JOHN BYRNE'S FANTASTIC FOUR COVER GALLERY - PART THREE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Hard to believe that, with this post, we're almost halfway through JOHN BYRNE's run on The FANTASTIC FOUR, one of the 'must read' MARVEL mags of the 1980s.  I must confess to enjoying PAUL RYAN's art on the FF when he eventually assumed the artistic duties, but I was never as impressed with the stories as I'd been with some of Byrne's tales.  I'd have loved to see JB continue scripting the series and Paul Ryan drawing it - that would've really been something, don't you think?

Anyway, enjoy the covers here and be sure to rejoin us for another ten in an upcoming post.

This one's another mag I bought before dropping in on Glasgow's Blue Lagoon for a Fish
& Chips tea.  Unfortunately, those particular premises are now gone, though others yet
remain in the city centre

This, I believe, was the first ish of the FF I bought after moving to a new house in 1983.
What's more, I got it from the shop I used to buy TV Century 21 on my way to school when
I was 6.  On the way home with this mag, I stopped in a park and sat on a huge stone to read
it, a stone that had been there at least since I was around two years old.  Maybe around 10 or
so years after stopping to read this ish, the stone was gone - and with it, yet another part of
my cherished childhood, alas

TODAY, I P-P-PICKED UP A PENGUIN (BOOK Of COMICS)...

Cover illustration by Alan Aldridge

Way back in the early '70s, I recall sitting in the Norfolk Restaurant in my home town with a friend, browsing through The PENGUIN BOOK Of COMICS - the original 1967 version, not the 1971 revised edition.  I'd borrowed it from my local library and, many, many years later, I bought that actual book from them in one of their regular clear-outs of old stock.  It was a little beat-up when I acquired it (doubtless the reason why they dispensed with its services), but I still have it today. 

This morning, however, I took receipt of a far better condition copy, the cover of which is shown above.  When this book was first being prepared, the publishers (PENGUIN, obviously) managed to secure permission from NATIONAL PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS to use the image of SUPERMAN on the cover.  They described in precise detail just how the cover was going to look, a deal was struck and the book was then published.

However, when NPP (now known as DC COMICS) saw it, they weren't too happy and returned the cheque, demanding ten times more than they'd originally agreed to.  Penguin refused, explaining that they hadn't deviated from their initial cover description and sent the cheque back, only for it to be returned yet again.  Not one for giving up easily, Penguin once more sent the cheque to the States, only to hear nothing of the matter from that point on.  What's more, the cheque was never cashed - perhaps Superman, champion of the oppressed, had a word with his publishers.

When the book was reissued in 1971, a brand-new cover was produced and all the DC Comics illustrations used in the previous edition were excluded and replaced with MARVEL COMICS art.  As you can see, I've included the new cover here so that you can compare them both.

Anyway, just thought I'd show off the latest edition to my bookshelf, which I acquired for a mere £1.20.  (The book, not the bookshelf.)  Wotta bargain, I'm sure you'll agree.

Cover illustration by Bob Smithers, based on a design by George Perry

The beat-up library copy - purchased for 65p in 1994

The 1989 reprint of the '71 edition

DRAWING A TEDDY BEAR? IT'S A PICNIC...

The first thing I remember ever drawing was a teddy bear.  It was a photo of a 'special offer' teddy on the back of a packet of KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES, back in 1964.  I carefully cut out the teddy and smuggled him into school one day in my satchel.  I was 15 at the time - - and, yes, you're right, I'm pulling your leg about my age.  Just checking to see if you're paying attention.

Actually, I was only 5, which some people may consider as still too old to be interested in teddies, but this was 50 years ago remember, when kids were kids and not the chain-smoking, binge-drinking, coke-snorting, sex-obsessed, violent little hooligans they seem to be today.  Anyway, using the cardboard cut-out as a stencil, I drew around it and recorded the outline on a sheet of paper.  Then it occurred to me that it would be a simple enough task to supply the details within the outline, which was composed mainly of circles.

