Michael D Hamersky On Comics Celebrates: The 4th of July Via Comic Books!     - Photos: Above:  Batman #18 Cover Dated July of 1940.  Top Left Photo:  Simpson Comics Presents #54 from June (July) of 2010.  What A Difference 70 years makes in presenting the 4th of July on comic book covers!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3453:

Quite honestly, I skipped posting a blog like this in 2010...

That's because I just haven't found that many comic book covers that celebrated the 4th of July on the front covers over the years that comic books have been published!

I've posted some blogs on the 4th of July, like this blog from 2009, when I found a great photo of Paul Kupperberg that just had to be re-posted here in my blog!  Thanks again, Paul for the use of your photo!

It just seems that the 4th of July just hasn't been one that has been celebrated that widely on comic book covers over the years, unlike other special days like Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc., etc.

But I wanted to take the time out this morning to thank those Founding Fathers of our Country to start what has been the greatest experiment in government ever, our Republic!

 Happy 4th of July!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,473 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents...  Vinnie's Take On: MegaMind The Movie As Seen On DVD     ---------- - Above: Photos from the 2010 San Diego Comic Con International's panel on MegaMind!

(Vinnie) Last night, my dad and I picked up the movie 'Megamind' from Redbox, and watched it with my step-mom, Tina.

   

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BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,474 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com.

If it isn't available in my online 'Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS), then you may be able find it in my Amazon affiiate link, as seen here:  Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon!

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents: Spotlight On... Barbara Marker!      - Above Photo: I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Marker at the 2010 Comic-Con International (San Diego Comic Con) in Artists Alley! -  Top Left Photo: Close-up of Barbara Marker, who is being 'Spotlighted' in this Blog today! See more at BarbaraMarkerArtist.com! -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3451:

I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Marker last year at the Comic-Con International, (aka San Diego Comic Con), in Artists Alley.

At the time, I didn't know she was the wife of Paul Tallerday, who I've met elsewhere in San Diego!  I did know his wife was an artist, and her first name was Barbara, but I didn't make the connection at the time!

So, just a week ago, Paul contacted me and asked if I could help him get Barbara online at Facebook with a Facebook Fan Page. 

Since that is something that I do for Tina's and my clients, I gladly accepted as I knew that Paul had been involved in the comics industry for several years, and that Barbara had been also.

Not knowing how involved she was, I had to check out her bio and comics credits, which I am presenting here as part of the 'Spotlight' processs:

"I was born in Garmisch Parten-Kirchen, in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. I came to the United States at 3 years old. I have been a Pacific Beach resident since he early '70s and have done most of my artwork there. My earliest dream as a child was to become an artist. It was my main interest in my early schooling. I won an art scholarship at the Chautauqua Art Colony in upstate New York. After that I studied art at Elmira College in New York. My next place to study art was at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

Then at City College in San Diego, CA and for several years at the San Diego Academy of Fine Art. I kept up with my art and finally in 1981 got the opportunity to work as a comic book artist. I was hired to color cover art but sometines I did the entire process, the drawing , inking and color. Mostly, I enjoyed doing the covers since they have a strong impact. I worked for 12 years for Pacific Comics, Blackthorne Publishing, DC Comics, Eclipse Comics, and Dark Horse Comics.

I was also doing my own work. I have always loved animals, to capture their expressions and show how beautiful they are. I began an association with local Hallmark stores and sold prints of animals and fantasy drawings.

I've done many commissioned art projects; animal portraits, people portraits, fantasy art and paintings of people's homes and the San Diego skyline. I've had multiple one woman shows at the La Jolla library, the Tierrasanta library and the Benjamin Branch library. Since 2000, I've been invited to be in "Artist Alley" at the San Diego Comic Convention. There is a "YouTube" interview done at Comic-Con."

Here is a link to the Grand Comics Database on Barbara, for several of her comic book credits.  Please note that this database is incomplete.

Now for what's happening in Barbara's life today!

Barbara and Paul are adding more info, photos, and paintings / illustrations for sale at her brand new Facebook Fan Page, BarbaraMarkerArtist.com, which they invite YOU to 'LIKE'!

Barbara is also busy getting ready to showcase her works at the upcoming 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego / San Diego Comic Con!

She will be in Artists Alley at Table FF11, and here is a link to her 'Facebook Event Page' that you can click the 'Attending' button as a reminder. Barbara will also be adding additional info there as the time of the Comic-Con nears!

