FRIENDS Of OL' MARVEL COVER & IMAGE GALLERY - PART ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

When The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL #1 went on sale on September 30th, 1972 (cover-dated October 7th), it teased its readers with the mystery of FOOM.  What could it be?  We had to wait until issue #20 on February 10th, 1973 (cover-dated 17th) to discover that it was a Mighty Marvel Fan Club with loads of goodies, a poster, membership card and its own magazine.  This news was also revealed in Marvel U.K.'s brand-new superhero periodical, SPIDER-MAN COMICS WEEKLY, which came out on the same day.

 

By the time I had saved up my 50p to join, issues #1 & 2 were already gone, and the first issue I received was number 3.  I always meant to send off another 50p for the next three mags, but somehow never got around to it.  Never mind, years later, over the course of a couple of decades, I managed to acquire a complete set - the same set which I am about to share with you now (and in posts to come).

JIM STERANKO was the editor of the magazine for the first four issues, before departing to pursue various projects of his own.  TONY ISABELLA took over the editing chores for the next three issues (5-7), until SCOTT EDELMAN replaced him on #s 8-11. DUFFY VOHLAND edited issue #12, whereupon CHRIS CLAREMONT filled in for the next couple of issues (13 & 14).  DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT assumed editorial duties from issue #15 until the mag's demise with the Autumn 1978 issue (#22), although, curiously, it bore a copyright date of 1979 in the indicia.

 

In truth, the mag was mainly a promotional brochure for comics and merchandise produced by Marvel, but it had the odd interesting article and some nice images contained within its pages over the course of its nearly six-year run.  Frantic fans would have to wait until the monthly MARVEL AGE magazine in the early '80s to see a similar publication, but FOOM was a worthy attempt to connect with the readership of the day.

 

Anyway, that's the boring stuff out of the way - now you can look at the pretty pictures.  And don't forget to come back for Part Two.

SON Of DENNIS The MENACE?

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

Going by this week's BEANO, it looks like we could now be reading about the son of the original DENNIS The MENACE, whose grown-up self is the current Dennis's dad.  On what evidence do I base this seemingly wild conjecture?  Look at the contemporary Dennis's grandfather in the page below - that's the dad of Dennis that all those of a certain age remember, up until he underwent a sudden transformation into a younger incarnation not too long ago.

Of course, this theory is not without problems.  If true, it would mean that WALTER The SOFTY and all Dennis's other pals are also the sons of the originals.  It would further suggest that the current GNASHER is either the doggy offspring of the original - or even the son of the original GNIPPER, whose current incarnation is the son of the new Gnasher.  Yeah, it's complicated, isn't it?

Anyway, full marks go to D.C. THOMSON for giving its readers a larger than usual issue for the standard price - it makes up in some way for the vastly over-priced Christmas edition back in December.  (Let's hope they don't give with one hand and take away with the other any time soon.)  The Beano is a right good read (in the main) these days, and I heartily recommend it to those looking for an amusing way of whiling away twenty minutes or so in a harmless fashion.

Remember - "Never be without a Beano!"

ATOMIC BATTERIES To POWER, TURBINES To SPEED...

To all those collecting the excellent new EAGLEMOSS fortnightly BATMAN AUTOMOBILIA series, I obtained part two, featuring the 1966 TV BATMOBILE, yesterday afternoon from WHS.  At a special introductory price of £5.99 (regular price £9.99), it's a great addition to any collector's toy cabinet or bookshelf.

I was disappointed to discover that the wheels don't turn, even though they're attached to 'axles' inside the car.  (I bought two and took one apart to examine it. Don't worry, it's safely back together again, no worse for wear.)  I daresay if it matters to anyone, it could be altered to allow the wheels to move, but it's still a dynamically detailed little diecast despite its immobility.

Run, don't walk, to your nearest supplier and plonk your pounds into the palm of a purveyor of this cool collectable before it sells out.  You'll kick yourself up and down the street if you miss it.

To view a video of the Eaglemoss 1966 TV Batmobile, click here.  It's a belter.