The Appletons: The Mime

The Appletons: The Mime
by B. K. Taylor
from National Lampoon 1989

reprinted in I Think He's Crazy, Fantagraphics, 2020

From 1975 to 1990, B. K. 'Bob' Taylor provided three recurring comic strips to the National Lampoon: 'The Appletons', 'Timberland Tales', and 'Uncle Kunta'.

Taylor's skilled draftsmanship was always an integral part of his work for the Lampoon.

Here's a 1989 entry for 'The Appletons', featuring a mime. I hate mimes, so I'm happy with the outcome of this adventure..........

Surf, Skate, and Rock Art of Jim Phillips

Surf, Skate, and Rock Art of Jim Phillips

Schiffer, 2004

'Surf, Skate, and Rock Art of Jim Phillips' (208 pp.) was published by Schiffer in 2004. Like another trade paperback from Schiffer that I own, 'It Must Be Art: Big O Poster Artists of the 1960s and 70s', 'Surf' is very well-made, with a thick cardboard stock cover, sewn binding, thick, sturdy pages, and high-res reproductions of the profiled artwork.

Jim Phillips was born on October 24, 1944, in San Jose and grew up in Santa Cruz, a block from the beach. This was the Santa Cruz of California myth and legend, where beaches were deserted five days a week, where '....you could go out at Pleasure Point and not see another surfer all day', in the words of Phillips's friend, and fellow Santa Cruz native, Rich Novak. 

Phillips learned to surf on the longboards of the 1950s and failed to graduate high school due to the presence of the waves, beckoning to him on his daily commute to school. It was in high school that Phillips began to hone his skills as an artist, and while working as a 'glasser' in local surf shops in the early 60s, he began painting his friends' cars and submitting cartoons to surfing magazines.

In 1965 Phillips enrolled in the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland and became involved in the burgeoning rock concert scene in the Bay area, providing posters, and working as a technician for the light shows accompanying concerts. The decade saw Phillips embarking on a peripatetic lifestyle that introduced him to different people and places, including a meeting with Rick Griffin, the artist who most shared with Phillips the 'California' sensibility towards graphic art, in 1967.

In the Fall of 1969 Phillips resettled in Santa Cruz, where he remains to this day, and began a career in commercial art, starting with surfboards, and then segueing into skateboards for local company Santa Cruz Skateboards / NHS. By the late 70s, Phillips yearly was churning out hundreds of graphics for decks, stickers, logos, catalogs, and advertising for NHS, as well as commercial art for area businesses and publications. During the 1980s Phillips gained fame (but sadly, not fortune) while supplying iconic art and graphics for NHS, by then one of the top skateboard manufacturers in the world, all the while continuing to earn commissions for rock posters.

By the early 1990s, Phillips had become disenchanted with working for the skateboard industry and he retooled his portfolio, remaining a go-to artist for posters, but also expanding into digitally produced art for print media, and art for tee shirts. 

One thing that emerges from the pages of 'Surf, Skate, and Rock Art' is that Phillips, had he so desired, could've been a major player in the comix scene unfolding during the late 60s and on into the 90s. He certainly had the artistic ability, which, when paired with his affection for the drawing styles of the 1950s, allowed him to do some interesting things those few times he did turn his attention to that genre of sequential art:

On into the 2000s, Phillips concentrated more on studio art and the collector's market, while his reputation as an innovative artist whose graphics helped define the modern skateboarding era continued to grow. 

Now retired and dedicated to painting studio pieces, Phillips is a Santa Cruz / Northern California institution and his legacy is perpetuated by his son, Jimbo Phillips, and grandson, Colby Phillips.

Growing up in upstate New York, and being a bit too old to experience the whole skateboard culture when it emerged in the mid-1970s, I found quite a supply of goodness unknown to me in the pages of 'Surf, Skate, and Rock Art'. 

Many of the deck,  advertisement, and sticker graphics composed by Phillips and his team of younger artists will readily appeal to anyone who is a fan of commercial art with a 'lowbrow' sensibility. 

And the rock show posters, done by Phillips for bands famous and not-so-famous, all showcase his ability to bring memorable imagery to a genre of commercial art that continues to gain greater recognition with the passage of time.

For those who like to reminisce about the California that used to be, the legendary California of the pop culture of the 60s, 70s and 80s, the art displayed in the book will inject a powerful dose of nostalgia.

