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Post by humanbelly on Oct 9, 2012 19:34:48 GMT -5
The Jack Kirby book had the original art of the splash page from NBE #1. . . and it got me to feelin' all nostalgic. And then there's the recent "Last Comic Standing" thread. . . which also got me feelin' all nostalgic. And then I remembered that I HAVE issues 1-8 (and a couple of others), which could just about be Last Comic contenders, so I've pulled them out to see if they still hold up to a re-read 45 years later. Let me say that I distinctly remember reading (well, more or less) issue #1 on the afternoon bus going from school in 2nd grade. My buddy had a copy of it that he'd somehow smuggled around with him all day. I realize now I couldn't possibly have read all that densely-packed text. But the image of "Reed" & "Doom" facing off in a shouting match w/ ever-stretching mouths (and then Doom flipping Reed's shut) stayed indelibly etched in my mind's-eye forever. Amazingly, much of the rest of the book was still there, too. I knew before turning the last page that Sgt Furious' D-Day was going to be Desertion Day. Although I've had the book for a few years, I don't think I've actually read it again since. . . wow. . . 1967. In the spring-- right before the Summer of Love. Good Guh-rief. And you know what? It's still plenty amusing! The perpetual self-effacing patter tends to wear a bit thin, but that's more due to the fact that that tone was much copied & borrowed-from in other venues and media, and it got overused before long. MAD magazine was really the only entity to pull it off effectively for years and years and years. The artwork is particularly delightful in every story because the artists were obviously given carte blanche to throw in whatever the heck schtick whenever and wherever they wanted. And, geeze, you've got Jack Kirby, Marie Severin, Bill Everett (& a host of pals), and John Severin on board! Cripes-- it's like an Avengers of pencillers-! Jump in if ya like-- just thought I'd put this remembrance out there--  . HB |
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Post by ultron69 on Oct 10, 2012 8:33:16 GMT -5
I've never had a single issue, but I certainly do remember the NBE ads.
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Post by spiderwasp on Oct 10, 2012 22:22:09 GMT -5
HB, not only do I remember but I remember fondly and with feelings similar to yours. I recently purchased a few of the issues and, as I read them, I was surprised how much I remembered. I smiled at the fond memories of Sue running out of the beauty shop in curlers, of Aunt May squashing the Wasp (Er, Wisp) when she almost married Peter, and the various super animals in the origin of Superbman. It was like I had just read them yesterday. I actually think NBE was my first introduction to the Inhumans and possibly even SHIELD (SHEESH). It made me want to find some back issues of FF to discover who these weirdos were.
Years later, I bought What The? on a regular basis and enjoyed it as well. I also have the books where Fred Henbeck destroys the MU and DCU and the Fantastic Four Roast. I admit to being a sucker for these corny goofy things like when Henbeck dries poor Ant-man in the microwave. Maybe that's why the Impossible Man has always been one of my favorite characters. Goofy is fun.
I think Marvel takes itself way too seriously to publish any books of this nature nowadays. I guess some of the stuff they've done with Deadpool is the closest I've seen. Then again, it would be hard to do a joke book with the style Marvel's books are written in today. Each issue would only contain one joke and they'd spend the rest of the issue talking about it.
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pym
Reservist Avenger
"About 20 yards to my right…"
Posts: 200
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Post by pym on Oct 11, 2012 18:28:16 GMT -5
Very cool, HB! I recall The Revengers as being one of my favorites. I like your Mad reference. I truly believe that they tried to honor that spirit when they published these books. As for the Doom/Reed face off...I seem to recall a few of the barbs... Reed: "Hey! Someone's at the door...why don't you get it for us Doomsie?"Doom: "Get it yourself, clod. Victor Von Doom is no man's lackey! "...and then there was something about Reed owning 100 pair of stretch socks. |
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Post by humanbelly on Oct 11, 2012 19:30:09 GMT -5
Very cool, HB! I recall The Revengers as being one of my favorites. I like your Mad reference. I truly believe that they tried to honor that spirit when they published these books. As for the Doom/Reed face off...I seem to recall a few of the barbs... Reed: "Hey! Someone's at the door...why don't you get it for us Doomsie?"Doom: "Get it yourself, clod. Victor Von Doom is no man's lackey! "...and then there was something about Reed owning 100 pair of stretch socks. What's also surprising is that, even by early 1967, this fledgling Marvel Universe had enough well-entrenched idiosyncrasies that they were able to milk successfully for laughs from an audience that was clearly tuned right into them. I mean, the FF weren't even six years out of the box at that point, and many of the other characters were much newer. There was a Kid Colt/Rawhide Kid/Two-Gun Kid story that was a spoof of a tale that hadn't even been released yet-- but clearly the familiarity with the conventions and mis en scene (if I'm using that term correctly) of each character was all that was needed to make it work. Oh, and echoing SW, I know for a fact that the first issue was indeed my introduction to Sgt Fury and the Howling Commandos. And I found a bit later on that the book was somehow more accessible to me because I'd read the spoof first. Go figure. (Perhaps a brilliant marketing ploy in a not-so-subtle disguise??) HB |
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Post by Marvel Boy on Oct 11, 2012 22:52:13 GMT -5
Years later, I bought What The? on a regular basis and enjoyed it as well. I also have the books where Fred Henbeck destroys the MU and DCU and the Fantastic Four Roast. I admit to being a sucker for these corny goofy things like when Henbeck dries poor Ant-man in the microwave. Maybe that's why the Impossible Man has always been one of my favorite characters. Goofy is fun. I remember ads for NBE, but have never read an issue of it. I do recall What The? with fondness though. Fred Hembeck is a mad genius. He also had a regular page in Marvel Age every month which was always funny. You all are right though, Marvel couldn't release a title like this today. |
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Post by humanbelly on Oct 17, 2012 18:51:50 GMT -5
This'll be tough, because unless somebody else has these 45-year-old issues (which they might-- they do seem to be surprisingly available), they're not going to be able to look up the story I'm referencing.
