Comic Book Hinterlands Series

The world of comics is filled with wonders. But in the outskirts resides the odd and forgotten. The comic that never played well with others. The story that was converted into another medium. The character that probably should never have had its own comic. Welcome to the distant lands of comic books. Welcome to the Comic Book Hinterlands.    In our first issue, we present the first time Spider-Man was a live action TV Show. He was a character for three seasons on the Electric Company where he battled goofy villains and helped kids learn how to read. That Spidey was something special. We look at episodes with a withering eye. Well, we have fun with this delightful series.    The stories are recounted and analyzed. Why do a deep dive in a segment from a 45 year old educational show? Because Spidey Super Stories were amazingly well written and so much fun.     This is the first stop on the long tour of the misplaced history of comics.   

What makes a good Christmas comic book?    Scratch that. What makes a messed up Christmas comic book story? That might be more fun. Submitted to you are three weird Christmas comics to dissect. We discuss a Mad Magazine type of satire about modern Christmas. We have Howard the Duck in the second story contemplate suicide on Christmas, only to be visited by an angel. And then there is the last story where a child killer dressed as Santa crosses paths with the real Santa.    Oh you bet. These are heartwarming Christmas tales suitable for basic cable. We look into why these were made and how they reflect the times they were created in. We look at memory and how we keep certain stories with us, even if they are horrific.     Join us for a strange stop in the forgotten parts of comic book history, here in the Comic Book Hinterlands. Everything here smells of old paper and gingerbread.  

  What is the best format for comic strips?   The easy answer is in a newspaper in the funnies section. That is the one most will come up with.   But there used to be another place where you could read comic strips: mass market paperbacks. They were a big deal for several decades. They seemed to be a well made receptacle for all the jokes and adventures.   This is the story of a bookstore that sold nothing but these comic strip paperbacks. The owner goes into long monologues about each book that might be purchased. He talks about the best format and how things had to change because strips and paperbacks are not always in synch.    A funny story about comic strips and the love of bookstores. This piece of fiction informs and tells a good story about one of those men with more dreams than sense.    The Comic Book Hinterlands is the place where the oddness of comics is celebrated.   

What will happen now that the chapter to the movie serial is over?   Will our hero survive? Will we be able to make it to the movie theater next week to see what happens next? The movie serials were a large part of the movie going experience in the first half of the Twentieth Century. They featured great heroes saving the day. It also featured great heroes almost getting killed at the end of every twenty minute chapter.   We have taken five movie serials that were adapted from the comic books and featured just the cliffhanging moment. We don't include how they got out, just the jam they wound up in.   We feature movie serials starring: Captain America, Batman, Captain Marvel, Blackhawk and the Spysmasher. The cliffhangers are presented in unique ways. Sometimes its fun not knowing how they get out of it. Maybe your ideas are better than what the filmmakers came up with.   Join us for a strange stop in the forgotten parts of comic book history, here in the Comic Book Hinterlands.  

How entertaining is it to open a box of random comics?   We are not sure, but we are willing to let David find out. He has purchased a Halloween themed mystery box of 11 comics. Will he get the grand prize? Will he find comics he wants? Why does anyone want to share unboxing comics?    All questions that could be hidden in the box with the comics. Come along as David discovers what books he received and what thoughts and associations they bring to mind.   The world of comics is filled with wonders. But in the outskirts resides the odd and forgotten. The comic that never played well with others. The story that was converted into another medium. The character that probably should never have had its own comic. Welcome to the distant lands of comic books. Welcome to the Comic Book Hinterlands.  

How many ways can a love story go?    "He's Not For Her" is an eight page comic story from 1975. It is a love story about two sisters and the man that has come between them It all ends well for everyone. Love is always victorious.     David Macpherson has taken this little story and spun 32 variations on the theme and plot of the story. Using Bach's Goldberg Variations as a guide, we can see so many permutations of the romance comic story.    It is an odd, affectionate look at the genre tropes of romance comics.    The Comic Book Hinterlands is the place where the oddness of comics is celebrated.    

