plastic man header

How do you like this as the header for my possible new Plastic Man blog at http://itsplasticmansworldandwejustliveinit.blogspot.com/ I have been trying to sharpen my powerpoint skills on Mail it to team-up, I don't have photoshop so I don't know how to do that yet. I was going to try and put ever tupe of version of Plastic Man on the header and have some of the JLA members saying the title. But I came across this one on the internet at http://www.eslahoradelastortas.com/el-origen-de-las-especies-plastic-man/ The site is in spanish so I'm not sure what it is saying but I hope they don't mind if I use it as the header. I doubt I could have created a better one. So until I do or if they don't like me using it this is the header.

50 years ago today in history.

50 years ago this month in 1961 was a big month for many people. If you are a comics fan it was big because of many classic stories that came out at that time. The biggest was that the first issue of the Fantastic Four was released. Back then books were dated 3 months ahead as the publishers thought this gave their books 2 or 3 additional months that the comics would stay on the newsstands. Thus giving them more time to sell books. So they the books that came out in August of 1961 would have been dated November 1961. Lets take a look at others that came out this month in 1961 with the date of Nov. 1961.

DEADMAN TV SERIES

I just saw over at http://popculturesafari.blogspot.com/2011/08/cw-planning-deadman-tv-series.html and at http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/168277-deadman-television-series-in-development that they are planning a TV series based on Deadman over at the CW network. This is great as I always thought that Deadman would be a good TV series. Just think after the first episode they really won't need the same actor every episode. They could just use a different actor for the person he is possessing. Only use the main actor as a voice over. Perhaps a better way would be to do it like Quantum Leap. Show the actor as the person he is possessing. As long as they don't get too weird it should be a great show.
Still don't get your hopes up as it has been tried before. "There is currently no specific timetable announced for bringing "Deadman" to series and it won't be the first attempt to adapt the character. Guillermo del Toro was, some years ago, attached to produce the property as a feature film with Nikolaj Arcel rumored to direct. Further back, in the year 2000, a "Deadman" television series was planned for TNT but failed to result in any significant development."

Bane

Here is a look at Tom Hardy as Bane from the upcoming Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises!"

New Donations button

Like the new donations button to the right? Hope so. It was fun to create it. Having some tough times ahead finance wise so if you are able to please click the donate button to the right. Rob at the Aquman shrine is now taking subscriptions to his site. Do you think I should do that here? I would like my site to also be self-sustaining to at least pay the internet bill. Let me know what you think.

Monkeemen of the 21st Century to the Rescue!

A few issues after the Monkeemen and the rest of the 21st century JLA saved the day, the Monkeemen came back. There was a crisis that needed them the JLA and the JSA to solve. However, the Monkeemen did so with a heavy heart. It seems that according to their history three of them would die in this adventure and only one Monkeeman to fight crime in the 21st century. However, at the end of the adventure they all are still alive. They then realize that three of them are to stay in the 20th century. Thus Mike is chosen to return and Davy, Micky and Peter are asked to join the JLA in the 20th century. Knowing that there is no history of them as JLA members they decline but offer their services to help if needed. They prefer to travel the world and solve crimes in secret so as to maintain the order of history.

The Justice League of the 21st Century

Ok I know this isn't what the JLA in the 21st century looks like. But I've always wanted to see the Monkeemen as part of the Avengers or the JLA. I thought this was pretty good as the 21st century JLA if set in the lated 60s to early 70's.

