Absolute Wonder Woman #6 Review!

Wonder Woman’s defeat of The Tetracide in the Battle of Gateway City has finished, but then she falls into the underworld! The new storyline, “The Lady or The Tiger” is a two part story, by Kelly Thompson and new artist Mattia De Iulis. He worked with Thompson on the Image Comics limited series, The Cull. The dark red and black cover by Hayden Sherman has Wonder Woman in closeup holding her Nemesis lasso! Wonder Woman kneels and removes her helmet under the dark words of the ruler of the Underworld, Hades! He is another long time foe making his debut in Wonder Woman #16 (1946)! The ghostly form of Hades in blue, dripping with the ectoplasm, pale eyes, and red crown. He says she cannot leave the Underworld! 

Wonder Woman counters that she has already escaped and Hades says he wants to know how she left the Underworld. He commands a spirit servant to remove her weapons. The servant reports that there are no weapons. Hades says she is a weapon and asks her to take off her weapons. Closeups as she removes her tiara, greaves, her leg armor, and vambraces, her armor around her arms. Diana counters that a god wouldn’t be afraid of weapons. Removing her cloak. Hades says back that is curiosity. She asks if she can keep her boots as she removes her cuirass, chest armor, spiked almost like Hades' crown. She hs on a tunic, skirt, gloves, and her boots. Hades says he can smell her enchanted pouch like a cartoon. She empties the pouch. We see three lassos, gold, green, the Lasso of Submission, and red.  I like the three lassos like the Lassos of Fate wielded by Trinity, Lizzie Marston! 

Hades asks for the red lasso, Diana warns against it, and we get the servant wracked with pain as Wonder Woman says she is only one to use it. She explains that she and her mother live in the deadly Wild Isle so any weapon could only be used by them. Hades steps down from his throne and asks what materials are in the Nemesis Lasso. Wonder Woman says that Circe gave her small plants and this moved to feathers of a fire bird. Finally she sent her to Prometheus, the Titan who gave the gift of fire. This first time that mythological Prometheus has appeared. In the past, Diana is climbing Mount Prometheus, “on the borders of myth and reality.” She climbs the mountain lit by lightning. In a splash page, below the storm clouds is the giant form of the bound Promethesus, and below him is Diana back lit and carrying her axe! Epic poster worthy image! 

She cuts her arm on the axe and it begins glowing gold. Diana tosses the axe and it shatters Prometheus’ chains! In the first season of Xena: Warrior Princess, the duo of Xena and Hercules frees the Titan in “Prometheus” (1995). He was freed by Hercules according to Hesiod. Diana says it only a brief time away from his punishment by Zeus. They look up to see dark form of the eagle that will eat his immortal liver. It lands on her arm and she tells it that gods can be wrong. Diana vows her friendship to it for spreading the message to the other eagles. She says that even though eagles won’t harm him, Zeus may find some other animal to torture Prometheus. She offers a pouch enchanted by Circe to always be filled with water. Prometheus says Circe and her daughter are clever. Diana bows and asks for a vial of his blood to power a weapon to protect humanity with a weapon of “fire and justice.” 

He says she can cut the tip of his finger for flesh, blood, and “something else.” Prometheus says that he can see into the future, a “dangerous path” is set for her. She agrees slicing into the finger tip! Ouch! Diana collects the piece of flesh and then fills the vial with the blood dripping from Prometheus’ finger. He says he has one last gift and ignites a fire. Prometheus says it was born from Medusa’s blood and killed by Zeus. Now it is reborn from his blood. Zeus destroyed it when the hero Bellerophon tried to reach Mount Olympus. The black skeletal Pegasus rises from the magma. A nice origin. Back at the now of Hades’ throne room, Hades says that he senses another part of the lasso, “dark and venmous”, Wonder Woman responds that it is the basilisk. She says the last basilisk was sent by Zeus to kill her. It rraveled to the Wild Isle to find her, flashback, we have Diana finding it first asleep in its cave. It is a massive, horned serpent similiar to the basilisk in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) film. Pliny the Elder described it as “not more than twelve inches in length.” 

