SATURDAY, FEB. 24, 4:16 PM
There I was in Room 1E12/13 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, waiting for the next panel at the New York Comic-Con to start: “NYCC’s Behind the Panels: The 60s Marvel Bullpen.” The panel was supposed to have begun at 4 PM, but for fifteen minutes I’ve been watching people milling about on the right side of the hall.
Finally, at 4:16 PM Stan Lee himself, Marvel’s editor in chief and head writer in the 1960s, took charge and commanded that the panel begin.
Moderator Adam McGovern of TwoMorrows Publishing introduced what he called a “very distinguished panel” comprised of members of the Marvel “Bullpen” of the 1960s, “a critical mass that changed comics history.”
First McGovern introduced Marvel senior editor Ralph Macchio, whom he called a “link from the first Marvel Age to the present.” Well, that was actually a bit of a stretch. Ralph started at Marvel in 1976, when Stan Lee was still based in the New York offices, but in the role of publisher, having ceded the post of editor in chief back in 1972. So Ralph wasn’t part of Marvel’s Silver Age revolution of the 1960s; during that decade he was a fan reading Marvel comics just like other Boomers who later became comics pros. He was one of the first Boomers to join Marvel editorial, and now he’s virtually their Last Boomer standing.
Next McGovern introduced the great inker of Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four art, Joe Sinnott. Stan pointed to Sinnott, and the audience applauded. Then McGovern presented Gene Colan, the Silver Age artist of Daredevil, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and more, sitting down at the end of the table, and there was tumultuous applause. McGovern praised Colan as “the painterly genius” and “master of moods.” McGovern then turned to Stan’s secretary in the Sixties, “Fabulous” Flo Steinberg, who endures at Marvel as a part-time proofreader. Stan, sitting between Flo and Joe, pointed to her and applause burst forth once more.
Finally, McGovern said, there was “a man who needs no introduction.”
“They always say that!” exclaimed Stan the Showman, enacting his comedic public persona. “For once just give me an introduction!”
After complying with Mr. Lee’s request, McGovern attempted to open a discussion about working at Marvel in the 1960s, and noted that Colan had come to the company “from other places.”
“Makes you sound very mysterious, Gene,” commented Lee. “‘Came from other places,'” Stan repeated ominously.
But Colan’s ability to respond was handicapped by his lack of a microphone down at his end of the long table. Ever practical, Stan solved the dilemma by giving Ms. Steinberg’s microphone to Colan. “You have nothing to say anyway,” Stan assured Flo. Then Mr. Lee advised the audience to pay attention to Colan: “When this guy talks, the world listens.”
Colan explained to the audience that he thought comics would be a “great place to be,” and that he was “very influenced by film” in drawing comics. “I don’t know where I’d be if not for Stan,” Colan said.
“Probably rich and famous,” speculated Mr. Lee.
Stan wasn’t being serious, but Colan was. “Other people couldn’t see what I could do,” Colan continued. “Stan could,” he told us, and “gave me my break.” The audience was very still, intently listening to Colan’s quiet voice.
“See,” Stan commented, “the big thing is, we got “˜im because he worked cheap.”
Taking this in stride, Colan told us, “Stan always reminded me of Jack Lemmon.”
“He always compares me to dead people!” Stan exclaimed in mock protest.
“I told him that when he”–meaning Lemmon–“was alive,” Colan informed the audience, explaining that Stan had the same “energy” that one sees in Lemmon’s performances.
As if waving Colan’s compliments aside, Lee declared, “Joe Sinnott’s dying here,” thinking that “they’ll never get to me.” But then Lee went on to extol the cinematic aspect of Colan’s artwork. “Every strip he drew was a storyboard,” Lee said, meaning that it looked like a shot-by-shot breakdown for a film. “He viewed all of his artwork as if it was a movie.”
But Stan did not stay serious for long. “Joe Sinnott, on the other hand,” he continued, is “a man of little talent and great charm.” Lest anyone take that at face value, Lee quickly added that Sinnott was a “great inker” and “also a great penciler,” but, shifting back into facetiousness, “we didn’t tell anyone because Kirby would get jealous.”
Sinnott also made his gratitude to Lee plain, telling the audience “I’ve been working for Stan for fifty-three years.” (It would be more precise to say that Sinnott has worked for Marvel all those years, but Stan Lee was either editor or publisher for most of that time.) Sinnott told us that he once worked in the cement industry and “if not for Stan, I’d still be there.”
Once again, Lee resorted to what seems to be one of his favorite lines: “What they don’t realize is these people worked cheap.”
“Don’t believe that,” Sinnott instructed the audience. Then Sinnott began, “You could almost expect when Stan was going to give you a raise. . . .”
Before Sinnott could expose him as a generous man, Stan hurriedly changed the subject and turned to Ralph. “We’ve got a Johnny-come-lately” on the panel, Stan said, claiming that Ralph was just “out of his teens” and yet had ended up “on an old-timers’ panel.”
Ralph told Stan he had actually started at Marvel in the 1970s, taking Mr. Lee somewhat aback. Then Ralph started reminiscing about the days when Lee was still based in Marvel’s New York offices, and took obvious pleasure in recounting a time when he heard Lee sharply criticizing a certain Marvel writer/editor of that time.
“This is great for me,” Stan said happily, “because I have no memory!” He told us “I’m learning” things about his own past just by being there.
Then Ralph too voiced his gratitude to Stan, recalling how Lee “would call me into the office, and since I was the new kid. . . He would sit down on the couch with me like there was no one else in the world and for twenty minutes he’d show me” how to do “word balloon placement.” Macchio summed up, “There was energy there working with Stan that you couldn’t deny.”
