#DC newspaper advertisement

[newspaper-advertisement]

[afloweroutofstone]

Something I'd love to write about in greater depth is how the local features of the city of Washington DC— its physical layout, its culture, its economic structures, its demographics, etc.— have large effects on US and world politics as a whole. The idea would be to make it clear why this sort of stuff actually matters to people beyond the self-obsessed navel-gazing that a lot of DC media tends towards. As the political capital of the world's most powerful empire, a lot of seemingly-provincial features of this city have shockingly large impacts around the world!

I've written two stories touching on this before: how DC's building height limits reinforce political inequality, and how military contractors advertise to policymakers on the subway. But there's a lot more to cover, especially the stuff surrounding politics as an industry, about how office drama and bar gossip can translate into policy decisions. Or how the presence of large immigrant diasporas like Salvadoran-Americans shapes conversations around foreign policy. Or about the odd politics behind newspaper distributions here (both the Chinese government and Falun Gong have free newspaper stands all over town!)

[motherloads]

Right Side of My Neck

Pre! Identity Reveal. Alt. timeline of my first Tim Drake fic ◡̈

Me when me when I see readers fawn over my other fics, asking for pt. 2 but what I give is this: Tim Drake and Spider-Woman! Reader *cheering noises*

Summary: The reader is a new hero in Gotham City, known as Spider-Woman. Despite knowing of the no-meta rule, she continues to patrol the city in broad daylight.

What's to say that the bats are allowing this? At every meeting, they try and stop the unknown woman from fighting their battles. With no idea of who she is, they are struggling to maintain their no-meta rule.

Unknowingly, she forms a friendship with Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown. Shameless flirting ensues when she starts to connect the identity of the bats.

Who is she but not a Spider who captures her prey?

-> Pairings: Tim Drake x Reader

-> Marvel/DC Crossover

->Warnings: None!

not proof read! oops,,,

⋆｡°✩

You looked back at me once.  But I looked back two times.

"At some point, you need to realize that maybe, just maybe, you need to start advertising the no meta rule?" Stephanie Brown questions Bruce Wayne. She taps her feet impatiently, watching the man skim through the news reports of Spider-Woman. His separate file regarding the woman is on his other monitor.

"I do not have a no meta-rule,"  Bruce grumbles as he cross referencing similar heroes who tried to debut in the past. None match up and it was as if Spider-Woman did not exist before. Not in any city, town, or country was she ever sighted. It was as if she was a ghost.  

"Technically you do," Duke shrugs, "You always growl about no meta's being allowed in Gotham. I was the exception, remember?"

"I do not growl," Bruce points a glare at Duke who shrugs shamelessly. "Aren't you supposed to be out patrolling? Go find the new hero, only god knows what she's up to."

Duke ignores his comment, deciding to suit up for patrol to escape Bruce's ongoing investigation. 

"I thought we agreed to not use feminine pronouns," Steph reprimands, "They haven't revealed their identity. We can't just assume they go by she and her." 

"I'm too old for this," Bruce sighs, "But fine. Can someone atleast try and follow their tale? I have meetings back to back today." 

"I'll get Tim on this," Stephanie agrees, "But, before that. I think Alfred sent us his grocery list for the week." Stephanie waves goodbye to Duke and Bruce. 

⋆｡°✩

"Spider-Woman is a menace!" Her coworker reads out loud, "A menace to society and for the vigilantes in black. God! Jameson is one hell of a woman to be blasting the new hero out this way." He throws the newspaper away, shaking his head in annoyance, "I think they're pretty cool! Their helmet matches perfectly with the Red Hood. I wonder if they have some sort of alliance."

"I don't think so." Another coworker pipes up, bagging the groceries for her customer, "I don't think they have the ability to kill villains the same way Red Hood does. They probably have some moral code? I think they'd match Nightwing the best."

"Definitely not Robin. He's too...aggressive for Spider-Woman to deal with. Plus, he's a kid, so they'd probably argue." Her final and third coworker shrugs, "I honestly like that they're a solo hero."

"What if there is more like them? Like a Spider-Society where they protect the multiverse," She spoke out against her coworkers, grinning shamelessly at her reveal, "Spider-Women in the Spider-Verse."

"Now where do you get that idea from?" A new voice muses. They all turn their heads to see Timothy Drake. His eyes, as tired as ever, make eye contact with the girl. He smiles at her in response to her staring, "Seems like a far-fetched idea." 

