Wonder Woman and Everything Old is New Again

Earlier we showed that with issue #178 there was a change in the late 1960's to upgrade Diana Prince into the new Mod Wonder Woman. She lost her powers and fought crime with out her costume but in what was modern clothes of the day. With issue #191 it began to show to her readership was down as DC had to remind comic book readers that the woman in the mini-skirt was still the original Wonder Woman.

Issue #196 seems to have been hinting to the future as it gave us the origin of Wonder Woman and she fought her old arch enemy the Cheetah.

With issue #197 Diana reminds us of an event that changed her life. However, her wardrobe seems to have changed a little bit. It is still in the Mod fashion but also looks like what she would have wore on Paradise Island before she was Wonder Woman.

With Issue #198 modern day clothes are forgotten as we see Diana in warrior garb. The story takes place on Paradise Island.

After #198 we were back to the modern day Wonder Woman for a few issues. Issue # 203 was the last issue with her in regular clothes. In issue #204 she was back to the Wonder Woman we all know and love. The curious thing I noticed about issue #203 is that it is billed as a special woman's lib issue. Wasn't the whole series suppose to be about woman's lib?

The Prowler

The Prowler is really an African-American teenager from the Bronx named Hobie Brown. He was first seen in the late 1960’s in Amazing Spider-Man #78. Hobie has the skills to be an engineer but could only get a job as a window washer. However, he got fired from that job. So he thought of a plan to create a supervillain called The Prowler. He used his engineering skills to create steel claws and boots to climb walls. He would rob from the wealthy in their penthouse apartments as the Prowler but return them as Hobie Brown and get the reward. It seemed like a great plan but he met Spider-Man on his first job. He was caught and unmasked. When he saw he was just a kid like himself Spider-Man told Hobie to use his skills to help people. Hobie took the advice and turned his life around with a new job and got married. Along the way he would sometimes help other with superheroics. He was briefly a member of the Defenders and the Outlaws. The Outlaws was a group of reformed supervillains like Sandman, Puma and Rocket Racer. One of his own adventures was to help clear his wife so she would not go to jail.
In 1994 Marvel gave Prowler his own mini-series.
Others have also tried to become the Prowler. The second one was a cat burglar. He stole Hobie’s costume and accidentally killed a guard while committing a crime. Eyewitnesses only saw the silhouette of the killer. Unfortunately it looked just like Spider-Man. Spider-Man caught him and cleared his name and returned the stolen costume to Hobie Brown.
The other person who tried to become the Prowler was a medical intern named Rick Lawson. He stole the costume too. (Hobie needs a better lock on his door.) He used the costume to help him steal from his patients. He met up with the rejuvenated and younger Vulture. Vulture was killing all those who knew him as an old man. The original Prowler was one of those people. Vulture tried to kill Rick not realizing that he was not the original Prowler. Spider-Man intervened and defeated Vulture and took a badly injured Rick Lawson to the hospital. Later he once again returned the stolen costume to Hobie Brown. Hopefully Spider-Man gave him a good talking to about how to take care of you valuables. You would think a former cat burglar would know how to do that.

For a time Hobie decided to settle down and get married. When he decided he wanted to become a crime fighter again he had to chose between being a superhero or his wife. His decision broke up his marriage when he became the Prowler once again.
Recently Hobie became involved in the Civil War mini-series. In that series he was captured by SHIELD in Ms. Marvels tie in comic book.

Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 1

Recently Marvel Comics has had a huge success reprinting their older stories in black and white in the Essential line of books. Marvel has tried from time to time to get a successful black and white series of books going. First in the 60's then in the 70's. They had some success with it in the 1970's with Hulk, Punisher, Dracula and Morbius but they still didn't last long. The Essential line is their biggest success to date in this area. However, what they are reprinting are books that originally were printed in color. Now they are starting to reprint the black and white series that they had minor success with in the 1970's. I don't believe these have been reprinted anywhere else before. First up is the Rampaging Hulk which was produced by talents such as Jim Starlin, Keith Pollard, Herb Trimpe, Doug Moench, etc. These tales should look even better then those in the current books since they were written and drawn with the black and white market in mind. Click Here to Buy the Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 1.

First George Harrison video for Got My Mind Set on You

A few weeks ago it was the anniversary of George Harrison's #1 hit got my mind set on you. He created at least three videos for the song. Here is the most popular video for the song. If you look below you can see the others and decide which one you prefer. Hope you enjoy it.

Second George Harrison video of Got My Mind Set On You

This is my favorite of the three as it has a little bit of a romantic story to it.

Third George Harrison Video of Got My Mind Set On You

For musical purist here is the video of just George and the boys. No extra visuals to distract you.

Linda Ronstadt sings Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry

In this video from a TV show in Japan Linda Ronstadt sings Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry. It is a song from the What's New album that was produced by Nelson Riddle.

This Day in Music History: Nelson Riddle and Lisbon Antigua

On this day in music history Nelson Riddle had the #1 hit on the Billboard chart with Lisbon Antigua. He heard of the song through the sister of Nat King Cole’s manager. She lived near Mexico City and a band there had a local hit with it. She thought Nelson would be interested in the song. Later he was asked to score a film that was to star Ray Milland. The film was called Lisbon. Mr. Riddle used the song as the movies theme song.
Over his entire career Nelson Riddle has worked with singers from Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra to Linda Ronstadt. He worked with Les Baxter when Mr. Baxter asked him to do some arrangements for Nat King Cole. The arrangements that he came up with were “Mona Lisa” and “Too Young.” When the songs were released the arrangements were credited to Les Baxter. That was a little bit too much for Mr. Riddle to take.
Mr. Cole found out that Nelson Riddle really did the arrangements and decided to work with him instead. The worked together for 10 years. During that time Mr. Riddle go his own artist contract with Capitol Records.
He has not only scored movie soundtracks but has worked on many television series. He did the themes for Route 66, The Untouchables and Newhart. He passed away at the age of 64 on October 6, 1985 from cardiac and kidney failure. In his passing he left behind a rich legacy of music.

