Most of my older brother’s remaining Dummo Mouse strips from 1983 made it only to the pencil stage, so this week’s strip is an experiment to see how pencils-only translate to a blog. If it’s too light for you to see, then… I don’t know. I see these panels just fine, but I’m on a desk top right now. If you’re on a laptop or a phone, it might be different.
If you want more context for this strip, (why is there a boot on Shmitty Cat’s head?), read this first.
For more of my older brother’s comic strips see Sunday Funnies and Calloway the Castaway.
*****
It’s the oldest story in the world, 1990s style!
Man meets woman; man falls in “luuuvvv” with woman; man gets slammed by reality!
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
Conan the Barbarian (or Conan the Cimmerian, the Warrior, the Wanderer, the Adventurer, the Destroyer…) is public domain now, so a bunch of authors/artists who are not Robert E. Howard are writing/drawing their own Conan stories/comic books, and they all suck. I mean, the stories and comics suck (I might be using the word ‘suck’ too loosely), not necessarily the authors/artists. A few decades ago, a writer named Karl Edward Wagner wrote a couple Conan novels, and they sucked, but Karl Edward Wagner didn’t suck. Another famous author Robert Jordan also wrote a bunch of Conan novels, and he didn’t suck either (but his Conan novels did).
Robert E. Howard’s original Conan stories appeared in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in the early 1930s. Back in the 1970s (when I first became aware of Conan), you couldn’t buy those pulps, so if you wanted to read Conan short stories, you almost had to buy books with fake Conan stories too. Authors like L. Sprague deCamp and Lin Carter, who were putting together the old Conan stories short story collections, would add their own Conan stories to the books (with permission from the Robert E. Howard estate). You didn’t have to read the L. Sprague deCamp short stories, but you had to had to buy them if you wanted to read Robert E. Howard Conan.
Now, there are books only with Robert E. Howard versions of Robert E. Howard stuff, and that’s what a lot of Conan fans want.
Some people like these fake Conan books/stories/comics, and that’s fine for them. I don’t want to ruin anybody else’s enjoyment. I just think of the good fake Conan stories as good stories about a random barbarian who happens to be named Conan. It’s not THE Conan.
To me, there’s only one good Conan author, and that’s Robert E. Howard. I’m not going to get too much into his background because you can get that anywhere, and on this blog I like to focus on my opinions and my own writing when I get around to it (I guess I’m kind of selfish). Yeah, Robert E. Howard killed himself in 1936, and that’s not really something to brag about, but he knew how to write a good sword&sorcery story. Some people even give credit to Robert E. Howard for creating the sword &sorcery sub-genre. I’m not sure that Robert E. Howard created it, but he definitely perfected it.
It’s tough to get the right balance of all the elements in a good Conan story. The problem with most fake Conan authors is that they can’t get that right mix of everything (action, horror, politics, sex, violence, magic… I’m probably leaving something out) in sword&sorcery and Conan stories. Too many fake Conan authors focus almost exclusively on the sorcery elements while Robert E. Howard stories usually combined on human vs. human conflict with minor sorcery side elements.
Sometimes the sorcery/monster elements were added just so the stories could get into magazines like Weird Tales. For example, the Conan short story “The Phoenix on the Sword” was originally written as a Kull story called “By This Axe I Rule.” The Kull story got rejected by Weird Tales because it was a straight medieval type tale with no sorcery, monsters, or anything weird. Rather than send the story to other pulp magazines, Howard rewrote it as a his first Conan story, threw in some unnecessary horror/sorcery elements, and got it published. That’s how Robert E. Howard rolled. I like the Kull story better, though.
Even with all the new stuff out there now, if I feel like reading a Conan story, I’ll just reread one of Robert E. Howard’s good Conan stories. Sometimes I’ll read one of his non-Conan stories just for the heck of it.