Diana approaches it with her enchanted axe. Then, suddenly the eye of the King of the Serpents snaps open and it hisses. Now this feels like the giant snake in Conan the Barbarian (1982). Its gaze is lethal, but Diana is protected by blinding herself with spells. It makes me think of Wonder Woman #210 blinding herself with Medusa’s snake venom to defeat her! The last basilisk rises up and Diaan runs to take out what looks like a glowing eye ball from her pouch. She throws the smellly globe at the basilisk which is vulnerable to the smell. The legendary basilisk was senssitive to weasel scent. It rears up, Diana says she also removed her sense of smell. Then, rushes to defeat the last of the basilisk! Hades mentions that she must have used the body and blood of basilisk with her mother. There is a shocking secret that Hades has been hiding! There is also two stories of “Li’l Diana” with art by Dustin Nguyen. Fun stories like the Young Diana Story backcups that started in Wonder Woman #770 (2021). Absolute Wonder Woman #6 looks back in Diana’s story about her lasso, how Pegasus returned, and one pagers about Li’l Diana! 

Four Athena Blades out of Five!  

#AbsoluteWonderWoman, #TheLadyOrTheTiger, #KellyThompson, #MattiaDe Iulis, #HaydenSherman, #DustinNguyen, #WonderWoman, #Prometheus, #Pegasus, #Hades

The Last Day for Dark Delicacies (retail store)!

Today was the last day for one of most beloved stores in the L.A. area, Dark Delicacies, shelves of wonderful merch were almost empty! 5 p.m. was the closing time for the store that has been in Burbank since 1994. Fantastic place for signings, items like books, DVD/Blu Rays, CDs, and posters. What makes it special is owners Del and Sue Howison. It felt comfortable and homey to shop. The last day had a good line to buy items. I was kinda surprised that there was no store sign. It was inside with the signed movie posters. 

    

    Dark Delicacies, now signless!, but lives on in conventions, author’s photo. 

I picked up the paperback copy of Del’s anthology, What Fresh Hell Is This?, which I ordered since they sold out at the signing! I bought the CD of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, signed by composer Joseph LoDuca. I also purchased Soft as Steel: The Art of Julie Bell. The Retirement Sale was 50% off and it was great to finally get an art book for a favorite artist. The store had almost empty shelves and the many customers made a nice roar with regular conversations as Dark Delicacies was cleared out. Dark Delicacies will still continue as an online store. They will still be appearing at horror conventions. Thanks Sue and Del for having the best store! 

Customers on the last day!, photo by the author. 

#DarkDelicacies, #DelHowison, #SueHowison, #WhatFreshHellIsThis, #SpartacusBloodAndSand, #JosephLDuca, #SoftAsSteelTheArtOfJulieBell, #JulieBell  

The New Gods #4 Review!

Karok Ator has defeated Apokolips and New Genesis is next in The New Gods #4! Highfather has been ready to defend it, plus we get Orion finding Mister Miracle! The regular cover by Nimit Malavia has Highfather in armor while smoke drifts through New Genesis! “The Weight of Dreams part 1” is by the creative team of Ram V and Evan Cagle. Guest artist Bernard Chang provides art for the first few pages. There is a happy start with “In The Beginning” as we see a younger Highfather in armor and without moustache. He is talking to Himon, flaming handlebar moustache and hair, who was a rebel against Darkseid. We see a metal ring tied to chains around Himon’s neck. He first appeared in Mister Miracle #9 (1972). We see a golden woman with brown skirt, Atinai, god of structures who creates techno-buildings like something out of Walt Simonso’s art. This is her introduction. Also a garden called Sur Tuin. 

Highfather says it New Genesis still is missing its heart. Himon explains that he had found an element in Galactica’s ruins. Element X which possessed an intelligence and this is what he used to form the Mother Boxes. He tells Highfather that the Mother Box is trying to create like Atinai. Highfather tells Himon he wants a large Mother Box in the center and that he will defend her. This returns to the schematics with Cagle art. This has the ships of Karok Ator laying seige to New Genesis! Lightray says they were surprised by the attack. He reports to Highfather that Akala is readying the ground forces. He is informed by Rah-Houw who has a red samurai mask, that Shadowfall is at Northern Dvorah. This is Rah-Houw’s first appearance. The hordes of Nyctari spill from a ship and there is only a lone figure of a warrior woman, Shadowfall! Her debut was in Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1 (2014). Love the characters old and new brought into the story by Ram V. 

