Wednesday, May 22, 2013

DFG: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or "How the Todd Abbot Studio Works its Magic"

By Fawney Bologna
Special to DFG ONLINE!

It is no secret that DFG  Comics feature some of the ugliest women in comic books.  This became such an industry joke that back in the 1990s a limited edition 2-volume treasury was released entitled "DFG: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."  The collection highlighted DFG superheroes (the good), DFG villains (the bad), and the DFG women (the ugly).  This collection is now a much-sought-after item on the convention circuit, with the few rare copies selling for five figures.   Since that unfortunate treasury was released, DFG has worked very hard to change its reputation with respect to "ugly women."  A recent leaked photo of a page from Spy Comics Presents... #6 brought about an investigation into what happens when a picture of an ugly woman crosses the desk of DFG art director, Flora Loveartalot. This reporter learned that Flora sent the art back to the Todd Abbot Studio, where it orginated, with the express instructions to clean up the artwork and re-submit it with a more attractive drawing.  When questioned, Ms. Loveartalot denied the allegations:  "I find it very disturbing that people would think we don't allow ugly women in our books at DFG. In fact, it is a very sexist allegation.  Not every woman is a beautiful goddess. Women come in all shapes and sizes and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  DFG has a proven track record of publishing comics with lots of ugly women.  I am shocked, utterly shocked, that you would think we would refuse to publish a drawing of an ugly woman."

However, when the Todd Abbot Studio, which "ghosts" most of the artwork done for DFG was contacted, another side of the story was revealed: "DFG sends stuff back to us all the time," said Todd Abbot, founder and director of the studio.  In fact, Mr. Abbot showed this reporter the offending page and offered a rare inside look at how the studio works its magic.  "When we sent the offending page in for approval, Flora stamped it 'REJECTED'.  Now to be fair, she didn't say anything about the woman being ugly, however, it is an unwritten rule with DFG, ever since that unfortuate 2-volume treasury back in the '90s, that any picture of an ugly woman needs to be redrawn.  We knew what needed to be done when we got the page back." 

Mr. Abbot showed me the original page:



After it was returned, an Abbot junior staffer removed the offending damsel:




And finally, Todd Abbot himself redrew the woman to the unspoken specifications:



DFG ONLINE approached DFG VP Darryl Andrews with these allegations.  Mr. Andrews refused to comment except to say, "Those photos are doctored.  These allegations are ridiculous.  It's just another example of Todd Abbot trying to slander DFG Comics.  I have nothing further to add, except that I think the woman in the picture is still pretty ugly."

Sunday, May 19, 2013

DFG to Release Unpublished Dailies from the Todd Abbot Studio

By Bob Barnes, special to DFG Online

We have just learned from inside sources that DFG is planning to release a 2009 aborted daily strip version of the popular 1980's DFG TV series, "Mitchum and Felix."  The classic program (which is now available on VHS cassette) featured Dan Graves as the hard-boiled PI, Mitchum, and Peter Repas as his geeky computer-savvy side-kick, Felix.  This award-winning series followed up Graves and Repas's earlier acclaimed private detective outing, "the Holden and Bates Mystery Hour."

It seems that in 2009 DFG contracted the Todd Abbot Studio to produce a daily strip of "Mitchum and Felix", but the strip was never released as the result of the so-called "DFG Implosion" of that same year when DFG ceased publishing as a result of a major lawsuit launched against it by Todd Abbot, seeking ownership for content and characters he claimed to have created while "ghosting" for DFG over the years.

Recent reports seem to indicate that DFG and Abbot have buried the hatchet and are once again on collaborative terms.  Could the release of this lost work signal a new springtime for DFG?  Only time will tell!  Pictured below is the lost artwork for the "Mitchum and Felix" daily.