BEST CONAN STORIES (not necessarily in order)
Red Nails
Beyond the Black River
People of the Black Circle
Tower of the Elephant
WORST CONAN STORIES (even Robert E. Howard can have a bad day)
The Frost Giant’s Daughter (it’s not a bad story, but it… uh… puts Conan in a really bad light)
Jewels of Gwalahar (way too much clumsy exposition)
The Vail of Lost Women (also doesn’t present Conan favorably… plus, it’s just not a good story)
There are several formulaic Conan stories, but they’re not bad if you don’t read them all at once.
BEST NON-CONAN ROBERT E. HOWARD STORIES
The Shadow of the Vulture (with the only literary appearance of the true Red Sonya)
The Dark Man
Sons of the White Wolf
Night of Kings
Worms of the Earth
There are a lot of other good Robert E. Howard short stories, but this is a decent start, and I’m sure a lot of Robert E. Howard fans will disagree with me about best and worst stories. That’s great! Just don’t insult me because you disagree with my opinions. That would be stoopid. Some book readers take their opinions way too seriously.
Since more people are writing Conan stories, more people are probably reading Conan stories (I hope that I’m not making up that cause-effect relationship). At any rate, Howard’s Conan stories are much easier to find now than they were in the 1970s when I first started reading them, and I’m glad for that. With Conan going public domain, there’s going to be (and already is) a lot of new Conan of Cimmeria stuff being published, which is fine, but for me, I’ll just stick with Robert E. Howard.
In case you can’t tell, I’m a Robert E. Howard fan. Here are a few other posts that I’ve written about him.
The Famous Author Who Thought His Stories Were Junk
Robert E. Howard’s Letter to Two Nerds in the 1930s
What Dead Author Should A.I. Steal From? How about… Robert E. Howard!
My one and only novel (mentioned below) even has a Robert E. Howard reference.
****
It’s the oldest story in the world, 1990s style!
Man meets woman; man falls in “luuuvvv” with woman; man gets blindsided by reality!
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
Please excuse this contrast between ink and regular pencil in today’s comic strip. From what I can find from old boxes, it seems like my older brother never got around to inking the rest of these never-before-seen Dummo Mouse episodes from the early 1980s. In fact, the rest of the comic strips are in pencil only, so next week we’ll see how pencil by itself looks on a blog post. Until then…
For more of my older brother’s comic strips see Sunday Funnies and Calloway the Castaway.
*****
It’s the oldest story in the world, 1990s style!
Man meets woman; man falls in “luuuvvv” with woman; man gets blindsided by reality!
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
Years ago when I was still teaching, my 8th grade English classes would read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Did S.E. Hinton really write The Outsiders by herself?), and at the end of the unit we’d watch the 1983 movie with Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Tom Cruise, and a bunch of other 1980s actors.
At the end of my 6th period (it was one of THOSE kinds of classes), one of the more disruptive boys (he actually was disruptive) made a lewd comment about Cherry Valance, the only significant female character in the book/movie.
Cherry had been portrayed by actress Diane Lane, and she was one of those actresses that a lot of guys in the 1980s thought was good looking. Yeah, she was a hot chick from a teenage guy’s point of view (I might have to be careful talking about stuff like that), even in those late 1950s early 1960s outfits.
I could have ignored the comment. I ignored a lot of comments back then. Teachers survive by ignoring a lot of comments. But I didn’t want to ignore this one. His comment had been loud enough for me to hear, and if a teacher gets a reputation for allowing too much stuff in his/her classroom, then bad stuff happens later. The challenge is finding an effective response for this kind of thing. Maybe I could have lectured the guy who made the lewd comment, but it wouldn’t have done any good. Lectures usually make the original comment funnier.
Instead of a lecture, I said, “Ew, you have a crush on Superman’s mom.”
The kid looked perplexed.
“Cherry was Superman’s mom in that Superman vs. Batman movie.”
Several kids snickered because they knew what I was talking about.
The kid pulled out his phone (phones were ‘allowed’ in school at the time) and verified the information. His jaw dropped in horror. ‘Horror’ might be a strong word. To me, Diane Lane still had it going on. I mean, if I had the chance, I’d still…
Anyway, the kid retracted his lewd statement by repeating “No! No! No!” several times, and the rest of the class laughed at him. I always remember that moment fondly because after that, the kid toned down his behavior a little. He still caused problems, but it was more good-natured than malicious, so we got along. It always helps if you get along with the students.
