#kent dorfman

[stone-cold-groove]

The tangled web of romance! The many loves of Peter Parker!

[ultrameganicolaokay]

DC Finest: Superman - Kryptonite Nevermore by Denny O'Neil, Curt Swan, Leo Dorfman, Murphy Anderson and more. Cover by Neal Adams. Out in June.

"One of the most beloved eras of Superman comics begins! In the Kryptonite Nevermore era, all of Earth’s kryptonite has been turned into iron, effectively rendering the Man of Steel truly invulnerable. But without any weaknesses to hold him back, can Superman be trusted to not succumb to his darker impulses? Featuring stories by comics legends Dennis O’Neil, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson, DC Finest: Kryptonite Nevermore marks the beginning of one of the greatest chapters in comics history. Collects Action Comics #393-406 and Superman #233-238, #240-246."

[superman-the-secret-third-thing]

Oh, Superman you cheeky bastard lmao

Source: Superman #210 "Clark Kent's Last Rites!" (1968) by writer Leo Dorfman and artist Curt Swan

[have-you-read-this-comic]

Propaganda under the cut

[cryptocollectibles]

Action Comics #311 (April 1964) by DC Comics

Written by Leo Dorfman, drawn by Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff.

[adamwatchesmovies]

A Wrinkle in Time (2003)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Between the 2018 big-budget film adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time and the 2003 made-for-TV version… you’d be better off reading the novel by Madeleine L’Engle. This is the better of the two adaptations but you’ve got to sift through horrendous special effects, unconvincing performances, many plot holes and a frustrating climax to see the source material shine through.

Following the mysterious disappearance of her father (Chris Potter), Meg Murry (Katie Stuart) struggles at school and with her inner thoughts. When three strange women, Mrs. Whatsit (Alfre Woodard), Mrs. Who (Alison Elliot) and Mrs. Which (Kate Nelligan) summon Meg, her telepathic, genius-level little brother Charles Wallace (David Dorfman) and their new friend Calvin O’Keefe (Gregory Smith) are sent on a mission to rescue Dr. Murry. In the process, they oppose an embodiment of evil known as the Black Thing. Though Charles Wallace is the rare person who can stand up to the sinister force, his sister is the one who will play a key role in this battle.

Conceptually, there’s plenty to like. Most YA novel adaptations feature a seemingly ordinary child who is revealed to be anything but ordinary. Here, Charles Wallace is the “chosen one” but he's so young and impressionable his normal sister becomes the more active character. Meg is relatable. She’s filled with self-doubt and feels inadequate compared to her brother. She doesn’t feel pretty is frustrated by a world that doesn’t understand her and is still reeling from her father's disappearance. Katie Stuart is ok in the role. Not spectacular but usually fine.

The troubles begin as soon as the three guardian angels/witches enter. After bringing the children to a fantastical world, Mrs. Whatsit transforms into a winged centaur-like creature. The special effect is so terrible it’s impossible to ignore. I don’t like harping on special effects. Ultimately, the writing, story and performances make a movie. The eye candy is extra but someone should’ve said something. If you're still hesitant to call this take on A Wrinkle in Time bad at this point, just wait. While no other visuals look quite as awful as that nightmare beast, none of what follows looks or feels quite right. The story is rushed and besides Meg, no one receives the characterization needed for you to latch onto and love them. Charles Wallace is bullied by other children because he refuses (at least at the beginning of the film) to speak to anyone outside his family. Why does his mother (Sarah-Jane Redmond) still send him to a normal school? We’re told The Black Thing is a threat to the entire galaxy… but for the most part, the three children battle it on their own? What are the three ladies doing in the meantime? I'm almost certain the four-hour miniseries cut fixes many of these issues. As-is, 124 minutes is far too short for the material. Paradoxically, too much of this film’s plot is dedicated to elements that ultimately lead nowhere and are a waste of time. A planet with Wookie-like creatures and the aforementioned flying beast don’t serve much of a purpose in the grand scheme of things. They certainly don’t give the people watching much of a spectacle.

You can see why someone green-lit this production. There’s a gem of an idea at its core. At one point, our heroes travel to the planet Camazotz, whose people are forced into a conformist society controlled by IT/The Black Thing. Everywhere, there’s a certain rhythmic noise. It’s the bouncing of basketballs, the tapping of fingers on the desk, the footsteps of the people IT subjugates. The evil's suffocating control is brilliantly done. In terms of what you can look forward to, there's little else. A Wrinkle in Time simply isn’t well translated to the screen. The urgency we should be feeling during the climax is absent. This makes you realize how lacklustre the performances are and how thin your patience is getting. If I never hear someone yell “Charles Wallace!” again, it’ll be too soon. You find it hard to care about anything despite the promising beginning.

