MYTEK The MIGHTY Volume Four...

Copyright REBELLION

I daresay most of you will know that the fourth book of Mytek The Mighty is now available (and has been for around a week) from Bear Alley Books (see sidebar).  It completes the four volume set of all Mytek strips published in Valiant and if you have the first three, you'll also want this one.  There's an interesting intro/bio on artist Mike Lacey, written with the kind of attention to detail that editor/publisher Steve Holland is renowned for, though I think Mike Lacey's wife Lily deserved to be named in the body of the text (as other members of his family were) and not just as a seeming afterthought in a footnote, but I suppose that's a minor quibble.

One not so minor quibble is the placing of editorial captions along the side of the text as opposed to under the intro's illustrations as it impedes ease of reading, requiring turning the book on its side and back again, which I find irksome.  Sometimes the 'sidenote' is in a separate column and not even next to the illo it's intended to accompany, and when it's near the spine, it's easy to miss if you're trying to avoid cracking said spine by not opening the book too wide.  Steve - stop it!  I don't want obstacles to my reading experience, and these sidenotes I can do without - so stick to proper traditional footnotes.  (Please.)

Having said all that, the book is well-worth the price for the classic strips contained within, and you'll be stoked to have it in your collection.  

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MADELINE SMITH...

"Come on," says Maddie, "I stripped

down to my swimming cozzie, so now it's

your turn, Kid.  Or better yet, get 'em all off!"

The girl is insatiable when it comes to manly-

man hunks like myself, and who can blame

 her?  Her taste in men is impeccable.

MOVIE MONSTER COMICS TREASURY...

Here's a book I got via eBay recently, not from the publisher, but it's an interesting tome.  The stories are apparently in the public domain, and having just looked at the website, they're 'print-on-demand' and very reasonably priced, overseas postage being a mere $5 - though that makes me wonder how they're wrapped.  (Hopefully not in flimsy poly envelopes or they'll most likely get blootered in their journey through the post.)

There's quite a selection, with some being available in softcover and hardback, full colour or b&w (you have a choice), and the quality of the scanned pages will obviously depend on the condition of the originals, but there's some good stuff to be had.  Regarding the back cover notes, for 'a collection of six comics, each starring one of the famous monsters from the Universal horror movies', read 'five starring one of... etc.,' though it clarifies the correct number further on.

It also describes itself as a hardback, but it's actually a softcover, and the website only mentions a softcover for this edition, though with other books there's a choice between the two formats.  I assume the error could be an oversight, or perhaps it was originally intended to be available in both editions like some of the others.  Anyway, if this is the sort of book that rings your bell, tell your fellow Crivvies in our ever-hungry comments section.

******

Update: I've since learned the book does exist in hardback, same cover but with a different background colour.  Obviously, when they did the paperback, they forgot to change 'hardback' to 'softback' in the cover notes.  Although Retro Comic Reprints are, I understand, print-on-demand, I daresay a few are published in advance of being ordered just to have some ready-to-go or perhaps supply to bookstores.

Below, the hardback edition.  Note the Mummy and Wolfman covers have swapped places.

CONAN Versus The ROYAL MAIL...

Copyright Conan Properties Intl.

Call me cynical, but I'm a suspicious sort of critter.  Royal Mail gets hit with a 21 million pound fine for not fulfilling their delivery obligations and I get a card through my door (which is a neat trick, 'cos I don't have a letterbox - har-har, only kidding) saying I owe a £7 surcharge on a parcel as the sender didn't pay the full postage.  Which is nonsense, as he took it into his local Post Office to have it weighed and labelled and paid what was asked of him.  Something sure smells fishy in Denmark I thought.

Anyway, paid the £7 and collected the parcel, which had no postage label on it, meaning it had either been removed or never put on to begin with.  I asked the seller to send me a copy of the receipt, which he did, and claimed the money back from RM as I could supply the PO reference number.  Well, that's not quite true as regards the dosh - they're sending me a book of stamps worth £13.60 as reimbursement, which I don't mind as Christmas is approaching and it covers the stamps for any cards I send.

The item in question?  Savage Sword Of Conan Reforged #1, which contains coloured strips originally published in b&w, and the colouring is more 'natural' and not quite so garish as some of the Dark Horse reprints of Marvel material were.  However, at the risk of accusations of being pernickety, there's something that slightly irks me about the mag - a minor thing, but irksome nonetheless.  The page number boxes have been cut (which is okay when it's done skilfully), but some have been overlooked.

Whatever happened to consistency?  Three instances in "The Frost Giant's Daughter" (one number 'box' left in but without the number, two blacked out), and the number 7 box overlooked in "The Tower Of The Elephant".  I hate this sort of carelessness and there's no excuse for it.  I hope Titan get their act together and either leave the boxes in or delete all of them less clumsily.  However, that apart, it's well-coloured and Conan fans will be sure to love it, whether they already own the b&w originals or not.

Any of you Crivs buy this mag, and if so, what did you think of it?

