BABE Of The DAY - BARBARA MULLEN...

Who remembers BARBARA

MULLEN who played housekeeper

JANET in Dr. FINLAY's CASEBOOK

back in the 1960s?  "But Janet was an old

woman!" I hear you all cry.  True, but she

wasn't always old, and was quite a 'Babe'

in your father's day.  (No, Crivvies - it

 definitely isn't April 1st.)

BITCHIN' 'BOUT THE KITCHEN...

When I was a kid, kitchens had their own sort of 'feel' to them.  What's more, all of the kitchens in all (well, almost all) of the houses I lived in had exactly the same ambience.  There were two porcelain sinks side-by-side, one bigger and deeper than the other, in order to accommodate washing.  Not washing dishes - washing as in laundry.  I'm ancient, remember, and most of the houses I've lived in were built before washing machines were a common appliance in most domiciles.

There was also often a larder or pantry for storing food, as well as cupboards and drawers and all the usual trappings of a kitchen.  Every house I ever inhabited but one (built in the early 1980s) also had a clothes-airer attached to the kitchen ceiling for hanging laundry to dry, which was lowered and raised by a cord and pulley system.  When I flitted from one house to another, the kitchen always had the same 'feel' about it; the same 'mood', the same ambience.

The first kitchen of ours to have a stainless steel sink was in a new-built house we moved into in 1983.  This was also the first kitchen to have a slightly different feel to it than previous ones, on account of having up-to-date (for the time) cupboards and work-tops, instead of the 1950s and '60s style ones we were accustomed to.  It also had a dining area within the kitchen rather than in the living-room.  It was also the first one without a clothes-airer on the ceiling.

Today, in my present house, the kitchen is relatively modern and doesn't have that same feeling as of old, on account of not having the same fittings it did when I and my family first lived here in the '70s.  (We lived in the same house twice, with a gap of just over four years in between.)  I don't know about anyone else, but I really miss that old atmosphere that kitchens had when I was younger.  Everything nowadays is too spick-and-span and high-tech, and looks like the sort of kitchen JAMES BOND would have.

Tell you one thing for sure: the first time I see one of those overhead clothes-airers anywhere, I'm nabbing it for my kitchen, just to try and restore part of that familiar feeling of old which I miss so much.  What about the rest of you?  Any other Criv-ites feel the same?

******

Update: Managed to get a clothes airer in HOME BARGAINS a little while ago, but haven't found time to fit it yet.  Won't be too much longer hopefully.

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

MADELINE SMITH looks a tad

apprehensive as I approach her with a

romantic glint in my eye, though actually

she's just taken aback 'cos she's never seen

one quite so large.  (The enormous bunch

of flowers I'm holding, you dirty-minded

 Crivs.  Kindly behave yourselves.)

THEY CALLED HIM 'RAGS' - EDMUND VANCE COOKE...

                                            

                                           We called him 'Rags'.  He was just a cur,

                                           But twice, on the Western Line,

                                           That little old bunch of faithful fur

                                           Had offered his life for mine.

                                           And all that he got was bones and bread,

                                           Or the leavings of soldier grub,

                                           But he'd give his heart for a pat on the head,

                                           Or a friendly tickle and rub.

                                           And Rags got home with the regiment,

                                           And then, in the breaking away -

                                           Well, whether they stole him, or whether he went,

                                           I am not prepared to say.

                                           But we mustered out, some to beer and gruel,

                                           And some to sherry and shad,

                                           And I went back to the Sawbones School,

                                           Where I still was an undergrad.

                                           One day they took us budding M.D.s

                                           To one of those institutes

                                           Where they demonstrate every new disease

                                           By means of bisected brutes.

                                           They had one animal tacked and tied

                                           And slit like a full-dressed fish,

                                           With his vitals pumping away inside

                                           As pleasant as one might wish.

                                           I stopped to look like the rest, of course,

                                           And the beast's eyes levelled mine;

                                           His short tail thumped with a feeble force,

                                           And he uttered a tender whine.

                                           It was Rags, yes, Rags! who was martyred there,

                                           Who was quartered and crucified,

                                           And he whined that whine which is doggish prayer

                                           And he licked my hand - and died.

                                           And I was no better in part nor whole

                                           Than the gang I was found among,

                                           And his innocent blood was on the soul

                                           Which he blessed with his dying tongue.

                                           Well I've seen men go to courageous death

                                           In the air, on sea, on land!

                                           But only a dog would spend his breath

                                           In a kiss for his murderer's hand.

                                           And if there's no heaven for love like that,

                                           For such four-legged fealty - well!

                                           If I have any choice, I tell you flat,

                                           I'll take my chance in hell.

YOU GOTTA LAUGH...

Go on, you know you're dying to say it - a bit like my

    once-current experiences have become on this blog.    

DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND...

