Meet The Good Rats

As Dr. Bristol points out, had they started in the age of the Internet and You Tube, the Good Rats would be a household name, but they arrived too soon. Or they were too good. Or too hairy. Too something. Peppi Marchello and The Good Rats headlined arena shows in the NorthEast and got airplay, but they just didn’t explode like they deserved to. No one I know can figure it out. Everyone in NJ, NY--every Met fan, Yankees fans, Giants fan--was a complete Rathead. Anyone who saw them play was hooked forever.

But the old, original Good Rats are still alive and well, still playing reunion shows and making people crazy. And Peppi Marchello and his new Good Rats are still knocking people out as they make the rounds at local clubs.

Does this bomb make my ass look fat?

Snaked, Sylvia Plath, and why Harlan Ellison is like Jesus Christ

The following interview appeared several years ago at ComicsVillage.com

What are you working on these days?

Getting more sleep. People don’t realize how important sleep is. I was just having this conversation with Howard Zimmerman the other day. Howard’s the former head of iBooks and an excellent editor. I’d gotten into a dust up with somebody the night before and Howard asked if I’d been drinking at the time and I told him I was sober as a judge but terribly sleep deprived and he said, "That’ll do it."

I meant what projects are you working on?

Why didn’t you say so? I’m working on a few top-secret things for IDW Publishing and a treatment for the proposed "Snaked" film.

I thought I’d read that deal was signed.

It was. "Snaked" was optioned by Richard Saperstein and Elysium Films, but I’m under contract to turn in a treatment and if that flies then I’ll do the screenplay. And if it doesn’t fly, I’ll go catch up on my sleep.

Assuming you get to do the screenplay - or at least the first draft - how hard will it be to let it go to the inevitable Hollywood rewrite and potential bastardisation of your creation?

It’s not like raising children, no matter what Sylvia Plath said. Crazy bitch wrote that seeing her poems edited was like watching her children get raped. What a fucking poseur thing to write! Spoken like a woman with an infertile womb…"Snaked" was a short story and then it was a comic and then it will be a screenplay and then, if the stars are aligned, a movie. Different stages in the lifespan of a creative embryo but it ain’t a child. It’s not even a puppy. Which is not to say I don’t care about it because I do care about it. But by the time anything reaches a big screen, it’s rarely a singular vision. You have to be Copola or Tarantino to get that, so I have no illusions. The "Spider-Man" you see on screen isn’t Stan Lee’s Spider-Man, and it’s 180 degrees from Steve Ditko’s twisted brainchild. But it’s cool.

How has Snaked gone over with readers? As well as you expected? Do people "get" it?

I think readers liked it better than I did. I’m rarely satisfied with anything I’ve written. I still like the poetry section of Perverts, Pedophiles & Other Theologians. I think that might have been my best work. That or Wearing the Horns, which was a novella I did about the divorce culture, or about a man with a tiny penis, depending upon your vantage point. "Snaked" the short story, which preceded the comic by about ten years, was something I’m still comfortable with, but the comic book was an experiment and I didn’t have time to percolate it as long as I like to. Ask me in five years if I like it. But yes, I suppose readers liked it. The first print sold out.
That says something, I guess. Any other books in the works?

Aardwolf is preparing my Comic Book Babylon, which will collect my "Past Masters" columns and some interstitial material. I began that column to help Dave Cockrum get his missed X-Men royalties from Marvel and ended up developing a sort of gonzo, behind-the-scenes look at the comics industry. There’s guest appearances by Harlan Ellison, Alan Moore, Neal Adams and quite a few others. And me getting drunk with Mark Texeira. Stan Lee wrote the introduction.

What’s with you and Harlan Ellison?

What does that mean?

He’s somewhat controversial yet it seems in your eyes he can do no wrong. He seems to be a father figure to you.

None of those statements are true. Harlan is not controversial; he’s a man of impeccable integrity who won’t be pressured by society or individuals or money or terrorists or the unraveling of the fabric of the universe to do things he doesn’t believe in… or to shut up. And I’ve seen him do plenty wrong—he makes the same kinds of mistakes everyone makes, like putting too much sugar in his coffee or eating things that doctors say he shouldn’t eat or taking the wrong exit on the FDR. Don’t kid yourself—those are serious mistakes! But the types of mistakes others might claim he makes are not things I would call mistakes… Harlan isn’t a father figure to me. I had a perfectly wonderful father who gave me the best guidance a father could offer, and a terrific education and unconditional love; a father I adored more than anything in the world, and he was old enough to be Harlan’s father... Harlan is more like a big brother. After awhile, I tend to forget that he’s one of the century’s great writers. He’s just a dear friend I admire and love and find terribly entertaining… But, do no wrong? Of course he does wrong. Jesus did wrong! You think Jesus was happy with himself after he tipped over that table in the Temple? No one wants to go home feeling like a klutz.