Thinking out loud: Possible results of the Kirby and Siegel lawsuits

I was talking with my cousin Steve yesterday and part of our conversation was about the lawsuits from the Kirby and Siegel family members against Marvel and DC Comics. Part of me hopes that the family members win. Another part, while still wanting them to win, is afraid of what will happen if they do. For most of my life I have heard that the comic book industry wouldn't be around in 10 years. These lawsuits could be what makes it happen.
Forgetting the DC reboot, that happens sooner then we may like, if they win there are two things that could happen. One is that Marvel and DC raise their prices to make up for the money they will have to pay the families. That would just be shooting themselves in the foot. In this economy it is the current prices that are keeping people from buying them. Another option is that they would just keep things the same and pay the families. But that probably won't happen. Still another option is that the companies could just stop publishing books that featured the characters that Kirby and Siegel created. That would also be a bad idea, especially for Marvel. Most of their characters were created by or co-created by Jack Kirby. No Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor etc. The main characters for DC that is involved are Superman and Superboy. Other characters, like the Spectre, were created after Jerry Siegel was hired at DC. Actually Superboy was too but that is the tricky part of the lawsuit. Superman was created before he was hired and Superboy is the younger version of Superman. Still it is something to wonder about. Comic books wouldn't seem like comic books without those characters.
Of course part of the DC reboot is to change Superman and in that way avoid paying Jerry Siegel's daughter anything. Will comic book audiences buy that Superman is really an alien that is part of a government project? I doubt it. I know I don't.
Oh I just thought of this. It could also be the end for sites like this. Right now they have looked the other way with fans posting stories, using characters on their headers and or the names of characters and books as the titles of their blogs. They could try to sue the people who run the blogs and those that run the services that the blogs are on to make up the money to pay the families. It probalby won't happen because the sites are still good pr for the comic books. Still, if it does, we may need to shut down so we can personally survive in this economy.

Captain America/Captain America II with Reb Brown

Being release on November 1st and just in time for Christmas, Reb Brown as Captain America. Go to the Amazon.com link below to pre-order it.

Micky and Mike Backstage

Saw this fan photo on Facebook. Micky Dolenz talking to Mike Nesmith backstage after a rare live preformance by Nez at the Watkins Family Hour at the Largo at the Coronet Theatre.

World's Finest Comics #93

Mail it to Team-Up Shop

I just ordered a button that looks like the one above. I plan to wear it at the Cincinnati Convention next month. If you want a button or a hat or shirt or anything come visit the Mail it to Team-Up Shop at CafePress!

The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. soon on DVD

If you go to http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Girl-UNCLE-The-Complete-Series/15835 you can see that Stefanie Powers, star of the Girl From U.N.C.L.E, tweeted on Twitter that the series will be available as a manufacture on demand video. More details if you click on the linke above.

The New World's Finest Team

Ok I know that George Reeves had been dead for years by the time Batman showed up in prime-time but the show was still popular in reruns. This would have been a team-up that we would have loved to seen and it would have blown our young minds at that time. What would the story have been for an issue like this? Perhaps the Joker and Luthor would team up and kidnap the actors who were in town to film a movie. Joker and Luthor use them as bait to get the real heroes in a trap that robs them of their powers. Instead, by accident it transfers Superman's powers to George Reeves and the detective and scientific abilities or Batman and Robin to Adam West and Burt Ward. This surprising turn of events enables them to save the real World's Finest Team.

Funding for Dinky the Elf

Going through kickstarter @ http://www.kickstarter.com/ to see if I can get funding 2 do a cartoon version of my book Dinky Theelf I got approved 2 try but that doesnt guarantee I'll get the funds. It will take @ least $20,000 & if you r or know of an animater that's interested let me know.

I know Plastic Man and this isn't Plastic Man.

I was catching up on DC's Flashpoint and reading Legion of Doom as it has Plastic Man in the series. Of course I expected Plas to be a bit twisted as that is the way most of what is going on in Flashpoint. Legion of Doom is not a book for the squeamish. Heatwave kills Jason Rusch when he sets him on fire and sent to prison and given the death sentence. Cluemaster gets caught as he has smuggled something inside, in his stomach, for Heatwave. What it was was Plas and just in stretching to get out of Cluemaster's body kills Cluemaster. It seems that the accident that made gave him his power made him go insane. That all happened in issue #1. In issue 2 Heatwave kills Animal man and Ray Palmer. This is one blood thirsty book.
It's interesting to see how Plastic Man would have turned out if he hadn't become reforemed by a Monk. Still I hope when all is said and done he goes back to the old Plas that we all know and love.
Speaking Plas I am still trying to decide if I will do a fan site but here is a header that I did for it unless one of you artist have something else better.

