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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
Here's a little Christmas gift for you all - some more covers of TRUE BELIEVERS comics reprinting some of the best MARVEL tales of the Fabulous FANTASTIC FOUR. I've even thrown in a WHAT IF? cover, making five festive fabaroonies for you to drool over. (Hey, lookit me - I just created a new word.) The latter mag came out a little while ago, the former four are new releases waiting to be liberated from your local comics shop, which can be accomplished by the handover of just a tiny smidgeon of your hard-earned dosh. Or you could do what I did and buy them via ebay, though it'll cost you a little more. As always, the choice is yours, but don't hang around - some of the previous TBs are appreciating in value pretty fast.
Well, that's another year almost over - have a Merry Christmas, all you cracking Criv-ites!
Merry Christmas to you too, Kid. I'm considering buying some of those True Believers issues next week, I love that cover of the Klaw issue!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I recently stumbled across something that I thought might be of interest. I was reading a book called The United States Secret Service by Walter S Bowen and Harry Edward Neal written and published in 1960, which I found in a second-hand bookshop a couple of years ago.
Chapter 2 begins with a description of a legendary Secret Service operative and describes him as the Daredevil Leader of Company C. Nothing too unusual in that, but in the same paragraph, the authors describe the agent as 'a man without fear'. Could Stan Lee, who always admitted he had an erratic memory, have read this book and subconsciously recalled it when creating DD a few years later?
Interestingly (well,maybe), the agent's name was William P Wood - not dissimilar to Wallace Wood, who of course was one of the early DD artists.
I would also like to point out (for the benefit of any Stan-bashers reading)that I am in no way suggesting Stan 'stole' the idea for DD from the book- Matt Murdock is clearly a different character to that described in the book, and I believe that Stan, as all writers do, may have subconsciously recalled a name and phrase and used them to create (along with Bill Everett, and according to Wikipedia, some input from Jack Kirby) the character that we all know today.
Of course, this might all be coincidence, but hopefully its of some interest!
Merry Christmas to all the regular readers and commentors of Crivens too!
That's an intriguing speculation, DS, and it could certainly be true, but I suspect that the 'man without fear' tag-line probably just sprang from the concept of 'devil-may-care' type of people being considered fearless, in as much as they don't usually worry about the consequences of their actions. Therefore, the name 'Daredevil' seems to fit the fearless aspect like a glove. Also, as Daredevil couldn't see the dangers that threatened him (like gunmen, or the possible consequences of jumping from a tall building), then it could be said that such things held no fear for him. Now, if Stan had used the 'man without fear' line for Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., then I'd say you were definitely onto something.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Christmas, and an even greater 2019.
I bought the first 3 on your list as these are some if my favourite of Kirbys run on the FF and they are all excellent reads for £1. Some of the reprints have not been great imho and I am surprised there has not been any Ditko books ( that I am aware of at least) . Anyway have a great Christmas even better 2019
ReplyDeleteI meant to say wasn't Daredevil an old character name from the golden age I assumed Stan used that name as a starting point and as you suggest added the man without fear tag as he went along.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, PM. Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover & origin) and Amazing Spider-Man #1 (cover & both stories) have been issued in the True Believers series, but it was over a year or so ago. Might be able to get them on eBay, but I doubt you'll be able to do so for £1 each. Daredevil was indeed a Golden Age/Lev Gleason comic, but Stan claimed not to have known about/remembered him, and given his memory, it's entirely possible. Will 2019 be the year you retire? Enjoy it anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe True Believers comics have been wowing me of late especially. I'm sort of planning a five into them with the new year. We'll see what happens, but anyways have a Merry Christmas amigo!
ReplyDeleteRip Off
They are extremely enticing, aren't they, RJ? Especially the FF ones. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy (True Believers) New Year.
ReplyDeleteYeah I plan to partially retire in 2019 as I hit the big 60 then . Will still work but reduced hours.
ReplyDeleteWhat? You mean hours will now be less than 60 minutes? Everything's getting smaller these days.
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