Curtis Andersen Super Blog!

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #10 & Iron Man #11

2012-05-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Secret Identities.

The superhero trope of superhero tropes.

Clark Kent and Superman

Bruce Wayne and Batman

Peter Parker and Spider-Man

We are all very familiar with the idea that superheroes disguise their real identities to either have or protect their personal lives.

There are very few exceptions to this, the most prominent that I can think of being Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Sure he has the superhero name, Mr. Fantastic, but he and the whole Fantastic four are publicly known, celebrities even.

In current Marvel continuity and the Marvel movies Tony Stark is known to be Iron Man, but back in the 60's (hell, well into the new millennium) Tony Stark maintained his secret identity where Iron Man was employed as Stark's body guard, the reasons for which will be ~~deliberated~~ complained about later. The stories of Iron Man 10 and 11 focus on how Stark deals with the fact that The Mandarin has discovered his secret identity.

The short answer: he tricks Mandy into thinking that Stark and Iron Man really are two different people with the clever use of masks and a Life Model Decoy. In other words, it's not really dealt with at all, it's just needless manipulation all the while Stark factories are sitting idle and the whole country is busy thinking Stark is a pinko commie.

Fantastic plan, Stark.

Of course, because this is a comic book, Stark's plan to save his identity works out perfectly:

Mandarin is convinced that he's not Iron Man.
The LMD distracts the press and, during Shellhead's battle with Mandy, they hear how Mandarin planned the whole thing and faked the pictures that started the whole mess in the first place.

Oh and the Mandarin's betrothed totally turns on him because he doesn't believe in love... but that's not really related to secret identities.

Oh and we found out why he made a Hulk robot in issue 9 - turns out Hulk destroyed his castle in China and Mandy wanted to tarnish Hulk's name... which is a bit redundant for Hulk but there you go.
Mandarin seemingly blows up at the end, but even Iron Man says he'll be back, eliminating the drama of that moment.

But all issue specific plot points aside, the risk of people discovering secret identities for comic book heroes is a go-to story to write. There's always going to be a story like this one where someone who shouldn't know the secret learns it and tries to use it to their advantage. There's the opposite story where the hero reveals their identity to show how much they trust someone. In all the stories where there's a secret identity time always has to be taken to show how they keep that secret when they change into the requisite super-suit, i.e. the proverbial "phone booth" or janitorial closet. If this were real life how many lives would be at risk while Spider-Man finds a suitable alley way to change his clothes?

That's why I don't understand the reason for Tony Stark to even have a secret identity. When I was a kid I never questioned it - superheroes had secret identities and that's how it worked - but reading these stories now, older and having Stark be secret identity-less for over a decade, it feels contrived.

I get it for Spider-Man, he's got an old aunt and the public is not always on his side. I get it for Batman, he is a violent vigilante, it's important that Gotham's finest don't show up on Bruce Wayne's door. I get it for Superman - he's a freaking alien who's so powerful if his identity was revealed he'd never have a moment to himself! But Tony stark is a public figure, like Reed Richards, he's a playboy anyway who enjoys attention and his business, especially in the 60's, is weapon design. A lot of the things that exist for Stark just because of his civilian life eliminate the need for a secret identity.

Taking a look at typical reasons to have a secret identity, let's see how Stark's life already handles the problems:

Protecting people he loves - Tony Stark is a public figure, a target for foreign enemy nations, so his loved ones are already targets. Publicly being Iron Man might actually help in this case.
Protecting his privacy/private life - Again, public figure so there is no privacy. If anything he's under a microscope so really shouldn't the question be how bad are the journalists in the Marvel Universe that they couldn't figure out his identity? Also, he owns a major business so there are existing security measures in place to protect him and his factories.
The legality of actually being a superhero - This one's tricky, but the fact that Stark helped to create SHIELD and equips them and is, like, totes BFF with Nick Fury gives his a pass on this in my opinion.
Being able to hold down a job - Again, he owns it. It's hard to get fired from your own company (even though that totally happens but not for a while...).

Clearly modern writers and I are on the same page since he hasn't had a secret identity for a very long time, but it makes me wonder why it was so important for about forty years? There were times when it was defended for story purposes, but for the writers in the 60's through the 90's why was that identity so important? There had to be a reason because it was no problem writing it away when they did. Maybe it was cultural, a sign of the times? I don't have the answer, at least not today, but I want to revisit this concept later, hopefully be able to cite more examples from issues.

Next Time:

AVENGERS!!!!

2012-05-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Taking a small break from Project: Iron Man today to encourage you to go see Marvel's The Avengers!

It's so good!

I could go into deep discussion about it, describe my favorite parts, spoil the crap out of things that shouldn't be spoiled but they're so cool that you can't help but talk about them - but I won't!

If you are an Avengers fan at all you will crap your pants at the awesomeness contained in this film!

My wife, not a comic book person at all, had a really great time!

Go! See it! There's a reason it's making all this money!

Here's a trailer:

*Avengers Logo by GrandeMike

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #9

2012-04-30T13:04:00.001-07:00

The idea of a man in a skin tight suit of highly flexible metal armor is fantastic enough. Add to the mix mad scientists, wild temporary mutations, big business deals and secret identities and you are asking for an awful lot of suspension of disbelief...

...then you enter comic book crazy town and suddenly you're walking down the pier of acceptability right toward the waters of who gives a fuck.

This issue is the event horizon and a robot Hulk is our delivery device, but we'll get to that in a second.

First let's talk about a very fundamental superhero comic idea: continuity.

Continuity is the threat of story that is carried from each issue of a comic book series to the next providing a history that readers can latch onto to be the common ground that different writers share when they add to the mythology. It is the thing that says Tony Stark was injured in a war zone and had to build the armor. It is what says that Krypton blew up and Superman was sent to Earth by his parents. It is what says that Abin Sur crashed on Earth and gave Hal Jordan the Green Lantern power ring. Continuity can change. When it is done in a specific book it is called a retcon, or retroactive continuity, and if it is done across the entire line of comic books it is call a reboot (see DC's New 52). Continuity has fueled nerd rage for as long as there have been fictionalized stories. Seriously, when there were cave paintings there was a caveman who was pissed that the gazelle escaped the hunter. Pre-internet flame wars were actually conducted with flaming sticks!

Actually, don't quote me on that. I just made it up about the caveman. I'm pretty sure it's true but... yeah...

Anyway.

We're actually a long way off from both a retcon and a reboot in regard to Iron Man (but, oh man, are they coming) so we can talk about the other form of continuity, one that everyone should be familiar with, where things that are established to be should remain the same until they are shown to change. HERE'S a dictionary definition.

