NOW HERE'S A FELLOW WITH AN IMPRESSIVE PEDIGREE...

Character copyright relevant owner

One of the finest pieces of TV tie-in merchandise ever produced is, in my opinion, Pedigree Toys' 12 inch action figure of Captain Scarlet from the late '60s.  I first saw it on display in the window of a shop called Nurseryland in my local town centre and, some time later, I was a little jealous when I discovered that one of my pals (the late Alan Bowie, previously referred to by me on the blog as Adam Cowie and Billy Liar) had been bought one by his parents as, I think, a Christmas (or birthday) present.

I later swapped him an Action Man for it, and must confess to being somewhat surprised at his acceptance of my proposal of the exchange as I had my doubts he'd go for it.  I can only assume Action Man perhaps had more street cred as a 'must-have' toy than poor Paul Metcalfe (Scarlet), but that's how the toy first came into my possession.  If I recall correctly, Alan later wanted to swap back, but I was having none of it and the good ol' Cap remained a part of my toy horde for at least a couple of years.

In 1970 my family holidayed in Rothesay, and for some (forgotten) reason I took the good Captain's boots with me, which I fitted onto a newly-purchased cheap Action Man 'knock-off', acquired at some point during our fortnight's stay.  The figure was produced by a company called Mintex and had the same face as Pedigree's Tommy Gunn (though the actual figure itself was inferior).  As Captain Scarlet was also a Pedigree toy and had the same body as Tommy, I found that rather appropriate (if ironic).

Then disaster struck.  In attempting to remove the boots, I inadvertently pulled the figure's feet off along with them, so in a fit of frustration (after first removing the feet) I hurled the boots off the end of the pier into the sea.  Wish I hadn't now, though it's decades too late to do anything about it.  Nowadays, I own at least two Captain Scarlet figures, two or three Tommy Gunn figures (as well as a few from when Zodiac Toys took over their production) and various other Action Men from down through the years.

Both Scarlet figures have their original boots, though only one of them has anything approaching an almost full uniform.  The gun and belt are missing, the cap's visor is cracked, and the tunic is in a poor state of repair.  I therefore commandeered a uniform from a Vivid Imaginations Scarlet figure from the '90s for one of the Pedigree toys, and very smart he is in it too.  They're all in a box in a cupboard or somewhere up in the loft at the moment, otherwise I'd show them all together for your personal perusal.

However guess what?  I recently decided to treat myself and bought another Pedigree Scarlet figure, this time boxed and with a complete uniform.  That's him above and below, and isn't he a handsome chap in his lovely Spectrum outfit.  (Oo-er, I hope I'm not on the 'turn'.)  What I mean, of course, is that it's a very handsome toy and a welcome addition to my vast accumulation of stuff, action figures in particular.  When I look at it/him, I can't help but think of that long-vanished shop from my youth.

And also, curiously (or perhaps not), my long-gone pal Alan, who died 12 years ago, 32 years after I last saw and spoke with him.  Ah, the past has come back to haunt me, but that's the kind of 'ghosts' I can live with, bittersweet as they can sometimes be.  How about you, Crivvies?  Any toys from childhood you miss, replete with their associated memories, that you'd like to own again?  (Doesn't have to be action figures.)  Wax nostalgically in our hungry-for-input comments section.  This blog's nothing without you.

The FANTASTIC FOUR #10 Facsimile Edition...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Behold - the latest Facsimile Edition in the Fantastic Four series by Marvel Comics.  Two more to go before this sequential run ends, unless, of course, they've been selling so well they keep on going.  I certainly wouldn't mind, even though I've already got all the Lee & Kirby FF mags in a mix of original monthlies and collected reprints.  Anyway, for your eyes only, all the 'chapter' pages plus the pin-up contained in this classic '60s tale.  Feel free to share any reminiscences you have of this tale, whether from the original issue or one of the many reprints.

BABE Of The DAY - DIANA REEVES...

