The TITANS #1 - BELATED 50th ANNIVERSARY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

"I'm late, I'm late. for a very important date...", but I got here in the end.  Back in October, regular commenter CJ reminded me of the then-upcoming 50th Anniversary of Marvel UK's weekly, The Titans.  I told him I'd likely do a post about it - then promptly forgot!  He reminded me that I'd forgotten when nothing relating to it appeared on the blog and I said it wasn't yet too late - then forgot again.  (My memory's shocking these days - and getting worse by the day.)

However, today I was going through a folder of comics and found my actual original Titans issue from 1975 and decided "Now is the time!", belated as it may be.  So, here for your pulsating and palpitating peepers, are some iconic images from that classic UK weekly from so long ago.  The comic is in better condition than I am after 50 years, which is quite disconcerting, but at least I'm still here, even though quite a number of people I once knew are sadly no longer around.

The Titans was an odd comic in that it was published in what was called a 'landscape' format, which allowed two reduced pages from a US comic to be printed side-by-side per UK page.  Basically, it was just turned on its side and stapled through its repositioned spine, but it seemed to be popular with readers as it gave twice the comics content for the page count.  The UK Spider-Man comic followed suit for a while, but that's maybe a post for another day.

Meantime, I hope CJ and you Crivs enjoy looking back to more than 50 years ago.  (You'd better, 'cos it took me ages to scan and clean up the images for your perusal.)  Incidentally, note the free poster, which hasn't been removed from the spine in all the time I've owned the comic.  I think I bought two issues to hang one poster on my wall and I still have it.  Or maybe it's one I bought as a back issue years later, but I can't recall now.  (Told you my memory was terrible.)

Comments welcome - where are you, CJ?

******

Incidentally, somewhere on the blog is a series of cover galleries of every Titans comic ever produced (including a never-published fan-created 'final' ish) if you feel like tracking them down.  Maybe I should do an 'Omnibus' post on them - or have I already done so?  And, in 1980, there was a monthly Titans Pocket Book lasting 13 issues, whose covers are also on the blog.

And for those who'd prefer to see the full poster, that's it below.

The CHERILEA CAPED CRUSADERS...

BATMAN & ROBIN copyright DC COMICS

Sometimes I buy things more than once, a recent example being the above Cherilea Batman & Robin figures sold exclusively in Woolworth's in the '60s.  In the above photo, I've retouched the paint on Robin, though I've still to fully attend to Batman (done the face).  (The seller's photo below shows them as they arrived on Wednesday.)  The third photo is of the ones I purchased 11 years ago, Batman in September and Robin in November of 2014, again retouched at the time.

So why buy them again I hear you ask.  The price was an absolute steal (for me) as the duo cost less than what some sellers ask for them individually in far worse condition.  I just couldn't pass them up and, besides, it's always nice to have spares.  Did any of you have the Cherilea Caped Crusaders when you were a '60s kid, Crivs?  Share your reminiscences in the comments section. 

BATMAN #1 Golden Age FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright DC COMICS

So what's the reason?  Is it down to different editors being in charge of each individual issue, or is it lack of cooperation or just sheer incompetence?  To what do I refer?  I'll tell you.  When DC issued a Golden Age-sized facsimile of Detective Comics #27 a little while ago, it looked as though it had been scanned from an original published issue and appeared 'old'.  Yet when they released Action Comics #1 and Superman #1 Golden Age-sized facsimiles in the same style, they sourced the contents from negatives of the standard-sized replicas, which meant the page images had margins around them which were far too wide and looked white and new.

Now, with Batman, the facsimile of the first issue is the same as Detective Comics #27, except for the margins and gutters being cleaner and whiter with no sign of age, and the page images weren't scanned from an actual published 1940 issue.  (With the possible exception of some of the ads.)  The result is far superior and I can't help but wish that DC will redo the other three mags to the same specifications.  When Ralph Waldo Emerson said "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...", he didn't mean all consistency was foolish, only that of the foolish kind, so consistency between those four essential collectables should be a given.

