THE EVERLASTING FIRST: Quick Takes For R [comics edition]

Continuing a look back at my first exposure to a number of rock 'n' roll acts and superheroes (or other denizens of print or periodical publication), some of which were passing fancies, and some of which I went on to kinda like. They say you never forget your first time; that may be true, but it's the subsequent visits--the second time, the fourth time, the twentieth time, the hundredth time--that define our relationships with the things we cherish. Ultimately, the first meeting is less important than what comes after that. But every love story still needs to begin with that first kiss.





THE RAY



The Ray was one of the many 1940s properties that DC Comics acquired from former rival Quality Comics. Plastic Man and Blackhawk (plus the titles G.I. Combat and Heart Throbs) were the highest-profile among these acquisitions, but the list also included Phantom Lady, Kid Eternity, Doll Man, Quicksilver (later called Max Mercury to avoid confusion with the Quicksilver over at Marvel Comics), Uncle Sam, The Human Bomb, The Black Condor, and The Ray. I knew Plas and Blackhawk in the '60s, and discovered most of the others via reprints in DC's 100-Page Super Spectaculars in the early '70s. The 100-page Superman # 252, published in early '72, introduced me to both The Ray and The Black Condor. Both characters returned in a new two-part adventure in the summer of '72, appearing alongside Phantom Lady, Doll Man, Uncle Sam, and The Human Bomb in that year's Justice League-Justice Society team-up in Justice League Of America # 107-108. I also read about the lot of 'em in Steranko's History Of The Comics. These erstwhile Quality heroes were later named The Freedom Fighters, and have appeared in various incarnations since then.




RIMA THE JUNGLE GIRL



It's no secret that I've been in love with Rima since I was 14 years old. Don't judge. I've never read W. H. Hudson's 1904 novel Green Mansions, the book that introduced this jungle girl called Rima, but I certainly bought DC's way-subsequent Rima The Jungle Girl comic book series 70 years later, commencing with the debut issue in 1974. I stayed with the title for at least a little while, though I don't remember whether or not I stuck around for all seven issues. Nestor Redondo's Rima artwork was stunningly beautiful.
THE ROCKETEER


Ya wanna talk about good comics? Writer-artist Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer fills that bill. The Rocketeer had action, thrills, humor, pizzazz, style, sex appeal, and simply gorgeous artwork, all set within a 1930s pulp and movie serial milieu. It was among the very best comics series introduced in the '80s. And it was the first place I ever heard about pinup model Bettie Page, the inspiration for Cliff (The Rocketeer) Secord's girl Betty. At the time of the first Rocketeer adventure's publication in 1982, the real Bettie Page was an obscure, all but forgotten figure; now, she's regarded as one of the preeminent sex symbols of the 20th century. I first read The Rocketeer when it was a backup feature in the Pacific Comics title Starslayer; the strip debuted in Starslayer # 2, though I may have seen the second appearance in Starslayer # 3 before I read the introductory chapter--can't remember for sure. And I suspect I saw both of those after the fact, purchased from the budget-bin bounty at Buffalo's Queen City Bookstore. I probably read about The Rocketeer somewhere in the comics press--Amazing Heroes, The Comics Journal, or Comics Feature--prior to actually reading about Cliff, Betty, and Peevy. Either way, I followed The Rocketeer's subsequent appearances in Pacific Presents, and was duly hooked. The 1991 Disney film version was pretty good, too.



ROGER RAMJET


Roger Ramjet, he's our man. The hero of the nation! The Roger Ramjet cartoons don't seem to enjoy quite the level of appreciation folks have for, say, Rocky And Bullwinkle and George Of The Jungle, but they were nearly as witty and subversive as those recognized cartoon icons. Google tells us that the show debuted in 1965, but I don't think I saw it until '66, when the success of the Batman TV series led to a sudden boom in the popularity of caped crusader capers. I'm pretty sure I watched Roger Ramjet on Syracuse Channel 5's afternoon kids program Jet Set, a show which also aired the (barely) animated Marvel Super Heroes cartoons. I owe myself the pleasure of reacquainting myself with Ramjet, his juvenile partners The American Eagle Squadron (Yank, Doodle, Dan, and Dee), and General G. I. Brassbottom. Listen, at my age, I could use a Proton Energy Pill to give me the strength of twenty atom bombs, even if it's only for twenty seconds.



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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. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.