BLIMPS & FLIVVERS - OR FRIENDS REUNITED (UPDATED)...

It's funny the imagination we have as kids, don't you think?  We seem to be able to visualise impossible, unlikely, or even contradictory scenarios in the 'ideas factory' of our minds.  Our brains don't have much (if any) difficulty in running along two different trains of thought at the same time, even if reason and common sense dictate that those 'trains' shouldn't be able to run on tracks so closely parallel to one another without risking a collision when they reach the junction (metaphorically speaking). No, it's not a perfect analogy, but you know what I mean.

Which is a rather grandiose (pretentious even?) way of setting the scene for the simple subject matter of this latest post, but let's stick with it for a just a little longer. In my vast and diverse collection of DVDs, there's one entitled A FLINTSTONE CHRISTMAS.  Haven't watched it since I first owned it in VHS format around 30 years ago, but if I recall correctly, FRED and BARNEY stand in for SANTA (who's caught a cold) in order to deliver presents that year.  Even in their comic strips and mags, the Flintstones have been depicted celebrating the Festive Season.

The obvious problem with just such a scenario, however, is that the Stone Age occurred long, long before the birth of CHRIST, so Christmas didn't exist back in Fred and Barney's time.  But why let that little fact get in the way of a story though, eh?  Kids would probably be unaware of the dichotomy of the situation because, presumably, they're more willing to accept whatever's presented to them without analysing it for mistakes or contradictions (or some other reason).

Whatever the cause, when I was a kid I was the same when it came to contriving adventures for two of my toys to embark on as a duo.  I often sat on the back step of my house and dreamt up stories involving my Fred figure from my MARX Toys FLINTSTONE FLIVVER, and Santa from my LP Toys SPACE BLIMP Of CHRISTMAS.  (Yes, I'm back to that again - it arrived today.)  It never occurred to me that the characters couldn't co-exist in the same 'reality', so that never got in the way of the imaginary escapades I created for them. 

Note the Flivver's pattern is a nigh-perfect match with my kitchen worktop in the 1st photo 

Now, at the back step of every home I've ever lived in we kept the same 'shoe scraper' grate, which came with us whenever we moved house.  In the one I then lived in, I'd sit with my feet on the grate while Fred and Santa (the Unlikely Duo) palled about in whatever situation I mentally placed them (mental being an appropriate word in my case).  That grate sits at the back door of my present abode (though now it's an inner back door as we closed off the once open back porch, which has another door), so I thought I'd rope it in for a photo opportunity in order to provide this post with some pictorial content.

I managed to obtain a replacement for my Flintstone Flivver around 20 years or so ago, and I bought the replacement for the Blimp on Sunday (as I said, it arrived today).  Originally, there was a gap of around five or six years between my '60s possession of these two toys, though they met their demise at the same time in the '70s.  It's good to see two old 'pals' reunited, and although they might be only two lumps of lifeless plastic to you, to me they're family and it's great to see them together again.

Okay, doctor, I've finished typing - just let me hit 'publish' and then you can take me back to the nut-hut.  Flibble!

But before I go, let me ask you Crivs a question that I've asked before, but I'll ask again for the benefit of any new readers (though older ones can answer it again if they want to).  Is there a particular toy from your childhood that you'd love to own again, and what specific memories does it conjure up in your mind?  The comments section is ravenous, so please feed it as much as you like.

Update: As you can see in the above photos, in common with a lot of '60s toys made in Hong Kong, the paint job on mass-produced items was seldom administered neatly.  Although the Space Blimp had clearly never been played with (as witnessed by the fact that the reindeer head, etc., were still untouched in their bags), Santa's beard, gloves and fur trim had been painted with not much precision.  I therefore gave them a minor touch-up to improve their cosmetic appeal, while not going overboard so that they retained the 'spirit' of their '60s appearance.  Take a look below and compare the 'before and after' photos.

Of course, some collectors will be aghast, believing as they do that toys should be left in their original state even if slightly inferior, but I prefer to put my 'stamp' on them (only when 'corrective' work is required) so that it then becomes my toy, as opposed to a generic example of its kind.  I wouldn't advise just anyone to do this, but I'm a dab hand with a brush (as you'll know if you've seen my built and painted model kits on the blog) and I'm of the opinion that a toy is much improved after any 'remedial' tinkering by me.  You can judge for yourselves. 

GUEST POST BY BARRY PEARL...

