Love and Rockets' creators Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez have mentioned in interviews that they loved Little Archie comic books when they were growing up. Little Archie was started in the 1950s and stars the characters from Archie comics as little kids. The earlier stories were written and drawn by Bob Bolling, and they're regarded by people who know and love comic books as some of the best stories in comic book history.

The Big Blog of Kids' Comics has two excellent Little Archie stories. Mykal Banta, who runs the blog, says:

Bob Bolling has that rare gift few cartoonists have -- his character design is just funny on sight. Howie Post (of Harvey fame) and Milt Gross had it, as does modern animation master, John Kricfalusi. It's a quality that can't be taught. Throw great scripting and wonderful layouts into the bargain, and you have classic stuff. Last time I checked, Mr. Bolling was still turning out high-caliber Little Archie stories for Archie Comics! These two Bolling stories come from Little Archie No. 3 (Summer 1957).

Read the stories here.

If you like these stories and want more, I recommend The Adventures Of Little Archie Volume 1 and Volume 2 Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/two-fun-little-archie.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/verizon-says-it-will-buy-zoom.html

A white plastic bucket manufactured by Yeti cost $40. If you want a lid you will pay an additional $30. That $70 for a bucket and a lid if my math is correct. On the other hand, you can buy a standard white plastic bucket with lid at a hardware store for a couple of dollars. This video compares the functionality of the two buckets. Which one do you think will turn out to be the better bucket? Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/how-does-a-40-yeti-bucket-sta.html

In times of national crisis, it’s reassuring to know that the tabloids will always give you the facts you need for survival, no matter how unpalatable.

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/coronavirus-can-make-you-fat.html

As Ray Bradbury fans know, there's a curious minor character named Mr. Electrico who turns up in his creeptastic 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury always insisted Mr. Electrico was real but scholars never could confirm that. Then in a fantastic interview from 2010 by Sam Weller in The Paris Review, Bradbury tells the uncanny story of how he met the real Mr. Electrico:

...He was a real man. That was his real name. Circuses and carnivals were always passing through Illinois during my childhood and I was in love with their mystery. One autumn weekend in 1932, when I was twelve years old, the Dill Brothers Combined Shows came to town. One of the performers was Mr. Electrico. He sat in an electric chair. A stagehand pulled a switch and he was charged with fifty thousand volts of pure electricity. Lightning flashed in his eyes and his hair stood on end.

The next day, I had to go the funeral of one of my favorite uncles. Driving back from the graveyard with my family, I looked down the hill toward the shoreline of Lake Michigan and I saw the tents and the flags of the carnival and I said to my father, Stop the car. He said, What do you mean? And I said, I have to get out. My father was furious with me. He expected me to stay with the family to mourn, but I got out of the car anyway and I ran down the hill toward the carnival.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/ray-bradbury-beautifully-expla.html

Actor Brian Dennehy, best known for his role in the movies 'Tommy Boy' and 'First Blood', has died.

He was 81.

The Golden Globe and Tony award winner's career spanned 50 years on stage and screen.

Above, one of the great scenes with Dennehy and Chris Farley in 'Tommy Boy.'

BREAKING: Brian Dennehy, "Tommy Boy" and "First Blood" star, dies at 81 https://t.co/jB9HNqq78E

 Variety (@Variety) April 16, 2020

Brian Dennehy Dies: Versatile Veteran Actor Was 81 https://t.co/mcG1ko9btR pic.twitter.com/gsfJYJdUYl

 Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) April 16, 2020

A few years ago, I talked to Brian Dennehy about some of his most memorable and beloved roles. He was a gentleman and a scholar. RIP. https://t.co/GayL0kQQBo

 Marah Eakin (@marahe) April 16, 2020

what woud Brian Dennehy do? pic.twitter.com/injnTuzTwF

 Dan Nathan (@RiskReversal) April 16, 2020

Brian Dennehy, a Tony-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor, lover of Chicago theater, and the nation’s leading interpreter of the tragedies of Eugene O’Neill, died Wednesday in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 81. https://t.co/5w4us17qCn

 Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) April 16, 2020

Brian Dennehy was such a terrific, talented actor. I only met him once. I asked him to sign a SILVERADO cowboy hat they gave us at the premiere. I only had a ballpoint pen and it didn't register on the hat's surface. He said, "Well, at least it's not a check." R.I.P., sir. pic.twitter.com/wDe52cvGJC

 Charles de Lauzirika (@Lauzirika) April 16, 2020

Brian Dennehy was one of the greats. I was lucky to see him in Death of a Salesman on Broadway – such a wonderful performance.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/tommy-boy-and-first-blood-acto.html

A small plane made an incredible landing between cars on a highway near Quebec City this morning. The Cessna then moves along with traffic for a bit before pulling over to the highway's shoulder.

