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oasisguitar · 2 years

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10 Heaviest Metal Songs

Most people agree that Black Sabbath were the first heaviest metal band. And perhaps they were. But that doesn't imply they were the first to write a heaviest metal song. Because, while Ozzy and co. elevated the concept of intense, sinister music performed by evil-looking dudes to new sonic and visual heights, there were plenty of unsettling sounds designed to frighten the bejesus out of listeners long before Tony Iommi's deathly Black Sabbath tritone riff signalled the end (or the beginning?) of the musical world as we know it.

Source: Getty Images

These are the 10 heaviest metal songs

Wild Thing by The Troggs (1966) https://youtu.be/gSWInYFVksg Wild Thing was first recorded in a folky tone by American outfit The Wild Ones in 1965, but in the hands of British heaviest metal band The Troggs the following year, it transformed into a proto-garage-punk rave-up with a banging, three-chord pattern, hyper-sexualized voice, and, well, ocarina solo. From Jimi Hendrix's fiery (literally, he set his Strat ablaze at the climax) feedback-laced performance of the song at the Monterey Pop Festival in '68, to The Runaways' and X's punky takes, to Bruce Springsteen's stomping, arena-shaking live renditions, this version became the heaviest metal template going forward. This heaviest metal song is so solid, and the riff so catchy, that even comic Sam Kinison's filthy hair-metal parody couldn't undo it - not completely. Also read about 50 easy acoustic guitar songs. Helter Skelter by The Beatles (1968) https://youtu.be/kLWSQRNnGY8 According to tradition, Paul McCartney was inspired to write Helter Skelter after reading an interview in which Pete Townshend described his own band's I Can See for Miles as the "dirtiest, filthiest" song they'd ever produced. The song's distorted, dissonant guitars, thudding bass, and shredded vocals not only out-dirty Pete, but also foreshadow and inspire decades of heaviness to come. Since then, everyone from Mötley Crüe to Rob Zombie to Marilyn Manson (and, of course, Manson's namesake, Charles) has used it. Furthermore, The Beatles' alternate Second Version / Take 17 recording, unearthed for the White Album's 50th anniversary release, is an even wilder journey. "Keep that one," Paul says on the track. "Mark it fantastic." You should pay attention to what the man says. Communication Breakdown in Led Zeppelin (1969) https://youtu.be/ZnfgRfhdpeQ To be honest, any number of songs - Whole Lotta Love, Dazed and Confused - might fill the Zeppelin slot on this list. But the award for sheer bone-crushing intensity goes to Communication Breakdown, whose machine-gun heaviest metal shock riff not only provided as a pattern for a billion speed metal bands to come, but also sounds eerily similar to the one Sabbath created for Paranoid a year later. Furthermore, while Zep weren't the only late-Sixties group moving blues into a darker world, they accomplished it better - and, not insignificantly, faster - than their competitors with this piece. Kick Out The Jams by MC5 (1969) https://youtu.be/OXxsyhpTeJQ Rob Tyner's opening volley of "Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!" would be enough to get this proto-punk anthem on the list. It helps that what follows isn't Tiptoe Through the Tulips. Rather, it's two and a half minutes of the most boisterous and rip-snorting riffage and electric-shock soloing ever captured on tape, courtesy of Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith. That vulgarity got the album (recorded live at Detroit's Grande Ballroom) banned and taken off the shops. What could be more metal than that? Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf (1968) https://youtu.be/egMWlD3fLJ8 It wasn't the first time the terms "heaviest metal" were used, but for most music fans, this is where the term originated. Plus, vocalist John Kay follows it with the word "thunder," which adds to the bad-ass factor. That being said, the title refrain is pretty heaviest metal in and of itself, and while Steppenwolf were never particularly "heavy," this song brought it all together with a chugging low-E string riff, raspy vocal, and shout-it-out-loud chorus that foreshadowed the sort of road-dog rockers that bands like Judas Priest and Motörhead would ride to glory years later. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968) https://youtu.be/IZBlqcbpmxY Jimi's huge, earthshaking heaviest metal riffs and wailing leads appear to pour down from the heavens, leaving nothing but a charred wasteland in their wake. The song's sheer aural energy is stunning, and it's an early demonstration of how far a rock musician could carry the blues - which, in a sense, and in a very different way, is what Black Sabbath set out to do in their early days. I Want to Be Your Dog by The Stooges (1969) https://youtu.be/3gsWt7ey6bo Even now, more than a half-century later, I Wanna Be Your Dog feels impossibly harsh, nasty, and downright dangerous. The song is one big drone-y, dirge-y death-rumble, encapsulating Iggy's demented take on the blues, from the dark, descending chord progression to the buzz-saw guitar of Ron Asheton (who, along with his brother and drummer, Scott, were once referred to by head Stooge Iggy Pop as "the laziest, delinquent sorts of pig slobs ever born"). And the lewd lyrics, one-note piano trill, and, uh, sleigh bells only add to the absurdity. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly (1968) https://youtu.be/UIVe-rZBcm4 People often mock In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, but as any heaviest metal band worth their long hair, leather, and pointed guitars can tell you, people often mock what they don't comprehend. Forget about the superfluous 17-minute length. Forget about the title being a drunken parody of In the Garden of Eden. Forget that the band performing it is called Iron Butterfly. The combined guitar-and-organ heaviest metal riff is as dark, threatening, and downright groovy as anything laid down by Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, or any other keys-drenched heavy group. Still not convinced? Then ask Slayer, who delivered a scorching rendition to the soundtrack of 1987's Less Than Zero. Mandrake Root - Deep Purple (1968) https://youtu.be/4WZoBFtqtf0 The opening half of this early Deep Purple epic is fairly hefty, at least in the late-Sixties British blues-rock style. But Mandrake Root really takes off in the middle instrumental section, when drummer Ian Paice and bassist Nick Simper whip up the tempo and lay the groundwork for Ritchie Blackmore to finish the proceedings with some full-on psych-metal licks, growls, and howls, as well as a bit of neoclassical flair for good measure. What was the weight of it? Heavy enough to be one of the very few early Purple cuts played by the famous MkII heaviest metal band of the 1970s. And if you can find one on YouTube, those versions are a lovely, instrument-abusing sight to behold. Old Man Going by The Pretty Things (1968) https://youtu.be/mg5t7T5_rR8 The initial 40 seconds of acoustic strumming in Old Man Going sound like Pinball Wizard before Pinball Wizard (and the concept album from which it derives, S.F. Sorrow, has been recognised as an influence on The Who's Tommy, even though The Who have disagreed). But after that, Old Man Going blossoms with proto-Sabbathian beauty, most notably in Dick Taylor's doomy power chord riffing and, most notably, in Phil May's vocal, which, upon its release in 1968, any listener would have quickly deemed incredibly Ozzy-like - except that Ozzy, at least as we know him, didn't actually exist yet. Read the full article

#10HeaviestMetalSongs #HeaviestMetalSongs #heavymetal

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fantastic-nonsense · 5 years

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Namesake loves fixing bad romance tropes and I am so here for it

#namesake comic #namesake #namesake spoilers #wendy shepard #travis almstedt #Emma/warrick was a breath of fresh air #Fred/Elaine healed my soul #Jack/Penta cleared my skin and watered my crops #Alice/selva was like my eyes being opened #this? this is like a big ball of tension in my stomach disappearing in relief

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magpiemalarkey · 6 years

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So, I read most of the webcomic Namesake last night (because insomnia + brain raccoons meant I needed distraction) and, folks. Folks. Fred!! Like, from the first pages where he got dialogue I have been like, “Anybody hurts this adorable stabby boy, I am going to be very sad!” Luckily, he’s pretty dang good at protecting himself. But, still!

Anyway, Namesake is full of the usual sort of stuff I like. The power of stories. People making bad decisions. Adorable stabby people of a variety of genders. Intriguing world-building. Cats. I can’t believe it took me this long to finally sit down and read it!

#namesake #namesake comic #namesake character: fred #my art #fan art #I really like a lot of the comic's characters #like #not gonna lie #I have a powerful need to do a fanart of warrick #he is made of my favorite tropes and aesthetics #but I am super invested in Fred's arc okay

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bookwyrrm · 7 years

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full offense but this is the most romantic thing I've ever seen

#namesake #namesake comic #penknife #fred #Elaine crewe

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oathofoaksart · 3 years

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YOUNG JUSTICE/DC OC: MUNCH “YELLOW JACKET” MARTINEZ

bio under the cut!

BASICS

Name: Taylor Martinez

A.K.A: Yellow Jacket; Munch, Munchie, Jacket, YJ

Age: 16 [S2], 18 [S3]

Gender: Transgender Male

Orientation: Homoromantic Homosexual

Race: Metahuman

Ethnicity: Afro-Latinx, Black-Colombian

Location: Dakota City, Michigan

Hometown: Dakota City, Michigan

Skin: Dark Tan, warm undertones

Hair: Black

Eyes: Dark brown; glow fully yellow while actively using metagene

Height: 5’10

Build: Lean with sinewy muscles

Distinctions: Has a large collection of hoodies and jackets, specifically of shonen anime merch.

RELATIONS

Parents: Gloria Martinez and Jamal Winston, Danielle Seymore [step-mother]

Siblings: Tori Winston [younger half-sister]

Friends: Virgil “Static” Hawkins, Jacklyn “Ferro” Ericson @generalfandomsofthefreak, Raquel “Rocket” Irving, Eduardo “El Dorado” Dorado Jr., Jaime “Blue Beetle III” Reyes, Karen “Bumblebee” Beecher, Malcolm “Guardian III” Duncan, Asami “Sam” Koizumi, Tye Longshadow, Roy “Arsenal” Harper, Tatsuo “Irezumi” Sumioka [@Triskata], Bart “Kid Flash II” Allen, Gi “Riot/Geode” Flores [OC], Shizuka “Oni” Amachi [OC], Tim “Robin III” Drake, Forager “Fred Bugg”, Violet “Halo” Harper, Brion “Geoforce” Markov

Partner/s: Richie “Gear” Foley [ev.]

