As it once was in the United Kingdom, so it still is on the islands of Greece: the church is a very-ever-present meaningful presence in the community – its simple blue-and-white architecture (often concealing dark interiors with elaborate pictorial mysteries); its persistent, insistent bells; its busy schedule of feast-days and festivals and its black-robed priests are tightly interwoven with the very fabric of daily life.
This art of the comic-book blog celebrates a comic book title that dominated the 'funnies' section of America's newsstands of the 1940s and '50s: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
This example, Vol.4 No.9 (published 79 years ago, this month in June 1944!) showcases the work of comic-strip legend Walt Kelly (1913-1973), who would eventually move on from the Mouse Factory to create his own superb and long-running cartoon character, Pogo Possum, who – along with his engaging companions – resides in the Okefenokee Swamp that straddles the Georgia-Florida state-line.
A typical cover of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories featured Mickey Mouse & the Gang, although pretty quickly they were taken over by the Duck and his three troublesome nephews - Huey, Dewey and Louie – invariably giving grief to 'Unca' Donald'.
Here, however, Kelly shows Donald making music with two of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs, Dopey and Happy – the latter playing a double-bass with a Donald-shaped headstock that seems to have a beady eye on his doppelganger!
[Click images to enlarge]
To mark the beginning of Pride Month, I've chosen Travis Moore & Tamara Bonvillain's variant cover art for Superman: Son of Kal-El Issue #5 (released 9 November 2021) showing Jon Kent (son of Clark Kent, aka Superman, and Lois Lane and currently known as “the Superman of Earth,”) dramatically flying in for a passionate embrace.
The source of Jon's attraction is a journalist: yes, like father, like son ––– except that, in Jon's case, the journo in question – social activist Jay Nakamura – is male!
Although Jon Kent, formally presumed to be heterosexual, was not the first comic-book hero to reveal an LGBTQ+ alignment, it caused a minor sensation in the comic world – unsurprising, perhaps, since 'Superman' suddenly identifying as 'bi' was a radical departure from comic historicity. Certainly, I couldn't help pondering how I, as a closeted 10-year-old comic-reading lad, would have reacted in making such a discovery!
The series – all too short-lived – was written by Tom Taylor and illustrated by John Timms who was responsible for the art on the pages shown below, augmented by the work of colorist, Hi-Fi, and letterer, David Sharpe.
