Though the current project started as a series of posts charting my grief journey after the death of my mother, I am no longer actively grieving. Now, the blog charts a conversation in living, mainly whatever I want it to be. This is an activity that goes well with the theme of this blog (updated 2018). The Sense of Doubt blog is dedicated to my motto: EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY. I promote questioning everything because just when I think I know something is concrete, I find out that it’s not.
Hey, Mom! The Explanation.
Here's the permanent dedicated link to my first Hey, Mom! post and the explanation of the feature it contains.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3715 - SoD of 1895 - So You're Reading Comics Again? Comic Book Sunday for April 20, 2025
A Sense of Doubt blog post #3715 - SoD of 1895 - So You're Reading Comics Again? Comic Book Sunday for April 20, 2025
I invented Comic Book Sunday on March 29th, 2020.
Everything had shut down. My schools had closed, and we were relegated to teaching online.
And new comic books were not printed, shipped, or distributed for two months.
Because I had so much extra time at home with Internet, in addition to a Weekly Hodge Podge (one of the last ones in the series is what I reprinted yesterday), I also did Comic Book Sunday, which often, though not always, was a hodge podge of different content, like the one I am reprinting here.
This blog post for Comic Book Sunday was the fifth since I started, and I really had invested given that we had just finished a school break during which we migrated our courses online.
I had been thinking a lot about the Batman Family comic from 1975, and so I was excited to see I had content in this post about it.
I did not know that there were only 20 issues of Batman Family from October 1975 to November of 1978.
I have been mulling the idea that for long time comic book readers family is a key element, which is often why group books like X-Men, Avengers, Titans are so popular. Fans like to feel as if they are part of the club, a special family. It gives them a sense of belonging.
More on this idea in a future post, though I have written about if before, especially in regards to the Fantastic Four.
I've been rereading a stack of old Menace anthology comic books recently, published by Atlas in the fifties before a) the Comics Code kicked in and b) before the return of superheroes. Stan Lee wrote most of these horror and sci-fi short stories, and they frankly read a lot better than much of his subsequent Marvel stuff. They seem to generally be written in the second person; they follow the standard twist format of such short stories and are frankly a lot of fun. But you can see what was in the air regarding these horror comics in Menace #7 from 1953, a bunch of stories written and edited by Stan, with art by Russ Heath, Joe Maneely, Syd Shores, and Joe Sinnott.
In 1954, Dr Frederick Werthampublished Seduction Of The Innocent, warning that comics were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. It fueled a Senate inquiry that saw comic book publishers such as Atlas form the Comics Code Authority and abandon the likes of horror comic books. One year earlier, in Menace, #7, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott were aware of the concern and published a story about a kid reading horror comic books, much to his father's disgust.
In order to correct the child's reading habits, he decides to read him the kind of fairy tales he grew up with as a kid and goes for Hansel And Gretel. Though clearly forgetting some aspects of this.
With Joe Sinnott mirroring images common in the likes of the targeted EC Comics horror titles and making the case that this is just the "same old same old" and that parents have forgotten what it's like to be kids. These days, you could do similar with Gender Queer and much of the stories that objecting parents read when they were the same age. A copy of the pre-Code-baiting Menace #7 is currently up for auction from Heritage Auctions with a CBCS grading 3.5.
Menace #7 (Atlas, 1953) CBCS VG- 3.5 Off-white pages. Frankenstein story. Carl Burgos skull cover. Woman burned alive panel. Russ Heath, Joe Maneely, Syd Shores, and Joe Sinnott art. Stan Lee story. Overstreet 2022 VG 4.0 value = $206.
LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.
A Sense of Doubt blog post #1895 - So, You are reading comics again? Sunday comics day for 2004.26
Hello comic fans!!
I am still creating the either lengthy or lengthy and original posts about comics, such as my Planetary re-read.
That said, I like these Sunday collections of comic things off Twitter, blogs, a little Instagram today but also Tumblr on other weeks, plus the entire Comics Beat newsletter from this week with big news about Diamond and DC.
Lots of content in this missive from https://twitter.com/TomBrevoort who is a kindred spirit and had a blog on comics. Thank you universe.
