I'm Back and the Blog Will Never Be The Same....

Due to health and family issues I was forced to take a hiatus from writing this blog.

The bad thing?  My inbox filled up with the questions I normally answer while writing the blog.

The good thing?  Reading them all at once gave me an idea of where I should be directing the blog.

So, in an effort to please the most people I am taking the blog in a different direction.  In the past I have written about topics that were up to the minute and relevant.  It turns out that what most people wanted were not me pontificating about these things, instead you wanted more of a history and information on comic books and their characters.  I even had a couple of requests to put something together that could be printed or saved that would make a reference guide of some kind.

One suggestion was to put out a bio on a character or metahuman group each day that could be saved or printed in book form.  Another suggestion was to put together a history of comic books, illustrations, and/or important figures in the comic book arena (such as Stan Lee) that could be saved or printed as a reference book.

I aim to oblige everyone I can.  One thing I need to remind everyone before I get started is that all of the characters and material have some sort of trademark or copyright on them and nothing I print or write can be sold for money.  It's for your personal use only.

So, without any further ado, let's get started.  Today we start with the top of the alphabet with the character that is arguably the strongest in the Marvel Universe:

The Abomination:

Real Name:                Emil Blonsky
Occupation:               Criminal
Base:                           Several locations, including the New York City sewer system
Height:                       6 ft. 8 in.
Weight:                      980 lbs.
Eyes:                          Green
Hair:                          None

First appearance:     Tales to Astonish #90, April 1967

Emil Blonsky was born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.  He trained as, and became, a spy who infiltrated the US Air Force.  Specifically, the base where Bruce Banner was stationed.  (As an aside, it was at this point in Dr. Banner's life where he was attempting to commit suicide.)

Emil broke in to the base and found the equipment being used by Dr. Banner in his gamma radiation experiments.  He then decided, in all of his infinite wisdom, to use the equipment on himself.  I think it was the old, "I'll use it on me and then attach all those who have wronged me" philosophy.  He got it half right becoming the Abomination.

In an effort to take over the world the Abomination wound up fighting the Hulk numerous times with the first fight ending when he was kidnapped by the Stranger.  In a moment of complete lack of thought the crew of the starship Andromeda saved him.  To give his thanks, the Abomination acted as their First Mate until they returned to Earth.

As the Hulk demolished him time and time again the Abomination lost courage and self confidence causing him to make the New York City sewers his new home.  But he would have his own form of vengeance.

As he was envious of the supposed happiness shared by Bruce and his wife Betty Banner (and we all know how happy THEY were) he wanted to bring it to an end.  His solution?  Poison Betty Banner.

In the end, however, everything works it's way out.  If you remember, the Red Hulk would up shooting, and killing, the Abomination with a special gun designed to kill the Hulk.  And who was the Red Hulk?  None other than Betty's dad.

As a dad I would have done the same thing.


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Berserkers - Solo Island, by Darkside Media - A Review

At Rhode Island ComicCon I was fortunate enough to come across the Darkside Media table.  There I picked up a copy of:

Berserkers - Solo Island, First Issue
by Bill Hawk and Daniel Sguiglia

This is yet ANOTHER new release from Darkside Media, a company which I had the pleasure of putting on my radar thanks to the Rhode Island ComicCon last weekend.  Read more about them on their website:

http://www.darksidemedia.us

The creators of this comic also have a kickstarter campaign going for their other title, Lovecraft P.I.  (read my review of this title in a previous post)  If you’re a supporter of comic books, and newcomers to the market,  I can’t think of a better cause:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darksidefilms/lovecraft-pi-a-three-issue-limited-comic-series

Author’s Dislcaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with this comic, or in cahoots with anyone affiliated with this comic, and receive no remuneration for this article.  My only request is if you do meet up with anyone from there, tell them The Comic Whisperer sent you.  It won’t get you anything special, but it will sure make me feel good.

Berserkers - Solo Island is set in the 1950s.  To say this was a decade to remember would be selling it short;  the world was still recovering from WWII (which went from 1939 to 1945), the cold war (which went from 1947 to 1991) was just hitting its stride, Texas Instruments developed the first transistor radio (in 1954), and gas was 18 cents a gallon.

The focal point is Navy Ensign Alex Sands and his assignment; travel to Solo Island, (population 2,401) go to a decommissioned weather station, and “keep an eye on things.”  Certainly sounds innocent enough, right?  As it turns out there is a little more to it.

According to Sands’ C.O. ("Commanding Officer” for those of you not fluent in military acronyms) the island used to have a decent fishing and canning business that went belly-up.  Apparently, it also had an indian tribe that ran bootleg hooch operations there during prohibition (which went from 1919 - 1933 in the U.S.).  That went belly-up as well when the Treasury Dept. found out about it in 1931.