However, despite my customary moan, this latest addition to my vast collection is very welcome.  Why don't you buy one for yourselves, Crivvies, if you haven't already?  Note the cover claims the comic contains 'all brand-new adventures', but the recap of the Batman's origin is an amended reprint from an earlier number of Detective Comics (#3, I think).

******

(Please note that the comics mentioned in this post are not standard-sized facsimiles, but a larger 'Golden Age' size, closer to that of the originals.)

The ADVENTURERS Vs. The THREE NEDETTES...

Joe sometime in the '80s (so I'm told)

On at least a couple of occasions now, I've mentioned my collective and fanciful name for myself and two of my pals when we were teens - The Adventurers.  I'd first met the pair when I was 7 years of age, and their names were Alan Bowie and Joseph Beattie, both now deceased.  Alan died back on January 10th 2013 and Joe a mere three weeks ago on October 21st.  To give you a taste of the kind of things we got up to, the following repost is typical, though Alan wasn't involved in this escapade, it was one of Joe's pals called Arthur Balmer.  Strictly speaking, he wasn't an 'official' Adventurer (nor were me or Joe, come to think of it, as I hadn't yet coined the name), but he was the one who was present at the time so he was sort of filling in for our absent friend.  Hope you enjoy this absolutely true pre-teen tale.

****** 

It was around 1970/'71, and myself and two pals were leaning on a railing outside a row of apartments above the neighbourhood shops.  Passing below were three thuggish, slightly older females who hung around with the local neds.   They glared up at us.  "Whit ur you f*ckin' lookin' at?" they trilled in their delicate, girlish way (sarcasm).  "Dunno - the label's fallen off!" I yelled back.  The gauntlet had been thrown down, and the trio of nasty nedettes responded by mounting the stairway, their Doc Martins pounding the steps in pursuit of ourselves.

I say 'pursuit' because the moment I opened my gob, the other two legged it and I followed.  These girls were bigger and older than us, and as hard as nails.  Having been brought up never to hit a 'girl', we'd have been at a distinct disadvantage trying to defend ourselves against the furious assault that was surely forthcoming.  We fled past the front of the apartments towards the door to the interior stairway which led down to the shops below.

We reached the bottom door with a sigh of relief.  Once we were through that exit, our safety was secure and an inglorious fate would be avoided.  Alas, 'twas not to be - the door was locked, being early evening, and that avenue to freedom was denied us.  We considered going back up the stairs to the first floor offices above the shops and below the apartments, and using the corridor leading to the library to make our escape.  Too late!  We heard the 'girls' on the steps and realized discovery was imminent.  What to do?

Then I had a brainwave!  The bottom flight of stairs wasn't closed off, allowing us to seek shelter under them, so I beckoned my comrades to conceal themselves as I did likewise.  We bunched together tightly, as the merest glance under the stairway would've revealed our presence, and tried hard not to make a noise.  The nedettes pushed and pulled at the locked door, then grunted in frustrated rage.  "They must've got out on the first floor!" one snorted.  We expected them to return to the upper levels again, but they plonked themselves down on the steps above us and each lit up a cigarette.

We moved not a muscle and feared even to breathe, lest we betray ourselves.  After a seeming eternity (but was actually only a couple of minutes or so), they ascended the stairs and made their exit, amidst much muttering and detailed descriptions of what damage they'd inflict if they saw us.  We stayed rigid for a few moments longer, but once their voices were no longer audible, we exhaled a collective sigh of relief.  What a narrow escape and we knew it.  I can't recall any other moment in my life when I felt more alive, every sense attuned to my surroundings, and I'm sure my two friends felt the same.  (I wonder if they even remember it now?)

