Bikini Area 51

I hope Chameleon Boy remembers to thank Shrinking Violet for letting him borrow her blouse and panties.

What in the Sam Hill is going on here, you might ask, if you were a comic-relief "old prospector" character from a Hollywood Western? It's pretty simple, really. Let me break it down for you:

1. Chameleon Boy is sweet on Jan. Sadly...
2. Chameleon Boy is too shy to "make the first move", so...
3. Chameleon Boy has resorted to a trick taught to him by Timber Wolf...
4. And has shown up in her room with no trousers on. Unfortunately...
5. Chameleon Boy forgot to shape-shift himself some genitalia.

But that's no big deal, Cham. You don't need your junk to "press the button", if you know what I mean.

Now, Which Osmond Brother Is He Supposed To Be...?

Princess Projectra should apologize immediately, as Chameleon Boy's plan is obviously fool-proof.

Chameleon Boy is a little bit creepy, and a little bit rock-and-roll.

"Wow, Shock Absorbers!"

The next day at school, all three of these drama club nerds received the beatings of their young lives.

The icing on the cake for me is the top hats. I get the feeling the kids already owned the hats, which they probably purchased themselves, no doubt with money earned from working in a tea room. Why, they were just itching to wear these debonair chapeaus out in public! Before, they'd mainly used the hats for impromptu stagings of "A Chorus Line." Am I right, kid?

Well, okay then.

(Finally: Parade-Hater Horace and Jeremy Rizza: separated at birth? It's an uncanny resemblance, if you ask me. I never did see both of them at the same time.)

Rubber Clown Suits Become You

A fine "bromance"! Intrepid sexual adventurers Ant-Man and Southern Cross thought it would be fun to break into Yellowjacket's house for their latest escapade. The danger makes it all seem so much more thrilling, somehow, don't you agree?* Half-hidden under a pile of blankets in the master closet, Yellowjacket was too sloshed on mojitos to join in on all the wrestling and spanking. But that's okay. He loves to just watch, too.

Starring Arch Hall, Jr. as Ant-Man! (Seriously, his head is like, 80% pompadour in this panel.)

*For realsies, though: don't actually try this, kids. Unless you're the Unbeatable Blockade Boy! I've battled my way out of many a "sticky" situation, and I have the switch-laser scars and phaser burns to prove it!

Spidey Don't Surf

Preteens drawn by John Byrne = creepy, adult-faced dwarves. But I take it the human growth hormone finally kicked in.

What's wrong What else is wrong with this picture? Well, how's about the way Cassie appears to be dropping from the ceiling onto Scott, like a monster in a horror movie? But the main thing that bugs me is that Spider-Man t-shirt. In his own universe, the general public regards Spider-Man as a dangerous vigilante at best, and a creepy villain at worst. So this is kind of like giving her a jacket with Bernie Goetz's face embroidered on the back.

Doctor Graves: Master of the Obvious

In "Baron Weirwulf's Haunted Library" #50 (Charlton, July 1980), Doctor Graves -- who is totally not Ditko ripping off his own "Doctor Strange" character -- must battle a giant "evil entity" who is bent on conquering Earth! Luckily, his astral form is capable of ballooning to enormous size. Which is kind of a rip-off of the Spectre, but what the hell.

With his white temples and painstakingly-trimmed facial hair, the natty Doctor chills in a New York home crammed with scrolls and grotesque objets d'art; fires goopy, Tinker Toy-shaped mystic blasts from his arthritically-contorted hands; traverses surreal (yet familiar) dimensions; and sends his pallid astral body flitting all over the goddamn place.

But he's not Doctor Strange--!

No sirree Bob.

Suddenly, Spider-Woman's Rogues Gallery Is Looking Pretty Gosh-Darned Intimidating

The (kind-of) original Blue Beetle -- the one who was an archaeologist and not a cop -- defended the world against such menaces as (clockwise from top left)...

• Baron Von Howdy Doody!
• Furry Conventioneer Who Can't Walk Upright Because A Couple Of Ruffians Jabbed Pool Cues In The Costume's Eyeballs Man!
• The Micronauts Bandito!
• The Red Hulk's More Flamboyant Uncle!
• Battle Roomba!
• The Living Loincloth and his atomic-powered baby bottle!
• Fellatiobot!

Okay, so that last one was a bit obvious, but c'mon. I couldn't resist!

Night of the Quaffing Dead

"He'll be sorrowful looking enough in a moment -- after he realizes he's drinking a 'Natural Ice!'"

