IPC SAMPLER COMICS & PULL-OUTS...

Based on the MONSTER FUN logo still being part of the BUSTER masthead in the above pic, I think it was towards the end of the 1970s when these mini 'Comic Samplers' appeared in various IPC comics.  I used to have a couple of other ones, I'm sure, but they seem to have been lost to the maws of time.

When you think about it, it seems like a great way of promoting different comics to a wider readership.  There was one drawback of course, which was that only existing readers of the titles in which they appeared ever got to see them, and if they were already buying the comics being promoted, then no sales would be gained.  Worth trying though, and it's an idea that The BEANO should've considered when The DANDY was relaunched back in 2010.

Another thing I used to love about IPC comics is when they'd print pull-outs over several weeks, which, when stapled together, resulted in a complete mini-comic. Feast your eyes on the ones in the second photo - great, aren't they?!

In fact, if you're all well-behaved little Criv-ites, I may well feature the contents of some of them for you to drool over in a future post.  Which one would you like me to start with?  

THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #1 (U.K. EDITION)...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CONAN PROPERTIES, Int.

Ah, October '77 - I remember it well.  (October is when this November-dated mag probably went on sale - if not September, even.)  At one time I had just about every issue in this series, but gave them to a pal in a moment of madness; now all I retain are the first and last issues to remind me of those happy days gone by.

Look at the artwork.  I was surprised to learn that JOHN BUSCEMA wasn't too keen on ALFREDO ALCALA's inks over his pencils, a fact which, frankly, I find truly astonishing.  Great as John B undoubtedly was, Alcala's inks gave the finished pages a whole new depth and dimension, resulting in a perfect example of a 'greater than the sum of its parts' scenario.  Just why Big John couldn't appreciate that is amazing. 

The mag finally came to an end with issue #93, cover-dated July '85, an impressive almost eight-year run.  Luckily, I got another chance to collect these tales (and some of the cover art that fronted them) when CONAN SAGA made its debut in 1987.  No doubt we'll be taking a look at that series at a future date.   

BADTIME BEDTIME STORYBOOK...

Copyright relevant owner

I must confess to feeling fair chuffed with myself, fellow Criv-ites.  And the reason for my self-satisfaction?  You're looking at it in the accompanying photos.  Allow me to explain.

A year or two back, I acquired a copy of MONSTER FUN #1 to replace the one I'd bought when the comic first went on sale back in 1975.  However, it was missing the pull-out centre pages containing the BADTIME BEDTIME STORYBOOK by the legendary LEO BAXENDALE.

As some of you will no doubt know, finding a copy of the first issue complete with the pull-out is getting increasingly difficult these days. It's not immediately obvious when it's missing, because the pages underneath feature a 'centre-spread' story, giving the comic the appearance of being intact even when it's not.  Some dealers unfamiliar with the comic often don't mention when the pull-out is missing because it looks complete at a cursory glance.

Anyway, to cut to the chase: I acquired scans of the missing pull-out, tarted them up a bit, then printed out a facsimile which I'm well-satisfied with.  Of course, it's always good to have the original, but in its absence, a high-quality replica will suffice for the foreseeable future.  (Update: Now got an original.)

So, have a look at the photos of my handiwork and then proclaim to the heavens - "Didn't he do well!"

'Cos I did!

PART TWO OF SMASH! COVER GALLERY...

Copyright REBELLION

Okay, here we are with the next instalment of the SMASH! cover gallery, to give all you comic-hungry peeps an idea of what you missed if you weren't around at the time, or refresh your memory if you were.

One thing I've noticed about Smash! is just how much reading there is in each issue.  Typical of boys comics in Great Britain at this time, each page equalled two pages of an American comicbook.  Therefore, a three-page strip in a comic like Smash! was really a six-page strip in U.S. terms.  So, even though some of the strips were retitled reprints, the comic was exceptionally good value for money at only 7d.

The WARRIORS Of The WORLD cover feature lasted for 46 issues, before being replaced with a dramatic 'splash page' representing the exploits of SIMON TEST for the remainder of the comic's lifespan.  Looking back now, it's hard to believe it ran for only two years - it seems far longer in retrospect.  However, including the ODHAMS incarnation of the comic, it lasted for just over five years in total, making it a respectable success from the publisher's point of view.

I can guarantee you one thing:  Whatever numbers the comic was selling in when the decision was taken to cancel it, publishers today would consider half those sales figures a raging, sure-fire success.

Part Three coming soon!

