Paulette Goddard is Jill Trent?

As some of you know (or will momentarily learn), I am the publisher and co-editor the Science Sleuth series from NUELOW Games. In the course of preparing the Jill Trent, Science Sleuth stories for publication, I came across something interesting.

Here's a drawing of Jill Trent, cropped from a panel in "Bubble Trouble," a story that originally appeared in Wonder Comics #12 (cover date June 1947) and reprinted in ROLF! Christmas Special III in July of 2013:

Jill Trent
(from ROLF! Christmas Special III)

I think it's safe to say that Al Camy, the primary artist on Jill Trent, Science Sleuth based Jill on actress Paulette Goddard. Why do I say that? If you don't see Paulette Goddard in that drawing, how about after looking at this 1942 photo (from a series of bathing suit shots she posed for):

Paulette Goddard in 1942

Coming August 1946 from Century Pictures: SCIENCE SLEUTHS! Starring Paulette Goddard as Jill Trent, Bob Hope as Eddie O'Malley, Lionel Atwill as Dr. Knight, Turhan Bey as Lefty Rubio, and Linda Turner as Daisy Smythe. Produced by Joseph Steiner, Directed by George Marshall.

Line, Please! (Contest Time!)

In July, NUELOW Games released its best-selling comics title so far--Science Sleuths #1.

On August 22, the second issue of Science Sleuths will be released through DriveThruComics, RPGNow, and DriveThruRPG. It contains three more tales featuring the hard-hitting inventor/crime-buster Jill Trent and another adventure starring the original web-slinger, Spider Queen.

NUELOW Games is offering Shades of Gray readers  an opportunity to win not only a free copy of  Science Sleuths #2, but free copies of every issue of Science Sleuths published for the rest of 2013.

To enter the contest, you need to write the best line for the this panel, taken from one of the Jill Trent, Science Sleuth stories:

By Al Camy

Submit your line through a comment below this post, through Twitter  or to nuelow@clearwire.net. The funniest or most interesting line will win the free four-month subscription to Science Sleuths while two runner-ups will win free copies of Science Sleuths #2.

Rules & Such
Contest entries must be submitted by Midnight on August 22, 2013. Winners will be selected by Steve Miller, and all decisions are final. Entrants grant permission for their submissions to appear on blogs operated by Steve Miller, as well as NUELOW Games's Facebook page. Entrants must provide a working email address in order to be notified, and winners will also need to have an account or to establish one with DriveThruComics, RPGNow, or DriveThruRPG in order to receive their winnings. DriveThruComics, RPGNow, and DriveThruRPG not involved with this contest in any way, nor is the mention of them to be construed as an endorsement. The awards have no cash value.

Classic Cinema: D.O.A.

D.O.A. (aka "Dead On Arrival")  (1949) 
Starring: Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Beverly Garland, Lynne Bagget, Luther Adler, William Ching, and Henry Hart
Director: Rudolph Mate
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

 Frank Bigalow (O'Brien) is a small town accountant on a spur-of-the-moment vacation in San Francisco when he is poisoned by a slow acting toxin with no hope of surviving. He spends his last few hours of life trying to solve his own murder.

"D.O.A." is one of the greatest murder mystery films ever made, as well as a stellar example of the film noir genre as it manifested in American movies. It turns a number of movie and mystery conventions on their heads, and even some six decades after it was made, it feels fresh and exciting as one watches it unfold. The pace grows more frantic as the literal deadline for our hero approaches while the mystery of why he was poisoned seems to grow more elusive with each supposed clue he uncovers. It's a movie that holds up to repeated viewings--it almost demands it, because once you know the answer to the mystery, it's great fun to see how certain scenes take on a different tenor. What this film does with snappy writing, moody lighting, and artful cinematography is amazing... and I wish there was some sign that modern filmmakers watched movies like this and studied them and took lessons away from them. Sadly, this does not appear to be the case.

As great as I think this movie is, it's not perfect. There are a couple of ham-fisted attempts at comedy early on, as Bigalow walks into the middle of a salesman's convention at his hotel; one of the film's villains is portrayed by a performance that goes just a bit too far over-the-top in this film which is otherwise marked by fairly low-key performances; and the overly sinister and melodramatic appearance of the poisoner in the jazz club when a close-in shot of a patron switching Bigalow's drinks wold have been far more effective and in keeping with the rest of the scene. Despite my sense that the director went too far with these three elements, they still make sense within the context of the film, and given the greatness of what surrounds them, they are easily forgiven.