Most hilariously, the people at Disney Marketing knew they had a hard-sell on their hands, which is why the image of a castle and a pegasus (neither of which appear in the movie) are plastered all over the DVD. Even if you go in with low standards and understand the limitations of a made-for-TV movie, 2003’s A Wrinkle in Time disappoints. (On DVD, December 27, 2019)

[izzys-issues]

31. "The Three Generations of Superman / Supergirl… Fugitive From Justice!"

(Action Comics Vol. 1 # 327, August 1965)

Three Generations of Superman: 4 Questionable Elseworlds Premises out if 10

FAVORITE: I LOVE A FUTURE WITH MORE HOSPITALS AND LESS PRISONS (as long as healthcare has increased in affordability and accessibility alongside it)

LEAST FAVORITE: How is Jor-El II more of a tightwad in contrast with his father than Tenzin is with Aang?

Fugitive From Justice: 4 False Accusations out of 10

FAVORITE: The concept of the Inter-Dimensional Bureau of Investigation is so sweet and I can't believe they never brought it back. Just like thirty years later they could've said it was connected to the Monitors or something

LEAST FAVORITE: That's some mighty cruel gaslighting toward Kara 

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: A Wrinkle in Time

Rating: PG

Director: John Kent Harrison

Cast: Katie Stuart, Gregory Smith, David Dorfman, Chris Potter, Kyle Secor, Sean Cullen, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Kate Nelligan, Alison Elliott, Alfre Woodard, Munro Chambers, Noel Fisher

Release year: 2003

Genres: science fiction, drama

Blurb: Meg and Charles Wallace are aided by Calvin and three interesting women in the search for their father, who disappeared during a government experiment. Their travels take them around the universe, to a place unlike any other.

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Action Comics #346 ‘The Man Who Sold Insurance to Superman!’ and ‘The Case of the Superman Impostor!’ (1966) by Leo Dorfman, Wayne Boring, Robert Bernstein, Jim Mooney and others. Edited by Mort Weisinger. Cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

(1967)

[cryingalexanders]

So I did some research on which silver and bronze age writers were behind certain Lex Luthor stories, and assigned them in this list:

Jerry Siegel

Adventure Comics #271 "How Luthor Met Superboy",

Superboy #86 "The Army of Living Kryptonite Men",

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #23 "The Curse of Lena Thorul",

Superman #149 "The Death of Superman",

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #64-65 (with Jack Schiff & Leo Dorfman)

Otto Binder

Superboy #121 "Jor-El's Visit to Earth",

Superboy #139 "The Town that Hated Superboy"

Edmond Hamilton

Superman #164 "The Showdown Between Superman and Luthor",

Superman #168 "Luthor -- Super-Hero!",

Action Comics #318 "The Death of Luthor!",

Superman #175 "Clark Kent's Brother"

Leo Dorfman

Action Comics #295 "The Girl With the X-Ray Mind",

Action Comics #296-298,

Adventure Comics #387-388 "Lex Luthor's Outlaw Nephew",

Action Comics #332 "The Super-Revenge of Lex Luthor",

Action Comics #363-365,

Action Comics #417-418 "The Conspiracy Of The Crime-Lords"

Len Wein

Superman #248 "The Man Who Murdered the Earth"

Elizabeth M. Smith

Action Comics #486 "Hero for a Day"

Elliot Maggin

Superman #286 "The Parasite's Power Play",

The Joker #7,

Superman #292 "The Luthor Nobody Knows",

Superman Annual #9,

DC Comics Presents Annual #4 "Welcome to Luthorcon III!",

Superman #416 "The Einstein Connection"

Cary Bates

World's Finest #189-190 "The Man With Superman's Heart",

Action Comics #407 "The Fiend in the Fortress of Solitude",

Action Comics #318 "Luthor's Hammer of Hate!",

DC Special Series #5,

Action Comics #510-512,

Action Comics #544 "Luthor Unleashed!", Superman #385-386,

Superman Annual #12

Martin Pasko

Action Comics #500,

Superman Family #214 "The Strange Revenge of Lena Luthor"

Marv Wolfman

DC Comics Presents Annual #1

Misc:

Heroes Against Hunger - Various Writers

I was actually rather surprised by some of this. Finding out that Leo Dorfman wrote the Action Comics #363-365 "Leper from Krypton" arc, indicates he's actually been quite influential on Mark Waid, in my opinion. (And I definitely think that Cary Bates in particular influenced Grant Morrison. Bates' stuff ranges in quality a little, but the higher end stuff is fantastic.) I also didn't remember that it was Siegel who introduced Lena, and I was shocked to find out he co-wrote that mad Lex/Lois romance in earth-64.

