THE MARX DALEK - APPROVED AND AUTHENTICATED...

If I remember my DOCTOR WHO history correctly, a DALEK's

'plunger' appeared on the programme on December 21st, 1963, but it
wasn't until the following week (28th) that the pepper-pot perpetrators
of planetary pulverisation appeared in their full glory and subsequently
took the kiddie-contingent of the country by storm.  MARX TOYS were
amongst the first to jump on the merchandising bandwagon that followed,
with an assortment of friction-drive, ball-bearing and battery-powered
bump 'n' go plastic playthings in varying sizes and colours.  (Silver
and black initially, with red and yellow ones a few years later.)

Although the demand for these toys was huge, it has to be admitted

in the cold light of adulthood that they weren't entirely accurate in terms

of detail.  True, they captured the essence of the aggressive aliens perfectly

and were even used as stand-ins in the programme itself, but could hardly

be considered as exact reproductions of their TV counterparts.  (Although

Marx were not the only manufacturers of Dalek merchandise whose

product differed from their cathode ray tube incarnations.)

At least, that's the generally-held view of collectors of these popular

'metal' mutants.  However, a few years back, in the pages of DOCTOR

WHO MAGAZINE, I spied an early production sketch by designer RAY

CUSICK, which suggested a possible means of propelling the Scions of

SKARO around the BBC studios.  Take a good look at the drawing below -

doesn't it seem remarkably similar to the Marx Dalek to you?  Look at the

shape of the head - it's almost a dead-ringer for the Marx version.  (It's
also got the same lights as the movie version - a couple of years before
the big-screen adventure had even been thought of.)  

  

So, to all those inclined to write off the Marx Dalek as an inaccurate

representation of the Doctor's arch-enemies, perhaps it's now time to re-

evaluate that assessment.  The fact that it bears quite a resemblance to an

approved (in appearance, if not in propulsion) production sketch by the

actual designer means we can safely regard the most sought-after toy of

Christmas '64 as an 'official', if variant, member of the Dalek ranks.

Obviously, as has been seen down through the years, Daleks

come in various versions, and each one is as valid as another.  I can't

help but wonder, 'though, if these tin-pot tyrants would have been as

successful if either of the following two designs had been approved by

those in charge.  Perhaps the whole future of the programme would

have been different - if, indeed, it would even have had one.

     

So, go on - dig out your Marx Dalek today (if you're lucky

enough to own one) and give him pride of place once more on your

shelf or sideboard.  No longer need he play second-fiddle to his later

brothers and cousins.  No hiding him behind the rest of them, mind -

stick him up-front where he rightfully belongs. 

THE FANTASTIC FOUR'S ANNUAL EVENT (EXPANDED EDITION)...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Hard to believe the above issue is nearly 50 years old.  I acquired

it just over two decades after it was published, which means I've now

owned it for close to 30 years - something else I find difficult to wrap

my mind around.  The first six F.F. Annuals all had new content

alongside select reprints, but with #7 they became all-reprint ma-

terial - which lasted until 1976 and the release of Annual #11.

  

The seventh King-Size Special Annual, reprinted the contents

of #2 (above), while #8 re-presented the first in the series, minus

the opening chapter of the origin of the foursome from their 1961

debut in F.F. #1 (which had faces and figures redrawn in places,

to update the look of the some of the characters).

The above cover was one I re-created for the original printing

of Volume 25 of MARVEL MASTERWORKS, and was featured

in several publications over the years until an earlier, superior source

was discovered and utilized for the OMNIBUS and recently updated

Masterworks editions.  JACK ('KING') KIRBY was still alive when

I re-inked, re-created and restored this page (and others), and it was

an immense thrill to see my name in the credits section of the book

alongside some of the (then) living legends of the Marvel Age.

Annual #4 featured the return of the original HUMAN TORCH,

but it was the reprints which made this issue a 'must-have'.  Re-pre-

senting F.F. #s 25 & 26, the second meeting 'twixt the HULK and

 the THING was a real classic.  I was never overly fond of GEORGE

ROUSSOS's inks (under the name of George Bell) over Kirby's

F.F. pencils, but, some way, somehow, they work in this two-

part slug-fest from the scintillating '60s.

