BABE OF THE DAY - VICTORIA VETRI...

VICTORIA VETRI also went by the

name of ANGELA DORIEN, but she's a

total Babe whatever appellation she's using.

And in case you were all wondering what she's

looking at with such palpable lust and longing

- it's me of course, innit!  (In my eye-catching

 baggy YOGI BEAR pants, no less.)

KLASSIC KOMIC KOVERS - VULCAN #1...

Copyright relevant owner

Y'know, the dreaded Poll Tax wasn't the only thing visited upon Scotland before the rest of the country.  More welcome however, was VULCAN, which appeared on February 22nd 1975 (cover-dated the week ahead), nearly 7 months before the National edition debuted on September 20th (cover-dated 27th).  More like an American comicbook in size, it sadly managed to survive for only 58 weekly issues (30 Scottish and 28 National), but it was great periodical while it lasted.

Comprised of reprints of classic U.K. strips like KELLY'S EYE, The STEEL CLAW, The TRIGAN EMPIRE, The SPIDER, MYTEK The MIGHTY, ROBOT ARCHIE (taken and translated from Dutch comic SJORS), etc., the title merged into VALIANT on April 3rd 1976 (cover-dated 10th).  Sadly, Valiant ended after only another 6 months, though Vulcan's name had vanished from the masthead the previous issue. 

Was Vulcan one of your favourite comics?  Then tell your fellow Criv-ites why in our comments section.

BONUS:  Below, the covers of the Holiday Special and Annual.

BABE OF THE DAY - GILLIAN DUXBURY...

Gorgeous GILLIAN DUXBURY

graces us with her alluring beauty today,

Crivs.  Wotta stunner!  And she worships

the very ground I walk on.  (Doesn't

 care much for me though.  Sigh.)

WHO WANTS A REVOLUTION?

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

You've got one anyway, like it or not.  And it all starts

on August 11th.  Personally, I'll just be eating some cake

(if they'll let me).  A French Fancy most likely.

BABE OF THE DAY - ELKE SOMMER...

Wish I had a flat stomach like

ELKE SOMMER.  In fact, wish I had

a girlfriend the double of Elke.  Maybe

l'll get one for Christmas.  I'll write my

 list to SANTA right now.

RECOMMENDED READING: THE MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL #28...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL is a comic mag that's been around for a large slice of my life.  First issued (as a weekly) near the end of 1972, after seven years it was renamed (twice), becoming a monthly with its third incarnation.  In 1983 it returned as a monthly with its original title, but it was short-lived, alas.  We'd moved to a new house after the first '83 issue, then returned to our former abode just over four years later.  In 2003, the mag was relaunched, meaning it's been published in one form or another since I was 14, in all three houses I've lived in since then.  (One counts as two, remember.)

I hope I never have to live anywhere else, but if fate dictates that it has to be so, I trust MWOM will still be around to provide a reassuring bit of continuity, even to the end of my days.  As I'm planning to clock up another couple of hundred years (at least), the periodical may well be available for a long, long time.

Buy the latest issue today, and contribute to both my longevity and also The Mighty World Of Marvel's!

BABE OF THE DAY - GILLIAN DUXBURY...

She's leaning on a lamppost at

the corner of the street, watching all

the boys go by - 'til she sees me that is.

GILLIAN DUXBURY sure knows a

real man when she sees one, and no

mistake.  (She'll do for me!)

TOPPS 1966 BATMAN CARDS - PART NINE...

Images copyright DC COMICS & TOPPS

And now, the final half-dozen BATMAN cards in the first series of 55 released in 1966 by TOPPS.  There were three sets altogether and perhaps, in the fullness of time, I'll get around to showing you the other two.  For the meantime though, that's your lot, Bat-fans.  For details of artists, etc., check back on previous posts.  Any observations you'd like to make, then the comments section awaits.

  

RECOMMENDED READING: MACHINE MAN: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here's the latest COMPLETE COLLECTION volume from

MIGHTY MARVEL, folks - MACHINE MAN!  Not exactly

JACK KIRBY and STEVE DITKO at their artistic best, but solid

entertainment from the sizzlin' '70s, when people of my age group

were younger, more innocent, and had more time ahead than behind

them - no longer the case, alas.  But let's not end on a sombre note.

Relive the happy days of your youth by buying this bombastic

book today.  Your local comics shop awaits your visit.

KID KLASSICS: THIS SURE TAKES SOME LICKIN'...

