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More zine reviews (because YOU asked for it)

2008-07-23T22:45:00.001+10:00

Long Gone Loser #14: Editor Damo’s claim that this is Australia’s ONLY rock’n’roll magazine may be stretching the truth a little, but that’s the only complaint when it comes to this damn fine publication. Classy production values are just the icing on the cake – the real eating’s on the inside. There are interviews with Mitch O’Connell, New York Dolls, Manowar and ex-WWE writer and screenwriter Dan Madigan on the greatness of lucha libre. Plus reviews and “lotsa rants”. Maybe not the ONLY, but definitely the BEST rock’n’roll mag in Australia. Long Gone Loser, PO Box 18, Modbury North, SA, 5092 AUSTRALIA damo@longgoneloser.com www.longgoneloser.com [AUD$5 for p&h or e-mail for details if from overseas 60M :60] – Dann Lennard

Bizarrism #10: Drop your pens, Stanley knives and rinky-dink clip art, because the best zine in the world (that’s right, mofos, the FUGGIN’ WORLD!) is here and we are naught but lowly dogshite in its presence. Brilliant writer and modern boho Chris Mikul (plus a few talented friends) presents more stories on the strangest, most fascinating people you’ve probably never heard of. There’s the 1930s mystery surrounding the disappearance/murder of the outlandish baroness of the Galapagos Islands; plus bios on eccentric (and venomous) author Amanda M. Ros, extreme philosopher Ladislav Klima (who makes Steve-O look like a jackass) and tragic pop singer (and possible murderess) Claudine Longet. Simply put, you will regret every moment you do not have this zine in your possession. Buy it now. Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA cathob@zip.com.au [AUD$6 or US$8 outside Australia 40M :60+] – Dann Lennard

They're baaaaaaack.......

2008-07-21T13:50:00.000+10:00

WHY do I love these foxy fuck-ups? I have no idea. First up, it's Lindsay Lohan (above), fresh out of rehab and desperately trying to rehabilitate her movie career. Here she is recently in a dress about six inches too short for her (which is why I love this shot).

I'VE never liked Hulk Hogan and I shouldn't like his daughter Brooke Hogan either. That masculine jaw, however, does something for me. Maybe it's the Chyna vibe she has going - what can I say? I love the tranny body builder look.

Another older woman I'd like to pork...

2008-07-21T12:19:00.000+10:00

ACTRESS Julieanne Moore, seen here in Vogue magazine.

Helen Mirren in Italy

2008-07-21T12:13:00.002+10:00

THE esteemed British actress is 63............and, yes. I would soooooo tap that. :D

Action Barbies have never looked so cool

2008-07-18T13:30:00.002+10:00

THIS is Superman from series one of the JLA: The New Frontier range of action figures. They've been around for a while now, but I still thought you should see them.
How fucken cool is this figure? It looks exactly like Darwyn Cooke's drawings. I have the complete series one and two action figures and they all freaking rule!

Seriously, the only line of figures cooler than these are the New Gods line, based on Jack Kirby's art. Now they are SERIOUSLY FUCKEN AWESOME!

Lily Allen in Cannes earlier this year...

2008-07-11T14:22:00.003+10:00

YEP, Lily Allen on one side of the bed and Kate Pierson on the other. I could so see myself in the middle of that (sorry, Helen).

Is this the B-52s' Kate Pierson?

2008-07-11T14:02:00.002+10:00

I SURE as hell hope so! Goddamn! I loves me a natural redhead! :D

This is the latest controversy on the Internet and some people are questioning whether it really is the lovely Kate or not. Peraonally, I think it is (I wish! I wish! I wish! I wish!)
Here's the full story from fat fuck Perez Hilton on his blog:
"Firecrotch alert! You're never too old to have some naked pics leak, right? This photo of B-52s singer Kate Pierson was allegedly taken by a former lover, who has seen fallen on the outs with the red head and purposefully leaked this photo from a few years back. Hey, her body still looks bangin'. So, rock on, say we!"

Me, too! I want some of that CANDY. I wanna ROAM in her nether regions and turn it into MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. And then we'll get funky in her LOVE SHACK. And...

...erm, that enough crap B-52s puns, I think. Sorry.

Creepy stalkerish post of the day...

2008-07-03T10:05:00.000+10:00

HEADS up to roller derby fan Jeff Zinger who gave me a link to Elle Bowes’ MySpace page (www.myspace.com/123slam).

