RECENT ADDITIONS TO CASTEL CRIVENS...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Above, the final (for now) facsimile edition of Silver Surfer, this one being #7 and the last square-bound giant-size issue (68 pages) before the title switched to the standard 36 pages for the remainder of its 18-ish run.  Note just how fluid the Surfer looks under John Buscema's hand, unlike Jack Kirby's blocky, stiff, and not quite so graceful work on the character after his initial presentation in the 'Galactus Trilogy'.  

Side-by-side, above, are two facsimiles of Journey Into Mystery #83 featuring the debut of Thor.  The first shows the cover as originally drawn, the second as published after Stan Lee decreed the deletion of some Stone Men to prevent the thunder god being overcrowded by them.  The interiors are on newsprint, with the covers pretty much the same type of paper as '60s Marvel mags were printed on.  Fortunately, I own an original ish, but these two nifty items are also great to have, with the back-up tales and ads of the period as first presented.

Copyright DC COMICS

Finally, yet another facsimile of Batman #251, this time without an intrusive modern barcode box, which has now been relegated to the back cover.  I also purchased the foil edition as one simply can't have too much of a good thing, especially (as McScotty will testify), when it comes to Neal Adams art.  So, have you got yours yet?  Well, what'cha waitin' for?!

ESCAPE FROM 'ALCATRAZ' (MEADOWBROOK)...

Great news, Crivvie chums!  My mother is now ensconced within another Care Home (above), which has a 9.8 rating and akin to a luxury 5-star hotel, unlike the seedy 'B&B' type hovel she was in.  Thanks to Social Worker Estelle, who did more in a week to get my mother moved than her predecessor did in around two-and-a-half years (or more) of ignoring and impeding my attempts to move her to a better place.  It'll cost me a fortune in taxi fares to visit, but it's worth it knowing my mother will be properly looked after for whatever time she has remaining.

As regular readers know, I was banned from visiting my mother under false and malicious pretexts and hadn't seen her since July.  In that time she has deteriorated greatly and lost a lot of weight, and doesn't seem so responsive as she once was (for a person with Alzheimer's and cancer).  The Social Worker was told my mother's hearing aids were broken, though she had new ones fitted only a few months back, and she was left totally deaf and unable to communicate with the Social Worker, who had to write wee notes to elicit any kind of response.

Also, her fingernails clearly hadn't been cut for weeks, if not longer, and she's obviously been neglected and left in her own wee world, isolated from any caring contact.  She didn't appear to recognise me and I never heard a single word from her* in the time I spent with her today, though I'm told she gave her name in response to being asked (in writing) by the staff at her new 'home'.  Now my mother is out of Meadowbrook's clutches (some staff were okay, but few of them were as conscientious as they should've been) I can relax as some of the pressure is off me.

(*Apart from when she spoke in her sleep as she dozed in an armchair, where she softly muttered "Let go, let go, you'll break it, you'll break it!"  Worryingly, she had bruises on both legs below where her leggings stop above her ankles, one of them pretty damn big.)

When we went to collect my mother, Estelle told me management had said I wasn't allowed to take in my 'phone, nor speak to staff - I'd no intention of talking to them anyway.  Must've been worried I'd take more photos (something to hide?), though my mobile has no camera, as I have an actual camera for that purpose.  My aim was to move my mother as quickly as possible and shake the dust off my feet, yet they seemed more interested in imposing ludicrous restrictions on me so they could fool themselves into believing they were in charge and called the shots.

Think I'll celebrate with a fish supper tonight.  However, don't think I've given up on my mission to expose Meadowbrook for what they are, as there's plenty more I can tell you - and will!

The MAN With TWO WILLYs...

Copyright relevant owner

Two Willy The Kid badges, that is.  There's a third one (though I'm unsure of their sequential order), which I intend to track down eventually, but if anyone has it and wants to sell, let me know.  Willy was created by Leo Baxendale, his first character after he quit comics around the mid-70s.  He produced three Willie books in all, though the third one had a print run of only around 10,000, compared to the first two, which were around 150,000 each.

