Bun Toons is Still Here?!? YAY!

 

Sigh, I can’t believe we’re still dealing with this nonsense in 2017.

If the “diversity” books weren’t selling, Marvel would stop publishing them.  If the “replace the main superhero with another character inside the suit” gag wasn’t working, Marvel would stop doing it.

If these books not selling in YOUR comic store, consider the problem isn’t the characters.  Because they’re doing very well online, where the customer doesn’t have to go into your friendly shop.

Let’s talk about Red Hulk, or Rulk to his friends.

His identity was hidden for almost a year, and all we knew was that he wasn’t Bruce Banner.  Sales were through the roof.  If the “human” version of Red Hulk had turned out to be Hispanic or Asian, would the sales have gone down?  I hope not.  But even with a “white guy” under the red skin, the sales petered out after a while anyway.  After a last gasp membership in the Thunderbolts a couple of years ago, the Red Hulk no longer has his own title, and can only be found in the (struggling for sales) USAvengers.*

That’s how this gag works.  Marvel has been doing it for decades.

Before Cap was a “black guy”, he the ghostly return of a dead sidekick for a couple of years.  Besides, the “Black Cap” of today is on sale next to the “Nazi Cap” so everyone has a Cap to purchase in 2017.

Did this count as diversity?  Doc Ock was OLD when he replaced Peter Parker as Spider-Man.  ALSO:  I think his heritage is East European.  That used to be considered “ethnic”.

*edited to correct Red Hulk’s current status.

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Sorry I haven’t been around to Bun Toon for a number of weeks.  I’ve been committed to drawing a new Bun Toon every weekend I’ve been home, and have continued to do that since this all began…

But…

I’ve been at a comic convention four out of the last six weeks, and the last three weeks in a row.  That makes it seem like I’ve given up on my little bunny adventures, but I absolutely have not.  I’m still drawing one every weekend I’m at home…I’m just home a little less nowadays.

I’m here for at least another couple of weeks before I head out to Los Angeles in late October, and I promise you, each and every weekend I’m in Toronto, there shall be a bunny on your computer being a smartass.

Thanks for sticking around.

Here’s the link to the last Bun Toon…lo, three weeks ago now.

Bun Toons Teaches Important Lessons! YAY!

A moment of sunshine and flowers first

Ah, what a delightful week it’s been.

People are asking questions….what can I do?  Where can I help?  What is the solution?

Well, I’m here to instruct.

I’m encouraged by the anti-Nazi turnout in Boston today.  I’m encouraged the PayPal and Facebook and many other digital platforms have discovered a “No-Nazis” rule lately.  I’m encouraged that America is woke to racism now that a white woman is dead.

But we still have a few more Nazis to punch before they get the message.  I want those hate filled vermin to feel fear to leave their homes with “88” tattoos, or white power symbols.

No slope.  No slippery.

Punch a Nazi today.

Ty the Guy OUT!

Punching a Nazi is good exercise for the body and soul.

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For the last Bun Toon (“Family Values”), click here.

The Customer Is Always Right Bun Toons! YAY!

Even when the customer is aggressively wrong.

The thing I like best about the internet is the accuracy of information dissemination, and the speed at which bandwagons careen down a hill.

Sigh.

For those brave souls that went out and bought a copy of the all new Captain America #1, you probably discovered the issue was well written, beautifully drawn and a fun ride all around.  For the rest of you, congratulations on believing the internet. You must be very proud.

Ty the Guy OUT!

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Because I mentioned it, I have to bonus everybody with a few moments from Cap’s greatest storyline…

Amazingly enough…in the days before the internet, we didn’t set fire to copies of Man-Wolf and youtube it.

We simply endured.

Of course, back in the 70s, Marvel ACTUALLY did do a Captain America story where he became a Nazi…but it was a sort-of “evil twin” Cap (a guy who’d had surgery to look like Steve Rogers, who was more than slightly driven crazy by a cut-rate version of the Super-Soldier formula).   Naturally, this story didn’t spit at Joe Simon and Jack Kirby because they were both working for DC Comics at the time.

