Kevin Conroy: BATMAN Forever

                                                                                                                                                         

                              

     

 From the very first words you spoke; we knew you were Batman. It was the sound, the tone, the heart of the character; we hadn’t realized it but we had heard the voice collectively in our minds forever. We celebrate your life, your many accomplishments, we mourn your passing.

Kevin explains the importance of Batman to the multi-generational fans of the character.

What's Wrong With She-Hulk?

 

NOTHING!!!

Disney and Marvel TV have come up with a winner this time out. As a long-time fan of the Stan Lee and John Busema creative collaboration “The Savage She-Hulk” I am thoroughly enjoying this recent incarnation. I was on-board beginning with issue #1 in 1980.The series couldn’t be more faithful to the character of the transformed Jennifer Walters. Nor could it be more entertaining and at times in it’s unique way provocative.  

Lee’s idea in creating She-Hulk was to avoid what could have been, potentially a loss and overall problem for the Marvel franchise. The identifying name and image of “She-Hulk” had not been copyrighted and was open to anyone that wanted to do so. Lee wisely obtained the copyright and his choice was timely. The creators of this new TV series; “She Hulk: Attorney at Law” even made copyright infringement the subject of an episode in this, the first season.

As written and along with the portrayal by Tatiana Maslany of the title character on the current program the production is very much a satirical take on comic book themes and the genre itself. The fourth wall is routinely broken, the villains are absurd clichés and the laughs are perfectly timed often subtle mind games. This TV incarnation is an almost literal version of what writer/artist John Byrne did following the Lee/Busema run on the Savage She-Hulk book. The satire, the breaking of the fourth wall, the leaping in and out from the mediums physical boundaries is pure Byrne; the character was also known to have conversations with Byrne himself (often complaining to him) as the stories were unfolding. The TV production has followed the Byrne tenure to perfection. The subsequent artistic teams following Byrne have stayed with his take and followed him in turn.  

At this point to address the issue alluded to in the blog title; “What’s Wrong With She-Hulk?” there have been criticisms with many detractors falling into the disgruntled line of complaints and derision.  The malcontent many fans find have broad and personal dis-satisfactions. Many on-line critics give voice to their perceived disdain for the writer’s skills, catering to the “Woke” audience and the emasculation of male characters. This is something that I don’t necessarily find to any real degree within the show myself but it is something of a problem on many other franchises today. These problems do have their merit. It will always be true that beauty and wit are in the eyes, ears and tastes of the beholders. These folks essentially have different ideas of what the program should be, they haven’t read the comics and their expectations or far different than what they are receiving as content. They don’t seem to realize they have every right to stop watching at any time, during any broadcast and find something closer to their personal likings and fancies.    

Ironically the disillusioned continue to watch “She-Hulk” and seem to relish their mal-content. I think it’s fantastic! The show remains captivating, engaging and a controversial vision. It is the best of all worlds. One of the truest measures of the content and worth of a thing is the ire that it arises in the audience of the unannointed the “Unbelievers.” Stan Lee spoke often of the “True Believers.” Which one do we choose to be, which one do we want to be?

For those that are among the undecided or the unviewed, take a-look-see.  I think there is a good chance for you to enjoy She-Hulk. Join the mirth and the mayhem. Remember; don’t worry, be happy! 

Mike Mignola "The Quarantine Sketchbook"

 

Artist Mike Mignola has been a mainstay and luminary in the world of story illustration particularly comic books and graphic novels for a multitude of years. He is unique in style, popularity and “rock solid.” With the rest of the nation and world he has experienced the Covid 19 lock downs and quarantines with a true resilience. His personal story within our shared (2020) isolation dilemma has become one of dedication to creativity, craft and what appears to have been also fun and a discovery of sorts.

Mignola spent much of his time and efforts during quarantine doing what began in childhood for the many and certainly for the most accomplished artists; sketching. The drawings from the many months were done for his own amusement and later he started sharing on line with his fans and followers. This led to their submissions of ideas for more sketches and experimentation. Going beyond what might have been a light-hearted frolic to the said drawings becoming donations for many charitable causes resulting in auctions.

 

The resulting images from those multitudes of hours is available now in book form (released last year) “The Quarantine Sketch Book.”   It is a delightfully misanthropic collection of monsters, absurdities and abundant curiosities. Each drawing bathed in a perfection of light and shadow enhancing a remarkable mastery of form.

Continuing here are more sketches from the volume and other drawings from Mignola for this blogs viewers. As reflecting with Mile’s original intention “Have Fun” with this page!