It took me 31 years to obtain the third book, though I'd like to nab the third badge before too long, mainly because I don't know whether I have another 31 years ahead of me and I'd like time to enjoy owning it.  Funny thing is, although I have a large collection of badges, I never wear any - I just like to own them and look at them every now-and-again.  I really should've bought the trio of badges back in the '70s, but I intend to rectify this oversight as soon as I can.

Let me know if any of you Crivs would like to see any of my other badges and I'll dig 'em out.

BABE Of The DAY - SALMA HAYEK...

A princess... a goddess... a woman!

And also a 'dream-come-true' when she

eventually decides to ditch her hubby and

begs me to marry her.  Hey, a man's reach

should always exceed his grasp - and I'm

 definitely grasping at straws here.

CORGI COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS...

Okay, I admit it, I'm a lazy git, but why go to the bother of taking my own photographs when I can use the official ones from the company's site?  I'm talking about my recent Corgi additions, one received yesterday and one received this morning (yeah, I know, on a Sunday too).

Yesterday, it was The Green Hornet's car, Black Beauty, and today it's the D.B.5 collection, all three of which I've already got separately, but I liked the box.  Anyway, no more waffle from me, feast your eyes on these lovely images and think about acquiring them for yourself.

CORGI 70th ANNIVERSARY - ASTON MARTIN D.B.5 PLATINUM EDITION...

Recently arrived, this 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition of Corgi's 261 Aston Martin D.B.5.  The box is a replica of the original 1965 packaging, though what you see in the pic above (taken from the Corgi Model Club's own website) is an outer sleeve to protect it - and advertise Corgi's 70th 'birthday' at the same time.  I'd say I've got more Corgi D.B.5s than I need, but I just can't help myself - I'm waiting for a boxed set of three other different versions even as I type.

Oor WULLIE (& The BROONS) At 90...

Copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

Jings, crivvens*, help ma boab, it's Oor Wullie celebrating his 90th birthday, yet he doesn't look a day over 10 or 11.  (I'll have what he's having.)  I haven't followed Wullie's book for years so I'm unsure whether this is the first one without any artwork by Dudley D. Watkins, aside from some spot illos of Wullie's head at the top of each page on either side of the rhyming couplets.

Of course, The Broons made their debut at the same time as Wullie, but it seems they'll have to wait 'til next year for their birthday celebrations, which will obviously be belated.  There is, of course, the yearly hardback volume of Wullie and The Broons, which also celebrates 90 years of fun, and you can see the covers of that book after the back cover of Wullie's solo title, below.

The Works currently has both volumes at a reduced price and no doubt that will decrease even more as Christmas nears.  I've never seen either of these titles sold at full price, aside from online at the D.C. Thomson Shop, though I believe they sometimes do special offers as well.  C'mon, Crivs - celebrate the 90th Anniversary of these two Scottish icons by buying both books now.

(* Crivens can be spelt with one or two 'v's, DCT usually use two when Wullie uses the word.)

MEADOWBROOK CARE HOME UPDATE...

The escape committee at Meadowbrook, perhaps?

Still no further ahead with matters pertaining to overturning Meadowbrook Care Home's arbitrary and spiteful decision to ban me from visiting my elderly and infirm mother, and thereby also denying my mother the opportunity of seeing me.  An utter disgrace of a place, as any Care Home who'd prevent a 104-year-old woman with Alzheimer's and cancer from seeing her son doesn't deserve to be in business.  And remember, they're only in business to make money, not to 'care' for people, which is only a by-product of their financial aspirations.  They're also not against levelling spurious and malicious allegations in their desperate attempts to protect themselves from numerous documented complaints by concerned relatives.

However, I've been talking to a reporter from The Sun, which will hopefully lead to Meadowbrook and Enhance Health Care being exposed as the disreputable shower they undoubtedly are, and I'll devote the rest of my life to letting everyone know just what kind of organisation and people they happen to be.  If you were thinking of allowing this place to 'look after' a loved one, I'd strongly advise that you look elsewhere, based on my own personal negative and soul-destroying experience.  'Welcome To Hell' should be the name above the door, followed by 'Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here'.

In the meantime, steps are being taken to try and get my mother moved to another, better Care Home, though I'm taking nothing for granted.  The new Social Worker I spoke with on Friday seems very nice and helpful (unlike the first new replacement from a few days before - I'll tell you that story one day, rest assured), so hopefully that will lead to a happy ending in this ongoing sorry saga.  I'll let you know what happens one way or the other.

