Dell's SUPER HEROES # 4

And now, the fourth and final issue of Super Heroes, Dell Comics' 1967 attempt to cash in on the brief superhero boom inspired by Batman's TV success. We've already seen Super Heroes # 1, and # 2, and # 3, but this fourth issue was the only one I knew as a seven-year-old in '67. I presume that either my older brother Art or older sister Denise bought it; I subsequently saw it and loved it. My affection for the characters stems from that specific fond memory. And hey--it's superheroes and rock 'n' roll, which oughtta be a natural for me! I suspect the good folks at Dell may not have known their Sonny & Cher from their Mothers Of Invention, but I loved it anyway.

The Fab Four is believed to be an orphaned property, no longer under copyright. The Fab Four appear in new adventures in the pages of Popular Comics, published by InDELLible Comics. You can see El, Hy, Polly, and Crispy (among others) right on the cover.



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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

And now: Super Heroes # 4!

Coming This Sunday: THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO # 900

This Sunday, December 3rd, will mark the 900th edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. It takes an unusual level of stubborn for an independent weekly radio show to survive that long, and we like to mark each milestone with something cool. For past milestones, we've done some countdowns of all-time most-played tracks or artists, and we've also done sort of Greatest Hits shows, reprising a few consistent Fave Raves and deep tracks from TIRnRR's long and storied history.

The goal, as always, is to slap together a gala shindig that stands out, even from the weekly extravaganzas that we routinely (but accurately) bill as The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet. For TIRnRR # 900, our intrepid pal Fritz Van Leaven came up with a new idea to celebrate the legacy of our first 899 shows. Fritz's idea will take up about half of the show; yesterday, Dana and I agreed on a format for the rest of # 900.

TIRnRR # 900 will begin with a recognition of the four This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation CDs. We remain quite proud of each of these collections, and I honestly think this year's This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 should be near the top of every pop fan's list of the best compilation albums of 2017. We'll hear two tracks from each of these four volumes to start off the # 900 party.

For the heart of TIRnRR # 900, we'll follow with Fritz's concept: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio A To Z, a 26-track playlist of songs by our single most-played act for each letter of the alphabet. Actually, it'll be a 27-song playlist; there's a tie at one of the letters, because let's face it: we're fickle. This is a unique way to honor some of the acts we've played a lot over the last 19 years, and we thank Fritz again 'n' again for pitching the idea. And for doing all the work!

That should leave a little less than an hour for whatever else we feel like playing. I can tell you that both Dana and I will probably have about three hours of essential, gotta-play-this! tracks in mind to complete a 900th show snapshot of The Best Of TIRnRR, and I can tell you we'll be kicking ourselves about all the tracks we won't get around to playing before the witching hour tolls.

But that's part of the fun. There are always more records we want to play. So we keep coming back, week after week, to play more records. We're unusually stubborn. And that's why we're still here, 899 shows later. We hope you'll join us for a taste of what rock 'n' roll radio sounds like on Sunday nights in Syracuse each week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl happens Sunday night, December 3rd, from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at sparksyracuse.org For nearly 19 years now: The weekend stops HERE!

Rejection Accepted, Part 1: DC Comics

Now that we've already discussed my skimpy credits as a professional freelance writer, let's have a look at some of my failed attempts. My sporadic Unfinished And Abandoned series covers projects I never finished (or, in some cases, never really started); these, on the other hand, are pieces I submitted somewhere as either proposals or completed works, only to suffer the pain of rejection. Yeah--just like high school. We'll start today with the one market I tried and failed to break into more than any other:

DC Comics



DC Comics was my first and most prevailing missed target as a would-be writer. My first attempt to break in at The Line Of Superstars was a handwritten Batman story, about which I remember nearly nothing. I began writing it while at my cousin's wedding reception, probably around '73 or so, maybe '74 at the latest. The only detail I can recall of the story (other than the fact that it was simply awful) was that it was set in Syracuse, as The Batman had traveled here from Gotham to consult with local police regarding the shooting death of a city teenager. That part was based on a true story at the time, though apparently the Syracuse Police Department wasn't really able to enlist Batman's help. Stupid real world. I finished "writing" it, and mailed it off to the good folks at DC. I don't believe I even received a rejection slip.