All images their respective owners

While my book is called "The Marvel Age Companion", the most important part of it, for me, is the "Being There" section which describes my journey of reading comics during the Silver Age, and then discovering that there was a GOLDEN AGE!!!!!  I wasn't born with that information.  

https://forbushman.blogspot.com

Fantastic Four #4 (1962) mentioned that The Sub-Mariner had been a comic book character of the 1940s.  In the late summer of 1963, Strange Tales #114 trumpeted a character "from out of the Golden Age" named Captain America.  I had never heard of him.

For comic book fans the most important book of all time was Jules Feiffer's Great Comic Book Heroes.  Along with a brilliant essay there were a dozen stories from the Forties.  Superman and Batman (with a murderous Joker no less) were reprinted.  There were also the origins of The Flash, Green Lantern and Plastic Man, a one-page Captain Marvel tale and The Spirit.  These were the guys inventing the formulas, not following them. And they had no Comics Code censoring anything.  People got killed, villains were not always caught and women were, well, sexier.

The first use of the words "Golden Age" referring to the comics of the 1940s was by Richard A. Lupoff in an article called "Re-Birth" in Comic Art #1, page 5, "They came in the thirties, their golden age was in the forties.  They declined in the fifties...."

In December 1965, Superman #183, an 80-Page Giant, reprinted three Golden Age stories.  DC also soon reprinted a Golden Age Batman Sunday comic strip.  DC tried to hide the fact that their Golden Age characters were cut from a different cloth.  For example, in a 1960 Giant, DC republished a page (that's it, just one page of Joe Shuster art) from Superman #1.  In 1939, a caption from that original story read: "Nothing less than a bursting shell could pierce his skin."  The reprint was altered to read: "Not even a bursting shell could pierce his skin."  DC did not reprint many examples of their Golden Age material until the 1970s.  The DC annuals also reprinted some Batman comic strip pages which were beautiful.

In "The Flash of Two Worlds" (The Flash #123, Sep. 1961) and their "Crisis" series in Justice League, DC began to re-introduce the Golden Age heroes and integrate them into their current storytelling.  Giving themselves a clean slate to start their new age, Marvel referred to their Golden Age continuity only three times in the Marvel Age period: Fantastic Four Annual #4 and Sub-Mariner #8 and #14.  Marvel's 1950's Atlas era was referred to twice, in  Captain America #153-155 and with the arrival of the "newest" Black Knight in Marvel Super-Heroes #17.  Near the end of the Marvel Age, The Invaders, in 1975, presented a retelling of Namor's origin.

The Human Torch had his roots in the Marvel Age, so did many other Marvel characters including Mr. Fantastic.  In Mystic Comics #1, 1940 an "elastic" hero named The Thin Man appeared for one issue, a year before Plastic Man.

My path to the EC comics was not a straight one.  First, Mad magazine was always in my life.  I was able to read many of the original stories in the Ballantine (I think) paperbacks of the time.  They were old, but they were current and funny.  I had read a great deal about EC, all bad, I might add, but the 1960s was an era without comic book stores and I just couldn't find them.

In the late 1960s I had read a bunch that a neighbor had and they were all the EC horror.  Not really my cup of tea.  But I was able to see a few EC Sci- Fi stories in reprints and enjoyed them.  Around 1980 Russ Cochran began reprinting the EC comics and I bought the Sci-Fi ones and loved them!  I was not a fan of 1960s war comics.  When I read the EC war comics by Kurtzman, I thought they were terrific. So I wound up a big EC fan and I collected everything that Cochran put out.  And forgive me if I cannot decide which I like best, the colour or black and white editions.

An era should have these qualities - recognition of quality and originality, coupled with an increase in sales.  The Golden Age ended for a reason.  The stories were no longer as good or as original.  The industry lost not only its villains (the Nazis) when the war ended, but also a huge amount of readers when soldiers returned home to civvy street and thus no longer read comics in their barracks to pass the time, having become interested in other things.

But I do believe that the 1950s was the EC era of comics.  There may be some rivals, but nothing has surpassed them.

Early in 1966 Fantasy Masterpieces doubled its page count (and the cost to 25¢) and added Captain America stories from the 1940s.  And what great stories these were!!!  "The Hunchback", "The Plundering Butterfly", and "Ivan the Terrible".  Years later I learned that the artwork was often changed to meet the standards of the Comics Code. 