Ontario babe Elle is quite possibly the perfect woman: apart from being a roller derby queen, she’s also a burlesque dancer and pin-up model. “I’m more than likely to be found strappin’ on skates, posing in front of a camera or shakin’ my stuff on stage or at a show,” the self-described pint-sized hellraiser reveals on her site.“I love rhinstones, tassels, killer gams, big eyelashes, new wheels, fishnet-burn from the concrete of our home track, whipping my derby ladies around the track, bruises, ruby-red lipstick, glittery diamonds, shutterbugs, pearls, heels (the higher the heel, the closer to God), gin, doghouse bass, roller derby, subgenius, rockabilly, baking and swing dancing.”
Yowser!
It doesn’t stop there, trend-setters. Amont other things, Elle’s into thrift stores (second-hand shops to us Aussies), zombies, booze (!!), “obscurities and obscenities”.
Fave movies? “Anything with gore, blood, zombies, nudity, mutants, boobs, drugs, nice cars, more blood, disfigured men with machetes, beautiful women, chainsaws or blow torches.”
Her fave TV show is UFC!
And the song playing on her page? Nice Tits by The Blue Demons.
Be still my beating heart…I think I’m in love.

REVIEW: Freaks And Fantasies by Tod Robbins

2008-07-03T09:50:00.000+10:00

I RECENTLY read and enjoyed Freaks And Fantasies, edited by Sydney's resident bizarrism expert Chris Mikul.

It features some brilliant short yarns - quintessential early 20th century horror prose - by Tod Robbins, including his original story "Spurs", which inspired Tod Browning's 1932 creepy classic Freaks. “Spurs” is, in fact, much darker than the film.

Other stories I dug were “Wild Wullie The Waster”, “Toys Of Fate” and, especially, “The Confession” (which, frankly, scared the hell out of me).

If you want your to find out more about a forgotten master of fear fiction, then you can buy Freaks And Fantasies from www.ramblehouse.com.

More zine reviews that you should read

2008-06-30T20:09:00.005+10:00

I WROTE these reviews for an upcoming issue of Zine World magazine:

PEE #41: Another fine issue of this punk rock zine from Adelaide featuring colour covers, a free CD and fistful of stickers for close to nix. Inside there are interviews with Watch Your Step, Killing Kings, Lungs, Beserk and a bunch of other bands I’ve never heard of. Plus comic strips, reviews and a look at the art of Ken Stewart. Punk fans will approve. PEE, Pete Pee, PO Box 238, Marden, SA, 5070 AUSTRALIA zine@peerecords.com www.peerecords.com [AUD$6.50 or e-mail for details if from overseas 60M :20] – Dann Lennard

Wrestling Observer Newsletter (June 16, 2008): Who knew pro-wrestling and MMA could be discussed in an intelligent manner? Yet that’s what editor Dave Meltzer has been doing on a weekly basis for the past 25 years. This particular issue covers industry news from around the world including reviews on TNA Slammiversary PPV, UFC 85 from London and the new documentary Bigger, Faster, Stronger, which looks at steroid use in America. Also, Dave examines why Vince McMahon’s weekly million-dollar giveaway on WWE RAW was such a ratings flop. Smart, insightful and occasionally jaw-dropping journalism. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer, PO Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, hsmeltzer@juno.com, www.f4wonline.com/ $12 for 4 issues, $29 for 12, $55 for 24, $91 for 40 and $118 for 52. E-mail for details if from overseas 18M 1:30] – Dann Lennard

Nicola Hardy…Is Updating Her Status And Dreaming About Car Accidents: Nicola is a graphic designer, a life model and an artist. She also writes achingly beautiful prose. This one-shot features some of her best work, most autobiographical. Her best piece by far is twenny fucken 1, a sobering look at Nicola’s life at that age. I think I would’ve been a little bit scared of her if I’d met her when she was 21. Nicola Hardy, PO Box 2073, Graceville East, Qld, 4075, AUSTRALIA, nicola@secretenvelope.com, www.secretenvelope.blogspot.com [AUD$2 for postage 24S :30] – Dann Lennard