Tell me about your children.

The oldest two are already better fighters than most men will ever become.

And that’s important to you?

Of course. That's why I trained them. My boys started in my dojo learning Shotokan, then graduated to mixed martial arts, which is the trend these days, thanks to the UFC.

Is that a good thing?

No—that’s a great thing. MMA was the natural progression for anyone who took competitive fighting seriously. My teacher, Grand Master Richard Sensei Lenchus, always stressed the practical aspects of street fighting in our dojo. If you concentrate on sports fighting—on speed tag for points—you lose the entire reason for martial arts. The arts were designed to protect individuals from attackers, not to win trophies. MMA is serious, real-world martial arts. In a one-on-one situation, you’re almost always at an advantage if you have grappling experience; if you have a ground game. But in a bar fight, where if you land on someone his buddy might clock you in the back of the head with a beer bottle, well you’re a damn fool to take it to the ground. My sons, who are excellent wrestlers, can single-leg or double-leg you in the blink of an eye and you’re on your back before you know what’s flying. Then it’s ground and pound and you’re waking up with a crowd around you. Their years of competitive grappling are the perfect arsenal for one-on-one, even against opponents 30 or 40 lbs. heavier. But my game is stick and move. I was trained to tag the first guy and move on to the next guy before the first one hits the ground. It’s a different approach. One-on-one, my sons can take me down now. Three-on-one, you’d pick me. Even at 47 and out of shape, that’s what my training was all about… So, to answer your question, yes, that’s a good thing. Men need to teach their sons to fight. They need to teach their sons other things, too, but that’s one of them. You don’t teach them to pick fights, but you teach them not to fear fights. Big difference.

It’s almost a taboo subject to broach, but there’s a real feeling among black comics creators that there’s a racist undercurrent in comics, even if subconscious, on the part of readers and bosses. Do you have any feeling or evidence of that in your experiences?

Nope. Talent makes it. Talent gets discovered. Shitty writers get work, too, but there’s no holding back quality.

You often write about Jewish topics.

Sure. That’s what I know so that’s what I write. All writers do that. Your life and experiences create a confluence of material that you draw upon. I’m rock-and-roll culture. I’m 1970s post-Nixon mod. I’m Marvel Comics and New Wave science fiction and 20th Century literature and Beat poetry and baseball and Northern New Jersey. And I’m an observant Jew. Add a little salt, it goes down fine with a good tequila.

Remembering

Of all liars, memory is sweetest.

Still Handsome After All These Years

Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators (and late of the MC5) will be writing the introduction to THE WHOREHOUSE MADRIGALS. I am choked with delight. The book, from Aardwolf Publishing, will feature a cover by award-winning fantasy painter Kelly Freas. It is scheduled for February 2010.

I will have a handful of lettered copies, signed by Dick, artist Mike Handerson and myself. Want one?

Avram Davidson's ROGUE DRAGON Flies Again

Avram Davidson's ROGUE DRAGON returns to print this month in the NEW CLASSICS OF THE FANTASTIC series that I had the honor of editing. Harlan Ellison provides a warm and wonderful new introduction to the book.

I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Avram while he was alive. I only know this great man, this great writer through his startling work and through his generous widow Grania Davis, and through his friends and students who loved him so and raved about him, including Harlan and Bob Silverberg and Jack Dann (who edited the enviable Wandering Stars and Avram's Everybody Has Somebody in Heaven).

And I am one of them now.

Gene Colan Returns Home

Gene Colan, who turns 83 in a few weeks, came home early in the evening yesterday. There’s still medical issues that need to be addressed regularly but Gene sounded nothing short of chipper on the phone this morning and continues to blow kisses and send everyone his love and gratitude for their prayers and support.