In the King-Size Special Marvel Super-Heroes #1 (1966) reprinted a Golden Age story of the original Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner fighting each other (and destroying New York City in the process).  In Fantasy Masterpieces #7 (Feb 1967), a Torch story from Marvel Mystery #8 and a Sub-Mariner story from issue #3 (both from 1940) were published. Fantasy Masterpieces #9 featured the first Torch story, from 1939.   And the issue after that had the All Winners Squad.

Marvel Boy by Bill Everett began reprints in Marvel Tales #14, in 1967. FM #11 featured the introduction of The Black Knight.  Marvel had comics in the 1950s too!! Issue #12 had a name change to Marvel Super-Heroes and featured the stories from the Atlas Era. It was a different looking Captain America, Torch and Sub-Mariner - in shorter stories and told in a very different style.

The 1950s characters went through changes, though neither Toro nor Bucky aged any.  Young Men #24 took the time to explain where The Human Torch was ever since his original comic was cancelled.  It did the same with Captain America and Sub-Mariner.  So there were two previous generations of Marvel characters, not just one.

But Marvel stopped publishing these glorious stories with issue #20 (1969).  Roy Thomas later told me that the sales of the Marvel Super-Heroes mag was never good.  Only issue #14 (Spider-Man) sold well. 

But how great it was in 1966 to get the best of both worlds.  Actually, I got the best of three worlds.

TOY BOX TREASURES OF THE PAST - THE SPACE BLIMP OF CHRISTMAS...

Rejoice with me - that's another toy box treasure from the past that will shortly be back in the fold.  The SPACE BLIMP Of CHRISTMAS is a toy that my parents (with me in tow) bought from WOOLWORTH's back in the '60s, though I can't now recall whether I got it '66 or '68 - or maybe even in between.  On the evening of purchase, on the run-up to Christmas (that I do remember), we retired to a cafeteria (pretentiously) titled The NORFOLK RESTAURANT ('twas a great place though), where I examined my new acquisition.

I had the Santa figure for quite a few years before, as a teenager, binning most of my childhood possessions in an attempt to 'grow up'.  (As you can see, that never quite worked.)  Well, for the last 10 days or so, I've been keeping my eye on another aforementioned Space Blimp on eBay, and tonight I struck.  (Surprisingly, for such an extremely rare toy, there was only one other bidder.)  It's bought and paid for, done and dusted, and will soon be winging its way to Castel Crivens to join all my other replacement childhood toys.  Can't wait!

The one I owned in the '60s may have had a different colour scheme as far as the rocket sleigh goes.  I seem to recall the top part as being orange or light brown, though the colour of the bottom half escapes me.  (It was quite common back then for toys to have variant colours and I'm just glad to have one.)  I'm not too fussed as I never actually kept the sleigh for too long, though I retained the Santa figure and reindeer head into the early or mid-'70s.    In case you're wondering, I don't actually play with any of my classic toy collection - the satisfaction of ownership comes purely from looking at them - and remembering.

Anyway, I'm sure the seller won't mind me sharing a few of his photos so that you can see what it looks like - I'll publish my own when I receive the toy.  Until then, I'm simply wishing my life away!  Incidentally, the one I had originally came in a window box (I'm pretty sure) like the one below, but these toys are so rare that I'm not too fussed about that little fact.  Both boxes feature the same main artwork, and I can always make myself a replica window box if I feel like it.  "Ho-ho-ho!"  I'm bound to say that I prefer the colour scheme of the one I've just bought, as Santa stands out more on the blue upper half.

BABE OF THE DAY - PAULA PERIL...

PAULA PERIL - alias VALERIE PEREZ - walks behind me with the intention of taking me unawares and ravishing my magnificent manly-man body.  Lucky for me I've got a secret camera in the back of my bunnet and know she's there.  When she makes her move, I want to be prepared so that I enjoy every second of it.

BLACK, WHITE, OR YELLOW...?

Copyright relevant owner

The world falls deeper and deeper into 'PC' madness with the announcement that the producers of The SIMPSONS will no longer be using white actors to voice black characters.  What complete and utter tosh.  Am I a racist?  No, I simply believe that regardless of the colour of the character (I thought they were all yellow on the show anyway), it shouldn't matter what colour the 'voice actor' is - not just on The Simpsons, but on any animated show.  