Confession time: I kind of covet those boots. The rest of the get-up? Not so much. And that facial hair is way too tentative and delicate for my tastes -- like he could sneeze and it would gently explode and then drift away on an air current. Like a dandelion! (See also: that blond douche from "The Hills.")

(This is from "Shadow Play" #1, from the reliably boring Whitman Comics in 1982. No month given, probably because it was destined to plague the gift shops of various Stuckey's and Nickerson Farms, accreting root beer spatter and chocolate thumb-prints until it became a sticky boulder that was used by a robber to bludgeon the night manager.)

Worst. Legion of Substitute Heroes Member. Ever.

She has the power to give anybody "perfect posture" for up to half-an-hour. Bad Apple Boy showed me the holo-vid of her Legion of Super-Heroes audition from a few years back -- somebody dug it up, slapped some dance music over it, and put it on UniversoTube. At first, I was going to just ignore Bad Apple Boy, due to the manner of his address. ("Yo yo yo! B-B! Check it out! This ho is wack!" ...AAAGH.) But I have to admit, the holo-vid was a knee-slapper. Posture Queen suffered from the old "M-my power--! I can't control it!" syndrome, so the Legionnaires wound up with their spines bent backwards. Sun Boy's scalp was practically touching his ass, which I found delightfully symbolic. Anyway, Bad Apple Boy goes off on a rant, liberally peppered with "street" lingo, all about how Posture Queen looks like a "straight-up skank" with a "broke-down booty", but admitted that he'd also "like to hit that." And so of course, we hear somebody clearing her throat and we turn around and there's Posture Queen herself (cue musical "stinger" on a phlegmy trombone) because she's Eyeful Ethel's latest hire! Posture Queen is apparently Ethel's new "personal assistant", which turns out to mean that she has to sit at the receptionist's desk while Ethel does Who Knows What in her office with the actual receptionist, Phantom Lad.

Yeah, Phantom Lad. I know. It'd be like making out with a shrunken apple head doll.

But it's not like he's cheating on his girlfriend. Not exactly. I guess Phantom Lad and his paramour (and co-worker) Frigid Queen have been on the skids even more than usual lately. She booted his ass out of their one-bedroom pod, and have settled into a routine where Phantom Lad goes on the town and "gets hisself some" (to quote Bad Apple Boy) while Frigid Queen stalks him and is glimpsed through windows and binoculars, making threatening gestures with a melon-baller.

And in a month or so, they'll switch.

Hey, bonus!

Looks S-H-O-D-D-Y and D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S!

It's only $1.98 for the whole set, plus another $5000 to warranty against the dolls coming to life and murdering you in your sleep. (With the warranty, the worst they'll do is smack you around a little.)

...And with that, I'm taking a short break. Undercover space-detective stuff. I'd explain it, but then I'd have to travel back in time and kill you all.

Don't fret! I'll be back on the blog job, next Monday!

Interfere Factor

Here's a panel from a promotional comic that was given away with every kids' meal at "Extinction" E Saw's Eatery. It tells the heartwarming story of the first (and only) social worker to set foot on Rimbor. The succeeding panels show how she was immediately beaten senseless with her own hat, shoved into the garbage chamber of a rocket-barge, and shot back into space. I believe the moral of the story is, "Don't meddle." (And might I add, screw that noise! I'll meddle all I wanna meddle! I'm the goddamn Blockade Boy!)

The Berating Game

Ah, it's Joe Quesada's perception of Spider-Man's marriage! (And scrunch-faced teenage imitation Web = Venom. Am I right, people? ...People? *flop-sweats*)

Y'know, the more "Web" stories I read, the more his super-hero career feels like a belabored metaphor for internet porn. (Which is especially astounding, considering they're from 1966.)

Also: "Scrambo"?! Freakin' Jerry Siegel...

Does This Dress Make My Hippie Look Big?

Beware! Big Hippie is watching you! Yes, it's a Cory Doctorow wet dream, where high-powered executives are continuously monitored by hippies! (And to be honest, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, right now.) If only the comic itself was that revolutionary!