"I know them," She grins, leaning against her counter, looking at Tim from beneath her lashes. She senses him squirm in response to her look, "Might even know their identity." She teases. 

"Care to share? I'd love to know, for research purposes." 

Her grin widens at his response, cocking her head innocently at Tim who continued to squirm in her gaze. "Why? Want to ask them out on a date?" 

"No-No. I'm just curious! Does that mean you don't know?" 

She pushes herself off the counter, continuing to check Tim out. She noticed the array of coffee flavors and things that are normally on her customer's grocery list. She assumed he was doing his own for his butler, Alfred. 

"Of course not. I'm just a college student." She shrugs, "50.42. Will that be cash or card?"

Tim mumbles his answer, passing her his card for the transcation. His face still felt hot from her onslaught, but he decided to ignore how fast his heart was beating. Instead, he focused on her hands. Her hands were a light shade of purple as if she was healing from a bruise. 

"Hey wha-" He gets cut off when she passes his card back to him. She tilts her head at him, making his heart stop again. 

"What?" She asks.

"Nothing, Nothing. I-See you later?" She nods in response, watching Tim walk away from her counter quickly. She felt a laugh bubble up from inside of her.

"God, you're shameless." Her coworker sneered. She only laughs in response. 

⋆｡°✩

"If I were a villain, where would I be?" She hummed, moving across the rooftop she was on. Her helmet's eyes furrowed, zooming in on a robbery in a nearby bakery.

"Gotcha," She whispers, moving down to the bakery. She notices the baker being held at gunpoint as customers run out of the store. She paid no mind to the customers who tried to push her aside as she stepped foot into the scene.

"Hey! Mr. Big Bad Wolf! Has anyone ever told you not to huff and puff in a bakery before?!" She paused at her words, suddenly realizing her mistake, "Sorry, Sorry. I think I mixed up my fairytales."

The robber immediately drops his gun and himself to the ground. Shaking like a leaf, the robber immediately starts blabbing out an apology. "I swear I had no bullets! I swear- I just need money! My kid's in trouble! He's sick and I-" She cuts him off, webbing the gun and bringing it to her.

"The shelter across the streets offers monthly emergency grants to 20 lucky folks each month. Luckily, the application opens tomorrow. I'd recommend you apply to it instead and-" She pulls out her wallet, free from any sort of identification. Counting silently, she slides a hundred to the man. "This should cover the medicine until you receive the emergency grant. If not, just tell the clerk Spider-Woman sent you."

The man nods frantically, taking the hundred and running out of the bakery. The baker sighs in relief, sliding down the wall hazardously, "I thought today was my last day, genuinely..." "Not your time yet, I suppose," She begins to skim through the selection, humming to herself as she reads the items out loud, "Lemon Pie sounds good. I'll take a slice." The baker immediately stands, rinsing their own hands from the dirt on the floor. In the blink of an eye, they were packaging a whole lemon pie.

"I said one," Spider-Woman frowns as the baker pushes the box to her. She could smell the lemon wafting off of the pie from where she stood.

"It's a thank you. Also on the house," The baker responds instead, "I'm Felicia by the way. Felicia Hardy."

"Nice to meet you, Felicia," Spider-Woman nods as Felicia smiles warmly. Her smile disappeared when the door jiggled. A person came into the bakery.

She felt no reaction with her spider senses. No imminent danger was presented. When she looks, she is immediately face-to-face with Nightwing, "Funny seeing you here. I swore just yesterday you were at Bludhaven, Mr. Wing!"

"Had some business to take care of here," The man easily grins, nodding at the baker in return as she stares in awe. "A little bird told me you were sighted in a bakery. Wanted to see the situation." The minute he ended his sentence, she felt another presence in the bakery.

"Little Bird? Does it happen to be Robin?" She questions casually, leaning against the countertop. She rested her hand on the bag with her lemon pie.

"How do you always know," A younger voice scoffs. The occupants in the bakery turn to the corner shrouded in darkness. There, stood Robin in his little mighty glory.

"The spider in the corner told me so," She responds instead, "Now...are you both going to take me in?"

"That's the plan," Nightwing grins, "Want to put your lemon pie on the side?"

"No, it's fine," She tightens her grip on the bag, "Got places to be, Mr, Wing. You'd understand, right?"

