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related_results_labels_thumbs({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-04-20T09:30:33.152-04:00"},"category":[{"term":"history"},{"term":"business"},{"term":"review"},{"term":"other media"},{"term":"links"},{"term":"craft"},{"term":"marvel"},{"term":"fandom"},{"term":"Recap"},{"term":"creators"},{"term":"upcoming"},{"term":"newspaper strips"},{"term":"On History"},{"term":"creator"},{"term":"On -isms"},{"term":"On Business"},{"term":"webcomics"},{"term":"On Strips"},{"term":"self-promotion"},{"term":"DC"},{"term":"kirby"},{"term":"covers"},{"term":"mash-ups"},{"term":"manga"},{"term":"pirates"},{"term":"On Webcomics"},{"term":"monkeys"},{"term":"meme"},{"term":"wonderland"},{"term":"On Fandom"},{"term":"On Craft"},{"term":"PotD"},{"term":"featured"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Kleefeld on Comics"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Verbum et imago sicut unum.\nWord and picture as one."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/-\/On+History?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=8"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/search\/label\/On%20History"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/-\/On+History\/-\/On+History?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=9\u0026max-results=8"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"271"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"8"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-9199207953248424540"},"published":{"$t":"2020-09-25T09:30:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-09-25T09:30:16.998-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"marvel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Origin of Atlas"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-C3XuIAwF0gY\/X21jSERm4fI\/AAAAAAAAk10\/nAvfD-IK5kQW2302mVs8U7bNeh1mE2nBwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1759\/33659bp.jpg\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Atlas, Sive Cosmographicae Meditationes De Fabrica Mundi title page\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1759\" data-original-width=\"1130\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-C3XuIAwF0gY\/X21jSERm4fI\/AAAAAAAAk10\/nAvfD-IK5kQW2302mVs8U7bNeh1mE2nBwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s320\/33659bp.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe name \"Atlas\" shows up fairly frequently throughout comics' history. There are number of characters that go by that name, multiple publishing companies, many specialty comic retail shops and countless references within the comic stories making sly background references to the name. My question is: how did it become so ingrained in comics' lore?\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nWell, the short answer is Martin Goodman and I expect many of you will have mentally gone there already. But let's explore this more deeply...\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAn \"atlas\" (lower case) is essentially a collection of maps. They're generally of very large regions, often the entire Earth, and often printed and bound. The earliest items we would consider atlases date to around 150 AD and were put together by Claudius Ptolemy. Though already outdated by the time they were released, they sold very well and he produced several revised editions. \n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nIt wasn't until 1595, however, that the actual term \"atlas\" was used in connection with these collections of maps. It was Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator who entitled his book \u003Ci\u003EAtlas, Sive Cosmographicae Meditationes De Fabrica Mundi\u003C\/i\u003E which translates to \u003Ci\u003EAtlas, or Description of the Universe.\u003C\/i\u003E It was actually published after his death in December 1594 by his son Rumold.\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nContrary to popular belief, however, the name was \u003Cb\u003ENOT\u003C\/b\u003E chosen after the mythical Atlas who bore the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. Rather, it was in reference to King Atlas of Mauretania (roughly corresponding with modern Algeria and Morroco) who was allegedly the wise philosopher, mathematician and astronomer who made the first celestial globe. An image of King Atlas is in fact on the title page of Mercator's book.\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3h5lfW9UL6c\/X21h0oAZzHI\/AAAAAAAAk1o\/9qCE6GATFgs8aJYi1UuKTYMkxDCyclkrQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s977\/Atlas.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Royal Palace in Amsterdam\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"653\" data-original-width=\"977\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3h5lfW9UL6c\/X21h0oAZzHI\/AAAAAAAAk1o\/9qCE6GATFgs8aJYi1UuKTYMkxDCyclkrQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s320\/Atlas.jpg\" width=\"320\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EA century later, Dutch merchants were using Atlas (the Greek) as a sort of patron saint. (A statue of Atlas adorns the top of the Royal Palace in Amsterdam to this day.) Thus regional map makers of the time began using images of the titan on their collections of maps, making a direct association between the two.\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe symbolism does make sense. Although the original myths held that Atlas bore the weight of the heavens, which was generally depicted as a globe, it would be easy to mistake\/substitute the Earth in its place without altering the meaning substantially. It's certainly a more compelling visual than a mere portrait, and it's little wonder that map-makers would use the titan's likeness to grace the covers of their collections. Indeed it was a likeness that was compelling enough to write comic stories about! Without doing exhaustive research on this point, I found comic book stories that feature the classical Atlas as early as 1948, pre-dating Goodman's use of the term for his company by 3 years. (Curiously, though, he remains relatively untapped as a source of comic stories compared to other Greek heroes.)