Marvel cared enough about continuity discrepancies that they used to offer something called a No Prize If you pointed them out! As time went on (and people got greedy) they also required that you include a possible justification with your answer, adding fan-fiction pseudo-science to the mix. The rules have evolved as times have changed, but if you could get a No Prize for pointing out errors in back issues, I'd have a shot today for sure!

Rain, late night deliveries and a dude in a hood - it's like a noir story and it sets you up to be pulpy and exciting, but what we get instead is a karate chop, a fake statue and...

The Hulk.

By now in Marvel Universe continuity Iron Man and The Hulk have encountered each other quite a few times, including starting the Avengers and then later fighting each other because of one misunderstanding or another. Now our mysterious hooded figure has managed to bend The Hulk to his will and bad things are about to happen.

Now for my chance at a retroactive No Prize, check out this page specifically the panels with Vincent Sandhurst on the phone:

See that huge diamond ring on his finger? It's like they're calling attention to it, right? Like it might even be a story point? Then in the bottom left panel it's totally gone!

Oh, and it's pretty clear now that Sandhurst has ulterior motives in selling Cord Industries to Stark - but we won't know this issue.

The Hulk bursts in on the sales meeting and kidnaps Janice Cord, our resident damsel in distress, and then there're pages of fight. Here's a couple of them:

See all that swirling cloud there? That's definitely a fight!

So, naturally, it turns out that it's not really The Hulk it's a Hulk robot! Oh and the hooded figure is the Mandarin.

So let's take a look at a few things here:

So The Mandarin says at the end that this whole ruse was to see what would happen when people Tony Stark cares about are put in harms way and to confirm his suspicion that Tony Stark and Iron Man are the same person. However:

Why make a robot Hulk? The two heroes have a public history in this universe, one where they worked together and formed a premier super team. Why not use a different super villain or, better yet, make the robot just a random monster? (Real world answer: Hulk sells comic books, but he's not allowed to actually be a bad guy so put him in the book and make him a robot in the end - Sales Win!)
Why Janice Cord? Yes she is a woman, and by 60's standards that's all you need, but she and Tony haven't even dated yet, like, ever. So why target her?

Why is The Mandarin in a hood? He's hiding from his own people? And then when he pulls off the hood he's got a mask on too?!?!?!? Fashion faux pas! (Real world answer: so the reader doesn't know that it's him. But, seriously, all the Chinese iconography and the purple and green outfit, who else is it going to be?)
Remember this cover!!!! There are a few times when old covers, like this one, will be re-used in the series for totally different stories!

We'll explore continuity more in later issues, but for now get ready for more Mandarin action!

Next Time:

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #7 & Iron Man #8

2012-04-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

To start off, I think I may need to get more of these stiff Mylar bags for the old comics. The colors in issue 7 alone look like they are printer fresh and that's pretty cool!

This is the first real multi-part story for the regular series. Even though each issue has represented essentially a day in the life of Iron Man (which makes this one hell of a week) and all of the events have strung together, this two-parter has an actual cliffhanger.

In this issue the Maggia hires the villainous Gladiator to help defeat Iron Man and rob Stark Industries. Here's what he looks like:

There's another character called Whirlwind. He looks like this:

When I was but a boy I fancied myself quite the Marvel Maniac. I knew trivia that impressed comic shop owners and, had the internet been a thing in the late 80's, I had the over-confidant swagger of an internet troll. The fact that both of these characters had saw blades on their wrists, though, completely threw me. I was convinced they were the same character with different names - completely ignoring that Whirlwind has a whole separate set of powers (he controls wind, you see). But the saw blades! Why would you do that? The risk of injury seems really high and not one but TWO super-villains used the same weapon! Gah!

It took years to finally realize that they were different, which is a little embarrassing to admit in public, but it's true.

There's also a character named Vincent Sandhurst, he's Janice Cord's lawyer. I'm wondering if he's related to Basil Sandhurst, The Controller (a villain we'll meet in a couple issues). So many things I don't remember!

Can we look at the covers again really quickly here?

These kind of covers are really rare in modern comics. They're like mini-art pieces and there's something in the way that they're printed that gives them a deep, rich almost "painting" feel.

Anyhow, story synopsis:

Maggia is planning heist of Stark Industries.
Gladiator says, "I can take out Iron Man!"
Whitney Frost, the Maggia's Big M, says, "Uh, o-ok." She now has feelings for Jasper Sitwell and doesn't want him to get hurt. Actually Whitney Frost as a character is pretty progressive considering she is a product was the late 60's. She is a really strong woman who isn't all fainting and in need of saving, that job goes to...
...Janice Cord, who visits Tony in hopes that he will buy what's left of her father's company. Her attraction to him begins here - until Tony has to escape to become Iron Man:

Where were we? Oh yeah...

Probably should have mentioned earlier that Gladiator kidnapped Stark, Sandhurst and Janice.

Then Gladiator tries to drop a piece of heavy machinery on the Janice and Sandhurst, but Iron Man saves them in the proverbial nick of time, smashing his repulsor rays in the process:

So we are left with this cliffhanger:

Issue #8 opens like this:

We also get Whitney's back story and find out that she's the daughter of Count Nefaria!

For those of you don't know, he's a pretty major super villain. We'll see him again. X-Men fans will note that it's because of Count Nefaria that Jean Grey became the Phoenix - so we have him to than for the current kerfuffle that is AvX.

And we see ol' Shellhead save Janice and Sandhurst from the Gladiator.

Most importantly we find that Jasper wasn't some drooling love lorn idiot, he was totally onto the Maggia's plan and had the whole plant prepped for their assault!

Whitney escapes because Jasper can't bring himself to shoot her, and Iron Man is sad that Jancie Cord thinks he's a coward. The soap opera never ends.

All melodrama aside, the metaphor of Tony Stark's "broken heart' really takes center stage in these early issues both in how it effects his being a hero and his interpersonal relationships. Janice will be a focus for that for a while - at least until we find out she has ESP...

Next Time:

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #6

2012-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Right off the bat I'm impressed with how good the color is in this issue. It is remarkably well preserved.

I'm not sure if the scan does it justice, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

As I read through these early books of the series two things hit home more and more:

I was not paying anything close to attention when I read these the first time because I barely remember any of them.
Removing the fact that no one except the bad guy gets permanently hurt in any given issue, these stories are surprisingly mature - in a sophisticated way, not an inappropriate way.

I originally started this project expecting that it would just be a trip down memory lane where I could examine the context of where I was at age-wise and emotionally when I read them the first time, but it's pretty clear that for the most part I was grabbing and collecting these early issues strictly out of the desire to complete the run.

I know I read these all before, but I didn't appreciate them.

