Tatjana Wood

 One of the great comic book colorists passed away recently.  

Tatjana Wood died February 27 at the age of 99.

Tatjana Wood around 1950. 

She was born Tatjana Weintraub  Darmstadt, Germany, on March 2, 1926.  She married artist Wally Wood in 1950 and worked as an assistant on some of his stories.

She went to work as a colorist for DC Comics where she provided colors for most of DC's covers from the 1970's and '80's.

Below is a sample of her cover color work for Tom Yeates' cover for Saga of the Swamp Thing#1.

Here are a couple of pages of her interior coloring work over Steve Bissette and John Totleben when Alan Moore was writing Swamp Thing.

In today's earlier post, I referenced that Swamp Thing and Abby Arcane have sex with the help of a sweet potato. 

Actually, it was a  yam.

And this spash page colored by Tatjana is from that issue.

Tatjana Wood was also the colorist for Camelot 3000 by Mike Barr and Brian Bolland. 

From The Question#1 by Denny O'Neil, Denys Cowan and Rick Magyar, dig Tatjana's use of blue to make the figure in the forefront pop and establish a tense and ominous mood. 

Tatjana won the Shazam Award in 1971 and 1974 for best colorist and was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame  in recognition of her talent and her contributions to the comic book industry in 2023. 

Any story with a color credit for Tatjana Wood was the promise of an issue that would at least look fantastic, elevating good art to great art.

Tatjana's gifts and talents were a blessing to the art of comic books and she will be missed.  

You Can Just Go To Hell With Dave-El's Spinner Rack and the Justice League

If you're in the DC Universe, oh, the places you can go.

The undersea kingdom of Atlantis!

The savage world located in Earth's center, Skartaris!

The tropical island paradise of Themyscira!

Or you can go to HELL! 

I'm not talking about my last trip to Disney World.

I mean the literal Hell.

The abyss, the pit. 

A place of damnation and torture.

A region of cursed pain and torment.

And you can get there from here.

I mean, it's not like hopping a bus from Bakerline to Centennial Park in Metropolis but in the DC Universe, it's a real place you can go.

Like the Justice League.

In recent issues of Justice League Unlimited, Mr. Terrific has been leading a team of heroes into Hell to confront the demon Neron.

Some back story: over in the DC K.O. event book, Darkseid is coming and a bunch of heroes have been attempting to secure an ultimate power source to be come King Omega in order to have the power to repel Darkseid once and for all.,

(I'll cover that ground some more in next week's Spinner Rack post.) 

Meanwhile the Justice League is expending considerable effort to fortify or evaculate the Earth in advance of Darkseid's arrival.  A herculean enterprise made more difficult by Neron's fuckery.

Seems Neron has co-opted a bunch of Earth's super villains to take advantage of all this chaos to scoop up bunches and bunches of souls for Neron to snack on.

Mr. Terrific assembles a team to get tell him to knock it off.

And to do that, they gotta go where Neron lives.

Which is Hell.

The premise of Justice League Unlimited is that every hero on Earth is a member of the League.

And even that expansive mandate has undergone a glow up.

There are now heroes from elsewhere in time and the multiverse. 

Like Batman is from the future, Terry McGinnis who we know from Batman Beyond.  And Superman is from the past when he was in that god awful electric blue phase.  

Mr. Terrific starts off with a team of ten but by issue #14, his task force has been whittled down to seven.

And the demons and monsters of Hell ain't done whittling. 

Aquaman gets an awesome kickass moment taking down a very large demon by his own damn self. 

His epic heroism is rewarded with a terrible and ferocious death.

This is Hell after all.

And then there was six.  

And the whitling just won't stop and by the time Mr. Terrific actually makes it to Neron, he is all alone.

Or is he? 

A treacherous betrayal puts the kibosh on Mr. Terrific's desperate plan.

The physical lives of everyone on Earth maybe forfeit to Darkseid.

And all their souls now belong to Neron. 

There's a mighty deep dark hole to crawl out of before this saga is done.