Das Klein Büdchen Blättchen: A büdchen – for all you non-German speakers – is a small kiosk that sells stuff like papers and cigarettes. The büdchen in question belongs to Nicola’s boyfriend Chill Phil and it’s basically a bar he runs in his living room in Hamburg. This little zine details in pictures and hilarious words the birth and development of their relationship (whirlwind in Hamburg, now long-distance, soon to be reunited in Australia). Nic and Phil prove that love is truly grand. Nicola Hardy, PO Box 2073, Graceville East, Qld, 4075, AUSTRALIA, nicola@secretenvelope.com, www.secretenvelope.blogspot.com [AUD$10 8M :20] – Dann Lennard

Die Hard 4.0: A Guide To The Film In Comic Format: Nic’s art is simple but to the point and so is her review. I think she likes Bruce Willis’s latest action epic, but not as much as Dogs In Space. Nicola Hardy, PO Box 2073, Graceville East, Qld, 4075, AUSTRALIA, nicola@secretenvelope.com, www.secretenvelope.blogspot.com [AUD$2 for postage 12XS :05] – Dann Lennard

Cubby-House Stories #1: Nicola’s cute-as comic chronicles one drunken night in Antwerp. It contains a bonus 16-page comic that’s EVEN SMALLER than the main comic. Does that make it XXS? Anyway, I love Nic’s art and you will, too. Nicola Hardy, PO Box 2073, Graceville East, Qld, 4075, AUSTRALIA, nicola@secretenvelope.com, www.secretenvelope.blogspot.com [AUD$2 for postage 12XS :10] – Dann Lennard

Feminista #1: Classic cut’n’paste zine, this one with natural remedies for skin care, vegetarian recipes, punk band interviews, poems and short articles. It’ll appeal to somebody out there, I guess, but not this meat-eating old bastard. Feminista, 189 Churchill Rd, Prospect, SA, 5082, AUSTRALIA [AUD$2 36S :10] – Dann Lennard

Feminista #2: More of the same. Can I just add here that kangaroo meat is both low in fat and high in iron? Something to think about, vegetarians. Feminista, 189 Churchill Rd, Prospect, SA, 5082, AUSTRALIA [AUD$2 36S :10] – Dann Lennard

Corrupt Me! #1: A zine about bad movies, bad music and bad taste. That should make this a good mag, but it somehow falls short for me. I guess I’ve seen it all before and I’ve seen it done a lot better, too. This ish covers the punk scene in Western Australia, features a Bob Clark obit and the obligatory reviews. Corrupt Me!, PO Box 3082, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA, 5000, AUSTRALIA [AUD$2 for postage 28S :15] – Dann Lennard

Corrupt Me! #2: Some zines take a few issues to settle down and that appears to be the case here. #2 kicks off in fine form with a review of Clint Eastwood’s brilliant movie double Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can, then follows up with an overview of the Basket Case horror series and a look at legendary Adelaide punk band Kamikaze. Not too shabby. Corrupt Me!, PO Box 3082, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA, 5000, AUSTRALIA [AUD$2 for postage 28S :15] – Dann Lennard

Sprak! Vol. 2 #3: Another load of well-written reviews by Kami and friends on the sorta movies that make drunken video watching sessions such a joy. Notorious Cleopatra, Voices From Beyond, The Groove Tube, Food Of The Gods, Wrestlemaniac…if you recognise any of those titles, then this zine is for you. SPRAK!, Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039, AUSTRALIA myspace.com/tappingthesauce [AUD$2 for postage 32S :30] – Dann Lennard

Healter Skelter #01: The 60s and failed revolution, man – that era fascinates Kami and this publication may well fascinate and amuse you, too. Street protest literature, Charles Manson, Noam Chomsky and more reasons why the 60s was such a pile of bullshit. Ask nicely and Kami will probably also throw in some extra pamphlets featuring Manson’s trial testimony from 1970, Black Panthers fashion and propaganda. Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039, AUSTRALIA myspace.com/tappingthesauce [AUD$2 for postage 12S :30] – Dann Lennard

Narcolepsy Press Review #3: I highly recommend that other zinesters send their publications to Randy. I get a ton of feedback from people (mainly scumbag prisoners, I’ll admit) who say they’ve read a review of my zine in NPR. It really is becoming a powerful lil’ publication out there. And the reviews are thoughtful, well-written and fair. Can’t ask for any more than that in a review zine. Randy Robbins, PO Box 17131, Anaheim, CA, 92817-7131 [$2 32S :30] – Dann Lennard

