It's OUT and We're IN!

MICKEY MOUSE #3 (Legacy Number #333 - funny how that works out, eh?) from Fantagraphics,  concluding the "Ripples In Time" / Rhyming Man and Uma adventure, is OUT as of March 18, 2026. 

We are (finally) IN our new house and the literal construction dust is finally beginning to settle (...mostly onto the floors and furniture - necessitating more and more clean up) but, at last, we can begin discussing both - or any topic of your choice once again.  

Hopefully, more MICKEY than HOUSE... just to keep me from more sobbing!  

Now It Can Be Told!

 The time has come, the Walrus said... 

...To speak of many things!  

...Of why this Blog was left for dead...

...Despite your many "pings"! 

My sincerest apologies to all you wonderful friends (friends both to me and to this humble Blog) for your concern - and especially your continued contact with comments - and it's time I finally shared the long, long story.  

Frankly, from mid-summer until very recently, it's been a bad time for us.  

To those brave solus that inquired, my stock reply was "It's not health! It's not divorce! Anything else can work itself out!" 

And, after a long series of unpleasant experiences that brought us unprecedented levels of stress, things did - actually, and in total - work themselves out!  

I'll not go into details, as living through it once was difficult enough, but neither Esther nor I were at fault... and, paradoxically, we also both were!  

BUT, IT'S OVER NOW!  HOORAY! 

The end result is that we are moving! But a mere 6.30 miles from our present address. There were reasons having to do with the neighborhood - one that I've lived in (or around) since I was 14 (with only some small breaks) - but, having spent some time at our future address just this very day, we both love it, and can't wait until our closing date.  

So, I thank you for sticking with us, lo these many blog-barren months - and especially for all the comments, which kept coming in despite my lack of response.  I WILL (hopefully) GET TO THEM ALL IN THE NEAR FUTURE, among and around the herculean task of packing for the move!   

The comments actually meant a great deal to me as (...if you've followed some squarely-dropped hints) I was - and, to some degree, still am - considering ending this Blog.  I will do a post as to WHY at some point, but you're welcome to drop an opinion of your own!  

TO HAPPIER THINGS:  My work with Fantagraphics and Gold Key continues with great stuff coming from both publishers... and then there's THIS... 

YES!!!  IT'S MICKEY!!!  IT'S THE PHANTOM BLOT!!! ...and I'm there, too! 

I must have turned this in close to two years ago, but IT'S FINALLY HERE!  

And, if I've got the schedule right, Issues 2 and 3 will have an amazing story by Casty (...with me as a hanger-on... of the "for dear life" variety) using another villain from the Gottfredson/Walsh era who has been too seldom seen - and, as a writer, I can say - with good reason!  GREAT VILLAIN, but very hard to write.  Some of you should guess it pretty quickly, with THAT hint! 

It WAS the most difficult and effort-intensive task I ever performed for Fantagraphics (...and all those drop-out Disney publishers that preceded them)... but I did it for our esteemed editor David Gerstein, for Mickey, for the Very-Hard-To-Write-Villain... and especially for YOU!   

Gold Key is way too early to talk about, but I've taken on some interesting duties there as well.  

See you in the Comments Section (...I hope?) 

"Horrifically Busy" Just Got More "Horrifically Busy"!

Just when ya thought it couldn't get worse, there's another reason this humble Blog is not up to its (kinda, sorta) usual standards of posting frequency!

Yes, it's the dread task of HOUSE CONSTRUCTION!

It would seem that two amazingly cute little grandchildren are not the only "additions" to our lives!

Averi (right) and Cici - September, 2021

We need a place to put 'em for their (hopefully) frequent future visits, thus the expansion.  

One day, half the house was GONE, and the next a new wooden frame was in its place!  And don't get me started on the number of things I had to move and crowd into awkward (but, so far, reasonably safe) places!  

My den, from which I write these posts, remains inaccessible, and I've resorted to moving my Blogging activities to a less-familiar laptop - on my kitchen table!  And, to do so, had to go through more corridors and alleyways of Google than I thought possible in order to just get to where I could Blog on the darned thing!  

But, since "perseverance" is one of my many middle names (...Just don't call me "Percy" for short - 'cause HE won't like me appropriating his name)...

Of course, you remember where HE comes from!

...Here I am, and ready to resume under these sometimes-trying circumstances, to the relief and (dare I say it?) joy of all!

Let's see how this first kitchen-laptop post - and its follow-up comments (AHEM!) go - and, as a result of my "Google-tampering" to do so, will anything be out-of-whack once I get my desktop computer - and my DESK, and my swivel chair... and my DEN - back!   

I leave you with this image of a hole in my living room, leading out to the back yard... mostly because it's the only other picture I took of the whole affair as of yet, and hope the "next six weeks" (Groan!) go smoothly!

Halloween 2020 Reading and Watching List!

Stop me if you've heard this bit before, but... Halloween 2020 isn't over until I say it is!  