"Answer our question first," Robin spits out, stepping forward into the light. His katana, held menacingly and glinting from the lights was pointed at her. "Why did you let the robber go? He could have been lying and you let a man go. He could kill someone!"

"Listen, kid," She sighs, "I don't have to tell you anything- We aren't teammates and in no way, do I want the Bats in my business." She pauses at her words, feeling her nose wrinkle from under her helmet. Stepping closer to Robin, she takes a long, deep breath.

"You have a dog?" Both Nightwing and Robin tense at her words, "A smell lingers from you. You live on a farm?" She turns her head to Nightwing and does the same to him, "Do you like swimming? You have chlorine in your hair." When both of the vigilantes stayed rooted in their spot, both from equal shock, she continued. "You smell like someone I see around here. Are you in contact with Tim Drake?"

With that, she shoots four simultaneous webs at the duo's feet. Rooting them to their spot, she salutes them and runs out of the bakery.

⋆｡°✩

At this point, the constant meetings with the Bat's made her realize the similarities they all hold with one another and a particular person she loved to tease. Nightwing and mini Robin were not the only ones who had that particular scent.

When she met Black Bat, she noticed how the smell was not as intense but still lingered on her person. Specifically to the gadgets she had on her self, they had a combination of metals that had created it and everything that screamed Tim.

When she met Signal, it wasn't the same. He had more of a scent on him compared to Black Bat. Specifically his hands and shoulders, although she wasn't sure why. When she began to do her research and find blurry photos of Signal and pictures she had taken of Tim, she realized Tim stood shorter than the vigilante.

Batman himself never strayed close enough to where she can smell him. He always maintained a distance, as if he knew what she had been researching. But he had no clue, right?

Tim's scent lingered on Red Hood and apparently they likely had many fist fights with one another because of how strong it stayed on the older man's fists. Hell, if she was near him close enough (which was almost always never) she can catch a hint of blood.

Spoiler had the second biggest scent out of all of the Bat's. Tim's scent was everywhere to her hair, skin, suit, and shoulder. This had made her go crazy, but don't tell anyone else that it was embarrassing when she had stumbled into Spoiler's arms to make sure there wasn't anything apparent on her face.

But doing so made her realize how similar she smelled to Stephanie.

Red Robin had been the one who easily dodged her efforts to get anything off of him. If she thought Red Hood was hard, then she was in for quite a shock when Red Robin kicked her helmet, knocking her back a notch.

"I know what you're trying to do!" He shouts at her, "The others have told me you have been taking big sniffs at them, what are you even planning?"

"I'm testing a hypothesis," She grits out, adjusting her helmet's lenses as Red Robin kicked them out of place, "I just need to confirm something, just hold still!"

"No!" He calls out, taking out his grappling hook in a quick motion. He makes no sound of a goodbye as he shoots away. Scoffing under her breath, she easily sticks a web onto the mans shoulder.

Pulling herself back, she launches herself onto the vigilante's back. He yelps in shock, not expecting her to latch on around his waist. Her arms wrap around his neck as she tilted his head back. Taking a hard sniff, her senses went into overdrive when she realized how familiar his smell was.

Sighing in relief, she leans her head further into his shoulder, she is interrupted from her thoughts as he lands on a rooftop. Trying to remove her, he grabs at the arms that would not budge. Then, he tried her legs. It was the same outcome.

"Come on!" He growls, "Get off!"

"No," She spits back, "You're an asshole!"

"I didn't even do anything! You're the one smelling the entirety of all the Bats! What next? Going to sniff Joker?!"

She steps one foot down but immediately goes to kick the back of his legs. Red Robin falters as he falls to the floor. Above him, she sits on his lap. They both stare at one another.

"I was wondering why every single Bat had this one recognizable scent," She begins, her frown masked by her helmet, "It drove me crazy, Red. Absolutely crazy that I thought the person I knew was being stalked."

She sees Red Robin's mask furrow in confusion. Still, he made no effort to move her off of him. "Even smelled the clothes he let me borrow. To see how similar it was."

Removing her helmet, Red Robin stares in shock as the spider's eyes were revealed. A familiar color he couldn't help but feel a blush rise from his face and around his ears. He noticed her eyes shift to his neck, that was most likely red as well.

He could not see her lower half, she had it covered with a mask the same color as her suit.