I then realised that the head, ears, body, arms and legs, likewise consisted of circles, and that I could easily draw them without recourse to the 'stencil'.  Voila!  I drew Ted quite a few times before graduating to other subjects.  After all, drawing something seemed to be a simple matter of copying shapes in front of you onto a piece of paper, which I found an easy enough thing to do.

So, whaddya know!  Next thing I knew, I'd developed a bit of a reputation for being a 'good drawer'.  Incidentally, the ted at the top of this post is a stand-in.  The original's arms didn't extend quite so far from his body.  Still, cute little fella, eh?

PUTTING THE CHEF IN THE PICTURE...

Back when I was a full-time professional comics contributor, I dined out every evening at various local eateries.  In one of those establishments, the head chef was an English chappie named STEVE, and one night he asked me if Id do a caricature of him that he could give as a present to his mother whom he was shortly due to visit in his home town.  If I recall correctly after all these years, he sat at my table while I drew a preliminary pencil pic, which I then took home, copied onto an A4 sheet then inked and also coloured.  (But not before I'd made a photocopy of the black and white original.)

I saw him on his return and he told me his mother was extremely pleased with the pic, but he then said something which quite startled me.  Apparently, his two young nephews had visited his mother during his stay and recognised my name.  He confirmed to them when asked that I was indeed the very Robson who contributed to 2000 A.D., which happened to be their favourite weekly comic, and they were well-impressed that one of THARG's droids ate in the actual restaurant in which their uncle worked.

Even though I was merely bathing in the reflected glory of 'the galaxy's greatest comic', I was fair chuffed that two strangers who lived hundreds of miles away even knew who I was - and I was even more pleased when Steve told me that they had asked him to inform me that I was their favourite lettering artist.  Anyway, I didn't charge Stevie-boy for his caricature, but I got a couple of free meals out of it as a 'thank you' for my efforts.

And, in a way, I'm still 'dining out' on that pic today, as you've all just read for yourselves.

FINAL PART (SIX) Of KEN REID'S JASPER The GRASPER...

Copyright REBELLION

Alas, alack!  Stop the clocks and rend your garments, for misery has surely come upon us.  'Tis with immense sadness (and, paradoxically, an equal measure of pride) that CRIVENS! herewith presents, for your very own personal perusal, the very last JASPER The GRASPER two-page strip from the whimsical pages of WHAM! #47, cover-dated May 8th 1965.  Drawn by the incomparable KEN REID, no artist who followed him on a strip ever drew it better (and often not even as good) than the mighty Ken himself.

But dry your tears, for there is gladness in the midst of sadness.  You now have all six episodes (that's twelve full pages) to linger o'er lovingly whenever the mood takes you.  And I have once again fulfilled my self-appointed task to share the very best of British and American comics with all you lilting lovers of comic strip culture.

You might consider leaving a comment expressing gallons of gratitude for my generosity.  You know how insecure I am.

'POT-LUCK' POSTER PARADE...

I recently discovered some old posters I did a good while back and it occurred to me that all you cultured Criv-ites might like to see them.  I did the first two A4 size, and the last two A5, side by side on an A4 sheet.

******

The first one is from the time I freelanced for GAMES WORKSHOP's BLACK LIBRARY division, who published various magazines like WARHAMMER and INFERNO.  One of the managers of the shop in my town asked if I'd do a poster to advertise for new recruits, so I readily acquiesced.  It was a freebie, so although I took the time required to do the illustration properly, I just rattled off the lettering with a felt-tip marker - which I then had to touch up with a ballpoint as the marker was a little dry in the ink department.  As far as I knew, it was only going to appear in a shop window, so there was no point going overboard on it.

I did the second poster for JOHN McSHANE, well-known Glasgow comics historian and man-about-town, for some proposed event a few years back, but I don't know if it ever came to pass or not.  Produced entirely by hand, it's not too shabby and didn't take me too long either.  Another freebie, needless to say.