And I promised a return to "Happy Stuff" the day after Election Day, so here we go! 

Whether or not you were satisfied with the results, or even if the results are still up in the air (Oh, I hope not... I can't take anymore! ...And *I* don't know myself, because I'm writing this BEFORE Election Day - so Good Luck, USA!), you're probably all wondering...

...What did Joe read and watch for Halloween 2020?  

...And, if you aren't wondering that, you SHOULD, because it's a darn sight more pleasant than the NEWS was on that day!  

In my opinion, I did a remarkable amount of partaking in Halloween-themed entertainment for one day - especially as much of the day was taken with domestic and outdoor chores... two loads of wash (wash, dry, put away), gathering and storing all the outdoor furniture and equipment, removal of outdoor plants which will not survive the winter, gathering the week's recycling, cleaning the backyard fence of dirty smudges... and, believe it or not, washing-down the front of my house (at least the parts I can reach without a ladder) by hand!  Whew! Puff-Pant! 

It was during those activities, particularly the house hand-washing, that I observed no kids trick-or-treating - as discussed in a previous post! 

That I found ANY time at all for Halloween-themed products of entertainment, is a tribute to the "hold" this particular holiday has on me.  

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But, yes... there were two comics, and two items on DVD, in the following order... (David Gerstein will be proud of this first one!)

DELL FOUR COLOR #46: FELIX THE CAT AND THE HAUNTED CASTLE (Dell Comics, Cover Date: June, 1944)   

In this 48-page collection of Felix the Cat daily newspaper comic strips from the great Otto Mesmer, Felix has a (typically) disjointed adventure of non-sequiturs that include:

In Fairyland, helping "Little Betty Blue" attend the Fairyland Ball, thwarting the efforts of her wicked stepmother.  If this bit sounds familiar, it seems odd that Cinderella herself, as well as Little Bo Peep, and Little Red Riding Hood, have no trouble getting dolled-up and attending the Ball!  ...No wonder Betty's so (sorry, but I gotta say it) blue! 

Meeting a group of four "Magical Midgets". 

Evading "Bruto", the wicked stepmother's executioner.   

And finally helping a poor shoe-shine boy, when the larger "Simple Simon" muscles in on his territory!  

However, somewhere between besting Bruto and snookering Simple Simon, a larger part of the story takes place in the titular "Haunted Castle" where Felix must escape from a family of ghosts who have pressed him into service as both a pet and a slave.  

A nice, long romp that never gets dull! 

HERE'S the GCD link for it! 

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Then, on to BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY #13 (Gold Key Comics, Cover Date. March, 1966) With all the recent Blog activity about BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY of late, how could I NOT read one of these for Halloween!

This issue is highlighted by it's lead story, "The Five Casks of Greed", a haunting tale of the corruption and utter consumption of a man by avarice. 

Archaeologist Andrew Lake recounts the his woeful tale of the discovery of five sealed casks below the surface of Crete. The casks are said to each hold great riches... BUT only one must be opened within a ten-year period - and, in order for a cask to magically open, one must commit a designated act of evil that is stated on the cask!    

Would you commit acts of evil, which incrementally increase in severity, in exchange for riches?  And would you be willing to wait the prescribed duration before claiming the treasures in the remaining four casks?  

Those are the questions facing Andrew Lake in this magnificent 12-page tale!  

Making it all the more special, Boris Karloff appears, not only as the "host", but is also a participant in the story as the person to whom Lake tells his tragic tale!  

There's Unca Boris, as "host" in the splash panel, and as "listener" in Panel Two.  (Click to Enlarge)

In keeping with my penchant for casting "era-appropriate actors" as the characters in the Boris Karloff and Twilight Zone comic stories, and "hearing their voices" as I read, I cast Mark Richman (also known as Peter Mark Richman) as Andrew Lake.  Yeah, the "hair color" doesn't match up but, if you've seen him in anything, you'll know why he's my choice! 

I've always said the overall quality of the Gold Key Comics of 1964-1966 was unsurpassed.  Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #13 is just one more reason why!  

HERE'S the GCD link for it!  

This is the first time I have read either of these comics and both, in their own unique storytelling were perfect Halloween reads!  

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For DVDs, on the other hand, nothing new - just familiar, tried, and true! 

At Scarecrow33's suggestion I went for the 1964 Woody Woodpecker TV special "Spook-a-Nanny", on the DVD set "The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection" 

Woody unsuccessfully tries to blow up party balloons for "his boss" Walter Lantz, then heads off to a Halloween party attended by the various Lantz characters (largely voiced by Daws Butler), and encounters a rock band of ghosts with Beatle-wigs! 

The special also features one of my favorite Woody theatrical cartoons, "Under the Counter Spy" (1954), a parody of "Dragnet" in which Woody encounters "The Bat" a (perfect for Halloween) villain who resembles The Phantom Blot! ...At least he did to me in 1964!