She has her bow that is made up of different parts and has a cble to a floating Mother Box. She calls out some words the arrows pulse s Shadowfell tells them to sleep. Then, we get a splash page as the countless glowing arrows fall on the hordes! This shifts back to Earth as Oberon watches a crashing helicopter! Big Barda has one of Max Lord’s soldeiers in her grip. Another tries to use his machine gun that just pings off her armor. Mistake. We just see a Krnch sound effect as Oberon hapily watches with baby Kamal. Mister Miracle rides on the roof of a taxi and he looks in to ask the driver to stop, tires screech as the taxi comes to stop! Finished with the soldiers, Barda wonders about her husband. Oberson says he may be trying to explain the situation to the driver. 

Big Barda notices her Mother Box has been pinging. Mister Miracle tries to talk to the cabbie’s young son that he is there to protect them. We hear Barda say that New Genesis is at war! Then, there is a shudder that Oberon feels and Kamal starts crying. Barda realizes that the seven days are up, a shadow appears, this is Orion! He says he regrets not killing Kamal earlier. New Genesis, Shadowfall took out the first landing, Lightray takes out ships, and then there is Magnar in the south, he destroys ships and eats them getting larger! Highfather says that he is older and had dreamed of being a “peaceful god.” Rah-Houw says “foolish dreams” are worthy of protection. Highfather holds out his wonder-staff, The Heka, holding back The Source. He now unleashes its full power, the God Surge! 

Highfather walks up steps to a bright light. He tells Rah-Houw that “save one dream, you have to kill another.” Karok Ator gets the report that they can’t make a landing and that their ships are being destroyed. A three pronged ship descends out of the clouds. Shadowfall sees it, kneels to say her words adn form her bow that sends out a blast that destroys the ship in a splash page! On Earth, Orion leaps with his sword which causes an explosion. Mister Miracle holds Kamal and says if he hurts the child Orion will be like his father, Darkseid! Orion sputters, but then in closeup gets a fist to the face! The fist of Big Barda that sends him sprawling. Mister Miracle asks her if he feels the energy, the God Surge, then we see the face of Kamal filled with power! This first battle of New Genesis will not end up like Apokolips, but it may end! Fast paced, bringing together characters, New Gods #4 has New Genesis’ defenders and the battle between Orion and Mister Miracle! 

Five Mother Boxes out of Five! 

#TheNewGods, #TheWeightOfDreams, #RamV, #EvanCagle, #BernardChang, #NimitMalavia, #Highfather, #Lightray, #RahHouw, #Shadowfall, #KarokAtor 

Re:tro Re:view - The Herculoids #1!

The Herculoids return in Dynamite comics in The Herculoids #1 with sci fi villians, a jungle planet, and Kaiju defenders! The Herculoids (1967-1968) was a cartoon series created and designed by Alex Toth. Eleven episodes were made in 1981-1982. He was the comic master who could create images with the fewest lines and formed masterworks with his Zorro comics work. He did comics from hs work on the Super Friends animated series in Limited Collector’s Edition C-41 (1976) and also Superman Annual #9 (1983). There was a brief comic appearence in Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes #1 (1968). Cartoon Network Presents #5 (1997), #13 (1998), #17 (1999) had The Herculoids. The recent DC series, Future Quest by Jeff Parker and Evan Shaner featured The Herculoids joining the action heroes of Hanna Barbera in issue #10 (2017)!  