As I don’t want to spoil the book for you, however, let’s just say that...well...people died.  Lots of ‘em.  We’re talking mass grave numbers.

Concurrent to the rollout of the plot the cast of characters are introduced:

Ada Tremayne, Bookkeeper and Town Historian
Mayor Stansfield, he’s...um...the Mayor
Doctor Parke, from Woodham University
and
Jacques Ravel, who works with Doctor Parke

All of whom you can almost picture as characters in the game of ‘Clue’.  You know, Colonel Mustard?  Professor Plumb?  Never mind...

There are several things that make Berserkers - Solo Island a great read.

First, it has the look and feel of the times.  For instance, there is a sign in a military office that reads, “If you wouldn’t tell Stalin, don’t tell anyone.”  which brings to mind the old “Loose Lips Sink Ships” mantra.  The lack of technology sticks out like a sore thumb with the use of whiteboards and phones with cords. There is also the dramatic difference in what things cost back then.  When Ensign Sands needs to take a cab ride he is charged $1 and complains that it “seems a little steep”.   Last, the hairstyles and clothing are perfect for the era.

The second thing is the illustrations and the colors used throughout.  It is a very simple illustrative style that reminds one of the artwork found in the Hellboy/Abe Sapien series.  Very few lines with very big effects.  There is also a very limited color palette.  It’s almost exclusively earth tones giving the story an older look and feel.  So, either the colors were VERY well thought out or...I can’t think of a funny alternative, so let’s stick with the “very well thought out” theory.

The last thing that struck me was how very well planned out the island was in preparation for the story.  There is conceptual art by Bill Hawk in the back of the comic that shows a map of the entire island and where everything is.  The only drawback is that without the lens used in the Hubble Telescope it’s impossible to read the microscopic Key to see what everything is.  Fortunately, Amazon had such a lens on sale, so I bought it.

Berserkers - Solo Island is a suspenseful, extremely well drawn, and thoroughly thought out read.  You’ll find that, although not enough is revealed about any character for you to bond with them yet, there is enough of a taste that you want to learn more.  It’s clear that this isn’t just a story to those at Darkside Media, this is comic book engineering with painstaking detail...not unlike their other title, Lovecraft P.I.

My recommendation?  Buy it, Read it, Bag and Board it.  It has all the qualities of the TV show that everyone wants to see as it airs because everyone will be talking about it the next day.  If it’s not the type of series that pulls out all the stops for the preview, then let’s things slip as time passes, we’re all in for a big treat!

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The 3 Buyer “Types” at Any Given ComicCon

I got alot of feedback on the 3 Vendor “Types” at any given ComicCon so, by request, here are the 3 Buyer “Types” at any given ComicCon.

1.)  The “Bargain Hunter” Type:

This is the person that waits until the last day of ComicCon to make his purchases so that he can get everything he wants at deep discounts.

The Issue:

A vendor really does have it rough.  They buy a booth, show up at ungodly hours to set up, hope they sell enough to make the event worthwhile, and then pack up and drag what’s left home.  So, on the last day many vendors will deeply discount prices so that they can make a little money and not have to pack so much for their trip home.  So, bargain minded fans wait until that moment to buy.

The Bigger Issue:

In order for a vendor to come to a ComicCon it has to be worth their while.  The fact is, like any business they are there to make a profit.  Deeply discounting things may lighten the load on the way home, but it also reduces profits.  In order to maximize their income vendors will skip certain events if they have no history of making money there.  This can hurt the buyer in the long run.

2.)  The “Haggler” Type:

This is the person who feels that the price tags are just for decoration and have absolutely NOTHING to do with what they have to pay.  So, instead of offering to pay full price they start every sentence with “Will you take______ for these?”.

The Issue:

Although I have seen this rise to ridiculous levels, this is how our current system of exchange started many moons ago.  Nothing had a price tag and everything was negotiable.  The fact is, however, we have evolved since then.  We now have a system of currency for the exchange of goods.

The Bigger Issue:

Haggling has caused an issue on both sides of the table.  As much as a buyer will offer a lower price, I hear many vendors, when seeing someone looking at the price tags, say, “I can do better than that.”  There are also those vendors who prepare for negotiation by raising prices so they can “haggle down” to a reasonable price.  The fact remains that people are there to make money and they won’t come back if they don’t.  So, although haggling can be good, it can also cause a landslide effect that is bad for everyone.

3.)  The “Thinker” Type:

This is the person who says that they will “think about it” and never do.  They are either too uncomfortable telling the vendor that they don’t feel good about the deal OR they just forget about it while walking around.

The Issue:

I haven’t seen any studies on it, but I would venture to say that 9 out of 10 people who say they are going to “think about it” don’t actually think about it.  There aren’t enough pages to speculate why a person can't just say, “I think I’ll pass” so I won’t even guess.  Needless to say, the words, “I’ll think about it” translate into “a lost sale” to most vendors.