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Finally, does anything say Halloween like a SIMPSONS "Treehouse of Horror" show?   ...No! Nothing does, so let's just get on with it!  

"Treehouse of Horror XIV" leads off the DVD set THE SIMPSONS: THE COMPLETE FIFTEENTH SEASON, and originally aired on November 02, 2003 (literally SEVENTEEN years to the day, as I write this!)  And, yes, they DID do a joke about a Halloween Special airing in November!  

Homer becomes "Death", and actually enjoys purging the world of various folks... until his next assignment is to expire Marge!  Will Death take a holiday?  Or a donut break?  Or will Homer use (or lose?) his head to get out of his predicament?  

Professor Frink re-animates his dead father - who is very appropriately voiced by Jerry Lewis! 

And Bart and Millhouse possess the ability to stop and start time... What could possibly go wrong? 

Unlike the two comics, which I hadn't read previously, these shows are "comfortable old friends"... or as "comfortable" as you can possibly be with Homer Simpson in the role of "Death"!  

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BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! 

...Don't bother counting, the clock doth strike-eth TWELVE, and Halloween be-eth over for another year-eth! 

But, we sure packed a lot of housework, chores, and Halloween reading and watching into this one didn't we-eth?  

Oh, wait, Halloween's still not over until I say so... but it IS winding down, so stay tuned, or blogged, or whatever it is you do-eth! 

Adventures in Pantry Raiding: Going "Crackers"?

Yes, once in a while I will occasionally lift my head from blogging about comic books and forage for food!

Fortunately, I have only to forage the length of 3 1/2 flooring tiles, from my den's door to the food pantry!

On such a "pantry raid" (pardon), I chanced to discover this curious item...

...Leaving me with but one question to ask...

What in the heck are "ENTERTAINER CRACKERS"? 

Do they "sing and dance" their way into your tummy? 

And, if so, I hope they sound more like Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin...

...Rather than AC/DC...

...'Cause, while I "like me some AC/DC", my tummy would consider it a "Dirty Deed Done Dirt Cheap"!    

Don't just lie there, stacked in your individually-wrapped sleeves... ENTERTAIN ME!  

Better Living Through Comics and Animation: The Great Suburban Ant Invasion!

On the first warm Saturday of 2006, also the first such day after moving into our house, I attempted the rather basic operation of opening all the windows. Easy, right? Not quite…

It seems that an upstairs window had no screen. But, there were several screens left to us in a backyard shed. I brought one into the house to see it if would fit. Placing it down on the kitchen floor, I was horrified to see a literal ARMY OF ANTS come streaming out of the tracks of this seemingly useful remnant of homeowners past, that was, in reality, an insects’ “Trojan Horse”.

This was not just a bunch of ants… but an actual, moving, writhing, undulating BLACK CARPET of ants that had begun to spread in all directions! There were far too many to kill by the usual means of stomping or spraying, so what’s a beleaguered guy to do?

For reasons still unknown, my mind flashed to a comic book story I read back in 1965 -- “Mickey Mouse and Pluto Battle the Giant Ants” (originally from 1950 and reprinted for my generation in MICKEY MOUSE # 102 -August, 1965), in which the titular “Giant Ants” met their fate by being sucked to their digestive doom by an equally giant anteater!.





With that bizarre image in mind, I grabbed the VACUUM CLEANER and sucked all the little BUG-gers up into the vac’s dust bag before they could reach our cabinets of food, living room, and bedroom – and quickly disposed of the bag! …Sure enough, that “comic-book solution” worked!

After the vacuuming, I liberally doused the area with Raid Ant Spray, and saw no further signs of our ant invasion. If only I’d had the presence of mind at the time, I would have loved to have delivered the following bit of “Bad Action Movie Dialogue”.

“Hey, ants! See this giant vacuum cleaner! I call it LIFE!” (Joe switches on the vacuum and cleans the house of ants) “And, as you all know, LIFE SUCKS AND THEN YOU DIE!”

…And, so they did! And another suburban peril was averted.

The moral? In times of trouble, consult your comics and DVD collections! The answer’s bound to be in there SOMEWHERE!

Is My House Famous?

It doesn’t matter how long you live in a neighborhood, there’s always something new to learn! I’ve lived in my town (off and on) since 1969, in five different houses over the years… but things unknown still lurk among the suburban tracts.

In casual conversation with a long-time resident of the block, on which we’ve lived for nearly the last three years, my wife Esther, learned that our house was once the home of noted science fiction and fantasy pulp illustrator Virgil Finlay! In fact, given the timeframe Finlay is said to have lived here – and that our house was part of a large postwar development – he was most likely its original owner.

Click the link above for more on Virgil Finlay.

At the time, the upstairs of our house was an unfinished attic and, it seems that Mr. Finlay created many of his illustrations and paintings up there! Today, that very same space houses my vast collection of comics! Something about that just makes me feel good!