Author: Mike Gold

Remember Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy movie? It was released 21 years ago, and as movies go, it was somewhat south of Gone With The Wind.

But according to a federal court in Los Angeles, Beatty retains the movie and teevee rights to Dick Tracy – because he appeared in his Dick Tracy costume on a teevee interview that was filmed in 2008.

That was the year Beatty sued the Tribune Company to prevent the owners from taking back the media rights after 18 years of dormancy. “The court found that Warren did everything that was required of him to retain the rights,” Beatty’s lawyer, Charles Shephard, said. Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman said, logically, “At the present time, we are reviewing the judge’s opinion and evaluating our options.”

The Dick Tracy newspaper strip, in constant syndication since 1931, was revitalized last week when artist Joe Staton and writer Mike Curtis took over the feature.

We at ComicMix now anticipate Mr. Beatty eventually returning to the role of Milton Armitage, the antagonist he played in the classic Dobie Gillis teevee series.

Our old pal Graham Nolan, presently the artist on the Rex Morgan newspaper strip and a former artist on Batman, Spider-Man, Hawkman, The Prowler, The Atom, The Phantom and many other fine comics, has accomplished the near-impossible: he’s got a syndication deal on an original newspaper strip.

Damn. Just when I thought the medium was pushing up daisies, too. And right after the announcement that Joe Staton is taking over the art chores on Dick Tracy next Monday.

(Some of our readers might not know what a “newspaper” is. I suggest going to your local convenience store and check on out – but not the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, who remain comic-less.)

Graham’s strip is called Sunshine State, and it’s about a gator, a pelican, a lizard, and a Tiki bar owning manatee in Florida. Together, they “try to navigate the increasingly technological encroachment of the 21st century,” according to Mr. Nolan. Unlike Dick Tracy, it’s a humor strip and it has been, and continues to be, a web comic. The newspaper version will debut as both a daily and a Sunday feature towards the end of spring.

Best of luck, Graham! Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!

Loyal and even semi-conscious comics fans know that Captain America’s arch-nemesis (love that phrase) the Red Skull was a big-time Nazi in the 1940s. The next decade, he was a Commie, proving you don’t have to be a Republican to conflate the two extreme opposites. In the 1960s – and ever since – he’s worked with (more or less) lots of organizations but was always in it for himself.

The movie Red Skull is a bit more confusing.

Entertainment Weekly released the above photo of Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull (a.k.a. Johann Schmidt) in this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger, an origin story largely set in World War II. But if you take a close look at that belt buckle he’s wearing, it appears that at some point in the movie Skully gets… Hydrated.

Unless the shot is actually from the 2012 Avengers movie.

Did you ever wonder who might be Johnny Depp’s favorite super-hero? Probably not, but I’ll bet you can figure it out.

Yep. You guessed it. Johnny Depp’s favorite super-hero is Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Of course, Namor isn’t quite a super-hero, having been bridging the gap between hero and menace for 71 years. Which is why I’m not surprised he’s Depp’s favorite.

Now, let’s not go nuts here. Depp is not suggesting he’s going to play Namor in the Avengers movie or some other place, and he’s not even suggesting wants to play the part. Right now he’s in the middle of at least four movies, including the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean and the new Dark Shadows movie, where he plays Barnabas Collins.

Depp was a real Marvel Comics fan, showing preference for both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four… although he didn’t care for Captain America, and this was long before we ever heard of Al Qaeda. Depp also liked Sgt. Rock.  Depp told Hero Complex “The Sub-Mariner was the alternative one. The alt-superhero. He was the sort of Bohemian comic book. I like that.”

I know I said there was no movie involved, but if Depp were to give Subbie a go, maybe they could get Joaquin Phoenix to play the Human Torch.

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• Johnny Depp: My favorite comic book character is… (herocomplex.latimes.com)

You may have heard that actor and author Nicholas Courtney died this past Monday. I’d like to add a personal note.

First, some background. Nicholas Courtney was best known for playing the part of Brigadier General Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart on the Doctor Who teevee series, as well as many of the original full-cast audio adventures and, in 2008, on the spin-off show Sarah Jane Adventures. He performed with at least eight of the eleven doctors, and had worked on stage and on such famous British shows as The Saint, The Avengers, Yes Prime Minister and The Champions.

I first met Nick at a Doctor Who convention in Chicago nearly 30 years ago. I was one of the organizers, and while we were waiting for our panel on the first day I asked him if he had ever done any radio drama. Given his rich, authoritative voice, I thought he was a natural and I knew radio drama was still alive and well in Great Britain. Nick lit up like a Christmas tree and said he did it, and does it, as often as he could. He absolutely loved the medium.

We became friends and stayed in touch for about fifteen years. When he returned to the role of the Brigadier in the original audio shows, he was very excited and very happy to share. Nick said I was one of the few who would understand his enthusiasm, and that really meant a lot to me.

Overall, Nicholas Courtney played the role for 40 years with only a comparatively brief time off in the middle. That’s really something. During his tenure, ten different actors played the lead along with countless companions and villains, and he outlasted them all. That’s what makes a legend.

I’m really going to miss the unflappable Brigadier General Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, and I’m going to miss the sweet, affable storyteller named Nicholas Courtney even more.

Long-time Dick Tracy aficionado Joe Staton will be taking the classic Dick Tracy newspaper strip following the retirement of long-time artist Dick Locher after March 13.

That’s the right man for the job. Of course, this writer made that suggestion to the newspaper syndicate 27 years ago. Joe should be admired for his patience as well as his craft.

Staton is well-known for his work on such comics characters as Superman, Spider-Man, E-Man, Green Lantern, the Justice Society, The Avengers, The Hulk, The Huntress, Scooby-Doo, Plastic Man … well, you get the point.

What this means is, unlike Brenda Starr and Little Orphan Annie, Tribune Media Services is not canceling Dick Tracy – contrary to rumor.

Joe will be joined by writer Mike Curtis.

“I learned the mechanics of sex from Carl Barks. He was known as the good duck artist (for his work on Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge), but for me he was the good fuck artist.”

Craig Yoe said that last night at the opening of Comics Stripped, an exhibition at the Museum of Sex in (where else?) Manhattan. Yoe is best known out in the real world as the man behind Yoe! Studios, a design outfit that was highly influenced by its founder’s fondness of comics art. The former creative director of the Muppets workshop, in our fannish conclave Craig’s best known as the historian who feverishly documents the relatively hidden nooks and crannies that weave their way through our beloved art form. His more recent books have been published by IDW and Fantagraphics.

Yoe was referring to Bark’s esser-known semi-erotic work, none of which was published by Disney. Unca Carl wasn’t the only major comics creator who drew on the wild side. He was joined by Dan DeCarlo, Jack Cole, Wally Wood, Willy Elder, Joe Shuster and others, all of whom – except Barks – represented in the Comics Stripped exhibition. They are joined by a wide range of artists including Robert Crumb, Jessica Fink, Spain Rodriguez, Eldon Dedini, Eric Stanton, Colleen Coover and a great many other cartoonist legends.

Yoe curated the exhibit and some of the work represented came from his own collection. Classic mid-30s “eight-pagers” were well represented, as were publications ranging from Capt. Billy’s Whiz-Bang and Ballyhoo to more contemporary publications such as Glamour, Screw and Jiz.

Those extremely well-versed in comics history and lore might not learn all that much but they will happily join the rest in gawking over all that beautiful original art.

The Comics Stripped show has an open-ended run at The Museum of Sex, 233 Fifth Avenue (at 27th Street) in New York City. Admission is $16.75 plus tax. More info: click.