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// July 3rd, 2005 // // Captain Kinetic
I’m a big fan of Chris Giarrusso, and was glad to commission him to do this sketch of CK and Spidey at Comic-Con a few years back. When it came time to pay, I didn’t know how much to give and overpaid by quite a bit, which weirded him out. Oops. (Click to embiggen.)
// July 2nd, 2005 // // Captain Kinetic
…or just stands behind him and wonders why he’s such a gloomy gus. A sketch by Stephen Sadowski. (Click to embiggen.)
// July 1st, 2005 // // Captain Kinetic
No, Astro Boy isn’t the famous Japanese manga character you may have heard of. It’s an early super-hero creation of Tim Fish, of Cavalcade of Boys fame, who has a habit of getting his costume torn off in every adventure. Illustration by Tim Fish. (Click to embiggen.)
// September 25th, 2003 // // One Man Guy
One Man Guy got its start in the year 2000, when I started writing it as a screenplay. I was in a long-term relationship that I’d been abivalent about nearly from the start, and was trying to figure out what I wanted. I came up with a funny, sad story about a man trying to move on from a tough situation and spare himself grief, but ending up simply running in place. It wasn’t until I’d ended the relationship and gotten some distance from it that I realized I was psyching myself up to break up. One Man Guy is ultimately about moving on from a relationship that’s over, while still acknowledging the value of it, and getting on with your life.
At first I started writing it as a project I could submit to an agent or film studio, but the more I wrote, the more interested I was in trying to film the project myself. I’d done a bit of video and film work when I was in art school, and I’ve never been one to think twice before taking on difficult projects. This one was going to be a doozy.
After being laid off from my advertising job in late 2000, I buckled down and finished the screenplay (which weighed in at about 70 pages or so… probably an hour when filmed and edited, though I was hopeful it would end up more like an hour-and-a-half with the music performances ) and set about casting it and planning filming.
By that time, I’d just moved out on my own and was anxious for something to occupy my time, so for about four months I devoted nearly all my time to shooting One Man Guy. I reserved (and paid for) several locations and filmed about half the feature, editing as I went, culminating with a concert scene at Chicago’s Hideout featuring my musician friends Pistol Pete and Popgun Paul. After that, I was completely worn out, and decided to take a break and head out to San Diego for Comic Con. I’d been working on a comic book concurrently with One Man Guy (called Captain Kinetic), and was armed with a handful of ashcan books to dsitribute.
When I got back, I discovered my momentum was completely gone. I gave myself some slack, telling myself I didn’t need to rush back into finishing the film until I was ready. I wanted to bring someone else on to help me get organized, and maybe even co-direct, because I just didn’t have the energy to keep it moving on my own. This feeling persisted a whole year, though, and by the time I was bringing completed Captain Kinetic issues to Comic Con 2001, I hadn’t touched One Man Guy at all.
I’d had some limited communication with the actors during this period, and they were generally open to getting started again, but they had all naturally moved on to other things and had limited availabilities. And one of the locations I’d used (for the apartment of the main character) was no longer available, as the couple I knew who lived there had moved out. This meant that I might have to reshoot several scenes I’d already shot and edited. The longer I waited, the more unlikely finishing the project seemed, and I eventually accepted it.
Fast forward to 2002. Comic-Con time again, and this time I had issues 1 and 2 of Captain Kinetic done, and was starting to realize that beginning one’s comic book career with a superhero comic book, especially one that is something of a psychological deconstruction of the genre, would be a hard sell. The market was “saturated,” I was told by Diamond Distributors, so though they praised the work as good, they weren’t willing to list it in their catalog. I was a more than a little disheartened.
When I was thinking about other projects I could work on, it hit me that I had a completed script for a project that I still thought was really good, and I’m sure you can guess which one I mean. I’m still looking for an ongoing collaborator on the project (I worked with Colorado-based artist Lucius Romero on the first issue) so if you think you’d be a good match, drop me a line at zan@onemanguy.com.
// July 1st, 2003 // // Captain Kinetic
Here’s a version of this comic presented on a single page with an easier interface. I might use this instead of the webcomic format for future previews and other stuff.
Just click the first image to start, then navigate by click the “Next” and “Prev” links on the image itself.
// January 19th, 2001 // // Captain Kinetic
Someone wrote to tell me that they saw some of the images from CaptainKinetic.com swiped and used on other sites, so I added a “bug” to make sure people know where the images come from. Sorry if it mars your viewing experience. I guess I should be happy that people are enthusiastic about the good Captain, but hey, let’s be nice to each other, people!
