PART TWO OF THE "NOT GOOD ENOUGH - DO IT AGAIN!" DEPARTMENT...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Above, the published cover of The FANTASTIC FOUR #20.  Below, JACK KIRBY's original attempt, rejected by STAN LEE.  And below that is a finished version, lettered and inked by yours truly.  And yeah, you're right - it isn't good enough, so one day I will do it again.  (The Jack Kirby Collector liked it though.)

KLASSIC KIRBY KOMIC KOVERS: BLACK MAGIC #4...

Image copyright DC COMICS

The art for this cover was originally intended for PRIZE COMICS first issue of BLACK MAGIC in 1950, but it never saw print until the fourth issue of DC COMICS revival of the title in 1973.  See?  It often pays never to throw anything away - especially KIRBY artwork.

WHAT WERE YOUR FAVOURITE FEATURES?

Anyone who buys any of the current PANINI/MARVEL mags will know that, occasionally, there are no letters pages because of a paucity of epistles from which to publish.  It's always been the case that the proportion of readers who write in to a comic is a relatively tiny one, which often made me wonder about British comics once including a small 'favourites' coupon for readers to fill in and send with their letters or jokes.  After all, there was no guarantee that the strips listed were representative of the wider readership, so it was hardly an ideal way of evaluating which strips were really the most popular.

Did you ever fill in one of those coupons and send it in to your weekly comic?  Cast your mind back to childhood and see if you can recall what your favourite strips were.  Here's a list of weeklies to jog your memory: BUSTER, WHAM!, SMASH!, POW!, WHIZZER & CHIPS, COR!!, WHOOPEE!, WOW! - or any others you can think of.  Just think - the choice of the few determined the reading options of the many.  Hardly fair perhaps, but how else can one even try to gauge the popularity of a comic's contents?  Never sent one in?  Perhaps if you had, that strip you liked which disappeared might've continued if the editor had been made aware that more readers liked it.  H'mm?

  Okay, thinking caps on, typing fingers at the ready.  

WAKE UP, It's - DAWN Of The UNDEAD...

ARION has a new comic mag available and you have a chance of

winning MARVEL Digital Codes if you buy it.  Details here.

BABE Of The DAY - CINDY CRAWFORD...

CINDY CRAWFORD shows off

her invisible sword-swallowing act on

the beach.  Is there no end to the girl's

 talents?  Give a big hand for Cindy!

PART FORTY-TWO Of FAVOURITE COMICS Of The PAST - SHOWCASE #94 (EXPANDED)...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Apparently (if I've got my comics history right), SHOWCASE #94 was originally intended to publish the first appearance of JACK KIRBY's ORION Of The NEW GODS, until DC COMICS decided to give the series its own title.  Because of that, the last issue of Showcase was #93 in 1970.  Number 94 eventually turned up in '77, featuring the debut of The New DOOM PATROL, who also starred in #s 95 & 96.  Incidentally, ROBOT MAN's new body was inspired by JOHN BYRNE's character - ROG-2000.

And now for the eagerly anticipated (cough) personal bit.  On the Saturday I first bought this issue, I was making my way home just as it was getting dark, and took a detour through the grounds of one of my old schools.  On the far side of a putting green adjacent to the school grounds was a small wooded area, the silhouette of which, it seemed to me in the gathering gloom, was the perfect double of the background on the comic's cover.  That's why, even today, I can't look at one without also thinking of the other.

Hard to believe that was very nearly 40 years ago.  My old school is now gone and a new structure stands in its place, but the one I knew yet exists in the evergreen land of memory - especially when I look at the cover of Showcase #94.  Got any memories associated with this ish?  Then get typing, frantic ones.

   

I've had replacements for issues #94 & 96 for years now, but since first writing this, I've acquired #95 to complete the trilogy.  I've therefore added their covers and splash pages to this post so that all three issues are together.  I seem to associate these mags with the same newsagent's I bought #94, so that's more than likely where I originally got them.  Enjoy.

FAVOURITE COMICS Of The PAST - PART FORTY-ONE: SUPERMAN #251...

