And here's the The Ashatones Barbershop Quartet again. These guys are real good but they don't seem to have done their version of "For the Longest Time" yet. I wonder what's keeping them. Until they do, you'll have to settle for their take on another Billy Joel song.

This is "Uptown Girl." About the time Mr. Joel's version of this was high on the charts, a guy I knew sent me songs he'd written and asked me to critique them. I don't like doing that — please don't ask me — but this guy was so persistent that I finally told him the melodies were pretty good but I thought he should work harder on his rhyming. His songs were full of things like rhyming "lady" with "baby." He pointed to the success of "Uptown Girl" and said, "People don't give a shit about precise rhymes." I still don't have a snappy reply to that.

Here's another day's worth of what I'll be doing two weeks from today. The entire day's schedule can be found here.

• FRIDAY •

Friday, July 25 – 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM in Room 10
THE GROO PANEL
Since 1981, Groo the Wanderer — the creation of cartoonist Sergio Aragonés — has wandered from comic book to comic book, company to company, and weird adventure to weirder adventure. Where did he come from? What's he up to now? And most important, how do we avoid him? Sergio's accomplice Mark Evanier will tell you all about the stupidest character in any multiverse anywhere, aided by the comic's longtime letterer Stan Sakai (the creator of Usagi Yojimbo) and its newest colorist, Carrie Strachan. And they may even try to get Sergio on the phone.

Friday, July 25 – 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM in Room 10
SPOTLIGHT ON TODD KLEIN
Your favorite comic book would be nothing without a skilled letterer, and one of the most skilled (and most honored with awards) is Todd Klein, who is also an expert on all those who have plied his craft, past and present. Come hear Todd interviewed by Comic-Con Special Guest Mark Evanier and learn all about this too-often-unappreciated part of just about every comic book you've ever loved.

Friday, July 25 – 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM in Room 10
TWO MARKS EXPLAIN EVERYTHING
Do you have a burning question about the world of comics? About some character or writer or artist or publisher? Well, if writer Mark Waid doesn't know the answer…and if writer Mark Evanier also doesn't know the answer…then probably no one knows. The two of them fielding questions from the audience made for one of the most popular panels at WonderCon earlier this year, and they've agreed to give more of you the opportunity to get the answers you seek.

Friday, July 25 – 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM in Room 10
FOCUS ON DON GLUT
Don Glut is the writer/creator of the popular comics Dagar the Invincible, The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor, and Tragg and the Sky Gods. For Warren Publishing, he authored tales for Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella, and for Marvel, his writing could be found in, among others, Captain America, The Invaders, Kull the Destroyer, Solomon Kane, Star Wars, and What If…? Don also has more than 80 books to his credit, including The Dinosaur Dictionary and the authorized novelization of the movie The Empire Strikes Back. This year, he's receiving the coveted Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing, and he'll discuss his amazing career in this spotlight interview with Finger Award chairman (and Comic-Con Special Guest) Mark Evanier.

Friday, July 25 – 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM in Room 10
WALT KELLY'S POGO
Walt Kelly (1913–1973) was one of the most honored cartoonists of his day, primarily (but not exclusively) for his popular newspaper strip, Pogo. He brought to life not only the highly quotable possum Pogo but also all the creatures Pogo fraternized with in the Okefenokee Swamp, including Churchy LaFemme, Howland Owl, Mam'selle Hepizbah, and Albert the Alligator. Walt Kelly was also a Disney animator, a writer-illustrator for Dell Comics, and a pretty quotable guy himself. His work and legacy will be discussed by cartoonist Liniers, writer Paul Dini, and the folks who bring you Fantagraphics' award-winning reprintings of The Complete Pogo: Maggie Thompson, Eric Reynolds, Jane Plunkett and your moderator, Mark Evanier.

Friday, July 25 – 8 PM to Whenever in the Indigo Ballroom the Bayfront Hilton
THE WILL EISNER AWARDS
Sometime during the ceremony, Mark and Bill Finger's granddaughter Athena Finger will be presenting the annual Bill Finger Awards for Excellence in Comic Book Writing, which this year are going to Don Glut and the late Sheldon Mayer.

This Sunday's matinee performance of Boop! The Musical is its last, at least on Broadway. The folks behind the show have dropped some online hints that this is not the end. Assuming they're not bluffing, this could mean several things — the release of a "proshot" video, a national tour or (least likely) moving the show to some off-Broadway house in New York. It could also mean they're dickering for one of those but the deal may never close and this will indeed be the end. Your guess, as it usually is, is at least as good as mine and probably better.