Gene and I hope to wrap up interviews for THE INVINCIBLE GENE COLAN this week. To clarify (for those who have been asking or not paying attention), this is largely an art book--a gorgeous art book with lots of previously unpublished art--that will contain a narrative based on my interviews with Gene and many of his peers, including Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Tom Palmer, Walter Simonson, Marv Wolfman, David Lloyd and Steve Englehart. Tom Spurgeon, the finest journalist covering the comics medium also contributes. The book is designed by Richard Sheinaus, who has done masterful work for Aardwolf Publishing and IDW.

Published by Marvel, all proceeds from the book’s sale will directly benefit Gene.

Gene Colan: The Secret Was the Eraser

As we await Gene's return home tomorrow, let's return to my interview notes with Gene, which were done in preparation of Marvel's forthcoming INVINCIBLE GENE COLAN:

Your Iron Man was more emotional than Steve Ditko's, Jack Kirby's, and Don Heck's earlier versions of the character. Was that difficult to portray?

Gene: I thought the eyes and the mouth were the most expressive part of Iron Man's emotions. I felt something had to be left out [of the mask] because of the fact that his face was mostly metal. He has to see and in order to keep a sort of masculine, heroic look, I would have to put the eyes in.

I played down any protrusion of what would indicate his nose. See, the eyes and nose are the things that complete a face. I didn't want to "complete" the face. So I had to leave something out. By eliminating his nose, the eyes would tell it all: whether he was angry, sad...whatever the emotion, it would be revealed by the eyes and mouth. I left an ever so slight opening on the mouth. Actually (laughing) I no longer remember how I did it! But it certainly was a challenge! And thank God for the eraser! I developed his face with tremendous help from the eraser as I went along with the plot by adding and subtracting facial expressions until I got what I wanted.

Whorehouse Madrigals features Mike Henderson

Mike Henderson, a wild talent and former Kubert School alum, will be doing illustrations for my forthcoming Whorehouse Madrigals (Aardwolf Publishing). I am delighted to introduce this terrific young artist to my readers. As previously noted, the book's cover will be an original by Kelly Freas and Christian Krank.

Gene Colan Update: More Good News

Adrienne Colan writes me this evening, "Good news: Gene is being discharged Monday. The infectious disease doctor has decided to send him home with a 'feed line'. He'll be visited daily by a nurse for one month. She'll inject the antibiotics into the feed and it will go more directly to his heart. This bug typically lies dorment and hides in the heart valves so he's taking no chances and I'm thrilled. His care has been outstanding and we're so grateful. God has been so good to us! Thanking you for your support and prayers...Gene's spirits are up as they had been all along. You've all meant so much to us throughout this ordeal. We take not an ounce of it for granted."

Gene Colan Update: Heading Home Soon

Adrienne Colan tells me that Gene has an infection in his heart. He will be staying at the hospital at least through the weekend but doctors hope to release him on Monday or Tuesday if he continues to improve. The neck pains that he complained of earlier are arthritic. I expect to finalize editorial with him by the end of the month for THE INVINCIBLE GENE COLAN and to turn the book over to Marvel by mid-Sept., just after Gene's 83rd birthday.

Gene Colan: Update

This just in from Adrienne Colan: "Gene's developed an infection in his blood. He still can't speak right and hard to stay awake. so much pain in his neck they've gone from percocet every 8 hours to every 6 hours which could be the reason why his speech is off and [he's] tired. They're not sure that the pneumonia is responding to the antibiotic. Fever down, but still coughing and blood infection now. They're not not promising a date as to when he'll be home. His spirits remain happy and enthusiastic."

Adrienne asks that people don't bother her today; she's exhausted and has too much on her plate.

Gene Colan Update

Just hung up with Gene who sends his love to friends and fans who are thinking of him at this time.

Gene is still in the hospital but his spirits are high. He complained of a stiff neck but other than that he's encouraged by his doctors. As usual, he was more interested in hearing about me than talking about himself.

"I had pneumonia once before," he recalled. "Back in the '40s. They filled me up with penicillin and I was coughing so much I kept the whole place awake. But they were very nice to me. One of the nurses brought me a stack of paper and a whole box of pencils." Which, let's face it, is all this man needs.

Gene Colan Hospitalized

Gene Colan is back in the hospital, which is always serious for someone his age. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital yesterday morning and may be home by late Wednesday-early Thursday. He has pneumonia in his right lung behind his heart and there's the possibility of infection.