Images copyright DC COMICS

At one time, I could've told you in exactly which shop I purchased my original copy of SUPERMAN #251, but now I'm none too sure.  (Maybe it'll come back to me later*.)  What I can tell you with absolute certainty, however, is the precise date on which I bought it - October 7th 1972.  The reason I remember is because that was the very day that The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL #2 went on sale, which I'd obtained earlier that surprisingly sunny Saturday morning.  A few hours later, I also took possession of TERRIFIC #1 and The SUPER-HEROES #1, two comics from the '60s, which I picked up in a jumble sale in The Old Parish Church Hall in the Old Village quarter of my town.

I've long since acquired replacements for all the comics I got that day, the above one being bought around 1980 or '81 ('82 at the latest), which means that I've now owned it for a far greater period of time than I ever had my original copy.  It should come as no surprise to any of you (mainly because I've said the same thing many times before) when I say that all it takes is one glance at its cover or contents, and I'm magically whisked back to the '70s (wait for it, here it comes) faster than a fart from The FLASH.  I found the 'classic tale' of particular interest, because Superman changes his features (much like the FF's MISTER FANTASTIC can) to resemble his alien foes, and uses 'telepathic will-control' to influence the mind and actions of his captor.

So there you have it!  Yet another of my 'Favourite Comics of the Past'.  Is it also one of yours?  Then why not indulge in a spot of pleasant reminiscing and tell your fellow Crivvies all about it?  After all, why should I have all the fun?  The comments section awaits!

(*It would be one of three places: R.S. McCOLL'S in my neighbourhood shops, the one in my local Town Centre, or a newsagent's named M.B. BARR in the aforementioned Old Village.)

THE "NOT GOOD ENOUGH - DO IT AGAIN!" DEPARTMENT - PART ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

You're looking at the cover of FANTASTIC FOUR Annual #1 - or are you?  Yes, you are - sort of.  The above cover is the one that JACK KIRBY initially drew for the Cosmic Quartet's first yearly outing, but it was rejected by STAN LEE, who then had Jack whip up the version that graced the published issue, which you can see below.  So which one do you prefer - and why?

RESTORATION BLUES...

At the risk of being accused of narcissism, I just had to post this old photograph of myself I found the other day.  It's from around 1977 or '78 and was extremely faded (having been reprinted years ago from a deteriorated negative), but I applied some computer magic and, hey presto - restored it to something resembling its former glory.  Now if only I could do the same thing for myself, I'd be a very happy man.

The memories this photo conjures up are a welcome reminder of past times, when summer skies seemed bluer, drifting clouds were whiter, and age and infirmity were beyond my imagining.  A glimpse of a moment frozen in time forever, but one that I can now only experience as a spectator from a far distance, and no longer as a participant in the moment it happened.  However, I'll grab it with gratitude as it's as near to it as I'm likely to get.  Thank goodness for photos, eh?

Y'know, I really miss being young.  How about the rest of you?  (Assuming you're not, obviously.)

BABE Of The DAY - CAMILLA LONG...

Journalist CAMILLA LONG is

today's Babe, Crivs.  Saw her recently

on BBC's HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR

YOU and was instantly smitten.  By the

way, this is post number 3000, so feel

free to celebrate with a cup of tea and

 a nice chocolate digestive.

SPECTRE - HAVE BOND MOVIES GIVEN UP THE GHOST?

Watched SPECTRE on Blu-Ray at a friend's house last week and was bored witless.  My pal fell asleep through it, which surely says a lot about the state of the JAMES BOND movies these days.  I still can't quite make up my mind about DANIEL CRAIG.  He's good in the fight scenes, but lacks the suaveness and sophistication that SEAN CONNERY, ROGER MOORE, and PIERCE BROSNAN brought to the role.  He's also clearly not tall enough to play 007, which means he'd certainly never have got the part if CUBBY BROCCOLI had still been alive.  Cubby had a thing about the actor physically embodying the role, so they had to be around 6' 1", 6' 2".

