8 Things You Didn’t Know About My Story “Princess Marshmallow”

In early 2020 “YEET Presents” #33 was published with my second comic book story “Princess Marshmallow” on the back cover of this issue.  Unfortunately the story was not published the way I would have preferred, with two pages featuring misspelled words.  I had Greta Fantini correct the mistakes and upload the new pages so that editor Mike Jones could download them and use them instead of the pages with the mistakes.  But this didn’t happen because Mr. Jones didn’t feel like downloading them.  Another thing I disliked was the way the inside back cover looked, with the P in “Princess” being slightly cut off.  Much like the previous issue that had one of my stories, I wasn’t very pleased with how things were printed.  

Presented here is a list of eight things that you didn’t know about my story.  Sadly, I'm two facts short of ten this time.   

08. “Princess Marshmallow” Was Originally A Prose Story 

I wrote “Princess Marshmallow” several years ago as an assignment for my writing course to learn how to write for children and teens.  When adapting the story for a comic I stuck pretty close to what I originally wrote.  But in order to keep the pace fast and not use anything that would slow the story down, I had to cut a short paragraph in my original story in which the reader gets a chance to hear Princess Marshmallow’s thoughts.  She thinks about the time when she and Morio first met and was chosen to receive magical powers.  Something else that unfortunately was changed for the comic was Princess Marshmallow’s shoulder pads.  I mention her shoulder pads in both the prose story and my comic script.  I drew a poor-looking sketch of Princess Marshmallow for Greta to use as a guide for the comic version.  Due to my poor drawing skills Greta misinterpreted the shoulder pads I drew for simple lines on her shoulders.  Oops.      

07. “Princess Marshmallow” Was Inspired By Magical Girl Anime 

It might be obvious to most people that a Japanese character created by an American (me) was inspired by manga and anime.  I began watching anime as a teen, but didn't know what magical girl stories were until I was in my twenties.  This is when I discovered the series Sailor Moon.  It took me two episodes to really get into the series, but I’m glad I didn't give up after watching only one.  My character Princess Marshmallow is mostly a combination of two magical girls, with perhaps a bit from a third character.  Those characters are Sailor Moon (obviously), Cardcaptor Sakura and Magical Girl Pretty Sammy.  Sailor Moon and Pretty Sammy both use magical transformations, while Cardcaptor Sakura does not.  All three use some sort of magical scepter, and all three have a magical creature that helps them.  Cardcaptor Sakura’s magical creature resembles a teddy bear with wings, which is what inspired my character Morio.           

06. This Is My First Story On A Cover! 

This was not only the first time one of my stories got to be on the cover, but also the first time artist Greta Fantini had one of her stories on the cover.  I have admired Greta’s art ever since I saw it in the first issue of “YEET Presents” that I read.  I’m happy that we both got to have the pleasure of having a story on the cover simultaneously.  Unfortunately the cover didn’t look exactly the way I would have preferred, with the Princess Marshmallow logo Greta used being cut off and replaced with a less impressive logo made by Mike Jones.  (The word “Princess” isn't centered above the word “Marshmallow” correctly, either.)  Then there’s that awful Black Fury character appearing on the top left corner and the even worse “Old Guys Who Like Old Comics” stamp, both of which I wish weren’t necessary.  I agreed on the way Mr. Jones redesigned the cover to avoid an argument with him.  Below is the cover I prefer.  

05. I Like To Use Funny Names In My Stories 

Beyond the fact that the title character is named after a confection, there are other unusual names in the story.  The villain, Professor Lagomorph, is named after the scientific word for rabbits and hares.  Princess Marshmallow’s secret identity, a junior high student named Junko, is named after Japanese singer and voice actress Junko Iwao.  Junko is the voice of my favorite character from Cardcaptor Sakura, Tomoyo Daidouji.  The talking dove Morio is named after Cardcaptor Sakura’s director, Morio Asaka.  

04. Greta Fixed The Mistakes And Improved The Art 

As mentioned above Greta Fantini did fix the misspelled words once I caught them and asked her to do it.  She also changed some of the art to add a furry look to Professor Lagomorph’s costume and to add different and additional sparkles to Princess Marshmallow’s transformation.  Below are the corrected panels for pages 3 and 6.  

03. The Inside Front Cover Was A Complete Surprise 

The inside front (or back, depending on what cover is your preferred front) cover was drawn by Greta as a surprise to me!  This was very nice of her.   

