CASTEL CRIVENS ACQUISITIONS...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Okay, peeps, time to squeeze my brain and see what I can come up with that you might just find a teensy-weensy bit interesting.  How about some of my recent comicbook additions to my immense accumulation of goodies?  You'd like that?  Good, 'cos I've already scanned the ones I'd earlier decided to show you, thereby revealing that my apparent offering of choice was anything but.  However, I don't want any complaints or moaning, 'cos you didn't have to pay to get in here so I expect you all to take what you get and be grateful for it.  (Oh, I impressed myself by how masterful I was there.)

First up, above, are two Sub-Mariner comics - #s 59 & 61 - which I don't think I've ever seen before, which is why I bought 'em.  The first one is perhaps a bit misleading as Thor only appears in 7 out of 20 pages, but for some reason this issue is regarded as a bit of a collectors' item.  Don't believe me?  Then check out some of the crazy prices several sellers are asking for it on eBay.  Sam Kweskin, an artist whose name I've never previously heard of (that I remember) did the layouts and John Tartaglione did the finished art and the result is perfectly acceptable.

Haven't read The Incredible Hulk #227 yet (or ever), but the cover grabbed me due to the '60s Avengers adorning it so I simply had to buy it.  It reminded me of just how much I liked the line-up of The Avengers at this time in their history, when I first read about them in the pages of the late, lamented weekly periodical entitled Terrific - and it was!  There's a Cover Gallery Omnibus of all 43 issues on the blog, which you can see by typing Terrific into the search box.  Wait'll you finish this post first though.

I was taking a chance with the above two Thor comics (#s 252 & 253) as I couldn't recollect whether I already had them or not, but I wanted to add to my collection of '70s Marvel Jack Kirby covers and they weren't in any way expensive.  Kirby was well-past his best by this point in his career and 253 is positively awful, but they still have a certain charm about them which makes them appealing to have.  Out of the two covers I'd say that 252 is better, though I'd say it would've been better yet had Vince Colletta inked it.  Feel free to disagree - I don't tell people to f*ck off for doing so, unlike some other overly-sensitive bloggers.

Above, a collected edition comic of all 3 Contest Of Champions tales, which was purportedly one of the inspirations for Secret Wars.  I actually already have the original issues, though can't recall whether I've read them or not, but having all 3 tales in one handy-dandy mag means I don't have to dig through boxes or filing cabinets should I ever decide to read (or re-read) them one day.  I always like to be prepared, so this issue is a very welcome addition to my vast hordes of decades-spanning comics.  

Copyright relevant owner

Lastly, above, is a comicbook adaptation of Hanna-Barbera's very first big screen animated feature - Hey There, It's Yogi Bear.  I own the film on DVD, so it'll be interesting to compare the mag against the movie to see how faithful the comic is, but no doubt some liberties will have been taken.  Winging its way to me as I type is The Man Called Flintstone comicbook adaptation, so it'll be good to have both of HB's films in comic strip form.  I'll show you that mag when it arrives, but in the meantime, do you have a favourite cover among this lot?  Then feel free to say so in our eager-to-hear-from-you comments section.