Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents... Spotlight On... Tammy Locke As Seen On The Monroes TV Show & Comic Book!       Top Photo left column: The Front Cover to 'The Monroes #1' Dell Comics Comic Book from 1967.  Tammy is shown as the little girl in the middle of the front row! - Photo at top of this column:  Tammy Locke as seen at the 2011 ComiKaze Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3547:

Today's Spotlight On... series entry is a Spotlight On... Tammy Locke, who I met at the recent ComiKaze Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Tammy was with a couple of other actors at their table, of whom I may also do a blog on in the near future.

However, today is the Spotlight On... Tammy!

First, I'm posting this blog because Tammy Locke was an actress on The Monroes TV Show, which also had a one-shot comic book published by Dell Comics in 1967, which is shown at the top left of this blog post. 

This is the cast as shown on the cover of The Monroes issue #1 as shown on the photo cover:  Kathy Monroe (as played by Barbara Hershey); Clayt Monroe (as played by Michael Anderson, Jr.); Fennimore Monroe (as played by Kevin Schultz); Amy Monroe (as played by Tammy Locke); Jefferson Monroe (as played by Kevin Schultz).  There were two 16 page stories in this comic book, with pencils & inks thought to be illustrated by Jack Sparling.

Tammy has seen gone on to movies, other TV shows & commerials, as well as a former singing headliner.  Tammy has also been a former Roller Derby Queen(!), as well as a former radio show host.

Here is the link to her IMDb page for additional background info, on the above.

Here is the link to her own web site, where she goes into her own experiences, and I'm just going to post an excerpt here on her time on The Monroes TV Show: "Just after that I was truly blessed by being chosen for the role of "Amy Monroe" in a great series called "The Monroes"  There were 26 episodes filmed and it was truly the greatest time of my young life in the movie business!  Wow!  What a list of great stars!  The lead starring roles were Barbara Hershey, Michael Anderson Jr, Keith and Kevin Schultz,  Ron Soble, Liam Sullivan and Ben Johnson and of course myself.  Other great actors that appeared on my show was Robert Middleton, James Westmoreland, James Brolin, Noah Beery Jr., Buck Taylor, Tim O'Kelly, Rance Howard, Ron Howard, Clint Howard, Dub Taylor, Robert Lansing, Kay Lenz, Richard Kiel, Michael Dunn and many many other great great actors! ".

So you can see that there is a lot about Tammy that you can read about at both sites. 

Plus on her own site she has photos of her career in many of the above roles for sale.

Including one that  I didn't  remember her being on, which I wanted to share here, as I was one of the authors (essayists) in the Gotham City 14 Miles book from Sequart Research and Literacy Organization.

And for those of you that didn't get an opportunity to meet Tammy at the recent ComiKaze Expo during November 5th & 6th, Tammy will be at the upcoming 'The Hollywood Show Vegas', that will be at theHarrah's Hotel & Casino on 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89109 during the period of November 18-19, 2011.

You can also 'follow' Tammy at her Twitter account to see hear where she will be appearing after that!

Thanks to Tammy Locke for taking the time to say hello, and pose for photos at the recent ComiKaze Expo!
     

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,612 '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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

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 Shares 'His Take' On... You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry! A Hulk Companion Book by Patrick A Jankiewicz! - - Above Top Photo: Patrick A. Jankiewicz with Michael D Hamersky at the Nuke The Fridge Con Booth during the 2011 ComiKaze Expo on Saturday without the Hulk Companion Book. I'm sharing 'my' Batman Book, 'Gotham City 14 Miles' with Pat. - Above Bottom Photo:  Michael D Hamersky with a copy of Pat's book, 'You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry', on Sunday.  Thanks to both Pat and Nuke the Fridge Con's promoter, Louis Love, for bringing a copy of the Hulk Companion book to share with me then! - Left Column Top Photo:  Yeah, the Hulk Companion isn't really THAT BIG in total size!  But it is a really thick book, clocking in at over 500 pages in size!  Truly a HULK-Sized Book!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3546:

Last weekend, Tina and I attended both days of the first ever ComiKaze Expo.  I've already posted my thoughts on this convention in Blog #3541.

One of the hi-lites of the show for me was meeting Patrick (Pat) A. Jankiewicz, at the Nuke The Fridge Con booth.  Pat happened to be there at the time I was walking by again, (corner booth!), and Louis Love, the promoter, called me to stop and meet Pat.  I'm glad he did!