Even today, I think back to that moment and recall how I felt at the time; the excitement, the exhilaration, the fear, and, of course, the sheer relief and gratitude at having survived a precarious predicament unscathed.  It was like something from a 3 Investigators book or a Mission Impossible episode - a truly thrilling moment that lives on forever in my mind, and reminds me that, once, my life was more than the uneventful series of events that it is now.  I felt like James Bond, even though, at that time, I'd not yet seen a Bond film.  However, I knew that anyone who had a real car like my Corgi Toys Aston Martin must be a cool guy in the face of danger - much like myself, in fact (he said, modestly), as the tale I've just related surely testifies.

Okay, so, technically, we ran away from three girls - but that's only because we didn't want to hurt them.  (Well, that's my story and I'm darn well sticking to it.  Wanna argue?)

Ever been in a similar situation?  Then let's hear all about it in the comments section, o cool Criv-ites.  Spill the beans!

(Originally posted Tuesday 17th November 2015.)

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MADELINE SMITH (Again... Well, Do Ya Blame Me?)

Madeline went down so well

(please, no smut) last time, I thought

I'd treat you to a return visit from her.

I reckon she'll be showing up again

before you Crivvies know it.

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

Magnificent Madeline Smith sizzles

as her simply sensuous self, who's certain to

make all mere males go weak at the knees.  If

there are any women out there who look like

Maddie and go for decrepit old f*rties like

 me, then get in touch - before I croak.

ARE WE BEING WATCHED BY BLOGGER...?

Copyright DC COMICS

Some years ago I published a post about Ranger's/Look & Learn's comic strip, The Trigan Empire, only for it to disappear from my blog shortly after.  I started to rewrite it when I received a notification that my original post was going to be restored, so I ended up writing a composite of both posts.  So what was the problem with the first one?  I don't think it was ever properly explained, but I believe it was something to do with my use of the word 'Empire', making the Blogger watchmen think it was something to do with the British Empire and 'colonisation'.*  Seems we're under scrutiny.

Recently, I commented on McScotty's That Was Then blog, and then added a follow-up comment in which I mentioned DC's '70s Simon & Kirby comic entitled Black Magic.  The comment was published - I saw it with my own eyes - but when I checked later to see if McS had replied to it, it had completely disappeared - with no evidence that it had ever existed.  So I left a third comment, only for the same thing to happen again.  Was it my use of the name Black Magic in both subsequent comments that led to them being deleted?  If so, it seems that censorship is alive and well in Bloggerland.

Or could there be another, more innocent explanation?  Remember, though, that the comments were initially published on the blog until later vanishing with no trace of their existence.

(*And if you'd like to see the post referred to, just type 'Building An Empire' into my blog's search box and take a read of the update at the bottom.)  

CAPTAIN SCARLET IN TRIPLICATE...

Okay, I gotta admit that the Captain Scarlets on the left and right of the above photo don't actually qualify as 'action figures' due to their extremely limited articulation - they're just dolls in fact, plain and simple (though the one on the right talks and his 'epaulettes' light up).  However, the middle Captain really is a fully paid-up member of the action figure fraternity because of his numerous points of articulation and would give Action Man a good run for his money.

Centre Cap is by Pedigree Toys from 1968 and the other two are by Vivid Imaginations from '93 and '01 respectively.  25 years separate the first two figures, yet the  quarter of a century interval between them didn't result in any improvements and the '68 Cap is definitely the best of the three.  So much for progress, eh?  Got a favourite, Crivvies?  Then imagine, if you will, you're a kid again - which of the trio would you prefer to find in your stocking on Christmas day?

No comments yet?  Oh come along and play - it's no fun without you.

WHIZZER And CHIPS - The FIRST THREE...

Copyright REBELLION

A few days ago I returned to 1969 for a short spell with my auction acquisition of the first three issues of Whizzer & Chips.  I already have them (somewhere), but the above trio still had their free gifts and were in better condition.  I also already had the mask, though it was an actual-size facsimile I made from a photo on the Internet after obtaining the height from the top of the hat to the tip of the beard from someone who knew the owner.  What's more, the '69 version is made of paper, not card like the facsimile I created, so it's finally good to have an original.