The PRISONER I Never FORGOT...

Copyright relevant owner

Back around 1971, I swapped my Aurora Frankenstein plastic model kit with a nearby neighbour and classmate, George Cooper, for his Forgotten Prisoner one.  I was fascinated by the glow-in-the-dark parts, particularly the Prisoner's skull, which to me, looked for all the world like a happy, smiley, friendly wee soul.  Eventually, though, I began to miss Frankie, and George was agreeable to swapping back again.

Sometime in the '90s, I bought a long-box reissue of the kit, built and assembled it, and one day took it along to George's house on one of my occasional Saturday visits to show the model to him.  He was back in the family home, living with his father, but whether George was struck by the significance of again seeing the model in the very house its twin once resided, well, I never thought to ask him.  It fascinated me though.

A few years ago, I obtained another long-box reissue, this time with the 'Famous Monsters Of Filmland' logo on the box (as per the original), but as yet, I haven't built and painted it and don't know if I ever will, as I've loads of unbuilt models awaiting my attention.  However, I recently splashed out (Oi, behave yourselves!) on a square-box reissue, released by Atlantis, with a logo in the same style as Aurora was using in the '70s.

I haven't yet removed the shrinkwrap, but I will, as I'd like to see the luminous parts again, which I haven't seen in-the-flesh 'bone' in around 55 years, so it'll be a case of 'friends reunited'.  Below is my '90s acquisition of the kit, followed by the comic strip from Famous Monsters, relating the details of how the Prisoner came to be forgotten - though not by me.  Did you perchance own this kit back in the day?  Reminiscences welcome.

(Incidentally, 'Castel-Mare' translates as 'Castle by the Sea'.)

You could say he's a 'model prisoner', so he should've been released years ago

The following tale is similar to Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado

Click images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.

The WINDOW In The HALL...

Every night when I go to bed, I pass a small window on the hall landing halfway up the stairs.  In fact, I pass it whenever I go up (or down) stairs, not just when I go to bed, but that's neither here nor there.  I've done so for 50 out of the last 54 years, the four-year difference being on account of my family moving to another house after 11 years and returning here four years later.  Regular Crivvies know the details already, so I'm just setting the scene for new visitors to Crivens.

When living in that other house, my way home from my Town's main Shopping Centre enabled me to see the landing window of my former domicile through a gap between a row of houses and a block of flats a little distance away.  (Obviously, I could also see it when going in the opposite direction.)  Sometimes, at night, the hall light would be on and the window illuminated, and I'd imagine I still lived there and was looking through a time warp to when I yet inhabited the house.

Now that I'm back here, it seems strange to think there was a period I could gaze on the exterior of the window from afar, and its interior is now once again part of my everyday life.  Sometimes, I just can't help imagining, as I pause on the hall landing on my way up or down the stairs, that an ethereal younger version of myself is heading home to that other house and glancing over at the window behind which I stand, on his way back to a home he no longer lives in.

Cue Twilight Zone theme?

TORNADO - The FINAL ISSUE...

Copyright REBELLION

I've shown the above cover before in a Tornado Cover Gallery published 9 years ago in 2017, but this time around, I thought I'd feature the 1st page of every story inside (as well as the back cover strip and the Victor Drago two-page text story), seeing as this one was the last issue before it was merged with 2000 A.D. the following week.

Remember to click on any image to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.  Just think - this comic was published a whole 47 years ago, so hands up if you were around back then and were an avid regular reader (or even a dispassionate occasional one) of this IPC weekly title.

GUEST POST: MARVEL COMICS WERE FUN! By Phillip Beadham...

Is 'Marvel Comics Were Fun!' worth reading?

Kid has very kindly given me a platform to explain exactly why I think it is.

First of all, some of the greatest comics I've ever read are reviewed here.  Moreover, I've also tried to explain those masterpieces' claim to 'greatness', as comics – and almost as literature.

