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| Copyright MARVEL COMICS, except The MISSING LINK |
One of my very favourite comics from the past is one that regular readers of this humble blog will likely have noticed me mention before - FANTASTIC. This worthy weekly was published by ODHAMS PRESS, the debut issue being cover-dated February 18th, 1967. At the time of its release, I was too busy lusting over the womanly charms of SUSAN STORM in the pages of WHAM! to pay much heed to the arrival of this new mag, but my mother bought me a later issue from a newsagent's kiosk on our way home from the shops one afternoon.
The issue in question was #7 (cover-dated April 1st) - and from there on I was hooked! How could I not be, with simply stunning stories like THOR - "The THUNDER GOD And The THUG!", X-MEN - "TRAPPED: ONE X-MAN!", IRON MAN - "Versus KALA, QUEEN Of The NETHERWORLD!", alongside the superb adventures of The MISSING LINK for good measure? I soon acquired the earlier issues, and it wasn't too long before I became a POWER COMICS junkie, buying all five weekly publications regularly. (Wham!, SMASH!, POW!, Fantastic, and TERRIFIC.)
Fantastic had 40 pages per issue, but not even that could accommodate the above tales in their entirety, so only the first halves of the Thor and X-Men stories were presented, the remainder of these particular adventures being completed the following week. The three featured classic LEE/KIRBY/HECK MARVEL epics were printed in black and white, but that - and the fact that some characters' names were changed from their American originals - didn't seem to spoil the readers' enjoyment one whit.
For example, the nubile BLACK WIDOW's name of NATASHA was altered to NATASIA (though I think that both are pronounced the same way) and The RED GHOST's moniker was changed (for reasons that later became obvious to me) to The APE MASTER. I can still remember my astonishment in a shop one day (CORSON'S) at seeing this same FF story in COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS #6 after I had already read it in WHAM! and being bewildered at the altered appellation of the baddie. How was it possible, I wondered?
Nowadays, of course, I can see that the amended lettering in the British reprints is readily discernible, though it wasn't quite so apparent to me back when I was a lickle kidlet. (Okay, I was 8 - but that's still 'lickle' in my book.) Anyway, I have very fond memories of Fantastic #7, so I thought I'd kindly share a few pages with you here. Remember, if you enjoy them half as much as me, then I'll have enjoyed them twice as much as you. (Profound, or what?) Doh!
2 comments:
The design and colours of both covers are beautiful.
Fantastic was my favourite although I read at least two issues of Terrific (and an unknown number of Pow and Smash, where I probably first saw Batman and Robin.)
I loved the original line-up of the X-Men and I can picture my mum reading the issue with the Mimic and the Super-Adaptoid to me.
The next British comic to make an impact on me was Thunder. But Power Comics were my gateway drug to the U.S. originals.
I well remember reading that Mimic/Super Adaptoid story in Fantastic myself. Whenever I look at the issue now, I'm straightway back in the house I lived in at the time.
As for the original line-up of the X-Men, I always preferred them, so I was glad when they were reunited in X-Factor back in the '80s. It was one time I didn't mind seeing a character (Jean Grey) resurrected from the dead.
I think my brother only started buying Smash! for Batman & Robin 'cos it was on TV at the time, but we both also enjoyed Rubberman and The Hulk. I soon started buying it for myself.
Thunder was also one of my favourite comics. I've posted the covers of the three Annuals it spawned somewhere on my blog - and I only need to acquire a few issues to have a full set. Not long now.
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