Word Balloons #7: Comics fans – even from overseas – should get their hands on this classy publication. This ish features an interview with Aussie artist Nicki Greenberg who recently had her graphic novel interpretation of The Great Gatsby released by a major book publisher. Phil also continues his multi-part “My Life In Comics” series – this installment focuses on Phil’s involvement with Inkspots, an indy comic with European sensibilities from the early 80s, which had a far-reaching effect on the alternative comic scene in Australia. Philip Bentley, PO Box 286, Sandringham, Vic, 3191, AUSTRALIA secondshore@yahoo.com [AUD$5 24M :45] – Dann Lennard

Roctober #44: It’s been way too long between issues – over a year by my reckoning. Thankfully, Jake’s back with a garish cover and far too much musical goodness to touch on in one short review. There are oodles of obit pieces on James Brown, a disturbing piece about Lenny Bruce (it reveals far more about the author than the comedian), and Nardwuar interviews Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ice-T. I could go on and on. Let’s just say, this zine rawks! Jake Austen, 1507 E.53rd St. #617, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA, info@roctober.com, www.roctober.com [$4 116M 2:00+] – Dann Lennard

Nerf Jihad – The Collected Works: The cream of the first five issues of this underrated Aussie zine has been gathered together by Matt and it makes for one excellent, meaty publication. Much of it consists of Matt’s demented letters to various food companies and semi-famous Aussie celebrities, generally where he insults them while still seeking free food samples and autographs, respectively. But it’s Matt’s longer pieces that show his true genius. A typical story title: “How I Was Responsible For My Entire School Thinking Scottie Pippen Was There”. Very funny stuff. Matt, PO Box 575, Gosford, NSW, 2250, AUSTRALIA mattdicknose@yahoo.com.au www.nerfjihad.net [AUD$5 for postage 64S :45] – Dann Lennard

For more great reviews by me (and others), buy Zine World: A Reader's Guide To The Underground Press (PO Box 330156, Murfreesboro TN 37133, USA; www.undergroundpress.org).

Supanova: almost $200 worth of happiness

2008-06-27T23:10:00.002+10:00

Ben Templesmith

IT'S been a while since I last went to a big comics convention. The last one - involving a topless model dressed as Wonder Woman, an irate organiser and a legal letter from DC Comics - ended in tears and I haven't been too keen to go back to another one.

Until this year's Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney.

The three-day event ran from June 20-22 at Olympic Park and, as I only live about 10 minutes away, I thought I'd drop in for an hour or two on Sunday arvo.

To be honest, the only reason I was going - apart from catching up with mates Cam and AW - was to get an art book signed by Perth artist extraordinaire Ben Templesmith (30 Days Of Night, Fell, etc), a bloke I'd interviewed for People back in 2006.

As I walked in I was astounded by the high number of NERDS on show. Serious NERDS!!

Most of them were dressed as manga characters and looked really stupid, especially the blokes. Actually, no. They looked really stupid AND really gay. In fact, the expo seemed to be very gaming and manga-oriented. I circumnavigated the freaks and headed to Artists' Alley to see some of the local comics product.

First up, I scored free copies of The Southern Squadron: Hold On To Your Braincells! and The Dark Nebula: The Chaos War, two of eight TPBs released this year collecting some classic Aussie superhero comics from the early 80s. It was nice to see work by Glenn Lumsden, David De Vries, Gary Chaloner and others given the classy full-colour treatment. The books have been put out by Dark Nebula creator Tad Pietrzykowski.

Tad P. as The Dark Nebula

Tad was an enthusiastic dude and I chatted to him for a good 20 minutes. I promised to plug his TPBs in People and was on my way. Check them out for yourself at www.thedarknebula.com.

Next stop was Marcelo Baez (www.littlehammer.com) and Diabla: A Dragon's Tale, the latest issue featuring his demonic heroine. I also swung past Wayne Nichols - who's recently done work overseas on Star Wars and The Incredible Hulk - and picked up an art portfolio and the first issue of Kate Lawson And The Ship Of Lost Souls (which reminded me of a 60s-style Aussie comic, all ghosts and villains and dumb cops and not a superhero in sight).

The two lasses above have nothing to do with the Australasian Wrestling Federation (I think), but they're standing in front of the wrestling ring so I'm running this pic. Anyway, I saw a few minutes of godawful rasslin'. Seriously, the AWF has some of the worst prelim wrestlers in Australia. Still, it was nice saying hi to TNT and JT Robinson, two top workers in the fed.