\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlas Comics \"debuted\" in 1951. It was really just the same company Goodman had been running for years under a few dozen different names. The question that strikes me, though, is: why \"Atlas\"? Why not \"Zenith\" or \"Red Circle\" or any of the other names he'd been using to publish comics? \n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe reason why Goodman used so many company names at first was a hold-over from the 1940s. It wasn't uncommon for one publisher to use multiple company names to skirt any number of laws, one of the most obvious being paper rationing. A publisher was only allotted a certain amount of paper they could use, but if one person ran two publishing interests, he could obtain twice the amount of paper. Thus, many publishers of the time would run one company under several names simultaneously to get the benefits of multiple corporations.\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBut that approach didn't make as much sense going into the 1950s, as World War II ended and things got back to \"normal.\" Goodman also saw the benefit of having a single brand identity, one banner under which he could promote the likes of Patsy Walker, Captain America, and Kid Colt. There was no reason to hide behind multiple company names, and plenty of reasons to coalesce under one. But, again, why \"Atlas\"?\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe reason is Goodman's \u003Ci\u003Eother\u003C\/i\u003E business as a periodical distributor. Goodman believed he could make even more money by distributing his comics and magazines; why pay a middleman to do that? So he ditched his current distributor, Kable News, and established the Atlas News Company. In this context, \"Atlas\" begins to make sense. Goodman didn't publish \u003Ci\u003Ejust\u003C\/i\u003E comics; he also had several lines of general interest and adult (but not \u003Ci\u003Ethat\u003C\/i\u003E adult!) magazines. He was in several fields and probably paid little attention to the comics end of things. The name \"Atlas\" for a distributor would imply that his reach covered the entire globe; all walks of life, all corners of the Earth. That wasn't necessarily accurate, of course, but it gave an immediate implication that his operation was bigger and more grand. Goodman then simply applied the \"Atlas\" name to everything, including his entire publishing arm. Thus \"Atlas Comics\" were born.\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlas News Company lasted until 1957. Goodman basically took a look at the finances and decided that he really wasn't making all that much money on distribution, so he closed that business to focus exclusively on publishing. It was ultimately a huge mistake from his perspective, though, as the new distributor he partnered with -- American News Company -- folded only a few months after they began distributing Atlas-published books due to a Justice Department lawsuit. With his own distribution setup eliminated and the country's largest distributor (American News) gone, Goodman was left with few options but using Independent News, which was owned and operated by his business rival, DC Comics (then National). \n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe Atlas brand that Goodman had spent the better part of a decade establishing was almost wiped out overnight. Independent would only distribute eight of their comics (down from 30+) a month. But in those years that Atlas was producing comics, there was some great and innovative work from the likes of Jack Kirby, Joe Maneely, John Severin and John Romita Sr. to name just a few. It's in honor of those great works that so many comics-related businesses are named.\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nNow, I could go on to explain where \"Marvel Comics\" came from, but that's another story that's probably longer than you'd expect!\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/9199207953248424540\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=9199207953248424540","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/9199207953248424540"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/9199207953248424540"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/09\/the-origin-of-atlas.html","title":"The Origin of Atlas"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-C3XuIAwF0gY\/X21jSERm4fI\/AAAAAAAAk10\/nAvfD-IK5kQW2302mVs8U7bNeh1mE2nBwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/33659bp.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-34794251172291326"},"published":{"$t":"2020-09-23T09:30:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-09-23T09:30:03.579-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Comic Book Protection Cover System"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Trolling around in the patent database, I came across the patent for a \"comic book protection cover system\" from 1993. It's basically a zip-loc bag, sized for modern comics, with a pocket on the front to put in a small sheet with whatever details you think are relevant. Supposedly, this \"has all the advantages of the prior art bags and none of the disadvantages.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI'm a bit dubious, frankly. Although in large part because of the lousy wording in the document. He has four one-sentence paragraphs in a row that begin...\u003CBlockquote\u003EStill yet another object of the present invention...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nStill another object of the present invention...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nYet another object of the present invention...\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nEven still another object of the present invention...\u003C\/blockquote\u003EI don't know that I've ever seen these advertised, much less actually used. But who am I to judge? John and Cindy Merkley have a patent, and I don't. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nHere are the full specs of Patent #5,415,290...\u003Ccenter\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AXV5qyt09Ww\/VCEAYs4CJjI\/AAAAAAAASzQ\/1LuOTk3IlRc\/s1600\/1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AXV5qyt09Ww\/VCEAYs4CJjI\/AAAAAAAASzQ\/1LuOTk3IlRc\/s200\/1.