A LOOK BACK: The Micronauts

Like many comic-book fans, in my teens I reached a crossroads when I wasn’t sure whether I still wanted to read comics. During the summer of 1978, right before my junior year of high school, my family moved to California from the East Coast. While I had discovered my first comic-book store, and there were still a few comics I enjoyed (most notably the Warren reprints of Will Eisner’s Spirit), there weren’t really that many new titles that excited me. (This was the ‘70s after all!)

After being uprooted from New York City where I was raised, my family settled down in Northern California. I was still adjusting to the move and had not yet found a groove or made many new friends yet. I lived close enough to the high school to walk every day and noticed that another student who was also new to the neighborhood had the same “commute” as me and lived just one block away. We eventually struck up a conversation and during one of our first chats, out of the blue he asked, “Do you read comics?”

As soon as we discovered this common interest, he invited me over to his house one day after school so that he could show me his impressive comic-book collection. One of the first comics he pulled out to show me that he said he enjoyed was Micronauts #1. That one comic-book re-ignited my enthusiasm for comics and I again became a true believer.

What drew me in was that writer Bill Mantlo and artist Michael Golden did such a terrific job of taking a toy line (one I was only familiar with through the commercials) and building an engrossing backstory and rich mythos around it.

The story took place in the Microverse, a microscopic dimension in which worlds seem to exist as molecule strands. Baron Karza (yet another Darth Vader knock-off from the era) has assassinated and murdered the royal family of Homeworld, the main planet of the Microverse. Meanwhile, the hero, Commander Arcturus Rann, a Micronaut and the last surviving member of the royal family, has been in suspended animation exploring the Microverse and is due to return from his mission. Karza awaits Rann’s return to complete his takeover of the Microverse. Of course, Rann, with the help of some freedom fighters—the Micronauts—escapes and an epic battle across the Microverse between Rann and Karza begins. The course of the war takes them into another dimensions including, of course, present-day earth.

In my view, what raised this science fantasy tale above the usual was Golden’s art and the exciting yet credible way the Micronauts were inserted into our “real” world. For this crossover, via an astral plane, the Micronauts find themselves crashlanded in Florida, with Karza’s genetically-engineered army in hot pursuit. There they come into contact with a troubled young boy and his pet dog, a cocker spaniel, who in the best Steven Spielberg tradition finds the tiny Micronauts and helps them—after, of course, thinking they are toys.

One of the most exciting sequences for me occurred in issue 3, when the Micronauts get involved in a major space battle over the Daytona 500 race track during a car race! After paying his dues for a few years, this series became artist Michael Golden’s coming out party, and Golden does a credible job of convincingly portraying the Florida environment and contrasting the mundane everyday world with the tiny Micronaut invaders who suddenly intrude into our world.

The first 12 issues of the series essentially completed the introductory story arc and the series continued until 1984. (The series periodically has resurfaced over the years in new series.) Though I continued the series for many issues beyond that initial 12-issue arc (the notoriously slow Golden left the series at that point), the series seemed to focus more on the science and space opera elements, and moved away from the elements that initially drew me in, particularly in intersecting the series with our own world—instead, the popularity of the Micronauts soon doomed them to the inevitable crossovers with other Marvel universe characters like the Fantastic Four, so I eventually lost interest. But those initial issues really grabbed me and remain close to my heart today.

Credits: Thanks to the Micronauts Wikipedia entry and the Micronauts Home Page for refreshing me on the history and background of the series.

Remembering Ol' Blue Eyes

Frank Sinatra is such an iconic figure, so familiar and so often parodied and imitated, that it’s easy to underappreciate his talent. One of the earliest “kings of all media,” Sinatra was among the first popular music superstars, who managed to stay successful over the decades by successfully reinventing himself as a big band singer, a recording artist, dramatic actor, a producer-director, a song-and-dance man, and finally as the iconic “Chairman of the Board.”