John Henry Irons/Steel

Steel aka John Henry Irons was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove in 1993 in Adventures of Superman #500. He was one of the heroes who rose up during the death of Superman and it was thought he was in reality possessed by Superman’s spirit. He was a brilliant engineer and inventor whose power came from a suit of armor that he created. In that way he became like DC Comics version of Iron Man.
John Henry was an engineer who invented an energy cannon and was upset when he found out it fell into evil hands and had killed innocent people. He decided to fake his own death and moved to Metropolis to live a more simple life. While living there he got a job as a steel worker on a construction site. One day he fell while trying to save a friend from falling. Superman was flying by and saved John Henry from falling to his death. When Superman died battling Doomsday John Henry was buried for days in the rubble. When he finally was able to crawl out he heard of Superman’s death and how a new version of his energy cannon was being used by street gangs. In honor of Superman he created his Steel armor to stop the use of the weapon. Steel had his own series that ran for 31 issues. He was a member of the JLA. His niece, Natasha Irons, took over the Steel name when John Henry retired. Eventually he came out of retirement. While he started his superhero career with no superpowers unless he was wearing the armor that changed for awhile. During an adventure he Lex Luthor messes with John Henry’s DNA. His whole body changes to stainless steel and gives him superhuman strength. He has since been helping during the mini-series 52. During that time his steel skin peeled off leaving only his human skin and leaving him powerless.
Steel was popular enough in the 1990’s to get a movie made on him. The star of the film was basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. Superman was left out of the origin story but the film stayed close to the comic book otherwise. However, the movie didn’t make its money back and was considered a flop. The presence of Steel has since been seen on TV where his animated version has been seen on Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited.

Very Funny SNL video

Here is an odd video.

Want to get a real creepy feeling. Watch Supernatural while listening to the Brady Kids sing Keep on. Brrr! A chill just went up my spine.

Storm

Ororo Munroe known as Storm in the X-Men first appeared in 1975 in Giant Size X-Men #1. She was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. She is one of the first black female superheroes. Storm is a mutant who has the power to control the weather and fly at high speeds. In an interview Cockrum said that they were going to have her called the Black Cat. However, before they did more cat like heroes like Tigra and The Cat were popping up. So he made some changes to her appearance and they called her Storm. While Len Wein created her it was the next writer of the X-Men, Chris Claremont who took her to the next level. It was his vision that made Storm an important member of the team. He started by telling us of her history before she joined the X-Men. Her mother was a princess of a tribe in Kenya. She fell in love with photojournalist David Munroe and moved to New York City with him when they married. While in New York she gave birth to Ororo. When she was 6 years old they moved to Egypt. It is there that both her parents were killed leaving her an orphan. In order to survive she becomes a thief. When her powers manifest themselves she is worshipped as a goddess. Professor X finds her and knows she is a mutant and recruits her for the X-Men. She has trouble adjusting to her new home but the soon become the family that she needs. In later stories it is shown that she and the Black Panther have been friends since childhood. In 1980 Storm is given a position of leadership in the X-Men and has pretty much held on to it ever since. As a result she is a respected woman in the superhero community. In 1996 Storm was given her own four part mini-series. Sadly this did not result in an on going series. Recently during the House of M storyline most of the mutants lost their powers. Storm was one of the few who kept her powers. Her story continues on a happy note as she and the Black Panther just got married. I have even heard rumors that in 2007 both will be in the line up of the Fantastic Four with the Human Torch and the Thing.

Cahty Lee Crosby as Wonder Woman

Just thought you may want to see what the color outfit of Wonder Woman looked like on Cathy Lee Crosby in 1974. Looks more like she is getting ready to warm up for the Olympics.

Cloak

Cloak of the team Cloak and Dagger is really Ty Johnson. They were created by Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan in 1982 and first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64. The team have had adventures together and separate but usually together. They have been members of super groups like the Runaways, New Warriors and the Secret Defenders. Ty is a black teenage boy from Massachusetts. Dagger, whose real name is Tandy Bowen is a white girl from Ohio. Both were runaways to New York City. They met when Ty returned Tandy’s purse that someone had stole from her. Agents of Silvermane gave the two kids an experimental drug against their will. The drug awakened their latent mutant abilities. Ty was able to access the Darkforce Domension. He could envelope people in his cloak to bring them into the Darkforce and they would be struck with fear and would become catatonic. Dagger had the power to generate a light that could heal and purge drugs from a persons body. She could throw daggers of light that would stun and burn its victims. Dagger also had a calming effect on Cloak when the Darkforce tried to overwhelm him.
In the 1980’s they gained a following that allowed them to have a four issue mini-series. The positive sales of that led to their own series but it only lasted 11 issues. They have been the stars of Strange Tales and other books but never found a break out series or storyline to give them mainstream success. That may change one day as Paramount Pictures is said to have optioned some of Marvel’s characters for movies. Cloak and Dagger were part of that deal.

You can go to Ed Hannigan's site if you click on the title above. Thanks to my MySpace.com pal Jim Salicrup for showing this site to us.

It Happens Every Summer

I saw this on You Tube and had to put it on. It is a trailer for a high school play called It Happens Every Summer. Now I did this partly for nostalgia as I had a small part in the play when I was in high school. However, you won't see me in this one as it is more recent. If you ever have a high school putting it on in your town you should go see it. It is well written and funny. If I can't mess it up then no one can. I is a throw back to the 50's and 60's plays and movies that would have starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Click on it and see how well these high school kids do some of the scenes.

Doorman

Doorman is really DeMarr Davis. He was created by John Byrne and first appeared in Avengers West Coast #46 as a member of the Great Lakes Avengers. He was just a normal African-American young man till one day he found out that he could link to the Darkforce dimension and allow himself and others with him to pass through objects. He took on the name Doorman and answered Mr. Immortals call to start a superhero team. Doorman is the most cynical of the group as the team is always making mistakes that the other groups would not so he is always comparing them to the real Avengers. Doorman went into a deep depression as he felt responsible for the death of their newest member Grasshopper. The GLA was fighting Batroc the Leaper and one of his henchmen threw a sai at Doorman. Not realizing Grasshopper was behind him he used his powers to let the sai pass through him. It hit and killed Grasshopper.

During a battle with the super villain Malestrom Doorman himself died. In the afterlife he saw Grasshopper who told Doorman he forgave him. He also met the cosmic force Oblivion and using Doormans conncetion to the Darkforce was able to use Doorman as the new Angel of Death.

Doormans former teamates are still searching for their identity. They have potential to be a good team but so far are seen as jokes in the superhero community. The Avengers didn't want to be associated with them and since all the members are mutants they became the Great Lakes X-Men. They too requested the group change their name. They are now known as the Great Lakes Champions much to the ire of former Champions member and leader Hercules.

Recently Deadpool has been defeated by the Great Lakes Champions when he went after them for not registering with the Federal Government under the new Super-human Registration Act. Once he was stopped he was informed it was a mistake and they had already registered.

Also there was another character named Doorman who had his own book for Cult Press. It was really and anthology series with Doorman introducing stories of the macabre. You can get a look at the book and buy it if you click here. The link will take you to Mile High Comics.

Response to Paperback Believer (I'm A Writer) Video

Please don't take the little comment I have with the video seriously. I know it is an amatuer video that was put together. I hoped the :) would indicate that. Sorry if I have led anyone the wrong way.