I am announcing this so you can add your prayers to ours, but I must insist that his wife Adrienne NOT be inundated with emails and phone calls right now. Post messages to the Gene Colan board at Yahoo but do NOT start calling her now--she is exhausted and has enough to deal with.

Well-wishes can be sent to Gene Colan, 2240 Burnett Street, #5D, Brooklyn, NY 11229.

I will vigilantly update this blog with further news.

On the Origins of Adam Austin

An excerpt from my forthcoming THE INVINCIBLE GENE COLAN (Marvel Entertainment):

By the mid-Sixties, both DC and Marvel were vying for exclusivity of Gene's talent. This led to Colan using the pseudonym “Adam Austin” on some of his Marvel work. Legend has it that Stan Lee, who had a penchant for alliteration, invented Colan's nom de plume--after all, Adam Austin was so Peter Parker-like. But Adrienne Colan sets the record straight:

"At the time, I was pregnant with our son Erik," Adrienne recalls. "Gene and I both loved the name Adam and we were considering naming our baby that. But then Gene decided on Erik. So when we felt we needed a name that would allow Gene to work for both DC and Marvel without either finding out, I suggested Adam Austin and that's what we went with.

"Part of the dilemma for Gene was trying to make a living. Gene was trying to hold onto his freelance status by keeping the knowledge that he was working for both DC and Marvel away from each other. Went over like a lead balloon. First crack in our plan was a call from Dean Mullaney. 'Hi Gene. Don't bother trying to fool me with that Adam Austin bit--I'd know your work anywhere just based on your panel design and composition.'

"The Second crack in our plan—and the death knell, so to speak—was when Gene was leaving DC one afternoon having just delivered a job. As he neared the elevator, who should be getting off the elevator? Martin Goodman! 'Hi Gene!' he said. The end!

"Stan [Lee] called the next day and offered Gene a $5 per page raise to come over exclusively. Although unplanned, it was exactly what Gene was praying for. He was dying to work for Marvel."

Adam Austin made his Marvel super-hero debut in Tales to Astonish #70 when he introduced the Sub-Mariner strip to the book.

Bitter Meth?

Fanboy Planet has this to say about my new book BILLBOARDS:

Meth's special blend of bitterness and hope makes his dystopian tale intriguing, disturbing, and vaguely uplifting... In a future where America has fallen to off-shore corporate interests, the best career path for a young man and woman is to be beautiful...Though beauty may be only skin deep, it turns out that the advertising tattoos Meth's protagonists sport go further than anyone knew...Supported by spot illustrator Dave Gutierrez, the writer questions if true love can survive, even flourish, in a society so inundated by messages that everything has become meaningless.

Read the full review here.

And for those interested, I now have numbered copies.

Original Good Rats Reunion

At long last... October 24 at The Crazy Donkey in Long Island.

The only question is how do you fit all of Long Island in one room?

And if you haven't seen Peppi and the Good Rats new commercial yet, you should click here.

Curb Reunites Seinfeld

For more than a decade, Larry David has said a "Seinfeld" reunion wouldn't happen. Now it's here--but only within the fictional universe of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

The seventh season of "Curb" returns on Sept. 20 and will center around Larry finally "agreeing" to do a reunion of the defining '90s sitcom. All four "Seinfeld" cast members will play themselves in multiple episodes, and the season finale will feature extensive snippets of the show-within-the-show. Can't wait!

Marv Wolfman Tweets (It goes with the sweater)

He created Blade and the Teen Titans. And although he'll never admit it, I taught him to Tweet. You can follow him here.

Harlan Ellison vs. Frank Sinatra

I've heard the story from Harlan but just came across this. Gay Talese remembers the incident:

That night I’m sitting at a bar around ten o’clock, watching people, and sure enough I notice Frank Sinatra sitting down the corner of the bar with two blondes. Sinatra goes to play pool and I witness a scene between Sinatra and a guy named Harlan Ellison, and I write it down on a shirt board. But I don’t get it all, so I go up to Ellison and ask him if I can talk to him the next day. He gives me his phone number and address. When we speak in person I ask him not just what everyone said, but what he was thinking. I always ask people what was on their mind. Were you surprised by Sinatra? Had you me him before? Did you think he was going to hit you, or did you want to pop him?

From what I recall, Sinatra made a Jew crack at Harlan. From what I recall, no one created a petition to protest the matter.

Gene Colan: Trying to Top Jack Kirby

Everyone's back from SDCC now. The phone keeps ringing. Where were you, they ask?

