The FIGHT Of The CENTURY - (The PREVIOUS ONE, OBVIOUSLY)...

Copyright DC COMICS

Big JOHN BUSCEMA never thought that MUHAMMAD ALI could box.  I used to doubt it myself, in fact.  I'd watch him dance around the ring, taking punches, and then wonder why he'd been declared winner when the other guy had done all the work.  However, as a symbol of what black Americans could aspire to, he was the perfect choice to go up against what some people might view as the epitome of the white superman - quite literally SUPERMAN.  Not that DC COMICS' blue-eyed boy was meant to represent such a notion, but it was hard to deny that he was the perfect peg on which to hang the accusation for those who were of a mind to.

I didn't buy the giant Treasury Edition back in 1978.  I didn't see the point in pitting a real-life character against a fictional superhero, so I gave it a miss.  It's now considered to be a bit of a collectors' item, and DC reissued the classic tale in a deluxe, omnibus-sized edition in 2010.  They also published a larger treasury sized version, but I'm running out of shelf-space as it is, so I opted for the slightly smaller tome.  (Update: I've now got the larger version as well.)

There are some nice extras in the back of the book, such as reproductions of pencil sketches and layouts, and an afterword by JENETTE KAHN, not forgetting an introduction by NEAL ADAMS himself at the front of this handsome volume.  A few panels seem to have been slightly reworked, though I'm unsure if the larger edition features these revisions.  However, it's definitely one to seek out, especially if, like me, you didn't buy the original and now wish you had.  Your local comicbook store is bound to stock a copy, and, if not, they can probably order it for you.

Why not pop in today and have a look?!

   

The PROOF Is In The PUDDING...

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Remember I said in the previous post that things would be back to normal with this one?  Well, let's compromise, shall we?  I'll meet you halfway by showing you some comics pages, but I'd like to wrap up a little unfinished business at the same time.

The above image is from RUGRATS, a monthly periodical (morphing into a fortnightly at some stage through its run) published by MARVEL U.K. in 1996.  It survived for 29 issues before being cancelled, and I contributed to 27 of them - from #3 right up to the very last one.  I lettered one of three strips in 5 issues, two of three strips in another 5, three of three strips in 1 issue, one of two strips in 2 issues (content was cut from three strips to two), and two of two strips in 14 issues.  So, out of a total of 71 strips, I lettered 48 of them - in short, the majority - right up to the final issue, completing the entire latter half of the run by myself.

Now let's remind ourselves of what a certain bitter blow-hard said in the comments section a few posts back:

"You were supplied with a Rugrats script to letter and took it upon yourself to rewrite the script replacing licensor-approved jokes and dialogue with dreadful old jokes and terrible puns of your own making!  Indeed so bad was your job, that I forced you to reletter the strip and then had to put up with your abject apologies as you squirmed in embarrassment on the end of the telephone begging for forgiveness.  Trouble is, once a freelancer has made that much of a tit of himself and shown you that level of ineptitude you never employ him again or indeed recommend him to colleagues and peers."

Got that?  I've already pointed out the absurdity of his claim, which is pure invention, but let's have a short recap.  The finished strip would have to be on his desk for him to read any departures from the script, meaning it had already been returned.  He'd then have to post it back to me to be re-lettered, and note that he claims he never gave me any further work afterwards.  Under those circumstances, it would be far more expedient to get a letterer closer to hand and cut me and the Royal Mail out of the proceedings altogether.  As that's not what he says he did, and seeing as how I was never asked (or 'forced') to redo a strip, his claim has absolutely no credibility.

So, at just what point could his 'imaginary story' have occurred?  If he kicked me off the mag as he claims, then how did I come to letter the remaining 14 issues all by myself?  Unless, of course, as luck (for him) would have it, my alleged crime didn't take place until the last issue, in which case there wasn't going to be any further lettering anyway.  And  if I'd revised the script (which, for reasons of space and internal consistency I occasionally did - after seeking and receiving editorial approval), Marvel simply wouldn't have gone to any additional bother for what was going to be the final issue.

So, there's nothing about his claim that withstands even a superficial consideration, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows anything about how comics were produced all those years ago.  Conclusion?  He's simply being a lying b*st*rd!

However, I misremembered two things (age, alas).  It wasn't a cover which had 27 balloons on it, it was an interior page - and it had 28 balloons on it.  You can see just how copy-heavy some of them are - one even has 33 pieces of lettering on it.  By contrast, a complete seven page strip in an issue of Marvel's ACTION MAN published around the same period has only 25 word balloons - which is a helluva difference!  That means the letterer on Action Man had less work to do on seven pages than I had on one single page - and got paid six times as much for his efforts.  Lucky letterer.

I don't recall getting even one single chuckle out of any of the strips I worked on for the Rugrats mag.  Humour should never be so laboured - or so devoid of laughs.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the comic was eventually cancelled, believe me.  And that should tell you all you need to know about it.  Now, let's see if 'BILLY LIAR' has got anything to say about that, 'cos I sure could do with a laugh.  Probably the wrong person to go to for one though!  (He's crying inside, you see.)  Verdict?  Case proved, case closed!