REVISED REPOST: STARBLAZER COVER GALLERY OMNIBUS...

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co, Ltd

Elsewhere on this blog I related the tale of how, several years or so ago, a pal of mine turned up at my door one evening with a bag of comics that I'd given him 30-odd years before.  "I thought you might like these back!" he said.  Among other gems (some of which I previously told you about), the bulging bag of goodies contained - wait for it - the first 10 issues of D.C. THOMSON's STARBLAZER pocket-sized science-fiction comic-mag.  I originally parted with them because I missed subsequent numbers for some reason (probably just didn't see them in the shops), so saw no point in hanging on to the ones I had.  Recently though, I decided to track down #s 11 & 12 and round off my returned collection to the first year's worth.

Starblazer survived for 281 issues before succumbing to the 'Death Star' of cancellation due to declining sales.  Launched in April 1979, it finally crash-landed in January 1991, but is fondly remembered by those readers who supported the title during its respectable almost twelve year orbit.  Previously I posted the first 10 covers in two parts, but with my acquisition of the next two, I herewith present all 12 of them for your perusal and pleasure.  Am I thoughtful or what?  I've tarted up the first 10 covers a little, as my current scanner used for the last two is superior to the original one I had.  When I get the time (if I ever do), I'll rescan and replace them with better images.  Now - enjoy!   

THE BRITISH MAJOR MATT MASON...

Here's something I bet you won't have seen before, Criv-ite chums.  "What are you babbling about?" I hear you ask, scornfully.  "We've all seen MATTEL'S Major MATT MASON before!" you declare.  Ah, but never one like this.  Take a closer look - see what I'm talking about?  Matt has a Union flag on his suit, not the Stars and Stripes of the United States.  Does that mean I've got a rare Mason figure, previously unknown until now?  Well, yes - and no.

Believe it or not, when I got this figure, it was in quite a bit of a state; paint peeling off with practically none remaining.  So I removed what was left and completely repainted it.  See those red dots on the arms and legs?  I painted them on by hand, with a brush - and everything else on the figure except the head (and flag).  I doubt I'd be able to do it with such precision now, as my eyesight simply isn't as good as it was back in the '90s, nor are my hands as steady.  The flag is a spare waterslide decal from a model kit, but I forget which one.  I could've painted it on, but I had the decal so decided to use it.

It makes a nice little collectable with a bit of a difference.  Like it?  You can study it in more detail in the photo below.  Incidentally, I made the name and number which adorn the helmet.  Betcha you'd never have known if I hadn't told you.

WINDOW On The PAST - TAKE TWO...

You're looking at my current screen-saver, which is a photo taken in 1991 from the bedroom of the house I'd moved from 19 years before.  I'd previously returned to the house 3 years earlier, which was the first time I'd been back since flitting in 1972, but on that occasion the day was sunnier.  However, there's something about rain which I find relaxing, and though the house across the back didn't have an extension when I lived in the area, the picture captures, mood-wise, exactly how it would've been on a similar day when I occupied the room.

The toys on the sill are mine, taken with me to 're-connect' them to the home in which I'd first obtained the originals.  The owl is from the Aurora BATMAN model kit, and was painted and affixed to the model when I finally assembled and painted the rest of it around 1993/'94.  (I'd obtained it in 1984/'85, as a replacement for the one I'd owned in the '60s.)  The photo below is taken from a slightly different angle, and you can glimpse my old primary school, which was demolished in 2014.  Houses now occupy the spot.

When these photos were taken, the original windows were still in use, though they were replaced around 1992 with new PVC-framed ones.  I'm glad to have got the chance to look through the same windows I'd known as a child, and see again my reflection staring back at me as it had done when I was a boy.  I wonder if the panes recognised the taller, older face that stood before them as the one it had once been familiar with - or was I just a stranger who meant nothing?  I'd like to think otherwise.

Click on the images to enlarge - then just relax as you look at the rain on the glass - just as I often do when I want to relive the past.  Remember, the droplets you see are 26 years old - so, in a sense, you're reliving the past too.  Just thought I'd share the moment with you.