When I really geek out, have comic discussions with my friends, or listen to podcasts like iFanboy it is almost cliche to talk about the Golden and Silver Age books, how great Kirby is, and how writers back then really knew how to get a story out in 8 to 20 pages. It is easy to see that there has definitely been an evolution in how stories have been written in comic books (don't even get me started on how decompressed some books are now) but it has taken decades to get back to the kind of grown-up-yet-still-appropriate-for-all-ages themes that writers like Stan Lee and Archie Goodwin were popping out month after month in the late 60's.

These aren't crazy political stories or scripts designed to raise eyebrows, they were stories about people and things that just happened to go on in a world inhabited by super people. They were mature without being scandalous. Combine lots of relationship drama, a certain amount of timely political intrigue and then people in costumes punching each other, that's a recipe for success.

It's not Pulitzer material, but it is on par with so much of the sci-fi and young adult fiction that people of all ages enjoy so much now-a-days. Plus it's illustrated.

That being said there is a little bit of something in this issue that is worth bringing up - Comic Book Accents.

Take this issue for example: The Crusher returns from his defeat in ToS #91. I have not read the issue, but I found a picture of the cover:

EDIT: Turns out I HAVE read this story, but in the Iron Man King-Sized Special #2 where it is reprinted. That will be covered in the "King Size & Annuals" section that I plan to do in the appropriate year by issue time-line.

The Crusher is a Cuban professor who created a formula that granted him amazing strength and body density. At least I'm pretty sure he's Cuban, he's named El Professor and works for El Presidente who has a great beard and all the soldiers are clearly in Cuban uniforms - but they never mention Cuba by name.

Oh, and they have dialogue that looks like this:

Just in case that wasn't easy enough to read, all the language is pretty plain English with the exception of phrases like, "Perhaps you are WEELING to hear my demands!" or "Si, si, Crusher! ANYTHEENG you ask... ...ANYTHEENG!" And that leads me to what I mentioned before: Comic Book Accents.

Comic Book Accents aren't new in the late 60's and are still in use today. It's a great way to get across how a particular character talks or to show a local dialect. Chris Claremont made wide use of this during his epic run of the X-Men with English characters, Scottish characters, Russian characters and specifically Nightcrawler and Rogue who were German and Southern respectively.

But something about it in this issue seems a bit... disrespectful.

Maybe it's because it was the height of the Cold War or maybe it was unintentional, but the use of the long "EE" in the word balloons seems a bit redundant to me when you're already using Spanish to show country of origin and accent.

Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this?

As we get further into the series there will be quite a few more accents, especially Russian ones, but that's for another blog.

Safe to say, Iron Man wins with The Crusher falling into the sea unable to swim to the surface quick enough due to his enormous bulk, but more importantly the seeds are planted in this issue for the relationship between Tony Stark and Whitney Frost and the eventual betrayal by Jasper Sitwell.

Both spring from this punch:

Next Time:

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #5

2012-04-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

If you've ever listened to "Tom vs. The Flash" then you probably know just how often 60's era comic book stories would rely on time-travel. (Here's the iTunes direct link just in case.)

Actually, if you've ever seen an episode of Star Trek the Original Series you know even more so!

Even though Iron Man is set, by comic book standards, in a more realistic world there was no way to escape time travel in the late 60's. The thing that I found eerie, though, is just how much 24th century Earth sounds like 21st century internet culture, but we'll get into that.

There is no delay in the start of the action this issue, page one is Tony getting ripped through time to the future, and he is unable to reach his armor.

Three panels later he's being accused of creating the computer that runs the world - CEREBRUS!

When we learn what Cerebrus is it comes off as a proto-Skynet created by Stark to help run America's defense planning, but it didn't end there!

Cerebrus was so good at it's job that people started using it for everything and it functioned on an international level, expanding as needed.

Here is a quote: "Cerebrus swelled like a mammoth mechanical spider-web -- until it engulfed the world!"
Kinda' sounds like the internet, right?

Here's another quote: "The world had grown almost totally dependent on Cerebrus's monolithic might... many gave in to become zombie-like slaves of the machine..."
Now it totally sounds like the internet, except internet trolls don't have the Mr. Universe physique!

The differences between Cerebrus and the internet quickly become apparent, though, when two "Tracking Coils of Cerebrus" come bursting through the wall. As far as I can tell Google apps doesn't currently support tracking coils.

Naturally Tony is helped by hot-lady-scientist who delivers exposition and leads him to a museum where his Iron Man armor has been kept - remarkably well preserved considering being over 400 years old. (To be fair, at this point in continuity Stark wears the power source to the armor, the chest plate, all the time so the only parts that he uses from the museum are the extremities and helmet. But still...)

Tony takes the fight to Cerebrus, who can manipulate energy and become just about anything - like God in Star Trek 5

So fight, fight, fight, fight, fight - neither can get the upper hand so Tony pulls his mask to show Cerebrus that the man Cerebrus is fighting is actually his creator and that Cerebrus risks destroying himself if he kills Stark. This freaks the machine out and hot-lady-scientist blows up the computer core and before all energy in the world goes away Tony is transported back to his own time.

Yeah, the ending feels as rushed as that was written. The whole thing wraps up in two pages, seven panels from explosion to "Next Ish:"

Like all media, you can see what the concerns of the day are by what is dealt with in its entertainment. Just like "Soylent Green" dealt with over population, this issue is all about the growth of automation and human dependence on machinery. But even though writer Archie Goodwin may be able to laugh now looking back on his horrors of the 24th century, take a look at this ad for Cheerios to see the context of where we were in 1968:

Intelsat III was the height of tech that most consumers had access to. 1200 calls and 4 TV channels, my phone can do that. In that world what would they think of the internet? What would it sound like to know that you have a little box in your pocket or purse at all times that knows exactly where you are and functions as both eyes and ears in our society? Would it be cool or scary that you could turn on the lights of your home, start your car and change the TV channel all with the same device?

Part of me likes to laugh at the "quaint-ness" of these comic stories, but are they really all that different from the horror stories we tell ourselves now? "Contagion" was a terrifying movie about a world-wide pandemic, but in fifty years will we be so medically advanced that we'll look on that movie as a wild exaggeration? It's nice to take a look at these and see how far we've come while at the same time realizing that it isn't as far as I thought.

On a completely different subject, but still related to time, I found this great video on I09 about why old books have that "old book" smell. Breaking into these old comics has made my office smell like a used book store. My romantic writer side is loving it!

Next time:

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #3 & Iron Man #4

2012-04-06T15:06:00.002-07:00

There's something about old 60's comics, and I'm not just talking about the smell of deteriorating news print. The language, the character arcs, and the serial style of the issues are all a window into the past where you can see how entertainment was consumed.

