Friday, November 28, 2014

Why Bill Mantlo/ROM fans should remember Portland

Left click to enlarge interior mural from previous store location
It's hard to believe there are any ROM and or Bill Mantlo fans out there who don't know about Floating Worlds Comics by now but I guess there's still a few of you out there. In 2007 and 2010 Floating Worlds Comics hosted an art benefit auction to raise money and awareness for Bill along with some other related promotional events. That's the only comic shop I've ever known to have done something like that on behalf of Bill which is pretty crazy when you think of the kind of career he had. The promotional events at Floating World Comics had also resulted in an influx of ROM related fandom and newly created art work onto the internet just prior to me discovering for the first time the enduring fan base for the big silver guy which was some where in late 2008. So of course during my trip to Northern Oregon right after Thanksgiving Day Weekend I'll be sure to add a visit to Floating World Comics to my itinerary. You can see past blog postings about the Bill Mantlo benefit art auctions here . . .
http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/search?q=floating+world+comics

I'll be updating this posting as soon as I get back late next week. Meanwhile, here's a couple of things you might enjoy. Written by Mantlo in the pages of HEAVY METAL magazine this is a futuristic short story about tyranny and rebellion told in an old English style of writing . . .
http://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/rising-of-moon-by-bill-mantlo-writer.html


Left click to enlarge
Dec. 4 Update: Well I'm finally back from my trip and the ironic thing is when I flew out of Oakland on Teusday morning it was raining like crazy but the minute I touched down in Portland it was dry as a bone which was the case through out all of Northern Oregon for almost the entire time I was there. Needless to say I had a great time and I'd like to make some recommendations to all my fellow sci-fi comic book geek freinds who may some day happen to find themselves out in the Portland, Seaside and Astoria areas. Just a block down from Floating World Comics is this cool 80s retro video game arcade/bar called Ground Kontrol. Like I said it's also a bar so they do card you at the entrance. Only a short walk away is Billy's Galaxy which was one of the best vintage toy shops I've ever seen. Among the collection of awesome stuff there they had a couple of ROM dolls but I ended up buying this Gobot I used to have called Pathfinder. And on a side note amazingly even the small coastal town of Astoria (where Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies were filmed) had an 80s retro video game arcade called The Arc Arcade.


One last thing, I grabbed a copy of Incredible Hulk #258 (Mantlo / Buscema 1981) at Floating World Comics for some lite reading on the plane for the trip home and I discovered this house ad on the letters page. This is actually the first time I've ever seen this particular ROM promo in print although the 6" banner strip ad version I've had for a while now electonically thanks to Gary Martin Jr. although that version includes some extra art work in the left hand bottom corner. . .
http://romspaceknightart.blogspot.com/2012/07/marvel-80s-house-ads-promos-with-rom_24.html

16 comments:

  1. Lookin' good over here...

    Thanks for tracking down that Métal Hurlant bit! Awesome read!!! Bill "HEAVY METAL" Mantlo for life!

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    1. Bill spaceknight Mantlo, Bill Micronaut Mantlo, Bill Heavy Metal Mantlo, Bill the man Mantlo . . . there's just so many different names for a god king like Mantlo.

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  2. Bill transformers Mantlo ! Awesome Heavy metal read!

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    1. welcome back Joseph i was wondering what you've been up to lately. I'm going to attempt to squeeze in a few hours of shut eye before i have to wake up and make my way to the airport but i'll try to check the comments one last time before i head out the door. but fear not by the beginning of this weekend i should be back here with an update.

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  3. So, how do you feel about all the Suicide Squad casting news? -I assume pissed off...

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    1. i hardly know anything about it i'm so out of the loop when it comes to upcoming movies rather it be Star Wars or The Squad. i just don't want to get all caught up in the hype for the next year or so only to finally see the end results that don't live up to my expectations. i probbaly won't start really paying attention to that stuff until it gets pretty close to the release dates.
      hey man on a side note did you ever see my video review of the Bill Mantlo: A Life Time in Comics tribute magazine? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOMt7biEX9c
      just wanted you to know that Floating World Comics had a whole stack of em just in case you were interested.

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  4. Congratulations on your safe travels & successful location visits *jealous*. Anticipating your asking me if I have that Hulk ish, I'll tell ya; so far I've found 23 ROM block/banner ads on other titles' letters pages: 9 "flying forward", 12 "flying sideways" (including your Hullk 258), and 2 "title logo only". I visited the link you put up there...thanks, that was 20 minutes down the tubes!! ;-) I mean good times reminiscing...& was reminded that it's been a few years since I conducted that search but it's on my to-do-list to go back & find any letters pages I might've missed.

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    1. oh yeah come to think of it i bet that small banner ad was probably among the variants you've sent me but it's been so long and when you actually see something in print it takes to take on a life of it's own.
      i also picked up Iron Man 190 (Forge's neutrilizer) at FWC which i'm sure you have given the clip art from that issue you've emailed me. did you catch the ROM mention in regards to Akin & Garvey in the "Special Announcements Section Item" box on the letters page?
      and also now that i'm back from Oregon it's time you reveal this "Holy Grail" item you got in the mail earlier this week : )

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  5. Glad you had a good trip- those places sound awesome! Pathfinder is the shit, right? I still have mine. She looks like she'd fit right in with ROM!

    Really, though? Man, I thought you'd be all over any news about The Squad. They're making some... interesting... choices, I'll say that much.

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    1. let's take the conversation over here
      http://taskforce-x.blogspot.com/
      i just a commented under the most recent posting last night and again just now after having read up on the matter.

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  6. I am so jealous right now. That sounds like my dream vacation. Just add in Nathan Fillion and Chris Hemsworth as tour guides, or even just cardboard cutouts propped in strategic locations, and I'd be in geek heaven. So happy you had a great time. And thank you for sharing it with us. Mantlo fans forever!

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    1. well DC does it again, here's one other cool aspect of my trip I didn't mention here http://suicidesquadtaskforcex.blogspot.com/2014/12/batman-year-one-and-gotham-knight-dvds.html

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  7. That sounds like a cool trip mr! What a cool mural too - Wonder Woman and M.O.D.O.K. in the same image makes me think of how awesome that would be.

    Glad I'm not the only guy who likes and pays attention to the old style house ads as well...

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    1. it might be a bit colder then you're used to but i think you'd really dig Portland it's pretty hip and diverse city with out being as pretentious as San Francisco.

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