The Bigger Issue:

It’s only polite to let someone know that you’re not interested or won’t do something.  For instance, how would it be if you took your car to a garage, and asked what it would take to fix your car and how much it would cost, and the mechanic said, “I’ll think about it”.  How about if you proposed and your significant other said, “I’ll think about it”.  You may argue that it isn’t the same because the car being fixed and proposal are more serious matters that require answers.  Hogwash.  The vendor’s livelihood is in what you are looking to buy.  If they offer you a deal they are trying to put food in their mouths without losing their shirts.  It’s a serious matter to them.  If enough people turn a deal down it may even force a vendor to change the price on a book and everyone wins.  They make a sale and the buyer gets a good deal.  Isn’t that worth the occasional, “I think I’ll pass?"

It’s actually funny.  After the first of these two blogs I got feedback that there were Vendor “Types” that I missed.  I also fully expect that there are Buyer “Types” that I missed...alas, those are for another day.

Suffice it to say that for every “I’ll think about it” or “Haggler” or “Bargain Hunter” there are those who will just be thrilled they found what they were looking for and pay the asking price.

I’d still like to see a study on all of this...

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A Public Service Announcement - Some Things Written In Comics Aren’t True

This is a Public Service Announcement from 
The Comic Whisperer.

Through years of reading and experimentation I have found that NOT all the things you read in comic books are true!  This probably comes as a surprise to all of you.  It’s OK, I was shocked as well.

True, there are some things in comic books that have been accepted as universal truths.  You know, the standard stuff:

• Be strong, ethical and true to yourself so you can serve as an example to others
• The good guys tend to win in the end
• Brains can beat brawn
• Work as well on your own as you do on a team
• Mutants and humans will never live together peacefully

They are valuable tidbits of truth to be taken to heart.

But, which of the time honored lessons taught by comic books are falsehoods?  They never make it obvious, so I had to learn for myself.  I did so by attempting some of the things I considered facts and, in some cases, paid a great physical price.

Since I am now fully recovered (and have full use of my hands again) I have compiled a list of things that comics teach that are NOT true (you’re welcome):

• It’s possible to reduce my body fat to 1% and look like a Greek god.
• Putting on a cape will keep me from plummeting 20 stories from a hotel window.
• I can breathe fine in a mask with no holes for the mouth and nose.
• Covering myself in random chemicals will give me super powers.
• Someone dressed as a bat will keep me from getting mugged in New York.
• I can walk into a police station dressed in flashy pajamas and get instant respect.
• Inhaling a gas of unknown content will activate my Inhuman gene.
• Setting myself ablaze gains me instant membership into the Invaders or the Fantastic 4.
• Shooting a bow and arrow in the middle of a crowded city is OK.

And

• I can taunt the police, get arrested, and easily break out of jail.

I sincerely hope that reading this will help you sort out the lies from the truth.  You owe me one.  

This was a public service announcement from 

The Comic Whisperer.

And please don’t write in asking me if any of this is true.  It is.  There’s a hotel chain that won’t let me stay in ANY of its locations anymore and I’m told the 10 people hit by arrows are recovering nicely.  OF COURSE IT’S NOT TRUE.

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I Put the “Needy” in "New Release Wednesday"

If I look at myself honestly, I can say that I’m not a real special guy by any stretch of the imagination.

I don’t put the “fun” in “funeral”

or

the “laughter” in “manslaughter”

or

even the “riot” in “Iron Patriot”

but I DO put the “needy” in “New Release Wednesday”  (OK, it’s a stretch but what can I say?  I’m needy.)

You and I probably have one thing in common, it’s that our week is filled with the following recipe:

           -Wake Up
           -Go to Work
           -Come Home
           -Go to Sleep
           -Repeat 

So, I literally NEED Wednesdays and the new releases that come on that day.

But, as a comic collector/lover/reader how do you maximize your Wednesdays with the local comic book emporium?  Here’s how I do it:

Start by making a list of all the comics you simply must have.  Your list can be as small or as big as your wallet can afford.  My list is big enough that I am trying to work out some way for the comic store to just do payroll deduction so my bill comes straight from my paycheck.  (Just kidding, although the idea has merit.)

Then go to your favorite website that advertises the new releases for the coming week(s).  My personal favorite is www.comiclist.com.  Tell them The Comic Whisperer sent you.  It won’t get you any type of discount or special treatment but it’ll sure make me feel good.

Check the list(s) which are sorted by publisher and see which comics on your list are coming out this week.  Make a shopping list for yourself or a “pull” list for your local comic shoppe.  (As you are probably aware, a “pull” list is a list of comics which you would like the store to set aside for you weekly.  Some stores even offer a discount if you have them pull for you weekly and pay for them weekly.  What they don’t offer is a “pull them weekly, never pay for them” plan.)