Plus, whenever I see Diane Lane in Superman vs. Batman, I think, “Yeah, I’d still….”
Never mind.
*****
For more Challenges in Teaching, see
Challenges in Teaching: Feeling Mediocre and
Challenges in Teaching: Getting Students To Pronounce My Name Correctly .
And here’s my one and only novel:
If you’re an average guy and a hot chick shows interest in you, WATCH OUT!!!
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
For a few years in the 1960s, it wasn’t hyperbole. The Fantastic Four really was “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Yeah, looking at comic books today, it’s easy to wonder why Marvel would ever put such a bombastic statement on the top of the cover of THAT comic book, especially when Marvel has so many other comic book heroes and teams that stand out more.
But from 1961(?) to 1968(?), The Fantastic was consistently the best comic book out there. Except for a couple possible exceptions, like The Amazing Spider-Man, it wasn’t even close.
Some comic fans try to explain what made the Fantastic Four unique by calling it a “family” super hero team. Yeah, they were a family, but that’s not what made the comic book great. Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby put more effort into the Fantastic Four than they did with any other comic. Stan Lee’s dialogue was better in Fantastic Four than his dialogue in other comics. Jack Kirby’s art in Fantastic Four was usually better than his art in other comics. The villains, like Dr. Doom, the Mole Man, the Submariner, Galactus, Annihilus, were better than the villains in most comics.
Plus, The Fantastic Four wasn’t just another superhero comic. It was more like a science fiction comic with superheroes in it. The members of the FF received their powers in some stupid outlandish space experiment. They encountered aliens from other planets. They explored fake scientific stuff like subatomic universes and Negative Zones. Villains like Dr. Doom used advanced technology to try to conquer the world or do even worse stuff.
There was always something crazy going on in that comic book. Even when they were just hanging out in the Baxter Building, something crazy was going on. It was the only comic book consistently like that (except for again… The Amazing Spider-Man).
Then somewhere around #70 or so, things started to change. Other comic books were getting better. The Fantastic Four started to slide. Jack Kirby was overworked and tired of dealing with Marvel and Stan Lee. Marvel was bringing in new talent which either copied some of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s style or brought in new ideas of their own. Even the Distinguished Competition improved.
Ever since maybe 1969, The Fantastic Four has been up and down in quality and usually hasn’t stood out from other super-hero comic books, but for about seven to eight years in the 1960s, The Fantastic Four truly was “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!”
*****
A grammar-obsessed English teacher falls in ‘luuuvvv’ but discovers how chaotic and dangerous ‘luuuvvv’ can really be. It’s a romantic comedy from an ‘average’ guy’s point of view!
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
Getting feedback for creative stuff was tough for my older brother back in 1983 when he drew these Dummo Mouse comic strips. My older brother would mail copies of Dummo Mouse (and sometimes copies of other ideas he had) to syndicated comic companies or to agents that represented other comic artists, and then months later he would get a slip of rejection note paper responses.
It was also difficult to get positive feedback from his family and friends. At that point, he had moved away from the small town with the weekly newspaper that had published his Calloway the Castaway comic strip for almost half a year. Most of his creative friends in his new home city weren’t in to comic strips (they were more into music). Even though I lived hundreds of miles away, when I saw these Dummo Mouse strips months and months after he’d draw them, I’d freak out. I thought these were great, especially when compared to a lot of stuff in the daily newspaper.
And now I get to publish these on my own blog!
For more Sunday comics with Dummo Mouse and his friends, check out…
Dummo Mouse and Friends: Misleading Episodes
Dummo Mouse and 1980s Star Trek Humor
Comic Sunday: Dummo Mouse and Friend(s)
Dummo Mouse Takes on Big Floral
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If you enjoy this content, ‘like’, subscribe, leave a comment,… and buy my book!