Reflecting on the Justice League's journey to Hell brought my thoughts back to a fondly remembered classic comic book from my youth that also featured DC characters on a quest into Hell.  

That story was "Down Amongst the Dead Men" by Alan Moore,  Stephen R. Bissette & John Totleben  from Swamp Thing Annual#2 from October 1984.   

Some back story: in the regular monthy series, Swamp Thing had a major confrontation with his arch nemesis Anton Arcane. Things do not go well for Anton but just as he does, he gets one last "fuck you" at Swamp Thing by killing Anton's niece Abby (and Swampy's girlfriend) and sending her soul to Hell.

Well, I guess Swamp Thing's gotta go get her, I reckon.

(That cover and the double page spread above was colored by Tatjana Wood who sadly passed away about 2 weeks ago. More about her in today's 2nd post.)

With help from such DC supernatural stalwarts like Deadman, the Phantom Stranger, the Spectre and the Demon Etrigan, Swamp Thing descends into Hell to rescue Abby.

There's this great scene where Swamp Thing ponders why God allows Hell to exist and Etrigan replies that God grieves that Hell even exists and that it's foundations are built not by God but by Man.  

Swamp Thing runs into Anton who is being ass raped by demons with red hot pokers but it's worth it to know he fucked with his enemy by sending Abby to Hell.

Anton asks Swamp Thing how many years has he been in Hell.

Swamp Thing replies that Anton Arcane has only been in Hell for one day.

Anton's blood curdling scream splits the brimstone air as Swamp Thing shambles away on his quest.

Long story made short: Swamp Thing finds Abby and gets her the hell out of, you know, Hell. 

In a couple of months, Swamp Thing and Abby will consumate their relationship.  

Yes, they have sex.

It involves a sweet potato.

It's quite a beautiful experience.

Back to present day comics....

Next week the Spinner Rack looks in on the DC K.O. event.

Which hero...or villain... will become King Omega?

Will it be enough to stop Darkseid? 

Flight Of Fancy

The war with Iran continues and there is a lot going spawning multiple levels of concern.

Who knows where to start?

Well, I don't and I won't.  

I'll summarize my feelings on this war as best I can: 

• It shouldn't have started in the first place.
• It's creating nothing but chaos and uncertainty.
• It will not end on good terms for anybody.
• And Donald Trump is just lying about eveything.

If you seek more cogent analysis, you need to look elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, today's post is about something else.

About my own gullibility.

______________________________

About a month ago, I saw a video on Tik Tok that got my attention. A nondescript Asian gentleman in glasses and a button down shirt solemnly declared that the United States has lost a war.

With Canada.

As you know, Donald Trump has had a mad on at Canada, accusing our northern neighbor of taking advantage of the United States and Li'l Donnie was not gonna take it anymore.

He slapped punative tariffs on Canadian goods to teach them a lesson. Along with multiple insults directed at Canada to show his utter disdain for the country. 

What Li'l Donnie fails to reckon with is that the people he bullies can fight back and that was the gist of this video.

Basically the story goes is that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's government issued a directive to suspend preferential overflight rights that the United States airline industry has enjoyed for decades. 

So what this amounts to is that shortcuts that various American airlines used for international flights through Canadian airspace to save time and fuel (and therefore money) were no longer available.  Airlines would need to make longer trips, make more frequent stops and use more fuel without those shortcuts through Canada.

Basically if Trump thought he could fuck with Canada, he forgot Mark Carney could fuck with America right back.

I posted a comment: "As an American, I find myself rooting for Canada."  

Whatever it takes to put that orange fat fuck Donald J. Trump in his place, am I right?

To date, I have 37.8K likes on that comment!

But...

Why wasn't I hearing more about this story?

It seems a ballsy move like that by Mark Carney would've elicited some kind of whiny bitch session from Li'l Donnie on his moth eaten Truth Social shit show.

The video was posted by a Tik Tok account known as story.tale962 with the innocuous descriptor of providing financial analysis on daily commodities.