  

The above was the cataclysmic issue that featured the SILVER

SURFER in his first solo story.  By this time, Kirby's figure-work had

lost some of the grace and fluidity with which he had imbued NORRIN

RADD when he first appeared in what would later become known as the

GALACTUS TRILOGY.  I have to say that I think STAN LEE made

the right choice when he picked JOHN BUSCEMA to draw the regular

adventures of the Surfer in his own mag.  Short-lived though it was,

I fear it would have been even shorter had Jack been at the helm.

The sixth in the series was the one which made comicbook history

by introducing childbirth into the world of superhero sagas.  Nothing

graphic, and all 'off-camera', but, as far as I'm aware, no other super-

powered couples had ever entered into parenthood before.  REED

and SUE's son, FRANKLIN, is with us yet and is still only a kid -

I just wish I knew his secret.

Which brings us back to the beginning - in reverse - for this series of

Specials, as the above ish reprinted the story from the second Annual

from 1964.  I'd be interested to know if the reprint editions sold as well

(or better) as the ones which contained new material, but I'm assuming

so as they must have cost less to produce.  Anyone know for sure?

We end our journey where it began - with a re-presentation of the

tale from the very first '63 Annual.  It's always nice to come full-circle,

don't you think?  And isn't it interesting to compare JOHN ROMITA's

cover with Jack Kirby's?  On balance, I think that Romita's is far more

dynamic, with Kirby's being a little sedate for such an action-packed

adventure.  However, we aren't restricted to one or the other - we

have both to enjoy whenever the fancy takes us.  'Nuff said!

******

In answer to a request in the comments section, what follows

(eventually) is the restored cover of F.F. Annual #3 for Marvel

Masterworks Vol 25, published in 1993.  First up (below) is what

I had to work with, taken from an issue of SMASH! printed back in

the 1960s.  I later found a much sharper copy of this ad in an issue

of FANTASTIC, but by then it was too late - I'd already com-

pleted all the work and wasn't willing to do it again.

And below is the finished result, a combination of re-created lettering
and some taken from my own copy of the actual issue.  You'll see that
I had to add two missing figures, as well as re-ink the entire page.

When I first started restoring pages, my aim was to make them

as exact as I could, but then I succumbed to the temptation to leave

my own 'stamp' on them.  If you look closely, you'll find occasional

little deviations from the original.  However, this was accentuated by

Marvel not following the original colouring of the published comics.

Nowadays, Marvel strive to make their Masterworks volumes as

close to the originals as possible.  The recent softcover editions

really are worth acquiring for your collection.

Above is a section from the cover - isn't that gilded frame

a thing of beauty?  Below is a section from the credits page -

Stan Lee's name kicks it off, I bring up the rear.

And now, what you've been waiting for - the published result.

Unfortunately, the outline of 'King-Size' in the banner at the top of

the page was somehow 'lost' in the colouring process, but it was fixed

when the cover was later reproduced in other publications.

Considering I used only a Marsmatic technical pen to re-ink a

photocopy on cheap paper (copied in my local library), it turned out

not too badly.  I also worked on Volume 26 (THOR) - the series was

cancelled after Volume 27, but was revived a few years later.

KID KLASSICS - IT'S A MARVEL-LOUS WORLD (EXPANDED EDITION)...

Art by John Buscema

 

40 years ago, on September 30th, 1972, The MIGHTY WORLD Of
MARVEL #1 (cover dated October 7th) burst onto newsagents' counters

all over Britain.  I hadn't seen the STAN LEE-voiced TV ad (although I did

later), so it came as a surprise when I spotted the comic on a wall-rack out-
side a newsagent's along from Glasgow's famous BARROWLAND market
(aka The BARRAS), where I and my parents were heading on that
particular Saturday morning.

Art by Jack Kirby

 

Art by Jack Kirby

I couldn't talk my folks
into buying it for me on the
way in, but I'd managed to
wear them down into submis-
sion by the time we made our

way out an hour or so later.  We
were soon ensconced in the cosy
confines of a comfy cafe, and it
was with great joy that I pored
through its contents over a glass
of cola and reacquainted myself
with the pals I'd first met in the

pulsating pages of ODHAMS'

POWER COMICS, way back
in what even then seemed like
the dim and distant days of
the '60s.  Suddenly, life
was exciting again.