Summing up, anyone with a fondness for graphic art will find 'Surf, Skate, and Rock Art of Jim Phillips' well worth looking into, especially given its very affordable pricing at amazon.

At the Library Sale, April 2022

At the Library Sale, April 2022

Well, it was time again for the semi-annual book sale held by the local library, and I of course made my way to the site (and stepped carefully around the resellers, who tote in crates into which they sling books by the pound), and made my way to the sci-fi area. 

There I was able to pick up a mix of hardcover and softcover titles that may prove to be worthwhile reading......

The Disch short-story collection from 1968 should have a couple of stories that are rewarding. I'm not sure about the Cherryh omnibus. 

As for the paperbacks, 'Edge', 'White Squaw', and 'Apache' all are fine representatives of the transgressive Piccadilly Western / Adult Western genre that flourished during the 70s and early 80s.

According to a laugh-out-loud review of a 'White Squaw' title at The Paperback Warrior blog, 'Of all the series released during the golden age of action/adventure paperbacks, 'White Squaw' is one of the most sordid.' 

That's all the endorsement a Paperback Fanatic needs to snap up such a treasure at the Library Sale !

And the novel by Frisco Hitt (I can't tell if its a pseudonym or a genuine name) looks like a fun entry in the 'Savage Tales of Africa' genre pioneered by such novels as 'The Dark of the Sun' and 'The Dogs of War'. 

All in all, a nice collection, for only a couple of bucks apiece. Always worthwhile to patronize the local library book sale !

Sergeant Slaughter and Camouflage Rocks America

Sergeant Slaughter and Camouflage

Rocks America

Cobra Records, 1985

'MURRICA !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm pleased to present this bit of mid-1980s magic and mystery.

Sergeant Slaughter, everyone is behind you

Sergeant Slaughter, you defend our red-white-and-blue

'Cause you love everybody, in this land so much

But if somebody puts down America, they better beware

Of the Cobra Clutch.........! 

Robert Rudolph Remus (b. 1948) grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and served in the Marines. In the 1970s he began a career in professional wrestling, under his own name and later, the moniker 'Super Destroyer Mark II'. But it was in 1980, when he joined the World Wrestling Federation and performed as 'Sergeant Slaughter', that fame came to Robert Remus. 

Wearing a campaign hat and sunglasses, Slaughter initially was a villain, and during the early 80s, pitted against the wholesome, All-American WWF wrestler Bob Backlund in some memorable matches. 

By the time of 1984's 'World War Three', a titanic battle with the Iron Sheikh, Sgt. Slaughter had transitioned into a good-guy persona and the embodiment of American patriotism (although in the 1990s, Slaughter reverted to evil again, and portrayed himself as a Iraqi sympathizer). 

Slaughter's signature wrestling move was the 'Cobra Clutch', which was so powerful and inexorable that no adversary could recover, once Clutched........................

In 1985, Remus recorded a record album, titled Sgt. Slaughter and Camouflage Rocks America (‘Camouflage’ apparently was another wrestler, about whom little information is available). Slaughter's participation was rather limited (he wasn't all that keen on doing the album in the first place). 

On the lead track, 'Cobra Clutch', his contribution was limited to growling the eponymous phrase. 

However cheesey the idea of the album, there is no getting around the fact that some of the tracks on Sgt. Slaughter and Camouflage Rocks America are pretty catchy. I found 'Cobra Clutch', with a great 80s- style guitar riff, to be an Earworm ! 

I invite you to listen and see what you think............and don't blame me if you succumb !

The Curt Wysocki bucket hat

The Curt Wysocki Bucket Hat

I certainly don't consider myself a fashion-forward individual, but I've decided that for Summer of '22 I'm going to sport a white bucket hat, just like my hero, Mr. Curt Wysocki.

Curt Wysocki is my favorite character in one of my favorite sci-fi comics of the early 1990s, Car Warriors. 

Issued by Marvel under its 'Epic' imprint, the four issue series was based on 'Car Wars', a role-playing game released by Steve Jackson Games in 1980.

The Wysockis are among the participants in the death race known as the DeLorean Run. They are an all-American family, with son Junior, daughter Sissy, Mom Agnes, and Dad Curt. 

They see the Run as the most binkin' vacation ever..........and the Wysockis never run from a fight ! They know 'the family that slays together, stays together !' 