The Beatles and the Monkees...Paperback Believer (I'm A Writer)

In 1967 it can finally be told that The Beatles and The Monkees went into the studios to record a single together. It was Paperback Believer. It was never released as it infringed on a copyright with Neil Diamonds song and he was going to sue if it was released. Here is the video that was made and would have been used on the Ed Sullivan show if it had been released. :)

Ghost Busters opening

Here is the opening to the Saturday mourning TV show Ghost Busters. If you liked F-Troop you may have liked this show. Both will soon be available on DVD.

Captain Marvel/Monica Rambeau

The name Captain Marvel for a breif time was used by and African-American woman named Monica Rambeau. She was created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. in 1982 and first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16. Monica was an officer in the New Orleans Harbor Patrol. A family friend came to her for help. He was Professor Andre LeClare. He had just invented an dimensional energy tapping device. However, he found out that his backers were planning on using it for dangerous weapons and not to help humanity like he had planned. So he and Monica decided to destroy the prototype weapon. In the process Monica was bathed in the energy and gained the power to change her body to pure energy and back. The Professor urged her to use her powers to become a super powered cirmefighter. Monica took the advice and quit the Harbor Patrol to be a full time superhero. In her first outing the media named her Captain Marvel. In a short time Captain Marvel was asked to join the Avengers. She served them well and rose to the top when the Wasp stepped down from the leader position. With the backing of Captain America Monica was elected to the chairperson position. She did a good job in that position until she was gravely wounded during an adventure. Marrina, a reserve member of the Avengers, grew into a giant sea monster. While still in her energy form Captain Marvel hit the sea water. Her atoms were spread across the entire ocean floor and she was barely able to get her form back together. Her powers were gone and she had to leave the Avengers. She rested and her powers came back. She only joined the Avengers as a reserve member but has not come back full time. When Captain Mar-vell's son showed up she gave the name Captain Marvel to him and since then she has been known as Photon and Pulsar. Monica has recently been a member of the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort (H.A.T.E.) in the book Nextwave. Just as recently Monica has joined Captain America's Secret Avengers in his battle in the Civil War series.

John Stewart Green Lantern

There have been many who have had the name Green Lantern but only one was African America. He is John Stewart and was created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams and first appeared in Green Lantern #87 in 1971. At the time Hal Jordan was the main Green Lantern and he was one of the replacements that would take his place if Hal was not able to perform his duties. He was never as popular as the other Lanterns but he was added to the Justice League cartoon series to make the team more diverse and that has increased his characters popularity.
In the 1980’s Hal Jordan gave up being GL and the Guardians of the Universe, who are the founders of the Green Lantern Corps, made John Green Lantern full time. He did a good job but his life suffered as a close friend was killed and he was falsely accused of murder. In the end he made two mistakes when he accidentally set free a serial killer and a terrorist. Hal Jordan came back as Green Lantern and came to blows with John. John had a hard time forgiving himself of his mistakes but eventually did and became the first mortal Guardian of the Universe when he was given charge of Mosaic world and called Master Builder.
For a time the Green Lanterns Corp was disbanded and those that remained acted on their own. Since then the Corp and the Guardians have refor med and now each space sector has two Lanterns. Our sector is guarded by Hal and John. Kyle Rayner who was seen for a few years as the last Green Lantern has since become the superhero Ion.

Ghost Busters Cover

Just wanted to show you what the cover to Ghost Busters may look like when it arrives on DVD. It will be available in stores April 17th.

I Read It All In Black and White.

Ok they finally got me. For quite some time now Marvel and DC comics have been putting out reprints of classic material that was on cheap paper and in black and white. Having been raised on the originals that were in color I have never seen the wisdom nor the economics that would not allow them to publish them on the same paper but not in color. I would be willing to pay the few dollars more to have them in color. At present they are selling for around $17 a book in black and white. Wouldn’t most people be willing to spend $20 to $25 to see them in color? Recently I got tired of waiting. I bought one of the Essentials from Marvel and two of the Showcase from DC. Now those of you old enough to remember Marvel and some other companies did black and white magazines in the 1970’s. I had to keep this in mind while reading them and it helped me to enjoy them more. In some cases that was not necessary. Artist like Gene Colan and Wayne Boring actually looked better in black and white. Now with these reprints I still missed the same things that I missed in other paperback reprints. I miss the old advertisements and the letters pages as well as the color. However, I am hooked. The only other way to get every thing I miss is to buy the originals and most of the time I can’t afford that. So to help keep finances down I will buy these black and white books. I recently purchased the one you see above but have not yet read it. That is another thing that helped. The ones I have read so far are ones that I never read when they were first published. That way I was not reminded of what it looked like in color. Now I did read Aquaman in color but none of the stories that are published in this volume. Anyway for those of you who have resisted reading these books because they are in black and white you may want to keep some of this in mind. It may help you enjoy reading them more. For those of you who still want to wait till they are in color your wait may not be too long. Once I start joining the band wagon they usually start publishing exactly what I wanted in a few months. But for a different look at the classics I am starting to like the black and white editions.

Cyborg

Cyborg is really Victor Stone and a member of the Teen Titans at DC Comics. He was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez in 1980 and first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26. At this writing he is occasionally played on the TV series Smallville by Lee Thompson Young who also was the star of the TV show The Famous Jett Jackson.
The characters history is that he was the son of two scientists. In the process of one of their experiments they accidentally brought a monster to Earth. The monster maimed Victor. While trying to save their sons life they turned him into Cyborg. He was now half-man and half-machine. It has given him super strength and advanced weapons and sensors. His relationship with his family has been troubled since then but he found a new family in the Titans. Cyborg was badly damaged in a plane crash. While his body was able to be repaired his mind wasn’t. However, a race of aliens was able to help his mind and in return he stayed with them for awhile to teach them about humanity.
When he came back he became the leader of the Titans. He has helped others in the Infinite Crisis adventure and in the mini-series 52. During those adventures he had to leave the leadership of the Titans in the hands of Beast Boy. While he did returned to them he was not their leader. He has since been offered membership in the Justice League.