Art by Jack Kirby

DEZ SKINN once revealed that Stan had told him the comic's original
title was going to be The WONDERFUL World of Marvel (after the
Disney TV show of almost the same name), but thankfully 'twas not to be.

Besides, MIGHTY and MARVEL go so well together it seems the obvious
choice, so I'm amazed that any other name was even considered.

Art by Jack Kirby

Art by Jack Kirby

40 pages, some in full-

colour (the rest with green

'spot' colour), for only 5p -
containing the origins of The
INCREDIBLE HULK, The
(FABULOUS) FANTASTIC
FOUR and The AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN - plus a Hulk
iron-on transfer (left) - Wow!
I wish they still produced
comics like that today!

Well, in a sense - they do!
I still buy MWOM today,
although it's now published
monthly, has 76 full-colour
pages and costs £2.95.

The Mighty World of Marvel - I hope it's still around in
another 40 years.  In fact, I hope I'm still around also.

Art by Steve Ditko

Hopefully, you won't mind me resurrecting a post from two years ago -
but (with a little revision) it was perfect for the purpose of celebrating the

debut of MWOM back in 1972.  And, to be honest, I simply couldn't think

of saying it any better than I did a couple of years back.  I wish I could relive

those Autumnal days from so long ago when I was a mere thirteen year old

boy, but, in a way, I can.  Whenever I look at those pulse-pounding pages

in the very first issue of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL, I'm
once more back in the heady days of the sensational '70s.

Art by Steve Ditko

Incidentally, you may be interested to know that, despite a later issue's

claims to the contrary in response to a reader's enquiry, page seven was

edited out of the reprint of SPIDER-MAN's origin.  The opening caption

of page eight was amended to take account of this, and so unobtrusively

was it done that the story's flow remained largely unaffected by the cut. 

'D' IS FOR DENNIS DAY...

As a special treat, I'm bestowing upon all you rabid readers a

few pages from the third DENNIS The MENACE book for 1960

(issued at the end of '59).  I'm fortunate enough to own every Dennis

book ever printed (one of each, obviously - not the entire print run of

every book) and they're well-worth having.  Published in an era be-

fore political correctness had been invented, the early books

were the epitome of riotous, rebellious, rip-roaring FUN! 

The Dennis books didn't become actual 'annuals' until 1984

(for '85), which was the first to be released a year before the next

one.  Before then, they had been published every two years until 1977

(for '78), whereupon it was 'rested' for a few years before resurfacing in

1982 (for '83).  The final edition was the Dennis & Gnasher Annual

for 2011, issued at the end of 2010, but by then, Dennis was a pale im-

itation of his former self.  Will the Dennis books ever return?  Who

knows, but in the meantime, enjoy the following classic capers

from the heyday of the world's wildest boy.

All art in this post by Davey Law

REMEMBER WHEN DAYS WERE LONGER?

It's a wet and windy Autumn day outside, as the rain runs down
my window and leaves swirl past as if they need to be somewhere in
a hurry.  I almost feel like I should be preparing to brave the elements
whilst getting ready for school, so evocative is it of days of long ago
when such weather was something to be enjoyed (if you were ten
years old) rather than cower from like a big feartie.

I can smell that 'woody' tang in the air, with hints of fireworks

and Hallowe'en, and find myself wondering why, when I was younger,
All  Hallow's Eve and Guy Fawkes' Night seemed separated by a period
of several weeks instead of the actual five days that exist between them.
I can remember, in school, as the night of October 31st approached, the

afternoon being given over to making masks for the big event to come.

Then it would all happen again for November 5th, and I defy anyone

to cast their minds back without seeming to 'remember' these two

celebrations as being separated by a far longer period of time
than they actually were.

I've often wondered how such a thing can be so.  If October 31st

fell on a Monday, mask-making day would have been on Friday the
28th.  That means Guy Fawkes Night would have been on the following
Saturday, and mask-making day would have occurred on Friday the 4th -
a whole week later with a Saturday and Sunday in between.  Well, week-
ends obviously seemed far longer to us as kids back then than they do
now, but not all mask-making afternoons were partitioned by a full
weekend, so the seemingly elongated interval between the two
events is not fully accounted for by such an explanation.

