One day a few months ago, I found a very early post by Julian where he says nice things about Otto Binder...
I have some good things to say about Otto Binder.
He wrote one good story that I do like: the original Kryptonite Man story. It was not a perfect story by any means: there's this time-killing subplot about Clark Kent and a radioactive money that distracted from the action. Ugh. NO. ONE. CARES. Also, there is the usual problems with Plastino's art. Don't believe me? Look on page six. Man, I ain't exactly Mr. Universe, and I could pick up that Fortress Key.
Luthor can build a satellite that turns all lead worldwide into glass, but he can't notice a giant military helicopter RIGHT ABOVE HIM?
All those problems aside, by Binder standards "Kryptonite Man" was absolute genius. Unlike nearly all of Binder's output, it involves a fight with a real villain. (I know. What a concept, right?) It was unbelievably grandiose, with Superman as an underdog against an unbelievably powerful Luthor, playing Tom and Jerry with various schemes.
Even a blind monkey sometimes finds a banana.
I do, however, think that Binder was an immense loser that endured the humiliation of being utterly owned by a thirteen year old at his chosen profession.
If I could bring to film one "behind the scenes" comics story, it would be Otto Binder meets Jim Shooter. It would be the AMADEUS of comics. Ben Stiller would play Otto Binder as an especially dark version of the persecuted everyman he does in every movie, who's moved by envy to murder Jim Shooter (played by Hayley Joel Osmond).
WHICH OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS?
"The Sun Eater and the Death of Ferro Lad"
"The Adult Legion Story"
"Lana Lang is...the Six Legged Legionnaire!"
This was a year ago, though...
Yeah, but look at what I'm
actually saying there:
"Whee! I'm distracted by shiny objects!'
OF COURSE I'd wise up from that. I wised up a hell of a lot quicker on ASS than I did on something as goofy and style-over-substance like MacGregor's KILLRAVEN or the Conway ATARI FORCE (heh heh heh).
Also, we have to take into account writers that raise the bar. I liked Morrison's JLA at the time, but found myself immensely critical of Morrison's JLA when Geoff Johns showed how a DC team book should be done in JSA (and later, when Busiek and Meltzer did their bit with the book). Likewise, when Busiek and Johns started Superman, it became increasingly physically painful to read Morrison.
These things happen. After BATMAN BEGINS did so much right that other movie versions did wrong, many people, myself included, could not appreciate the nineties Tim Burton Batman movies.
J-Lo is actually the evil robotic nemesis counterpart of L-Ron.
Hehehe. Couldn't Giffen have named a robot after a, y'know, GOOD science fiction pulp writer? L-Brak, for instance?
(I assume he named the robot after L. Ron Hubbard because of his science fiction...because the alternative is too horrifying to dare contemplate.)