Black Lightning

Ok I can't ignore the elephant in the room anymore. I have been holding back on this one but no more. To me the best black urban superhero is Black Lightning. The character was created by writer Tony Isabella and the first person to draw the characters adventures was artist Trevor Von Eden. What ever happened to Mr. Von Eden anyway? Black Lightning was first published in his own self-titled book in 1977. The first 10 issues were written by Tony then it was given to Denny O’Neil. After that the book was canceled and was part of what was infamously called the DC Implosion. Issue 12 and other books that were not published that year did see a limited run in the in office only of DC Comics in the Cancelled Comic Cavalcade.
DC kept Black Lightning around by having him make guest appearances in other books and giving him membership in the Justice League and the Outsiders. In 1995 he was given his own title again with Tony Isabella as the writer. Around the 8th issue Mr. Isabella left the series and another writer took over. After that the second series only last 5 more issues.
Black Lightning is really high school teacher Jefferson Pierce. He is a former Olympic athlete who is returning to the slums of Metropolis to give back to the community he was raised in. However, he sees that things have gotten worse since the criminal gang the 100 have moved in. With the help of a family friend, local tailor Peter Gambi, Jefferson was able to design a suit with an electrical power belt and he became Black Lightning. The belt originally gave him the power to control electricity and throw lightning bolts from his hands. After the belt was destroyed he found that the power from the belt had become injected into him and he no longer needed the belt. At one point he lost his powers but kept fighting crime without them. He got them back when he found out that it was a mental block that caused him to not use them for fear he would hurt innocent bystanders. In 2000 President Luthor appointed Jefferson to Secretary of Education. He had to resign when it was told that he was Black Lightning and as BL he had killed a CEO of a corporation who was up to criminal interest. Pete Ross later became President and pardoned Jefferson Pierce.
Black Lightning has had many adventures over the years on his own or with others and is an asset to the superhero and comic book community. I have never seen him on any animated series but I have heard he was in Static Shock and an episode of Justice League Unlimited. He was almost part of the SuperFriends. A contract dispute stopped this and a new character was created for the team named Black Vulcan who had similar electrical powers. However, Black Vulcan could fly and Black Lightning could not.
More may be in store for BL as I have heard rumors that a new mini-series is on the way and he has renewed his membership in the JLA.

This Day in Music History: Kay Starr and Rock and Roll Waltz

Kay Starr had been a popular singer since 1948 when she had a #1 hit with Rock and Roll Waltz on this day in music history February 18, 1956. Kay had just switched labels from Capitol to RCA when the asked her to record Rock and Roll Waltz. She usually sang loud, boisterous songs that when they gave her this, as she calls it, nursery rhyme song she thought it was a joke. When she found out they were serious she recorded it but felt it was an insult to her intelligence. While it is her best selling song as it was her only #1 hit, it is her least requested song when she performed live when it was #1. She said no one asked her to sing it on TV or anywhere when it was selling millions. They always asked her to sing one of her older hits called Wheel of Fortune.
Over time Kay has come to love the song and people do ask for her to sing it now. She said, “I see the response. When I see people reaching over and touching-if you can get people to touch and communicate I believe you’ve done your job.”

Vixen

Vixen first appeared in Action Comics #521 she was co-created by writer Gerry Conway and going from what I have seen on the internet at this writing her other co-creator is either Bob Oskmer or Curt Swan. Being a Curt Swan fan I am rooting for him. Mari Jiwe McCabe is from Africa and she inherited the Tantu totem when her father was murdered. The Tantu totem was passed down to each generation in her family and was able to give the powers of the animal kingdom to anyone who would protect the innocent.
She moved to America and became a famous fashion model by day and a superhero by night. She was dating the Bronze Tiger but that relationship failed. Currently she has been known to date John “Green Lantern” Stewart. The money she earns as a model she uses to fund her fight on crime. In her superhero career she has been affiliated with groups such as the Justice League, Suicide Squad, Checkmate, Birds of Prey and the Ultramarine Corps.
Vixen was at Firestorms side during the Identity Crisis adventure. Shadow Thief killed Firestorm. However, when Firestorm exploded it only killed Ronnie Raymond. When Martin Stein was found still alive in space he joined with Jason Rusch to create a new Firestorm.

White Tiger

Over the years Marvel has had many claim the name the White Tiger. The third one was an African-American police officer named Kevin Kasper Cole. Cole first appeared in Black Panther #50 in 2002. He found the Black Panther costume and tried to take T’Challa’s place. It was Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, who told him it took more then being just a man in a panther costume to achieve his goals. He heard that there was an herb that if eaten he would have the powers of the Black Panther. He tried to get permission to eat it but had no luck. He took advantage of an offer from the evil Erik Killmonger who gave him a synthetic herb that gave him the powers and he became the White Tiger of the panther cult. He used his powers to track down a boy that Killmonger wanted found and it helped to lessen the debt he owed him. Currently the 4th White Tiger is Hectors niece Angela Del Toro. Kasper Coles whereabouts are not currently known. I would not be surprised if he was fighting Marvel’s Civil War. If the photo of this White Tiger is too blury I am sorry but it is the best picture I have of him.

Battlestar

Battlestar was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary. He first appeared in 1986 in Captain America #323 under his real name of Lemar Hoskins. He met a man called the Power Broker who gave him super strength and enhanced reflexes. It is through the Power Broker that he also met John Walker. John Walker was the Super-Patriot. He was traveling the country and hiring men like Lemar calling themselves the Buckies acting like they were fans of Captain America. They would attack Super-Patriot and he would win. Then he would announce that only the people of America should vote on who deserves the role of Captain America. When the Government stepped in demanding that Steve Rogers do what they wanted, as it was a Federal program that created Captain America, Rogers quit and took over a new identity known as the Captain. The Government hired John “Super-Patriot” Walker to be the new Captain America and Lemar Hoskins was to be the new Bucky.
In a short time Lemar changed to a new identity. He felt being called Bucky was demeaning. In reality it was African-American readers who wrote in to Mark Gruenwald and told him African-Americans find the name Bucky demeaning. Mr. Grunwald didn't know that but took action to fix the situation. In the end this wound up strengthening the character and the storyline. Battlestar took on a new costume and a shield designed to look like the shield that Captain America originally had. He called himself Battlestar. He had many adventures with the new Captain America but eventually they split up. Later Steve Rogers became Captain America and John Walker became the U.S. Agent. Battlestar had adventures on his own and for awhile joined with Silver Sable and the Wild Pack. More recently he has teamed up with Steve “Captain America” Rogers taking a stand against the Superhuman Registration Act in the Civil War mini-series.

A love impossible to escape.

...for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:5 and 6 KJV

The Israelites had just escaped from slavery in Egypt when God gave them the Ten Commandments. He promised to "lavish" his love on them, if they would obey these laws. Exodus 20:6 is an astounding promise of God's love and faithfulness to his people.
It is all too easy for us to feel separated from God, all alone, and unloved, but Romans 8:35-39 assures us that is it impossible to escape God's love, even if we don't feel his love.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death. [Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep."] No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The picture is clear. God's love never fails, and you can experience it now. Rest secure in the knowledge that nothing can separate you from God's love.