BUT-- I'll toss the question out there in hopes that a brilliant historian like Sharkar or, say, Tana Nile (if dlw could exert a little charm and peer pressure and convince her to poke her head back in over here. . . ;D) might be able to shed some light.
Issue #5 of this title. 1st story: "The Origin of Forbush-Man". Artists listed are Jack Kirby, w/ Tom Sutton as the embellisher. The basic art is, quite frankly, so sub-par (even for a humor story) that I cannot convince myself that Jack Kirby drew anything more than a few individual figures in a few panels throughout the story. It's extremely rushed and very amateur-looking. I simply can't resolve it as being even a bad job by Jack.
Alright, History Detectives! Anyone have a shred of a clue?
(Mucho appreciado)
HB
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Post by humanbelly on Oct 18, 2012 21:08:30 GMT -5
A whole different element of revisiting this old book is that presents such an irreverent pop-cultural time-capsule, all intertwined with the comic-book boom of the time. In issue #3, there's "Mighty Sore" origin story, and in one big panel there's a scene of "tourists" trying to get into Jazzgard. Just to show you who was on Stan & Jack's radar at the time (Summer of 1967):
Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr, King Kong, Mao Tse Tong, the Monkees (!!), Cassius Clay (Ali), Jackie Gleason, Dr Doom, LBJ, Don Knotts, an irate Aunt May, Mitch Miller (really??), J Jonah Jameson, Charles deGalle, Grandpa & Herman Munster, Frank Sinatra & Mia Farrow (from a well-known photo, in fact), a Morlock from the Time Machine (I think), Bobby Kennedy, Alfred E Newman, Liz & Dick, Baron von Strucker, Kid Colt (or maybe Two-Gun?), and a Latin Lover fellow whom I can't place.
Assuming that this crowd is pure Jack Kirby, I'd say that his instincts for putting in truly memorable icons from the realms of politics, movies, music, television and sports bordered on the uncanny. . .
HB
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pym
Reservist Avenger
"About 20 yards to my right…"
Posts: 200
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Post by pym on Oct 19, 2012 20:21:09 GMT -5
This'll be tough, because unless somebody else has these 45-year-old issues (which they might-- they do seem to be surprisingly available), they're not going to be able to look up the story I'm referencing. BUT-- I'll toss the question out there in hopes that a brilliant historian like Sharkar or, say, Tana Nile (if dlw could exert a little charm and peer pressure and convince her to poke her head back in over here. . . ;D) might be able to shed some light. Issue #5 of this title. 1st story: "The Origin of Forbush-Man". Artists listed are Jack Kirby, w/ Tom Sutton as the embellisher. The basic art is, quite frankly, so sub-par (even for a humor story) that I cannot convince myself that Jack Kirby drew anything more than a few individual figures in a few panels throughout the story. It's extremely rushed and very amateur-looking. I simply can't resolve it as being even a bad job by Jack. Alright, History Detectives! Anyone have a shred of a clue? (Mucho appreciado) HB *tries to find said issue* Memory reminds me that it seemed like an R. Crumb work. But we all know that he was never a part of mainstream comics. *frantically tries to find said issue* Kindest regards. |
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Post by sharkar on Oct 28, 2012 14:38:17 GMT -5
Issue #5 of this title. 1st story: "The Origin of Forbush-Man". Artists listed are Jack Kirby, w/ Tom Sutton as the embellisher. The basic art is, quite frankly, so sub-par (even for a humor story) that I cannot convince myself that Jack Kirby drew anything more than a few individual figures in a few panels throughout the story. It's extremely rushed and very amateur-looking. I simply can't resolve it as being even a bad job by Jack. I don't have this issue but if the credit is "embellisher", there's your answer right there. "Embellisher" is not a fancy synonym for inker; it denotes a different function on the part of the artist (with a different pay rate). Basically--at least back in 1960s-early '70s Marvel--such a division of labor means another artist provided the layouts for the embellisher, who was expected to do more than just ink. In this case, sounds like Kirby the artist provided the story's pacing with rough layouts/breakdowns/loose pencils and Sutton the embellisher fleshed it out/filled in the details in the inking stage...so naturally there's a lot of Sutton's work in the finished product. |