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for the Bun Toon archive of years gone by, click here.

If you live in the Toronto area, and are interested in learning to write or draw comics, click here for upcoming classes.  Writing is filling up fast (two spots left), but there’s still a few seats left for the June “Making Comics” course!!

 

Four More Panels! YAY!

Because five panels is exhausting.

There’s fightin’ a brewin’ in the world of comics, and you can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys without a scorecard.  As always, the six foot rabbit in the room is the only one willing to help out.  So here’s…

I’m likely to actually go and see this Civil War movie tomorrow, and I’ll let everyone know how it went when I get back, but until then, I’m fairly sure my judgement is a safe bet.

Ty the Guy OUT!

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If you’re one of the millions of fans who never read the original series the movie is based on:  It was a fight between factions of the Marvel Universe, some of whom saw the covers as half full, where others saw the covers half empty.

It took until the Black Giant Man was killed before everyone agreed that the covers were simply half finished, and we all went back to work drawing the bottom of things again.  Of course, drawing bottoms is what launched Frank Cho’s career.

 

If you’re interested in the comic story that STARTED all the fighting between factions of the mythical world, look no further than here:

For some reason, my Hulk v The Buddha comic strip was all over facebook last week, and I thought I’d repost it here so folks could at least know where Civil War started.  (The Buddha was an original Avenger before Ant-Man, back in the fifties, with 3-D Man and Venus, look it up).

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For the previous Bun Toon, mourning the passing of Prince, Chyna and a few others, click Death if you dare.

For the Bun Toon archive, reaching back to the late Middle Ages, click the angry rabbit above.

 

 

Equal Bun Toons! YAY!

warning: satire ahead. use caution.

It’s nice to see things finally changing in the world of comics.

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At least we won’t be having this discussion again for another two or three weeks.

TY THE GUY OUT!

Because I have to:

Oh yes, it’s real.

So many important lessons for Lois to learn.

Oddly enough, this comic is not a collector’s item.

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For last week’s equally “inside baseball” Bun Toon, click here.

For more diverse Bun Toons, click the chick real quick, you hick!

 

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility Bun Toons

Let’s count all the ways history got it wrong…

In case anyone wasn’t up on this week’s moron-fan du jour…a blogger named “Janey” accused Rick Remender of writing a scene of statutory rape between The Falcon and a severely underaged character named “Jet”.  Of course, the very script in question included a scene giving the character’s age as twenty-three, but reading that panel would have spoiled all the rage and indignity this moron blogger could muster.

Test your reading comprehension skills against “Janey” the moron.

Add that to the fact that Jet is the one clearly seducing Falcon throughout the scene, and of course, her righteous rage started a twitter hashtag “#firerickremender” that had quite a bit of steam for a couple of days…despite being based entirely on one moron with a grudge against the writer and the keen analytic mind of a stray dog.

Oh, internet.  Is there anything your rush to judgement cannot make better?

Apparently Janey has had to take down her blog page due to internet flaming. She aggressively tried to cost someone their livelihood because of her own moron fueled actions and is now apparently upset that there’s a consequence to that.  Who’d have thunk?

Ty the Guy OUT!

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I understand the Falcon is getting his own series from Marvel fairly soon.  I hope they give it a writer who isn’t obsessed with statutory rape scenes, as, you know…. some people are.

 

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to read last week’s equally indignant Bun Toon, click the underage white woman above…

For the Bun Toon archive…click here

Let Them Eat Avengers Cake!

I’ve been a busy Canadian Beaver here for the last few weeks (it’s why I’ve been slightly blog absent, but for my award-wishing Bun Toons comics) making Spider-Man for the peoples (Avenging Spider-Man #8 and Ultimate Spider-Man Adventures #3, both out in stores SOON!), and starting up the next Award-Hoping issue of HOLMES INCORPORATED (in store in a few months, so I’ll get more pushy about that later)!!