Hardware

Hardware is really Curt Metcalf. He is a superhero who was created by Dwayne McDuffie and first appeared in Hardware #1 in 1993. It was published by Milestone Comics through DC Comics. It was the first title the company published and was its flagship title.
Curt was a gifted child and when it was discovered he was enrolled in a special prep school. He showed he was much smarter then the other children. Even though he was about 13 when he enrolled he was 14 when he graduated and was 15 when he got his first college degree. His backer Edwin Alva Sr. paid for his education in exchange for employment. Years later after Edwin had made a lot of money from Curt’s inventions he asked for a point or two of the royalties. Edwin refused telling him he never thought of Curtis as family but as just a cog in the machine of his company. Curtis thought of quitting but a clause in his contract prevented him from doing so. Every where he turned to leave the company or try to get money from his inventions was blocked by Edwin Alva Sr. and his connections to organized crime. So Curtis created Hardware to stop Alva’s criminal operations. In a way since Alva funded his education and Curtis uses his equipment to build his crime fighting gear he actually helped Curtis create Hardware. Every night Curtis put on a high tech suit that he uses to help track down Alva’s illegal businesses.

Happy Birthday Peter Tork

Happy Birthday to Peter Tork of the Monkees who turns 65 today.

WKRP in Cincinnati Cover Art

Here is the cover art for WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD. You can go here to pre-order season one of WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD. This was one of the best comedies to come out of the 70's. If you ever want to see any show on what it was like to work in radio back then you need to see this TV show. It's also the show that proved a turkey can't fly.

Tyroc

Tyroc is really Troy Stewart. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and he was created by Cary Bates and Mike Grell. Tyroc was the resident hero on the island of Marzal. It was an island that only appeared on Earth for a few years at a time. Then it would go into another dimension till it would reappear again 200 years later. It was located off the coast of Africa. Tyroc first appeared in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #216 in 1976. Tyroc only had one superpower and that was his scream. With it he could create dimensional portals, force fields, transmute objects, freeze objects, burn objects or simply destroy them.
The people who settled on the island were surprised to find that it was like the fabled Brigadoon that it would disappear for 200 years at a time. As a result they became isolationist and outsiders were not welcome. The Legion of Super-Heroes first met Tyroc when there was an emergency on the island. They came to help but Tyroc tried to keep them away. Finally he decided to let them help and he worked with them to resolve the problem. They offered him membership but he refused. After helping them from time to time they offered him membership again. This time he accepted.
During war time the island of Marzal was destroyed. After the war Jacques “Invisible Kid” Foccart was elected President and Troy “Tyroc” Stewart was elected as Vice-President.

Luke Cage, Power Man Hero for Hire

Luke Cage, Power Man was created in 1971 by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr. He first appeared in Hero for Hire #1. In prison for a crime he did not commit he volunteered for an experiment that would give him an early release from prison. When the Dr. was gone a guard, who held a grudge against Luke, misused the experiment controls on purpose to try and kill him. The results were that he lived but now had bullet proof skin and super strength. Luke was not given early release but he used his powers to escape the prison. He made his way back to New York City and became a hero for hire so he could fight crime. Eventually he cleared his name of the crime he was in prison for. He also entered into a business partnership with the martial arts hero Iron Fist. Through out his career he has earned the respect of other superheroes. He has been a member of groups like the Defenders, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.
Power Mans book started out strong but his sales started to slow down. Iron Fist also had slow sales and both books were looking a cancellation. Marvel comics decided on making them an unlikely crime fighting team and the book Power Man and Iron Fist continued for a few more years with improved sales. Eventually the book was canceled but Marvel has tried in recent years to bring back both in separate mini-series. Neither series led to an ongoing book. The character of Luke Cage has since married and has a daughter. Luke has become involved in the Civil War mini-series as a member of Captain America’s Secret Avengers.

Amazing Grace!

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
Amazing Grace , John Newton (1725-1807)

The gift of forgiveness is often best appreciated by those who need it the most. The Reverend John Newton experienced this truth firsthand. His tombstone tells the story: "John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had so long labored to destroy." These words were written by Newton himself, a testimony to God's transforming power. After years as a hardened slave trader, that "wretch" met Jesus Christ and abruptly turned to defend the gospel he had so long despised.

Throughout Newton's years of ministry, God's amazing grace remained central to Newton's thinking. When it was suggested he retire (at age eighty-two!) due to poor health and a failing memory, he responded, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior!"

Static

Static is a superhero created by Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III. He first appeared in Static #1 in 1993 and was published by Milestone comics a sister company of DC Comics. His real name is Virgil Hawkins. He doused in an experimental chemical when he was caught in the middle of a gang war. The chemicals gave the high school student electrical based powers.
Milestone was a comic book company that specialized in minority heroes. Static was one of its staple characters and was published from 1993 to 1997 when Milestone went out of business. Being one of Milestones more commercial characters it came as no surprise when the WB network chose him to star in his own animated series, Static Shock. It was one of the more successful shows for the WB. It ran from 2000 to 2004 and spawned a mini-series in the comic books called Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool. Later in the Justice League animated series Static is seen as an adult and a full fledged member of the League fighting side by side Batman and John (Green Lantern) Stewart.

If you want to buy Static #1 you can click on the title above to go to the site where you can purchase it.

Night Thrasher

Night Thrasher was created by Ron Frenz and Tom DeFalco in Thor #411. In many ways Night Thrasher was an answer to what Marvel Comics had been searching for years for. There answer to DC Comics Batman. Night Thrasher is Dwayne Michael Taylor a wealthy man who is good at inventing things. His parents were both murdered in front of him and as a result he became a crime fighter. He inherited his wealth from them and now runs the Taylor Foundation.
Night Thrasher started a new superhero group called the New Warriors. Members of the group were Nova, Speedball and Namora. The book was quite popular for a few years and got Night Thrasher his own series for a while. It even got Nova his own series again as he was the most popular member.
Earlier in the New Warriors series we saw that Night Thrasher had two guardians. Andrew Chord and Tai. Both were friends of his Fathers from when he fought in Vietnam. Later Night Thrasher was told by a team of criminals called Folding Circle that Tai had captured his Dad and his entire unit when in Nam. Tai was a guardian of a Temple and he used his mystic powers to influence the unit to have children with the women of the temple so he could sacrifice the children to his god for more power. NT’s Dad and Chord tried to stop her but didn’t. Now Chord was magically made to kill Taylors parents. Folding Circle was made up of Tai’s prophecy. The New Warriors tracked the Circle to the temple. The joined them in a battle against Tai where she was killed by the energy she tried to master.
Eventually Night Thrasher left the team to dedicate himself to running his foundation as he thought the real battles for justice were better fought in the boardrooms. In the process he disbanded the New Warriors.
The New Warriors got back together without Night Thrasher. Since they were still using equipment from the Taylor Foundation he monitored what the team was doing. At one point he rejoined them when they went to battle against the agents of the Hand.
The Taylor Foundation suffered some set backs and Night Thrasher made an agreement to have the New Warriors star in a reality show to avoid bankruptcy. The team traveled from town to town across the country to be the heroes for the common man. However, ratings were not good and bankruptcy loomed so to boost ratings they tried to arrest a quartet of villains in Connecticut. It was there that the villain Nitro caused a massive explosion that killed everyone in the area.