As sometimes happens when it's announced that a show is closing, seats for the remaining performances were quickly snarfed up by people who hadn't gotten around to seeing it but also by many who had. One lady on Facebook was pleading for a ticket somewhere because she'd only seen it eight times. That suggests the folks behind Ms. Boop's stage turn did something right. A friend of mine who knows mucho about the biz side of Broadway suggests their big mistake was opening in the wrong season. He cited a few recent years in which, he theorizes, the show would have done much better at the box office and maybe even the Tony Awards.

So what is in store for it? Like I said, I dunno. I just hope that somewhere/sometime, I can see a production of it with the original staging, the original costumes and sets and — most of all — the original Boop.

Comic-Con International starts in two weeks and the convention has just posted the schedule for Thursday Programming. Tomorrow, they'll post the schedule for Friday Programming and on Saturday, they'll post the schedule for Saturday Programming and you might be able to take a wild guess and figure out when they'll post the schedule for Sunday Programming. The entire Thursday Schedule is here but if you're interested in the panels that really matter, here's what I'm doing on that Thursday…

• THURSDAY •

Thursday, July 24 – 10 AM to 11 AM in Room 9
GREAT CARTOONISTS AND COMEDIANS WE HAVE KNOWN
Film expert Leonard Maltin and writer Mark Evanier have thousands of years of show business between them and have met and sometimes even worked with some of the cleverest, funniest men and women. They'll be sharing their experiences with people like Groucho Marx, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and as many others as they can squeeze into the time they have.

Thursday, July 24 – NOON to 1 PM in Room 9
TALES FROM MY SPINNER RACK LIVE!
It's the world premiere weekend for Fantastic Four: First Steps, and “Tales from My Spinner Rack Live!” returns to Comic-Con with Gary Sassaman (former director of programming and publications for Comic-Con) taking a nostalgic look back at Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four covers, alongside Kirby experts Mark Evanier (author, Kirby: King of Comics) and John Morrow (editor/publisher, Jack Kirby Collector). They'll each pick their top ten Kirby covers from Fantastic Four 1-101 and Annuals 1-7. Learn the secrets and untold tales behind some of these covers at this graphics-filled presentation! FREE limited edition Tales From My Spinner Rack booklet and button for each attendee!

Thursday, July 24 – 3 PM to 3:45 PM at Booth 1635 (I think)
Mark will be signing stuff at a booth but I'm not entirely certain of the number yet.

Thursday, July 24 – 4 PM to 5 PM in Room 25ABC
ABRAMS COMICARTS: REDEFINING GRAPHIC STORYTELLING
Abrams ComicArts, a division of Abrams Books, provides an inside look at how they're reshaping the graphic novel landscape. Known for literary adaptations, curated collections of classic comics, genre-defying originals, and captivating manga, Abrams ComicArts continues to push the boundaries of visual storytelling. Panelists will share behind-the-scenes insights into the creative and editorial processes, talk through their approach to publishing and promoting diverse content, and give an exclusive preview of what's coming next. Featuring Chris Ryall (Megalopolis: An Original Graphic Novel), Charlie Kochman (editor-in-chief, Abrams ComicArts), Joseph Montagne (Abrams ComicArts), Chip Kidd (The Essential Peanuts, The Avengers in the Veracity Trap!), Nate Powell (Fall Through, Save It for Later, Run), John Jennings (Kindred, Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents), Grant Snider (Thinking About Thinking, The Art of Living, I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf), Mark Evanier (The Essential Peanuts) and moderator Jacq Cohen (director of marketing and publicity, Abrams ComicArts).

Reporter Heidi McDonald, who covers the comic book industry, covered the brief time that a street in Jack Kirby's old neighborhood was named for him and wonders what we have to do to make it permanent.

Glenn Kessler, who must have been away on vacation because it's not like no politicians have said anything false for the last week or two, reviews some of the things Trump and his mob have been saying about the B.B.B. that do not correspond to what's actually in the B.B.B.

Daniel Dale of CNN lists eleven things Trump said at a cabinet meeting that also do not connect with reality. The Associated Press focuses on one of them.

Snopes runs down twenty rumors about Marjorie Taylor Greene that it has fact-checked over the years. Amazingly, some of the bad ones aren't true.

Republican pundit Scott Jennings is heavy into the belief that are countless people receiving Medicaid benefits who are just too f'ing lazy to go get a job. Politifact says that ain't so. Politifact also has much to say about Trump's insistence that the Big, Beautiful Bill has "no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime."

And Fred Kaplan debunks any assertions that the Trump Administration knows what it's doing with regard to The Ukraine.