But in the meantime, because you folks are just so suh-weet,  I pass along to you some of the sweet and magnificent creations of my sweet and magnificent daughter-in-law.

Vector from Despicable Me (a cake topper–don’t have a pic of the finished cake, sorry)

We’ve featured her confectionery sculpting a few times here on the blog, but in the spirit of the Assembling Avengers that is sweeping the culture I give you more geek-cred samples of Jessica Costley: Ass Kicking Cake Boss!

Layers of cake based goodness…ASSEMBLE!

And because one hammer is NEVER enough (that’s what she said)…

Mjolnir, Baby!!

Is this fair?  I get to write and draw Spider-Man and the Simpsons, I get to be married to the World’s Bestest Gal, and I have a daughter-in-law who makes these magnificent baked masterpieces.

I win.

Ty the Guy OUT!

 (I’ll have just a small piece, thanks.  I’m saving room for Chicken Kiev and caviar.)

Here now, your Bonus Comic Book Cake Moment:

Not one of Jessica’s cakes, but the expression is divinely insane. Who wants a nice slice of Hulk Face?

Joe Simon (1913-2011) and Ed Barreto (1954-2011).

Jerry Robinson last week, and now two more.  Wow, that smarts.

Joe Simon wearing his personal version of the American flag.

Kirby was King of comics.  Stan was the Man, and Joe Simon was comics’ beloved Uncle.

Of course, he was Marvel Comics’ first editor back in the Golden Age, back when Stan Lee was literally sweeping up and going out for bagels.  And yes, along with his partner Jack Kirby, Joe gave the world some very popular characters:  Captain America, The Boy Commandos, the Sandman…

and, you know...comics for GIRLS.

But it’s Joe’s later career that made me love him.   First off, there was this:

The Sixties and Seventies had a lot of great satire magazines on the stands.  Mad, Cracked, Trump, Humbug, Car-toons, Crazy, Not Brand Ecch!, National Lampoon…and Joe Simon’s SICK.

Sick was hard to find, but a treasure when I could snag one.  It was a typical black and white satire mag of the time, the format was identical amongst all of the different titles…but what I loved most about SICK magazine, was that it knew darn well it was an imitator of Mad Magazine, and had joyous fun with the shamelessness of it all.  Their slogan was “We’re Number Two because we don’t try so hard” and they had a mascot that was Alfred E. Neuman’s twin brother in shabbier clothes.   Damn, I loved the balls of that.

Not Alfred E. Neuman up there, and we all didn't give a damn and that's why it was funny.

And SICK gets extra points for occasionally running articles by Lenny Bruce.  How often did Mad Magazine do THAT?

But let’s talk about Simon’s masterpiece (and, no I’m not kidding).

With a cabinet made up of Hippies and “Injuns” and Black Chicks and Teen-Agers and whatever other liberal nightmare Joe Simon could dream up, PREZ was Simon’s Seventies satire genius.  It was his Little Annie Fannie, only without tits, and that meant I could read it when I was twelve years old, and that’s the age I was when it came out.

Amputee-vampires in the White House? Don't you DARE question it!

There are people who don’t get this comic book, who don’t see the raw-staring-into-the-sun glory of this utterly unfettered series, and I pity them.  Joe Simon and artist Jerry Grandenetti created in Prez, a comic where ANYTHING could happen, where suspension of disbelief was an Olympic sport.  That’s my bread and butter when I want to be entertained.  The phrase “well worn cliche” did not apply to the work of Joe Simon and bless him for that.

Jesus Christ, is there a MONKEY in there? And is the monkey going to play CHESS?!?

Add to this, The GREEN TEAM, BROTHER POWER the GEEK, The OUTSIDERS, the FIGHTING AMERICAN, The STUNTMAN, The NEWSBOY LEGION, MANHUNTER, The FLY, the Boy’s Ranch, Foxhole, Justice, and a pretty strange version of CAPTAIN MARVEL, and it adds up to a body of work to drop your jaw.