If you want to buy the issue seen above then click on the title and you will go to the site where you can buy it.

The Falcon

The Falcon first appeared in Captain America #117. His real name is Sam Wilson. He was a crook from New York who was on his way to Rio when his plane crashed on an island. It was on this island that he was found by the Red Skull and his cosmic cube. Through the cosmic cube the Red Skull created a mental link between Falcon and his bird Redwing. He met with Captain America and they teamed up to defeat the Red Skull and in the process Captain America had found a new partner. With the help of Black Panther the Falcon was given a harness that enabled him to fly. He proved his worth over the years and became an upstanding member of the Avengers and Shield. He and Cap have remained friends but they now operate separately and know they can count on each others help if needed. Falcon has been able to extend his mental link to other birds and can see things through their eyes. He has recently joined Cap in the anti-registration Secret Avengers team in the Civil War mini-series.

Jack-in-the-Box

Jack in the Box is a superhero created by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson and Alex Ross in the Astro City comic book series. He was introduced in Astro City #3 in 1995. There have been three men who have been Jack in the Box. The original was named Jack Johnson. He was an inventive genius who was the first African-American to break into the toy manufacturing industry. However, he found out that the company he worked for, Whamco, was using his inventions for criminal purposes. In order to keep him quiet Whamco kidnapped his Father. Jack used his inventions to become Jack in the Box. He rescued his Father and others that Whamco had kidnapped and brought their criminal plans to light.
Jack Johnson decided to stay a superhero. His outlandish outfit combined with his sense of responsibility and his acrobatics made him seem like a cross between the Creeper and Spider-man. In time he married and had a son he and his wife named Zachary. He was able to keep his identity secret even from his family. Then one day he fell into a trap set by the Underlord. It seemed to the public that both had died in an explosion. It was after he died that Zachary found out that his Dad was Jack in the Box. He also found out that the Underlord was still alive and what his real name was. Zachary became the new Jack in the Box and brought his Fathers killer to justice. He led the public to believe that he was really the original Jack in the Box.
Recently Zachary found that his wife was going to have their baby. He didn’t want his child to grow up without a Father like he did. So he gave up the superhero business and groomed the current Jack in the Box, Roscoe James, to take his place.

Amazing Man

Amazing Man was created in the 1980’s by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway but he was placed in the 1940’s were he fought side by side with the heroes of the Golden Age of comics. His name is William Everett an Olympic athlete who had a hard time finding work after the 1936 Olympics. He finally found work as a janitor. During an accident he developed the powers to take on the properties of anything that he touched.
However, he turned his abilities to evil when he was used as a henchman to the Ultra-Humanite. He soon changed sides when he became friends with members of the All Star Squadron. He eventually became a member of the Squadron. On another adventure with the team his powers changed and instead of mimicking properties he gained magnetic powers. Over time he retired and died of cancer. His Grandson inherited his mimic powers and took over the role of Amazing Man for a new generation. The first Amazing Man appeared in All Star Squadron #23.

James Rhodes Iron Man/War Machine

When Tony Stark was battling his alcoholism his friend James Rhodes took over as Iron Man. While he did a good job he started to get headaches and have attacks of erratic and violent behavior. It was reveled that the reason was because the armor was tuned for Tony Stark’s brainwaves only. Tony was still recovering and not able to wear the armor but he did what he could to help Jim maintain his sanity. However, he grew more paranoid and Tony had to put on prototype armor to stop him. Tony eventually took over the armor again and designed a suit of armor for Jim Rhodes that he wore and called himself War Machine. He fought side by side with Iron Man till Tony Stark had to fake his own death. When Jim Rhodes found out he was alive it ended their friendship and Iron Man and War Machine went their separate ways.
During a solo adventure War Machine got some alien armor. When it seemed that Stark had died for real Jim Rhodes went back to Stark Enterprises. He used his armor to erase any trace of the Iron Man armor from the computers memory to keep it out of enemy hands. After this Jim Rhodes gave up his superhero career.
Later, when it turned out Tony Stark had not died, Jim and Tony became friends again and fought together against a villain who was calling himself War Machine. Currently Jim Rhodes is head of Sentinel Squad O*N*E. He wears armor that they made from Sentinel technology.

You can go to the site to get the comic book above if you click on the title.

1974 and the Punisher

1974 was a year that changed how action was handled in comic books. Mainly it was because of the creation of two characters. Those characters were the Punisher and Wolverine and both were from Marvel comics. Both first appeared in 1974 and at that time it seemed that they would only be guest stars in the Marvel books. I don’t believe that their creators had any conscious intentions to make comic books more violent but in many ways that was the end result. Mostly I will talk about the Punisher as this month is the anniversary of his first being published in Amazing Spider-Man #128. The Punisher was created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru. John Romita Sr. was Marvel’s art director and helped Gerry Conway create the design of the Punishers costume. All comic book fans know that Frank Castle was an ex-Marine who was out on a picnic with his family when they witnessed a murder and those crooks shot them to keep them quiet. Frank lived and became the Punisher to stop all criminals to have revenge for the murder of his family. While this feeling is understandable and can make for a great action/adventure book Frank, by killing his enemies does them and perhaps his world a great injustice. He takes away any chance for the criminals to change. They can no longer pay any debt to society that they owe and become good citizens. Also, what if one time it turned out he was wrong about a person and he killed someone who was innocent? His whole publication history is filled with violence, revenge and at times insanity. In many ways he is Batman gone one step too far. Bruce Wayne has only been known to kill to save his life or someone else’s life. For a time they tried to make readers believe that the Punisher was only knocking them out with what he called mercy bullets. A young and naïve child like myself at the time believed that. It really is to their credit that they did this but after awhile that was gone. When I was younger if Punisher or Wolverine would say they took care of the guard I thought they had just knocked them out and tied them up. After awhile they started to indicate that it meant that they killed the guard.
In his first appearance Frank Castle is hired by the villain the Jackal to kill Spider-Man. Believing the editorials of J. Jonah Jameson in the Daily Bugle that Spider-Man is a menace he takes it not knowing the Jackal is really the bad guy. Once he sees the truth he lets Spider-Man go but warns him if Spidey does change sides that the Punisher will come after him.
The Punisher was a hit and made many guest appearance in the Spider-Man family of books. In the 1980’s he was finally given his shot in a mini-series. Marvel did it reluctantly as he was really a cold blooded serial killer. But Mike Zeck and Steve Grant pleaded their case and won. The series was a hit and soon he had his own ongoing series. It ran for 104 issues before being canceled in 1995. It also spawned two other series The Punisher War Journal ran from 1988-1995 and The Punisher War Zone ran from 1992-1995. He even had a couple of black and white magazines that were for more adult readers. They were The Punisher magazine and The Punisher Armory. Since the cancellation of all of his books he has been a guest in books like Daredevil, Captain America, the Nam and the hard to believe cross over with Frank Castle meeting Archie Andrews. He has had his own mini-series again and was a staple of the Marvel Knights family of characters. Recently he has been in the Civil War series as a reluctant solider following Captain America’s orders.
None of this is to say that violence in comic books stared with the Punisher. When comic books started many of the heroes were pretty violent. Batman even carried a gun for awhile. However, most of the heroes had to have a good reason to use violence. Most of the violence was acceptable since many of the heroes were helping to fight World War II. Since the 1950’s and the creation of the Comics Code Authority most violence was kept in check until the 1970’s. It is just my humble opinion that you could point to 1974 as the year when unnecessary violence started to make its comeback with the creation of the Punisher and later Wolverine. Don’t get me wrong I was like a lot of people. I bought many of the Punisher books and some of the copy cats that later appeared. Many of my family and friends thought it was odd that a non-violent person that I was would enjoy these books. Like I said before it was pretty good fiction for adults. I just hope a younger more impressionable reader didn’t think this was the way justice or law and order should be handled in real life.