02. This Was Greta’s First Time Drawing A Comic She Didn’t Write 

I was very nervous when I asked Greta to draw a story for me.  I guess the worst that could have happened is she would have said no and then I’d have to find another artist to draw the story.  She told me that she usually draws her own comics, but would read my story.  Sometime later she got back to me and said she loved my character Junko, so she’d draw my story!  Because she said yes I finally got to see a character that I created come to life in color, the way I intended my first comic story to look, and I got to work with a fantastic artist I admired.  I’d love to work with her again, if possible. 

01. My Birthday Present 

For my 49th birthday last year Greta gave me this awesome gift!  

I’m glad that after wanting to be published nearly all my life that I finally was.  I only wish I knew what had been in store for me by giving away two comic stories to a comic magazine that does not pay their contributors.  It cost me $720 total to pay two artists to draw the stories that were published in “YEET Presents”.  Maybe $720 isn’t much to you, but it is to me.  I don’t work (due to various health problems and no transportation) and the money I spent on those stories was part of what little life savings I had.  I can’t afford to just throw away $720.  I was hoping that these stories would lead to something bigger and better, eventually.  Both stories that were published mean a lot to me, especially “Princess Marshmallow”.  “Fever” mostly used public domain characters, but all the characters in “Princess Marshmallow” are mine.  I submitted a third story before “Princess Marshmallow” was published and the editor rejected it as not being funny enough, or something like that.  In the meantime, his sense of humor is extremely archaic.  I kept wondering when reading his so-called attempts at humor if I was supposed to laugh or not.  But I guess everyone has a different sense of humor.

I know “YEET Presents” #33 was published about a year ago, but I never found the time to write this article until now.  I wasn’t on the Internet all that much in 2020, and when I was I had problems with my connection.  Writing this now allows me to get all of this out of me and helps me to bring closure to this chapter in my life.  I wish I could write more stories for the possibility of being published in a comic, but my financial situation may prevent this, and I need to seek out a new publisher or to seriously look into self-publishing.

As always, thank you for reading my blog.        

The Black Phantom

The Black Phantom made her debut in the pages of Tim Holt #25 in August - September 1951 as the criminal mastermind of a gang of robbers.  But who is she and what is her secret?  Tim Holt and his partner Chito intend to find out in "Redmask - and The Black Phantom!"

Although it seems The Black Phantom met her death at the end of this story, she actually returned to the pages of Tim Holt two years later, this time fighting on the right side of the law.  How did she survive her death?  Why did she reform?  The answers lied in a story that was published in Red Mask #49 (May - June 1955), nearly four years after her debut.  You'll notice that there are some continuity mistakes and plot holes (Red Mask's mask, no Chito) that don't mesh with the first story. 

The Black Phantom became Red Mask's partner in several stories published until 1956.  She even had a one shot comic of her own.  Here is a solo Black Phantom story from The Black Phantom #1 (1954).     

Some trivia about The Black Phantom: In the third Black Phantom story (from Red Mask #41) the names of The Black Phantom and her twin sister change from Helena and Jicilla to Helen and Jicarilla.  The third story in The Black Phantom #1, "Sheriff Satan", doesn't seem to have a job number.  The Black Phantom story in Red Mask #47, "The Gun Fever", appears to have been done for a second issue of The Black Phantom that never materialized.  The final Black Phantom story, "The Outlaw Girl", in Red Mask #53, mistakenly calls her The Green Phantom in the splash panel.

All of the Black Phantom stories were drawn by Frank Bolle.  Gardner Fox may have written the second story and did write the third story according to the Grand Comics Database. Tim Holt was a real actor who did appear in many cowboy movies.  However, he also made some other types of films, including The Monster That Challenged the World.   

I hope everyone enjoyed these stories.  As always, thanks for reading my blog! 

10 Things You Didn’t Know About My Story “Fever”

Inspired by Minty Comedic Arts YouTube channel, here is a top ten list for those of you who have already read my story “Fever” in “YEET Presents” #32, out this month from C.O.P. Comics.  If you haven't read it yet, please do and then come back here for some fun facts!  

10. This Is My First Published Story

All my life I have wanted to be a published author.  I self-published a series of comics and magazines which were mostly photocopied pages when I was in my teens.  As an adult I took a mail correspondence course from the Institute of Children’s Literature based in Redding, Connecticut.  I passed the course and got my diploma, but this didn’t help me get published with any of the children’s magazines that I submitted stories to.  Jump ahead to ten years later and I am finally getting my first comic book story published in an independent comic named “YEET Presents”.    