Gene Colan, who arrived home Monday, says he felt Hollywood had encroached too much on the con for his taste. "Kind of takes away from the whole experience," he said. "They trot in stars and it's no longer about comics... But I still had a great time!"


Gene's new Captain America #601 has apparantly sold out. This was the first comic I've bought in many years. Really brought me back. Gene may be 80+ years old now but he's never looked better on paper.

Recently, I promised more of Gene's unedited thoughts on the characters/books that he worked on. Here's Gene on Captain America:

Cliff: Was it particularly challenging following Jack Kirby on Captain America?

Gene: I certainly admired Jack Kirby's work tremendously. I really was weaned on his work. His work prepared me for the comic book world in a significant way. His action was very compelling and dynamic and I wanted to use it as a springboard to do even more--to see how much further I could take my action... beyond where Kirby took his. Certainly, it was a big challenge. Like if he had bricks and rocks coming at the reader, which he did very often and very dynamically, I tried to will the rocks to actually hit the reader (laughs). I wanted the reader to actually feel the blow from the rocks and fists... Of course, I couldn't really do that, but I tried.

I was intimidated by Jack's work, yes, but it made me a better artist. I became more of an artist and less of a cartoonist by trying to top Jack.

Harlan Ellison: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

His entire career and the body of his work have been about taking responsibility and the gold-standard of human decency and the quest for personal justice and the pursuit of bald truth, regardless of how it feels when you find it. And those of us fortunate enough to know him have experienced these things along with the colossus of his charisma, for better or worse. But some folks who don't know him, who are ignorant of his important life's work and his genuine character, can't fathom these multitudes, so they join the hanging party in an attempt to still a great voice. How silly they look when the lights are turned on.

Help Save John Ostrander's Eyesight

I'm not hard-wired into the comics community like I once was, alas, so apparantly this news made the rounds and I missed it. But my friend, writer Gail Simone, just clued me in and in the event that you're also in the dark:

Writer John Ostrander recently underwent numeroues surgeries for his Glaucoma--procedures that were an expensive, however tentative solutions. To make matters worse, his costly health insurance didn’t cover all the costs of saving his eyesight--not even near. The procedure was done in Boston, requiring two separate week-long trips to Boston, as well as repeated follow-up trips to track his progress and make adjustments. I remember when Gene Colan went through this some dozen years ago. It was miserable and frightening.

Once again, the comics community is rallying to help one of its own. "Too often in the comics world we find ourselves holding events after we’ve lost a creator who has given us so many years of joy," says the website Comix4Sight. "Now we have a chance to help one before its too late--after all, it would be terribly hard for John to write dialog for pages he cannot see."

The goal is to raise sufficient funds to help cover the costs of John’s treatments. Please visit this site for more information. I'm in. Please do something, small or big, but something.

Dog's Best Friend

David Grounds, a man with real guts, went after an alligator that was holding his 45 lbs. Wheaten terrier Mandy in its jaws. It cost him but he's fine with that. "It wasn’t a bad trade," says the 66-year-old Foridian. "Mandy for two fingers." See the video here.

Gencon, for you Game Geeks

My 14 year old plays games. Me? I prefer to put the gloves on. But Matt Fobeck will be there, and that's worth the trip. And Katrina the official "GenCon Girl" (pictured) asked me to say something, and I'm a sucker for pretty gals. Which is why they hire them. Have a look.

Gene Colan: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

This just in from da horse's mouth (so to speak): Despite blogged rumors to the contrary, Gene Colan and his lovely wife Adrienne (Guest of Honor at this year's FaceBook ComicCon! woo-hoo!) will be attending San Diego ComicCon.

There were some health concerns but the Dean has been cleared by his doctors and is good to go. When you see him, send my love.

More of Gene looking back on his Marvel character runs later tonight.

(art montage courtesy of Michael Netzer)

Gene Colan: High on Daredevil

I'm behind a personal deadline on THE INVINCIBLE GENE COLAN, which I'm editing for Marvel, but we're in the home stretch, and to get there I've posed some questions to Gene. His answers will be edited for the book, but readers of this blog get the unabridged version. Check back this week (or subscribe to this blog--it's free!) for Gene on Capt. America, on Sub-Mariner, on Iron Man, etc.