Delectable Diana Reeves stands

next to the new pizza vending machine in

SHADO HQ, waiting for her pineapple and

pepperoni 12-incher to pop out.  And  no -

that's not intended as a double entendre,

 you mucky-minded lot.  Behave!

The COMPLETE HOWARD The DUCK COMPLETE COLLECTION... (Hee-Hee - See What I Did There?)

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

For no other reason than I can't think of anything else to write about, I thought I'd repost these covers of the four softcover volumes of Howard The Duck The Complete Collection.  However, that's not quite accurate - actually, there is another reason, which is because there's some nice art on view on these covers that's worth looking at.   Remember when, back in the '70s, Howard was the next best thing since sliced bread?  It remains to be seen whether he'll ever be as big again, but let's revel in his glory days just for old times' sake.  Got a favourite cover or Howard adventure?  Then share it with your fellow Crivs in our comments section.  (And remember, click on images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.)  [I love the back cover to Volume 3.]

MYTEK The MIGHTY Volume Three...

MYTEK copyright REBELLION

Above, the third volume in a series of four, reprinting all of the Mytek The Mighty strips from Valiant.  I've recently completed volume one and thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to working my way (slowly) through all four books when the final one is published soon.  To be honest, I was never much of a fan of the strip on the few occasions I encountered it in my youth, as Mytek was no longer featured in Valiant by the time I started buying it.  His strips were reprinted in Vulcan around the mid-'70s, but never really grabbed me for some reason, maybe because I was too entranced by Don Laurence's art in The Trigan Empire.

It could also have been because Mytek, being a robot, doesn't really have much, if any, of a 'personality' and doesn't speak, not even in a Hulk-like way, though it's possible he developed the ability to talk in later strips which I haven't yet read.  The stories pull no punches - people are routinely killed by the dozens, if not hundreds, at regular intervals under Mytek's onslaught against villages, towns, and cities, while in the control of Gogra the dwarf (now there's a catchy name), with none of the customary copouts usually seen in comics such as "Luckily, the buildings were deserted as they were due for demolition".  Make no mistake - people die!

The artwork is top-notch, though the size of Mytek seems to vary on occasion.  I still prefer Rebellion's Robot Archie volumes as Archie has a personality and is an ego-maniac with attitude, lending a touch of humour to his otherwise serious adventures, but all lovers of classic British comics will be sure to enjoy Mytek's four volume series (4 coming soon), available from Steve Holland's Bear Alley Books.  Get your orders in now - link in sidebar.

BABE Of The DAY - WANDA VENTHAM...

This lovely lass is Wanda Ventham,

actor Benedict Cumberbatch's mother,

believe it or don't.  Well, it doesn't take sleuths

like Sherlock Holmes to tell me the bleeding

obvious - that his mother is a complete and

utter babe.  (Elementary, Watson.)

The Complete BUZZ #1...

Copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

I'd not long turned 14 when a new DCT comic weekly hit newsagents' counters in January of 1973.  Although it says 'Every Monday' on the cover, I've a feeling I bought it on a Saturday when it first went on sale, though I'm not 100% sure.  Strangely for me, I've no memory of the contents or characters*, or of when I stopped buying the comic, which lasted 103 issues until it was merged with The Topper in 1975 with the issue dated 11th January.

When I say I've no memory of the characters from their debut strips in Buzz, I remember some of them from their later appearance in The Topper (though I didn't then realise they were from Buzz).  Buzz was a big comic, size-wise, but contained a mere 16 pages, including the covers.  It was the same dimensions as The Topper and The Beezer when they were around A3-size.  Anyway, Crivs, here's the complete first issue for your perusal.

(You can see a photo of the free gift at the bottom of the post.)

*With the exception of Nero And Zero, who I recognised from a small strip in The Fun Section of The Sunday Post, though they were reprints, I believe, from The Wizard, where they'd first appeared in the '30s.  The strip back then was drawn by Allan Morley, who died in 1960.  As for Big Fat Flo, publishers wouldn't risk getting away with a name like that in a comic nowadays.  The three strips on that page look a little dated, even for 1973, so I wonder if they might be reprints from DCT's back catalogue - anyone know?