And then, I found this: https://twitter.com/B_W_H_A_M. COOL BEANS!! A Twitter feed devoted to comic lettering?? Yes, please.
So, I finished necessary work yesterday and after a six day work week and a solid 60 hours of work in the week, I decided to take Sunday off completely, which I did not do last week. I think it's necessary self care to preserve my mental health. After some chores (lawn mowing), I plan to rest and read comics. I may even watch some Picard or Castlevania.
So, I am NOT injecting disinfectant or trying to get UV light in my body "some other way" than through the skin, but I am staying away from work, even though there are things I should do, that I need to do, but I also need to recuperate and log time off in the self care battery system.
Sundays are dedicated to comic books for the foreseeable future. Here's today's GREAT comic book content. ENJOY.
The Year Without Nerd Prom Hello, my fellow shut-ins. How are you doing? Like everyone, I have good days and bad days, good hours and bad hours. I haven't had a full-on meltdown yet (maybe one is needed) but I have eaten an entire half-pint of ice cream.
This video from Norman Reedus's Instagram feed featuring Dr. Nadine Macaluso kind of summed things up with some good advice. I don't normally turn to celebrity Instagrams for therapy, but good advice is good advice, so take help where you find it.
Dr. Macaluso is married to John Macaluso, head of the Fandemic cons - definitely a convention name that no one will forget now. Fandemic still has its first Walking Dead show - the Fandemic Dead - planned for later this year... whether that happens or not, I can honestly say that I think about the Walking Dead every day. Robert Kirkman nailed a lot of the emotions and fears that many are experiencing, and I can't wait to get to the Oblivion Song part of this disaster.
Speaking of cons, I think it is no exaggeration to say that we may not be frolicking in Artist Alley again until 2021, if then. I was saddened to hear that this year's San Diego Con has been cancelled of course, but unsurprised and was mentally and emotionally more than prepared for the announcement.
Suffice to say that nothing would make me happier than to be planning to go to SDCC, but since I'm not, it's amusing to think of all the time I've gained back. If the show was on, I'd already be stressing about panels, access, badges, and everything else. (I already have a hotel, which is ironic. That'll never happen again!)
I'm sure I'm not alone in this - although the con would be three months away at this point, the entire industry would be planning for it non stop already. This is also the time I normally start my "con shopping" – you can't possibly wear the same clothes to con every year, so its time to hit my favorite online and IRL retailers for new shoes and frocks. I allow it as my actual annual closet update and many beloved outfits have resulted. (I'm sure you are the same.) And all that goes triple for Cosplayers.
Sometimes it's missing the little things that hit you the hardest. How are you doing out there? Stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands and send us an email to let us know. We care about all of you.
Fire Emblem “Cindered Shadows” DLC unlocks some lovely deep dark secrets…
In ALTITUDE growing up happens in dangerous terrain
'Not a Place to Visit' asserts that we are the world
The ART LIFE revealed
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Speaking of Instagram, Ezra Claytan Daniels (Upgrade Soul) is reposting Black Violet, a comic he made 12 years ago about a cat and a mouse during the Black Plague outbreak in London in 1665! You can follow along with it here, and Ezra has also posted music cues that are highly atmospheric and got me listening to Walter Piston for the first time in a while.
WOW!! Who knew? Marvel Comics' Tom Brevoort has a blog history of comics! Which is more frequently updated these days in Quarantine!! Here's one entry and the links to a few more via Twitter. https://tombrevoort.com/2020/04/25/bhoc-batman-family-17/
When she first arrived at DC as the new publisher, Jenette Kahn instituted a pet format that she hoped would help reverse DC’s fortunes in the mainstream newsstand market: the Dollar Comic. As it said right in the name, a Dollar Comic cost a buck, but you got an awful lot of material for that dollar–especially in the earliest releases, which ran without ads, a decision that was shortly reversed for fiscal reasons. In any event, this was the first Dollar Comics issue of BATMAN FAMILY, and I think I bought it in a supermarket–DC had some good initial success at getting its new Dollar books placement in supermarkets and other venues thanks to the higher profit margin generated. As I recall, they didn’t get to stay there for long.