“He was the only guy who would listen,” explained Stan. “He was the new kid.”
Then Mr. Lee turned to Ms. Steinberg. “It’s Flo’s turn. I have no idea what she’s doing here.” Then, referring to times past, he added, “I don’t know what you were doing there.”
Flo, however, can see right through Stan’s act. “Working at Marvel was SUPER,” she told the audience, audibly putting the word in capital letters. As for Stan, she assured us, “He was a joker, too.”
“She means the villain,” noted Stan.
As for the differences between Marvel Then and Marvel Now, Flo wisely observed that in the 1960s Marvel “wasn’t the corporate place it is now,” and that it “had a greater sense d’estime,” slipping into French.
“She was Fabulous Flo,” Lee said. “What were you, Ralph?”
“Reliable Ralph,” Macchio responded.
“We could’ve gotten you something better than that,” Stan responded.
Turning back to the subject of Flo, Lee told us that “we thought at first Flo was putting on an act.” He recalled that once she was all upset, and it turned out that it was because the office had run out of staples. “You can’t find anyone like that! She cared!”
Joe Sinnott added that it was a pleasure dealing with Flo over the phone: she “had the sweetest voice when she called.”
“You were never mean,” Lee told Flo onstage, setting her up for another gag. “You were wrong often, but never mean.”
On the other hand, Stan claimed “I was scared of Gene.” More precisely, “If I wanted to make a correction, I was scared to criticize Gene, because he took it so seriously:Â ‘Do you mean a hand has to have five fingers?'”
Commenting on the way the panelists were interacting, moderator McGovern remarked, “It was a family then and a family today.”
Shortly afterwards, Flo mentioned “little MMMS,” the company’s in-house fan club in the 1960s, the Merry Marvel Marching Society.
“Small MMMS!?” retorted Stan, as if insulted. Referring to the club’s theme music, he maintained, “It was a great song.”
“Every morning before work we’d sing,” Flo told the audience, being something of a joker herself.
“You think we forgot?” asked Stan, who then, as he had on his panel the previous day, launched into singing the Merry Marvel Marching Society anthem. The audience clapped along, merrily and marvelously. Then, when Stan finished, he apologized, “Excuse me, I should have stood up when I sung it.”
Then Lee was asked about the time that the great Italian film director Federico Fellini (8 1/2, La Dolce Vita) dropped by the Marvel offices in the 1960s. According to Stan, his receptionist told him, “Stan, there’s a Fred Felony to see you.”
“Nobody ever visited me,” Lee told us. “I’d see anybody.”
When Lee saw Fellini, “All of a sudden I recognized him.” Fellini wasn’t alone: “he had four other associates with him,” Stan said. Moreover, “They were in descending order of height,” with Fellini, in the lead, as the “tallest.” Stan continued, “And they were all in black raincoats.” Fellini had his over his shoulder. Though Lee did not say so, this was clearly a Felliniesque sight. “I have no idea what he wanted. He had a thick accent,” explained Lee. “But apparently he was a fan. I wanted to talk about him, but there was no way I could communicate with him!”
The moderator asked Lee, “Didn’t you work with famous film directors?’
“Oh, yes,” joked Lee. “They wouldn’t make a movie without me.”
Actually, Lee did work with one famous foreign filmmaker back then: Alain Resnais, a member of the French New Wave, and the director of Hiroshima, Mon Amour (1959) and Last Year at Marienbad (1961). If you’ve seen either film you will find it hard to believe that Lee and Resnais have much in common aesthetically. But, as Lee told us, “Alain Resnais wanted me to write his first English language movie.” Moreover, “He said he had read Spider-Man for years.” Lee explained, “I wasn’t going to say no. It was very flattering.”
So Stan, who was then inexperienced in movies, wrote a screenplay, and, he told us, “it wasn’t very good”: “it was 120 pages filled with dialogue.” Still, a producer was interested, but wanted the dialogue pruned down. Stan said he would have been willing to do it, but “My idiot friend Alain said, “˜Stan will not cut a word of it.'”
And so Lee and Resnais never sold the project. “If that nut had let me cut it, I might be someone famous!” lamented Lee.
Then the moderator inquired how the comics business had changed since the old days. “The most gratifying thing,” Ralph Macchio responded, “is to see it [Marvel] penetrate popular culture.” He explained, “The things we enjoyed when we were kids are now billion-dollar franchises, and that’s due to Stan.”
As he had done at his Friday panel, Lee again shared credit with the artists he worked with. “Believe me, Marvel is not a one-man show.” Then he added, “Oh, maybe I was the greatest.”
In that sweet voice Joe Sinnott had so commended, Flo Steinberg quietly observed, “Stan was always very modest.”
Then Lee praised two of those 1960s artists who were right there with him, Colan and Sinnott. “They have style,” Lee said. “That’s not easy to achieve. You may not like it when you see it, but you recognize it.”
Lee continued, “Flo, on the other hand, doesn’t write, doesn’t draw. What is it you’re doing here?” But soon thereafter, with a touch of hyperbole, Stan acknowledged Flo’s secretarial prowess: “She practically ran the company!”
Flo, who is indeed a modest, self-deprecating person, said she felt “humble.”
“A quality I will never understand,” commented Stan.
Called upon to reminisce, Flo said she would “try to think of a funny story.”
“You’ve never thought of one all these years,” Stan replied. “Why start now?”