It was back in the late '60s, in Room 7 of my primary school one day, that I espied the magnifying glass.  It was in the hands of one of my classmates who was using it for the purpose for which it was designed.  (No surprise there, really - what else is a magnifying glass for?)  I was fascinated - it was such a small magnifying glass, and I immediately wanted one for myself.  "Where did you get it?" I enquired of him.  "I got it as part of a free stamp collecting kit I sent away for" was his response.  That was the magic word for me - "free".  I had seen the ad for such stamp kits in the comics I bought, but had never paid them too much attention before.  I decided there and then that I would send away for such a kit the first chance I got.  Nothing would deter me, my mind was made up.  I wanted a mini-magnifying glass of my very own and, by thunder, I'd have one.

Close to 30 odd years later, when I eventually got around to sending for it (quite a few years ago now), it could well have been from the very same stamp dealer as my long-ago classmate had acquired his - D. J. Hanson Ltd., Eastrington, Goole, East Yorks, England, DN14 7QG - who advertised extensively in British comics of the time (and is still going strong today).  Update: He passed away in 2015.

The much-coveted magnifying glass wasn't exactly the same as the one I remembered, but it was good enough for me.  I felt the satisfaction that comes from finally fulfilling some long-held purpose or ambition that should have been accomplished years before.  In fact, I wish I could sit in that classroom now, at my old desk, and employ my magnifying glass in the way I would've done back when I was a kid.  No, not to read tiny print in one of my school books, but to capture an errant sunbeam and direct it towards a patch of skin on someone's bare thigh (short trousers in my day, remember) and wait to see them jump.

Sadistic little bleeder, eh?

I do sort of collect stamps actually, but on an extremely limited scale: Christmas stamps, TV, movie, and comic characters, etc.  I couldn't fill a whole album, but I've got enough to keep me occupied for an hour or so, on cold, rainy nights when the wind is howling outside my window, bearing aloft familiar childhood voices and visions from so very long ago.

  

Typical stamp ad from the 1960s

HEY, I'M NEARLY FAMOUS! (STAT'LL BE THE DAY)...

What can I say?  This humble blog of mine seems to be getting

quite popular if the Blogger Stats are anything to go by.  (Please

tell me that they're something to go by.)  Of course, credit must go

to all you discerning Criv-ites, but I'd also like to thank the writer,

the director, the producer, etc.  So that'll be me then.

BABE OF THE DAY - JANE RUSSELL (UP A CUP OF TEA FOR ME)...

Here she is, Crivs - the ravishing JANE

RUSSELL.  She got her big break in a movie

called The OUTLAW, and you can see why

she's definitely wanted!  (By me.)

GO ON - HAVE A BAT-LARF...

My mate MOONMANDO emailed

the above cartoon to me earlier tonight.

Now that's what I call funny!  Ha-ha.

PART SIX OF LION'S ROBOT ARCHIE: THE JUNGLE ROBOT...

Copyright REBELLION

Another four pages of the very first ROBOT ARCHIE adventure from LION weekly, Criv-ite chums.  Unfortunately, I don't have the conclusion of this particular tale, but I do have another eight pages to post before we run out of steam.  If anyone can supply me with scans of the final 16 pages, I'd be ever so grateful, as would everyone else, I'm sure, who's been following the story up to now.

Are you a Robot Archie fan?  Why not tell us your memories of the mighty man of metal in the comments section?  Go on!

JIM REEVES GOES TO ROSA RIO (AND LEAVES HIS HEART THERE WHEN HE COMES BACK)...

Good song (ROSA RIO), great singer (JIM

REEVES) - what more could you possibly want?

(For nothing I mean.  Remember, this is all free!)

BABE OF THE DAY - JUDITH RALSTON...

Here's a photo of winsome BBC

weather woman JUDITH RALSTON

to bring a bit of sunshine into all of our

lives.  (Phew, it's suddenly gotten very

hot 'round here, don'tcha think?)

PARKER...WELL DONE (AND YOU TOO, DARWYN)...

Images copyright IDW PUBLISHING

Something I discovered only recently is this series of books by RICHARD STARK (pseudonym of author DONALD E. WESTLAKE) and artist DARWYN COOKE, the latter having adapted and illustrated the former's novels about hard-as-nails master thief PARKER - not to be confused with LADY PENELOPE's chauffeur.

Graphic novels in the truest sense, Darwyn Cooke was initially contracted to adapt four books, which was then extended to five, but, alas, the fifth one never happened.  The four he did do though, are riveting reading, and I'm looking forward to starting the original novel of The HUNTER, for which he provided full-colour illustrations.  IDW intended that he'd illustrate all 16 Parker books, but disappointing sales of the first put paid to further editions.