The regular cover by Francesco Mattina has the Herculoids on the rocky planet surrounded by giant, winged insects and pterandon-like creatures! The first issue is by writer Tom Sniegoski and artist Craig Rousseau. Sniegoski wrote The Shadow annual #1 (2012) for Dynamite Entertainment. Rousseau has experience drawing creatures with Perhapanauts for Image Comics. We see space filled with colorful stars. A glowing gate in space and out of it comes a box-like ship. We close in on the ship as the narration explains that there is secret planet that is “rich in resources” that would satisfy a galaxy. We are never told what are these resources. The narration is a bit long, Saturday Morning cartoons were about one sentence long. We see seven capsules whose mists hide shadowy figures. Amzot is known by many legendary, but the narrator notes that it might be best called paradise. 

One of the capsules has a vampire-like, greenish man. Quen-Tel is his name and he heard rumors until reaching a planet wth rains on a town, the world called Barbera 11, clever. He offers a bottle of drink to a grizzled alien with half of his face covered in cybernetics. Quen-Tel says he is the last survivor and his encounter with a black hole took him to a “special” planet. I like that Amzot is a place that is hidden from the rest of the galaxy. It felt remote from other planets, but invaded by pirates and other threats. He flashes back to his ship landing on the planet with others in suits and bubble helmets. The artwork is simple like the cartoon. They turn to see the shadows of The Herculods raging after them! The survivor says he was allowed to live as a warning. He says he knows how to navigate to Amzot, but is keeping it a secret with his life!

Quen-tel sticks a memory device on the survivor’s cyber skull, it makes me think of The Riddler’s device in Batman Forever (1995). He leaves with the coordinates and the capsules hiss open! Quen-tel says his “sponsors” are wealthy, they might be behind all of the invasions. The ship orbits Amzot, but the crew thinks of it as a legend. Five landing craft are launched to the planet’s surface. They are observed by the binoculars of Zandor. He looks like a barbarian or jungle hero, but with a metal headpiece, blue chestpiece, and tunic. Zandor brings out a horn to warn the others. The horn blast reaches the mountains that rouses the giant rock ape, Igoo. We have had King Kong and similar Kaiju, but having him made of rocks is fantastic, love the sound effects! The horn echoes and out of a cave is the laser-ray dragon, Zok, it has three horns, and a dragon body. 

In the forest, there are strange fruit knocked out of a tree and dropped with a thunderous noise. This is the food of Tundro, a heavy plated Kaijur with a rhino-like head and a horn that sends out projectiles! I wondered how those projectiles were explosive. Each one of the Herculoids is so creative, gotta have action figures! At another treetop, the young Dorno is reaching out for some blue eggs when the horn call startles him and he falls! Dorno has a blue collar and lioncloth like his father. He is saved by the protoplasmic Gleep with black eyes that forms into a slide. It speaks in a bubbling sound effect that is perfect. The yellow blob is like the Shmoo without the strange whiskers. Dorno wonders about the call and Gleep answers, so the boy must understand it. His mother, Tara, who is beautiful with long blonde hair, blue collar, and light blue dress, arrives on Gloop. I think the family is like Tarzan, Jane, and their son, Korak. 

I rewatched an episode of The Herculoids, “The Firebird” (1981), it had the planet callled Quasar. There is some narration, but it  is short. In the episode, Dorno asks Zandor about a volcano and his boyhood. So I don’t think Tarna and Dorno are native to the planet. Dorno calls Zandor father in the 80’s episodes. Also that Dorno may have been adopted. Later, Tarna investigates the volcano, so I think she was a researcher and scientist who cxrashed on the planet. Zandor goes alone with Herculoids to stop the firebird. I think when he was a boy like Dorno that he bonded with them again like Tarzan. Zok, Tundro, and Igoo all seem part of the plaent. Gleep and Gloop may be different and are protective of Dorno. It may be that they were part of his crash and saved him or bonded with him on the planet. I love the lesson at the end about life with the firebird trying to protect its egg that The Herculoids learn. The origin of The Herculoids may be unknown for now, maybe hints, but it is great to see them back in acxtion with The Herculoids #1! 

Five Resources out of Five! 

#TheHerculoids, #AlexToth, #TomSniegoski, #CraigRousseau, #FrancescoMattina, #DynamiteEntertainment, #Zandor, #Tara, ##Dorno, #Igoo, #Tundro, #Zok, #Gleep, #Gloop, #Quentel

Re:tro Review - The Untamed: Sinner’s Prayer #1!