If you're a lover of mystery films or the film noir genre, you absolutely must see "D.O.A.". This goes double if you fancy yourself a writer or a filmmaker; we need more work like this these days. I thought I had reviewed this film years ago, but since I can't seem to find any sign of a post, I must never have gotten around to it. So, although my intent was to just make an entry in the "Classic Cinema" series and give you the chance to watch this great film right here, I figured there was no time like the present.

And there's no time like the present for you to watch "D/O.A."/ I've embedded it below for your enjoyment.

Forgotten Comics: "Jill Trent" & "British Agent 99"

During the early years of the comic book industry, more series-leading characters came and went than possibly in all the decades that have followed since. The vast majority of titles in those days were anthologies, so for every issue of a comic book, there was a need for at least three or four different series, not counting one- and two-page filler items. Once reprinting newspaper strips fell out of vogue, a vast number of original series were needed.

Some of these characters remain at the forefront of popular comics today, such as Superman, Batman, The Spirit, and Wonder Woman. Others were popular enough that they continued to receive occassional revivals, at least through the 1990s, as creators and company executives fondly remembered the comic book heroes of their earliest childhoods, such as Plastic Man and the original Captain Marvel (and Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel, Jr.)

But for every Superman, there were dozens upon dozens of characters who either had a time in the spotlight (like Black Cat) or who disolved back into the aether of imagination from which they had sprung after just a small handful of stories. And then there were the moderately successful characters who kept popping up here and there, either because just enough readers liked them, or because some editor or publisher had a soft spot for them.

One character who was featured in four issues of Pocket Comics from Harvey, and who was never seen again once that title was cancelled, was Alan Douglas, British Agent 99. Douglas was a British national and celebrated Hollywood star who left acting behind to join the British Secret Service after the German victory at Dunkirk in 1940. A master of disguise, he could become anyone with just a little time to prepare.

Splash page from the "British Agent 99" tale
that appeared in Pocket Comics #3.

The first three "British Agent 99" stories were set against the backdrop of the Nazi expansion into eastern Europe and the Yugoslavian military coup and popular revolt that resulted when that nation's political leadership surrendered to the Nazis. Although Alan Douglas is fictional, many of the characters he interacts with are historical figures, and the story unfolds in a manner that stays true to the actual events. In the fourth and final tale, Alan Douglas is taken out of historical events and goes on assignment to Hollywood where he meets Black Cat and helps take down a Nazi spy ring.

Alan Douglas remained in the shadows for more than 70 years when, though complete coincidence, two different publishers decided to bring him back. 

In April of 2013, Broken Souls published "Tarnished," an anthology featuring grim takes on several Golden Age characters, including Alan Douglas and Black Cat. It's a full-color title with all new stories, and you can learn more about it by clicking here.

While the creatives at Broken Souls were slaving away, NUELOW Games--an outfit I call my own--was preparing its "Film Fun Comics" comics/fiction/gaming anthology series. We too tapped Alan Douglas to be featured, due to his back-story as a former actor and his team-up with Black Cat, the mascot of the NUELOW Games comics line, and a fixture of the "Film Fun Comics" series. As is the case with almost all NUELOW Games's comics releases, "Film Fun Comics: British Agent 99" is presented in black-and-white. We strip the color out of the scans, since the original sources are of varying quality and it's the best way we can bring uniformity to the presentation within our non-existing budget and limited resources. But... since it IS in black-and-white, I have an excuse to make a self-serving post! 

While Broken Souls may have beaten NUELOW Games to market with the first ever revival of Alan Douglas, "Film Fun Comics Vol. 3: British Agent 99" is still noteworthy, as its the first time someone has ever collected all four of Alan Douglas's adventures in one place. Click here to learn more about this important release from NUELOW Games (which also features original fiction by yours truly and a Black Cat story illustrated by Bob Powell).

While "British Agent 99" may be a bit too esoteric and crude in its execution art-wise for many modern readers, the same cannot be said about "Jill Trent, Science Sleuth," another 1940s series that has recently received the NUELOW Games treatment. "Jill Trent" is a series so full of action and Girl Power that it continues to appeal today. In fact, Jill has never completely been forgotten in the seven decades since she first appeared on the scene, as numerous little tributes to her all across the web demonstrate. 

A Jill Trent splash-page from "Science Sleuths" #1.