Then it was off to the big guest stars' booth, not to see US artists Howard Chaykin or Joe Jusko, but to get Ben Templesmith's autograph. And I did...after he'd spent 10 minutes doing a nice Predator sketch for an ungrateful slapper with big tits (she didn't even thank him). And Ben doesn't even DRAW Predator, for fug's sake! Jesus, some people have no manners.

I was next in line, so he signed the book - noting the pretentiousness of the spelling of "Dann" - and that was it...almost. I'd earlier noticed Ben was selling some of his original art so, after a quick trip to the ATM, I came back and bought a $150 B&W illo of a broad with a sword. He seemed pleasantly surprised that I was willing to fork over such serious dough...hell, he even signed it for me. Ben Templesmith, you're a class act, Sir.

As for Supanova, well...it wasn't too bad. When you throw in the original sketch, the comics, entry fee, parking and road tolls, I got out of the arvo with change from $200. That's not too shabby a price to pay for one's happiness, my friends.

DEVO are coming...

2008-06-18T13:19:00.001+10:00

...and I will be there. Oh yes, I WILL BE THERE. :)

This is fucking awesome

2008-05-30T16:12:00.001+10:00

Peanuts Watchmen

Crikey! This is a bit raunchy for 1959, innit?

2008-05-20T16:03:00.003+10:00

YA GOTTA love this classic "savage girl bewitching a cobra" sensual dance courtesy of Debra Paget in Das Indische Grabmal (The Indian Tomb), directed by Fritz Lang.

Of course, it's a German film, so that probably explains the skimpiness of Debra's outfit.

Check out the sub-continental naughtiness at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkVzQ1dJ7I8&eurl=http://www.othercrap.com/.

REVIEW: Chestnut Kit-Kat

2008-04-27T21:23:00.000+10:00

OR "Marron Kit-Kat" as the makers call it.

This is another damn fine product in the Kit-Kat range AND it was found locally, right here in Sydney, by my good friend AW.

The Japanese manufacturers use real subtle flavours and it works spectacularly in these chocolate bars.

Well done, choccy-making folk from the Land Of The Rising Sun.

I can't wait to see what other quirky flavours you come up with.

Wanna know more - especially if you speak Japanese? Well, head to www.breaktown.com (it's just near Funky Town and Pussy Town, I believe).

Rose McGowan...

2008-04-24T17:07:00.002+10:00

SAINTS be praised!
Or is it just more nun-sense?

REVIEW: GooGoo Original ice-cream bar

2008-04-24T17:00:00.000+10:00

I LOVED GooGoo Clusters when I ate them in America in 2005. So when I recently saw GooGoo Ice-cream for sale in a Korean convenience store on Pitt Street in Sydney, I had to try them out. But the thought went through my head: "Why is GooGoo being sold in a Korean convenience store?"

"The original GooGoo. It's the first of the GooGoo family that became your favorite. Chocolate ice cream, marshmallow and caramel syrup, covered with almond flakes and coated with more chocolate. It's a mouth full of chocolate!"
- http://www.lottesamkang.co.kr/

Turns out these GooGoo treats have no relation to the original GooGoo, created in 1912 in Tennessee (http://www.googoo.com/ for more details).

The GooGoo ice-cream I ate is definitely a South Korean thang. Maybe they bought the original GooGoo franchise? It's hard to tell when their site is written in Korean, translated into Korenglish. Whatever. The main thing is: how does GooGoo Original ice-cream taste?

The biscuit-shaped ice-cream is cheap: thin chocolate covers a thin layer of peanuts on top of chocolate ice-cream laced with marshmallow and caramel. But you can't argue with the price: at $1.20 it's a steal.

Will I eat another one? Oh fuck, yes!

REVIEW: Vanilla KitKat

2008-04-24T16:55:00.000+10:00

SUBLIME. God bless you, Japan.

Would I do Ann Coulter? Would I?

2008-04-24T16:38:00.004+10:00

Yep, I definitely would.

This is how I imagine she looks topless*.

* Thanks, My Wall Street Journal, which is a parody of the Wall Street Journal...which, itself, is a parody of a real newspaper, I believe.

Vale: Dave Stevens (July 29, 1955 – March 10, 2008)

2008-04-08T20:50:00.000+10:00

ANOTHER hero gone. He turned me onto Bettie Page in the late 80s with his brilliant art. And his Rocketeer was a funky comic, too. So long, Dave, and thanks for all the cheesecake.