This was the late 60's, 1968 to be specific, and a good five years into "The Marvel Age" the focus of "super-heroes with real world problems" is being laid on in a liberal way. Nothing points that out more than issues 3 and 4 (at least so far). At the time most weekly entertainment was still derivative in style to theater shows, live acts and radio plays and that is visible in the way these issues were written. In fact it's so much a part of the fabric of how all these early issues were written that I don't think I'll mention it again until the style changes (sometime in the 70's).

Both issues feature villains that were prominent in old issues of Tales of Suspense and both are instrumental in effecting Tony Stark's opinion on being Iron Man.

Reading back through these again I remember issue 3 pretty well. We're going to see more of The Freak, enough that my 9 year-old self rolled his eyes when I saw him on the cover, but issue 4 was a bit of a surprise. The cover I remember clearly, I mean I've had it for over 20 years, but the story was completely new to me! I'm curious how often that is going to happen in this project.

Story stuff: In issue 3 we pick up right after issue 2 with Shellhead returning to his Long Island, New York factory desperate to recharge, as is so often the case.

As he's flying by, the Uranus rocket that Stark Industries is building falls over.

Iron Man catches it while all the workers escape but the strain on his transistors weakens his already damaged heart and he is forced to re-build a new armor!

Already in the pages of ToS he has re-designed or re-built the armor, but this is the first example in his own book of the Iron Man armor catching up with the technology of the times. Now instead of transistors he's using integrated circuits and a thermocouple to help keep the armor charged.

Unfortunately, because his heart is so damaged, he can't build the armor himself so his best friend and former driver, Happy Hogan, comes to help! Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts and long time mainstays in the Iron Man mythology, but this was their first appearance in his own book. Where they used to be comedic foil and romantic interest respectively, from here on out they really just serve as ways to torment the Tony Stark character. By the way, if you're interested, Gwenth Paltrow plays Pepper in the movies and Jon Favreau plays Happy Hogan.

So during the building of the armor Happy get zapped by some of the rays from one of the machines creating the armor and gets turned into The Freak!!

He beats up Iron Man, who's still not up to snuff yet since the new armor isn't charged, grabs Pepper in a very King Kong way, and runs out into the city.

After some typical comic book action The Freak is incapacitated by gas and taken back to Stark Industries to get de-Freaked. The important part of this story is that seeing his best friends hurt makes Tony wonder if being Iron Man, with all of its dangers and secrets, is really worth it - so the whole issue ends on a real bummer.

Then we get to issue 4, page 1: fixing Happy. That goes fine, as all comic book science does when it needs to, but Pepper is all upset because she doesn't know why Tony would put Happy in danger...

You know what, leaving all the soap opera aside we go to our favorite Cold War enemy, The Soviet Union, where they are giving new super-powers to a character called The Unicorn.

Yep. The Unicorn.

I know the name is silly, but he's actually one of my favorite early Iron Man villains. I really like the design of this costume and he shows up a lot more becoming a more and more tragic figure. This issue starts all that story.

So the Soviets give him these great powers: super strength, durability, a bitchin' armor mesh costume and, the piece d'resistance, the Unicorn helmet and power belt!

Small downside, the rays they used to make him powerful put his body in a constant state of crisis response so his life-span is significantly reduced. So he escapes with his new powers bent on finding someone who can fix this little problem...

...fortunately there's this big science conference, being attended by none other than Tony Stark, still brooding about whether or not being Iron Man is a good idea.

So Unicorn storms in, makes demands on TV, and intends to use the scientists he can to heal himself and then ransom off the ones who can't help him to make a little money.

Naturally Iron Man can't let that happen and they fight! It looks like this:

After destroying the power belt, thereby eliminating the very horn that makes the Unicorn the Unicorn, the Unicorn freaks out and dives into the lake after it hoping to fix it. We're going to see more of his unfortunate dealings with water (including a particularly disturbing run-in with the Atlantic Ocean) but for now the Unicorn is gone.

Seeing someone with unrestricted power proves to Tony that he should, and will, continue being Iron Man because the power of the Iron Man armor can't be trusted to anyone else. This becomes a bit of a problem about eighty issues from now, but we're not there yet.

For me, I'm actually surprised at how mature these stories are. Back in the 60's these comics were written for and intended to children. It makes me sad that these kind of stories, dealing with real things (albeit in a cleaned-up safe way) don't show up that much anymore in titles that are called "all ages."

Also the serialized aspect of it all isn't the same as current comics. These issues all literally take place the next day, if not the next hour, from the last issue. It makes for a kind of tight continuity that helped to make the Marvel Universe what it is today.

We're getting closer and closer to multi-issue arc stories so more of these multi-issue posts are coming. Leave me a comment and let me know how you're liking it so far. If the view numbers are any indicator this is one of the most popular series I've done so I hope it's true!

Next Time:

Project Iron Man - Iron Man #2

2012-04-04T11:08:00.001-07:00

It was bound to happen, I just didn't realize it would happen this soon.

I have very few memories about this issue.

It features a one-off battle with a robot super-villain, the Cord family (who will play a big role in the early Iron Man comics), and more of the obnoxious SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell.

Tony Stark also has a bevvy of beauties on his boat, and he wears a captains hat.

This was definitely the 60's.

I do know that a lot of these early issues, because they were difficult to find, I read out of order. Because of that they don't have the emotional "stickyness" that I have for some of the other issues. Although I will admit, I'm glad I'm finding the time to read the series in order. It's really nice to fully understand the story!

I think that it's worth bringing up that one of my charming foibles, at least back before I was old and cynical, was that I was a "complete-ist." That's a collector who wants to have all of whatever it is he collects. This drove my obsession from when I was a kid and well into my twenties.

It wasn't enough to have all of the recent issues of Iron Man, I wanted ALL of the issues. And then it wasn't enough to have just his title, then I wanted any issue of whatever book he might have showed up in. That might sound like an impossible task, but I had a resource back then, before the internet, called the Overstreet Price Guide. In it were not only the most reliable prices for all comic books (it's what everybody used) but also a list of who appeared in what book. You can still get it today, HERE, if you wanted it!

But why stop at comic books? Iron Man was a character that was just popular enough to have some cool memorabilia without it being at Spider-Man or Superman levels of "impossible to find," so I wanted all that too!

I made a pretty good job of it! With the exception of some stickers and iron-on t-shirt decals, I was able to get just about every Iron Man bit - with one major exception: The Marx Plastic 6" figure.

I had one opportunity when I was 11 to get it at a convention. The seller had the whole Marvel set and was selling the whole set for $100. That was a LOT of money when all I wanted was one of the figures so I pulled out some of the tricks my dad taught me, no dice. He was only selling them as a set.

Hindsight being 20/20, had I known that eBay would exist and that I would be a relatively active eBay seller I would have happily spent the $100 bucks since I can get about that or more for each of the figures now - but whatcha' gonna' do?
EDIT: I just did an eBay search that you can see HERE showing that maybe I was right to walk after all, however maybe it's worth the $10 bucks to get the Marx Iron Man now? Oh cruel collector gene!!! Why are you re-activating!?