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Post by sharkar on Nov 1, 2012 17:41:37 GMT -5
As for the Doom/Reed face off...I seem to recall a few of the barbs... Reed: "Hey! Someone's at the door...why don't you get it for us Doomsie?"Doom: "Get it yourself, clod. Victor Von Doom is no man's lackey! "LOL! Yes, it certainly reads like it comes from NBE, but this dialogue is from Avengers #83, spoken by Rutland Halloweeners in Cap and Doom costumes...courtesy of Avengers scripter Roy Thomas (RT himself also appears in this Av. issue, drawn by the incomparable John Buscema). At any rate, you're spot on that it's a funny exchange, pym...so thanks for posting it here! ;D |
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Post by humanbelly on Nov 1, 2012 19:28:31 GMT -5
As for the Doom/Reed face off...I seem to recall a few of the barbs... Reed: "Hey! Someone's at the door...why don't you get it for us Doomsie?"Doom: "Get it yourself, clod. Victor Von Doom is no man's lackey! "LOL! Yes, it certainly reads like it comes from NBE, but this dialogue is from Avengers #83, spoken by Rutland Halloweeners in Cap and Doom costumes...courtesy of Avengers scripter Roy Thomas (RT himself also appears in this Av. issue, drawn by the incomparable John Buscema). At any rate, you're spot on that it's a funny exchange, pym...so thanks for posting it here! ;D Ooo, and just one day after Halloween, too! How perfectly-timed for a Rutland reference. ;D HB |
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Post by humanbelly on Nov 1, 2012 19:41:39 GMT -5
Issue #5 of this title. 1st story: "The Origin of Forbush-Man". Artists listed are Jack Kirby, w/ Tom Sutton as the embellisher. The basic art is, quite frankly, so sub-par (even for a humor story) that I cannot convince myself that Jack Kirby drew anything more than a few individual figures in a few panels throughout the story. It's extremely rushed and very amateur-looking. I simply can't resolve it as being even a bad job by Jack. I don't have this issue but if the credit is "embellisher", there's your answer right there. "Embellisher" is not a fancy synonym for inker; it denotes a different function on the part of the artist (with a different pay rate). Basically--at least back in 1960s-early '70s Marvel--such a division of labor means another artist provided the layouts for the embellisher, who was expected to do more than just ink. In this case, sounds like Kirby the artist provided the story's pacing with rough layouts/breakdowns/loose pencils and Sutton the embellisher fleshed it out/filled in the details in the inking stage...so naturally there's a lot of Sutton's work in the finished product. Thanks Much, Shar-- that sounds just about exactly what the art looks like. . . with Kirby kind of showing through on a select few figures here and there. I daresay, though, that he pretty much zipped off even the amount of art he was responsible for. It's not particularly well balanced or paced or composed or anything. Tom Sutton's name is so familiar-- did he do other work besides humor-oriented stuff? So far, he's my least-favorite NBE contributor. (And say, you know who does a NICE job satirizing his own character? Gene Colan! Somehow he manages to produce comedy art that is quite legitimately good AND funny at the same time. . . !) HB |
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pym
Reservist Avenger
"About 20 yards to my right…"
Posts: 200
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Post by pym on Nov 9, 2012 23:33:44 GMT -5
As for the Doom/Reed face off...I seem to recall a few of the barbs... Reed: "Hey! Someone's at the door...why don't you get it for us Doomsie?"Doom: "Get it yourself, clod. Victor Von Doom is no man's lackey! "LOL! Yes, it certainly reads like it comes from NBE, but this dialogue is from Avengers #83, spoken by Rutland Halloweeners in Cap and Doom costumes...courtesy of Avengers scripter Roy Thomas (RT himself also appears in this Av. issue, drawn by the incomparable John Buscema). At any rate, you're spot on that it's a funny exchange, pym...so thanks for posting it here! ;D Yes... you are correct. My memory fails me. My best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season! |
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