So Ralph told a story that demonstrated what Flo meant to comics fans in the 1960s. He recalled that as a kid he was puzzled over Thor’s inability to smash a goblet with his hammer in a Tales of Asgard story. “I was determined to find the answer. So I called up Marvel and talked to Flo, who told me that in Asgard, everything was enchanted,” so that’s why Thor’s enchanted hammer couldn’t smash the enchanted goblet. “I was totally satisfied,” declared Ralph, who was easily pleased back then.
Having listened to all this, Stan the Man pronounced his judgment: “Ralph is obviously a survivor. The thing is, nobody knows what he does.” On these two points, Stan Lee, Marvel’s All-Knowing All-Father, is absolutely correct.
On numerous occasions other comics pros have asked me about just these subjects. What does Ralph do? I have no idea. Why is Ralph still at Marvel? Beats the heck out of me. And yet he survives and prospers, invulnerable to all the upheavals and downsizings that claimed so many of his contemporaries. It’s like the way that Inspector Clouseau escapes all those assassination attempts through seeming strokes of sheer luck. Maybe it’s because he and Stan share the same birthday.
Years ago Ralph used to be nicknamed “K. D.” for “Kiss of Death,” inasmuch as during his long, seemingly interminable apprenticeship as an assistant editor, every one of the editors he worked for got canned. Then Ralph finally got promoted to editor, and since then, virtually everyone of his generation at Marvel got canned. It’s as if he’s safe at the eye of the hurricane, which wipes out everyone around him. It reminds me of I, Claudius. (I don’t have time or space to explain the reference to those of you whose idea of serious literature extends no further than The Dark Tower; look it up.) All we have to do to end the war on terror is to get Ralph a job with Osama bin Laden, maybe as editor of Ultimate Jihad. Within a few years, Ralph would be the only person left in Al Qaeda.
Inspired by Ralph’s anecdote about Thor’s hammer, Stan commenced a brief lecture. “People don’t realize how scientific Marvel is,” he began.
“Superman has no visible means of propulsion,” Stan pointed out. “Even a bird flaps his wings.” So how does Superman manage to fly?
In contrast, Stan continued, at Marvel “we want to be scientifically accurate.” He wanted Thor to be able to fly, so “We gave him the enchanted hammer Mjolnir,” Stan said, pronouncing the name carefully.
Stan instructed us to observe how “authentic and scientific” Marvel was in explaining how Thor could fly. Thor’s hammer, he pointed out, has a strap that fits around the thunder god’s wrist. So “Thor whips the hammer” around above his head, building up momentum, and then hurls it into the air. And because the strap is attached to Thor’s wrist, the hammer pulls Thor up into the air as well.
“Nobody can say that isn’t scientifically sound,” proclaimed Mr. Lee. And then, quietly, he added, “That’s just a small example of the difference between DC and Marvel.”
This was Stan the Showman with the audience in the palm of his hand. Of course Stan’ explanation of how Thor can actually fly is utter nonsense. We know it, but Stan also knows it, he knows we know it, and we know he knows we know it! As he said on Friday, part of Marvel’s appeal was that it was like an inside joke that we all shared. And Stan’s explanation, scientifically unsound though it may be, still has more surface credibility than Superman just going “Up, up and away!”
And Stan basically won the war with DC Comics decades ago, and DC adopted the innovations Stan had pioneered at Marvel. But the good-humored pleasure that Stan takes in poking fun at DC the way he used to back in the Sixties is infectious, and the audience just ate it up.
When the moderator asked for questions from the audience, the first questioner surely spoke for everyone there. Referring to another groundbreaking team of the 1960s, he said, “We’re not going to get a chance to meet the Beatles”–not all of them, anyway–“or thank them.” So then he thanked the people on stage for their contributions to comics.
There was a little boy in the question line who asked that classic fan question, “Who’s stronger–Thor or the Hulk?” I suspect this lad had been prompted by an adult Marvel fan.
Stan turned the question over to Gene Colan, “and he’s not going to give you a hastily considered answer.”
Colan responded rather philosophically, “Whoever thinks he’s stronger is stronger.”
Impressed, Stan commented, “You know, Sophocles couldn’t have given a better answer.” I think Stan meant Socrates, but at least here’s proof that Frank Miller isn’t the only comics pro who knows classic Greek literature. (Oh, all right, there’s Roy Thomas and Eric Shanower, too.)
Nonetheless, Stan delivered his own judgment in favor of Thor, because “Thor’s a god.”
Then the small boy asked if he could have Stan autograph his T-shirt. The Man assented, and the boy went up on stage. “And he’ll remember this moment for at least another hour,” Stan noted.
Signing away, Stan worried aloud that “I’ll ruin your short, your mother’s going to kill me, and I’ll give you my lawyer’s address.” There you have it: the Master had turned the signing of a T-shirt into a three-act drama, with suspense, symbolic death and rebirth, and a happy ending.
The tyke’s less than fifteen minutes of stardom completed, Stan sent the lad on his way, bidding him, “Don’t let the fame go to your head!”
And the panel turned to another question, about how to “revitalize characters.”
Stan passed the buck to Joe Sinnott: “Joe is so desperate to answer that question.”
“I wasn’t even listening,” replied Sinnott.
“That’s what he used to say when I gave him instructions,” commented Stan. And so the Bullpen panel memorably went.
SATURDAY, FEB. 23, 5:30 PM
Originally I was supposed to do a signing for Marvel Encyclopedia and X-Men: The Ultimate Guide at the DK Publishing booth at mid-afternoon on Saturday, and moderate a Golden and Silver Age panel at 5 PM. Then, on Friday, I was asked to moderate the “80s Superhero Renaissance” panel at 2 PM instead. So, with the blessings of the good people at DK, I rearranged my schedule. And if you’ve been reading my con reports you know that I ended up being the only panel member on stage for a half hour because the organizers forgot to tell the other panelists to show up!
