The INCREDIBLE TRI-MAN - PART NINE...

Copyright relevant owner

Another thrilling episode of the titanic TRI-MAN, Criv-ite chums!  Hopefully, more of you are enjoying this series than is indicated by the number of comments, but we'll see it through to the end regardless.  ("I've started, so I'll finish!")  Okay, let's see what's happening to teenager JOHNNY SMALL's awesome alias.  Feel free to leave a comment if you so desire!

ANOTHER BABE Of The DAY - ELKE SOMMER...

The lovely ELKE SOMMER sits

transfixed in astonishment at my manly-

man physique, as she watches me clamber

out of my ol' YOGI BEAR costume after a

fancy-dress party.  (If you think it's easy

 writing these captions, you try it!)

SHE'S GOT YOU - PATSY CLINE...

Here's PATSY CLINE with a real sad song to make you

blue.  However, if you're like me, you'll soon cheer up when

you realize that someone else is feeling more miserable than

you are.  Always look on the bright side is what I say.

KIRBY 'KOCK-UPS' PART FIVE - The RETURN Of 'LEFTY' RICHARDS...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

Nice pic by JACK KIRBY - and it looks as if JK used a live model or a photograph as reference when he drew that baby.  What I want to know, though, is why he could never give some characters the correct number of right and left hands or feet.  Here's another example of him having made that boob.  Of course, REED being made of rubber (essentially), I suppose it could be argued that he can bend (and shape) his fingers any which way he likes.

PART FOUR Of KIRBY 'KOCK-UPS' - A MAN CALLED 'LEFTY'...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here's REED RICHARDS (aka MISTER FANTASTIC) in FF #1, making a lasso out of his arm - and turning his right hand into another left one.  Yup, artist JACK KIRBY 'kocked-up' again, but hey - didn't he do it nicely?

BABE Of The DAY - ROMOLA GARAI...

Don't know who she is (aside from being

an actress), but ROMOLA GARAI is certainly

a 'Babe'.  That's quite a big tear in the side of her

skirt, you'd think she'd mend it.  (Though don't

hurry on my account, Romola.)

The CRUNCH COVER GALLERY - PART THIRTEEN...

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

"Unlucky for some" goes the old saying in relation to the number thirteen, and such is the case with this thirteenth part of The CRUNCH Cover Gallery.  That's because it marks the finish of this series as, with issue #54, the comic reached the end of the line as a separate title, being merged with The HOTSPUR the following week.  It had been DCT's bold attempt to rival the popularity of rival IPC's 2000 A.D., but such a fate was not to be and it ended with a whimper, not a bang!

Look at that 'The MIGHTY THOR!' cover above.  A bit cheeky, but the comic was in its death throes, so why not?  I occasionally have a strange dream where I'm in a newsagent's and see British MARVEL comics on sale which look as if they've been published by DCT - same paper, same glued spines, the lot.  I'm pretty sure I first had the dream before the above title saw print, but I'd certainly not have minded in the slightest if Thomson's had been tasked with producing Marvel U.K.'s output.

And so The Crunch faded into history - gone, but never quite forgotten by those who bought and read it at the time.  Were you one of them?  Tell your fellow Criv-ites what this weekly comic meant to you in the comments section.