Marvel University Alert 10/16/11

Well, the good folks at Marvel University have done it again:  they’ve dressed up my first “Snapshot,” for 1974, with a number of historic covers, including several for issues that would command a hefty price today, e.g., Incredible Hulk #181, the first full issue featuring Wolverine, and Amazing Spider-Man #129, the debut of the Punisher.  (Not surprisingly, I obtained both of those stories through affordable reprints in later years, since my acquisitions were still hit-or-miss in ’74.)  They also depicted Avengers #125, the Captain Marvel crossover that culminated what may be my single favorite comic-book saga, and–just as important for any writer–they restored the “R.” to my byline, even correcting the previous post retroactively.

Now, that’s what I call service–thanks, guys!

I hope I’m not breaking any confidences by revealing this (although I don’t recall being asked to keep it under my hat), but Peter and John have also recruited me to contribute to their next TV blog after they wrap up with the Caped Crusader on To the Batpoles!  They’re going to tackle The Night Stalker, and want someone slightly knowledgeable to tackle the two Richard Matheson TV-movies before they cover Kolchak’s all-too-brief twenty-episode weekly career.  Just hope I can make them seem fresh after all I’ve written about them, not only for Tor.com but also, of course, in Richard Matheson on Screen, yet if anybody can inspire me, it’s those two guys, who make one feel uniquely appreciated.

Meanwhile, back at the Bond ranch, I’ve recently finished reading Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice, featuring the final showdown between 007 and nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld.  Thus, there is actually light at the end of the tunnel with my Cinema Retro article, although true to my anal-retentive m.o., I’m going to see the series through with the posthumously published The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy, just in case there’s some nuance that will shed extra light on my piece.  So in a couple more weeks you will see those here before I put the finishing touches on my article, which I hope Retro sees fit to publish in 2012, marking James Bond’s fiftieth anniversary on the big screen.