So now I was doing my DK signing at an off-peak time, from 5:30 to 7 PM Saturday evening, when presumably people are heading out to dinner. Not only that, but the convention had assigned DK a space towards the back of the hall, away from the main routes of customer traffic. Still, I was kept busy enough when I started this signing session.
I’ve found I quite enjoy doing signings: not only do I get to feel like a minor celebrity for a little while, but it’s also relaxing in comparison to moderating panels, reporting or them, or just trying to get through a crowded convention floor.
I also enjoy the company at the DK booths, which, apart from a gent or two, are invariably entirely staffed by friendly, charming and attractive ladies. It’s sort of like John Byrne’s LexCorp in his Superman books, but benign.
When you’re sitting at a booth, the rest of the convention tends to pass by before you. So, for example, former Marvelites Glenn Herdling (see “Comics in Context” #150) and Steve Geiger stopped by, and we got to chat about that perennial topic, Marvel Then and Marvel Now.
Despite the wintry temperatures outdoors, the convention floor had been so crowded all afternoon that it was getting downright hot. This, however, was a perfect temperature for Princess Leia, who walked past wearing her slave girl costume from Return of the Jedi, brightening my day. Soon afterwards a spectacular Dark Phoenix wandered past in the opposite direction. It’s as if I was seated at the crossroads of the multiverse.
Speaking of the Princess, you may recall that last summer at the DK booth in San Diego, I discovered that I was sitting right behind Carrie Fisher, who was in the next booth. This time in New York when I turned around, it was animator Bill Plympton who was sitting in the booth behind me.
When my allotted time at the DK booth ended at 7 PM, I stopped by Artist’s Aerie (so dubbed by the Beat due to its lofty location) once more, but not getting enough sleep the last few nights was catching up with me, so I decided against trying to enlist any dinner companions. After all, I had one more day of the convention to go.
SUNDAY, FEB. 25, 11 AM
And there I was, back at the DK booth on Sunday morning for another scheduled signing. It was another off-peak time, and the convention floor was relatively and rewardingly uncrowded. Nonetheless I signed and sold the last remaining copy of Marvel Encyclopedia at the DK booth during this morning session. I also got to see a resplendently costumed Darth Vader stride menacingly by: it’s a good thing he showed up on a different day than Princess Leia.
By the way, when I’m signing books I try to make sure that the ink has sufficiently dried before I close the book. I wouldn’t want the recipient to get the book home and discover the signature has smudged.
SUNDAY FEB. 25, 12 PM
Ascending the escalator on my way up to Artists’ Aerie, I look around myself at the interior architecture of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Just being in the San Diego Convention Center lifts my spirits: it is a marvel of postmodern architecture, designed by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson to evoke the ships in the nearby harbor, with the building’s triangular fiberglass “sails,” and enormous circular windows resembling portholes. Even on the main convention floor, despite the lack of windows, the hall somehow seems open and bright. In sharp contrast, the Javits Center’s network of crisscrossing steel beams seems to me grim, dark, unlovely and oppressive.
Last year the New York Comic-Con took place during the controversy over the Danish cartoonists who had drawn cartoons about the prophet Muhammed. A vocal supporter of the embattled Danish cartoonists, writer and artist Colleen Doran, who was attending the Con, offered to give one of her sketches to anyone who brought her something having to do with Denmark, and to donate a dollar per person to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. So I brought her a Danish pastry (see “Comics in Context” #123). This year when I stopped by her table in Artists’ Aerie, she offered me some delicious Danish cookies. I had the feeling of a circle being completed.
I also went over to say hello to artist Amanda Conner and Claypool Comics editor Richard Howell. Amanda drew all the covers for the Claypool series Soulsearchers and Company (see “Comics in Context” #38), but she and Richard had not seen each other for many years, corresponding instead by telephone. But now, just before the final issue of Soulsearchers was to come out, Amanda and Richard found themselves sitting alongside each other in Artist’s Aerie. I picked up a copy of Amanda Conner’s Book of $#!* You May Have Never Seen! #1, a showcase of the wit, sexiness, and visual charm of Amanda’s art.
She also inscribed something on the cover of the copy she gave me, but once I had transported it home in an enormous Dark Horse bag I had found, it had smudged so much as to be indecipherable. Damn! I fell into the very trap I usually try to avoid!
Towards 2 PM I ventured back to the lower level with the meeting rooms to attend my final panel of the convention, a tribute to the recently deceased comics artist Dave Cockrum.
Exactly a month after the convention weekend, another major comics artist who first made his mark in the 1970s, Marshall Rogers, passed away on Saturday, March 24.
If I were asked to select my favorite run of issues from the entire comic book history of Batman, it would be the six issues of Detective Comics, #471-476, from 1977 and 1978, written by Steve Englehart, drawn by Rogers, and inked by Terry Austin (see “Comics in Context” #84). Although they were recognized as instant classics by discerning comics aficionados of the time, it was not until nearly thirty years later that DC Comics commissioned Englehart, Rogers and Austin to create a sequel. I hoped that their new stories would live up to the high standards set by their original run on Detective, but was that hoping too much? No: the 2005 Batman: Dark Detective miniseries was another triumph (see “Comics in Context” #84, 87-88, 90, 93, 104). Englehart and Rogers already had a further sequel in mind, and I was enthusiastically looking forward to it. And now it won’t happen.
