tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24684054716435470102024-02-25T16:14:41.871-05:00Megaton Man™<b><i>The Man of Molecules</i></b>™ by Don Simpson!<br><b><i>America's Nuclear Powered Hero!</i></b>™Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-87175556253190670232023-12-19T12:31:00.011-05:002024-02-25T14:54:02.951-05:00From the Editor's Desk: Dave Schreiner and Megaton Man<p>Reproduced here is a two-page letter dated February 13, 1987 from <a href="https://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/3450/dave-schreiner" target="_blank">Dave Schreiner</a> (1946-2003), offering his assessment of the <i>Megaton Man</i> cast of characters. Dave was the editor at Kitchen Sink Press from 1983 to 1993, and was particularly crucial as a sounding board for me on <i>Border Worlds</i> (1985-1987); I've often said the recaps he wrote of the previous issues where more coherent than my comics. In this document, Dave is responding to a plot outline I sent to him (it may be <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2017/03/plot-script-comic-megaton-man-11.html" target="_blank">this one</a> or an even briefer synopsis of <i>Megaton Man</i> #11 and other comic book ideas I was cooking up at the time).<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>What is significant is that, after the initial ten-issue run of <i>Megaton Man</i> (December 1984 to June 1986), and in the midst of my run on <i>Border Worlds</i> as a black-and-white, mature readers science fiction saga, I had somehow found my second wind on <i>Megaton Man</i>, reinventing the strip from the ground up and putting it on a more solid footing I felt could have produced years more of comics. The civilian secret identities of the characters -- their normal personas, not the their megahero identities -- would be the focus; set in Ann Arbor, a midwestern college town, Trent (a de-powered Megaton Man), Stella (the former See-Thru Girl), Pammy (now a college instructor, no longer Megaton Man's newspaper critic), and Clarissa (who would eventually become Ms. Megaton Man) all live in a communal off-campus house reminiscent of <i>The Big Chill</i> or Walden's Pond of <i>Doonesbury</i>.<br /></p><p>In this new scenario, Yarn Man and other megahero friends from Megatropolis would drop by, along with Secret Agent Preston Percy, the Partyers from Mars, and other menaces. Inevitably, Trent Phloog would be compelled from time to time to revert to his over-muscled Megaton Man physique, either by Megasoldier Syrup injection or other means, and misadventure would ensue. Basically, the megahero world would invade the "normal" world -- normal being a counter-cultural milieu of used book stores, funky record shops, aging hippies, tenured academics (Edward Albee's <i>Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?</i> filmed by Mike Nichols and Foolbert Sturgeon's "Jesus Goes to a Faculty Party" serving as key inspirations).</p><p>I forgot to mention perhaps the most crucial element of all: Stella Starlight, who has returned to college to finish her degree, is about to give birth to Trent's child -- with no plans of marriage. The term "parenting partner" did not exist yet; the concept of an unmarried couple conceiving and raising a child was so far ahead of its time. Let alone for the title character of an ongoing comic book series! <br /></p><p>I think if I had been allowed to fully developed these storylines at the time, <i>Megaton Man</i> #11 and subsequent issues could have been an almost perfectly blend of an underground comix vibe and classic Silver Age superheroes. Who knows, it might have become the Great American Comic Strip, rivaling the great humorous family dramas of the newspaper strips. At the very least, I considered this a more sustainable foundation for the <i>Megaton Man</i> series, moving away from the pure <i>Not Brand Echh!</i> parody that had exhausted itself long before I reached issue #10. I liken it to Dave Sim's <i>Cerebus</i>, which had started out as a Barry Smith <i>Conan</i> parody, evolving into the more arch satire of <i>High Society</i>.<br /></p><p>While several responses from Denis over the course of 1987 in my files document the fact that he had accepted <i>Megaton Man</i> #11 for publication, he always hinted at his desire to slap a new #1 on the cover. Needless to say, the market was in turmoil, and the black-and-white comics bust was dragging down sales of <i>Border Worlds</i> and lots of other titles. As I continued work on <i>Border Worlds</i> over the summer, I fleshed out my ideas for #11; originally we discussed a single, 64-page comic in black and white; by the fall, I had in mind three or four regular issues, #11 through #14. But by the fall, all Denis seemed to care about was a new #1.</p><p>The <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2015/07/whatever-happened-to-megaton-man-11-or.html" target="_blank">bitter clash</a> that took place around Thanksgiving of 1987 resulted in <i>The Return of Megaton Man</i> #1-#3, but also damaged my relationship with Kitchen Sink Press beyond repair. Although I bounced back, my admiration for Denis Kitchen was destroyed and simply never recovered. My fondness for <i>Megaton Man</i> itself was completely ruined for many year thereafter; it took years of effort to fully detoxify the series and the character.<br /></p><p>This document is from a earlier, happier, and more optimistic moment. Editor Dave -- offering almost the diametrically opposite advice as the publisher -- is essentially praising the character-driven direction of my new story arc and foreseeing great things to come. He praises the central character, Megaton Man, as loveable and virtuous; he's a bit harsher concerning the supporting cast, whom he sees mainly as foils to the main character. He writes,</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>I’m glad you’re thinking seriously about bringing him back.
[...] I think it’s about time you stopped viewing the character as merely your
vehicle to boff on the comics biz, and you should also stop viewing him as
simply the comic relief with his “silly fight scenes.” </blockquote><p></p><p>Another remark that sticks out in my mind, reading it at the end of 2023, is "specific parodies of the biz" which Dave views as "obligatory, I suppose, but kind of a drag."</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSjydEEAZZTcOkFpUoTKlLCRbEIOo03pk8bUfeD-PrNWU2lwj2MtNK_5EAuDq42K0Yltgq7akspyFvPrcAyyh3PRWd1JcJfZfPJy6ur65Jg8CqnCM8XDCZ6RFDOurmE-Z94W0K9fhTu6nSzwZJHjfdY3psoz08r7xDGbpr3mRItAiRHOLVFT1ysngQWpB/s1350/Dave%20Schreiner%201987%2001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1076" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSjydEEAZZTcOkFpUoTKlLCRbEIOo03pk8bUfeD-PrNWU2lwj2MtNK_5EAuDq42K0Yltgq7akspyFvPrcAyyh3PRWd1JcJfZfPJy6ur65Jg8CqnCM8XDCZ6RFDOurmE-Z94W0K9fhTu6nSzwZJHjfdY3psoz08r7xDGbpr3mRItAiRHOLVFT1ysngQWpB/w319-h400/Dave%20Schreiner%201987%2001.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ointxJTlEVN2paMyQBbniTJSMk_lhLPGXjsJK-nynXAlB42drduLWbqeHpAPrjX6-hNg9Izt_CtphZSuCUbjyY8E4cjbii9Rnq7PY2WoPImCxpDnuwfVs-hTuYp_evN1MVD9-BclNqTQj_y_OptXvsReFfBriPN_nPSQwj8MRyQmhNPgQZNq8y3JKwWf/s1434/Dave%20Schreiner%201987%2002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ointxJTlEVN2paMyQBbniTJSMk_lhLPGXjsJK-nynXAlB42drduLWbqeHpAPrjX6-hNg9Izt_CtphZSuCUbjyY8E4cjbii9Rnq7PY2WoPImCxpDnuwfVs-hTuYp_evN1MVD9-BclNqTQj_y_OptXvsReFfBriPN_nPSQwj8MRyQmhNPgQZNq8y3JKwWf/w301-h400/Dave%20Schreiner%201987%2002.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p></p><p>Compare this advice with a two-page letter from Denis Kitchen (on
official Kitchen Sink Press letterhead), in which he "suggests"
repeating the <i>Not Brand Echh?</i> formula, foregrounding a <i>Punisher</i>
movie parody (or whatever fad or event the mainstream superhero
industry spits out), and essentially pushing the cast and narrative of <i>Megaton Man</i> into the background -- the complete opposite of Dave Schreiner's advice.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMZfTQ5AqasGAWpfUuD2DacOWjzJ3NlM5pP5640LPfjXVGDyGi0TSCx-7PDQ7xz6y8Ys2IQTmO6klIJj5wH4Kl7E2iSDZH8AonVJFVLDFId0cjdnUfVDHg0HJ3k_Fu6lLytsMMpf7zgunOdz72O-uqTsdC_JUpp4e98Djbq_DQfQGezRtdeSL-ZMp5dEc/s1435/Denis%20Kitchen%201988%2001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMZfTQ5AqasGAWpfUuD2DacOWjzJ3NlM5pP5640LPfjXVGDyGi0TSCx-7PDQ7xz6y8Ys2IQTmO6klIJj5wH4Kl7E2iSDZH8AonVJFVLDFId0cjdnUfVDHg0HJ3k_Fu6lLytsMMpf7zgunOdz72O-uqTsdC_JUpp4e98Djbq_DQfQGezRtdeSL-ZMp5dEc/w299-h400/Denis%20Kitchen%201988%2001.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvqHNHU_S7QJbmebTSoObJwVrSKSVDS7EUS0MBwM_d_Z58g1arC31p0JNpHpT41n3JQaiYtnq5E4awvKmiFWGdzVNxRyZ4SxwZMtnL4QOjqNYdYW2P0nu2i0B7VAyWdCeWK4_VjeFN4trUoyIp3hOCJMZSDRwkpG9EEdfmfvBcEdjVJUIyV_e1gCPg2f-/s1418/Denis%20Kitchen%201988%2002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1418" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvqHNHU_S7QJbmebTSoObJwVrSKSVDS7EUS0MBwM_d_Z58g1arC31p0JNpHpT41n3JQaiYtnq5E4awvKmiFWGdzVNxRyZ4SxwZMtnL4QOjqNYdYW2P0nu2i0B7VAyWdCeWK4_VjeFN4trUoyIp3hOCJMZSDRwkpG9EEdfmfvBcEdjVJUIyV_e1gCPg2f-/w304-h400/Denis%20Kitchen%201988%2002.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><p><br />Taken together with the communication from Denis that had preceded it a year before (<a href="https://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2023/12/aaargh-denis-kitchen-speaks-out.html" target="_blank">full text here</a>), this was a tacit rejection of the character-driven narrative direction I was taking and that editor Dave Schreiner had endorsed. Denis's "suggestions" came off more as an edict, setting forth the conditions under which Kitchen Sink Press would consider publishing any more <i>Megaton Man</i> comics at all: If it didn't have a #1 and a direct tie-in to an industry trend, I could forget it. (As for the college-town character interactions, those should be pushed into the background or excised altogether.)<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Suffice it to say I never parodied the memorably Dolph Lundren <i>Punisher</i> movie. I did come up with <i>The <a href="https://megatonman.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-golden-age-megaton-man-meets.html" target="_blank">Original Golden Age Megaton Man</a></i><a href="https://megatonman.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-golden-age-megaton-man-meets.html" target="_blank"> #1</a> (which appeared as <i>Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems</i> #1), <i>Yarn Man</i> #1, and <i>Pteranoman </i>#1 -- the final three <i>Megaton Man</i> comics to appear from Kitchen Sink Press. Although I tried to thread the needle between Dave and Denis's advice, they probably satisfied neither one, although they remain three of my favorite comics among all my output (and fans seem to like them, too).</p><p>Those, along with <i>Bizarre Heroes</i> #1 and <i>Border Worlds: Marooned</i> #1 were the last five comics I produced for Kitchen Sink Press after Return of Megaton Man #3 -- only five comics in the period of 1988 to late 1990, about three full years. That's less than a third of my output when I was doing <i>Megaton Man</i> #1-#10 and <i>Border Worlds</i> #1-#7, evidence of the toll the clash over #11 had taken on my productivity and enthusiasm.</p><p>Denis reaffirmed his views in a recent email (October 24, 2023):</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote>In retrospect, it might have been better to ditch the convoluted ongoing
MM plot lines and instead put out three or four annual MM “specials”
where you focused on self-contained issues/themes and/or parodied a
different superhero or company each time. I think each special would
have had stronger numbers and perhaps been easier to write within the
confines of single issues, but of course it’s all speculation. </blockquote> At least Denis is consistent, if forgetful; his view here are neither retrospective or speculative. We tried it his way in the late 1980s and it didn't work. The #1 regime never produced sustainable sales; it only confused longtime fans of the series and no doubt insulted their intelligence. By "convoluted storylines," I presume he means the very character-driven material I put forward in the plot for <i>Megaton Man</i> #11 that Dave had praised.<br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I don't know if Dave copied Denis on his February 13, 1987 letter to me, or if Denis even consulted Dave concerning his views on the narrative direction of <i>Megaton Man</i>. It doesn't seem that Dave's praise of a character-driven direction had much weight with Denis, who among other things seemed more preoccupied with starting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and increasingly with property licensing more than with actual comics publishing.</p><p style="text-align: left;">My understanding was that, while a minority shareholder in the company, and responsible for nearly all the editorial responsibilities and creative liasion with Will Eisner and others, Dave as outranked by Denis on business decisions; presumably, destroying any enthusiasm I had for a planned resumption of <i>Megaton Man</i> with issue #11 was a business decision.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">My retrospective view is that <i>Megaton Man</i> #11 and subsequent issues could have easily led to an almost regular resumption of the series -- perhaps quarterly if not bi-monthly, as it had began. Continuing the numbering was important to me, as I stated at the time:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
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</p><p class="BodyParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">If I were in your position, I’d
be pushing for an issue [of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megaton Man</i>]
as often as possible, the sooner to get to the next issue. Instead, this #1 “Special/Annual” jazz has only served to slow
things up, making the entire proposition [of more <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megaton Man</i>] distasteful to me. If I have to go through this shit
every time I feel like doing more <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Megaton
Man</i>, I can tell you I’ll think more than twice about it.<a href="#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">I never understood why the publisher chose to discount that statement and instead throw up roadblocks in the natural creative development of <i>Megaton Man</i>. I can only point out that my fondness for the character and the <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-megaton-man-has-evolved-in-thirty.html" target="_blank"><i>Megaton Man</i> narrative</a> did return, and I've even told many of the "lost" stories set in that midwestern college town -- through the eyes of Clarissa James in the prose <i>The Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</i>.</div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"> </div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">I'm also hard at work on <a href="https://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2023/09/new-megaton-man-logos-and-stories-they.html" target="_blank">more <i>Megaton Man </i>projects for 2024</a> -- stay tuned!</div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"> </div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><i><u>Note</u></i>: Attentive readers will notice mention of a couple other ideas at the end
of Dave's letter, including The Affiliation, [Project] Mainstream
(which became KSP <i>Bizarre Heroes</i> #1, more or less) and Suicide Kings (an
idea from junior high school. I'm not sure what The Affiliation was,
precisely, although the way Dave seems to discuss them all as
interrelated I think it's safe to say they all ended up in the Fiasco
Comics series <i>Don Simpson's Bizarre Heroes</i>. At the time, I was thinking
of them as segregated from <i>Megaton Man</i>, although that narrative ended up
taking over the Fiasco series.</div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"> </div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_DaHxUOG6iL3fXv5ta-rL3I1dtQW0XDkrGuO_1F1hJQbHrRrPzVJEvd3dq_RanIFm9Y2KHgsVFHhixDp561S4i8xXawTsc0pbLvnahyRXsFU8cg0w7er-jmtmDti6eNhKhx7iSIzGpUW7rkd9b0agtr_VzqqCMSRi-4fDz8-9EfjU868CeVgTWTV587J/s2048/Complete.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1384" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_DaHxUOG6iL3fXv5ta-rL3I1dtQW0XDkrGuO_1F1hJQbHrRrPzVJEvd3dq_RanIFm9Y2KHgsVFHhixDp561S4i8xXawTsc0pbLvnahyRXsFU8cg0w7er-jmtmDti6eNhKhx7iSIzGpUW7rkd9b0agtr_VzqqCMSRi-4fDz8-9EfjU868CeVgTWTV587J/w400-h270/Complete.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><br />The Kitchen Sink <i>Megaton Man </i>
comics (series, mini-series, and one-shots) will be collected in
mid-2024 as <i>THE COMPLETE MEGATON MAN UNIVERSE</i>, Volume I; the
post-Kitchen Sink <i>Bizarre Heroes</i> and <i>Megaton Man Weekly Serial</i> will be
collected in <i>THE COMPLETE MEGATON MAN UNIVERSE</i>, Volume II, likely in
late 2024 or 2025, from Fantagraphics Underground.</div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><br /><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a> Don
Simpson, letter to Denis Kitchen, November 18, 1987.</p>
</div></div>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-675084229781276342023-11-26T16:35:00.003-05:002024-02-25T14:54:36.125-05:00The Golden Age Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems #1 roughs<div><p>These are the original roughs to <i>Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems</i> #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, April 1989). These were penciled on 8 1/2" x 11" bond paper, then blown up on a photocopier and light-tabled (traced) onto Bristol board for lettering and inking. (All the images here are scanned from the original small roughs except the front and back cover.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>As can be seen, the original title I had in mind was <i>The Original Golden Age Megaton Man</i> #1, but I decided to go with the presumably more commercial title and a logo resembling a certain famous <a href="https://kleinletters.com/Blog/logo-study-x-men-part-1/" target="_blank">brand designed by Jim Steranko</a>. Since this was the fourteenth <i>Megaton Man</i> comic book, I would have preferred calling it <i>Megaton Man</i> #14, but that numbering system was blown when the publisher crammed its <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2015/07/whatever-happened-to-megaton-man-11-or.html" target="_blank">"new #1" edict down my throat with <i>The Return of Megaton Man</i> #1-#3 (#11-#13)</a> a year or two before.</p><p>Also, the roughs indicate that I renumbered pages and moved scenes around at this stage. For example, while the rough for the printed inside front cover (page
