Tuesday, November 29, 2005

New Rays site by Nesmith

Just heard from Videoranch about the new website for Nez's new CD Rays. Here is what they had to say
The Rays web page is now up. We have music samples, a track list, credits information and photos. We’ll be adding things to this site as we move towards the commercial release of Rays. Expect to be able to download Rays from iTunes, Rhapsody, MSN Music, etc. very soon.
http://www.nezrays.com Posted by Picasa

Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-bag

This was Marvel's book of Christmas related reprint stories that Marvel released in 1974. Just wanted to put this Christmas photo up before I had to go. Hope you like it. Hulk fans sorry that he was cut off on this scan. He is front and center on other Marvel Christmas books. Posted by Picasa

Steve Englehart

Just wanted to show you this photo my wife took of Steve Englehart after he signed for me at the Mid-Ohio Con. I thought I was in the photo but only my hand made the cut. Posted by Picasa

Monday, November 28, 2005

Archie's Christmas Love-In

Ok here is today's Christmas photo. This is from 1979. The term "love in" was coined back in the 60's. I have not heard the term used much since then. I believe the only people using that term in the late 70's was Archie comics. They got an amazing run out of it. One thing that I like in these older comics is that you see the word Christmas on the cover. On some they use the term Holiday but mostly it was Christmas. Since then people have wanted to be politically correct and use the word Holiday even more. I prefer to remember the reason for the holiday season is Christ and use the word Christmas. Holiday leaves me feeling cold but Christmas makes me feel good. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Christmas with the Super-heroes

Here is today's Christmas photo. Remember back in the 70's when they would come out with this huge reprinted comic books for what at the timed seemed over priced at $1? Well here is one from Christmas 1975. I loved them all but this one really gets to me. It had my favorite Teen Titans story. It was called "A Swingin' Christmas Carol" story by Bob Haney and Art by Nick Cardy. The local junk dealer is Mr. Scrounge and he gets involved with criminals. Tiny Tim is the son of Bob Ratchet who works for Scrounge. Tim finds out about the criminals and tells his Dad. Mr. Ratchet confronts Mr. Scrounge about it. Mr. Scrounge says he will fire Ratchet if he tells the police. So he keeps quiet because he has to feed his family and he can't do that without his job. Tiny Tim decides to tell the Teen Titans. Meanwhile Scrounge's old partner Jacob Farley breaks out of jail and tries to kill Scrounge. The Titans save him and find out that Farley went to jail for a crime that Scrounge committed. Scrounge says he is going to call the police on Farley and the Titans. Farley escapes again and the Titans leave as they really are trespassing. Robin suddenly says it reminds him of A Christmas Carol and that is when they all decide to act like the Spirits of Christmas to force Mr. Scrounge to see the error of his ways and to make up for them. I know this story was not original by any means but it was really a good story and Nick Cardy can sell me a story any day.
There are more stories with Batman in Silent Night, Deadly Night. Captain Marvel as a department store Santa Claus and a Superman story from the 40's. I enjoyed every one of them. I have had special Christmas editions before and since. This one is the best that DC has ever put out. It might be full of reprints but they chose the very best. Just wanted to tell you this because it is what I had on my mind. Posted by Picasa

Why we keep our comics

For years I have had people ask me why I read and keep my comic books. The reason I read them is that I like them. The reason I keep them is alot harder to answer. But it goes mostly to nostalgia. Take the above issue of Green Lantern/Green Arrow issue 100. Some would say that I kept it because it is an anniversary issue. That is partly true. Others would say I kept it because I hoped it would be worth money someday. That is partly true also. But the real reason I have kept it around is because it reminds me of a certain day. Nothing really special about that day to anyone but I am comforted by it. Some people plan when they will buy something. For years I always bought a Christmas themed comic book on Christmas Eve and a week later on News Years Eve I would buy my last comic book of the year. One year I bought a Hulk comic book because the first episode of the Hulk series was on that night. Like any addiction you used any excuse to buy your books. Then there are those quit ones that sneek up on you. This is one of them. I use to work at Showcase Cinemas as an Usher in the 70's. It was a part time job I did after school and on weekends. One cold cold snowy November day I was working at the movie theater. I stopped on the way to work and bought this book. I sat in the parking lot and read the book then went inside to work. Later I simply went home. Driving in the snow all cold and alone in the car but excited about having this issue. You see I told you was nothing. But to me it reminds me of my youth. When I look at that book I am 17 again driving in my Pinto in an Usher's uniform on the way home. It's cold outside the car but warm inside. With those memories I am kept warm in my heart. Posted by Picasa

A War On A World

For centuries the people of this planet thought that they were the only people in the universe. They lived. They loved. They laughed. They played. However, their quiet existence was about to be interrupted.

On a quiet summer’s evening a young scientist, Dr. Jordan Ellis, is taking home his pretty lab assistant Laura Thompson.

“It’s nice of you to drive me home Dr. Ellis.”

“It’s the least I could do. I made you work late and you missed your ride. Oh! Please don’t call me Dr. Ellis. I prefer Jordan.”

“About the project that you’ve just started. What is the importance of it?”

“The government has me exploring other methods of fuel for transportation. I sent a satellite into space to capture solar radiation. What we’re working with now is the material that the probe captured. I hope to use the power from the sun to power cars, rockets and other methods of transportation.”

“What have you found about the radiation?”

“ So far the radiation that it came back with doesn’t seem to be harmful to plants or humans. That’s on the positive side. On the negative side it doesn’t act as propulsion for cars either.”

“Well everything exist for a reason. There must be a reason why that radiation exist.”