All that being said, I gave up my complete-ist ways a long time ago. It isn't that Iron Man has suddenly grown into super popularity, although that would make being an Iron Man complete-ist one of the most expensive hobbies ever, but I just kinda' grew out of it.

Hanging on to the hunt like that is something you really need a lot of extra time for - something a kid, a teenager and a guy in his early twenties actually has.

I think my new relationship with money was an influence as well. There are other things I need/want to spend my money on now. It's really difficult to say that a piece of plastic that will just be hanging out on my desk is worth even just the few dollars it may cost...

...although every once in a while....

Next time:

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man #1

2012-04-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

So before I even begin I would like you to look at the cover:

You purple circle stamp on the "N" on the cover? Fun story behind why I bought this issue and how it's easy to confuse a kid who thought he knew everything about his favorite character's premiere issue but turned out to know just enough to get himself in trouble.

Well, trouble in a relative sense.

OK, so not any actual "trouble' but we can go with "mild embarrassment."

I remember very clearly the comic convention where I finally found, and more importantly had saved up the money to buy, Iron Man #1. Well, I remember except for the location - it was definitely a hotel ball room, can't remember if it was L.A. or Anaheim, but that's not the important part.

The dealer who was selling it was right next to the entry door. He had what comic collectors would recognize as a "rare wall" where they put all the number one's and first appearance issues. He had multiple copies of Iron Man #1 ranging in price and condition. Two caught my eye right away - one at $250 and another that was $350. However, because it was so early in the show, I didn't want to blow my cash right away. And it was a big show so I figured there'd be other dealers carrying the issue.

Comic conventions for my dad and I were really cool bonding moments. We'd walk the aisles, check out artists and new books and he started teaching me the way to negotiate and bargain - ideas that were completely foreign to me. I have several items in my Iron Man collections that he managed to talk down to a fair price, and I still flinch to myself when I remember how I screwed up a negotiation for a Wolverine Secret Wars action figure almost twenty-five years ago ($40 bucks! Gah! I shoulda' walked away!).

The Shrine shows were my favorite! ComiCon is great and all, but nothing beats a good old fashion comic book and collectors show like the one's they held at The Shrine auditorium (They still put on this show! INFO HERE). It was $10 to get in and it was an easy way to burn a Sunday. I bought so much Yoda memorabilia there - just ridiculous. I still remember that there was a sculptor one month that did an Iron Man statue. The armor didn't match any that I was familiar with, it was his own take on the current armor of the time, so I held off buying it. I decided after we got home that it was cool and I did want it after all. We went back the next month and he wasn't there. Dad told me that sometimes, especially for one of a kind items, you really can't wait. Lesson learned.

Back to the story...

So we waited until the end of the day to go back to the original dealer, no other dealers at the con had a decent copy of Iron Man #1 at a better price and, as my dad had taught me, people are more likely to wheel and deal when it's the end of the day.

We went up and I asked to see the two different versions of the issue that had caught my eye in the first place. The $250 one was a little worse off for wear, but still in what would be considered VG or very good condition. The $350 was definitely better overall, practically NM or near mint condition, and there was an extra label on the bag that said "Marvel Value Stamp intact." At the time I had no idea what a Marvel Value Stamp was. I thought it was that purple mark that I pointed out to you on the "N' at the beginning of this post. Seeing that as an extra bonus I totally got that one. We talked money, I know the price came down a little but I don't remember how much (yay for negotiation skills, boo for memory loss), I handed the man my money, bagged it up and I was the happiest little boy walking out of that convention! It was, and continues to be, the pride of my collection. Even after decades of storage it is still in marvelous, no pun intended, condition.

Fast forward, decades later, I find out what a Marvel Value stamp actually is! You can get a full explanation HERE but the basic story is that they were small pin-ups of characters, the size of stamps, that you'd cut-out and collect from all the different issues of Marvel comics - in the mid 70's! there is no Marvel Value Stamp in this issue! This came out a good five or six years before that promotion! So as an adult I'm thinking to myself, "That bastard screwed over a kid!" Really, using my rational brain, $350 was a very fair price for the issue at the time given it's condition so even if I had paid full price I couldn't be too unhappy...

...but then you look at the purple stamp that is there on the "N" and it's just a constant reminder that part of my decision making process was based on my misunderstanding of what a "Value Stamp" was. So embarrassing! I have no idea what that mark even is. I think it might be a postage mark, but I don't know for sure. If you do please let me know in the comments.

The issue itself is very fitting for the times. It picks up right where the last issue of Tales of Suspense left off (as retold in Iron Man and Sub-Mariner #1 see last post) with shell-head sucked via vortex beam into the A.I.M. submarine.

This is the end of the story and it wraps up everything nicely - Iron Man wins the day, Jasper Sitwell is saved and we are re-introduced to Whitney Frost (originally introduced in ToS #98 - an issue I do not own so this was my first exposure to her). Whitney becomes very important later so stick her name in the back of your mind.

Some of the cool images of in this issue come from the renderings in and of the A.I.M. island base. Not only are the yellow beekeeper suits eye catching, but apparently in the late 60's you needed to put a monogram on everything, even the floor!

This is my favorite:

Seriously, that is a highly stylized "A" on that machine arm!

The big-bad in this issue is a one-off named Mordius - a pre-cursor to the menacing M.O.D.O.K. who we'll meet later. His face is deformed, although there is no explanation as to why, and he speaks just like the kind of super-villain you'd make fun of. He's so corny, in fact, when Iron Man decides to kiss some ass he makes mention of it:

Oh, and I should probably mention that he invented what is essentially a very powerful 3D scanner and printer that he uses to make copies of the Iron Man armor. What he wasn't counting on was the refractory coating on the armor that screws up the x-rays and makes it so that the armor copies don't work right!

The story ends with the island base exploding, Mordius is never heard from again, and we are promised more action with "The Demolisher!"

There's also a bonus story in the back, a three page re-telling of Iron Man's origin. There wasn't a collector's market at the time. People couldn't easily get the back issues so re-prints like this were common. When we get to the Giant-Sized issues and Annuals you'll see more stuff like this.

Now I kinda' wanna' take my dad to the next Shrine show.

Next time:

Project: Iron Man - Iron Man and Sub-Mariner One-Shot

2012-03-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

The memory I have in my head: Adventureland Comics, Harbor Blvd., Fullerton, California. Me and my mom shopping for Iron Man comic back issues. Along the wall of the store classic, high priced back issues were displayed. My mom spotted a cover with Iron Man on it and the number "1." She got my attention and asked me if this is Iron Man number one? Having burned the image of Iron Man number one into my memory (at this time I had not yet found and purchased my own copy of Iron Man number one) I checked it out, made a face and said no. The man behind the counter, bearded with longer unkempt hair, over-heard and filled in the details: this issue is a special reprint of the Iron Man story from Tales of Suspense #99 and the Sub-Mariner story from whatever anthology series he was featured in.