Throughout Car Warriors Curt Wysocki sports a white bucket hat, and determined to emulate my hero, I went and got myself a white bucket hat from amazon for under ten bucks. It fits OK, looks good, and will serve me well in the upcoming warm-weather months. It's the perfect accessory for the middle-aged man who is coping with the travails of life - and bratty kids, in particular - as best he can.

Stylin' !

Exiled by Caza

Exiled
by Caza

from Heavy Metal magazine, May, 1982 

Yet another tale from Caza that asks, in a comic but meaningful manner, if there aren't better alternatives to living in a banlieue in the dehumanizing apartment complexes designed by the architect Le Corbusier..........

Book Review: The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural

Book Review: 'The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural' edited by Stephen Jones and David Sutton

3 / 5 Stars

‘The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural’ (593 pp.) was published by Magpie Books (UK) in 1994. Somewhat confusingly, in the UK, in January 1994, Tiger Books released a hardcover edition (with the exact same contents) titled as ‘The Anthology of Fantasy & the Supernatural’. Both volumes are roughly the same size (scan below):

Editors Stephen Jones and David Sutton founded the semiprofessional magazine Fantasy Tales in 1977, which became the UK’s premiere outlet for short fiction in the horror and fantasy genres before it ceased publication in 1991. 

Jones and Sutton then commenced to assemble and publish a steady stream of intimidatingly bulky anthologies in horror and fantasy literature, often using past contributors to Fantasy Tales as well as entries originating from newer writers. 

Nowadays Jones and Sutton continue their editorial enterprises, with the 552-page ‘The Mammoth Book of Folk Horror’ seeing print in 2021.…………

Most of the 39 entrants in 1994’s ‘The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural’ are exclusive commissions, but a few first saw print in other venues, such as Andrew J. Offutt’s ‘Swords Against Darkness’ anthology from the 1970s.

Fantasy Tales, which sought to emulate the pulp-era U.S. magazine Weird Tales, was illustrated with black-and-white and graytone illustrations by a coterie of skilled artists, and this philosophy ably is carried over into the 24 illustrations featured in ‘The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural’.  

Needless to say, it took me some time to work my way through the 593 pp. of ‘The Giant Book’. I offer up capsule summaries of the contents:

Child of an Ancient City, by Tad Williams: a novelette about storytelling by the fireside…….under duress.

The Cutty Black Sow, by Thomas F. Monteleone: the supernatural intrudes into suburbia.

Treason in Zagadar, by Adrian Cole: a ‘King Kull’ novelette set in a restive city where duplicities abound. This is one of the best entrants in the anthology. Cole channels the sensibility of Robert E. Howard as well as, if not better than, others who have attempted this task.

Fatal Age, by Nancy Holder: nightmares assail a housewife. The story does a good job of satirizing the Chuck E. Cheese ‘family’ restaurants. 

The Mouths of Light, by Ramsey Campbell: a ‘Ryre’ adventure from 1979. I’m not a fan of most of Campbell’s horror fiction, but this Old School sword-and-sorcery tale is worth reading.

Symbol, by David Schow: the actual title of this story is a grafitto of some kind, that can’t be reproduced using a computer keyboard, so I’ll simply call the story ‘Symbol’. It’s about a scabby band of punks who wander downtown Los Angeles; when one of their number dies, it triggers strange happenings. This story has enough splatterpunk content to make it stand out from all the others in the anthology, which, I reckon, is something in Schow’s favor………….

The Storyteller’s Tale, by Brian Stableford: effective tale about a desert and its hazards.

The Big Game, by Nicholas Royle: a sci-fi tale about the transgressions of the Rich and Deviant.

The Cat in the Wall, by Alex Stewart: when taking up residence in old cottages in the Suffolk countryside, etiquette must be observed. Another of the better stories in the collection.

The Shadow Queen, by Anne Goring: sent to live with unpleasant relatives, Lizzie must rely on supernatural aid to assert her independence.

The Waldteufel Affair, by Brian Mooney: an Old School werewolf tale, with German castles, deep and dark forests, and characters who smoke cigars and sip cognac (when not visiting libraries to research Eldritch phenomena).  