With the mainstream media’s new, more welcoming attitude towards comics as an artform, obituaries for Rogers have been appearing in numerous newspapers, including the March 29 New York Times. I am becoming annoyed by the fact that there have been so many important figures in American comic book history–not just Cockrum and Rogers, but even Jack Kirby, Gil Kane and Alex Toth–of whom the Times took no notice until after they were dead. The Times, the “newspaper of record,” has a great deal to catch up on in covering the comics artform and its history.
I did not know Marshall Rogers well, but I spoke with him in person or by telephone several times over the decades, including conducting an interview with him, Englehart and Austin at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art two years ago. Marshall was always friendly, and always a pleasure to speak to.
It has often been said that Marshall’s Joker was something of a self-portrait, but in person Marshall’s smile was always warm and benevolent.
You should all read Fred Hembeck’s affecting tribute to Marshall in the March 27 entry on his blog, and listen to Englehart, Austin, writer Roger Stern and inker Joe Rubinstein reminisce about Rogers on the March 28 “Comic Zone” Internet radio show. Then write to Marvel Comics to ask them to collect the Roger Stern/Marshall Rogers run on Doctor Strange, long overdue for reprinting, into a new trade paperback.
It is sad when any person dies at a relatively young age. But when a creative artist dies, all of the potential work that he or she could have created perishes as well. I will return to this subject next week, when I wind up my convention coverage with my report on “Dave Cockrum Remembered.”
ADVERTISEMENTS FOR MYSELF
I shouldn’t do a column about Stan Lee’s appearance at the New York Comic-Con without again recommending that you all go see the survey of his career which I co-curated, “Stan Lee: A Retrospective,” now running at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in Manhattan’s SoHo.
As I’ve mentioned in the past (see “Comics in Context” #58), comics–and even the graphic novel–were invented not in America but by a Swiss scholar, artist and satirist named Rodolphe Topffer in the early 18th century. You can read my article about the first English language compilation of his work, Rodolphe Topffer: The Complete Comic Strips, in the latest edition of Publishers Weekly‘s online newsletter Comics Week.
–Copyright 2007 Peter Sanderson
STIPP: When did this all happen?
But I took a lot away from it all even though I was simply enjoying myself at the time, just trying to be an annoying little kid.
If my song doesn’t sound good with me and an acoustic guitar in my hand or me and a piano or just me singing a capella”¦if it doesn’t have any meaning or significance when I do any of those then I don’t believe there’s any grounds for me to put it on an album. That’s why I’m so excited about the album because all those songs mean something to me and they say something. They all can be played acoustically.
CANNATA: Absolutely. And that’s what I want to come out of my music; I want to be as specific enough and say exactly how I feel but yet when people listen to it I hope they can say something like, “Yeah. I’ve been there.” Something that can capture the audience like that as they listen.
CANNATA: Here’s the brilliant part about that”¦my father has a recording studio here in Glen Cove, Long Island and it was basically that when my dad was on the road with Billy my mom wouldn’t let my dad spend his money on fancy cars or boats or anything. So, she said, “Buy something that will give back”¦something that you can do and love it for the rest of your life.” So, they put a studio together and since I’m an only child I am totally indebted to my parents for that. Being that it was here, my dad produced my album and it was a lovely thing where all the comments that were made were in my best interest. It was like “How do you feel?”, “What do think you should do?”, “What do you think sounds good with this?” That’s why it worked out real well.
CANNATA: A lot of musicians want it so bad that they’re willing to compromise integrity for it”¦which is tough. If I didn’t have this position I might be compromising my integrity too. I want it that bad as well. It’s a dirty game but you’ve got to play by the rules and break some rules at the same time.
STIPP: Going back to the recording of the album, I’m curious, did there ever come a time when you felt like you were overproducing a song? You can hear it in how some artists just add layer after layer”¦
STIPP: Your sound seems reminiscent, like I’ve stated, of the college rock that seemed to be so prevalent in the early 90’s; minimal production, thick sound. Has anyone else commented on what this music appears indicative of to them?
I can think of no better way to spend this weekend than kicking back and making my way through a few dozen listens of the new Warren Zevon remasters. Not only have we got a pristine edition of his legendary album Excitable Boy (Rhino, $18.98 SRP) – featuring “Werewolves of London”, “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner”, “Lawyers, Guns And Money”, and the still-shocking title track – but we’ve got a pair of previously unreleased on CD gems, The Envoy and the live Stand In The Fire ($11.98 SRP each). All 3 discs features a nice selection of bonus tracks, but the real delight are the albums themselves. Viva la Zevon!
With the DVD release of Batman and Superman’s animated adventures already wrapped, it’s with a measure of sadness that the release of the third seasons of Justice League Unlimited & Batman Beyond (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP each) mark the official end of the Bruce Timm version of the DC Universe (those new direct-to-videos don’t count, as they’re heavily influenced by the talentless bastard currently running Warner Animation… but I digress). Both of these 2-disc sets features creator interviews, featurettes, and more (but surpassingly no audio commentaries).
You might think that you’ll be drown in saccharine smarm watching a flick about a black sheep penguin who’s unable to sing a note in tune in an Antarctic penguin society that relies upon song (popular tunes, no less!) for their courting rituals. As if that didn’t make him enough of an outcast, young Mumble (Elijah Wood) does have a talent – for dance. Eventually kicked out of his Emperor penguin society, he sets out to find his place in the world, accompanied by a ragtag, fun-loving group of Adelie penguins (most of which are voiced by Robin Williams). But here’s the shock, for those of you thinking Happy Feet (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) would give you insulin shock – it’s actually a fun, enjoyable flick. Imagine that? Bonus features include a pair of new animated sequences, music videos, a private dance lesson with Savion Glover, and the classic Warner/Tex Avery cartoon “I Love To Singa.”