The Black Hood

The Black Hood was really a hero from Archie Comics. However, Archie had a hard time reintroducing comic book buyers to their superheroes. They had been trying for years but with no luck in gathering interest in them. So in 1991 they licensed them out to DC Comics in hopes they could have better luck. However, DC didn’t do very well with them either. It isn’t, in my opinion, that they were bad. Some of them were pretty good. I think the problem lay in that they didn’t add them into the DC Universe. Instead they started a sister line of comic books with Impact Comics. The one I found most interesting was the Black Hood. It seems that the hood that was worn to mask the face of the crime fighter was enchanted. No matter who wore it they were always filled with the notion to fight evil and all of their abilities and talents were enhanced. Wearing of the hood was also addictive. Once a person wore the hood they had a hard time not putting it back on. The hood had existed for centuries and had been worn by a French woman who was much like Joan of Arc and a western crime fighter whose adventures inspired the creation of the Lone Ranger. My favorite was when it was wore by an African-American gangster named Giles “Hit” Coffee. He was a main man on many crimes in town and for a few issues he came into possession of the hood. No matter how hard he tried he always put on the hood and stopped the crimes that he had helped to set up. It was driving his the other criminals crazy on how the Black Hood knew where to be to always stop them. Eventually he was successful in taking off the hood and it wound up with a teenage boy. The teenager eventually became a younger version of Marvel Comics the Punisher who was very popular at that time.
I think they should have stayed with “Hit” Coffee as the Black Hood. It would have been fun to see him bring down the cities criminal organization from the inside. It would have also been fun to see how he kept them from finding out that he was the Black Hood. Either way for a few issues Giles “Hit” Coffee qualified as a black superhero in the history of comic books.

The Impact Black Hood ran for 12 issues and one annual before all of the Impact books were canceled.

God is always willing to forgive us

And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Luke chapter 17 verse 4 KJV

Since forgiveness is an expression of love, a person whose life has an endless supply of love should be demonstrating an endless supply of forgiveness. We can experience unlimited love in our relationship with God. It is this resource that makes it possible for us to forgive others again and again. First, we recognize that God forgives us time and time again. Second, we want to express God's love in a world that needs desperately to witness it.

Black Goliath

Black Goliath is really the second Giant-Man. The first Giant-Man was Dr. Hank Pym. Dr. Bill Foster was his assistant and was introduced in the Avengers #32 in 1966. He did not become the superhero Black Goliath until 1975. His first appearance as that character was in Power Man #24.
Dr. Foster got Pym particles while in the employ of Hank Pym and it gave him the ability to grow 15 ft. tall and the strength to go with it. As all good men and women of comic books do he decided to use his new powers to fight crime. In 1975 he very briefly had his own series for five issues. He has been a member of various groups such as the Champions, the Defenders and the West Coast Avengers. While with the West Coast Avengers he changed his name to Giant-Man. However, it was soon revealed that Foster was dying of radiation poisoning from a battle with Atom-Smasher years ago. Spider Woman is immune to radiation but when she saves Fosters life with a blood transfusion she looses her immunity. Later, in another battle Bill Foster looses his powers when everyone, except for Hank Pym oddly enough, who came into contact with Pym particles loose control of their powers. Over the years since then other teams and heroes have been able to call on their old friend Dr. Bill Foster for help. Recently he was seen in the mini-series Civil War as an undercover agent on the side of Captain America as a member of the anti-registration Secret Avengers. In issue #4 of that series Black Goliath was killed by a clone of Thor. His final words were oddly prophetic. He said “Get ready for the shortest comeback in history Thor.” With his death many on Iron Man’s pro-registration team changed sides. They started to question Iron Man’s cause. However Tony Stark did pay for his burial. He had to buy 38 plots as they could not shrink him back to normal size. The character of Bill Foster was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck but his identity of Black Goliath was created by Tony Isabella and George Tuska in Power Man.

Firestorm

Firestorm didn’t start out as an African-American superhero. He was at first Ronnie Raymond a teenager who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a nuclear accident happened and he was able to merge with Professor Stein and together they became Firestorm. Ronnie was in charge of the body because Stein had been knocked out before the accident. However, Stein was able to mentally talk to Ronnie to advise him on what actions to take. Ronnie was able to remember what they did as Firestorm but the Professor was not. When Ronnie saw the toll that it was taking on the Professor’s life Ronnie told him of their shared identity.
As Ronnie Firestorm in some ways resembled Richard Rider who became Nova over at Marvel Comics. In some ways their comic book careers mirrored each other. Both of their series were hits but popularity quickly died. They stayed in the comic book buyer’s eye by being members of superhero teams. Nova was in the New Warriors and Firestorm hit it big with membership in the JLA. Their popularity came back and both were given new series but the Fury of Firestorm lasted the longest. Eventually it too was canceled. It was during Infinite Crisis that we found out that only Ronnie died on their last assignment, investigating the murder of Sue Dibney, but the Professor was still alive in space. He merged with an African-American youth named Jason Rusch. Jason told Stein that Ronnie was dead. After helping him through his grief Jason and Stein became the new Firestorm. His adventures continue to this day and many of them dwarf the adventures that Ronnie had as Firestorm. Mr. Raymond will always be my Firestorm but it is great to know that Jason and Martin will continue in the role.

