"FRANKIE & MICKY WERE BRUVVERS..."

From Wham! #25, cover-dated December 5th 1964.  Copyright REBELLION

Well, peeps, it's time once again for some further examples of the superlative FRANKIE STEIN strip by KEN REID from the pages of WHAM!, which once burned brightly-but-briefly amidst the weekly paper periodicals produced for Britain's '60s baby-boomer youth.

Intended by ODHAMS PRESS as their answer to D.C. THOMSON's The BEANO, Wham! never quite managed to match its rival in terms of sales and circulation, quietly fizzling out and merging with sister-title POW! at the beginning of 1968.

From Wham! #30, cover-dated January 9th 1965

In it's relatively short three and a half years, the comic came up with some characters that lived well beyond its own lifespan.  Such a one was Frankie Stein, who resurfaced in a number of '70s titles, this time drawn by ROBERT NIXON, who was a magnificent artist indeed.

However, to those of us of a certain age, nothing quite matched the sheer anarchic lunacy of the original '60s version.  Hopefully, the accompanying strips demonstrate why. 

PART FOUR Of OL' BALDY, The GINGER SCOT & The VERTICALLY CHALLENGED GUY - Or: CURSITOR DOOM...

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SMASH! was a great comic - in both incarnations.  Readers like myself may've missed the MARVEL reprints, but the 1969 revamped version of the title had its own unique charm which was hard to resist.  JANUS STARK, SIMON TEST, The PILLATER PERIL - and, of course, the curious CURSITOR DOOM, all had a mysterious, atmospheric quality that was practically guaranteed to snag any young reader of the time, hook, line and sinker!

Some U.S. comics companies have virtually made an industry out of reprinting their back-catalogues, so it's practically a crime that U.K. ones haven't been brave enough to follow their lead.  Sure, there've been a few independent publishers who've released the occasional collection of classic strips from time to time, but very little or nothing from the actual copyright holders themselves.  Such a shame.  Let's hope things change one day.

Anyway, here we are with the fourth episode of The CASE Of KALAK The DWARF, as illustrated by the incredible ERIC BRADBURY.  Make sure there's nothing lurking behind, under, or inside your sofa and plunge right in!  (The comic strip, not the sofa.)

    

SPOT The DIFFERENCE - In The 21st CENTURY...

Copyright relevant and respective owners

Here's an interesting thing I noticed while leafing through my two copies of TV CENTURY 21 Annual for 1966 - a page in one book is different to the corresponding page in the other.  Was this a deliberate change, I wonder, to differentiate between a first and second printing, or simply a mistake of some kind?  If it's just a mistake, how exactly did it occur?  Something to do with colour separations perhaps?  If any of you own the book, check out the above page in it and let me know which one you've got, eh?  It'd be interesting to see which version is the more common of the two.

"WILL THE PEOPLE TAKING THE TRAIN FROM PLATFORM 6 PLEASE PUT IT BACK..."

Children (and maybe even adults) have a curious ability to believe conflicting notions at the same time.  Case in point: When I was 5 or 6, I knew FIREBALL XL5 was a puppet programme (I could see the strings) and didn't feature 'real' actors in the starring roles (apart from the voices, of course).  However, when I saw the headline on front cover of the very first TV CENTURY 21 asking whether STEVE ZODIAC was dead - and VENUS confirming it inside - it seems to me, recalling the event nearly 50 years later, I 'believed' it in some way.

Was it being seemingly presented as 'fact' in a 'newspaper' format the reason it confused my 'fantasy detector'?  You know, present something as if it's true and it will seem like the truth - no matter how fantastic the premise?  For whatever reason, I wondered whether there would be no more Fireball on the telly because Steve Zodiac was dead.  (Not realizing, barring repeats, the programme was already history because STINGRAY was the then-current GERRY ANDERSON baby - with THUNDERBIRDS waiting in the wings.)

Having been sent to Sunday School as a youngster, I was familiar with the concept of the universe supposedly being the handiwork of a Supreme Being.  I was also aware of the organic evolutionary idea as it was mentioned in LOOK & LEARN and various other sources.  Had you then asked me how things had come into existence, depending on which track my brain-train was running along on any given day, I could've just as easily replied with either one explanation or the other - and not seen the dichotomy.

I remember, as an 8 or 9 year old, sitting in class one day and suddenly realizing these two schools of thought represented a divergence of opinion on the subject and couldn't both be true.  Why did it take so long for both carriages to pull up to the platform at the same time, thus revealing them as rivals as opposed to station-mates?  Who knows - maybe I was just a thicko.

However, I don't really think so (and MENSA agrees with me).  It just seems to be a fact the human brain can entertain all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas, some of which are mutually exclusive - and not always be aware of the fact until, somewhere, in a chamber of the mind, a light suddenly flickers on and casts its illumination into the shadows.

Anyone have any similar experiences or observations they'd care to relate?  The comments section awaits your interesting input!     

BATMAN Versus STEVE ZODIAC - PART FIVE...

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Here we are at last - with the wrap-up to TV CENTURY 21's very first FIREBALL XL5 adventure, as illustrated by GRAHAM COTON for one last time before MIKE NOBLE took up the reins in the very next issue (#6).  Some of Graham's art does seem a little rushed in places, but this is no doubt due to juggling various deadlines on different assignments, rather than a lack of talent on his part.  However, mighty Mike Noble was born to illustrate the Fireball strip, and his dramatic drawings surely enriched many a childhood back in the dynamic days of the swingin' '60s.