zero in the comic) is numbered page 1 on the rough, and many of the
splash pages are evenly number on their respective roughs, I clearly
decided with 33 interior pages to start the story on the inside front
cover and sacrifice big-reveal page turns. I also shifted scenes around;
for example, the rough for page 8 was originally numbered page 3,
meaning that at one point I thought to cut away from the Original Golden
Age Megaton Man flanked with X+Thems splash that is page one in the
printed comic straight to the scene in Ann Arbor.</p><p>There were a total of 35 pages of art, including the front and back covers, out of 36.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWCS57NDyrz2LnFv8ZCUq73TqxEFiDkx9E6BQdzohRS3B0RAmGW0UZiIvXFqi35YM_Ea1p0fptpZWyObGo6nKUUp5_GoR_uffu0sK4oN8E1K9Etl8mMrevE3LJicIqsOt7fwUuBLM_Lr82XB1tkJWps8YuAN6atXs-dmV1kWmP7UhKUPILXlIDGNda8GJ/s3300/XT%20000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWCS57NDyrz2LnFv8ZCUq73TqxEFiDkx9E6BQdzohRS3B0RAmGW0UZiIvXFqi35YM_Ea1p0fptpZWyObGo6nKUUp5_GoR_uffu0sK4oN8E1K9Etl8mMrevE3LJicIqsOt7fwUuBLM_Lr82XB1tkJWps8YuAN6atXs-dmV1kWmP7UhKUPILXlIDGNda8GJ/w309-h400/XT%20000.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqs5lj1UXtGxm6BTmysyjDdkMHdACxVrzNheJnWH7Y0RP45FbPbkMk185rVgxSeYPeyPpRYWCtdVj5VBOdR4qYAO-pC11-3k_LQswstvLZok5EhQkd2Ds89j0tPQIM1vOV4dkirrraPwWO-0fWVPAKGe0ku3dWBIRFUv6LXR1yzAlieY9W9ZLKyeCAR7o/s3487/XT%20001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8MmCDPqzzheupvtlkmwMRkJnVO5zheuIyEyrfArM2RaeR9zPSA5YzwXBQycyR8kgD8CTUtop0ThSwXcHlhrHAzswn7sdOpCu2CNcE65mSfb9lPQan6-TkuZJqH-nQVQBYWzeIvvYgwPKesYSJe_66bkQ4mGR0zKRadzEuQ18pu6ROwFzw19JVJib48YZ/s3300/XT%20rough%2036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8MmCDPqzzheupvtlkmwMRkJnVO5zheuIyEyrfArM2RaeR9zPSA5YzwXBQycyR8kgD8CTUtop0ThSwXcHlhrHAzswn7sdOpCu2CNcE65mSfb9lPQan6-TkuZJqH-nQVQBYWzeIvvYgwPKesYSJe_66bkQ4mGR0zKRadzEuQ18pu6ROwFzw19JVJib48YZ/w309-h400/XT%20rough%2036.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><p></p>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-2710229542903433212022-07-15T08:07:00.006-04:002024-02-25T14:54:51.717-05:00Megaton Man Minus the Dragon! File Photocopies<p> These are some of the file photocopies of my portion of the art and lettering from <i>The Savage Dragon vs. The Savage Megaton Man</i> (Image Comics, March 1993) before finishing by Erik Larsen and letterer Chris Eliopoulos (although some of the layouts here were started by them). I will leave it to the discerning art lover as to which layouts were mine and which were Erik's; we each did a dozen in the book and the other guy added their characters, lettering, and backgrounds. But it should be obvious as Erik has a distinctive sense of layout, storytelling, and body language to his figures (although I was trying my best to "Image it up"). Looking back, it's shameful the way I ballooned Megaton Man's proportions, almost to Giant Man-size, but I hadn't at that point had much experience drawing the Man of Molecules interacting with more "realistic" superheroes (although Erik later beefed up the Dragon considerably as a response). This is probably as close as you'll get to a second printing of this fan-favorite story, so enjoy!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2ysGWFr4TGM_6SWE2IufLMRkfIBRq-koGCcaDVCN2Gu7Qqwq0MylyUPqgj3-gXLZd63X2oLS3Nt2tGNvS7cPVlX5_F6DK3VDIQp7a6BSwbXDIp3RvZHdaYohYZBgRVyWuoQC3mnR_oc8i5sVF0xH4A3W7X9vYrPMRUlt2gF0AzwlXsrJUK5UfqQ6JA/s5100/Dragon%2007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2ysGWFr4TGM_6SWE2IufLMRkfIBRq-koGCcaDVCN2Gu7Qqwq0MylyUPqgj3-gXLZd63X2oLS3Nt2tGNvS7cPVlX5_F6DK3VDIQp7a6BSwbXDIp3RvZHdaYohYZBgRVyWuoQC3mnR_oc8i5sVF0xH4A3W7X9vYrPMRUlt2gF0AzwlXsrJUK5UfqQ6JA/s320/Dragon%2007.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4kMDCaxdMbigQ09vbtDhv5CT_AH0OTv2sH4wu1TdJqNLzPd2kUm6cC1D4RGYnZg_r3MP-3hF9JNmXEadbYO9N8wtrRWU7KwMM_s81pAqWpfQAEt0WaZhqFSfz7R3jsTG0aEyy_m9eJ-gRel7fhL6fjNJn3E6uvwt4gd1x41lMylBHkFQGFgD8cji4g/s5100/Dragon%2009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4kMDCaxdMbigQ09vbtDhv5CT_AH0OTv2sH4wu1TdJqNLzPd2kUm6cC1D4RGYnZg_r3MP-3hF9JNmXEadbYO9N8wtrRWU7KwMM_s81pAqWpfQAEt0WaZhqFSfz7R3jsTG0aEyy_m9eJ-gRel7fhL6fjNJn3E6uvwt4gd1x41lMylBHkFQGFgD8cji4g/s320/Dragon%2009.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8FOcLZmGmNewsguMjwk019JX0wihRcJ1eJnmEcV-tqlOhzls_0gajkrDbFBLiduFeqhB9L-nfJZGFmF_cDf1cNFUNCyIgX1nDXIHKGMOCtytfZ5xXqid3SDBbxQcqjYKpTdyfRPMgzscsG1kJO2efXxvcgc1Dn4xVq1MafdhLSDzff6UjjsDpbEuKA/s5100/Dragon%2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8FOcLZmGmNewsguMjwk019JX0wihRcJ1eJnmEcV-tqlOhzls_0gajkrDbFBLiduFeqhB9L-nfJZGFmF_cDf1cNFUNCyIgX1nDXIHKGMOCtytfZ5xXqid3SDBbxQcqjYKpTdyfRPMgzscsG1kJO2efXxvcgc1Dn4xVq1MafdhLSDzff6UjjsDpbEuKA/s320/Dragon%2010.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvD757R7dBUjC7NVqLPpqddc-iNPq8LD8fLeawaPTWtfw-wDbfJAhIkmdcTLAdLf8zpOgVK5BxdNDgqJIhwC5X_le6B5rTvNmGzVWhfsY_BixP4qHeACGkhHx4edVO7FoGS44o_t7FZIP7Kc8nLaQntFBVBLRdXpqbJdStblrortCGdlZM8vNljcOMQ/s5100/Dragon%2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvD757R7dBUjC7NVqLPpqddc-iNPq8LD8fLeawaPTWtfw-wDbfJAhIkmdcTLAdLf8zpOgVK5BxdNDgqJIhwC5X_le6B5rTvNmGzVWhfsY_BixP4qHeACGkhHx4edVO7FoGS44o_t7FZIP7Kc8nLaQntFBVBLRdXpqbJdStblrortCGdlZM8vNljcOMQ/s320/Dragon%2011.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-Ch6dXEPevzetO-rTKYLCjpIsIb1xgol1zK09Gaxpff9wcuIAK6kdkwcf5qD_25WbDU7AHUIn-O6j80idK47Hiz_JOrwChRRCclmgonMaAZojgNYuVTUEJghe9ozxCygbaV2Atf18CQE99InqZ1r6NQxOIUAzcc9W2gjvVvVA0eBijE8xWqw9ffFGg/s5100/Dragon%2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-Ch6dXEPevzetO-rTKYLCjpIsIb1xgol1zK09Gaxpff9wcuIAK6kdkwcf5qD_25WbDU7AHUIn-O6j80idK47Hiz_JOrwChRRCclmgonMaAZojgNYuVTUEJghe9ozxCygbaV2Atf18CQE99InqZ1r6NQxOIUAzcc9W2gjvVvVA0eBijE8xWqw9ffFGg/s320/Dragon%2012.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUF4hBsOHBvzj-hzmfBtquqSpdeBmHAkYtPZR_FRqyrDdvvKIcGDgSLi4jzIa6VBn84EP8h6sTOZpGlXOCC-dVlYMdVDpJDRKVA5PU3ry3QVI8eXRKDj5VHBsXMj0CpqLmZLO2l6BU1PKDA4s387rWJNGiYN6fNwjUdHGhdkCDjSXrG7XKTEOKTJwIuA/s5100/Dragon%2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUF4hBsOHBvzj-hzmfBtquqSpdeBmHAkYtPZR_FRqyrDdvvKIcGDgSLi4jzIa6VBn84EP8h6sTOZpGlXOCC-dVlYMdVDpJDRKVA5PU3ry3QVI8eXRKDj5VHBsXMj0CpqLmZLO2l6BU1PKDA4s387rWJNGiYN6fNwjUdHGhdkCDjSXrG7XKTEOKTJwIuA/s320/Dragon%2013.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UJsBhvWaK_f8nwL55CHOl_AQ7kOMdxiIcNV9iuGxmXj9tSNthRb1TQLv757jQIJV7F33SDRECRpX4lkx6aKvJMkkDj08wKNr7DBohoSDyZyor9m-GoDA2nmnGSci8wu0cYAFWqdXIAcIRSlbJ71pb53Ms00sBGTsitonG4iqmThmJwwBlTemhLGJxw/s5100/Dragon%2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UJsBhvWaK_f8nwL55CHOl_AQ7kOMdxiIcNV9iuGxmXj9tSNthRb1TQLv757jQIJV7F33SDRECRpX4lkx6aKvJMkkDj08wKNr7DBohoSDyZyor9m-GoDA2nmnGSci8wu0cYAFWqdXIAcIRSlbJ71pb53Ms00sBGTsitonG4iqmThmJwwBlTemhLGJxw/s320/Dragon%2014.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierIth3SkRKtGEJ3sRjSlK5nPHm1zLRzII_RExJxn1III5budlDj2I6Xra9w0kZJd4HZbqSM9lDhPBt5D6iKE2OiQuvdW_VXvi3F0CLJkHRXvJL71tJDU0jqW_BwNIJ2c_xSMhV2FwLWFfacjaesU0-He0dKcrjenuuKKDO6EzuBAP7xEF0qwEaIJIBQ/s5100/Dragon%2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierIth3SkRKtGEJ3sRjSlK5nPHm1zLRzII_RExJxn1III5budlDj2I6Xra9w0kZJd4HZbqSM9lDhPBt5D6iKE2OiQuvdW_VXvi3F0CLJkHRXvJL71tJDU0jqW_BwNIJ2c_xSMhV2FwLWFfacjaesU0-He0dKcrjenuuKKDO6EzuBAP7xEF0qwEaIJIBQ/s320/Dragon%2015.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkLegyLPhYqtOBGl-GaCWjalvMmwCYU7XY_V185WMuNjQvZV7gLlqu-FAuCLJOXa3bVB5LLUEN4Nj5c7EvtuWBsyH8fmzc77luDqtyhj-UwUogy1lEwHFPrbKBgbQ4jTv2mkj8VJilIRbOZIsqoYbikenHHt-E5rieqdeTqDyjDMFgvDvWIOb3l_1XQ/s5100/Dragon%2016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkLegyLPhYqtOBGl-GaCWjalvMmwCYU7XY_V185WMuNjQvZV7gLlqu-FAuCLJOXa3bVB5LLUEN4Nj5c7EvtuWBsyH8fmzc77luDqtyhj-UwUogy1lEwHFPrbKBgbQ4jTv2mkj8VJilIRbOZIsqoYbikenHHt-E5rieqdeTqDyjDMFgvDvWIOb3l_1XQ/s320/Dragon%2016.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVinGcU57wMyz8ooux2Sld-gEUuQ8yrma-cRHqWe61XDrm3Ywwtc6TScvzMzgr9aDghUS5L2ot_dcxSINRBPwS9spmOw2LJ-u9Gc0ZKh8q-IfNTvwwHVs_bvHe6tI9NnGS0rA6rL1X6bX_ULrF0tsjjd3s0DNarL4yJEKE-mQ1m1X8vzUypPv4j_TrZg/s5100/Dragon%2018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVinGcU57wMyz8ooux2Sld-gEUuQ8yrma-cRHqWe61XDrm3Ywwtc6TScvzMzgr9aDghUS5L2ot_dcxSINRBPwS9spmOw2LJ-u9Gc0ZKh8q-IfNTvwwHVs_bvHe6tI9NnGS0rA6rL1X6bX_ULrF0tsjjd3s0DNarL4yJEKE-mQ1m1X8vzUypPv4j_TrZg/s320/Dragon%2018.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iPTMe8pIV3whEPI95y2lJU7cQ8rFOrU7rk3XSXhMU2zUV5iSfOZK6DPengFnrbVXfJAY7bLLDelAy7JrqMJ1_UDlA5iQjTLux39PUl-nQVcHUzxHlzHTv1SwCBZut53VwVP2IzeIn3chOxVPA51ckXINTO4Uy6WfGi6g6ckYl0FzWGFfp6iOZ75viw/s5100/Dragon%2019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlGWR_p2cuqDELMSS9kg5UO5Vmu54CGsocncCk5aj2FORzb-Hy0D0y-cZGNLbdxqjDDGEAmGoNBYd1Dq8qi8i53kelMJHeeSjwgcV1qjpMAOWnyMNrVP7Afs5gUOoxBU275_bKdXT-RXkyJGzGmWO_2iwphoVf-PgDP1I7goyyX3KqOeehsSsUh-zbQ/s320/Dragon%2024.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WHXUgpP_TKherbXq3Z8NMlvbbgYI5rvumYJenBoxIKrVNNc1L0N3JKkAyvhF9kPy2fRHGShclOvDqWALyh9dGSyeFpgMMMx2oHhk3ymzQBAnHAbLlHkpmyDAxtINyLOZyqqGmwyAj1eD7Rb-t9RoqEzifHjhepIWcrWioR3rQeawxNoCUQvwLKtbMw/s5100/Dragon%2000%20slug.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WHXUgpP_TKherbXq3Z8NMlvbbgYI5rvumYJenBoxIKrVNNc1L0N3JKkAyvhF9kPy2fRHGShclOvDqWALyh9dGSyeFpgMMMx2oHhk3ymzQBAnHAbLlHkpmyDAxtINyLOZyqqGmwyAj1eD7Rb-t9RoqEzifHjhepIWcrWioR3rQeawxNoCUQvwLKtbMw/s320/Dragon%2000%20slug.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjwd01uK91hskByXQZv797fgM_cDfjTRiuq4X2L8LkmN-ghkSjGRy-4xVheQpKmSn6gOgPK44IhDxbXltIDsa-TMrPO-UvX_5ebjOpzTYw53VEUUwBvJ-AIxiBpS_e28ya17znBEW1Sz6qU0zMYRy85fcVUWGF12I-7UjHff06YcERZWdgS_FFrI8Tw/s5100/T%201963%20t-shirt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5100" data-original-width="3300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTjwd01uK91hskByXQZv797fgM_cDfjTRiuq4X2L8LkmN-ghkSjGRy-4xVheQpKmSn6gOgPK44IhDxbXltIDsa-TMrPO-UvX_5ebjOpzTYw53VEUUwBvJ-AIxiBpS_e28ya17znBEW1Sz6qU0zMYRy85fcVUWGF12I-7UjHff06YcERZWdgS_FFrI8Tw/w259-h400/T%201963%20t-shirt.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><p>I threw in my art and lettering for an Image Comics <i>1963</i> T-shirt ad for Graphitti Designs, for which I was paid a handsome <i>Doc Savage</i> ceramic bust!<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span><span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">___________<br /></span></span>Read the </span><a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</a><span>! New prose chapter every Friday!<br /></span><br /><span><span>If you’re on Facebook, please consider joining the </span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/219553459351868/" style="text-align: left;"><i>Ms. Megaton Man™ Maxi-Series</i> Prose Readers group</a><span style="text-align: left;">! See exclusive artwork, read advance previews, and enjoy other special stuff.</span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"></span></span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">___________<br /></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">All
characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures on this
page are ™ and © Don Simpson 2022, all rights reserved, unless otherwise
noted.</span></div></span></span></div>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-30264576632777493272021-07-06T19:15:00.001-04:002024-02-25T14:55:27.040-05:00More Lost Megaton Man Comics Art from the 1980s!<p>See <a href="https://megatonman.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-megaton-man-2-that-might-have-been.html">Part One: The <i>Megaton Man</i> #2 That Might Have Been!</a></p><p>Here are a few more unearthed pages, some from <a href="https://megatonman.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-megaton-man-2-that-might-have-been.html">the "lost second issue" of <i>Megaton Man</i></a>, others rejected from #6.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>What are interesting from a technical perspective is the diversity of techniques employed on these pages. Some are on Strathmore single-ply Bristol board (plate or smooth finish, good for inking, and regular finish, a more toothy surface better for penciling) and most are inked with a sable brush, but pen and even Rapidograph is used. There's white and black Zip-A-Tone, white out (usually Steig's White, which came in a jar, a fixture in late-twentieth-century commercial art and cartooning studios), Avery label patches, and patches made with wax, Scotch tape, and good, old-fashioned Avery labels. There is also ample use of press type (rub-down lettering).</p><p>A number of pages are composed almost entirely of panels cut from other pages (see <a href="https://megatonman.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-megaton-man-2-that-might-have-been.html">part one</a>, indicating I was trying to edit my comics like a film. Such radical surgery in the analog world was impractical, and I soon gave up the practice; it was inefficient and only prolonged my increasingly crushing deadlines.</p><p>More interesting is why I rejected these pages only to later rework many of the ideas in later issues. Indeed, there are numerous concepts I never adequately explored in the published <i>Megaton Man</i> comics, and evidence of even more unexplored narrative ideas in these rejected pages. Readers of my ongoing currrent prose series, <a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/"><i>The Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</i></a>, who may suspect I'm retconning the original <i>Megaton Man</i> universe left and right, may be surprised to see so many latent ideas in these pages that I'm still exploring in prose.</p><p>Some of these images are striking. Among the most noteworthy may be the image of a toppling skyscraper, prefiguring the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center by 17 years or so. Another is the sequence showing Stella Starlight, pregnant with Megaton Man's love child (accompanied by a latter-day hippy character called Captain Androgynous), a scene I included in <i>Megaton Man</i> #9 (Kitchen Sink Press, April 1986). The published version showed Stella in street clothes, minus the Captain, although here she appears as the Earth Mother, the persona she would become in my self-published <i>Bizarre Heroes</i> series (Fiasco Comics Inc., 1994-1996).</p><p>Why I scrapped what appear to my eye as perfectly good pages owes more to narrative difficulties rather than quality. Some of the artwork here is more detailed and arguably better than the work that later saw print. The sometimes convoluted storyline, imbricated with dream sequences, fantasies, and too many parodies and inside jokes to shake a stick at made the "lost second issue" more than unwieldy, although it provided ample ideas to explore in following issues and subsequent decades.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsWBfWqIGHNXKhRlIU8Q7M4qi2jH2XeFyfIiLYDXKtWISiPS2MJEGr7QteMiQI0UNIoJXNE51xkS-pScaow2JcYm2m5B3fjwfKrkgupxGqR8UEWEidElUJyeuBRezfSNjbUkOytzdXAgL/s2048/Megaton+Man+01+Alt+Cover+Sci-Fi+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsWBfWqIGHNXKhRlIU8Q7M4qi2jH2XeFyfIiLYDXKtWISiPS2MJEGr7QteMiQI0UNIoJXNE51xkS-pScaow2JcYm2m5B3fjwfKrkgupxGqR8UEWEidElUJyeuBRezfSNjbUkOytzdXAgL/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+01+Alt+Cover+Sci-Fi+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of at least three alternate covers I designed for <i>Megaton Man</i> #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, December 1984). What I like about this scene is the science-fictional drama and spooky <i>Dr. Strangelove</i> overtones. Reproduced in the 1992 collection published by Kitchen Sink Press, it is identified as the "original" proposal cover, although it is actually a second or third attempt that the publisher wasn't enthusiastic about.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo-s0Ux97A_GHDrz7NoD3YyPpX9DfbB3zG31ld6WbZMld-0IF0QTvcrRobTrovlSXwopldkxPL2FGooTGfIOtuWcor5ipw4EZKoE-m7X3ngTr_Afe78FNDQIac8o_Z-F2WUjNJiJouWEV/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+11+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo-s0Ux97A_GHDrz7NoD3YyPpX9DfbB3zG31ld6WbZMld-0IF0QTvcrRobTrovlSXwopldkxPL2FGooTGfIOtuWcor5ipw4EZKoE-m7X3ngTr_Afe78FNDQIac8o_Z-F2WUjNJiJouWEV/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+11+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arms of Krupp attempt to assassinate Megaton Man, but end up taking out a skyscraper; shades of Osama Bin Laden and the destruction of Minoru Yamasiki's Twin Towers. This scene was reworked for <i>Megaton Man</i> #6.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_qHjgPC6Kj-41cVljViJ-_Lc07R0L5MdrTpdXJnc83Jr5CsZCqN48VI93ii8KIM-pCjOmOANZ1tksdF7byaG5ppfb_eAvgqa3DItKhGtGeNxnmuPjxQvYyqVxRgGxCxOQbshIg97NQQh/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+26+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_qHjgPC6Kj-41cVljViJ-_Lc07R0L5MdrTpdXJnc83Jr5CsZCqN48VI93ii8KIM-pCjOmOANZ1tksdF7byaG5ppfb_eAvgqa3DItKhGtGeNxnmuPjxQvYyqVxRgGxCxOQbshIg97NQQh/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+26+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella Starlight as a pregnant Earth Mother, along with Captain Androgynous. This scene was reworked for <i>Megaton Man </i>#9.