In other, happier news, David Brady sent a scan of a Kinetic Kid (!!) drawing he bought on the cheap at a flea market. Although I’d dearly love to believe it’s a real Kirby, I have to be a little skeptical. But, oh, wouldn’t it be fantastic if it were real? Keep those clippings coming! More Captain Kinetic sites are popping up all the time, and I want to make sure this one stays the best!
Keep those clippings coming!
// January 17th, 2001 // // Captain Kinetic
Haven’t been any site updates in a while because… well, there hasn’t been anything to say. Until now that is! Claire Montano from Minneapolis, MN sent me this panel scan from Kinetic Comics #21! Thanks Claire! I think the art is by Harry P. Geddes, but Claire’s not sure because her copy is missing the credits page. Anyone know for sure? (Overstreet doesn’t even list Kinetic Comics, so they’re no help.)
// August 17th, 2000 // // Captain Kinetic
Dwayne sent me a scan of the cover for Kinetic Comics #3, one of the issues he picked up at the convention in San Diego last summer. (Turns out the reason I couldn’t find any issues was because Dwayne showed up a day early and cleared out the CK stuff! And he said he was only interested in Sugar and Spike!)
Well at least he shares the wealth. I think Kathy learns his secret identity and feels ashamed that she ignored Lyle Holloway all those years. By the end she forgets and everything turns back to normal. Talk about excitement! ;-)
This doesn’t look like a Geddes cover, which is strange because it’s such an early issue and he did all the artwork in the beginning. Then again, I haven’t seen a lot of his close-up stuff, so maybe I’m wrong. (Cap sure looks restrained here, doesn’t he?)
// August 16th, 2000 // // Captain Kinetic
I’ve gotten a lot of traffic since the site redesign launched, and a lot of things in my email box including something new for the Gallery that I’d never even seen before!! In other email news, my pal Dwayne must have felt a little slighted when I made fun of his Sugar and Spike habit, because he posted the following message to a listserv we’re both on.
Well, duh! Who *wouldn’t* go after SUGAR & SPIKE instead of those Golden Age KINETIC COMICS? And it’s not that I *wouldn’t* take that issue #4 out of its triple-sealed Mylar permacoating, it’s that it doesn’t *come* out anymore — keeps the grade from going lower, you know. After losing my Golden Age copies of BLONDE PHANTOM, NAMORA, and ELSIE THE COW, Kevin should understand that I am a wee bit paranoid. Besides, the Black Bat doesn’t really “appear” until the last panel, when CK breaks the door down to confront the mysterious nefarious evil criminal mastermind who has only been seen in silhouette for the whole story.
Of course I know that, since that story has been reprinted like eight-hundred-gazillion times. (I wholeheartedly agree with your decision to keep your comics sealed, though that won’t protect them if you plug in your Captain Kinetic night-light, circa 1947, and then leave to visit your parents for the weekend. Trust me.)
Speaking of webmaster Kevin, he comes across as sort of nerdy, though I hear that he has a taller and cuter buddy who really does most of the work on the website.
A little explanation here: Dwayne and I met through a emailing list we both belonged to (which was not Captain Kinetic related) and met for the first time in San Diego this past summer. If he finds me nerdy, well… that’s his opinion. He is right, though, that I get some help from my friend Charles on the more technical aspects of the site, though I’m learning fast!
I’ve been reading the LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE collections from Fantagraphics, and I believe that Annie could kick the Captain’s butt. And is there any truth to the recent rumor that old sketches from an aborted ad campaign have turned up that show CK with big curly hair and blanked-out eyes?
Given the Captain’s enormous popularity at the time, I highly doubt that. And maybe I’m mistaken, but I was under the impression that Captain Kinetic’s endorsements of Elliptine started long before Annie was selling that other stuff. Anyone out there have any more info? (I think Dwayne could just be jerking my chain here.)
As a semi-huge fan of radio drama I can’t wait to hear the Elliptine Radio Hour excerpts!
Me either! The guy at Chicago Comics on Clark Street, an excellent (though Captain Kinetic-challenged) store, said he does in fact have some episodes on tape that he’ll dub for me. SCORE!! Expect to see some clips posted here pretty soon. Thanks for the comments, Dwayne!
// August 16th, 2000 // // Captain Kinetic
Our first official bit of C.K memorabilia! This is a Captain Kinetic poster from 1966, sent in by Tom Purrenhage of Mud Falls, Oregon. I don’t know if this was an Elliptine-related item, but I’d gather it was since there weren’t any Captain Kinetic comics being published at that time. If it’s not… maybe it was an attempt at a revival? (Note that, true to the angst-ridden style of the day, he’s not smiling.) Thanks, Tom!! (P.S. That’s how the logo’s supposed to look, Mike!)
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