Your favourite stupid quote about comics?

[Lew Stringer]

"recently"? His claim that Batman and Robin were gay could have been disputed by reading any Batman ever

Very true. Comic fans always knew his claims were dodgy (or complete hogwash in some cases) but it's good to see that his "research" has been exposed as well. Although it's a disgrace that his claims have influenced public perceptions of comics to this day.

[starscape]

Probably this one about Misty:

I'm not sure who they are selling it to.

Fans of American comics who want to see the "acceptable face" of British comics* and/or clueless amateur feminists who want to see British girl's comics that "aren't all about upper class riding schools"**

* - see also Valiant, because a lot of it's characters had "powers". I mean, what's the point of having a comic where people don't have powers?

** - But who "always try to look into a story and not just spout ignorant stereotypes", no doubt.

Sorry Mike but it's just plain silly.

[felneymike]

And people who read it as children too, I suppose XD

[philcom55]

(on the subject of her avatar) No, it's Baxendale, a detail of "Doomsday School" from "Wham!"; Deidre The Weirdie at centre, Fred Feendish below, Young Nick's ear left, and an unnamed squelchy thing right.

It's amazing how there's always an unnamed squelchy thing standing next to you on any photograph - but for some reason you never notice it until the print arrives!

I've got most of the early numbers of Wham! but don't remember Derdrie - which issue did she appear in? It's a pity Leo didn't give her her own strip as she looks like a fantastic character!

- Phil R.

[Marionette]

That last one's a jaw-dropper, Mike. Two pages a week seems amazingly fast to me. I've never managed a page in less than a week.

At his height, Jack Kirby was known to be drawing around five comics a month. That's more than 25 pages a week. Of course he did have the distinction of being Jack Kirby.

[suebutcher]

Phil, Deidre The Weirdie first appeared in "Wham!" No 36, 20 Feb 1965, when "Eagle-Eye Junior Spy" became "Doomsday School" for a while. (That's the ish the scan's from.) She's in later stories, and also in the cast of "Grimly Feendish" in "Smash". If I had to nominate my all-time favourite comic centrespread, the one in "Wham!" 36 would be it.

Kirby usually had others inking his pencils, but it's still astounding that he managed that workload without dropping the quality.

[Lew Stringer]

Phil, Deidre The Weirdie first appeared in "Wham!" No 36, 20 Feb 1965, when "Eagle-Eye Junior Spy" became "Doomsday School" for a while. (That's the ish the scan's from.) She's in later stories, and also in the cast of "Grimly Feendish" in "Smash". If I had to nominate my all-time favourite comic centrespread, the one in "Wham!" 36 would be it.

An excellent run of stories, and Nigel Parkinson showed one of those spreads on his blog recently:

http://www.nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogs ... e-bax.html

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I was staggered by the report above that Jack Kirby was doing 25 pages of artwork a week!

---but yes, it's certainly possible to pencil 25 pages in the same time........ If the pencils are 'tight' [that is: highly detailed [as they more than likely were in the case of Kirby] then this is still a commendable feat......]

[philcom55]

Phil, Deidre The Weirdie first appeared in "Wham!" No 36, 20 Feb 1965, when "Eagle-Eye Junior Spy" became "Doomsday School" for a while. (That's the ish the scan's from.) She's in later stories, and also in the cast of "Grimly Feendish" in "Smash". If I had to nominate my all-time favourite comic centrespread, the one in "Wham!" 36 would be it.

An excellent run of stories, and Nigel Parkinson showed one of those spreads on his blog recently:

http://www.nigelparkinsoncartoons.blogs ... e-bax.html

Aha! Thanks for setting me on the right track - for some reason I was thinking of Doomsday Holiday Camp from the first storyline instead of Doomsday School (when it comes to corporate branding it seems even Richard Branson could learn a thing or two from ol' Grimly!).

Luckily, even though I don't have all that many issues of Wham! past the first 25 issues, I was able to find numbers 36 and 37 in my stash - and I agree with both of you (and Nigel) that those two centrespreads represent Leo at his absolute peak. For those among us who aren't fortunate enough to own the comics in question here's the whole panel from which Sue took her charming avatar:



Lovely! I particularly like the way in which different coloured sound effects are incorporated into the design!

...And for good measure here's a more detailed scan of Deidre and an 'admirer', as seen at the top of Nigel's page:



Fantastic stuff indeed! I'm indebted to all three of you for highlighting it.

(I wonder if this makes Deidre the first goth chick...? )

- Phil Rushton

[suebutcher]

I think Deidre is Wednesday Addams' cousin by way of Uncle Giles!

"Doomsday School" only runs for three issues, then it reverts to "Eagle-Eye Junior Spy". Perhaps it was a try-out for a Grimly Feendish solo strip?