Available from all good book shops, why not add them to your Darwyn Cooke collection today?

SHIRLEY BASSEY SINGS THUNDERBALL...

Back in 1992, SHIRLEY BASSEY recorded an

album of JAMES BOND themes which included a

cover version of TOM JONES' THUNDERBALL.

On reflection, Shirley wasn't too happy with the album

and had it pulled from distribution, so chances are

you've probably never heard it.  Well, now you

can - so what do you think?

MR. KISS KISS BANG BANG - SHIRLEY BASSEY...

This was the theme originally intended for the

1965 JAMES BOND movie THUNDERBALL,

before the 007 producers jettisoned it in favour of

TOM JONES' now classic song.  Mr. KISS KISS

BANG BANG is how Japanese fans refer to

Bond, in case you were wondering.

BABE OF THE DAY - DIANE YOUDALE...

DIANE YOUDALE is a fine looking

gal, I'm sure you'll agree.  She was once a

GLADIATOR, but appears to have put all

that behind her.  (And may I just say what

a mighty fine behind she has.)

ALICE COOPER - THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN...

Believe it or not, ALICE COOPER wrote and recorded a theme song for the 1974 JAMES BOND movie The MAN With The GOLDEN GUN, but it was passed over in favour of LULU's version.  I have to say, I think the producers made the right choice.

Have a listen and see what you think.

BABE OF THE DAY - 'INDIANA JANE'...

I call her 'INDIANA JANE', but

her 'real' name is ABBY DARKSTAR

(or Dark Star - and even Dark-Star - I've

seen it written all three ways).  However,

whatever moniker she goes under, she's

 a total Babe - and so say we all.

RECOMMENDED READING: WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT - BY DARWYN COOKE...

Images copyright DC COMICS

I first learned of The SPIRIT in the 1967 edition of The PENGUIN BOOK Of COMICS when I borrowed it from my local library in '72.  Read a few stories over the years, even met WILL EISNER in 1985 or '86, but I couldn't say I was ever a massive fan of DENNY COLT, alias The Spirit.  Probably because I'd simply never read enough of his reprinted adventures for the series to click with me.

I'm closer to being a massive fan now though, since reading these two collected editions of the late DARWYN COOKE's run on the character.  Other creators pitched in too, but Cooke best captures the (dare I say it?) spirit and the mood of the original Eisner strips.  Funny thing is, I bought the debut issue of the comic when it first came out, as well as the team-up with BATMAN, but I never read 'em.  Have now though, 'cos they're in the first book in this two volume set (sold separately).

So if you're a fan of either The Spirit or the late Darwyn Cooke, then these two books are sure to tickle your sporran and float your boat.  Straight 'round to your local comicbook store with you.

SUPERMAN VERSUS MUHAMMAD ALI...

Hear NEAL ADAMS talk about this 1978 classic.

See Neal Adams talk about this 1978 classic.  Laugh

as Neal Adams talks about this 1978 classic.  "Father of

comicbooks"?  Really?  Got it, read it, enjoyed it, but

it's not exactly the best comicbook I've ever seen.

What do the rest of you think?

BABE OF THE DAY - SOPHIA LOREN...

SOPHIA LOREN was hammering

on my bedroom door for several hours

this morning, so there was nothing else for

it but to get up, unlock the door and let her

out.  (Ha, the old ones are the best - jokes

 I mean, not gals.  H'm, then again...)

RECOMMENDED READING: BATMAN - EGO & OTHER TAILS (YES, TAILS - THINK ABOUT IT)...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Here's a belter of a book that's sure to please all fans of the late, great DARWYN COOKE.  As usual, I'm going to take the lazy way out and let the spiel on the back cover do the 'talking', but considering how long-winded I can sometimes be, that's probably a good thing.  So, you all know the drill by now - if you don't already have this valiant volume, race around to your nearest comicbook store and get yourself a copy as soon as you can.  You'll simply love it!

  

BABE OF THE DAY - MARILYN MONROE...

It's not exactly warm outside, but I didn't

realize it was quite so cold inside.  I guess that's

why MARILYN MONROE is a little 'perky'.

'BREXIT' AFFECTS COST OF COMICS - BUT DON'T PANIC, IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU MAY THINK (UPDATED - AGAIN)...

The good ol' days.  (Sigh!)

According to one site a few days ago, DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS are increasing the price of some U.S. comics by up to 25% as of today (as a result of the BREXIT vote) and others on Monday 18th of this month.  I'm told by those 'in the know' that the average increase will actually be much lower than this and won't come into effect until the new titles go on sale on Wednesday 20th.