Pat is the author of the newly published, (July of 2011), Hulk Companion Book titled 'You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!'.  Weighing in at over 500 pages, this companion book is HULK-Sized for sure!

Before I go further, let me print what the promo blurb says the book covers:

"Doctor David Banner, physician, scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strength that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of Gamma Radiation alters his body chemistry. And now, when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs..." You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry: A Hulk Companion is the incredible true story behind The Incredible Hulk TV series in one Hulk sized book! For 5 seasons, Banner traveled the backroads of America (which resemble the Universal Studios backlot) on his quest to cure himself. You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry: A Hulk Companion tells the tragic story of star Bill Bixby, whose real-life misfortunes left him resembling his tormented alter ego, David Banner. With Marvel heroes now Hollywood's biggest stars, The Incredible Hulk was their first live action success! The book introduces you to: -Hulk creators Stan Lee & Jack Kirby and how the comic-book character was cancelled after only six issues! . -Lou Ferrigno, The Hulk himself and how the upbeat, deaf bodybuilder became TV's unlikeliest star. -Meet the men who played Thor, Demi-Hulk & Evil Hulk on the show. -Guests like Xander Berkeley, Loni Anderson, Rick Springfield & Edie McClurg! With over 500 pages of Gamma-powered goodness, the book includes: exclusive interviews, rare photos & a moving foreword by Lou Ferrigno. -A complete episode guide, including all 5 TV movies & 2 feature films. ---The unfinished SHE-HULK pilot Bill Bixby appeared in and reveals what sports star played her. -What color were Hulk & She-Hulk going to be on TV? (Hint: NOT Green!) -Which Bond villain was cast as Hulk before Ferrigno? -What California governor almost landed the role...but wasn't tall enough? Journalist PATRICK A. JANKIEWICZ, writer for Wizard & Fangoria, takes an incredible look at the incredible cult TV series!"

Whew!  No wonder it is over 500 pages in size!  And no, it isn't the size in length & width shown at the top left of this blog post being held by the author, (photoshopped!), but man, it is huge!

So other than the size in amount of pages... What was 'My Take' on this book?!

First of all, believe it or not... I wasn't a true fan of 'The Incredible Hulk' TV Show!

There... I said it!  And in print!

This TV Show was first presented as a made for TV film on November 4, 1977 as a pilot movie.  The pilot sequel which showed what the property could do as an hour TV program was shown on November 28, 1977.

It wasn't until March 10, 1978  that the first tv show episode was shown after the two films showed the TV executives and the TV watching audience what it could be as a TV show. The series ran for five seasons, with the last episode being shown June 2, 1982! 

So I said I wasn't a 'true fan' of the TV Show... Why?

Well, it was because of a few factors... 1) I was newly married to my first wife, (June of 1975), and was busy helping get her career going and aiming on setting up a new business, so our TV viewing time was limited. 2) The TV films and the first episodes proved to me that the creator of the TV show was NOT interested in portraying 'The Incredible Hulk' like he was in the Marvel comic books. 

Indeed, Kenneth Johnson went out of his way to make sure it wasn't like the comic books at all!  Dr. Banner's first name was different, 'David Banner', but kept the middle name as 'Bruce', which was hardly referred to.  The 'Hulk Green' (lime green in color), was almost not used also.  The Incredible Hulk was usually seen in only two scenes in the hour long TV Show.  The show reminded me of another TV show I used to watch, 'The Fugitive', and wasn't like the comic book series, (I had been a fan of The Incredible Hulk as a feature in 'Tales To Astonish' comic book title). 

Indeed... One of the TV show's writers, (Karen Harris), is quoted in the book as saying "Kenneth Johnson was a great teacher and mentor. We learned a lot aobut writing from him. One thing we learned from him that I have since passed on to many other writers is "Don't write down to your audience. Don't write a comic book, write a good story". (Words underlined are underlined by me, from page 157 of the book.) 

Okay... I'm glad I didn't see that in print or hear that at the time.  That would have made me HULK OUT!  Stan Lee did NOT dumb down his comic book stories after the start of the Marvel Age of Comics... period! Maybe some other comics companies did, (which will remain nameless here), but not Marvel. Heck, college kids were reading them in the early 1960s! Sheesh!

So yeah, that is probably why I just didn't follow this TV show during the 5 years.  At one time it was sandwiched between 'Dukes of Hazzard' and 'Dallas' on Friday nights.  And we, (the ex-wife) and I loved 'Dallas'!