BEARS Of The DAY - TEDDY & His TEDDY...

Saw the above pic on a digital screen in the window of the local Job Centre office as I was passing one day and decided to take a photo of it.  (Lucky I had my camera with me.)  I think it's cute and thought you might too.  Any Crivs still got their childhood teddies?  Just wondering.

HAPPY 53rd BIRTHDAY MWOM #1...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

I've posted before about the Anniversary of The Mighty World Of Marvel #1 (several times over the years), so I'll spare you a repeat of what I said on those occasions and just show the cover of the comic that hit newsagents' shelves on September 30th 1972 - 53 years ago - to mark the event.  Honest, I recall buying it as though it were only yesterday.  Did you have this comic back in the day?  Then share your memories in the comments section.

LOOPY LAPSES IN LOGICAL THINKING...

Is the world going crazy or is it just me?  Apparently, there are moves afoot to decriminalise prostitutes selling sex and instead make it illegal for 'customers' to buy it.  That's just like decriminalising dealers selling drugs, but making it illegal for addicts to buy them.  What's wrong with it being illegal to buy or sell sex and drugs and thereby have a two-pronged approach to wiping out both of these societal ills?  After all, if it were illegal to buy sex (or drugs) what would be the point of it not being illegal to sell them?  What am I missing here?  This proposal just doesn't add up and, hard as it might be for you to believe, I'm a reasonably intelligent person.

And before anyone says drugs should be legal so the government can tax them and take them out of the hands of criminals, that's an example of woolly thinking.  Making drugs legal and taxable would only give criminals a 'lawful' business by which to launder the proceeds from their other criminal activities.  And as for taxing the proceeds of prostitution (if punters were still allowed to use the 'service' that is), do we really want our government (of whichever political party) to be little more than pimps?  It wouldn't necessarily make it safer for prostitutes as has been claimed, as there are always those who would avoid paying tax by operating outside of the 'system'.

Like I said - just how could it be illegal to buy something that wasn't also illegal to sell?  Any thoughts (intelligent ones), then feel free to comment.

(No comments?  Nice to see that everyone obviously agrees with me.)

The DALEKS Are No MUGS. (Oh yes they ARE!)

Copyright relevant owner(s)

I readily confess I don't really need another mug - I've got loads of them.  Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Yogi Bear, etc., but I simply couldn't pass this one up.  I spotted it on eBay a few days back and thought it was a 1960s mug, but it can't be that old because BBC Worldwide only came into existence in 1995, being BBC Enterprises from 1979 up until then.

The Daleks are drawn by illustrator Roger Hargreaves (creator of The Mr. Men) and if you look at the Dalek on the left, he looks as though he's smiling.  A nice little collectable I've never seen before, though I do have other Dalek mugs (and eggcups).  Any Crivs got any collectable character merchandise?  Tell all about it in the comments section.  It's good to share.    

CLOBBERIN' TIME With The FANTASTIC FOUR...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Published by PANINI

The latest issue (#4) of Panini's new Fantastic Four UK monthly mag went on sale a couple of days ago, so here's the cover and centrespread poster, Crivs, just to give you a wee visual treat on which to feast your eyes.  Below that is a variant cover for a mag which I showed you back in July, but I recently bought the Alan Davis & Morry Hollowell version and decided to share it with you.  Ain't I good to you all?  Any of you Crivs buying either of these two mags?  Do tell!

BIG-BAD-BOLD-AND-BONKERS ROBOT ARCHIE...

Copyright REBELLION

Our memories of certain things from our past don't always stand up to critical evaluation years after the fact, do they?  Almost 30 years ago, there was some kind of TV Anniversary series where old shows were re-broadcast in an indulgence of nostalgia for those who had originally watched them back in the '60s.  One such programme was The Arthur Haynes Show and, by gawd, it was utterly awful.  Did my parents, myself and older sibling actually find it even remotely funny back in the day, to say nothing of the nationwide TV audience?  It was pure sh*te, though I suppose there's always a chance it wasn't a typical example and other episodes were funnier.  Perhaps this one had been chosen at random and hadn't been viewed in advance of being broadcast, but poor old Arthur must've been spinning in his grave.