So, for example, if a black actor voiced BRUCE WAYNE/BATMAN, I wouldn't mind at all as long as he had the right voice for the part.  It's acting, right?  If actors only played roles that were restricted to a reflection of themselves, it wouldn't be much of a stretch, would it?  Does this mean that should The HUNCHBACK Of NOTRE DAME ever be remade (and if so, the word 'hunchback' would probably be substituted by 'bellringer'), only repulsive, hunchbacked actors (and those two impediments don't automatically go hand-in-hand) would be considered for the role?

And what about NANCY CARTWRIGHT - a woman who not only voices the boy called BART, but also around another five male characters on the show?  Hey, Nancy, you're denying work from male actors, so how about a little consistency from the show's makers?  These days, if a man was voicing a female cartoon character, there'd probably be a right ol' stushie over it from female actors, claiming they were being denied the opportunity of work.

Also, as most of the show's characters are yellow, should white actors - or any actor who isn't yellow - even be working on it?  Yes, it is a daft question, but I ask it simply to highlight the absurdity of such a notion.  If a white actor can voice a yellow character, then why not a black one?  When it comes to cartoons, shouldn't the suitability of the voice be the only thing that counts, irrespective of race, creed, colour or sex?  When is sanity - or even common sense - going to be restored to our ever-increasingly insane world?

So, Crivs - any thoughts on the matter one way or the other?  Give it laldy in the comments section.     

IS YOUR HEART STILL A FIREBALL...?

Images copyright relevant owner

Around 40 years ago, I managed to obtain replacements for the two copies of the 45 rpm single of FIREBALL that had been part of the family record collection since I was a child until only a few short years previously.  Therefore, the interval between the originals (which had been dispensed with due to damage) and their replacements wasn't much of a span, with the result that whenever I look at them today, it doesn't feel as if there was ever a period when I was without them.

Then, around a quarter of a century ago, someone lent me their Extended Play version of the record along with its picture sleeve.  This single had four themes (two each side), so I taped them onto a cassette and had the sleeve photocopied, then made a couple of 'facsimile' covers.  Since then, I've stored my two singles inside their respective replica sleeves, even though they were short of the full complement of themes listed on the track list.

The plot now thickens.  A couple or so years back I saw another copy of the record (not the EP) listed on eBay, this one sporting what the seller claimed was the 'original' first pressing blue label (the other singles had black labels, same as my childhood copies), so I bought it.  This now meant I had three singles of the same theme, and it occurred to me that it would be nice if they each had an appropriate paper picture sleeve to store them in.

So a couple of nights ago I scanned one of my homemade replica EP sleeves and used digital technology to remove references to the extra two tracks, along with anything else that would betray the fact that it wasn't designed for the two-track single.  The first two accompanying images are of the sleeve in its pre-altered state, followed by a second two showing the 'customised' result.  When I remember where I stored the cassette recording of the EP I'll transfer it onto CD, then make a CD-sized copy of the unaltered sleeve, but that's a project for the future.

In the meantime, paste your pulsating peepers on the rip-roaring results of my handiwork - visual testimony of my creativity, and the reason why I often astound myself with the exceptionally high standard I usually achieve in all my chosen endeavours.  Combined with my modesty and humility (to say nothing of my good looks), that's a pretty potent combination.  Hey, why are you all laughing?

I've since added the single's number to the top corner

And below, because you demanded it (you didn't?  Then who did?), both tracks on the single.  (Incidentally, DON SPENCER didn't provide the speaking voice of STEVE ZODIAC on the TV show - that was PAUL MAXWELL.) 

BATMAN'S DETECTIVE COMICS #475 FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright DC COMICS

For all those collecting the DC Facsimile Editions, DETECTIVE COMICS #475 is now available, though for some reason the page margins seem slightly larger than before, resulting in a smaller image on each page.  That aside, it's another classic issue that's well-worth having, either to replace your long-gone original copy, or because you didn't buy it back in the day.  (There's no excuse - unless you weren't born then, that is.)  Grab one while they're going.

JOE SINNOTT PASSES AWAY...

Comics fans will be saddened to learn of the passing at the age of 93 of legendary artist and inker JOE SINNOTT, who inked JACK KIRBY's pencils on The FANTASTIC FOUR mag.  He inked just about everyone else at MARVEL as well of course, and had a long career doing what he did best.  We salute him.  R.I.P. Joe.

TITANIC TRUE BELIEVERS...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

A trio of TRUE BELIEVERS for you to look out for, effendis.  If comics shops in your area aren't yet open, why not give eBay a try?  They cost a bit more, but at least they get delivered right to your door and you don't even have to leave the house.  And I'm glad to see that MARVEL are now leaving the original mastheads untouched, instead of replacing them with inferior new ones naming the featured character, like they did with some earlier TBs.  The series and character names now go in the banners along the top, leaving the original artistic integrity of the covers uncompromised (for the most part anyway).