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nvIz0wAtmyU\/VCEAYIasOmI\/AAAAAAAASzI\/mX2UGpBDq6c\/s1600\/2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nvIz0wAtmyU\/VCEAYIasOmI\/AAAAAAAASzI\/mX2UGpBDq6c\/s200\/2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Em9PoSJhxW4\/VCEAYdI-c_I\/AAAAAAAASzM\/X8MDQ7Xr360\/s1600\/3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Em9PoSJhxW4\/VCEAYdI-c_I\/AAAAAAAASzM\/X8MDQ7Xr360\/s200\/3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XlUT34etB_Q\/VCEAZrUQV_I\/AAAAAAAASzg\/9u0_y3-5MvA\/s1600\/4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-XlUT34etB_Q\/VCEAZrUQV_I\/AAAAAAAASzg\/9u0_y3-5MvA\/s200\/4.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kOwCDyPwH4k\/VCEAedGSEMI\/AAAAAAAASzw\/E-wTm08OiIs\/s1600\/5.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-kOwCDyPwH4k\/VCEAedGSEMI\/AAAAAAAASzw\/E-wTm08OiIs\/s200\/5.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bonWCn5NP3s\/VCEAeVsOUTI\/AAAAAAAASz0\/YwVa2-87BzM\/s1600\/6.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-bonWCn5NP3s\/VCEAeVsOUTI\/AAAAAAAASz0\/YwVa2-87BzM\/s200\/6.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uqJeF0H8Ye0\/VCEAcZZPYNI\/AAAAAAAASzo\/GNAQ-n-idTg\/s1600\/7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" \u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uqJeF0H8Ye0\/VCEAcZZPYNI\/AAAAAAAASzo\/GNAQ-n-idTg\/s200\/7.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003C\/center\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/34794251172291326\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=34794251172291326","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/34794251172291326"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/34794251172291326"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/09\/the-comic-book-protection-cover-system.html","title":"The Comic Book Protection Cover System"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AXV5qyt09Ww\/VCEAYs4CJjI\/AAAAAAAASzQ\/1LuOTk3IlRc\/s72-c\/1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-8714657753538361581"},"published":{"$t":"2020-09-21T09:30:00.108-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-09-21T09:30:04.278-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"marvel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Arcane Marvel Archeology"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: both;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5z-uPUfdcB4\/X2d46BB_7MI\/AAAAAAAAk0Y\/-eLnBwyHGDAkk_3u47OJir2plrZJ-r4KgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/360231._SX1600_QL80_TTD_.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Captain America: Patriot cover\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1332\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5z-uPUfdcB4\/X2d46BB_7MI\/AAAAAAAAk0Y\/-eLnBwyHGDAkk_3u47OJir2plrZJ-r4KgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w285-h438\/360231._SX1600_QL80_TTD_.jpg\" width=\"285\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EI'm not sure where I came across it now, but a month or two back, I read that the All-Winners Squad were retroactively made the first superhero team to take up residence in the Baxter Building, decades before the Fantastic Four made it their headquarters. As an FF fan from way back, and one who generally enjoys the archeology of sifting through Marvel continuity, that sounded like something I had to dig into myself. Particularly since it didn't seem like the type of thing Marvel has really done much of since the turn of the century. \n\u003CBR\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nSo I picked up the requisite stories and was not terribly surprised to see they were written by Karl Kesel. He has a similar sensibility and appreciation of Marvel history and continuity that guys like Roy Thomas, Mark Gruenwald, and Kurt Busiek have shown. Plus, Kesel is a long-time FF fan. So that he found another way to tie Marvel's Golden Age stories via \u003CI\u003EAll Winners Comics\u003C\/I\u003E to its Silver Age ones via \u003CI\u003EFantastic Four\u003C\/I\u003E is almost expected. The primary story is largely about how Captain America inspired Jeff Mace to become The Patriot, and how he was later recruited to take up the mantle of Captain America when that character died. I kind of knew that basic story at a high level, but only barely, so I figured I'd have the added bonus here of digging into that aspect of Marvel history as well. \n\u003CBR\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nWhat I found interesting, though, was that, while the stories here were good and provided not only the historical background I was hoping for, but also had a solid emotional hook for the main characters, I definitely did not feel the familiar excitement I used to have when discovering arcane pieces of Marvel continuity. Whereas before, I might've responded with something like \"Aha! Cool!\" this time it was a little like just checking a box off for me, \"OK, All-Winners in the Baxter Building back in the '40s. Got it.\"\u003CBR\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\n\nThat's certainly not Kesel's fault. The bits in question are, by design, almost thrown in as asides and that's not the point of the stories in the first place. I actually quite enjoyed following Jeff Mace's story itself. What I don't quite know is why I wasn't as excited about the Baxter Building revelation as I might've been a decade or two earlier. Some possibilities I've considered:\u003CUL\u003E\n  \u003CLI\u003EI used to run a Fantastic Four website and I would have included these tidbits on the site. My excitement might have been tied to developing out new content for the site.\u003C\/LI\u003E\n    \u003CLI\u003EDuring the same time period, a good chunk of my self-identity revolved around being \u003Cb\u003ETHE\u003C\/b\u003E most knowledagable Fantastic Four fan. Knowing this additional bit of trivia would have further advanced my standing in that capacity. (At least in my own mind.) \u003C\/LI\u003E\n  \u003CLI\u003EIt's been a decade and a half since I really followed the goings-on in the Marvel Universe. I may simply be less emotionally invested in it generally.