I think it was Stan (The Man) Lee, co-creator of The Incredible Hulk who said it best in his Marvel Comics column, Stan's Soapbox',  about the changes made in the TV version of The Incredible Hulk... I don't have the exact quote(s), but he wasn't too sure about the changes that were made to his co-creation either.   This Hulk Companion book includes some of that background history also.

Which is why I found myself truly enjoying reading this Hulk Companion book!

Although I wasn't a big fan of the TV show... Pat has put so much info, so many interviews, so much in-depth background on actors that played on the TV show, and bits and pieces from the comic books themselves... That I couldn't help but be drawn into this companion book!

Yes, I haven't seen all of the episodes that are critiqued in this companion book, although I recently purchased a DVD set titled:    The Incredible Hulk - The Television Series Ultimate Collection, so that I could introduce the series to my youngest son, who had never seen the TV show. Plus I got a great deal on it, so thought I would watch 'The Ultimate Collection' which would present the 'best episodes'. 

But Pat made the critiques of each show readable, even for those that haven't seen the episodes.

I liked the additional info obtained by Pat's interviewing the TV actors who played in the episodes.  That was a nice touch also. 

The organizational aspect of presenting all of this info, (and lots of photos!) would be hard for any writer to do.  I'm really pleased that Pat added an index in the back of the book to assist readers.  You wouldn't believe how many persons are quoted in this book, from the regular cast, to the guest stars, to those involved in the production of this TV Show!

My gut feeling is that if I enjoyed reading this Hulk Companion book, and I wasn't that much into the TV Show at the time... That a 'true fan' of the show would just LOVE this book!

Thus my comic book grade for this Hulk Companion book is a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale!  For those of YOU looking for an upcoming holiday gift giving season gift... This would be it for a fan of The Incredible Hulk TV Show for sure!  Plus, Pat's book goes into the Hulk films that have been recently shown on the Big Screen, so I'm going to include those film fans as well as probable fans of this book.  As for comic book fans of The Incredible Hulk... I believe those fans, (including myself), would be more than satisified with what is included in this more than 500 pages Hulk Companion book!

Now for the real reason that I moved this book up in review blogging here for the 'weekend edition' of my Blog...

If YOU are in the Los Angeles Metro Area THIS SUNDAY, tomorrow, November 13th of 2011... You won't want to miss the SPECIAL BOOK SIGNING EVENT in Burbank, California!  Here is the link to the Facebook Event Page for it for further details.   I won't be there, as I'm in the San Diego Metro Area... (and already have my signed copy!), But I am highly suggesting that if YOU can make it there, to check it out, and say hello to Pat, and a few additional people that worked on the actual TV Show!   Including: Patrick  Ric “Demi Hulk” Drasin – Actor & Stuntman, Laurie Prange – Actress (Appeared in 4 episodes), Olivia Barash - Actress (First Hulk rescue), Manny Perry - Actor & Stuntman, and Mickey Jones - Actor. Again, please see the event page link above for time, etc. !

For those of you that can't make it... Here's the book info, and the link to buy your copy online:

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: BearManor Media (July 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593936508
ISBN-13: 978-1593936501
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

To buy it online: You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry: A Hulk Companion 

Again, my thanks to Patrick A Jankiewicz and Louis Love for bringing this newly published book to my attention!

And as a reminder, Lou (The Incredible Hulk) Ferrigno will be appearing at the upcoming Nuke The Fridge Con on December 10th as seen at this Facebook event page link! 

(Personal Side-Note:  I'll also be there selling signed copies of 'my' book, Gotham City 14 Miles at my own table, along with a couple thousand of comic books, INCLUDING 'The Incredible Hulk' comics!  So stop by and see us all on December 10th!)

Whew!   This is a HULK-Sized blog post today!!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,611 '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. Every effort has been made for this blog post to show properly on your computer, but the different standards that the browsers serve this blog up in have minor tweaks that could need to be adjusted to...

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... Celebrates Veterans Day 2011 Via Comic Books! Continuing An Annual Tradition Honoring My Family Members Who Have Served Their Country In One Of The Five Branches Available To Serve In!   - Above Top Photos: The World Around Us #12 - The Illustrated History of the Coast Guard -  Gilbert Aug 1959 - Fightin' Air Force #9 Charlton Comics 1959  - Fightin' Marines #15 St. John Comics August of 1951 - Right Column Photos: The Veterans Wall of Honor At Francis L Hamersky's Home - Navy Tales #3 from Atlas Comics May of 1957 - War Dogs of the US Army #1 from Avon Comics 1952 - - -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3545:

As stated above, this has been become an annual tradition here at Comic Book Collectors Blog... As I want to both honor the family members who served their country, as well as publicize comic books from the past that also honored American servicemen, as well as told a good story in an entertaining style.