09. The Character Taanda Was Created In 1951

Taanda, the White Princess of the Jungle was a character published by Avon Periodicals, Inc. from 1951 to 1952.  The writer who created her is unknown, but at least three artists worked on the Taanda strip.  Everett Raymond Kinstler drew the cover for issue #1 but the stories inside the comic were drawn by Louis Ravielli.  Kinstler drew the cover and the first two stories of issue #2, but an unknown artist drew the third Taanda story for that issue.  Kinstler drew the cover for issue #3 and he and an artist named Gene Fawcette worked on #3’s stories.  Kinstler drew the cover for issue #4 and Fawcette drew stories for issue #5, but all of the other remaining credits are unknown.     

08. The Story Was Originally In Color

I hired an artist named Charles E. Butler from the U.K. to draw, letter and color my story “Fever”.  Mike Jones, the editor of “YEET Presents”, chose to print it in black and white.  His reasoning is it is too expensive to print in color.  I was not informed of this before it was printed, and neither was the artist.  Had either of us had been contacted in advance Charles would have altered the art to make it more suitable for a black and white comic.  I really wanted my comic book story debut to be in color, and I wanted the readers of “YEET” to see it this way too.  What’s worse, the art on the outer edges is slightly cut off.  I am really irked by this.    

  

07. The Jungle Cat On Page 2 Is Not A Tiger!

Charles drew some jungle animals in the pages of “Fever” that I did not mention in my script.  That is okay, as far as that goes.  But the jungle cat on page 2 looks vaguely like a tiger, and my story is set in Africa.  I want to go on record as stating that I was fully aware of the fact that tigers do not live in Africa.  They are native to Asia and India.  African jungle cats include cheetahs and leopards.  So the orange jungle cat you see is either a cheetah or a leopard! 

06. Kwandi The Medicine Man Is An Original Character

All of the characters in my story “Fever” are in public domain except Kwandi, the medicine man.  He is my first original character to be published in a comic.     

05. Taanda’s Name Changed To Tarinda For One Issue

For the final issue (#5) of “White Princess of the Jungle” Taanda was renamed Tarinda.  And I have no idea why! 

04. Changing Hair And Skin Colors

As I stated above, there were at least three artists who drew “White Princess of the Jungle”.  It’s possible that there was more than one colorist and that they did not consult with each other.  As a result, Koru’s skin color changed from black to white depending on the story.  Taanda has red hair, although in reprints from various publishers Taanda’s hair color is changed to black or blonde.  

     

03. Cave Girl Has Three Family Names

Surprise guest star Cave Girl is a character that was published by Magazine Enterprises from 1952 to 1953.  Cave Girl’s real name is Carol London, Mantomer or Gandomer depending on which page in Cave Girl #11 (her debut issue, by the way) you are reading.  Again, I have no idea why.  I can only assume the writer or letterer did not check what was written on previous pages.        

02. The Title Was Taken From A Song By Devil ANTHEM.

Those who know me know that I am a fan of Japanese female idol singers.  I took the title of my story “Fever” from a song by the group Devil ANTHEM., which is the title of their 2017 album. 

01. This Story Is Meant To Be The Beginning Of A Series

As you might guess from the ending of my story, I meant this to be the start of a series of stories featuring not only Taanda and Cave Girl, but possibly other public domain jungle characters.  I haven’t scripted any sequels yet, but I would like to soon!   

Thank you for reading and have a great 2020!   

YEET Presents

What is a YEET?  You'll have to ask Mike Jones, the editor of "YEET Presents", an independent anthology comic published in the state of Michigan in the U.S.  He also writes and draws some of the stories you'll find within this black and white comic.  However, this comic is actually the combined talents of many people.  YEET has been published off and on since 1994!  In the past couple of years it has been published more frequently, almost on a monthly schedule.  I won't claim that I know much about the history of "YEET Presents", so I'll just give you the lowdown on the past few issues that I have received.   

Issue #27 features three stories.  The cover pictured above is for "Wonder Squad Part Four" by Brad Hyman.  This is the conclusion of a superhero parody about a former team of heroes who parted ways after a public fight among the members.  A man with no powers, by the name of Wondrous, held a grudge against the hero known as Dr. Spectral, who has telekinetic powers.  Wondrous acquires a weapon called the Agony Dynamo which he plans on using to destroy Dr. Spectral's band of misfit heroes.  The story features some nice art, a lot of humor and well-developed characters.

After a letters column you need to flip the comic over for the next two stories.  The reverse cover (not pictured) is for the story "Creatur" by Quentin Bennett and Fish Lee.  This is apparently part nine in a series (and I haven't read the other parts), but it's not too hard to follow.  A scaly, green monster with human intelligence is part of a power struggle between corrupt individuals and those who know he isn't evil.  Fish Lee's art is really good, with a lot of detail that enhances each panel.  This is followed by fan art and a short story called "Rage Against the Machine" by Mike Jones and Tod Higgins.  It ties in with a series of stories in "YEET" about The Black Fury, a superhero now in the public domain originally published by Fox Publications / Fox Feature Syndicate.   