Suddenly a loud explosion rips through the air. The two are so startled by it that Jordan runs into a ditch on the side of the road. He stops the car and they get out. Jordan inspects the car while Laura looks around for the source of the noise.

“Well the car doesn’t look too bad.”

“But where did that noise come from?”

“That sounded like a sonic boom. Either something entered or escaped the atmosphere traveling faster then sound.”

Jordan looks around the horizon then suddenly points to the east.

“Look over there.”

“What is that? A shooting star?”

“I don’t know. Let’s follow it and find out.”

They get back into the car. Jordan maneuvers the car back onto the road. They head east, in the direction of the star. Their anticipation is high and they cover many miles in what seems like only seconds. They come upon a deserted field. They get out of the car and climb to the top of an embankment. When they look out on the field they see a huge round silver metal object. It sits there still and silent. It is clearly out of place and yet in a strange way it seems like it should be there.

Laura leans toward Jordan.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe it’s some sort of shuttle.”

“There’s an Army base not far from here. Maybe they’ll know.”

Just then they hear a rumbling behind them. They turn and see a cloud of dust coming down the road. They climb down the embankment. As they reach the road the dust settles and reveals a group of Army jeeps and tanks that have stopped not far from their car.

An officer gets out of the lead jeep. He has three stars on his helmet. He is obviously the man in charge as he starts shouting orders.

“Sgt. James! Move those tanks into position.”

Jordan approaches the man.

“Excuse me sir…”

“Just a minute. Lieutenant Overstreet! Get those men up on that ridge.”

“Excuse me Mister…”

“Sharp! GENERAL Sharp. What do you want sir? Do you live nearby?”

“No I work nearby. This is Miss Laura Thompson my assistant she lives near here. I’m Dr. Jordan Ellis. I was giving Miss Thompson a ride home when we saw the craft come down.”

“ You both saw it?”

“Yes!”

“Well this could be a dangerous area. You better leave.”

“General I’m working with the government and I have a security clearance.”

The General gets a look of disgust, as he now seems to have a government official on site that may out rank him. He calls for the Sgt. and points to a deserted old log cabin.

“Sgt. James! Take Dr. Ellis and Miss Thompson to that cabin. I’ll phone headquarters to check on his security clearance and talk to them later.”

The minutes pass like hours. Jordan, Laura & Sgt. James exchanged small talk. Jordan hoped the Sgt. would reveal something about the ship. However, he was a good solider and revealed little about himself and nothing about the ship.
Finally the General arrived. He marched right up to the Sgt.. The Sgt. stood at attention and saluted the General. General Sharp returned the salute.

“At ease Sgt.! You can return to your unit. I want to talk to Dr. Ellis alone.”

As the Sgt. leaves the General pulls Dr. Ellis aside but motions for Laura to stay where she is.

“Well Dr. you do have security clearance.”

The General smiles as he says “But I can’t tell you anything unless I want to tell you. You have the lowest level of clearance.”

“Well General tell me whatever you can so I can help.”

The General smiled.

“I can’t tell you anything.”

“Nothing!”

“No! But I don’t mind if you help.”

“Can’t you tell me what that ship is of where it is from?”

“No!”

“How can I help if you won’t tell me anything.”

“Not won’t Dr. I can’t cause your level won’t allow it.”

“General you need to tell me something. At least to let me get started.”

“I am going to give you some information. However, you can’t tell anyone. Not even Miss Thompson.”

“OK!”

“That ship is not from our planet. We aren’t even certain it’s from this solar system. It just showed up on radar and headed straight here. By the time we could gather any information together it landed.”

Dr. Ellis looked concerned as his mind processed this information.

“If they aren’t from this solar system, then they have either been traveling for years or…”

“Or what?”

“Or they may have been traveling faster then the speed of sound.”

“That’s crazy. Nothing could travel that fast.”

Suddenly the General’s radio come to life.

“General Sharp! You need to get back here ASAP!”

“What is it Lieutenant?”


“There’s some activity coming from the craft.”

The General gets in his jeep and starts the engine. Dr. Ellis and Laura get in the back and they drive back to the embankment.

As they move across the bumpy terrain Laura moves closer to Jordan. She puts her hand on his shoulder and whispers to him.

“So what did he tell you?”

“I can’t tell you now cause I promised I wouldn’t. But I did get a lesson on who’s in charge here.”

They come to a stop in front of the Lieutenant. The General gets out and they exchange salutes.

“What’s going on here Lieutenant?”

“Like I said sir. There’s something going on with that ship.”

All eyes turn toward the spaceship and the see a tall cylinder is now extending from the top.

“What is that General?”

“It looks like a long range weapon.”

“Maybe it’s a communication device.”

The General gives Dr. Ellis a stern look. Then he notices the Lieutenant looking at the Dr. and wondering who this civilian is.

“Lieutenant Overstreet this is Dr. Ellis and that pretty young lady is his assistant Miss. Thompson. The Dr. was in the area and is helping us on an advisory level.”

Suddenly there is a humming noise and they all turn toward the ship. The cylinder is humming and starting to glow red. The louder the noise gets the brighter the cylinder gets.

General Sharp throws off his helmet and grabs his head. Laura looks at him and sees pain on his face. The others don’t immediately notice, as they are too busy looking at the glowing cylinder.

“What’s wrong General?”

“I suddenly have a splitting migraine.”

Just then the humming grows louder and the color of the cylinder has changed to a glowing white.

The General is now screaming in pain. He is joined by the Lieutenant. Both men fall to the ground. They lay there screaming. Holding their hands to their ears as if trying to stop hearing the hum. The louder the hum gets the louder they scream. Jordan then notices that wails and screams are coming from all around but not everyone is affected.