The Untamed: Sinner’s Prayer #1, the first issue of the World of Asunda, is a work of dark mythology and beauty! It introduces the character of Niobe who would later co-star in the limited series; The Untamed: Killing Floor, Niobe: She is Life, and Niobe: She is Death! The first issue has a cover by interior artist, Peter Berting with a coins falling and then a red ourtline of a clawed hand reaching down. Inside it is a gate and below it is the hooded fgiure of The Stranger with a sword. There is a map of Asunda and a two page frontpiece that has a white robed boatman with a long paddle like a staff and a passenger in black, moving through starry skies on a boat like a gnarled white tree. Then, there is a prologue by writer Sebastian A. Jones, this are all additions to the trade paperback. 

The Stranger has been searching ten years through a colorless hell to find her, whom he finds at a “mist-filled room”, she was married to this killer and her love is what cursed her. I’m fascinated by Dante’s Inferno part of the The Divine Comedy. It hasn’t been adapted to film and there is only a video game, Dante’s Inferno (2010), with a animated adaptation of the game, Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010). So this reminds me of Beatrice, the symbol of his love. She was attempting to save him in life, but was killed before the birth of her second child. He goes nameless until his redemptionWe  and her name is Jenna. Then, we get The Stranger’s theme composed by Jens Englebecht and Jones which was in the back of the comic book. A bittersweet beginning that really separates this work from other fantasy comic books. 

The story is by Jones with art by Peter Bergting and layouts by Darrell May. Bergting created his own fantasy comic with The Portent (2006). May is the layout artist for Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls. A splash page of a starry sky with the narration of The Stranger who says he’s going home. A cavern is lit by the ghostly boatman. The boatman is in flowing white robes asks him where he is going and The Stranger responds the town of Oasis. Then, they reach the shore, and he is asked how long was he given and The Stranger says seven days. I love mythology recast in new forms. In this case, Charon the Boatman from Greek myths, one of the most eerie depictions was in 1981’s Clash of the Titans. 

The Stranger walks into a ravine, flanked by cliffs with dark men with white banners, the Tribe of the Dying Tree. They watch “between two worlds”, guardians that must drive off the living trying to enter the underworld. We see their sacred tree, leafless. Then, The Stranger reaches the remains of a home in the desert, he opens the door, and sees the figurine of a girl and a tear falls. Powerful. It makes me think of the moment in John Carter (2012) when he finds his wife has died. A somber figure of The Stranger, he sees the names of his wife and daughter, Ashani. He walks on, there is a bird that flies overhead like it did at the ravine, and he reaches the town at night with a crescent moon. 

He stands with the gate bathed in red and he thinks the gates “pass judgement upon all who enter her haven.” He walks into Oassis in what is “Day One.” All of the windows and doors slam shut. Several villagde thugs face him at the town square with one figure digging the ground with a dagger. The moments glaring in red are like samurai manga. They pull out a boy whom they about hang! We see one of the brutes is a grachukk, bald with fangs like an orc. A girl runs out, but she is slapped by the grachukk! This is Niobe, whose story unfolds with the rest of the series, she asks The Stranger for help with the boy, but he only asks about the blacksmith. Niobe says that he is out of town. The Stranger thinks that the grachukk and the boy are out of his past. 

The girl, Niobe, is a “glowing light”, but too young to remember his past. The bloody of Oasis is replaced by the purples of sundown. The Stranger meets with the blacksmith, bald with a braided beard, and wants him to work on his sword coverd in a cloth. The blacksmith recognizes the sword as one he forged. As he works at his forge, the blacksmith notes that it had belonged to the leader fo the Kraven. The blade begins to glow blue with runes. It is called by the blacksmith “Soul of ice.” The Stranger says it came from a dead man. 

