Comics
i I
Batman
Createdby Bob Kane
©1978 DC Comics
Fantastic Four
Created by Stan Lee
©1978 Marvel Comics Group
Spider-Man
Created by Stan Lee
©1978 Marvel Comics Group
The average comic book reader
used to be about seven years old
and appreciated no more depth
than “whiff, zam and powie!”
The comic fan of today is any
where between 13 and 95 and
demands romance, angst and
tragedy from his superheroes.
The do-gooders and the villains
are strictly 20th century and con
sequently, their lives read like
soap operas.
Here’s a wrap-up of the current
status of three fantasy heros that
we grew up with.
The original soul-searching
superhero, your friendly neigh
borhood Spider-Man, has woven
a tangled web. In his alter-identity
of Peter Parker, boy genius and
freelance photojournalist, he is re
jected by his scarlet haired
girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson.
With a diamond ring in his poc
ket, he returns to his dreary little
pad to find none other than his old
heart throb, Betty Brant, waiting
eagerly for him.
Betty, a delicious dish in jet
black knee high boots, literally
throws herself at him, an offer that
no red blooded Spider-Man can
refuse. But there is a stumbling
block: Betty Brant is actually Betty
Leeds — a married woman! Since
this comic needs a seal of ap
proval, Peter discreetly turns her
down.
Betty, however, is undaunted
by his rejection and continues the
proposition on and off for several
issues.
Finally, Peter, who has seri
ously considered and reconsi
dered her offer many times, lets
his morality get the best of him. In
a ploy straight out of Love Boat,
Peter asks Mary Jane out again in
hopes that it will give him an ex
cuse not to get-it-on with Betty.
M.J. accepts and Parker says:
“Now that I have a date with M. J.
maybe Betty will go back to Ned
Leeds where she belongs. Well,
Parker, it looks like you’re finally
having some luck.’’
No chance. Four frames later,
Spider-Man is battling it out with
the seemingly omnipresent
Spider-Slayer, a robot especially
designed to kill the web slinger.
The duties of a hero are never
done.
This year the Fantastic Four
split up for about the fourth time.
Reed Richards, the stretching
leader of the group, is just getting
too old for the crime-fighting busi
ness; rigor mortis sets in and he
loses his elasticity.
Brittle, broken hearted and sex
ually frustrated, he mopes around
for a while and then finally dis
bands the group. But never fear
because in just three issues the
resilient Richards, the muscle
bound Thing, the hot headed
Human Torch and the inscrutable
invisible Girl are back together
fighting their old arch-nemesis Dr.
Victor Von Doom.
Masking his foul plan in the
guise of good will, the mail-dad
megalomaniac shoots Richards
into space where, exposed to
some cosmic rays that made him
elastic over a decade ago, Mr.
Fantastic regains his power. Reed
re-enters the atmosphere as
pliant as ever.
Reed, feeling macho again,
dukes it out with the psychopathic
Ph.D. one-on-one and tears off
the mask that covers Doom's
hideously disfigured face. The
doctor sees himself in a mirror
and, with his facade gone, flips
MAftVCl COIWCS CHOUF
MARVEL TALES
out. “Oh God, I’m ugly!” he
screams.
Off comes the armor. On goes
the straight jacket and Doom is led
to a padded cell at Bellvue
The nocturnal Batman is by far
one of the most complex charac
ters in comicdom today. With a
twisted vigilance for self-styled
justice, he takes out his revenge
for his parents’ murder years ago
on every petty street punk he
meets. Unlike the moral crime
fighter of 10 years ago, today’s
Batman seems to take fiendish de
light in knocking heads together.
He may be a bit trigger happy,
but he is the greatest detective in
the world of fantasy. He is also, in
his alias of Bruce Wayne, one of
the greatest womanizers, and with
his influential young ward, Dick
(Robin) Grayson, away at Hudson
University, he has a house guest
— female, of course.