Any Crivvies buy W&C when it first came out, who have any memories of those halcyon times?  If you had a favourite character, then share your reminiscences in the comments section.  The comic lasted for one week past 21 years, though sadly its anniversary wasn't mentioned or celebrated in the relevant issue.  Guess IPC didn't think there was much point seeing as how the next issue was going to be the final one.  Interestingly, I purchased the last ish from the same shop where I'd bought the first one.  Full circle, eh?  Right, get typing, Crivs, this blog needs you!

******

(Just think - the comic has been gone from newsagents' counters for 35 years now, 14 years longer than its 21 year lifespan, yet somehow it doesn't seem anywhere near as long.)  

In case you're interested, below is the actual-sized facsimile (as per the original) I made a few years ago.  Great, innit?!  (I'm so talented, though it helps if you've got a good scanner/printer.)

CONAN The BARBARIAN - In The SKULL Of SET...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CONAN PROPERTIES Int.

Above is a replacement copy of a book that regular reader McScotty gave me a few years back.  I asked him if it was okay to pass it on (unread) to someone I knew who'd been intending to track one down for some time and McS was okay with that.  It wasn't in quite the condition I prefer my possessions to be in anyway, and I made a mental note to acquire a better one whenever the opportunity arose, as it did recently.

It arrived at Castel Crivens yesterday and I read it while perched on the porcelain, and I have to say I very much enjoyed it.  So, if you've never seen this book before, track one down on eBay and add it to your collection while you can.  Or, if you already own it, wax lyrical about exactly why you like it in our comments section.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST...

Joe at back door of his family home when it was up for sale

Just learned this afternoon that a childhood friend died yesterday at home*.  I say 'childhood friend', but though we first met in 1965 and were friends into adulthood, I stopped having anything to do with him in 1982 as he could no longer be relied on to keep his word.  Around 2010 we resumed our friendship, but in the interim he'd become addicted to alcohol and 'exotic substances', adding those vices to his chain-smoking.  I fell out with him again a few years ago as he'd often be bad-tempered, paranoid, surly, unpleasant, rude, and irritating (too much 'weed') and the occasional fleeting glimpses of the person he'd once been weren't sufficient to enable me to overlook his excesses when they reared their ugly head.  His name?  Joseph Walter Beattie and he was a year or two younger than me.

We'd lived in the same street in the 1960s and, along with the late Alan Adam Bowie, as teens the three of us comprised 'The Adventurers', a name I'd chosen because of the numerous escapades in which, in the innocence of youth, we became embroiled back when we thought we had forever in front us.  Whether Alan or Joe ever applied the appellation to themselves I have no idea, but that's how I envisioned us whenever we were exploring places we had no right to be or were even safe to go or not.  Ah, what fun and excitement we had, often escaping the potentially dire consequences of our exploits by the skin of our teeth and living to tell (no doubt with a heavy helping of hyperbole) of our excursions into spectacular situations and scary scenarios.  I'll never see days like that again, nor will Alan or Joe.

Perhaps they're both now in a better place, reminiscing about old times and wondering just where their 'leader' is?  Given the state of my health these days, who knows - perhaps it won't be very long 'til I join them, but I continue to hope I've got at least another 50 years before that happens.  So long, Joe - here's to the person you once were before you fell in with bad company and allowed yourself to be led along the wrong path in life.

******

(*Since first publishing this, I've been advised he actually passed away at home so I've amended the post.  He'd been in palliative care, but didn't want to die in hospital so returned home for a short while 'til the Grim Reaper claimed him.) 

Joe in the living-room of his family home when it went up for sale after his mother died.
Incidentally, the Moon photo in the previous post was taken in this house's back garden

HUGH AND I...

