Sometimes I wonder how much of this blog has been scraped by AI trawlers, and I guess we'll find out when AI really starts abusing ellipses, or using any of the recurring bits of nonsense I do, like "some time back" or "not that one!" I probably haven't mentioned it before, but I do hate so-called "generative AI" since it doesn't really generate anything, there's no 'intelligence' involved, and a lot of times it's not even 'artificial' since the work is merely farmed out somewhere. The program just takes a ton of data, and when asked something pieces together a response more-or-less resembling answers it has seen for that question before. Where have I seen that done before...

Page from the Ren & Stimpy Show #2, "Ask Dr. Stupid" Written by Dan Slott, art by Mike Kazeleh. Dr. Stupid (Stimpy) shows how comics are made: by cutting up old comics, and pasting the pictures in a new order! Just like AI! 

AI always feels, like a waste, on top of waste: you can use it to write emails, that will then be sorted by your recipient's AI and summarized but not read, with an autogenerated response, using real electricity and water and hardware at each step. If you can't be bothered to write or draw or create something, why would anyone be compelled to read it? Anyway, you have this blog's promise that it'll be hand-crafted nonsense for as long as I go. I suppose technically the action figure stuff isn't 'hand-crafted,' but no AI anyway.

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It's gonna be easier to watch the MST3K marathon today, that's one thing.

Even if I'm not going anywhere, doing anything, or cooking anything another human being would consider eating--ground turkey, instant mashed potatoes and gravy, all cooked together!--the Dallas Cowboys game is always a traditional part of my Thanksgiving. Even if they're awful. So, so awful. The really sad thing is, their division is so bad, they somehow aren't even out of playoff contention yet; although them getting to the playoffs would be like landing a plane after three of the engines had fallen off and then immediately trying to take off again. From 1995, the Ren & Stimpy Show Special: Sports, written by Joey Cavalieri, breakdowns by Matt Maley and Darren Auck, finishes by Travis Hill, Steve Alexandrov, Wayne A. Murray, Don Hudson, Scott "pond-scum" Elmer, Tim Tuohy, and Ernie Stiner. It's not very good, but I hadn't realized there were multiple Ren & Stimpy Specials: they seemed to mostly be late in the run, seemingly well after their popularity had peaked, but okay. Hope you're all staying safe today, and I'm thankful for you! Read more!

The blank stares of children, bleary demands for coffee, one-horse town; this comic hits closer to home than I'd like.

Ren & Stimpy's "Hokey Halloween Horror!" issue is responsible for my nom de alias, as it were; but is there any fun to be had with a much later Halloween issue? From 1996 (!) the Ren & Stimpy Show #40, featuring "Breakfast of Idiots" Written by Terry Collins, pencils by Darren Auck, inks by Gary Fields; and "The Legend of Sleazy Hollow" Plot by Scott Benson, script by John Lewie, pencils by Jeff Jarka, inks by Don Hudson.

In the opening story, some shifty thugs leave a barrel of toxic waste at the Hoek homestead, which Stimpy mistakes for the barrel of maple syrup he ordered. Honest mistake, right? This being a comic, the toxic waste gives them both beefcake strength, including for lucky Ren "shoulders!" Unfortunately, the effect doesn't last long enough for Ren to get a proper reign of terror going...or does he?

The second story is of course a riff on the Headless Horseman, interspersed with Ren and Stimpy trying to teach a classroom full of bratty English clods. Children are the future my ass...when their only question is, how long will it be before you get killed like the last 17 teachers, Ren hatches a plot to show them up, which naturally leads to riding Stimpy though the forest at night. (It was the horse's day off, in that one-horse town!) Neither story is as good as issue #8, but okay.

Ren seems to allude to the book's cancellation on the last page, but it would run to later in the year with issue #44. A much longer run than I expected! For comparison, Marvel's Beavis & Butthead lasted 28, I can't offhand think of any other licensed humor titles from around then with a better run. Not saying there isn't though, so shout out if I blanked on one. Read more!

It takes four, five guys, to beat Terra-Man this month? C'mon.

A massively chewed-up quarter bin copy today: from 1977, Action Comics #470, "Even Superman Must Die Sometime!" Written by Cary Bates, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Tex Blasdell.

The issue begins with a Superman costume being thrown away--traditionally, the costume goes in a garbage can. Or eBay. Superman actor Gregory Reed throws his costume off a cliff, since he's out of a job: Superman had just been killed, gunned down by Terra-Man! Back in Metropolis, the Planet staff is taking it pretty hard, especially since T-M is leisurely moseying--er, flying--around town. But while he had put a force-field around the city to keep everyone else out, that doesn't stop the Flash from getting through and attempting to "even the score." The strangely quiet Terra-Man launches Flash speeding backwards: no one's sure quite how, since he had a vast repertoire of alien tricks and gadgets. Green Lantern then joins Flash, as an alien saucer arrives over the city; and we're treated to a couple possible clues as a beat cop repeatedly gives a bum the hassle.