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTdPor3S93J6nShGKlzzMPLfyrVpypTO-H_I4-7uGFm6JPPriY_XjAIF5Cm81Ne8SDaaI7CPZZgMS9IAVI_gwV9z81ZSNsDoOfTWMTjenKdGY5pooYCJjmYfE_EmO9aHzObatdYw3nqjU/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+campaign+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2018" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTdPor3S93J6nShGKlzzMPLfyrVpypTO-H_I4-7uGFm6JPPriY_XjAIF5Cm81Ne8SDaaI7CPZZgMS9IAVI_gwV9z81ZSNsDoOfTWMTjenKdGY5pooYCJjmYfE_EmO9aHzObatdYw3nqjU/w394-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+campaign+200+dpi.jpg" width="394" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A partially cannibalized page the bottom tier is missing and no doubt was used on another, perhaps published, page. America's Nuclear-Powered Hero and electoral politics has been a running theme in the <i>Megaton Man</i> mythos, one that continues in the current <i>Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</i>.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SlUYB-eo3BLglmDJQh5g0M6wQP6OoLWgIfVBRBQVT6pJ5jl8JzJSj3XVc8h-iOM6q05WGK3vD-TvgIqHysXqRRISId5RjM5xCQuHHEt9V9i7QDE-fuJEn3h0cKjXW4Q9VMeXU4xVOCra/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+Manhattan+Project+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_SlUYB-eo3BLglmDJQh5g0M6wQP6OoLWgIfVBRBQVT6pJ5jl8JzJSj3XVc8h-iOM6q05WGK3vD-TvgIqHysXqRRISId5RjM5xCQuHHEt9V9i7QDE-fuJEn3h0cKjXW4Q9VMeXU4xVOCra/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+Manhattan+Project+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Pammy in Ann Arbor, Megaton Man must become his own controversial columnist. I wish I had explored this theme further, although this kind of subtle satire wasn't as popular as all-out spoof fight scenes. See <i>Megaton Man</i> #6.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3UHnvK-AJZJ0uXQFNtZD_bX89WHQvETOFmpVWyZKWwXCZZTsNCH9IEOFq8G16LIj2siA2OlUQ6O1fvN9f-muA_f-dRHGc7qbk9VQj0ckd8h8RAKWpHvJ7l6QAK9ca7T1WVfI4Me2ku4K/s2048/Megaton+Man+3%252C+6+unused+elements+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3UHnvK-AJZJ0uXQFNtZD_bX89WHQvETOFmpVWyZKWwXCZZTsNCH9IEOFq8G16LIj2siA2OlUQ6O1fvN9f-muA_f-dRHGc7qbk9VQj0ckd8h8RAKWpHvJ7l6QAK9ca7T1WVfI4Me2ku4K/w258-h400/Megaton+Man+3%252C+6+unused+elements+200+dpi.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> A penciled tier probably related to <i>Megaton Man</i> #6, in which Megaton Man, forced to criticize himself by becoming his own controversial columnist, undergoes therapy. The Yarn Man logo, done in a Milton Caniff <i>Terry and the Pirates</i> style, is evidence that I thought of depicting his adventures in the Forbidden Future as a series of Sunday newspaper comics pages. Note the irregular spelling of Kozmik Kat. See <i>Megaton Man</i> #3 (Kitchen Sink Press, April 1985).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmZaOq7CxHeNaU9dHBzkXFsQBTPIw9Wr4D1OcslOlNgf6x-rguIf0ecLSXBXUEdwNPGlGTp2PCi3kVFDwVRxpxpZUm56otAN2htzW8LR3BjcUgv35zOViGYvHIxu5OsxrnJGo9ABRRzPF/s2048/Megatropolis+Memoranda+pencil+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1349" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmZaOq7CxHeNaU9dHBzkXFsQBTPIw9Wr4D1OcslOlNgf6x-rguIf0ecLSXBXUEdwNPGlGTp2PCi3kVFDwVRxpxpZUm56otAN2htzW8LR3BjcUgv35zOViGYvHIxu5OsxrnJGo9ABRRzPF/w264-h400/Megatropolis+Memoranda+pencil+200+dpi.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hand-lettered letters page following <i>Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems</i> #1 that I thought better of and left unfinished, presumably for <i>Pteranoman</i> #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, August 1990).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn2sayE_y6_7rHOdJJvJ5rLSOpLWKVlnOAyNQfV-yQ3rUZZ_XjVlJWq80wUk7fk_a9nSSv_0TTqFa3fBwDratIiqTioCjYOoJxLeCkw3vJyT9lCQNGdUHwB15fMiBtBSxjpmHjIqg0Srq/s2048/Megaton+Man+9+unused+page+16+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1353" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNn2sayE_y6_7rHOdJJvJ5rLSOpLWKVlnOAyNQfV-yQ3rUZZ_XjVlJWq80wUk7fk_a9nSSv_0TTqFa3fBwDratIiqTioCjYOoJxLeCkw3vJyT9lCQNGdUHwB15fMiBtBSxjpmHjIqg0Srq/w264-h400/Megaton+Man+9+unused+page+16+200+dpi.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rejected pencil rough on two-ply Strathmore Bristol board from <i>Megaton Man</i> #9 in which Megs tackles Bad Guy, the Contraptoid, the Russian Megaton Man, and Captain Megaton Man all at once; I didn't think the composition worked, here, so I redrew it as a double-page spread.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures on this page are ™ and © Don Simpson 2021, all rights reserved.</span></p>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-66475539054562491862021-07-05T17:38:00.005-04:002021-07-06T18:49:30.992-04:00The Megaton Man #2 That Might Have Been!<p>In early 1984, Denis Kitchen of Kitchen Sink Press offered to publish <i>Megaton Man</i> #1 and even requested that I consider making it an ongoing series (all I had in mind hitherto was a one-shot). I jumped at the chance, and after the contract was signed, was soon floundering with too many ideas than I knew what to do with.</p><p>Luckily, Kitchen Sink was in the process of finding a different color publisher, so most of 1984 was spent with the first issue chronically delayed, which gave me all summer to stew in my juices. By August, which in Detroit was sweltering, I had something like 64 pages of comic book material in varying stages of completion. The problem was it was completely incoherent.</p><p>I remember going for a long walk on a bright, sunny day; it was cooler so it was probably closer to September. I walked from West Forest Avenue around the Wayne State University campus as far north as the New Center area (the Fisher and General Motors buildings) and back. By the time I got home, I had a completely new plot idea for <i>Megaton Man</i> #2: Megs joins the Megatropolis Quartet.</p><p>I drew (wrote, penciled, inked, lettered) the new second issue in about six weeks, as I recall. But I still had 64 pages of mess. Over the next several months, a carved out chunks of material (sometimes literally, cutting up and rearranging panels on new pages) for sequences that ended up in issues #3 and #4.</p><p>But there were still several pages, mostly unfinished, leftover. Those are reproduced here. For those familiar with the original ten-issue run of <i>Megaton Man</i>, much of the material will be familiar. The landing of the Partyers from Mars (inspired by <i>The Day the Earth Stood Still</i>), the pregnancy of the See-Thru Girl, the appearance of Uncle Farley (the Original Golden Age Megaton Man), Sgt. Sterankovich (who would later appear in #4), and many other characters, elements, scenes, and ideas appeared in altered form in later issues (particularly #9).</p><p>These pages in their unfinished form give a good idea of how I worked, and how my mind worked, at the time. The lettering is complete in most case, and the penciling is somewhat loose (I pencil much tighter these days, like I did as teenager before I started inking).</p><p><u>Note</u>: A few of these pages may not be from the 64-page aborted #2; some may be later rejects generated during the production of the actual second issue and subsequent issues. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgs3RTh9bNps7RnBGigjGpLy-AFI7ooTFSRCkV9-8Fc7r-xZZWiDznX84Z5jFOz0A4vQlebP7Ajr9CnGrkieFMFXt_BiV9d0RpVNt25QHeRlutRSlCoJttucS4_Kw-9519wmDeUF08t-x/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+03a+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgs3RTh9bNps7RnBGigjGpLy-AFI7ooTFSRCkV9-8Fc7r-xZZWiDznX84Z5jFOz0A4vQlebP7Ajr9CnGrkieFMFXt_BiV9d0RpVNt25QHeRlutRSlCoJttucS4_Kw-9519wmDeUF08t-x/w258-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+03a+200+dpi.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A page with panels cut out, perhaps intended for the second issue.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTP1R5NkDtRasUYPJjiEGqorDRM6rDUJ0rBUL5yYAEwg69YKA3S1aB1aTUsitMmPGtjZH3-TxMzu25IyNdM9D5_Og7BW_dXAjpb_EeYv8Va-v67UTsJyT4j94QBXK3znrN8BwsoCPDhY0E/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+3+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTP1R5NkDtRasUYPJjiEGqorDRM6rDUJ0rBUL5yYAEwg69YKA3S1aB1aTUsitMmPGtjZH3-TxMzu25IyNdM9D5_Og7BW_dXAjpb_EeYv8Va-v67UTsJyT4j94QBXK3znrN8BwsoCPDhY0E/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+3+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rejected page reworked for the second issue of <i>Megaton Man</i> in which Yarn Man turns into a bikini.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbSJF-p3NlYW3j99Aa2smttIZfEtryOPjD2Qo96NMOJOaL82jX1oZoCtb3naWbOFMao6-IBV1ijWlHeWLv9SEfGP_9URmq-FXTvWeG2SMX-H3PDrcl3t39CGljxMxSkyF_MMWu9HDQhxq/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+05+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1322" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitbSJF-p3NlYW3j99Aa2smttIZfEtryOPjD2Qo96NMOJOaL82jX1oZoCtb3naWbOFMao6-IBV1ijWlHeWLv9SEfGP_9URmq-FXTvWeG2SMX-H3PDrcl3t39CGljxMxSkyF_MMWu9HDQhxq/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+05+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A page probably rejected from the actual <i>Megaton Man</i> #2 (compare the way I ink Pammy's hair with the published splash page for #2). The bottom panels are cut out; where those missing panels went is anyone's guess, but probably to some of the pages in the published second issue. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzVKu22zfIhxgmsVBBlOxT88DKBezNDFlNPFGyre6svmFYu84nqGXBFe-OlWR_WIXUgGksbX-KVSOlLVfSMl1JFCnVSAuv85TdU_TvM-BsTlSuOXm4HYNt44dyJtLiUJq0A8sNDCc6fwK/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+13+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1340" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzVKu22zfIhxgmsVBBlOxT88DKBezNDFlNPFGyre6svmFYu84nqGXBFe-OlWR_WIXUgGksbX-KVSOlLVfSMl1JFCnVSAuv85TdU_TvM-BsTlSuOXm4HYNt44dyJtLiUJq0A8sNDCc6fwK/w261-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+13+200+dpi.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This page is composed of cut-and-pasted panels that were rearranged. This sequence was redrawn for <i>Megaton Man</i> #6.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEinNt_MLOpFjPyqRKdCZl4BD4au4IX2LhUTYAXmL0h0nHk54qDVNLB4EKO8Wy8CrvMMNG_2cLqZEaSf1hH5TnxNF8nlfTa87ih1pZT07wPstvLSv1tWb9Ea2i-1PnVWg9QONyuoRD8Yby/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+15+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEinNt_MLOpFjPyqRKdCZl4BD4au4IX2LhUTYAXmL0h0nHk54qDVNLB4EKO8Wy8CrvMMNG_2cLqZEaSf1hH5TnxNF8nlfTa87ih1pZT07wPstvLSv1tWb9Ea2i-1PnVWg9QONyuoRD8Yby/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+15+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This page was also redrawn for <i>Megaton Man</i> #6.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoO228lyI9Zh8LkTgL42RfohecLRCrDI5hHJx13HcABi54Jk6R2kKvkkdw1cmL42yueSJxaAnh-ymlPSJUKWHwWqQXSVz8-5P0SKb7x6bPVAxyXuyYFMWwNfM_Bu0KNnsuhIPJ3Du8ENj/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+20+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1335" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoO228lyI9Zh8LkTgL42RfohecLRCrDI5hHJx13HcABi54Jk6R2kKvkkdw1cmL42yueSJxaAnh-ymlPSJUKWHwWqQXSVz8-5P0SKb7x6bPVAxyXuyYFMWwNfM_Bu0KNnsuhIPJ3Du8ENj/w261-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+20+200+dpi.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this unfinished page, a blond (or redheaded) girl reporter replaced Pamela Jointly in the newsroom of <i>The Manhattan Project</i>; she never appeared in the published series.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgZpQYHVGgiY5jA6_hc3pap-9TKdoRBRSpIBZGMBcg8egkMcQhDJjaT6owjZ2vLBfAUaChm1cj4CQ-CrD2pfhl0Xoa4UqsjWScTTN4s3TmIsfOMho8KaizupiroKzPIUrFIUjsBT3hUln/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+21+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgZpQYHVGgiY5jA6_hc3pap-9TKdoRBRSpIBZGMBcg8egkMcQhDJjaT6owjZ2vLBfAUaChm1cj4CQ-CrD2pfhl0Xoa4UqsjWScTTN4s3TmIsfOMho8KaizupiroKzPIUrFIUjsBT3hUln/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+21+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sgt. Sterankovich appears (prior to his appearance in <i>Megaton Man</i> #4?), along with Orson Welles as President Harry Foster Lime, as the Partyers from Mars land in Central Park.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHc4Kh7UtP11XN7GjLXRPT6LPLl7DznSRWhMHqnjsKZv6OmRKfjoK8xxPnlbKFn-vrYoQZ5WJ5cIojdNNZGqTp_EDASJb5-BjI7Hbra4R6JAc3An5QRCeoRIbfLCixxmK1UCky-TNMMU9E/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+22+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHc4Kh7UtP11XN7GjLXRPT6LPLl7DznSRWhMHqnjsKZv6OmRKfjoK8xxPnlbKFn-vrYoQZ5WJ5cIojdNNZGqTp_EDASJb5-BjI7Hbra4R6JAc3An5QRCeoRIbfLCixxmK1UCky-TNMMU9E/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+22+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dream sequence, part of the black-and-white sequence that appeared in <i>Megaton Man</i> #3, with heavy Zip-A-Tone. This page was reproduced in a special portfolio section in <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #3 (Kitchen Sink Press, September 1988).<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGHRzljdy7YaOgntNGAWw3KuX7GDt4wVTP2PtDrZJcJA5gSICxEpDbAxgg-c4r_dEDR2Iw_5QOS8ivSvC0NEhusD8iMZuzhOjF2uSWArwDzDKqVlsss5e1oB-BUaICFU2AE14os7nNndm/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+24+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1323" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGHRzljdy7YaOgntNGAWw3KuX7GDt4wVTP2PtDrZJcJA5gSICxEpDbAxgg-c4r_dEDR2Iw_5QOS8ivSvC0NEhusD8iMZuzhOjF2uSWArwDzDKqVlsss5e1oB-BUaICFU2AE14os7nNndm/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+24+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another penciled page of the Partyers landing, with Uncle Farley watching from Skid Row.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMLjeM80mXlyI-_0SzE5SOxjh8ERyEdWwdZKZjsNePOl9oeH4vD5dBnK5noTJYTLRNnt5btgzarrRtWhOWGlElayv1I2mWsITFBa9MC4CaSHqTjr8l6CqGWVHpqD8uqWkX4FsKSehqP7o/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+25+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMLjeM80mXlyI-_0SzE5SOxjh8ERyEdWwdZKZjsNePOl9oeH4vD5dBnK5noTJYTLRNnt5btgzarrRtWhOWGlElayv1I2mWsITFBa9MC4CaSHqTjr8l6CqGWVHpqD8uqWkX4FsKSehqP7o/w258-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+25+200+dpi.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Farley, the Original Golden Age Megaton Man, grabs his old garb and appears in Central Park (this sequence was later redrawn and reworked for <i>Megaton Man</i> #9).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8Z1XdHe3aayLHIAvMNNPAzQhYlB0U5kU89p5v9duG1PpE_AtfA4aKKzNNENQZ7dYj2HE0X-9AAsjtEl3Xrtv9x-7VaPrYD-v0TrD69StmdzNJUE4dosNC6xX_m5OBjcHfQDOPWeTs9lv/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+27+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8Z1XdHe3aayLHIAvMNNPAzQhYlB0U5kU89p5v9duG1PpE_AtfA4aKKzNNENQZ7dYj2HE0X-9AAsjtEl3Xrtv9x-7VaPrYD-v0TrD69StmdzNJUE4dosNC6xX_m5OBjcHfQDOPWeTs9lv/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+page+27+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great lettering, but I'm not sure what I would have drawn except something like Klaatu's appearance from <i>The Day the Earth Stood Still</i>; at the time, I'm not sure I knew what the Partyers even looked like.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-4J4tyoJFlXRwZxYL9fDgoqe2bk2kl6wSLEFZZAHzYYeqjE6Yf89dAqqafqr3rHcdG9Ib7tTilc-pJyW3VUqv1biorB306eJBHJXuXNvMdVLQMofi-ZzstX4zNjaQ25N0ad7tKFcq0Q4/s2048/Megaton+Man+2+unused+Pamela+Jointly+page+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-4J4tyoJFlXRwZxYL9fDgoqe2bk2kl6wSLEFZZAHzYYeqjE6Yf89dAqqafqr3rHcdG9Ib7tTilc-pJyW3VUqv1biorB306eJBHJXuXNvMdVLQMofi-ZzstX4zNjaQ25N0ad7tKFcq0Q4/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+2+unused+Pamela+Jointly+page+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pammy and Stella on the road; a sequence reworked for the actual second issue.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Continue to <a href="https://megatonman.blogspot.com/2021/07/more-lost-megaton-man-comics-from-1980s.html">Part Two: More Lost <i>Megaton Man</i> Comics Art from the 1980s!</a> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">___________</div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: left;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures on this page are ™ and © Don Simpson 2021, all rights reserved.</div></span>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-88169841190096272532021-07-02T07:55:00.001-04:002024-02-25T14:55:43.154-05:00A Lost Megaton Man Story from Before #1!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I drew this six-page <i>Megaton Man</i> story (scroll down for images) in 1983, before embarking on <i>Megaton Man</i> #1. It was something of a trial balloon for the character and an effort to reconcile all the myriad impulses and influences I was experiencing at the time.<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For one thing, <i>Megaton Man</i> itself appears as a strip-within-a strip that a cartoonist (someone referred to as "Chuck" but clearly a self-portrait of myself at the time) is trying to sell. He's wondering whether <i>Megaton Man</i> is art, whether it will get him laid, and other psychodramas. The title itself, "8 1/2 x 11," is a play on <i>Fellini 8 1/2</i>, Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical psychodrama starring Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, an Italian filmmaker directing an internationally-financed science fiction magnum opus while beleaguered by critics, mistresses, actresses, and a shrewish wife who wants a divorce.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To offer an example of my pretensions at the time, I actually sent photocopies to Art Spiegelman at <i>Raw </i>magazine; they were sent back to me with the mustache of the underground publisher on the final page (actually a combination of Spiegelman and Denis Kitchen, who I hadn't known at the time but would later become <i>Megaton Man</i>'s publisher), with the note, "Art no longer has a mustache."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The strip was never published except as a half-sized photocopied ashcan I put out when I was publishing my own work under the Fiasco Comics Inc. imprint.