FANTASTIC FOUR #11 FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Saddo that I am, when I was a kid I cut out the piccie of Susan Storm from the splash page of The Impossible Man story (as reprinted in Wham!) and kept it in a little chequered and zipped pencil 'case' with other various cut-outs.  I would sometimes just stare at Susie for what seemed like hours (but probably wasn't), totally captivated by that one wee pic.  Amazing the power a 'mere' drawing can have, eh?

Anyway, I own various reprints of the tale, but I still had to have the Facsimile Edition of Fantastic Four #11 as it's good to possess the two-taled issue as an individual comic, as opposed to part of a collected edition.  Next one out is #12, then the series draws to a close (for now anyway), allowing dyed-in-the-wool Marvel fans to own the first dozen issues of the fabulous FF.  Buy it while you can!

I just wish Marvel would follow DC's lead in placing the barcode on the back cover as opposed to the front.  The unnecessarily oversized box is far too intrusive and compromises the aesthetic appeal of Jack Kirby's art.  Anyone else agree?  And surely the 'visit with' tale should be the back-up story, and The Impossible Man the lead-in strip?

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE...

Interesting to see a photograph I took in 1991 being attributed to someone else on the death of his business partner recently when it was used on a comics news site.  Whereas I don't really bother whether I'm credited or not when people 'borrow' images from my blog, it irks me when I see them being seemingly credited to others by use of the phrase 'courtesy of' - especially as the photo has been on my blog since 2014.  My photo, taken with my camera, sourced from my blog - if it's courtesy of anyone, it's courtesy of me.  Are some people trying to airbrush me from ownership of the photo, or is it just an oversight?  Either way, the copyright belongs to me.  Ah, well - never mind, I'll live.  No need to comment on this one, Crivs, I'm just venting.  

DETAILED PICS OF PENETRATION...

Copyright relevant owner

Get outta here, ya dirty buggahs!  (H'm, maybe 'docking' would've been a better word?)  Received my new Corgi Thunderbird 5 today (yes, on a Sunday - DHL) and so I dug out my TB3 to connect it with International Rescue's Space Station.  Doesn't it look great - or perhaps I should say don't they look great?!  Incidentally, I just grabbed the first Corgi TB3 from several years back for the photos as the new super-detailed one is in its box in a cupboard and I couldn't be bothered moving things to get to it.  I'll maybe take new photos later.

And for all those who came here expecting something else, you should be ashamed of yourselves.  What would your mothers have thunk?!

Did any of you watch Thunderbirds as a kid?  If so, what did you think of it?  Was it the best series Gerry Anderson ever did - or did you prefer another one of his various TV puppet shows?  And do any other Crivs collect these great Corgi collectables?  Tell all in our comments section. 

Below - 'penetration' - all done in the best possible taste.

THREE ADVENTURERS TOGETHER - JUST OVER TWO YEARS APART... (Updated)

St. Mary's Church, Fratton, in 1978

Regular readers will perhaps remember when I published a post (in 2020) featuring photos of my time in Portsmouth in 1985.  I first visited the place in 1978 to be Best Man at a friend's wedding, then returned in 1981 at his invitation for a longer stay, though another friend (both knew one another through me) also came along as he fancied a break.  (His suggestion, not mine.)  The three of us had hung about together back home when we were younger and the pair were my oldest and closest pals, though that was destined to end before too long.

And again, in 1981

The two photos above are of Saint Mary's Church in Fratton, Portsmouth, the first taken in 1978, the second in 1981.  During my stay in 1985, I stayed in Shearer Road not far behind the church but never once thought to gain access and explore its interiors, though I've since seen inside via various images on the Internet.  The main doors were a perfect backdrop for photo opportunities and that's me below (hairy-but-handsome) in 1981, pic taken on my Hanimex 110 TF camera.  Not a particularly good snap, but 110 millimetre was never the best medium for photography.  I've cropped the photos to zoom in on us as we were far tinier in the originals.

G.I.R. in 1981.  Photo taken by Joe

Same site, but the photo below was taken in 1978 on my Prinz 110 camera (Dixon's own brand) and features the late Alan Bowie, who was in the Royal Navy at the time, having joined up in the summer of '77 while on holiday with his sister and her then hubby, though he didn't leave our home town to begin training 'til near the end of the year.  For some reason it never occurred to me to get my photograph taken in the same spot, but I managed to remedy that oversight in 1981 when I was down there with my aforementioned other childhood pal (the third member of 'The Adventurers'), who, alas, is also 'late', in that he passed away around a month ago.

A.A.B. in 1978.  Photo taken by me

And that's him below - Joe Beattie, who for some reason has adopted what seems to me to be a slightly 'girlish' stance - it certainly isn't 'Jack Kirby', is it?  Anyway, three friends in the same location, but not all at the same time, there being just over two years between the pics of Alan and Joe.  Okay, not much to this post, admittedly, just pure self-indulgent reminiscing, but I thought it a rather nice sentiment to reunite all three friends in the same place for one last time.  That makes me the 'last man standing' and I hope that situation continues for a good many decades.