Misc.: Augustus “Icon” Freeman, Jefferson “Black Lightning” Pierce, Ivan “Ebon” Evans, See-More, the HIVE 5, the Meta-Breed gang, the Blood Syndicate

Affiliations: The Team, Taos Metateen Youth Center, The Titans [ev.], S.T.A.R Labs [formally]

PERSONALITY

Personality Type: ESTP-A [Assertive Entrepreneur]

Temperament: Choleric-Sanguine

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Passionate | Social | Upfront | Risk-prone | Defiant

Smart-mouthed, openly opinionated, and with an apparent lack of volume, Munch quickly cements himself as the class clown in any group. He enjoys living in the moment, a truly free spirit with an infectious energy. He is the textbook extrovert, finding himself to be bored out of his mind if not sharing with others, leading him to have quite the large group of friends and acquaintances. He’s notorious for poking fun at anything and anyone, but has no problem sincerely apologizing once he realizes he might have taken something too far.

As a hero, Munch takes after his namesake, the Yellow Jacket wasp. Quick, nimble, and particularly aggressive, Jacket revels in the comic book hero lifestyle of kicking butts and taking names. His energy blasts aren’t his only weapons, he has as much fun slinging insults and burns as he does physically taking someone down. He certainly enjoys the attention of being a hero in a celebrity sense, but Jacket sees his role as a chance to inspire others to fight the good fight in any capacity.

Hot-blooded as he is, Munch struggles with controlling his emotions. He can be easily frustrated, especially when things aren’t as straight-foward as he is, and blisteringly fierce when angered. It takes an ungodly amount of coaxing to get him to let go of past grudges due to his tendency of being bullheaded.

ABILITIES AND WEAKNESSES

Metahuman Biology: Metahumans by standard are more durable than humans. While not by much, Jacket exhibits increased strength, speed, reflexes and resilience.

Plasma Manipulation: Jacket’s metagene allows him to create, shape, and otherwise manipulate plasma matter

Plasma “Stingers”: By shooting short blasts of plasma energy, Yellow Jacket creates his signature “stingers,” the potency of said stingers can vary from shocks to explosions.

Variants include plasma beams and large spheres, but they currently require more concentration and stamina to use

He can also use his stingers to push him off surfaces as a kind of super-jump and can sustain limited flight mobility

Plasma Shields: Jacket can create small shields, enough to deflect low to medium powered attacks. Large shields require significant effort to shape and contain, once he’s made one, he’s stuck sustaining it.

Inventory

Flight Belt: Jacket can fly thanks to the inertia belt made by his mentor Icon, based off Rocket’s Inertia belt. Since it was not made of the same material as the original belt, it allows only for flight and a decent powered body aura.

Goggles: Jacket’s goggles feature different kinds of vision including: Telescopic, Microscopic, Infrared, and X-Ray

Weaknesses and Limitations

Energy Stamina: Jacket stands the risk of overexerting himself if he pushes his plasma control too far. The reason why he tends to stick with short blasts is because they take much less energy to conjure. Attacks such as beams, energy spheres, and large defensive shields can potentially wear him down to unconsciousness if the strain is too much.

High Metabolism: Similar to that of a speedster; Jacket’s plasma energy tears through his calorie reservoir. He needs a rather high end amount of food to sustain himself properly or else his energy suffers.

HISTORY

16-year-old Jamal Winston and Gloria Martinez figured trying to force their relationship made having to take care of their newborn far more painful than it had to be and called it quits. They continued co-parenting with both opting to drop-out of high school, Gloria a fulltime mother and Jamal picking up a fulltime job. Eventually the two managed to assuage any resentment towards each other and made steps toward genuine friendship, both turning out to be equally dedicated and loving parents.

Taylor, named Clara at the time, enjoyed school. Not so much the actual studying as the playtime and socializing, but he was a bright student. In middle school he discovered a love for track and kept at it when he entered high school. Taylor was doing well, but struggled with his self-esteem in connection with fitting in with girls. He’d always been masculine and known a tomboy for nearly all of his childhood. His parents never had a problem with that, but he was picked at by other family members. It wasn’t until high school where Taylor discovered himself as trans, which both gave him answers he’d been looking for and terrified him as he had no idea how to go about this with his family.

The topic of LGBTQ+ matters rarely passed through his household with his mother or with his father and step-mother. None of them openly expressed homo or transphobia, but Taylor had met enough extended family anti-LGBTQ+ and that stopped him from broaching the subject. Still he began looking into subtle ways to get a "head-start" on transitioning, including buying a binder and teaching himself natural voice changes.

But Taylor was publicly outed during a family get-together, when a few of his younger cousins rifled through his belongings and brought with them the attention of Taylor’s uncle. When the situation turned into an all out yelling match and nearly physical, Taylor ran off. It would be the last anyone would see him for the months to come.

While wandering around Dakota City, Taylor was abducted by the Reach and experimented on, the stress and torture he endured all the while activated his dormant metagene. He was eventually rescued by a team of young heroes while deep in the Western Pacific Reach mobile base, recognizing a past classmate, Virgil Hawkins. The two stuck close out of familiarity as they were eventually shifted over to S.T.A.R. Labs in Taos.

They spent a month or so under the eye of Dr. David Wilcox, building resentment over being treated as lab rats alongside Tye Longshadow, Eduardo Dorado Jr., Asami Koizumi, and Nathaniel Tyron. It was during this time that Taylor’s commonly used nickname of ‘Munch’ came about because of his extreme appetite due to his metagene and at that point Taylor hadn’t chosen his name yet. The group, sans Nathaniel, then came to agree their stay at S.T.A.R was over and escaped.

Their party was joined in by Jacklyn Ericson, unknown to them a hero known as Ferro and Team member, and were soon approached by Lex Luthor who offered them security in exchange for favors against the Reach. Little under two weeks later, the gang were fighting their way through the heart of the Warworld to rescue the captured heroes caught in stasis. Munch was on board with Nightwing’s invitation onto the Team, he’d always looked up to the Justice League and heroics called to him, but left with the others at seeing Arsenal’s dismissal despite him leading the rescue.

Munch wouldn’t involve himself with heroes until their group until the League reached out to Jacklyn; they needed as many hands on deck. The Reach had activated field disruptors around the world which would eventually tear Earth to shreds if not shut down; Munch was paired off with Rocket to shut down the disruptor in Chile. Munch couldn’t hide his joy at being paired with Rocket, he’d been a fan of hers ever since she started off in Dakota City as Icon’s protégé. The two got on well and Rocket extended another invitation onto the Team stating their hometown could do with another hero, this time Munch accepted.

He would take on the mantle Yellow Jacket and when Rocket’s former mentor Icon returned to Earth, was taken under his wing as a mentee. He and Virgil, who had also accepted the invitation onto the Team as Static, became the new generation of heroes in Dakota City.

Just in time too, as from the shadows rise a threat spreading across the city’s metayouth, the Metabreed.

NOTES

Munch does eventually make it back to his parents, who have been been running themselves ragged organizing search parties for him.

Because of his color scheme and insect motif, Jacket tends to be confused as Bumblebee’s protégé instead of Icon’s. Not that it’s cause for insult, but Karen and Munch note they wouldn’t make good partners.

Munch comes to find out of another super in the family, although not of the heroic kind. His step-cousin is member of the H.I.V.E 5, See-More.

He enjoys various shonen anime, occasionally reading the manga if he likes the anime enough, his favorite being the Dragon Ball franchise. He makes a nod towards this during the escape at S.T.A.R when Virgil asked him if he could blast open the door. When Munch’s first few blasts don’t cut it, he tries a larger beam in the only way he knows how, via Kamehameha.

Yellow Jacket has become very active on social media and has a notable following, much to Icon’s annoyance.

Munch has recently taken up being a peer counselor at S.T.A.R Taos alongside Ed Jr.

#young justice oc #Young Justice OCs #dc oc #gar's oc #gar's art #oathofoaks #he STING #meet the ocs #munch martinez

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rocksandrobots · 3 years

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Of Rocks and Robots Ch. 33 -Don't Mole On My Parade

"Beware evil doers, for I, the mighty Minimax, doth roam the streets with my trusted partner Fred, along with his newest protégé Varian, and together we plan to buy a DVD!"

Varian watched the small robot jump upon a mailbox to proclaim this lofty goal. The little automaton looked just like his namesake, a mini Baymax, but his behavior was far different from the robotic nurse. Hiro had built him to be a sidekick for Fred and so the robot acted just as if he came out of a silver age comic.

"Hey Fred?" Varian asked.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to 'keeping a superhero's identity secret is rule number one in the hallows of superherodom'?"

His friend looked back at him confused, "It is. Why?"

"Because your robot pal isn't exactly what I would call ' inconspicuous'. Aren't you worried someone might recognize him and, you know, put two and two together?"

Fred looked surprised, as if he had never considered this possibility. After a moment's thought he called after his robotic companion.

"You know, your right. Hey Minimax,

come here, you need a disguise."

The little android dutifully ran up to the teen and Fred pulled out a pair of sunglasses and placed them upon its head.

"There! How does that look?"

"Like a small white robot wearing sunglasses."

"Exactly! Usually he wears a cape when he's superheroing."

"You seriously don't expect people to be fooled by a pair of glasses do you?"

"Why not? It worked for Henry Reeve. He played Captain Fancy in the tv show."

"Yeah but I doubt the guy was a two foot tall robot."

"As far as we know…." Fred said stone faced as he looked Varian dead in the eye; the way he often did when spouting some crazy theory that no one else believed.