You can read last year's blog entry, blog #3278, by clicking this link!

Okay... Back?!

Here's this year's comments:

My dad had mentioned this week via phone that he had added his step-father's photo to his Veterans Wall at his home.  I asked if he could send me a photo of it, which I'm using at the top right of this blog post.

My dad's dad, (Ollie Hamersky), had died in 1946, leaving his wife, (Veronia Walk Hamersky), with several children yet to raise.  She re-married a few years later to one of her cousin's husband, (Frank Wilhelm). The cousin had also died, and between the two of them, (Frank & Veronica) there were several children yet to raise. They had known each other, and somehow were able to put the two families together and lived happily for several years afterward.

Anyways, I'm glad my dad added another photo to his Veterans Wall, which I'm sharing here with you today.

As for the comics... One each from each branch of the services, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, are shown above.

Being a 'Navy Brat', I elected to post the Navy comic as one of the larger pics, and since I always watch  the Army - Navy Football Game each year, I also posted a larger Army comic. I am continually amazed each year of the choice of comics available for four of the five branches to post here.  However, it is getting harder to find a good representation of a Coast Guard comic!  There just aren't any comics titles with 'Coast Guard' on them, as a title!  Just other comics with a 'Coast Guard' issue. 

Enjoy!   And thanks to all the Veterans who have served their country!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,609 '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. Every effort has been made for this blog post to show properly on your computer, but the different standards that the browsers serve this blog up in have minor tweaks that could need to be adjusted to...

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 Shares His Thoughts On... The 10th Anniversary Of the Wedding of Tina Lo Sasso & Michael D Hamersky that was held November 10th of 2001 at Morgan Run Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, California... AND... Special Weddings In Marvel Comic Books Over The Years!   - Above Top Photos: Henry Pym & Janet Van Dyne 1969 Avengers #60 - Namor McKenzie & Lady Dorma (actually Llrya) 1971 Sub-Mariner #37 - Jonathan Storm & Alicia Masters (actually Lyja) 1987 - Fantastic Four #300 - Right Column Photos: Michael D Hamersky & Tina Lo Sasso 2001 - Reed Richards & Susan Storm 1965 Fantastic Four Annual #3 - Peter Parker & Mary Jane Watson 1987 Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 - - -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3544:

I woke up this morning and decided to share our 10th Anniversary with our blog readers and Facebook friends!

It's been ten years since Tina Lo Sasso and I were married at the Morgan Run Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Looking over the wedding photo album to see what photo I wanted to use for this blog, I was both remembering the great day and the fact that a few of our wedding guests have sadly passed on since then...

So I was kind of distracted as to my original intent for this blog.

Add to that, that when I went in to get comic book covers of weddings over the years in Marvel Comics... I once again noticed that weddings are few and far between in that Marvel Comics Universe.

The ones that I really remembered, and I go back to the 1965 wedding of Reed Richards & Susan Storm in the Fantastic Four Annual #3, are being pictured here. Of course, the first and the best cover / interior pages issue in my mind was that issue by Stan & Jack, which is why it is directly underneath the photo of Tina & myself.  Yeah, weddings weren't considered so 'hot' as to portray on the front cover... but the wedding crashers were something else, LOL!

I'm also adding the one where Namor the Sub-Mariner was married to Lady Dorma (actually Llyra in disguise!), as he is Tina's favorite Marvel Comics character!

Other weddings over the years (in the Marvel Comics Universe only) included:

1960s
■ Reed Richards and Susan Storm (1965, October)
■ Henry Pym and Janet van Dyne (1969, January)

1970s
■ Namor McKenzie and Dorma (actually Llyra) (1971, April)
■ Pietro Maximoff and Crystalia Amaquelin (1974, September)
■ Jacques Duquesne and Mantis (1975, June)
■ Vision and Wanda Maximoff (1975, June)
■ Edward Leeds and Elizabeth Brant (1976, May)

1980s
■ Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor (1983, November)
■ J. Jonah Jameson Jr. and Marla Madison (1984, December)
■ Robert Bruce Banner and Elizabeth Ross (1986, May)
■ Namor McKenzie and Marrina Smallwood (1986, November)
■ Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm and Lyja (1987, March)
■ Peter Benjamin Parker and Mary Jane Watson (1987, October)

