How y'all been? Anything happen since I last posted? Oh, yeah, no blog last week. Well, there's a darn good reason. Me, my wife, and my webmaster (sounds like a soap opera!) spent many, many hours last week trying to save my rittety old Gateway '98 computer, to no avail. We finally gave up the ghost and bought a new one this weekend, with Chris holding our hands through the difficult birthing pains. After almost a year-and-a-half of weekly opinions and trivia, we went blogless last week due to forces beyond our control. Sure, I could'a found a way to blog on Chris' computer or even at the library, but the computer hassles took so much time and mental energy, something had to give. A lot of good came out of this new purchase, tho' - faster speed and the cost was one-forth what I paid for the previous computer in '98!

   First off, I have to salute Marvel's newly-announced plan to sell comics through 6,000 7-11 convenient stores nationwide! I've been bemoaning the inaccessibility of comics for years, and it may be tricky, sales-wise at first, but I think it'll have great long-term benefits.

   Comics are a healthy addiction. If you've got this week's comics waiting at your local comics shop, and you're out of town for business or family events and forget to bring sufficient reading material, the pull of an unread comic offered before you as you pay for a full tank of gas can be compelling.

   The last I'd seen comics at convenient stores was in the late 80's. I remember driving home from a crappy date that went sour (yes, hard to believe bachelor Drew wasn't always successful with the ladies), stopping at a 7-11 to drown my sorrows in junk food, a few video game rounds, and a stray X-book spin-off I normally wouldn't buy. This led me to later ordering said stray X-book from then on at my comic shop. The power of P.O.P. displays (Point of Purchase as we called it when I was in advertising) can cloud minds. Had a crappy day working late at the office? "I'll take a chili cheese dog, chips, Big Gulp-hey, Iron Man! Haven't read that in ages...and... lemme see, two lotto tickets and some Twizzlers for dessert!

   Of course, a lot of our spouses will curse us out for coming out with a couple of comics when we'd been sent in only to just pick up some milk and bananas.

   Let's cross our fingers, everybody, not just for Marvel, but for the entire industry! Now onto...

   My second brilliant idea!

   There have been a lot of tributes to Silver Age creators in print. On websites. At conventions. These men and women had excelled at their craft under arduous deadlines that would crush the spirit of any current creator (myself included). Late shipping dates was NEVER an acceptable option back then. Thankfully, more and more of these talents who toiled for our entertainment with little or no fanfare are receiving their due. I see a lot of these creators work, specifically artists, at conventions doing con sketches, and the occasional small press project. You all know the names: Gene Colan, George Tuska, Ramona Fradon, Dick Ayers, John Severin, Marie Severin, Herb Trimpe and countless more...

   In 1996, Marvel produced a 32-page one-shot called Marvel Heroes and Legends, featuring the art of Marvel's Silver Age alumni, such as Steve Ditko, John Buscema, Gene Colan, John Romita, Joe Sinnott and others. Fabian Nicieza wrote the issue, a retelling of the wild wedding of Reed and Sue Richards, fat-packed with fisticuffs-flying friends and foes. Far as I know, it wasn't really promoted and sold poorly. In fact, a lot of fans don't know it exists.

   Some hardcore sentimentalists in Editorial Olympus greenlit a second Heroes and Legends in 1997, this time a retelling by writer James Felder of the events that led to the legendary changing of the guard in Avengers #16 (of which issue I proudly own the original Kirby/Ayers page 19 art). Ditko was back, plus this time Gil Kane treated us to some stellar art. Sal Buscema and Dick Ayers rounded out the pencilling chores. Again, far as I know, it didn't make a blip on the sales charts. The late 90's showed only occasional nods to the Silver Age. Mostly there seemed to be a lot of marketplace confusion, particularly reconciling 40-60 year old characters with readers who'd arrived at the storybook corner of Rehash & Relaunch.

   The members of DC's Justice Society of America were mothballed after Zero Hour, out of the dogmatic belief of the time that kids didn't care about old codgers trading WWII stories while adjusting to the present. In all fairness, this was a reaction to the threat that Image Comics presented in their early, explosively-profitable first few years. Afterwards, when sales of young psychopathic cyborgs-with-guns-where-arms-should-be did not guarantee high numbers, a cooling-off period began which wiped out a chunk of raw newbie creators, some of which deserved to disappear to improve their game or return to obscurity. Once the dust settled, a shift occurred where fan-favorite writers like Grant Morrison embraced and reveled in the absurdity of comics' history, warts and all! He and Mark Waid pushed for the concept of Hypertime wherein ALL the stories you've read are legitimate, opening the readers' minds to the possibility that they can pick and choose what stories they consider 'in continuity' and which ones stink on ice and are best left forgotten. I know I'm a convert. And I don't think I'm alone. In recent years, JSA has been a top-selling book with a spin-off due this summer! The new Legion of Super-Heroes relaunch is a good example of selective continuity appreciation. Except for the Levitz/ Giffen's 'Great Darkness Saga' era, I didn't care much for Legion lore until now...and I even inked some Legion in the '90's!

   Now it's 2005. DC has published over 100 volumes of their fantastic Archives hardcovers. At $50 a pop, that spells success to me. Also, they've sold original $30 graphic novels such as Bizzarro Comics, wherein a plethora of small-press artists have free reign to play with the DCU characters. I believe a second printing of Bizzarro Comics has being solicited.

   Now, here's where I get all brilliant n' stuff..

   Let's face it: The Silver Age talent is not going to be around forever. Each year, the number of these legends dwindles. A lot of them still have something to offer artwise, and rarely does an artist hang up his/her brush after retirement. I think an original graphic novel with short chapters illustrated by the likes of Tuska, Colan, the Severins, Sal Buscema, Ditko, Romita, Ayers, Aparo, Cockrum, Fradon, Sinnott, Adkins, Trimpe...

   ...marketed to slightly older consumers, who, statistically have more disposable income, won't mind shelling out $50 for Doom Patrol Archives, let alone $30 for one last hurrah for these greats in the comic industry. If marketing dictates, the publishers could hire modern inkers (I'm not plugging myself, but I'd do it in a heartbeat) or coloring, so be it.

   Maybe I'm going by old data,but as the Marvel Heroes & Legends single comics proved, there's, unfortunately, no single-issue reprint market. Remember the Marvel Select reprints from the late '90's? FF by Lee & Buscema, Spidey by Thomas and Kane/Romita. I have NEVER seen a copy of Marvel Select and I don't believe they lasted past two or three issues. If T.h.u.n.d.e.r. Agents $3.00 monthly reprints were offered now, they'd never gotten as far as they have with the fifth Archive volume. So please spread the word. I'm think it'd be a special offering that'd warm the hardest done-with-comics fan's heart.