2012: a Year Which Certainly Was

2012: it began, it ended and between the two events was a great deal of middle. During this past year, I consumed a lot of media - perhaps more than I've sampled in any previous year. Although I did keep a record of everything I watched/read/listened to (because I am ridiculous), I'm only going to pause over those things which I most enjoyed... and then those I found most troubling.

2012: BOOKS

Although I consumed a lot of Sax Rohmer novels in 2012, I would feign to list any of them as amongst his best work. The most interesting fiction I read was Vertigo by Boileau-Narcejac. I was already predisposed to enjoy the story because the film version is among my favourites, but I was still surprised at where the original story charts its own course, eventually parting ways with the better-known adaptation. Another revelation was the Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury Vol.1, which was certainly an appropriate tome to read during the year of Bradbury's death. Not only does the book feature very early and rare stories, but it offers a terrific analysis of how and why the youthful Bradbury's writing changed, particularly with regards to what publishers were willing to print.

The real triumphs were to be found in non-fiction; my continuing fascination with Africa led me to read Chasing the Devil by Tim Butcher, an account of his travels in Sierra Leone (read just before I visited Sierra Leone). Along with his book Blood River it gave me a terrifically grounded sense of life in two African locales. Butcher's account in Blood River of an aged grandfather in the Congo who knew more about machines than his grandchildren was the most striking illustration. I also delved into Ghosts of Medak Pocket by Carol Off based on the recommendation of a friend who said the book made him "proud to be a Canadian." I didn't quite mirror his reaction as there's more tragedy than triumph in this account of Canada's intervention during Croatia's ethnic cleansing, but it's an aspect of Canadian and world history I was ignorant of and deserved to learn. Finally, Errol Morris' Believing is Seeing wouldn't have caught my attention were it not for the author being a favourite filmmaker; being ignorant of the issues surrounding photography and the question of whether a photo is "staged," I was fascinated by Morris' essays on the subject.

2012: FILMS

Let's see, according to my records I watched... approximately 900 movies in 2012. Huh. Even though at times I would go an entire week without watching a film, on some weekends I would watch movies non-stop, thanks to buying up old VHS tapes for a pittance and constantly renting pictures through my library. I have a list of titles I'm always trying to locate and watch, but also sought out various directors and stars I'd previously had only a minor interest in.

I'm usually a tough sell when it comes to comedies, so it's no small thing for me to recommend the following: Ruggles of Red Gap (1937), O. Henry's Full House (1952), Footlight Parade (1933; I'm not a musical fan either), Bachelor Mother (1939), That Thing You Do! (1996), Stand-In (1937), the Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), the Muppets (2011), Destry Rides Again (1939), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), Palm Beach Story (1942), the Great McGinty (1940), Ball of Fire (1941), the Lost Skeleton Returns Again (2008), Easy Living (1937) & Dark Star (1974).

Some great documentaries were: Shake Hands With the Devil: the Personal Journey of Romeo Dallaire (2004), It's All True (1993), When We Were Kings (1996), Being Elmo (2011), Tabloid (2011), the Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005), Let There be Light (1946) & Grass: a Nation's Struggle for Life (1925).

Some great thrillers & action movies include: the Face Behind the Mask, the House by the River (1950), the Big Heat (1953; this led to a new found appreciation for Fritz Lang), the Reckless Moment (1949), Gun Crazy (1950), On Dangerous Ground (1952), Fury (1936; another utterly amazing Fritz Lang picture), Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Misery (1990), the Ministry of Fear (1944), Onibaba (1964), Magic (1978), Alive (1993) & the Avengers (2012).

Finally, the rest: the Hill (1965), the Road (2009), Black Orpheus (1959), the Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Of Mice and Men (1939), Stage Door (1937), Grand Canyon (1991), Grand Hotel (1932), State of the Union (1948), On Borrowed Time (1939), the Artist (2011), Eight Men Out (1988), Ben-Hur (1925), the Thin Man (1931), the Story of G.I. Joe (1945), Three Comrades (1938), the Sunset Limited (2011), der Verlorene (1951), Patterns (1956) & the Last Emperor (1987).

Strangely, from January-August I only visited the cinema three times, including for John Carter and Brave, which were both good (how strange to me to find myself a Disney fan!). However, in the last four months of the year I visited the cinema eight times! Of the latter eight visits, the Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey was good, albeit padded (can't wait for the shortened edition DVD).