Our documentary corner this week features two different looks at childhood. The first is Stagedoor (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), about the children who attend the Stagedoor Manor theater camp deep in the Catskills, leaving their regular humdrum lives behind and letting their inner diva out for a romp, some of whom hope to follow in the footsteps of famous camp alums like Natalie Portman and Zach Braff. The other doc is Following Sean (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which follows up with a 4-year-old flower child who literally spent his late-60’s childhood running barefoot in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. Now in his 30’s, it an interesting perspective on the legacy of the 60’s generation.
Long before it became fashionable, Victor Meldrew was forced into an early retirement. Unfortunately, his transition into a life of leisure is stymied by the maddening, frustrating world around him, which – with its hypocrisies, lack of logic, ignorance, and indifference – never ceases to get on his nerves. One Foot In The Grave (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98/$29.98 SRP) is one of those modern classics of British Comedy, and Richard Wilson’s Victor Meldrew is as memorable a comic creation as Basil Fawlty or David Brent. By all means, snap up the first two seasons, featuring a total of 12 episodes, the 1990 Christmas special, and a “Britain’s Best Sitcom” featurette.
Although he’s a bit of a culture lightning rod in his native England, Jeremy Clarkson is one of the most engaging – and often funny – TV presenters I’ve ever run across. Although he’s often to be found on panel shows and presenting a series of historical and cultural documentaries, his main focus is automobiles – reviewing and featuring them. I could care less, really, about cars, but if it’s one of Clarkson’s programs – including the wonderful Top Gear – I can’t help but enjoy it. For the past few year’s, he released an annual home video in which he features his favorite cars, eviscerates his least favorite, and blows things up (usually the objects of his derision). Finally, one of these vids has made its way to the US – Clarkson: Heaven and Hell (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), and it is fantastic. Can we have more, please?
Forest Whitaker arrives on the scene as Lieutenant Jim Kavanaugh in the 5th season of The Shield (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), shaking up an already tense situation in the Barn. Kavanaugh is an internal affairs cop focused on bringing Vic Mackey down – even if it means going through Vic’s ex-wife. This 4-disc set features all 11 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes (with optional commentary), behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a season 6 prequel.
IMAX films aren’t really about narrative, so let’s just say that the new DVD release of IMAX: Deep Sea (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$27.98 SRP) looks absolutely stunning on my big HDTV. Presenting stunning views of the creatures populating the ocean depths, it’s one of those “oooo” discs that are fun to pop in just for the visual thrill.
You gotta love a nice little dystopian future pic – one that gets the inner sci-fi geek rooting for the small glimmer of hope that enters into that world. In Children of Men (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), that glimmer of hope is a pregnant woman – in a future (2027, to be exact) where the last human birth occurred 18 years prior and society has largely disintegrated. Clive Owen is tasked with delivering the woman and her unborn charge safely out of the country, potentially saving the human race in the process. Slick and largely satisfying, it’s worth checking out. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
As if the Zevon releases weren’t enough, Rhino has doubled the listening pleasure this weekend with the 40th anniversary remasters of all 6 Jim Morrison Doors albums (Rhino, $11.98 SRP each). The albums in question – The Doors, Waiting For The Sun, L.A. Woman, Morrison Hotel, The Soft Parade, and Strange Days – all sport a wonderful selection of bonus cuts, including alternate takes and rarities. Show me the way to the last whiskey bar…
It’s documentary series like Engineering An Empire (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) that call me out as the geek I am. This 12-part series focuses on the engineering marvels of civilizations from the Egyptian empires of the pharaohs to more modern structures including the Kremlin and Notre Dame. Hosted by Peter Weller, it will appeal to all of your basest nerdly needs. I love it.
A few years after wrapping his multi-year stay with the Tanner family, ALF found himself a prisoner of the US government in the TV movie Project: ALF (VSC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP). Co-starring Martin Sheen, Ed Begley, Jr., Miguel Ferrer, and the late, great Ray Walston, this special edition features a brand new commentary track with creator (and ALF himself) Paul Fusco.
Warners Signature Series sets have oft-times been anchored by one or two films that have been on DVD previously. It’s always welcome, then, when we get a set that features a completely new-to-DVD line-up, which means we’ve essentially “raided the vaults” for goodies that, save for these themed sets, probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Such is the case with the 5 flicks featured in the Erroll Flynn Collection: Volume 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) – which sports The Charge of the Light Brigade, Adventures of Don Juan, Dive Bombers, Gentleman Jim, and The Sawn Patrol. Bonus features include vintage cartoons & short subjects, radio shows, making-of featurettes, trailers, and a commentary on Don Juan.
I’m a sucker for rarely seen comedic performances, so I’m very pleased with what we’ve gotten from MPI’s “Comic Legends” line so far, including their two latest releases. The first – Dick Van Dyke: In Rare Form (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) – features classic comic and dance sequences from Van Dyke’s recurring appearances during the 1958-59 season of The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, plus an episode of Van Dyke’s ultra-rare panel show Laugh Line. The second release is a double bill – Groucho Marx & Redd Foxx (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) – and the stars alone should make this a must have.
Continue your collection of the creepy, kooky, mysterious, and ooky Addams Family (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) with the second and penultimate volume, featuring the middle 21 episodes from its all-too-short 2 season run. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, a “Mad About The Addams” appreciation featurette, and an interactive guest star featurette. For some reason, though, Fox continues to urinate on the parade with their abysmal double-sided discs. Please guys… Stop.
