The MCU is wildly popular entertainment. It’s made to appeal to several age groups. I embrace much of this. I also have love for some of the young adult writing of years gone by, too. There is a downbeat, thoughtful quality in the comic series, Man-Thing. While the creature was created- a mix of strange magic and a failed formula meant to help soldiers adapt, a Super Soldier Serum-in 1971, the black and white version of the slime beast only briefly appeared in the magazine, Savage Tales, premiering in its first issue. When Man-thing was revived for a regular strip, ghouls of the vampire/wolf man/ mummy/swamp monster sort popular at Universal Pictures were in vogue. Marvel took cues from the success of smaller publishers like Warren. They took advantage of the relaxed Comics Code of Approval’s standards to bring in nightmarish creations, like Shelley’s Frankenstein. These appealed to some of the young kids, but they also opened more mature story telling possibilities. This...

I can still check to see if they need any replacements out at Anderson Farms, but I didn't follow up on the Terror in the Corn maze idea. That is, I was looking about a seasonal job there, and it sounded very fun. Now I know someone who works out there, Brooke, though she's in the hospitality department, not creeping up through the corn rows. I have to at least rule out the possiblity they really can't use me. It would've been a fun way to spend these past three weeks! I looked up some fun Drunk History: Salem Witch Trials (the Giles Corey curse), Vlad the not-so-tame-Impala, and let's not forget, 'Frankenstein is not the monster's name.' Whatever that one was with Paget Brewster- we agreed, super sexy lady. Criminal Minds: that's how Angela recognized her. And ...a story our pal the Savage Beast told us in capsule form, a couple of weeks ago, in full form with 'Carl Satan'-sober people call him Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos - and a...

I just wrote a feature on J.M.'s first superhero work in the post before. Here's the questions John Marc DeMatteis graciously OK’d: Cecil 1. I think one of your thematic abilities involves discovering a character that might have been, alternative takes of who they might have been, when corporate trademarks were editorially guided to be written “a certain way.” “Going Sane” is a story that became a Batman/ Joker story before it became the essence of “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” which then transformed once more essentially into “Going Sane”: your favorite mainstream superhero story. J.M. Stories, like people, have a natural growth curve and we have to honor that as writers. That story led me from Batman to Spider-Man and back again (with some other twists along the way). Since “Going Sane” and “KLH” are two of the best superhero stories I’ve written, I’m glad I had the sense, and patience, to let them guide me along, instead of trying to control them. 2. Tell me about anoth...

Essential Man-Thing, Vol. 1 by Steve Gerber My rating: 4 of 5 stars Steve Gerber did not always have a very optimistic viewpoint on humanity, but he wrote honestly and believed in our best values. If you want to read a thoughtful- not to mention occasionally horrific- graphic novel, this collection of serialized stories does the job. IF there's one glaring weakness, it is the strength that makes the stories unique: the protagonist is essentially mindless. This means the other random characters are necessary to give dimension to the conflicts, and they change over time. Richard Rory, hippie Everyman, is as close to a constant as the title has, and he's an interesting ordinary guy, never transformed by the usual power fantasy plot twists, but often swept up by them. This volume features his origin by Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow, and with a stop off by Jim Starlin along the way, by FEAR #10 we get to Steve Gerber, with stories about pollution, free spirits, shady developers,...

Hmm, so fans are sending videos of their flaming copies of the new Cap #1 over Twitter to Nick Spenser, writer. Anything could come of a twist; I just happened to read a review stating why the issue wasn't particularly well made. The truly offensive idea here is that Captain America- co-created by a Jewish artist who joined the Army to fight the military oppression of the Nazis- would be a deep cover member of an organization founded, fictitiously,by Nazis (Hydra). Could I ever burn a comic book? I did. When I was a child, I burned a brittle old copy of FEAR #21 my Dad found tattered in the floorboard of a '56 Chevy. My imagination and Morbius the Living Vampire did not play well, lol- I eventually took my object of morbid fascination to the trash fire in the back yard. I'd never burn another comic book, though. Irony? It was written by Steve Gerber, a writer I now really love! In other synchronicities, the issue went on sale the week I was born- as did the issue o...

“Ruth Hart Breaker” She rode into town with trouble, and found herself into yet troubles more. A swamp’s a strange asylum in which to turn one’s self around, but Ruth Hart’s looking for salvation now, not trouble- and any place can turn out to be quicksand, when you’re not mindful of your path. Supporting characters come and go, sometimes with vocal fan support or enmity, sometimes by creative fiat. It just might be, however, a good writer knows when to listen, and by no manipulative design of his or her own, a character brought in for a story might stick around, might decide to go, might even return in another story---it’s a sign of life. That’s how you know you’re a loser: the best girl you can meet has a gang of bike toughs on her tail, and your best friend’s not even sentient. At least, that’s how you know you’re Richard Rory. In a way, you can’t really afford to lose this time, or someone’s going to die---but what can YOU do about things? No, the loser card was dro...

The last column tells you all about Roshomonics, the song cycle, which includes this. “Guardian of the Nexus” “Guardian of the Nexus” 1. She drew a pentagram in the mud of the swamp A world nearby could not delay Some pages she recited, elegance and pomp Za-rehd-Na, from ten thousand years away Told of world shaking doom in another dawn Told of power of Thog the Nether Spawn But the savior arising was itself made of fear The evil stained-world, brought its burning hands near A man destroyed by his pride his own hand Became of the vines and quicksand Though there’s little more to make him man Thing that he is, never had he planned Guardian of the Nexus Guardian of the Nexus Chorus: Though there’s fear in everyone And everyone’s a setting sun Other worlds to eat our pain And one is left with not a thing to gain. I was there to say aloud/ the last ones even left around To crush the pyramid so proud Guardian of the Nexus. 2. Haunted loser’s luck became The way I came to know your name Y...