Things are even more complicated: Superman wasn't dead at all (duh) but had somehow been transformed to look like Terra-Man! The alien saucer belongs to the brother of the alien pirate who gave T-M his knowledge and gear, then was killed by him: in fairness, I think the pirate had abducted Terra-Man, so he wasn't exactly an innocent there. Supes realizes Terra-Man's scheme, to get him killed in his place. Meanwhile, Gregory stares at his latex Superman mask--he looked pretty close to Supes, I don't know why the mask would be necessary--and fantasizes about taking the alien saucer down with Superman's powers. Which is exactly what happens, then Terra-Man shows up to for-real kill Superman this time--which prompts the beat cop to unmask, since he was the real Terra-Man hiding out! Flash and GL had helped Gregory take out the saucer as "Superman," then still looking like Terra-Man, the real Superman had confronted him to draw out the "Cosmic Cowboy."

There are way too many unmaskings this issue; I can only hope Lois kisses the real one in the end!

Ren & Stimpy panels from the Ren & Stimpy Show #5, "Commander Höek and Cadet Stimpy vs. the Croco-Men from Planet Zed!" Written by Croco-Dan Slott, art by Croco-Mike Kazaleh. A surprising amount of Ren & Stimpy jokes I remember are from the comic.

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Just like DC's One Year Later, except confusing and pointless...no, exactly like DC's One Year Later, yeah.

God, I'm unmotivated. A whole year later, and I still have the same wife, same kids, same job, same blog...and that's good. Um, but here's the bad part...hey, it's worked out better than DC's whole One Year Later thing. I mean, I didn't let like 50 weeks go by, then change a whole bunch of stuff or recruit and dismiss a page full of members in the last week. And, I'm not getting cancelled! (Hawkgirl was the only One Year Later I actually read, on the strength of creators Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin, but it just never seemed to come together. That said,giant robot Hawkgirl seems like something I should look into.)

So, Random Happenstance has been here for a whole year, although I heartily encourage you to not check the May 2006 archives, they're crap. Really, I was still getting the ship together, and hadn't got the hang of formatting or scans yet. Unlike the masterpiece it is now...oh, you can't hear me rolling my eyes.

Still, I've had a lot of fun here, and haven't run out of comics yet. Who am I kidding, there's comics down there I'm dying to use but can't clear a path to; and I enjoy the occasional toy pictures as well. But since it's my...ugh...blogoversary...I figure the traditional thing to do is reveal a Secret Origin!!


As some of you may have guessed, 'Googum' is not my real name. Yes, in the best comics' tradition, it's a clever alias designed to strike fear in the hearts of...somebody. Oh, and to protect my loved ones! And unlike You-Know-Who, I'd never do anything stupid like reveal my identity because an authority figure made me an ugly-ass costume with spindley legs sticking out of it. (A giant robot, maybe, though...)


But why 'Googum'? The simple answer starts several years back when I was setting up a free email account at stupid.com. They were a little trinket-gift website that sold a lot of the things that used to be advertised in the backs of comics, really. I wanted a simple, easy to remember address without a bunch of numbers or underscores or any of that crap. Or my name, since most of the nonsense I do online doesn't need my real name dragged into it. Plus, I was living in a basement at the time, and was generally as antisocial as a troll. Yeah, that's changed...anyway, I took the Googum name from a source I didn't think anyone else would look to. (Although, I wasn't able to get the name on flickr.com a while back.)

Some long term comics readers may have thought Googum was a misspelling of 'Googam,' the son of Goom; a classic Marvel Monster last seen in Fin Fang Four. Well, no, but that may well have been an influence. It's from The Ren & Stimpy Show #13, "Ren & Stimpy's Eencredeebly Patheteec Excuse for a Halloween Issue!!" Written by Dan Slott, art by Mike Kazaleh.


Huh, Goo-gum's trademarked. Uh-oh. Anyway, now you know, and knowing is more deadly than ignorance, or something. Thanks to everyone who's stopped by, left a comment, or looked in and then run off screaming. Now to see how much longer I can drag this blog out...

Batman page from Batman Annual #15, "The Last Batman Story" Written by Alan Grant, pencils by Jim Fern, inks by Steve Leialoha. An Armageddon 2001 issue, and 2001 feels like decades ago, so you can imagine how 1991 feels. I liked a lot of the individual annuals, possible (if license-wise improbable) looks at the future. Basically DC scratching a What If? itch, but enjoyable. Still, 2007 and Harold never got to build Batman rocket boots. Thanks again, Hush. Jerk. Read more!