Crisis On Earth-Cape!

Just when I think nothing in DC Comics' Silver Age arsenal could surprise me, along comes Jimmy Olsen #117 (January 1969) and a tale Leo Dorfman obviously authored while on acid.

In "The Planet Of The Capes" Jimmy is accidentally transferred to an alternate Earth where the people are too stupid to know how to produce clothes made of cloth, so all their garments are woven from metal fibers. There is one mysterious fellow who is selling cloth capes to the very well-to-do, an upper class who decrees that anyone who cannot afford the capes must be a slave. Jimmy eventually finds this person, after taking in a light brunch at The Daily Palate and being sold to his Earth-Cape doppelganger for a buck fiddy.

A quick blog search reveals that this story has already been hammered into submission by the invincible Chris Sims, so do head over and read his appraisal, as well as the comments. Art for this mess-terpiece is by Pete Costanza.

Naughty Severin!

Think you're looking at a vintage Don Martin gag? Surprise! This style parody appeared in Cracked #27 (Nov. 1962) and, although it is signed "J. Lewis," is actually the handiwork of the great John Severin.

Happy Birthday, E.C. Segar!

Today, Google's custom logo spotlights Popeye and his creator, Elzie "E.C." Segar, who would be celebrating his 115th birthday today. Here is a brief 1937 Thimble Theater sequence featuring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, and the Jeep. Fantagraphics Books is collecting all of the Segar Thimble Theater strips featuring Popeye in a series of deluxe oversized hardcovers, and the quality of the reproduction is much better than this example.

Recipe Comics: Axolotl Pudding

Extract from the article " How To Make Dull Reading Matter Interesting", as presented in Mad #62 (April 1961)
Writer: Frank Jacobs
Artist: Wally Wood

"You Are A Killer Of Tomatoes!"

Joe Pyne. Name ring a bell? His controversial 60's talk show was the blueprint for the bombastic televised forums of today. People like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and Bill O'Reilly surely picked up major skills from viewing The Joe Pyne Show, which was syndicated by Metromedia (which later formed the nucleus of Fox). Never one to mince words, Pyne was fond of telling guests he disagreed with to "take a long walk off a short pier" or "go play out on the freeway." Clips of this show provide a riveting glimpse into a time of great social upheaval, a time much like today. The more things change...



"...and when you see your tailor, tell him Joe sent you!"



"...to pull down the shades on Saturday night and dance naked for a few hours, this is not my idea of future wife material."



"We'll be back to our guest (Jerry Rubin)...give him time to catch his breath and wire home for money, after these words."


"How often do you have to shave your head to make it shiny like a devil?"

What's A Krumwurstner?

According to this handy German language guide made by Dr. Seuss sometime around 1929, a "krumwurstner" is "one who drinks beer through a straw." This cartoon is one of a series of "Life's Little Educational Charts" cartoons drawn by Seuss long before Horton hatched that egg.

An Hour With Hitch

I just enjoyed a fascinating interview with suspense master Alfred Hitchcock conducted by Fletcher Markle for the CBC series Telescope in 1964. Film score buffs will be interested in the few minutes spent with Bernard Herrmann, who reveals that Hitch originally wanted no music during the murder scenes in Psycho. Watch it on Hulu.

It's A Saturday Morning In 1966

A recreation of a Saturday Morning viewing experience, circa 1966. Enjoy!