Currently, over at Palma de Mallorca (fun place) a John Buscema art exhibit is being showcased and will be featured until November 8th. It has over 200 pages of original art from the 1950′s through the 1980′s.

The art:

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People viewing the exhibit:

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There is also a catalog (gotta grab one myself!) that  you can check out (and get ordering info for ) here.

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“Marvel Romance Redux” issue 1, Guys & Dolls. Published by Marvel Comics. $2.99. Various writers and artists.

This comic series takes aim at the easy target of romance comics that were published in the 50s and 60s. Often the stories were fueled by the stereotypes of the day involving the need to find and catch a man. Marvel makes no apologies for that early fare, but has given the old stories over to new artists and writers to be reworked. The results are unexpected and highly entertaining.

I would like to say, for starters, that this isn’t typically what I read. I’m a fan of comics such as “Poison Elves,” “Cerebus,” and “The Sandman” but I read a news item on Frank Cho’s Website that he’s doing some artwork for the second issue of the comic. I was at my local comic book retailer, whom I love dearly because they’re good to me, and noticed that first issue with its silly pin-up style one-shot joke cover, which, incidentally has absolutely nothing to do with any of the stories in the book. (This is often the case with those early romance comics, I have discovered,
through articles read and long forgotten and through experience with other early comics that I have purchased in junkbins when I find them)

I had to search a little for the cover price ($2.99) since the only place it’s available is on the back cover or in the fine print on the 1st page of the comic. After a quick flip through, I decided that I would buy the comic. Frank Cho has never led me astray before, certainly he wasn’t going to start now.

I got the book home and promptly read the first story “The Diner Demon.” Suddenly, that 3 dollars I’d spent for a random comic book, seemed like a pretty good deal. The first story is about a practicing witch whose boyfriend dumps her after she has sacrificed several of his pets. She decides to summon a new, better boyfriend who will understand and accept her witchcraft. Naturally, she gets something she doesn’t expect. Rather than completely give away the ending, it’s much safer to say that the story gives way to campy farce, setting the tone for the rest of the stories in the comic.

Other stories include “Love Ain’t Cheap” in which a shopaholic must cope with her mother’s sudden case of Chekitivitis, a disease which ends the shopaholic’s spending sprees, “Formula for Love” which comically explores the notion of only wanting what one can’t have, “I Love Him But He’s Hers” a story about a twisted relationship involving a pair of siblings, the brother who loves his sister’s roommate and the sister who’s utterly determined to keep them apart (there’s a scene involving the roommate’s trying to marry a hamburger that sets up some great single-gag panels later on), and “A (Former child) Star is Born” detailing the romance of a lonely female cardshop owner and a former child star determined to make a comeback. While “The Diner Demon” is unquestionably the best and my favorite story in the comic, the other stories were very amusing send-ups of the culture surrounding hyped-up, unattainable,completely unbelievable romances with funny, often glaringly anachronistic references to pop culture.

The artwork and pencilling stay very true to the look and feel of their predecessors, with very 50s and 60s-ish hairstyles and fashions, which is what makes references to such things as Paypal really stand out in the context of the story. All of the
artwork and lettering remains consistent throughout the issue, something I appreciate, since it really ties the book together when it doesn’t have a real central theme. Each of the stories is credited to its original writers and the original title is listed,though there is not an original publication date listed. I would give the comic a solid PG rating, simply due to the situations involved in most of it and some of the hilariously dopey double-entendres. The bottom line is: it’s cheap, satisfying entertainment with some great laughs and a healthy dollop of nostolgia-cheese.

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