"I always wanted my own full length book and Daredevil was my first opportunity. I was thrilled to get my own character. I never thought that would come about because John Romita had it for a while. No one stuck with it and I just knew whatever book they gave me, if it was a full length book, I would stick with it.

"What made Daredevil special for me was he couldn't see and yet he could see better than people with sight. That intrigued me because that challenged me to show the reader how things might be without sight: How he sensed things a split second before they happened. It allowed me to be very dramatic with a different kind of artwork. One way was depicting reality; the other was by using effects to show how I thought a blind person might picture life--maybe through his other senses. Also, all the acrobatics he had to employ were challenging and exciting for me to choreograph in order to capture the audience's interest.

"Daredevil was also the first character I ever drew that fought injustice. And I liked that. I liked to portray how he would battle crime... I honed my craft on Daredevil for anything else that followed. I was high on the challenge of making and keeping this a successful book!"

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What's going on at this blog? Bits about comics creators and entertainers I fancy or pal around with; news about projects of mine; an occassional, uncomfortable truth; opportunities to buy art or comics at great prices while helping an important cause (like a creator in trouble or a worthy scholarship fund); occassional appearances or interviews with celeb friends like Harlan Ellison and Marv Wolfman and Herb Trimpe and Gene Colan and Marie Severin and Peter David and Walt Simonson and Jim Steranko and Jeff Jones and Bob Silverberg and Ian Anderson and Pat DiNizio and Steve Forbert and Peppi Marchello and Stan Lee and Roy Thomas; occassional references to things you ought to know about but don't...

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Hulk 181 - Wolverine's First Appearance

I have two copies of Hulk 181 that just went up for sale, along with some other Silver Age gems. Click here for the list.

Teen Titans. Go!

My kids and I have always been huge fans of the Teen Titans--from the original comics by my pal Marv Wolfman to the animated series. And I always held a secret affection for the show's theme song. But I only just discovered who sang it. Yow!

A Sweet Call When I Needed One

Gene and Adrienne Colan just called. Wanted to know if I'd be joining them in San Diego for ComicCon. I explained why I can't make it this year. They even offered to let me share their room... And they meant it.

And this, my droogs, means more to me than ComicCon.

Hacked at Facebook

Susan Ellison phoned this morning to ask if I was in a London hotel, stuck with neither credit cards nor cash. "Not I," I assured her. "Then you've been hacked, dear," said Susan.

Some troll was IM'ing people from FaceBook using my name, trying to beat them out of a few bucks. Thanks to Brian Siano for the quick catch, and to Faisal Qureshi, Rick Wyatt and Matt Forbeck for also bringing the matter to my attention and helping resolve it.

Facebook has removed my page. Not sure if I'll bother to put it back up. Wasn't good for much anyway.

In my paranoia, I imagined that this might have something to do with someone in San Diego or Lawrence who might be stupid enough to pull my tail for telling little white truths. In their paranoia, they should understand that if they start this, there will be no rules.

Buried Treasure

Usually, when someone writes about me or mentions me in an article, they drop a line or a link. Collin David, however, wrote a splendid little article about Dave Cockrum's comic collection, and my involvement with Dave, in an article for CollectorsQuest that I only just discovered 18 months after its posting! Thank you, Collin.

(pictured from left to right: Marv Wolfman, Jo Duffy and Dave Cockrum)

Henderson Drops Bisping Like a Bad Habit

There was a houseful of wrestlers & martial artists at the Meth home Saturday night hootin' and hollering for our boy Dan Henderson in UFC 100. And no one hooted louder than I when Dan dropped Michael Bisping in the 2nd.

Silver Age Comics for Sale

Visit this link. Many comics just added. Prices reflect Overstreet but are negotiable and will give multi-book discounts. PLEASE pass this link along.

Chuck Norris and Rick Lenchus...by Request

As noted here and there, I trained for many years with Hanshi Richard Lenchus. He gave me flying lessons (so to speak), my first blackbelt, and a second set of balls (the brass ones). The blackbelt prompted a letter of congrats from celebrated Sensei Chuck Norris, an old sparring partner of my sensei's... As a boy, no one ever frightened me like Rick Lenchus. And after that, nothing could.


Pictured: Aaron Banks, Rick Lenchus and Chuck Norris

Selling My Orignal Comic Art...

Not selling all of it, but it's time to say good-bye to many pieces from my 30-year-old collection. You can see the art here.