Roughly concurrent to that--perhaps even in the same mailing--I also concocted a handwritten story for the Shazam! comic book, starring the original Captain Marvel. The story may or may not have co-starred Plastic Man; as a reader and fan, I know I wanted these two lighter-hearted heroes to meet, but I don't recall if ol' Plas made an appearance in my Captain Marvel mini-epic. The story itself concerned Captain Marvel's arch nemesis Dr. Sivana devising a way for his equally-evil son Sivana, Junior to become the super-powered villain Captain Sivana. Just as Billy Batson's magic word "SHAZAM!" transformed the young Batson into Captain Marvel, Sivana, Junior's shouted "SIVANA!" changed him into Captain Sivana. Hero and villain fought to a standstill, until Captain Marvel suddenly veered off and challenged his evil foe to follow him to Savannah, Georgia to continue the fight; confused, Captain Sivana repeated, "Savannah, Geor...?!" and instantly changed back into mortal form. Savannah is a homophone for Sivana. I am so damned clever. Captain Marvel zipped back, slapped a gag on Junior, and carted the lot of those miscreants off to the hoosegow. The folks at DC were speechless. I never heard back on this one either.



Around 1975 (I think), I tried again, this time with a full script. Typewritten, too! "The Overtime Crimefighter!" showed a typical day (and night) in the busy life of The Batman. I think I still have this one somewhere. I don't remember much of it, other than Batman systematically dismantling my fictional version of the Symbionese Liberation Army, the group that had kidnapped and brainwashed heiress Patty Hearst. I am nothing if not topical. Of course, "topical" ain't quite the same as "not terrible," and "The Overtime Crimefighter!" earned me a form-letter rejection.



But I would not be deterred! I was far too oblivious for that. My friend Mike DeAngelo was a very good artist, and I thought we could collaborate professionally. I worked up another complete Batman script, "Nightmare Ressurection!" It was a sequel to a classic Batman story from 1966, "Death Knocks Three Times!," reviving a villain called Death-Man, unseen since his one and only appearance in Batman # 180 in '66. My story was grim, frenetic, and nonsensical. Not even Mike's art samples could save this from rejection.

The team-up that will never be: Captain Infinity and The Batman

After "Nightmare Ressurection!," I took some time off for college and--believe it or not!--girlfriends. Yep, man of the world, that's me. In the early '80s, I tried to create a theoretically original character called Captain Infinity. It was, frankly, not thought through at all, but it was intended as a cosmic tale of a prince from a far galaxy renouncing his throne and fleeing his responsibilities; his escape route brought him to Earth, and hijinks ensued. I wrote a synopsis and introductory pages for the pilot story, "The Splitting Of Infinity!," and sent it off to resolutely unimpressed DC staffers. I don't blame 'em a bit.





I tried a few more times with DC in the '80s. I submitted a plot treatment for another new character, Lawman, designed to be the resident, non-powered local hero in a crime-ridden urban neighborhood. Lawman was meant to be a superhero version of a neighborhood watch program, with one guy playing the role of masked hero, backed up by a small network of friends and allies determined to take their city blocks back from the thugs and ne'er-do-wells. I also submitted treatments for a couple of existing DC properties. One of these was a story about Green Arrow, stuck on monitor duty aboard the Justice League's satellite, dealing unexpectedly with an attack from Mala, an obscure Kryptonian bad guy whom Superman defeated in the '50s. Another was a Justice League story called "The Trial Of Dr. Light!," which would have introduced a new supervillain group called The Predators. My memory of The Predators is sketchy, but I know I intended them to be a team that worked together like the good guys would, without the back-biting and betrayal that characterized most groups of honorless thieves. One of The Predators was named The Miracle Worker, and his schtick was a device used to tap into other dimensions, including a solid dimension that allowed him to create floating chunks of dense matter upon which he could effectively walk on air. The female Predator Deathsong, who was The Miracle Worker's beloved sister, was able to destroy people, property, even planets with her singing--kinda like Mariah Carey. There were two more members of The Predators, but I remember nothing else beyond the fact that it was all very, very '80s, and DC rightly passed on the lot.

DEATHSONG! Her music will kill you.