\n  \u003C\/LI\u003E\u003CLI\u003EI'm also a decade a half older, plus the entire country is collapsing, so it could be that I really don't have the mental bandwidth to really give a shit about an amazingly obscure and ultimately meaningless retcon any more.\n  \u003C\/LI\u003E \n    \u003C\/UL\u003EOf course, it could be a little \"all of the above\" with each piece being a contributing factor. I may still have had a subdued reaction in, say, 2014 if I'd come across this then but the additional weight of the past several years could have dulled that even more. I find it particularly interesting in light of the more recent \u003Ci\u003EHistory of the Marvel Universe\u003C\/i\u003E book I looked at \u003CA HRef=\"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/04\/history-of-marvel-universe-review.html\"\u003Eback in April\u003C\/A\u003E; another Marvel archeology project for me, but one where I went in with very different expectations. I'll be curious, too, to see my reaction compares against the upcoming \u003Ci\u003EOther History of the DC Universe\u003C\/i\u003E, another book which has that archeology aspect to it, but with yet another very different set of expectations. \n  \u003CBR\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\n    At nearly fifty years old, I don't expect to respond to comics the same way I did when I was thirty. But I think it's worth considering \u003Ci\u003Ewhy\u003C\/i\u003E so I know what to look for and what to avoid in the future.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/8714657753538361581\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=8714657753538361581","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/8714657753538361581"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/8714657753538361581"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/09\/arcane-marvel-archeology.html","title":"Arcane Marvel Archeology"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5z-uPUfdcB4\/X2d46BB_7MI\/AAAAAAAAk0Y\/-eLnBwyHGDAkk_3u47OJir2plrZJ-r4KgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-w285-h438-c\/360231._SX1600_QL80_TTD_.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-426271494593619578"},"published":{"$t":"2020-09-16T09:30:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-09-16T09:30:07.645-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Mr. Civil Defense Talks About Natural Disasters"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"This was a government printed pamphlet circa 1956 touting how you could be a good citizen during a natural disaster. The Li'l Abner artwork on the cover is signed by Al Capp, but the interior artwork doesn't look like his. I haven't been able to track down any solid creator information on that either. \u003Ccenter\u003E\u003Cdiv  style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Nmg3EoBj4W0\/T8GRPkKZC5I\/AAAAAAAALP0\/jlJq0_lLe1o\/s1600\/01.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"132\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Nmg3EoBj4W0\/T8GRPkKZC5I\/AAAAAAAALP0\/jlJq0_lLe1o\/s200\/01.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-V1seVuGuNJo\/T8GRVEuouDI\/AAAAAAAALQA\/syOHSuMZAKg\/s1600\/02.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"137\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-V1seVuGuNJo\/T8GRVEuouDI\/AAAAAAAALQA\/syOHSuMZAKg\/s200\/02.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QinTsaBRXvE\/T8GRZ9QrseI\/AAAAAAAALQM\/evj5kQ1-DYk\/s1600\/03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"134\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-QinTsaBRXvE\/T8GRZ9QrseI\/AAAAAAAALQM\/evj5kQ1-DYk\/s200\/03.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-AvmrsgFcFPM\/T8GRe2golSI\/AAAAAAAALQY\/Ac24a4sbznE\/s1600\/04.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"136\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-AvmrsgFcFPM\/T8GRe2golSI\/AAAAAAAALQY\/Ac24a4sbznE\/s200\/04.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-jSIyd9JuP3E\/T8GRkbu575I\/AAAAAAAALQk\/MP2enSr9aZs\/s1600\/05.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"140\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-jSIyd9JuP3E\/T8GRkbu575I\/AAAAAAAALQk\/MP2enSr9aZs\/s200\/05.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AcLtaFH4JAM\/T8GRpWqZYSI\/AAAAAAAALQw\/Yx_PrKzeStI\/s1600\/06.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"138\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-AcLtaFH4JAM\/T8GRpWqZYSI\/AAAAAAAALQw\/Yx_PrKzeStI\/s200\/06.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xb-r65it8ys\/T8GRu_w937I\/AAAAAAAALQ8\/clMU6omK-rs\/s1600\/07.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"136\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xb-r65it8ys\/T8GRu_w937I\/AAAAAAAALQ8\/clMU6omK-rs\/s200\/07.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z-aCk3TJ7Ik\/T8GR6L4wRaI\/AAAAAAAALRI\/JgwOTZPmbvo\/s1600\/08.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"130\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z-aCk3TJ7Ik\/T8GR6L4wRaI\/AAAAAAAALRI\/JgwOTZPmbvo\/s200\/08.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PLbS7MvoE-c\/T8GR_-5netI\/AAAAAAAALRU\/A9Sab1ZT9iw\/s1600\/09.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"134\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-PLbS7MvoE-c\/T8GR_-5netI\/AAAAAAAALRU\/A9Sab1ZT9iw\/s200\/09.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rCk976IXCIA\/T8GSFBYcDpI\/AAAAAAAALRg\/S0pgvtGcaNo\/s1600\/10.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"134\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-rCk976IXCIA\/T8GSFBYcDpI\/AAAAAAAALRg\/S0pgvtGcaNo\/s200\/10.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vsP7o_J1DIE\/T8GSKQ7mxHI\/AAAAAAAALRs\/Qj1xQ_gu4B8\/s1600\/11.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"136\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vsP7o_J1DIE\/T8GSKQ7mxHI\/AAAAAAAALRs\/Qj1xQ_gu4B8\/s200\/11.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-KkkBVIMH7Xg\/T8GSO0bEdCI\/AAAAAAAALR4\/DEXY2NLVCu4\/s1600\/12.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"134\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-KkkBVIMH7Xg\/T8GSO0bEdCI\/AAAAAAAALR4\/DEXY2NLVCu4\/s200\/12.