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some of the humorous material was redrawn and appeared in <i>Megaton Man</i> #1 (a good example is the gag on page in which Megaton Man's laborious thought cloud prefigures a large object being thrown at him). Other incidental characters, like some of the people on page three, were based on actual persons I knew when I was an undiscovered genius in Detroit. Mr. Metafysik himself, a villain who never appeared in <i>Megaton Man </i>proper, was an idealized and overblown caricature of a cinema buff and critic I knew in Detroit; some of the taunts he throws at Megaton Man paralleled some of the unkind remarks directed at me and my artform, cartooning, by this arthouse snob.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall, the story sums up a number of themes and issues that were current in my life: sex, snobbery, social status, and the suspicion that I might be wasting my talents on a pop culture medium that was ephemeral and congenitally juvenile, rather than prestigious "art." It was also a lot a wishful thinking, since I never looked that handsome and at the time certainly never had a sex partner as good looking as the woman I'm showed failing to perform for (although the impotence really happened!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the actual <i>Megaton Man</i> series as it was published and unfolded, nearly all of the pop culture, art world, and pseudo-autobiographical themes fell by the wayside, replaced by superhero parody (featuring the Megatropolis Quartet in this early incarnation among other satires of familiar icons) and a nascent, soap-opera world of fictional characters like Stella Starlight and others whose personal dramas came to preoccupy my creative imagination. In certain respects, I've returned to some of those abandoned themes in my current prose project, <a href="https://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</a>. "Chuck," in fact, evolved into Chuck Bradford, although he became brown-haired like my brother, and is now referred to as "Chas" in the <i>Maxi-Series</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ao9r4GiymVamV0dyzoHECL4dZTakFjShWsExBtH7WR7fxo_AO06UkFcqa-iUVVuHBBl2E2OiviSN7HJeJUrw9V64_yYA8gP9_OY890NJsOqMZ9EkMxeYVpNonqte9g3PjoPrVyKFPdC7/s2048/Megaton+Man+1983+01+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1342" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Ao9r4GiymVamV0dyzoHECL4dZTakFjShWsExBtH7WR7fxo_AO06UkFcqa-iUVVuHBBl2E2OiviSN7HJeJUrw9V64_yYA8gP9_OY890NJsOqMZ9EkMxeYVpNonqte9g3PjoPrVyKFPdC7/w263-h400/Megaton+Man+1983+01+200+dpi.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX9KiRoZDnRIwcRDfQCJeTSq2MibKeLOqt2d_yNrG_JhfHs9N_osHdMkkN-rmgqKnuHKvmTQDloBQzfB_obfJGj4F-gKvgk8twsrwkDB4cNwdrewhPqWlTC8uYuukwYZS9jZQs0aVlKxY/s2048/Megaton+Man+1983+02+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZX9KiRoZDnRIwcRDfQCJeTSq2MibKeLOqt2d_yNrG_JhfHs9N_osHdMkkN-rmgqKnuHKvmTQDloBQzfB_obfJGj4F-gKvgk8twsrwkDB4cNwdrewhPqWlTC8uYuukwYZS9jZQs0aVlKxY/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+1983+02+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZipkmeuooh9rnLRKHRMq-VzWVeU3L_L8apsP4lBOjCiKcP625248p3u00akff3nxxt2VgPaXrPvPUyduLFbP_Vh7niZdi2k_RQvUHSDLc20fPJuvGiub4Hu54i8QT1QTt7BpkrPRQsDK/s2048/Megaton+Man+1983+04+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZipkmeuooh9rnLRKHRMq-VzWVeU3L_L8apsP4lBOjCiKcP625248p3u00akff3nxxt2VgPaXrPvPUyduLFbP_Vh7niZdi2k_RQvUHSDLc20fPJuvGiub4Hu54i8QT1QTt7BpkrPRQsDK/w260-h400/Megaton+Man+1983+04+200+dpi.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw4bzT9vLMvINkG3DcH-tVwlCVATbPZLmSuZzMkpH3qigPXvHTKUZ_FUgupBz0VscI_B_kYXjOf2sgBTiKyHXIfQ5mXhBZ71syzxJxX5xJl686I9plm-xPCuaviWyZxUj53x1DLN4LKYX/s2048/Megaton+Man+1983+05+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1322" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGw4bzT9vLMvINkG3DcH-tVwlCVATbPZLmSuZzMkpH3qigPXvHTKUZ_FUgupBz0VscI_B_kYXjOf2sgBTiKyHXIfQ5mXhBZ71syzxJxX5xJl686I9plm-xPCuaviWyZxUj53x1DLN4LKYX/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+1983+05+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgym8kvibU6ffBDmRgIWaNwXajm_bwuv459ZhASzkWB5N16ZiJqR0fbNojnTid_a2rSlVHIgSfOerrbBT5BY2XxcGz2x08PFYhz0QsdeNkdG8nRE-H0EjrWCQNUYmkHCmbYHHoq1chc7591/s2048/Megaton+Man+1983+06+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgym8kvibU6ffBDmRgIWaNwXajm_bwuv459ZhASzkWB5N16ZiJqR0fbNojnTid_a2rSlVHIgSfOerrbBT5BY2XxcGz2x08PFYhz0QsdeNkdG8nRE-H0EjrWCQNUYmkHCmbYHHoq1chc7591/w259-h400/Megaton+Man+1983+06+200+dpi.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: small;">Megaton Man</i><span style="font-size: small;">™ and all characters, words, and pictures are ™ and </span><span style="font-size: small;">© Donald E. Simpson 2021, all rights reserved.</span></div>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-34929691938503883462019-07-22T14:26:00.001-04:002024-02-25T14:56:01.457-05:00Kiss Me, Deadly: A Retro Reject Returns!This is a cover concept I had that went unfinished for a number of years. It dates from probably the early 2000s, and I was apparently pondering taking the <i>Megaton Man Weekly Serial </i>strips and collecting them into a print comic (newsflash: print has been a problematic prospect since the late 1990s!). For whatever reason, I inked only the Megaton Man and moll figures and completed the lettering at the time; I left the generic bad guys on the periphery uninked until just recently.<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tJI7rwUdMK3TTQms0hqs83ZzslPLA6ELzSdfggu1UH2bk6-faMIldQNKBXhX6zaLvevBFwveORNP3YMNWha9OyJ_UW1HttuKq9mpa195SYge1qX3mTJLBlVB37sGbyReIly8hqOQ7l94/s1600/Save+Me+Megaton+Man.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1275" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tJI7rwUdMK3TTQms0hqs83ZzslPLA6ELzSdfggu1UH2bk6-faMIldQNKBXhX6zaLvevBFwveORNP3YMNWha9OyJ_UW1HttuKq9mpa195SYge1qX3mTJLBlVB37sGbyReIly8hqOQ7l94/s400/Save+Me+Megaton+Man.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brush, pen, and India ink on Bristol board, 11" x 14".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The idea originated as a rough sketch in my sketchbook, which measured something like 9" x 12"; I photocopied this and blew it up and lightboxed (traced) it onto the Bristol board. (I should mention that the Megaton Man and babe figures were inked with a brush; the early 2000s was about the last time I messed with that tool, finding it too difficult to find reliable brushes, either Kolinsky sable hair or synthetic. Now I just ink with a Hunt #102 crowquill (as the villains were inked with, here), or use fine-line pens on tracing paper.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOUdAgS9irM9EJ2_wBN1-MTeHn-Tt9SDXrQ1v0OvUOAx_wSWYd30g5XqVEWOF1dSh6OE5rsiwxaMdlBJV80Y8SydmEYjSb_wdAQEpxLC4TQsjS4VZ4wvFjQljuZ-5eA7thyphenhyphen6Y6KSWbGNb/s1600/Save+Me+Megaton+Man+rough+200+dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1467" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOUdAgS9irM9EJ2_wBN1-MTeHn-Tt9SDXrQ1v0OvUOAx_wSWYd30g5XqVEWOF1dSh6OE5rsiwxaMdlBJV80Y8SydmEYjSb_wdAQEpxLC4TQsjS4VZ4wvFjQljuZ-5eA7thyphenhyphen6Y6KSWbGNb/s400/Save+Me+Megaton+Man+rough+200+dpi.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photocopy of sketch, with blue pencil and further pen elaborations.</td></tr>
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To complete the illusion, I finally inked the villains, scanned the art, and superimposed it on a sheet of Marvel Comics cover Bristol board stock (one of two sheets I still have among my supply of drawing paper, probably sent to me by Kurt Busiek when he was then assistant editor on Marvel Graphics' <i>Open Space</i>, a short-lived anthology I contributed one or two stories to).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXzP3Ml5c-886Yd2IPw0oEPSciznI2eL6BXy0bsRDkphRtxOummYn1b2tHNxsfWVXYWUVIUTtVMHgIUQLx6klM0jJcPGghQE0OosPR6Kl2TtPrIbxW_dm_NIwPmvMAAyMKdpykpezFz5V/s1600/Megaton+Marvel+cover+stock+200+dpi+logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1039" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXzP3Ml5c-886Yd2IPw0oEPSciznI2eL6BXy0bsRDkphRtxOummYn1b2tHNxsfWVXYWUVIUTtVMHgIUQLx6klM0jJcPGghQE0OosPR6Kl2TtPrIbxW_dm_NIwPmvMAAyMKdpykpezFz5V/s400/Megaton+Marvel+cover+stock+200+dpi+logo.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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I should note that back in the twentieth century, I did a lot of freelance assignments for DC, Marvel, and other companies, and generally was supplied with more Bristol board pre-printed with the company's specifications than I needed for the job. Quite a few of the early Image Comics drawn by former Marvel artists, for example, were drawn of Marvel Bristol board. The only difference with the Marvel covers stock here is that it is black line, whereas most pre-printed Bristol featured non-photo blue guidelines.<br />
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Enough technical history! Hope you enjoy the drawing.<br />
_______<br />
Read my YA prose experiment, <a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/"><i>The Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</i></a> - new chapter every Friday!Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-75485131657695020552019-07-15T07:53:00.001-04:002024-02-25T14:56:21.578-05:00Timeless Beach Scenes: Ms. Megaton Man Flaunts It!Back in the days when <i>Amazing Heroes</i> published an annual swimsuit issue, the cast of <i>Megaton Man</i> figured in two out of three of my contributions. In both of these, Clarissa James (<a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-clarissa-project-secret-origin-of.html">Ms. Megaton Man</a>) figured prominently.<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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Below is the first pin-up from 1989 in both rough (now in the collection of <a href="https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=19104">cartooning connoisseur Greg McKee</a>) and final form. (Here is the <a href="https://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/2018/06/greetings-from-nukehead-beach-swimsuit.html">second pin-up</a>, from 1990. A third, featuring Jenny Woodlore from <i>Border Worlds</i>, <a href="https://borderworlds.blogspot.com/2015/12/theory-of-relativity-varying-art-sizes.html">didn't include a swimsuit at all</a>).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8JVYJCgkWs_a3Xm0rSC8XcA4k1HHIBGX__K-M4AfRJ4hu9P4LU0k4qZbEBn02JKUgjIuv8_MW-Gm7-N00yZemWTw2PTJaDDnV0NrykmQVsygiItOkLsaPomCsvC0kSGCwqtEGRHlAfXW/s1600/Clarissa+Swimsuit+1989+crop+00.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="746" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8JVYJCgkWs_a3Xm0rSC8XcA4k1HHIBGX__K-M4AfRJ4hu9P4LU0k4qZbEBn02JKUgjIuv8_MW-Gm7-N00yZemWTw2PTJaDDnV0NrykmQVsygiItOkLsaPomCsvC0kSGCwqtEGRHlAfXW/s400/Clarissa+Swimsuit+1989+crop+00.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final version, as published. Bad Guy (in the triangle shorts) gets obscured for some reason, probably because I needed to shorten Clarissa.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOmmiV7raZN2tL9U3f1kwXX6pIJPpCXJXnktJKVugdu21OQXTKjvdE39-mdowYyD0Usr5Y_nvlP5242OevkrGRYIadWxkBzezxyeYin9Tbse61pdcgW9MFPIOh5MRrQRsQePGFCBtbi_c/s1600/Clarissa+Beach+Rough.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1119" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOmmiV7raZN2tL9U3f1kwXX6pIJPpCXJXnktJKVugdu21OQXTKjvdE39-mdowYyD0Usr5Y_nvlP5242OevkrGRYIadWxkBzezxyeYin9Tbse61pdcgW9MFPIOh5MRrQRsQePGFCBtbi_c/s400/Clarissa+Beach+Rough.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rough layout, marker on tissue (Bienfang Graphics paper, as I recall), now in the <a href="https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=19104">collection of Greg McKee</a>.</td></tr>
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Thirty years later, what is striking to me about this scene, although it's a fantasy that never takes place in any actual <i>Megaton Man </i>story (and aside from being one of the sexiest depictions of either Stella <i>or</i> Clarissa ever published),
is how consistent my conception of these characters remains, to this day.<br />
<br />
Pamela
Jointly, hard-bitten, world-weary journalist and media savant, sits in
the foreground, smoking a cigarette to remain skinny, completely
self-absorbed (although on some level observing everything around her to
put in her book). Stella, too, is blithely self-absorbed, but in a
different way (she's almost bored with her own gorgeousness). Clarissa,
among the women, is the only one who seems to be thrilled and totally
enjoying herself in the moment.<br />
<br />
It's also interesting that Clarissa is the only character I needed to correct in the rough (long legs just didn't suit her). Today, the only change I'd make would be to draw her breasts somewhat smaller. But her basic body type--the body types of all my characters--seems hardwired to their respective personalities. A Stella pose (or a Phantom Jungle Girl pose) wouldn't work with a Ms. Megaton Man costume. I flatter myself to think this is somewhat unusual for artists, most of whom have one ideal male and female figure, and simply change the hair color.<br />
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It was, perhaps, inevitable that, when I turned to writing the <i>Megaton Man </i>narrative in prose, that I would ultimately elect Clarissa to the become the first-person narrator. She offers the unique perspective of being in the middle of it and enjoying every minute--she starts out as a civilian and gains megapowers only later--while retaining an ironic distance from the events the other characters lack. None of the other characters could tell (or retell) the <i>Megaton Man</i> stories with the same combination of humor, perception, wonder, dismay, and critical snarkiness all at once.<br />
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(This piece is also interesting because I don't think I ever drew Kozmik Kat flying until much later.) <br />
______<br />
Read the <a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/"><i>Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</i></a> YA experiment - new prose chapter every Friday!Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-67121871229592175732018-12-15T16:57:00.001-05:002024-02-25T14:56:35.132-05:00"Stella's Story": The First-Person Narrator in Megaton Man #5 It had completely slipped my mind until now, but I realize I did an unusual thing for the fifth issue of <i>Megaton Man</i> (Kitchen Sink Press, August 1985): I told the story entirely from Stella Starlight's point of view. Throughout the issue (except for "George Has a Gun," a "back-up feature that features Stella but takes a more objective view of her and her affair with Martian Anton Drek - yes, you read that right), we see events, including flashbacks, from her perspective.<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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I was always inordinately proud of that issue; it still seems rather complete and self-contained, and I was proud particularly that I could write from the perspective of a female character without making a fool of myself. I also felt the artwork took a leap forward, toward more realistic proportions (I also struggled with finding the right balance between caricature and serious superheroics, given the satirical nature of the series).<br />
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Unfortunately, I always considered the coloring of the issue a bit too "tangy" - too much orange and green, most of which was attributable to the colors shifting on the printing press, but also due to some of the choices the colorists (Pete Poplaski on the cover and Ray Fehrenbach on the interiors) made. (Pete also inked the dinosaurs on page 22.) Looking back on it, however, I don't mind the coloring as much; I particularly like the dusty blue or steely grey that Stella's "Q" uniform acquired.<br />
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I never got as much feedback on the issue, positive or negative, as I would have liked; I like to think that fans of <a href="http://borderworlds.blogspot.com/"><i>Border Worlds</i></a> might like this issue best of all the early <i>Megaton Mans</i>, since it foreshadowed both Jenny's first-person narration and a more dramatic approach to the artwork in that series, particularly in the use of high-contrast shadowing (<i>Border Worlds</i> in fact would begin as a back-up feature in the following issue, <i>Megaton Man </i>#6).<br />