So Barbara, (and Paul!), have a lot to do to get ready for the BIG SHOW of the year. Over 126,000 attendees show up there each year!

That's going to be it for now at this 'Spotlight On... Barbara Marker' for now. For more on Barbara, be sure to 'Like' her Facebook Fan Page, where she and Paul will be posting more info in the future!

Thanks, Barbara (and Paul!) for the above bio!  It's good to know a little more about you, and to present that info & new Fan Page to my blog readers as well!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,472 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

Note: My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items.  Possibly even copies of the item that was reviewed here today...!

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.   Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Is Excited That... The 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego Is Less Than Three Weeks Away! Part 1 - A General Overview of the SDCC! July 20th (Preview Night) Thru July 24th, (My Birthday), 2011   - Photos: (topmost above) Michael D Hamersky in front of one of the many signs at the San Diego Convention Center aiding attendees of the Comic-Con Internationl: San Diego on where rooms & halls are! (Above top left) You wouldn't believe how many attendees to the con have had their photos taken in front of this sign!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3450 - Part 1 of a series on the 2011 Comic-Con International San Diego:

I must be excited that the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego, (aka CCI:SD / San Diego Comic Con / SDCC), is less than three weeks away... I'm up at 3 AM this morning thinking about getting ready for it!

No kidding!  And no, it's not it's my first SDCC that I'm attending... Which would make this excitement understandable!

As you can see by the photo to the left, I first started attending what has become known as CCI:SD 'officially' back in 1972, when I bought out a comics dealer at the El Cortez Hotel, when he needed to leave before the last day of the con. That successful last day set me up into selling at the con and in mail order. Before that, I had sold my comics duplicates to a dealer in town by the name of Richard Alf. 

The next year, when the con was held at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island in San Diego, I had already purchased my full membership as a comic books dealer! 

So, my excitement started yesterday morning, when I had an appointment to go to, and talked with a few people about the upcoming con... The subject came up because I was wearing one of my 'ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com' indigo colored polo shirts that you see in this blog! (Yeah, I have a half-dozen of those shirts... But I now have a new half dozen of Navy Blue colored polo shirts I'll be wearing at this year's con! Here's a link to where I 'premiered them' at earlier this month.)

Anyways, when I got back to the home office yesterday, I continued working on my new client's Facebook Fan Page, which she needs up and running in time for the same Comic-Con, as she will once again be at her table in the Artists Alley section of the con.  'She' is Barbara Marker, and I met her at last year's Comic-Con, not realizing that she was the wife of Paul Tallerday, who I've been talking with for the past couple of years about the 'old days' at Pacific Comics & Blackthorne Comics!  BTW, you can check out the progress of Barbara's new Facebook Fan Page at 'BarbaraMarkerArtist.com'!

So, during yesterday late morning and afternoon, I started uploading more photos from earlier Comic-Cons to my own Facebook Fan Page, 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics'.

So I woke up very early this morning, thinking I should start the first of what I am sure will be a series of blogs on the upcoming SDCC, just like I did last year, and several years before that here in this Blog!  Here's a link to all of the mentions of the SDCC during the years of this Blog and its predecessor in the eBay Blogs platform, which were copied over!

So as to not to keep you waiting any longer, I am going to list links to what I have personally seen at prior years cons.  The links don't go all the way back to 1972, as there just isn't enough time in the day to upload all of the photos. And I haven't attended all of the ones since then. But I haven't missed one SDCC since July 4th of 1991, when the con first was moved to the San Diego Convention Center... So that would make this year the 21st one in a row now!

Here's the links to the individual photo albums that are already posted at my Facebook Fan Page. You are welcome to view them, and if you are a Facebook member also, feel free to 'tag' yourself or your friends if you see yourself there!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,471 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Reviews: Children of the Yellow Kid By Robert C Harvey     - Photos: (Above) The front cover to 'Children of the Yellow Kid' hardcover book. (Above top left) An early photo of the Yellow Kid.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3449:

I enjoy reading books about comic books, comic strips, comic book movies, etc. Especially when they are 'done right'!

This book starts way back when the comic strip first started... And no, I wasn't there at that time, LOL!

I always enjoyed reading certain comic strips in the newspapers that my folks bought when I was a kid.  I continued reading them through my young adult life, and until just recently, when I stopped buying the Sunday newspaper.

