Noted comic book and movie historian, venerated podcaster, and Mr. Kool himself, Rob Kelly takes a break from his cabin in the Poconos to bring vegetarian hot dogs to the Reunion this month! We get a real super villain, truckers, and our favorite phone booth to go with that noted member of the Batman Family – Red Tornado! But we have a good time doing it – come get in on the fun!
This month’s Bat Family History links for Joe Giella:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Giella
http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=29
https://www.tcj.com/joe-giella-june-27-1928-march-21-2023/
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Hey guys great episode.
One note: in the bottom panel of page 9 When Batman mentions Vigilante helping the Justice League out with a case, there’s an asterisk in the word balloon. In my digital copy there’s no corresponding editorial caption box with a footnote explaining the reference [ Justice League of America #78]
As I don’t have the physical copy I was wondering if the caption box was omitted there as well?
The caption box is in the printed copy. It reads:
*IN JLA #78, TO BE EXACT. –PAUL
Isamu you must be like modern answer man
I pretty sure if I asked you can you tell in how many issues ray palmers bird major minor showed up you could tell me the numbers and issues . Let’s be clear you don’t need to that was example . Of how clever you are that you could figure that out . Like (snap) not time .
Three issues. The Atom 37 and 38, and The Atom and Hawkman 40…
So he deserves a Who’s Who entry…
How’d you guys land Noted Film and Comic Historian Mr. Kool for this episode? Good thing it’s toward the end of the run, I’d hate to have to follow up THAT guy@
I don’t like to abuse our relationship with our favorite nephew Isamu, but I lamented the lack of a Swashbuckler Who’s Who entry when I wrote an article about him for Back Issue #71 several years back. I actually interviewed Cary Burkett there, so check out the digtial copy available for purchase at TwoMorrows website for more on what went into the creation of Shawn’s future hus…er…new favorite character! And a Xum’s Who entry would be awesome!
So cool that this Red Tornado story was JMD’s “tryout” for DC! I had no idea. But even as a kid, I was asking “Why is Red Tornado in Batman’s book?” Great story about your coworkers fashion sense Rob! I see working with paroled convicts prepared you for putting up with the folks on our network!
I like to think in the DCU, Superman had phone booths placed thorought the world, in very random places, just so Clark Kent always had a place to change in!
Great segment on Joe Giella, Paul! I have tremendous respect for Giella’s long, all-encompasing career. He definitely brought some of Bob Kane’s chi-Kane-ery to light in TwoMorrow’s Batcave Companion book, where he admitted he lightly drew sketches on a pad that Kane would then darken on air on a New York kids’ TV show during the height of 60s Batmania, of course taking full credit. I will admit I always found Giella’s inks a bit overpowering at times, but there’s no denying he contributed to some of the greatest comics DC ever published. And he did all that other stuff besides!!!
The psuedo-Secret Origin of the “M” in Shawn M. Myers was quite the roller coaster! You do look like your Dad, Shawn! Rock a cool, shaped beard, and you could be making the album charts!
1. Love Red tornato but why here?
2 Riddler should be in every batman family story! Ya think he sent Batman first drafts?
3 I KNOW andrew Farago! He knows his stuff and his wife was the first artist on my comic strip 1-32 see http://www.howcomic.com
“The Man in Black Wears Green”? If this were the Riddler story, I know the answer would be Johnny Cash. As it is, I got nothin’.
Another great episode. I brought some red tomatoes to the picnic. I’m spinning them on a plate, but they don’t seem ready to fight crime yet. I’ll keep working on it.
I just realized my first podcast episode ever will follow this one where your guest host was the founder of the network. Well, you guys have a way of making the guest hosts look good and hopefully I won’t be the exception. 😉
The Jaws-inspired cover to the issue of the “New Adventures of Superboy” #8 was *the* very first comic book I had ever purchased and recognized it immediately from the description. The “newsstand” feature on Mike’s Amazing World is … amazing … Scanning through it shows a snapshot in time of everything else I could have been reading but never noticed on the stands.
Excellent version of Bridge over Troubled Water at the end. Listening to later versions where Paul Simon performed it without Art Garfunkel, it seem to have more of a gospel feel. So this version fits well with it’s similar style in the beginning. And then how it morphs into a funky disco beat is perfect.
A great episode as we near the end. I, for one, wouldn’t mind a Superman Family show … make it happen!
