The loss of Beano artist and children’ comic pioneer Leo Baxendale was felt by grown-up brit-comic kids across the world. Creator of, among others, Minnie the Minx (a bad girl, not a Bad Girl), Baxendale was mourned in a style he’d surely appreciate with more than one tweet displaying a huge mound of mash studded with sausages — a staple of the visual diet of twentieth century British children, if never taken seriously as a genuine dinner by readers during the latter half.
“I never used to understand why the traditional reward for Beano characters was a “slap-up feed” – generally an immense pile of mashed potato with about 20 sausages poking out of the sides. It’s only when you realise this was a widespread fantasy of the rationing era that it makes sense.” — Charlie Brooker at the Guardian
Heroes die, and we reexamine their legacy; with every expiration comes comprehension, if we only care to look for it.
The great Beano cartoonist Leo Baxendale died yesterday. Tonight's dinner was a tribute to him. pic.twitter.com/WUA0TlHGST
— Matthew Sweet (@DrMatthewSweet) April 27, 2017
Gail Simone started a fire with her talk of how smokin’ she thinks Superman should be. (There’s a GIF I wanted to use here but I can’t find it; remember in Lois & Clark when they’re dressing to go on a date and he spins into his suit like old fashioned Superman/just the Mask and checks himself in the mirror? Yeah? Good scene.) Is she wrong? Not in this case. Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher…
Here is a reason so many Superman movies misfire. Only the first two Donner films dealt with the obvious: that Superman is a romance story.
— Gail Simone (@GailSimone) April 30, 2017
I have enjoyed the recent Superman movies to varying degrees…but Lois and Clark should be EPIC. Should melt underwear worldwide.
— Gail Simone (@GailSimone) April 30, 2017
Speaking of Superman — news about high-strength MDMA in the UK was accompanied with this image of Punisher-Superman hybrid logo pills. What a semiotic smash! The history of drug-comic aesthetic overlap is long, of course. Don’t lick that button, Batman…
? ? Be careful out there… MDMA in the UK is the "strongest available in two decades" ? ? https://t.co/Ejh9tBA1OP pic.twitter.com/OO0YoU9b00
— Mixmag (@Mixmag) April 27, 2017
Esquire‘s hired Bob Mankoff away from the New Yorker as their new cartoon editor. You’ll know Mankoff (even if you don’t realise it) from his oft-reprinted caption “No, Thursday’s out. How about never—is never good for you?” Get to know Mankoff by giving this documentary a watch, if you are so inclined.
Inbox: Longtime New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff will join Esquire as cartoon editor, reviving that mag's cartoon content.
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) May 1, 2017
New in “is that licensed, or what?” — the US Olympic Skiing team’s lookbook is out! Does it seem familiar? Probably because it is — that’s Captain Marvel’s bodysuit reimagined for real athletic heroics. Our Kat Overland points out the disparity between this and the average illustration of a woman in skintight spandex, but allow me to add a question to her gist: how will Captain Marvel herself look in comparison, when we see her on the big screen?
Game. Face. ON. @MikaelaShiffrin is working it at the #WinterOlympics promo shoot. pic.twitter.com/YsSlGGfmx2
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) April 27, 2017
Ol’ Nicky Spencer publicly admits he’s making certain decisions “just to fuck” with “everyone,” in a casual conversation with past-season provocateur and Trouble scripter Mark Millar:
https://twitter.com/nickspencer/status/857241910305476608
Marvel CEO Isaac Perlmutter receives a personal shoutout from American President Donald Trump during a public bill signing! Oh boy, what a high roller.
Finally, Swapna Krishna announces that she’s stepping down from her position as Comics Editor at Book Riot (after Panels was folded into the main brand in twenty sixteen). “Comics” grinds people down, but Krishna’s career shouldn’t suffer from leaving this area behind. Join me in wishing her the best, and look forward to reading her work in bigger, brighter arenas.
https://twitter.com/skrishna/status/855087165222641664