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Herewith are some of the key pages from "Stella's Story" (the title appeared on the inside front cover, which is not included here). All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 2018, all rights reserved.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuczHR161-2Z22QYVs8T9V-vgEsX9asrXTfHpko39X7tDmXMqaviWB2nfwHfHKAjAhefKTXUiiovQNanDKiKM2SKJiNeDYWiXr8loUIq-WGppSblqDUr6qDxnrvYyU4jdk4z7ZGoDPeuR/s1600/RCO001_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1519" data-original-width="991" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuczHR161-2Z22QYVs8T9V-vgEsX9asrXTfHpko39X7tDmXMqaviWB2nfwHfHKAjAhefKTXUiiovQNanDKiKM2SKJiNeDYWiXr8loUIq-WGppSblqDUr6qDxnrvYyU4jdk4z7ZGoDPeuR/s400/RCO001_1472307772.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2FwWNAD5QrXsIO2v_jMJ2eh8bP3yWmP8phiwicPWwpCJodeRWT65ZSThol9Say2JM8EgEKGCwfi6Db7OVxKVuOpNOLqtpp_v2-0LgbAqqq87rKqN_UXDY4ljR9skG1Ub0opa72X1k6Rb/s1600/RCO003_w_1472308375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="923" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2FwWNAD5QrXsIO2v_jMJ2eh8bP3yWmP8phiwicPWwpCJodeRWT65ZSThol9Say2JM8EgEKGCwfi6Db7OVxKVuOpNOLqtpp_v2-0LgbAqqq87rKqN_UXDY4ljR9skG1Ub0opa72X1k6Rb/s400/RCO003_w_1472308375.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1szocua2ei340CAKRxD01RUI0b_N6XEKgl-OrrRNvWRaPLeD8T1fLo1xOh9xdjM9ld-MtNpDnhnOv-PklhVFnmAgc6Q5oacAF43LQhpagErem6BEL71ZOZpYBjmYegr2dvieDqLyyTJ-s/s1600/RCO004_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1384" data-original-width="919" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1szocua2ei340CAKRxD01RUI0b_N6XEKgl-OrrRNvWRaPLeD8T1fLo1xOh9xdjM9ld-MtNpDnhnOv-PklhVFnmAgc6Q5oacAF43LQhpagErem6BEL71ZOZpYBjmYegr2dvieDqLyyTJ-s/s400/RCO004_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH218dGa7QuhKugQIz5jSP2nvh7sgvGbEOUNWU-d4MIIUHqZJamS71ohy9MEKq0xXhiF2rpkrRqIp_HFrRIwzi3TbdOQoIQAs0Xi9yUklY0bspLgzHNOhtlxhGoQXhMKmeisPSeQW9jZj/s1600/RCO006_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1379" data-original-width="918" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWH218dGa7QuhKugQIz5jSP2nvh7sgvGbEOUNWU-d4MIIUHqZJamS71ohy9MEKq0xXhiF2rpkrRqIp_HFrRIwzi3TbdOQoIQAs0Xi9yUklY0bspLgzHNOhtlxhGoQXhMKmeisPSeQW9jZj/s400/RCO006_1472307772.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuYtS5HpKQI2g-Fj6bgV3UclENaFeIqDHMG1Ua9gBI0fCH5qcilXquUmrdue0qyAFz22wO2RxgJJJNtWY-G-Cj-eOHhHkEjNRRIJ_9FCG-1zTkkOXdmxPLfHzVwtJoS2ePe2mndakx_zX/s1600/RCO007_w_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="981" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuYtS5HpKQI2g-Fj6bgV3UclENaFeIqDHMG1Ua9gBI0fCH5qcilXquUmrdue0qyAFz22wO2RxgJJJNtWY-G-Cj-eOHhHkEjNRRIJ_9FCG-1zTkkOXdmxPLfHzVwtJoS2ePe2mndakx_zX/s400/RCO007_w_1472307772.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBEhB24H5Ng6ItcAK0ucv4zqgnDhAkrfKwJhyphenhyphenKkDMH4Xpqp4zRVoD7nZ9JEk0fL7YJFBBFqj0xROqws1wcypRb0KMSbFLudPg67wOyBJaYxOQOVooSrjNetZzqh98xRN13vJmfCTgeDKo/s1600/RCO008_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBEhB24H5Ng6ItcAK0ucv4zqgnDhAkrfKwJhyphenhyphenKkDMH4Xpqp4zRVoD7nZ9JEk0fL7YJFBBFqj0xROqws1wcypRb0KMSbFLudPg67wOyBJaYxOQOVooSrjNetZzqh98xRN13vJmfCTgeDKo/s400/RCO008_1472307772.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzyQjAVEcrLmGFpAdKwq_B9V-OGtkB5pJruaO44LoSbbT0KUTLtk1Xu1HXaybKtVyex93OebcIDWA_XFEMeH3omai-ZIC_E7CD-scop9pdcynvI1Wmc7Z2FRCvy73J2ZAq5T8F5yubzyz/s1600/RCO009_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="932" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzyQjAVEcrLmGFpAdKwq_B9V-OGtkB5pJruaO44LoSbbT0KUTLtk1Xu1HXaybKtVyex93OebcIDWA_XFEMeH3omai-ZIC_E7CD-scop9pdcynvI1Wmc7Z2FRCvy73J2ZAq5T8F5yubzyz/s400/RCO009_1472307772.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFJqaPD5heKcLCg-dBIMy9edl_ZjW4IociwCB3u_d1qXOEhubH-o7ULCdEJ0JYy9PO6g4CoA38k-HwbuPQb1P7fQ8CDvS5nK2EnDlvO9uXAIj3jgRS2NSiSB-glKaoqs-UigFn4e4FXNe/s1600/RCO011_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="921" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFJqaPD5heKcLCg-dBIMy9edl_ZjW4IociwCB3u_d1qXOEhubH-o7ULCdEJ0JYy9PO6g4CoA38k-HwbuPQb1P7fQ8CDvS5nK2EnDlvO9uXAIj3jgRS2NSiSB-glKaoqs-UigFn4e4FXNe/s400/RCO011_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI6C8gqJmaPeB2gFTPac-APnXqWoqVTTYJ-RI6XyE_Gy9HlscDlFV_U0jFf4pR2cUGOiR4lhkVxRHkaDFi4dIe5iWorviW7DfyOVgPVdaWGh1Bi1ugb6XMMyaF5rPmf4oAYP_RwRI4e5p/s1600/RCO012_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="919" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI6C8gqJmaPeB2gFTPac-APnXqWoqVTTYJ-RI6XyE_Gy9HlscDlFV_U0jFf4pR2cUGOiR4lhkVxRHkaDFi4dIe5iWorviW7DfyOVgPVdaWGh1Bi1ugb6XMMyaF5rPmf4oAYP_RwRI4e5p/s400/RCO012_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSeFwBcUsoks8cOXbikHZfa5eHLM7Im01qzEipsl1wwzf_7xrJj_V210vgcZSiG2J0H5iEmZwwcWrtUZS_17UT2xNDu4360bhyphenhyphenMemUaaZO3A8YTaJh6IUlH_7aWQ6h3jG-VzHQG4tusw_/s1600/RCO013_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="921" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSeFwBcUsoks8cOXbikHZfa5eHLM7Im01qzEipsl1wwzf_7xrJj_V210vgcZSiG2J0H5iEmZwwcWrtUZS_17UT2xNDu4360bhyphenhyphenMemUaaZO3A8YTaJh6IUlH_7aWQ6h3jG-VzHQG4tusw_/s400/RCO013_1472307772.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifw2z7hUosnIiZHahqVZyn-wKotNAWFBXLonl2adbhQQ2DB8Pciu1uA_atyLiHAUW7Z8EpkvF-gCYfjvLyMXI0_XfRSY9zn6xH1kk8D8OKEVCu2qBWPL-gJOUBhMWxeM-A75uZi3qcRLKM/s1600/RCO014_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1383" data-original-width="924" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifw2z7hUosnIiZHahqVZyn-wKotNAWFBXLonl2adbhQQ2DB8Pciu1uA_atyLiHAUW7Z8EpkvF-gCYfjvLyMXI0_XfRSY9zn6xH1kk8D8OKEVCu2qBWPL-gJOUBhMWxeM-A75uZi3qcRLKM/s400/RCO014_1472307772.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdn8bhHijXDn3SQUXpO4vsvStERGMY0O57rw7FK4QMXwdvoS5fTuyfKk-fr-kehl2c9Im2r_1HFWZCaEvxFA28_K0gS47ed2188pQk88shMIitrNjusKQkQ-aRcV-liHp-P1xBgjMmPIKR/s1600/RCO019_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="957" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdn8bhHijXDn3SQUXpO4vsvStERGMY0O57rw7FK4QMXwdvoS5fTuyfKk-fr-kehl2c9Im2r_1HFWZCaEvxFA28_K0gS47ed2188pQk88shMIitrNjusKQkQ-aRcV-liHp-P1xBgjMmPIKR/s400/RCO019_1472307772.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfMy8AwjFmXaz8h5d32uCRD60y3uqvHeeHRX4iuio3h10f0zUCtnn8KJ0PGrxZTAc2bcwhrNJ-3RBtzZMGvYIXupbSGfcWWmmrJ_5MTw9kyQZaWgm3gUCOa_MKEZGHOUQLPfC0YtlPVqO/s1600/RCO022_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="913" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfMy8AwjFmXaz8h5d32uCRD60y3uqvHeeHRX4iuio3h10f0zUCtnn8KJ0PGrxZTAc2bcwhrNJ-3RBtzZMGvYIXupbSGfcWWmmrJ_5MTw9kyQZaWgm3gUCOa_MKEZGHOUQLPfC0YtlPVqO/s400/RCO022_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGZSB7afRs8pWhWdqDDOjQscXDsYjbmUF-BhVBAC7QqD7CFVTY6cqlAKnVupZaQ_X3xJSw76k7KSBVxzR3voJ2MAbsfmM1Svz-AAxi2IVKjKh-J72VU3WOymcfss7xiYMYGXFmwVkdYWX/s1600/RCO023_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="907" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGZSB7afRs8pWhWdqDDOjQscXDsYjbmUF-BhVBAC7QqD7CFVTY6cqlAKnVupZaQ_X3xJSw76k7KSBVxzR3voJ2MAbsfmM1Svz-AAxi2IVKjKh-J72VU3WOymcfss7xiYMYGXFmwVkdYWX/s400/RCO023_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutL7OOaWCswUB8qfAfpLRDJzEgZAP_weyMxs6ubf1lave7pSXEVDe9EaxPjuV0hwqyzqW5Ov6H9GONJpJgMUfgMvV1NKsJulJRRtkJInS9-8EKdF0UNebgiYAtK2gJ9Vw2vnJxbU9zDPx/s1600/RCO024_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1461" data-original-width="946" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutL7OOaWCswUB8qfAfpLRDJzEgZAP_weyMxs6ubf1lave7pSXEVDe9EaxPjuV0hwqyzqW5Ov6H9GONJpJgMUfgMvV1NKsJulJRRtkJInS9-8EKdF0UNebgiYAtK2gJ9Vw2vnJxbU9zDPx/s400/RCO024_1472307772.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3Boaei6cZMjsuW7Peu4viZh4Xq6vp4FuFzL_DVMa46MGNbK9h0Y3EYAaFstQjIihKT3PFR7OXQ3rICquu7tLywu40ZHIlfUu83Q-ULp8QmI1GBmaKXoGwGP3Nvwqhw3gPVsinB5Ps3i9/s1600/RCO026_1472308375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="955" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3Boaei6cZMjsuW7Peu4viZh4Xq6vp4FuFzL_DVMa46MGNbK9h0Y3EYAaFstQjIihKT3PFR7OXQ3rICquu7tLywu40ZHIlfUu83Q-ULp8QmI1GBmaKXoGwGP3Nvwqhw3gPVsinB5Ps3i9/s400/RCO026_1472308375.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPocUuZKlMZDmb1ZFxGA5WAZj2PXhtKetmWNbpasVoVW9sTWNkhkKN30FCGj-TpXB0p3LZDNCzJUxia_Y2PVArm8ygZoe3HB1PZWk_WIvwHKlDprAAYeb3bHMZJ29FeCF__m9kpNjPirfV/s1600/RCO028_w_1472308375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1375" data-original-width="922" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPocUuZKlMZDmb1ZFxGA5WAZj2PXhtKetmWNbpasVoVW9sTWNkhkKN30FCGj-TpXB0p3LZDNCzJUxia_Y2PVArm8ygZoe3HB1PZWk_WIvwHKlDprAAYeb3bHMZJ29FeCF__m9kpNjPirfV/s400/RCO028_w_1472308375.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyCCoXHGgOht3A9Y4k28qsKBIcEA35xVxxGYAleiShbaTve96Rm77gOQQkcH8bbapc1pAReV41NSqgjVDt3FbJD3o2ZSIENsbb3q_G32Sda3OJDutq3dgjCx7Jptvm0lEWMTRNVlmViW2/s1600/RCO029_1472308375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="907" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyCCoXHGgOht3A9Y4k28qsKBIcEA35xVxxGYAleiShbaTve96Rm77gOQQkcH8bbapc1pAReV41NSqgjVDt3FbJD3o2ZSIENsbb3q_G32Sda3OJDutq3dgjCx7Jptvm0lEWMTRNVlmViW2/s400/RCO029_1472308375.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3oMFb8qTZ3VRIYYK6z2VRme6SmXz-kTM2f47U9Jll0xED5q-kbVt48p5ufKmLFfRPdv0p3Yr7T7cFnobF_gz1Wc5M3LIz0s0Anf3euxSFePj8ELS47tlogL1um7NN65O6MWPkA4cm0it/s1600/RCO030_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="912" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3oMFb8qTZ3VRIYYK6z2VRme6SmXz-kTM2f47U9Jll0xED5q-kbVt48p5ufKmLFfRPdv0p3Yr7T7cFnobF_gz1Wc5M3LIz0s0Anf3euxSFePj8ELS47tlogL1um7NN65O6MWPkA4cm0it/s400/RCO030_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfokhbZv3f-JG8UoNDgTTcZC-awqAe59mNbP3NivjpwJEtCNjda6paz_73370IDITvWwTlWf_31nNsM9H6iHs-X2bXuLykYDQNkmoDFvE2jFQ3vC1-W_lKg20vPdrMbFyOjzvdV7EK_Fm/s1600/RCO031_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="923" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfokhbZv3f-JG8UoNDgTTcZC-awqAe59mNbP3NivjpwJEtCNjda6paz_73370IDITvWwTlWf_31nNsM9H6iHs-X2bXuLykYDQNkmoDFvE2jFQ3vC1-W_lKg20vPdrMbFyOjzvdV7EK_Fm/s400/RCO031_1472307772.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpAik_bfLxecovjvKVgeCJrPG-OgkeTUnYDAWGOqbFdXFJu8fthfyNfMgC9HBdNSTuTHbEd1lbR2KstR682FkS-6uNmEekYsncSgnNJsYCFI3MypL72F6Azny_uk3WsHBHYlsU6eKm0DI/s1600/RCO032_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1379" data-original-width="921" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpAik_bfLxecovjvKVgeCJrPG-OgkeTUnYDAWGOqbFdXFJu8fthfyNfMgC9HBdNSTuTHbEd1lbR2KstR682FkS-6uNmEekYsncSgnNJsYCFI3MypL72F6Azny_uk3WsHBHYlsU6eKm0DI/s400/RCO032_1472307772.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3kKwRxV5Lqq1k4GuMPdVCXwfftZxrTkgKyrIE2Na25mciAveJZmgE_5wYczhzxXq8T5140OyL7vYgOwakmwU7tXqzVS3n-q3yYLIQA3ZGIWocjc1EQdL-yGNS3JmckX72B6cuftgowsc/s1600/RCO033_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1384" data-original-width="917" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3kKwRxV5Lqq1k4GuMPdVCXwfftZxrTkgKyrIE2Na25mciAveJZmgE_5wYczhzxXq8T5140OyL7vYgOwakmwU7tXqzVS3n-q3yYLIQA3ZGIWocjc1EQdL-yGNS3JmckX72B6cuftgowsc/s400/RCO033_1472307772.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWlnZmAsOsGDLHgTkGQ9KYtGjZ2DjiFD2eSsOVz_Qn6T-RG636_U_0H2vNB2YwodAmIR9BVIJ_tFD6fHVcYOE4UrDyLvx_zUVIXu8LfW9GZskOTKUFUDeEhCT9Xah3B3gAiIfllDepWE4/s1600/RCO034_1472307772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="926" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWlnZmAsOsGDLHgTkGQ9KYtGjZ2DjiFD2eSsOVz_Qn6T-RG636_U_0H2vNB2YwodAmIR9BVIJ_tFD6fHVcYOE4UrDyLvx_zUVIXu8LfW9GZskOTKUFUDeEhCT9Xah3B3gAiIfllDepWE4/s400/RCO034_1472307772.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All characters, character names, likenesses, words and pictures are ™ and © Don Simpson 1985, 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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Here: A <a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/2015/08/1989-to-2015-early-ms-megaton-man.html">new, unpublished Stella Starlight drawing</a>!</div>
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<u>New</u>: Clarissa James tells her story in the first person: <a href="https://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/2019/02/chapter-one-meet-stella-starlight.html"><i>The Ms. Megaton Maxi-Series!</i> </a></div>
Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-78754661135815610522018-11-11T06:57:00.001-05:002024-02-25T14:56:53.581-05:00Megs Takes a Swipe at the Culture Wars!Proving once again I utterly lack the subtle touch for editorial cartooning of my social betters (although the threshold has been lowered in recently decades), I offer my half-baked commentary on a current controversy in comics. Namely, should we kick the crap out of bigots, or ask for their autographs at cons?<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSIPrfK-8HgSiquu7aS5lANY5CNQF9ftU-yXF3iDP-NSDQjg98311-jGgf8AeFAfufSmIDDCmCgJbBXN8jbkLTf-SeG9cJW9ezhdGZk7kwH0Ad_KTODMavgGTxVvKUR395X-h_YgH9o3X/s1600/Clarissa+Socks+Hitlertoonist.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1190" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSIPrfK-8HgSiquu7aS5lANY5CNQF9ftU-yXF3iDP-NSDQjg98311-jGgf8AeFAfufSmIDDCmCgJbBXN8jbkLTf-SeG9cJW9ezhdGZk7kwH0Ad_KTODMavgGTxVvKUR395X-h_YgH9o3X/s400/Clarissa+Socks+Hitlertoonist.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarissa socks a White (and presumably) Nationalist penciller as Megaton Man, X-Ray Boy, and Gower Goose ponder the impact a pencil sketch will have on our civic discourse. ™ and © Don Simpson 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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In case you don't recognize the inspiration, it's from an image by a couple of Jewish guys (who can <i>never </i>be replaced), punching the <i>schnozz </i>out of Der Führer (dictators seem to <i>love </i>flowing ties, don't they?!). Maybe the idea would be clearer if I caricatured more Neanderthal comic book creators calling for Whites-Only entertainment, or included more Nazis (is there a distinction?). But I'm too lazy, although I reserve the right to add more Nazis if and when I bother to ink this (you can never show enough Nazis getting beaten up).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIwzaRUF2sqo_9REwTNmQ5YR8439Qo3NlWfI0TA_heF2SN8qiPc-AbMBGYeSyKMYgafQseV0H4yBhp-R1Ar45f0KmnoAhiM6v2up7aRO7I99VOfDKHS2Y91jMavatOwQfqZoW2Ta3g66R/s1600/Captain+America+%25231+March+1941.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1208" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIwzaRUF2sqo_9REwTNmQ5YR8439Qo3NlWfI0TA_heF2SN8qiPc-AbMBGYeSyKMYgafQseV0H4yBhp-R1Ar45f0KmnoAhiM6v2up7aRO7I99VOfDKHS2Y91jMavatOwQfqZoW2Ta3g66R/s400/Captain+America+%25231+March+1941.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon and Kirby beat up Hitler before Pearl Harbor, a reminder that cartoons can't always prevent actual war.</td></tr>
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Here's another page from the sketchbook. Sorry these are only roughs -- I'm supposed to be grading art history papers this weekend (exploited adjunct is my secret identity when I'm not being a Social Justice Warrior), so two full sketchbook pages is really playing hooky.<br />
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More art on the <a href="https://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/2018/07/nerd-head-sketchbook-clarissa-studies.html">Ms. Megaton Man blog</a>!<br />
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For more on the <a href="https://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-lies-of-comicsgash.html" target="_blank">Culture Wars and Comics!</a>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-41612980404351503592018-10-06T11:15:00.004-04:002024-02-25T14:57:04.957-05:00Megaton My Day: Some Fall Break 2018 Sketches!I'm busy grading papers, but I took some time out to let off some steam with these sketches - mostly to remind my new, improved left-brained self that I can still draw! Sketches are in light blue Col-Erase and graphite pencil with Sharpie liner pen colored in Photoshop.<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UtY28UuiHF2qA2rNi4IKAalmjNWml4C5oVaNnPkYt7JOIXJf7wXnxWqpGzuXR0F24jdi8TdRfYTiE6hjGm_9ECN-0CIf5E-ibYUFAjdhbCXqfNTkwNCOTUpupZckKxLI38KaaS8zoxgQ/s1600/MM+Absurd+120+RGB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1385" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UtY28UuiHF2qA2rNi4IKAalmjNWml4C5oVaNnPkYt7JOIXJf7wXnxWqpGzuXR0F24jdi8TdRfYTiE6hjGm_9ECN-0CIf5E-ibYUFAjdhbCXqfNTkwNCOTUpupZckKxLI38KaaS8zoxgQ/s400/MM+Absurd+120+RGB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGumuyXklNwQfeCxptPNb8yu42KIEVYGbo9678Zq8Adrz6OVWaGNJ-BIojiTOZZknWsOkDfNsftvLylDFadtF-cGj4tEtDB7erTLgzdCSLb-gr5Ys3bOB74NuuBjy1XeVM7hN3pkiMSn0d/s1600/MsMMvsAcademia+Blue+120+RGB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1204" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGumuyXklNwQfeCxptPNb8yu42KIEVYGbo9678Zq8Adrz6OVWaGNJ-BIojiTOZZknWsOkDfNsftvLylDFadtF-cGj4tEtDB7erTLgzdCSLb-gr5Ys3bOB74NuuBjy1XeVM7hN3pkiMSn0d/s400/MsMMvsAcademia+Blue+120+RGB.jpg" width="335" /></a></div>
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<i><u>Note</u></i>: Text is rough draft only; the views expressed are not necessarily those of the management, and are protected by the First Amendment, freedom of speech, journalistic integrity, and Artistic License™.Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-11508597872368191052018-07-03T20:54:00.002-04:002024-02-25T14:57:17.115-05:00Hembeck's Man of Molecules and the Boys of 'Summer'!Fred G. Hembeck has been a presence in the comic book industry since the 1970s, when his distinctive interpretations of every single character ever created began appearing in fan publications and trade journals like the <i>Comics Buyer's Guide</i> and <i>Amazing Heroes</i> - he also destroyed the Marvel Universe, as I recall!<span><a name='more'></a></span><br />
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I'm leaving out a lot, but more recently, Fred flattered me with a rendition of my very own Megaton Man online, and since employed the Man of Molecules in his own inimitable fashion for the cover of the Comic Shop News Summer Special 2018 (in which Megs appears as one of the letter "M"s!).<br />
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Last week Fred sent me a personalized Megaton Man trading card, which makes me now a prized Fred Hembeck collector! Herewith the images of those works:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkd2qdOPKwca6caMXT9ALl_j7GWs6wBYIoUmPu4FATWHumwilOXQhpxDB-yz58axOYD_k0wYt3Edxw2l0x93yR47-IQrFjrIm7flBjOZ14TA-GjGfU90Jk1BGmBn0By1SErNisSxWsszl/s1600/31948165_1286417991491140_1987118734627569664_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="489" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkd2qdOPKwca6caMXT9ALl_j7GWs6wBYIoUmPu4FATWHumwilOXQhpxDB-yz58axOYD_k0wYt3Edxw2l0x93yR47-IQrFjrIm7flBjOZ14TA-GjGfU90Jk1BGmBn0By1SErNisSxWsszl/s400/31948165_1286417991491140_1987118734627569664_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the original card Fred sent me - I pointed out in my own graceless way that the yellow shape on Megaton Man's torso is actually supposed to be a letter "M" (a fact that apparently escapes a lot of people!), which prompted Fred to respond ...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65xMv2TB3ETWjOdjGf07x2iu2uxWsgy3llwxY7CKOz6gqIyXyIWIBWO9ElscCT9xUr2PP6SnE7GTxLlzL4YN6f4vhw34Bjjarp_EAJn0umPjzm8u38OS5Kh0CmB4hTWzHcd8YcNPD0lK7/s1600/Hembeck+Summer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="1500" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65xMv2TB3ETWjOdjGf07x2iu2uxWsgy3llwxY7CKOz6gqIyXyIWIBWO9ElscCT9xUr2PP6SnE7GTxLlzL4YN6f4vhw34Bjjarp_EAJn0umPjzm8u38OS5Kh0CmB4hTWzHcd8YcNPD0lK7/s400/Hembeck+Summer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... by using Megaton Man in an illustration he was at that very moment creating for the Comic Shop News Summer Special 2018! (Can you name 'em all?)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0KcbTARc9DUuYs_Nw4gdoc0zsiiNnj1TcWwGxtWRyODcKKxyNAg9p5AcDbwWK1h2mMRB3mn-j53UkPuWeipcdc9b12gw6_n1J77H3FZ5IRJTpHNgeSLfwzT1vARKxWeDuy20cbSIu5Fy/s1600/2018-07-03-20-30-32-01.tif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1149" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0KcbTARc9DUuYs_Nw4gdoc0zsiiNnj1TcWwGxtWRyODcKKxyNAg9p5AcDbwWK1h2mMRB3mn-j53UkPuWeipcdc9b12gw6_n1J77H3FZ5IRJTpHNgeSLfwzT1vARKxWeDuy20cbSIu5Fy/s400/2018-07-03-20-30-32-01.tif" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, Fred was kind enough to do a redo trading card and send it to me! Voila!</td></tr>