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CALLING ALL MELLOWS...

Just to let you all know that today I published yet another new post on my other blog, which you can access by clicking here.  Go on, cop a gander.

ARE YOU A FELLOW MELLOW?

Just in case you haven't noticed, there's a brand-new, exclusive post over on my other blog (MILD & MELLOW MELANCHOLY MUSINGS), which you can access by clicking on this link.  I spoil you, I really do.

KING OF THE COPS - BILLY HOWARD...

Having shown the label of one of my 45 rpm singles (KING OF THE COPS) from 1975 in the previous post, I thought I'd go the whole hog and show you the video made to accompany it.  As I type this, I haven't yet watched it since last seeing it on TOP Of The POPS back in '75, so let's watch it together.

TO EVERY THING THERE IS A SEASON...

I probably didn't buy my first single 45 rpm record until 1974, and I think it was SEASONS IN THE SUN by TERRY JACKS (don't shoot me).  Over the years, I bought many more, even some earlier singles which predated 'Seasons'.  Many records were available for years after their first release, and could be ordered, brand-new, from a back catalogue kept by record shops and departments.  Some were exactly as they'd first appeared, others had a different Side B, but they were pretty readily to hand if you wanted to order a particular single to fill a gap in your collection.

Eventually, I gave them all to my brother, who hardly ever played them - though when he did, it can fairly be said that he didn't look after them.  A year or two later I reclaimed them, and was astonished to see that he'd discarded any picture sleeves, and that some were bent or warped, and also scratched and seriously scuffed into the bargain.  (Although, to be fair, some were still pristine.)  Over the years, I've replaced the more prominently damaged ones (though I've so far kept the originals), and there's probably only another couple or so that I want to update.

I still have my original copy of Seasons In The Sun, and if my memory is correct in recalling it as the first single I ever bought, it's a bit of a landmark as, hitherto, all the other singles in the house had been procured by my brother.  Whatever record it was though (if I'm mistaken about 'Seasons'), I'll still own it, and it's good to look through them all from time-to-time and remember what was happening in my life when I first acquired them.  (I was still at school when Terry Jack's record hit the airwaves.)

In 1981, I was living down in Southsea, Portsmouth, and I bought ALL AROUND MY HAT by STEELEYE SPAN from a second-hand record shop called JACK'S.  It's stamped with WEAPONS ELECTRICAL OFFICER 1.  H.M.S. SHEFFIELD and also has a word on Side A, which might be a name.  As most of you will know, in 1982, the Sheffield was bombed in the Falklands war and was designated as an official war grave, as neither it, nor the 20 crewmen (out of 281) who were killed were ever recovered.  I can't help but wonder if the previous owner of my record is lying at the bottom of the sea on the edge of the Total Exclusion Zone, where the ship sank after an attempt to tow it to South Georgia.  I hope he was one of the survivors though.  (See footnote at the bottom of this post.)

Anyway, what I want to ask all you faithful Crivs is this: Can you remember the first ever single you bought and do you still have it?  If so, what happy memories does it conjure up for you whenever you play it (or hear it on the radio)?  Don't be shy now, share your reminiscences with your fellow Crivvies in the comments section.

However, before you do, let me say that I have an earlier single that I remember buying, namely I RECALL A GYPSY WOMAN by DON WILLIAMS.  It came out in 1973, but I must've bought it later, after hearing it on the radio one night, as I'm pretty sure I'd left school by then.  Below, should you be interested, are numbers 2 to 5 of the first five singles I bought, though they might not be displayed in the exact sequence I got them.

Footnote: Talking about H.M.S. Sheffield, I used to have a pal who was in the Royal Navy for a short time.  Navy doctors eventually learned of his long-standing knee problem (which he'd had from youth) that would've prevented him from serving effectively at sea, so he was given a choice; either leave the Navy or take a land-based job (as a porter) at Haslar Hospital in Gosport.  He wasn't there long either, but, years later, he created a fantasy for his Facebook page, wherein he claimed that he'd been fast-tracked through the Royal Navy and had been one of the officers on the Sheffield.

