Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Larry Niven's MAN OF STEEL! WOMAN OF KLEENEX!

What if a science-literate writer decided to tackle an extremely-sensitive subject, namely super-sex in comics?

(As if you never wondered about this particular matter!)
This particular version of the article appeared in Penthouse Comix #5 (1995), hence the "naughty" nudity!
Ironically, when it first appeared in the "mens' magazine" Knight (like Playboy or Penthouse) in 1969, the art was rather...sedate!
In the actual DC comics, Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane married numerous times...

...in "imaginary stories" where they had kids...but never explained how!
(Read this story HERE!
It's a hoot!)
The couple eventually married...twice!
The first time was in 1978...

...in DC's Action Comics #484 (1978) where it was revealed the original, Golden Age, 1940s Superman married Lois in the 1950s on Earth-Two aka Earth-2, where the Golden Age versions of the DC characters lived! (A loooong story we're not going to get into here.)
You can read that tale HERE, HERE, and HERE!
For the record, they didn't have any children.
Also for the record, both that story and this article were illustrated by long-time Superman artist Curt Swan!
The "present-day" Superman and Lois married in DC's Superman: the Wedding Album (1996).
The couple consummated their marriage after the wedding in an apartment loaned to them by Bruce (Batman) Wayne.
There was no physical problem, since Clark/Superman had temporarily lost his powers due to recent events of "The Final Night".
He regained them a year later, after going through a couple of transformations.
Since then, the couple has used a red sun device or got a room in Kandor when they got frisky, resulting in children who appear in the current comics.

Friday, August 2, 2024

Space Hero Meets Space Force SMASH GORDON "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Mongo!"

1940s Space Opera Meets 1960s Space Opera...

...and may the better version win in this spoof strip by noted comic artist Frank Brunner!
It's saying something when you're too much of an unrestrained "space cowboy" for even James T Kirk, eh?
Originally-presented in #1A (1972) of a prozine (a magazine featuring work by both rookie and veteran creatives) called Heritage whose two-issue run was dedicated to Flash Gordon.
This strip written and illustrated by Frank Brunner (who was already working for Marvel as an inker and colorist) is an affectionate tribute to both Flash Gordon and Star Trek, as well as indicating Brunner would've done a dynamite job on either series!
As to why it's here, there's nudity (barely) on pages 2, 3 and 4, and Google has been cracking down on it on any pages with nudity and without a warning label.

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