Thursday, December 31, 2009

365 Days with Sue Storm, Day 5

Alpha Flight #6
Snowbird battles Kolomaq in a blinding snowstorm, with special guest-star Invisible Girl standing in the background. (Also featured: White Tiger and Moon Knight), in panels from Alpha Flight #6 (January 1984), script, pencils, and inks by John Byrne, letters by Michael Higgins, coloring by Andy Yanchus

(Click picture to white-sale-size)


You know, this ain't quite working out the way I'd hoped. Let's try something else. Hmmmm...how about...


He'll see you tomorrow.

He'll See You Tomorrow.

(Click picture to spoiler-size)



365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 365

FF #574
Panels from Fantastic Four #574 (February 2010), script by Jonathan Hickman, pencils by Neil Edwards, inks by Andrew Currie, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Rus Wooton


So, why that image, above, for the very final "365 Days with Ben Grimm"?

Well, glance back at the very first 365 Days with Ben Grimm, and you'll find this image...

FF #1


...which was the very first appearance of Mr. B. Grimm in the Marvel Universe. The first image is, as a bookend, the most recent appearance: the final panel in Fantastic Four #574, the most recent FF comic book to be published before the end of 2009. My point with this panel—and I do have one—is that I've taken you from first to most recent, but it's not "the last" Ben Grimm. In other words..."And the adventure continues."

Here's to you, Benjamin J. Grimm: thanks for a fantastic year. See ya down on Yancy Street, big guy!

Bully and Ben


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 364

FF: The End #2
Panels from Fantastic Four: The End #2 (January 2007), written and penciled by Alan Davis, inked by Mark Farmer, colored by John Kalisz, letters by David Lanphear
(Click picture to happy ending-size)



365 Days with Sue Storm, Day 4

FF #21
Panel from Fantastic Four #21 (December 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek



Tuesday, December 29, 2009

365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 363

MTIO #10
Panels from Marvel Two-in-One #14 (March 1976), script by Bill Mantlo, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by John Tartaglione, colors by Janice Cohen, letters by Karen Mantlo



365 Days with Sue Storm, Day 3

FF A #6
Panel from Fantastic Four Annual #6 (November 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Sam Rosen



Monday, December 28, 2009

365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 362

MTIO #10
Panels from Marvel Two-in-One #10 (July 1975), script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Bob Brown, inks and colors by Klaus Janson, letters by John Costanza



365 Days with Sue Storm, Day 2

FF #13
Panel from Fantastic Four #13 (April 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko, letters by Artie Simek



Sunday, December 27, 2009

Twenty-Five of a Kind: All I Want for Christmas is You (And Comic Books)







Click on each picture to Santa-size. Happy Christmas, everyone!

See also and as well. (And there's more Ten of a Kind here.)


365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 361

FF #236
Panel from Fantastic Four #236 (November 1981), script, pencils, and inks by John Byrne, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by Jim Novak



365 Days with Sue Storm, Day 1

I'm so eager to start my new year-long series, I'm beginning it a week early! So sit back and enjoy the first installment of...

365 Days with Sue Storm!


First up:
FF #21
Panel from Fantastic Four #21 (December 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos, letters by Sam Rosen



Saturday, December 26, 2009

365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 360

MCP #18
Panel from Marvel Comics Presents #18 (Early May 1989), script by Glenn Herdling, pencils and colors by Richard Howell, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Jack Morelli



Saturday Morning Cartoon: Merrie Melodies "The Shanty Where Santy Lives"


Merrie Melodies "The Shanty Where Santy Lives" (1933), directed by Rudolf Isling



Friday, December 25, 2009

365 Days with Ben Grimm, Day 359

FF #361
Panel from Fantastic Four #8 (February 1992), script by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Danny Bulanadi, colors by Ed Lazellari and Christie Scheele, letters by Bill Oakley



And may you not only get what you want and you need, but discover the joy in what you already have.

"Every time a bell rings,
an angel gets his wings.
"—ZuZu Bailey

X-Men First Class #12
X-Men First Class #12
X-Men First Class #12
Panels from X-Men: First Class v.2 #12 (July 2008), script by Jeff Parker;
pencils, inks, colors and letters by Colleen Coover



Today in Comics History, December 24, 1967 and 1944: How Hitler Tried to Steal Christmas, or, Have Yourself a Furious Little Christmas

Sgt. Fury Annual #4


Every Belgian in St. Vith liked freedom a lot...
But Herr Hitler, up in Berchtesgaden did not!