Varian decided to cut his losses. There was no getting through to Fred once he latched onto an idea; regardless of how ill advised and detached from reality it was.

"So where are we going again?" Varian asked instead.

"We're going to the comic book store to buy a copy of the Professor What DVD that just came out."

"I thought you already owned every episode though?"

"I do. Of every aired episode that is. This is the "lost serial". It was recorded but never broadcast due to a production strike during the 70s and the only way to see it was through bootlegs. But now the EBC has released it in full on dvd, plus extras, like special interviews with the cast and such."

"Ok, that's cool, I guess."

"Mega cool! I can't wait to see it in all it's high definition glory!" Fred joyously squealed only to sober up as they neared the comic shop. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"Richardson Mole" Fred growled.

"Mole?" Varian echoed, confused.

"My arch nemesis, remember? His is the only comic store in town that currently has any copies. The rest won't get theirs till next week!"

"Then why not wait until next week to get it then?" Varian very sensibly asked.

Fred looked at him aghast, "And let Mole gloat over getting to see it a whole week early!? Un-uh! No way! Buuuuut he won't sell me a copy; so that's why you're here."

Fred wrapped an arm around Varian's shoulder and pointed at the other teen's chest as he recounted his plan.

"You see, Minimax and I will cause a distraction drawing Mole outside. While he's gone, you quickly grab a dvd from the display stand and mix it up with a bunch of other stuff you're going to purchase and dump it all on the counter. Hopefully he'll be so annoyed by what me and Minimax have planned, that he won't notice that he sold you a copy along with all the other things you grabbed. It's the perfect plan!" Fred rubbed his hands together devilishly.

"Uh...hun….Ooor I could just walk in there and buy a copy outright instead of paying for a bunch of stuff I don't want." Varian countered.

"You know... that's so crazy…it just might work. Minimax; new plan!" Fred yelled after his robot.

----------------------

The comic shop was not much different from the store inside the mall that Fred had taken Varian to on his first day in San Fansokyo. The main difference was it was a freestanding building and the cashier was a short child perhaps only a few years younger then Varian himself.

"Hello, welcome to my sho--oh it's you, Fred." The kid interrupted his enthusiastic greeting towards Varian the moment Fred walked in behind him.

"Why hello, Mole, unpleasant as ever I see." Fred retorted back with equal disdain.

Mole only sighed and rolled his eyes. "What do you want Fred?"

"Oh contraire, it's not what I want but what my friend here wants." Fred gently but firmly nudged Varian up to the counter as he said this. "Tell him Varian."

"Uhhh...I'd like the newest Professor What DVD...the lost episode one?... P-please." Varian wasn't sure what he had expected when Fred first asked him to come along on this quest for a DVD, but being glared at by a very irritated 12 year old from across the counter wasn't it. Moreover he hated being put on the spot like this. He really had no context for this apparent feud Fred had with this kid.

"Really?" Mole raised an eyebrow. "And there's no chance that my rival Fred here didn't put you up to the task of buying the dvd for him?"

"Uh...d-does it matter?" Varian shrugged, now completely bewildered. He had assumed Fred was only exaggerating about Mole, same as he exaggerated about just everything, but no, turns out that the pre-teen really was that petty.

"Uh, of course it matters." The kid replied as if Varian had missed something obvious. "I have the only copies in town and in limited quantities. I'll only sell them to true fans of the series, otherwise someone might just buy from me and then sell it at a mark up price online or something. Now why should I give someone else that advantage when I can corner the market?"

Varian raised an eyebrow at this explanation but Fred stepped in before he could say anything.

"Hey, Varian's a fan. We've been marathoning the series. Tell him, buddy." Fred gave Varian another nudge.

"Oh really? Well then, Varian, who is your favorite Professor?" Mole's voice dripped with incredulity.

"Y-you mean there's more than one?" Varian began to ask in confusion but Fred jumped him, covering Varian's ears with his hands. Though it did little good as Varian could still hear Fred shushing Mole.

"Shhh...Careful with the spoilers Mole!"

"I knew it! I knew It!" Mole yelled back. "You just dragged your friend over here to buy the special edition dvd for you!"

"I did not!" Fred snapped back.

Minimax jumped up onto the counter and pointed a finger at Mole. "No one accuses my Fred of trickery, foul villain. For even though that is indeed the plan and you must have only deduced that with your nefarious cunning."

"Minimaaaax!" Fred whined.

Varian was losing his patience. He shoved Fred off him. "Look, yes, I came here to buy the DVD so Fred and I could watch it in our marathon. But so far we've only watched the first season and more copies are arriving in a week, so what does it matter!?"

"Wait? You've only seen season one, as in the original series first season from 1963?" Mole asked.

"Uh..Yeah?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Mole." Fred interrupted again. "He's going into the series completely blind. He doesn't know about… r-e-n-e-w-a-l yet."

"Renewal?" Varian echoed now even more confused. Fred had tried to drop his voice to a whisper but Varian heard anyway.

Mole's entire demeanor magically changed. Gone was his standoffish and combative nature and in its place was a look of genuine excitement.

"Ooooh, how I envy you my friend! Imagine being able to experience the whole series fresh! Oh..oh, then what's your favorite story so far?"

"Ummm...I liked the one we just finished… it's the one where they're stuck in the middle of the French Revolution."

"Interesting choice." Mole said intrigued. "So who's your favorite assistant?"

"Well I don't if she counts as an 'assistant' but my favorite character so far is the Professor's granddaughter, Sue."

"Yeees!" Mole exclaimed suddenly, taking Varian a back. "Finally, someone who sees sense! Sue is so underappreciated. You know what?" Mole continued as he reached behind the counter to pull a dvd box off the shelf. "Just to show my support in your endeavor to embark on such a daunting quest as to view the entirety of Professor What, here is the dvd to complete the collection, free of charge."

"Really?" Varian asked bewildered as Mole handed him the coveted copy.

"Yup, just come back and let me know how you enjoyed the later seasons, or stop by and maybe check out some of the other Professor What merch I got for sell."

Mole cheerily waved goodbye as Varian, Fred, and Minimax walked out of the shop.

"What just happened?" Fred asked.

Varian opened the thin box to see the disc inside. "Well, apparently your mortal enemy just gave me a free dvd."

"I don't trust it." Fred said darkly. "Mole is up to something."

"Do you want me to return it?"

"No!" Fred quickly exclaimed and reached out to grab the case. But Varian snatched it back out of his reach.

"Now, now, he did give it to me, you know." Varian said as if reprimanding a small child and a sly grin slowly formed on his face.

"Oooh, but.. But I waited years to see it… pleeesee."

Fred was practically crawling over him to get to the dvd but Varian fended him off while trying unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter.

"I'll tell you what… I'll let you have it…but for a price."

"Name it."

Varian thought for a moment. "I wanna drive the limo."

"Oh… but Heathcliff…" Fred stopped mid sentence as Varian waved the dvd in his face, his crooked smile growing wider.

"Ok. Fine." Fred relented. "But on one condition. Heathcliff has to teach you how to drive it."

"Deal."

They shook hands and Varian handed over the movie.

"Huhzzah!" Minimax proclaimed. "And once again the heroes have concluded their quest and now return home victorious!"

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"Hey Mole," Fred shouted as he sauntered into the comic shop. "Do you got any replacement parts for a limited addition Space Hike laser gun? I kind of broke mine dur---"

Fred's voice trailed off when he noticed that the little store was empty. A week had passed since he and Varian had procured the Professor What DVD and Fred hadn't seen nor heard from his nemesis in that time. Fred didn't think that was too odd, it wasn't like he and Mole talked daily or anything, but it was suspicious for his rival to leave the store unattended without closing shop first.

Fred's senses went on alert and he instinctively went into stealth mode: dropping to the ground and crouching on tiptoe as he looked for booby traps on the shelves, behind the doors, and under the displays.

He didn't find any.

Though as he ransacked the counter during his search, he did hear the distant sound of laughter and music coming from the "staff only room." Which wasn't a room really. It was an elevator that went into the basement. Mole had a private arcade down there and must have been playing video games and had simply forgotten to lock up.

Satisfied that there was no danger of a prank literally blowing up in his face and covering him in some sort of slime or soap bubbles or something else that was similarly messy (Fred never forgot that time when Mole dumped dumped a bucket of chocolate fudge on his head five years ago) he decided to go down stairs to ask Mole about the previously mentioned parts.

What he found was far worse than a bucket of chocolate syrup.

In the basement Varian and Mole were both playing a video game. It was an old stand up arcade machine and on it was a retro beat 'em up. Both seemed to be enjoying themselves and called good natured taunts as they furiously pressed buttons trying to one up the other.

Neither had noticed Fred enter.

"Oh you're going down now!" Mole cheered.

"In your dreams!" Varian laughed.

He pressed the block button and his little pixelated character averted a punch from Mole's pixelated avatar and then grabbed said character into a hold and bodied slammed him to the ground.

"K.O.!" A distorted voice from the machine announced and Varian threw up his hands in victory.

"Ah…. Man!" Mole bemoaned. "You got lucky. I had you on the rocks."

"Yeah, I did." Varian admitted with a snicker.

"Best two out of three then?" Mole asked.

"Naw.. I got an essay I need to finish bef-" Varian paused mid-sentence as he turned around and finally saw Fred. Who just stood there with his mouth agape.

"Uh...hi, Fred."

Fred just pointed his finger at them and made an unintelligible sound like a cross between a gasp and a squeal.

"How the heck did you get in here Frederickson?" Mole said irritably.

This seemed to awaken Fred from his stupor.

"Betrayal!" He shouted, still pointing his finger accusingly at them both.

"Now Fred, don't overreact." Mole chided. "My friend Varian and I were just playing a friendly little game of Street Combat."