There are only three stories in this issue of BATMAN FAMILY, but they’re all the length of a regular comic book or longer, so it adds up to a substantial reading experience. The opening story seems to have been prepared as possibly an inventory issue of either BATMAN or BRAVE AND BOLD, and features a then-rare team-up between Batman and Robin, who had gone off to college and was primarily appearing in his own solo feature as well as places such as TEEN TITANS while that series was running. The artwork is by Jim Aparo, surely one of the greatest Batman artists of the era.
This lead story also includes a special appearance by the Huntress from Earth-2. This original version of the Huntress was the daughter of the Batman and Catwoman of Earth-2, and here she has journeyed to Earth-1 looking for advice from her father’s counterpart on her own crime-fighting career, as the Earth-2 Batman has forbidden her from following in his footsteps. This plot thread serves to link this story with the next one, as Batman recommends that Helena meet up with Kathy Kane, the former Batwoman, who may be able to give her the help she needs.
The actual adventure concerns a former beau of Robin’s girlfriend Lori Elton. He was a promising footballer whose face was scarred during a game and who lost his grip on reality. Adopting the alias of Scar, he’s been abducting the wealthy and well-to-do of Gotham and surgically altering them into freaks. At a certain point he gets the drop on Batman and puts the Caped Crusader into a death trap, which gives Batman the chance to show off his prowess. And writer Gerry Conway borrows a page from Jack Kirby’s conception of Doctor Doom: when Batman finally unmasks Scar, we see that he’s only got a tiny little scratch on his otherwise-perfect face.
The second story in the issue is a Batgirl entry which guest stars both the Huntress and Batwoman, thus continuing the story thread from the opener. Madame Zodiac gives horoscope advice to Catwoman and Poison Ivy about their upcoming crimes which proves to be prophetic–and in Catwoman’s case, she winds up being almost foiled by her daughter from another Earth, the Huntress. It all comes down to a three-on-three battle, and the heroines come out on top, of course–but the elusive Madame Zodiac gets away with the mystic pipe that she was after, fading away into mist. There’s a blurb at the end promising her return to clash with Batgirl again in a forthcoming issue. It’s a harmless adventure, but nothing particularly memorable, and I had forgotten it entirely until pulling the book out for this write-up.
The third story in the issue is perhaps the showstopper of the book, thanks to the artwork of Michael Golden. Golden was one of the young newcomers who was shaking things up at DC, and while his approach to comics was an acquired taste sometimes (at least to me–I never quite warmed to his work as completely as some others) it was absolutely more dramatic and impactful than much of the rest of the DC line. More importantly, it looked like it was of its era, where the preceding Batgirl story could have been published ten years previous and would have fit in just fine. The plot thread of the issue is continued here as Batman and Batgirl take the Huntress to the Justice League satellite headquarters so that she can beam herself back to Earth-2. But in doing so, the heroes accidentally and unknowingly free the Demon’s nemesis Morgaine Le Fey from her interdimensional imprisonment.
This leads to a team-up between Man-Bat and the Demon to defeat Le Fey, who is awaiting the birth of a powerful demon-spawn. It’s all happening just as Man-Bat’s wife Francine, who has been pregnant for many issues, is giving birth, and the story closes with the possible intimation that Man-Bat’s daughter may be the Rosemary’s Baby that Morgaine was waiting for. I don’t believe this thread was ever really followed up on, though, so I guess she really wasn’t.
This is also about the point where Jenette gave up her monthly “publishorial” column and abandoned attempting to create a Stan Lee-like persona for herself. In its place was an expanded version of Bob Rozakis’ Answer Man column. This feature had been running in miniature on the weekly Daily Planet plug page that was included with most DC issues, but here it got a full half-page in which Bob could answer the queries of the readers and provide some inside information.
Wow... he also has a STAR BLAZERS category! I love finding kindred spirit folks.
Not so into Doctor Who, but I think this is just my way of setting limits. I am sure it's great. I have heard good things. But I cannot consumer everything. Maybe some day, I will tune in. For now, I am not on the Who Fan Wagon.
