“Duck! Lobo, Duck!”
 |
| “Duck! Lobo, Duck!” Get it? |
No, we’re not referring to a possible remake of the famous “Duck Season / Rabbit Season” cartoons with Lobo tossed into the mix…
 |
| "Duck season!" Rabbit season!" |
 |
| ..."No, it's BASTICH Season!" |
…but, the fact that, in honor of the upcoming New York Comic Con (October 10-13, 2013), we’re doing THREE CONSECUTIVE Comic Book Reviews –
one for DAFFY DUCK # 36 (1963), one for LOBO # 55 (1998), and, next up, one for
UNCLE SCROOGE # 259 (1991).
Though, not just “any” review of UNCLE SCROOGE # 259, but a recreated transcript of the VERY FIRST Comic Book Review I’d ever written – for the
ALSO VERY FIRST edition of THE ISSUE AT HAND APA and fanzine column!
The very same one I pounded-out on my “Brother Word
Processing Machine”, back in 1994!
A small number of you may actually remember this, but it will be new
(or, “old-new”) for most of you, and will appear pretty much word-for-word, as I
prepared it over 19 years ago!
Any “further events” concerning the issue, the stories, or the characters therein (such as other subsequent printings of certain stories, or my current perspective on things vs. that of 1994), may be addressed in the comments section, if you desire.
 |
| No, Scrooge... it was NINETEEN years ago -- not Six! And stop LEANING the panel at an ANGLE! We don't want our readers to think you're "crooked"! |
Any “further events” concerning the issue, the stories, or the characters therein (such as other subsequent printings of certain stories, or my current perspective on things vs. that of 1994), may be addressed in the comments section, if you desire.
This, however, will be a pure time-trip back to 1994 (...But with LOTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS, this time!), and the event that led to the Blog you’re reading right now.
 |
| Could even THIS have predicted TIAH Blog? |
So, join me on Monday, October 07 for this one-of-a-kind (admittedly cheap and time-saving) occurrence, when a piece of TIAH history kicks
off the week of New York Comic Con, as we review Disney Comics’ UNCLE SCROOGE #
259 from the almost-two-decade-old (!) perspective of the (Choke!) “yesteryear”
of 1994!
 |
| You modern scamps don't know what it was like back in '94! ...Of course, *I* mean 1894! |
5 comments:
Joe,
Can't wait for this traipse down memory lane!
Chris
You were there for it, Chris! …And for the birth of TIAH.
For those who don’t know, I’d begun writing various pieces for Dana Gabbard's THE DUCKBURG TIMES fanzine, and was considering a regular column for that publication. I hadn’t actually arrived at the name “The Issue At Hand”, but the general idea was pretty much what TIAH turned out to be.
For various reasons, the regular column in TDT never got off the ground, and TIAH ended up in a Disney Afternoon-focused APA called WTFB – hence my choice of Uncle Scrooge as my first subject – and a comic that would have been somewhat contemporary to viewers of The Disney Afternoon.
From there TIAH expanded to Ken Bausert’s PASSIONS, Mark Arnold’s THE HARVEYVILLE FUN TIMES, and finally Arnie Hollander’s GRASSROOT REFLECTIONS – before entirely evolving into a Blog.
And, on Monday, we go back to “Day One”.
Wow, a column for Duckburg Times? That would have been nifty. No wonder you were peeved when after #24/25 it stalled. The level of interest had sort of declined. Things just were not as dynamic as the golden age of Barksdom circa 1980-1990. But what we did was great stuff. I am still contemplating a "final" issue, with the thought maybe of having it posted on the net (maybe on SCRIBD). Have some copies printed for friends and archives. All the old gang could write articles for a finale.
What you did WAS great stuff, Dana! …And, I must point out for those who didn’t know (or have since forgotten) what those times were like, offered information to folks who were REALLY hungry for it when it was available in precious few places. In fact, it’s staggering to consider the number of things we can easily look up today that may have appeared in TDT for the first time (I was responsible for a few of those), or virtually the first time.
It was YOU, in particular, who first encouraged me to write on the topic of (as this Blog’s Header says) “The Things That Interest Me”, so anyone who stops by TIAH Blog has Dana to thank – or BLAME!
Dana later teamed up this “enthusiastic young fan” with another “enthusiastic younger fan” by the name of Chris Barat (see the comment above this one) and together we caught lightning in a bottle with our efforts at indexing that “new Uncle Scrooge TV show” called DUCKTALES. Efforts we still receive occasional inquiries about even today.
That would seem to also make Dana responsible for Chris’ Blog (http://newsandviewsbychrisbarat.blogspot.com/), which is an everyday stop for me -- and should be for all of you too.
In addition, I think I can say with reasonable certainty that, if not for that initial burst of fannish writings and related activity that stemmed from Dana’s fanzine, I would never have met the many other fans and enthusiasts who have formed my core group of longtime friends, met or corresponded with the many comics professionals who have been kind to me over the years and contributed to the base of knowledge I continue to share to this day, eventually leading to the ultimate privilege of actually getting to work professionally with the comics I’ve loved for most of my life!
So, yeah, Dana… I’m STILL “peeved” that you just stopped (Insert “Smiley Emoticon” here!), but stand in awe of the things that sprang (for me personally) from my involvement with that wonderful little fanzine of yours!
I'm blushing! It was a great run and those issues contain Bark/Disney gold that isn't even now isn't readily available...
Post a Comment