Happy Birthday, Howard Cruse!!!

Howard Cruse, the Godfather of Queer Commix celebrated his 70th birthday!!!  The moniker of "Godfather of Queer Comics" comes from our very own, Jen Camper, creator and illustrator of SubGurlz and editor of Juicy Mother ---  Queer Lady Cartoonist Extraordinaire!?!  Huh? Huh?!?  No good?  (I'll come up with something better later.) --- had the brilliant idea to get other queer cartoonists together and draw a little somethin' somethin' for Howard.  She wanted to celebrate the creator of Wendel and Stuck Rubber Baby.  Well, I hopped on a train.  Then, we got into her brave little buggy and went up North to surprise Howard with unannounced arrivals and no place to stay.  But, we came baring the gift of a lifetime.  Cartoonists everywhere jumped on the chance to celebrate Howard by creating an 8 1/2x11 drawing.  Then, the celebration began!  It was a great adventure for Jen and I and an even bigger one for the small town they lived.  I don't think they were ready for DC and Brooklyn!!!  Well, maybe they were.  But, I like to dream.  If my boys, Neil and Jesus' didn't say it --- I'm saying it:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOWARD!!!!

Hi, Howard!!!

 

Jen, me and Howard
(Hello, Pimms!  Nice meeting you!)

 

Me, Eddie and Howard

 

 Howard, Eddie and many birthday wishers

 Howard, me and Jen

 Hello, Dahhhhhhling!

 

 Laura and Gregory -- local artists

Me and Laura

Mystery dessert!!!!  Quick!!! Take a picture!!!!

 

 More new friends --- Martaine and Juliana

Strolling and accidentally discovering ---

WTF?!?  The Vermont state line!!!!

 

Howard and Jen

Jen, Juliana and me

 Juliana, you're adorable!!!!

 And, last, but not least --- Molly the Rescue Dog!!!!

 

From the studio of Howard Cruse.  Actual, "Stuck Rubber Baby" pages!!!  It took this man FIVE DAYS to do ONE PAGE!!!  The detail is amazing.  His work is astounding!!!

Neil Jordan

I don't know if the series is actually over, but I do think of him often.  I know that there are other stories to be told.  And, Neil has a lot more to say.

Jem: The Movie

Looks like it's actually going to happen!!!  Jem: The Movie

 

Aubrey Peeples as Jem

Stefanie Scott as Kimber

Aurora Perrineu as Shana

Hayley Kiyoko as Aja

  

I'm sure they will look completely different in make-up.  Hopefully, they'll keep up with the 80s glamor, fashion and fame!!!  I know that the 80s fashions in general were awful, but Jem and the Holograms should still represent!  They're the first and only cartoon characters I knew to change their clothes.

Friday, April 18th

From two of my FAVORITE queer cartoonists!!!  You made the day very special.

From the fabulous --- David Kelly ....

And, my very own ... Jennifer Camper.

Nancy Drew Wall Art

Nancy Drew got a cute little Modern/Retro makeover from these books sold exclusively at Target.  By May 1st, I think they'll be available everywhere.  I never saw this coming, but they're mine.  If it hadn't been for the Nancy Drew Sleuth blog, I would never have come across them.  They're the same stories I read back in the 70s, but this was a cute twist.  I had to have them!!!  And, they ended up as fancy wall art!

 

 

 

Sports Illustrated Barbie

Sports Illustrated celebrated it's 50th Anniversary swimsuit issue.  Of course, as a GAY MAN, I have absolutely no interest in scantily clad dames in swimsuits.  From a fashion perspective, it could be slightly interesting.  However, my interest was actually piqued when Sports Illustrated decided to include my favorite (Gal That has Everything) --- Barbie Doll!!!!  She's part of the "Unapologetic Campaign."  I guess, like Keira Knightly, she's tired of justifying her naturally thin frame and taking the blame for anorexic girls everywhere.

 

Now, if you want to talk about a cheap $19.99 "Target Exclusive" that sold out quickly, went onto back order, then became "unavailable" online, then remained still "unavailable" for $29.99 --- bickering about an uneven seam line sewn on bathing suit and glue seeping out of ears and necklines of a cheaply made doll in the "Model Muse" pose --- (little articulation --- for display purposes only) --- THEN and only THEN --- do we have something to really talk about!!!!  Deep breath.  Whew!  Essentially: I missed out.  And, after two weeks of obsessing over something I didn't really need, I'm over it.  Or at least still trying to convince myself so.

That's right, Barbie!  You're too fashionable, fabulous and successful to keep putting up with this crap!  Well, folks wanted to make a big deal about it, but on the cover are THREE bare booties all posed together.  And, folks want to make a big deal out of Barbie?!?  Shhhh.  She's a D-O-L-L, people!!!  If I had to choose between three female bare booties or Barbie's unapolegetic derrière, then make mine plastic and fantastic!!!!

Snow White Takes a Tumble

I know this is completely wrong, but I find this absolutely hilarious!!!  Stupid Snow White!!!  She probably shouldn't have been carrying all those poison apples in her designer bag.

Brenda Starr: A Dream Come True

 

This is my own personal geeky triumph.  For YEARS, I collected Brenda Starr Reporter comic strips.  My Grandmother would save the comics section from the Washington Star for me every weekend.  She'd fold them, then stack them up daily on top of the fridge next to the toaster, for my weekend visits.  I was regaled by Brenda's adventures with her Mystery Man, Basil St. John.  The Washington Star folded and I lost touch with Brenda.  As a young adult, I started making trips to the library.  I discovered microfiche!!!  Sound ancient?  It is.  Really.  I found Brenda in the P.G. Journal, then the Chicago Tribune.  What followed was complete insanity.  Every AWS day, every other Tuesday off (Government speak for: Alternative Work Schedule - a day off), I would go to the library and print out a ton of Brendas.  It took YEARS to compile everything.  But, I did it.  I shrank them down, lined them up, taped them to pages, then bound them together as spirals.  Before I knew it, I had almost all of Brenda's adventures from 1948 - 1995.  The 40s were a little harder to find, but I got some good stuff!!!  I went to a convention.  I met Ramona Fradon who drew Brenda for 15 years and even worked with the comic goddess herself --- Dale Messick!!!!  Well, I do things obsessively.  I'll binge on creativity.  And, I binged on the Dale Messick/Ramona Fradon years of the Brenda Starr strips I'd collected.  I put them together in cute little spirals, created covers and marketed them --- to myself!!!!  I have four beautiful Brenda Starr volumes.  And, I just wanted to say --- Yahoo!!!  At last!!!  A dream come true!!!!  (Can't you see how happy I am?)

And, Brenda is still being commemorated.  Effanbee and Tonner Dolls has an entire line of Brenda dolls.  There's a chapter movie in 1945 starring Joan Woodbury.  Then, there's a movie in 1976 with Jill St. John as our glamorous red head.  And then, one in 1986 (though released in 1992) with the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Brooke Shields.  Plus, the books just keep coming.  Brenda paper dolls.  Brenda's first have been adventures reprinted:  Brenda's dailies (Even though it skipped stories!!!).  And, now --- Brenda comic books in bondage!!!  Shriek!  Gasp!  Clutch!  (Well, not really in bondage.  The covers were just re-drawn that way with beautiful new covers of "good girls in bad situations" before the comics codes during the Jack Kamen Period - pre-comics code.)  All I can say is --- bring on more Brenda Starr!!!

And, here's more!!!

Federal Beach Barbie

Sheeeeee's back!