2012: COMIC BOOKS

Obviously I hit a rough patch with comic books in 2012 as it was the year I quit working for Marvel Comics and gave up buying comics from Marvel or DC. It was also the year which saw some of my favourite books - Snarked, Rasl & glamourpuss - conclude their runs, while Usagi Yojimbo went on hiatus.

Still, there was much to enjoy; IDW is fast becoming my favourite publisher, not only as I continue to delve through their Complete Terry & the Pirates collections but with Larry Hama's G.I. Joe: a Real American Hero!, Roger Langridge's Popeye, the reprinted Classic Popeye (me? buying two Popeye comics per month?) and James Stokoe's Godzilla: the Half-Century War I happily gave them a lot of business in 2012 and it appears 2013 will be another great year at IDW!

Elsewhere, I added Joe Sacco's Journalism and the Fixer and Other Stories to my library, plus another of Fantagraphics' Carl Barks Library editions. There was also at least one more Tales Designed to Thrizzle, wasn't there? The graphic novel a Tale of Sand was a visual treat and Supernatural Law squeezed out another collection, one I happily supported via Kickstarter (more on this book in coming weeks). Finally, delving into the university's collection brought up Joe Kubert's Fax From Sarajevo, a fine non-fiction graphic novel and great way for me to remember the creator, who passed away during the year.

2012: TELEVISION

Discovering Errol Morris' First Person series was the single best television-based experience of mine in 2012; I implore you, seek this program out! If episodes like "Eye to Eye" or "Leaving the Earth" don't keep you fascinated and riveted, I don't know what would.

I didn't keep up with many current programs; although I continued with the Amazing Race's two 2012 seasons, neither really thrilled me (aside from a few very memorable teams and moments). I actually enjoyed last year's Amazing Race: Australia far more than the US version! I also kept track of the Daily Show for most of the year, primarily for Jon Stewart's monologues (I don't care much for the correspondents and find maybe half of the interviews worth watching). Still, it being an election year in the USA made the show worth keeping up with; I also watched more Colbert Report than usual because of the election, although I can only take so much of Colbert's style (the show half-mocks and half-endorses the cult of personality; I'd rather just dispense with all the Colbert-baits-his-audience moments).

2012: CDs

I didn't buy much music in 2012 because I had so many albums gifted to me in 2011 which had yet to be experienced. I did purchase a Louis Armstrong collection (because I felt I needed some Louis Armstrong), but the real purchase was the Newsboys' God's Not Dead, which was up to the band's usual standards; having stepped away from Christian music for most of a decade, it's great to be listening to at least one band again, especially one which melds basically every group I enjoyed in the 1990s into one unit.

2012: VIDEO GAMES

The only new video game of significance came late in the year: Halo 4. I was dubious about continuing the Halo story after it had been well wrapped-up in Halo 3, but the new game's campaign was decent enough. The only real frustration with Halo 4 is how terrible the matchmaking system is, with many games lagging, stalling or outright dropping.

Now that I have all my good will out of the way, it's time to indulge in what I found disappointing in 2012.

In books, I tried out Bram Stoker's Lair of the White Worm even though I'd heard many times how Dracula was supposedly his only good book. Having enjoyed Jewel of the Seven Stars, I was prepared to prove the critics wrong, but... this proved to be an uninteresting slog.

In the midst of my Sax Rohmer reading I bought Bianca in Black by his wife, Elizabeth, primarily as a curio. It's a pretty unremarkable mystery story about a bride who might be a black widow murderer. Or is she...? I'll tell you up front: it's reverse-Rebecca.

After years of searching, I finally picked up the film Track of the Cat (1954), having enjoyed the radio adaptation on Suspense and assumed it would make a pretty great film; it was immensely uninteresting and ultimately botched the best moment of the story (the moment where the protagonist thinks a panther is stalking him). The most interesting thing about the movie is it's use of colour, being a colour film which uses primarily black/white coloured objects & clothing. That's it.

Finally, two films about famous authors: Kafka (1991) and Hammett (1981). Both films have the "brilliant" idea of casting a famous author as the hero in a story ripped-off from the author's own material, rather than examine the authors' real lives (which should have been fascinating enough!). I fear someday I'll discover someone made a film called "Doyle" wherein Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must investigate a phantom hound...

