Aggie life
Thursday, February 17,1994
The Battalion
Page 3
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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.
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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
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°o^
THE BEST
OF
BROADWAY
J
O
O
o
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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