Thanks, Seb....

2008-02-17T19:48:00.001+11:00

Here's another PJ Harvey poster. Very nice indeed.

PJ Harvey at the Sydney Opera House last night?

2008-02-16T12:36:00.002+11:00

IN A word.....

SUPERB.

You can read all about the gig in the next issue of BP Jr, out soonish.

Yes, I know this is the wrong gig poster, but the illo's soooooo cool, I just had to run it here

Long. Distant. Lover.

2008-02-14T14:03:00.008+11:00

COOL as cool friend Nicola Hardy (secretenvelope.blogspot.com) is an extremely talented artist. She has a new exhibition titled Long. Distant. Lover. in Hamburg. If you happen to be passing through Germany soon, I suggest you go check it out. Here's the blurb about Nicola's event at Facebook.com:

"Long. Distant. Lover. is a series of 100 drawings by Australian artist, Nicola Hardy, who is currently an artist in residence at Vorwerkstift in Hamburg. The drawings are in a comic/cartoon style and are based on self-portrait photographs taken by the artist over a two-month period in the winter of 2007 in Berlin. The drawings form the basis for a stop-motion animation, which will be available on a DVD, along with short films made from photographs. In this work Nicola has adopted a persona, in a Cindy Sherman-esque fashion. Some people call it burlesque, others call it porn, but she likes to think of it as a bored chick taking her clothes off in her bedroom. The photographs employ the visual language of the interweb – DIY, low budget, real life style – and were taken with the built-in camera on her laptop.Previously, Nicola has self-published comics and zines, mostly of an autobiographical nature. Unlike her other work, Long. Distant. Lover. is devoid of text, leaving the story up to the imagination of the viewer. The work depicts a classic striptease and banana eating scenario, influenced by short films starring Bettie Page. Nicola invites you into a fantasy world of a candy-coloured bedroom where you can become more than just a casual observer, you can project your own ideals and ideas onto the situation. The title of the exhibition refers to the original intention of photos and films: as a visual love letter to a long distance lover. Perhaps this is a real or imagined situation, perhaps the recipient is you. . .If you can't make it to the opening, don't worry, the exhibition continues until March 22 and it's also going to be shown in Melbourne (when I get my shit together)."

A piece of my childhood is gone

2008-02-14T11:54:00.006+11:00

COMIC book writer Steve Gerber is dead at age 60. Fuck.

He wrote some of my favourite titles in the 1970s, particularly The Defenders, where he gave Doc Strange and company such oddballs to deal with as the Elf With A Gun (below).

His satiric, oddball run on titles like Man-Thing and his most famous creation, Howard The Duck, were also pretty cool. Howard was the first "adult" comic I read - I'll always fondly remember the cigar-smoking fowl's run for US President in 1976.

Apart from Howard, Gerver created and wrote a bunch of titles for various companies including Omega The Unknown, Destroyer Duck (drawn by Jack Kirby) and Void Indigo. They were hit and miss.

I communicated briefly once with Steve via e-mail in the late 90s. Having found his web site, I raved about how I loved his Marvel work and he quickly (and politely) responded about how I should check out his new series Nevada. I did and, sadly, I didn't like it - frankly, I always preferred Gerber's early Marvel work and thought a lot of his later stuff was out of step with the changing comics world.

I think he lost his way a bit in the late 70s when he sued Marvel over ownership of Howard The Duck, and he never fully recovered.

Go to his blog at http://www.stevegerber.com/sgblog/ and be kinda weirded out. Steve wrote his last post on February 4: "Nothing new to report medically. I’m up in the middle of the night, working on Doctor Fate. Will let all of you know what’s going on with that in a day or so."

The next entry is on February 11 and says, "I am not Steve Gerber. I’m a friend of his named Mark Evanier. Steve died yesterday at that hospital in Las Vegas. It was not a surprise but it was a shock…to all of us who knew him."

Mark has his own obituary for Gerber at http://newsfromme.com/, which is worth a read.

As for me, I feel another shadow creeping across my grave. I'm getting older, friends.

More merry Marvel art...

2008-02-07T14:03:00.001+11:00

...from the recent Los Angeles exhibition titled UNDER THE INFLUENCE - A Tribute to Stan Lee.

Marvel's characters have never looked cooler.