I haven't seen the new Superman movie. I seem to have fallen off the list of people who've worked for DC Comics — which I've only done since around 1970 — who get invited to premieres. So I can't say if it's "too woke," which is a complaint I see online a lot today. The actor Dean Cain, who once played Superman, said it's "too woke" and others have.

Frankly, I have a hard time imagining how you could do a movie about Superman — a character who is all about helping people who need help — and not have someone complain that's "too woke." That might apply to any super-hero who didn't charge for his services like saving lives or stopping the world from blowing up.

But I also don't understand what "woke" means anymore. It seems to have become for some, one of those insult words you hurl at anyone or anything you don't like…like "He's a Communist," "He's a Socialist," He's a "Pedophile," etc. Someone doesn't have to advocate common ownership of the means of production for you to call them a Communist. They just have to be someone you view for whatever reason as The Opposition.

You certainly don't need any evidence of any child being mistreated to call someone a Pedophile, either. A lot of folks are upset at the claim that there are no Epstein Files were hoping there would be and they would reveal that every single person in public life they don't like had committed Statutory Rape so they'd disappear in one swell foop.

Remember this guy? That's Jon "Bowzer" Bauman of the retro rock group, Sha Na Na. What's he doing now? Well, he was a game show host for a while and he occasionally does "oldies" shows. But he has a new main profession and you won't believe what it is.

Cole's French Dip is a restaurant located on East 6th Street in downtown Los Angeles. Its proprietors has just announced they're goin' outta business and a lot of Angelenos who probably haven't set foot in the place in decades — if ever — are lamenting its demise. It is commonly referred to as "the Oldest Restaurant in Los Angeles" — and it may well be that, just as it may be (as is also claimed) the place where the French Dip sandwich was invented.

Inventing the French Dip — which some treat as a scientific breakthrough the equal of penicillin or flight — is also claimed by Philippe The Original, another very old restaurant that's 1.3 miles from Cole's. I won't take sides on which one originated that sacred sandwich. I'll just say that on my visits to those establishments, I found the French Dips at Philippe to be delicious and wonderful, and I found the ones at Cole's to be like biting into a very old wallet.

I think I tried Cole's twice, the second time because given the place's longevity and rep, I couldn't believe the alleged sandwich I was served was typical. And there were two other reasons I never went back: It's in a pretty sketchy neighborhood and there ain't no convenient place to park. I just read a couple of online articles about its pending closure and none of them mentioned that. They talked about changing times and the impact of COVID and the rising costs of labor and rent.

But none of 'em said a word about the food or the parking, which I suspect are the two major reasons any restaurant closes. And fear of getting mugged is probably high on the list.

There's a kneejerk reaction in my town and probably everywhere to the news that a famous anything is going away. It's part of our history or our childhoods or some aspect of our world and its disappearance should not be allowed even though it's no longer viable financially or even practical. I've been guilty of some of that jerking of the knee and thinking, "No, no…I don't want my world changing like that!" Years ago, I briefly felt that way about the old Hanna-Barbera building on Cahuenga Boulevard — the place that made some of my favorite cartoons, the place I worked for several years.

It was about to be repurposed/remodeled into something that would not resemble its old self and a lot of us, including Joe Barbera, felt that shouldn't happen. But then I found myself thinking — though of course not saying this aloud to the man's face — "Then maybe you shouldn't have sold it, Joe!" The company that owned the studio's name and body of work had zillions of dollars but zero interest in spending any of it on the aging structure…why should it be up to the fans passing the hat and protesting? Especially when no one seemed able to say what the building should be except there?

There are renovations and replacements I think shouldn't happen. What was once CBS Television City is now being transformed into something that sounds more like a city — condominiums, restaurants, offices, etc. It will also be a place where television shows are done though that feels like they're just keeping a bit of that around to grease their way past zoning restrictions.

Some local groups protesting the whole plan are questioning the entrepreneurs' sincerity about remaining a television facility for long. Me, I signed some petitions and such against it because I think the streets in that area are woefully insufficient to handle the increased traffic. Those same streets came to screeching standstills whenever James Corden was doing one of his "Crosswalk Musicals" on them. The new configuration could be way worse and it won't be just for an hour or so every six weeks. It'll be all the time.

I love history and tradition and I like seeing L.A. continue to look like the city I've lived in all my life. But when you're talking about commercial enterprises, there has to be some financial justification for keeping them around when they're no longer profitable for someone. And having said that, let me know if you ever hear talk of Philippe The Original closing. I might run down there and chain myself to the door yelling that the bulldozers will have to go through me if they want to demolish that shrine.