Lessons learned from licensed comic books

When your comic book adapted from a popular film, television program or toy has been around for some time, you may be unaware of certain deficiencies which have crept into the comics.

Here are three warning signs to bear in mind.

HAS YOUR CAUCASIAN PROTAGONIST...

1. ...Begun growing his blond hair into a mullet?
2. ...Been wielding ridiculous, giant firearms?
3. ...Taken to wearing a bandanna around his head?

If you answered "yes" to all three of these questions, then you are publishing either...

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

...Or Star Wars.

When this happens, you are certain to be cancelled soon after.

Across My Desk: "Are Comics Better or Worse?"

My work as a librarian occasionally leads me across some fascinating detrius in the history of comic books... such a post is this. From the August, 1955 issue of Parents Magazine, I offer you this 3-page article:

If you're familiar with your comic book history, then you know this was published a year after Frederic Wertham had helped spur on the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings and only shortly after the Comics Code Authority shield began defacing comics on the racks. The CCA resulted in tepid, lifeless comic books because of the restrictions on what was considered "in good taste," as though crime, horror and funny animal comics should each play according the same rules for the same audience. The stigma generated against comics by the hearings and CCA is still felt by comic book fandom today.

In another sense, this is all in the past and thus safe for us on the other side of history to look back and guffaw. Certainly this article's criteria for judging comic books is baffling. The "No Objection" list includes much of what Archie and Dell were publishing at the time - in fact, the list is almost entirely comprised of teen humour comics, funny animal comics and romance comics. And yet, what grants Superman No Objection but Action Comics & Superboy Some Objection? Why does the Lone Ranger warrant Some Objection while the spin-off comics Silver and Tonto are clear?

There's also practically no daylight between the Riverdale teens of Archie and the company's Katy Keene, yet Katy is Objectionable! It ranks a "2," which... hm, let's check the standards... Moral Area... ah, yes, "The portrayal of drug addiction or excessive use of alcohol."

Actually, Katy and the similar Millie the Model were probably written up over "Any situation having a sexy implication" and/or "Persons dressed indecently or unduly exposed; costumes not appropriate to the occasion." Yet how was Dan DeCarlo's Millie substantially different from Dan DeCarlo's Betty & Veronica?

Perhaps the most baffling Objectionable comic to me was Rin-Tin-Tin, who earned a "3" for Morbidly Emotional (as did the similar Rex the Wonder Dog). How could Rin-Tin-Tin differ much from the clean-as-a-dog's-mouth Lassie? Perhaps the objection was over "Kidnapping of women or children, or the implication of it," but that must be the most unhelpful criteria ever invented. The "implication" of kidnapping? Who determines when kidnapping is implied? How? What is a super dog like Rinnie supposed to do for a living if he's not allowed to rescue women and children in peril? Is he only allowed to rescue adult men? How emasculating for them.

As a fan of Atlas Comics, it's interesting to note how few Atlas comics listed under "No Objection" - just Patsy & Hedy, My Own Romance & Homer the Happy Ghost. None of their adventure comics made the cut, while DC at least scored with Superman and Tomahawk. It's strange to see the various Atlas fantasy books listed with different objections as their content was virtually identical and all of it rather bad; that's the really galling part - even after cleaning up their horror comics into fantasy comics, Atlas was still told their material was too "morbid." Check out this from the article (emphasis mine):

"Horror and crime comics are less numerous and somewhat less offensive according to this year's review than formerly: yet a new subtle type of mystery story has appeared on the scene. To some parents it might seem even more objectionable than the obviously fantastic and weird stories of other years. These new mystery stories present arson, walking dead, and even in some cases horribly disturbing incidents that seem a threat to civilization."

I would love to understand what the bold type refers to. "Seem a threat to civilization?" What, like a science fiction story about the end of the world? Was two-year old Alan Moore already publishing stories which promoted anarchy?

How about the wild "Crime stories unless they relate to folklore or classical literature." So, that's fine for Classics Illustrated, but what is a "crime story?" Wertham considered any comic involving crime (even in Looney Tunes) to be a "crime story," so what's their definition? Superman certainly seems exempt, despite being a crime fighter.

