Primitive Mythology (The Masks of God)

1959 - 1968

Any number of volumes may list Joseph Campbell in their footnotes and references and influences. Pop culture knows him best as the man who influenced George Lucas to write Luke Skywalker's story as within the context of the traditional mythology described in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This book as well had been mentioned in the multiple interviews of Campbell and Lucas as influential, and I saw the Masks of God series listed elsewhere in my readings, so I knew I had to put it on my list.

WHEW! This book took forever to read! As fascinating (and repulsive) Campbell's observations on primitive mythology are, I could only read a few pages at a time before falling asleep or putting it aside for easier entertainment. I won't deny that parts of this book were simply above and beyond my intellect and archeological education, but a textbook (even an extremely well-written textbook) is still a textbook. I can't recommend this book to anyone but those pursuing a study of these themes as a career.

Still, the book is full of all kinds of nuggets- or rather, seeds- for the development of mythology and modern fiction. While this volume concerns itself primarily with primitive mythology (i.e. tribal ceremonies) there is still a good deal of mysticism and other witchcrafticism that is still around today, if only in the realm of fantasy and not religious belief.

I should probably read the rest of the series and Campbell's other works. I have every reason to believe that Book 1 is the most boring of the lot. But I probably won't. The years I listed above is the time Joe spent researching and writing this book- the contents completely take place before the time of recorded history. So it's a bit of a headache in terms of my timeline. Maybe I'll revisit Joe when I finish reading my future timeline / sci-fi booklist- which will probably coincide with when I retire in my sixties and have grandchildren.

Captain America: Red, White & Blue

This collection houses a rag-tag assembly of short stories about Captain America from different artists and writers that take place in a variety of settings. I almost left it out of the blog because it spans a very wide range of timespans. With the recent Hollywood treatment, much of the public is aware of Cap's background even if they aren't comic fans. I wanted to hit on Captain America's WWII experience and subsequent re-awakening in the Marvel universe without dwelling on it too much, since I'm not a huge fan. This collection I found at the library seemed like the perfect fit.

It started off well with an origin story by Paul Dini and Alex Ross, two blockbuster creators in the comic world. Several of the stories were done very well. There were multiple chapters involving children that hit the right notes to tug at the heartstrings.

However there were several 'what if?' stories that strayed so far from the original mythos that it simply left the reader puzzled at how it could possibly fit in, and some so stylistically dark that it seemed strained and forced.

The last sections are reprints and other stories revolving around the much-publicized death of Captain America. Having not followed recent C.A. storylines, I was very confused at which stories were cannon and which were alternate tellings of his death. The bits focusing on the reaction of Cap's friends and the public to his death were also equal parts touching and choppy, leaving me both nicely touched by a tragic storyline but also annoyed at the lack of cohesiveness and continuity.

More a tribute than any sort of story or theme, I tentatively gave this "graphic novel" a positive review for some great artwork and diversity of style, but hated it personally for having no chronology or meaning.

Fast Track

So, I signed up to be a guinea pig.  Nick Horton ( see his schtick here: http://www.theironsamurai.com/ ) is a Zen meditating Olympic Weightlifting trainer.  Nick is slick: waxed-back locks of wavy beach hair tops his closely shaved, chiseled face.  Cowboy boots poking out from beneath his tight black jeans made little stabbing kicks toward me as he walked over to greet me.  Nick didn't smell like Axe body spray; but he looked like he would.  Actually, he smelled of chocolate milk.   His t-shirt advertised "A no-nonsense plan to look great naked" and his smile promised the same thing.  He offered up a turquoise jeweled hand for me to shake: two bracelets, three rings.  And just like that...I put my wellbeing  into his hands.

Nick Horton and Peter Curcio ( http://twitter.com/petercurciord ), a registered dietitian, are writing a fat-loss book and I have volunteered to be a test subject for their research efforts.   Their basic theory is that you will be a lot less fat if you do two things:  eat nothing and lift weights.   The tricky part is the timing of both.

Today, I am currently halfway through my 5th consecutive 24hr fast.   I eat about 800 calories or so between these interval fasts.  Binary binging: one big meal a day....on again/off again.  This is crazy stuff.