In a sense, he was fast-tracked - in one end and out the other - with a brief spell at Haslar in between, but imagine having the brass neck to claim being an officer on H.M.S. Sheffield, a designated war grave and memorial to the 20 sailors who lost their lives on it.  I very much doubt he'd ever set foot on the ship, even when he was still in the Navy.  He now claims he's a Falklands veteran, though as a land-based hospital porter (if he was still in that job in '82), it's unlikely that he was anywhere near the place.  What a lowlife, eh?  A complete fantasist and @rsehole to boot!

BABE OF THE DAY - PAULA PERIL...

Alias VALERIE PEREZ, a woman guaranteed to make

any normal man's heart beat faster.  But what I wanna know

is - how did she know that red's my favourite colour?

KID DOES COMICS...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I thought I'd try something new for a change, Crivs.  (Well, new for me anyway.) Most of the time, the images you see on this blog are culled from my own personal collection.  Occasionally, I'll use a temporary, borrowed image until such time as I acquire the comic for myself, and then the visual 'stand-in' gets replaced with a scan of my own copy.  For this post though, all images are lifted at random from the Internet, after I typed '1970s Marvel comics' into the Google search box.

Also, usually I tell you something about the comics themselves, with a little bit of personal reminiscing thrown in for good measure.  Now, truth be told, I have a few of the comics shown in this post, but for the purpose of this experiment, I'm going to pretend that I don't.  You see, I've noticed that on some other blogs, the site owners don't own the comics they post, nor do they seem to know anything about the contents, yet they appear to have a hardcore following of commenters who lap it all up, and leave comment after comment.

So that looks like the way to go - give the readers the chance to show everyone what they know about comics that the hosts are unaware of and the comments will just pile up, and all the hard work is done by the commenters, not the hosts.  It's a win-win situation for the site owners, because not only do they not have to spend a bean buying any comics to feature on their blogs, but their lack of knowledge of any of the titles reels the suckers readers in.

Wanna give it a try?  Then let's go.  Regarding the above cover, obviously the comic is about a nurse who works at night.  That's all you need to know and, indeed, all that I can tell you.  What's up next?

Spot the boobies of the babe on the above cover defy gravity as CAPTAIN MARVEL (I think he's the guy on the left in the red long-johns) battles The CONTROLLER.  Don't ask me who or what he controls though, as I just don't have a Scooby.  (I don't even know why it's called a Scooby.)

Here's another guy in red long-johns, seemingly getting kicked out of the church disco by some dude called COPPERHEAD.  Why a bouncer needs a costume is beyond me (unless it was a fancy-dress disco), so don't ask me for any details - I don't have any.  (Perhaps the guy in the red suit was caught smoking in the toilets.)  Wait - now I've got it.  It symbolises the Devil being thrown into a churchyard grave - brilliant!

Here's CAPTAIN AMERICA & The FALCON showing what a couple of wimps they are, running away from a motley street gang who are tripping over their own feet.  They sure don't make heroes like they used to, but don't ask me what happens inside the mag as I don't have a clue.

Is that another guy in a red suit I see before me?  Just where do they all come from?  Ol' Red could be a midget for all I know, as I'm unsure whether BLACK GOLIATH is at normal height or giant-size.  Perhaps I should be bothered by my lack of knowledge on the very subject I blog about, but hey - what do I care?!  You rubes can fill in the details for yourself.

What?!  I don't believe it!  Yet another guy in red - pyjamas this time - with a swollen leg that's reminiscent of POPEYE.  Going from the cover-copy, he's having an argument with his dad, so he was probably sent to bed early for not doing his homework or eating his greens.  (I don't know to be honest, so please don't embarrass me by asking.)

Well, thank goodness for that - there's only half a red suit this time.  The story seems to be about a guy who's going to earn himself a restraining order for stalking the stars.  No names are mentioned, but as this was the '70s, it was probably stars like BRUCE FORSYTH, NORMAN WISDOM, JOAN COLLINS, VIOLET CARSON and the like.  Or could it have been American stars perhaps?  Don't ask me, 'cos I just don't know.  (Hey, at least I'm consistent.) 

Ah, a guy in a green suit - that makes a nice change.  However, I don't have a Scooby about what goes on inside, so you'll have to track down a copy if you want to know that - assuming that you don't already have one.  You probably do, though, as you readers seem to know far more than me about what transpires within the pages of these crazy comics.

Anyway, until next time, may your amulet never tickle.  (I don't actually know what that means, but it sounds a bit rude.  Titter!)   Oh, and by the way, if anyone would like to sponsor this site by the auspices of Patsycon, feel free.