In this romantic comedy from an ‘average’ guy’s point of view, a grammar-obsessed English teacher falls in ‘luuuvvv’ but discovers how chaotic and dangerous ‘luuuvvv’ can really be.
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
With all the superhero movies over the last few decades, with all the writers involved, with all the reshoots and re-edits, there are bound to be lost deleted scenes and bloopers that the general public has never seen.
Of course, a nobody like me can’t get the actual footage of mistakes and deleted scenes, but below are comic illustrations of what could be… might be… may be… hidden from the public.
And finally…
For more comic book related posts, check out…
Comic Book Nerd Book Review-Jack Kirby & Stan Lee: Stuf’ Said by… by…
Jack Kirby: The true Creator of the Marvel Universe?
How Classic Comic Books Led Me To Classic Literature!
*****
If you enjoy this content, please ‘like’, subscribe, and/or buy my book.
*****
A grammar-obsessed English teacher falls in ‘luuuvvv’ but discovers how chaotic and dangerous ‘luuuvvv’ can really be. It’s a romantic comedy from an ‘average’ guy’s point of view.
The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon and from the trunk of my car!
Just so you know, there’s no character named Big Floral in the Dummo Mouse comic strip world.
Instead, Dummo takes a mild swipe at the flower business, kind of. I’m pretty sure the big floral industrial complex would never have allowed my older brother’s comic strip Dummo Mouse from 1982 to be syndicated. Those big businesses have always tried to crush the little guy.
For more Sunday comics with Dummo Mouse and his friends, please see the following:
Dummo Mouse and Friends: Misleading Episodes
Whenever I buy an old book, I debate whether or not I should read actually read it or not. I’m talking about yellowing books with frail spines and delicate aging newsprint paper that feels like it can disintegrate on your fingertips. A part of me wants to preserve these out-of-print books. The other part of me wants to read them. After all, what’s the point of a book if you don’r read it?
I felt confident that I could read the above copy of The Moneyman by Thomas B. Costain. The spine felt a little insecure, but I have a light touch when I turn the pages. I thought it was worth the risk. I generally like Thomas B. Costain books (though they sometimes focus on the part of the story I’m least interested in). I took the chance and halfway through the book…. Aaaarrrgh!
I knew there was a strong possibility/probability that the book could fall apart while I was reading it, but I have a history of handling old books. I collect them and old comics as well. I take pride in keeping my hands clean and turning pages with care. My mistake, however, was that I became too interested in The Moneyman. The print in those old books can get close to the left margins, and sometimes you have to spread the binding just a little and then… Aaaarrrgh!
The book didn’t have any monetary value, even before it fell apart, so it’s not like I flushed my family’s financial future away on a lame horse. I think I spent $2 on that crusty paperback from 1947. I guess I’m the only guy who still wants to read The Moneyman in 2025.
Ideally, I would have read the book AND kept it intact, but I guess this time I had to make the choice. Even though a book is meant to be read, and I actually enjoyed the experience, I kind of feel guilty. It’s like I destroyed an antique. Yeah, 1947 isn’t that long ago in terms of antiquity, but once I realized that The Moneyman was a good book, I probably could have found a newer copy.
I also have this old beat up copy of Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini, but I don’t think I’ll read it. I’ve learned my lesson.
BONUS BOOK REVIEW:
The Moneyman by Thomas B. Costain was a good book. I finished it (even after it fell apart in my hands).
If you can get yourself a newer copy of The Moneyman, I recommend it, especially if you like historical novels about the Renaissance. The book has a little bit of everything, from romance, to adventure to war to mystery to political intrigue. It even has a legal thriller aspect towards the end of the novel (but I think that’s the weakest part).
Just please find a copy that’s not in danger of falling apart.
*****
What do you think? Should I read this? Or should I leave it alone?
Despite the title, I’m not sure that Shmitty Cat should be classified as one of Dummo Mouse’s friends.
For more Sunday comics with Dummo Mouse and his friends, please see the following:
Dummo Mouse and Friends: Misleading Episodes
Comic Sunday: Dummo Mouse’s Not-Yet Wild Adventures
Dysfunctional Literacy 