And all the videos have the same static shot of that nondescript Asian gentleman in glasses and always with the same button down shirt.  

Ah geez! Did I fall for some generative AI shit?  

I did some digging and found no other viable sources for the "Canada shuts down airspace to the United States" story anywhere.

I did find a write up in LinkedIn that backs up what I found, that there's no credible reporting behind this story.  

What is going on is due to Trump's negative actions and rhetoric which has decimated Canadians' desire to travel to the United States and instead maybe visit Mexico or some where else. 

Canadian airlines have addressed their falling capacity for U.S. flights by reducing the number of flights scheduled to go to the United States.

But Mark Carney and the Candadian government blocking American access to Canada's airspace? It's not a thing.

It's just a flight of fancy. 

And I fell I for some generative AI shit! 

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Wonder Man

A couple of weeks ago, Andrea and I finished up Wonder Man, the new Marvel TV series on on Disney+.

If you're thinking "Oh no, who needs yet another Marvel thing to keep up with", let me assure you that although this series is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is very much its own thing.

It's a Marvel thing for people who may be tired of Marvel things.

 Abdul-Mateen II is Simon Williams, a struggling Hollywood actor. His struggles mostly stem from his inability to get out of his own way, his obsessions with such scholarly acting issues like backstory and motivations.  

His bit part in an American Horror Story series gets cut because Simon causes the production crew to lose hours while Simon works out his relationship with another character and where exactly he should fall on the floor when his character is murdered. 

(I am reminded of something Lawrence Olivier said to notorious method actor Dustin Hoffman: "My boy, have ever tried just acting?")

Simon's propensity for precise acting perfection has labeled him difficult to work with so finding work is difficult for Simon and his agent.

But then Simon hears there's going to be a big budget version of the cheesy 1980's sci-fi romp "Wonder Man" with a big name director attached and it becomes Simon's #1 priority to get an audition to be Wonder Man.

Seeing "Wonder Man" with his late father is a cherished memory for Simon and he can, he will, he must be the new Wonder Man. 

Helping Simon on his journey is actor Trevor Slattery.

Ben Kingsley plays Trevor with a Zen like calm and a quiet quirky sense of humor with a John Lennon-esque lilt in his voice.

Trevor is trying to put his most infamous role behind him.

Trevor Slattery was the super terrorist known as the Mandarin.

Or more to the point, The Mandarin was a false front for terrorist activities caused by evil scientist Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3.  (So there is THAT connection to the MCU.) 

Trevor's path crossed with Simon's and the two bond over their love of acting with Trevor's Zen like tranquility as an effective counter to Simon's intensity.

But Trevor's presence in Simon's life is not a coincidence. 

Trevor has been co-opted by the government's Dept. of Damage Control which has identified Simon Williams as a potential threat.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that Simon has super powers, some form of chaotic psychokenetic energy that manifests itself when Simon becomes stresssed or upset.  Simon's life is marked by strange incidents of things breaking, exploding or catching fire.

Damage Control wants Trevor to gather Intel that will enable the government to throw Simon into their woefully underpopulated prison for super powered threats.  They need to justify their government funding by throwing a super powered threats into prison once in a while.

(Comparisons to ICE may be a coincidence or entirely the point.) 

Simon is trying to keep his super powers on the down low due to Hollywood's recent rule on NOT hiring super powered people to act in TV shows and movies.

A rule instituted after DeMarr "Doorman" Davis killed beloved comic actor Josh Gad with his dimensional warping powers.

(All of episode 4 is focused on DeMarr's journey to becoming a super powered multi media darling until he's done in by overexposure and overuse of his catch phrase "Ding Dong!"  And the power glitch that vanishes Josh Gad from the face the of the Earth. The episode has none of the series regulars except for one very brief scene with Simon at the end.)

Despite pressure from Damage Control to produce something incriminating about Simon at the risk of being thrown back in jail, Trevor genuinely becomes fond of Simon and is determined to protect him.  

And likewise, Simon regards Trevor as a true friend and a trusted confidant.  