Then suddenly all the screams stop. The hum from the cylinder continues for a moment but then it stops. Jordan quickly checks the General while Laura checks the Lieutenant. The two officers stare blankly at them. Jordan and Laura are sad to admit that both men are dead.

Jordan hears the sound of a jeep. He looks up to see headlights on the horizon. Coming down the road is Sgt. James. The jeep comes to a halt behind the General’s and the Sgt. jumps out. He sees the two men lying still on the ground. He looks at Jordan.

“Are they?”

“I’m afraid so.”

The Sarge kneels over his fallen friends. His face is battle hardened and shows no sign of emotion. However, Jordan notices a tear run down the right side of the Sarge’s face. This gives him an uneasy feeling. The Sarge stands.

“They were good soldiers as well as good people. Sharp came off hard and tough but he had to in order to get results. As hard as Sharp was so was Overstreet. But he had more compassion. They were the best commanding officers I ever had.”

“So what do we do now?”

The Sgt. looked Jordan straight in the eye.

“They killed everyone above the rank of Sgt.. We must attack.”

“You see this as an act of war?”

Sgt. James can’t believe the question he was just asked. He has a look of surprise as he responds.

“YES! I also take it personal that they killed two of my best friends.”

“But…”

“No buts. You’re just here as a civilian advisor. I am now the ranking officer here and in command.”

As the Sgt. goes over to radio orders to the troops Laura talks to Jordan.

“Well that went well.”

“I know. I prefer the way the General told me who was in charge.”

The Sarge gets on the radio.

“This is Sgt. James of A company calling B company. Over!”

“This is B company Sgt.. Over!”

“To who am I speaking?”

“Corporeal Dent sir!”

“Well Corporeal get me your commanding officer.”

“As of a few minutes ago, I am the commanding officer.”

“Well I’m the C.O. here so on my signal both companies will fire at the ship. Now…FIRE!”

With the command given the Army lets loose a barrage of firepower on the ship. The occupants of the interplanetary craft opened up their gunports and fired lasers in defense. It was a long battle with neither side gaining any ground.

While all this was going on Dr. Ellis found pieces of metal that broke off the ship. He took them back to study in his lab. In his lab he makes a great discovery. He goes back and approaches Sgt. James with his discovery.

“What is it Dr. Ellis? I’m busy trying to save the planet.”

“I think you may be able to do that with these.”

He takes out of his pocket a small black rock and a piece of metal.

“How are those going to save us?”

“This rock was exposed to what I call radiation X. The only reaction that the rock, which is from our planet, had was that it turned black.”

“So how is that going to help?”

“By itself it won’t. I exposed this piece of metal from the ship to the rock that was full of radiation X. After that this metal, that before I could easily bend with just two fingers, suddenly became super strong. I couldn’t bend it at all.”

The Sarge picks up the metal and tries to bend it but can’t.

“Is this change permanent?”

“No it only last for ten minutes after each exposure.”

“So why would we want to make that ship or the people inside it stronger?”

“”It’s only for ten minutes and it may give them so much power so fast that they can’t handle it and they defeat themselves.”

“That’s a longshot Doc.”

“Have you got a better idea? Besides the battle is a stalemate. If we try this and it works you’ll get promoted and go down in history as the man who saved the world.”

“You mean you’ll go down in history.”

“You’re the one making the decisions. I’ll just be along for the ride.”

The Sgt. paces as he thinks this over. Finally he stops and looks at Jordan.

“Well nothing gets done by playing it safe. Have you got a plan?”

“I think so. Have any of them come out of the ship?”

“Yeah! Sometimes to fight or make quick repairs. We still don’t know what they look like. They wear a silver protective suit that covers them from head to toe.”

“OK! Here is my plan. I’ll make bullets out of this rock. You give them to your best sharpshooters. Tell them just to shoot them in the arms or legs. That way if one lives we can examine him.”

As fast as he can, Jordan heads back to the lab. There he makes the bullet shaped rocks and drives back. He gives them to the Sgt. and he distributes them to his sharpshooters.

“All right men when I give the signal everyone fire on the ship. Except those with the special bullets. Only they can shoot when the men inside come out. However, only shoot them in the arms or legs.”

There is a tense moment as they wait for the signal to fire.

“Ready…Aim…FIRE!”

Almost every solider with a rifle, machine gun, tank or any type of weapon fires upon the ship. However, a select few sit in place and wait. They don’t have to wait for long.

The door to the craft opens. Out steps a group of men in skintight silver suits. They raise their weapons and start firing. They hardly get off a shot when one of them drops his weapon and screams in pain. Some of the men in silver stop for a moment. They seem surprised as the man falls down in pain. You can tell this doesn’t happen often.

The man screams again. He has been holding his arm the whole time but lets go of his wounded arm and uses his one good arm to take off his helmet. For the first time Jordan and the others see what they look like. Jordan stares as if in a trance and whispers to himself.

“They look just like us.”

The man in silver starts rubbing his eyes as if they are burning. He stops and looks to a comrade for help. However, his friend in the spacesuit starts to glow red hot. The man inside starts to scream but is cut short as the heat from the other mans stare turns him to ashes.

The other men in silver back away, firing their weapons as they go. But it grows more intense as the chilling scene is repeated over and over. Men grabbing their arm or leg after being shot and setting anything they look at on fire.