If you don’t want every issue offer to send the list of your weekly picks to the local comic store  proprietor and ask them to put the specific comics you wish to purchase aside.

Then, when Wednesday shows its beautiful face, go to the store and pick up your books! (don’t forget to pay for them, many stores frown on stealing)

If you are a collector there is a pretty good chance that if someone even touches your new comics or, God forbid, bends them, you blow a gasket.  That’s why, with my Marvel comics, I just enter the digital comic redemption code and read it on my iPad.  I then do my weekly chuckle at DC for their thought that I will purchase both a physical AND digital version (another of the many dumb decisions by the DC bean counters.)

But I digress...

Last, if you don’t do so already, you can keep track of your collection as it grows.  I highly recommend doing so on a site such as www.comicbookrealm.com if you don’t mind having it just online.  If you want to use an app to keep track, my personal favorite is a comic inventory app put out by CLZ at www.clz.com.  It’s available on the iOS platform, I’m not sure about Android.

One last thing, keep a list of the specific comics you miss, or don’t get that week, so you can shop for them at the next ComicCon!

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Who Is This NEW and REFRESHING Dr. Strange? - A Review of Dr. Strange #1

If there is one character that draws my attention more than most of the others it’s Dr. Strange.

The reasons are numerous, but the primary one is...it’s a story of lessons learned, second chances and redemption.  You thought I was going to say that he is able to cast cool spells, didn’t you?  Well, that factors in as well, I can’t lie.

Dr. Strange, if you’ve read his history, is about a surgeon who is brilliant, but whose conceit and inflated self importance makes him virtually unbearable.  One of his first stories showed him telling a colleague that a case wasn’t worthy of his attention despite the condition of the patient.  As you know, Dr. Strange met with a car accident and it left him unable to use his hands for surgery or almost anything else.  Long story short, he went to a “secret mountain” where he met with an elder sorcerer who, very patiently, taught him the error of his ways.  He eventually was given the mantle, “Sorcerer Supreme” much to the dismay of another long time student who wanted that title.

But, I’m sure you know most, if not all of this, so let’s get to the latest volume of Dr. Strange.

The first thing that struck me is that Dr. Strange speaks directly the reader.  He talks to the reader as if they knew nothing about him.  He relates his story, he talks about the way he loves what he does and why he does it, and he is doing all of this while fighting a group called the “Free Rovers”.  It pulls you in immediately and forms a bond between you and the good doctor.  In a rare twist of Dr. Strange humor he touts himself as the reason the reader isn’t fighting demons right now and he goes on to say, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

The first few pages go on to establish Dr. Strange as a human with human frailties and human emotions.  It takes a gigantic step away from the Dr. Strange you see in the Illuminati, a person who can do no wrong, is steadfast in his opinions, and truly stands above the rest.  In this edition you even get the feeling that you and he are alike and that you could be a Sorcerer Supreme if you wanted to.  I confess, reading Dr. Strange all these years, I wondered how he remembered all the spells and hand gestures.  The new Dr. Strange shows it’s not always easy.

His “humanness” (if that is a word) goes on to become the humane.  When he is not saving us from the Dread Dormammu he is in the neighborhood healing kids and helping people with maladies that would baffle the common doctor.  When one parent offers to give Dr. Strange anything he would ask for saving his child, Dr. Strange replies, “Your neighbor is despondent.  I can feel the heat waves of his aura reverberating through the walls.  He has a birthday coming up, and he dreads the thought of spending it alone.  Bake him a cake and buy him a goldfish and consider your debt paid.”

Wow!  Who is this new and human Dr. Strange?  Interestingly enough the comic continues to get better.

He reveals to the reader how he sees the burdens of each person as he passes them by.  He refers to parasites that the soul attracts calling them 'inter-dimensional bacteria'.  The humor continues as he tries to get rid of one by “Shooing” it away from someone and it winds up eating him.  If you look carefully you can see the man who no longer has the parasite feeling refreshed while Dr. Strange is being eaten by the parasite.

Another thing that becomes evident in the comic is that all of the other sorcerers are being “humanized”.

To relieve stress Dr. Strange goes to a ‘sorcerers only’ coffee shop.  There he meets with Doctor Voodoo (the former Sorcerer Supreme), Shaman and The Scarlet Witch.

What do they discuss?  The stresses of the day,  just like you and I would.

Dr. Strange:   They were spooked.  Running from something.  “The Coming Slaughter” she called it.

Scarlet Witch:  Great.  Another one of those.

It’s such a human, and familiar, conversation I couldn’t help but laugh at how they talked about demons like we talk about paperwork.

There is a twist that seems to set this story up for some incredible storylines.  THIS IS A SPOILER IF YOU DIDN’T READ IT YET.

They talk about how there is a “bill coming due”.  The bill refers to how the universe needs to be in balance.

