DC SpecialCast #2 – The Secret Lives of Joe Kubert!

This month, F&W All-Star Rob Kelly joins Paul to discuss DC Special #5 – The Secret Lives of Joe Kubert! We discuss Sgt. Rock, Viking Prince, Hawkman, and of course Rob’s time at the Kubert School! (Breaking news – Rob attended that illustrious institution!)

This month’s instocktrades.com selection – Abraham Stone by Joe Kubert: https://www.instocktrades.com/products/dec190266/abraham-stone-tp

Have a question or comment?  Have a specific issue you love and want to talk to us about it?  Have a favorite issue and want to be a guest? 

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15 responses to “DC SpecialCast #2 – The Secret Lives of Joe Kubert!

  1. I didn’t mention this on the show, but of the three artists given their own DC Specials–Kubert, Infantino, and Aragones–they all have one big thing in common–they have all met me, COINCIDENCE?

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  2. Great episode.
    Kubert was a guest at Boston Comic Con in 2011 and I made sure I found this issue to get signed by him. He was thrilled to see it, opening up the book to show me the page of his kids. So fun. (I also got the Dr. Fate 1st issue special issue (cover); The Crisis Crossover Losers Special, and his variant cover of the DC Legacies book.) He was completely nice. I have to say it was a different vibe from cons today. His table was never overly crowded. And he was next to Adam Hughes who had a line like Space Mountain.

    I am pretty sure the Viking Prince story was also printed in the Brave And Bold Digest so maybe Kubert was extra proud of it? The art in it is completely delicious so definitely worthy. Love his Hawkman stuff.

    Lastly, would you consider the Solo series from the 2000s a sort of version of this? Definitely focused on artists.

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  3. I LIKe viking Prince a lot. WHEN i Saw them. it seemed like the kind of fantasy Marvel would not do. I feel like there used to be more diffence in storytelling. style. Marvel would never do sargeent Rock Dc would never do Silver SURFER (Marvel never Did sad war comic Dc gave a title to anybody that needed a guest star to stay in business

  4. The opening segment about the Batman Treasury literally made me laugh out loud. I loved it!

    I’m with Rob with thinking back in day I would not have enjoyed these stories,
    but now I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to read them!

    Dr. Ang – you are correct about Best Of DC Digest #26 – The Brave And The Bold reprinting the Viking Prince story!

  5. Well we are back this cousin Bucky agin along with Jeremy . When we entered the Dc special brocast building I found my self in Hawk man hoodie and Jeremy is in a Sgt rock t-shirt and cameo pants . Gord is here to he got full Greg sanders outfit and is being followed by two huskies dressed like Greg’s side kicks . Another great episode and I would like to have you announce what’s coming next or give a teaser of at least on of characters
    .

  6. Personally I will never get tired of Rob Kelly’s Takes from The Joe Kubert School.
    Joe Kubert is on my Mount Rushmore of comic book creators. This is a great showcase of his talent. He was the perfect artist for war and adventure titles. He didn’t draw massively muscled body builder types. They were realistically fit fighting men and women. People who looked like trained athletes and fighters. The cover is a masterpiece of pure comic book joy.
    So far this show has knocked it out of the park with both episodes.

  7. The panel of Russ Heath at the Playboy Mansion is undoubtedly a reference to an anecdote in Heath’s life when he crashed at the Playboy Mansion for months. Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder were staying at the Mansion so that Hugh Hefner could oversee and approve their latest “Little Annie Fanny” story as they worked on it. With the deadline approaching, Kurtzman called in Heath to assist on the artwork, and Heath was given a room while they all worked on the story. When the story was finished, Kurtzman and Elder went home, but Heath stayed…and stayed for months, until someone finally realized that he wasn’t still supposed to be there.
    Brian Cronin has a write-up of the anecdote here, and even includes Kubert’s panel of Heath at the Playboy Mansion:
    https://www.cbr.com/russ-heath-playboy-mansion-hugh-hefner/

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  8. What a great episode. I picked up this issue in the early 80s, just as I was starting to buy older back issues, and I loved it. Joe Kubert has always been one of my favorites (and I fully agree with Rob that he’s in the Top 20 of all-time creators), ever since I discovered his glorious run on Tarzan in the early 70s. In fact, the first Tarzan treasury edition was only the second comic book I had ever bought with my own money (one whole dollar, which was a HUGE deal for six year old me!), and I read that thing again and again nearly to tatters. Kubert’s rendition of Tarzan is still what I picture in my mind when I think of the character.