"Friend? Friend ?! My bestest buddy and protégé playing video games with my arch nemesis and mortal rival! This just like when Captain Fancy found the Fearless Ferret robbing banks with the Toymaker in Earth's Greatest #20!"

"Fred…" Varian started to reason with a weary sigh but Fred interrupted him.

"No. I don't want to hear it!" And with that he turned around on his heel and marched back into the elevator. "But mark my words Varian, Mole can't be trusted." And with this warning he pressed the first floor button and the elevator doors closed.

Varain rolled his eyes and followed after his friend. "Sorry Mole, I gotta go smooth things over with Fred. I'll see ya later."

"Okay, oh I almost forgot" the Professor What convention is next month. You want to go?" Mole replied as Varian hurried over to the elevator.

"Yeah sure, sounds like fun." Varian answered back distractedly. "I'll see ya then." He waved bye to Mole as the door to the elevator closed.

----------------------

When the elevator opened back up Varian saw Fred stomping away down the sidewalk outside and raced after him.

"Fred! Fred, wait up!"

"Why? So that you can stab me in the back again?" Fred called after.

"Fred...you're being ridiculous."

He stopped, incensed, and fumed at Varian, "Ridiculous?! Oh, I'm being ridiculous now am I?"

"Yeah, you are." Varain stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I see how it is. Crazy Fred is just being paranoid again. It can't possibly be that Mole has been trying to ruin my life since he was in dippers. Seriously, when I first met him he was a week old and I had to be the one to change him. It was all downhill from there."

Varian crossed his arms and gave Fred a reproachful look.

"Oh you don't believe hun?" Fred defended, "Well did he tell you about the time he cut the power to my house so he could win the online auction for Captain Fancy 133? Or the time he spilled hot fudge on me at his 7th birthday party? How about the time he stole my prized Captain Fancy pants? Oh, or how he bought out the mech wrestling league just so I couldn't own it? And he doesn't even like wrestling!!"

Varian didn't answer and kept up his disapproving glare.

"I tell you Mole is just using you to get to me. Don't you see? It'd be the ultimate revenge if he stole my protégé away--."

"Ok, first off, I'm not your "protégé" or "apprentice" or whatever, and second off, Mole never mentioned you the entire time we've hung out. Couldn't it just be possible that he wants to be friends with me and that you're making a big deal out of nothing?"

"Oh really? Then how would you feel if I started hanging out with that princess you hate so much? Rapunzel! Yeah, wouldn't you be hurt if I became pals with your mortal enemy."

A shadow fell across Varian's face and his mildly annoyed glare transformed into cold steely gaze.

"Fred."

"Y-yeah."

"Rapunzel left me, my father, and my entire village to die. Your 'mortal enemy' just buys the same stuff that you want."

Fred looked like a man who had just had a glass of ice water splashed in his face.

"Ooookay...I-I'm beginning to see the difference…"

Now it was Varian's turn to storm off in a huff leaving Fred to stand there bewildered.

"Wait! … She did that ?!" He turned and ran after Varian. "I thought fairy tale princesses were supposed to be nice?"

"Well, they're not, and my life is not a fairy tale Fred."

Fred pouted as he tagged long after Varian, unsure of what to say now.

Varian stopped at the bus stop to wait on his ride home and Fred sheepishly stared at his shoes. After a few awkward minutes he spoke up.

"H-hey, Varian.."

"What."

"I'm sorry….maybe I overreacted a little?"

"A little?" Varian raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, a lot. But I just don't understand why you want to even hang out with Mole."

Varian heaved a heavy sigh and relented. "Look...I just, don't have many friends ok? And before I came here I didn't have any friends. So if someone invites me to hang out with them then I wanna go. Cause that doesn't happen often, and I don't like being alone, and....and Mole doesn't know who I am or about my past. Same as Carol, or Karmi… It's just nice to feel normal for once."

"Annnd you can't feel normal around me cause I know you're magic, right?"

"For the last time Fred, I'm not magic." He growled through his teeth and then in a gentler voice said. "Also, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, you're not normal."

"Fair. Though, if we're talking 'normal' I don't think Mole counts either."

"Maybe not, but I don't think he has a lot of friends either. I guess in that way we have something in common."

Fred looked thoughtfully at that. It was true, Mole really didn't have any friends; a combination of homeschooling and being a huge nerd had left the kid pretty isolated. Fred understood that. He'd been there too, but then again he wasn't a huge jerk to people.

"I still don't get it…. Buuutt if you want to hang out with Mole I'm not going to try and stop you."

"And you're not going to pitch a fit, or sulk, or argue with me if I do?"

Fred heaved a sigh. "No. I'll be very mature about it….also very confused…but I'll be cool, promise."

"So we're still friends?" Varian asked with some slight trepidation.

"Well of course we're still friends! That was never in question. Friends have fights sometimes, ya know, but they always stick together in the end."

He gave Varian a playful nudge on the shoulder and Varian smiled back.

----------------------

Big Hero Six walked away from the college campus and headed towards the parking lot where Wasabi had parked his car. The gang of teenagers laughed and conversed until the squeal of tires on pavement sounded off in the distance and the sound of motor revving became louder and louder.

Soon a fire red sports car came barreling down the drive towards them. They jumped back as the car skidded to a halt next to them, making black marks on the pavement.

The little group stared in shock at the close call and a window rolled down to reveal the driver.

"Hey guys!" Varian cheerfully called out, oblivious to the fright he had caused them.

"Varian, what are you doing!?" Wasabi yelled.

"Oh, Heathcliff is giving me driving lessons."

The Frederickson's faithful butler tilted his head to give the other teens a better look at him. He was dressed in his usual work attire but save for the pair of sunglasses he wore. He said nothing but his stoic face broke into a sly grin and he gave a thumbs up. He was clearly enjoying being chauffeured around for a change.

"Yeah, Fred let me borrow his car to practice with." Varian continued and then turned to the man sitting beside him. "You were right Heathcliff, this is cooler than the limo."

At this Gogo punched Fred in the right arm.

"Oww, what was that for?" He rubbed his arm ruefully.

"You never let me borrow the race car!" She said deeply offended.

Hiro also gave Fred's left arm a much lighter smack just to get his attention. "Yeah, and I got a learners permit; same as Varian."

"Yeah but I'll get my actual license before you so I need the practice more." Varian smugly replied.

Heathcliff interrupted this friendly spat with his usual soft spoken British accent, "Master Varian, how about we learn how to pass other cars safely on the road next; and see how fast this bad boy can really go."

"Heck yeah!" Varian laughed. He moved the gear out of 'park', yelled "See ya!", and slammed on the gas. The car took off like a shot; burning rubber as it went.

"Oh what fresh horror have you unleashed?" Wasabi asked Fred as everyone stared dumbstruck after the boisterous teen and renegade butler.

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Hey I’ve recently lost my job and am currently hunting for work so story updates will be slow.

If you would like to help out you can all way support me on ko-fi

https://ko-fi.com/rachelbethhines

#varian #Fred Frederickson IV #minimax #mole #big hero 6 #tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #tts #BH6 the series #bh6

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magicallythey · 7 years

Photo

#namesake #fred the card #fred #fred namesake #namesake comic #i love him #i love him so much #natalie what have you done to me

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ifeveristoday · 4 years

Text

you are the vessel and she’s the life

Okay. When I first read issue #3, I did not like it. The art continues to be amazing, the colors glorious and they add to the atmosphere of the Hellmouth world - but I felt at first read, this was a weaker installment for the non-movement of the plot. If Hellmouth was a longer arc, I would have less issues because Jordie & Jeremy are developing Buffy and Angel, and giving the space for the audience to learn more about them, just as other characters are being brought into the spotlight for the namesake comics. I want to learn more about Kendra, Jenny, Fred, Gunn, et al. But it’s also a valid criticism that Buffy was missing from her story, long before Hellmouth began.

To compare Buffy (the intellectual property) to another cultural juggernaut for a minute - Star Wars. The reboots, the prequels, the ever-expanding universe - it’s all Star Wars, no matter what fans may feel about certain portions of it. But I see a lot of the same argument leveled at the Boom!verse that I do about Star Wars - ‘it doesn’t feel like ________________’, or ‘that’s not my Buffy.’ I’ve certainly done my fair share of completely ignoring/complaining about the Dark Horse ‘canonically approved’ verse, so I get it. And I think just by the nature of a reboot, there are so many expectations, especially when you use the same characters. And IMO, Jordie and co. have been doing an admirable job of balancing their version of Sunnydale vs. memories/nostalgia of the TV canon.

The point is to remake something for a new audience while respecting the source for the ‘original’ (whatever that means) fans. And it’s such a rich world with many characters to play with, and lots of different ways to explore themes that the show didn’t, or botched/dismissed. It’s a daunting experience to adapt, I’m sure - and I’ve been enjoying reading what Jordie has been doing with character development and the emotional beats of a story. The characters do feel like they exist in 2019.

However, with this issue, I felt like there was retread/not enough of a building on the momentum that Issues 1 and 2 had, along with a last-minute feel of a brand new original character, and some in-jokes that didn’t really add anything. This was my first reaction. Then I read it again, and with the other Hellmouth issues.

Major spoilers underneath the cut.

Back to my earlier point about Buffy being missing from her story - we still don’t know very much about Buffy’s backstory but that was never the point of her character, she was always very much in the now. The earlier issues had her in full Slayer mode with little intervals of an awkward, uncertain teenager! Buffy, and the last time she gets to hang out and do teenager things, Xander gets turned. And we didn’t really see the fallout in terms of Buffy’s feelings about it - but we did get very much appreciated insight into Willow and Xander’s characters.

Then Buffy flings herself into the Hellmouth, after feeling estranged from Willow and dealing with a lot of unspoken guilt/shame. Oh no, not like TV Canon Buffy at all.

