Random Access Memory

    Random Access Memory: Five Years – March 2017 (Cried So Much His Face Was Wet)

    Rand BellaviaBy 6 Mins Read

    It would appear that March 2017 was the month I totally fell in love with Mark Russell, so we may as well declare this Mark Russell Month!

    Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special 1: Booster Trouble

    writer: Mark Russell
    penciler: Rick Leonardi
    inker: Scott Hanna
    colorist: Steve Buccellato
    letterer: Dave Sharpe

    As you might imagine, this is a time travel story.  For some reason, DC did a ton of crossovers between their superheroes and Warner Brothers’ (and other licensed) cartoon characters in 2017, and as the writer of the Flintstones comic, it made sense for Mark Russell to write the Booster Gold/Flintstones crossover, but this is really Booster’s story, as the Flintstones only make a glorified cameo appearance.

    We open in Future Gotham City, with Booster (in full costume, so you can recognize him) on a dinner date.  Then — presumably because no one wants to read a story about Booster Gold engaging in pleasant dinner conversation — aliens attack.

    Booster rushes to save the day as only he can!

    Time-travel is Booster’s thing, so you probably guessed how he tries to resolve this issue.  (It should also be no surprise how Booster ends up hanging out with Fred and Barney.)

    After his (more than approximate) appearance in the right time and place, Booster Gold Meets the Flintstones!  (And immediately sets about justifying his involuntary manslaughter.)

    Not sure how Booster thought a modern stone age family might help him fix his time sphere, but our hero remains undaunted.  He reaches out to several time-traveling friends, all of whom seems as incompetent as he is.

    Since irony is a supporting character in every good time-travel story, Skeets finally fills Booster in on the twist we probably all saw coming.

    Back in the Future, the aliens reveal that proper time-travel strategy is no match for narrative structure.

    Then (because time travel) Crabulon saves the day!

    Now might be a good time to point out that satire is the engine that drives most of Mark Russell’s stories.

    I wonder what going on in 2017 that might have made Russell write a story where a religion that was formed thousands of years ago around a message of peace and forgiveness has modern adherents that are neither peaceful nor forgiving?

    Flintstones 9: A Basket of Disposables

    writer: Mark Russell
    artist: Steve Pugh
    colorist: Chris Chuckry
    letterer: Dave Sharpe

    I don’t recall much about Mr. Slate in the original cartoon other than he was Fred’s boss, but Mark Russell is fond of using him as a symbol for Late Stage Capitalism.

    In a classic case of not caring about your workers (or thinking things through), Slate makes all of his decisions based on what will save (or make) him the most money in the short term.

    Having just lost his job, Fred feels understandably depressed and purposeless.  Unsure how to help or what to do, Wilma seeks a capitalist solution to a capitalist problem.

    One of the ongoing visual gags in the Flinstones’ universe is that pretty much every tool or appliance they use is a living creature.  Fred’s bowling ball is an armadillo.  This means that by disposing of Fred’s old ball, Wilma is inadvertently doing to the armadillo what Slate did to Fred.

    And just like Fred, the Bowling Ball has friends who know, love, and will miss him.

    While Fred and Wilma are out breaking in Fred’s new bowling ball, Bowling Ball’s friends sneak out rescue him from being “recycled,” then wait for his replacement to return.

    One quick paint job later, and nobody’s the wiser.  And, having been humbled in his personal life, Mr. Slate has learned a lesson as well.

     

    The Snagglepuss Chronicles: House Fires

    writer: Mark Russell
    artist: Howard Porter
    colorist: Steve Buccellato
    letterer: Dave Sharpe

    This backup feature served as the introduction to the remarkable Snagglepuss series.  We open with Snagglepuss called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.  It becomes clear pretty quickly that Russell is reimagining Snagglepuss as a cross between Tennessee Williams and Oscar Wilde (two famous gay playwrights, the latter of which was famously put on trial for his homosexuality) .

