thought I’d share it with you – three short captions that, years later, continue to have an impact and relevance.