Jill Trent, along with her gal-pal Daisy Smythe, are independent business women who make their living selling Jill's inventions to companies and corporations. On the side, they use Jill's inventions to fight crime... and they usually beat the heck out of any bad guy unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Jill Trent, Science Sleuth" lasted some 14 episodes, debuting in Nedor's "Fighting Yank" #6, and eventually moving to "Wonder Comics" as a regular back-up feature. When "Wonder Comics" was cancelled with issue #20, so was "Jill Trent, Science Sleuth."  

This series was a lot of fun, and lead artist Al Camy had a style that still holds up nicely today. If you're one of those readers who bemoan the poor (and mostly undressed) state of comic book heroines, I think "Jill Trent, Science Sleuth" will cheer you up. (Heck, if you're an artist, get in touch. Maybe we can make NEW "Jill Trent" stories!)

Click here for more information about "Science Sleuths" #1. Jill will be headlining the first few issues of Science Sleuths, but will be sharing its pages with other science-minded (and far more obscure) characters. We will eventually run out of Jill Trent stories--around #5 if current plans hold--but we're certain readers will come to appreciate the other strips waiting in the wings.

In addition to three "Jill Trent" adventures, "Science Sleuths" #1 presents the origin story for Spider Queen. I touch on that series here.... and I will probably revisit it when "Science Sleuths" #2 comes out later this month.

Stopping the Milla Jovovich Quarterly?

From the beginning of this blog, I've been putting up a Milla Jovovich picture here at least once every 3-4 months. It started as an accident, and then it became intentional. Should the fannish madness continue? I say yes. But what say you? (We have a comments section, you know....)

Who created Spider-Man?

The question in the header is an old argument. I don't really want to engage in it, as it's rather pointless. I am just putting out a little tidbit that I stumbled across while looking for material to include in NUELOW Games's "Science Sleuths" series.

A few years ago, there was a legal dust-up between Jack Kirby's heirs and Marvel Comics over character ownership, who created what during the 1960s at Marvel Comics, character ownership, and lots and lots of dollars in potential royalties and other payments.

One of the characters that the Kirby team threw onto their list of creations of Jack Kirby was Spider-Man. Now, from the outside, it seems clear that Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko--something Stan Lee has asserted in numerous interviews. The Kirby suit was relying on completely unused art and story concepts for their claim that Jack Kirby helped create Spider-Man.

While the suit was working its way through the courts and the claims and counterclaims were flying, fanboys divided into camps and much virtual ink was spilled all over the web.

But if and when such an argument starts up again--most likely just in the fanboy realm these days, when it comes to the question of "who created Spider-Man--Lee, Ditko, and/or Kirby?"--at least when it comes to many of the fundamentals, maybe the answer is none of the above?

Exhibit A: Pages 3 and 4 of the first "Spider Queen" story, published in 1941 in the pages of "Eagle Comcis" #2 by Fox Features Syndicate and credited to "Elsa Lisau."

In the first three panels on page 4, you see Shannon King (Spider Queen) shooting web-fluid from a gun (as Kirby's "original" Spider-Man did) and you see her eventually creating wrist-gadgets to shoot said fluid (as Lee and Ditko's "original" Spider-Man did). Hmmmm....

Kirby and Lee were both active in comics during the 1940s. It's entirely possible that either one, or both, came across Spider Queen during her very short life in comics; there's even a slight chance that Kirby had a hand in her creation, since he did a little work for Fox back then. Certainly, either Roy Thomas or Mark Gruenwald were aware of this character, as they retro-fitted her into the Marvel Universe as a Nazi agent in a 1993 issue of "The Invaders."

Spider-Man is much more than wrist-shooters and web-fluids, but the next time some court battle erupts over who owns what and who created what when it comes to that and related characters, and fanboys start huffing and puffing indignantly over creators' moral rights, someone will hopefully think about "Elsa Lisau" and Spider Queen... who was doing doing the Web-Slinging and Web-Swinging thing more than 20 years before he was.

Who created Spider Queen? At this late date, we may never know. However, a prevailing theory that behind "Elsa Lisau" are the artistic team of brothers Louis and Arturo Cazeneuve. (Comparing the art in the three Spider Queen stories to other known or attributed work of one or both of the brothers--such as "Agent 99" and "Phantom Sphinx" (from Harvey Comics, 1941), or "The Queen of Evil" (from Fox Features, 1941), it seems to be a sound one. Louis's hand in particular seems clearly in evidence throughout the three published Spider Queen tales. But whether they were the writers as well as the artists--that will remain a mystery.