Those Green Arrow and Justice League treatments were submitted alongside one more original character pitch, intended for DC's New Talent Showcase book. That character was called The Trident, a World War II-era super-scrapper I envisioned as an answer to the unanasked question, "What if Joe Simon and Jack Kirby had created a two-fisted black superhero in the '40s?" That question remains unasked and unanswered. My treatment for The Trident's debut in "A Trident Glows In Brooklyn!" was a preposterous mess about a black police officer working his Brooklyn beat circa 1942, and being granted super-abilities by some cosmic do-gooders called The Men Of The Trident. No, I don't think it made any sense either. Writer Roy Thomas had recently introduced a black hero called Amazing-Man in the pages of his WWII Justice Society book All-Star Squadron, and I wanted The Trident to be the second black superhero retroactively placed in that 1940s DC milieu. I viewed The Trident's racial identity as incidental, which may have been foolish; but I liked the idea of a hero who just happened to be a black guy, just as The Guardian and the Silver Age Green Lantern (the two overriding influences on my concept of The Trident) just happened to be white guys. Foolish or not, someone at DC felt it wasn't necessary to reject it outright. The letter accompanying my spurned 'n' returned Green Arrow and JLA proposals noted that The Trident was being forwarded to the editor of New Talent Showcase for further consideration.



That was 1985, and it was the last I heard from DC. But it's as close as I ever came to achieving my dream of writing for DC Comics.



(I did write one more complete story using DC characters, a pulp short story starring The Batman and Aquaman. I never submitted it to DC, but I like it a lot, and never tire of pointing folks in its direction: The Undersea World Of Mr. Freeze.)

WHEN "REJECTION ACCEPTED" RETURNS: We'll have a look at my failed submissions to Playboy, Marvel Comics, The Magazine Of Fantasy And Science Fiction, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword And Sorceress, Amazing Heroes, The Comics Buyer's Guide, The Buffalo News' Gusto, a book proposal for Krause Publications, Music Club Records, and The Syracuse New Times. Some of these have already been covered in separate articles, but we'll pull 'em all together for a definitive resume of my failures. I'm a loooooooooser! I'm a looooo-ooooooser...!

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You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! 

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 899

David Cassidy could sing. And it wasn't even really supposed to be in his job description. Cassidy was hired in 1970 by the producers of a new TV series called The Partridge Family, and he was hired to be a face; he'd have to be able to act a little bit, but he was cast as Keith Partridge because he looked good, because his image could be used to sell merchandise and magazines and full-color posters to starry-eyed preteen girls. Maybe he could even sell a record or two. He wouldn't have to actually sing, just lip-sync to anonymous vocals by The Bahler Brothers. But Cassidy could sing; man, could he ever! His voice made this cathode-ray character, this packaged Tiger Beat product, come alive. Cassidy was never comfortable as a teen idol; he bristled under its restrictions, and never quite found his proper niche after The Partridge Family faded to black. But he was talented. He was well-loved by his fans. And he could sing. This week, the pop world mourns the loss of David Cassidy.

Tommy Keene was a star. I'd like to add that it doesn't matter if you never heard of him, but that would be a lie. It does matter, because Tommy Keene was the real deal, a gifted singer and songwriter, one of the key figures in my beloved genre of power pop since the '80s. You should have had an opportunity to hear him, and to become a fan. Frankly, I can't claim to have been all that much more in-the-know. I first heard Keene's music when my friend Greg Ogarrio included the classic "Places That Are Gone" on a mix tape in the early '90s. I for damned sure noticed that! Keene had a major label deal with Geffen in the late '80s, but the stardom he deserved never materialized. He continued to perform and record, and I own a number of his albums on vinyl and CD. I always meant to take a deeper dive into Keene's music, music which I knew I would love. Time is the enemy. Keene's sudden, unexpected passing shocked everyone. This week, the pop world mourns the loss of Tommy Keene.

My friend Ken Sharp has just recorded a new tribute to his idol, "I Wanna Be David Cassidy." My friend John M. Borack has written an appreciation of Tommy Keene for Goldmine. I have talented friends. All I could do was play some records, and join the rest of the pop world as we mourn the loss of two cherished figures. I woke up in love this morning. These are places that are gone.

This 899th edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl also offered new music from Sex Clark Five, Chris Hillman, and Clockwork Flowers, plus a trio of new releases from Kool Kat Musik (Pseudonym, The Morning Line, and Jonny Weathers and Cosmic Scream). And we played some Partridge Family and Tommy Keene, all alongside TIRnRR Fave Raves like The Kinks, The Clash, The Monkees, The Velvet Underground, The Bangles, and Sly & the Family Stone. This world will not last forever. We turn it up for as long as it lasts.

