MARK HAMILL AND CHRISTOPHER REEVE: Two Screen Heroes Who Still Inspire Us
A FRANCO FRIDAYS (DOUBLE) BIRTHDAY SALUTE! By FRANCO What do Luke Skywalker and Superman have in common? Quite a bit more than you might think! Aside from the obvious, they both share a birthday. Mark Hamill and Christopher Reeve were both born on this day, a year apart (Hamill in 1951, Reeve in 1952). Too much of a stretch you say? Well, how about the fact that I’ve met both of them? So they both share a birthday AND the fact that I’ve met both of them? Now we’re delving into Twilight Zone (or X-Files, depending on your age) territory, and your mind is blown! OK. You’re into all this stuff and you say to me, “Franco, I already knew all of that!” WOW! I’d say. You’re good! But how about that they starred together in John Carpenter’s 1995 remake of Village of the Damned? Yeah, not so up on your nerd facts now, are you? Seriously though, a big thrill for me when meeting each of them. The contributions from both of them to pop culture and my own imagination were immeasurable. One thing I did, but also did not, know about Mark Hamill in particular was his voice work. I know what you’re thinking, “Huh?” In the immortal words of Ricky Ricardo: ‘‘Lemme ‘splain.” If you’re a geek worth any measure of salt you know that Mark is the ultimate voice of the Joker, in Batman: The Animated Series, video games and so forth. And I knew he did other voices, but two that I had no idea about (more actually) were shows I would watch with my kid (like I needed an excuse of a kid to watch them): He was the voice of Hobgoblin from the 1990s Spider-Man cartoon series and Skips from Regular Show. So cool and awesome to find out. It inspired me to make some quick sketches. Happy birthday to Mark Hamill and the late Christopher Reeve! — Want more FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS? Come back next week! — MORE — THE RIME OF THE ORANGE MARINER: An Epic 85th Anniversary AQUAMAN Poem. Click here. — THE HAIR OF STAR TREK: Beam Us to the Space Salon! Click here. — Franco and his forehead have traveled the world and he writes and draws stuff. Franco is the creator, artist and writer of Patrick the Wolf Boy and Aw Yeah...
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