And as for the claim Kirby created Spider-Man? Well, unless Fox stole the web-gun idea from him, I think we can toss that one out the window--as the courts did, if memory serves. Also, from what I've seen publically when it comes to the costume that Kirby's Spider-Man would have worn, it looked like a retread of his Golden Age redesign of Sandman, which was a retread of his Golden Age Stuntman character. I LOVE Kirby's work--I rank "Kamandi" among my top ten favorite comics of all time--but the Kirby heirs really should have left Spider-Man off the list of characters that he created/helped create.

Spider Queen is featured in the first three issues of "Science Sleuths." Click here to get them at a discount.

(If you want to see more of the Brothers Cazeneuve right now, check out NUELOW Games's "John Kerry vs. The Queen of Evil" e-comic. Spider Queen and Jill Trent will be featured in "Science Sleuths" issues.)

For some background on this post, click here, here, here, and here. (Oh... and that Wiki page? It's a prime example of why you shouldn't trust what you read on Wiki.)

Classic Cinema: The Cat and the Canary

"The Cat and the Canary" is a 1927 film that many of those who like to think they know how to make a horror film, as well as many of those who think they know how to make a comedy REALLY need to sit down and study.

"The Cat and the Canary" is one of the earliest horror films and it remains one of the best. The scary bits are as scary today as they were in 1927... and the same is true of the funny bits. There are even some visual flourishes that few filmmakers have managed to best in nearly 90 years since its release.

You can watch the film in its entirely right here on this page. The version I've embedded features somewhat better musical selection that many versions out there, but it's still rather random. Personally, I like watching silent films to Mike Oldfield CDs like "Ommadawn" and "Incantations."

Click on the arrow below to start the film, or click here to read a longer set of comments from me first.

Classic Cinema: Hitchcock's "Young and Innocent"

This 1937 film by Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favorites from the great director.

"Young and Innocent" is one of Hitchcock's many "wrongfully accused man on the run to prove his innocence" tales, but it's one I never get tired of watching. Nova Pilbeam and Derrick de Marney are perhaps as good as they ever were in this quick-moving film that dances deftly from drama to comedy to nail-biting thriller mode and back again over and over. And the climax at the restaurant is something filmmakers should look at and try to emulate even today.

Check out this week's "Classic Cinema" entry. If you've never watched early Hitchcock, "Young and Innocent" is a great place to start. (It's actually a better film than some of his more famous 1930s efforts.) Click here to read my review, or feel free to go straight to the movie below. And have a great weekend!.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day, America! The A-Team (Ava Gardner, Alice White ]in another one of her many bizarre hats] and Ann Miller) are pitching in to make it an extra special one both here at home and abroad!

Classic Cinema: The Man Who Changed His Mind

This time around in Classic Cinema, Boris Karloff plays an obsessed scientist who has found the secret of the human soul and how to preserver it and transfer it between bodies. He summons his prize student, played by Anna Lee, to help him in the final stages of his research... but that's when things start to go horribly wrong.

"The Man Who Changed His Mind" is a spectacular early sci-fi/horror flick from England. The script is expertly paced and hits all the right notes, humorous, dramatic, and horrific. The cast all give fine performances, the script hits but Anna Lee is the true stand-out among the cast. Watch for the scene where she teeters on the brink between brilliance and madness herself -- it's a powerful bit of acting that's done purely with her eyes and facial expressions.

Click below to watch "The Man Who Changed His Mind" in its entirety, or click here to read my review first.

Lights, Camera, and plenty of Black Cat Action!

"Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. Him" is now available for purchase and download at DriveThruComics,com, DriveThruFiction.com, DriveThruRPG.com, and RPGNow.com,  It's a 48 page  book that presents four stories illustrated by the, great Joe Kubert--some of his earliest professional work--and three stories illustrated by the artist most closely associated with the Golden Age Black Cat, Lee Elias.

As a little preview, here's the splash-page from one of the Kubert stories (click on the image for a larger version):

Also, as a special treat, here's a short Linda Turner story NOT included in the book. My partner in NUELOW Games efforts L.L. Hundal felt that three non-superhero Lee Elias two-page stories were plenty, so this one got held for one of our planned follow-up "Film Fun Comics" editions--or just for posting here... time will tell!. Click on the images for larger versions.

If you've enjoyed this blog over the years, I encourage you to get a copy of "The Black Cat vs. HIM!". I edited the book and wrote "Excerpts from the Diary of Linda Turner," which is a fiction piece that adds a little more flesh to the "revised background" for Black Cat that's been implied in previous NUELOW Games products featuring the character. Supporting that book is supporting me and my love for places where "everything is in black and white" and my ability to have the time to put this blog together. (And other books like the "Film Fun Comics" series.)