"Tim, did you know that cologne never truly washes out?" She leans close to his face, brushing a strand of his hair away from covering his mask. Tim felt his breath hitch at the name unroll from her tongue. One syllable and one identity reveal. "I think you need to prioritize washing the smell out." She tilts her head, her eyes crinkling as she smiled under the mask.

"How-" Now, Tim pushed her off of him. Doing his own move, which she made no effort to stop, he landed between her thighs. She was on the floor, staring up at him. He was on his knees as his breathing became uneven.

"Right side of my neck always smelled like you," She muses, "Whenever you gave me a hug, it would always linger. I liked it a lot."

Without a second thought, Tim pulls off the woman's mask.

He stares at a familiar face, who smiles at him. The cute smile he always felt shy about and guilty that he constantly lied to them. The cute smile that was apart of his profile picture of her.

The cute smile of the person who he would have never thought was the vigilante they were chasing after.

He breathes out her name.

"Hey, Tim."

[icarus-suraki]

No, you know what? While I'm all fired up about modern art and outsider art, let me introduce you to the works of James Hampton.

Pictured above is his monumental Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly.

With scant education and no formal art education, James Hampton made these pieces out of his intense religious fervor and his own desire to create:

In 1950, Hampton rented a garage on 7th street in northwest Washington [DC]. Over the next 14 years, Hampton built a complex work of religious art inside the garage with various scavenged materials such as aluminum and gold foil, old furniture, pieces of cardboard, light bulbs, jelly jars, shards of mirror and desk blotters held together with tacks, glue, pins and tape. The complete work consists of 180 objects, many of them inscribed with quotes from the Book of Revelation. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a throne, seven feet tall, built on the foundation of an old maroon-cushioned armchair with the words "Fear Not" at its crest. The throne is flanked by dozens of altars, crowns, lecterns, tablets and winged pulpits. Wall plaques on the left bear the name of apostles and those on the right list various biblical patriarchs and prophets such as Abraham and Ezekiel. The text The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly was written on the objects in Hampton's handwriting.

He constructed all his pieces from materials he found or scavenged himself, "such as aluminum and gold foil, old furniture, pieces of cardboard, light bulbs, jelly jars, shards of mirror and desk blotters held together with tacks, glue, pins and tape."

It's not clear if Hampton himself regarded himself as an artist, a visionary, a prophet, or none of the above. His work, however, is regarded as art in the same way that Michelangelo's Pieta is regarded as art: art of a religious subject or concept.

He also "kept a 108-page loose-leaf notebook titled St James: The Book of the 7 Dispensation. Most of the text was written in an unknown script that remains undeciphered. ... Some of the text was accompanied by notes in English in Hampton's handwriting. In the notebook, Hampton referred to himself as St. James with the title 'Director, Special Projects for the State of Eternity' and ended each page with the word 'Revelation'."

The art was not discovered until after Hampton's death in 1964, when the owner of the garage, Meyer Wertlieb, came to find out why the rent had not been paid. He knew that Hampton had been building something in the garage. When he opened the door, he found a room filled with the artwork. Hampton had kept his project secret from most of his friends and family. His relatives first heard about it when his sister came to claim his body. When Hampton's sister refused to take the artwork, the landlord placed an advertisement in local newspapers. Ed Kelly, a sculptor, answered the advertisement and was so astounded by the exhibit, he contacted art collector Alice Denney. Denney brought art dealers Leo Castelli and Ivan Karp, and artist Robert Rauschenberg, to see the exhibit in the garage. Harry Lowe, the assistant director of the Smithsonian Art Museum, told the Washington Post that walking into the garage "was like opening Tut's tomb."

His work is now on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

[scotianostra]

On 19th January 1919: The Sunday Post - home of the 'Broons' & 'Oor Willie' made its first appearance.

The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features. The paper was founded in 1914 and has a wide circulation across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of Northern England which may at some points in its history have reached two to three million readers.

In the 1950s, when the newspaper was confined largely to Scotland, sales of the Sunday Post were so high that it was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the newspaper with the highest per capita readership penetration of anywhere in the world.[citation needed] It has seen a slow decline, in 1999 having circulation of 700,000, dropping to 328,710 in August 2010.

2007 saw DC Thomson launch an advertising drive for The Sunday Post, primarily utilised on buses, in which the exclamation "Strip Sensation!" is seen by a picture of the folded paper displaying its masthead; next to this is the tagline punning on the exclamation: "A thoroughly decent read".