Monaco, the Prince of Magic:  There’s always a price to what we do.  A cost.  You do it too long without paying it, life will find a way of paying it for you.  You damn well oughta know that, Stephen.  In my day, every time I used a spell to clobber a buncha nazi warlocks and save some poor blonde’s life, I’d go home that night...and drown one of my rabbits.

Doctor Voodoo:  Not the rabbits again.

Monaco, the Prince of Magic:  Better to drown a thousand rabbits than to see some baby in Timbuktu drop dead ‘cause of what I’d done.  A life for a life.  That’s how you keep the cosmic balance.

The variety of storylines that can come from this realization is staggering.  It is also a dictum that I was taught from the time I was a child.  I remember mom saying, “If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you.  If you do good things, good things will happen to you.”  Good ‘ole mom.

The bottom line is that Dr. Strange is going in a new direction.  This is a new and wonderfully human Dr. Strange.  It’s not the Dr. Strange you saw in Secret Wars.  It’s not the Dr. Strange who was faithfully a member of the Illuminati.  Heck, it’s not even the Dr. Strange from the last volume!  He’s now you and me.  He makes mistakes, he has the need to meet with other to decompress, he uses his powers for the common good, and he’s far from perfect.  There is something remarkably refreshing about the ‘new’ Dr. Strange.  Keep it up Jason Aaron, Christopher Bachalo, and Timothy Townsend, this is a winner and I cannot wait for the next issue!

The Comic Whisperer’s Ratings:

Overall Rating:             6 out of 6 Infinity Stones
Recommendation:        BUY and COLLECT

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To Kill Or Not To Kill, That Is The Question

I have to confess, I never grow tired of reading people’s opinions as to whether superheroes should or should not kill.  The biggest one, of course, is the eternal Batman vs. Joker argument.  Should he kill the Joker or shouldn’t he?  When one looks at comics like Injustice: Gods Among Us, did you rejoice that Superman finally did in the Joker or do you cringe that Superman went over the line?

I’d like to look at this issue not as a matter of strictly the Batman and the Joker, but as the overall issue in general.

So why write this now?

I read an article today that pushed me over the edge so I have to weigh in on the issue.  But first?  An image:

There, now that that’s out of the way...

I read an article where an ethics expert argues in favor of Batman killing the Joker.  It was one of the worst written arguments I have seen followed up by an even worse argument against the article. Should you wish to see an overview yourself, it can be found here:

http://scifimafia.com/2012/02/ethics-expert-argues-in-favor-of-batman-killing-the-joker-fails-to-understand-batmans-purpose/

I could go into why there really can’t be “Ethics Experts” in a world of greys or I could pontificate about how the author of this article, Brandon Johnston, is obviously not a comic book reader, but I won’t.  I’m a logical person and I would like to take this argument apart piece by piece.  You see it’s not an argument of whether heroes should or should not kill villains, it’s more than that.

Let me shine the light of logic and add my two cents:

Argument; A hero who kills is no better than a villain.  Heroes shouldn’t kill.

Hmmm, is that so Batman? YOU have an issue with killing a man?  Let’s take a look at your own past.  How about when you hung a mental patient from the Batplane?

Or how about the time you killed KGBeast by locking him a room and letting him starve to death?

Or how about the time you left a bunch of crooks inside a burning room to get some nookie?

As an aside, my favorite part is her quote (sorry it’s so blurry), “He doesn’t stop.  He doesn’t spare a one of them. Not a one.  Before I can even catch my breath they’re a bunch of bleeding burning heaps they are.  And God help me I am thunderstruck in love with the man.  The goddamn Batman.”  What great writing!

My Argument:  Heroes are mostly human and they do kill for reasons they feel are justified.  This is NOT a Joker vs. Batman issue, so stop pretending it is.  Here are some more heroes doing what they feel needs to be done.  You remember all of these moments, don’t you?

Next argument; No one has the right to take a life.

Sure, people will get all high and mighty and say that the villain has no right to take a life, but neither does the hero.  It makes them no better than the villain.  Then let me ask you a question.  Did you weep for the Anti-Monitor?  Did you ask why there wasn’t a funeral procession for Doomsday?  If there aren’t jails strong enough to hold the villain is that cause enough?  You might respond that they always come up with a jail or dimension that can hold a villain.  Not so.

Let’s look at Arkham, shall we?  Talk about a prison that can’t seem to hold a criminal.

If Killer Croc gets out once a week and kills 5 people is that enough to put him to death?  How about 10 a week?  20 a week?  What if it’s only once a week but it’s always one of your family members?  

