THE NAME GAME
In which the newsletter changes identity and welcomes a Substack sibling. Plus I read a few books.
Some of you may have noticed that the newsletter has a new name and brand starting this week. Bye-bye “AJP’s Rambles” and say hello to “Can’t See The Forest”.
Personally, I blame it on the tacos.
Back in my first post here I talked about our links with the Forest of Dean and how it had inspired the titles of various writing projects over the years, including the use of the word “Ramble”.
Another title I’d used in both the Comicopia APA and in early Live Journal blogging days for a review column was “Can’t See The Forest” - (Amazingly the Live Journal account is still available online).
We briefly resurrected the name last year for a reviews podcast. The podcast didn’t work out the way we wanted so we shelved it, the name, and the fancy new CSTF logo we’d designed.
Which brings me back to the tacos.
During the most recent of our weekly trips to Torchy’s Tacos we were discussing the defunct podcast and how we might get back to it. The result was two main observations:
We need a hook and format that would attract listeners - we are still working on that.
We have a brand name and logo sitting there not doing anything.
Then why not use the existing name for the Substack newsletter? Who knows at some point we might even resurrect the podcast as part of the newsletter experience.
Problem solved, tacos eaten, newsletter rebranded.
And That’s Not All …
We are delighted to announce that to mark both the 20th anniversary of the original publication of the BEFORE THEY WERE BEATLES book and the popularity of the associated podcast, we have decided to answer many long-standing requests for an updated and expanded version of the book with a new 20th Anniversary edition.
You can join us on the journey by subscribing to the project's monthly updates on Substack to get behind-the-scenes access to the development of that new edition with exclusive first looks at the new text, author's notes, playlists, recommended reads, and more.
Other Stuff
Thanks to the new subscribers who have joined since last week. I really appreciate your interest and support. If you would like to join them you can subscribe to CSTF below.
Brabazon Bits
This week we’ve continued working on the notes related to the destruction of Charlton village to make way for the extended runway that was thought the Brabazon needed.
This newspaper report from the Western Daily Press on Tuesday 26th, 1946 on the public meeting between the villagers and various government representatives, has been a valuable source of information as it lays out both the government’s expectations and the villagers' wishes.
Pages and Screens
Books Read in 2023 - “Index, a History of the ” by Dennis Duncan
I love indexes, heck we even wrote a whole book that is basically a giant index to a fictional world [Link]. I use them every day while researching, and mourn what seems to be a trend that sees less and less of them in modern non-fiction publications, yet I’d never given much thought to their development.
This excellent volume provides that story, from codifying the library at Alexandria to Google search engines it provides a well-told tale of why we need indexes, and how they were perceived and developed as the way we consumed knowledge evolved.
Books Read in 2023 - DC Showcase: Dial H For Hero by Dave Wood, Jim Mooney, et al
Young Robby Reed finds a mysterious alien artifact that looks like a phone dial (remember those), and discovers that when he dials the code for the letters H, E, R, and O he is transformed into a random superhero.
It’s a fun concept, but it’s really a one-trick pony that doesn’t stand up to repeated reading. About three of these stories in a single sitting was as much as I could take.
There’s little to no character development or any real consequences to any actions. Most of the so-called superheroes Robby is transformed into are just laughable. I imagined writer Dave Woods and artist Jim Mooney sharing a few drinks and scribbling the most absurd super-power ideas on a napkin.
I think this was meant to be a reader “wish fulfillment” series, but it just comes over as a bit of a stale joke.
Weekly Web Round-Up
Batman On The Cover - This week we move on to December 1967 with new Batman-related stories published in Detective Comics, Batman, Brave and the Bold, and World’s Finest titles.
The stand out this week was the Brave & Bold cover as it marks the first published Batman work by artist Neal Adams. This particular image really stands out from the other covers published by DC at the end of 1967 for its sense of depth, the handling of the exaggerated perspective, and the more realistic rendition of the figures. This was the start of a legendary run of work by Adams, who would go on to work with writer Denny O’Neil to redefine Batman as the Dark Knight Detective in the 1970s and create many iconic images of the character.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s Rambles. As always don’t forget to sign up for a FREE subscription so you don’t miss future updates.
See you next time
Alan J. Porter