Mr. Kool is sooo 70s that I feel that look would be dated already when the book hit the stands. Insanity! And Red Tornado dealing with street crime? Seems off.
As for song remakes, I love … and I mean LOOOOVVVE … the Bangles version of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’. I think it is the superior version. And I often get side-eyes and scowls from music purists. I can empathize!!! The heart wants what it wants!
I’m with you on “Hazy Shade of Winter”, Anj. The Bangles cover is superior. “Bridge on Troubled Water” cover…sorry Shawn. Not my jam. But I bet it’d be fun to dance to…if I could dance!
That disco Bridge Over Trouble Water… Open Sewer, more like.
Also agree with you about the Bangles version (ahh .. Susanna Hoffs ….). Bridge over Troubled Water just seems like a (to use a current phrase) weird song to do a disco/club dance version.
My Dad’s favorite story about The Bangles version of “Hazy Shade of Winter” had to do with the original lyrics dropped from the remake at the behest of the record label…
Of course, the band did end up cutting out a few lyrics, including the lines “looking over manuscripts of unpublished rhyme, drinking my vodka and lime.”
“We did take some liberties and we’re kinda worried about what he might think,” Vicki Peterson said. “So we sent him a tape of the song, with a bottle of good vodka and a sack of limes, and wrote a note saying: ‘Dear Paul, Sorry about the vodka and the limes–here’s the replacement!’ ”
(From The Bangles: Still Rock’s Sweethearts – Rock Cellar Magazine)
https://rockcellarmagazine.com/the-bangles-still-rocks-sweethearts/
uh maybe were supposed to think Robin and Man in black have a big fight on the lawn..grass stains? IT was 1980 I watched tv! Grass stains and men who wouldnt have second cup of coffeee were HUGE PROBLEMS!
For those of you who want to luxuriate in the full 6:00 minute
gospel /disco / house DMC remix of Bridge Over Troubled Water
here’s the link:
https://youtu.be/AxQPS-VStz0?si=Oob3P5xsPCQC3QRF
Fair warning to you though – you’ll be doing so much dancing that you’ll have to replace your rugs afterward!
Today’s movie the Mitch miller special.
That is up on YouTube if any one want to watch lots of good music .
Hey old chums it’s cousin Bucky . I bought Jeremy who besides set up the movie see up above . Is set up the sing along during don’t know the words that ok just follow the chibi man bat in the fedora.
We brought sugar cookies shaped like old bob and Vincent . ( and I honestly thought you would be doing the Disney black hole movie minute podcast next you can’t fool me I’ve followed the clues and then after you watched the movie 5 minutes at a time you’ll morphed in to the black hole comic beyond podcast only covering the black comics that aren’t adapting the movie genius.)
Riddler: “Ha ha! What is it that the more it consumes, the smaller it gets?”
Me: “The sense of marginal utility…”
Impressive podcast most impressive. The cover looks cool. Bats teaming with Swatch buckler was cool. Against the Riddler. Him y’all didn’t show his face . So can’t tell what his face looks like without the cool mask. Cool look. But, don’t have the hello sailor moment Shawn is with him. Though I get it.
Cool how Swatch buckler has the Riddler in a double are wrist lock. Not calling it a Kamora. Nope that man learned it from a wrestler till he used it on a Gracie. In that match. So calling it a double arm freaking wrist lock. The Red Tornado story was cool. Oy the crocks warring purple and green jackets. Yeah one guy has the green the other the purple. And Mr. Kool has on a white one.
Why does this remind me of the scooby do ghosts that had three different colored sheets? All of them in what would later be the scream masks. Still cool that JMD got his start on this comic. All the great work he did started with a Red Tornado comic. Huh. I don’t know. Him having expression on his face works better for me.
They have animatronics that can do that now days. So why not a sentient robot? He is alive and can make tornadoes. If the Show biz pizza bots can why not him? Next story.
Robin has nice legs as always. So wait the whole story is a PI that a man working for Bruce to watch out for Dick lol. Got nothing else to say on that one. The Hunan Target story was fine. The Bat Girl sort was fine.
PHmm , I just started playing Gothem Knights. As Babs. But, I haven’t dressed her funny yet. I gave her costume style so clearly this doesn’t fit the character. still the Bat girl story is good. I like the art. The Joker side pages was good. Nice art work is good. Can’t wait to hear the next episode.
Great timing with this episode. Wednesday I had long drives between clients, so this filled the time wonderfully.