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Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-75167667408034385252018-06-18T12:20:00.000-04:002018-06-18T12:25:01.415-04:00Dont' Snitch: Megs Swallows the Cosmic Cue-Ball!As I've discussed elsewhere, I've had to suffer for years the charge that I "ripped off the Tick" (even though Megaton Man <i>predates </i>Ben Edlund's character by two or three years). As I work up more <i>Megaton Man</i> material (which, yes, has taken forever!), I fear I'll be accused of one or two other non-existent rip-offs. Among them is the "Time Turntable" from Megaton Man #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, December 1984), which bears a startling textual similarity to J.K. Rowling's "Time Turner" device (from <i>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</i>, 1999, and more recently, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</i>, 2016) -- I've discussed the Tick and Turner <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2016/08/okay-so-i-ripped-off-jk-rowling-its.html">here</a>.<br />
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Another <i>Harry Potter</i> retroactive similarity that is sure to come up (since I reference the event in some of the new stories I am plotting) is the moment when Megaton Man swallows the Cosmic Cue-Ball in <i>Megaton Man</i> #9 (Kitchen Sink Press, April 1986). This is a crucial moment, since it ultimately results in Megaton Man losing his powers and becoming <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2017/03/plot-script-comic-megaton-man-11.html">an ordinary Civilian</a> (see <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #1-3). I explore this complication further in some of the new material I'm writing, but that's all I'll say for now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1HfizOghPDx88NSc2_lPHoOhB4G5muUzhiE8cLp6a_RgNivzAwn656auZVf4SZ-64qRxWdnfd6Vp9qM5_9Et6WZHgurgZstudSKtrttLfie3OfHTUaRackkIlCRXFKT43xmUgYy29r3V/s1600/Cueball+Swallow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1255" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1HfizOghPDx88NSc2_lPHoOhB4G5muUzhiE8cLp6a_RgNivzAwn656auZVf4SZ-64qRxWdnfd6Vp9qM5_9Et6WZHgurgZstudSKtrttLfie3OfHTUaRackkIlCRXFKT43xmUgYy29r3V/s400/Cueball+Swallow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megaton Man swallows the Cosmic Cue-Ball, Billiard of Great Power, in <i>Megaton Man</i> #9 (1986). Characters and concepts are ™ and © Don Simpson 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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So, just for the record, let me recall that sphere swallowing scene from 1986, of which no doubt future fans will accuse me of mimicking the moment when Harry Potter swallows the Golden Snitch in <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's</i> [<i>Philosopher's</i>] <i>Stone</i>, 1997. Okay, I confess!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBTRc2kJZP_muTal0xBlOdtrCEGwmAqBcs0xtuC5qbdsD4jiF-G2YuvAnEOwHYUmLc-t84IbXWtDUdkV1VIvDm6OY3zkUAOIRPRjVc5jnCF_qpj7_X-N-5Y7OXR5nzzLCMLHlYWdoe7JK/s1600/Cueball+Braindead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="968" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBTRc2kJZP_muTal0xBlOdtrCEGwmAqBcs0xtuC5qbdsD4jiF-G2YuvAnEOwHYUmLc-t84IbXWtDUdkV1VIvDm6OY3zkUAOIRPRjVc5jnCF_qpj7_X-N-5Y7OXR5nzzLCMLHlYWdoe7JK/s400/Cueball+Braindead.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many have perished in pursuit of the Orb of Omnipotence, including Dr. Braindead (from Megaton Man #9, 1986). Characters and concepts are ™ and © Don Simpson 2018, all rights reserved.</td></tr>
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I've <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2016/07/s-prose-not-superheroes.html">written elsewhere</a> about having come to and read <i>Harry Potter only </i>belatedly, although I've yet to adequately confess how much I <i>love </i>those books (and films and world), and how much I've <i>learned </i>from them from other writers in the burgeoning "YA" genre (whether it's a genre, movement, or just a marketing label that's overused).<br />
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So let me just stipulate now, for the record, I used the Time Turntable/Turner to jump ahead to the future and rip off <i>all </i>my ideas from Ms. Jo Rowling! -- <i>Don Simpson</i>, 2018.Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-82400698454812373172018-03-09T18:05:00.000-05:002018-03-10T06:51:57.668-05:00Megaton Man #1000: The Grand Extravaganza that Never Happened!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Megaton Man</i> #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, December 1984) begins with the Megatropolis Quartet trying to climb into the cover of <i>Megaton Man</i> #999, a completely fictitious issue from another dimension. The rough draft below imagines the following issue, <i>Megaton Man</i> #1000, featuring the long-awaited wedding of Megaton Man and Pamela Jointly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q290jaP4tjc-JMnSFCY5b9ApPsbcW-z336kZeoKPjVRjMcJxjblEu4zSRFvCEBGt7zWlsVoICxfNGSE-vAZLFHg5lhoMW6eYcTuUOGyTHZVQRYXnAmiYR0OmUWKD4NnOTRPUPV5sKgIG/s1600/Megaton+Man+%2523100+rough+11+x+17+100+dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1025" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1q290jaP4tjc-JMnSFCY5b9ApPsbcW-z336kZeoKPjVRjMcJxjblEu4zSRFvCEBGt7zWlsVoICxfNGSE-vAZLFHg5lhoMW6eYcTuUOGyTHZVQRYXnAmiYR0OmUWKD4NnOTRPUPV5sKgIG/s400/Megaton+Man+%2523100+rough+11+x+17+100+dpi.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rough fine-liner pen over blown-up print out of the original pencil sketch, 11" x 17".</td></tr>
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In the scene, Simon Phloog, son of Megaton Man and the See-Thru Girl, and Simon's neighborhood friend Deirdre crash the wedding, courtesy of a trip on the Time Turntable! With Preston Percy, Stella Starlight, Yarn Man, and the Human Meltdown, with city editor Rudy Mayo presiding.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCdYyLmyYnI_gELf9XPEygEdH5foHglA2aoFgBjcm5Ru13rI_sKFiem79C5b9Reg7ToA1Di0hMFTbUZEubGhM_WhLMrRlzgSJyJTAJn32LdAVFvonqa7NtUuQ3yBrx5ByblsGO96n6rks/s1600/wedding+rough+200+dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1051" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCdYyLmyYnI_gELf9XPEygEdH5foHglA2aoFgBjcm5Ru13rI_sKFiem79C5b9Reg7ToA1Di0hMFTbUZEubGhM_WhLMrRlzgSJyJTAJn32LdAVFvonqa7NtUuQ3yBrx5ByblsGO96n6rks/s400/wedding+rough+200+dpi.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original sketchbook rough, blue and graphite pencil, 6" x 9".</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfqGpvqGhCU7XuuYrHvKselhulGDHEj5SAt2tT08iQHCtzdFYf-h4M_dNJF_1-24iEPPC-W6ZeIZrUPgg-BMqaZ24fvTLnFh-Nb7zXDQZqbasnRda0LFPmrZfJpsS341jTqpLIl1jxZ2H/s1600/Megaton+Man+%2523999+low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1081" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfqGpvqGhCU7XuuYrHvKselhulGDHEj5SAt2tT08iQHCtzdFYf-h4M_dNJF_1-24iEPPC-W6ZeIZrUPgg-BMqaZ24fvTLnFh-Nb7zXDQZqbasnRda0LFPmrZfJpsS341jTqpLIl1jxZ2H/s400/Megaton+Man+%2523999+low.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Megaton Man</i> #999, from the opening splash page of <i>Megaton Man</i> #1 (Kitchen Sink Press, 1984).</td></tr>
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Bonus: See the <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2016/08/okay-so-i-ripped-off-jk-rowling-its.html">Time Turntable in <i>Megaton Man</i> #1!</a>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-62676912408971104012017-03-16T21:19:00.002-04:002023-10-28T13:14:40.317-04:00Plot, Script, Comic: Megaton Man #11 Complete!Maybe the earliest surviving example of my evolving working method is the plot and partial script of <i>Megaton Man</i> #11 (published as <i>The Return of Megaton Man</i> #1 in July 1988 only after a <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2015/07/whatever-happened-to-megaton-man-11-or.html">needlessly bruising exchange with my publisher</a>), dating from January 1987 (thirty years ago).<br />
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In the first ten issues of the series, I worked more or less in a "Marvel method," based on the way it was imagined Stan Lee worked with his artists: developing a loose plot, then breakdowns of pencils, then final script.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG6HBHbVNy7d3o6rd9YH0twM4mk3hArWdoL-zh2FxkD6wmslOH3m-FYRUIf3J_aMLZA2sCzWWWY21ibYdLeuiMa5MqNj-QBcwBLJZZNr5Al4Hr72je-XkvLdlBugFHZLtgTEwhKZPyTmw/s1600/romm00lo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG6HBHbVNy7d3o6rd9YH0twM4mk3hArWdoL-zh2FxkD6wmslOH3m-FYRUIf3J_aMLZA2sCzWWWY21ibYdLeuiMa5MqNj-QBcwBLJZZNr5Al4Hr72je-XkvLdlBugFHZLtgTEwhKZPyTmw/s400/romm00lo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back and front covers to <i>Return of Megaton Man </i>#1 (Kitchen Sink Press, July 1988)</td></tr>
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After my own fashion, and after experimenting wildly with <a href="http://borderworlds.blogspot.com/"><i>Border Worlds</i></a> (which seemed to veer wildly between writing the script first one issue then working out the visuals first the next), I settled on a plot-script routine that was still very much homemade and ad hoc.<br />
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As noted on the typescript, the plot envisioned a single 64-page issue. This material was subsequently expanded into three 24-page issues, which I envisioned as <i>Megaton Man</i> #11, #12, and #13.<br />
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Between the plotting stage and the scripting stage, I seem to have either created thumbnail sketches of the page layouts, or actually sketched out the panels roughly (called "breakdowns") on the pages of Bristol board themselves. This seems likely because the typewritten script features only dialogue, with no scene summaries or descriptions (or even directions such as "close-up," "long shot," etc.).<br />
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At this point (page 14), the script ends. The remainder may be lost,
or I may have never typed one. It is entirely possible that I may have just written the dialogue
directly on the art boards. By the end of the
issue, I may have felt "warmed up" enough to wing it. Or not! <br />
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One hand-written fragment of script remains, the big entrance of Yarn Man and Kozmik Kat, who arrive in Ann Arbor as a curtain-closer for the issue. It was written on plain bond (typewriting paper), like the rest of the plot and script, but appears to have been hand-trimmed with scissors.<br />
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No other script fragment remains. (<i>Note</i>: the white-on-black <i>Spirit </i>T-shirt design on the inside back cover was suggested by me. It was from a <i>Spirit </i>page reproduced in Jim Steranko's <i>History of Comics, Volume II.</i>)<br />
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What is evident about these materials is that they clearly demonstrate that I took the time away from <i>Megaton Man</i> to totally rethink the strip, in the hopes of putting any ongoing narrative on a more sound footing. The emphasis on character over action (or slapstick humor), and on a rational basis for the unfolding events, speaks for itself. This makes the <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2015/07/whatever-happened-to-megaton-man-11-or.html">publisher's characterization</a> of my hiatus from the strip as a betrayal that deserved punishment, instead of a necessary creative recharge, all the more sad and demoralizing.</div>
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<i>The Return of Megaton Man </i>mini-series ran three issues. In the following installment, <i>Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems</i> #1, I seem to have used a completely different method, breaking down the story in half-size thumbnail sketches I enlarged on a photocopier, light-tabled (traced) onto Bristol board, lettered, and inked. I will scan those soon and post here!</div>
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Thank you for enjoying the <i>Megaton Man</i> blog!</div>
Read also: <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2015/07/whatever-happened-to-megaton-man-11-or.html">"Whatever Happened to Megaton Man #11?"</a><br />
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_____</div>
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An all-new YA prose novel - new chapter every week: <a href="https://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/search/label/Maxi-Series">The Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</a>!</div>
Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-36592276016051739052017-03-15T14:04:00.003-04:002017-03-15T16:36:39.001-04:00Bad Guy and the Gamble Universe!One of the more interesting character odysseys in the Megaverse has been that of Bart Gamble, the all-purpose villain known as Bad Guy! Quickly evolving into a combination of Marvel's Kingpin, a notorious New York real-estate developer, and a generic gangster, Bad Guy has bedeviled the Man of Molecules in fight scenes, land grabs, underworld schemes, android takeovers, comics publishing, and other evildoings! You name it -- Bad Guy is probably behind it.
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Bad Guy first appeared without origin or secret identity in a two-page fight scene that turned into a dream sequence involving World War III in <i>Megaton Man</i> #3 (Kitchen Sink Press, April 1985).
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The opening splash page for <i>Megaton Man</i> #3, wonderfully colored by Ray Fehrenbach.</td></tr>
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Batholomew Gamble (named, finally) next appeared in <i>Megaton Man</i> #6 (October 1985), having “served nearly five years of [his] ten-lifetime sentence—for countless murders, robberies hijacks, and world takeover attempts as the Mega-criminal Bad Guy.” He is dressed as inmate #613123 at Megatropolis State Penitentiary.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread from <i>Megaton Man</i> #6.</td></tr>
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Because he was a “model inmate,” he was forgiven “seven-eighths lifetimes” of his sentence. He recalls his last battle with Megaton Man in <i>Radioactive Tales</i> #326 as a “Fiasco.”
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Gamble is described by the liberal bleeding-heart Green Mellow thus: “Bad Guy has had a very lucrative career in crime… he’s managed to sock a lot dough away in investments in all sorts of capitalist enterprises. He plans to tear down this entire neighborhood to build a munitions plant to handle big Pentagon contracts! Churches, homes, schools, businesses…a whole world swept away for the sake of corporate tax write-offs and weapons in outer space!” (page 4).
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In the following issue (#7, December 1985), Bad Guy appears in a limousine with another elegant gal, apparently a real-estate developer and arms merchant, tied in with the nefarious Arms of Krupp. (At the time, a certain New York real-estate developer was beginning to make headlines--wonder whatever became of him?)
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread from <i>Megaton Man</i> #7.</td></tr>
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He appears only in civilian clothes until his next appearance (<i>Megaton Man</i> #9, April 1986), when he has been drafted to become the "Presidential Hero" Good Guy at the landing of the Partyers from Mars in Central Park.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2xj3EM_JtduiGsRhKB4214rSpd4cAHsO78ZLY4ZL9OYkY0uCM7i0B8YC4bmb5ZHUCyFQdak8LC7FIaEtthIHaKW3crQGWjwjKPWYTHgEZmId-zjjvTR9d612dhhzYxF2koltsCSTT1Bf/s1600/goodguy+mm09+p9+150dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2xj3EM_JtduiGsRhKB4214rSpd4cAHsO78ZLY4ZL9OYkY0uCM7i0B8YC4bmb5ZHUCyFQdak8LC7FIaEtthIHaKW3crQGWjwjKPWYTHgEZmId-zjjvTR9d612dhhzYxF2koltsCSTT1Bf/s400/goodguy+mm09+p9+150dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tier from <i>Megaton Man</i> #9.</td></tr>
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After flattening Manhattan in a fight scene in<i> Megaton Man</i> #10 (June 1986), Bad Guy is raptured into heaven by Mars, God of War while Megaton Man loses his powers, becoming Civilian Trent Phloog. It is promised that a "parody" of a certain New York real-estate developer will rebuild Manhattan.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lX8g7f_5C5gE5JCdmNsX3uFHfxhcHig0XH3Fir1dol-_G16eW5GcU6I0EigJ9CGWGXXVN2YgmzMC7h2p-lv_l5heZeaAiSg3IxOx5I0UZ716x51r1HEaR-yiRxtJx2ebPAGJhTU-nAZ2/s1600/trump200dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2lX8g7f_5C5gE5JCdmNsX3uFHfxhcHig0XH3Fir1dol-_G16eW5GcU6I0EigJ9CGWGXXVN2YgmzMC7h2p-lv_l5heZeaAiSg3IxOx5I0UZ716x51r1HEaR-yiRxtJx2ebPAGJhTU-nAZ2/s400/trump200dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i>Megaton Man </i>#10.</td></tr>
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When next they meet (<i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #2, August 1988), Megaton Man learns that he is under contract to Bad Guy and the Gamble Comics Corporation, and a bullpen of insufferable, self-indulgent, pretentious creators!