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W5E4HmTfX-0\/T8GSXA6YjuI\/AAAAAAAALSE\/3gqVTLnDqPs\/s1600\/13.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"138\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W5E4HmTfX-0\/T8GSXA6YjuI\/AAAAAAAALSE\/3gqVTLnDqPs\/s200\/13.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZSo732uNHDk\/T8GSf7dQLBI\/AAAAAAAALSQ\/zwLr5P7hLE8\/s1600\/14.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"136\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZSo732uNHDk\/T8GSf7dQLBI\/AAAAAAAALSQ\/zwLr5P7hLE8\/s200\/14.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-D9VW-jG6als\/T8GSnxosplI\/AAAAAAAALSc\/CrM8uN9FeDo\/s1600\/15.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"134\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-D9VW-jG6als\/T8GSnxosplI\/AAAAAAAALSc\/CrM8uN9FeDo\/s200\/15.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-wREh0LLt-RE\/T8GStUGBqFI\/AAAAAAAALSo\/QAJkVeTZmts\/s1600\/16.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"200\" width=\"133\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-wREh0LLt-RE\/T8GStUGBqFI\/AAAAAAAALSo\/QAJkVeTZmts\/s200\/16.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/426271494593619578\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=426271494593619578","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/426271494593619578"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/426271494593619578"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/09\/mr-civil-defense-talks-about-natural.html","title":"Mr. Civil Defense Talks About Natural Disasters"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Nmg3EoBj4W0\/T8GRPkKZC5I\/AAAAAAAALP0\/jlJq0_lLe1o\/s72-c\/01.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-359867996110041366"},"published":{"$t":"2020-08-28T09:30:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-28T09:30:06.486-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On -isms"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Ruled by Hatred"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Who was John Patler? I'll start with an extended snippet from his Wikipedia entry...\u003CBlockquote\u003E[John Patsalos] joined the American Nazi Party in 1960 and shortly changed his name to Patler to make it sound more like \"Hitler\". Patler later became a captain in the American Nazi Party... However, he was expelled from the Party in March 1967 for alleged \"Bolshevik leanings\" after disagreeing with [American Nazi Party leader George] Rockwell about some of the party's policies. Patler later described his relationship with Rockwell in very endearing terms, stating \"I loved him like a father and he loved me like a son\". In his last known letter to Rockwell, Patler wrote \"I don't think there are two people on earth who think and feel the same as we do... You are a very important part of my life. I need you as much as you need me. Without you there is no future\".\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nOn August 25, 1967, George Lincoln Rockwell was shot and killed while getting into his car, which was parked in front of a self-service laundry at an Arlington, Virginia, shopping center... Patler was arrested half an hour later about a mile from the scene of the shooting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nPatler was convicted of first-degree murder on December 16, 1967 by an Arlington jury and subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison...\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cdiv  style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oNhVTNL5bP4\/WgPaH9F5mnI\/AAAAAAAAe4M\/N3S_zle-_xoy-XwUG_aV3KYnnFzOH0pbACLcBGAs\/s1600\/32783.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oNhVTNL5bP4\/WgPaH9F5mnI\/AAAAAAAAe4M\/N3S_zle-_xoy-XwUG_aV3KYnnFzOH0pbACLcBGAs\/s320\/32783.jpg\" width=\"216\" height=\"320\" data-original-width=\"400\" data-original-height=\"592\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENow, why am I discussing Patler on a blog about comics? Well, first he was a cartoonist for the Nazi party magazine,\u003Ci\u003E Stormtrooper.\u003C\/i\u003E I can't seem to find any of those cartoons, but Craig Yoe noted a couple years ago that he received a copy of Patler's comic book, \u003Ci\u003EHere Comes Whiteman\u003C\/i\u003E, from Patler himself after Yoe had a fan letter published in \u003Ci\u003EAdventures of the Unknown\u003C\/i\u003E #174. (For the record, you can find scans of \u003CI\u003EHere Comes Whiteman\u003C\/I\u003E online without too much difficulty, but I'm not going to repost or link to them here, because it is horribly, horribly racist. There are exactly three panels in the whole comic that do not have an overt slur, or derogatory comment or caricature. I mean, I was originally thinking I could post it and say, \"Don't make comics like this\" but not even Comicsgaters make comics this offensive.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n(Interesting Side Note: #174 was the last issue of\u003CI\u003E Adventures of the Unknown\u003C\/I\u003E!)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n(Interesting Side Note 2: That issue is cover-dated August 1967 -- the month that Patler killed Rockwell!) \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nYoe's letter is pretty innocuous. He compliments the creators on their books' quality relative to earlier comics, and notes that he was glad they printed fans' addresses because he likes \"writing and exchanging views with fans in my own state—Ohio.\" That evidently was enough to encourage Patler to send him a copy of his comic. Seems to me like a bit of stretch to see that as code for \"I want to communicate with Nazis\" but as evidenced by his killing this alleged father figure, it doesn't sound like he had a very firm grasp on reality. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nWhich I think is true for anyone who is that ruled by hatred. If you let your life be run by such negative emotions that it directs even your creative free expression, maybe you need to re-think your life and your priorities. That shit will drain your soul, and make you considerably less human than even the imagined sub-human qualities you see in other races. Sure, not every racist is going to wind up murdering someone like that, but there are still plenty of Kyle Rittenhouses, Jonathan Mattinglys, and Travis McMichaels out there who will seemingly still gleefully kill someone because they've got too much melanin. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\n  I'm not naive enough to say, \"Why can't we just all get along?\" But damn, if you see someone oozing that much hatred, try to get them some help! Living with hate like that just isn't healthy!\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/359867996110041366\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=359867996110041366","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/359867996110041366"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/359867996110041366"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/08\/ruled-by-hatred.html","title":"Ruled by Hatred"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-oNhVTNL5bP4\/WgPaH9F5mnI\/AAAAAAAAe4M\/N3S_zle-_xoy-XwUG_aV3KYnnFzOH0pbACLcBGAs\/s72-c\/32783.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-2373020876399497304"},"published":{"$t":"2020-08-24T09:30:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-24T09:30:02.872-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"August 1972 in Comics"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\"What happened in August 1972,\" you ask? How about this...\u003Cul\u003E\n  \u003Cli\u003EDC released their big, honkin' \u003Ci\u003EJustice League of America\u003C\/i\u003E #100\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dl2rGgBAI\/AAAAAAAAHB0\/Y-CzktFiQAo\/s1600\/jla100.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Justice League of America #100\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469452262422086658\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dl2rGgBAI\/AAAAAAAAHB0\/Y-CzktFiQAo\/s200\/jla100.jpg\" style=\"cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 138px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n  \u003Cli\u003EMarvel kicked off two new titles: \u003Ci\u003EDefenders\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EWarlock\u003C\/i\u003E...\u003Ccenter\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dmKtUkF-I\/AAAAAAAAHCE\/7tFtjqO8pHk\/s1600\/defenders1.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Defenders #1\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469452606615328738\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dmKtUkF-I\/AAAAAAAAHCE\/7tFtjqO8pHk\/s200\/defenders1.jpg\" style=\"cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 134px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dmG9WxL5I\/AAAAAAAAHB8\/buQv2N2GNEw\/s1600\/warlock1.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Warlock #1\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469452542200065938\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dmG9WxL5I\/AAAAAAAAHB8\/buQv2N2GNEw\/s200\/warlock1.jpg\" style=\"cursor: pointer; height: 200px; width: 135px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n  \u003Cli\u003EArchie's new series: \u003Ci\u003EArchie at Riverdale High\u003C\/i\u003E...\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dmYk_Hg7I\/AAAAAAAAHCM\/sekZY2NQL_U\/s1600\/riverdalehigh1.jpg\" onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Archie at Riverdale High #1\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469452844896060338\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dmYk_Hg7I\/AAAAAAAAHCM\/sekZY2NQL_U\/s200\/riverdalehigh1.jpg\" style=\"cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 133px;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\n  \u003Cli\u003EThe fourth comic convention in San Diego, later to become known as Comic Con International, took place. It was the first time to be held at El Cortez Hotel, which was the show's primary location for the rest of the 1970s. Bob Clampett, Harry Harrison, Jack Kirby, Mel Lazarus and Roy Thomas were guests.\u003C\/li\u003E\n  \u003Cli\u003EJohn Barrett, Bud Plant and Robert Beerbohm opened the first Comics \u0026amp; Comix, about a week after the convention. Though it was not the first comic book shop to open, it helped paved the way for a number of other shops and shop owners, notably Beerbohm and Plant who are both still active today.\u003C\/li\u003E\n  \u003Cli\u003EYours truly was born. (My birthday was last week, FYI.)\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/bp1.blogger.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/R0taZjJKGnI\/AAAAAAAABqY\/4ab1eJ7_w_Q\/s1600-h\/Img307.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Sean Kleefeld, age 6\" border=\"0\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137299194923063922\" src=\"http:\/\/bp1.blogger.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/R0taZjJKGnI\/AAAAAAAABqY\/4ab1eJ7_w_Q\/s320\/Img307.jpg\" style=\"cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESnoopy, Come Home\u003C\/i\u003E was released in theaters. It featured the first appearances of Woodstock and Franklin onscreen.\n  \u003C\/li\u003E\n    \u003Cli\u003EBen Affleck -- who later went on to play Daredevil, Batman and George-Reeves-playing-Superman -- was born.\u003Cdiv style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qi1nn1KIoIQ\/X0M7iz4fjKI\/AAAAAAAAkqw\/WqcS96NKKr4PlX2IJGn1Ovcq2MzmQV1LACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1280\/ben_affleck_batman_1280.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Ben Affleck as Batman\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"230\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qi1nn1KIoIQ\/X0M7iz4fjKI\/AAAAAAAAkqw\/WqcS96NKKr4PlX2IJGn1Ovcq2MzmQV1LACLcBGAsYHQ\/w410-h230\/ben_affleck_batman_1280.jpg\" width=\"410\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EFantastic Four\u003C\/i\u003E #125\n was released. This was the last issue of the title where Stan Lee is credited as the writer until #296, the 25th anniversary issue.\u003Ccenter\u003E\u003Cdiv  style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-smjC3k2zuqw\/X0NBBdakyNI\/AAAAAAAAkq8\/arQh-H3W-MQuBwl53LezRd-AGqTyrQcfwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1503\/Fantastic_Four_Vol_1_125.