Update as of July 19th:

Whooaaa!  Even more good news!  It now seems that the price rise won't take effect for at least a further week - possibly even a fortnight.  I'll let you know when I get any more news, so stay tuned, Criv-ites!

Update as July 20th:

It's next week, frantic ones - July 27th.

RECOMMENDED READING: DAREDEVIL EPIC COLLECTION VOLUME ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I've got all of these stories already, but I can never resist the allure of a brand-spanking new collection of classic comics, and the recent DAREDEVIL EPIC COLLECTION certainly fits the bill in that department.  Read the spiel on the back cover, then steal your wife's Bingo money that she keeps in the cookie jar on top of the fridge (she'll only waste it on frivolities), race around to your nearest comics shop and buy yourself a copy.

Hey, I've just noticed that my skin has turned purple.  (If you're a DD fan, you'll know what I'm talking about.)  Let's see if it works.  "Go and buy this book now!"

KIRBY 'KOCK-UPS' PART ELEVEN - REJECTED COVER FOR THOR #141...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

This one's a real turkey.  The figure of REPLICUS is awkward, distorted even, and the size of his right foot doesn't match his left.  Former KIRBY assistant MARK EVANIER has expressed uncertainty that the rejected page is even by Jack and, in doing so, thereby demonstrates that one can sometimes be too close to a subject to be truly objective.  One could argue that Jack's autograph is the last word on the matter, but not necessarily so.  If he was attending a comics convention and was presented with a page to sign that looked like his work, unless he had cause to doubt its authenticity, he would've smiled and added his mighty moniker. 

Signed or not, however, it's clearly pencilled by Jack (and inked by VINCE COLLETTA), but it's undoubtedly a 'Kirby Kock-Up' that STAN LEE was correct to reject in favour of a cobbled together cover using enhanced panels from the interior issue.

(Incidentally, the original art for the cover still exists, and Jack's pencils can be seen under Vinnie's inks.)

NINA PERSSON & DAVID ARNOLD - THEME FROM RANDALL & HOPKIRK (DECEASED)...

Here's a theme you're bound to like.  If not, I offer a full refund guarantee.  Of course, as it didn't cost you anything, your refund will comprise of nothing, but it's the thought that counts.

RUEFUL REPOST: THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE?

There's a time in every young person's life when they assume, without ever really thinking about it, that they're not only invincible but also immortal.  Usually it's around the teenage years and early 20s when we labour under this delusion, and I have to confess that I was no exception. When we're young, we think we're going to be young forever, and old age and death seem so distant as to be unimaginable.  Then one day we wake up and realise that, not only are we 'over the hill', we're also actually halfway down the other side and somebody has cut the brakes.  What's more, we don't even recall getting to the top of that hill to begin with.  Shouldn't we at least remember the view?

When we're young the world is ours for the taking, and everything seems geared towards us and runs in perfect synchronicity with the pace of our lives.  Then, one day, it dawns on us that we're no longer participants in life's race, but merely observers, sitting on the sidelines, watching younger people revelling in a world that appears to have been created exclusively for them.  How one can be relegated to the benches without being aware of when it happened is a bit of a mystery, but trust me, that's the way things go.

Now, believe me when I say that I'm not the kind of person who revels in anyone's death, but I sometimes wonder if younger people's untimely expiration is Nature's way of reassuring us 'oldies' that being young isn't necessarily an indication of being accorded favoured status, and that, young or old, we're all equally subject to termination at short (or even no) notice.  If being 20 is no guarantee we'll reach 50, then perhaps 50-year-olds shouldn't feel so threatened by the passage of time as they do.  Life's a lottery and our numbers can come up at any moment.  Not quite a 'lucky dip' - but you get the point, I'm sure.

I feel that I should somehow find the above notion reassuring, but for some reason I remain unconvinced.  How about you?

******

Harvest Gate

                                           I lingered by a gate a little while

                                           and watched some children play in fields of green.

                                           Their joyous voices gave me cause to smile

                                           and filled my troubled soul with thoughts serene.

                                           If only I could once again be young

                                           and join them in their happy escapades,

                                           then all my years would be a song well-sung

                                           and I could claim I've lived my life in spades.

                                           But as I leave the gate, my mood turns low,

                                           the chills of age envelop my frail frame.

                                           I know I haven't very long to go

                                           'til he who wields the sickle calls my name.

                                           But I have lived and loved, both lost and won

                                           and now the course of my life's race is run.

(Iain Osborne.)