Music is played and the blacksmith’s eye bulges as The Stranger lops his head off with a red splash panel! The Stranger pays the promised two gold and notes that the bargain is seven days for seven souls! A bloody arrangement that makes me think of The Crow (1994) based on the comic book, revenge for the return to life! The coins also have religious significance. The Stranger returns to Oasis to find Niobe working at an inn and she reminds him of his daughter. It is not just the seven days, Niobe may be his path to redemption! The Untamed: Sinner’s Prayer #1 is a promising beginning to Niobe and the dark World of Asunda! 

Five Gold Coins out of Five! 

#TheUntatmedSinnersPrayer, #SebastianAJones, #PeterBergting, #DarrellMay, #WorldOfAsunda, #StrangerComics, #TheStranger, Niobe

The 4Forty2nd: The Lost Battatlion Review!

The 4Forty2nd: The Lost Battalion recounts the most decorated unit, their sacrifices, and challenges of a Japanese American regiment during World War II. A special Wondercon edition of the webcomic was available at Tony Moy’s table. The webcomic is available at Webtoon and tapas. Check the website at: www.4forty2nd.com. Moy depicts the story in beautiful water colors. He had told me at the con that he thought to use only watercolors for parts of the comic and went on to full paint the comic book. The cover features a soldier, scars on his face, in steel M1 helmet and the rest of the soldiers behind him in blue with the rain. There was a war film on the 442nd, Go for Broke! (1951) that Van Johnson as Lt. Michael Grayson. 

It begins with president Franklin Roosevelt formed the 442nd on February 1, 1943, a picture of the president at his desk, then a somber picture, washed in blue of the soldiers, made up of Japanese Americans who were sent to interment camps the year before. Executive Order 9066 sent 120,000 Japanese persons to the camps. Those who refused to serve were called the No No Boys, the subject of the novel, No-No Boy (1957) by John Okada. It refers to questions 27 and 28 on a Loyalty Questionaire asking if they will willing to serve combat duty and if they would swear allegiance to the United States and forswear allegiance to the Emperor of Japan. Moy continues the narrative noting that the segregated unit was made up of Nisei, second generation Japanese from Hawaii and the mainland Uunited States. The 100th Infantry Battalion was from Hawaii. 

We see three of the 18,000 medals of the unit. Then, the families in the internment camps, a coppery brown picture of a wife and her children behind barbed wire. World War II ended on September 2, 1945 and the last internment camnp closed on March 1946. The Civil Liberties Act in 1988 gave a formal apology and reparations for the internment. This moves to a European map rendered with greens and blues in April 21, 1945. The narrator states the U.S. 5th Army were fighting the German 10th and 14th Army in Northern Italy. There were 2,000 German positions with machine gun nests and bunkers. This focuses on the Apenninnine Moutnains in San Terenzo, Italy pointing to the top of the boot. We see a snaking black and red line that was the Gothic Line, ten miles of defense, this was the stopping point from reaching Hitler. We see the narrator, Lieutenant Inouye, recount that he  and E Company of the 442nd, are ordered there.  

Daniel K. Inouye earned the Medal of Honor and was later a senator for Hawaii until he had died in 2012. We see the Italian mountain, Mount Folgorito, and then a closeup of Lt. Inouye giving orders. What is stark is the soldiers in black and white against a blue sky with the greens and browns of a forest. Inouye is checked on by Morita, possibly Richard Morita. Actor Pat Morita was made an honorary member of the 442nd for the Karate Kid films. Morita says in da pidgin, Hawaiian slang, that the lieutenant looks on edge. Inouye is focusing on the three machine gun nests. He says intelligence say that there is a ravine they can use to approach the machine gun nests. There is some good character work with the faces. They can use grenades while the rest of the soldiers keep the machine gunners pinned down. Morita says that Inouye is troubled by something else. We see in narration that weeks ago that the Germans were in negotiations to end the war. A nice picture of Inouye gritting his teeth. 