And what's with the cocky walk and the standing with his legs four feet apart that Craig does?  His predecessors had a confident stride, whereas Craig swaggers like a playground bully.  And why in blazes he was wearing a suit that looked at least two sizes too small in Spectre I'll never know.  He was given short shrift when it was first annouced he'd been awarded the part of Bond, due to the fact he wore a life-jacket on a trip up the Thames.  "What a wimp," cried his critics, "James Bond would never wear a life-jacket!"  Funny that the group of Royal Marines who were with him and also wearing life-jackets escaped such comments.  Or maybe not - after all, who's going to call a Royal Marine a wimp?  (Outside of someone with a death-wish or who likes hospital food I mean.)

However, it must be admitted that Craig's three Bond movies after CASINO ROYALE failed to live up to it.  SKYFALL was a hit because of the sense of expectation for Bond's 50th year, but after its action-packed pre-credits sequence, it was a bit of a yawn, let's be honest.  The fans deserve better.

So is it time for a new actor to play 007?  Someone who's tall, handsome, sophisticated and who doesn't look out of place in a tux?  Well, modesty prevents me from recommending myself for the part, but Craig's time may well be coming to an end.  Who do you think should be the next Bond... James Bond?  You know where the comments section is, Criv-ites chums.

This guy'd make a great Bond - even with
his invisible Walther PPK (or PPK/S)

"Bond... Kid Bond."  (Probably more a case of
"Bond?  Who are you trying to kid?")

CHILDHOOD CAPERS - CHAPTER THREE: The 'AMAZING' UNCLE WILLIE...

I used to have an uncle; nothing unusual about that - lots of folk have uncles.  I had more than one uncle of course, but it's one in particular I'm going to talk about today.  Let's call him Uncle Willie - mainly because that was his name.  Although, in the interests of historical accuracy, it behoves me to admit that I'm unsure whether he was an 'actual' uncle or merely an 'honorary' one, in that convenient bracket that older male relatives are placed when it's not known exactly what their title should be.  He never struck me as a very nice man to be frank, and he was eventually sectioned under the mental health act for beating up his wife - who, unsurprisingly, happened to be my aunt.  They were both quite elderly when all this was going on, which is all rather tragic I suppose.

I remember being through in Edinburgh with my family back in the late '60s, visiting one of my father's sisters (another aunt), and Uncle Willie and his wife were there too.  We all left at the same time and I remember Uncle Willie put his hand in his pocket and slipped some coins into the hands of my other aunt's kids.  I was surprised to see this act of generosity, because he'd never done that with me or my brother.  I liked him even less after that.

Uncle Willie was a bit of a blowhard.  Full of tall tales and unlikely stories designed to portray himself in the most flattering light.  Anything anyone else had ever done, he'd done first or done better - and sometimes even both.  He and his wife were visiting our house one night, and he took the opportunity to regale my brother and myself with tales of how fit he was and how he was able to expand his chest to nigh Olympian proportions.

He could see from our expressions that we remained unconvinced (nor were we much interested, truth be told) so he insisted on demonstrating his 'amazing ability'.  At first he stood in a stooped position with his chest as far back towards his spine as possible, then slowly stood up, thrusting his chest out as far as he could and, arching his back while leaning forward, attempted to create the impression that he'd achieved his stated goal.  When he was finished, he proudly announced:  "Mabel, I've just expanded my chest by 11 and a half inches!"  He hadn't of course, all he'd done is made a tit of himself.   We were too polite to say so, but we had a good laugh at him after he'd left.

I'm glad I've no nieces and nephews, because at least I know I can never be regarded with derision or disdain in the way that me and my brother discreetly regarded Uncle Willie.  So I suppose the moral of this story is that if you want your young relatives to be left with a good impression of you when you're gone, then you should avoid trying to impress them while you're here.

THE TV21 TIME MACHINE GOES BACK TO 1965 FOR SENTIMENT AND NOSTALGIA...

Copyright relevant owner

Here's a page from the 1965 TV CENTURY 21 SUMMER EXTRA, featuring an ad for a couple of Annuals, one of which I got for Christmas.  I also had the STINGRAY Annual, but I can't remember if I got it new at around the same time, or it was a later acquisition from a pal or a jumble sale.  I have a vague idea it was bought new though. I must have purchased the Summer Extra in June or July of '65, and I recall seeing a display of both Annuals in a shop called KRAZY KUTS in my local town centre from September on, while still living in the house my family would move from come November.

