PART SIX Of The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR COVER & IMAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

A few regular commenters have been conspicuous by their absence recently, but as they're still commenting on other blogs, I'm left to assume that they've found many of my last few posts rather boring.  Time to up my game, methinks, and what better way than to bring on the big guns - and you don't get any bigger than The FANTASTIC FOUR!

So here are another three issues of The COMPLETE FF to thrill and amaze you, featuring covers, splash pages and pin-ups.  This was one of the better weekly titles by MARVEL U.K. from the '70s, and far superior to the subsequent FF periodical which popped up only a few short years later.  I wish PANINI's monthly mag featuring the cosmic quartet was still around, as that was 72 pages in full colour and, like the subject of this post, was devoted solely to Marvel's first family of the '60s.

Will REED, SUSAN, JOHNNY and BEN ever star in their own U.K. periodical again?  Only time will tell, frantic ones - but in the meantime, why not share your reminiscences of this particular mag with the rest of us?  You know where the comments section is, true believers.

HIGHBROW? YOU'RE CRACKED!

Copyright relevant owner

The American version of CRACKED was launched in 1958 and lasted (with a few stops and starts near the end of its run) until 2007.  Unashamedly a MAD knock-off, it featured art by JOHN SEVERIN, BILL WARD, and even DON MARTIN, when he left Mad in 1987 after 32 years.  STEVE DITKO, GENE COLAN and JACK KIRBY also contributed to the mag, though in Kirby's case, it was only once - in 1960. Cracked ended with its 365th ish in 2007, and now exists online at www.cracked.com 

The British version was launched in the mid-1970s, but I've no idea how many issues there were or how long it lasted.  However, I've heroically managed to feign some interest by going to the enormous bother of digging out my copy of the 'First British Edition' to show you the cover, as you likewise pretend you're interested in this second third-rate imitation of ALFRED E. NEUMAN's humour mag.  The interiors?  Trust me - you're not missing anything.

Any memories of reading this publication?  How did it measure up to Mad, in your view?  Go on, express yourself - you'll feel better for it!

  

1st British edition.  Cover by JOHN SEVERIN 

1st American edition.  Cover by BILL EVERETT