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" alt=\"Fantastic Four #125\" data-original-height=\"1503\" data-original-width=\"990\" height=\"210\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-smjC3k2zuqw\/X0NBBdakyNI\/AAAAAAAAkq8\/arQh-H3W-MQuBwl53LezRd-AGqTyrQcfwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w138-h210\/Fantastic_Four_Vol_1_125.jpg\" width=\"138\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\n  \u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/2373020876399497304\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=2373020876399497304","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/2373020876399497304"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/2373020876399497304"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/08\/august-1972-in-comics.html","title":"August 1972 in Comics"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_Iy-QvX1qv0E\/S-dl2rGgBAI\/AAAAAAAAHB0\/Y-CzktFiQAo\/s72-c\/jla100.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-2099535927901916107"},"published":{"$t":"2020-08-17T09:30:00.013-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-17T09:30:06.596-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Roanoke Colony Review"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv  style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-avNwR5pKkEM\/XzmG2pSgKMI\/AAAAAAAAkog\/NC1APV50kD0IEWxKd1mKZ_exjzz_9cPlACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/9781250174352.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\"Roanoke Colony cover\" border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"706\" height=\"410\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-avNwR5pKkEM\/XzmG2pSgKMI\/AAAAAAAAkog\/NC1APV50kD0IEWxKd1mKZ_exjzz_9cPlACLcBGAsYHQ\/w290-h410\/9781250174352.jpg\" width=\"290\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\nFirst Second has been putting out some excellent non-fiction comics the past few years, and Chris Schweizer's \u003CI\u003EThe Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery\u003C\/I\u003E is no exception. You might be familiar with the basic story: there was a settlement established on Roanoke Island in the late 1500s, but when the governor sailed back to England and returned, he found the settlement was gone with only the \"mysterious\" word Croatoan carved into one of the trees. Where did the settlers go? What does \"Croatoan\" mean? Ooooo, spooky!\n\u003Cbr\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nAt least, that was the presentation I always heard. Starting from grade school history class up through... well, when I started trying to learn things on my own basically. And I learned that it was known even from back then that Croatoan was a nearby island where some tribes of Native Americans lived, and wasn't it curious that some of these younger natives now were lighter skinned, with even a few sporting blonde hair? Well, this great mystery starts to unravel itself a bit then, doesn't it?\n\u003Cbr\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nSchweizer cleverly starts his book with that old, overly dramatic premise that this whole town just mysteriously vanished... only to subvert that a few pages in with a second narrator castigating the first for exaggerating things too much. Schweizer quickly establishes that yes, this is the story of THAT Roanoke, but there's a fair chance that the version you heard is bunk. He then backs up to talk about the Secotan tribe that lived there before the English came and started mucking things up, and covers the backstory of why the English tried settling there in the first place. By the time we catch back up to Sir Walter Raleigh discovering the abandoned village, readers already can make some of their own educated guesses on what might have happened. Schweizer then proceeds to spell out some of the theories that have come up over the years -- some decidedly more outlandish than others -- and ultimately provides what science thinks is the most logical way to fill in the gaps of what we don't conclusively know. I don't think it would spoil things to say that they're pretty sure it wasn't aliens.\n\u003Cbr\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nIf you're familiar with any of Scweizer's other work, you'll find his artistic and storytelling chops here enjoyably on par with any of his other stories. The book narratively flows very smoothly, and has light tone making it more than readable for youngsters who might not be emotionally ready for some of the more violent aspects of this portion of history. Those aren't ignored, but they're handled in a discrete manner -- I believe all the actual deaths occur off-panel. But I detected little to no white-washing; the English are clearly shown to be the assholes here, despite also being the protagonists. (You can almost taste the sarcasm Schweizer imbues in the book when he has John White proclaim, \"We haven't done anything terrible \u003Cb\u003Ethis\u003C\/b\u003E time!\") \n\u003Cbr\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nI think one of the ways Schweizer is able to pull this off is by making the narrators Manteo and Wanchese, members of the Croatan and Roanoke tribes respectively, who were actually there to witness many of the events first-hand. Readers are thus able to sympathize more readily with them, as the story is told from their perspectives. And that they're from two different tribes, they're able to provide slightly different takes on what the English do and how they might react to them. This reinforces that \"Native American\" covers a wide array of groups, and they don't all think and act as one. Particularly as the story progresses, they take decidedly different approaches to dealing with the English. \n\u003Cbr\u003E\u003CBR\u003E\nI'm a big proponent of correctly learning the decidedly incorrect stories I was taught in school. I've enjoyed pretty much every First Second book I've picked up, and every Chris Scweizer book I've picked up. The actual story is more interesting, in my opinion, than the legend and Schweizer is an excellent person to tell it. I think there are plenty of great reasons to pick this up.