Your support will be greatly appreciated. If you DO get a copy, please let me know what you think of "Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM!", either here, or in the comments section on the download page!

Classic Cinema: Curtain at Eight

Get the weekend stared right by watching a classic murder mystery where everyone's a suspect, including the chimp.

Is Dorothy MacKaill happy he's dead, or just smiling for the camera?

Click below to watch "Curtain at Eight" in its entirety, or click here to read my review first.

Black Cat Error Bonus!

I posted a post to the wrong blog, so to overwrite it, here are a couple more Black Cat illos do change it.

Picture Perfect Wednesday:The Return of the Black Cat!

This Friday, NUELOW Games is releasing "Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM". To celebrate (and to offer a preview), here are some classic Black Cat drawings from Lee Elias.

There are also Black Cat stories by Elias in "Film Fun Comics Vol. 1: Stuntman by Simon & Kirby" and in "His Honor and.... The Demon"! Click on the links to see previews or get your own copies of these very cool classic comics!

Classic Cinema: Impact

Time for another one of my favorite old time movies. "Impact" is a "film'noir" crime drama with a basic set-up (an unfaithful wife and her lover plan to kill her rich husband, but things go wrong) that's followed by all manner of twists and turns. It's lots of fun to watch, and it sports a great cast of actors. Click here to read my review, or go straight to the movie.

Have a happy Friday!

The Louise Brooks Quarterly:Flapper Flower Power

Summer's in full bloom!

It's 'Film Fun Comics' from NUELOW Games!

My latest compilation project for NUELOW Games--"Film Fun Comics Vol. 1: Stuntman" -- is now on sale. It features four Golden Age comic book stories by the great team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, in glorious black and white. Here's a splash page from one of the stories (click on the image to enlarge):

In addition to more than 50 pages of Simon & Kirby greatness, this pdf-format e-book contains a "Stuntman" scenario and characters for "ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters" and a special preview of what you can expect to see in "Film Fun Comics, Vol. 2: The Black Cat at War."

A question that may cross the minds of fellow fans of Golden Age comics might be why did we choose to present the Simon & Kirby art as grayscale instead of in its original four-color format? We certainly had that option, given that we were working with scans of printed comic books.

There are several reasons for that. The main reason is that the "Film Fun Comics" features Golden Age comics that use Hollywood's Golden Age as a springboard for action and adventure, so I decided to give the comics a look that matches the black-and-white movies the characters were making. Another important reason is that comic book conventions have changed since the 1940s when these stories were originally published; they really read much better to the modern eye if the color is stripped away.

I hope you'll give the book a shot. Click here to read a preview, or to get your own copy. And please let me know what you think of it--your comments may have an impact on future volumes of "Film Fun Comics" and other comic book projects that NUELOW Games has in the works.

A Picture Perfect Wednesday with Elizabeth Montgomery

My thanks to Elizabeth Momtgomery (and friend) for ably demonstrating the blog's unifying theme,

Classic Cinema: The Death Kiss

"The Death Kiss" is one of my all-time favorite old movies. It's a fast-paced mystery with some clever twists and turns, well-written dialogue delivered by a top-notch cast, and a comic relief character that's actually more funny than annoying; if you're a lover of old B-movies, you know how rare that is.

For film buffs, "The Death Kiss" provides not only an hour's worth of quality entertainment, but a look into the working life on a studio lot, as the characters are mostly actors, technicians, or studio executives in the process of making a movie that ahares its title with this one. Additionally, it features a re-teaming of the stars of Universal's "Dracula"--David Manners, Edward Van Sloan, and Bela Lugosi. They are playing very different characters here than in their previous collaboration. Further, Manners and Van Sloan both give far better performances here than they did in "Dracula.

 I hope you have the time to check out "The Death Kiss".. I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Click here to read my review of it, or go straight to the film below.

 

A fun horror comedy undeserving of the scorn heaped upon it

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marie Windsor, and Eddie Parker
Director: Charles Lamont
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Abbott and Costello (Abbott and Costello) are a pair of down-on-their luck adventurer who try to get a job escorting an an archeological shipment as their ticket back to the US from Cairo. However, before they secure the job, the archeologist is murdered, the most important part of his find goes missing--the mummy Klaris--and Costello ends up with an ancient medallion that is the key to unlocking a lost treasure. Soon, the hapless pair are the the targets of every shady character in Cairo, including rabid cultists sworn to protect the treasure, a dangerous femme fatale (Windsor) who will do anything to possess it, and even the risen mummy himself (Parker).