However, the break from the Scoobies and entering the Hellmouth brought out Buffy Summers in all her confused, messy, intense bravery. Here was the girl who quipped malapropisms, made up sassy nicknames and leaped into the fray, fists first. And here was the girl who’s self-aware that her impetuousness and desire to save people also hurts the people she loves because she pushes them away - both out of necessity and because it’s her job. It’s a common refrain throughout the run of the series, emphasized by Giles and repeated by Buffy - she has to do this, and often alone - she’s the first responder in the apocalypse.

Heroine complex, man.

And then she meets LA’s finest, the dark knight, Mr. Hunchy Shoulders Guy - Angel. I’ve said it before, Bryan Edward Hill’s decision to have Angel meet Buffy cold, with an already established backstory of his own and then Jordie carrying that over into the Hellmouth event really changes the Buffy and Angel dynamic in the Boom!verse. A welcome change, and then when the portents/prophecies kick in, Angel dismisses them completely. His no-nonsense, I’m just here to do a job and then I’m out mode is amusing to me, because obviously, this is going to end up in romantic comedy land, just with a higher body count and lots of blood.

Buffy and Angel in TV canon never really got that light-hearted, getting-to-know-you phase because there was always the pall of forbidden love/gothic angst/and willful misunderstandings on both parties, never mind the interference/concerns and complaints from the people who loved them.

In Hellmouth, not only do Buffy and Angel get developed as characters, so does their budding ‘work’ friends relationship. Their banter is just delightful to read, and they get to be vulnerable/honest (to a point) with each other, that they haven’t been able to do so with their respective friends. And as they’re fighting demons and tracking down Drusilla, it creates an understandably sudden bond that most likely wouldn’t have happened above ground. They’re the only ones who can stop the forces of evil and cover each other’s backs.

Except for the undead elephant in the room, that has been in the room since Angel first appeared in Sunnydale -

Angel is a vampire. Angel witnessed Drusilla attacking Xander -- and did nothing to stop it.

And he knew it was Drusilla and Spike.

That lie comes back to majorly haunt his ass in Issue #3. Drusilla gleefully tells Buffy that he saw the whole thing, and also he has this whole other name, Angelus, which Buffy completely mishears and then rounds on Angel, asking him pointedly if they need a moment, or can she do the job she’s here for.

The revelation that Angel didn’t stop Xander’s turning naturally pings Buffy’s anger defenses and she tells him actually, no, we’re not friends, you don’t know me (even though I vented my guts out to you and you know I’m a slayer and you give weird pep talks to try to make me feel better -- Issues 1 & 2) - and I think besides the fact that Angel stood by and did nothing, it’s also that he didn’t tell her. Angel not telling Buffy important things, lying by omission basically, breaks their fragile alliance.

But it’s not until the second lie.

Something that has been driving me nuts since the first issue is that Angel hasn’t revealed his Vampire self to Buffy. There’s different levels to the relationships Angel has cultivated so far in the Boom!verse - with Fred and Gunn, he’s an ally (reluctant on Gunn’s part) and a friend (Fred) and he’s upfront with them that he’s a vampire. But with Buffy, who is going to be a major part of his life (if any of the previous portents and prophecies are to go by), he holds off/and hides his vampire self. And the question is why? Buffy already has a friend who has a Vampire side, but Xander’s a special case because he can still pass as human.

And it’s humanity that pops up in this issue - I knew it was coming, due to Boom’s wildly spoilery summaries/previews, but the way it was delivered?

Auggie - I know he has a full demon name but I’m not typing it out - and I think his name is also derived from Augury which means an omen/sign of what will happen in the future, seemed out of place to me. I mean, okay having a hell hut in the middle of the Hellmouth is whimsical and not completely out of the realm of the Buffyverse tone, and demons just trying to demon with no ambition to destroy the world is always nice to see - I just felt the introduction of him was too McGuffiny. There already was a figure who could see into the future (two of them, if you count Fee Fee from Angel’s first issue, except she disappeared into the plot hole where women characters go in that issue) and the initial one who set Angel on this path: Lilith.

Having Angel strike up a random conversation with an essentially magic demon eight ball when he could have been searching for Buffy or Drusilla felt like an unwelcome departure from the main story. Yes, the revelation that Angel could achieve humanity through some terrible ritual is important, but also - do you believe a demon who’s making a stew out of unidentifiable parts in the middle of the Hellmouth and just casually drops that information?

Read the room, Angel. It’s probably a trap.

Back to the A-story, Buffy thinks the Cthulu shape-shifter demon is back when she sees the vision of the guys in her life attacking the women - Giles and Jenny, Eric and Joyce, and Xander and Willow.Just as the Demon Joyce taunted her about her absence causing more havoc than help, the Demon men call her out Greek Chorus style - Giles says, “Sunnydale burns, Sacrifice.” Xander tells her, “But we can stop all this. The mother awaits you.”Eric says, “Come. End this suffering.”

Buffy accuses Dru of orchestrating this, and she laughs and tells her, “This is the hellmouth. Adapt, won’t you? It’s adapted to you....these are your people. This your nightmare.”

Buffy denies it coming true, and Dru tells her that it may yet come true - and she’s left Sunnydale defenseless. A slayer without her friends. There are fouler things than beasts, above. There are men.

Who have become the puppets of the unseen Hellmother.

So Drusilla was a red herring, a pawn in the game of Evil Chess. And this bums me out because Dru as a tangible villain/opponent is more interesting to me than another shadowy doom voice from the ether. Hellmother? Really?

This is where the reboot kind of loses me - Buffy’s greatest villains have been the ones who were personal to her, not as in just wanting to kill her, but an active part of her life. Dru (and by extension, Spike) in the Boom!verse would qualify because of what she did to Xander and threatening her mother. Dru being the front of a disembodied voice (that probably will take form in the next two issues) is a letdown. It’s the First Evil again.

The side effect of the men being turned into malevolent goons - okay, that is scary, but are we talking the Pack/Billy scary? (aka not very good episodes of either show because they either pulled punches or handwaved consequences)

Buffy teams up with Drusilla, which was unexpected, but at this point in the game, Buffy doesn’t have that many options. Her friend is missing (and it’s telling that even though she was hurt by the knowledge Angel did nothing to prevent Xander’s turning, she still refers to him as a friend to Drusilla. It might not be true forgiveness, but she was willing to move on, just for the sake of finding him and working to stop this mess.) And she keeps on reminding herself, these demons are not her friends, and are not real.

Which brings us to the final act - in more ways than one. Angel gets ambushed by a bunch of orc looking vampires, and finally goes Not Today, Satan on them.

And of course Buffy spots him on a mound of corpses, in full vamp face.

As much as I’m disappointed with the way Angel’s vampirism is revealed, it had to happen, and I have to admit, those last pages and panels are incredibly vivid and affecting.

Angel’s outstretched human hands covered in blood?

Buffy’s disbelief and then hardened look of disgust and her, “Don’t touch me.”

Goddammit.

Jordie and Jeremy have specific repetitions that I find interesting in terms of character development and where I think the plot is going -

Friends - the potential loss of them, the making of them, who to trust and how personal actions always have a consequence in relation to friends - Buffy is down on herself because she pushes people away and tried to lone wolf and it always, always blows up in her face, so this new thing with Angel is Buffy trying something new - trusting the other person so she can trust herself (because even though Willow and Xander are helpful and her besties, Buffy still can’t fully trust them with the fighting of evil because of her Slayer nature and belief that it’s her sole responsibility. She’s never had friends like that before. Angel has an equivalent strength to hers and already knows the evil game.)

So this issue blowing up all those tentative friend bridges?

Fucking painful. Because now it feels like Buffy was right - she can’t trust Angel, he’s not a friend, because why would he lie? Why didn’t he stop Drusilla? They clearly have a history. Has he been in on this from the beginning?

Buffy is alone, again.

And Angel? Who the fuck knows. Buffy has become important to him in a short amount of time, and it still needs to be addressed why he did nothing to save Xander. He was already on the saving gig, and was it because he knew Spike and Dru that he let it pass out of...familial bonds? That still doesn’t jibe with what he’s atoning for now.

As always, thanks to @jenny-calendar for being there for me to figure out all these fiddly parts. I still think this is the weakest issue of Hellmouth, and I’m not as confident as I was before in thinking it’ll be wrapped up neatly in the last two issues - but I hope this doesn’t signal the end of crossovers, and that the relationship wherever it goes, continues to develop over both of their lines. But I dislike it less on reread.

And Buffy better make an appearance in Ring of Fire, damn it.

AND WHERE IS CAMAZOTZ?

#buffy comics #boom! studios #hellmouth #boom! verse #meta #tldr summary i didn't like it as much as i did the first two #but i didn't hate it either #reactions and reviews #spoilers and reactions #angel in boom! land #angel done fucked up #disaster grumpy bats

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fantastic-nonsense · 2 years

Note

please tell us what this namesake comic is

oh rip, I'm sorry for getting abruptly re-obsessed without explaining a single thing to you all. Namesake (which you can read here) is a fairy tale fantasy webcomic created by Megan Lavy-Heaten and Isabelle Melançon:

You can find better overviews and plot synopses here and here, but basically Namesake is about this girl named Emma who discovers that she's a "Namesake," someone who can visit other worlds via the power of their name (all Dorothies go to Oz, all Wendys go to Neverland, all Alices go to Wonderland, etc). Unfortunately, Emma accidentally portals herself to Oz after a library fire (yes, that Oz), where people obviously assume she's a Dorothy.

The first arc (Emma's attempt to return home from Oz while her younger sister Elaine is picked up by Calliope, Earth's resident organization to help Namesakes on their journeys and record their stories) sets up this massive magical conspiracy that uh...tl;dr involves the multiverse, mysterious magical forces called "Muses," a secret villainous organization, and the end of the universe.

