Something Simple for Today!

Today we’ll take a look at two placemats for Junior. Imperfectly melded together, ’tis true, but that’s the best we can do with 20th-century graphics technology.

The placemat from 1977 features another Neal Adams Superman grinning a big ol’ smile. So much for dirty-gritty Adams art. Not with MY Superman you don’t.

But ... If Superman is flying towards us, then who's in that rocket headed for Earth?
And ... Is Superman smiling at us because he thinks it's funny to cover the North Pole with Hershey's Choclate Syrup? Oh my.


The one from 1992, fifteen years later, features art by – we’re guessing here – Dan Jurgens. (Please correct me if I err).


Do not worry, never fear … Three-Part Thursday will soon be here! (Next week that is.)Sayonara!

Welcome to Weirdo Wednesday!

In honor of the forthcoming Hallow-Day at the end of the month, on Wednesdays we’ll be looking at some sinister goings-on in the DC neighborhood.

Our first Weirdo Wednesday concerns Action 324, cover-dated May, 1965. Drool over that great Curt Swan art. Put your finger over those devil-horns on Supergirl and just concentrate on her expression. Man, that’s just EVIL !!

Next we have the splash page for this tale. Being the back-up feature (even though it’s the cover story), the art is by Jim “Swoony” Mooney (I call him that because all his art makes the men look all girly).

The story is all about how Supergirl saves a fellow in the Middle East, only to find out he is a *gulp* demon! He passes his evil on to her, whereupon she grows horns, as you can see.

Next is Mooney’s version of the same scene featured on our cover. Compare Curt Swan’s devilish lines with Mooney’s anemic version of Supergirl. Cover up the horns on Mooney’s Devil Supergirl, and she looks like she’s being tickled or something. No meanness there!
As we sign off on this first Weirdo Wednesday, here’s a version of the cover with the speech balloons blanked out, so you can fill in your OWN ideas. Also here’s a silly little example to start you off.

More from Arlen!

Here are more images from Arlen Schumer, a great Pop Celebrationeer (that's a word I just invented).

Enjoy!

And stay tuned tomorrow evening for "Weirdo Wednesday!"

Once again, the website for Arlen's Studio is

www.dynamicduostudio.com

Look at These Cool Images!

Monday and Tuesday we're going to look at the work of a Super guy, Arlen Schumer. My connection with him is, I won one of his books -- Visions from the Twilight Zone -- and I was thrilled to discover that he had produced the color section in the Swanderful bio, Curt Swan: A Life in Comics .

So when Arlen sent me some pix, I just had to share them with you! In the first panel Arlen explains his childhood, and adult, attraction to comic art.

The next panel covers our topic, "The Art History of Superman."

Then we have a spread featuring Joe Shuster and his studio, and another covering the Fliescher Studios cartoons.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

PS Arlen's studio's website is

http://www.dynamicduostudio.com/

PPS stay tuned for "Weirdo Wednesday" ... in just TWO days!