Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1994)
Aggie life Thursday, February 17,1994 The Battalion Page 3 - binary ]■ ffi -e detail, led again.;;, mers distri f authority inch in ev 1 police w: nd the wq he escort: 2 was tat o mens; id $120 a: : .1 through; roo: all back, 1 ted attom ; soundea said: "Tel to get aws t away r : back oft ) the las: vTartin ah i the coir.: dd he Wc: ;ents to an i was neg f shoofe; uroi equestto;: em slept :. 11 said he: serting k dings. i in his nei attorney t iasedonsi Cartoon spinoffs Drawing from television success, toon creators try hand in print market By Timm Doolen Special to The Battalion L ook! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's 'Radioactive Man?!?\? It's Bartman?\?\? Yes, true believers, the earth has two new superheroes to save mankind from the evil elements in society. "Radioactive Man" and "Bartman" are the two most recent comic books from "The Simpsons" television show. TTie first two titles came out earlier this year: "Simpsons Comics," which recreates the Fox network's television show with new storylines, and "Itchy and Scratchy Comics," featuring the bloody exploits of Bart and Lisa Simpson's favorite television cartoon animals. With the two most recent titles, however, creator Matt Groening ventures into superhero territory and beyond. Radioactive Man can be taken on many levels: he is a superhero and at the same time a superhero parody; the comic makes fun of other famous superheroes — most notably Superman and Batman — and comments on censorship and the state of today's comic book industry. "Radioactive Man #1," set in 1952, includes Radioactive Man's origin (Claude Kane Ill's car breaks down too close to a nuclear bomb testing), and his first tangle with archrival Dr. Crab. Both stories are filled with witty dialogue and spoofs of traditional comic book storytelling. For instance, after Kane (resembling a young Homer Simpson) gains his nuclear powers, he decides to take on a secret identity: "I'll need a disguise — something bold — something powerful — with future merchandising potential!" "Radioactive Man" is the comic book counterpart to "Blazing Saddles" or "Spinal Tap." Duh Nuh Nuh Nuh... "Bartman" is a little less ambitious, but just as humorous. It tells of the "true life" adventures of Bart Simpson and his alter-ego, Bartman. In "Bartman #1," Bart foils a scheme by do- badders to inflate comic book prices (including "Radioactive Man.") In case you haven't bought comics since you were a kid (or never bought them), in recent years comics makers have begun using gimmicks on covers to get people to buy them. There are holograms, embossed covers, die-cut covers, glow-in-the-dark Three new cartoons, "Radioactive Man," "Bartman" and "Beavis and Butt-head" spin from successful television shows into the print market. covers (featured on the real "Radioactive Man #1") — everything short of having fireworks explode when you turn each page. In "Bartman," Bart's friend Martin buys two copies of a comic packaged so specially it catches fire and self-destructs when opened. Better than a special cover is a cover with a printing mistake, which makes it rare and pricey. Thus the "Bartman #1" plot: crooks cause printing errors and sell the "rare" comics at higher prices. But Bartman catches onto the scheme and swings into action. See Cartoons/Page 5 Weekend Highlights Chris LeDoux plays B-CS tonight Country singer Chris LeDoux will be playing tonight at the Texas Hall of Fame. The former rodeo star, best known for his duet "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy" with Garth Brooks, will be appearing for one night only with special appearances by the Aggie Wran glers and Jack Ingram. LeDoux was virtually unheard of until Garth Brooks sang of ". . . a worn-out tape of Chris LeDoux" on his debut album. But after years of selling tapes of his music from the back of a pick up, LeDoux has made a name for himself. Tickets fonLeDoux's show are available at Court's Western Wear, Rother's Bookstore and at the door. Kevin Ivy/THE Battalion Award-winning Inkuiuieko! returns Texas A&M's Theatre Inkui uieko! will present its produc tion of "Saturday Night at the Palace" once again in Rudder Theatre on Feb. 17,18 and 19. The play has been selected to compete at the Region VI- Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival where six productions will be chosen for April showdngs at the Kennedy Center. As a prelude to the festival, the group has de cided to present three more showings at Texas A&M. Written by Paul Slabolepszy, the play is a South African view of what happens when people are willing to fight over sym bols of power, even to the death. But its themes of racial prejudice and discrimination make it just as applicable in this country as well. Tickets are available at the Rudder Center Box Office. The award- Kyle Bumett/THE Battalion winning Inkuiuieko!, starring Steve Mize (left), Rapulana Seiphemo (far right) and Sam Levassar, Jr. (not pictured) returns to Rudder Theatre this weekend. point not lat the? to ES \iDS ct Lenses inded wes' »AIR .ENSEi ijetiled 0 ’ielifed 0 iorts edW N ; photo fa cial Section piphet. isson lie May 61, javaleB Mag«' tfdoQ^ II and S p« and exan’P T«asAW' U sity 3 Reed i.ed aS 'L' I .mV 1 ' b 1994 MSC Miss Texas A&M University Scholarship Pageant Saturday, February 19th 7:00 p.m. Rudder Auditorium TANYA WILLIAMS Benjamin Knox Gallery TRACEE CASTILLO Frank Cox WENDY CARTER Zales Jewelers Tickets at Rudder Box Office $5 TAMU Students $10 Non-Students ^ooooooooooo^ of lo o DYANNA WILSON First National Bank Key Homes O O O °o^ THE BEST OF BROADWAY J O O o o o SUSAN SANDFORD Chi Omega Sorority TOBEY CORDASCO Aggie Band OOOOOOOOOOO O JOLYNN MEYER Epsilon Rho Chapter, AGD Chi Phi Fraternity MEGHAN LEFTWICH Aerofit Persons with disabilities please call us at 845-1515 to Inform us of your special needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our ability. KAROL ANN TAYLOR Allen-Olds-Cadillac-Isuzu WENDY DIEDRICH Carl Bussell's Diamond Room KENDRA SMITH C.C. Creations ALTERNATES VALERIE PORTER DONNA PREWITT AMY K. SMITH HILARY EKBLAD Postoak Florists