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with her i Comic's v Friday, September 20,198S Section B 'Quigley' takes dim look at growing old Movie rev iew Joe Agnew Herald staff writer There are a lot of things to like about (Catherine Hepburn. She has/ managed to age gracefully on film over the past 50 years, earning four best actress Oscars in the process. X/ Always commanding oyr attention with her vibrance, outspokeness and sophistication, she is living proof of the wisdom and beauty of senior citizens. Besides her ability to choose interesting and intelligent roles, part of Hepburn's appeal has come from being cast opposite leading men, such as Spencer Tracy, Cary' Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Henry Fonda. Such actors have always provided a nice' contrast to her liberated charac­ ters, at the same time bringing out her vulnerabilities as a woman. But that doesn't mean she's incapable tp; of sometimes appearing in turkey films, like her latest, "Grace Quigley." Nor does her casting opposite Nick Nolte provide ' the sparks that its makers had obviously ' hoped for. . The most annoying thing about this movi^is that it assumes -- in a shallow and callous way - that life is essentially, over -- and unbearable -- for most of the elderly in this country. "Quigley's" scenes also lack continuity, probably due to the fact it was heavily edited after being batt&ed by critics during it's first release earlier this yeAr. It was originally titled "The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley." It seems absurd for Hepburn to endorse the notion that if most old folks had their choice, they'd opt for being killed off in the most painless way possible. "Grace Quigley" of course, is a "black comedy." That's because it takes a humorous look at the sometimes darker, side Of human nature. Some of the more memorable dark comedies of recent years have been "Network," a biting, Satire about television news, and the classic "Harold and Maude," which poked fun at a young man's fascination with killing himself. ' The black comedy of "Quigley" centers around Hepburn's efforts to have professional hitman Seymour Flint (Nolte) bump off her and some elderly pals, so they woh't have to suffer the depressing consequences of growing old in New York City, Or as Hepburn in her typical grandiose style -- puts it, she'd like to be "eradicated." . Flint is first put off by Quigley's idea, but she is soon able to bring him around to her side. "Think of it as a good deed," she tells him. She later asks Nolte to think of himself as a doctor, explaining that while most doctors help people who want to live, he should think of himself as a doctor who ww help those who want to die. Pretty soon, he's bumping off her friends in ways that are only mildly entertaining. Then the audience is expected to accept their gravitation into a mother/son relationship, as she starts scolding him about the dangers of motorcycle riding, and he submits to her domineering ways. The movie (toes have some funny bits. The first encounter between Heg>burn and Nolt is very well done, as well as some latter scenes where he's trying to get her out of his hair. But Nolte is never given a chance to fully develop his "hitman with a heart of gold" character, while Hepburn seems at times to be trying to Ruth Gordon, who really was filmdom's quintessential But most importantly, not once is there a senior cititen in this movie who argues the benefits ofletting life takes Its natural course to death. It would probably be very interesting to bear some of the reactions of senior citizens' who see this film. And what an irony it is to have the 70-plus Hepburn in/a movie that promotes such beliefs, especially iafter the sympathetic appeal of her and Fond's roles in "On Golden Pond " , Although she may not appreciate it, it's safe to assume that Katherine Hepburn will be much in demand until her time comes. (Grace Quigley contains negligible profanity and no nudity. Rated PG- 13, It is now playing'at the Meadowdale Cinema in Carpentersvilie.) The much heralded Farm Aid con­ cert -- featuring such big names as Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Neil Young and Bob Dylan -- will take place, this Sunday, Sept. 22, begin­ ning at 10 a.m. at the University of Illinois-Champaign's Memorial Stadium. Tickets for Farm Aid are sold out. lliose who don't have a ticket are advised not to Come. Those who leave the Stadium during the show Will not be allowed to return. Those who won't be attending Farm Aid can watch it live for 12 to l| hours (Mi Nashville Network cable