The weight training that I'm subjecting myself to, consists mainly of core strength exercises.   No sexy, satisfying, manly exercises like bench presses and such.  No...just swinging a kettle-bell between my legs like I'm winding up to throw a 35lb iron purse, backwards, over my head.  And push-ups.

I'm curious/excited to see where this whole thing leads.   Stay tuned.    

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: X-Men

1963-1965

At last! The age of Marvel's Merriest Mutants! Although many iconic characters came out of the Marvel Bullpen during the early sixties, my favorite has always been the X-Men. X-Men #8 is the oldest comic in my collection (would be worth hundreds if it wasn't in pretty raddy shape). The X-Men have gone through many different versions over the last 48 years, but they have always been underdogs and lived on the fringe of the superhero cosmos. DC's many heroes were adored by their public and rarely fell into disfavor, and when they did it was usually caused by a simple misunderstanding. Similiarly, the Fantastic Four and Captain America were generally accepted by both readers and their fictional worlds to be great heroes. But Stan Lee really does deserve his place in comic book history for the real-world dynamics he brought to otherwise outlandish characters. For all of Spider-Man's problems and the Hulk's status as more monster than hero, they were still accepted by readers as popular culture.

As a small child I wanted to be Spider-Man when I grew up. The Incredible Hulk was one of the most popular shows on TV. But I don't think I had even heard of the X-Men until I became a serious collector around the time I was ten. In fact, they were very much a mystery to me until I was formally introduced to them in the infamous Secret Wars series. The X-Men were secretive and unappreciated in both reality as well as the Marvel Universe.

With early Marvel comics, you knew what you were about to read. The unitiated are quickly educated. There is high-camp, simple illustrations, and poor dialogue supporting weak plots. Stan and his writing team were silly, taking unabashed joy in their creations, even if it meant for cringe-inducing narrative and jokes. But Stan took the interrelations of the DC Universe (such as the JSA) and took the stories one step further. Battles in New York fought by the Avengers had ramifications that could be seen in other comic titles. Even in the earliest days with a handful of titles, the editorial staff was careful to note the order of the stories with connotations for the reader to understand in what order of events different events happened in different cross-titles. As far as I'm concerned, Stan Lee is the father of modern-day geek continuity. *1

The interrelations of the comic book characters was also an intentional motif on the storytelling. Not just to create a sense of realism within a city full of superpowered beings, but also to create dynamics and comparisons between the unflagging moralism of Captain America and the angry violence of the Hulk. The X-Men were hyper-aware of their sub-human social status in the Marvel U, and from their earliest days often made joking comparisons of themselves to the Fantastic Four and other "superheroes". These sarcastic comments carried a tremendous emotional weight about their own moral and social status that was unspoken in the text of the comics but carried to the reader through the simple medium of a twenty cent comic. This emotional context and 48 years of ethical dilemma storylines would not have quite the impact it does if the X-Men existed in a vacuum rather than living in the shadows of the Avengers and Fantastic Four.



It's not for me to pinpoint the apex of Jack Kirby's career. While some of the artwork here is crude compared to his later work, he gets major points for creating the look of the Marvel universe! But even as crude as much of it may be, some of the art in these early X-Men comics nail a style that was unprecedented and still sets the tone of modern mutant mystique.

Check out the very first appearance of Cerebro: The look of this mighty mutant-finding computer has changed many times over the years (often looking like an Apple II) but I think this original Kirby design is as good as any.

I love this battle spread. Small and simple by modern fold-out panorama standards, but this was the first time the teams met and in 1964 I bet this was epic.

And who knew Professor X had a boner for Jean Grey back in the day? Wasn't she a teen when she joined the group? That's just wrong!

While I'm on a roll here... What is up with Bobby Drake's milkshake? I hope that's a perspective issue, and not a malted milk bigger than his torso!

Clearly I've gotten side-tracked. Fear not loyal X-Fans! There will be plenty more of the X-Men to come in this blog. We've only just scratched the surface.



