BABE Of The DAY - FLEUR EAST...

Fleur East - a gal I'd never heard of 'til

recently.  However, she's certainly a babe

who's worthy of appearing on Crivens, I'm

sure you'll agree.  You do, don't you?

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS - TOO LATE, THEY'RE HERE! (ALONG WITH SOME GOOD ONES)...

Images copyright relevant and respective owners

Above is a comic mag I got a wee while back, mainly because the cover is based on that of the 1976 Fireside book Bring On The Bad Guys by Stan Lee (with a little help from a whole kaboodle of collaborators).  Below is the original cover, though I have to say I like Dr. Doom's right hand on the new cover more than on the old one.  That aside, it would probably be hard to distinguish between the two pieces of artwork from just a quick glance at them side-by-side if not for the mastheads.  I haven't read the mag yet, so I'm undecided on whether I'll buy subsequent issues, though probably not.  (I've had the book since I first bought it way back in the dim and distant days of the '70s.)

Next is a Golden Age-sized facsimile of Superman #1, though as the interior images are the same size as the standard reprints of this classic issue, I'm not sure why DC bothered.  When they did Detective Comics #27 in this format, they scanned the interiors from a 1939 original, and apart from the price on the cover and the barcode on the back, the interiors looked just like they did when the issue was initially published back in the '30s.  The GA Action Comics #1 and Superman #1 contain brand-spanking new images with a huge margin around them.  Whatever happened to consistency?  Still worth having though.

Below is the second monthly ish of Panini's new Fantastic Four mag.  I read #1 and #2 over the last few days and quite enjoyed them, though as yet remain undecided whether I'll continue with the title past the third issue.  Time will surely tell.

Below is one I've been looking to acquire for quite a number of years now - Valiant & TV21 Summer Special for 1973.  Can't remember whether I actually owned this one back in the day, but I might have done and that's good enough for yours truly.*  Nabbed it at last, though I think I might already have it on a data disc somewhere, but if so, that was just a stopgap.  Nothing beats the real thing.  (*I know I had the Valiant & TV21 Summer Special for 1972 and I don't like having one without the other so I now own both of them.)

Been extremely tired recently, Crivs, and suffering from intense spasms of pain throughout my body, hence the dearth of posts on Crivens, but I'll try and do better in the weeks ahead.  (Though if posts remain a bit sparse, you'll know why.)  Can't get a doctor's appointment because whenever I 'phone, I get put on hold for half-an-hour, only to be informed that all the appointments have been allocated for the day, so to try again tomorrow.  I've actually visited the surgery in person to see if I could see a doctor or arrange an appointment, but been told I'll have to 'phone for one.  Absolutely disgraceful state of affairs, I'm sure you'd agree, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Apart from die from an undiagnosed illness, that is, but I'm hoping that isn't an option.  Anyway, enjoy the covers.  Got a favourite?  Then say so you know where. 

"IN THE TOWN WHERE I WAS BORN..."

Copyright relevant owner

Back in what must've been the very early '70s, I acquired a Corgi Toys Beatles Yellow Submarine from a jumble sale held in the church across the road from my house.  Because of this, when Corgi reissued the sub in, I think, 1997, I bought two of them - one to tuck away, the other for display.  Originally, there were two versions, one with white and yellow hatches (and a red stripe separating the lower half from the conning tower), and one with red hatches (and no red stripe).  The push-'button levers' for springing open the hatches were unpainted metal (which tarnished over the years), though were painted black for the '90s reissues.

Here's where it gets confusing.  Corgi say that the two versions were released in the same year (1969), but they're not sure which came first or whether both were available at the same time.  Some other sources claim that the red hatched edition didn't go on sale until 1971, but the original '69 box had a picture of the sub on the back with white and yellow hatches, respectively, if that's any indication of sequence.  I once thought my jumble sale acquisition had red hatches, but this may have been due to the fact that when I bought my '90s models, they had red hatches and this may have 'coloured' my memory.  (Good one, Gordie.)

When I recently bought the white and yellow hatched version from the Corgi Shop, it seemed familiar, so it's always possible the one I had in the '60s/'70s was the same.  Either way, I've got both versions now - the Corgi Model Club red hatched version and the Corgi Shop white and yellow hatched incarnation, as well as my two '90s reissues.  There was a slight problem with the '90s model, in that when you released the hatches, they sprang back and the stem/hinge hit the metal behind it, which chipped the paint on the hatches over repeated use.  I took one apart and affixed something to the insides to prevent this happening, but I'm glad to report that Corgi has now remedied the flaw in the current versions, though they may've done this a few years back.