[broadcastarchive-umd]

#QSLfriday A radio buff in Baltimore, MD, received this postcard from Syracuse, NY, with the message: "We are pleased to verify your reception of our station WSYU (formerly WMAC) on 11/6/33 at 5:15 AM, at which time we were broadcasting a frequency test."

The front of the card featured a picture of Kenneth Sparrnon and his Orchestra. Sparnon, an experienced entertainer, musician, and arranger, came to Syracuse in 1930 to join the staff of RKO Keith's, a local vaudeville and movie theater. He led a group of musicians known as "Ken Sparnon and his merry gang of RKOlians."

Sparnon also performed on radio station WSYR with his orchestra from Keith's. In May 1930, he became the Master of Ceremonies for the "Little Theater of the Air" on Monday and Wednesday nights.

(The National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, holds the Kenneth H. Sparnon Collection, which includes newspaper clippings, photographs, advertising, programs, and broadcast transcriptions.)

Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications   |   Tumblr Archive

[atotaltaitaitale]

.

Not quite a contender for my False Advertising Series but a gorgeous building: the Dundee Courier on Fleet Street.

Fleet Street is synonymous with Britain’s journalism industry, with most of the country’s newspapers having offices or headquarters in the area in the first half of the 20th century. While most of the papers have moved on to less central areas, there still lies some signs of their past in the heart of the City.

Standing at 186 Fleet Street is an old remainder of Fleet Street‘s tabloid heyday. The Thomson family originally started out in shipping before branching out in publishing by buying the Dundee Courier and The Daily Argus in 1886. David Coupar Thomson (1861-1954) established DC Thomson in 1905 as the family’s publishing assets expanded.

Today, the façade of the building features glazed red bricks with stone dressings. Five of DC Thomson’s titles were written across the building in mosaic bands as a form of advertising. Four of the five titles are still in publication, with The People’s Journal having folded in 1986 after a 128 year history. The remaining publications are Dundee Courier (founded 1801); Dundee Evening Telegraph (founded 1877); Sunday Post (founded 1914); and People’s Friend (founded 1869).

In 2014, DC Thomson extensively renovated their London and Dundee offices. However, just two years later, DC Thomson took the decision to close their editorial office, which meant the last journalists to work on Fleet Street were leaving. DC Thomson continues to own the building, with advertising staff remaining on site. (Source)

[lboogie1906]

Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911) was the first African American female lawyer in the US. She graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872. She was the first female admitted to the DC Bar, and the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of DC. Her admission was used as a precedent by women in other states who sought admission to the bar. She opened her own law office, advertising in a newspaper run by Frederick Douglass. She practiced law for only a few years because prejudice against African Americans and women made her business unsustainable. She moved to NY, where she became a teacher in Brooklyn. She was involved in the women's suffrage movement and joined the National Association of Colored Women. She was born in New York City to Charlotte Augusta Burroughs and Reverend Charles Bennett Ray. Reverend Ray was an important figure in the abolitionist movement and edited a newspaper called The Colored American. She had six siblings. Education was important to her father, who made sure each of his girls went to college. Charlotte attended a school called the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth (now known as the University of the District of Columbia). She became a teacher at Howard University in the Normal and Preparatory Department, which was the University's Prep School. While teaching at Howard, she registered in the Law Department, as C. E. Ray. She completed a three-year program, as the first woman to graduate from the Howard University School of Law. She married in the late 1880s and became Charlotte E. Fraim. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CnWwSYOr8SZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[qlsvn]

am i allowed to make a dc au

the only interaction i’ve had w/ dc is the animated dc girls show, tumblr posts, tiktok posts, a couple of fanfics, the CW live action Flash+Arrow series, the first two seasons of YJ (animated. not the comics. but i srsly wanna know what OG Tim + Kon + etc were getting up to 😭 cuz the stuff i heard ab them…) the teen titans 03 + GO! animated series, and ab half of the teen titans silver age vol 1 comic + overall general knowledge ab DC (getting into comics is HARD and i dont wanna watch the movies…) but i actually had a rlly cool au idea i wanna share but i don’t wanna butcher it…. so if someone more well versed wants to confer w me on this AU… deliberate over it w/ me… etc. i’d like to see it in action at some point

(for the record cuz i’m obsessed w highschool AUs its a dc highschool au but only the JL are in highschool + all the younger heroes are in varying grades depending on their ages and rankings w/ Diana+Bruce+Clark all being seniors, and Damian+Jon+whoever else is in their generation being in like maybe Kindergarten/1st grade and for the record the batfam are all bruce’s adopted younger siblings Damian + Jon’s stories would b a bit different but i dont know enough ab Jon so 😭 and they’re all still superheroes. but in highschool. in Gotham Academy or smth. The world building is taking a hit in this one ig idk how to explain ppl from different parts of America being in the same school DONT FREAKING ASKKKK.)