Some titles on the Objectionable list hit the coveted 3-in-one in culture, morals and morbidity! These are Authentic Police Cases (St. John), Blue Beetle (Charlton), Crime and Justice (Charlton), Crime and Punishment (Lev Gleason), Don Winslow (Charlton), Mad (EC), Outlaw Fighters (Atlas), Outlaw Kid (Atlas), Piracy (EC), Rugged Action (Atlas), Straight Arrow (Magazine Enterprises) & T-Man (Quality). DC doesn't list a single title under all three, although it's interesting to see Batman came close, missing only on culture. I suppose Robin's shorts won them a moral objection for "costumes not appropriate to the occasion."

It's a small wonder to see EC's Mad on the list, although they were already headed to their magazine format by the time of this article. What is surprising is to find Charlton's Mad rip-off Insanity considered clean!

In other "EC can't catch a break" headlines, Valor is written up for culture and morbidity. Again, a company tried to clean up their content into something less sensational with decent values, only to be slighted.

In all, a portrait of the times; the US public eventually tired of poking their nose into people's comic book habits. They retain an insatiable appetite for intruding in people's religious, political and sexual background, however.

47 Problems, But a Ronin Ain't One

It's rare to find an editorial which explains the whys and wherefores of a comic book's existence within the title themselves, but 47 Ronin author (and Dark Horse publisher) Mike Richardson offers one in the back matter of 47 Ronin#1. It seems Richardson has spent decades hoping to create a comic book based on the story of the 47 ronin who avenged their dead master, but only recently decided Stan Sakai was the right artist for the project, despite Sakai's long association with Dark Horse.

Unfortunately for fans of Usagi Yojimbo, Sakai has had to take a break from his own series in order to bring this one to life. Fortunately, it does mean fans of Sakai get to see him delving into different (albeit familiar) characters and settings. It's even presented in colour, courtesy of Lovern Kindzierski, while Sakai's work is normally black & white.

47 Ronin recounts a popular tale of Lord Asano, who falls victim to unfortunate politics in 18th century Japan. Asano is devoted to the honour code of bushido, but this is a problem when enemies can manipulate honourable persons by goading them with insults or accusing them of low conduct. I only became familiar with the story after seeing it presented on the Canadian comedy series History Bites, but it's a popular subject in all forms of media, notably the 2005 Image graphic novel Ronin Hood of the 47 Samurai.

Sakai's art is ultimately what drew me to the series (while I patiently wait for Usagi Yojimbo to resume). It's the same level of detail and composition seen in his own work and I'd even assuming he were the author if Richardson's name weren't presented so prominently. Despite knowing how the story resolves, I'm enthused to see how Richardson & Sakai craft it. 47 Ronin will run for only 5 issues total and I encourage you to seek it out.

Review: Popeye#7

It's strange to me that while comic books set in the Marvel & DC continuities receive much comment on the internet, where the other publishers are concerned, you're usually lucky to find reviews for first issues, last issues and perhaps a change in creative team. Thus, why not look in on IDW's Popeye again? The most recent issue is #7, featuring "The Beast of Desolation Gulch or, the Case of the Desert Yeti."

In this tale, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Castor Oyl & J. Wellington Wimpy visit an ostrich ranch which is bedeviled by a mysterious hairy monster who lives in the desert. The foreman of the ranch is none other than Ham Gravy, Olive's former fiancee. Since they last met, Ham has picked up his own set of super muscles (courtesy of "Charles Adenoid"), making him a match for Popeye.

As is typical with Langridge, Wimpy is integral to the plot. I'd earlier noticed how Wimpy is similar to Langridge's Snarked protagonist J. Wilberforce Walrus, but while both men are clever con artists, it's worth observing many of Langridge's other protagonists are less-than-clever victims (notably Fred the Clown and Muppet Show's Fozzie Bear).

After collaborating with various artists over the first six issues, this issue features Langridge assuming the writing/art duties (which probably wasn't feasible while he was writing/drawing Snarked during the earlier issues). Langridge is suited to the world of Popeye, but there's something about the way he draws Popeye himself which I don't like; I think it's the lines on Popeye's open mouth, as seen above.