It’s definitely a piffle, but there’s something eminently likeable about sprite-ly, vivacious Amanda Bynes in Lovewrecked (Genius, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.95 SRP), where she stars as a young woman who finds her self stranded on a deserted island with her rock idol. Well, maybe not so deserted – as their resort is only a stone’s throw away – but she tries everything in her power to hide that fact in order to spend as much time with him as possible.
Night Of The Comet (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is on DVD. Can you believe that? One of the most gloriously schlocky 80’s cult flicks has hit little shiny disc. A comet! Zombies! Valley girls as humanity’s saviors! And there’s even time for shopping!
In the 1970’s, a rather fascinating by-product of the success of The Godfather films was a mini-series that featured a re-enactment filled history of organized crime in Italy and its eventual arrival in America. Stretching back 400 years, the 5-part Origins of The Mafia (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) featured a cast that included Eddie Albert, Joseph Cotton, and Lee J. Cobb. It’s certainly an interesting overview of the roots of organized crime in America, a subject that continues to be mined in films and television to this day.
In front of the camera, George and Weezy become grandparents in the 6th season of The Jeffersons (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), while behind-the-scenes, actor Mike Evans returned to the role of son Lionel, which he had originated all the way back during All In The Family. Still at the top of its game, this season also found George coaching neighbor Tom Willis on how to act black and also wining small businessman of the year (literally), and Louise even fires Florence. Season 7, post haste!
She may not have one another Oscar this year, but you can get more than your fill of everyone’s favorite stern Dame courtesy of the BBC’s 8-film Judi Dench Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). The films on the docket are both the 1962 & 1981 versions of The Cherry Orchard, Talking To A Stranger, Keep An Eye On Amelie, Going Gently, Ghosts, Make And Break, Can You Hear Me Thinking?, and Absolute Hell. Bonus features include a trio of radio plays, Dench singing “Send in the Clowns,” interviews, and more.
No 80’s childhood was complete without at least one viewing (on cable) of the post-apocalyptic roller-skating flick Solarbabies (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.98 SRP). In a world where water is a rare commodity controlled by a global corporation that snatches children from their families to raise them as workers, can a band of roller-rebels change the future? What about if I throw in a weird, glowing extraterrestrial globe with healing powers? And Charles Durning?
I would hope that, after the numerous failures in the last election and the disturbing lack of a paper trail, the existing electronic balloting system would be cause for concern amongst American voters. If it’s not, then I recommend you take a look at the documentary Hacking Democracy (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which examines the machines and the system behind them.
Before Soap, Norman Lear’s Mary Hartman Mary Hartman (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) was the first sitcom to spoof the conventions of the serialized storytelling known as Soap Operas. Housewife Mary Hartman (Louise Lasser) lives in the fictional town of Fernwood, a burg best by kidnappings, mass murders, and a recurring flasher, but she’s more focused on her daily travails, specifically the shine on her kitchen floor and saving her marriage. It really was a groundbreaking show, and it’s well worth checking out the 25 first season episodes featured in this 3-disc box set.
I have to admit, by the third season of A Family Affair (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), I’m mainly watching it for the wonderfully subtle Sebastian Cabot as English manservant Mr. French. Otherwise, it’s still an amiable sitcom that’s a very comfortable viewing experience, even 30 years later. The 5-disc set features all 28 episodes, plus the Family Affair reunion special.
The Tanners return in the wacky and comfortably predictable sixth season of Full House (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). If you’ve seen any episode of the show, you know what to expect… It’s like comfort food for Gen Y. Sadly, no bonus features… Not even an uncensored Saget commentary. Shame.
In the age of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, there’s something a bit naff about the big screen adaptation of the kid and his dragon fantasy Eragon (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$34.98 SRP). It’s like The Neverending Story, but without the charm. The 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes documentary & featurettes, interviews, galleries, and more.
U2 singer Bono has become the latest celebrity to become a 
First and foremost, Microsoft has offically announced it’s next version of the Xbox 360. Called the “Elite” (to go along with it’s “Core” and “Premium” versions), this one sports an all black finish, black controller, black headset, and other such darkers accessories. As far as features you actually give a shit about, the system includes a much larger 120 gig hard drive, as well as HDMI support. Sadly, there is no incluusion of the HD DVD player with the Elite model, so it’s not Microsoft’s direct answer to the 60 gig version of the PS3, but at a much thinner price of $479.99 retail, it’s still themore reasonable deal. Due out on April 29th, the system will hit stores with most locations of specialty retailers (ie, Gamestop, EB Games) NOT taking preorders. Still, most should have plenty in supply, as well as the sleek black accessories separately. Most importantly, however, is that larger hard drive. So that folks who bought the previous Premium version don’t get screwed (or rather, screwed too much) the hard drive will be sold separately for $179.99. While the price may seem a bit steep for folks who’ve priced similarly sized PC hard drives, it DOES include a transfer pack that will allow folks to transfer their saves from their original hard drive to the new one.
And finally, Activision has announced that they’re adding 8 new heroes (and villains) to the already huge line up of their acclaimed title MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE for Xbox 360. The expansion packs feature eight new playable characters: The Incredible Hulk, Magneto, Hawkeye, Sabretooth, Doctor Doom, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Venom, each complete with new signature powers, skins, dialog, conversations and achievement points. The download will be available in April via the Xbox Live Marketplace online gaming service and will be released in three packs. The Hero Pack and Villain Pack will each be 500 Microsoft points ($6.25) and the Combined Hero and Villain Pack will be 800 Microsoft points ($10). Heroes and Villains gamer pic packs will also be available for 80 Microsoft points each ($1).
The 2007 New York Comic-Con 
I mean, really, who puts caraway seeds in their Irish Soda Bread?