1990s
■ Sean Cassidy and Maeve Rourke (1994, February) (Only in flashback)
■ Scott Summers and Jean Grey (1994, March)
■ Richard Milhouse Jones and Marlo Chandler (1994, June)
■ Carl Creel and Mary MacPherran (1996, April)
■ James Howlett and Ophelia Sarkissian (1998, July)
■ Brian Braddock and Meggan Puceanu (1998, October)

2000s
■ Robert Reynolds and Lindy Lee (2000, October)
■ Luke Cage and Jessica Jones (2006, June)
■ John Jameson and Jennifer Walters (2006, August)
■ T'Challa and Ororo Munroe (2006, September)
■ Gabriel Summers and Cal´syee Neramani (2007, June)
■ Crystalia Amaquelin and Ronan (2009, May)
■ J. Jonah Jameson Sr. and May Reily (2009, September)

I stopped reading most of the Marvel Comics titles after the company started doing their reboots in issue numberings.  So most of the 2000s weddings don't hold any nostalgic memories for me, as I haven't read them...

However, the 1960s and 1970s weddings sure do to this day!

The wedding of Reed & Sue was the first major wedding that turned out to be 'real', not an 'Imaginary Story', like over at the DC Comics Universe... Which is why I was a 'True Believer', a 'Marvelmaniac' during my early comics collecting days!

Viewing the wedding comic book covers of the ones in the 2000s, which are not shown here, I see that more of the wedding ceremony scenes are shown on the covers, so that in itself makes these individual issues more memorable for others that would have read them.

Looking back at our own ten years together, I find myself pleased to have found Tina and enjoy our decade of married life with one another.

Yes, she is a 'trooper' to attend so many comic cons & pop culture cons with me, but she did see my 10' x 10' mini-warehouse storage unit full of them before she married me, LOL!

Tina Marie... Thank YOU for your love, your understanding, your friendship, and your patience with me these past ten years.  I love YOU...  Happy 10th Anniversary! 

...And I am looking forward to our Anniversary Dinner at our Special Restaurant later this evening!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,609 '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. Every effort has been made for this blog post to show properly on your computer, but the different standards that the browsers serve this blog up in have minor tweaks that could need to be adjusted to...

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... Shane And Chris Houghton's Reed Gunther Issues #1 - 5 From Image Comics!      - Top Photo left column: The Main Characters in Shane And Chris Houghton's Comic Book Series:  Reed Gunther & Sterling the Bear! - Photo at top of this column:  Chris & Shane Houghton at the 2011 Long Beach Comic & HoRRoR Con with Issues #1 - 5 at their table!  Today, November 9th is their Release Party for the TPB compilation of those issues in Los Angeles!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3543:

The past two weekends have flown by for me!

October 29th & 30th Tina and I were at the 3rd Annual Long Beach Comic & Horror Con in Long Beach, California.  There, among hundreds of other exhibitors, we met Shane and Chris Houghton once again, where I picked up the first five issues of their 'Reed Gunther' comic book series. I read them right away and knew that I would want to review blog them in the near future.

This past weekend, November 5th & 6th, Tina and I were at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the 1st ever ComiKaze Expo, where we met Shane and Chris once again. This time their brand new TPB (Trade Paper Back), was shown for the first time at their table! I knew it was coming soon, being told at the LBC&HC that it was upcoming, but I haven't yet review blogged the issues I had just read in the floppy single issues format.

Well, today is their Release Party for the new TPB in Los Angeles, as seen by the flyer at the left. So I better get started! Please note: My review is based on the five single issues published in 'floppy' comic book format. Other than seeing the cover of the TPB at the ComiKaze Expo, I haven't seen the contents to see if any extra 'goodies' were included or not.

First, what's this comic book title about? Here's what the guys show on their web site:

"Reed Gunther is a goofy and exciting, all ages comic book, created by brothers Shane and Chris Houghton and published by Image Comics.

Follow Reed Gunther and his trusty bear, Sterling, as they ride through the adventurous Old West! Whether they're battling supernatural monsters, tracking down slimy villains, or catching a runaway train... you can bet they wish they were doing something else!"

Okay... So what's 'My Take' on this 5 issue story arc?

First, I'll say that I have seen either one or the other of the brothers at comic cons in Artists Alleys for a while... During their original black & white press run via their own independent publishing days for this comic book title.  However, I had not read their title in that B&W format before.