TV. It will also be broadcast live at certain prime times by networks and selected Independent stations. Therewill also be news repqrts from the stadium throughout the day and night, plus live and spot news cover­ age by more than 200 stations. •Persons will be able to make pledges to Farm Aid by calling 1- 800-FARM-AID.i For. local stadium information call 217-333-5000. For area persons planning who hhve purchased the $17.50 tickets, the gates will open at 8 a.m., and parking lots will open at 7 a.m. The . I0ts are located at,, and near the Stadium, and motorists are asked to follow directions of police. . The usual pattern of one-way streets used for foptball traffic will be utilized. There reportedly will be about i,0Q0 Stpte, University, Cham- paignrUrbana and County police and safety forces on hand, including gd- Cemen, ushers and security personnel. There will be no alcohol, bottles, cans, coolers, recorders, cameras, backpacks, hampers, large contain­ ers, bedrolls, chairs or umbrellas allowed inside the stadium. Excep­ tions will be made for paper or plas­ tic quart bottles, and lunches in small paper sacks. Food such as soft drinks, hot dogs, Bob Dylan hamburgers and other sandwiches will also be available, ranging from $1 to $2.50 each. It is suggested concertgoers wear shirts shoes and garments to protect themselves against the hot sun and chilly evenings. There will also be First Aid stations, emergency medi­ cal technicians, ambulances, nurses and doctors on duty. Representatives of the press will be admitted only with credentials issued by the Howard Bloom Agency. • < Karen Nedli, co-owner of Mikes Comics in East Dundee, goes over •AIMA A* iAA .1... Mil L. ' » .. _• K. .. . .. some of the 400- plus titles her specialty store stocks. N ̂didn't become interested in comic book collecting until she and her Herald photo by Amy K. Brown husband opened their store two years ago. It is preeenOy one of the few such stores servicing northwest IMnois. m By Joe Agnew Herald staff writer and wire reports Pow! Bang! Shazam! Comic books are now 50 years old, but better yet, they have not brought the ruin of civilization that commu­ nity leaders once feared.. And whether they are DC, Marvel ' or any of the other popular titles, coifcics have come a long way since the original appeared in 1935: Enti­ tled "New Fun,' it was published by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, whose company has evolved into what is known today as DC Comics. A half century later, interest in comic books still appears to be going strong. They are now published in about 24 languages in 36 countries, including Indonesia, Yugoslavia and Turkey. The industry has spawned numerous offshoots, including com­ ic-related toys, videos, pajamas and even peanut butter. DC Comics also now produces comic videos, as will Marvel Comics beginning this month. Coupled with that interest is a new trend: comics tackling current so­ cial issues. Spiderman recently re­ vealed his sexual abuse as a child. Marvel's December, >1^64 issue of X- Men had its heroes vlsitlhg the fam­ ine-stricken Ethiopia, with all pro­ ceeds from its sales going for relief in that country. An issue of DC's Teen Titans recently tackle^ the subject of teen drug abuse. "The popularity of comics grew slowly through the 1940s. It suffered in the 1950s when the McCarthy Era conservatism led to the banning of comics because they ruined chil­ dren's minds," said Peggy May, special events managerfor DC Comics. "There has been a new interest, beginning about 15 years ago," May said. "Until then, comics were sold mainly in mom-and-pop stores, but distribution has improved and inter­ est has really grown in the 1980s." Wheeler-Nicholson's company went through a number of changes, and in 1976 became known as DC Comics Inc. -- DC coming from the magazine Detective COmics. In 1,968, i t became pa r t Of Warner Communications. "DC Comics and Marvel Comics account for between 90 arid 93 per­ cent of the comics on the market today." she said. "About 40 to percent of the comics are sold in specialty stores. Karen Nedli, who, along husband Mike, owns Mike's in East Dundee, npted that Marvel comics have the larger readership of the two. The racks in Mike's rying Marvel comics are twic< large as the one carrying DC com­ ics. , Mike's is one of the 1,000 to 3,000 specialty stores that sell only comics and comic-related licensed materi­ al. It can best be described as a "full service" store for comic book buy­ ers and collectors, providing some­ thing extra for the diehard comic fan. The store, which has been open for two