While Sinatra and the Rat Pack have enjoyed a resurgence in the last decade—perhaps sometimes as much for kitch value as for their talents—my appreciation for Sinatra goes back to my parents and, particularly, listening to WNEW-AM in New York City during the late 1960s and ‘70s, which still focused on Sinatra and his fellow crooners. WNEW helped pioneer the idea of the disc jockey and the use of records on the air, and featured DJs like William B. Williams, Ted Brown, and Julius LaRosa. I grew up with that sound in my household and as a result developed an appreciation for these tunes. Of course, by adolescence and high school, I also discovered rock ‘n roll. By college, I found I still was able to enjoy rock while also indulging in Sinatra without guilt or shame. By the time, I hit early adulthood and, subsequently, middle age, I have found that my admiration for Sinatra’s gifts and talent has only grown with time.

Sinatra’s voice changed significantly as he got older, so some of his work that many people are mainly familiar with—such as “New York, New York”—do not show off his skills best. Like Bing Crosby, Sinatra deftly knew how to use his voice and a mic, and weaved his voice with the melody and the instrumental.

A good example of what I'm talking below is Sinatra's version below of "Night and Day," probably one of my all-time favorite of Sinatra's tracks. Unfortunately, the video isn't the most stimulating—you're stuck having to watch a turntable go round and round as you listen—but it was the only version of this song I could find online. In any case, it was the version of this song that made me appreciate how amazing Sinatra could be (though there certainly are many to choose from!)



Thought I'd also throw in this clip from the film High Society, starring Sinatra, Crosby and Grace Kelly. This was a favorite of my brother and me when we were growing up—frankly, seeing Sinatra and Crosby together in a movie was as thrilling as a Superman-Spiderman crossover!

Mustek RIP: 1999-2008

Around September 1999, acting on a tip I received from a listserve of cartoonists, I purchased a Mustek A3 EP scanner, capable of scanning pieces as large as 11x17, for only $69 at a local electronics store chain—the perfect size for original comic-book art! I had it up and running in no time, connected to a desktop PC running Windows 98—a computer that’s still my primary PC.

On April 24, 2008, the Mustek died after more than eight-and-a-half years of service. Of course Murphy’s Law was in full effect: it didn’t just die while I was working on a random page of my next issue, which would have been merely an inconvenience; instead, it died while I was in the middle of scanning the final-inked piece of my contribution for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International souvenir program, the night before the deadline!

Desperate to scan the piece, and with my wife and two children comfortably asleep in their beds, I drove down to my local 24-hours Kinko’s at 11:30 pm hoping they could scan it for me. Being the usual minimum-wage drones they are, of course they didn’t know how to scan the art as a high-quality tiff. (I suspect they could have, but they didn’t understand the full capabilities of the system.) Rather than attempt to take over the machine to figure it out myself, I decided to pack it in and hope to find an alternative the next day.

I did and submitted the piece a few hours before midnight the day of the deadline. But, of course, I soon learned that the Comic-Con emailbox for accepting these submissions was full. Fortunately, I have a friend on staff at the Comic-Con who promised to forward the file to the right person.

Despite the last minute panic, I hold no grudge against my old Mustek. It served me well over the years, and I was saddened to have to disconnect it from my computer and save it for the junk heap. The Mustek is the only large-size scanner available at its price spectrum (under $200). Though I’ve read many complaints about its quality, it always served my needs and was a workhorse. I plan to get another Mustek to replace it, but it won't ever take the place of my original A3 EP in my heart!

Geeks come in all stripes...

About a month ago, I finally began paying attention to my finances. Now that I have a family with children and assets (my wife and I became homeowners back in 2002, fortunately a few years before the housing market went bust), I realized we needed to think about our financial security.

This always was on my radar. Years ago I purchased a Personal Finance for Dummies book to help me understand what I needed to do to procure a mortgage. And I actually read the business sections of magazines and newspapers regularly, a habit I picked up in grad school. Nevertheless, the world of high finance, investments, stocks, mutual funds, etc., always remained a bit of a shrouded mystery to me. However, driven initially by self interest, I embarked on a crash course in educating myself on the subject online (thank goodness for the websites like the Motley Fool), and began looking at my own financial picture.

The first thing I realized was that the money sitting in my neighborhood brick-and-mortar bank—as well as a retirement IRA account I had allowed to turn over year after year in a CD account—were generating criminally low, virtually non-existent returns in interest. (Though I'm sure the banks were making good money from them.)

