First and First - The Nexus Of The Universe

One of the funniest moments on the TV show Seinfeld (of so many funny moments) is when Kramer gets lost downtown in the episode "The Maid." He calls Jerry from a payphone at the corner of First Avenue and First Street and says he must be at the "Nexus of the Universe." Hilarious.

When Niki and I had visited 2 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in midtown Manhattan (referred to in The Dark Tower series as the "Nexus of Time and Size"), we were continuing our first New York City adventure further south later that same day and we decided to start at 1st and 1st to pay tribute to this other famous "New York Nexus" located in the East Village.

Ironically, shortly after this we traveled west to Greenwich Village, where we had the chance to see 177a Bleecker Street, the fictional home of Marvel Comics hero Dr. Strange, which is also known as the "Nexus of All Realities." So there you have it, one city, one day, three Nexus' . . . or would that be Nexi? Does this mean that Manhattan is the "Nexus of Nexuses?" Or maybe it should just be Nexus³ . . .

Argh, my head hurts.

-DE

My very own (sorta) homemade "The Death of Captain Marvel" statue.

A few weeks ago I needed to get the wheel rims replaced on the car and so, literally without any wheels and stranded on Ontario Street for about an hour, I took a stroll down to Value Village to see if I could #FINDtheFIND and, sure enough, I did. For me, "The Find" was a small plaster reproduction of Michelangelo's "Pietà," depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Goddam creepy, right? Of course, truth be told, when I saw it on the shelf what I immediately flashed on was one of my all-time favorite comic-book stories, the original cover for the graphic novel "The Death of Captain Marvel" by Jim Starlin. That's why I couldn't pass it up.

My plan? To paint that sucker to be just that, a passable version of the cover image of the personification of Death herself cradling the estranged Kree captain and cosmic protector, Mar-Vell, as he succumbs to his final battle with both the cancer consuming his life from within and a re-animated Thanos of Titan, called back to life to claim Mar-Vell's for his beloved Mistress. While there's already a beautiful version of this cover art in statue form, produced by Art Asylum back in 2002, it goes for about $200 . . . and that's if you can even find it!

So, starting with the faux-bronze statue as I'd found it . . .

. . . first I spray-painted a flat black basecoat . . .

. . . which, once I started applying the primer coat for the parts to be painted, immediately came to life as Mistress Death's cloak.

I threw a second primer coat on to make sure the paint colour would stand out . . .

. . . sketched the features of Mar-Vell's uniform and Death's face in pencil . . .

. . . and, after carefully painting some more definition in the more detailed areas, I quickly filled in the colour for the base and stone portions.

Then, once I'd filled in the larger areas of blue and red on the uniform, the whole thing really came together . . .

. . . and with just a few touch ups to Death's face and the eight-pointed star on Marv's chest, I was pretty pleased with the final outcome.

Of course, when looking at them side-by-side, mine still doesn't compare with the Art Asylum version, but for only a fraction of the cost, it's good enough to sit proudly on my shelf!

-DE

The Adam Warlocky Horror Picture Show?

Between the perfect bronze physique from the moment he first sprang to life, the platinum blonde bowl haircut and those rockin' gold lamé shorty shorts, I've always wondered if Dr. Frankenfurter's creation from the eponymously-named The Rocky Horror Picture Show was actually based on the first appearance of Adam Warlock in Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four #67, when he was known only as "Him."

 

It looks like legendary longtime Adam Warlock scribe Jim Starlin might have thought so too, since The Infinity War version of the Magus (Adam Warlock's twisted, evil future self) is nearly a dead ringer for "Space Riff" as well.

Come to think of it, there's an eerie resemblance between the Magus' original look from the '70s comic Warlock and Dr. Frankenfurter himself!

Cosmic . . .

-DE

Tombstone Tuesday!

Though spelled slightly different, this gravestone in St. Catharines' Victoria Lawn Cemetery instantly reminded me of the Marvel Comics character Daimon Hellstrom (aka: The Son of Satan, Hellstorm). He was first introduced in the pages of the original Ghost Rider comic back in the '70s, but is probably best remembered as a member of The Defenders and husband to teammate Patsy Walker (aka: Hellcat).


Stay Tombed!

-DE

The Quest for the Dark Tower Pt. 1: Clements Guns and Sporting Goods

***Spoiler warning! Though I've made every attempt to avoid giving away key plot points during this quest, it's still very possible that information discussed herein may spoil a new reader's experience, so consider yourself warned! ***

I've been a die-hard fan of Stephen King's Dark Tower series since I first read books 1 and 2 waaay back in the summer of 1989. I've read each new book as they've become available (rereading the series as a whole each time over), as well as the current Marvel Comics series. That coupled with years of research into so many of the literary, cinematic, musical, and other various cultural and political references made in the series (also thanks in no small part to both Robin Furth's The Dark Tower: A Concordance and Bev Vincent's The Road to the Dark Tower) has resulted in my having an absurdly vast knowledge of most things Dark Tower.