We'll just have to put it down to that same mysterious

phenomenon which makes all our yesterdays, in retrospect, seem
better, brighter and longer than they really were.  Don't we all feel that
the summers of our childhoods were gloriously sunny for months on
end, and that every Christmas morn we woke to find a deep carpet
of snow spread before us outside our bedroom windows?

I doubt I'm alone in preferring to recall some things as they

seemed to be, as opposed to how they actually were.  ("I think,
therefore it was" - as someone surely must have said.)

THE AMERICANS ARE COMING! (TOO LATE, THEY'RE HERE!)

BARRY PEARL, author of THE ESSENTIAL MARVEL AGE

REFERENCE PROJECT and blogger of BARRY'S PEARLS OF

COMIC BOOK WISDOM (here), recently asked me for my personal

reminiscences as to how I first discovered American comicbooks.

(Just like STAN LEE, I prefer to render it as one word.)

First of all 'though, let me
relate what I can recall of the

earliest comics I encountered

when I was but a few years old.

It would be impossible to list

them in the sequential order I

first experienced them, as my

memories of that particular

period of my life tend to run

into one another and it's diffi-
cult to separate them at this
late stage.  However, I remem-
ber being aware of SUPER-
MAN from about three or four
years of age, and even reading
one of his comics, doubtless
bought by my older brother.
Whether it was a U.S. original or U.K. reprint is beyond my ability to rec-
ollect - not that I'd have known the difference at that young age anyway.

Back in the early and mid-'60s, which is the time I first became aware of

them, Britain still had a decent comics industry, with myriad publications

vying for the pocket-money of post-war 'baby-boomer' children.  Titles such

as BEANO, DANDY, BEEZER, TOPPER, SPARKY, VICTOR, HOTSPUR,

VALIANT, LION, TIGER, EAGLE, BUSTER, TV COMIC, TV CENTURY
21, and a whole host more - the majority of which were aimed mainly at boys.

Girls had their own 'pictorial papers' to amuse and entertain them.  Unlike

American comics, their British counterparts were published weekly, so U.K.

kids were spoilt for choice when it came to having something to read.

I probably first became aware

of American comicbooks (as

American comicbooks) around

1964 or '65, while visiting an

honorary 'Aunt' whose son bought

them.  Sometimes he would even

let my brother and me take some

of them home - to keep.  These

were usually from the stable of

NATIONAL PERIODICAL

PUBLICATIONS (DC COMICS

nowadays), and included such

titles as SUPERMAN, BATMAN,

The FLASH, etc.  As most readers

will know, U.S. comics came to

Britain as ballast in ships, and

were usually displayed on spinner-
racks along with other magazines in a shop corner, whereas U.K. comics
were normally given space on the newsagent's counter.  This perhaps
accounts for why I didn't discover 'yankee' superhero mags sooner.

I first became acquainted with MARVEL COMICS heroes in 1966, in

the pages of a British title called SMASH!, published by ODHAMS PRESS.

First The HULK and then The FANTASTIC FOUR (the foursome's origin

being reprinted in two comics simultaneously), followed soon after by the rest
of the mighty Marvel pantheon in sister-publications such as WHAM!, POW!,

FANTASTIC and TERRIFIC.  Three of these weekly comic papers (Wham!

Smash!, and Pow!) ran the Marvel reprints alongside home-grown humour,
adventure, war, and sports strips, typical of what British comics had been
producing from the '50s onwards.  Of course, British comics go back much
further than that, and Glasgow comics historian JOHN McSHANE has
unearthed evidence that appears to suggest that comics first originated
in Scotland - the real 'home of the brave and the land of the free'.

As for comicbooks from before
my time, I first became aware of

them through reprints in 80 page

GIANTS and, later, when DC

COMICS upped their price to 25

cents an issue in the early '70s

and included 'Golden Age' tales in

the extra pages.  Classics such as

The BOY COMMANDOS, The

NEWSBOY LEGION, The

SANDMAN, etc., re-presented
for a (then) modern audience,

added to my knowledge of (and
appreciation for) what had gone
before.  I learned about early
U.K. comics from books by
collector and historian, the late
DENIS GIFFORD, whose collection contained periodicals unknown
to even the British Museum.  