George Harrison, my 1st Hero

“Everyone has choice
when to and not to raise their voices.
It’s you who decides.”
--George Harrison ("Run of the Mill")

Those words, elegant in their simplicity, were a clarion call to this small voice when, as an adolescent, I first encountered the quiet Beatle’s messages of responsibility to spirit and self. Years later, those same seeds strengthened my resolve in writing and releasing stories like “I, Gezheh” and “Wagging the Rebbe” and, more recently, “Wagging the CEO” (in BILLBOARDS), to say nothing of fighting certain battles.

Noting that a new retrospective of George’s songs has been released, I revisited the ALL THINGS MUST PASS LP this morning and came away, as always, cleaner and emotionally wrung out. I cannot recommend this album more highly...This message has been a public service announcement brought to you by the Spiritual Sky.

Breast Feeding While Drunk

A North Dakota woman pleaded guilty today for drunken breast-feeding and now faces up to five years in prison. And I didn't even know it was illegal.

Original Art Collection for Sale

When the going gets tough, the tough sell their comics and art. I'll be posting more pieces for sale over the next few months. In the mean time, have a look.

The Cockrum / Claremont Reunion

Chris Claremont pictured with Paty Cockrum at Heroescon yesterday. Dave Cockrum was there in spirit (photo courtesy of Richard O'Hara).

Cockrum Scholarship at the Joe Kubert School

Neglected to mention several weeks ago that I was honored, again, to present the Dave & Paty Cockrum Annual Scholarship Award to a promising artist at the Joe Kubert School for Graphic Design. That scholarship continues to be funded by the generous Paty Cockrum via sales from Dave's personal collection, including his file copies. Comics are frequently added to the list of what's available check it from time to time. To see the list of what's available, click here.

Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You

Nah--not here. France, England, the Middle East, Patterson, NJ, but not your neighborhood.

Philip Jose Farmer's DARE Back in Print

IDW Publishing has released DARE by Philip Jose Farmer as part of the New Classics of the Fantastic series that I created and edited.

This new edition features a handsome cover by my friend, artist Dave Gutierrez, and a new introduction by me.

Rockaway's Garlic Run

Meanwhile back in Street Eden, tonight's 22nd Annual Gooch's Garlic Run benefits kids with catastrophic illnesses and helps parents pay for what insurance doesn't cover. Thousands of bikers left Rockaway at 6:30 p.m. with their police escort then headed up Route 80 toward Little Italy. Bikers plunked down twenty bucks each to register with money going directly to four area families: Daniel Gaudreau, 12, of Hillsborough, suffered brain damage following an asthma attack; Brendan Friedman, 9, of Hopatcong, was born blind and disabled; Christian Spalt, 7, of Rockaway, is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia; and Lauren Nicole Krysa, 13, of Lafayette, has spinal muscular atrophy. Last year's event raised $32K. The Port Authority said 1,500 are expected for tonight's event. That's my little town.

Why I Love The Good Rats and You Don't. Yet.

You've heard me mention the Good Rats more than once--here, in my books, and when I'm hammered and dripping nostalgic. Here's some bits you might not know:

Hailing from Long Island, the Good Rats were a late-70s East Coast legend, driving fans wild at The Bottom Line in NY City, The Philadelphia Spectrum, The Nassau Coliseum, New Haven Coliseum, Hartford Civic Center, Rhode Island Coliseum, and occassionally at The Whiskey in LA and the Hammersmith Odeon in England. They shared stages with Rush, Aerosmith, Meatloaf, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Kiss, Heart, and Bruce Springsteen. One member of Journey, after sharing the bill with the Rats, called them "The greatest rock band in the world." At worst, he wasn't far off.

But for some unfathomable reason, the Good Rats failed to break beyond their loyal East Coast following. Their song "Dear Sir," with the refrain “I’d rather clean the cages at the zoo than change my songs for you” (written for music impresario Clive Davis) is perhaps the best explanation. The band was relentlessly uncompromising.


To this day, Rat fans remain legion, following writer/frontman Peppi Marchello through various incarnations of the band, despite an almost conspiratorial effort, decades later, to keep their music (on Warner Bros. and other labels) off the airwaves. Peppi describes Rat fans as “everyone from bikers to dentists, captains of industries to the guys in jail for rape and murder.”

Listen to one of their classic concerts here courtesy of the brilliant Wolfgang's Vault. Or see one of The Good Rats' more recent music videos here.