(The villains??? in highschool too. Where do they go??! idfk some shit like Arkham Academy except like Lex Luthor or Ra’s. whyre u beefing w/ a bunch of teenagers ??! 🤨🤨🤨)

also my knowledge on different heroes + villains is limited pls i’m sorry 😭😭 i’m trying to learn but getting into comics is hardddd and ik to be skeptical of twt + tiktok + tumblr + fanficiton i may as well be interacting w/ a wholly different source media BUT I WILL EVENTUALLY GET THE FULL (mostly) CANON PICTURE!!!!! Just give me 5 years… 😓…… i’m slow.

also wouldn’t it be funny if clark + bruce interacted a lot bc bruce was popular + in student council + clark was in the school newspaper so they worked tgth to advertise school fundraisers + clark IMMEDIATELY clocked Bruce, popular playboy himbo Brucie Wayne, as the emo secretive vigilante Batman ?? Like what huh !??? i’m not surprised u were always a little off BUT !!!????

anyway. i’ll leave now bye. 😔

[newspaper-advertisement]

Deccan Chronicle Classifieds: A Cornerstone of South Indian Society

[mattohonbung]

sisters thai

🇹🇭 thai

📍 a little north of old town alexandria, virginia

📅 lunch; July 2023. 1st time (eating in-person at this location).

😋 overall: this restaurant chain never fails to surprise me. this was a delicious lunch and I'd def come again.

food pix + detailed review under the cut!

🥟 crispy wontons - can anyone tell me why the portion of ground chicken in the wonton was the size of a QUARTER 😐 bffr!!!! couldn't even taste enough of it to have an opinion on it. at least the wonton was crispy as advertised lol i kinda wished it was a little spiced or something cos each piece is literally 80% wonton wrapper.

NAWT getting this again lmaoooo i only got it because the lunch special came with an appetiser. def should've gotten the crispy spring rolls

🥘🐖 ka prow w/ pork - now THIS was 80% meat!!!! each piece of pork was sooo tender and the bell peppers were cooked just right- still had a slight bite to them. I forgot to specify my preferred spice level so I was expecting a super mild dish, but the kick that i got with every piece of jalapeño was PERFECT. honestly I think this move was really smart of the kitchen: those with low spice tolerance can easily avoid the peppers, and those who can take the heat can happily eat them. and the SAUCE.... peppery, umami (not like Salty idk it's hard for me to explain how they're different. idk. trust me), complex, only the slightest hint of sweetness

I would absolutely get this again!

-----

💲 price - lunch special was $16 i believe? not bad but def pricier than the lunch specials at other thai restaurants. but also it's old town alexandria lol

🗒️ other notes - ok so. given their decor, location, and amount of times their desserts have disappointed me at magnolia vienna, I was expecting a totally mid, mild, too-sweet lunch with skimpy meat portions- everything that many other thai restaurants do to their food when they're in whiter, higher-income areas. I'm genuinely surprised at how good my lunch was. the sisters group is obviously effectively chasing that bag but I'm so relieved to know that they aren't compromising the quality of their savory dishes. that being said... I wonder if their desserts at the alexandria location are better

their cocktails were looking sexy as hell but I reminded myself that it was only 1pm and I had work to do afterwards. maybe next time I eat here, I'll come with someone, and then we'll ogle over the menu together and order 1 each and I'll feel less bad about the fact that they're charging dc cocktail prices ($16-18).

also the style of their menu as a newspaper is cute but they gave me a copy with grease and food stains on it :^/

[larrydempsey]

“Jack Kirby: The King of Comics”