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0161eezt46EozNMe8p-mC46DvwJKkUn1_0krOZu14PfoagTowP9uDXNOnOLeR_ktDYshGhd1Aujydn4f5xYBcvj_M8fjfFatQ-YLjhSOxVpo5Oly5MvWYXSfekaQmYwYPHttvNGjuAc0k/s1600/romm02+pp22-23+200dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0161eezt46EozNMe8p-mC46DvwJKkUn1_0krOZu14PfoagTowP9uDXNOnOLeR_ktDYshGhd1Aujydn4f5xYBcvj_M8fjfFatQ-YLjhSOxVpo5Oly5MvWYXSfekaQmYwYPHttvNGjuAc0k/s400/romm02+pp22-23+200dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BfoVjn_2Nj-B2XRt-MTCIygjS87PY9BlaZSwOly7qgkfVk1cW5G6fYF6NfHzfkNGYAo3P7uu_Z4hgI1GM9UEhHvqGgtLqQ4o9a3dVyTiccw7VMKdg3gOQPcqu8YF0rSnsIeJ7P8b48xJ/s1600/romm02+p24+200dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BfoVjn_2Nj-B2XRt-MTCIygjS87PY9BlaZSwOly7qgkfVk1cW5G6fYF6NfHzfkNGYAo3P7uu_Z4hgI1GM9UEhHvqGgtLqQ4o9a3dVyTiccw7VMKdg3gOQPcqu8YF0rSnsIeJ7P8b48xJ/s400/romm02+p24+200dpi.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Return of <i>Megaton Man</i> #2.</td></tr>
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In <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #3 (September 1988), a labor revolt ensues, led by a writer (who will much later in the Megaton Man narrative be identified as Bad Guy's son Paul Nabisco, creator of Gower Goose).
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBlJuTlRKf7J-GgcWQM6PsjZMp6kol9mAI6kgsT7Kp13cfI2WHiOfk5UptHKkJy9AFnbFrYqKSRrNMW6raoz8ip2H1elbjoNDLA5Xpi0o2OWEJwmerY84QMTv7Qmw-OQYKNJtjY8wFmjJ/s1600/romm03+pp+6-7+200dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBlJuTlRKf7J-GgcWQM6PsjZMp6kol9mAI6kgsT7Kp13cfI2WHiOfk5UptHKkJy9AFnbFrYqKSRrNMW6raoz8ip2H1elbjoNDLA5Xpi0o2OWEJwmerY84QMTv7Qmw-OQYKNJtjY8wFmjJ/s400/romm03+pp+6-7+200dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #3.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28NGbsCPC72FHviGP1oIkPagUkCVQwlRtFs5gcC1fw-SiffTcTbvfWh2zLIDoE8fqzywONs9uWuNST19EA39lWSSaeCZ3U8mwBa6oRRJ4nzB0QyqbKCsusmuaoSucHm2jqY0gClxcvnuf/s1600/romm03+pp8-9+200+dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28NGbsCPC72FHviGP1oIkPagUkCVQwlRtFs5gcC1fw-SiffTcTbvfWh2zLIDoE8fqzywONs9uWuNST19EA39lWSSaeCZ3U8mwBa6oRRJ4nzB0QyqbKCsusmuaoSucHm2jqY0gClxcvnuf/s400/romm03+pp8-9+200+dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #3.</td></tr>
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After another thrashing, Bad Guy again decides to retire from Megavillainy, but not before signing the Original Golden Age Megaton Man to a binding contract.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Om3kFG7fIBJvfAxtTiAw6e8-zxek1AxLYG0bA6sSpvOIx81eNxLPDPKluOrxPl2rhNB6C9gkIQyB9OvQy0tjfYJ_XaqLde6OWZrSUCdbNd9-9bCeqSeBw1Fx-NVDvMjiO1mBB9PPC55l/s1600/bg+signs+romm03+pp22+200dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Om3kFG7fIBJvfAxtTiAw6e8-zxek1AxLYG0bA6sSpvOIx81eNxLPDPKluOrxPl2rhNB6C9gkIQyB9OvQy0tjfYJ_XaqLde6OWZrSUCdbNd9-9bCeqSeBw1Fx-NVDvMjiO1mBB9PPC55l/s400/bg+signs+romm03+pp22+200dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #3.</td></tr>
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Bad Guy teams the revamped Original Golden Age Megaton Man with the Uncategorizable X+Thems in <i>Megaton Man vs. the Uncategorizable X+Thems</i> #1 (April 1989). When that team falls apart, Bad Guy introduces a juiced-up Yarn Man teamed up with the Y+Thems.
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Bad Guy continued to bedevil Megaton Man (and Paul Nabisco and Gower Goose) in the <i>Megaton Man Weekly Serial</i> (from the late 1990s) and subsequent adventures as the leader of an army of android replicas, including that of the See-Thru Girl. He continues to play a role in current Megaton Man continuity that is being prepared for publication, including <i>The Return to Megatropolis</i> graphic novel. Who knows? With his background in New York real estate, he may even make a bid for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=959395417526734&set=a.977498925716383.1073741850.100003688538454&type=3&theater">White House</a>! See other posts on this blog for the further exploits of Bart Gamble!
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Read the <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-clarissa-project-secret-development.html">Secret Origin of Ms. Megaton Man!</a>Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-79619184784415400312016-08-20T16:57:00.003-04:002018-06-18T12:20:51.349-04:00Okay, So I Ripped Off J.K. Rowling: It's Table-Turning Time!The "Time Turner," a time-traveling device that figures so prominently in <i>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</i> (1999) and the current <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</i>, was the obvious inspiration for the "Time Turntable," a contraption that first appeared in <i>Megaton Man </i>#1 (1984) and later used as a dimension-hopping device for the Man of Molecules in <i>The Savage Dragon vs. The Savage Megaton Man</i> #1 (1993), admits satirist Don Simpson.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKQuMVUU1pvBbb48sE_dAttEouAH_DnxHxkPoKE9R7UXG78uUZws1kzJJXnRaA40UPCC0eUaKkcoLIsH4hbamPqVxzPMZt_Sgc91xgb3E5M0OUTIvIC78GVW7hwMlXiVbuOMgUk40XPhd/s1600/timett+mm01+pp2+200+dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKQuMVUU1pvBbb48sE_dAttEouAH_DnxHxkPoKE9R7UXG78uUZws1kzJJXnRaA40UPCC0eUaKkcoLIsH4hbamPqVxzPMZt_Sgc91xgb3E5M0OUTIvIC78GVW7hwMlXiVbuOMgUk40XPhd/s400/timett+mm01+pp2+200+dpi.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first appearance of the Time Turntable: <i>Megaton Man </i>#1 (Kitchen Sink Press, December 1984), by Don Simpson.</td></tr>
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"Fans are totally right," the cartoonist confesses. "I traveled fifteen years into the future and swiped the idea for the Time Turntable from Jo Rowling, just as I swiped the idea for Megaton Man from Ben Edlund's The Tick -- two or three years ahead of time. No detail is too insignificant to escape the notice of discerning comic book fans!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjpPk069CIglxY1M_JYUBYxuUs6df0ORMrJVt3P0W4QjfFTJYP1GwBx4xqXJS446lA7e3j7rtjiwbvMnGEAwNspIIxjPUannRQKxz4s21GUUGZM4Qft15xnI31xwTZENTxbV2-Qz2Rt30/s1600/sdmmturntable+200dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjpPk069CIglxY1M_JYUBYxuUs6df0ORMrJVt3P0W4QjfFTJYP1GwBx4xqXJS446lA7e3j7rtjiwbvMnGEAwNspIIxjPUannRQKxz4s21GUUGZM4Qft15xnI31xwTZENTxbV2-Qz2Rt30/s400/sdmmturntable+200dpi.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megaton Man uses the Time Turntable to hop dimensions over to the Image Universe in <i>The Savage Dragon vs. The Savage Megaton Man </i>#1 (Image Comics, 1993) by Erik Larsen and Don Simpson.<br />
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Despite the discovery of Simpson's blatant "homage," the creator reveals that the Time Turntable still figures prominently in the just-complete Megaton Man graphic novel, <i>Return to Megatropolis</i>, and will play a significant role in the new prose work-in-progress, <i>Megaton Meltdown. </i>"I expect the chronology police to be on my tail even more when I introduce the Time Turnstyle into the narrative," says the cartoonist.<br />
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No timetable for publication was divulged.<br />
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(<i>Just kidding</i>, JKR fans! See what Don Simpson <i>really </i>thinks of HP and the wonderfully inventive, brilliantly orchestrated <i>Prisoner of Azkaban</i> <a href="http://donaldesimpson.blogspot.com/2016/07/s-prose-not-superheroes.html">here</a>!)<br />
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See also: <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2014/05/alan-moore-ripped-me-off-megaton-man.html">Alan Moore Ripped Me Off!</a> | <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2014/05/i-ripped-off-alan-moore-saga-of-swamp.html">I Ripped Off Alan Moore!</a> Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-75272797111648265052016-06-22T19:22:00.000-04:002016-06-22T19:22:32.251-04:00Random Chromology II: New Megaton Man GN Coloring Continues!More pages from the all-new graphic novel <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i>, as they roll off the ol' digital drawing board!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7GmGqrS8R1QdILCu6jz-n8CSRPKVnSeNJVOzFXr1fmHHCtTWCY4WXXdqnTXARgwbLGPuty9vVL7wB1WSDqEHSuGrbmQDZOasmNGDYTUn-8UPjllrLFq-Wirr63J3MMpj77nNHhWLdK1n/s1600/012+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7GmGqrS8R1QdILCu6jz-n8CSRPKVnSeNJVOzFXr1fmHHCtTWCY4WXXdqnTXARgwbLGPuty9vVL7wB1WSDqEHSuGrbmQDZOasmNGDYTUn-8UPjllrLFq-Wirr63J3MMpj77nNHhWLdK1n/s400/012+CF+rgb.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group in Ann Arbor decides to return to Megatropolis in the wake of unthinkable terrorist attacks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMuuoZhEB80ltTHu5Mqt8lLyfuLOcIaDgvHsZIbY_FmsfMbcA5LMtQAQIEkxB7ccwjtmugtC2TDOR9MaOcuCXly0xZtvEKf01-MQmSY3sYOjsiHzHDFaHWOYb4y5chmWVIRS9OqDcxgPq/s1600/014+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMuuoZhEB80ltTHu5Mqt8lLyfuLOcIaDgvHsZIbY_FmsfMbcA5LMtQAQIEkxB7ccwjtmugtC2TDOR9MaOcuCXly0xZtvEKf01-MQmSY3sYOjsiHzHDFaHWOYb4y5chmWVIRS9OqDcxgPq/s400/014+CF+rgb.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our heroes run into problems over New York City!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQq1rlICvn7s0DcYzqZEDDrQQ1xKJPIxSYGBVe37x8tks7oMkb_1t7c95egGK0ia_OPo65xMTX_Y2NUA0HlkOG7L_P-HsNtOLYBzuWZppoD7r1_cdKLohkp4i-9wuRm_zWZp83L_MU71q/s1600/015+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQq1rlICvn7s0DcYzqZEDDrQQ1xKJPIxSYGBVe37x8tks7oMkb_1t7c95egGK0ia_OPo65xMTX_Y2NUA0HlkOG7L_P-HsNtOLYBzuWZppoD7r1_cdKLohkp4i-9wuRm_zWZp83L_MU71q/s400/015+CF+rgb.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megaton Man draws fire away from the Q-Mobile!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8x21v5Jj1ZC-c3QcE-uBxkVUmwIjCiFSpyc9ymISx-anhBSPs1RItwWytnoDSfG-aJ-ceJdyY5Ojz-WDqjOPnYskU8sX4d79FT26cvg9699xzMZAUFBDaQPuc0ObLSoSX1Bjw1KVl5TVJ/s1600/027+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8x21v5Jj1ZC-c3QcE-uBxkVUmwIjCiFSpyc9ymISx-anhBSPs1RItwWytnoDSfG-aJ-ceJdyY5Ojz-WDqjOPnYskU8sX4d79FT26cvg9699xzMZAUFBDaQPuc0ObLSoSX1Bjw1KVl5TVJ/s400/027+CF+rgb.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megaton Man, Yarn Man, and X-Ray Boy survey Ground Zero with a wobbly Colonel Turtle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmx4Abm7WJ3Ump_Z86UtVeY-zAnkja9IlVBg6oeaVBX5G82tS8gignbkt2nVlmUNh9Ht1KKjA9TnN1wYWAAN_B7VL7NK-jMxobfGoE3BqOJLhwU-LBELpNaE7CJMJqApoAxdVpBUj562-/s1600/048+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmx4Abm7WJ3Ump_Z86UtVeY-zAnkja9IlVBg6oeaVBX5G82tS8gignbkt2nVlmUNh9Ht1KKjA9TnN1wYWAAN_B7VL7NK-jMxobfGoE3BqOJLhwU-LBELpNaE7CJMJqApoAxdVpBUj562-/s400/048+CF+rgb.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the MQ HQ is fraught with security issues!</td></tr>
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Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-16042068467671403292016-06-19T14:55:00.000-04:002016-06-19T15:05:09.585-04:00Random Chromology: New Megaton Man Coloring!New colored pages from the graphic novel in progress, <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i>!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gvGzl7TNqKwh3In-qyK4vhyB1tblxuJ8-lVfBfvx5gtQzFXnbh_vwStJMibczEFL7ZPHudQW0tayq76obOhsOAaeqIMjkEbU7oxsJXVMAx1I-ylQimFDGyxNZ_SbjILSOXnwg89KqPs6/s1600/014+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gvGzl7TNqKwh3In-qyK4vhyB1tblxuJ8-lVfBfvx5gtQzFXnbh_vwStJMibczEFL7ZPHudQW0tayq76obOhsOAaeqIMjkEbU7oxsJXVMAx1I-ylQimFDGyxNZ_SbjILSOXnwg89KqPs6/s400/014+CF+rgb.jpg" width="273" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megaton Man and extended family, long exiled to the Midwest, return to New York City in the wake of unthinkable attacks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-gfDbP6vRmURuBtPF7ne3QQNhdiUIP6641t9bjZeJ77fg0ifeGTutAOLftFOTp6hDW-roLkNncpZD8rcDT1SViPTgx43xUynDBvkYmqsYgCqfBEEj2xWckA1XDFj6lOmfFuLG1iPD5is/s1600/mm_256_lo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-gfDbP6vRmURuBtPF7ne3QQNhdiUIP6641t9bjZeJ77fg0ifeGTutAOLftFOTp6hDW-roLkNncpZD8rcDT1SViPTgx43xUynDBvkYmqsYgCqfBEEj2xWckA1XDFj6lOmfFuLG1iPD5is/s400/mm_256_lo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original inked line art for the bottom tier.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuACDwQ0ShRktJn9n99US4aF6FMMh1LOO8GIxRky9LhzDhCwJQeX-AStOWwsjv3OP1QbLBj7DcW4wI74s4VTUrwP8Q6VfNLpcaKUL0rwLpbGZkFYXargdqe1JeFOhSqaMbPDLK6Qp0YNd/s400/coloring+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot of Photoshop coloring in progress. Note that smoke and
background are still black; they will be knocked to a brown and
purple-grey to give the illusion of receding into the distance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKuFuSBTlf8eoW7_loPQsaXQu_sZAQLyUvvvo30DnFLvdSXc2vQB3DqiDPWgW9SVSaTqUjQOfUthWBigyIhF0_Y0eqwLzl2x3v389teYIY0r_yz7syk1HYAvUvuf8DvDsMS6GdgMBR6ji/s1600/1-31+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKuFuSBTlf8eoW7_loPQsaXQu_sZAQLyUvvvo30DnFLvdSXc2vQB3DqiDPWgW9SVSaTqUjQOfUthWBigyIhF0_Y0eqwLzl2x3v389teYIY0r_yz7syk1HYAvUvuf8DvDsMS6GdgMBR6ji/s400/1-31+CF+rgb.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying over Ground Zero, the group ponders what has taken place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxoZRDs6n1t27K85glIhK_L2xnuZ7-_mb4coeaN6PUy2iPM2mVBo2s5p8eUF4lENU3V0LR-Ue5ODLsCOSSE-LD4lM4AW1R8UsUvrCVAiP7dNS5eA7wzg8e7sBtDwOlBwxeJ0jem4KbE_l/s1600/2-27B+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigxoZRDs6n1t27K85glIhK_L2xnuZ7-_mb4coeaN6PUy2iPM2mVBo2s5p8eUF4lENU3V0LR-Ue5ODLsCOSSE-LD4lM4AW1R8UsUvrCVAiP7dNS5eA7wzg8e7sBtDwOlBwxeJ0jem4KbE_l/s400/2-27B+CF+rgb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much later, back at the old Megatropolis Quartet headquarters, terror alert systems get a bit out of control!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtVzs44xlNSev4fq-Ss-IooESY-uYVVs_vaxB8ch-e299lTFDTStoCec6qnvohv2rKmcfzHn3r_rXj7FlicS9_1jOLYReQUaCOrAMoI9r-7iyMEBCU-BxKhbfMIjrmfJiiBJx6wdXaWak/s1600/twin+towers+border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtVzs44xlNSev4fq-Ss-IooESY-uYVVs_vaxB8ch-e299lTFDTStoCec6qnvohv2rKmcfzHn3r_rXj7FlicS9_1jOLYReQUaCOrAMoI9r-7iyMEBCU-BxKhbfMIjrmfJiiBJx6wdXaWak/s400/twin+towers+border.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megaton Man needs some to get away and think...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGY_eVWATElNODwcwtIexT69DYrkhHa_faoFIkGgffqpavWl1DoC6tHnjc6QBY6UEMM9RoRDApONCuk4nJ-c4nMSE5SZdf50N9TOsu1FOW5aQcBfXGRXQqaraeQISucaw4AF6xXd9iWpB5/s1600/Liberty+Spread+rgb+120+dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGY_eVWATElNODwcwtIexT69DYrkhHa_faoFIkGgffqpavWl1DoC6tHnjc6QBY6UEMM9RoRDApONCuk4nJ-c4nMSE5SZdf50N9TOsu1FOW5aQcBfXGRXQqaraeQISucaw4AF6xXd9iWpB5/s400/Liberty+Spread+rgb+120+dpi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and naturally turns to Lady Liberty!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-18159581428122289252016-03-31T06:50:00.001-04:002019-04-14T18:22:29.470-04:00Completing the Concordance: Frenzied and Fanatical Footnoting for Megaton Man!<div>
<div>
<div>
<b>The Simpson Scholarship of Steve Replogle</b><br />
<b> </b> </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Megaton Man completist Steve Replogle recently contacted me requesting information on compiling a complete and exhaustive list of every single Megaton Man comic book appearance of the past three decades, so as to organize his own collection. Then he proceeded to compile his own concordance! Herewith are Steve's labors so far, cut and pasted <i>from actual emails!</i> Can you help Steve (and me) with any missing data?! Comment below so that the Complete and Exhaustive List of Megaton Man Comic Book Appearance can live forever online! -- <i>Don Simpson.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL_XcHLbd2UVrXJwZTNyyAL_fzCNDH82nksDfFsO8ejGFVC_oVOlLkTzdL19r-bYAifEYBBbTI5wwHMdCJqTlUnURAFGzR0k5tL23CCf1yyQ2Vwk9HMD9-OFzMsm6bBhOwi_keesXD4z6/s1600/40serial.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL_XcHLbd2UVrXJwZTNyyAL_fzCNDH82nksDfFsO8ejGFVC_oVOlLkTzdL19r-bYAifEYBBbTI5wwHMdCJqTlUnURAFGzR0k5tL23CCf1yyQ2Vwk9HMD9-OFzMsm6bBhOwi_keesXD4z6/s1600/40serial.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div>
<br />
________</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Dear Don,</div>
I was lucky enough to be have the
very first Megaton Man issue recommended to me by my comic shop guy, lo
those many moons ago - and I continue to be a great fan of your work. I
am very excited to see your new Border Worlds and Megaton Man material
come to fruition. <br />
<br />
In anticipation, I have begun currently
reorganizing my collection. Sooooo.... I am wondering if there a listing
or concordance of the various Megaton Man/Fiascoverse titles, giving
their proper and correct order. Is it mostly chronological? I will refer
to each comic's indicia, of course, and maybe also use <a href="http://comicbookdb.com/" target="_blank">comicbookdb.com</a> - if you think that is correct. Just wondering if there are other resources out there.</div>
Thanks, and bets of luck -</div>
Steve Replogle<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamnBfyL-sCV98vlNTDUodV7rVjrL97ZL1O4Z1NNwQKticLHp84iF-bxl89R6UQmRL58Yp_vmL85pjder3nwFgzyxF4l3Iug7xajarow32C5-unZOs_CmnjUHl8SiQbsr4m3PYW8cMQ6wy/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamnBfyL-sCV98vlNTDUodV7rVjrL97ZL1O4Z1NNwQKticLHp84iF-bxl89R6UQmRL58Yp_vmL85pjder3nwFgzyxF4l3Iug7xajarow32C5-unZOs_CmnjUHl8SiQbsr4m3PYW8cMQ6wy/s1600/photo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u>Steve Replo<span style="color: #0000ee;"><u>gle</u></span></u></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hey Don,<br />
<br />
I have found the information I was looking for, mostly from your blog. This is what I have:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Megaton Man (Kitchen Sink, November 1984-June 1986), 10
issues</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. The Return of Megaton Man (Kitchen Sink, July-September 1988),
3 issues</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems" #1 (Kitchen
Sink, April 1989)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. Yarn Man #1 (Kitchen Sink, October 1989)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. Bizarre Heroes #1 (Kitchen Sink, May 1990)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6. Pteranoman #1 (Kitchen Sink, August 1990)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7. Savage Dragon vs. The Savage Megaton Man #1 (Image, March 1993)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8. The normalman/Megaton Man Special (Image, June 1994)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9. Don Simpson's Bizarre Heroes #0–8 (Fiasco Comics, May-December
1994) and then Bizarre Heroes #9–17 (Fiasco Comics, February 1995-July,
1996) The final two issues (#16 and #17) are alternately titled Megaton Man vs.