Issue #28 was just released, and a month or so after issue #29!  Each comic came from a different printer in an effort to see if newsprint or slicker, thicker paper is preferred by the fans.  Issue #28 has a newsprint interior, and this time eight color pages!  I have mixed feelings about this issue, so I'll just tell you about them.

The cover and first story in this issue is "Guardians of the Blue" Chapter 3 by Mac of BIOnighT with art by Kent Clark.  (Yes, that's his name.)  Mac originally wrote and drew all the previous installments, but felt that he didn't have the time to devote to drawing everything he wanted for his series.  After seeing Kent Clark's art he was satisfied with handing over the art chores to him.  And Kent's art is very good!  This time we have the story of a hero who is out of control, and beats a petty criminal who wanted good clothing for his daughter.  The story flashbacks to the hero's childhood where the reader sees him abused by bullies and then by his alcoholic mother.  Not the type of story you want to read if you need something to cheer you up, but a well-done story nonetheless.

The second story is "The Adventures of Jade!", the aforementioned color story.  This is the debut of a new jungle girl character (at least I think she's new) written by Brian Cole, drawn by Jo Wong and colored by Suyman Repaja.  The title of this story is "Minos: The Hands of Fate!", a nod to the bad horror movie Manos: The Hands of Fate.  So far, so good.  But then my eyes see a well-endowed jungle woman skinning a decapitated jungle cat!  Ewww!  Sorry, but as a fan of the jungle girl genre I don't recall anything so graphic in classic stories from the Golden Age of comics.  And why does every modern comic book artist need to draw oversized breasts on the women?  The colors are very good, but twice in the story characters known as the "white couple" are mentioned - yet every human character in this story is white!  Were the natives meant to be black?  The story itself is okay, but with characters double-crossing each other it's hard to care for any of them.

The final story is "The Candle Man" by writer Don Everett Smith Jr. and artist Gabriel Perez.  This is a basic urban legend horror story in which murderous youths find out that a scary legend is very real.  It reminds me of a lot of silly but watchable horror movies I used to watch on cable TV.  Another letters column follows this story and the back cover (pictured above) is The Black Fury.  I was able to get the front and back of this issue in the same photo due to getting two copies, like all the other subscribers did.

This brings me to last month's issue, #29.  Pictured above is a Black Fury cover that pays tribute to the cover of "The Blue Beetle" #13.  Inside are six stories, including some good stuff such as the pulp fiction of "The Crooked Man!" by writer Allan Rowlands and artists Caley Tibbittz and Dan Schaefer; the humorous "...And a Dog..." by Brian Cole and Gregory Woronchak; a one page frontier delight (not titled) by William Messner-Loebs and Randy Silverman; and (on the flip side of the comic) "Holy Wars", a Universal Monster and Marvel Comics mash-up by writer / layout artist Michael John De Stasio and art by Charles E. Butler.  Someone will have to explain to me exactly what is happening in a three page story titled "The Interview", and what the source material the author is referring to is.  I don't keep up with everything, folks!

As a bonus for subscribing to "YEET Presents" through their Patreon program (see link below) I also got a reprint of "Ultra Force" #1.  Cover to cover it's twelve pages and mostly looks like an artist's sketchbook.  There's a lot of talking heads and posing, and includes a character who looks like Wolverine from The X-Men.  The story makes little sense and I'm not even sure what order I'm supposed to read the panels in.  But thanks for including this, Mike!

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Christmas Fun

It's almost Christmas, so all of you boys and girls make sure to be good so Santa Claus will visit you when you sleep on Christmas Eve!  Until then, here's some stories to entertain you! 

"Santa Claus Funnies" #1 (1942) has a humorous cover with Santa driving a jeep.  On the back we see his reindeer laughing at him.  Obviously Santa needs to stick to his sleigh. 

This story is "The Fir Tree" by Hans Christian Andersen, with art by Walt Kelly, the creator of Pogo Possum.  It's also from "Santa Claus Funnies" #1.  

The next story is from "Four Color" #359, the first comic with Frosty the Snowman.  It was reworked ten years later for "Four Color" #1272.  The front cover is taken from Heritage Auctions.    

Now here are some Christmas comic covers that I like, including one for a silly movie adaptation.  All covers are taken from Heritage Auctions.    

Captain Marvel Adventures #19

Comic Cavalcade #5, copyrighted by DC Comics.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

I hope everyone has a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!  I think I got that right....