Thursday, November 14, 2024

Recently Read: Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs


Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1912 tale of the son of a British aristocrat being born and raised 
by apes in Sub-Saharan Africa has been perennial for one reason: the author's expertise in inducing the reader to want to know what happens next. In this tale of heredity vs. environment, the protagonist, Tarzan, learns to read English and speak French before he can speak Englishand can batter the largest creatures of the jungle in battle, but not know how to open a paper envelope. His slowly awakening knowledge of a civilization outside the primeval world he's steeped in is compelling. Tarzan of the Apes ends on a cliffhanger, making reading its sequel a must.

Tarzan of the Apes also, alas, suffers from sexism and racism, with castaway Jane Porter's professorial father telling her "...not to worry her pretty little head" about a matter of importance and Porter's family servant, Esmeralda, spouting cliched "mammy" dialect. Porter's father and his assistant are themselves cliched, absent-minded, bickering, doddering "men of the mind", used for (attempted) comic effect.

With plans to read the complete Burroughs, I purchased the first volume of the recent Burroughs Authorized Library but was disappointed in the presentation and most likely won't invest in the rest. The surface of the hardbound book is a weird, rubbery texture unpleasant to the touch (couldn't the publisher charge a higher price for a nicer cloth-bound book?). Although many historical documents are helpfully included, the actual text of the novel is the 1969 rewritten version, with many differences altered from the original for what, presumably, used to be called political correctness. More importantly, nowhere does it state the Authorized Library, edited and published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., is using altered text. For this reason, I turned to, for the main text, the 1963 Ballantine paperback. This series featured covers painted by Richard M. Powers. The Authorized hardcover reproduces Powers' cover inside but doesn't credit the artist. 

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Monday, November 11, 2024

New Pop Culture Paper Ephemera for Perusal and Purchase







 Pop Culture Paper Ephemera

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Thursday, November 7, 2024

Classical LPs I've Listened to Recently, November 7, 2024

 









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Monday, November 4, 2024

Flying Jackets for All!


 

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Sunday, November 3, 2024

New False Plate for Old


 

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Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Magazines I've Recently Read, October 30th, 2024

 









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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Comic Books I've Recently Read, October 29th, 2024

 
















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Thursday, October 24, 2024

Recently Read: Naruto Vol. 28, by Masashi Kishimoto


With Volume 28 of the series, Masashi Kishimoto jump the narrative over two years into the future. The reunion of Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi is poignant and fun, with the trio reliving and updating their earliest training together (minus the rogue Sasuke).

Much needed downtime is interrupted by a most dangerous threat. Members of the Akatsuki (of which Orochimaru is a member) arrive at the Sand Village to kidnap a reformed Gaara (Lord Kazekage). Sasori and Deidara are some of the most lethal and creepy antagonists yet, a threat Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, must respond to.

Twenty-eight volumes into the series, Kishimoto's storytelling remains at a high level, well-paced, inventive, suspenseful, with fabulous art and superlative characterization. It's a great start to the series' second half. 

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Sunday, October 20, 2024

1983 Parker Brothers Popeye Game


 

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Thursday, October 17, 2024

"Is Hollywood Sick?" - a New Essay on Film Review Central

 


Is Hollywood Sick? (or, A Night on the Town) – Film Review Central

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Saturday, October 5, 2024

Recently Read: Kirby & Lee: Stuf' Said, by John Morrow


Publisher, editor and author John Morrow's chronological compendium of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's publicly spoken words concerning their decade-long collaborations is a handy document. It's liberally illustrated with examples of the art processes discussed. It's also a good reference guide for what was said when, even when the later pronouncements become (very) repetitive as both comics creator's memories calcified. Especially insightful (and surprising to me in their depth) was the prodigious number of examples of Lee either passively/aggressively - or just aggressively - denigrating Kirby, Steve Ditko and Wally Wood in the letters pages of Marvel comics. One might believe Lee was, at heart, insecure in his writing skills.

I believe the book does come with some prejudices and presumptions. For example, Ditko is described by Morrow as a "talented artist", disregarding the fact that Ditko was a writer for most of the last fifty years (at least), personally authoring his most important published work during that time. When pages from the Disney Legends program book are reproduced, no mention is made of Kirby being a writer (before, during or after his work at Marvel) - an outrageous designation that gets no pushback from Morrow. Little to no mention is made in Stuf' Said of the plethora of comics Kirby wrote before the Marvel age. Likewise, the same Disney book states that Lee "dreamed up an endless number of new characters and worlds", a boast that is demonstrably untrue. The best evidence to decide the verdict Morrow could have presented (but didn't) is Dr. Michael J. Vassallo's definitive essay detailing everything Lee wrote before he teamed up with Kirby (and Ditko): "Stan Lee (1922-2018) - The Timely Years". It's a damning document that makes clear Lee did not create the cosmic concepts Kirby had already been creating since the early '40s (if not earlier). https://timely-atlas-comics.blogspot.com/2018/12/stan-lee-1922-2018-timely-years.html

Lastly, the book's cover, with psychedelic Captain Victory art blown up out of context and covered with large digital fonts, is ugly. While conveying some of the anger expressed by Kirby, the cover could have looked more welcoming and it's noteworthy that nowhere is the book's designer listed.

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Thursday, October 3, 2024

Athena Transforms to Take on the Appearance of Mentes

 


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Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Become an Expert Secretary with Stenotypy

 


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Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Comic Books I've Recently Read, September 25th, 2024

 
















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