Well, no. I probably wouldn't do that. There are other places in town to get a good French Dip that doesn't taste like an old wallet.

Jack Kirby was born on Essex Street in New York in 1917 and spent much of his early life trying to get away from those poor surroundings. His superhuman work ethic and talent got him out but those were developed in part through his involvement with the Boys Brotherhood Republic, an organization that helped many young men to put their youthful energy to constructive purposes.

In one way or another, he wrote a lot about the B.B.R. in some of his comics and about those surroundings. In the Fantastic Four comic, Ben "The Thing" Grimm fought an ongoing feud with the kids of The Yancy Street Gang, which was a thinly-disguised version of a real-life gang that claimed Delancey Street as their home turf.

Well…tomorrow morning at 9 AM, there will be a ceremony in New York at the corner of Delancey and Essex. One block of Delancey Street for one day will be renamed — I hope I have this name straight — Yancy Street/Jack Kirby Way. How's that for an honor for a kid who used to sell newspapers and get involved in fist fights on that corner? Jack's son Neal and his wife Connie just called to tell me about it and we talked for a while about how thrilled Jack would have been to see it…even if it is a promotion for the new Fantastic Four movie.

Neal and Connie can't be there for the ceremony but Jack's granddaughters Jillian and Tracy will be there. I hope to have photos of the event or at least the street sign.

By the way: The Boys Brotherhood Republic is still operating and still doing good work. The main thing that's changed is that it's now the Boys & Girls Republic. I'm sure Jack would have approved. In fact, he'd probably say, "Why couldn't they have had girls there when I was a member?"

Dick Cavett visits the closet at the Criterion Video offices…

A note from my pal Mark Waid about this ASK me entry…

If I may offer: There's another, lesser reason why additional inkers who stepped in for a last-minute save (particularly at Marvel in the '70s, but certainly elsewhere) sometimes weren't credited: as a general rule, the lettering — and, thus, the anticipated credits — was applied to the boards before the inks, unlike today. And since Marvel in the '70s was a pretty loosey-goosey and down-to-the-wire operation in the editorial sense, what with so many writers editing their own books, I imagine there often wasn't the time, thought, or motivation to go to the trouble of amending the credits, yes? I know you know this, and I know it probably doesn't answer the question about Verpoorten and Colletta since John was also the production manager, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

A good point. Marvel was quite understaffed at the time — and to be honest, at later periods when they weren't understaffed, things still slipped by. I told a story about one incident in this post and something like that happened almost every day.

Here's one more example of many: It's Fantastic Four Special #5, which came out in 1967. When the story was lettered, which was before it was inked, they were planning to have it inked by Joe Sinnott. I dunno how well you can see it on your screen but they lettered Joe's name into the credits…

…and then for reasons long forgotten, they wound up having the story inked by Frank Giacoia. When the issue went to press, no one thought to change the credits — so there's Sinnott's name on a story he never touched.

For a long time, I would get calls from folks at Marvel seeking my expertise-of-dubious-value to ask who had drawn or inked or otherwise worked on a certain issue or cover about which they weren't sure. I would often answer the question, assuming I could, then tell the caller, "By the way…you just reprinted the lead story from Fantastic Four Special #5 and the credits on it are still wrong."

The nice person on the phone would (of course) say, "Oh, thanks. I'll make sure that gets changed in our records" and I don't know if it has been. At least once well after one of those calls, they reprinted it again with the wrong credits and paid the reprint fee to Joe Sinnott who I'm sure didn't notice. There were lots of times the published credits were wrong or incomplete.

Mark Waid and I will be doing one of our "Two Marks Explain Everything" panels at Comic-Con International in a few weeks. This is a panel based on the premise that if you have a question about how the comic book industry works — or ever did work — or even why it didn't work — and neither Mark nor I can answer it, no one can. This panel was a big hit at the last WonderCon and if you're at Comic-Con in San Diego on Friday, July 25 and you're anywhere near Room 10 of the San Diego Convention Center at 2:30 PM, Mark Waid and I will be in that room. There, we'll be answering to the best of our abilities, questions about things which will only matter to the kind of person who'd willingly attend a panel like that.

In fact, I'll be in that room from 12:30 PM until 5:30 PM that day hosting panels that fall roughly under the category of Comic Book or Strip History…five of 'em, back-to-back. So don't complain there's nothing in the convention programming about comic books…and that's just what I'm doing on Friday.

There's a local band that specializes in TV show themes and they call themselves The Remotes. In honor of the $1.20 residual check I just received from my writing contributions to this series, here's their rendition of the title tune from The Love Boat…