Suddenly the shooting stops and the fires are dying out. None of the silver clad invaders are left alive. Sgt. James orders the men to move in on the ship. They begin their approach when the ship starts to hum. The door closes. The landing gear retracts. The ship rises and hovers in mid-air for a moment. It then flies straight up for about a mile. Then starts’ picking up speed till it is gone from sight.

Jordan, Laura and Sgt. James stand next to each other looking to the sky.

“Well Doc your idea did it. We won.”

“I told you God made that radiation X to exist for a reason.”

“Yes. He knew it would help us defeat them. But I wonder where they are from?”

In space we see the ship. It has left the atmosphere of the planet and is on its way out of the solar system. This is the last time the occupants of the ship will see this solar system with the blue sun. Yes it is a bright, blazing, blue colored sun.

Inside the ship is Captain Jackson Beck. He is communicating his report home on the latest mission.

“Captain Beck reporting star date 11 15 25. The mission is a failure. Science Officer Ross Peters and I are the sole survivors of the mission. We landed and waited for the planet officials to show. The Army arrived first. We singled out any high-ranking officers to communicate our message of friendship hoping it would be a story they would believe. That way we could make this a peaceful take over of the planet. We raised our communication pole to talk to them with telepathy. However, the telepathic waves were too strong for their brains and accidentally killed them. We wanted a peaceful take over but from there it was war. The enemy was holding it’s own in the battle till they brought out a secret weapon. They planted devices on us that made us become…well the best description is living lasers and we started destroying ourselves. After the landing party was destroyed the enemy started advancing on to destroy the ship. I didn’t want the ship in the hands of the enemy so we took off. Beck out!”

“It will take the message about a day to reach home Captain.”

“Good Mr. Ross. It will reach Earth before we do. Let’s head home.”

With the command given the ship picks up speed and in the blink of an eye it is gone.
Copyright 2005 Ricky L Phillips

Who Needs A Superhero?

This is a very interesting book. The author, H. Michael Brewer, is a local pastor and a life long comic book fan. In this book he uses the comic book heros to explore the Gospel and ourselves. Each chapter explores a different hero and a different charistic or part of the Gospel. Superman is used twice as a Christ like figure, Spider-man tells how we can be saved for service, Daredevil is an example of discernment, Hulk is an example of sin in our lives. It is all very entertaining and educational. You can get it at Amazon by clicking here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801065100/104-2986662-8588702? v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance or clicking on the title above. Posted by Picasa

Kolchak: the Night Stalker Chronicles

Here it is. The previously mentioned Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles. It is a series of short stories about Kolchak. A wonderful book filled with other investigations from our favorite reporter. All written by famous writers of fiction. It is brought to you by Moonstone publishing. The cover price is reasonable at $18.95 you can get it here at Moonstone http://www.moonstonebooks.com/ or at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933076046/104-2986662-8588702?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance Also you may want to check out the Kolchak Journals. A fan publication at this site http://www.freewebs.com/kolchakjournals/ At Moonstone you may want to look into the ucomming mini-series Kolchak and Sherlock Holmes. You can if you click here http://www.moonstonebooks.com/kolchakHolmes.asp Posted by Picasa

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Mid Ohio Con experience

Well overall I had an enjoyable experience at the convention. It took awhile to get there as the directions from the site were just lousy. I followed the directions as they said by taking exit 101A and as they stated it got me on I-270. BUT IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! We turned around and then started looking for another exit that was in their directions. We didn't need to take that exit. By the time we figured it out we were almost there. Once we got there my wife went in with me for about 5 minutes then went window shopping at the mall. I had a fine time briefly meeting celebraties like Tom DeFalco, Peter David, the Funky Winkerbean creator himself Tom Batiuk and Steve Englehart. My wife came back in time to meet Mr. Englehart and he allowed us to take his picture. I will share that with you soon. One person that I wanted to meet was Tony Isabella. I wanted him to sign my Black Lightning #1 and tell him how much I enjoyed the character that he created. But it was so crowded and busy that I couldn't find him. I was embarrased to say that I didn't have anything of Mr. DeFalco's work when I met him. He half kidded me and said to go check any of the 25 cent bins here. That's where you'll find mine. He looked a bit hurt when the first thing that I mentioned I remembered him doing was Solo Avengers. He immediately mentioned more recent work like Spider-Girl of Marvel and Kahn of Moonstone. If you are reading this Mr. DeFalco I hope I did not hurt you. I am a fan of your recent work but Solo Avengers is one that I have loved from younger days. I liked your work in it. So that was the first book that came to my mind. I didn't know what to say to Mr. Peter David. He signed my alternate version cover of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1. The look on his face was like it was the first time that he had seen the cover. Guess I should have asked him. Every single one of the gentlemen I met were very nice and gracious. I met Tom Batiuk on my first trip to the Con years ago. My impression of him has not changed. If you look up the word Gentleman in the dictionary you will find his photo. He just didn't seem to like that Funky Winkerbean isn't in the papers in Cincinnati. If you are reading this and work for the Post or the Enquirer can you please take care of that.
I stopped by the Moonstone table on my way out and bought their new book Kolchak:The Night Stalker Chronicles. It is a book of various short stories of our favorite paranormal investigator/reporter by various writers. It as an introduction by Frank Spotnitz the executive producer of the new series. Stories by Peter David, Mike W. Barr, Max Allan Collins, Steven Grant, Chuck Dixon, Gary Phillips (no relation) and more are in this volume. You get all that at a very reasonable price. I told the gentleman at Moonstone that I ran this site. He said he would check it out. In hopes that he does I will be taking some of my stories and reposting them closer to the top of the site. Just letting you know so you won't think you have the wrong page loaded. Consider it the bst of On My Mind. Who knows I may have a story in the Night Stalker Chronicles volume two. So I had a good time at the convention. But next time if I need directions I will ask Triple A.Posted by Picasa