Director: Marc Evans
Director: Michael Tucker
Director: Cam Archer 
Director: Satoshi Kon
My memories of the 5th and final season of NewsRadio (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) are of a show that was struggling to regain its footing after the devastating loss of both Phil Hartman and his character, Bill McNeal. While in my memory the transition was rather rocky, re-watching the season on DVD has shows that the writers and cast very quickly regained their footing, and Jon Lovitz’s Max Louis very rapidly became a member of the family. All in all, it’s a nice farewell to a series that was cancelled before its time, and I’m just glad we got the entirety of it out on DVD. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries (during one of which my question about the cast’s Donny & Marie Show appearance is mentioned, but not answered), deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
If the great Sgt. Bilko had to depart the airwaves, at least a show like McHale’s Navy (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) was waiting in the wings. Doing for the navy what Bilko did for the army, the crew of PT Boat #73 – including Tim Conway and captain Ernest Borgnine – brought a healthy anti-establishment joie de vivre to the small screen. A very, very funny show. This 5-disc box set features all 36 first season episodes in their original black & white, plus a crew reunion featurette with reminiscences from the cast.
Divorced from the Oscar season hype, there’s much to be said for the flawed yet powerful Blood Diamond (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). As actioners go, it’s got the requisite amount of intrigue and adrenaline, and it very much wears its social message – about the often bloody diamond trade – on its sleeve. When civil war overtakes Sierra Leone in 1999, an ex-mercenary (Leonardo DiCaprio) with his own agenda aids a Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) in locating his kidnapped son, who has been conscripted as a child solider in the rebel army. The ex-merc, however, is more interested in an outrageously valuable pink diamond, and will let nothing get in his way. The 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary from director Ed Zwick, a documentary on the diamond trade tracking the patch of a gemstone from the earth to the store, a Leo profile, a featurette on women journalists, a look at the pivotal “Siege of Freetown” sequence, a music video, and the theatrical trailer.
As independent as the protagonists of That Girl and The Mary Tyler Moore Show had been, the first unashamedly, boisterously feminist show to arrive on television screens was a spin-off of All In The Family, and starred Bea Arthur as Edith Bunker’s outspokenly independent Maude (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Whether keeping her fourth husband, Walter (Bill Macy), in line or disagreeing with conservative neighbor Arthur (Conrad Baines), the show’s humor has aged very little, and the arrival on DVD of such a seminal sitcom is always appreciated. The 3-disc set features all 22 first season episodes, but zero extras (a Bea Arthur/Norman Lear commentary would have been incredible).
The third series of the Doctor Who relaunch is about to hit screens in the UK (and computers here in the US, because certain networks don’t seem to understand the 21st Century), so that means another batch of classic Who is hitting DVD. First up is a classic tale from the Patrick Troughton years – The Invasion (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) – which also happens to be one of those unfortunate adventures where footage is missing. Happily, though, those installments have been reconstructed with animation from Cosgrove Hall (of Danger Mouse fame) and the still extant original soundtracks. The second release is from the Tom Baker Years – The Sontaran Experiment (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). As usual, these are positively packed with bonus materials, including audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, trailers, and much more.
Rightly considered one of the finest documentaries ever produced, D.A. Pennbaker’s portrait of Bob Dylan’s landmark 1965 tour, Don’t Look Back (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), has gotten a deluxe remastering and special edition treatment. In addition to restored picture and sound, the 2-disc collector’s set features audio commentaries, additional audio tracks, an alternate version of the “Subterranean Homesick Blues” cue card sequence, a second documentary utilizing unused footage, trailers, and a reproduction of the original photo-filled 168-page companion book. A definite must-have all around.
After viewing it again, in expanded form, on DVD, there’s something cringeworthy about the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Roasters of old were usually friends of the roastee, so an overwhelming sense of love would come through the often scathing jibes. On the new brand of Comedy Central roasts, there’s usually a token 2-3 friends of the roastee, with the rest of the time filled by Comedy Central’s stable of go-to comics, making for an impersonal, often attack atmosphere of blood in the water comedy that makes for the aforementioned cringing. It’s a shame, really. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes footage, red carpet interviews, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
The films may be hit and miss, but I always have time for that crankily loveable Fieldian presence. The second volume of the W.C. Fields Comedy Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) features You’re Telling Me!, The Old Fashioned Way, Man On The Flying Trapeze, Poppy, and the wonderful Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. The 5-disc set also features a bonus vintage documentary.
Although it shouldn’t surprise me so much in this DVD age, I never thought I’d see a 2-disc, fully restored and remastered special edition of the original Re-Animator (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Starring Jeffrey Combs as truly mad scientist Herbert West in this adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of meddling in life after death, it’s one of the goriest flicks you’ll run across – but it’s all held together by Combs’s performance. The 2-disc edition features audio commentaries, a 60-minute documentary, interviews, deleted/extended scenes, TV spots, galleries, a trailer, and more.
Federal Agent James West is back defending American security at the behest of the Grant administration, against evil geniuses, revolutionaries, oddballs, and malcontents in the second season of Wild, Wild West (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 7-disc set features all 28 episodes, beautifully remastered in full color. Sadly, no bonus features, which is a damn shame as a nice retrospective feature would be quite nifty. Perhaps in the future, one hopes.
Crockett & Tubbs have arrived to drain your wallet, with the concurrent release of both the 3rd and 4th seasons (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP each). As usual there’s not a single bonus feature to be found, but at least we get all of the original music (which I can only imagine cost a fortune). Crack out the pastels and your pet gator, and snag ’em both.