Batman — “Deep in the Heart of Texas” by Moe Bandy
At least this time when “riddle” is in the title, the Riddler is in the story. We also have the action heading south and west to Houston before it got hit hard by suburban sprawl.
Swashbuckler (no relation to Rich Buckler) is one of these obscure characters James Gunn might try to bring into the DCU. Maybe this is a role for Jon Hamm? (that’s for you, Shawn)
Tales of Gotham City — “Mr, Roboto” by Styx
It’s somewhere between the typical “android learning about humanity” story and a good example of what can be done with this feature.
I liked the unnamed old lady. HIt the muggers with her purse, conned Reddy into a ride home, and stared down Mr. Kool, who is our second one-off character this issue. I also remembered her “men call him Red Tornado” line from first reading this (amazing the stuff I remember).
This was published well after Reddy found Traya, the little girl in the Middle East. He obviously knows that people live in not-ideal conditions, but this may be his first time getting to know them in this environment. “Why Gotham” could have been explained by some internal monologue that he overheard Batman talking to other Leaguers and decided to explore.
Robin — “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell
Things have quieted enough on the Hudson campus that Robin could finally deal with that urgent matter — who is the Man in Black? Hint, it’s not Tommy Lee Jones or Will Smith.
Man, the Robin stories at this time were a slog, weren’t they? That green-eyed alien princess can’t escape to Earth soon enough.
Human Target — “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson
Between this and the movie stuntman case, Len Wein got inspired by some Burt Reynolds movies Did he have anything to do with Hal Jordan becoming a trucker?
Batgirl — “Rockin’ the Paradise” by Styx (yes, two Styx songs — once I noticed, I thought about changing the for Human Target to “Blue Collar Man”)
This does seem to echo the Huntress story at the end of Batman Family with the kid that looked like Dondi.
She can’t win. Barbara has a colleague blasting her because he assumes she supports the destruction of a historic theatre, and later Batgirl has a hysterical father blaming her for her daughter’s paralysis because a lunatic used her as bait a few issues ago.
So, when does the Superman Family podcast start??
Sorry I’m late to the picnic, but I’ve brought a super-hero sandwich. It was lovely that you’ve given that new fella Robert his podcasting break.
I’m with Rob, happy heroes make for great covers. I loved seeing Reddy so big. I don’t know why there was so much chat about whether or not he should be in Batman Family, given we’ve already had the likes of Black Lightning and Human Target (they could call every story ‘The Sends Me To Sleep Contract’). Then again, there IS no Batman Family, it’s over, as you said, the name no longer appears on the cover >choke< (Superman Family has about 40 issues to go, nyah!)
The Batman story was fun, I do enjoy the combo of Don Newton and Dan Adkins… I don’t think Dan has had a creator spotlight, has he? I like the idea of a legacy hero named the Swashbuckler, but his costume could be sexier. I’m not surprised he never caught on, mind, this fella is a little dull. Also, given his uncle is the Vigilante, he should be the Vigilnephew.
It’s so fascinating that the Reddy story served as a tryout for our pal JM DeMatteis. I was surprised when he asked ‘Momma’ ‘Why do you live this way?’ I mean, he’s all about feelings, emoting all over the place, yet he’s this insensitive/rude to a poor old lady who’s just offered him a cuppa? I count myself a Reddy fan but he’s hard to love sometimes, he’s such a Sad Sack that Shag might do a Once Upon a Geek show on him. Oh, was it Rob that didn’t like the blubbering likes of Reddy and Vision having facial expressions? I don’t see why not, he and Vision are artificial men, not robots.
The Robin story was utterly insulting to the intelligence of the reader who, admittedly, had likely had their brain long since turned to mush by the overconsumption (one portion) of Twinkies. This Man in Black has been following Dick for a month and hasn’t noticed he’s Robin?
Steve Mitchell’s inks rendered the Human Target story unreadable – I’ve never seen a story with a Dick Giordano byline unattractive. This story just looks ugly, with the nadir being the panel you noted in which the woman is cosplaying House of Wax.
Joe Giella showed how it should be done in the Batgirl story, respecting the ljnework of Jose Delbo while adding a pleasing weight to the figures. And how cute was Babs in her shirt and tie?