In a typical romance comic, a hippie comes in one of two not-so-groovy flavors. He's either a mixed-up "pretty boy" who shows up in the last two panels with a suit and a shave, in order to sweep his blissfully relieved sweetheart to a life of stifling conformity, OR he's a lout who dares to lightly pet the heroine before marriage and who is summarily sucker-punched by the square who really loves her. In this story from "Girls' Romances #136 (October, 1968), the leading lady is faced with a swing-a-delic "Sophie's Choice" and she finally goes with... the hippie! Sure, it's because he's going back to college and has told her parents he's going to marry her "whether they like it or not" (I'm guessing "not"), but he's also made a name for himself as a rock star, and there's no talk of him getting a haircut or a shave (or taking a bath) so that's something. I guess.

Okay. Enough hippie talk! How about that dress? It's not a good look for her, because it makes her look like a Pringles can with arms. She enjoys crocheting, doesn't she? Maybe a little bit too much! Because it looks like that dress just keeps going, all the way to the floor and beyond, like she's Morticia Addams Barbie. Or a humanoid tea cozy! It's unsettling! It makes her look boneless, like there's nothing under there but undulating white pulp that just sways back and forth, making little bleating noises. Like she's growing out of the floor! She's like some mythical creature, some siren that never moves, but waits for men to fall in love with her, so she can mealy-mouth over which one she loves best, until they finally get bored with her, or die. And still she'll wait, gently swaying. And bleating. *manly shudder* Wow, I creeped myself out with that one!

What Goes "AWP"

"Unexpectedly" is right!

I know that Jerry Siegel gets a lot of guff for his writing (most of it from me) but now that I think about it? The typical Siegel story has jocular, exclamatory dialog; constant, nonsensical plot twists; and a general air of flat, self-consciously theatrical weirdness, like a bunch of second graders staging an Ionesco play. Well, I got news for ya, fanboys: you apparently adore this shit, and its called "Grant Morrison".

That's not the real Web up there, by the way; merely a criminal imitation. Or maybe I should say "delinquent" imitation, since he's supposed to be a teen. Oddly, he's drawn with a squat, wizened face, which means he's either lying about his age, or he's DJ Qualls.

Meanwhile, in an Alien Fertility Clinic...

Maybe Fly Man's "twigorgs" wouldn't be "perma-locked" if he'd only go a size up in his spandex trunks!

(Mind you, I'm gayer than a Hello Kitty ice cream cake, so I personally couldn't give a shit about motility...!)

Full Frontal Prudery

Hey, they were only pointing out that your fly was unzipped, Shield! Sheesh! (So sensitive--!)

You Are Feeling Very Creepy!

...The white-haired man cried out, his velvety baritone roughening into a hoarse bellow. At last, his tautly-muscled body fell forward onto a mound of pillows. He rolled over onto his back, and sighed. His pale eyes roamed hungrily over the lanky, hairy form of his lover. "Truly, you are magnificent," he purred. "It seems an epoch since last I was loved with such tenderness -- or such savagery!" He chuckled, softly.

The other man was quite tall, with unshorn hair that surrounded his head in a shaggy corona. He swept a few stray curls away from his eyes, and grinned. "Think nothing of it, my good fellow," he said, warmly. "Jellybaby?" He plucked a handful of the candies from a nearby dish.

The white-haired man's smile shrank a bit, became unsure. "Mightn't we--? That is, we do have all the time in the world...!"

The tall man leaned over the white-haired man, and playfully rubbed his stomach. "I'm afraid it just can't be done, old boy! Duty calls, and all that." He poked the white-haired man's chest. "Now, you must promise me to be a 'good lad' until we meet again!" Suddenly, he was on his feet, and donning his trousers. He tossed the white-haired man his clothes, without looking at him. "Ah! Don't fret, you silly sausage! I have a gift for you." He strolled over to where the white-haired man was glumly pulling up his socks.

The tall man took the golden medallion from around his neck, and slipped it onto the white-haired man's broad shoulders. "It's a family heirloom," said the tall man, solemnly. "It's special. Just like you, my love. Swear to me -- you must swear it -- that whenever you look at it, you'll think of us."

The white-haired man's ashen face took on a soft pink glow. "Oh! Always!" He pressed the medallion to his lips, and then -- impulsively -- leaned forward and kissed his curly-haired lover.

"Let me help you dress," said the tall man, with a hint of impatience in his voice.

A minute later, the white-haired man was fully-attired, save for his hat. "I shall never forget this night," he said, sadly. "Would that I could be your constant companion! But alas, the currents of Fate draw this traveler to another place, and another time. We shall meet again; of that I am sure. But until then, I must remain... a stranger." He placed his fedora on his head, and vanished.

Wordlessly, the tall man sauntered over to the nearest wall, and removed a large panel. He retrieved another gold medallion from its storage place, and slipped it about his neck.