If that doesn’t convince you can we come up with a term (that may already be a term) Killing by Proxy?  Here’s the logic:

The Joker Kills People When He Escapes The Jail He Is Put In

Batman Jails the Joker When He Catches Him For Killing People

The Joker Always Escapes The Jails He Is Put In

Batman Knows the Joker Always Escapes The Jails He Is Put In

Therefore, Every Person the Joker Kills Is Also Killed By Batman By Proxy

My Argument:  If you know the killer is going to get out regardless of what you do are you not, in fact, partly responsible for those deaths?  Aren’t you already taking a life whether you have the right to or not?  Let’s try this another way.  Let’s call a jail cell a house and a cell door a front door.  Let’s also call locking the cell door locking the front door.  If I lock you in the house knowing full well that you will eventually unlock it and get out aren’t I partly responsible for you being out?  I knew the house wouldn’t hold you but I expected you not to get out.  One could argue that the person being locked in should be responsible for their actions, but if they were responsible I wouldn’t have to lock them in.  In this case Batman is taking a life...by proxy.  What gives him the right?

As for the argument of one death to save a million it seems relatively simple.  Phoenix gave her life to save a universe.  What’s the difference between giving her life to save millions versus taking her life to save millions?  The argument is that no one has a right to take a life.  If you didn’t take one to save millions, didn’t you kill millions by not doing it?  If there is something called a lie by ommission shouldn’t there be a death by absentia?

The next argument is one I can NEVER understand.  Putting a criminal to death is not a deterrent. 

Here is what I found in the way of a definition for deterrent:

Deterrent

- a thing that discourages or is intended to discourage someone from doing something.

Putting a criminal to death would, in fact, deter them from ever doing it again.  The argument that someone won’t kill another person because of a fear of being put to death is an unstable one at best and not an argument for this blog.  But killing a criminal is certainly a deterrent from them ever doing it again.

My Argument:  This is a no-brainer.  If you know the Joker is guilty and will kill again, then killing him would be a deterrent.

THE STUNNING CONCLUSION!  GASP!

It’s the age old argument...without good there is no bad.  Kill off all the bad and there is no need for the good guys.  I have even heard the reason some believe in the devil is that because there is a God there has to be a devil.  A bad to balance the good.  The heroes NEED the villains, it’s the reason they are heroes.  It’s said best in Injustice:  Gods Among Us.

Translated:  You’re angry at me taking away the reason for you to be Batman.

There is even the argument, and I buy into this whole-heartedly, that although a moral compass guides the hero it can’t be the reason that villains do the crimes.  The occasional villain death is what makes all of these stories so human.  Good people fear the bad and the bad need to sometimes fear the good.

In the end, comics allow us to live out fantasies, be heroes ourselves, and allow us to challenge the views of the populace.

Should the Batman kill the Joker?  He can’t, it’s as simple as that.  Batman can’t be a hero without a villain to catch, the Joker isn’t the Joker without a Batman to challenge.  Let’s face it, if every villain was killed off the writers would run out of ideas for new ones.

Keep debating it, everyone, it’s not only fun but it’s healthy.  Our opinions are what make us who we are.

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The World’s Hardest Comic Book Quiz

OK, maybe not the WORLD’s hardest comic book quiz.  I’m sure there’s one that’s more difficult lying around somewhere.  But until you find that one, this one will have to do.

I have been searching the internet for odd comic book facts to put together one of the hardest comic book quizzes possible.  One that, I admit, I’m not sure I could pass.

The idea is to give you some interesting facts to use to baffle your comic reading colleagues.  But I want to baffle YOU first.

Take the quiz and be honest, tell me how you did:

1.)  In Loki’s first appearance in Journey into Mystery #85 he couldn’t use his powers when:

     a.)  He didn’t have his helmet on
     b.)  He didn’t have his scepter
     c.)  When he was soaking wet
     d.)  During the night

2.)  Wonder Woman’s bracelets were made of Amazonium, but in the 70’s TV Series they were named something different.   What was it?

     a.)  Vibranium
     b.)  Feminum
     c.)  Adamantium
     d.)  Indestructinum

3.)  In the Marvel Universe, Loki’s real father is ________, but in Norse Mythology that is actually Loki’s _________ name.

     a.)  Odin, brother’s
     b.)  Laufey, mother’s
     c.)  Zeus, son’s
     d.)  Odin, father’s

4.)  Captain America set aside his original shield for his current discus shaped shield.  Who gave him the discus shaped shield?

     a.)  Tony Stark
     b.)  Tony Stark’s Dad
     c.)  Nick Fury
     d.)  Franklin Delano Roosevelt

5.)  Batman once peed himself and admitted it (yes, it’s true).  He said that there was a large explosion with a sudden impact and he:

     a.)  had a bladder spasm
     b.)  peed himself
     c.)  secreted hydrogen dioxide
     d.)  found he had excessive moisture in his pants

6.)  Who was the first flying hero?

     a.)  Superman
     b.)  Namor the Sub-Mariner
     c.)  Captain Marvel
     d.)  Wonder Woman