The Avengers Film in Cleveland

I can't wait to see this movie.

Oops! New E-mail again

Was having trouble with the new e-mail so I changed it again to mailittoteamup@aol.com sorry for any inconvience.

New E-mail

Just letting you know that this site now has its own brand new e-mail address. It is mailittoteamup@gmail.com for those of you that need or want to contact us at Mail it to Team-Up.

Marvel's New Universe

In a few weeks DC will be officially starting their whole line over. A big attempt from one of the industry’s biggest publishers. This has gotten me to thinking a lot about ways that the publishers have tried to increase their readership. In 1986 Marvel did it with their “New Universe.” Officially Marvel said it was done to celebrate their 25th anniversary but I never really believed that but I may be wrong. Anyway Marvel said that it was also done to answer the question, what would happen if normal everyday people suddenly got superpowers. Isn’t that the question that most superhero comics already answered?
The stories took place in real time and outside of the regular Marvel universe. An event called the White Event happened that bathed the entire Earth in a white light. It gave certain people superpowers. This event tied all the books together. This way you could read all of them as one story or each series by itself.

The first book was called Star Brand that was created by Jim Shooter. Later for some unexplained reason it was changed to The Star Brand. Ken Connell was given a tattoo that was the Star Brand. It was the most powerful weapon in the universe and gave it’s bearer unlimited power. However, the bearer had to always be on his guard as it was so powerful it could cause the person to become corrupt.

One that I looked forward to was the Archie Goodwin creation of Nightmask. Keith Remsen was a counselor who gained the power to enter other peoples dreams. He used this power to help people recover from their mental illness. He had a great costume and a great power. He was kind of like Dr. Strange. No he was really more like Dr. Strange's villain Nightmare but only if Nightmare was the hero. The character seemed to have a lot of potential but wound up going nowhere. One of the plots that didn't seem to have an end was finally given one in 2006 when they briefly brought the New Universe back.

Here is the one that became my favorite. D.P.7! No surprise as it was created by my favorite comic book writer at that time. Mark Gruenwald. The initials stood for Displaced Paranormals and there were 7 of them. Hence the name D.P.7.
The plot was about 7 people who suddenly gained superpowers. They were on the run from an evil medical facility that wanted to study them. While on the run they learn about each other. They have romantic entanglements in their group and help each other overcome personal problems. Meanwhile the medical facility uses their government ties and some of the evil paranormals to hunt them down.

Now those were my favorites of the group that had superpowers. There were a couple that didn't have powers.
There was Mark Hazard: Merc that was created by Archie Goodwin. Mark is a former career Army man who becomes a solider of fortune.

Then there was the Eliot R. Brown and John Morelli creation of Spitfire and the Troubleshooters.

This book revolved around Jenny Swensen who takes her Father's armor when she finds out that the person responsible for her Father's death plans to use it as a weapon of war.
While these titles were enjoyable I have to wonder how did this answer the question of what normal people would do if they suddenly gained superpowers? They didn't gain any powers. At best one of them just got a suit of armor that had powers.
The New Universe was short lived but I do remember it fondly. There were other books but as I said before these were my favorites. Well Spitfire and the Troubleshooters wasn't but I had to mention it here anyway.

Happy 50th to Fantastic Four #1

Thanks to my friend Michael at http://makeitsomarketing.tripod.com/popularcultureblog/index.blog?entry_id=2226678 I was told that this past week was the 50th anniversary of Fantastic Four #1. To celebrate here is a copy of that very book for you to read.