The Wheezer Society

Batman Beats Superman

Boxers or Briefs? Mickey or Bugs? Bugs. DC or Marvel? Marvel. So, when it comes to the recent sale of Action Comic #1 featuring Superman (aka the first Superman comic book) selling for a record $1 Million on February 22nd, I'm thinking, "Wow! That's pretty cool." Less than one year ago, the same comic book sold for a mere $317,200 at auction. That's a pretty nice rate of return (around 68% ROI).


Now it's being reported that Detective Comics No 27 (featuring the first appearance of Batman (aka The Bat Man) sold for a record $1,075,500. So, for now, Batman beats Superman.


Back when I was collecting comic books in the late 60's and early 70's (the local rounds included Cal's, Beaver Bookstore and Powell's) spending more than a few bucks on a comic book was unheard of. I picked up Avenger's #2 (cover art by jack Kirby) for around $5 (now if I can just find it!) and I thought that was crazy.

Wild Space A Go Go - A Musical Space Adventure

Longtime personal friend and friend of The Wheezers, Kurt Misar (40+ years) has been up to something of note (yes, pun intended). Kurt is a talented composer and musician. He's been buried knee-deep in writing a new musical theatre project the past few years. He's just announced that the World Premiere of his latest creation, will be Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at The Embers Avenue, 110 NW Broadway in Portland, OR

Best described as a parody of 60s Franco-Italian sci-fi films, WILD SPACE A GO GO! embodies 60's Playboy Sex-In-Cinema and the swinging 60's sexual revolution in a delightfully provocative sexual identity farce and musical play. Tickets go on sale March 1st at Brown Paper Tickets.

Featuring a cast of ten, with seven wild and sexy space women and three mixed-up Earth men, they're joined by a live, five member rock band, multi-media video and animation, stunning lighting, fog and laser effects and a full bar - serving pub food and a huge assortment of drinks - this fully costumed, choreographed, two act musical is certainly going to be unlike any musical you have ever seen or heard.

Andy Johnson Impeached This Day 1868

Sworn in as President after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, President Andrew Johnson enacted a lenient Reconstruction policy for the defeated South, including almost total amnesty to ex-Confederates, a program of rapid restoration of U.S.-state status for the seceded states, and the approval of new, local Southern governments, which were able to legislate "Black Codes" that preserved the system of slavery in all but its name.

The bill prohibited the president from removing officials confirmed by the Senate without senatorial approval and was designed to shield members of Johnson's Cabinet like Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Supreme Court refused to rule on the case, and Grant turned the office back to Stanton after the Senate passed a measure in protest of the dismissal.

On February 21, 1868, Johnson decided to rid himself of Stanton once and for all and appointed General Lorenzo Thomas, an individual far less favorable to the Congress than Grant, as secretary of war. Stanton refused to yield, barricading himself in his office, and the House of Representatives, which had already discussed impeachment after Johnson's first dismissal of Stanton, initiated formal impeachment proceedings against the President Johnson.

Kookie Plak #9

This is the #9 in a series of 1965 bubblegum cards from Topps (famous for baseball cards) called 'Kookie Plaks'.

In 1959, Topps hired MAD cartoonist Jack Davis to create a set of 'Wacky Plaks', which were then re-done in 1965 as Kookie Plaks, complete with a new numbering sequence. The 1965 set had 88 cards.

Happy Birthday, George

Over Here Inspector!

Wheezer Mike Murnin telling his famous Sherlock Holmes Drowned Man story circa 1975.

"Yes, it looks like he's been in the river for about a week, Inspector..." This still make me wheeze after all these years. Happy Birthday Murnin!

Happy Birthday Mister Byers

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Birthday Abe Lincoln

Frisbee The Most Boring Game In The World

Fred Morrison, the guy who took a tossed pie tin and created an empire has passed away. Frisbee, the most boring game in the world can trace it's roots to bored students in Connecticut, who would play with pie tins from the nearby Frisbee Baking Company. When the empty pie tins were tossed, college kids would yell "Frisbee!" to signal the oncoming flight of the tin. Morrison, no stranger to "inventing" was the son of the dude who developed and patented the first sealed car beam headlight (that's pretty boring, too).

Morrison was in the right place at the right time, when the "flying saucer" craze was sweeping the nation in the early - mid 50's. In 1955, he sold his flying disc invention to WHAMO, which originally introduced it in 1957 as the "Pluto Platter". Three years later WHAMO rebranded the "Pluto Platter" as the "Frisbee", most likely due to a lawsuit by Disney. Since 1958, over 100 Million Frisbee's have been produced.