Forbidden Frankenstein #1 and Megaton Man #0
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10. Megaton Man: Hardcopy #1 & 2 (Image, 1999) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
11. Megaton Man: Bombshell #1 (Image, 1999) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Further appearances: <br />
<a href="http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/megatonman/">Megaton Man Daily Reruns</a> (some episodes reprinted or repurposed into Hardcopy and Bombshell)<br />
Asylum (reprinted and purposed)<br />
Megaton Man blog: The Atomic Aftermath (and more)<br />
Red Anvil
Comics' War of the Independents #1 (2013) and #4 (2014)<br />
<div>
CBLDF Liberty Annual 2010 ("Megaton Man and the Liberty Alliance in: ''Columbia Rising!''")</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And there have been other cameo appearances, too - I think I remember a cameo in 1963 #6.</div>
Well, it will take me a while to catalog or properly list or weed through the "further appearances." In the meantime, thanks!<br />
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Hi Steve,</div>
Yes, I think except for a
few stray pin-ups and previews (Spirit #8), you have the main works.
The Weekly Serials that weren't reprinted in the three Image issues
(Hardcopy and Bombshell) ran in the Savage Dragon, something like the
#50s through the #80s. Toward the end I skipped a few issues here and
there.</div>
I've been working on more so save some space in your collection.</div>
Thanks for this list; I should probably post it, if you don't mind.</div>
Best,</div>
Don<br />
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Hi again, Don -</div>
Here as promised (or
kind of promised) are the rest of my notes on Megaton Man's publishing
history. As you'll see, there are lots of gaps and missing bits. Maybe
this will help you, or maybe you already have your own
much-more-complete chronology somewhere. I hope so.</div>
<br />
I guess
I am showing my own regressive Marvel genes by sifting through this
information with such fan-boy enthusiasm! It takes me back to the days
when I was trying to figure out what happened before (and after) Captain
America guest-starred in Daredevil #43. Your Fiascoverse is really fun
in this way, with all the various #1 issues, crossovers, back-up
appearances, and online episodes. <br />
<br />
Well, if you do have your own
"master list," I'd love to see it! But not as much as the new Megaton
Man pages you're working on - that's the real stuff. </div>
Best wishes,</div>
Steve<br />
<br />
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =<br />
<br />
<b>Further Frenzied and Fanatical Footnoting for Megaton Man</b><br />
<br />
The Megaton Man Weekly Serial is now only available as "Don Simpson's Megaton Man Daily Reruns" at <a href="http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/megatonman" target="_blank">http://www.worldfamouscomics.<wbr></wbr>com/megatonman</a>. It offers an Archives page that lists episodes 1 - 103 with titles, but not later episodes. <br />
<br />
Publication dates given below are from the Comicbookdb.com. <br />
<br />
<b>1. Hardcopy #1, February 1999 </b><br />
Contains online episodes 1 - 55<br />
<br />
<b>2. Hardcopy #2, April 1999 </b><br />
Pages 1 - 9: online episodes 56 - 71<br />
Pages 10 - 12: three new (or possibly new?) pages related to Gower Goose's radio show<br />
Pages 13 - 22a: online episodes 72 - 89 <br />
Pages 22b - 28: new episodes (or at least not listed in the current "Daily Reruns" archive)<br />
<br />
<b>3. Bombshell #1, July 1999</b><br />
All new episodes (or at least, these are not listed in the current "Daily Reruns" archive)<br />
<br />
<b>4. Savage Dragon Back-ups (Erik Larsen, Image Comics)</b><br />
Comicbookdb.com
lists the following issues of Savage Dragon as having Megaton Man
back-ups: 52, 54, 55, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 73, 80, 86,
87. But wait! This incorrectly excludes at least some Megaton Man
appearances. I know for sure that it's missing at least SD 56, 76, 77,
78, 79. <br />
<br />
I've verified a few of the episode numbers for the
back-ups listed below, but most are not listed at "Daily Reruns"
archive. I haven't found any online resources either, so I just had to
go by what I found after poking around at my local comic shop! Oh, the
irony! Anyway, that's how I also found out the CBDB had made some
mistakes.<br />
<br />
Finally, I've added the "next issue tag lines" given at
the end (or fourth episode) of almost every SD excerpt I could find,
because it seems that may be related to the title of the one of the next
issue's episodes.<br />
<br />
Okay, then...<br />
<br />
(Possibly SD 49 or 51?) (Episodes 90 - 93... or are these possibly not reprinted anywhere?)<br />
SD 52, August 1998 - (presumably episodes 94, 95, 96, 97?) <br />
SD 54, October 1998 - (presumably episodes 98, 99, 100, 101?)<br />
SD 55, November 1998 - Episodes 102, 103 (and presumably 104, 105?) <br />
SD 56, December 1998 - not noted by CBDB, but verified at my local comic shop!<br />
SD 58, February 1999 <br />
SD 60, April 1999<br />
SD 61, May 1999 <br />
SD 62, June 1999 <br />
SD 63, June 1999 <br />
SD 64, July 1999 <br />
SD 65, August 1999 - (Next issue tag: Batter Up!) <br />
SD 66, August 1999 <br />
SD 67, September 1999 <br />
SD 73, March 2000 <br />
SD 76, June 2000 - this issue not noted by CBDB<br />
SD 77, July 2000 - (Next issue tag: Bombs Away!) - this issue not noted by CBDB<br />
SD 78, August 2000 - (Next issue tag: Wings of Desire) - this issue not noted by CBDB<br />
SD 79, September 2000 - (Next issue tag: The Ol' Switcheroo!) - this issue not noted by CBDB<br />
SD 80, October 2000 - (Next issue tag: Unmasked, Unleashed!)<br />
SD 86, April 2001 - (Next issue tag : Megs Cops Out)<br />
SD 87, May 2001 - ?<br />
<br />
<b>5. Asylum </b><br />
(These excerpts re-present material from Megaton Man: Bombshell #1)<br />
Issue #7 (August 1996) - "Megaton Man vs. Unleash"<br />
Issue #8 (September 1996) - "Megaton Man vs. Bombshell" <br />
Issue #11 (Jan/Feb 1997) - "After Megaton Man"<br />
<br />
<b>6. The CBLDF Presents Liberty Annual, October 2010</b><br />
Megaton Man and the Liberty Alliance in: ''Columbia Rising!''<br />
<b><br />7. One-Pagers</b><br />
These
were originally printed in "Hero, Illustrated," a magazine about comics
. I'm not sure how many MM appearances there were, but three were
reprinted in "The Apocalypse Affliction."<br />
A. The Blue Web<br />
B. YarnBlood<br />
C. No title (MM relaxing by the pool with Stella and Yarn Man)<br />
__________<br />
Anyone with further info, please comment! I'm too busy writing new stuff! Best, Don.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
_____</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
An all-new YA prose novel - new chapter every week: <a href="https://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/search/label/Maxi-Series">The Ms. Megaton Man Maxi-Series</a>!</div>
Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-71515726999577119822016-03-22T09:30:00.000-04:002016-03-22T09:30:05.238-04:00Red Alert: Coloring the Return to Megatropolis Graphic NovelPreview of the <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i> graphic novel, conceived as five "issues" but planning to release it as a single 160-page book, I have been working on issues #4 and #5 in recent blog posts. <br />
<br />
This particular page is from earlier in the book, #2 which I began around 2005, but put aside when industry insiders reacted badly to the 9/11 theme, and didn't ink until 2014. (What did I do in the intervening decade? Long story.)<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfnPAk00X_oxrBjU_eyXYogC_lffyfS_KEg8HBArV0pzBJID8iPKTKNJ7JvAHVLoCoMh3gtcPKinkDGWBdMFs2vA556PtAiZ1F26N9wMlD0wTMiCdzCacvrjgSTQoYeGpEIBFBtVR3wVL/s1600/2-03+CF+rgb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfnPAk00X_oxrBjU_eyXYogC_lffyfS_KEg8HBArV0pzBJID8iPKTKNJ7JvAHVLoCoMh3gtcPKinkDGWBdMFs2vA556PtAiZ1F26N9wMlD0wTMiCdzCacvrjgSTQoYeGpEIBFBtVR3wVL/s400/2-03+CF+rgb.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<br />
This page reflects the coloring
style I am considering for the graphic novel: flat, bold, with some subtle modulations or
"glazing." It recalls the Atlas (Marvel) monster comics (Fing Fang Foom, et al), which was in fact one of the models for the coloring of the early <i>Megaton Man</i> comics at Kitchen Sink Press (colored by Pete and Bill Poplaski and Ray Fehrenbach). While those overlay-cut comics were severely limited in color choices, Photoshop allows for an unlimited range of colors, although I do want to keep them flat. I call it "reinvented retro," and in any case would like to avoid
the overly modeled look of airbrushed Photoshop that smothers so much drawing in comics these days. Comments?Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-3982084516681745832016-03-15T13:13:00.001-04:002016-03-15T13:19:03.587-04:00Connie's Cab Ride: Meet Me at the Doomsday Factory!In this newly-inked sequence from the <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i> graphic novel (now in production, publication details TBD), Megaton Man transports new roomie and sidekick Connie Carlyle to Bayonne, New Jersey to introduce her to the Doom Defiers and the whole blamed extended Megaton Man nuclear family! Connie's status as a semi-pro beach volleyball player will be a boon in the team's upcoming match against the Bronx Bombers, if she doesn't fall asleep during practice! Simon Phloog is just glad be spending time with his dad, although he seems enthusiastic about this sandball ringer in general. At the same time, Kozmik Kat looks on as a mysterious delivery is made to the Doomsday Factory...<br />
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(Fun drawing the container cranes of the Port of New York and New Jersey, along with the Statue of Liberty!) <br />
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To see the original pencil roughs, go <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2015/12/doomsday-drive-meet-me-in-bayonne.html">here</a>; to read on, go <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2015/12/special-delivery-meet-doom-defiers.html">here</a>!Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-44768649988981376912016-03-13T20:55:00.001-04:002016-03-13T20:56:43.302-04:00Joisey Self-Store: The Inking Continues!Here is a sequence I am inking for the new graphic novel <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i>, from the fourth "issue" (hence the cryptic numbering at the top of each tier), although I am hoping to release five issues' worth, or 160 pages, in a single volume (publication deatils TBD). In this scene, Megaton Man drops of the trailer he used to move his stuff back into his New York apartment, which is no sublet by Connie Carlyle, his new de facto sidekick. Meanwhile, the menacing cabbie with the penchant for uploading threatening videos resurfaces. Each image shows the pencils (scanned and printed out at the same size they were drawn) and the inked Clearprint Design Vellum final, which will then be scanned and colored.<br />
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See the original pencils for this scene <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2015/12/doomsday-drive-meet-me-in-bayonne.html">here</a>!Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-84586327340888383942016-03-11T21:31:00.000-05:002016-03-11T21:31:12.258-05:00Megaton Meltdown: Meet Simon Phloog!Here is the first colored page-and-a-half of the opening introduction to the graphic novel currently in progress, <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i>. The 160-page all-new adventure is composed of five 32-page issues forming a single, post-9/11 storyline created in 2002, 2005, and 2014-2016 (okay, the creator took a decade off to go back to college!). This new material will transplant the extended Megaton Man family firmly back in New York (or Megatropolis), where the Megaton Man Narrative will have manifold possibilities for future development! Simon Phloog, heir to both the Megaton and Meltdown nuclear family trees, will emerge as a major character (Megaton Meltdown?) in this and subsequent graphic novels. See previous posts on this blog and on <a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/">Ms. Megaton Man's blog</a> for more preview art, and stay tuned for forthcoming publication details!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon flashes back to <i>Megaton Man</i> #1-4 (Kitchen Sink Press, 1984-1985).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The framed photo shows Simon from <i>Return of Megaton Man</i> #3 (1987); Clarissa gains her powers in <i>Megaton Man vs. The Uncategorizable X+Thems</i> #1 and her costume in <i>Yarn Man</i> #1 (1989).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flashbacks from <i>The Megaton Man Weekly Serial</i> and <i>Bizarre Heroes</i> (1990s).</td></tr>
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<br />Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468405471643547010.post-30058272337018818262016-02-28T09:09:00.001-05:002016-02-28T09:12:40.219-05:00The Last Shall Be First: Graphic Novel #1 Pencils Completed!I've wrapped up principal penciling (is that like principal photography?!) on <i>Megaton Man: Return to Megatropolis</i>, a 160-page story created in five "issues" (I still think in terms of 32-page issues, although any publishing plans for <i>MM: TRM</i> would be for a single volume book). I finished issue #5 a few days ago, and created a new 2-page introduction for the beginning of the story. Below are the pencils.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SLEg8CEHEjMsgEG2sEvfw2MJATmlYOHsGZm4Q78WEa5QuxY7DmRe9DyHfr9KRDxVpC-gd5Q4dXsyijELlfS0IwrB-ZojeMzbQio96UdSyZfFj3Bku8f_rvARs-_ca58feX09M0F3RFOY/s1600/0-01A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SLEg8CEHEjMsgEG2sEvfw2MJATmlYOHsGZm4Q78WEa5QuxY7DmRe9DyHfr9KRDxVpC-gd5Q4dXsyijELlfS0IwrB-ZojeMzbQio96UdSyZfFj3Bku8f_rvARs-_ca58feX09M0F3RFOY/s400/0-01A.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flashback here depicts events in Megaton Man #1-5 (Kitchen Sink Press, 1984-1985) and one-shots from the late 1980s including Megaton Man Meets the Uncategorizable X+Thems #1 and Yarn Man #1 (1989).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjamEr-FacN8ifgTHM5XDvg5L0eNryaLE0djHflfK6P7BzJdofcpLeQF4RkzaLAs2C83aoWqs6QChByK5oPcC_ZJqhaLRpMYcBrLZ2ylx9PMiqmpPFJWObxF-0GQ24BLkdEXkKBKxLq1kQ/s1600/0-01B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjamEr-FacN8ifgTHM5XDvg5L0eNryaLE0djHflfK6P7BzJdofcpLeQF4RkzaLAs2C83aoWqs6QChByK5oPcC_ZJqhaLRpMYcBrLZ2ylx9PMiqmpPFJWObxF-0GQ24BLkdEXkKBKxLq1kQ/s400/0-01B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The framed picture of Simon flying refers to <i>The Return of Megaton Man</i> #3 (September 1988), the issue in which he was born. The flashback in the central panel depicts events from <i>Yarn Man</i> #1 (October 1989). See more on <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-clarissa-project-secret-development.html">Clarissa James</a> and the origin and evolution of Ms. Megaton Man <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-clarissa-project-secret-development.html">here</a>!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBYiKOAqPIHNR6Nyq1460DY-504RGRAz9bQowVMAm1blQbllyAICxXkrSFDATJCzhclha9jchFVktuonGoQx6ZCNuqymgYSB4ZiAJYlV76Ms4L6TulxU8vq332tLAquVH6fWht0hvXrFs/s1600/0-02A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBYiKOAqPIHNR6Nyq1460DY-504RGRAz9bQowVMAm1blQbllyAICxXkrSFDATJCzhclha9jchFVktuonGoQx6ZCNuqymgYSB4ZiAJYlV76Ms4L6TulxU8vq332tLAquVH6fWht0hvXrFs/s400/0-02A.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More on the <a href="http://bizarreheroes.blogspot.com/2015/06/fanny-lives-doom-defying-jungle-girl.html">Phantom Jungle Girl</a>!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGKDi4wPSB0eL0CEBBye53ZLJdwLF1dr8K4hNZtW8nWHh9UQ7QXLpuVgKprsq0yjcNKTWE0kobLYzh4VrW_FIQ_9AAjA0zvwKZABH_zt-swCNZ3SiJKVL7HfO5Xg9d6dlxMZvUO8BFjuP/s1600/0-02B+revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGKDi4wPSB0eL0CEBBye53ZLJdwLF1dr8K4hNZtW8nWHh9UQ7QXLpuVgKprsq0yjcNKTWE0kobLYzh4VrW_FIQ_9AAjA0zvwKZABH_zt-swCNZ3SiJKVL7HfO5Xg9d6dlxMZvUO8BFjuP/s400/0-02B+revised.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For more on how these pencil roughs fit into my current cartooning work flow, check out this <a href="http://msmegatonman.blogspot.com/2014/06/more-traced-sketches-dons-convoluted.html">post on my inking method!</a></td></tr>
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This framing sequence is intended to negotiate between the <a href="http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/megatonman/"><i>Megaton Man Weekly Serial</i></a> storyline (which I created online eons ago, some which was serialized in early issues of Erik Larsen's <i>Savage Dragon</i>), and the <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2013/07/megaton-man-atomic-aftermath.html">opening scenes of the graphic novel</a> (issues #1-2 were posted previously as <i>Atomic Aftermath)</i>, which wrap up a few lingering sub-plots.<br />
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There's no disguising the fact that I created issue #1 in 2002, #2 in 2005, #3 is 2014, and #4 and #5 in 2015-2016. Still, my hope is that the narrative will hang together as a cohesive reading experience. In any case, without some kind of introduction, the early scenes (about ten pages) which deal with some dangling plot threads might come across as non-sequitur. I considered cutting these pages out altogether and beginning the story when the main action of the narrative begins (with Megaton Man and X-Ray Boy in high school), but where to begin and how to introduce potentially new readers to the Megaton Man mythos still remains a problem.<br />
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I think including the early scenes with this intro as a framing device will at least demonstrates how convoluted and aimless Megaton Man's life in the Midwest had become before the jarring events of 9/11 call him and his extended family back to Megatropolis. (Besides, many of the characters in these early scenes who <i>exeunt </i>will either return later or show up again in the <i>second </i>graphic novel, which hopefully won't take as long to complete as this one!). Judge for yourself. Your feedback is welcome!<br />
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I'm on track to finally completing the graphic novel this Spring 2016! (For more on my thinking behind it, see <a href="http://megatonman.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-new-megaton-man-graphic-novel-work.html">here</a>.)<br />
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Now, on to March Madness: inking "issues" #4 and #5, and coloring the whole 160 pages! Stay tuned for updates... Donald E. Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08966389552890782417noreply@blogger.com0