It's also got a frankly massive cast of absolutely delightful characters:

The core Earth protagonist cast includes Emma Crewe, her younger sister Elaine, her best friend Ben, and former Namesakes Wendy, Alice, and Jack. The rest of the core cast includes magical twins Warrick and Selva Chopper (from Oz) and Fred (a former card solider from Wonderland) along with our resident villains: the Rippers, led by the mysterious man known only as "One."

It's basically the only webcomic I keep up with on any regular basis and the chapter that's currently being published is making me want to go re-read it from the beginning, which I haven't done since I first read it back as a senior in high school....on reflection, the fact that I've been reading this comic for 8 years is pretty wild (Chapter 17 had just started then; we're now on Chapter 33, the beginning of the endgame arc, and the comic is...I think...scheduled to be somewhere between 40-45 chapters).

10/10, highly recommend for the ridiculously complex plot, delightful characters, beautiful art, lots of LGBTQ rep, and tons of fairy tale and folklore deepdiving. As Isa once put it, the comic is "ideal for folks who love awesome ladies, swordfights, magical conspiracies, romance, and Cheshire Cats."

#namesake #namesake comic #asks #long post #(mostly because of the art lmao)#I have casually NOT included explanations about any spoiler characters like SB and Nose in here lmfao

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thotyssey · 7 years

Text

On Point With: Patti Spliff

Whether it’s painting, sculpting or performing, this Brooklyn queen with her signature tentacle braids is an artist we should all be watching, like, now. And a great place to start is Sasha Velour’s epic Nightgowns, returning to Brooklyn this week. Get high on Patti Spliff!

Thotyssey: Hi Patti! So, we are getting well into October now, yet I'm still asking people about their Bushwig experiences. I am particularly curious about yours, because you're such an intense stage performer. How did it go?

Patti Spliff: I loved it! I prefer to perform on smaller, more intimate stages, but this year's was epic! I had to try harder, so I pulled out all the simple choreography I know! What was the number you did? "Konsumier Mich" by PLASTIX, this 80s punk band from Vienna. I was having trouble settling on a song until a week before Bushiwg. It was just playing at a bar down the street (Rebecca's), and I immediately fell in love with it. You have such a refined, diverse musical lexicon for someone so young. The first time I became aware of you was your number with Chris of Hur and Sasha Velour last year that you did for the Austin International Drag Festival, and later for the Brooklyn Nightlife Awards. The B-52s! It was a long, eclectic, intense performance. Yes! I had performed that B-52s number solo a couple times. It's a great song but definitely needs someone to be the Fred Schneider. Chris of Hur came up with this mix including "Dance This Mess Around," and had Sasha and I debut it in Austin. I love the songs Chris and Sasha pull, so it was a perfect trio.

And now we're coming full circle! So, where is your hometown, and what were your earliest artistic pursuits? I was born and raised in Dallas, TX. I was definitely a nerdy kid that loved to draw, so I spent a lot of time sketching new X-Men, or repainting action figures i'd find at garage sales. I'd also cosplay at local Anime conventions, making my own costumes and props out of cardboard and hot glue. This eventually turned into a love of fine art and sculpture, so I moved north to attend the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Aside from comic art, what other genres or artists inspired you during your formative years? I was introduced to Paul Thek's work my first year at college, It really influenced the art I make to this day. Before then, I had stuck with painting and drawing -- but Thek's pieces pushed me to explore installations, objects, and ephemeral work.

I see from your sculpture website that you have a particular interest in circular shapes and wheels. Ha! yes, it started out as a counter to the square/rectangular paintings I was making; but I've since used them to represent halos, orifices, and otherworldly objects.

Didn't you recently publish a coloring book as well?

I released my Look Book at LA Drag Con this year. It's a collection of 20 fashion illustrations I'd been working on; about half are looks I've done, and half are future looks. I plan on releasing a new one each year. I hadn't illustrated in a while, so it was fun to jump back in. As far as music is concerned, how were you exposed to such a diversity of genres? Even the most eclectic young queens today don’t seem to have have much knowledge regarding classic rock or old school punk, for instance.

My mother and father always played the "oldies" station, so that’s the only music I was exposed to when I was younger. In high school I listened to a lot of "downer" music like Cat Power and PJ Harvey, mostly female fronted bands. Now I'm usually just performing songs that I've loved forever and know the words by heart.

And then of course there's Patti Smith. She's the queen of counterculture, such a spectacular singer and poet and so vital to the underground history of this city. I love that photo recreation of you as Patti from the Horses album cover. I had been wanting to recreate that photo for a while. Horses is definitely one of my top 5 favorite albums, but that cover is what initially got me interested in Patti Smith. Luckily my husband is a photographer and uses the same type of Hasselblad camera Mapplethorpe used.

Did you always connect with her more than most, hence the namesake?

When I was starting out in Chicago, I had a couple names I was playing around with, but I always knew I wanted long, black, loose braids as an exaggerated reference to Patti Smith's braids. Her songs are also kind of perfect to perform to. I’ll be performing one for Nightgowns!

So, how did you discover Brooklyn drag?

I tried doing my research before moving here 4 years ago. I remember following performers like Untitled Queen, Macy Rodman, Horrorchata, Mocha and Misty to kind of get the feel of Brooklyn Drag. But I really got a crash course in BK drag from Brad Callahan (BCALLA). We met at SAIC in 2006, and have been friends ever since! What speaks to you about drag? And as a visual artist, do you sometimes feel more like a living installation then a traditional performer? I was definitely more into the look when I started drag. I could turn into the characters I had illustrated as kid. I was never a theater kid, and to this day I get nervous on a stage if I don't have an inch of makeup on, so it took me a while to get used to the performance side of drag.

youtube

Regarding your braids, we all identify you by those tremendous, swooping hair tendrils that are often longer than your entire body. Are they hard to maneuver onstage? Do you ever trip over them?

They are heavy! Usually I toss them around my neck by the end of the night.

So, it's an interesting time for the Brooklyn scene. It seemed dismal when TNT closed last year, but then a lot of new venues opened their doors to drag afterwards. And there's a whole lot of new queens too.

I just love that there is so much new drag, new shows all throughout the week. More is more to me! Some of the newer queens are pulling the best looks/ shows. Ruby Fox Is killing it!

Right!? Ruby Fox, Suburbia, the House of Femanon are some of my favorite new queens!

Pearl is your drag mom, right?

Yes, we met in Chicago and were roommates for a bit. I made a couple of her early looks, and she would paint my face when I first started going out. Are you still in touch with her, or is she just all over the place these days? She's definitely all over the place, but I see her when she's in town. Sometimes I take care of her adorable dog Honey when she's away. You must've been way happy when Sasha won Drag Race this season... not only is she your Judy and amazing, but it sort of introduced a different style and aesthetic of drag to the show's fans around the world. SO HAPPY! It's crazy how quickly that all happens. She is one of my favorite drag performers, and I'm glad more people can have a chance to see her live! It was nice to see a sweet and collected queen with a very specific aesthetic make it to the top.

Sasha’s show Nightgowns was a special monthly event at Bizarre Bar before her TV win; it combined a more dramatic repertoire of numbers from the drag performers with gorgeous visual elements projected on them and the backdrop. Since she's brought back the show post-win, it's exploded in scale and popularity, and often includes other popular Drag Race queens in the cast. What do you think about the change?

I’m really into the change! I think they're being smart about it, and I think this is the level of production value that Sasha has always wanted for Nightgowns. A lot of the original BK queens make appearances, but I love seeing queens that don't normally perform these emotional torch songs, have a chance to perform something they are passionate about. Well, for the most part, this session of Nightgowns starting tomorrow is mostly Brooklyn performers. It's gonna be three shows over two nights at the gorgeous National Sawdust. How psyched are you? I can't wait! Definitely a little nervous -- haven't performed at this venue yet. My last Nightgowns was at Bizarre! This cast is amazing too! I'm excited to see what Neon Calypso ends up doing. I performed right after her Missy Elliot mashup at Bushwig, I was standing right off stage with my jaw open the entire time. I hope I'm not performing after her again!

And in other exciting news, last month you started an interesting new monthly at the Rosemont, “Sad Songs,” which I'm guessing is self-explanatory!

Yes! Very-self explanatory. I had one of the saddest queens I know be my first guest, Untitled Queen.

You're gonna be back there doing it with Charlene on Tuesday, October 17th. What made you want to do a sad song show? I just wanted to do a simple drag night that was exclusively sad songs. "Sad" is up to the performers own interpretation. I usually perform a bunch of slower songs anyway, but I also don't like turning a big Friday night drag show into a Debbie Downer moment. So this is my night to test them all out. I also like the idea of hosting queens that don't normally perform sad songs. I can't wait to see what Charlene brings!

What else is coming up for you? I'll be giving Halloween shows on October 28th in London for Cybil War's "CYBIL's HOUSE : CIRCUS OF HORRORS" and probably a couple of last minute shows before then. That's right, you've done a lot of performing abroad... do you have any wacky road stories? Well, the plane ride to Life Ball 2017 in Vienna was nuts. Susanne Bartsch brought a bunch of us with her to represent NYC. The entire ride was one giant party the second we took off. Pearl and I drank straight whiskey while watching Amanda Lepore give a strip tease for everyone. The music on the portable speakers wasn't loud enough, so the whole plane drummed a rhythm for her to dance to. It was just such a surreal mix of people -- Dionne Warwick was somewhere in the front of the plane. At the end of it, we all took a 30 minute nap and started painting our faces because a red carpet and the foreign press were waiting for us when we landed. It's the quickest and drunkest I've ever painted my face! And that was just the beginning of the trip! that whole weekend was "wacky." That is the stuff of legend! Okay then, so last question... where in the world should Patti Spliff go next? Wherever they'll take me! I went to Queef Latina's Wigwood in Miami last spring, it was too much fun! I want to go back and perform next year! It's like Bushwig, but with a Miami beach!

