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Once more we plunge back into the turbulent time stream (without a TARDIS) to revisit the year of 1968 and look again at the covers of FANTASTIC, a British weekly publication from ODHAMS PRESS. If you don't already know, Fantastic reprinted various MARVEL superhero adventures, enabling us lucky Brits to catch up on the tales of The X-MEN, IRON MAN, THOR, The AVENGERS, etc.
Take a look at the cover of #70. Believe it or not, although The HULK's adventures were first reprinted in sister publication SMASH! in 1966, they had started with Hulk #2 - so this was the first time that Odhams had presented ol' Greenskin's debut tale. (Likewise, when SPIDER-MAN was reprinted in POW! - a comic from the same stable - they started with the first issue of his own title - the tale from AMAZING FANTASY #15 was bypassed completely.)
I remember my brother buying Fantastic #70 while on holiday in Largs that year, and both of us going over its pages while standing outside the 'close' of the ground floor flat we were staying in (with outside loo). I also recall us poring over it again at the table inside later that day, so the Hulk tale was obviously something that fascinated us. I got a STEVE ZODIAC & ZOONY on a friction-drive JET-MOBILE and a bendy CAPTAIN SCARLET figure on that same holiday, so 1968 was a good year for me. Ah, such fond memories.
The back-page of issue #72 was the same as #69, so I haven't bothered to repeat it here as there's no point in showing the same ad twice. Well, that's all for this visit - be sure to tune in again soon for another instalment of Fantastic Cover Gallery. There's only seventeen more to go and you don't want to miss the full set.
Feel free to share any childhood reminiscences that any of the covers may conjure up for you in the comments section.
9 comments:
I remember an ice lolly that was similar to the 'kinky', but was associated with pop music,bowie,em...'fab'.
Were the two almost exactly the same?
I dont remember the 'big wiz' at all but do recall the flavour combination in another sweet.
It was the logo that got me,change the w for a v and is that not the font for Viz comic?
"I'm going to put a Big Wiz in my mouth"... I can see why that one didn't take off!
Fab had three flavours I think, with the top third being covered in 'hundreds and thousands'. It was the first ice lolly for girls and was tied in with Thunderbirds, being advertised by Lady Penelope herself. Fab is still available today, and when the Thunderbirds movie came out a few years ago, there was a special promotion on boxes of Fab ice lollies available in supermarkets.
Wiz was advertised by Leslie Crowther, but I can't remember ever buying one. Tell you an ice lolly that DID take off 'though - ZOOM. It was still available a few years ago - not sure if it's available nowadays.
I also remember the Big Wiz Crowther ads.I think I tried one and never bought another. I do remember Kinky lollies very vividly, on sale in Girvan's Sunny South cafe.
I rarely see anything positive about Don Heck's pencils, so, can I say: Avengers Ladies. Wow.
I'm a big fan of Don Heck's work, but - like Kirby - his style had deteriorated by the mid-'70s, in my humble estimation. If I remember correctly (without digging out the issue to check) that pin-up was first published in Avengers Annual #1. Yeah, he was good at drawing women. Schwiiinnnnggggg!
Don Heck used to ruin my life.
If I turned a page and he was drawing any comic I read I was livid.
Nowadays I sometimes marvel at his obvious skills and wonder why I hated his scratchy style so much,same goes for Frank Robbins.
Yes, that pin-up was originally published in Avengers Annual #1 (1967). The caption on the left originally began something like, "We've always thought Don Heck draws the most fabulous females..."
I was the same re Hecks work my (and Robbins who I now actively collect he's brilliant ....imho) my heart would sink when I saw his name on the art credits - but he was really good and his 50s work is right up there with the very best - I loved Hecks art in the Avengers comic and its still some of my favourite comics very under rated artist still - McScotty
I loved his Avengers and Iron Man tales - brilliant. I like Frank Robbins' artwork also. He did some nice Captain America issues, if I remember correctly.
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