Contrary to the box's claim, the periscopes rotate, not bob up and down

The '60s original said Corgi Toys on the base (and Made In Gt. Britain), the modern reissues since the '90s have no raised country of origin on them (they're made in China) and sport the Corgi dog symbol along with the name Corgi (and The Beatles Yellow Submarine logo).  That'll be because they're not regarded as toys for kids these days, but models for the 'adult collector' and nobody under the age of 14.  (When did 14 year-olds become adults?)  The Corgi Shop version has the 'levers' painted black, the CMC ones are unpainted as per the originals.

Did you have a Yellow Submarine when you were a kid, Crivs, and were/are you a Beatles fan?  Which one of these two versions do you prefer?  And, while you're here, why not reveal what your top three favourite Beatles songs are?  Don't be shy now, tell all your fellow readers what you think in our comments section (before I die would be nice).

The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, MORECAMBE & WISE, And - Wait For It - The TRICORN...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Now just where do I start with this post?  I'll jump right in.  The Tricorn Shopping Centre in Portsmouth was built in 1966 and demolished in 2004, and somewhere in between (the '80s) was described as the third ugliest edifice in the UK.  However, it had shoppers who were for it as well as those who were against it so there seems to have been mixed opinions as to its value as a trading site.  Falling into a state of disrepair over the decades, it eventually became too far gone to save and was demolished, the site being turned into a ground floor city car park in 2024.

So what's that got to do with comics?  Well, I lived in Southsea for a few months back in 1981 and visited The Tricorn a few times.  If I recall correctly, there was a comics and book shop within its labyrinthian confines (not far from a cafe on the other side of the open lane), and it was there I first saw the above book, which I recently purchased on eBay.  I also associate it with the equally thin Doctor Strange 'companion' volume, which I intend to buy before too long, mainly because both publications remind me of the carefree days of my time down in Portsmouth.

When I revisited the place in 1985, again for a few months, it was in The Tricorn I saw The Morecambe & Wise Special, which I'd first seen in my home town in the '70s.  I never bought the hardback version at the time, though eventually bought the softcover release a wee while later, but I kind of pined for the hardback.  You can imagine how pleased I was, then, to spot a batch of 'remaindered' copies of the book on one of the market traders' stalls in The Tricorn, so I promptly purchased one, which I still own to this very day, 40 years later.  (Still got the softcover too.)

And that's all there is to this post - it's a self-indulgent reminiscence of a time in the '80s which I remember fondly and am loath to let go of.  What's odd, though, is that, back home, I was then living in a different house to the one I was in when I first saw the book in the '70s, yet I don't associate the hardback with my then-new house, but its predecessor, the one I inhabited (and now do again) when it was first published.  A facsimile was issued in 2009, which I also bought, so now I have three copies in all.  (Two hardbacks and one softcover, in case you're keeping score.)

Below is The Tricorn and car park, which now exist only in memory and photos, and perhaps a video or two.  Do you recall the place, and if so, what were your feelings about it?  Do tell.

WHEN TIME GOES WEST...

Copyright DC COMICS

I was browsing idly through some old blog posts earlier today and noticed one published on Christmas Day back in 2013, which featured a Mattel 6 inch Batman figure.  Were you to visit Castel Crivens today in the flesh and see it, then ask me when I got it, I'd have casually replied "Oh, three or four years back" - so to see it was nearly 12 years ago is quite a shock to the system.  That's a longer duration than my entire time at school and most houses I've ever lived in, with one exception - my current one.  Just doesn't feel like it.

In the aforesaid post, I mentioned my intention to get the Batmobile for the figure, as well as Robin, but I never imagined it would take as long as it actually did (Dec '24), though it doesn't feel very long at all.  I've likely asked this question of you before, but do you ever cast your eyes around your room and see certain items you think of as fairly recent acquisitions, only to be flabbergasted when you remember that you obtained them many years, even decades ago, and just how many changes have occurred in your life since then?

Feel entirely free to join in the fun.  (Er, it is fun, isn't it?)

BABE Of The DAY - MAJEL BARRETT...

Sure, Uhura was a honey, as was Yeoman

Rand, though there was another stunning babe

in Star Trek who made my heart skip a beat or

three: Nurse Christine Chapel.  Wow!  (She

also played Number One in the pilot.)

MYTEK The MIGHTY Volumes 1 & 2...