There's a rumor that Peppi and I are working on a rock-and-roll screenplay together. Am I honored? Hell, I'm ossified!

The Whorehouse Madrigals...Sneak Peak

I'd previously announced that my new short fiction collection from Aardwolf Publishing would be entitled A Structuring Absense. That's changed. The new book, slated for early 2010, will be called The Whorehouse Madrigals. Cover by celebrated SF/fantasy artist Kelly Freas and Christain Krank (who worked on SNAKED with me). Here's one of several cover treatments (left) that are being considered--still rough and unfinished but very cool. Also pictured is one of my favorite Kelly Freas' images from Astounding (and reused on Queen's News of the World LP cover).

Dave Simons: The Tribute I Couldn't Write

Roy Thomas asked me to write about Dave Simons for the next issue of Alter Ego. I think that's the first time I've ever said no to Roy, an editor/writer that I respect immensely...but I told him I'm the wrong guy. I barely knew Dave.

Then, out of nowhere, I received the following from a friend of Dave's--as fitting a tribute as I've seen:

Dave Simons' middle name was Lloyd. It was his grandfather's name...and his grandparents lived up the road from me in Seelyville, Pennsylvania. Dave and I connected somehow in our middle teens, one summer when he was visiting his name-sake. We drew comics together, swam in the river, rode horses, played golf (Dave couldn't hit the doggone thing to save his life!) and dreamed of becoming comic book pros. Dave's dream came true.

I have many wonderful memories from those years which now feel like fantasy. Dave's first printed comic work (that I'm aware of) was a comic strip in his school newspaper called "Night Rider" (I have photocopies of some of them). NR was a motorcycle character, and Dave revisited his love for such characters in his later professional work on Ghost Rider.

His first printed comic work in Fandom (to my knowledge) was in my own fanzine, Comic Courier...and later in a zine that he and I worked on together: The Wonderful World of the Wild and Wicked West. I have that artwork still (and stuff we hoped to publish but never did).
Dave wanted to go to art school after high school, but parental pressure pushed him into the Coast Guard. He was stationed on Governor's Island off Manhatten and fell in love with the Big Apple.

Scientology got a hold of him...and took all his money ( I wrote him a song during that time, reaching out to him when it seemed that he was so lost). He took classes under John Buscema. He lived in a roach-filled apartment in Greenwich Village. He lived in a warehouse at the lower end of Manhattan. He fell in love...wanted to marry... it didn't happen. He was pencilling the first issue of Red Sonja during that time: beautiful pencils (ruined by Vince Coletta's inks!) He lived lots of other places...made new friends...kept drawing. He made his mark in the real comic book world--and beyond.

He and I lost touch. I tracked him down in California. Then back on the East Coast. Then no word. A phone call. A letter. Where was this guy? Then a couple of days ago I found him online! I saw pictures of him. I discovered that he'd been battling cancer. I saw that he had moved to Jersey City. I found his blog...an e-mail address...I sent him an e-mail...and then I revisited the site where I found his blog...and discovered my friend had passed from this planet two days earlier!

Dave and I were both born in 1954. I have missed him through the years---I miss him terribly just now.

"Life is a brief minute...eternity follows."

Mark Ammerman

Bullying Policies. Again.

A full 18 months after the incident, I still get email and comments about the great Kushner Academy fiasco that spawned this very blog. Like this one from Lawrence Duplessis:

"Thank You Mr. Meth. Your son's adventure has given me some hope. I've been seeing signs in my son's school of like treatment by some of the kids and an equal amount of ignorance from the school. My son is five and has just finished junior kindergarten. He attends an international school here in Indonesia. I teach at the same school...so I see the administration's foolish-posturing from two very frustrating sides. The school pays lip service to the problem of bullies, but offers no real solutions. Your solution was eloquent and timeless. Having dealt with bullies as a kid, and as a teacher, I know the best way is for the kids to sort it out...in an "as socially-acceptable" way as possible. I'll try to keep an eye on my son's progress and step in when I'm needed."

Teach him to fight, kimusubi. It will be easier than teaching him to hold back once he's capable.

Name Dropping at Twitter

Taught Marv Wolfman how to tweat today. He'll be sorry... Spoke with Peppi Marchello of the The Good Rats about our secret project... Bought strong beer but have no one to share it with except my 14-year-old.

Dreamed last night that I had become irrelevant. Then woke up and half of my integrity was gone.