Captain America!  The X-Men!  The Fantastic Four!  The Incredible Hulk!  You know the names, but how many of you know the artist who created these memorable Marvel Comics characters?  Read on, faithful funny book fans, and find out!     Jack Kirby was born Jacob Kurtzberg in New York City on August 28, 1917.  His artistic career began in 1935, when he got a job working on Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons for Max Fleisher Studios.  He then moved on to drawing comic strips for the Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate, including “Socko The Sea-Dog,” “Abdul Jones,” and “Black Buccaneer.”  He also made money by freelancing for pulp novel illustrations.     Kirby joined the Eisner-Iger Studio in 1938, and his first comic book work appeared in Jungle Comics and Jumbo Comics.  Shortly after, he worked on such characters as Blue Bolt, Blue Beetle, Red Raven, and Captain Marvel (more commonly known today as Shazam).  And it was in 1941 that Kirby debuted one of his first and greatest creations: the patriotic hero Captain America.     After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Kirby resumed his career and contributed his talents to several different comic book publishers, including National Periodicals (later known as DC Comics), Harvey, and Crestwood.  During the late 1940s and early 1950s, he, along with Captain America co-creator Joe Simon, helped produce such titles as Young Romance (the world’s first romance comic), Black Magic (one of the most highly-regarded horror comics of the 1950s), Boy’s Ranch, Boy Commandos, and Star Spangled Comics (which featured Simon and Kirby’s “Newsboy Legion”).     In 1954, Simon and Kirby formed their own comic book company, Mainline Comics.  Together, they published Bullseye, In Love, Foxhole, Police Trap, and Fighting American (which was a parody of their earlier creation, Captain America).  However, their company and partnership ended in 1956.  After a social backlash made parents believe comic books were a bad influence on children, Simon left the industry for a career in advertising.  Kirby stuck with comics.     After a brief return to Prize Comics (formerly Crestwood), Kirby went back to work for DC Comics.  While there, he illustrated numerous sci-fi and mystery titles, most notable of which was one of his latest creations, the non-superpowered superheroes, the Challengers of the Unknown (who made their debut in Showcase #6 before moving onto their own title a year later).  Kirby divided his time between doing comic work and working on the “Sky Masters of the Space Force” newspaper strip to try and make enough money for his family to live on.

In 1961, Kirby didn’t need to worry about money anymore.  Writer and editor Stan Lee hired Kirby to help him create a line of characters for a new comic book publisher called Marvel Comics.  Kirby (nicknamed Jack “King” Kirby by Lee) created, along with Lee, such classic characters as The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, The X-Men, The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, and the Silver Surfer.  The only title Kirby didn’t work on was The Amazing Spider-Man (not that he didn’t have a hand in creating the character, but that's another story).  Never before, and never since, has any comic company, or creator, created so many original and important characters as Marvel and Kirby during the 1960s.     Even though Kirby created some of the world’s best-known comic characters, he wasn’t happy.  After almost a decade of feeling he wasn’t receiving as much credit as he should have, he left Marvel in 1969.  Soon after, he returned to DC Comics for a third time.  He joined DC again because they promised him complete control over the titles and characters he created.     1971 saw the debut of Kirby’s epic trilogy of Mister Miracle, The Forever People, and New Gods (which revolved around the father-son conflict between the epitome of evil, Darkseid, and his noble son, Orion).  Also included in the “Fourth World” saga, and used as a link to connect these books to the rest of the DC “universe” was Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.  Even though they sold moderately well, they were canceled after a couple of years.  It was rumored that since Kirby couldn't recreate his huge success with Marvel, DC thought the books shouldn’t continue.     Though disappointed by DC’s cancellation of his grand epic, Kirby continued on with the company.  He created more mainstream titles like The Demon, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, and O.M.A.C. (One Man Army Corps).  However, these titles failed to attract much attention, either, and Kirby left DC once again.     1976 brought Kirby’s triumphant return to Marvel and, more importantly, his return to one of his earliest creations: Captain America.  But this time, Kirby was not only drawing Cap, but he was also writing the star-spangled hero’s adventures.  Other titles that Kirby wrote, drew, and created during his return included The Eternals, Devil Dinosaur, Black Panther, 2001: A Space Odyssey (based on ideas and concepts from the movie), and Machine Man (which was a spin-off of the 2001 comic).     Around 1979, Kirby vanished from comics for a few years.  He went back to working in the field of animation, providing storyboards and character designs.  The most notable cartoons he worked on were “The Fantastic Four” and “Thundarr The Barbarian.”