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/2099535927901916107\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=2099535927901916107","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/2099535927901916107"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/2099535927901916107"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/08\/roanoke-colony-review.html","title":"Roanoke Colony Review"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-avNwR5pKkEM\/XzmG2pSgKMI\/AAAAAAAAkog\/NC1APV50kD0IEWxKd1mKZ_exjzz_9cPlACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-w290-h410-c\/9781250174352.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19387347.post-8099366823399457590"},"published":{"$t":"2020-08-07T09:30:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-07T09:30:15.145-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"history"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"marvel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"On History"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Corpses Of Dr. Sacotti Redux"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I was doing some research on another book several years ago, and stumbled across this ad running in the middle of one of the comics...\u003Cdiv  style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-elaJpfAftEo\/To-17IQ4-pI\/AAAAAAAAI6s\/3Y2baC1b8dI\/s1600\/corpsead.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"241\" width=\"320\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-elaJpfAftEo\/To-17IQ4-pI\/AAAAAAAAI6s\/3Y2baC1b8dI\/s320\/corpsead.gif\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ENow this was from 1948 -- before the Kefauver hearings or \u003Ci\u003ESeduction of the Innocent\u003C\/I\u003E and all that -- but it still caught me off guard a bit. The cloaked dude looks like he just pulled that blade out of the cop's bleeding chest. The officer's head and arms look twisted in an unnatural manner as well. It's not really a gory image per se, but it's still fairly explicit. Especially with the word \"CORPSES\" taking up a good chunk of visual real estate nearby. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nI was curious: was this a real book? Was this actually published? Or was the ad something the publisher just threw out there to gauge interest? \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nTurns out it was a real book all right...\u003Cdiv   style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HfSf5r747sQ\/To-3_AwZe4I\/AAAAAAAAI60\/YTQ4nGXGI-E\/s1600\/corpsescvr.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"400\" width=\"258\" src=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-HfSf5r747sQ\/To-3_AwZe4I\/AAAAAAAAI60\/YTQ4nGXGI-E\/s400\/corpsescvr.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWhat struck me, though, is that the cover has a less graphic image. Namely, the office is \u003Cb\u003Enot\u003C\/B\u003E shown with a puncture wound or blood. The tip of the blade also seems to have shortened a bit in the ad. I tend to think the wound was edited \u003Ci\u003Eout\u003C\/I\u003E for the cover, rather than added for the ad. The cop's uniform is shown with wrinkles and folds throughout, but the area over his heart on the cover is strangely undetailed. Perhaps they felt it looked too gruesome when the blood was actually colored red. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe series was actually called \u003Ci\u003EIdeal\u003C\/I\u003E and \"The Corpses of Dr. Sacotti\" was the first story of issue #2. The first issue debuted with \"Antony and Cleopatra\" but there was a clear indication that the editors\/publishers thought the Sacotti story would be a hit. Here's a two page ad (courtesy of \u003Ca HRef=\"http:\/\/www.atlastales.com\"\u003EAtlas Tales\u003C\/A\u003E) from \u003Ci\u003EIdeal\u003C\/I\u003E #1 also promoting the story...\u003Cdiv   style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ccenter\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-GWLzkIQCapk\/To-55MywguI\/AAAAAAAAI68\/-XbLEWlqlAA\/s1600\/2539_o.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" width=\"208\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-GWLzkIQCapk\/To-55MywguI\/AAAAAAAAI68\/-XbLEWlqlAA\/s320\/2539_o.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WnRFVJoFa_M\/To-6K2lvbgI\/AAAAAAAAI7E\/FxwP6ekytK4\/s1600\/2540_o.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" height=\"320\" width=\"207\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-WnRFVJoFa_M\/To-6K2lvbgI\/AAAAAAAAI7E\/FxwP6ekytK4\/s320\/2540_o.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/center\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nCuriously, it seems it was issue #3 that drew more ire. It featured historical accounts of Joan of Arc and the Second Boer War, but \u003Ci\u003EThe Evening News of London\u003C\/I\u003E claimed the editors had an \"anti-British slant.\" Issue #4 focused on Richard the Lion-Hearted, but #5 changed the format to love stories, even changing the logo to read \"Ideal Love and Romance.\" Issue #6 was entirely retitled \u003Ci\u003ELove Romances.\u003C\/I\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFrom \"The Corpses of Dr. Sacotti\" to \"Hearts Dance on High!\" inside of a year!\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd don't forget that \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/skleefeld\"\u003EI'm running a Patreon campaign\u003C\/a\u003E now, and I would really appreciate your support in helping to continue my comics research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/feeds\/8099366823399457590\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=19387347\u0026postID=8099366823399457590","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/8099366823399457590"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/19387347\/posts\/default\/8099366823399457590"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.kleefeldoncomics.com\/2020\/08\/the-corpses-of-dr-sacotti-redux.html","title":"The Corpses Of Dr. Sacotti Redux"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Sean Kleefeld"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/10492399469370737192"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-elaJpfAftEo\/To-17IQ4-pI\/AAAAAAAAI6s\/3Y2baC1b8dI\/s72-c\/corpsead.gif","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});