Sounds like heaven... hope you get there soon! Thanks, Patti!

Patti Spliff hosts “Sad Songs” monthly Tuesdays at the Rosemont. Check Thotyssey’s calendar for other upcoming NYC-area gigs, and follow Patti on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and her sculpture website.

On Point Archives

#npointwith #patti spiff

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knight-of-roses · 7 years

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Inktober Day 14: web comic appreciation Can we all agree that Fred's new haircut in Namesake is adorable?

#inktober #inktober2017 #Fred #namesake #fanart #Fred is so cute I love him and his new haircut #knightdraws

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thecomicsnexus · 5 years

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Superman, Champion of the Oppressed

ACTION COMICS #1 JUNE 1938 BY JERRY SIEGEL, JOE SHUSTER, HOMER FLEMING, FRED GUARDINEER, RUSSELL COLE, SVEN ELVEN, WILL ELY, KEN FITCH AND BERNARD BEILY

CONTEXT

So if you have been reading my reviews for the Golden Age (in fact, pre-golden age), you know that what we now know as DC was publishing three books. More Fun Comics, New Adventure Comics and Detective Comics. Technically speaking, Detective Comics was being published by the namesake company (Detective Comics Inc) and the other two by Wheeler-Nicholson. Problem was that Nicholson found out the hard way that comic-books were a bad business and ended up broke (to be honest, he didn’t pay the artists well enough, considering how much these artists could get from syndicated jobs, this could be considered a reason for those artists for not selling him the best creations). So his books ended up on Detective Comics hands. And now it was time for a fourth book, one not focused on funnies or mysteries, but on action.

It is important to clarify that Superman wasn’t the first action hero. And he was certainly not the first hero with powers or a secret identity (Zorro and Shadow could be considered inspirations for the character). But he is, definitively the first super-hero.

Now, if you read More Fun Comics, Adventure Comics and Detective Comics up to this point, you will notice that the stories are so-so and the art is not always easy to understand. The jump from comic strips to comic books was still not polished. There were incremental changes to these, like more pages per issue to each feature, and an increase in quality that was probably more than enough for the time (and cost). But when you read Action Comics #1, the Superman feature alone is mesmerizing. It’s like nothing you could have read before. There is a lot of quality to it, and it certainly doesn’t underestimate the readers. Funny enough, it wasn’t the intention of Siegel and Shuster to publish this story through National, and National Comics wasn’t sure about publishing the feature either. It was a hate-hate situation.

Action Comics was started by publisher Jack Liebowitz. The first issue had a print run of 200,000 copies, which promptly sold out, although it took some time for National to realize that the "Superman" strip was responsible for sales of the series that would soon approach 1,000,000 a month. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were paid $10 per page, for a total of $130 for their work on this issue. Liebowitz would later say that selecting Superman to run in Action Comics #1 was "pure accident" based on deadline pressure and that he selected a "thrilling" cover, depicting Superman lifting a car over his head. Christopher Knowles, author of Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, compared the cover to Hercules Clubs the Hydra by Antonio del Pollaiolo.

In January 1933, Jerry Siegel wrote a short prose story titled "The Reign of the Superman", which was illustrated by his friend Joe Shuster and self-published in a science fiction magazine. It told the story of a bald villain with telepathic powers. Trying to create a character they could sell to newspaper syndicates, Siegel re-conceived the "superman" character as a powerful hero, sent to our world from a more advanced society. He and Shuster developed the idea into a comic strip, which they pitched unsuccessfully.

National Publications was looking for a hit to accompany their success with Detective Comics, and did not have time to solicit new material. Jack Liebowitz, co-owner of National Publications, told editor Vincent Sullivan to create their fourth comic book. Because of the tight deadline, Sullivan was forced to make it out of inventory and stockpile pages. He found a number of adventurer stories, but needed a lead feature. Sullivan asked former coworker Sheldon Mayer if he could help. Mayer found the rejected Superman comic strips, and Sullivan told Siegel and Shuster that if they could paste them into 13 comic book pages, he would buy them.

Comics Buyer's Guide estimated in 2012 that only 50 to 100 original copies of Action Comics #1 exist.

Action Comics #1 has set several sales records for comic books. On February 22, 2010, a copy of Action Comics #1 CGC Grade 8.0 sold at auction for US$1 million, becoming the first million-dollar comic book. The sale, by an anonymous seller to an anonymous buyer, was through the Manhattan-based auction company ComicConnect.com. On March 29, 2010, ComicConnect.com sold another copy for US$1.5 million, making it the most expensive and most valuable comic book of all time. The copy sold is the third highest-graded copy from the CGC, which stands at 8.5 VF+ grade.

As of 2011, there were six known Comic Guaranty LLC (CGC)-graded copies with a grade above VG (CGC 4.0), with only one issue having the grade of VF/NM (CGC 9.0) at that time. EC and Mad publisher William Gaines, whose father was also a comic book publisher and had business dealings with DC Comics at the time Action Comics #1 was published, claimed in a Comics Journal interview that he at one point had dozens of copies of the issue around his house, but they were probably all thrown out. Another copy, rated CGC 5 ("Very Good/Fine"), was discovered in July 2010 by a family facing foreclosure on their home while packing their possessions. Estimated by ComicConnect.com to sell as high as $250,000, the comic fetched $436,000 at auction, saving the family's home.

One copy was stolen from American actor Nicolas Cage, an avid comic book collector, in 2000 (this is a story on itself). In March 2011, it was found in a storage locker in the San Fernando Valley and was verified by ComicConnect.com to be the copy sold to him previously. Cage had previously received an insurance payment for the item. A copy which sold for $2.16 million on November 30, 2011 through ComicConnect.com is believed to have been this same one, having been noted as stolen in 2000 and recovered in 2011. The Hollywood Reporter mentioned in its March 23, 2012 issue that a movie was in development based on the theft of Cage's copy of the comic book and would be titled Action No. 1. The screenplay was a spec script written by Reno 911! creators Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon and sold to Lionsgate. They will produce along with Peter Principato and Paul Young.

A CGC 9.0-graded comic, with white pages, was auctioned for sale on eBay in August 2014. The seller Darren Adams, a comic book store owner in Federal Way, Washington, had purchased the issue from the estate of a man who had originally bought the issue from a newsstand on its release in 1938. The original buyer lived in high altitudes in West Virginia and stored the comic in a stack with others, which provided the optimal "cool, dry and dark" conditions that lent well to a comic's age, according to Adams. The comic changed hands twice prior to the auction; first sold as part of an estate sale when the original purchaser died forty years after its publication, and then to a third person who held the comic for about thirty years. Some years prior to the auction, Adams was contacted by this third person, and seeing the pristine condition of the comic, purchased it for a "seven figure sum". He held onto the comic for a few years before deciding to sell it, keeping the existence of it otherwise a secret, even rejecting a $3 million offer to buy the comic outright. On his decision to sell, he opted to use eBay instead of other comic auction houses like Heritage House, believing the auction site would reach a wider audience and was a better fit for the pop culture nature of the piece. After discussions with the site, Adams and eBay also arranged to donate 1% of the sale to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, reflecting on Christopher Reeve's role as Superman in motion pictures. The auction ended on August 24, 2014 and sold for over $3.2 million. This was the highest value ever paid for a single issue of a comic book. The purchasers were Vincent Zurzolo and Stephen Fishler, the owners of Metropolis Collectibles; Zurzolo expected the value of the near-mint comic to continue to increase in time.

Ironically, the first thing you see when you open the comic book is this add telling you to basically shred the comic-book.

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC WIKIA)

As a distant planet is destroyed by old age, a scientist places his infant son in a space capsule and launches it toward Earth. The capsule is found by a passing motorist, who brings the baby to an orphanage, where the child astounds the attendants with his superhuman powers. The child, who is named Clark Kent, can jump over buildings, lift enormous weights, and run faster than a freight train. Furthermore, his skin is impenetrable. Realizing that he has powers far beyond normal humans, Clark dedicates himself to serve humanity as Superman, the champion of the oppressed.

Superman learns that an innocent woman named Evelyn Curry is to be executed for murder. He captures the real murderess, and delivers her, bound and gagged, to the governor's mansion. He breaks through the door to confront the governor, and convinces him to call off the execution at the last minute.

At the Daily Star, where Clark works as a reporter, he's given the assignment to cover the stories about a man with amazing strength named Superman. He hears a tip about a wife-beating, and rushes off to cover it -- then changes into Superman, and stops the man before he kills his wife.

Returning to the Daily Star, Superman asks fellow reporter Lois Lane out on a date; she accepts out of pity. A thug named Butch Mason tries to cut in while Clark and Lois are dancing. To protect his secret identity, Clark pretends to be a cowardly weakling. Convinced that Clark is a spineless worm, Lois slaps Butch and walks out. Enraged, Butch and his friends leave the club and take Lois prisoner. Superman spots them and gives chase, smashing the car with his bare hands. He picks Lois up into his arms and carries her to safety. She's astonished, and the next morning, she tells her editor about her experience with Superman -- although she's even more cold to Clark than before.

Clark is given an assignment to go to San Monte, a war-torn South American republic. First, he goes to Washington, D.C., where he spies a slick lobbyist, Alex Greer, trying to convince Senator Barrows to involve the US in a war with Europe. Superman grabs Greer, and demands to know who he's working for. Greer refuses to talk, so Superman jumps up to the top of the Capitol building, and threatens to smash Greer to the ground.

Several years ago, Charles Dawson owned the Circle-D Ranch near Red Gulch, Texas, and was killed in a range war. His son Chuck went to live on his uncle Dan's ranch in Wyoming. Chuck, now a man, decides to take up the fight against his father's killers who fraudulently took the land that was his birthright.