So, that's how it all happened in my case, and I'm pretty sure it's not too
different for those U.K. readers of a similar age and background to myself.
I'd like to thank Barry for allowing me to indulge in my favourite pastimes -
comicbooks and reminiscing about the past.  (Or 'talking about myself', as
some cynics might prefer to describe it.)

"A NAMELESS LAND, A TIMELESS TIME!"

Isn't it strange how, when we look at the past through the muggy
mists of memory, periods of time we experienced as children seem
to have lasted far longer than they actually did?  For instance, when
I was getting FANTASTIC back in the '60s, it felt like I was reading
the ODHAMS PRESS weekly periodical for years before it eventual-
ly discontinued publication and was merged into SMASH!, one of its
stablemates.  However, Fantastic lasted for only 89 issues - which
is (if my calculations are correct) a period of exactly one year and
nine months.  Surely such a thing is impossible?  To me, it feels
like I was buying it for about three or four years at least.

It's the same with WHAM!, another of the five POWER COMICS,
as they were known.  I didn't become a regular reader until the comic
started featuring The FANTASTIC FOUR, sometime around August
of '66.  The title was merged into POW! an issue or two into January of
'68, which means that I had only been buying it for less than a year and a
half before its untimely demise.  Yet, when I think back, it seems (and
seemed) that the weekly periodical was a feature of my life for a far
longer time than was actually the case.

Regular readers may remember that, some time ago, I mentioned
in a previous post a quotation I heard on the radio a good few years
back which ran something like this:  "The memories of childhood are
without time and without end."  When I revisit my own memories
of childhood, I'm convinced of the truth of that insightful piece of
wisdom.  If anyone can tell me its source I'd be much obliged. 

A NOTE TO ALL 'KID-ITES'...

Just to let all you cataclysmic comic fans out there know that I'm currently

having computer and scanner problems, so posts might be a bit thin on the

ground over the next few days - if not completely non-existent. Responses

to comments may also be a bit slow. Normal service will be resumed as

soon as possible. (I hope.)

HULK SMASH!

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Presented for your appreciation and approval, the covers of the
first three The INCREDIBLE HULK Annuals.  The face on #1 was
redrawn by MARIE SEVERIN, although JIM STERANKO's original
fizzog remained untouched on the cover reproduction used in adts for
the title.  There was something magical about these mags that today's

'Specials' just can't match.  I wish they'd bring 'em back.

SUNNY SUMMER SPECIALS OF YESTERYEAR...

One of the things that every blogger has to concern themselves

with is just what to write about for each new post, in the hope that at

least someone will be interested in reading the result.  One can never

really tell with any certainty just what will float a reader's boat so it's a

bit of a gamble whenever a blog host takes the plunge with yet another

entry for his members' perusal and hopeful appreciation.  Will a catchy

title arouse their curiosity?  Will a dramatic opening illustration grab
their attention?  Sometimes I'm surprised as to just what attracts a
significant number of hits - and sometimes I'm disappointed in
equal measure as to what seems to escape under the radar.

So, "what's the recipe for today, Jim?" - and will it be enough
to lure you into my blog's web for a few enjoyable minutes of reading
pleasure?  Let's look at the subject of Summer Specials - or Holiday
Specials as they were also sometimes called.  Asides from the three new
Ultimate Beano Summer Specials which graced the shelves of WH
Smith fairly recently, the particular breed known as the Summer Special
seems to be extinct.  Hardly surprising given the dying interest in comics
in general, but no less disappointing for that inarguable fact.

Those of a certain age will recall the glory days, when - for a mere
2'6d (usually) - 96 pages of fun and adventure could be had to pore
over again and again.  There was just something about those extra thick
publications that seemed to beckon to us from the newsagents' counters -

enticing us to spend the half-crown that an indulgent grandparent or uncle
had given to us only a day or two before.  We were mainly unaware that,
inevitably, these bumper packages contained an allocation of reprinted
strips from comics or annuals of an earlier era - and what did it matter
anyway?  They were definitely new to us.

So come with me now on a short journey, and let us return to
an age when Holiday Specials were a welcome distraction as we
sheltered under the leafy shade of an overhanging branch from the
heat of the sweltering Summer sun.  A bottle of pop in one hand, an
oversized paper periodical in the other, the future remained an un-
discovered country - in which, sadly, all too soon we would find
ourselves residing while wondering how we got there.