All right, so I guess today’s Spider-Man is actually all right? I mean, nothing is happening, but Spider-Man has screwed up and Maria Lopez will die for it. Except, you know, Jonah is on his way with his bodyguard. So is the bodyguard going to save the day? Is Spider-Man going to show up later, shrug, and say, “Well, them’s the breaks!” I certainly hope not. His name is on the strip, and so he should save the day.
This is sort of an example of the secondary characters being used to advance the plot, I guess. More likely agonizingly prolong it, but still.
Meanwhile, we have the Phantom tricking an old man and kid into going to get fuel, and then… carving a circle into the door?
What?
I think I may have to rethink this whole “Phantom is a good comic strip, while Spider-Man is not” thing. Further research is required. Spider-Man’s mediocrity can at least be explained away by Stan Lee’s typical boisterous style being unsuited to the confines of a comic strip. The man did, with the aid of men like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, pretty much revolutionize an industry. Heck, even Larry Lieber had a hand in it. So both men obviously have some form of talent. Did anyone read “The Last Fantastic Four Story”? Stan Lee wrote that, and it was pretty good, and he did that last year or something.
Argh. Yes, further research is required. I’m going to get to the bottom of this mystery, and I’m going to get a flatbed scanner so I can produce examples. Stay tuned, folks, and eventually I’ll settle down and just start leaving supposedly clever comments about Spider-Man again instead of producing these meandering rants.
So… we’re supposed to believe that a major financial institution is installing a PRICELESS ANTIQUE CLOCK on the outside of their building, where it will be exposed to wind, weather, and potential vandalism or theft. And at a time when the city’s museum was just robbed of its exhibit of PRICELESS ANTIQUE CLOCKS. Yeesh, no wonder Wall Street needed a bailout.
No wonder Big-Time didn’t show up for the dedication. He can waltz over there at his leisure and snatch that PRICELESS ANTIQUE CLOCK.
Re: your search for good serial strips… I don’t think you’ll find much. Certainly not in American papers. They’re all zombie strips, whose original creators have passed on. And they’re such a marginal presence on American comics pages, that nobody (the syndicates, the editors) seems to care that they suck.
The serial strip is alive and well in Europe and Japan. My favorite is “Modesty Blaise,” a British strip that ran for about 40 years, from the early 60s to the early 00s. Bound volumes of the strips can be found at http://www.kenpiercebooks.com. Well worth checking out. (Note: I don’t know Ken Pierce, never met him, but I have bought some books from his website.)
Comment by jvwalt — December 2, 2008 @ 6:55 am
Japan and Europe (especially England, or whatever it’s calling itself now) prove to be more and more appealing to me.
Comment by Mike P — December 2, 2008 @ 9:19 am
Who the heck does a dedication at 7:00? Either 7:00?
Also, I think that PRICELESS ANTIQUE CLOCK is a CHEAP FAKE. Real Roman-numeral clocks use “IIII” for 4, not “IV”.
Comment by dlauthor — December 2, 2008 @ 11:21 am
Spiderman is so dumb, why did he think Big Time would show up at the dedication when there are a ton of people there? Idiot.
Also, I’m fairly convinced that Stan Lee doesn’t write this strip. It’s probably his mentally deficient younger brother, Dan Lee.
Comment by Lindsey — December 2, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
Or his perpetually drunk older brother, much celebrated in song and story, Stagger Lee.
Comment by jvwalt — December 2, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
It’s some sort of evil mirror universe Stan Lee. Eel Nats. It’s a fellow named Eel Nats whose skin is chalky white, he has an eccentric speech pattern, and a goatee. He thinks he’s writing art.
Comment by Mike P — December 2, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
Meandering rants are fine with me!
I actually like this comparison. I only started reading Phantom and Spider-man because of the CC (along with soap strips), so I don’t expect much from them.
The Phantom can be kind of a jerk, and doesn’t have any super powers. Never seen a TV in the strip.
Comment by Kaitlyn — December 2, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
I didn’t know comic strips were popular or good here in England.
Comment by Mat — December 2, 2008 @ 7:57 pm
Maybe not, but I bet English Dennis the Menace could kick American Dennis the Menace’s ass.
Comment by Aaron T. — December 2, 2008 @ 9:00 pm
…or “arse”.
Comment by Aaron T. — December 2, 2008 @ 9:00 pm