Even though the story was said to have been completed in 2004, like so many other Dark Tower fans, I'm eagerly anticipating the latest chapter in the story (The Wind Through the Keyhole, scheduled for release April 24, 2012). So while we're all counting down the days for the new book, I figured I'd share some Dark Tower-related photos and memorabilia I've collected over the years.

Now let's travel todash to a place somewhere between New York City 1977 and Mid-World: Clements Guns and Sporting Goods!

Near the end of the second book, The Drawing of the Three, Roland Deschain of Gilead finds himself more or less on his own in New York City, racing against time to restock ammunition for his ancestral guns and find medication strong enough to kill the infection raging in his veins from a lobstrosity's bite, while also simultaneously trying to save the lives, minds and souls of his three traveling companions.

After consulting the mind of the monstrous Jack Mort, whose body he hijacked byway of a mystical door, Roland hops into a cab and tells the driver to take him to Seventh Avenue and Forty-ninth Street where, as we soon learn, Clements Guns and Sporting Goods is located.

In the New York of our where and when, Seventh Ave and Forty-ninth St. is home to The Playwright Tavern & Restaurant where Niki and I decided to grab a bite. The second story windows offered a great view looking out over the intersection, but the food ended up not treating us so well.

Roland had his own problems at this address. Shortly after he enters the shop he asks the clerk, "Fat Johnny" Holden, if he has a caliber chart he can look at. Fat Johnny offers up a dog-eared Shooter's Bible.

Roland thinks to himself that the book's title is very noble sounding before flipping through and finding the Fottergraff of the ammunition he requires: Winchester .45 pistol shells. But Fat Johnny tells Roland that without a handgun permit, there's no way he can sell the ammo to him legally.

It takes a little guile, finesse and the involvement of two of "New York's Finest" before Roland can lay his hands on those precious gun shells, but - true gunslinger that he is - he eventually wins through and before long he's striding down the street towards his next objective . . .

Long days, pleasant nights!

-DE

By the Vishanti! It's Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum!

"By the shades of the Seraphim and the hoary hosts of Hoggoth! By the omnipotence of Oshtur and the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto! In the name of the Vishanti three . . . reveal the light of truth to me!"

If you understood any of that, then you're probably well acquainted with Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. Dr. Stephen Strange first appeared in Strange Tales #110 in 1963 and has appeared in thousands of comics since.

Despite having read comic books for years, I only first took notice of the Sorcerer Supreme in the early '90s through his trading card and as a key player in The Infinity Gauntlet series. Strange you might say . . . perhaps, but not really when one considers the good Doctor's status as the Master of the Mystic Arts - a mastery that includes astral projection, levitation and other occult powers for protection and camouflage.


Take for example, Strange's abode, the Sanctum Sanctorum (latin for 'holiest of holy places') located at 177a Bleecker St. in New York City. Said to be the "Nexus Of All Realities" within the Marvel Universe (one of several, if that makes any sense), the Greenwich Village apartment house in recent years has been mystically cloaked to appear as a dilapidated revenent with a banner reading Another Neighborhood Starbucks Coming Soon! hanging over the front door.

In our reality, 177 Bleecker St. is the shared address of a Pinkberry frozen yogurt shop, a tattoo parlor and squeezed in between, almost invisible under a white awning, the entrance to the apartments located above. There are a few other online resources that have pointed out this address in relation to the good Doctor, the Strange-dedicated fansite Neilalien.com for example, but I thought I'd share a few photos I'd managed to take during my last visit to NYC:


The building itself (seen here at the corner of Bleecker and Sullivan Sts.) looks to be in remarkably excellent shape, but then New York has enjoyed quite a bit of urban rejuvenation lately, so it had most likely undergone some restoration in recent years.


Here's a shot of the Pinkberry and the white awning over the apartment entrance with "177" on the front.


Deciding to get a little closer, I was rewarded with the sight of this beautiful frosted transom sporting the full street address. While not the Anomaly Rue (the mystic "Window of the Worlds" depicting the Seal of the Vishanti), the bordering banner scrolls immediately reminded me of the voluminous folds of Strange's Cloak of Levitation.


As amazing as that transom was, though, this was the pièce de résistance. Here, finally, was solid evidence of 177a Bleecker St., right there on the first button of the intercom. A button that looks as if it's been pushed by more than one Dr. Strange fan in its day. I was tempted, but decided it was better not to risk distracting the Sorcerer Supreme while he could very well be saving our entire plane of existence from the extra-dimensional depredations of Baron Mordo, Nightmare or even the dread Dormammu himself!

For more information on Doctor Strange, I suggest checking out the excellently written Lesser Book of the Vishanti by Catherine Yronwode and, of course, Marvel Comics.

For more information on 177 Bleecker Street, visit the Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation.

-DE