NEXT WEEK: THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO # 900

Plan accordingly. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on The Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/


Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

TIRnRR # 899: 11/26/17

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
--
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Somebody Wants To Love You (Razor & Tie, The Partridge Family Album)
THE CLASH: Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad (Sony, The Essential Clash)
THE RULERS: I Want My Ramones Records Back (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE TROGGS: With A Girl Like You (Fontana, Archeology)
TOMMY KEENE: Underworld (Geffen, Songs From The Film)
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Hot Fun In The Summertime (Epic, The Essential Sly & The Family Stone)
--
SEX CLARK FIVE: The Legend Of Captain Abilene (Records To Russia, Ghost Brigade)
THE JAM: Thick As Thieves (Polydor, Extras)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I'll Meet You Halfway (Arista, DAVID CASSIDY & THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: The Definitive Collection)
THE REPLACEMENTS: Bastards Of Young (Sire, For Sale)
TOMMY KEENE: There's No One In This City (Not Lame, Drowning)
DAVID CASSIDY: Get It Up For Love (Razor & Tie, Give It Up For Love)
--
PSEUDONYM: I Don't Care About Love (Kool Kat Musik, Pack Of Lies)
THE TURTLES: She'd Rather Be With Me (Shout Factory, Happy Together)
TOMMY KEENE: Deep Six Saturday (Second Motion, Behind The Parade)
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl (MCA, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque (Razor & Tie, The Partridge Family Album)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Sunday Morning (Polydor, Peel Slowly And See)
--
TOMMY KEENE: Run Now (Geffen, Songs From The Film)
THE NERVES: When You Find Out (Alive, One Way Ticket)
CHRIS HILLMAN: Here She Comes Again (Rounder, Bidin' My Time)
THE BYRDS: Mr. Tambourine Man (Columbia, Mr. Tambourine Man)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted (Arista, DAVID CASSIDY & THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: The Definitive Collection)
CIRCE LINK & CHRISTIAN NESMITH: I'm On Your Side (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
--
CLOCKWORK FLOWERS: A Butterfly In The Rain (theclockworkflowers.com, single)
RAY PAUL: I Need Your Love Tonight (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Singing My Song (Razor & Tie, The Partridge Family Album)
THE BEATLES: Hey Bulldog (Apple, Yellow Submarine)
TOMMY KEENE: Good Thing Going (Matador, Ten Years After)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS: Accidents Will Happen (Rykodisc, Armed Forces)
--
JONNY WEATHERS AND COSMIC SCREAM: Times Have Changed (Kool Kat Musik, Jonny Weathers And Cosmic Scream)
THE WHO: I Can't Explain (MCA, My Generation)
TOMMY KEENE: Nothing Happened Yesterday (Alias, The Real Underground)
THE KINKS: I've Got That Feeling (Universal, Kinks)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Bandala (Razor & Tie, The Partridge Family Album)
THE BANGLES: How Is The Air Up There? (Omnivore, Ladies And Gentlemen...The Bangles!)
--
THE MORNING LINE: Polygraph (Kool Kat Musik, Smoke)
THE SLAPBACKS: Make Something Happen (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Think I Love You (Razor & Tie, The Partridge Family)
NICK LOWE: Cruel To Be Kind (Yep Roc, Quiet Please...)
TOMMY KEENE: Never Really Been Gone (Matador, Isolation Party)
THE ROMANTICS: She's Got Everything (Nemperor, The Romantics)
--
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Can Hear Your Heartbeat (Razor & Tie, The Partridge Family Album)
IRENE PEÑA: Must've Been Good (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
TOMMY KEENE: Hey! Little Child (Alias, The Real Underground)
WARREN ZEVON: Poor Poor Pitiful Me (Rhino, Genius)
STEPFORD KNIVES: Her Reputation (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
MATTHEW SWEET: I've Been Waiting (Sony, Playlist)
TOMMY KEENE: Places That Are Gone (Alias, The Real Underground)
THE MONKEES: Sunny Girlfriend (Rhino, Headquarters)
THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: I Woke Up In Love This Morning (Arista, DAVID CASSIDY & THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: The Definitive Collection)
THE SMITHEREENS: Got Me A Girl (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
SEX CLARK FIVE: Ride Of The Ghost Brigade (Records To Russia, Ghost Brigade)