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Four Color Commentary

The blog of Suspended Animation reviewer Mark Allen, and the only fan site of the Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection. The mission of the Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection is to collect, preserve and publicly display the work of Oklahoma comics writers, artists, and their associates. If you would like to donate funds or the work of Oklahoma artists and/or writers to this 501 (c) (3) nonprofit museum, please contact Kevin Stark at kevinstark@suddenlink.net.

Four Color Commentary

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Want your comics work reviewed by the longest-running syndicated comics review column in North America? Email me for submission information. - Mark Allen
Name: Mark Allen
Location: Western Oklahoma, United States

I'm a 42-year-old pastor in Western Oklahoma. I've been reading comics since I was about six years old, and have, in that sense, refused to "grow up."

Friday, July 23, 2010

Stan Lee Bubbling Over as Comic-Con Gets Underway



Like Stan, not a year goes by that I don't want to be there. But, knowing that I couldn't have my young children there, due to some of the "sights" is a disappointment.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Another Video Dealing With The Okie Cartoonists Exhibit - From News 9 in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma Cartoonists News

I'm finally catching up on the Oklahoma Cartoonists exhibit which took place last month at the Oklahoma History Center in OKC.  Apologies to Michael Vance, who is always good enough to send the information along; it took me too long to get this stuff up.

Go here to view a video on the Tulsa World site.  It's a great look at the "goings on" of the exhibit.

Also, you can check out some pics of the event at Vance's Flickr site.

And here's a somewhat related article by Michael Easterling, about a minor setback for the Oklahoma Pop Museum, which would house the work of Oklahoma Cartoonists.

Finally, there's this:

I think it's safe to say that the work of Oklahoma Cartoonists will not be forgotten any time soon.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Superman: Menace! Part 2


More "Evil Superman" covers, largely from the first World's Finest series. A few feature Batman as his partner in wrong-doing. Some wonderful covers, if an over-used theme. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Right Out of The Comics - Morphing Tech

 It seems the Pentagon has designs on tech which would be instrumental in morphing cars, planes, boats, and even soldiers' uniforms and gear.  What comics/sf fan worth his/her salt could stem the tide of Transformer images which immediately assault the senses upon such a revelation?

While still in the early stages, this is a very interesting development, and bears watching.  Click here to read more, and to watch a video that demonstrates the actual technology.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Superman: Menace! Part 1 - Tribute To Another Popular Cover Concept



Produced by Mark Allen, with music by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.  What if Superman went bad? That has been the fodder for many-a-cover over the years, as creators presented fans with one of the most unimaginable, yet frightening, possibilities in the comic book world. And, even if the story didn't always reflect what was seen on the cover (a phenomenon for which DC Comics was once infamous), such images might still send a cold chill down comic readers' collective spines! Enjoy Part One of this salute to "The Evil Superman!"

Thursday, June 10, 2010

"This One Has It All!" - Tribute To Another Popular Cover Concept


Produced by Mark Allen.  Music by Dan-O of www.DanoSongs.com. Developed and used primarily by Marvel Comics, the segmented cover, displaying various action sequences, and/or touting several different story lines, has often been employed to increase the attractiveness of a comic book. Exclamations such as, "All this, and MORE!", "Don't miss this issue!", or the always-dependable "This one has it all!" were sometimes used to ramp up the urgency for the fan to purchase said issue. This concept also produced some of my personal all-time-favorite covers. Who knows? Maybe some of yours are up there, as well.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Oklahoma History Center Homors Oklahoma Cartoonists

The Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection is the brainchild of, and established by, Michael Vance.  It is housed within the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Paul's Valley, OK.   Now, Oklahoma cartoonists are being honored by the Oklahoma History Center.  Click here to see the video, and get more information.


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