I never got to meet Joe Simon, but his daughter once emailed me that Joe had read and enjoyed an article I’d written about him.  It made me beam for a week to know he’d read it.

You literally did it all, Joe.  Built the world of comics and shaped a corner of my sky.

Thank you.

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Eduardo Barreto:  The artist’s artist.

Ignore that it says "Gordon Purcell" above his head, that's Eduardo.

Eduardo Barreto was one of those guys that made other comic artists make noises when we saw his work.  It was like eating chocolate, or getting a foot rub seeing his art.  Barreto’s work was so pretty, I actually made noises.  To fandom at large, he was probably best known for his DC work on Wonder Woman, Justice League, the Teen Titans and Superman.

All of it great stuff...

But I’ll always remember Eduardo for his astoundingly beautiful 30s period work on such projects as UNION STATION and THE SHADOW STRIKES.  These stories, all taking place in a depression era alleyway populated by thugs, rats and bullets, were brought to life by Barretto’s hand with what seemed like effortless grace.

A big part of my life-long fandom of the Shadow is because of Barreto’s mind-boggling work on this book.   The attention to detail, the sense of costume, décor, body language, character, lighting, mood, brushwork.  It was magnificent to look at AND great comics to read.

The Shadow done PERFECTLY. Month after month for a few years. It was glorious.

And if you haven’t read this overlooked Ed Barreto gem:  track it down.  I promise you’ll love it.

Fifty-seven years old is way too young to lose him.  He was still creating beautiful work up until Meningitis got to him last year.

My thoughts go out to the families of BOTH of these marvelous men who gave me so much pleasure over the years.  Your contributions to the world will be long celebrated.

You did good.

Ty the Guy OUT!

For your BONUS Joe Simon Moment:  GO HERE.

Captain America in Four Panels. YAY!

When Bun Toon Rabbit throws his mighty shield….

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’re aware that Marvel Films has done it again with the new Captain America movie.  And once again, Bun Toons is here to help out those who might only know Captain America through Saturday morning cartoons,  urban legends, rock and roll records or video games.   Not only is Cap my favorite Marvel character, he’s also a man with a rich history worth knowing.  Here it is, all summed up in as concise a manner as I can manage…

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Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your BONUS CAPTAIN AMERICA MOMENTS:

I told you there were Captain America rock and roll records.

And lest you believe that this is Cap’s first foray into the movies, it’s actually his FIFTH time on the big screen.  Steven Colbert has been making fun of versions #2 and #3 for quite a while now

Bleuurgh.

and I’m not going to mention the 4th Captain America movie from the early 90s with Matt Salinger, but I do have a treat for you guys who might not be aware of the FIRST Cap film serial from the 40s…

No shield, no Bucky, nothing but the strong left cross of an American hero.

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For last week’s bun toon, poke Prometheus in the kisser.

For every bun toon EVER, click the singing bread roll.

The End of the World Rapture Bun Toons! YAY!

This might be our last time together...

According to some pretty responsible sources in the media, today might be the last day of the world, and all the devout, religious people get to go bodily to heaven later this evening.  Sounds like a party, I hope there’s not much looting when it’s just us heathens left behind.

Yes Cap and Thing aren’t in their current outfits.   Don’t write me.   I hope to see you next week, with a bun toon for those left behind on Earth after the Rapture.  I hope the internet survives the end of days, as I have emails to catch up on.

Ty the Guy OUT!

UPDATE:  The world did NOT end on Saturday, citizens.  Go about  your day, and please, frequent your local malls and businesses. 

Here now, your BONUS Rapture Comic Book Moment:

You all knew there HAD to be Rapture Comic Books, right?

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For last week's Bun Toons, also about a god...click here

For every Bun Toons ever, click here.