Farewell, Gene Colan

Great sadness. Gene Colan, one of the finest comic artists ever, has passed away at the age of 84. Mark Evanier has a great tribute.

If you read comics, especially the offbeat ones, you knew Colan's work. Batman, Daredevil, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Howard the Duck, Dracula, Night Force... heck, he won the Eisner (with Ed Brubaker) for Best Single Issue just last year for Captain America #601.

His work was distinctive -- it's impossible to mistake a Colan picture for anybody else -- almost Hitchcockian with its moody, expressive, cinematic energy. He and Marv Wolfman took Tomb of Dracula -- what, by rights, should've been no more than a silly horror comic -- and turned it into a powerhouse that upended the Marvel Universe (not incidentally, co-creating Blade The Vampire Slayer, who's had a few turns around the multiplex with Wesley Snipes). He did the same with Howard the Duck. His runs on Batman, Deterctive, and Daredevil are the stuff of legends.

Good rest to you, sir. We miss you, and we thank you.

Push The Button, Max

Again, great sadness. Peter Falk, a superb character actor who was featured in some our favorite movies, has passed away at the age of 84.

He's best known, of course, as Lt. Columbo. But would TV's Frank have ever pushed the button for Dr. Clayton Forrester without Professor Fate's henchman Max pushing it first? Would The Princess Bride be half so poignant without Grandpa reading the story to Fred Savage? Without him, would we only have A Mad, Mad, Mad World?

Thanks for the excellence, sir, and rest well.

Comment By Keith

On Prop 8, and just in time for the vote in New York on marriage equality.

As in 2008, the poetry of the 11th century Persian Omar-Khayyam tells this story best. I recommend it to anybody still holding out on this, whether they be pedestrian or President. So I be written in the Book of Love; I do not care about that book above. Erase my name, or write it as you will, So I be written in the Book of Love.

(The mention of 2008 refers to Keith's original Special Comment on Prop 8. If you don't recall it, it's really worth another look.)

Extremely Spoilerific CAPTAIN AMERICA Trailer

( Seriously, if you don't want to see how they MURFLE MMMFF MFFGFMMMFMM )