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

And especially at Christmas he'd turn extra brutal
And vow to make holiday joy and hope futile.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

He'd shout and he'd curse and he'd cause lots of mayhem
And order the Nazis to round up and slay 'em.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

But why did he hate Christmas, A. Schicklgruber?
I'm not sure, but maybe his brain was a tuber.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

I didn't do research, so don't call me lazy
But he was that mixture of evil and crazy

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

He hated the Roma! He hated the Jews!
If he lived above Whoville he'd hate all the Whos

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

He hated the Slavs and he hated the Poles!
Total mass extinction was his final goals.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

The gays and the Soviets, he hated them all
But mostly the Belgians with their soccer balls

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

(Because legend has told it, if you listen close,
Herr Hitler was jealous, he had just one of those.)

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

So he met with Herr Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt
And plotted to wipe St. Vith out, cold stone dead.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

In the snowy forests of Belgium's Ardenne
Invaded a half million German armed men

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

And Hitler's plan might have been a great prize
Were it not for the valor of all the Allies.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Those thousands of soldiers who marched through the snow
US grunts like Bill Mauldin's Willie and Joe.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

And among them parachuting down through the flurry
Were the Howling Commandoes and Sergeant Nick Fury.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They landed on Nazis, attacked with a yell
And sent every one of those Germans to hell.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4


(Cause war isn't pretty and war isn't kind.
I'll expect you have to keep that fact well in mind.)

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They snuck through the woods with orders to shoot
But sometimes you have to give Jerry a boot.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Snuck up on a tank, commandeered it. Voila!
With Gabe Jones's trumpet playing tah-rah! Tah-rah!

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Drove it into the woods and across German flanks
And proceeded to blast the hell out of their tanks

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Till the stolen tank finally ran out of fuel
Fury said "March!" (Mom Fury raised no fool.)

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

"Keep 'em movin'!" Nick grunted, and then soon forthwith
They were moving down into the town of St. Vith.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

But the Howling Commandos had run out of luck
There were Nazis up on the road ahead. "Oh &#@%!"

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

And among the snow-covered Ardenne firs
Rounded up with a pack of American prisoners

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Each one of the soldiers was condemned to death
How would they escape? Are you holding your breath?

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Sergeant Fury came up with a plan that was awesome
And commanded the Howlers to lie down and play possum.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They survived to battle through the long winter night
Sgt. Fury wasn't leaving St. Vith with no fight.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Til the orders came down to stop the attack
St. Vith was lost, it was time to fall back

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They marched through the snow, and can you believe
They'd nearly forgotten it was Christmas Eve.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

All the Belgian kids came o'er the hills with a grin
There was Bernard, and Dieter, and Max, and Tintin

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Each one was an orphan, without mom, without dad
Howlers determined to give them Christmas like they had

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

When up in the sky there arose such a clatter
The Germans were bombing! Duck, cover and scatter!

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They blew up the chocolate! Blew up the coffee!
Why, those Ratzis even bombed Nick's Christmas tree.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

The Howlers shot back on that cold Christmas Eve
(As Nick Fury says, 'Better to give than receive!')

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They fought them with rifles! They fought with grenades!
They slammed 'em with weapons to stop the blockades

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

They each had a weapon or two, ev'ry fella
Dum-Dum's cannon turret! Percy's black umbrella!

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

On the cold winds the sound of jazz trumpet was borne
It's not really a fight 'til you hear Gabriel's horn.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

When you fight against Fury, nothing goes just as planned
And the last battle's with Nick himself, just hand-to-hand.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

With a boot in the crotch and a face full of snow
Fury struck at the Nazi with blow after blow

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

There's no law book to warfare, no Queensbury rules
And a soldier learns to use each of his tools

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

The Nazi grabbed for a grenade with a grin
"Was ist? Meine Güte!" Fury'd pulled out the pin!

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

His bones blew to bits and fell down with a rattle.
(He probably shouldn't have narrated his own battle.)

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

On a snowcovered hill in the chill Ardenne
At last it was Christmas for Nick and his men.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

Fury survived the war, years later to divulge
This one heroic tale of the Battle of the Bulge

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

(What of Hitler, you ask? Well, he died four months later.
The Human Torch flame-broiled to death the dictator.)

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

So as you enjoy your Christmas with your tree
Just remember the men who kept your country free.

Sgt. Fury Annual #4

As Nick Fury was heard to yell "Hitler! $@%# you!
"Merry Christmas to all, and a howling WAHOO!"

Sgt. Fury Annual #4