PART TWO OF SUPER DC TEXT STORIES...

Copyright relevant owner

And now, for your eager enjoyment, comes the text stories that accompanied the comic strip reprints contained within the pages of SUPER DC #s 4, 5 & 6.  I'm not sure just who wrote these tales, but considering that editor MICK ANGLO did just about everything else on the mag, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that he penned these titanic text adventures too.

By the way, if anyone has a copy of Super DC #14 that they'd be willing to part with for a decent price, then get in touch via the Criv-ites comments section.  Otherwise we're going to be two tales short of the full run.  (Update:  Number 14 has now been obtained.)

THE CASE OF THE VANISHING MARVEL HEROES...

As most readers of a certain age will know, when SMASH! comic first appeared in 1966, it wasn't long before it started to reprint MARVEL COMICS strips within its pages.  Soon there were five POWER PAPERS by the same publishers (ODHAMS PRESS) catering to the needs of nascent Marvelites everywhere.  When IPC MAGAZINES revamped Smash! in 1969, there were no Marvel stories to be seen, the last remaining ones (THOR and FF) having concluded in the previous week's 'old style' issue.

In new Smash! #9, the above editorial piece appeared, penned by GIL PAGE, 'masquerading' under the identity of teenage office boy 'MIKE'.  Of course, this ruse was merely to give readers someone nearer their own age to relate to, not (you'll be glad to hear) for the reasons that some grown-ups pose as teenagers on the Internet today.  Apparently, the comic had received quite a few protests from disgruntled readers lamenting the absence of the Marvel heroes.  This I can believe, as I too was disappointed to see them disappear from the comic's pages.

However, I'm far from convinced by Mike's claim that they had received a great many more letters from readers saying they were glad to see the back of the BULLPEN characters.  After all, if that was really the case, there'd be no need to mention it, would there?  It seems to me, reading between the lines, that IPC were quite disconcerted by the outcry caused by evicting the Marvel strips from the pages of Smash!, and were seeking to persuade readers that the body of opinion was in favour of their removal.  Reads more like an attempt to persuade readers not to jump ship though, doesn't it? 

Anyone got any thoughts on the matter?

MIGHTY MARVEL COVER GALLERY - FINAL PART (TWENTY-THREE)...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Alas, alack, Crivs!  Rend your garments and shed a tear, for we've now reached the end of our sequential run of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL cover galleries.  From now on, any MWOM covers featured here may tend to jump around a bit, but there's bound to be something to appeal to the discerning Marvelite.  So despair not, o seekers of the truth and bearers of the flame eternal.  (My, that 'How to write like STAN LEE' correspondence course certainly comes in handy.)

Anyway, that's enough purple prose from me - now it's time to look at the pictures.

MONSTER FUN ANNUAL - MINI COVER GALLERY...

Copyright REBELLION

Way back in 1976 and '77, I bought the MONSTER FUN Annuals for '77 & '78, but for some curious reason never bought the one for '79.  I say curious because I always try to buy at least the first three issues of any new comic or Annual, so how the third MF book escaped my clutches I can't quite say.  I recently remedied that when I managed to obtain one 36 years down the line, so here they are in a mini cover gallery, along with the Annual for 1984 for good measure.  Hope you enjoy them.

SMASH! COVER GALLERY - PART ONE...

Copyright REBELLION

In February of 1966, a brand-new weekly periodical landed on newsagents' counters all across the country: SMASH! was a companion comic to WHAM!, LEO BAXENDALE's proposed 'Super BEANO', which at that time was just under two years old.  Both comics were published by ODHAMS PRESS, but by the time 1969 rolled around, Odhams had been subsumed by IPC MAGAZINES Ltd., who then relaunched Smash! (the only surviving POWER COMIC out of five) as a more 'traditional' comic in the style of popular weeklies VALIANT and LION.

The revamped comic, launched in March of 1969, survived for around two years, and if not for a printers strike lasting several weeks in 1970, would doubtless have produced more than the 95 issues actually published.  In fact, it seems likely that the strike was the cause of regular readers drifting away, thereby curtailing the comic's potential lifespan and hastening its 'takeover' by Valiant in April of '71.

Here then, is the first in a series of cover galleries showcasing 'new' Smash! in all its glory. I hope that those who lived through the period will find this tantalising glimpse of a vanished periodical from their past extremely welcome.  If you have any particular memories associated with these issues, feel free to share them in the comments section.

And don't forget to come back for Part Two!