It is important to have this issue to understand what happens in Iron Man number one. I know we didn't buy the issue that day, but my parents did get it for me for a major gift giving holiday (I forget which) and it is, actually, really important if you want to know what's going on in Iron Man number one (which is probably why they re-printed it back in the late 60's in the first place). For a long time this issue was an "also ran" in my collection, it wasn't an issue of Tales of Suspense or Iron Man number one, but that kind of thinking really discounts how nice this issue is.

The story continues from the tale that we saw in ToS 97, which started (I think) in ToS 95. More Maggia trouble, more Whiplash, more advertisements for correspondence art schools and Grit magazine. Seriously, what the hell was Grit magazine? Has anyone ever read that? The ad reads like multi-level marketing for kids.

Breaking with a tradition that really had yet to be established, Iron Man starts off the story powered down and spends the rest of the issue, remarkably, fully charged! He escapes the evil death ray bed he was magnetism to and, just when he's about to land the final blow on Whiplash, AIM's super secret vortex ray sucks him out of the ship and into AIM's waiting clutches!

It was a lot of fun to re-read this issue. I did not appreciate Gene Colon as an artist when I was younger, all I wanted was John Romita, Jr. or Luke McDonald, but looking at it now is great! The faces are so expressive, the action is really dynamic and he makes great use of shadow and motion. He was really at the top of his game in the late 60's. There's another Gene Colon issue coming much later, in the mid-200's, where I'll break down the difference between this Gene Colon and the Gene Colon of the late 80's early 90's but that's for later.

The story itself would actually make sense in today's comic environment with some small changes to the speech bubbles. I find that the writing of dialogue in the 60's is more like radio-play dialogue than what we're used to today. If anything reading this story after reading the most recent issue of Avengers shows that not much has changed for the major crime syndicates of the Marvel universe - they're all still back-stabbing each other for money and power.

As usual we're left with a cliffhanger and the promise that Iron Man is coming back next month in his own full-length magazine, a magazine that this writer will eventually be way obsessed with.

This is one of those comics that you used to see a lot at comic book stores and on convention floors. For you other comic nerds out there I'm sure you saw the cover and said to yourself, "Oh yeah, I recognize that." Even at San Diego ComiCon last year it was easy to pick this issue out on the premium boards set-up at different booths. I don't know how much play Sub-Mariner got out of this, his series that sprung up around this time didn't last long from what I remember (EDIT: Wikipedia says it only lasted 6 years, 68-74), but Iron Man definitely stuck around and, frankly, just had the way better story in this issue.

Next time we get to number 1!

Project Iron Man: Tales of Suspense 39, Tales of Suspense 40 & Tales of Suspense 97

2012-03-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's fitting that the walk down memory lane starts in the easiest kind of way, Tales of Suspense 39 is the first appearance of Iron Man and is also the first time that I bought a re-print of a comic, that I really wanted the original of, on purpose. Released in 1993, this Marvel Milestone Edition of Tales of Suspense 39 was released for the 30th anniversary of the year of creation of the first wave of the most popular super-heroes in the Marvel universe. Even though at the time Iron Man was not a popular hero, copies of the actual, original ToS 39 were going for far more money than I could justify spending. Now that the movie is out this issue is skyrocketing! I satisfy myself with this facsimile, but it has some desirable aspects.

First, let's start with the fact that the book itself is still in amazing shape. No creases, no bends and no discoloration. It's printed on modern 90's paper so it's glossy and really shows off the color, which leads us to...

...the art in this version looks fantastic! It's easy to think of old 60's artwork as cheap or less sophisticated because comic books were printed on newsprint so the lines and color would run. This "fully restored" version shows the art how it could never have been printed before. My appreciation for Don Heck exists mostly on the presentation of his art in this copy.

The story itself is the height of 60's comic book storytelling. In thirteen pages we are introduced to Tony Stark and his amazing life, see him showing off his scientific genius for the U.S. military, getting blown up in the jungles of Vietnam, given the "deal with the devil" offer from the Vietcong, see him build the suit, watch Yinsen die and then marvel at Iron Man reaping his vengeance against Wong Chu and the Red Army. It almost takes thirteen pages just to list it all! In today's decompressed style comic books this would have been a six issue arc. In the end it promises that we'll see more tales of the Iron Man in the next issue, but we'll get to that later.

There are other stories in the book, very Twilight Zone-type stories. They are enjoyable, but have nothing to do with Iron Man so I've decided not to mention them here.

Now Tales of Suspense 40 is a whole different story! This issue is beaten, bruised and smells like an attic. The edges of the cover are ragged and this issue is probably barely worth more than its cover price.

I scored this issue from a baseball card shop that had a single short box of comic books on the floor by the front counter in West Covina. My sister used to ice skate and her training rink was there. During the summers I had very little to do. They had an arcade, I got VERY good at Crystal Castles and Discs of Tron, but I went through quarters like it was Kleenex in allergy season. There was another boy there, his parents owned the snack bar I think, and we would go raise the pre-teen, well behaved equivalent to hell. Checking out the card shop next door was part of that. This issue features more plot by Stan Lee, a script from R. Berns (don't know what the "R." stands for), art from Jack Kirby, inked by Don Heck and lettered by Duffi (this might be wrong). Part of the spine of the cover just tore, this issue is so old. The difference between the "fully restored" 39 and the "authentically worn" 40 is astronomical. Having seen how the art looked in 39 it's easy to imagine what the original boards must have looked like, but... I don't even know what to say, just look:

Even faded, the gold of the armor is striking versus the grey. The important part of this story is that Iron Man painted his armor gold this issue so that he didn't look frightening to women and children. Comic story aside (he fights a robot cave man sent to Earth by little green aliens that never make an appearance in a Marvel comic again, oh but that's after he battles a bunch of big cats that get loose at a circus - why do circuses play such a large role in 60's comics?) the real story is how I snaked this issue. I don't know that I was unethical, but the other boy at the rink mentioned that he saw an Iron Man comic at the card shop when I told him that Iron Man was my favorite. He's the one who showed me the issue. Now, he never expressed any interest in the issue, he was a Batman guy from what I remember, but after I bought it I showed him and I still have a clear memory of his face dropping and him saying, "Oh, I was gonna' get that."

Now, really, I don't think he really was going to get it. He often talked about stuff that never happened, but that look on his face in the booth by the pinball machine is still stuck in my head.