Mytek copyright REBELLION

Newly arrived at Castel Crivens (yesterday) are these super new books, the first pair in a four volume collection of Mytek The Mighty.  Published by Steve Holland's Bear Alley Books (under license from Rebellion), they contain interesting and detailed essays on the creators, Tom Tully and Eric Bradbury.  You're all aware by now of how lazy I am, so if you don't know who Mytek is then I ain't doing the work for you - Google him.  Those decrepit old farts (like me, in the main) who already know the comics history of the giant ape will surely wish to add these handsome volumes to their bookshelves.  You can do so by clicking on this link.  And Steve H doesn't do things by half, as the four volumes will reprint every classic Mytek tale ever published.

SCORE SOME MORE FANTASTIC FOUR...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Four for the price of two this time round, Crivvies.  First up (above) is the new #1 of Fantastic Four, and second down (below) is The Fantastic 4 First Steps, which features the new movie FF early in their career and doesn't concern itself with the film's plot.  Why two of each?  Well, I had to have those nice piccies of Susan, and both old and new costumes on the First Steps' covers.  See?  There's always a reason.  Not got 'em yet?  Buy 'em now while you can!  (First up and second down - the boy's a genius!)

PANINI/MARVEL NEW FF MONTHLY MAG...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS, published by PANINI

I mentioned the above new Fantastic Four comic in a previous post but neglected to show it, so here it is so that you know what to look for when you're browsing in WHS.  Below is a double-page pin-up in the centre pages, though I doubt many people will mutilate the mag by removing it to hang on their wall.  I'll probably get the next two issues (#2 goes on sale on the 31st of this month) so that I have the first three, but I don't think I'll continue with it beyond that.  Don't like to be negative, but I suspect it won't be a long-runner.  Let's hope I'm wrong.

POOR LITTLE FOXY - R.I.P.

My back garden is huge - to such an extent that another house could probably be built on it and still have a bit of garden left over.  Because of its size, foxes like to play in it and lounge about on hot days, having the occasional snooze.  I usually feed the foxes and some of them will actually take food from my hand, though others do a runner on sight of me.  I haven't fed many lately because I haven't seen much of them, and if I put food out when they're not around, the gulls, crows, and magpies scoff it in pretty short order.  I therefore started waiting until I spotted some foxes in my garden and then went out and put food in their dishes.  I always make sure their water bowls are filled so that they don't go thirsty, but maybe someone else is supplying them with a better quality of food than I do, so they've gone elsewhere.

A few years ago there was one fox in particular who'd take food from my hand and then lie down a couple of feet from me and take a kip when I was resting from filling the bird feeders.  I imagine that fox has gone to meet his maker, but the thought that he enjoyed my garden and saw it as a pleasant place to frequent gave me a quiet pride.  Last week when I went out to feed the birds (tuppence a bag), a dead fox was lying on the lawn, looking for all the world like he was sleeping.  He looked as though he may have been attacked, but it was hard to tell because it was raining and his fur was all matted and wet.  I hope he wasn't poisoned because that means other animals are also at risk if he was, but whatever caused his demise, I was touched by the fact that he seemingly sought out the sanctuary of my garden in which to breathe his last.

I considered burying him out there, but then thought better of it in case he was diseased, so I called the Environmental Health Department, who came and took him away to be disposed of.  It was sad to see his corpse, and I wondered if he may have been the baby fox (yes, I know they're called cubs) that I photographed in my garden last year.  I sincerely hope not, and that he (or she) is enjoying life to the full somewhere with other foxes.  As for the dead fox, I hope he enjoyed whatever span he had and that he didn't suffer before his end came.

FANTASTIC FOUR #7 FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

This is one of my all-time favourites, though I readily confess that nostalgic association likely plays a large part in its exalted status in my estimation.  I first read the tale in 1967 in a UK weekly comic called Wham! and not too long after (around 1968 or '69) in a US issue of Marvel Collectors' Item Classics.  Then it popped up again in The Mighty World Of Marvel in 1973 and The Complete Fantastic Four in 1977, as well as various reprintings of the tale in collected editions down through the years.  Oh, and lest I forget, it also appeared in Panini's monthly Fantastic Four Adventures in 2006. 

The latest is this excellent Facsimile Edition, which includes the mistake in the final panel, where Reed Richards refers to 'reducing gas' when he should've said 'enlarging gas'.  It was corrected in subsequent presentations until Marvel decided to go with a more archival approach and leave the mistakes in instead of correcting them.  In fact, in several instances, they had to restore some errors due to them having been 'fixed' and there being no uncorrected proofs available for printing from.  That meant 'whiting out' the correction and having someone re-letter the original goof, though not always in an unobtrusive way.