Okay, so after the pic of JANE RUSSELL

in the previous post, you may be left wondering

"Just what in blazes does Kid see in her?"  Well,

let me show you.  I find this seriously sexy!

BABE Of The DAY - JANE RUSSELL...

JANE RUSSELL is a top

'Babe' - that's why she's wearing

 a topper!  ('Hats' all, folks!)

TEDDY BEAR - ROBERT W. SERVICE...

                                       

                                             O Teddy Bear!  with your head awry

                                             And your comical twisted smile,

                                             You rub your eyes - do you wonder why

                                             You've slept such a long, long while?

                                             As you lay so still in the cupboard dim,

                                             And you heard on the roof the rain,

                                             Were you thinking... what has become of him?

                                             And when will he play again?

                                             Do you sometimes long for a chubby hand,

                                             And a voice so sweetly shrill?

                                             O Teddy Bear!  don't you understand

                                             Why the house is awf'ly still?

                                             You sit with your muzzle propped on your paws,

                                             And your whimsical face askew.

                                             Don't wait, don't wait for your friend... because

                                             He's sleeping and dreaming too.

                                             Aye, sleeping long...... you remember how

                                             He stabbed our heart with his cries?

                                             And oh, the dew of pain on his brow,

                                             And the deeps of pain in his eyes!

                                             And, Teddy Bear! you remember, too,

                                             As he sighed and sank to his rest,

                                             How all of a sudden he smiled to you,

                                             And he clutched you close to his breast.

                                             I'll put you away, little Teddy Bear,

                                             In the cupboard far from my sight;

                                             Maybe he'll come and he'll kiss you there,

                                             A wee white ghost in the night.

                                             But me, I'll live with my love and pain

                                             A weariful lifetime through;

                                             And my hope: will I see him again, again?

                                             Ah, God!  If I only knew!

PART FORTY-SIX Of FAVOURITE COMICS Of The PAST - BATMAN #320...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Dug out some old BATMAN comics recently, after reading my TALES Of The BATMAN, GENE COLAN volume.  When my eyes gazed upon the above cover, images of my bedroom in another house popped into my mind, and I mentally dated it circa 1984.  You can imagine my surprise when I read the indicia and saw that it was, in fact, an early 1980 mag that went on sale (in America at least) in late 1979.  So how the heck did I get it so wrong?

As regular readers will know, I've lived in my current abode twice.  The first period was between 1972 and '83, and the second period from 1987 to the present.  As it was during my first 'term in office' when I bought the above mag, I should mainly associate it with this dwelling and not the one in between.  I can only assume that for some forgotten reason, something caused the cover to impress itself upon my subconscious mind while browsing through my comics collection in that other room one evening, and supplanted my earlier memories of when I first got it.

However, I suppose there's always a slim chance I didn't acquire the comic until a few years after it first came out, and that I bought it in '84 to fill a gap in my collection.  I considered that possibility, but a vestigial memory of owning it in this house before I flitted yet persists, though my later association now appears to be the primary one.  (At least, it does today - that might not be the case tomorrow.) I always find it disconcerting when that happens, as I tend to use comics as signposts to various points in my life and I hate it when there's a blip in the process.

Have you ever looked at an old comic and recalled the place, the month, or the year you bought it, only to find upon checking the date on the cover (or in the indicia) that your recollection is off and that you couldn't possibly have bought or owned it where or when you thought you did?  Tell all in the comments section.  In the meantime, take a look at the pretty pics on offer.      

BABE Of The DAY - ANGIE HARMON...

Awesome ANGIE HARMON

is our 'Babe of the Day', Crivs.  (And

take your eyes off that mole.)

A TOY STORY ABOUT A COWBOY AND HORSE WHO LEFT THEIR MARX...

Back around 1962 or '63, I received the above wind-up MARX 'COWBOY On HORSE' Twirling Toy for either a birthday or Christmas present.  If I recall rightly, it was bought from LEWIS'S, in Glasgow, though I couldn't swear to it.  (Perhaps it was GOLDBERG'S - not that it really matters.)  Point is, I had it.  The one in the above pic is a replacement I obtained a good few years ago, though I've forgotten exactly how many.  Sometime in the 1990s, I think, or maybe even early '00s.  That's a scan of the box (slightly water-damaged) at the foot of the post.

The toy below is what I guess would be considered its modern-day equivalent, as it does essentially the same thing.  Curiously, it has no identifying makers' mark, nor a DISNEY copyright mark or date.  I think I purchased it around 1997 or '98 (from WOOLWORTH'S), but it could've been a year or so after that.  It's funny how, 35 years after I had the first toy (which could've been first produced in the '50s for all I know), the idea was still in production for the enjoyment of a whole new generation of kids.  (I wonder if there's anything like it in the shops today?  Anyone know?)

Anyway, thought you might like to see 'em, so here they are.  Unfortunately, you'll just have to imagine them bucking.  (I said bucking!  There's nothing 'Brokeback Mountain' about these two guys.  You lot obviously have dirty minds!  Sheesh!)

   

BABE Of The DAY - JANE RUSSELL...

Va-Va-Voom!  Jaunty JANE RUSSELL

is one of my top 'Babes'!  Ladies, do you look

like this?  Then get in touch and tell me why you

deserve to go out on a date with me.  Best answer

wins a night on the town and the pleasure of my

company.  (Winner pays of course.)

RECOMMENDED READING: BATMAN MEETS STEED & MRS. PEEL...

Image copyright DC COMICS & STUDIO CANAL S.A.

Admit it - this is one team-up you'd love to have seen on TV back in the '60s.  Well, now you can read a 6-ish comic on the meeting that never happened - until now. Straight 'round to your nearest comicbook store with you, m'lads (or lasses) - this is one you'd be mad to miss.  First issue on sale now!

KLASSIC KOMIC KOVERS - LOIS LANE #92...

Image copyright DC COMICS

So I guess it's true then - LOIS LANE really does go like a horse!  And don't worry - 'the unbreakable spell' was breakable.  (As if you hadn't guessed.)

BABE Of The DAY - LEE MERIWETHER...

I'd take my hat off to LEE MERIWETHER,

but I can't  - 'cause she's wearing it!  Gimme my

hat back, you crimson-clad, curvy Catwoman!

BUSTER ARTIST PASSES AWAY...

I've just learned from STEVE HOLLAND's blog site that cartoonist ANGEL NADAL QUIRCH passed away on June 26th.  For a detailed account of the man and his work, click this link.  Meantime, here's a post from a couple of years ago featuring some of Nadal's original artwork.

******

BUSTER had several good artists in his time, but possibly the best remembered (to those of a certain age) is ANGEL NADAL, who drew the strip from 1962 to '74.  This particular page is from an issue dated October 29th, but unfortunately I don't know what year, as it's not noted on the back and I don't have the published comic in my collection to refer to.

If anyone happens to know the year of publication, or can supply a scan of the printed strip, feel free to say so in the comments section.  Luckily, when I get around to showing my other Buster artwork (a two-pager), I'll be able to show you the actual printed pages.  No, don't thank me - it's all part of the 'job'!

UPDATE: Thanks to regular Criv-ite PHILIP CRAWLEY for alerting me to where I could find an image of the published page, though I've now replaced it with a scan of one I bought via eBay.  Be sure to visit www.bustercomic.co.uk to see more great pictures and learn all about the history of BUSTER.

JULY 4TH CAPTAIN AMERICA COVER OMNIBUS (A KID KLASSICS EXTRA)...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Seeing as it's the 4th of July, let's help our American cousins celebrate the occasion by looking back (and joining) three separate posts featuring the comicbook character who probably best symbolizes what America aspires to - CAPTAIN AMERICA!

******    

If, like me, you're of a certain age, you probably still think of barcodes on comic covers as a fairly recent intrusion.  Fact is though, that they've now been adorning the fronts (and, occasionally, the backs) of our favourite four-colour comicbooks for a total of 40 years.  The little striped box appeared for the first time on issues dated May/June 1976, although (in America at least) they went on sale in February/March of that year as they appeared on newsstands a few months ahead of the actual date on the cover and in the indicia.

So, to my eyes, a comic still doesn't look right if it's been defaced with that oblong zebra pattern in the bottom lefthand corner.  No, for me, comics were purer and less compromised when they were free of that ugly little intruder that defaced the art which called to me from the spinner-racks, even if I've now known it for a far longer period of time throughout my life than I have without.  Curious how our ideas of how things should be done are established from such an early age, isn't it?  I still consider Lsd (pounds, shillings and pence) as 'real' money and decimal currency as a relatively recent usurper, although it's now been around for more than four fifths of my life.

So what's that got to do with CAPTAIN AMERICA?  Not much - except it may've been the sixth issue of JACK KIRBY's Cap where I  first noticed (and resented) the barcode box.  (It was either that, or SUPERMAN #296.)  I was glad to see Jack back at MARVEL, even if  his output at this time didn't quite live up to his first tour of duty at the much-lauded 'House of Ideas'.

Diehard Kirby fanatics were ecstatic to see Jack resume the reins of the character he'd helped co-create back in the '40s, but readers used to the more sophisticated and ambitious tales of writers like STEVE ENGLEHART were less than enchanted by the King's more direct action-adventure orientated stories.  However, Jack produced 22 issues of the shield-slinging AVENGER (and two Annuals) - which was, I believe, the longest-lasting title of his return term - before leaving Marvel for the second and final time.

Anyway, without any further ado, let's look at the first 11 covers of Jack's Cap.  The rest will follow immediately after in this combination of all three separate posts.

******

(I should point out for American readers that, to differentiate U.S. Marvel comics on sale in Britain from their black and white U.K. editions, the 'Marvel Comics Group' banner was replaced with 'Marvel All-Colour Comics' when the plates were altered from cents to pence.  They were still printed in the States though.)

   

Er... just who is Cap shouting to?  Not the readers, surely?

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

JACK KIRBY did his best with CAPTAIN AMERICA (& The FALCON) when he returned to the title in the mid-'70s, but rumours persist that he was sabotaged from within.  Kirby reportedly felt that a disproportionate amount of negative letters were published in the mag, something to which he objected and complained about, though, as editor, one would think he had the power to prevent.  Obviously not, as he was based out in California, and the letter columns were put together in New York as a simple matter of expediency.

It's also rumoured that some of the new young turks openly scoffed at Jack's pages when they arrived in the MARVEL offices, being less than impressed with them in comparison to the work of other artists in the fabled BULLPEN.  As I said, he did his best, but the odds seemed stacked against him from the start.  His art was less fluid and graceful than it had been in his heyday, and his style of scripting appeared out-of-sync with then-modern sensibilities.

STAN LEE apparently interceded on his behalf, requesting that more positive letters were chosen over less-flattering ones, but by then it was too late.  Jack was demoralised, and when his contract ended, he presumably chose not to renew it, and to seek employment elsewhere.  A once mighty giant was at the end of his run, and never again created anything that resonated to the same degree in the comicbook field as his collaborations with 'Stan the Man'.

Jack then returned to DC COMICS for a spell and completed his FOURTH WORLD 'epic', but it was an unsatisfying anti-climax that didn't really bear scrutiny.  It's sad to see how age and illness took its toll on the man who was once the 'King' of comics, but he belonged to a vanished era, the likes of which neither he nor we would ever see again.  Such is life.

However, let's not end on a downbeat note.  There's still much to admire in the second set of 11 covers from his '70s run on Cap, so admire away! 

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

The time: A dark and rainy Saturday late afternoon/early-evening in 1973.  The place: The Norfolk Restaurant in the main shopping centre of my home town.  I'd just purchased the KING-SIZE SPECIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 (among others), and borrowed the first edition of The PENGUIN BOOK Of COMICS from my local library.  As I sat across from one of my pals, each of us nursing a cup of Coke, I perused the contents of my recent acquisitions on the table in front of me.

I don't know for how long I owned that Cap comic, but back in the early or mid-'80s, I obtained a replacement for it, which I've had ever since.  Around 12 to 14 years ago (several months to a year or so apart) I happened to acquire Cap Annuals #3 & 4, leaving only #2 to fill the space in the first four issues.

Curiously, MARVEL never seemed to be consistent in naming their bumper extravaganzas; sometimes they were called 'Specials', sometimes 'Annuals.  (And to confuse readers further, THOR not only had a series of King-Size 'Specials/Annuals' devoted to him, but also a run of four SPECIAL MARVEL EDITIONS*.)  Some King-Size mags began as 'Specials', them morphed into 'Annuals', and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that it likewise happened in reverse.  (*Though that was actually the title - in the singular - of the mag, as it turns out.)

Recently, I finally got my grubby mitts on the second issue of the title, thereby completing my quartet of Cap's Special editions.  As you can see, the cover has what looks like the spine on view, as if the comic hasn't been bound properly, but the issue is actually a normal stapled comic (with 52 pages), as opposed to the glued and thick-stapled format of #1, 3 & 4.

So, it may have taken me 40 years to obtain the next comic in sequence after the one I first bought back in '73, but I got there in the end.  And here's something else to consider - back in the early '90s, my local library had a book sale, from which I purchased the actual, self-same copy of The Penguin Book of Comics I'd first borrowed on that rainy Saturday evening so very long ago.

If you have any personal reminiscences associated with the comic covers on display, feel free to share them in the comments section.  With any luck, I can then delude myself into believing that I'm not the only soppy sentimentalist and nutty nostalgist who haunts the bloggersphere.  Any takers?  Step right up!

UPDATE: Originally, I owned issues #1, 3, 4 & 6, so when I finally acquired #2 I was very well pleased.  However, a nagging voice then assailed my ears - "Why not get #5 and have the first six Specials/Annuals?"  Well, sure sounded like a good idea to me, so I promptly tracked down a copy and added it to my collection.  (For a magazine which was meant to be published yearly, it's interesting to note that only five issues were released over a ten year period.) 

So, here's issues #5 & 6 to round of the first half dozen Cap 'Special Annuals'.  Don't ever say I'm not good to you.

And here's the cover of Kirby's 1976 BICENTENNIAL BATTLES Treasury Edition for good measure.

The 'panel' next to Cap's right hand was drawn by JOHN ROMITA