years, has walls bursting with brilliantly-colored posters and para­ phernalia of the most popular "su- perheroes." It carries over 400 dif­ ferent titles. Nedli estimated that it would take another two years for the store to develop to the point she and her husband want it. Mike's, for instance, has new com­ ics every week, which are some­ times reserved for regular custom­ ers. The owners will buy and sell comics for customers, will help lo­ cate hard-to-find issues and will also mail them to comic enthusiasts. The store also has a wide assortment of: collector's supplies. Its inventory includes such titles as "Nexus" and "E-Man" from First Comics iri Evanston, which also publishes "Shatter," the first comic generated by a computer. It also carries Eagle comics from Brit ain, and Comico robot cgftitesi from. Pennsylvania. Nedli also noted that both DC and Marvel have recently introduced their "maxi series" line, in. Which the storyline in one i2-part series is continued in other series. DC Comics spokesperson May said buyers of comic books are about 29 percent of the population, aged between 7 and 24. But locally, Nedli estimates the average age of her customers is anywhere from eight to 60 years old. Nedli added that comic book col­ lecting is mainly a man's hobby -- at least in her store. "In the two years we've been open, we've only had about six girls who are regu­ lars," she said. A benefit of comic books, accord­ ing to Nedli, is that they "help kids learn to read." She also claims a person has to have some intelli­ gence. "One of my customers is a graduate student in physics at Northwestern University," she said. "He reads comics as a diversion." Because she was so impressed with the anti-drug message of the Teen Titans' issue, Nedli said she sent several copies \o area Junior high schools. Bill Weller, an English teacher at Crystal Lake South who also collects and reads' comic books, said the difficult words that are sometimes used in comic books did a lot to improve his Vocabulary when h<* read them as a youth. He also said that some, like DC's "Ronin" series, are hard to read and only fdr more "experienced" comic book' readers. While Nedli talked, Mike Kirmse scanned some of the many tiUes Kirmse-- like many others ^ cOt lected comics as a youth, dnd has ohly recently renewed bis interest in toe hobby. He said he hopes he can' pass his interest -- as well as his collection down to his s.on someday Some of the comics $old in special­ ty stores will never be seen on regu­ lar stands. These are the comics that for one reason or another do not receive the approval of the Comics Code Authority, which must give the nod to all comics sold there. "For example, we had a horror comic called 'Swamp Thing' that wasn't approved, but was sold in the specialty stores. We always tell the distributors, who sell directly to the stores, if there might be controver­ sial material. The label 'Sophistical' ed Suspense' is printed on the cov­ er,"May said. The 50-year-old' DC COmics pub­ lishes an average of 35 issues a month. The number varies because of annuals or special series. "The longest running series for us has been Action Comics --, Super­ man," May Said. Nedli said the very first issue of Action, released in 1937 and featuring Superman, Is now worth anywhere from 1600 to $4,000, depending on its condition. "Superman's been around for 47 years, May said, "Surprisingly, the movie versions have riot affected the comic sales, although they have af­ fected the licensed products. "We've found that teen comics such as 'New Teen Titans' and 'Le­ gion of Super Heroes' sell well," saidMay. are catered to by other lines, Fnciiidh ing Marvel Contits' Star new, line that encompasses "Strawberry Shortcake" comics. Marvel also pro­ duces other children's, comics like Heathcliff. the Ewoks, and the Mup- pet .Babies .' "DC Comics is working on a line and has been for about a year, but there Is no definite date on Its ap­ pearance yet," May said. May also added that her felt its readers deserved something more, so it has begun to print 'hard­ cover' comics... "They're not really hard cover, but they are printed on better quality paper," May said. "The hardcovers are sold in the spe­ cialty stores first, then about a year later they are reprinted 6n news­ print for the news stands," May said- "They run about $1 or $1.25 a copy, as compared to 75 cents for toe regular comic." Mike's currently carries the &C hardcovers, but Nedli feels the com- Cy should work harder on improv-_ its story and art quality, in order to catch up with the more popular Marvel line.