Here are some photos, along with more details in French. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/watch-a-plane-gracefully-land.html

Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, and Thomas R. Carper have sent a letter to the White House Designated Agency Ethics Official, titled 'Ensure COVID-19 Decisions Serve the American Public, Not President Trump's & Jared Kushner's Financial Interests.

You can read a copy of the letter here. [warren.senate.gov]

Their letter is written to Scott Gast, Senior Counsel to the President And Designated Ethics Official.

It begins:

We write regarding a series of recent reports that raise significant ethics and conflict of interest concerns about the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the roles and influence of Jared Kushner, President Trump, and other individuals with financial conflicts of interest.These reports are troubling: amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the American public should not have to worry that critical public health and economic decisions are being made in secret by public officials influenced by financial connections and personal ties.

Financial Conflicts of Jared Kushnerand His Task Force

Our first concern is that Jared Kushner—President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor—has been managing a “shadow task force”of key government officials and private sector actors tasked with coordinating the private sector response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Mr. Kushner’stask force reportedly includes “a suite of McKinsey consultants,”a private equity executive, and a host of other representatives from private industries. Though they have purportedly signed “voluntary service agreements” and have avoided participating in procurement processes, questions remain as to who exactly comprises this task force,the vetting process for its members,and what role the members play in addressing issues related to the pandemic.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/senators-to-u-s-ethics-offici.html

Some people in Michigan are angry that their governor has issued a statewide stay at home order. A few North Carolinians are protesting as well. Their solution is to go into the streets with MAGA hats, Confederate flags, and assault weapons and yell about their desire to "lock her up."

They are also waving "live free or die" banners. Do they realize that "or" is not XOR?

These fine folks protesting the lockdown in Michigan from r/cringepics

This looks like a still from a horror movie. It's not. It's yesterday outside the Ohio Statehouse. Incredible shot by @joshuabickel pic.twitter.com/wZFye9YTCX

 Shawn Mitchell (@shecky218) April 14, 2020

Chants of “recall Whitmer,” “USA” and “lock her up” outside Michigan Capitol. #OperationGridlock pic.twitter.com/7Q7niiNFUF

 Malachi Barrett (@PolarBarrett) April 15, 2020

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/look-at-these-photos-and-video.html

New shots from the set of Denis Villeneuve's forthcoming Dune movie depict the hardy Fremen, natives of the desert planet at the heart of the sprawling spice opera. Those gloves Chani is wearing are Oakley Factories [CHOAM referrer link] (or knockoffs thereof), available for fifty Imperial solaris or so.

Oakley Factory gloves [CHOAM] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/own-your-own-dune-stillsuit-gl.html

A Boston-area police department issued a request to locals to remember to wear pants when picking up their mail, but the posting appears to have someone in particular in mind.

"You know who you are," Taneytown police wrote on Facebook. "This is your last warning."

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/boston-area-police-warn-locals.html

This dashcam video captures the moment a paper mill exploded in Maine. (Previously.) No-one was hurt, according to reports, but the driver's radio was on and captured nearby truckers' sweary reactions to the unfolding disaster. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/sweary-truckers-observe-paper.html

Speaking of one of the Internet's coolest music teachers, Rick Beato... in the most recent episode of his "What Makes This Song Great?," he breaks down Led Zeppelin's rock classic, "Ramble On," from Led Zeppelin II.

While Rick's channel is clearly targeted at fellow musicians and students of music, even a failed guitar player and crappy drummer like myself can find real satisfaction in these song deconstructions. If nothing else, it's great to hear the isolated song elements and how they all come together. And years of watching Rick's channel has definitely deepened my understanding of musical composition and studio recording.

Like a lot of content creators, Rick's channel has been running afoul of YouTube and record company IP take-down bots. This video got blocked and then it was mysteriously unblocked. This may have been thanks to members of Led Zeppelin themselves, along with others, complaining on Twitter. So, watch it while you can. And if it disappears again, you can catch it on Rick's Instagram feed.

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/led-zeppelins-ramble-on.html

5.2 million more Americans joined the ranks of the jobless, as the coronavirus crisis continues to decimate the economy.

Economists had predicted that this week's loss would be roughly 5.1 million.

We're now at well over 22 million Americans who have filed for unemployment over the last 5 weeks.

In just one month, all jobs gained since the 2008 U.S. financial crisis ("Great Recession") have been wiped out.

Weekly jobless claims, past month, for the week ending:

March 14th: 282,000March 21st: 3.3 MillionMarch 28th: 6.9 MillionApril 4th: 6.6 MillionApril 11th: 5.2 Million

More than 20 million Americans have been made unemployed by the pandemic.