I don't think "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" deserves quite the level of scorn that most reviewers seem to heap on it. While Abbott and Costello certainly aren't at their best in it, it is a very amusing spoof of the string of mummy movies from Universal--and those films that would follow when the British studio Hammer returned to that same oasis a few years later--and it's got plenty of hilarious moments. (The "pick-pocket routine" where Costello visits the villainess in her den, the chase scene in the secret hideout of the mummy cultists, and the various bits with the multiple mummies at the movies climax are all comedic highpoints that should evoke chuckles from even the most jaded viewers.)

The film is far from perfect, however. I already mentioned that Abbott and Costello aren't exactly at their best in this film--which was, in fact, one of the last times they worked together--and an attempt to reinvent the classic "who's on first" routine with some digging impliments is about as uninspired as I think the pair's work ever got. Finally, the mummy costume in the film is about the worst that I've ever seen--and not at all worthy of even the cheapest film from Universal Pictures.

I recommend "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" to lovers of the classic monster movies who have a sense of humor about them, as well as fans of classic comedy. There are better examples of this type of film out there, but this one still has enough good bits to make it worth seeing.



--
 An interesting quirk about this movie is that while Abbott and Costello are listed in the credits as playing characters named Pete and Freddie, they refer to each other by their real names throughout the piece.

Your guess is as good as mine...

... but maybe someone called Alice White an airhead one too many times?

The June Collyer Quarterly

June Collyer is trying to seduce summer to get over here and stick around!

The Art of Dan Adkins

It is with a touch sadness that I make this post, as I have had word that another of the great comic book artists, Dan Adkins, has just passed away at the age of 76.

Adkins was a skilled and talented penciler and inker, and I don't think there's a major comic book character created before 1980 that his pencil or brush didn't bring to life. There also isn't a penciler over whom his inks didn't look great--and he did finishes over some 70 different artists during his career. In addition to his comic book work, Adkins drew illustrations for sci-fi and horror magazines such as "Amazing Stories" and "Famous Monsters of Filmland".

Artist Jerry Bingham wrote an excellent piece about how Adkins helped him along at the very beginning of Bingham's own career. I am reposting it here with Jerry's permission. A gallery of Dan Adkins's art follows.

MEMORIES OF DAN ADKINS

By Jerry Bingham

It's easier to comment on the passing of distant relationships than on people I cared about. Such is the case with Dan.

In 1977, I had been out of the Air Force for a year, and I had been turned down at all my attempts to get work drawing comics. After my third trip to the Marvel offices with new samples, kindly art director, Marie Severin, told me of a guy she knew who had helped a number of young artists break into the business. He lived just across the river in New Jersey. She gave me his number.

He was a quirky little guy with an exceptionally sweet wife and young boy, who set me up with a drawing board in his living room, invited me to sleep on his couch for a week, then proceeded to do everything in his power to discourage me from a life in comics.

But he critiqued as I drew. Then he took me into NYC, introduced me to Archie Goodwin, who gave me my first job. And he introduced me to Joe Orlando at DC. He even took me up to Neal Adams's office (who critiqued me harshly and shooed us on our way).

Then Dan told me of his plans to move to Reading, PA, and asked if I wanted to come with. What else did I have going for me? He introduced me to Steranko. My wife and I moved into the apartment downstairs from the Adkins family and we became very close for a short time. He had a story for every occasion and, no matter how outrageous, he could entertain and appall at the same time. I moved out a few years later. We lost touch. Life happened.

I sent flowers when his wife Jeanette passed a few years ago, and I remember remarking in private that I wondered how he would survive without her. His family was his whole world. I am extremely saddened today with the news of Dan's death.

Dan Adkins will always be "That Guy" for me, the guy who was there when I really needed someone just like him to nudge me to the next rung on the artist's evolutionary ladder. Point me down the right hall. He introduced me to many other things I needed: other artists I was unaware of, famous NY bookstores, and he let me glimpse snippets of possible futures for myself, and let me understand what I didn't want to be, as well as what my possibilities were.

Life is full of regrets. I will always regret that I did not maintain our friendship over the years. He was there for a short time, and then he was not. But he was enormously influential. And I will always care for him in my heart.

Miss you Danny.