  9. Great episode fellas! I have seen the cover of this book, but never knew of the contents. The whole notion of DC wanting fans to get to know the creators seems like the company trying to loosen their ties and take off their suit coats, as they try to make themselves more relatable, like Stan had been doing at Marvel for the last several years. Infantino was definitely aware that Marvel was at least in the next yard, if not yet mowing DC’s grass.

    The stories here all look and sound great. The Viking Prince story was my intoduction to the character, which I read in Best of DC digest #26 (the Brave and the Bold issue). Thanks for the plugging your guest spot on JLU, and I have to say, Paul, I’d LOVE to hear you cover the Viking Prince series somewhere. Just an idea!

    I always greatly enjoy Rob’s stories from the Kubert School. Attending it was always a pipe dream of mine, so getting to live vicariously through my friend 30 years later is a treat. I wonder if Kubert would have recognized you when you saw him in that shop later. Seems like teachers/instructors are usually better at that than you think!

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  10. Thanks for another fun show. I have this one, but not the Carmine or Sergio book – I do have the Carmine hardback which used the DC Special cover, which is something. I’ve not read the stories inside bar the Hawkman and opening tale – I like Sgt Rock, but I have to be in the mood and have chosen a specific Sgt Rock story.

    Loved the Joe Kubert bio and Rob’s stories, but how many Richie Rich comics did Joe Kubert draw that month?

    I think you lads are right about speculating that the text page on the Seven Soldiers of Victory was in a few books around that time – I’m sure I remember seeing it in World’s Finest.

    Congratulations on grabbing the prestigious Sunday show spot, Paul, and yes, I would like to know at the end of the show what the next issue will be because it gives me a chance to read it. Unless there’s a reason for secrecy, put it out there, get the excitement going!

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  11. Excellent content – snappy and fast-paced, and I liked all of the stories in the issue as well.

    Is it me, or don’t some of the drawings in the two pages of older characters look like Kirby? Look at Guardian’s head and the thugs in the Doctor Fate scene. Would be interesting to see if these were pasted from sources and they weren’t actually Kubert? Perhaps Kubert was mimic-ing Kirby at the time, to try to stick to the house models?and his text is trying explain it as if these are new drawings (which I don’t think they are)…. “I tried to draw them in the same style that I used when I did them” as if he’s trying to explain away why they don’t look like his normal style?

    Anyway, another great episode!

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  12. Finally had some time to catch up on podcasts and binged both episodes. Late to the party, but such a wonderful show! Welcome SPECIALCAST to the Network and welcome to the Sunday time slot! Thrilled to have you!

    Forgive me while I catch up on some comments from the previous episode as well. Max Romero – YES!! It’s been too long since I heard his gorgeous dulcet tones. Such a good guest! Loved the coverage of STRANGE SPORTS STORIES! That lead superhero story is bonkers fun and y’all did a great job pointing out the fun elements. Y’know the more I think about it, that superhero baseball game feels a little like an episode of Laff-a-Lympics!

    Waaaay back in 2017, Rob and I covered that same story on DIGESTCAST (hello Shawn who just started paying attention to me). We had a blast with that story as well. Now if someone else on the Network covers this story, it will rival DC FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL with Dr Fate, and BRAVE & THE BOLD #182, as our all-time most covered comic! LOL!

    And sorry to be the stick in the mud, but I’ve always found this “controversy” over Earth-1/Earth-2 Sportsmaster & Huntress to be a waste of time. It’s like Bob Haney’s Brave in the Bold issues with Plastic Man and Wildcat. You simply just don’t sweat who is from what parallel Earth, they are still the same characters we’ve always known, and just enjoy the story! Because more Sportsmaster and Huntress is ALWAYS a good thing!

    This Kubert episode was also fantastic! And shockingly, Rob told some new Kubert stories I’ve never heard!! Loved the “ink bottle in the box” story, always fun to call out your teachers for not following their own rules.

    To answer your question in the feedback, for me I’d rather hear what the upcoming comic will be so I can read in advance.

    Again, loving the show!! Keep up the great work!

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  13. Great show, Paul and Rob. I love hearing the stories from Rob’s time at the Joe Kubert School for Apparently We’ll Let Anyone In. One thing I could never gage by Rob’s story is how big was the school? Was it a stand-alone building? A campus? A floor in an office building? Did they have a football team? The Hawk Men would be a bad ass name for a football team. I want more information.

    The artist focus is a cool concept and would’ve been great to see it continue. But maybe allow the artist to draw some of their A-listers, DC.

    Loving the history lessons, Paul! Have a rum punch on me. Keep up the great work!

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