The Omega Knees

Ah, a typical New Yorker, dressed for the subway.

I have so many questions.

How did he get past the front desk, dressed like that? Does he have a key card? What is the guy watching the security monitors doing right now? Eating a hoagie? And masturbating to this very scene? Why couldn't "To Catch a Predator" be like this? Is that a gun, or a video camera from 1982? And was it really necessary to put his super-logo on his knees? Is that where he expects his clients and victims to focus their eyes? His knees? Does he have big knees, and is he kind of sensitive about it? Like in the middle of a conversation, he'll get all offended, and huff, "I'm up here"?

...And Cinemax is Born!

In the days before "naughty web-cams", people had to work with whatever technology they had on hand.

(Even creepier: Cookie and his girlfriend appear to be ambulatory ventriloquists' dummies.)

The Sneerness of You

See, this is why "Moose" from Archie Comics should never be allowed to dress himself.

...Okay, so the mesh t-shirt was my idea. But then that big dumb dope had to accessorize it with a three-sizes-too-small fedora, a woolen suit coat (Who does he think he is? Sonny Crockett?) and his mom's scarf. GAH.

Meanwhile, the three points of the Universe's Most Boring Love Triangle don't realize that they're sitting in the mouth of a giant parasitic plant, which will soon snap shut and dissolve their stupid, quarreling bodies.

Put Your Cat Clothes On

Back in February, Ryan Eldridge (of Westchester is for Lovers fame) asked me to redesign the costume of one of the X-verse's blandest, most generic mutants (and that's really saying something): Rusty Collins.

I remember reading about Rusty in some of Jeremy's old "X-Factor" comics. My impression of him: a nondescript, red-haired "nice guy" with pyrokinetic powers and a pleasant disposition, and that's about it. He and his equally bland girlfriend, "Skids", were like an even less-exciting version of Justice and Firestar, if you can imagine such a thing.

According to the Font Of All Wisdom (Wikipedia), Rusty later adopted the mucho Image-y moniker of "Firefist." *snicker* He got brainwashed by Stryfe -- y'know, the guy with the helmet that looks like a Cuisinart attachment. And then he aligned himself with Magneto. And then he got killed. Because he's boring.

Well, I don't think Rusty would have ended up as just another dead Marvel mutant (there's roughly a bajillion of them at this point), if his creators (Bob Layton and Jackson Guice) had just bothered to toughen his sorry ass up in the first goddamn place. In other words, they could've made him less like Howie Cunningham and more like Fonzie. [Edited to add: As Captain Nice Guy points out in the comments section, I meant to refer to Richie Cunningham, and not his dad. Still, I'm leaving my goof intact, since Rusty was a mite -- to borrow a phrase from Captain Nice Guy -- "Tom Bosley-esque".]

Which brings me to my styling choices. I knew I wanted to make him more like a runaway "street kid" (minus the prostitution) than the square he actually was. That way, he'd be somebody who could handle himself a little better, score a more interesting girlfriend, and not get stuck hanging out with melon-headed twelve-year-olds (Artie and Leech, I'm talking to you). After considering a "grunge" theme for him, I decided to hew to a musical subculture that was actually around when he debuted in the mid-1980's: rockabilly! After all, Layton and Guice had once "humorously" dressed the Beast in a retro-themed suit and glasses, a la Elvis Costello. Why couldn't they have styled Rusty like Brian Setzer?

Now, this guy has a yen for twanging guitars, curvaceous dames, and "car culture." Maybe Marvel could have gotten Coop to draw a miniseries about him! And I can guarantee he wouldn't be stuck looking after a couple of macrocephalic twerps. Naw, he'd be too busy scoring.

As you can see, the new-and-improved Rusty has a wicked 80's pompadour (it's fluffy!) and muttonchops, plus some kick-ass arm tattoos. The tattoos are designed like the stylized flames found on the sides of hotrods back then. The silhouette of the boots mirrors the pear shape of the flames. And the entire outfit is leather, natch. The studded belt has a nifty "devil's head" buckle, and it hangs low, just like some actual rockabilly musicians used to wear them in the 1980's. Note also the chain, going to his wallet. I've designed a devilish "R" logo for him. And -- since it makes more sense with his powers, and it just sounds tougher -- I bet he'd change his nickname to "Red." A Spirit-style mask completes the look.

There ya go, Ryan! And it only took me about four months! *chuckles nervously, then looks down at floor*