Mr. Mind Strikes Again!

Those of you who haven't given me up for dead may recall this posting on my birthday back in April, where I drew Captain Marvel's famous arch-enemy, Mr. Mind, following instructions in an old SHAZAM! issue. In looking through a different notebook, I found another, simpler version, presented above. Comparing the two now suggests to me that the other one may have been done a year or so later than I previously believed, though it's possible that I may have just put more effort into the other one.
Actually, further investigation confuses the issue even further. I've just determined (between the two paragraphs) that this drawing is unquestionably from late summer/early fall 1977. So it's definitely the same age or newer, just more hastily drawn. So that's that.

Star Trek

I'm trying to figure out what the thing at the bottom (apparently not part of the Star Trek bit, since it's separated by the line above it) is supposed to be. It reminds me of the crude, stylized race cars in Indy 500 (or Rally-X, but that's still several years in the future). It's possible that I drew a car, and then was idly doodling, connecting outer edges, then corners. Alternately, the car image I see might just be coincidental, and it's an attempt at a version of some Star Trek vehicle or prop that I just can't remember, as I really haven't seen a whole lot of episodes in the last 20 years or so.

Determined X-Wing Pilot

This guy means business. Woe betide any TIE fighter pilots that get in his way.

Smug Jerk

Don't you just want to smack him?

Werewolf With Mange

It's possible that this is actually just a shaved werewolf...or that he's actually some sort of (formerly) furry alien. That scraggly tail suggests mange to me, though. I assume that I abandoned the drawing of his associate out of dissatisfaction with his short arms. He clearly wouldn't pass a short arm inspection.

Superman and Superboy-- Together Again!

This may have been inspired by a story published around that period wherein Old and Young Supie get stuck in the same period and resolve their dilemma by having one stand still and the other fly at him with all his might (accompanied by some narration concerning the whole "irresistible force/immovable object" conundrum), the result being that this causes him to be bashed through the time barrier to his own home time zone. It seemed like specious reasoning even then, but I accepted it. Alternately, this may be Superman with his son Superman, Jr., from the "Super-Sons" stories that ran periodically in World's Finest in those days. Either seems plausible to me.

Three Comic Strips

What Grandfather could ask for a finer birthday gift than a trio of pantomime gag strips? In March of 1977, my own grandfather, John T. Thompson, Sr. was obliged to consider that very question on the occasion of his 65th birthday. If dissatisfied, he never mentioned it.
Said comics seem likely inspired by the Gold Key Club comics pages then used as filler in comics from that publisher. Sometimes they would just be wordless gags by staff artists, and other times there would be setups provided by the company and finished by readers. (Most if not all of these were 10-year old reprints-or just old used comics-at the time I was reading them, but it was all new to me). In this instance, though, I had to start from scratch. Taken in order:

• Icarus: In my retelling, Daedalus isn't involved. Icarus does it all himself. Of course, this may just be some other dude making himself a set of wings, but the mythological angle adds a touch of class. I thought the first panel was worthy of Saul Steinberg.

• Star Trek: A rather slight gag, but surprisingly post-modern and sophisticated for an 8-year old, if I might pat myself on the back.

• Superman: The least successful, mostly because the third panel is incomprehensible. I think it might involve Superman's construction of a jail cell, but I don't get it. The readers' interpretations are hereby solicited.

In retrospect, I wish I'd structured the third one to end with an explosion, so as to maintain the narrative symmetry, but I apparently wasn't all that concerned with it at the time.

Three Sailors, a Civilian, a Robot, and a Caveman

Regrettably, I have no actual joke to go with this set-up. But it would have to be a heck of a joke, I'm certain! The robot is one of several that I drew in that period mounted with threatening syringes... I don't know where that was coming from. Perhaps there was something like that in a trailer for Demon Seed?

The Mummy Walks Among Us

I'm not clear as to whether the mummy is reaching out to strangle the viewers or just waving "hi" to us, but he seems to be in a good mood, regardless. This is a companion piece to this post and this one, for those who are keeping track.

Mr. Frankenstein

A companion piece to my "Monster Jokes" entry. There's also a full-length mummy drawing from the same day that'll surface here eventually. I find his pose to be reminiscent of Jon Stewart's Bush impression......heh heh heh!

Komic Kharacter Kwiz

Can you identify these popular characters just from seeing their left arms? I'm betting that the answer is probably "Yes".


ANSWERS: (A) Popeye, (B) Batman, (C)Wonder Woman
I'm surprised at my misplacement of Popeye's tattoo, and I have no idea what's up with Batman's pinky.

Thunder Lizard

This tyrannosaur's legs are so small, it almost makes me wonder if he's really a Komodo Dragon standing on his hind legs for a biscuit. Who will give this good boy a treat?

Dracula's Bride

Dressed in a less sexy manner than usual (it looks like one of those quilted "granny" nightgowns that were popular at the time, but I assume it's just my attempt at 19th century ladies' attire), and oddly reminiscent of an undead Little Lulu, here we have one of the Count's "close personal friends" striking a threatening pose.

The Doodle People

Bird-Man

No, not Birdman! Just a bird-man. Drawn with felt-tips on July 30, 1977, and signed twice with a dying pen, just to make certain that its provenance was unquestionable. In case it's not clear on the scan, his crappy bent spear is tipped with some sort of large gemstone, and, while he's shirtless, he is wearing a stylish white belt.

Bruto

Say...you remember this from last week? Well, it turns out that at least one of the scenes depicted in it was part of an actual story. I don't think there are any more pages to this...but I didn't remember this one, either, so who knows? I advise clicking to enlarge this (which is an option anytime with these, if I haven't made that clear in the past). "El Barko" has become "Bruto", but he's obviously still Snoopy.If you still can't make out the dialogue, it's as follows:

Panel One

BRUTO: I feel mean

Panel Two

BRUTO: ROWR

UNSEEN VICTIM: OUCH

Panel Four

BRUTO: I'm getting out

I haven't really staged this well---there's no sense of place,Bruto's crime occurs off-panel, and the mechanics of his recapture are entirely glossed over. Additionally, most alarm systems produce more than a single "DING". Still, it's a complete narrative. I'm pitching it to a New York publishing house as a graphic novel as soon as I figure out how I can tie it into some sort of obvious talk-show-friendly topical issue. Maybe Barko has cancer, or the unseen victim is a refugee from a war-torn country, or the broken leash is gay, or the pound is a ham-fisted metaphor for something. I'll figure it all out as soon as the contracts are signed.

DESTROY

This one pretty much speaks for itself.

El Barko

An unusual strategy: rather than actually draw an odd adventure comic featuring a rather obvious Snoopy knock-0ff, I present some highlights from said proposed comic. I can't answer any of the questions raised by this, except to say that the third panel appears to show a house with periscopes in the basement for observing the outdoors, which may be somehow extrapolated from the fanciful attributes displayed by Snoopy's doghouse in those days (I suppose that's El Barko waving to someone from the second story window). I don't even have any good theories about the thingies in the corners of the fifth panel. It looks like it would have been pretty entertaining, if I'd only had any sort of follow-through.

A Bird with some Other Stuff

A bird, two medals, a man with messy hair, and what appears to be a rubber ducky with a human head. Seems reasonable enough to me.

A Cyclops and the Flash

This is the page immediately following my "Scythes" piece, offering a further cyclops drawing, along with some experiments in rendering motion, Flash-style. I'm kind of surprised that these two themes are mixed on the same page, since it was my tendency in those days to use a new page for every new idea (leading to endless pages with a single arm or a half-completed x-wing or the like). Here, though, the bits and pieces bump up against each other. I have no conclusion to draw about this.