That being said, my enjoyment of the issue never suffered. I'm not sure what that says about me.

Then there's a massive gap in my collection - I never had much luck finding affordable back issues of ToS - so the next issue is Tales of Suspense 97.

I have no memory of purchasing this issue. When I pulled it out of the long box I was surprised to see it. It is an important issue in that it is part of the story that leads up to Iron Man number one, but I didn't even remember the cogent points of the story except that Whiplash is in it - but I know that from the cover.

Reading it was actually really nice because it was like reading it for the first time! By this time ToS was re-branded to be the monthly adventures of Iron Man and Captain America. The differences between the storytelling style of 1963 and 1967 is actually pretty big. There's definitely less "gee wilikers" and more, actually I'm having a problem coming up with a clever two-word distillation for this, depth and intrigue. Instead of always being at a circus where animals are always getting loose Iron Man has just defeated the Grey Gargoyle and his armor is out of power. Iron Man's major nemesis until the late 70's was not The Mandarin or the Crimson Dynamo or even Titanium Man, it was his battery life. This guy was a generation 1 iPod as far as how long he could hold a charge and, of course, his power would always give out at the worst moment. This is a plot device that we're going to see a lot more of. SHIELD is involved, there are cool spy gadgets, there's a mob gambling sub-plot that involves Tony's cousin, Morgan - more about him in later issues - and a secret new leader for the preeminent crime family in New York - The Maggia!

The end is a cliff hanger: Iron Man is freshly out of juice, Whiplash is about to attack and we find out that Tony's cousin, Morgan Stark, is a shit.

Next time:

Project Iron Man - An Adventure In Reading Comics

2012-03-26T11:00:00.001-07:00

I'm an Iron Man fan. I have been since my mom bought me my first comic books back in 1984. I still remember being in the back of our "brown car," a Buick, being picked up from Elm Grove Lutheran School and my mom passing to the back seat a copy of Transformers, The Last Starfighter and Iron Man. Transformers were a no brainer. Like every other boy my age I had a complete fascination with giant robots from outer space, but I wasn't familiar with the story in the book and it was, what I now understand to be, the middle of a story arc so I flipped through it but it didn't really catch my imagination. The Last Starfighter was cool, but it was very clear on the front of the cover that it was number two (maybe three?) of a four (maybe five?) part mini-series. There were lots of cool space battles, but the themes were a little more than my seven-year old brain was ready for.

Then there was Iron Man.

Even though the story was also smack dab in the middle of an arc, the design of the Iron Man armor, being drawn by Luke McDonald at the time (still one of my favorite Iron Man artists), and the image of a man getting shot in the hand had me completely fascinated. I flipped through it over and over. I became an instant fan of the Red and gold armor and, when I found out that there were more of these things, I became a rabid collector of Iron Man comics. It made up a very big part of my pre-teen/teenage years.

I have very fond memories of hunting down back issues with my dad at local comic book stores like Adventureland and 21st Century Comics. We went to comic book conventions, especially the Shrine Auditorium shows, where I spent way too much money over the years. Every birthday and Christmas got me closer and closer to a complete collection and led to more and more Iron Man memorabilia that filled every flat surface of my bedroom. Many character fascinations have come and gone, but Iron Man has been consistent for almost thirty years.

So I kind of surprised myself yesterday when I started considering selling off my massive Iron Man collection.

I have a nearly complete run of Iron Man in all of it's various volumes and all of his incarnations, with the exception of a section from the mid-90's when Tony Stark was made crazy and killed so that a teenage Tony could be pulled from another dimension and take his place. Yes, it was as stupid as it sounds. This is around 500 issues taking up two long boxes that currently sit hidden under a table in our dining room. As an adult it is very easy to say that these symbols of my childhood and keepsakes of hundreds of happy memories are really now just dust collectors taking up a lot of space that we really don't have...

...but the kid in me smells the newsprint, sees the armor and remembers what it was like when my biggest concern was finding a toy store that hadn't liquidated it's stock of Mattel Secret Wars toys so I could try and find an Iron Man action figure (a problem the kids of today no longer have).

So I started thinking really hard about why I was hanging on to these issues. The stories are 100% available in digital form, pristine and perfect and ready for viewing from any number of devices. Also digital takes up the desired amount of space (meaning none). But, as Tom Katers is so right to mention, there really is something about cracking open a really old Silver Age book, getting that musty news print smell in your nose and feeling the pages. The problem with that is I really haven't cracked open any of the old books in a REALLY long time. In fact the oldest I've opened recently was stuff from the late 80's, not even the stuff that made me dig the character in the first place.

So I made a decision. I'm going to read through every issue, from start of my collection to finish, and at the end decide whether it gets to stay or it gets sold.

I'm also going to blog about it.

Because I'm really busy with pre-production stuff I know that, at least here in the beginning, I'll only be able to do about an issue a week, but there's no real rush on this so I'm not too worried about it.

Huh, I just realized that an issue a week for over 500 issues is, like, 44 years. I'm probably going to pick up the pace there.

Anyhow, I'm going to go through, I'm going to read them and here I'll talk about them and we'll see where this all ends up.

See you tomorrow!

P.S. The images from the issue are from that first issue my mom got me. The issue itself is so worn the cover is still barely on. Wow, this might be tougher than I thought.

Next Time:

Projects: Eternal

2012-03-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you can tell from the lack of posting on any social network and here on the blog, we have been really busy. The nice thing we've been really busy doing some pretty cool things!

Production has been ramping up and the summer is, literally, chock full - but we actually have something completed and up right now! We got hired out to help create a book trailer for the new young adult novel series "Eternal" by H.G. Nadel (go "Like" the Facebook page). I'll post more details at the Wiggy Site in the Hired Gun section, but since you're here why not enjoy the trailer?

See you tomorrow!

Piracy Infographic

2012-03-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

I thought this was interesting - what do you think? Comments welcomed and appreciated on this one from all sides. Thanks to Peter Kim for the info graphic.

Created by: Paralegal.net
See you tomorrow!

Diet Mountain Dew + Curtis = Commercial

2012-02-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

So last month I mentioned that I was shooting a commercial with fellow Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum Jenna Leigh Green thanks to our friend Joel Michaely (also from Sabrina). We weren't really allowed to talk details before, but now the commercial is out and ready for the world!

See you tomorrow!

Where have we been?!!?!? What have we been doing?!?!?!?

2012-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

To say that I have been a poor blogger of late would be an understatement and more than deserved.

Excuses aside, here are some of the things that have been taking up my time:

The new Wiggy VonSchtick website
My Entertainment 101 class - more on that later...
Producing a sizzle reel for a new young adult book series.
The Embedded Project.
The Cheerleader Project.
A new TV pilot called "AcceptSHUNS."
Oh, and some acting stuff too.