*1 In my sub-biased opinion, Marvel reached it's own epic heyday of continuity during Jim Shooter's dreadful Secret Wars II crossover event. Although the SWII comics blew harder than the Beyonder at his first gay club (*2), the organization of the massive tie-in comics spread across the entire Marvel roster. Hard-core readers like myself used the rectangular checklist on the editorial page each month to track the order of events sequenced across the entire Marvel Universe in order to track both the movements of the SWII storyline as well as other large crossover events happening at the same time. Although SWII is no defense of the much-hated Shooter, one can't fault him for putting a great deal of effort into keeping the Marvel Universe a cohesive and co-existing entity.


*2 In fairness to Jim Shooter, who has alienated many comic creators with his policies and alienated many comic readers with his tepid writing, I had the chance to meet him recently at a signing and he truly is a nice old guy. I've been following his blog in which he tells 'his side of the story' and I believe that he is a decent guy who loves the creative medium of comics and only ever intended to better the industry through sound business practices and good story-telling. But Secret Wars II still sucked, dude.

All Star Comics Vol. 11

1948-1952



Here is another trade I picked up off the library shelf somewhat randomly and decided to read simply because it fit roughly into my timeline.

One could make an argument that All Star Comics Vol. 11 jump-started my blogging hobby.

Oh sure, I posted blogs here and there. And sure, it was a fellow Gentleman who had been aggressively blogging and petitioned me to make the Quorum a reality.

But All Star Comics Vol. 11 was SO DUMB that I wrote in my Goodreads review, "One day I will write a blog dedicated to writing about how dumb All Star comics is".

This is that blog.

All-Star Comics was a series that started in the 40's during the formative years of DC comics. It is notable for the introduction of Wonder Woman and the Justice Society, the first-ever superhero team.

The trade All Star Comics Volume 11 covers the last issues featuring the Justice Society before the series gave way to the more popular western genre. They were overseen by editor Julius Schwartz. Schwartz doesn't quite have the reputation or resume of Marvel rival Stan Lee, but he was responsible for building the DC Universe as we know it now and most notably was responsible for helping bring Batman back to a more serious and shadowy crime fighter in the sixties.

When going back to read comics written before one was born, it is important to suspend the modern graphic novel state of mind. No one worried about continuity in the fifties. Adult content was simply not allowed in mainstream publishing. Art and writing weren't too experimental and the primary readership of comics was a demographic more likely to use them as coloring books than to save them.

So it was with an open mind that I borrowed this hard cover archive of golden oldies from the library and flipped it open to enjoy some old timey stories of the first superhero team, the powerful predecessors and inspiration of the modern Justice League, the groundbreaking travelers of space and time before space and time-hopping was hip, the Justice Society!

What a pisser. I believe that even as a nine-year old in 1950, I probably would have been compelled to write a letter to the editor complaining about the art and writing and demanding my ten cents back. To collect these stories and make money off of their reprints as anything other than historical curiosity is a serious insult to my intelligence. Oh, it's not all bad, I guess... But mostly it is. Take a look:


Yeah, this is exciting already.


Look, even the general public is bored of the Society. Their own friends can't wait to get out of their presence. Granted, they're in a hurry to go "do it", but still...


There is a redeeming fact about these old stories: They apparently provided a lot of inspiration for the writers of the TV show Lost.


Now, I'm no prude but I do want to warn you that the male members of the Society have very open-minded relationships, especially for the late forties, and I guess their superpowers and celebrity status allow them to be pretty open about it. Good for them.


My response here wouldn't be "A- a criminal!", it would be more like, "A- a gay clown!" I guess the villians are into tight clothes and same-sex relations as well. I'm not judging, it just seems like a weird choice to instill fear in your victims.


One neat aspect of the All Star Comics is that Schwartz often went out of his way to make sure that the science of the science-fiction was often backed up with educational tidbits for the kids. I like that, it's cool. Except for a few facts that maybe are off a bit: Like the fact that all hurricanes center around casinos.


Also, the heroes themselves are pretty dense for a group that includes several scientists. Take the example above. While investigating a mysterious race of Diamond Men, the Society attends this presentation by their spokesman and completely fail to connect the dots that the only attendee COULD BE A DIAMOND MAN. Despite his odd-looking DIAMOND FACE.
Side-note: Why is Hawkman sitting apart from the group? I understand his wings making chairs awkward, but he seems to be in dire need of going to the bathroom, and is slowly scooting his chair to the door in hopes that no one will notice as he dashes out the door to a restroom- or a flyby of a passing car.