It is that very trust and friendship that fuels the fire of Simon's rage when he discovers Trevor's conntection to Damage Control and his powers manifest in a destructive blast that destroys a movie studio.

Damage Control is coming to arrest Simon Williams but Trevor Slatterly has one last role to play to save his friend.  

Wonder Man has a unique voice from what one might expect from a Marvel movie or TV show and a lot of it's charm comes from the chemistry of Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley.  It's a story that is both funny and sad, challenging and uplifting. 

And that is that for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase.

Next week: Outlander is back! (YAY!) For it's final season. (NOOOOOO!) 

I'm not ready for this! 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.   

Blog Bidness: When Strikes... the Bananas!

Oh no! You know what this image means....

It's a blog break!

It's not for a want of things to write about.

There's that pesky war that is not a war but we're calling it a war even though we're also saying it's not a war but damn isn't it great to say the word "WAR" but....

Yes, that war.

It's like on M*A*S*H*  when someone would say "This damn war!" and then would correct themselves with "This damn police action!" 

Well, I could write about that and don't think that Trump's fuckery in Iran is precluding other fuckery back at home.  

Topics to write about are plentiful.

My willingness.... eh, not so much.

I'll be back tomorrow with the Tuesday TV Touchbase.

And Wednesday I might be willing to play catch up on some of the fuckery in the world.

Thursday is comic book day and that dang post is already written.

So that's all for me.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.

And also remember that  bananas are an important source of potassium.  

This (Non) Sporting Life: Duke Vs. Carolina 2026 -Part 2

 This is My (Non) Sporting Life, my blog post about sports from a guy who does not know much about sports.

I don't know about sports and I don't care about sports.

Well, normally I don't care.

But...

In the previous match up between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tarheels, Duke was a rompin' and a stompin' for 39 minutes but games are 40 minutes and thanks to a literal last second 3 pointer by Seth Trimble, Carolina won the game.

Well... so what?

I'm the guy who does not know much about sports and also does not care. 

So big deal. Carolina won. What do I care?

But...

Going into last night rematch at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, I had to admit.... I did care! 

VENGEANCE DOTH BELONGETH TO THE BLUE DEVILS SAYETH ME!!

Duke needed to win this thing!

WIN, DAMN YOU! WIN!!!!!

<ahem> Sorry about that. 

I should mention that my quest for vengeance was taking place in the belly of the metaphorical beast.

We were watching the game with Andrea's dad at his house.

As I have written before, Andrea is deeply, truly and passionately a Carolina fan.

A sentiment shared by her father.

And I'm going to sit across from them in his home and cheer for Duke?

Damn straight I will! 

And vengeance belonged to the Blue Devils.

No. 1 Duke beat No. 17 North Carolina 76-61.

A 15 point margin of victory that was actually wider at earlier points the game. 

This was a good ol' Fashioned Duke Blue ass whuppin'! 

Game super stars Maliq Brown and Cameron Boozer.

So yay team!

And I feel better now.

Which is weird and I don't get it.

It's not like I went to Duke or know anyone who went to Duke or even have money on the game or anything else that might be relevant.  

Now...

Can I go back to not caring about sports?

Caring about sports is so exhausting! 

Movie Time: Five Minutes to Live

It's Movie Time! 

Today's cinema themed post takes us back to 1961 for a crime thriller that features the film debut of Johnny Cash.

You mean "Ring of Fire" Johnny Cash?

"I Walk the Line" Johnny Cash?

That Johnny Cash?

Yep, that Johnny Cash. 

And get a load of this: he plays a psycho-killer!! 

Not Johnny Cash?

Yep, he does.

From 1961, it's Five Minutes To Live! 

Roll the credits! 

Hey, is that Johnny Cash singing the theme song?

Yes it is! 

Fred Dorella has a plan to rob a bank. 

He's gonna walk into the bank by himself and speak with Ken Wilson, the vice president of the bank who will give him a sack of money and Fred will simply walk out.

Now why will Ken just give Fred a sack full of money?