Some examples.  One outstanding comic is 'Savage Action' monthly.  Two years in conception, Savage Action centred around 'dark avengers', rather than conventional superheroes.  Darker stories, for slightly older readers.  The dark avengers in Savage Action are Moon Knight, Dominic Fortune, the Punisher, and Nightraven – all enigmatic, mysterious characters.  Later, becoming more fluid, Savage Action's roster featured Blade, the Man-Thing, and others.

What's so special?  All these tales are great and a couple are absolutely outstanding.  However...

Savage Action #s 6 & 7 (# 7 is reviewed), featured what is possibly Chris Claremont's greatest story.  Accidentally killing a girl, a normally righteous Blade is wracked with guilt, his self-concept broken in pieces.  No other comics story, at that time, had the emotional punch or psychological depth of that tale - particularly back then!  Absolutely outstanding.  My review (pp.197-198) highlights that tale's many merits, for modern readers.

Similarly, 'off-the-scale' in quality writing is Savage Action # 11's outstanding Moon Knight tale.  Marc Spector's future lover believes he murdered her father in cold blood.  The real culprit, Spector's commander, is a Jungian shadow to Marc, more disturbing than any villain Marvel had featured up to that point (only Carrion is a rival)!  That story, like the Blade tale, is absolutely outstanding.  In my review (pp.259-263), I unravel the psychological nuances of the tale, to entice the reader to consider reading it!   Several Savage Action issues get reviewed in Marvel Comics Were Fun!, the above being a couple of standouts!

John Byrne's excellent Captain America run is featured, too.  Other 'great' '70s/'80s runs fell flat at the final hurdle.  Or, unwisely, in the finale, they changed a winning art-team.  With Captain America's cliffhanger finale against Baron Blood, neither misstep occurred!  Another terrific story which I single out for the attention of modern readers! 

Another highlight for readers is Daredevil's Golden Era.  My intention, with that title, was pure mischief-making!

To most readers, Frank Miller is Daredevil.  This irks me, considerably.  For myself, Colan & Palmer's Daredevil stories (which I read, aged eight) are where DD's real heart, as a character, is to be found.  I review Colan & Palmer's run, pushing back against Frank Miller's perceived exceptionalism, and highlighting Daredevil's great merits – particularly artistically – under Miller's predecessors.  I'd pick Daredevil # 90, and Daredevil # 93, as two standouts!

A secondary purpose exists here, too.  'Mighty World Of Marvel' was terrific, where Daredevil tales initially featured in the UK.  Leaving those MWOMs unreviewed as individual comics, I at least highlighted DD's merits at that time.

No book can review every favourite comic - it's just not possible.  Nevertheless, tangentially, I've often referred to favourite comics, unfeatured as individual issues.

Another highlighted favourite is the Korvac Saga's finale (Avengers # 177).  To some Avengers readers, the ending to Englehart's Kang saga is top.  In contrast, I happily review the merits of the finale of Jim Shooter's Korvac Saga as being the strongest.  I explain why, to me, Korvac's ending is a masterpiece that has everything, making it the ultimate Avengers finale!

This book, on the whole, is written chronologically.  Thus, later Marvel events/storylines, are interpreted in light of earlier stories.  The reader gets a sense of how contemporary readers might have reacted to those comics at the time.  I've tried to include the exhilaration and enthusiasm of reading the comics contemporaneously, too.  Yet uncanny, meaningful personal connections that adults notice, but child readers don't, are also included.  For example, my favourite John Byrne issues, uncannily, often have George Perez covers.

So, is Marvel Comics Are Fun! worth a glance?  Each of our favourites will differ, based on when we 'jumped in' with Marvel Comics.  However, I hope my love for these personal favourites comes through in my writing.  Even if your personal favourites are different, in your reading this, I hope my enthusiasm rekindles your own memories and love for Marvel!

To see details of my book, click this link.

BATMAN LIMITED COLLECTORS' EDITION C-25...

Copyright DC COMICS

Arrived yesterday, this neat Facsimile Edition of Batman Limited Collectors' Edition from 1974, with a great Neal Adams (I think) illustration lifted (with amendments) or redrawn from the 21st page of Batman #251.  I thought you'd like to see the splash pages from the tales contained therein, so that's them below, lovingly scanned and enhanced just for all you discerning Crivvies.  No, don't thank me, I live to please.  Oh, go on then - leave a comment if you want to.