A tribute to Amazing Fantasy 15 and Spider-Man 2nd in a series


Hi! My name is David and boy do I have a story to tell. You see one day I was just walking home when I this guy throwing out all these comic books. I asked him why he threw them in the garbage can. He told me he was too old for that stuff now. He didn’t look much older then me. I’m 13 and he didn’t look older then 15 or 16. I asked him if I could have them he and he said it was ok. He even helped me carry them home.
When we got to my house Mom opened the door. He told her that he gave them to me. She thanked him and he went home. When Mom closed the door she told me that I should not have taken them from a strange man but she would let me keep them if they seemed ok after she checked them out. When she was done the only ones that she said I couldn’t keep were those that had a guy named Dr. Strange. I was happy keeping the ones like Spider-man Fantastic Four and Iron Man. When I looked at the Spider-Man collection I couldn’t believe what I saw. Amazing Fantasy 15! This was the first Spider-Man story. Finally I was going to read the book that my friends and I had only heard about. As I opened the cover I noticed someone wrote a name at the bottom of the page. It hit me as odd that someone would write that name on the first page. Maybe it was part of a joke or maybe it was the name of the guy who gave me the book. Either way I was about to read the first story of my favorite hero. When I was done reading it I was drained. I couldn’t believe what Spider-Man went through. He was an orphan who was raised by his Aunt and Uncle. Then after that burglar broke in he lost his Uncle. Then he had to find out that he could have stopped the murder but didn’t. At least he learned his lesson from it and became one of the greatest superheroes in the world.
The next day I was at school. During study hall I was telling my friends about how I was now the proud owner of Amazing Fantasy 15. They were all very impressed. One kid who was listening was Harry. Harry was new in school. We had talked before and were on the way to being good friends. After school some of my friends asked if they could stop by and see the book. Most of them lived nearby. Harry heard us and asked if he could come too. I said sure it would be ok.
When we all got to my house was Mom surprised. There was at least a dozen and, much to Mom’s relief, they all said they couldn’t stay long. All of them got to read the Spider-Man story and were amazed that someone had written in the book.
When we were all done everyone left but Harry. He asked if he could get a ride home. It turned out that Harry lived on the other side of town. Dad was home by then and said he would give him a ride. Just before we left Harry asked if he could borrow my book. I didn’t want to seem like a bad friend since our friendship was just getting started so I let him take it home. I went with them and when we got to a stop light Harry got out. Dad stopped him but Harry said “It’s ok!” He pointed to a small dry cleaners with an apartment over it. “We live over that store.” Dad saw that there was no place for him to park so he said ok. The light turned green just as Harry got to the front door. We turned the corner to go home. As I was watching to see where Harry went Dad told me I should never bring home that many friends at one time without notice. I was still trying to see Harry. We were farther away now and I could barely see him but it looked like he didn’t go in. He was walking across the street with my Amazing Fantasy 15.
The next week at school I never got to talk to Harry. If he saw me coming down the hall he would duck into a classroom. If we had a class together he would not sit near me. Finally, I realized unless I did something I would never see my book again. On Saturday afternoon I went to the local drug store to buy my usual comic book, Reese Cup and Coke. Just as I entered the store I saw Harry at the comic book rack. He had not seen me so I went back out. I took my bike and hid in the alley between the drug store and the jewelers. Harry came out and got on his bike. When he was far enough away I started to follow. I was determined to find out where he lived.
I followed for almost 5 blocks when he stopped in front of a white frame house. He went up and opened the front door and went inside. I waited for him to leave. I didn’t have to wait long. I saw his Mom and Dad back their car out of the garage. Harry was in the backseat. They pulled out of the driveway. Then drove up the street. When they turned the corner I ran to the front door. I tried to open it but they locked it before they left. I tried ever door and window till I found a window that would open. I felt like my hero Spider-Man. I was taking action to right a wrong. I was going to be a hero. As I climbed inside I could see that it was the bathroom window. Once inside I quickly found Harry’s room. I searched all around till I finally found the book under his bed. I can’t believe he would keep this under his bed. He didn’t deserve a book such as this.
Suddenly I heard a door open. There were voices coming from the front of the house.
“I can’t believe that I forgot my wallet.”
“Well honey it’s a good thing you remembered before we got too far away.”
“Hey Dad! Can I get something from my room?”
“Well be quick about it. We don’t want to keep your Grandma waiting.”
Oh my gosh they came back and Harry is headed this way. There wasn’t enough time to get to the bathroom window. If I hurry I might have enough time to get out Harry’s window. I quickly remove the latch and push. Oh no! It’s stuck! I keep trying till it budges enough and I can squeeze through. I fall to the ground and start to run but then I hear a sickening sound. From behind me I hear a loud thud followed by breaking glass. Harry’s Mom and Dad asking what was that. I don’t stop to luck I keep running till I get to my bike and then I peddle as fast as I can.
I did it. I got back the book that he stole from me. Then why do I feel so bad?
I stayed home and in my room the rest of the day. For some reason I felt this would give me an alibi. Why should I need an alibi? All I did was get back what was mine.
Later that night we got a phone call. Dad answered the phone and from what I heard it was about Harry and the book. When he got off the phone he just looked at me and I knew I was in trouble.
“David, what happened to that book you let Harry borrow?”
“He…well he…he gave it back.”
“When did he give it back?”
“Today.“
“When did you see him today?”
“When I went to the drug store.”
“Now David you didn’t see Harry at the drug store. He was with his parents at that time.”
“I did too see him at the drug store. He…eh…well he just didn’t see me.”
I told Dad the whole story and boy was he mad. He didn’t yell or scream like he does. He was madder then that. He didn’t say a word and he just stared at me for a minute or two. Those two minutes felt like two years. Then he finally said something.
“Get your coat. We’re going to see Harry.”
As I started to get my coat Dad added something else.
“Don’t forget the book. You’ll have to give it back to him.”
“But Dad…”
“No buts. You broke into his house. You stole what was really his property till he gives it back to you. Then you broke a window on the way out. You could go to jail for that. I could too since I’m your Father.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. He was right we both were in trouble.
In a few minutes we were at Harry’s home talking to his parents.
“I‘m sorry I broke into your house and stole the book.”
Harry’s Dad looked at Harry.
“When were you going to return his book to him?”
“When I was done with it.”
“Harry you were done reading it a half hour after you got it home.”
“Yeah but I wanted to keep it for awhile.”
“Harry!”
“Alright I wasn’t going to give it back. We move so much I thought we would be gone before anything like this happened.”
Harry’s Dad held his hand out for my Dad.
“Don’t worry about anything we’ll take care of it. Harry is done with the book anyway”
“ We’ll at least pay for the window.”
“No that’s alright.”
“No I insist. David needs to take responsibility for his actions.”
“Well ok.”
As we left I couldn’t believe it. All I had to do was pay for the window and I still got to keep my book.
In the car Dad placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t think you’re going to keep that book.”
“Why?”
“If it makes you act like this you don’t deserve it.”
“You mean I have to throw it away!”
“Get rid of it anyway you can.”
For almost a week I avoided throwing it away or giving it away. Dad must have been getting impatient. Thursday he came home with news for me.
“I sold your book.”
I didn’t understand as the book was still in my room.
“The mailman at our office said his boy was crazy about Spider-Man. I told him about your book and he offered me $5 for it. I took it so I have to give him the book tomorrow.”
I knew better then to ask him for the $5. Almost as if he could read my mind Dad said to me.
"And the $5 is going toward fixing the window you broke."
Dad went into my room and got the book. The next morning he took it to work with him and I never saw that book again. Spider-Man did teach me an important lesson. Like the old saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right. Posted by Picasa