    Following the hearing, Snagglepuss encounters a young writer seeking his advice.  He tells a story from early in his acting career, when he was forced to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater.

    What happened next was that no one believed him.  The audience thought it was part of the show, and it was a miracle that everyone survived.

    More importantly, what’s going on with those dolphins behind him?  If Snagglepuss is an actual talking cougar, why are the dolphins humans wearing costumes?  At any rate, whatever this show is I’d like two tickets.

    The Snagglepuss comic has a lot more plot than this short story indicates.  This is more about establishing tone, theme, and raison d’etre.  The last page is pretty much Mark Russell’s Mission Statement:

     

    Other Comics I Read from March 2017

    • Aliens: Defiance 10
    • All-New Wolverine 18
    • Amazing Spider-Man 25
    • Archie 18
    • Avengers 5, 5.1
    • Batman 18, 19
    • Batwoman 1
    • Black Hammer 7
    • Black Road 8
    • Black Widow 12
    • Bloodshot: Reborn 0
    • Bullseye 2
    • Casanova: Acaedia 8
    • Champions 6
    • Clean Room 17
    • Clone Conspiracy: Omega
    • Daredevil 18
    • Descender 20
    • Detective Comics 952, 953
    • Divinity III: Stalinverse 4
    • Doctor Strange 18
    • East of West 32
    • Faith 9
    • Foolkiller 5
    • Generation Zero 8
    • God Country 3
    • Guardians of the Galaxy 18
    • Hawkeye 4
    • I Hate Fairyland 11
    • Infamous Iron Man 6
    • Injection 11
    • Invincible 134
    • Invincible Iron Man 5
    • Invisible Republic 15
    • Iron Fist 1
    • Jessica Jones 6
    • Justice League/Power Rangers 3
    • Kill or Be Killed 7
    • Kingpin 2
    • Lazarus 26
    • Midnighter and Apollo 6
    • Mighty Thor 17
    • Moon Knight 12
    • Ms. Marvel 16
    • Ninjak 25
    • No Mercy 14
    • Nova 4
    • Occupy Avengers 5
    • Old Guard 2
    • Old Man Logan 19, 20
    • Planetoid: Praxis 2
    • Postal 19
    • Power Man and Iron Fist 14
    • Reborn 5
    • Rocket Raccoon 4
    • Royal City 1
    • Savage Things 1
    • Sex Criminals 17
    • Spider-Man 14
    • Spider-Woman 17
    • Spread 20
    • Star-Lord 4, 5
    • Super Powers 5
    • Super Sons 2
    • Superman 18, 19
    • Thanos 5
    • Totally Awesome Hulk 17, 1MU
    • Unworthy Thor 5
    • Walking Dead 165
    • Wild Storm 2
    • Wonder Woman 18, 19

     

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    Rand Bellavia is half of the Filk Pop Nerd Rock band Ookla the Mok. They’ve been playing at science fiction and comic book conventions since 1994. Their clever, media-savvy lyrics, catchy melodies, and accessible power-pop sound have made them a cult-sensation with nerds everywhere. With song titles like Super Powers, Welcome to the Con, Arthur Curry, Kang the Conqueror, and Stop Talking About Comic Books or I’ll Kill You, it’s easy to see why. Rand and Ookla the Mok have won four Pegasus Awards, and the 2014 Logan Award for Outstanding Original Comedy Song. Ookla the Mok had the most requested song on Dr. Demento in 2012 (“Tantric Yoda”) and 2013 (“Mwahaha”). Rand co-wrote the theme song for the Disney cartoon Fillmore, and his vocals are the first thing you hear on Gym Class Heroes’ Top Five hit “Cupid’s Chokehold.” In his secret identity, Rand is the Director of the Montante Library at D’Youville University in Buffalo, New York. He has lectured and presented at international conferences on the subject of comics and libraries. Rand is like the Internet, except he smells nice.

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