After a wild romance with Silver
St. Cloud, a foxy society girl, who
is forced to dump him when she
finds out his Bat-alias, Bruce
Wayne swears he hates Batman
and never wants to see him again.
This is quite a trick since they are
the same person but who expects
logic from a latent schizophrenic.
It is not easy, however, to teach
an old bat new habits and in the
next issue he dons his cape and
cowl again, ready to strike fear
into the black hearts of villains.
Once a vigilante always a vig
ilante. By Keith Allen
1
Jan. 18 to
Jan. 24
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Music
Homefried Truckstop: Dinner — Susan
Arrow (guitar).
Eugene Hotel: UPEPO, $1.50.
Harvester: Mithrandir.
The Place: Any Old Time String Band, no
cover.
Odetta, Beall Hall, 8 p.m. $2 at EMU and at
door. Odetta has performed all over the world
and made numerous recordings. Her reper
toire includes blues, spirituals, jazz, and all
kinds of folk songs.
Mid-winter folk music festival. Ida Patter
son Community School, 7p.m., $1. Featuring
Tommy Smith, Linda Danielson, Chico
Schwall, John Addiego and Mike Ford.
Theater
"him," Pocket Playhouse in Villard Hall, 8
p.m. Plays Jan. 18-20 and 25-27. $1.50 stu
dents and senior citizens, $3 general public.
Tickets may be reserved by calling LIT box
office 686-4191. “him”, with its huge cast of
23 actors and unique theatrical style which
blends vaudevillian and surreaistic techni
ques, describes the process of artistic crea
tion. A rare production of e.e. cummings’ only
play.
The Importance of Being Earnest,” ORT
Atrium Mall, 8 p.m. Jan. 17-21, 24-28,
31-Feb. 4, with Sunday matinees each week
at 2 p.m. Call ORT box office 485-1946 for
ticket info. Oscar Wilde's tum-of-the-century
comedy of mistaken identities.
Film
“The Goodbye Girl,” 150 Geology, 7 49:30
p.m., $1. Neil Simon's script with Oscar win
ner Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason.
“Network,” 180 PLC, 7 & 9:30 p.m., $1.25.
All-star cast depicting future of boob-tube.
Music
Homefried Truckstop: Breakfast —Sigfig;
dinner — Terese Weber (harp).
Odetta, Beall Hall, 12:30 p.m. Workshops
by American folk singer. Admission to work
shop1 is $1.
La Julienne, Beall Hall, 8 p.m Early music
ensemble from Ashland. Tickets are availa
ble at the door for $2.50 for students and
senior citizens and $3.50 for the general pub
lic. La Julienne will conduct a workshop on
Saturday. For information call 686-3575.
Eugene Hotel: UPEPO, $2.
Harvester: Mithrandir.
The Race: Any Old Time String Band, no
cover.
Olde Dexter Theatre: Fox Hollow String
Band, barn dance with caller, 8 p.m., $1. Fol
low Hwy. 58 to the heart of Dexter. For infor
mation call 937-3473.
Theater
"him,” (See Thursday's listing).
"The Importance of Being Earnest,” (See
Thursday's listing).
Miscellaneous
Curry/Oslund Dance Co., Springfield High
School. 875 N. 7th, 8:15 p.m., $3 adults,
$1.50 kids and senior citizens.
Jack Welpott, photographer, guests on “Art
Access," broadcast on KWAX-FM, 9:45 a.m.
Welpott s photos are currently displayed at
the Photography at Oregon Gallery in the
University art museum.
Film
“TheFlescuers,” (Kids'matinee), 180PLC,
4 & 7 p.m., $1/500.
“Annie Hall," 150 Geology, 7 & 9 p.m.,
$1.25. Another Woody-Keaton biggy.
Music
Homefried Trucks top: Breakfast — Sattva
(Mideastem); dinner — Chico (guitar).
Eugene Hotel: UPEPO, $2
Harvester: Mithrandir.
The Race: Any Old Time String Band, no
cover
Walker Cunningham, guest organ recital.