The afternoon Moon.  Photo by Kid Robson

Hugh was a nice big fella - tall, thin, quiet and unassuming.  I'd met him back in 1983 when I was attending night-classes at my old secondary school (now demolished), and he was one of those people with whom it was immediately easy to get along.  I'd left school at 16 before sitting any Highers, and now I was seeking to redress the oversight by studying for Higher English.  (Passed it.)

However, it wasn't until after we'd sat our exams and night-school was over that Hugh and I became friends rather than just mere acquaintances.  Not the sort of friends who palled about regularly, or who made arrangements to meet up or anything like that.  It was just a case of whenever we ran into one another, we'd pass the time by 'shooting the breeze' and perhaps having a coffee together.  Sometimes he preferred a pint, so we'd find a bar and I would partake of a Coke (in a dirty glass - nothing soft about me), and we'd kill an hour or two in conversation.

The last time I saw Hugh, I treated him to a meal in a local eatery (update: also now demolished) and we reminisced about 'old times'.  We'd only known each other for about seven years or so, so our shared recollections didn't reach back too far, but Hugh was a bookworm and always had something interesting to say.  He was also a book rep, which meant he had a car, so when we'd finished our meal and had a gab, he deposited me at my house and said goodbye. "We'll do this again sometime," he said.  "My treat."

A couple of months later (or so it seemed), I was reading the 'In Memoriam' column in my local paper and spied a familiar name.  It was the first 'anniversary' of the death of someone's beloved son, and I was surprised to see that the name of the deceased was the same as Hugh's.  Couldn't be him of course, as I'd last seen him only a couple of months back and the poor guy in the paper had been dead for a year.

However, as the day wore on, something gnawed at the back of my mind, and eventually I 'phoned a Glasgow shop which Hugh used to supply with books from time to time.  A guy called Stevie answered and I asked if he knew the book rep named Hugh, and whether he'd seen him recently.  "He's dead," he said.  "Got hit by a bus around a year ago."  Thanking him, I put down the 'phone and slowly let the confirmation of my nagging suspicion sink in.

That meant I'd last seen Hugh over a year before, despite it seeming far more recent than that.  I could hardly believe it - he'd been resting in his grave (or his urn) for over twelve months while I, in my ignorance, still trotted about permissively, half-expecting to run into him at any time.  Even after I learned of his death, I'd occasionally see someone in my local shopping centre and absent-mindedly think "Is that Hugh?", ready to call out to him before sadly remembering that he was no longer around.

Funny how quickly time passes, isn't it?  It's now over thirty-three years since I learned Hugh had died, and it still only seems like a few months since we ate and talked and laughed together, and he dropped me off outside my house with the promise of "doing it again sometime".  Sadly, for Hugh, that "sometime" never came - nor, in fact, for me either.  But who knows?  Maybe one day, perhaps - in another place, another time.

And Hugh - if so, you're buying.

(Originally published Sunday 12th August 2012.)

The same photo, digitally transformed into night-time

NOW HERE'S A FELLOW WITH AN IMPRESSIVE PEDIGREE...

Character copyright relevant owner

One of the finest pieces of TV tie-in merchandise ever produced is, in my opinion, Pedigree Toys' 12 inch action figure of Captain Scarlet from the late '60s.  I first saw it on display in the window of a shop called Nurseryland in my local town centre and, some time later, I was a little envious when I discovered that one of my pals (the late Alan Bowie, previously referred to by me on the blog as Adam Cowie and Billy Liar) had been bought one by his parents as, I think, a Christmas (or birthday) present.

I later swapped him an Action Man for it, and must confess to being somewhat surprised at his acceptance of my proposal of the exchange as I had my doubts he'd go for it.  I can only assume Action Man perhaps had more street cred as a 'must-have' toy than poor Paul Metcalfe (Scarlet), but that's how the toy first came into my possession.  If I recall correctly, Alan later wanted to swap back, but I was having none of it and the good ol' Cap remained a part of my toy horde for at least a couple of years.