But groovy Graham Coton paved the way for him in the first five fabulous issues of the Universe's greatest comic of the future.  (And remember - the first issue is due out in only 52 years.)  So let's hear it for Graham - his rightful place in TV21's history is assured.

   

Could This Be The END For JOHNNY FUTURE? The RETURN Of The KILLER ROBOT - PART SEVEN...

Copyright REBELLION

  

A six-page epic extravaganza ends our current crop of JOHNNY FUTURE tales from the late, lamented FANTASTIC.  Published back in the late '60s by ODHAMS PRESS, the masterful art of the amazing LUIS BERMEJO ensured that Britain's answer to SUPERMAN (after a swiftly abandoned INCREDIBLE HULK impression) would be remembered for a long time to come by those who were lucky enough to have read these titanic tales back in the day.

 

Want to see further adventures of ol' JF?  Then be sure to let me know in the comments section.  I don't fancy digging out my back issues and spending hours scanning countless pages if there isn't a sufficient audience for them.  Your vote counts - use it!  

 

 

 

 

WHO'S GOT THE WHIP HAND NOW?

 

Copyright DC COMICS

 

In the previous post, I asked you what one comic from your childhood you'd love to own again if you don't already have it.  Someone responded by saying they'd like to have BATMAN #197 (if I worked things out correctly*), so I thought I'd treat him to a little preview of what he can expect when he eventually tracks down a copy.  CATWOMAN's looking rather kinky indeed.  I wonder why the commenter would like to re-acquire this issue, eh?  (As if we didn't all know!)

 

Enjoy the piccies, but better not let the missus catch you.

 

******

 

*FOOTNOTE: As it happens, I didn't work things out correctly.  The actual issue that the commenter remembers is #210, so I've added some pertinent pages and panels at the bottom of the post. 

    

 

Now, let's try again, shall we?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The THIRD DEGREE...

Copyright DC COMICS

So tell me, Crivs - if you could own again one comic from your childhood that you don't currently have in your possession, which one would it be - and why?  Marvel, DC, Charlton, Dell, Gold Key, IPC/Fleetway, Odhams, DC Thomson?  C'mon, join in the fun and leave a comment.

CURSITOR DOOM And The CASE Of KALAK The DWARF - PART THREE...

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Strangely, whenever I think back to the days of the revamped SMASH! and the very first case of CURSITOR DOOM, it feels like it lasted longer than only six episodes over a period of five weeks.  The CASE Of KALAK The DWARF, in memory, was of epic duration, stretching out for several months at least.  But no!  Sure enough, a mere five weeks later, the tale was told - and then it was on to the start of a new adventure in the following issue.

Nowadays, if I blink, five weeks have come and gone before I even know they're here.  How things change, eh?  Something that hasn't changed, however, is the sheer awesomeness of ERIC BRADBURY's evocative art, which is as effective today as it was back in the distant days of 1969.  So, settle into your chair and dunk that digestive in your cuppa.  Ready?  Good, now prepare to enter the strange and sinister world of mystery and imagination!  But first check behind you - you never know who (or what) may be lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce.

Okay, now that I've set the mood - enjoy!

  

PART FOUR Of FIREBALL XL5 And The BATMEN From SPACE...

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Continuing with our TV CENTURY 21 theme, here's part four of the never-before-reprinted* FIREBALL XL5 strip from #4 in 2065.  (Yup, you read that bit right.)  Drawn by GRAHAM COTON, who was replaced by MIKE NOBLE for a new adventure in #6, this art made quite an impression on me as a six-year-old boy.  After all, what's not to like?  (Though, as I said in the previous posts, TV21 editor ALAN FENNELL wasn't too keen on it.  Just goes to show that not only was Mr. Noble a hard act to follow, he was equally as difficult to precede.)

*Update: Until 2023, in the Fireball XL5 60th Anniversary Comic Anthology.

Fifth and final part coming soon, chums.  Don't miss it!

SOMETHING EXTRA FOR 1965 - PART ONE...

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When I was a mere lad of six (cue HOVIS music), I recall buying the 1965 TV CENTURY 21 SUMMER EXTRA and committing a wanton act of vandalism.  After I had read it cover to cover, I cut out the figures of TROY TEMPEST and 'PHONES' SHERIDAN in the panel below (and perhaps even glued them onto card) and then had all sorts of imaginary adventures with the intrepid STINGRAY duo.  I recall standing near the back living-room window, near the sideboard, and 'swimming' them past the window as if it were a goldfish tank.  Of the one year and three months we spent in that house (which seems far longer in memory), that's the only recollection from that time which I now associate with either the window or the sideboard.

 

However, pray overlook my sleep-inducing self-indulgence and let's get down to pleasure.  I thought that you, too, may enjoy poring over old images from childhood and stirring up your own memories of the above 48 page bumper bonanza.  Surprisingly, The DALEKS never showed up in comic-strip form in any of the TV21 Annuals or Specials, but they made a 'cameo' appearance on one of the joke pages of the 1965 'Extra', so I've included that here also, for all fans of TERRY NATION's and RAY CUSICK's metal-cased, mental mutants.

Two shillings is a sum which normally would've been beyond my means back in 1965, so I can only assume that a recently visiting uncle or grandparent must've dug into his pocket on departure, in observance of that curious custom where adult relatives attempt to ingratiate themselves in the hearts and minds of their siblings' or childrens' offspring.  Thank goodness for it, is what I say - it was always more than welcome.

Anyway, enjoy the following piccies.  (Then click here for Part Two.)