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.