In 1970 my family holidayed in Rothesay, and for some (forgotten) reason I took the good Captain's boots with me, which I fitted onto a newly-purchased cheap Action Man 'knock-off', acquired at some point during our fortnight's stay.  The figure was produced by a company called Mintex and had the same face as Pedigree's Tommy Gunn (though the actual figure itself was inferior).  As Captain Scarlet was also a Pedigree toy and had the same body as Tommy, I found that rather appropriate (if ironic).

Then disaster struck.  In attempting to remove the boots, I inadvertently pulled the figure's feet off along with them, so in a fit of frustration (after first removing the feet) I hurled the boots off the end of the pier into the sea.  Wish I hadn't now, though it's decades too late to do anything about it.  Nowadays, I own at least two Captain Scarlet figures, two or three Tommy Gunn figures (as well as a few from when Zodiac Toys took over their production) and various other Action Men from down through the years.

Both Scarlet figures have their original boots, though only one of them has anything approaching an almost full uniform.  The gun and belt are missing, the cap's visor is cracked, and the tunic is in a poor state of repair.  I therefore commandeered a uniform from a Vivid Imaginations Scarlet figure from the '90s for one of the Pedigree toys, and very smart he is in it too.  They're all in a box in a cupboard or somewhere up in the loft at the moment, otherwise I'd show them all together for your personal perusal.

However guess what?  I recently decided to treat myself and bought another Pedigree Scarlet figure, this time boxed and with a complete uniform.  That's him above and below, and isn't he a handsome chap in his lovely Spectrum outfit.  (Oo-er, I hope I'm not on the 'turn'.)  What I mean, of course, is that it's a very handsome toy and a welcome addition to my vast accumulation of stuff, action figures in particular.  When I look at it/him, I can't help but think of that long-vanished shop from my youth.

And also, curiously (or perhaps not), my long-gone pal Alan, who died 12 years ago, 32 years after I last saw and spoke with him.  Ah, the past has come back to haunt me, but that's the kind of 'ghosts' I can live with, bittersweet as they can sometimes be.  How about you, Crivvies?  Any toys from childhood you miss, replete with their associated memories, that you'd like to own again?  (Doesn't have to be action figures.)  Wax nostalgically in our hungry-for-input comments section.  This blog's nothing without you.

The FANTASTIC FOUR #10 Facsimile Edition...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Behold - the latest Facsimile Edition in the Fantastic Four series by Marvel Comics.  Two more to go before this sequential run ends, unless, of course, they've been selling so well they keep on going.  I certainly wouldn't mind, even though I've already got all the Lee & Kirby FF mags in a mix of original monthlies and collected reprints.  Anyway, for your eyes only, all the 'chapter' pages plus the pin-up contained in this classic '60s tale.  Feel free to share any reminiscences you have of this story, whether from the original ish or one of the various reprints.

BABE Of The DAY - DIANA REEVES...

Delectable Diana Reeves stands

next to the new pizza vending machine in

SHADO HQ, waiting for her pineapple and

pepperoni 12-incher to pop out.  And  no -

that's not intended as a double entendre,

 you mucky-minded lot.  Behave!

The COMPLETE HOWARD The DUCK COMPLETE COLLECTION... (Hee-Hee - See What I Did There?)

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

For no other reason than I can't think of anything else to write about, I thought I'd repost these covers of the four softcover volumes of Howard The Duck The Complete Collection.  However, that's not quite accurate - actually, there is another reason, which is because there's some nice art on view on these covers that's worth looking at.   Remember when, back in the '70s, Howard was the next best thing since sliced bread?  It remains to be seen whether he'll ever be as big again, but let's revel in his glory days just for old times' sake.  Got a favourite cover or Howard adventure?  Then share it with your fellow Crivs in our comments section.  (And remember, click on images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.)  [I love the back cover to Volume 3.]