J.W.B. in 1981.  Photo taken by me

You can't see it in any detail, but Joe's wearing a belt which I gave him in the late '70s 'cos he expressed a liking for it.  It had been given to me as a Christmas present in 1972 by an aunt and uncle and I wish I still had it today.  I've got a better photo of it somewhere, taken when me and Joe were either playing darts in a local pub in Southsea or in a shop just around the corner.  I might post it one day when I find where it is.  (Betcha can't wait, eh?!)

G.I.R., A.A.B., J.W.B. - alias The Adventurers!

HOUSE Of MYSTERY C-23 FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright DC COMICS

Here's a nice 'little' item I bought myself recently - a facsimile of DC's Limited Collectors' Edition C-23, The House Of Mystery.  I never owned the original back in the '70s, and even though these 'facsimiles' aren't always exact replicas in every detail (i.e. colour, image size, etc.), they're pretty nice to have in their own right.  Anyway, rather than subject you all to my weary wittering, I'll just show you some of the contents, eh?  You'd like that, you say?  Very well - here you are then.  Don't say I never listen to you.  And please feel free to leave a comment.

(There's a bit of a ripple on some pages due to the fact they're so large and because I didn't want to lean too hard on them while scanning in case I creased the spine by trying to flatten them out.)

YOU'RE SPOILING US, MISTER AMBASSADOR...

Copyright relevant owner

Saw this book from 2010 in the window of a charity shop today, going for only £6 - so I snapped it up immediately.  If you know your comics you'll already be aware who Jerry Robinson is without me having to tell you, so I'll settle for showing you some images from the book.  Enjoy!  Oh, and tell your fellow Crivvies what the best bargain is you've ever bought from a charity shop or jumble sale.  Go on, you're allowed to boast about your good fortune from time-to-time.

(And award yourself a 'no-no prize' if you know which TV ad inspired this post's title.)

MAIL-ORDER MYSTERIES - REVEALED...

Copyright relevant owner

Here's a great book from 2011 which I only recently learned about when I saw it on Super Stuff in the Bronze Age blog (see sidebar).  There's not a lot of reading in it as it's only got 156 pages (not counting covers and endpapers), but there seems more to it as it's printed on high-quality thick paper within hardback covers, and, anyway, it's the pictures that make this book worth having.  Remember all those mail-order ads you used to see in US comics as a kid or teen that made you wish you lived in America?  They're here in this volume along with photos of the actual items themselves, and, trust me, if you still have a sense of envy about what our Stateside cousins had access to that we didn't, this book will likely knock it out of you pretty quickly.

Remember X-Ray Spex?  How they got away with that protruding nipple on the backing card is beyond me, but there it is to remind you to replace that broken coat-hook in the hall.  Some years ago I managed to buy a pair (of spex, not nipples), but without such daring and tantalising packaging, and they're as disappointing as you could imagine if you thought they'd really allow you to perv at women.  Actually, the ones I got were called X-Ray Gogs, but they 'worked' in the same way - as in not at all.  Surely it's well-past time for somebody to create an operational pair.  (Again, X-Ray Spex, not nipples - the latter have been available for a good long while now.)

Then there was the Polaris Nuclear Sub (above) - what boy wouldn't have loved to own one of these?  If it had been as impressive as they illustration led you to believe, that is.  But check out the photo - it was essentially a cardboard box that would've collapsed over you if you took it outside and it rained.  Maybe, if you were an imaginative child, you could've pretended there'd been a radiation leak and the sub had melted.   Well, you get what you pay for I suppose, eh?  There was also a Jet "Rocket" Space Ship for those who were more interested in exploring the 'final frontier' (in their imagination) than the ocean floor.

The 6-Foot Monster-Size Monsters posters actually look quite good - I wouldn't have minded owning them when I was a boy - or now, in fact.  However, compare the over-sized 'bolts' on the poster to the ad itself.  As all true Frankenstein fans know, they weren't bolts, they were electrodes and nowhere near as big.  To me, this looks like a clumsy touch-up job to accentuate their appearance and it detracts from the overall effect.  One thing that bugs me about the pic is that the posters are partially concealed by the 'wrappers', and I'd have preferred to see Frankie and Dracula in all their unobscured glory.  Why do designers of such books often do this?  I just wish they'd leave well enough alone - it's so annoying when they don't.

And let's not forget the famous Sea-Monkeys/Horses, above.  Anyway, read the spiel on the back cover and decide whether this is a book you'd like.  It's now out of print and therefore pretty pricey on eBay, though as it seems readily available, I consider some of the sellers' high asking prices a little optimistic.  It is a nice book though, and it's good to finally see photos of what you'd have wasted your pocket-money on had the items featured within been readily available in Britain.  Take consolation from the fact that you were likely spared immense disappointment in most cases.  Incidentally, Crivs, there are luminous aspects to the front and back covers, but I'll leave you to explore that feature for yourselves, should you decide to buy a copy.