Keeping Myself Amused... #2

It's time once more to remind you that I am basically a geek.

(Yeah yeah: Who could forget? -- classic.)

World Cultural Investigator Sandy-Bear recently directed me to Mister Kitty's Stupid Comics Page, an index featuring scans from various poorly-conceived and frankly bizarre comics produced in the last 60-70 years. There is a reason why "creatives" employed in the comics industry have been held in contempt these many decades. In fact there are several reasons and many of them are catalogued on that site.

Of particular interest to me is the highly singular work of 1940s artist Henry Fletcher (AKA Fletcher Hanks, Barclay Flagg). By "particular interest" I mean: basically it makes me shit myself. The weird art, stiffly posed characters... the indescribable writing(*). His heroes are typified by ill-defined and seemingly limitless super-powers, and a uniquely macabre sense of justice. In short, every kind of shit happens in these comics and it will make you laugh and gasp like a tickled infant.



(*) Okay, the writing is probably describable. Right time, right person doing the describing... it could be described, sure. At this minute though, I'm pretty struck and ain't no describing happening, none.

To my delight, a few complete scans of Henry Fletcher stories are available online... I thoroughly recommend them.

Tabu: Wizard of the Jungle: Tabu has a very intense neck. I like how he childishly bitches out his various animal companions during the introduction. "Sh-h Green-Eye! You're making too much noise!" (how loud is he saying that, anyway?) I also like how the slave raiders jabber fruitily on to one another about the various torments to which Tabu subjects them. Verdict: awesome.

"Space" Smith: This one I appreciate for the freakishly drawn action sequences. I also like that "Space" is always in quotation marks - it's not his real name you see. And what is up with "Space's" crotch?

Stardust the Super Wizard: Placid, doe-eyed Stardust continues his surreal battle against America's "Fifth Column" and "the aggressor nations of the Eastern hemisphere". I think if there's one kind of propaganda we can all get behind, it's anti-Nazi propaganda.

Check it out, seriously.

11/09/2006 UPDATE: Huh, I fixed the Stardust link... it was pointing to the same "Space" Smith link again. DERRR BRAAAAIN.