Internally, Inouye thinks that they have fight with everything to push for the end of the war, to “go for broke.” This was the motto chosen by the 442nd from the Hawaiian phrase for going all out. We see two silver dollars, given to Inoye when he left by his father, he keeps them in his jacket pocket. The silver dollars went with him from his training in Missippii to the Italian battlefields. We see the soldiers on the move, light colors of green and browns. We see Inoye carrying his rifle in the liberation of French Villes. At a small town, possibly Bruyeres or Biffontaine. He is shot, but the bullet was stopped by the silver dollars, he calls his “personal angels”! Inouye then says two weeks ago he lost his jacket. Closeup of his face. The soldiers move on the bunker and then cxrawl through the grass. He says that in hindsight, the war would end in 18 days!, then we see a nightmare scene in very light colors of dead soldiers. 

    Tony Moy at his Wondercon table, author’s photo. 

We shift to February 6, 1943 where we see two birds, red-crested cardinals native to Hawaii, Inouye brings up the “early bird catches the worm”, but says he thinks it is persistance. This goes to the U.S. recruitment office at the Aliʻiōlani Hale Palace. It is the former home of the Hawaiian monarchs and then became capitol building of the Provisional Government. I recommend the film, Princess Kaiulani (2009) with Q’orianka Kilcher, playing the princess who composed “Aloha’Oe” under arrest at the palace. There is orangish skies above the palace with the statue of King Kamehameha. The recruitment officer is exasperated that he has returned every week. Inoye says he is healthy and works at the Civil Defense Aid Station, but the officer says he should be grateful for not being sent to war and has him marked 4F. 

Five+ Silver Dollars out of Five! 

#The4Forty2ndTheLostBattalion, #TonyMoy, #GoForBroke, #VanJohnson, #FranklinRoosevelt, #NoNoBoy, #JohnOkada, #LtInouye, #Morita 

Wondercon Saturday!

 The second day of Wondercon was busy with some great artists and a panel with some epic annuncements. One of the highlights of a con for me is to gring Hero Initiative books. The latest is the Superman 100 Project especially considering the upcoming James Gunn film. It is fun to look up the various artists who contributed artwork to the book. Norm Rapmund drew a full color Superman in heroic pose! Dustin Nguyen has a boyish Superman with blue and red colors! There is a section with wraparound covers to have full horizontal images. This is a chance to have artwork of a favorite character, get some of them signed, and most important is you value creators’ artwork, this helps them when they are in need with health care and other costs. Check out 100 Project books and other merch at: https://www.heroinitiative.org/ 

    The panel of Tarzan’s Creator Celebrates 150 Years!, WonderCon, author’s photo. 

Denys Cowan had a sketch of a powerful Superman in the Superman 100 Project! I had also brought along an issue of his series Dominque Laveau: Voodoo Child. It was written by  Selwyn Hinds and follows Domnique Levau working to rebuild Tremé after Hurricane Katrina. A supernatural creature, a Loup Garou, has killed her fellow students and now hunts her! It is also available as a trade paperback collecting the seven issue series. One of the interesting panels at Wondercon was Tarzan’s Creator Celebrates 150 Years! It featured the Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. personnel, James Sullos, president, Cathy Wilbanks, vice president of operations, and Christopher Paul Carey, vice presiddent of operations, and Wolf Larson, head of ERB Entertainment! 

Pocket Universe Productions announced that Ian McDiarmid has joined the cast of John Carter of Mars: The Audio Series. He plays the Man in the Atmosphere Factory who reveals secrets of Barsoom to John Carter. Also at the panel was the Woola stuffie which was based on artwork by John Coleman Burroughs, the son of Edgar Rice Burroughs, ten legs of furry adorableness! The OverPower card game which had a Kickstarter campaign is going to have tournaments in August! The Edgar Rice Burroughs double playmat was revealed with artwork by Joe Jusko! One of the sets is Edgar Rice Burroughs and the World Legends. Also announced is the never before published Autobiography of Edgar Rice Burroughs. 

#WonderCon, #HeroInitative, #Superman100Project, #NormRapmund, #DustinNguyen, #DenysCowan, #SelwynHinds, #DominqueLaveauVoodooChild, #TarzansCreatorCelebrates150Years, #EdgarRiceBurroughsInc, #JamesSullos, #CathyWilbanks, #ChristopherPaulCarey, #WolfLarson.