This Day in Music History: The Beatles and I Want to Hold Your Hand

On February 1,1964, this day in music history, the dividing line between the rock and roll eras in America was completed. On one side of the line was Bobby Vinton who had the last hit of early era and on the other side was The Beatles with the first hit of the new rock and roll era. That song is I Want to Hold Your Hand. Other performers of the early era would still have hits from time to time over the next year or two but today is the anniversary of the beginning of the British invasion.
Brian Epstein, The Beatles manager, thought he would never get his group to have any hits in the USA. For one year the Beatles had become huge stars in England and the next logical step in their careers was to have them go to America. They were on the EMI label in England and he kept trying to get Capitol, the American label that EMI owned, to put them on their label. Their answer was always no. They said they may be a hit in England but you don’t know how to make records for America. So they licensed some of their songs to smaller labels in America like Swan and Vee Jay records just to give them a presence in the States. Mr. Epstein was not going to give up. He tried one more time when he took a trip to New York and gave a demo tape to Brown Meggs the director of eastern operations for Capitol Records. Mr. Meggs thought the record might do well in America. Before he left New York he met another man. He was a talent scout who saw how big the Beatles were when he was in England. He was at the airport in England when he saw a huge crowd greeting The Beatles when they were returning home from Sweden. When he left New York Mr. Epstein had signed The Beatles to Capitol Records and to a television deal to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I Want to Hold Your Hand was released in England on December 5,1963 and went to #1. When American DJ’s saw how big it was they didn’t want to wait for Capitol to release it in the USA on January 13,1963. Some of them had friends who had been to Britain and bought them copies and they started playing it immediately. Capitol advanced their date to December 26,1963. A few weeks later it was #1 in the USA.
If you scroll down you can see a rare photo of the Beatles back stage at the Ed Sullivan Show.

Beatles backstage

Here is a photo of the Beatles backstage of the Ed Sullivan show. Ed is pretty clear and you can tell George is standing in front of him. It looks like John is to his left and I believe Ringo is on George's right. With all the people with hand held cameras and recorders it seems to be the media event announcing their apperance on the show. This is all speculation on my part but that is what I think it is.

Remembering George Harrisons Birthday

I remember reading that George Harrison said that he was born in February 1943 in the book The Beatles Anthology. He didn't say what date it was so I am placing this on here on February 1st. I thought when I was writing last December on the day Lennon died that it seem crazy to celebrate the day someone who's work you liked and respected died. Why celebrate that day? It almost sounds like your glad they are gone. Why not the day they were born? So from now on I plan on posting celebrations of the day those people were born and will try to ignore the day they died. So if any of George Harrison's family comes across this then I just want you to know that he is fondly remembered and he gave all of us a good time with his music and movies.

This Day in Music History: Blondie and The Tide Is High

John Holt originally wrote and recorded the song "The Tide Is High" with his Jamaican band the Paragons. When Blondie was in London someone gave the group a compilation tape and that song was on the tape. When Deborah Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie heard the song they loved it and thought it could be a hit. It was the music more then the lyrics that they fell in love with. Deborah said "The musicality of it was just beautiful-beautiful melody, beautiful treatment. The harmonies on the original are very exciting." The difference between the original recording and Blondies is in the harmonies. Deborah again said that "the harmonies are slightly different because theirs are men's voices, so they are hitting some lower notes then I would hit." While there were many songwriters in the group they decided to record this outside song. It was included on their new LP. Their faith in the song was well founded when it was released as a single in November of 1980. It climbed the chart up to the #1 position on this day in music history January 31, 1981.

Wait Till Your Father Gets Home!

The classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Wait Till Your Father Gets Home comes to DVD this year but no exact date has yet been announced. Harry Boyle was your typical conservative Dad and he often clashed with his children the smart and liberal daugther, his older but dumb unemployed son and he smart money minded younger son (around 10 years old). The mother was very loving of them all but when there was trouble with the kids she always told them to Wait Till Your Father Gets Home. The show was released locally in first run syndication.

Pre-order season one of WKRP in Cincinnati

One of the funniest shows of the late 70's is now on DVD. WKRP was pretty accurate on what it was like to work at radio station and very funny at the same time. Season one is being released in April. You can click here to pre-order season one of WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD No cover art yet but I will show it to you when I know it is available. Till then I hope you like the TV guide cover.

This Day in Music History: Rose Royce and Car Wash

After years at Motown co-writing and producing hits like I Heard it Through the Grapevine for Marvin Gaye, War for Edwin Starr and many songs for the Temptations like I Can't Get Next to You, Papa Was A Rolling Stone and many more Norman Whitfield proved he was a mastermind when it came to making hit music. In the early 1970's he put together eight men and one woman to form the group Rose Royce. They had a few hits but their biggest was the title song for the hit comedy film Car Wash. Mr. Whitfield was asked to score the film and he asked Rose Royce and the Pointer Sisters to preform some of the non-stop disco/funk music for the film. Mr. Whitfield said he tried to have the music fit the mood of each scene. For example you would have some tense music in the scene where someone tries to talk a man out of holding up the place. With that in mind the opening theme seems like a car going through an automatice car wash. You hear handclaps as the water sprays the car. Then the bass comes in as the brushes are cleaning the car. As the car is finished running through its cycle the music is at its height. All of this came together to make Car Wash the #1 song in the country on this day in music history January 30, 1977.

Do you fall into discouragement after spiritual highs?

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life.… Then he went alone into the desert.… He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die.
1 Kings 19:3-4 NLT

Elijah experienced the depths of fatigue and discouragement just after his two great spiritual victories: the defeat of the prophets of Baal and the answered prayer for rain. To lead him out of depression, God first let Elijah rest and eat. Then God confronted him with the need to return to his mission in life—to be God's prophet.
Elijah's battles were not over; there was still work for him to do. Often discouragement sets in after great spiritual experiences, especially those that produce a high level of emotional excitement or that require a lot from us physically. When you feel let down after a spiritual "high," do what is necessary to restore your inner resources. And remember that God still has a purpose and plan for you.

Marvel in house ad

Remember seeing these ads for King Size books of your favorite comic books? Sure you had to pay twice the price but you knew it would be worth it. Even if the extra pages were reprints from the 40's or 50's chances were that story was new to you. Also, speaking of events you can come here on Feburary 1st for a my event celebrating Black History month when I will be posting character blogs of an African-American superhero each day.