7.)  Cyclops, from the X-Men, can light a fire with the beams that come from his eyes.

     a.)  True
     b.)  False

8.)  In The Amazing Spider-Man #3, Doc Ock calls Spider-Man another name, what does he call him?

     a.)  Super Spider
     b.)  Super Man
     c.)  Spider Web
     d.)  The Spider

9.)  In the 2007 crossover “New Avengers Transformers” Iron Man comes up with an interesting way to fight the Transformers.  What does he do?

     a.)  He sprays them with a “Rusting Agent” which rusts them instantly
     b.)  He uses huge magnets to hold them until he can dismantle them
     c.)  He finds their inventor and asks him how to stop them
     d.)  He puts on his “Anti-Transformers” armor

10.)  It’s a fact that “Kryptonite” was introduced on the Superman radio show, not in comic books.  In comic books it was first called “K-Metal” in an unpublished story in 1940, introduced by co-creator Jerry Siegel.  Why was kryptonite introduced into the radio show initially?

     a.)  Because Superman was too strong and he needed something to weaken him
     b.)  It was suggested by the creators of Superman as an alternate to “K-Metal”
     c.)  It was a slip of the tongue by the voice personality and they kept it in
     d.)  It was a plot device that allowed other characters to take the lead so the voice
           personality could take a vacation

11.)  Jamie Madrox, also known as Multiple Man, creates duplicates of himself that can live their own lives.  It’s interesting to note:

     a.)  that Jamie didn’t originally have this power until he died and was brought back
           to life
     b.)  that he got the power after falling into a vat of radioactive liquid that was being
           churned
     c.)  that one duplicate body started a family and became a preacher
     d.)  that Jamie was asked to become part of the X-Men but turned it down

12.)  While the current Green Lantern Corp is weak against the color yellow, the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was weak against:

     a.)  the color yellow also
     b.)  other Green Lanterns so they couldn’t fight
     c.)  against himself, so he couldn’t use his powers to fly
     d.)  wood

13.)  What was Jack Kirby’s real name?

     a.)  Jacob Kurtzberg
     b.)  Jack Kirby
     c.)  Jacob Krigstein
     d.)  Jake Kurgsburg

14.)  Arkham Asylum, the famous institution from the Batman comics, is names after:

     a.)  Arkham Sanitarium in Arkham, MA
     b.)  The actual Arkham Asylum that used to be in New York City
     c.)  It’s not named after anything, it was created by the writers of Batman
     d.)  It was named after Noah’s Ark because it held so many different “animals”

15.)  Which of these statements is false:

     a.)  Before Action Comics #1, Siegel and Schuster published a short story called “Reign
           of the Super-Man" where the Superman was a telepath trying to take over the world.
     b.)  In Age of Apocalypse, Magneto and Rogue are romantically involved.  In this reality,
           Rogue absorbs Polaris’ magnetic powers so that touching Magneto won’t put him into
           a coma
     c.)  Because of the time they spent together the Venom symbiote no longer triggers
           Spider-Man’s spider-sense.
     d.)  Nightcrawler is Mystique’s son, but she was the father thanks to her shapeshifting
           capabilities. Destiny is his mother.

16.)  Which doctor did Squirrel Girl beat-up with the help of her Squirrels?

     a.)  Dr. Doom
     b.)  Dr. Strange
     c.)  Dr. Octopus
     d.)  Dr. Light

17.)  In his first stories, Bruce Banner didn’t turn into the Hulk when enraged.  It was actually triggered by:

     a.)  Being physically threatened
     b.)  Being struck
     c.)  When he concentrated on becoming the Hulk
     d.)  Sundown

18.)  Natalia Romanov a.k.a Natasha Romanov, Black Widow, has kept her young looks due to a variation of the Super Soldier Serum.  How old is she actually?

     a.)  30
     b.)  50
     c.)  70
     d.)  90

19.)  Batman is known for having a huge penny in his bat cave.  How did he get it?

     a.)  It was given to him by Two-Face
     b.)  He got it from “The Penny Plunderer” a villain he fought in the 40’s
     c.)  He had it made for him to remind him that there are two sides to every story
     d.)  It was a novelty made for Wayne Enterprises that was discarded during remodeling

20.)  The original Hulk was gray, but later changed to green due to printing problems.  Why was the original color gray?

     a.)  The original drawings were black and white and the original gray coloring just stuck
     b.)  They wanted him to resemble the color of stone to symbolize strength
     c.)  They wanted a neutral color so as not to suggest a particular ethnic group
     d.)  He was supposed to be green all along, but at the time of the printing deadline they
           didn’t have enough green ink to satisfy the volume of comics to be produced.


I hope you wrote down your answers.  If you didn’t, go back and do it now because the answers are not in this blog, they will be included in the next one with explanations to go with each.