Chuck rides his horse, Blacky, into the town of Red Gulch and stops at the local dance hall to ask a few questions. As he approaches, the door suddenly flies open with a man calling himself Notch Logan running out and firing his pistol inside. Logan picks a fight with Chuck, swearing revenge after the newcomer bests him. After witnessing the brief fight, Red Gulch's sheriff tells Chuck to leave despite Chuck telling him of his business in town.

As Chuck eats at a local cafe, John Burwell, owner of the A-G Ranch, orders "Trigger" Holt to take Butch into town with him and kill Chuck. Holt reveals that Burwell's orders are to make the murder look like a fight as he and Butch arrive at the restaurant. As Chuck leaves, he bumps into "Trigger" who then draws his pistol. Chuck shoots the gun out of his would-be assailant's hand and subdues "Trigger" using "jiujitsu," not knowing Butch is lying in wait around the corner. Butch shoots, grazing Chuck's head, and knocking him out. The sheriff arrives and has the unconscious newcomer taken to jail.

When Chuck wakes up in his jail cell, he convinces the deputy to come over and a struggle ensues. Chuck takes the deputy's gun and orders him to unlock the cell. The deputy is then tied up and our hero finds his pistol in a table drawer. Just as he's about to leave, Chuck hears a footstep in the adjacent office.

Suspecting the Tigress to be behind a recent crime wave, Zatara and his assistant Tong contact Detective Brady upon learning of another robbery attempt. Late that night, Zatara and Tong silently board the train with Brady and Detective Brown. The train gets underway and soon enters a tunnel. After leaving the tunnel, Brown is shot and nearly falls, but is quickly saved by Tong. Determining the detective is only stunned, Zatara conjures a first aid kit for Tong to use as he continues forward. As the magician advances, he sees a dead Detective Brady being thrown out of a boxcar. The Tigress then sneaks up behind him and shoves him off of the train. Zatara uses his magic to float gently to the ground, landing in some underbrush next to the tracks.

The train continues on as Zatara walks back toward the freight yard where he finds Brady's body. After Tong warns the train's engineer, the train is stopped and the state police soon arrive to investigate. Brady is deemed guilty by State Police Captain Kennedy, but Zatara isn't convinced. Zatara then meets Train Inspector Babcock who accuses Zatara of being an accomplice to the train crimes. The master magician muses that Babcock is the key to solving the mystery. The police arrive and Zatara tells them that he'll capture the robbers and prove Brady's innocence.

With the train scheduled to depart at midnight, Zatara arranges for valuables to be distributed all over the train. Tong tells his master that he saw several "evil looking" men enter a shack. Zatara enters the shack and hypnotizes the men only for the Tigress to pistol whip him into unconsciousness, which breaks the hypnotic spell. The Tigress has a henchman douse the shack with kerosene and then leaves with the rest of her men to rob the train. Zatara wakes up and easily unties his bonds, escaping from the burning shack.

Teleporting his assistant to him, Zatara has Tong capture the crooked train inspector Babcock and take him to the police station. Flagging down an oncoming express train, Zatara convinces the engineer to catch up to the freight train. Eventually catching up, Zatara boards and dodges gunfire from the Tigress' henchman. Zatara returns fire using Babcock's pistol and hits the thug.

While a truck arrives to collect the boxes of valuables thrown off of the train, Zatara magically closes the boxcar door but is confronted by the Tigress. Quickly, the magician gestures and turns the femme fatale's pistol into a bullet. Enraged, the villainess leaps off of the train and vanishes.

Police arrive and arrest the remaining henchmen. Zatara tells Captain Kennedy how Babcock marked boxcars containing valuables for the Tigress. At the police station, Babcock confesses to the crimes.

Although the Tigress has escaped, the case is now closed. Zatara is eager to begin the search for his arch-foe but Tong wants to get some sleep before hunting anew.

In the year 1271, Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle set out from Venice to China. On the Armenian coast, an emissary asks that the group visit the pope at his home in Acre. The pope gives them instructions to travel to Tartary with priests and gifts. Again, the adventurers set out for the far reaches of Asia. The ship the men sail on is owned by a country at war with Babylon and is set upon by one of Babylon's warships. Luckily, our heroes escape to safety in an Armenian port. They ignore the warnings of Armenian nobles and continue their travels. After traveling through Turkey, they reach the port of Dora and continue on to the Karghar Pass. The porters are afraid of the savage tribes who inhabit the area and are only prodded to go on by the promise of more pay by the Polos. The party splits in two, with Marco in charge of one half and his father and uncle in the other. Marco's group hides in the hills, while the other group goes through the narrow mountain pass. The tribesmen swarm down from the hills, but Marco's men begin to roll boulders onto their foes.

Pep Morgan is fighting a boxing match against Sailor Sorenson. Sailor's manager, Doc Lowry, is a known cheat, and when it appears Sailor was losing, Doc covers his gloves in liniment. In the next round, Sailor swipes Pep in the eyes, blinding him. But Pep gets lucky on a blind swing and knocks Sailor out. After the fight, the police question Lowry, but the Doc removed the liniment already, so without any evidence, they allow him to walk free.

Months later, Pep and his manager, Pop Burkett, hear about Doc Lowry's new rising champion, Boomerang. Pep is suspicious of Doc using illegal methods to win those fights, so he and Pop buy tickets to watch Boomerang's next match. What starts out as a straightforward fight, suddenly turns odd when Boomerang's opponent begins acting groggy, as if he were drugged. One knockout later and Boomerang is the clear winner, though Pep smells a rat. The next fight will be against Pep himself, so Morgan and Pop return to the gym to get ready.

Later, before the big fight, Doc threatens Pep that he's been waiting for a chance to get back at him since he accused him of cheating. The bell rings, and Pep Morgan and Boomerang face each other in the ring. At first, everything is normal, but just a little after Boomerang lands a blow, Pep begins feeling woozy. Despite this, Pep wills himself to fight on. To Doc's surprise, Boomerang is hit with a knockout punch and goes down. Before Doc Lowry can make an escape, Pop intercepts him with two detectives blocking his way. He noticed that Doc had sewn a hypodermic needle into the gloves, which Boomerang would then use to dope his opponents. Lowry is taken away to prison.

Scoop Scanlon, ace reporter, wakes up his companion and photographer, Rusty, after receiving word of a scoop. Together, they drive over to the docks, where an international jewel-thief, by the name of Arnold, has been caught by authorities. Rusty focuses his camera, and then sees some suspicious men hanging out by the cargo crates. He points it out to Scoop, who notices the bulge in the men's coats look an awful lot like machine-guns. He circles around while the police, unsuspecting, escort Arnold to their patrol car. After a quick nod to the suspicious men, Arnold ducks to the ground as they pull out their tommy-guns. But they're taken off guard when Scoop tackles one of them from behind. The police officers spot Arnold's goons and open fire, taking down all but one, who escapes in a getaway car with his boss, Arnold. Of course, Rusty manages to hop onto the back of the car as it breaks away from the scene, clinging to the spare tire to keep himself from falling off.

Scoop and the police follow behind in their cars, until the police are blocked off by a truck being driven by more of Arnold's cronies. Scoop manages to get through, however, and continues the pursuit. Swerving to get beside Arnold's car, Scoop opens fire on the vehicle with a tommy-gun he recovered, bringing it to a halt. The police catch up and arrest Arnold and his man, while Scoop helps Rusty off the vehicles rear. Rusty takes a few good photos of Arnold being led away, while Scoop phones in the story he was just a part of.

Rusty mentions that he hopes the credit goes where it's due. After all, they never would have caught the car at all if he hadn't been poking holes in the fuel tank while he was hanging on...

Tex Thomson visits England and takes a stroll through the lush green country. He meets a young boy, Robert, who is fascinated by the cowboy life, and invites him along as a traveling companion. The two of them stumble upon a murdered man in the road. Robert goes to find the police while Tex stays behind.

Sonja, a nearby woman, encounters the scene and accuses Tex of the murder, forcing the cowboy to run from the sheriff. Secretly, he trails the girl, learning that Sonja is working with the killer and his gang. They have captured young Robert, the only witness to Tex's innocence!

Tex frees the boy and sends him for help. In the meantime, Tex finds himself captured. Robert returns in time to free Tex, but both men are still in danger from the gang, until the sheriff arrives to round them up.

REVIEW

So I kind of already reviewed the Superman story in this issue, but only because it was part of Superman #1 (my first ever review in this blog). And that was for the best, as the story as it was published in Action Comics was incomplete and made much more sense after having all the parts. I find the story very unique for the time. And even compared to today standards... it’s a pretty powerful story and characters. I mean, Lois Lane is pretty much the same character today!

Because at the time of publication, reporters were either detective characters or action characters, it makes sense for Clark Kent to be so active, and to be an actual reporter.

Speaking of action, the focus of the book is mostly right (there are still some mystery stories). The Zatara story could be considered as a mystery, but the fact that he decided to set the main part of the episode on a train, added the action required for the book.

The rest of the stories (apart from Superman and Zatara) are forgettable. But thanks to reprints and digital copies, have probably been read by more people than anyone could have ever imagined.

I found the quality in the art also much improved from Detective. The stories not so much. The Zatara story relies on magic, and it starts with a crystal ball telling him what the tigress will do. My guess is that crystal ball could have told them even more details, enough details to just put her in prison.

And what is the deal with Tong? is he a genie?

This issue is a milestone in history and it is considered the beginning of the golden age of comics. It is also the beginning of super hero comics (a.k.a. other publishers and creators, seeing how much Action Comics was selling thanks to Superman, started creating their own versions, some of them were sued by National).

I give this issue a score of 8

#joe shuster #jack adler #dc comics #comics #dc #review #national comics #1938 #superman #action comics #zatara #chuck dawson #golden age #zatanna

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