Up Yours, Federico, by Parke Godwin: sometimes, the underdog just might win a contest……

Foul Moon Over Sticklespine Lane, by Andrew Darlington: there’s a new drug out on the streets, and Terry is desperate for a fix…….this could have been a memorable horror story, but the author – a poet – overloads his prose with purple-ness.

The Star Weave of Snorgrud Sunbreath, by Mike Chandler: an aged dragon gets a chance to go out in style.

Pele, by Melanie Tem: a tearjerker about the magic of Hawaii, and the agonies of True Love. Sniff.

Alchemist’s Gold, by William Thomas Webb: a polemic about the evils of organized religion. The messaging is too over-the-top to be effective.

The Horror Writer, by Allen Ashely: what would you be willing to forfeit in exchange for becoming a best-selling author ?

The Healing Game, by Laurence Staig: when the incel Drood finds a strange virus lodged in his computer, it changes his life in ways he ever expected. This story could have been a great melding of cyberpunk and horror tropes, but the ending is too contrived to be effective.

The Love-Gift, by Josepha Sherman: Orphaned and left to fend for herself, budding sorceress Wena confronts the world’s dangers.

A New Lease, by David Riley: snot-nosed Brit kids poke around an abandoned factory.

A Fly on the Wall, by H. J. Cording: one must always take care when handling magic lamps.

At Diamond Lake, by William F. Nolan: Steve’s wife Ellen insists on an extended stay at the family cabin at Diamond Lake; it might not be the best of ideas.

Satan Claws, by Randall D. Larson: black humor treatment of a man who denies the spirit of the season.

The Maiden and the Minstrel, by Dallas Clive Goffin: a humorous three-pager.

Sight Unseen, by Jean-Daniel Breque: although his personality is most unpleasant, Bressault possesses a unique gift. 

The Malspar Sigil, by David Andreas: Pharazeon swindles a merchant out of a valuable gem; there are consequences.

Cracking, by Steve Green: three-page treatment of an urban legend.

Angel Combs, by Steve Rasnic Tem: Annie doesn’t have much money, but she does have a powerful sense of imagination.

The Waters of Knowing, by S. M. Stirling: a novelette with interesting characters, but so badly overwritten that it was a chore to finish.

Just A Visitor at Twilight, by Charles Wagner: the narrator’s Mom resides in a nursing home where mysterious things are happening. Effective, without being sentimental or maudlin.

And Make Me Whole, by Joel Lane: James’s new boyfriend Adrian is a bit odd…… huffing lighter fluid is the mildest of his eccentricities……..

The Last Child of Masferigon, by Darrell Schweitzer and John Gregory Betancourt: a fable about the nature of humanity.

Silent Scream, by Samantha Lee: there’s a reason why Irma Longford drinks too much alcohol.

Store Wars, by Gary Kilworth: a witty tale about conflict within the floors of Maccine’s Department Store.

Daddy, by Earl Godwin: a one-night stand brings with it unforeseen consequences. Creepy and imaginative, and one of the better entries in the anthology.

The Dark Fantastic, by Adam Nichols: fantasy and sci-fi mix…… in a rather confusing tale.

The View, by Michael Marshall Smith: Mark takes a room in a most unusual apartment building. This story’s references to Sainsbury’s, U2, and the Bangles make it very British, and very 90s. But in the end it’s another ‘quiet horror’ tale whose deliberate pacing leads to an underwhelming denouement.

The Salesman and the Traveling Farmer’s Daughter, by C. Bruce Hunter: little girls should stay away from seemingly kindly old men.

And the Spirit that Stands by the Naked Man, by Peter Dennis Pautz: a photographer finds artistic fulfillment in an unlikely place. Overloaded with self-consciously ‘artistic’ prose, this easily is the worst story in the entire anthology.

Summing up, I can’t say that there are enough worthy entries in ‘The Giant Book of Fantasy and the Supernatural’ to justify searching for it. That said, if you happen to come across a reasonably priced copy and you’re a dedicated fan of genre literature of the early 1990s, then you may find it appealing.

Blade Runner: This is the City

Blade Runner: This is the City

from Heavy Metal magazine, June 1982

PorPor Books Blog reader Hugo was interested in the six-page preview for the film Blade Runner that appeared in the June, 1982 issue of Heavy Metal magazine. 

I went down to my basement, and dug through a box, and came up with the issue and scanned the article at 300 dpi / page.......so, here you go, Hugo !