Well, we've established that the Flash is a smart one. But just as Green Lantern tries to get in on the smart train by proposing a plan, all he has is a bee impression? That's not going to help, Dude.


Remember when the bell tower scene in Spider-Man 3 seemed like it was ripping off Tim Burton's Batman movie? Well, that was just ripping off All Star Comics 51.


"But shouldn't we capture the villian, now that we've found him, Hawkman?"
"Oh yeah, it's just that.. Well, I didn't know he'd be so dashing!"


Isn't Wonder Woman twenty times stronger than Hawkman? Oh, wait, I see... I think she's enjoying their attack. A little too much, methinks.


And here I thought Flash was the smart one. I could do a dozen different things to these hypnotized guys to stop their forced march, but I'll show off and build a bridge instead so they won't drown. Clever! While Black Canary patted him on the back afterwards, the soldiers continued on marching into a landfill where they fell to their deaths.


The stupidity abounds. You saw a guy walking around with a revolver and weren't at all alarmed? And you caught a detailed description of the gun, but NO IDEA what the gunman looked like? Things were different pre-911 I guess. This reporter wasted two panels of the comic with his lack of profiling abilities.


I'm actually a bit speechless about how to describe or mock this time machine. Or explain why it tantalizes the Justice Society. Best left unsaid.
Aha, but look! Mysterious numbers on the mysterious machine! I'm on to you, writers of Lost.
And the last panel here, where the Atom figures out that the machine eats guns and the Flash just happens to be carrying around a paper weight... What the hell, man?!


I love this full page spread! In this scene Green Lantern has actually time-traveled to the past to visit an ancient but far more advanced civilization. It looks like 2000 A.D., right? That's a pretty crazy guess at what earth would look like in 2050, much less 2000. At least they got the fact that Spanish is the dominant language right.
"I know you've never seen a gun before.." These people have rocketships. God, Green Lantern is a DOUCHE.


In this scene, we learn that the villian has a drawer literally full of guns, but prefers to use his muffler gun to shoot noxious fumes in the general direction of the superheroes. Good plan.


Despite the goody-two shoes nature of the JSA, this a prime example of the ruthless nature in which they excel at getting their enemies to commit suicide. They may be a bunch of dumb gays, but don't F with them- they will KILL YOU and then stand around moping that they were powerless to stop you.


I don't know about you, but I actually like quite a few of my co-workers. Nonetheless, I still don't really want to hang around with them on my free time. Much less at the circus. Much less in costume.


The absurdity of this circus speaks for itself. I mostly scanned this page for the weirdness of the mutual thought bubble. Is it true that they were all thinking the same thing? I don't mean a situation where you say, "Dude, I was just thinking the same thing!" I mean, they were all thinking the same monologue? And did they mutually choose to let Dr. Midnite finish the thought? The more I read these comics the more they really bother me.


This set of panels really angers me, in fact. Someone hits your prime witness in the head right in front of you, and NO ONE DOES A THING. Hey, we all have superpowers, but too bad we're all too dumb to try and catch the villian.
"We've got to know what he's saying! Oh, nevermind, it's just the alphabet."


"Pretend we're bees! They'll get bored when we don't produce honey!" OH, GL, you and your bee fixation.


Yeah, the JSA are pretty dopey, but if you mess with them they will NUKE YOUR PLANET. And make it look like an accident. This is the only reason you should respect the Justice Society of America.


Actually, their harsh treatment of criminals is a little hard to understand when most of their enemies are helpless old men, homosexual performers, and cute Disney characters.


Okay, I was joking before about the writers of Lost ripping off All Star Comics, but now I'm serious. This is ridiculous.


This panel is a lot funnier if you imagine the audience member's voice dripping with sarcasm. How else does that sentence make sense when what the JSA is doing is sending and reading cablegrams?


At least I feel a bit better knowing that all crimefighters are morons.


First of all- genius detective work, WW. Second of all, Wonder Woman's Robot Plane has Siri? That is so cool.


There you have it. The old-school Justice Society has a few strengths and cool points, but when the chips are down, even the strongest super heroes of the golden age can be taken down by a thug with a small billy club.