I didn't get either Annuals though, until I was living in our new house, so it's a bit strange to associate the covers and even some of the contents with both houses, even though, in the case of the former abode, it was only from looking through the books in the shop, and in the latter, from the comfort of an armchair (or sitting against one while sat on the carpet) in our new residence.

Krazy Kuts was a great shop (it was a CO-OP owned shop, if I recall correctly), and survived well into the '80s.  I replaced the Annuals a good number of years ago, and one glance at either one of them reminds be of two houses and a shop, and what a great time it was to be a child in the greatest decade of the 20th century.

This has been a completely self-indulgent, random, rambling reminiscence for no good reason that I can think of.

SUPERMAN COLOURING BOOK...

Image copyright DC COMICS

Thought you might like to see this cover from a SUPERMAN

colouring book from 1940, which is reminiscent of the cover of the

first ish of The MAN Of STEEL's own magazine.  Nice, innit?  Is

it just me, or does Superman look like a young BOB HOPE?

JASON And The ARGONAUTS TRAILER...

Now this is what I call a classic - JASON And

The ARGONAUTS.  Enjoy the trailer from 1963.

BABE Of The DAY - VERONICA CARLSON...

VERONICA CARLSON looks like

she could've played HONEY RIDER

in Dr. NO.  All she needs is a large knife

strapped to her thigh and she'd have given

URSULA ANDRESS a good run for her

 money.  Who'd you have bet on?

IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WAR, AT LEAST LET'S BE CIVIL ABOUT IT...

Okay, you may've already seen this, but it's

too good not to show just in case you haven't.

RECOMMENDED READING: COMIC BOOK APOCALYPSE: THE GRAPHIC WORLD OF JACK KIRBY...

Copyright relevant owner

Much as it pains me to admit it, I can do no better at describing this book - a companion to an exhibition of JACK KIRBY art at California State University - than to quote from the spiel on the back cover: "COMIC BOOK APOCALYPSE... spotlights Kirby's art from the mid-'60s through the '70s - his most sublime and mind-bending work.  Illustrated with more than 100 images from such classic series as The FANTASTIC FOUR, The NEW GODS, and KAMANDI, and with a store of essays by artists, storytellers, and scholars, this book provides the insightful, in-depth commentary that Kirby has always deserved."  (Published by IDW.)

One thing to remember perhaps, is that Jack Kirby was a comicbook artist with no illusions about the nature of the work he produced.  From a quick read of one of the essays that accompanies the art, there seems to be a desire to impose a pretentious meaning or motivation to some images that can be nothing more than wishful-thinking on the part of the writer.  Thankfully, it's Jack's art which is the main attraction here, not the imaginative if-specious over-analysis by any of the 'scholars'.

You can buy this visual beauty from your local comicbook store right now.  Rush 'round right away!

BABE Of The DAY - CINDY CRAWFORD...

"Come over and lie beside me" said the

scintillating CINDY CRAWFORD - so I did!

I told her I was the greatest lover in the world.

 She sure won't hear a bigger lie than that!

KLASSIC KOMIC KOVERS: The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

Originally drawn by STEVE DITKO for the cover of SPIDER-MAN's debut issue, AMAZING FANTASY #15 (but rejected by STAN LEE in favour of one by JACK KIRBY), this illo eventually fulfilled its destiny as a front cover (even if only as a variant) on the final ish of Spidey's own mag.  Ditko definitely drew his version first, because the speech balloons and cover blurb were photostatted, then pasted down on Kirby's incarnation of the cover.

******

Oh no, did it again.  Already featured this cover in this series, then forgot I'd done so.  The old memory is failing me over and over again lately - I'd better start keeping a scorecard.

BABE Of The DAY - WHAT'S 'ER NAME?

This is, er... what's 'er name again?

Tell you what, Crivvies - I'll let you know

who she is when I work my way up to her

face.  Fair enough?  (Ah, now I recognise

her - it's JORDAN CARVER.)