 Justin Hendrix | wash your hands & stay at home (@justinhendrix) April 16, 2020

BREAKING: Another 5.2 million workers filed for their first week of unemployment benefits last week, according to the US Department of Labor, bringing the total number of Americans who have filed initial jobless claims to around 22 million since March 14.https://t.co/J5j19cwoFU pic.twitter.com/7fPNri8KgV

 New Day (@NewDay) April 16, 2020

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/u-s-weekly-jobless-claims-52.html

In their upcoming study, so far published on the preprint server arXiv and submitted to Physical Review Letters, Linden and his colleagues examined a decade’s worth of data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to better analyze the sun’s emission of gamma rays—the universe’s most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation.

To their surprise, the researchers found the most intense gamma rays appear strangely synced with the quietest part of the solar cycle. During the last solar minimum, from 2008 to 2009, Fermi detected eight high-energy gamma rays (each with energies greater than 100 giga–electron volts, or GeV) emitted by the sun. But over the next eight years, as solar activity built to a peak and then regressed back toward quiescence, the sun emitted no high-energy gamma rays at all. The chances of that occurring at random, Linden says, are extremely low. Most likely the gamma rays are triggered by some aspect of the sun’s activity cycle, but the details remain unclear.

The team speculates these gamma rays are likely emitted when powerful cosmic rays—produced throughout the universe by violent astrophysical events like supernovae and colliding neutron stars—slam into the sun’s surface. If a single cosmic ray collides with a particle in the solar atmosphere, it creates a shower of secondary particles and radiation, including gamma rays. Such showers would usually be wholly absorbed by the sun, however. But according to a hypothesis dating back to the 1990s, some of these secondary showers can be bounced out and away from our star by strong fluctuations in its magnetic field.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/here-comes-the-sun-our-clos.html

Zero reason to be "bored" out there, people. Take inspiration from the Heller family who made --in their "spare time" -- a shot-by-shot recreation of Journey's "Separate Ways" music video! It's SO GOOD.

TODAY:

The lip-sync performance, which was shot entirely on iPhones in Maple Valley, Washington, stars Steven and Jana Heller and their children, Lily, 15, Jackson, 14, Asher, 12, and Violet, 9...

The Hellers worked hard to nail every move — including the legendary air keyboard and four-person head turn. On Facebook, Steven wrote that they "copied 100% shot for shot."

“We wanted to be able to 10 years from now, say, ‘Remember when we were stuck in our home and we did this crazy thing and it was so much fun?’” Steven said.

(Geek Girl Authority)

screengrab via Vimeo Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/quarantined-family-re-creates.html

Jim Starlin has drawn classic issues of many major comic book characters since the early 1970s, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Legion of Super Heroes, and more. But his real claim to fame is his artistic obsession — both as an artist, and a writer — with exploring mythological archetypes on a meta-galactic scale. Starlin pioneered characters like Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, and also created Thanos, Drax, Gamora, and many other characters that were thematically fascinating but never commercially successful until the recent explosion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of Starlin's pet projects in the early 80s was a book called Dreadstar. Dreadstar existed in its own universe outside of Marvel and DC, and gave Starlin a vessel through which he could continue to explore the philosophical implications of literary classics with a shameless embrace of pulpy space opera, and this time without (too much) corporate meddling.

Nearly four decades later, Starlin is returning to the Dreadstar universe with a new Kickstarter-funded original graphic novel that already raised more than $50,000 in the first few days — a testament to the cross-generational appeal of Starlin's work. From the campaign page:

The original, long-running Dreadstar series centered on the exploits of Vanth Dreadstar, newly arrived in the Empirical Galaxy after the necessary destruction of the Milky Way. Vanth attempts to live a pastoral existence on a planet populated by peaceful cat-people. That peace is quickly disturbed when Dreadstar and the crew he assembles are thrust into the conflict between the two major forces in the galaxy: The Monarchy and the Theocratical Instrumentality and its Lord High Papal.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/jim-starlin-creator-of-many-a.html

In 1946, Australian engineer Ben Carlin decided to circle the world in an amphibious jeep. He would spend 10 years in the attempt, which he called an "exercise in technology, masochism, and chance." In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Carlin's unlikely odyssey and the determination that drove him.

We'll also salute the Kentucky navy and puzzle over some surprising winners.

Show notes

Please support us on Patreon! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/in-1946-australian-engineer-b.html

"My wife hates it when I work from home," writes Banksy on Instagram.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/when-banksy-has-to-work-from-h.html

Murray Berrill Constructions in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia created this wonderful "easy access wine cellar" in the dead space under a stairway. With a few modifications to the design, it could be entirely secret storage!

(via Laughing Squid) Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/secret-wine-storage-drawers-bu.html