What The Hell's Going On Out There?

It's been said that Love knows no boundaries...

Ah... The Brain and Mssr. Mallah. Such a pair - an enhanced French Gorilla and a jar of grey matter. The classic story of the scientist who creates his own love. Mad Science indeed.

But - who is The Brain? How did he grow up to be this twisted fellow (term used loosely)?

What could he have been like as a child?

Let's find out...

Hmm.

It all seems quite the natural development now, doesn't it?

Who knows how long it may be before i try to resume any of the regular features around here. Meanwhile, here's some Friday Fun & Games tucked into this post:

Yeah. They got some bad kids over across the water. You should compare the Menace level of our Dennises...  Dennii...  What's the plural of Dennis?

page art from Doom Patrol v2#34 and The Brain #1 (or #18, take your pick) (1956, 1990)

(Don't) Send In This Coupon Today!

A lot of readers passing through here tend to see most all of the superhero movies released every year.

So, you all saw this one that came out in late 2018, right?

Solid arguments could be made that they handled the basic idea (localized) better than John Cleese & John Byrne. That ain't bad, all by itself. But they added their own unique spin, too.

But, we'll get to that.

As mentioned (probably too often), i'm still getting my brain back up and running around here. That being the case, i've yet to start getting ahead on the posting queue. Today was my excursion out of the cave to visit the med techs. No longer down the hill - they opened up a location outside the city limits so it's right close by. Close enough to walk, assuming the nerve damage in the feet is being nice. (Spoiler: It was)

Back to the cave now, but fair wiped as is often the case after the trek.

Those of you who enjoy doing the math likely already realize there's no real post today. Just that teaser above, a bit of ramble in the middle, and an odd little bit at the end.

What magazine do you suppose Captain Marvel (Shazam, not Kree) enjoys reading in his down time?

...

Thinking about it?

Trickier question once we factor in Billy Batson and mix with the Wisdom Of Solomon and his being in adult form while reading, as implied by the phrasing of the question.

Got an answer?

I'm guessing you picked wrong...

ad page from Rocket Kelly #2 (1945)

Ernie! Confound It! What Have You Done Now?

Ernie was a guy who never caught on, it seems. But, he tried. He had three different strips (all by 'Vic Brown'), each appearing in a different title. He debuted in All Great Comics in 1945, and popped up in both Rocket Kelly and Zoot Comics in '46.

Although he may only have had these three comic tales, it seems his adventures were ongoing well before that time. The first story opens up "Yes! Ernie has blown the top off the peace and quiet of his home again!" And Ernie's father is already tired of his dren...

Ernie's interests turn from science to fantasy for his next tale. (We're guessing on the order here. One story is from August-September issue, the other is from the Fall issue. Ipsy/bipsy) His attentions have turned from chemistry to the tales of One Thousand And One Nights...

He manages to combine his interests in science and fantasy for his third, and final, tale...

Although Ernie may only have had three appearances in the comics, he got a pretty good ending to his stories.

page art from All Great Comics (nn), Rocket Kelly #4, Zoot Comics #3 (1945, 1946)

Skipping Rope In The Nude

It all started in the letters page.

One of the downsides to knowing that you're a comic book character - you could get drafted to answer your own fan mail. Eventually, that led to this remark from Jennifer...

Well, she wasn't wrong...

Of course, she tried to kill that idea real quick...

But, the very next issue...

And so...

Ah, the magic of illusion.

For an extra punchline to the joke, on the very next page...

Some days writing She-Hulk was easier than others. Let's see them try to adapt that scene to the movies, eh?

page art by John Byrne for Sensational She-Hulk #40 (1992)

...We've Seen The Odd Disturbance Or Two...

There are times when my mind and i are ... i guess 'frenemies' is probably the best term these days. I've made mention of how it can wander away from me, and that was a major part of the recent down time.

That's terribly vague and offers little understanding of how things can work around here...

Aside from my odd existence as a hermit (I typically interact with other humans twice a month - fetching supplies and letting the med techs poke & take their samples. Hermit.) things can get kind of weird for how my mind and i interact. Much of the time, we're quite chill together. We were a top performance team for a long time, after all. But other times...

Here's an every day type example of how it sometimes work.

I was debating what to make for dinner for a bit. I was feeling like doing breakfast for dinner with some bacon, eggs & hash browns or cooking up some pork chops and some black pepper beans with some bisquits or corn bread to sop it up. Eventually i wound up deciding on something in between instead - pork chops & hash browns. (Hash browns can make for some pretty good dinner taters when the mood is right) So, i get up and go to cut a couple chops off some pork loin.

A bit later i realize that i've minced the pork loin and i'm chopping up onion, bell pepper, cilantro & garlic. Apparently i'm making tacos for dinner.

Now, don't get me wrong. They were very good tacos (scratch, not packet mix, cooked street style) and i enjoyed them quite a bit. I just wasn't really involved in the decision making process.

Not surprisingly, this makes it fairly impossible for me to work these days when i can't reliably depend upon my mind to go where the editor/publisher needs it to be. Hence the early retirement.

Generally speaking, we maintain an equitable accord. But when it gets a mood, it's quite difficult, if not impossible, to work against it. Push harder, and it's got all those little mental tricks to divert and distract, or to zone out and shut down. Dirty tricks, they is.

Hopefully, i'll write more about things upstairs over time. It would be good for me, even if boring for you. At least it gives a little insight into what happened when things went quiet around here.

Don't worry.

I'm pretty sure none of this ever happened now...

art from Sensational She-Hulk #s 11 & 47 (1990, 1993)