Sunday Pin-Up

Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD by Jim Steranko

Marvel Freak Out

Our love of Silver Age DC is second to none, but even the most die-hard Weisinger-head has to admit that the House Of Ideas had the market cornered on cool.

Not only did the company create Spider-Man and Doctor Doom, respectively the greatest hero and villain in comic-book history …

Not only did Stan, Jack and Steve blow readers’ minds on a monthly basis with such creations as Galactus, Ego The Living Planet and Eternity …

Not only did Doctor Strange and The Living Tribunal appear on the cover of a Pink Floyd record …

But, most surprising of all, Avengers #50 featured an advertisement for Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention’s classic album, We’re Only In It For The Money!

For those unfamiliar with the work, Money was the anti-Sgt. Pepper; it exposed a hippie culture that urged conformity as much as the “establishment” the movement supposedly rebelled against.

Plus, the record features Eric Clapton intoning, “God, it’s God. I see God.”

And there it was in a Marvel Comic, right along with the X-Ray specs and Sea Monkeys.*

That, my friends, is cool!

*Keeper’s Note: Yes, we realize Marvel Comics now shill automobiles instead of X-Ray specs and Sea Monkeys. Just more evidence that our culture is going to heck in a handbasket.

Say Cheese!

We were hoping to do something truly grandiose for the latest installment of Bahlactus’ Friday Night Fights, but sometimes nothing says “awesome” better than a simple punch to the face.

Especially when The Dark Knight takes on the assassin known as Deadshot!

Scan taken from the all-time classic Suicide Squad #10. If you don’t believe our opinion of the comic, just ask world-famous blogger Dave Campbell!

The Day The Music Died

What a terrible week for the creative arts.

Days after the talented and much-loved Mike Wieringo passed away, legendary jazz drummer Max Roach died at the age of 83.

Considered by many to be the first “hard bop” drummer, Roach helped rewrite the rules of music in the 1940s and remained an innovator until his very last days.

According to the AllMusic Guide, Roach helped

instigate a revolution in jazz drumming that persists to this day; instead of the swing approach of spelling out the pulse with the bass drum, Roach shifted the emphasis to the ride cymbal. The result was a lighter, far more flexible texture, giving drummers more freedom to explore the possibilities of their drum kits and drop random “bombs” on the snare drum, while allowing bop virtuosos on the front lines to play at faster speeds. To this base, Roach added sterling qualities of his own - a ferocious drive, the ability to play a solo with a definite storyline, mixing up pitches and timbres, the deft use of silence, the dexterity to use the brushes as brilliantly as the sticks. He would use cymbals as gongs and play mesmerizing solos on the tom-toms, creating atmosphere as well as keeping the groove pushing forward.

A member of countless groundbreaking bands, Roach was also one of the few drummers able to entrance without any musical support. In the 1980s, he won critical accolades for a memorable string of solo concerts.

Some of his greatest recordings include Brown and Roach Inc., cut with legendary trumpeter Clifford Brown; We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, a stirring condemnation of slavery and racism; Money Jungle, a soundtrack album cut with Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus; and M’Boom, a groundbreaking ensemble piece featuring eight percussionists.

Perhaps the greatest aspects of Roach’s legacy were the drummer’s consistency and longevity. He didn’t just shine during a small period of time and reap the benefits for the remainder of his career.

Roach never stopped innovating. He was a singular talent, and it will be a long time before jazz fans see his the likes of Max Roach again.

Man Of The People

Thursday Night Thinking returns yet again, so let’s turn our focus to one of the greatest minds in comics: Doctor Victor Von Doom!

Hmmm. Is that Karl Rove underneath the iron mask?