A tribute to Amazing Fantasy 15 & Spider-man first in a series

I remember it like it was yesterday. But it was 6 years ago. It was 1962 on a Friday afternoon and my friend Jerry and I were walking home from school. We had just made our usual Friday after school stop at the drug store. There we each bought a comic book and a candy bar. Jerry always bought an Archie comics and Hershey bar. Sometimes I bought an Archie comic but usually I bought Superman or Batman with a Snickers bar. Recently other super heroes started appearing on the stand. Not long ago I started reading a book called Fantastic Four. As good as that one was I spotted a new one that day that excited me even more. The hero was swinging over the city streets. His muscles bulging as he carried the scared villain in his arm. In his red and blue suit covered with webs I was getting my first look at the Amazing Spider-Man on the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15.
When we got to my house our candy bars were already gone. We sat on the front porch and read our comics. As it became our tradition when we both were done we traded and read the others book. Now Archie and the gang can always make me laugh. Today it didn't. I just couldn't get my mind off of Spider-Man. Those wonderful powers of his and sadly how he could have prevented his Uncle Ben from dying but didn't. Was it really his fault. He didn't have to stop that burglar. But if he did he would have not only captured a robber but made sure that a future robbery and murder didn't happen. He would have saved his Uncle's life without knowing it. Spider-Man would have been a hero. Instead the policeman thought he was a jerk. When Jerry was done he gave me the book back. Jerry was like me. A kid with a wild imagination and excited about what he just read.

"Wow! That was a great story."

"I thought you would like it."

"He has powers that I have never thought of a super hero having."

"Yeah like a danger sense and climbing walls."

" Hey! Batman can climb walls."

"I know Batman is your favorite but even he can't climb walls without a rope."

It was Friday and, unlike most kids in our neighborhood, Jerry and I liked to get our homework done that night. That way we had the whole weekend to play and not worry if we would get done on time. So we said our good-byes. I went in and did my homework. Then we ate dinner. It was still light outside. So I asked Mom if I could call Jerry and see if he could meet me across the street to play in the park. She said it was ok. I only heard the phone ring once when he picked up the phone. He had just finished his dinner and was about to call and ask me the same thing.
A few minutes later we were in the park playing Spider-Man on the monkey bars. Well I was playing Spider-Man. Jerry was playing Batman trying to prove that he could beat me. Which he couldn't. The monkey bars was a warehouse where we did our battle. The winner of the first ever battle/team-up with Batman and Spider-Man has never been resolved. It never will be. But we had fun. Out of breath we sat on a bench and talked.

"You know there is a burglar in this area?"

"What! Who says?"

"My Dad. He said that the Smiths up the street came home from work on Wednesday and all their furniture was gone."

"Didn't anybody see anything?"

"Most of them were at work too."