The memories this tale conjures up in my mind span all my early encounters of this classic adventure.  I even associate it with the street I used to live in three years before I ever laid eyes on Stan & Jack's space-spanning story, due to having the issue of Wham! with me on a family visit one night to former neighbours in the area in which we'd previously resided.  However, I'll rein in my reminiscences as I'm sure you'll all have your own recollections concerning The Fabulous FF's journey into action and excitement on Planet X, and their confrontation with Kurrgo, its self-appointed Master.  So let's read 'em!

(Incidentally, Panini have just launched a 'new' FF monthly mag, no doubt hoping to capitalise on the new movie featuring the Cosmic Quartet.  It should be available now from all good newsagents and comics shops.  If not, don't blame me.)

Oh, one last thing.  The three UK weekly mags mentioned in the first paragraph reprinted the tale (and others) in two parts over two issues.  It was the first part I had with me when visiting our old neighbours back in '67.  It pays to be precise.

******

One thing that's long-bothered me about the tale is that if Planet X is light years away from Earth, would Kurrgo be able to view the FF in real time on his monitor?  Surely the images would take centuries (or ever such a long time) to reach him?  Same goes for the spaceship he sends to our solar system to collect the four and deposit them on X - wouldn't the asteroid have destroyed the planet in the time it takes to make such a journey?  Obviously some space and time warps would be required, but there's no mention of them.  Or am I overthinking things again?  

BABE Of The DAY - BECKY RULE...

Apparently, the lovely Becky Rule

'plays for the other team'.  I'm not quite

sure if that counts as a disappointment

or not.  What do you say, Crivs?

The GALACTUS TRILOGY FACSIMILE EDITIONS...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Not long arrived at Castel Crivens, the Facsimile Edition of Fantastic Four #50, the third and final part of what's collectively referred to as The Galactus Trilogy.  I've actually got the original '60s issue of this number, but these facsimiles are hard to resist.  In reverse order, I've also thrown in #s 48 & 49, even though I've shown them previously.  It just seemed a shame to separate them, which is why I've include them all together in this post.  Did you read these issues back in the day, Crivs, and if so, just what did you think of them?  Reminiscences welcome.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS COVER?

Copyright DC COMICS

The above cover is from an issue Baggsey from Super Stuff In The Bronze Age listed in my Desert Island Comics post - in fact he considered it the best Batman tale ever written.  Well, I had to see what it was all about, so I promptly bought a copy via eBay and it arrived today.  Before I show you its interior splash pages, study the cover and see if you can spot what I consider to be a glaring error.  I'll fill you in on what it is after the following impressive images.

First, however, it's interesting to note that the words 'nigger' and 'spade' are used in the main tale, something that most likely wouldn't be allowed nowadays.  The first word is used by a black man, the second by a white, but they're used in the context of demonstrating (not condoning) the racism that existed at the time.  It probably wasn't really necessary to introduce the subject, but writer and artist Frank Robbins doubtless wanted to make a point and it isn't too laboured.

Anyway, ready for the pretty piccies?  Then let's go!  (And don't forget to spot the cover mistake.)

Did you spot the cover gaff?  The large scissors are completely unnecessary.  If they wanted to drop Batman to the ground below, all they need do is let go off him, not cut his cape!  Simple, eh?

UNCANNY X-MEN FACSIMILE EDITIONS MINI-COVER GALLERY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Just to alert you to a couple of recent Facsimile Editions from Marvel, Crivvies, which you might be interested in adding to your collection - namely The Uncanny X-Men #s 135 & 136.  However, I'm going to start by showing some of the previous X-Men facsimiles which eventually lead up to Jean Gray's death in #137.  I don't think I ever had any of the original issues in this run, though I believe I read some black and white reprints in Marvel Superheroes, a UK monthly from back in the late '70s/early '80s.  The 137 facsimile is one I bought in 2019, but it's being reissued later this month, and yes, I have actually pre-ordered it.

Anyway, enough waffle from me, enjoy the pretty piccies presented for your palpitating pleasure.  And if you'd like to leave a comment, well - I won't try to stop you.  (Incidentally, I scanned these mags while still in their poly bags, so there might be a spot of dust visible in one or two places.  And I may've shown some of them before, but I can't recall which ones.)

Any memories of the original printings way back when, Crivs?  Then recount your recollections to your fellow readers, esteemed ones, and prompt some pleasant nostalgic notions.