In 1981, Kirby returned to comics.  Avoiding the two big companies (Marvel and DC), he began working for a new independent publisher called Pacific Comics.  His creations there included Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers and Silver Star.  The titles and the company were short-lived.     Some of Kirby’s last comic work was once again at DC Comics.  In 1984, besides working with all the major DC characters in two “Super Powers” mini-series, he was invited back to finish the saga of his Fourth World characters.  The resulting graphic novel, entitled The Hunger Dogs, was released.  Editorial control ran rampant, and the book was a mess of redrawn and rearranged story pages.  Kirby’s final word on the New Gods was nowhere near his original vision.  Resentful from the experience, Kirby’s career was nearing its end.     After a brief stint creating a line of superhero books (called, appropriately enough, “The Kirbyverse”) for another new company in the early 1990s, Topps Comics, Kirby’s final comic, Phantom Force, was for Image Comics in 1993.  It gave new, younger artists a chance to work with one of history’s greatest talents.  The series only lasted eight issues, ending shortly before Kirby’s death on February 6, 1994, at the age of 76.

With a career that spanned seven decades, Jack Kirby was the most prolific comic artist in history.  He is credited with being one of the most influential creators in the industry, and his influence can be seen and felt in nearly every comic book published today.  Every comic book reader8and creator owes him a debt of gratitude.

Copyright © 2023 Larry Dempsey.  All rights reserved.

Commentary for “Jack Kirby: The King of Comics”

��This was the seventh assignment for my “Writing for Children and Teenagers” correspondence course, which I took through the Institute of Children’s Literature.

–My teacher called my article a “good, clear job” and said that it “is nicely organized and engaging.”  He also remarked that I had “an enticing opener” and a “good close.”

–My teacher also said, “I feel you have a submittable item with your Assignment 7 piece on Jack Kirby.  It reads well, and you seem to cover the subject nicely.  You engage the reader well by talking to him and asking the occasional question.  Good!”

–I never submitted my article to a magazine for publication.  My teacher said I needed to include a bibliography, but since I was too lazy to go back and track down all of my sources again, I let it slide.  It’s a shame.  I probably could have made a little money doing a series of biographies of famous comic book creators.  Missed opportunity.

–For the most part, I don’t like writing non-fiction.  I don’t like having to cite sources and check for accuracy.  I feel too restricted.  I also fear I might accidentally include something inaccurate, either by citing an unreputable source or for whatever other reason.  I like writing fiction better, where I can do whatever I want without having to verify anything.  Maybe I just like it better because, again, I’m lazy.  Nah.  I like writing fiction better because I get to use my imagination.  Yeah.  Let’s go with that.

[deanhobbyinfo]

This 1969 single by the Country Cavaliers put me on the trail of a forgotten Dutchess County cowboy. I pulled songwriter Dominic F. Cavalieri’s full legal off the copyright cards, but most initial searches turned up info on his father. Dom, Sr. led an orchestra-for-hire in the 40s, founded a tool manufacturing operation, a childcare center, and (back to topic) a successful dude ranch.

Ponderosa Ranch opened in the mid-60s near the Cavalieri’s home in Salt Point, ten miles northeast of Poughkeepsie. Local officials shut down a racetrack proposal, but the ranch hosted many rodeos and riding competitions. Poughkeepsie Journal advertisements from ’67 and ’68 announce appearances by the Lone Ranger and Honey Girl the Wonder Horse. If the Country Cavaliers played, they weren’t billed.

Four years before his studio debut, Cavalieri married Gloria Adriance, one of his father’s employees. She also rode horses (power couple alert) and won several awards at Ponderosa competitions. After a couple years of regular newspaper references, I couldn’t find any record of Gloria after 1967. Dominic was only 36 when he died in 1981, and no spouse is mentioned in his obituary.

We wouldn’t speculate as to who or what inspired the bitter A side, but safe to say someone had DC steamed. The two-and-a-half minute avalanche begins “You sit back in your easy chair / And look out at the sun / You never had a single care / Your life has all been fun / You don’t know what it is to hurt / Or what it is to cry / You had no mercy on my heart / You sure can hurt a guy.” Whoever she was ruined his life just sitting in a La-Z-Boy. Lord she must have been bad…

Previously unavailable digitally, both “You Sure Can Hurt a Guy” and “A Chance Tonight” are up on my YouTube channel.

[onlineadvertisements]

[releasemyad]