It was getting dark so we said good-bye again for the second time that day. The rest of the weekend was pretty normal. Saturday morning I watched cartoons. Then it was outside to play with Jerry. Sunday morning I was in my best suit and went to church. Then after lunch I quickly changed and met Jer at the park. Monday was different. It was an in service day at school. I didn't really know what an in service day was but I knew I didn't have to go to school. My Mom only worked part-time but she was off work that day. She said it was ok if I wanted to play with Jerry but be back in time for lunch. When I got to his house I found out that he couldn't play. His Mom didn't work out side the house. She was usually at home by herself while her husband was at work and Jerry was at school. She said she wanted to spend time with Jer. That could only mean she was taking him clothes shopping. I missed him but I was perfectly happy to ride my bike by myself as long as I didn't have to go clothes shopping.
As I rode my bike I stayed pretty close to Jerry's house. Just riding around the block. As I did I noticed a moving van with two men carrying furniture out of the house. At first I didn't think about it. Then I remembered that those people only moved in about 2 months ago. So I kept my eye on them. The people who lived there didn't have kids. If they did I hadn't met them yet. Wouldn't their kids be outside playing today if they had any? Maybe they were inside packing. Then I realized there was no car in the drive way. There was always a blue car in the drive way when they were home. This was beginning to look very odd to me. When I came around the corner again I notice the van starting to drive away.
What should I do? I don't know if these men were stealing, but if they were I can't let them get away. But there are no phone booths here and no one at home. By the time I could get home and tell Mom they'll be gone. I remembered how Spider-Man let the burglar get away and then he killed Uncle Ben. If these guys are the crooks I can't let them get away. They may come and steal our stuff and may kill my Mom or Dad. So I decided to do the only thing I could. I rode my bike as hard as I could and followed them.
I rode for what seemed like hours. I thought I had lost them. My legs were ready to give out when just as I turned the corner I saw the van. It was parked outside a warehouse. I set my bike down quietly. Softly I approached the van. I looked in the back window. I saw a couch, chairs and tables. Lucky me the drivers were inside the warehouse. The door was opened just a crack and I could hear them talking.

"This is the best idea we have ever had."

"Yeah robbing during the day when most of them are at work."

"If anyone does see us they just think that the people are moving."

"This is the first day job I've ever had."

I had heard enough. I went to the phone booth across the street and called the police. It was not easy convincing the dispatcher that I wasn't joking. But she seem to believe me when I told her where I lived and how far I rode to this warehouse on Industrial Drive. She sent two squad cars. When the police showed up it seemed a bit strange. They didn't have their sirens on. I told them what I knew. They checked on the van and found out it was reported stolen. They put me in the back seat of one of the cars and got on the horn and told them to come out with their hands in the air. I just thought they would do what the police said. But they started firing. Suddenly the firing stopped and the men came out with their hands in the air. They could have saved everyone trouble if they did that in the first place.
All that happened very early because when the Police took me home it was noon. I was home in time for lunch. Mom didn't know she needed to be worried about me. When the Police told her I solved the burglary case she was so proud. Later that night when the news reported the early morning gun battle she grounded me for a week.
I had to go to court and tell them what I saw and did. The men went to jail for 15 years and all the families got their furniture back. The papers said it was all because of me.
Like I said that was 6 years ago. It's 1968 now. I'm 16 and driving. I want to ask this girl from my history class out on a date. Girls don't date guys who read comic books. I don't need a comic book to remind me how proud I am of that moment and how it showed me the strength and courage I have in me. My memories will last a life time. Comic books won't. At one time I was so proud of my collection that I branded them by writing my name on the front page in the lower left hand corner. So it is with pain and sorrow that I throw my comic book collection to the garbage. After all they aren't really worth anything. Are they?

To be continued... Posted by Picasa

New Archie Andrews Annual

Has anybody, in America at least, ever heard of this Archie Andrews? I have not. While on e-bay I saw this with only the title. I clicked on it thinking it would be of the one from Archie comics. But it was not. It looks to be a book about a puppet. The person selling it is from England. Perhaps the two on the cover of the book were England's answer to Edger Bergan and Charlie McCarthy. If you are interested in it you can click here http://cgi.ebay.com/The-New-Archie-Andrews-Annual-1958_W0QQitemZ6989890857QQcategoryZ63675QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem or click on the title above. Posted by Picasa

Mid-Ohio-Con

Readers of this site know I love comic books. So it should come as no surprise that I will be at the Mid-Ohio-Con today. They hold it every Thanksgiving Weekend. It will only be about the 3rd time I have gone. My wife is going with me but only to keep me company. She is not a comic book fan. Anyway if anything special happens I will let you know. You can check out their site by going here http://www.midohiocon.com/ticketinfoshowhours.shtml or click on the title above. Posted by Picasa

Friday, November 25, 2005

Rest in Peace Pat Morita

The fine actor and comedian Pat Morita passed away yesterday of natural causes. He played many roles but is best remembered as Arnold on Happy Days and as Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies. He was also Mr. T in the short lived and long forgotten TV series Mr. T and Tina. Here is a link to one of his obits http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051125/ap_en_tv/obit_morita_14 or click on the title above.Posted by Picasa

Christian Comics Clearinghouse

I thought that I had read every english speaking Christian comic book in the world. However, Christian Comics Clearinghouse has proven me wrong. You can check them out at http://www.christiancomicsclearinghouse.com/ or by clicking on the title above. They tell you how you can contact the publishers and buy from them. They have started the ministry in their local area to put Christian comic books into their local bookstores.
Special thanks to D J Hastings at Message From Space for pointing out this site. You can go to his site by clicking here http://messagefromspace.blogspot.com/ Posted by Picasa

Thursday, November 24, 2005

The Archies

As I said before the previous mentioned Ron Dante was the lead singer of the Archies. It was produced by Don Kirshner after he left (was fired) by the Monkees. He got involved with Archie comics to have an outlet for his music after he was fired. As you may know they had a few hits like Sugar, Sugar then Bang Shang A Lang, Jingle Jangle. The above album was a gift to me from my parents. There are no hits on it but the music is very good. The songs are Sunshine, Who's Gonna Love Me?, Mr. Factory, Love and Rock and Roll Music, Over and Over, Waldo P. Emerson Jones, A Summer Prayer for Peace, Dance, Comes the Sun, Suddenly Susan, One Big Family, It's the Summertime great bubblegum music. Again here is the site to Ron Dante http://www.rondante.com/ I don't know that Sunsine is still available but you can search Amazon and see the ones that they have available. Posted by Picasa

Long lost album?