Central Lutheran Church, 8 p.m. $2 public; $1
students and seniors His program will in
clude works by Sweelinck, Scheidemann,
C.P.E. Bach, and J.S. Bach.
Arcturus, WOW Hall, 291 W. 8th, 8 p.m.
Tickets $2.50 at door. A jazz quintet whose
members have played in a number of re
spected bands.
Theater
“him," (See Thursday’s listing).
"The Importance of Being Earnest," (See
Thursday's isting).
Film
"Annie Hall," 150 Geology, 7 & 9 p.m.,
$1.25.
"Lawrence of Arabia,” 180 PLC, 8 p.m.
only, $1. Peter O'Toole s best remembered
role.
Music
Homefried Truckstop: Breakfast — The
Saraswati Trio; cSnner — Andy Guzie (classi
cal guitar).
Eugene Hotel: Pete Karnes Blues Band,
$1.
La Chambre Woodwind Quintet, Maude I
Kerns Art Center, 4 p.m., free La Chambre,
which is formerly the Symphony Woodwind
Quintet, is composed of Jeanne Wolfgang,
Kay Holbo, Nancy Belpat, Larry Brezicka,
and Cindy McManus.
Theater
"The Importance of Being Earnest,
Miscellaneous
"Dream and Art Workgroup," creative inner
work; exploring inner symbols expressed in
dreams and art. Weekly 7-10 p.m., $35
month Call 342-7001 for information. Work
shops led by Gene Marks and Deborah
Sadowsky.
Music
Eugene Hotel: Pete Kames Blues Band,
$1.
The Place: Billy C. Farlow, no cover.
Eugene Symphony Orchestra Preview
Concert, Beall Hall, 730 p.m. Program in
cludes works by Copland, Hovhaness, Grif
fes, Ives, and Barber.
Live from the Center, WOW Hall, 10 p.m.
Dave and Grady along with friends and folk
singer Paul Halpem. Tickets $1 at door.
Ragtime Millionaires, Oregon Repertory
Theatre — Atrium, 8 p.m., $2 general admis
sion, $1.50 Eugene Folklore Society mem
bers. The Millionaires are a jug band playing
blues and swing.
Music
Homefried Truckstop: Breakfast — Emmy
Fox (Banjo); lunch — Carole Platas (guitar);
dinner — Danishman (guitar).
Eugene Hotel: Marty Erlich (Reeds). $1.
The Place; Jules & The Polar Bears. $1.
New Punk group. Could The Place be turning
into Eugene s own CBGB's?
Eugene Symphony Orchestra. Beall Hall, 8
p.m. Tickets S3, $4, and $6 from School of
Music. Program Tuesday and Wednesday
nights; Copland — “Danson Cubano,”
Hovahness — Mysterious Mountain," Grif
fes — "Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan,” Ives
— "Central Park in the Dark,” and Barber —
"Symphony #1.
Music
Homefried Truckstop: Breakfast — Josh
Schurman (guitar); lunch. Kat; dinner —
Linda Danielson (fiddle).
Eugene Hotel: Marty Erlich (reeds), $1.
The Place; WheatfiekJ, no cover.
Eugene Symphony Orchestra, (See
Tuesday's listing).
Theater
“The Importance of Being Earnest," (See
Thursday's listing).
Maude I. Kerns Art Center: Michael Smith
(landscapes in ceramic and day) during
month of January.
High Street Coffee Gallery, 1243 High St.:
Tom Blodgett (drawings from New York
show) Jan. 7-27.
Northside Gallery: "Eklektik Elektrik,"
some tradngs and erasings from an inquiry
into electronic image generation by David
Foster. Jan. 15-25.
UO Museum of Art: Jack Welpott (photo
graphy) Jan. 7-Feb. 11. Welpott deals with
the urban landscape and with the "psycholo
gical landscape," attempting through his
photographs to define changing reality in
terms of human psychology. George Cruik
shank (amusing and entertaining illustra
tions) and Ellie Fidler (wool tapestries).