Okay Now Mister! I Want The TRUTH!

Meanwhile...

You can frequently track what i'm doing by what appears on this blog. Though i may plan things, what really happens is i just tend to record where my brain wanders. So, when it kind of just stops - well, you get weeks like the one just passed. I tend to think most folks don't want to read the blog page equivalent of a dial tone. (Do they still have those? It's been so long since i touched a phone, and they've changed so much, i have to wonder...)

Anyway, while not doing tremendously better at the moment, i have managed to dig into some of those 'plan' piles to prep some work. Just a little bit back, in July, i made mention that we should look more at Eddie Eddings' work. If you don't recall, or never saw that post, it was the toon with Superman commenting on Jimmy wearing pink, too, that triggered the mention.

I believe i also made mention of him taking on some of the art chores for Don Rosa's Information Center, too -

Those columns were, of course, for the Rocket's Blast Comic Collector, wherein all of today's artwork appeared back in 1978 & '79. Some of these are deeply enmeshed in the times, others one could drop in an orange hairball and run them today -

If you were perhaps wondering what some more traditional comic book art would look like from Eddie, here he is working with Kerry Gammill...

...and by himself -

Okay, that's about it. I'm exhausted and gonna stop wrangling the beast for a bit...

art by Eddie Eddings from RBCC #s 141-149 (1978, 1979)

Rarebit Vs. Mincemeat

Two of the most famous early comic strips are from Winsor McCay - Little Nemo In Slumberland and the Dreams Of The Rarebit Fiend.  Both were hugely influential successes, and it's not surprising to find imitators out there.

But some are a little stranger than others, if perhaps not so immediately obviously. Let's look at a knock-off the latter strip - this one entitled Dreams Of The Mince Pie Fiend from this guy calling himself Silas -

Good work capturing the feel, eh? There were only 11 of these done for Superworld Comics. The book folded after only 3 issues, and the series died with it. I've never seen issue #1, so those three episodes are missing. The above four are from issue #2, and here are the rest from the final issue -

So - what makes this imitation comic so much more odd than the others? Silas.

Silas was an alias for Winsor McCay, so he was doing a knock-off of his own work.

No... That's not right. See, i hadn't realized that Silas was the name McCay signed on the original Rarebit Fiend strips because his contract prevented him from using his real name on work for the Evening Telegram. And now there's another story i want to know...

And this was 1940, three decades after the original Rarebit Fiend comics. So, not so much a knock-off as a revival, eh?
 
Too bad the title only lasted 3 issues. It could have been ... (Shut Up, Kor!) ... interesting.

Okay, gonna let the brain go wander now.

page art by 'Silas' McCay for Superworld Comics #s 2 & 3 (1940)

RMMV Kekko

Brain in useless cycle. Won't go where i want, and it's a struggle to string words in sequence. But trying not to let blog go dark because it's being a frellnik. Again.

So... let's go different odd place today.

Familiar with RPG Maker MV? (AKA RMMV)

It's a simple interface engine for building games. Better than might seem at first, but another more talky time.

Pertinent bit - sometimes play around building a little city to keep mind distracted. Now have superheroes patrolling rooftops.
University District protected by Kekko Kamen.

My game doesn't use built-in RMMV battle mechanics, so i only use basic walk sprites.

But - if anyone wants Kekko Kamen walk sprites to freely use in their games - here ya go:

(Yes, this is a transparent PNG file, ready to use)

It's sized and laid out for RPG Maker MV, but feel free to mod for other versions or systems. No credits necessary, i'm just modding base game art there.

I use manga and anime shots for talk portraits. I like it better that way.

sprites by -3- for RPG Maker MV (2019)

Who Is That Funny Looking Guy?

Fighting with mind again. Every time i try to pick up the threads of where we left off, it refuses to participate. "I've already done that! Pissoff!"
It's hard to explain how frustrating that can be, or how full the digital bin is with cast-off attempts. So, quit trying for now. Maybe it'll come around.

Meanwhile, have a Blimpy -

Though not the originator, this Blimpy strip comes from Tony DiPreta, whose Stupid Manny we've seen here before. We'll get back to him.

If the brain will let me...

page art by Tony DiPreta from Feature Comics #79 (1944)

No Laff

Did you know that Watergate was NOT a scandal about water? Younger readers might be confused by that, but it's True! It might actually seem to be a familiar story to you - all about a man who thought that if the President did it, it's not a crime.

Here, let's let Alice show you...

We'll see about that...

Meanwhile - where did this come from? Perhaps a further sampling might offer a little hint?

No?
Okay - here's a more direct clue to the book...

Well, it was more clue if your brain runs in the same deranged circles mine does. This was what happened when Marvel Comics collided with Kitchen Sink in the Underground. It was History -

Well, not quite what i meant, but - okay.

Of course, even when Marvel went underground, superheroes followed...

No worries - we've got another token, so we can keep playing next time...

page art by Bill Sanders, Basil Wolverton, Ted Richards & Justin Green, Leslie Carbarga and Peter Poplaski for Comix Book #s 1-3 (1974, 1975)

Dictating Three Stories At Once -- A Slow Day!

So, ol' Stanley Lieber's getting a street named after him in the Bronx. (His old home, so it makes sense) And, i'm assuming, regardless of the inherent dangers, that you've seen the lovely tribute from the MCU cast members for Stan...

Search for We Didn't Light The Fire and Stan Lee if you've not seen it.

Amazing as it might seem these days, there was a time when not everybody loved Stan Lee. Let's let Arnold Drake (creator of the Doom Patrol and Guardians Of The Galaxy, among many others) tell you about it...
 

(You didn't think that Funky Flashman was the only one out there, did you?)
  
Well, that was an awfully short post, wannit? Why don't we look a little deeper into the issue of Sick that brought us Ego Man?

Here's another from Drake, lampooning another still-popular feature. (No, not All In The Family...)

They went on to parody 3 other shows from the time - Soap, Three's Company and Carter Country. Just if you was the curious type.

page art from Sick #120 (1978)