Speaking of bublegum fink http://bubblegumfink.blogspot.com/, I just saw on his site that Davy Jones first album after the Monkees was a long lost album. I must be one of the lucky ones as I have a copy. I didn't know it was rare. So if you have one don't let it go. Posted by Picasa

Archie Andrews solo album

Well at least that is how I jokingly reffered to it. This was not really a group. Neither were the Archies. But Ron Dante was the singer on the Archie albums and he is the singer on this album. It is a really good pop/bublegum album. I am lucky enough to have this album. Bublgum Fink has a good article on this album. You can go to it here http://bubblegumfink.blogspot.com/ but you can also go to Ron Dante's site to see what he has been up to lately. He has sang, written and or produced many songs over the years. He was a producer of alot of Barry Manilow albums. Here is his site. http://www.rondante.com/ Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Jughead and Bingo, that Wilkin boy!!

This caught my eye at the check out counter so I had to buy it. This is the first time that I saw that Bingo was related to Jughead. As the cover says they are cousins. Nice way to set up crossovers for both series. I haven't seen Bingo and the gang around much but they must be planning on bringing him back. At least in this digest. I don't remember if they ever gave Bingo's real name in his series. After all who names their kid Bingo. Well Jason Lee of "My Name is Earl" did name his son Pilot Inspektor Lee. He would have been better off with Bingo. In this digest Bino Wilkin does have his full name revealed. If you want to buy the book I won't tell you here. If you don't want the book but want to know the name then e-mail me or leave me a comment and I will tell you. Posted by Picasa

Seinfeld Live Again

Just in case anyone wants to know. Tomorrow on Regis and Kelley all four of the main cast members will be on the show. In my area it is on at 9am but you may have to check your local listings. Seinfeld was one of my favorites when it was on. The only episode I didn't like was one called "The Contest". Yes I know it was the most popular one but I didn't like it that much. I thought it was embarrassing.Espically for a fine show as this one. I know they are doing it to promote the new DVD release but I think it will be a better reunion then the last one. That one I don't even think they were in the same state. Let alone the same room. So watch Regis and Kelly tomorrow. It should be fun.Posted by Picasa

Another canceled DC comic book

Before on this site I had talked about the DC Implosion of the 70's. Well in the 60's there was a harbinger to the implosion. Great charactors like the Hawk and the Dove, The Creeper and Angel and the Ape. There were probably more but these are the ones that I remember. They were started in a comic book called Showcase. It is another canceled comic book. In the 50's and 60's DC used it to show off charactors that they weren't sure if they should get their own series. Why waste money on publishing 3 or 4 issues to find out that it wasn't selling well. So they would put out one issue of Showcase and if it didn't get a good response then it didn't get it's own book. They must have had alot of faith in Hawk and Dove. At the end of the Showcase book, shown above, they announce that they will have their own book soon. The first team of Hawk and Dove was created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates. Two brothers Hank and Don Hall. Hank was Hawk and Don was Dove. The names of the heros were actually reffering to the Vietnam War. If you were for the war you were in favor of the aggression. You were a hawk. If you were against the war then you were a dove. Eventually both creators were unhappy with the direction of the series and left the book. Then after only 6 issues the series was canceled. The charactors were kept around DC as members of the Teen Titans. In the 80's Dove (Don Hall) died a hero's death in Crisis On Infinite Earths. Then a few years later there was a new Dove teaming up with Hawk. It was a good series and lasted longer then the first. However, I still prefer Don Hall as Dove. The 2nd series was eventually cancelled. It was later revealed that Hank Hall was to later become a villan that would take over the world. Later another Hawk and Dove was created. This was a brother and sister. No relation to the previous ones. I don't know much about it as I didn't read this series. Recently I found out that a closer related version to the first two was created. This time it is two sisters helping the JSA and the Teen Titans. But my favorite team will always be the first one. Not long ago they finally animated them and used them in an episode of Justice League Unlimited. It was one of their best. Maybe this will help bring the first team back and get their own book and TV series. If you want to read more about them you can go to this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk_and_Dove#Hawk_and_Dove_II:_Hank_and_Dawn Posted by Picasa

Harold J Stone rest in peace

I was just over at the site News from ME and found out that the actor Harold J. Stone died. You can view what he had to say about it here http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2005_11_19.html#010593 I wanted to get a different picture of him to use here but couldn't find one. So I used the same one that News from ME had. My favorite role that he played in was a Twilight Zone episode. I don't recall the name of the episode but he was searching for a missing plane. It was his speciality. He is treating it as if it just happened. By the end of the episode you find out that it happened years ago and it was the only one that he never was able to solve. As News from ME mentioned he was also in X the Man with the X-Ray Eyes. I saw this movie when I was a kid. It was avery good horror film and it scared me to death. So that is what he did for a living. Scare children. Actually he was a great actor and, from what I have read, a very nice man. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Paul

Back in the late 70's Al Hartley did a comic book version of the Apostle Paul. He updated it to modern times. It really sends a good message. If you scroll down and click on the pictures you can read the whole story. Posted by Picasa

Paul page 1

Paul page 2

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Paul page 3

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