That's where Johnny Cabot comes in.

Johnny Cabot (played by Johnny Cash) is a high strung psychopath, always teetering on the edge of a violent outburst.

After Ken has gone off to work and little Bobby has scampered off to school, Johnny lures Ken's wife Nancy into her home and holds her hostage with instructions to kill her if Fred doesn't call every five minutes.

After each phone call from Fred, Johnny reminds Nancy she has 5 minutes to live if Fred doesn't call again.

Hey! That's the title of the movie!

Johnny also sings to Nancy part of the theme song too! 

Well, surely Ken won't let Nancy die, right?

Well, it seems that Ken has a mistress he has been scheming to run off with. He's even cooked up a scheme to run off with his girlfriend to Las Vegas but wasn't sure what to do with the wife.

Crazy Cabot putting a bullet between her eyes would solve all sorts of problems.  

Fred had been casing the Wilson household for days and didn't see that twist coming. But he thinks that maybe Ken doesn't have the guts to see through letting Nancy get murdered.

Ken tries to stare down Fred but yeah, he gives in with seconds to spare. 

"Is this over yet?"  
Sorry, Nancy, no it's not.

But Nancy is far from safe.

Johnny Cabot is walking a razor's edge between barely functioning humanity and a murderous psychotic desire to kill... something. Anything.  He may not want to wait for Fred's phone check in.

While quivering with the need to kill this woman, Johnny spends the time tormenting, torturing her and threatening to sexually assault her.  

While he's successful coerced Ken into handing over a sackful of money, Fred's shifty dodgy self has not escaped the notice of Ken's boss who realizes something is up. 

When the boss intervenes, Ken tries to interfere to help Fred escape to keep Nancy alive. But no go! Fred is arrested and Ken is beside himself with worry that Nancy is going to die when Fred does not make his next phone call.

Back home at hostage central, little Bobby comes home for lunch. (OK, he's a little kid. How did he get out of school to come home for lunch?)

Bobby's presence is a trigger for Johnny's anxiety and pyshosis.  Johnny is prepared to kill anyone at anytime but he's got a thing about kids being in danger that really, really upsets him. A lot!

Then the police show up and Johnny just goes total bug nuts, grabs Bobby as a hostage and attempts to flee. 

The police open fire and what the hell? Bobby gets shot and slumps dead to the ground.

You gotta be kidding me! 

Enraged that the kid got killed, Johnny opens fire on the police who return the favor and down goes Johnny Cabot in a hail of bullets, his evil miserable existence brought to an end.

Oh, don't worry about Bobby. He's seen enough crime shows on TV to know to play dead to escape from Johnny.

Oh, what a scamp! 

And the movie ends with Ken and Nancy going away on a romantic getaway to Las Vegas.  (Hey, that's where he was going to take his mistress, right? Yeah, just don't tell Nancy, OK?)

The "It's That Person Who Was In That Thing" Department

The role of Fred Dorella was played by Vic Tayback. Tayback was one of those character actors who was in a lot of things but mostly came to prominence in the 1970's as diner owner Mel in the TV series Alice. But for us sci-fi nerds, Vic Tayback's most memorable role was as mob boss Krako in the Star Trek episode "A Piece of the Action") – Jojo Krako

Why does li'l Bobby look and sound like Opie Taylor? Because it's future Oscar winning film director Ron Howard.  Ron steals the movie if you ask me. He's such an adorable li'l scamp.

 After it's initial release in 1961, Five Minutes To Live was released again in 1966 under the title Door To Door Maniac. 

The name Cay Forrester appears twice in the credits, once as an actress in the role of Nancy Wilson and secondly as the film's screenwriter. With roles limited for middle aged women in Hollywood, Cay wrote herself a nice juicy dramatic part as the imperiled Nancy.

And how was Johnny Cash as the murderous psycho maniac Johnny Cabot.  He is sufficiently weird and frightening but I will say it's a good thing he had that music career to fall back on.

Let's wrap things up with a trailer for the film's 1966 Door To Door Maniac re-release.