Splash page to the Ant-Man story from Tales to Astonish #40. You can tell from the pencils that Dick Ayers was going to ink this story but dropped out at some point. pic.twitter.com/10vNAhUlR4
It’s time for #NTYCBD! This week, I’ve been reading the incredible Avengers: The Initiative by @DanSlott and @Christosgage, with gorgeous art from too many to name! Initially exploring the effects of militarization and superheroes, eventually about fighting corruption! So good! pic.twitter.com/1tQDQ2aXqq
An ad Marvel ran in the 1966 comicon program celebrating Jack Kirby. This may have been a quasi-apology for the divisive Nat Freeland interview a few months earlier. pic.twitter.com/3rDoLIv92O
Ad for Sgt Fury #3, once again vamping because a cover isn’t done. This one’s especially crude—looks like it was thrown together last minute. pic.twitter.com/Qu3XboZn52
By now, you may have noticed that among the many Marvel tales you've come across in this humble blog, the PPC has been known to be partial to those stories written by Roger Stern; and, if we were to narrow that focus further, a number of Doctor Strange stories would be singled out. And so it may have occurred to you that by this time there simply can't be any more gold to mine from that particular deposit. Au contraire, mes amis. In a tale from late 1982, we come across the Master of the Mystic Arts in one of his darkest hours, a crushing of his spirit from which there seems to be no escape.
Yet the cause is not a crisis which mushroomed beyond his control, or a foe who outmaneuvered or otherwise brought him to the brink of defeat, but rather the onset of a broken heart following the sudden departure of his disciple and longtime love, Clea--who left Strange in part because of her persistent feeling that she is out of place on our world, but also because she has recently become aware that her love for him is lacking in comparison to another woman who has come to mean something to him.
Clea speaks of Morgana Blessing, a writer whom Strange believes has some latent mystic ability, but who unfortunately became involved in a conflict between Strange and Baron Mordo that caused a part of her soul to begin travelling back to Earth's past. Strange was ultimately successful in retrieving the "soul shard"--but obviously the situation has had a profound effect on Clea.
As the driving force of this story, and with all due respect to Mr. Stern, I can't help but agree with Strange as to Clea's rationale here: her reasons do sound like "rubbish," as well as noticeably contrived, perhaps as a way to pivot Strange in a new direction that would have him once again flying solo in his book rather than splitting the attention he alone should be receiving with another mystic who must always be taken into account. Yet I should qualify that criticism by adding the observation that I agree it's the right call to make; after all, the fact that Clea is Strange's disciple means that by definition she would be with the book indefinitely and would thus factor into nearly all of the story plots in one way or another. That begs an important question: How many readers want to read "The Adventures of Dr. Strange and Clea"? Show of hands? I'm one of those on board with the decision to eject her; my only objection is that the justification for it comes off as flimsy. A broken heart has admittedly been used as a plot device to effect change in other books; Fantastic Four comes to mind, where Crystal breaks with Johnny Storm, and Reed was certainly down in the dumps following his separation from Sue. But in neither of those situations did the people involved appear to fumble for excuses to the extent that Clea does here (unless you count Sue's off-the-cuff reasoning for returning to Reed).
All of that said, the situation does little to blunt the quality of this story, if we accept Strange's anguish as genuine (Clea had been with him for a very long time, after all, going all the way back to the original Strange Tales). And even the Sorcerer Supreme is vulnerable to the depths of despair suffered by the ordinary man when a loved one departs for good.
As we'll find, this story is above the norm (and out of the ordinary) in a number of respects, even for a Doctor Strange tale--but right away there's an indication of something exceptional to be found here with the inclusion of artist Michael Golden, whose work at Marvel is sparse (that is if you weren't a Micronauts reader) but has been both notable and well received. Teamed with inker Terry Austin, and with Stern at the helm, we might be witness to one of this series' most memorable and creative installments.
Having already spent the previous issue bemoaning his state of loss, we find Strange now fully immersed in his grief, while his staff--his manservant, Wong, and his secretary, Sara Wolfe--are unable to console him. Nor is Strange having that much luck in that department himself, as mired in self-pity and anger as he is. But help of a sort is waiting in the wings--that, or something of a more coercive nature.
"I am aware of who and what you are." One of the best lines of dialog in this story from someone we'd expect to speak with such authority--but as we'll discover, not an informed deduction on Strange's part.