So, what's this all mean?

First off go check out the new Wiggy Web Site! We have a whole new interface and, even though there are still some features and pages being built, this is our new home and the interactive functionality is very exciting! The Wiggy Twitter Feed will be announce new updates and features.

For those of you new to the entertainment business, especially parents of child actors out there, I am doing a seminar aimed right at you! The Entertainment 101 class covers all the material you need to know to help navigate the business of show. We cover vocabulary, what to expect from auditions, how auditions work and how to get both auditions and agents! It's held the last Sunday of every month and our next class is going to be Sunday February 26th at 6pm being held at the IC Academy building in Lake Forest. The 2 hour class costs $100.00 and you can reserve your spot here: 949-273-8800. Also YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A PARENT OF AN IC STUDENT TO ATTEND! This class is open to everyone! Here's a video that explains a little bit more:

On the producing front we've been REALLY busy! We've been making all the stuff listed up top, and I'll have links to all of it in later blogs.

Also, my Diet Mt. Dew commercial comes out at the end of the month. Probably next week! When I have a link I'll pass it on.

Now I need to go scan some more documents and mail some other documents.

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Connecticut & "Libby"

2012-01-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Jenna Leigh Green & me. We shot a commercial together today and it is the first time she & I have seen each other for an extended period of time since our days together on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."

We had a lot of fun today. In addition to the normal duties that go along with shooting a commercial, we had a chance to catch up and just kinda' hang out & she has nearly convinced Rene & I that we need to move to New York.

This is the first commercial I've done in a LONG time & I have to admit that I have REALLY missed being on the talent side of a production. In comparison to what a producer has to do today was a dream!

As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel restaurant waiting for my blue cheese bacon burger with onion rings & garlic ranch horse radish. I'm really looking forward to it, especially since I need to hit the hay soon for a 4am wake-up call to make it back to IC Talent before 1pm.

Watch my tweets here to see how I do: http//:twitter.com/CurtisAndersen

Shout out to Joel Michaely for helping to set this up - I owe you dinner, man!

See you tomorrow!

SOPA & PIPA - Just Say No

2012-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

The proposed bills in Congress known as SOPA and PIPA are a big deal and so are the issues they claim to deal with.

Piracy is a big deal, Wiggy VonSchtick has been a victim, but the internet isn't going anywhere and people's abilities to acquire whatever they want whenever they want is only going to get easier even if these bills pass.

Nanny laws only hurt people who follow the law, criminals just find a way around them.

These are complex problems that require big ideas, not censorship.

New, young entertainment business minds are already thinking of ways to curtail piracy and it's working. Look at Louis C.K. He managed to shoot and release a downloadable comedy show and made profits that he couldn't imagine.

Make no mistake, this is about money and how large studios make it - not about the viewer or the art of entertainment and all of that is fine! It's required to make the big kinds of movies that people love to go see, but these pieces of legislation are not the ways to make entertainment profitable in the future. I know that the big studios are using scare tactics to try and force creatives to their side, but these bills shoot a creative's future in the foot.

Please follow these links:

SOPA Explained

End Piracy, Not Liberty

More Ray?!? No WAY!

2012-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

The new Story time with Ray is up! And to keep with the family friendly theme that he's been on this week's discussion is all about toilet paper and pooping.

See you tomorrow!

PARTY FROG!

2012-01-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

I think this is an important message about how social norms are effected by groups, mob mentality and how easily they can be coerced through blind consumerism and socially acceptable hedonism.

Totally kidding, these animals are funny!

See you tomorrow!

This Post Powered by Pale Ale

2012-01-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't like to post when I drink unless I've had an awful lot to drink or I have really enjoyed what it is that I have drunk.

Tonight is the latter.

I stopped by Nieuport 17 tonight to visit the lovely wife Rene and I had Tustin Brewery's American Pale Ale.

It was really good!

It was nutty and golden and delicious and ended up being a really nice finish for the day.

After that I went home and felt like it was time to try another beer since we have a new selection in the fridge thanks to one of Rene's relatives: Blue Moon Pale Moon Belgian Style Pale Ale. It has more of a citrus hit than the APA, but drinks very well and tickles the tongue with light flavor.

Overall a very enjoyable beer night. I recommend both of these if you have a chance to try them.

See you tomorrow!

Frankie is The Flash

2012-01-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

Frankie loves getting his walks and loves playing with his toys.

Sometimes when he's particularly hyper he does a little move that Rene and I have dubbed the "Turbo-Scoot" where his back legs tuck under his body and act like a spring for his body and his front paws only make contact with the ground long enough to help him steer a bit. It makes him move REALLY FAST!

It's like Frankie is part kangaroo.

A really fast kangaroo.

Rene and I have been trying to capture this phenomenon on camera for years, but we have yet to manage it. Tonight I wish I had a camera just running all the time because I have never seen Frankie Turbo-Scoot so fast! The cat even seemed impressed with his speed.

Now he's exhausted and passed out on his bed.

Maybe I should put a camera on a motion sensor...?

See you tomorrow.

There may be something wrong with me because I enjoy watching Jersey Shore

2012-01-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

I don't even know what to write past that. Jersey Shore is on & I can't take my eyes off of it.

The 1-2 punch of Toddlers & Tiaras and Jersey Shore makes me a bad person probably.

'Cuz It's The Beginning Of The Year....

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

The nice thing about it being the beginning of the year is that I'm really motivated to be on top of things and make sure that all the schedules happen on time.

I think you'll notice that from the pattern visible in this blog: I always start off the year strong with posts and then, pffffff, it putters out.

In keeping with this pattern we are also keeping up with the wiggyWebs schedule - although that's mostly due to some changes that we're making to the number of videos we'll be posting a week...

...but I'll tell you about that when I have a video to post (probably Friday).

In the meantime here's a new Story time with Ray:

See you tomorrow!

WordPress: Yes or No?

2012-01-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

OK, this is going to seem like a weird thing to post on my Blogger blog, but I'm considering moving over to WordPress for this, my primary website/blog, and for the Wiggy website/blog. I have a few friends who are getting a great deal of value out of it and, even though the set-up process seems daunting (I was distracted when I was signing up and was caught off guard by how many pay options there are - I just want the free stuff, right?) I do think that it will allow me to expand and post content while still allowing me the flexibility of a regular website...

...but that's why I'm reaching out to you!

I want to hear from WordPress users out there who can toss me some tips and tricks! I really haven't had time to check out all the themes, options or even really set-up my profile and that's a big part of my problem - lack of time! I will find the time to to do the set-up, but I want to know what mistakes to avoid so that it takes as little time as possible.

Do I need to know HTML?

Please tell me your stories in the comments!

See you tomorrow!