The result? In the span of about a week, I dumped most of my savings into higher-yielding online savings accounts (a small balance I knew I wouldn’t touch over the next year went into an online CD account with even higher interest); transferred my IRA funds into a brokerage investment account; met with a financial consultant who helped affirm that my new-found financial knowledge and sense was actually sound; opened a 401k and created an investment portfolio for it, and created an automatic savings plan to make sure I invest money into it each month; and did the same for my wife who coincidentally had just been promoted into a new position that allowed her to open a 401k plan with matching funds from her employer. And, of course—no doubt to the annoyance of my family and friends—I’ve begun dispensing financial advice to anyone who’ll listen.

Many artists read this blog and there’s the old adage that artists have terrible financial sense. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, but I thought I’d mention this here as a reminder of how important it is to prepare for one’s future, especially since no one else will do it for you! Numerous reports have appeared recently that indicate that most people, particularly baby boomers, are at risk in their old age since they have not adequately prepared for their retirement. I attribute this partly to the surprisingly little formal financial education people receive in their youth. I’m kicking myself that I had not started this at least 10 years ago (even at that time I would have been starting late), but better late than never! I’ll just need to play catch up. Hopefully, this is something I’ll be able to impart to my children when they enter adulthood themselves.

Surprisingly, after demystifying for myself to some degree the world of finance, I have found it to be quite exciting and fascinating. As a result, I’ve become quite the financial geek. I read the business section with new understanding—though one has to be careful because as any financial expert will tell you, tracking the stock market on a daily basis and following its up and downs is a fool’s game since you are supposed to be in it for the long haul and keep your eye on the big picture. It’s also important not to get too caught up in chasing money for the money’s sake. What’s important is the peace and happiness that financial security will hopefully provide you in the future. If anyone wants some advice on starting out, feel free to contact me!

A LOOK BACK: Superman versus Muhammad Ali

I’ve written numerous times about the many comics and cartoonists who inspired my work, such as Milton Caniff, Alex Toth, Roy Crane, and Will Eisner. However, there are also comics and creators more contemporary to me that influenced me deeply as well. I came of age during the 1970s after all, and it was while I was in college during the 1980s that the direct-market and alternative press began to flower. As such, in upcoming posts, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at many of the comics I grew up on, which no doubt played as important a role in informing my tastes as the classic adventure strips I primarily cite as my inspirations.

I thought it would be fun to begin with 1978's Superman versus Muhammad Ali oversize one-shot special from DC Comics. Though the original comic appears to be fairly easy to find at places like eBay, given that we’re in an age of classic comics being released again in prestige formats, it’s somewhat surprising to find that this story has not been reprinted since its original publication—or perhaps not given the licensing and permissions that no doubt would be required to reprint it: not only from Ali, but the literally hundreds of celebrity likenesses who appeared on the original cover of the comic-book among the spectators watching Superman and Ali going toe-to-toe in the boxing ring.

At first glance, the comic-book seems to be the height of 1970s kitsch, another hokey cross-over sales gimmick. However, in execution, this comic-book not only successfully rises above the typical celebrity cross-over comic-book, but in my mind remains one of the best Superman stories ever that still stands as a template for everything a Superman adventure should be.

It helps that the comic-book is written and drawn, respectively, by comics legends Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. While the story is fun and occasionally winks at the audience, O’Neil and Adams otherwise treat both Ali and the character of Superman with great respect, and present an epic story where nothing less than the fate of the earth rests in both characters' hands.

In the story, earth is invaded by a warrior alien race called the Scrubb that challenges Earth to select a champion to defend the honor and ultimate survival of the planet. (The Scrubb actually deem Earth to be an obstacle to their own secret designs to dominate the galaxy). O’Neil and Adams cleverly find a way to create a level playing field in the boxing ring for Ali and the Man of Steel so that they may fight and decide who will represent Earth. The fight is thrillingly presented with great urgency and high stakes. Ultimately, of course, the fight between Ali and Superman turns out to be part of a larger scheme to save Earth and defeat the Scrubb.

t’s an epic storyline told in a tight 72 pages, no doubt partly an attempt to capitalize on the Star Wars craze from the year before (the cover blurb proudly proclaims the comic to feature “The Fight to Save Earth from Star Warriors”). Regardless, the story is told winningly and manages to capture Ali’s braggadocio and outsized personality, while telling a Superman story that manages to be epic and, ultimately, emotionally involving as well.

Adams’ photorealistic art, of course, and the oversize format helped sell the story, and it made quite an impact on my 16-year-old mind: I remember thinking that this is what Superman should be all about. While the story didn't break new ground and definitely was of its time, it's also told with style and enthusiasm—there is a joy and innocence to the proceedings that the field today certainly could use more of.

Tax Time!

I admit it, I enjoy doing my taxes.

Of course it helps that I usually get a healthy refund due to itemized deductions. In addition, in my view, paying taxes is a basic civic duty. I must admit that in an era when people expect to have good schools, paved roads, and the resources to wage multi-theater wars—all while also demanding to pay no or less taxes—I figure that paying my rightful share of taxes is the least I can do for my country.

In any case, as a comic-book publisher, cartoonist and small business, I do derive a sense of accomplishment from organizing my financial records, calculating inventory, computing my income and expenses for the year, cross-checking my figures, and having it all balance out. If nothing else, tax time forces me to take stock of how I did the previous year (which I reported about for 2007 here).

Part of the fun is the software, which makes completing the forms and performing calculations easier and less labor-and-time intensive. In addition to using Quickbooks to track my business expenses (and Quicken for my business checking account), I rely greatly on tax preparation software.

For many years, I used TaxCut to prepare my taxes—I received a sample CD of the software in the mail years ago and, as the company no doubt intended, I kept using it in subsequent years. Not just due to familiarity but because it carried over my personal information from year to year. This year, however, I migrated to a Web-based preparation service called TaxACT. While it's a bit easier to navigate to a precise taxline item in TaxCut, I like the fact that TaxACT is an online application, meaning you can access it from any computer with Web access (there also is an installable desktop version that you can download or order on CD). All the information and data you input is saved online, and the completed tax forms can be downloaded as a PDF onto your desktop for mailing in, or simply e-filed online. (For some reason, I am resistant to e-filing my taxes and still mail in my tax forms. I have found that I still get my tax refund fairly quickly, in just a few weeks.) I plan to fully migrate to TaxACT next year.

After many years as a publisher/business owner, I now keep detailed notes and templates so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel each year, which has significantly reduced the time I need to spend preparing my taxes. This includes a spreadsheet I created that essentially mimics the Schedule C form for reporting business activity, which does all the math for me, including calculate my inventory. I also have created customized reports within QuickBooks that provide me with the correct figures I need that can be simply plugged into the required tax forms.

Anyone needing assistance in preparing their taxes as a comic-book publisher would do well to pick up any tax guide like J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2008. Before I began using the software, I used to purchase one of these tax guides about every other year—having such a book at the start gave me a good basic foundation in preparing my taxes, and continued to serve as a useful reference in subsequent years. These books early on gave me a solid, basic foundation in personal and small business tax law, but changes in tax law can now be easily found online or are usually conveniently written into tax preparation programs!

Believe it or not, the IRS website also is considered a very well-designed site, where you can download all its forms (many are fillable), instructions, tax guides and also conduct searches. (By the way, I've heard others commend the IRS website, so that's not just personal opinion!)

Anyway, happy tax time to all!

Men of Steel

Given that much of this blog is devoted to comics, it would be incredibly remiss of me not to comment on the recent news that a Federal court has ruled that the heirs of Jerry Siegel are entitled to at least a partial share of U.S. copyright ownership in the iconic character, as reported in the New York Times.

Siegel co-created the character with Joe Shuster during the 1930s, and together they famously sold the character to what today is DC Comics for $130, before eventually becoming work-for-hire employees of the company. Their story is well told in Gerard Jones' terrific Men of Tomorrow, which I blogged about here.

I'm confident that the comics will continue to be published under the DC Comics banner. And no doubt the legal maneuverings will continue. Nevertheless, this is a moment of great significance—as well as vindication and redemption—in the history of the comics industry.

Superman is the bedrock on which DC Comics and the comics industry were built. However, the character also represents one of the industry's greatest shameful legacies, so there must be some measure of satisfaction that, for once, the "little guy" won.

For some cogent analysis on the intracies of the ruling and their complex ramifications, visit here, here, and here.