If you stuck to the initial instructions and didn’t look any of these up, give yourself a pat on the back. You are a person of honor and valor.  If you did look them up, then you really need to brush up on your “instruction following skills”.

Look for the answers tomorrow at 5 p.m. EST!

Old School Collecting

I am fortunate enough to live near a bagel shop that is owned by a gentleman and his wife that sells comic book art along with their deli/bagel items.   The funny thing is that he tells me his shop has been there for 12 years and I never saw it because it was on a road I don’t normally take.  Having lived here for more than 15 years I may have missed out on some good items.  The good thing is that I now know it’s there.

The gentleman is easily recognized when you walk through the door.  Not because he is the only gentleman behind the counter but because underneath the hat he wears is a crop of bright green hair.   Hair that can easily be confused with the hair of the comic book villain, the Joker.  I would put a picture of this gentleman, but I haven’t gotten his permission to do so and I don’t feel comfortable doing it.  Take my word for it, though, he looks like the Joker would if he worked at a bagel shop.

I commented on his hair and he handed me his card.  He is famous for going to ComicCons and dressing as the Joker.  It’s no secret that I live in CT and he calls himself CT Joker.  My son, knowing that there is a person who dresses as the Joker at local ComicCons, and is known for his high pitched Joker-like laugh, asked him if he was, in fact, him.  He responded by laughing this high pitched shrill laugh that could easily be that of the Joker himself.  It was him.

What a rare find, a bagel shop owned by someone who may be the Joker come to life, and it was miles from my front door.  The comic art for sale was an incredible find as well.  It will soon find it’s way onto the walls of my office.

Needless to say we all got talking comics, collecting, and the value of individual comics we have.  The topic eventually came around to old school notions about collecting and grading comic books.  I had to get in a plug for my business, so I started digging into his thoughts after collecting for 35 years himself:

“I’m The Comic Whisperer and I have a local business that is known for buying, selling and comic book grading.”

“Wow, that’s cool.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an independent appraiser outside of CGC doing grading on comics I see on eBay.”

“No, you won’t.  I do more of private stock for old school collectors.  I’ve been grading comics for over 40 years.  I was grading before the appraisers at CGC were even born.  I’m not criticizing them, it’s just a fact.”

“Yea, I wanted to get a comic book graded but I didn’t feel comfortable sending a valuable comic of mine through the mail not knowing who got it and how it was handled.”

“I know what you mean.  Many people feel like that and that is where my business comes in.”

I went into a gratuitous advertisement for my business that you really don’t want to read, so I’ll skip ahead.  He continued:

“I’m more old school when it comes to collecting.”

“Yep, me too.”

So, what does old school mean?  For those of you that are in your 20’s or 30’s you won’t know exactly what he is referring to, but I do (I’m way out of my 20’s and 30’s).  Old school means that you treat every comic book with care, don’t let anyone else handle them without you watching like a hawk, and you still like to read your collection.  This means you don’t get your comics sealed in a shell, you still read your comic books, you don’t send them away for a stranger to handle, and you certainly don’t sell them unless you are forced to at gunpoint.  In other words, you treat your comics with tender loving care, like your kids.  Your don’t lock your kids in a shell, you still like to talk to your kids, you don’t let strangers babysit your kids, and you would’t give them up for anything in the world.  THAT is old school.

I have to say it’s nice being old and watching how comic book collecting has evolved over the years.  I don’t always like the way the trends are going, that comics are treated like museum pieces not to be touched or read and they are sold at the drop of a hat for a profit.  But things change and that’s good, I like change.  My way isn’t always the right way and without change I’d still be riding a horse to a client’s house.

The very next day we were back at the flea market looking for good deals on comics and something hit me.  It hit me when we got to a stand that was selling an old dental hygienist chair that dates back to the 70’s (still younger than me...sigh).  There was a crowd around it of people talking about what a great find it was.  I talked to an older gentleman next to me (yes, older than me) and said:

“It looks like what was out is now coming back in.”

He nodded his head and smiled and said:

“So true, I wish that I had kept all my stuff instead of getting rid of it.  I could sell it for a fortune today.  It’s all coming full circle.”

I couldn't agree more.  All of these new fangled ideas of locking comics away never to be read again or buying them just to flip them for a buck (my apologies to those who have comic book businesses or stores, you are the exception and the reason for me living) will come to pass and the old school will come back again.  It all does come full circle.

I’ll be ready when it does and please remember who I am.  I am The Comic Whisperer.  I can be reached at any time of the day or night and comics are my life.  Please follow me at:

Facebook:         The Comic Whisperer
Twitter:             @Comic_Whisperer
Instagram:         The Comic Whisperer

I also have a charity in which I collect donations and old comic books to donate to children who are just learning to read.  You can donate at:

www.gofundme.com/comicshelpkidsread

I look forward to working with anyone who want their comics treated like they’re my own.