It's a rare pleasure when other mystics of some renown appear in Strange's book and interact with him to any degree. Dakimh (the Enchanter), an eccentric wizard known to those of you who read issues of Man-Thing, will fit the nature of this story perfectly--and you'll find that unceremoniously making off with Strange's astral form is only the tip of the iceberg in that regard.
At first, Dakimh's approach is two-pronged to fit the parameters of Strange's "wish"--first, to convince him that he's dead, by showing how one event that shaped his life as a sorcerer happened differently than the way he remembered...
But more engaging for the reader is Dakimh's attempt to grant Strange's desire as far as never having learned the ways of magic, not by having his life take a different course so much as purporting the notion that Strange has deluded himself into believing all these years that he is the embodiment of nothing more than a movie character, a delusion that has brought him to the brink of insanity.
It's not the first time that others have tried to deceive Strange in such a manner--Agamotto, the "caterpillar"... Eternity (in his dream state)... Nightmare... and Death, to name a few--in fact, at this point it's fair to wonder how someone like Strange can continue to have the wool pulled over his eyes like this. Sooner or later in such instances, of course, he breaks free of the deceit or otherwise figures it all out, but it seems well past having become trite.
Nevertheless, Dakimh apparently sees some measure of success here by way of Strange's reactions to what he's been shown--so it only makes sense (if one can even apply the word amid all of this) for him to keep changing the setting to further confound Strange. Though when he does so next*, he also takes a slightly different tack with Strange by not only reinforcing the fact that the identity which "Stephen" has chosen is not real, but by also proposing that the same holds true for all that he sees and hears. And it is nearly the final straw for our hapless sorcerer.
*"Les Tane" and "Ted Tevoski" being anagrams for Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, respectively. (How many of you noticed?)
It's tempting to assume that, with his continued emphasis on reality and unreality, "Dakimh" is actually Agamotto, up to his old tricks. But while that's not the case, his presentations have nevertheless brought Strange to the verge of madness and made him susceptible to suggestion. Yet who is really behind all this?
Up until now, we had the luxury of thinking that this character might indeed be Dakimh, whose ultimate agenda with Strange is yet to be revealed; yet given the dark turn he now takes, there is no doubt that there is some other force at work here, one that must be exposed if Strange is to have any hope of bringing himself back from the pit of despondency he has fallen into.
It's a made-for-TV (or film, for that matter) moment by Stern and Golden, tailored to capitalize on the climactic turning point of any work of fiction which has reached the stage of its principal character reasserting him/herself and rising to confront whatever or whoever has led them to this point. And we could have no better antagonist than D'Spayre, whose power stems from the level of (say it with me) despair and hopelessness of his victim. In Strange, he's no doubt snared the prey of a lifetime, much like the demon Mephisto must have regarded the Silver Surfer in his efforts to capture the Surfer's soul.
And now, with his power at its ebb and his ability to wage a fight in question, Strange knows that the battle for his soul has begun in earnest--and if he cannot salvage his will and resistance, it may be his final battle.
D'Spayre unquestionably has the advantage thus far, and any observer could safely say at this point that it's his fight to lose. Indeed, the tactic he next employs--using the threat of the N'Garai, an ancient enemy that Strange believed he'd vanquished, to instill greater fear and doubt in his victim--is arguably the right call to make, given the likelihood of causing Strange to feel even more despair than he does at present. Instead, Strange realizes that what appears to be real is instead a ploy--and, drawing strength from that knowledge, he resolutely prepares to bring about D'Spayre's final moments in his presence.
But it's D'Spayre's final gambit which truly seals this monster's doom.
Clearly, Strange has finally turned the page to his grief, as he earlier declared aloud. And yes, perhaps two issues focusing on Clea's departure was one issue too many, with this particular story being more than sufficient--but Strange's words following the battle ("It is over... it is done!") resonated beyond their intended meaning all the way to the final panel, and helped to bring closure to the departure of a character who it never seemed was developed to her full potential in spite of efforts to the contrary.
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2504.20 - 10:10
- Days ago: MOM = 3578 days ago & DAD = 235 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
In order to correct the child's reading habits, he decides to read him the kind of fairy tales he grew up with as a kid and goes for Hansel And Gretel. Though clearly forgetting some aspects of this.