The second feature of the book is "the Cow of Tomorrow," a Professor Watasnozzle story also by Langridge. This character has made frequent appearances in back-up stories during Langridge's Popeye run thus far; Watasnozzle was another creation of Popeye maker E.C. Segar, but not one I was familiar with until this series. Each story follows a similar pattern: eccentric inventor Watasnozzle makes a device to simplify some mundane task, but Sappo & Myrtle, the couple whose home he boards at, find some way to abuse the device; usually something explodes at the climax. In this case, Watasnozzle has invented an electric cow which can do anything a cow can, including fashion its own dairy & meat products (albeit, awful products). I do find these stories repetitive, but each has had enough amusing moments to remain diverting.

I never believed I'd see the day where I was looking forward to Popeye every month, let alone twice a month since the launch of Classic Popeye! Good show, IDW!

Review: Star Trek - Romulans Treasury Edition

I don't often wander through my comic shop's licensed property section, but questing for the most recent issue of Godzilla: the Half-Century War led me past their Star Trek display. I just happened to spy the new Star Trek: Romulans Treasury Edition; actually, it's size made it rather difficult to overlook.

It's not the largest comic book I own, but the "treasury edition" format always makes me giddy. In this instance, it led me into buying a Star Trek comic book I would have overlooked if the same material had been sold as a trade paperback (as is, the $9.99 price was cheaper than the cover price of the original material).

This book collects three comic books about Romulans which writer-penciler-inker John Byrne created in 2008. Set in the continuity of the 1960s TV show, it opens immediately prior to "Balance of Terror," the episode which introduced the Romulans. The honorable Romulan commander from that episode is (re)introduced, along with his wife, son and the fanatical leader of the Romulans, the Praetor. At the same time the Romulans have begun using their new cloaking devices to cross the Neutral Zone, they've made new allies: the Klingons. On the surface, the Klingons have come to Romulus to obtain their own cloaking devices, but they actually have a secret plan of their own. Considering the Romulans have a reputation in Star Trek for being the galaxy's most cunning spies, there is schadenfreude to be had in seeing them outwitted by Klingons!

It definitely pays to know your 1960s Star Trek before delving into this book. In addition to "Balance of Terror," I recognized references to "the Trouble With Tribbles," "Errand of Mercy" and "the Deadly Years." Because all of this is told from the perspective of the Romulans (and Klingon allies), the Starfleet characters are only ever glimpsed from a distance (although despite being absent from the cast of characters, one James T. Kirk sets into motion much of the action). If you don't recall how "Balance of Terror" played out, you may be confused by how the Romulan commander is given a great introduction, then dies off-panel in battle with the Enterprise. And while you might recognize the Klingons Koloth & Kor from (respectively) "the Trouble With Tribbles" and "Errand of Mercy," Kor's motivation depends on you being familiar with "Errand of Mercy"'s plot. Essentially, having been forcibly prevented by the all-powerful Organians from attacking the Federation, Kor's great scheme is to manipulate the Romulans into waging war on their behalf. He does refer to the "Organian interference," but it's up to the reader to understand its context.

Being printed at such a large size means when Byrne delves into great detail at rendering the people or starships, you can marvel at his skill. However, it also means when Byrne takes shortcuts with his art, the increased size makes it all the more glaring. Let's call it a draw.

The book would definitely profit from a few endnotes to explain the continuity. For that matter, the story could use captions to help with scene transitions. There are moments where knowing how many days/weeks have passed between scenes would help explain the seemingly drastic changes in situation. Further, one sequence presents the Klingons & Romulans engaged in war games, but because the Romulans have a team of Klingon observers aboard their ship, I had difficulty understanding when the perspective switched between vessels.

This isn't the complete story - Byrne wrote three more comics about the Romulans which will reprinted in a 2nd treasury edition to accompany this. I didn't realize it when I bought this book, but I'll happily add the concluding volume to my collection; Byrne and Star Trek are both fond old friends of mine and it's a pleasure to revisit them.

Old-Time Radio Theme Month, Day 31: "The Demon Tree"

Happy Halloween!

Today I close my theme month with another episode of Scott Bishop's Dark Fantasy, this time "the Demon Tree" from December 5, 1941. This program features a tree which is not simply a living thing, but a moving, vengeful, killing thing as well!

You can download a copy of this radio show from archive.org here.

Thank you for indulging my interest in old-time radio; I hope I've exposed you to some quality shows over the course of this month; perhaps I'll feature more programs in the future.