ADding Up

Along the 1-mile walk to Bismo’s place is an ADU house. Over a period of months I watched its progress, from groundbreaking in the yard next to a house, to its completion. Is it for elderly parents of the homeowners? The adult children of the homeowners? Is it a rental?

I have no reason to build an ADU in my backyard, but I’ve been contemplating having significant work done to my house. To the extent that I may want to consider hiring an architect, rather than looking for a general contractor.

The New Words & Pictures Museum

Ghost Rider illustration by John Romita, Sr. on display at the Lucas Museum

Kevin Eastman’s defunct Words & Pictures Museum in Northamption, MA, was funded with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles money. Now, George Lucas has his vastly more ambitious Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, funded with Star Wars money.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/arts/design/george-lucas-museum-narrative-art-opening.html?unlocked_article_code=1._FA.1xRd.IPy_K3q36n2G&smid=url-share

Great stuff, but I think it should be noted that the market for comic book original art became greatly inflated with the entry of movie star money. There were stories of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg bidding against each other through proxies. While it can be said that people are now paying what formerly throwaway art is worth, far fewer fans can afford it.

Dancing Fools

I continue to watch my way through the replacement Popeye DVD set. Morning, Noon and Night Club features superb character animation by Willard Bowsky and George Germanetti. The cartoon is from 1937, when there was a strike at the Fleischer studio.

Something I hope that Mark Evanier will be able to provide in his upcoming, greatly expanded, biography of Jack Kirby, is a fuller understanding of Kirby’s time working at Fleischer. Kirby worked as an inbetweener, most likely between 1935-37. Did he leave before the strike? Because of the strike? These are the questions I hope Mark will be able to answer.