It's the same with old British comics (we're talking paper periodicals now, not comedians), as although the art in such publications was usually top-notch and of a higher standard than a lot of comics today (in my view anyway), the stories themselves (especially humour strips) weren't always what you could call 'classics'.  Having said that, the latest Robot Archie volume from The Treasury Of British Comics (Rebellion) is a proper treat, and a good laugh to boot.  Most of my exposure to Archie was from when he appeared in Vulcan in the '70s and I don't remember those tales as being particularly memorable (though most of them were reprints from a Dutch comic if I recall rightly), but I had a hearty chuckle at Archie's shenanigans and 'patter' in the three stories presented in this terrific tome and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Which is my legendary long-winded way of saying if you haven't yet bought this book, snap one up right away, settle back in a comfy armchair and lap up the awesome adventures of Archie as he cuts a swathe of devastation and destruction through evil aliens and World War I German soldiers in a trio of time-travelling tales that'll have you looking forward to volume three and placing an order for volume one if you don't already have it.  Highly recommended.

Incidentally, I previously showed you the softcover version in an earlier post, but the one that kicks off this post is the hardcover edition with an exclusive cover which costs a few measly quid more.  Undecided as to which one to buy?  Then do what I did - get both!

BABE Of The DAY - SHAKIRA CAINE...

Stunning lass Shakira Caine used

to be one of the Shado girls who graced

Gerry Anderson's live-action TV show back

in the '70s, UFO.  That's certainly not some-

thing anyone would ever say to her, is it?

(Not unless they're totally bonkers.)

YET MORE CASTEL CRIVENS ACQUISITIONS...

Characters and images copyright relevant and respective owners

September 30th is the 60th Anniversary of Thunderbirds being first broadcast on UK TV so there's quite a bit of merchandise around at the moment - diecasts, model kits, and books, etc.  The tome above, though featuring comic strips that have been reprinted before over the years, is probably the best yet and contains some interesting articles.  Sadly it misnames TV Comic's Bill Mevin as Bill Melvin, and describes TV Century 21's Supercar strip as consisting of one-page, though it was actually one-and-a-half (to begin with anyway).  I've only had a cursory look so far (just arrived this afternoon) so there'll likely be other errors in the text as is usually the case in such publications.  Anyway, still nice to have and roll on volume two. 

Being a lazy buggah, I'm usually inclined to take shortcuts, hence my inclusion of the back cover, above, which gives the publisher's spiel about the contents, saving me from having to go into any detail about them myself.  That should give you a fair idea of what to expect should any of you decide to add this heavy volume to your own collections.  Hefty books come at a hefty price, but it's worth it to recapture a piece of your childhood - if you're as old as me, that is. 

As you'll all know by now, Marvel is reprinting the first dozen issues of The Fantastic Four in Facsimile Editions and the most recent one is #9, above.  I've so many various memories of this tale associated with its different reprintings down through the decades - Wham!, Marvel Collector's Item Classics, The Mighty World Of Marvel, The Complete Fantastic Four, etc., that it's almost like I've lived several lives, of which each incarnation of this tale (b&w, full colour, spot colour, Zipatone) is separately associated.  Yeah, we're all familiar with the story, but it's nice to have in an individual issue fashioned after its original printing. 

The first of the trio of tales included in the fourth issue of Fantastic Four Fanfare is an absolute belter and not to be missed.  And the other two strips ain't bad either so grab it while you can.  Susie is presented as probably the most powerful member of the team - by a long chalk - and that's okay with me as I still fancy her from when I was a lickle kidlet.  Sincerely, don't let this one get away from you.  Well, that's all for now, I'll keep you updated on anything I think you should know about.  Excelsior!