At the recent 2011 LBCC, I had the opportunity to pick up all 5 issues of the story arc, now being re-printed by Image Comics in full color.

The first issue of the five issue story arc is about:

Reed Gunther and the Steak Snacking Snake!
 
This first issue follows Reed and his faithful bear, Sterling, as they help a not-so-helpless young lady named Starla. Starla’s herd of cattle are dying off and Reed is determined to figure out how!
 
I’ll give you a hint. It’s a Steak Snacking Snake.
 

I found this first issue to be a very good introduction to the story arc, starting with the front cover!  Right away a consumer knows that this comic book is for 'All Ages', and that the price is 'reasonable' at $2.99 cover price.  The addition of the 'Image Comics' logo is something that would give comics readers a moment to think that if Image published it... There must be something in the inside contents for Image to publish it.  

There is! The storyline, the dialogue, the artwork, the characters, and the colors all appear to be 'fresh' and 'vibrant'! The introduction of the characters is smooth, and the storyline is a fun ride, (no pun intended on the front cover!).

Issue #2:

Reed Gunther in a Stalac-TIGHT Spot!
 
This exciting second issue is specifically designed to burst your spurs!
 
Follow Reed and Sterling as they venture underground in search of hidden gold, despite being warned by the town loony that there is something dangerous hiding in the caves! But what does he know? He’s crazy, right?
 

The action doesn't slow down in this issue, and is well written by Shane Houghton.  The artwork by Chris Houghton moves the reader into believing that this story can be told. I'm very interested in continuing on to Issue #3:

Reed Gunther in Trains, Reigns, and Pains!
 
The continuing adventures of Reed Gunther …uh… continues!
 
Reed, Sterling, and Starla hop a train in hopes of catching up with Mr. Picks, the slimy freak show owner, to stop him from spreading those dreaded mole creatures to the East! But I’m sure they will. Nothing ever goes wrongs in comic books, right?

This series continues on to be for 'All Ages', which is good, as I dislike series that start for one age group or as one genre, and convert to something else partway through.  The Houghton brothers have a good handle on what they want to present in this story arc so far!

Issue #4:

Reed Gunther in Fish Out of Slaughter!
 
Continuing his cross-country chase to reclaim the mysterious monster-generating Idol, Reed Gunther and his trusty steed Sterling must find their way through the wild, wild… East? Join the out-of-place cowboy in New York City, where monsters aren’t the strangest thing in town!

The story arc taking us across country works for me.  The two main characters are out of their natural element in the Big City, and this is a fun read.  It is good that this is a 5 issue story issue, as I am ready to read the ending in the Next Issue!

Issue #5:

Reed Gunther And The Freakshow Showdown!

The 'Freakshow (Final) Showdown'!   It takes 5 single floppy issues to finish this story arc.  A good number of issues / pages for a compilation into a TPB.  Not too short at 3 or 4 issues, and not to long at 6 issues.  Five issues are just right for a story arc such as this one.

I enjoyed the Statue of Liberty scenes in this final issue of the story arc.  I turned the final page feeling satisfied with what I had read in this issue and the earlier 4 issues.

This presentation was done right, and was in keeping with the 'All Ages' label on the front covers.  And no... It wasn't dumbed down for younger readers!  A fun read, enjoyable artwork, and great coloring made this a comic book story arc I would recommend to those that are looking for a series to help get younger people to read.  Plus it is a good read for those even my own age... Who remember comics when they were referred to as 'funnybooks' by the mainstream public.  It truly is a comic book story arc for 'All Ages'!

My comic book grade for this series of comic books is a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale.  (I have not read the TPB compilation of these issues for rating purposes, just the five single 'floppy' issues published in color by Image Comics.)

I do want to mention that both the Houghton Brothers and myself were nominated in different categories for the 2011 Shel Dorf Awards...

The Brothers in the category: Self Published Comic of the Year, and myself for Comic Blogger of the Year.

However none of us won... Which is the reason for the sad faces at the left at the Long Beach Comic & Horror Con... LOL!   But it was an honor to be nominated, we all said! 

My thanks again to Shane and Chris Houghton for taking the time to talk with us at both the 2011 Long Beach Comic Con AND the 2011 ComiKaze Expo!

Oh... And have some fun at your 'Release Party' for the TPB tonight!

(Note: For those of you that can't make it to the release party tonight either... Here is the link to the Houghton Brothers' store at their web site, where you can still buy most of the issues in the original black & white published format.   For a copy of the new TPB, here is a link to it: Reed Gunther Volume 1 TP!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

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