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The Twelve Blogs of Christmas: One
Well, call me foolish, but I've moved mountains this week, and am actually on the way to getting done all that I need to get done, so, once again, I've decided that the proper way to honour the Christmas season is by inflicting yet more work on myself, tweleve blogs in twelve days. Actually, this time it's rather the other way round. I've failed to find the tremendous sense of numinous presence that I've felt at this time in previous years, and I suppose I'm seeking it by doing the familiar thing. There are good reasons that both magic and mental health are about ritual, so by decorating tomorrow, by buying the Christmas Radio Times even, by doing this, I'm seeking both.
In the blogs to come, I'll be talking, as in previous years, about some of my favourite things from the year past, and trying to desperately find interesting content. There may be more guest stars than usual. I'll be trying to cover, as always, my three fandoms: SF; comics and Doctor Who. I may even have a couple of controversial things to say.
So let's start with this rather wonderful design sketch by Leonard Kirk, from Captain Britain and MI-13. This is his working drawing for Silent Easter, the randomly code-named pentagram tesseract that's used to catch and keep Mindless Ones...
I always enjoy the humour Leonard brings to our working conversations, and it's pleasing to share some of that with you guys. And I can't shake the feeling that I know Scale Guy. Maybe he should have his own series.
Okay, so we're off! I'll see you tomorrow. Let's hope I know what I'm doing this time. Cheerio!
Labels:
Captain Britain,
Christmas
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Paul, I havent had a wink of sleep all night, and now I have many hours of lectures, but the first blog of christmas has really cheered me up! Many thanks, and good luck with the rest!
Back in the day, Scale Guy was kept on retainer by Hank Pym just to stand around the lab and be normal scale so that Pym could have a visual reminder of his own size at any given moment. That might be where you recognize him from.
I love the Amazing Scale Guy! He deserves a series of his own where he brings the bad guys down to his level.
Your poll had me torn, Sky of Honey or Never Forever? In the end it had to be Sky of Honey, which I was listening to this morning.
I am totally 100% in love with Kate Bush and have been since Wuthering Heights. (My wife knows.)
Glad to cheer you up, Anon. I want to see that comic, Rab. Scale Guy provides a very useful function in the Marvel Universe. 'Bringing the bad guys down to his level' indeed! Actually, for me it's Sky too. And my wife knows too, Aladdin.
Maybe Leonard should draw the Amazing Scale Guy in the backgrounds of some of his panels. Like Leinil Yu does with Howard The Duck.
Then again, a character with the qualities of the Amazing Scale Guy really DOES deserve his own series. Or at least a mini. I can just imagine all the supporting cast standing around, in awe of how big and small he can make everything look just by standing close to it.
Scale Guy shows up in the background of one panel from "The Microscopic Army" in Yellow Claw #3, February 1957. This could mean Jeff Parker wanted to use him in Agents of Atlas, but clearly he's been transferred to MI-13 along with Leonard.
I voted for Never For Ever right before seeing Adaddinsane's comment on same -- I love them all but that's the one I've listened to most over all these years.
Stephen: you'll be pleased to hear that, starting with today's blog, I'll be presenting some Amazing Scale Guy adventures. And, RAB, he even has his own mythology!
I did a similar KT Bush poll on a certain well known Who forum a few years ago (pre-Arial) and as far as I remember The Dreaming panelled everything else.
I've voted Dreaming again, although as always I had a last longing look at Never for Ever before hitting the button!
I'm going to be blogging about this near the end, hence the poll. But yes, The Dreaming used to be the popular choice, but it seems Hounds is leading right now.