Shout Out on YouTube

So I was listening to this YouTube show I subscribe to, hosted by Silverline Comics, and heard my name mentioned in the context of creators working for themselves to produce their own work versus a big company! (It happens at the 1:10:50 mark but is already cued up below.)

Birthday Celebration

SNL at 50

I began watching Saturday Night Live in its very first 1975 season when I was 13 (I discovered Monty Python’s Flying Circus around the same time). It was a perfect time to discover it—though I was at an age to still be exposed to the golden age of comedy, SNL and Monty Python also greatly expanded my concept of humor. 

Over the decades, the show has had its ups and downs, of course, but I’m glad to say I never became so calcified or smug to believe that it stopped being funny. Though I’ve admittedly reached the age where I don't necessarily know all the references or the musical guests (fortunately, my wife and daughter can usually fill me in)—and it’s not always “must see” tv for me every week—it can still make me laugh.

The SNL celebrations this past week have been memorable and pitch perfect, reflecting not only the show’s continued cultural influence but also how much of an important revenue source it has become for NBC.

The celebrations culminated with the 50th anniversary concert on Valentine's Day, and the live star-studded broadcast this past Sunday, Feb. 16.

The concert was a blast, a mixture of old and new, and incredibly eclectic, from the B-52s, to Bad Bunny, to Devo, Sabrina Carpenter, and more—mixed in with some occasional comedy bits. It was particularly cool to see Fred Armisen sitting in on the drums for the B-52s and Devo.

The show itself was simply an extended episode of a typical show, featuring sketches and musical guests. Episode to episode and season to season, SNL has always been hit and miss. And for anything as subjective as comedy, especially when you're occasionally trying to push the boundaries, it would be impossible to be funny 100 percent. But for the most part, the anniversary show really hit it out of the park—while often falling back on familiar characters and sketches from the past, there often was an added twist or update to make it fresh.

It was a treat to see different era cast members performing with each other, and a surprise to see them lean on people like Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny. And after skipping the 40th due to hurt feelings, Eddie Murphy showed he still has it and looked like he was having fun. In addition to Murphy, there were many other great highlights: Pedro Pascal; DeNiro and Nicholson; Laraine Newman; Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Q&A; John Mulaney’s musical parody; the “in memorian” sequence of old characters and skits; and more. Though I haven’t always been a fan of Adam Sandler’s comedy songs, his performance at the celebration near the end of the night proved to be a highlight and moving. And, of course, the show was anchored by rock royalty, a Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, who closed the night with a performance of “Golden Slumbers” and “The End” that proved to be a perfect capstone to the evening.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that SNL has been an important part of my life, the show’s 50th anniversary reminds me that it’s always been a dependable source for laughs and a good reflection of the zeitgeist.

The Comics That Made Me, Pt. 2

Coming Soon...

The Comics That Made Me, Pt. 1

Pictured at right is Our Army at War (Sgt. Rock) #267, cover dated April 1974—story by Robert Kanigher/interior art by John Severin/cover by Joe Kubert.

When I was growing up and getting into comics in the early 1970s, comic book stores had really not taken off yet. There were certainly none near me, and though some school friends read comics, I was completely unaware of the fan community. So like most kids in that era, I got my comics simply from what was available on the spinner rack at a local drugstore.

Though I remember owning some random comics when I was younger—including a Dennis the Menace comic book that I really loved, a Tarzan comic, and a Marvel Fantastic Four, as well as a Peanuts paperback collection—this was the first comic book I recall consciously purchasing, which made me a collector. Being a war history and film nut at the time, this was right up my alley for 12-year-old me. As such, it became the first comic book series I collected, dutifully going down to that drugstore every month to pick up the next issue. 

This was before comic book stores had really taken off—there were none near me that I was aware of, so like most kids my age, I bought them off the spinner rack at my local drugstore, which was down by the train station. And it’s not like the store carried everything (I don’t recall any Marvel Comics on that display), but fortunately they carried this series pretty regularly. I also remember excitedly coming across issue 269, a 100 page special, at a news vendor at the Staten Island Ferry terminal, right before boarding a boat—which my mom kindly got me for a whopping 60¢! A little while later, I discovered a neighborhood kid had several issues that immediately preceded this one, which allowed me to add to my collection. 

Though Joe Kubert, who was most closely identified with the character, still drew the covers (as shown in the sample issues below), I was oblivious to his earlier work on the series, though I saw his work in collections. So in addition to Severin, the other artists I was exposed to on Sgt. Rock during that period included Russ Heath, George Evans and Frank Redondo for an extended run. I had no idea Redondo was Filipino, nor part of the wave of Filipino artists who entered the U.S. comics industry during the ‘70.)

This comic book started it all in another way—it inspired my own war comic, Sgt. Hanes and Hell Platoon—of which I drew 26 issues (the same milestone I’m about to hit this year with Rob Hanes Adventures!). Drawn on lined notebook paper with black pencil and colored pencils, each new issue was passed around my junior high school classroom—and, yes, I have most of those issues still! As readers of Rob Hanes Adventures know, I finally fulfilled a dream to bring that character into the series in issue 22 in a World War II flashback, and again in the last issue, #25.

Shortly after, I also began picking up Batman comics (both Batman and Detective Comics), being a fan of the character from the Adam West tv show which was in re-runs when I was a kid.

New Interview on The Heroic Voice

My interview with Dennis Mallonee on his Heroic Voice YouTube channel just dropped! It's a crisp 30-minute conversation where I talk about my series, my so-called comics career, and what's upcoming—including a way overdue third volume compilation that collects issues 9-12. Thanks to Dennis for a great conversation!