You see, just like the subtitle of this book, 'The Evolution of the American Comic Strip', I've also 'evolved' into some of the ways of the 2010s.

My wife and I no longer 'need' to buy the Sunday newspaper, which basically we were doing to have a 'hard copy' of the TV listings for the upcoming week. Now, we just look at an app on our 'Droid' for that!

So I haven't read a newspaper in several months, other than the 'free' local papers that you would find on a rack outside of a store, and that don't carry any comic strips. 

Yeah, it has come to that!  When someone my age stops buying newspapers, you know that the comic strip needs to evolve even more in the 2nd 100 years.

That being said... I found this book more than just nostalgia for me.  As it does cover 'The Yellow Kid', and so many other strips that I was already familiar with, and several that I wasn't, including those that started in the 1980s and later, that weren't carried in any newspapers that I was buying at the times.

Several of the choices included in this book got me to wondering why, and some that weren't included made me wonder why as well...?

Robert's intro set the pace for the book. The Chapters, called 'Movement(s)',were indeed about the moving of the comic strips into different genres during the years. This was well thought out by writer!

A special note before I go further. This book actually documents an exhibition that was held at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington, during Sept 19th - November 8th of 1998. Plus when it was moved to the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francsico, California, from November 21st, 1998 - February 21st of 1999. Not being able to attend those exhibitions, it was pretty cool to see this book documenting them!

Yes, there were some older strips that I just haven't cared for in the past, including 'The Katzenjammer Kids' for example.  Any book that includes multiple samples of a topic can't help but include some of those that individual readers wouldn't like.

But for the most part, this book really has a lot that most persons that like or love comic strips could get into.

Especially for the original art that is pictured! Beautiful examples of the art behind the strip, with all of the notes, pencil markings, etc., that go into making a comic strip. Similiar to what you can see on original art for comic books, where the penciler writes on the margins for the writer to see for dialogue, etc.

'Movement' 1 had the really old strips being showcased.  I was familiar with most of them. 

'Movement' 2 had additional strips, such as 'Gasoline Alley' that had built upon the foundations of the earlier strips. Also included were 'Blondie' and 'Nancy', so by page 59 of this book, more familiar strips, and ones that are currently still be published today were shown.

'Movement' 3 'showed the advent of continuity strips... Mainly 'Soap Opera' and 'Adventure' strips. Some shown were 'Mary Worth', 'Brenda Starr', 'Apartment 3-G' 'Tarzan', 'Flash Gordon', 'Prince Valiant', 'Dick Tracy', 'Terry and the Pirates', and more.  All that I was already familiar with, but each sample included the creator's brief bio, and a quick history of the strip. 

'Movement' 4 showed that the comic strips had competition from TV and other media formats, so the comic strips started evolving to a 'gag-a-day' style. Samples presented were 'Peanuts', 'Beetle Bailey', 'B.C.', 'Tumbleweeds', 'Hagar the Horrible', and more.

'Movement' 5 presented "Comics with a conscience: Satire and social commentary".  Including 'Lil Abner', 'Little Orphan Annie', 'Pogo', 'Wee Pals', 'Dilbert', and others of that genre.

The book wraps ups with a bibliography and an afteword.

The samples of the strips, the brief bios of the creators and the strips, and the cultural and social events happening during the creation and print runs of these strips made for very interesting reading!

My only, and main concern of reading this book, was the fact that the font size of the text is just too darn small for me!  Plus the font color of the text in several area was a strange color, very 'light' on the page, in contrast to other pages that had the 'normal' black font color.

That is the only detraction to this book, in my opinion, when I was reading it.

Thus, my comic book grade for this hardcover book is a VERY FINE PLUS (VF+) 8.5 out of a possible 10.0 grading scale.  If the materials presented for viewing weren't so darn good, my grade would have been lower due to the size and colors of the font... 

Here's the info for identifying the book that I read.  Please note - I read the hardcover book format, which is OOP and considered collectible. Thus the below is for the softcover format, which is also OOP, but a lot less in cost for a copy:

Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: University of Washington Press (March 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0295977787
ISBN-13: 978-0295977782
Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
 

Here's the link where YOU possibly can buy it online, as I don't have it listed for sale in my online comic book shop:    Children of the Yellow Kid: The Evolution of the American Comic Strip     

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,470 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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