What is the best job for a parrot and a stork?    Could they be good detectives? How about as anesthesiologist? They might do well as guards at an art museum? If that doesn't work, they might try to work in a hotel. Or maybe they can help the war effort by being bombardiers.     What can these two dumb birds do to make a living? Maybe all five of these jobs.    This issue contains five stories about Birdbrain and Bonehead as they make a mess of each of their occupations.     The first story is based on the one and only comic book appearance of these two characters. They showed up in Ha-Ha Comics in 1950. But they had so many more stories to share, so we created them for you.     Five funny looks at the anarchy of the funny animal genre of comics. Nothing ends well. Everything is pretty damned funny.     The Comic Book Hinterlands is the place where the oddness of comics is celebrated.  

How do we climb to the top of a comic?    It's an absurd question, but there are a few comics where this makes sense. In 1967, Wham-O put out a comic book that was 52 pages and two feet high. It was called, naturally, Wham-O Giant Comics. It was not a success. Only one issue came out. Most of the copies never made it to stores; they languished in warehouses.    Now, E. H. Riot, Royal Comic Explorer for the Queen, has taken the task of climbing all 1,500 panels of this comic. In letters written to his wife, he details each feature in the comic. He tells of the artists and the stories. He ponders who the correct audience for this comic was and why it didn't succeed.    Join us for an adventure as Riot climbs up through a giant comic and lives to tell the tale. A different approach to comic history, An Elevation of 1,500 panels is a fun, humorous tour of a forgotten part of comic book history.    The series, The Comic Book Hinterland, allows the reader many odd paths to travel in the world of esoteric comic books. Get your passport and go on the adventure!  

  Every superhero has a reason for them being that way.    This book contains several hundred origins of superheroes. They were scientists inventing potions. They got hit by lightning. They were children seeing their parents killed and swearing vengeance.    We have every type of origin. All are recounted in a fun breezy manner. You will see patterns and tropes and have a good time.  Comic Book Hinterlands is a monthly zine that explored the strange forgotten landscape of comic book history. Each issue is a stand-alone book.  

What is a comic book narrative?   How do we tell any kind of story?   In the first part of this book, David Macpherson, has attempted a new way to tell a comic book story. He made a pile of 105 random comics and wrote about what was happening in the 27th panel of the comic. He then went to the next comic and wrote down what he saw in that 27th panel. And so on.   It tells a broken story that doesn't completely adhere in the way you might want it to. But it can surprise and soar.   The second part of the book gives the information of each of the 105 comic books used in this experiment. In addition to the creative teams, the entries go into information and trivia about these comics. This part is akin to a guy showing you his favorite comics and you know he has a story for each of these comics.    Two different ways to look at comics here in the 12th Issue of The Comic Book Hinterlands.  

If you were given a coloring book, what superhero would you like to color?   We hope it is the Hulk, because we are knee deep in a long in depth discussion of The Incredible Hulk Coloring Book: The Dot to Dot Connection published in 1979. We look at every page. We have a used copy so certain pages are colored, but more are left blank.   We learn the great story of the Hulk versus the Greenies who try to steal the color green from the Earth. The Greenie King looks just like the Hulk, which is kind of strange, but it's best to just go with it.   We also discuss the purpose and history of the coloring book. A coloring book is meant to be defaced. How does the coloring book feel about that? How do you?    This is the eleventh volume of the Comic Book Hinterland, where we get lost in the outskirts of comics history and try to make it back alive. Come, join the journey.  

If you have a couple hundred dollars and two hours at a comics expo, what will you get?   That's the question for this little report from the 2023 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo. David went and bought a ton of comics. And now he has rested and spread it on the floor before him and will tell you about what he got and why.   Like any comic geek, he will go on tangents that will take days to get back from. But that's what a comic can be, a tangent to other thoughts and to other comics.    It is a shopping guide and memoir of an afternoon. A chance to see what amazing work is being created by makers who are not looking to get rich, but just need to create.   The Comic Book Hinterlands is an occasional e-zine that delves into the strange byways of comics history and culture.