Legion of Substitute Mimis team captain Pat Donley has opened up TIME TUNNEL COMICS again at 300 Mt Lebanon Blvd, Lebanon Shops, in Pittsburgh PA. And it's awesome to see Nick of T.emporal I.mprobablity M.anagement E.xpeditions back in service.

Thirty-Three Facts You May Not Know About Larry Young:

...inspired by this link.

• He collects screen-used and replica movie props.

• In high school and college was known as "Wedge" because of the angular shape of his face:



• His name means "victorious one" or "crowned with laurel" in Old English.

• His favorite meal is mesquite-smoked cow grilled on his smoker in his backyard in the fog.

• His first comic book work "Astronauts in Trouble" was given the nod in 2000's YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR, 13th Annual Edition

• He has read every Ian Fleming James Bond book, and all of the John Gardner's. He's seen every Sean Connery movie except for DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE.

• Still has the two quarters from the first mail-in from the inaugural PLANET LAR fanzine offer.

• Spent two years cutting granite in rural Georgia.

• His favorite snack is a THREE POUND LOBSTER. Heh, no, that's a joke between me and my nephew. I guess I'll have to say dry roasted cashews.

• The most exotic food he's eaten is braised ostrich.

• He can write Klingon better than he can speak it.

• Has never seen an episode of AMERICAN IDOL.

• Favorite drink? Lemon echinecea lemonade.

• Has promised Mimi to cut down on processed meat but loves pepperoni like it took a bullet for him in The War.

• Most appreciates the actual cowbell Robson gave him because of the whole "more cowbell" thing as his son whangs that thing like he's telling the colonists that the British are coming.

• Knows the small print in the banner on a Budweiser can by heart because of a poker game 25 years ago wherein his pal Sully busted out with it and he was losing enough that he stopped playing until he'd committed to memory. And he can say it to this day. Ask him.

• His favorite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. No kidding.

• Thinks MASTER AND COMMANDER is the best STAR TREK movie ever made.

• Was really into MAX HEADROOM before all the rest of you.

• The bar in his office was hand-made by his paternal grandfather in 1928.

• Charlie Adlard has more books published through Larry's own company than he himself does.

• His favorite films are 2001 and Blade Runner, Planet of the Apes, and Zero Effect. Basically, anything with spacesuits and clever writing.

• Has a Moebius Arzach original.

• Wrote a Star Trek special for MTV in 1992 and did some on-air voice-overs.

• Thinks David Bowie is over-rated but quite enjoys that "Space Oddity" song.

• Met Mimi at a roommate referral service when she came in looking for help finding a place to live.

• Has never lost at Stratego. Not once. Not even as a kid.

• Thinks the English toffee-flavored roast from Safeway is God's own coffee.

• Has no problem memorizing facts, but remembering numbers is beyond him.

• His son is a serial hugger. Which is better than a serial hitter, but, dang, Walker, give your friends their space.

• Thinks Flock of Seagull's "I Ran" is an awesome song, and will bop uncontrollably to it when it plays.

• Still has his dad's basketball uniform from 1952.

• Always thought he'd end up a novelist in a house on Cape Cod, but is a graphic novelist on the beach in San Francisco. So, you know, that's pretty close, considering.

• Drives a 2005 Honda CRV that has "Do you feel like I do" and "Driver's Seat" permanently cued up in the CD player.

The guys over at Cosmic Comix tell you about Dugout: "The book is only 88 pages but Beechen does a great job in quickly establishing the characters. He manages in a very short time to set up Cookie, the manager, as the loveable loser who is just trying to get one last break. The supporting cast is full of lively characters including ex-baseball players trying for one last shot at glory, cons just trying to escape, and of course a love interest. Beechen also fills the book with all sorts of baseball imagery including various scenes where Cookie 'strikes out.'

"Personally, I really liked the imagery because I got it. I’m not always good at the subtle hints and I’m sure I missed some but I enjoyed the ones that were there. Beechen also litters the book with many one liners and all sorts of 'ball' jokes. Overall, Beechen created a cast that I quickly liked and cared about.

"Bello does a great job on art, too. He handled the baseball scenes quite well and it helped to establish the games in context. My only quibble is that the blacks were occasionally 'pebbled.' I don’t know who decided to break up the blacks but it looks like little white dots are periodically sprayed on the backgrounds. At first I thought it was a printing error, but it’s too consistent so it must have been planned. I’m sure it’s done for effect but I felt it distracted from the art itself.

"This is a light-hearted romp that’s a lot of fun to read. If you like feel-good sports stories then this is a graphic novel that will entertain you for a Sunday afternoon."

+++++

Stalwart Tony Isabella, in the November 3, 2008 issue of Comics Buyer's Guide, gives Dugout five out of five: "Adam Beechen has written fine scripts for DC Comics titles, but it’s in his more individual work where he truly shines. Dugout [AiT/Planet Lar; $12.95] is a surprisingly touching baseball story wrapped around a cool caper thriller.

"1960. The Los Angeles Pioneers are the worst team in the big leagues, outmatched on the field and at the box office. Beset by the imminent loss of his job and his bone-crushing gambling debts, manager Cookie Palisetti has one chance to save his career and his limbs. He has to spring his star pitcher from prison. Palisetti’s plan revolves around an exhibition game with the prison team and an escape tunnel that’s been four decades in the making. Add a cast of great lead and supporting characters on both sides of the fence, suspense on and off the field, a bit of romance, and the terrific black-and-white art of Manny Bello. The result? Beechen hits this one right out of the park."