And I didn't list every story, obviously. I just tracked down ones that were memorable to me for one reason or another.

[batmanonthecover]

World’s Finest #171 - November 1967 (DC Comics - USA)

Cover Art: Curt Swan

THE EXECUTIONER’S LIST

Script:  Leo Dorfman

Art:  Curt Swan (Pencils), George Klien (Inks), Joe Letterse (Letters)

Characters: Superman [Clark Kent]; Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Swifty Sloane; Perry White; Lois Lane; Alfred; Mark Dolan; Chauncey Belmont; Victor Stark

Synopsis: Someone is trying to kill the members of a firing squad

Batman story #1,214

[superman-the-secret-third-thing]

Oh SIlver Age Lois and Clark <3

Superman #180 "Clark Kent's Great Superman Hunt!" (1965) by writer Leo Dorfman and artist Al Plastino

[moviemosaics]

Spinster

directed by Andrea Dorfman, 2019

[unstable-molecules]

Leo Dorfman was an important writer for the Superman books in the Silver Age but when the Bronze Age rolled-in he was writing for DC's Ghost titles. He did pen this Superman two-parter which, sadly, was one of his last works as he died in 1974. "Conspiracy of the Crime-Lords" was published in Action Comics #417, Oct 1972. Writer Leo Dorfman; artists Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Cover by Nick Cardy.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Animal House (1978)

National Lampoon’s Animal House is an important movie. You can see its influence in the many raunchy and gross-out comedies that attempted to ride on its coattails after its release. Countless films have either imitated its style or attempted to one-up its hijinks. It’s unapologetically vulgar and crass, memorable and often hilarious. It’s also horribly dated - we’re talking Breakfast at Tiffany’s dated - which makes it hard to recommend unless you’re from a certain era, or watching it for academic reasons.

In 1962, Faber College’s Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) is fed up with the Delta Tau Chi "Animal House" Fraternity. It isn’t hard to see why. Its members are nothing but hard-partying, womanizing delinquents with low grade point averages and a knack for disobedience - unlike the prestigious, snooty, elitist Omega Theta Pi house, who hate them just as much as the Dean does.

Animal House doesn't have much of a plot. For 109 minutes, we follow various members of the fraternity as they go wild. New pledges Larry Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent Dorfman (Stephen Furst), the legendary John "Bluto" Blutarsky, motorcyclist/mechanic Daniel Simpson "D-Day" Day (Bruce McGill), chapter president Robert Hoover (James Widdoes), ladies’ man Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson), and the only one with a steady girlfriend, Donald "Boon" Schoenstein (Peter Riegert) all go on the kind of adventures that you can’t believe someone committed to film in 1978. It’s essentially a series of sketches, many of which you see once and never forget. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I just need to say “the horse” and you start to crack up.

While the film doesn’t contain the kind of rampant misogyny many of its imitators attempted to mine for comedy (such as Porky’s)… it’s still got a problematic attitude towards women. If it were just one scene of Bluto peeking through a window to see ladies changing, it might be ok. The college students we see are all parading in their underwear while having a pillow fight, which is so outlandish it's funny. The problem is how many moments of this nature we see. Animal House has a scene in which a character has to seriously consider why having sex with an unconscious woman is a bad idea. It’s one rape joke too many but then there's another not too far away. Yikes.

I can’t blame anyone who gets offended at the homophobic jokes - all I can say is that’s just the way things were back then - or the racist jokes - times were different but things have changed, I swear. Even if you overlook them, the picture’s general attitude just doesn’t sit well today. You might not like the snobs in Omega Theta Pi but at least they’re good students. Animal House is filled with cheaters who take nothing seriously and then complain when the administration holds them accountable. Maybe fraternities mean a different thing in the United States than they do in Canada, or they were a bigger deal back in the day but it's hard to figure out why you should like the hooligans from Animal House at the end of the day.

If you’re curious and undeterred by the dated humor, there are plenty of funny gags and several of them produce big laughs. I just don’t know who this movie is for anymore. You’d have a difficult time looking at your female friends in the face after watching this film with them. With your kids? They’d be appalled. Even among your buddies, I suspect you’d find a larger-than-expected number of them who’d go “Hey man, this isn’t cool”. I'm glad I saw Animal House. Now that I have, I understand why the film was as influential as it was but I doubt I'll feel the need to revisit it. This makes me unsure if I recommend it or not. I suppose I do, if you know what you're getting into, at least so you can "get it" too. (On Blu-ray, July 23, 2021)

[onlylonelylatino]

Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane by Irv Novick