 

               

For additional information and a more detailed look at the career of “The Magnificent” Mike Mignola follow this link:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Mignola

Mayan God Camazotz: The First Batman

There is a link between religion, faith and the fantastic; the heroic. Among my first bedtime stories both read and told to me were the mythologies of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.  These were no less equal to the biblical tales and exploits of Samson, David and Noah among others I was introduced to early on. Each in their own way amazing and all miraculous. Would Jesus be as effective had he not walked on water, cured and fed multitudes and eventually raised from the grave himself? Questions…                                 

 There are abundant similarities in ancient mythologies, texts and carvings and associations with our modern mass communications.  One deity and theme that seems to be timeless and multi-cultural is the man-bat or in our popular culture “Batman.” The Mayan’s worshiped what seemed the first bat demi-god in their own Camazotz.  He was half man, half bat, full of mystery and vengeance. He dates back culturally as far as 200 yrs. B. C. and he is still being researched today. The Mesoamericans viewed their bat deity as terrifying and like ever good bat lusting for blood. There were thousands of sacrifices made to him. He would; as to legend emerge from his bat cave nightly and was even connected to the creation of mankind. His visage, persona and legend were equally terrifying. His totems were used for protection and to ward off evils.  This principle element was again not unlike our own, much beloved and lauded Batman.

              

The Mayan Man-Bat creature aroused from his cave in a chronicled tale of a once vengeful murder of the Mayan hero Hunahpu. The blood lust associated with Camazotz was tremendous and legend says he killed his victim by decapitation. The similarities here are much closer to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” Camazotz is linked to both nocturnal characters (Batman and Dracula.) This attests to the richness of the ancient culture’s imagination in multiplicitous forms including writings, stone and stories.

There is no shortage of interpretations; but the idea of the “Batman” abounds, especially for our southern Mesoamerican neighbors and ourselves.  In the end it is all about the idea. The myths live on across space and time, across cultures. They are as envisioned in and through “The Batman” whether intended or unintended and in their magnificence; eternal.

“I shall become a Bat!”

“…and thus is born this weird figure of the dark…this avenger of evil...The BATMAN”

 

                              

The art featured on this page range from the minds and hands of Bob Kane, Neal Adams and original Mayan drawings to the spectacular “Camazotz Armour”

 from the phenomenal designer Kimbal.

Bill Sienkiewicz "REVOLUTION"

 The arrival of Bill Sienkiewicz’s “Revolution” has been cause for much personal celebration and many declarations. I am a committed and constant follower and admirer of his art. I remember him from his early “Neal Adams Clone Days” and still seeing something of a potential and particular originality in what he was doing. Many comic book artists of the period were doing Adams; he was the standard of the times, so Sienkiewicz was hardly alone in following the Adams example.  At the outset Bill Sienkiewicz had the distinction of being the best of the Adams’ influenced. Even in that he stood out. He captured the broad strokes and the nuances along with the imagination and innovation that made Neal Adams famous. Bill Sienkiewicz would ultimately come into his on with a vengeance when; as he describes in “Revolution” stops attempting to emulate someone else and becomes himself. He always wanted to experiment, explore and in his own way influence the world. He has done that in many ways and in the process influenced many others as he entertains and inspires while daring to express himself in what many considered a limited medium.

                                                                                     

I more or less initially looked at this treasure of a book in two extended sessions. The opening ten pages spoke more than many enclypedic collections of other art and artists. Then I followed with the reading of the heart felt, precisely intriguing, witty and decisively cunning introduction by Neil Gaiman. The two; Gaiman and Sienkiewicz have collaborated successfully together in the past. They are equally noted for their experimental risks, daring natures and contributions as talents. That in turn was enough for me to absorb on one late evening after my copy arrived.

Returning to and then reading the informative and insightful Ben Davis essay and the compelling interview by Churl R. Kim I felt even more enamored of what could be described as the modest and uniquely American Mystique of Sienkiewicz’s persona.  Both essay and interview were further illuminated with yet more beautifully executed fine art influenced illustrations. I was in something of an intellectual and artistic bliss.

Finally I decided to take in the nearly one hundred fifty color and black & white plates of the expressive works; water-colors, acrylic, collage, mixed-medium and pen & ink works of pure genius. Here; I took a cue from Neil Gaiman. He detailed in the introduction that when working with Sienkiewicz he had taken the drawings sent to him for a Sandman story and played with them. Gaiman deviated from the sequence of his original narrative and essentially reversed and mixed the story sequence images and events. This established the need for an almost complete re-write for the material Gaiman had previously plotted. This option took him into uncharted and magnificent new places in his own uniquely personal imaginative spaces.   

I decided on following Gaiman’s lead in viewing  the remainder of the book starting from the last plate and reviewing them in reverse.  The material consisted of Jimi Hendrix, The New Mutants, Stray Toasters, Dare Devil and Elektra; along with pages from his sketch book and fine art renderings all generously offered. This came together into something thrilling, challenging, provocative and entertaining. I found myself touched and as well moved. Ultimately there was a sense of certainty and complexity; in the best way, a personal restoration of significant satisfaction. 

Bill Sienkiewicz Quotes

“I made a decision to love and respect comics as a medium. I believed it was a medium that could do anything.”

“I pursue the emotional truth of something as opposed to simply the visual truth.”

“We are all an evolving combination of all the things we experience. We are an end result of our influences, subconscious or otherwise.”

“If my work influences or touches other people scares them, makes them uncomfortable or brings them joy, it’s a method of communication.”

“At one point everything is brand new, but with time the new wave becomes the old guard.”

“Art is an ongoing and never ending process…you’re not done. You’re never done.”