Mark Your Calendar

Here are some upcoming events of interest to comics fans on the USA's east coast:

January 27, New York, NY: SUPERMAN AT 75

A birthday party for the first and greatest comic book superhero. Have a piece of birthday cake, and meet author Larry Tye, former DC Comics publisher Jenette Kahn, Superman writers Denny O'Neil and Jim Shooter, and more. 1:00 PM at the Center for Jewish History. Tickets are $25, and include a copy of of Larry Tye's book, Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero (which retails for $27)!
http://www.cjh.org/event/2143

February 16-17, Annapolis, MD: SUCCESS IN THE WORLD OF COMICS SEMINAR

Are you an aspiring cartoonist, trying to get into syndication or animation, or make a career as a freelance cartoonist? Learn from those who have been there, and have your own work appraised by professionals. Tickets are $375, and selling fast, so reserve soon!
http://tundracomics.com/content.asp?CAT_ID=125

March 20-24, New York, NY: IT'S A BIRD... IT'S A PLANE... IT'S SUPERMAN

The New York City Center presents a reading of the short-lived 1966 musical comedy by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (Bye Bye Birdie), as part of its Encores! series. Note that this is not a full performance, so there will be no sets, costumes, or wire-harness flying scenes like there were in the original. The play itself, though, is a great piece of sixties camp, and the original cast album is available on CD from Amazon and elsewhere. Ticket prices vary depending on date, time, and section.
http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/productionNew.aspx?performanceNumber=6631

May 18-19, East Meadow, NY: EMCON III

The East Meadow Public Library hosts its third annual convention for fans of anime (Japanese-style animation) and manga (Japanese-style comic books). This has been a popular event for the past two years, and its reputation is spreading. Come in costume or in plain clothes, talk with artists, watch anime movies, get a drawing lesson from manga creators Kelly Gordon and Jen Scrimenti, see a martial arts demonstration, and meet with other lovers of the art. FREE!
https://www.facebook.com/EMconEastMeadowPublicLibraryAnimeFest

A Bit of Legionnaire Business

 In February of 1976, DC Comics held its first -- and only -- Super DC Convention, at the Hotel Commodore in New York City. I don't remember why I wasn't able to attend, but it must have been a serious illness or a major commitment that kept me away.

My buddy Rob went, though, and he came back with lots of stories and souvenirs. One of the treasures he gave me was a copy of the official ballot to vote for the next leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

The Legion, a virtual army of super-powered teenagers set in the 30th century, was a rather popular feature in the 1970s and '80s. That was partly due to dazzling artwork by the likes of Dave Cockrum, Mike Grell, and James Sherman. But I believe that the main attraction was that the Legion's future was a richly detailed SF/fantasy world that was more or less isolated from the rest of the DC universe.

The text on these pages is too small to read, but you can left-click on each image to bring them into viewer mode, then (depending on what web browser you're using) right-click to view them or save them to disk in full size, so you can zoom in at whatever magnification level you wish.

Incidentally, Wildfire was the landslide winner of the election. For you Legion trivia buffs: Two of the Legionnaires on this ballot are listed with the wrong home planets. Can you identify them and name their correct homeworlds? For bonus points, which member of the Legion of Super-Villains is from one of the incorrect worlds?

 

But will he get to pilot the Space Coupe?

The cartoon grapevine says that a character based on George Takei (Mr. Sulu from Star Trek) will be featured in a new story arc in the Dick Tracy comic strip. It starts this Sunday, January 13, and will run for eight weeks. Takei helps Tracy investigate a cold case involving the Japanese internment camps that existed in the US during World War II.Here's the link to the online Dick Tracy strip: http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy