Greeting loyal airmen.  Here we are watching August roll by and all too soon summer will be over and just another memory to add to the collection of life.  Been doing a lot of that this past week, remembering various things because of events or situations that have arisen.  The past, for most of us is a foundation and no matter how much we grow and rise in the world, it remains the constant taht supports us.  Or, if you want to be whimsical, it's the anchor you simply cannot shake free off.  Here's a couple of examples of that.

As a kid growing up in the 50s and 60s, we did not have the luxury of today's sophisitcated entertainment toys. I still remember life without television, of sitting around on Saturday afternoons and my parents read comic books (westerns for him and romance for her) and listened to the big old wooden radio in the living room corner.  When that first black and white Zenith arrived, we all thought we'd died and gone to heaven, so overwhelmingly outrageous was the invention of TV.  But I digress, back to my tale.

We did have a stereo phonograph and my mother bought lots of albums, in particular those of Broadway musicals that featured the original casts.  One of her favorites, which she played over and over was Roger and Hammerstein's classic, SOUTH PACIFIC.  For the rookies out there, this wonderful musical play was based on two short stories in writer James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning collection, TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.  The musical tells the story, in truly wonderful songs, of a Navy nurse who falls in love with a French plantation owner and must come to grips with her inbred prejudices, all set against the backdrop of a cruel war in paradise like world.  Songs like SOME ENCHANTED EVENING, BALI HAI, and YOUNGER THAN SPRINGTIME, have since become standards recognized all over the globe.  Never mind that, I was hearing these tunes almost daily during my formative teen years and can actually remember riding the bus my freshmen year of high school humming them to myself.  Heaven forbid my pals would have heard me sing show tunes! 

Now jump ahead an entire lifetime and Valerie informs me last week and the Hackmatack theater, a real country barn turned into a theater for summer stock located in the nearby community of  North Berwick, Me., is doing SOUTH PACIFIC.   She then proceeded to call and reserve four tickets to the second matinee and we invited both our mothers to attend with us.  The show was yesterday afternoon and it was absolutely fantastic.  The cast was extremely talented, in fine voice, all of them, and I could see my mom was having the time of her life.  Never mind that she, yours truly, and 90% of the audience were mouthing the lyrics with each and every song.  It was such a fun experience.  Small summer stock theaters like this one operate all around the country and are fine teaching venues for these talented actors and musicians.  If there is one near you, I hope you'll take the time to see a show and support them.  This would be such a sadder world without live theater.

                                       
My second trip into the past deals with my association with the Green Hornet comic book series.  It is the one comic series I am most remembered for and I'm quite proud of my work on it.  Over the past month or so there is has been lots of media attention focused on the character because a new movie is supposedly in the works to star comic actor Seth Grogen.  I personally hope it never gets made.  Grogen is a comedian and …well, I really just hope this dissappears fast.  Meanwhile I was contacted several days ago by a young writer who is putting together what he says will be the definitive history of the character, from his birth on WXYZ Radio in Detroit in the 1930s, to his film and TV appearances and finally his comic career.  To that end this fellow is hoping to pick my brain on all the whens and hows of our particular comic series.  And once again I'm digging into the vault of memories and mentally reliving some truly wonderful times in my life.  I'll keep you posted on this project as it develops.  The above illo is by my good friend, Blake Wilkie.

Finally a few more tid-bits to wrap up this week's entry.  Last week I mentioned we were going to see the new sword and sandal film THE LAST LEGION.  Well we did and it gets a big thumbs up.  Sadly the studio behind this feature is not giving it any real support, so I suspect it won't be out long.  If you like great action with a smidgen of fantasy, I strongly urge you to see THE LAST LEGION before it's gone. 

This week's Pulp Fiction Review features my comments on the first ever Ms. Tree novel by her creator, Max Allan Collins.  Comic fans will know this was one of the most original comic characters ever done in the past twenty years and at long last she has her own book.  Check out my link above for the full review.

And lastly, I would like to offer my condolences to the family of the late comic artist, Mike Wieringo, who died suddenly last week.  Mike was a relatively young man, in his mid-40s I believe, who drew with a unique style that was both beautiful and fun.  His work was a breath of fresh air in a media that is all too often rife with the same old stuff.  But not Mike, his art was just gorgeous..and again that word, FUN.  His passing was a shock to all of us who love comics and he will be sorely missed.

That's it for another week, airmen.  Here's hoping you all get out there and enjoy the last of summer with abandon fun.  Go make some new memories.  Ron – Over and Out.