I loved hearing about Joe Giella. He’s one of those inkers whose style I always recognise without being able to describe what I’m seeing (broad strokes?). What a career, he should be talked about a lot more. Again, these creator spotlights are such a highlight of the show, given how so many of the stories – well, Batgirl and Robin, consistently – strive for mediocrity. And don’t hit even that level.
I haven’t heard of Mitch Miller but in the UK we had a singer named Max Bygraves who did a show called SingalongaMax. Coincidence? Probably not. The story about Shawn‘s father was amazing.
I’ve also never seen The Princess Bride. Or The Black Hole (or The Goonies, Big Trouble in Little China, most of the Star Wars films, Tremors, Neverending Story, Dark Crystal, CE3K… I have seen Xanadu!).
Hey, bat cousins, sorry I’m late. I stopped to chastise a robot for crying. Anyway, I brought some beer to help wash down the tofu dog nonsense that Rob forced on everybody. Thanks a lot, Rob. Did you bring raisin cookies, too?
A fun Batman story. Don Newton is still killing it on art. Great individual looking thugs for the Riddler. I like that there’s always one henchman wearing a suit. You gotta dress for the job you want, henchman, not the job you have. By the way, it looks like Gotham real estate may convey to Texas trailers, because that’s the widest interior to a mobile home I’ve ever seen.
Wow, what a silly character Mr. Kool was. Why can’t he be more noble and distinguished like a red robot wearing buccaneer boots, striped pants and a cape with stand-up collar?
Glad to see Robin still has premium parking in the forest. But, even ignoring the world’s largest telephone booth, where did that house come from? Is he parked in somebody’s yard? The man in black never thought to check out the van in the woods? Then he gets a new job based on his complete failure? What a colossal waste of time. Robin should have just picked up Jen in the Batmobile and took her back to the Wayne Tower penthouse. That’s how you end an arc!
An okay Batgirl story. It seems like the “doing gymnastics intro” is the new “van in the woods” for the Batman Family. As a father, I would offer this advice: if your child is in danger, don’t spend six panels giving the hero who can save her your background story and a bunch of grief. Let her go save the child, genius!
Okay, gotta go. Great Aunt Ethel is practicing her new Man in Black self defense techniques: Anytime someone leaps at you, just signal for a touchdown and they flip right over you.
I’m late to the reunion this month, but I had to wait on this yeast to rise to make these various breads I was going to bring. And I’m still waiting….
Anyway, Detective 493 was one of the various books I found at that used book store that was in my hometown in the late eighties. This issue, as does the other books I found there, does have a great deal of sentimentality for me. I can recall finding this issue among the various stacks of books on a multi-tiered wire rack and wondering “Why is the Red Tornado in Detective Comics?”
The Batman story was a solid read. It was all about the chase, which made the story fun and intriguing. I do have to say that after looking at the art in this story, Don Newton is one of the more underrated artists of his or any time. The way he drew human movement was smooth and realistic. He truly understood the human figure and could probably draw one blindfolded. Does anyone know if Swashbuckler appeared anywhere else? I thought this character had some promise to have a bonus feature in another title, possibly. I don’t recall seeing him anywhere else.
The Red Tornado story was good, despite the only link to Batman was the setting. I think it was a decent character study for Red Tornado, who still had a lot to learn about the human condition and how people live and survive. And you think Mr. Kool would get along with Huggy Bear? Now that I think about it, maybe not. Mr. Kool may not like snitches. He may give the guy stiches.
As to the Robin story, what can be said about this story that hasn’t been said before? That Robin Bronze Age Omnibus moves further and further down the bookshelf. I may have thought this was okay when I first read it. At my age now, the story is underwhelming and uninspired at best.
The Human Target and Batgirl stories were good, but I think both were missing something from both of them. I think the page count hurt the stories. I had this feeling as I was reading both of those stories that there were pages or panels that were left on the cutting room floor. I may be the only person to think that. I put the blame on reading too many modern comics. I will admit that next to last panel of the Human Torch story was a little unsettling once I heard the three of you discuss it. Those eyes…
I think my personal bubble gum debate from last month has been settled. Neither Hubba Bubba or Bubblicious won. In fact, it was Bubble Yum, which was advertised in this very issue, won the debate. Seeing the Superman/Spider-Man crossover ad made me want to revisit both treasuries and figure out which of the Superman/Spider-Man crossovers was the better book.
Well, I have to run now. One of the breads exploded and the kitchen is an utter mess. The place smells like cinnamon, but all these pesky raisins….