The last two examples were done for my local (and long- gone) BEATTIES toyshop around fifteen or so years ago, and apart from the shop logo (which I took from a bag), everything was lettered by my own fair hand.  This time around, I think I got some free toys in exchange.  I know, I know - I'm a fool to myself.  Cold, hard, cash-in-hand is always better.

So there you have it.  Incontrovertible proof (if any should be needed) that I'm a 'poster-boy'! 

KEN REID'S FINAL FUN-FILLED FROLIC Of FRANKIE STEIN...

Copyright REBELLION

While you're waiting for the last JASPER THE GRASPER strip by KEN REID, here's another last strip by the great man - FRANKIE STEIN.  This was the final Frankie frolic to appear in the pages of WHAM!, in issue #166, cover-dated August 19th 1967.  As we all know, PROFESSOR CUBE's lad was revived in the 1970s under the pen of ROBERT NIXON, but - good as they were - they couldn't quite match the sheer lunacy of Ken's version.

******

Looking at this page more closely makes me wonder if another hand might also have been involved, as some of the panels (or bits of them) seem slightly different from Ken's usual approach.  Or am I just imagining things?  Anyone got any thoughts on the matter?

TRAIL OF MEMORIES...

Ever watched a speedboat cut through the sea, or a 'plane soar across the skies above?  What do they have in common?  Both leave a wake of sorts behind them, the disturbed water in the case of a boat, and a vapour or exhaust trail in the case of a 'plane.

It strikes me that memory is a bit like that, especially when you move house.  One's trail of memories belongs to the previous home and area you lived in, so all your established points of reference still exist in the past.  It's not until you've lived for a time in that new habitat and the 'wake' has moved on that your recollections and perceptions pertain to your new surroundings and become 'synchronised'.

In a recent post, I was speculating as to why the 'flavour' of the old house and neighbourhood we had moved from in 1972, carried over to our new place of residence.  Part of it was down to the fact that even though we'd relocated, much of my daily life still took place in my former locale, but it was more than that.  I simply hadn't yet clocked up enough of a store of fresh experiences and associations to draw upon in place of the older ones.  I therefore yet viewed the present through the fixed filter of past perceptions.

When a 'plane has passed out of sight, its trail yet lingers for a while before eventually evaporating.  Which is not to say that new memories and perceptions replace older ones, or that the older ones disappear (we shouldn't push the analogy too far); only that newer memories and impressions then move to the front of the queue of our recollections, becoming the lens through which we view our present environs.

I have high hopes of one day saying something profound.  This wasn't it.

PART TWO Of JOHN BYRNE'S FANTASTIC FOUR COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Well, I could write a great long screed here, which would doubtless have you enthralled and hanging on every word, such is my majestic mastery of the English language.  However, I know you don't visit this blog to read what I have to say, regardless of how witty and entertaining I happen to be.  So, I won't detain you any longer from enjoying JOHN BYRNE's dramatic and dynamic delineations of MARVEL's first and favourite family, The FANTASTIC FOUR.  Be warned though - you may have to endure a few self-indulgent footnotes along the way. 

I got this issue from a Glasgow newsagent's at the far end of a street that led to the Barras.
I was doing a signwriting job that day and the guy I was with was shocked to see I'd bought
a comic.  Perhaps he thought it was a comic for girls because of Sue on the cover

This was another one I remember reading in the Blue Lagoon while devouring a Fish
& Chips tea.  In fact, the previous issue may also have enjoyed that distinction

This is another comic I got by mail order from Dave Hern's Wonderworld Comics in
Bournemouth.  Not 100% sure, but I may have got the previous ish at the same time

The FOUR DOCTORS (Or Is It Only THREE?)...

DALEKS copyright BBC TV and the Estate of TERRY NATION

Here's the same Dr WHO book four times over with three different covers.  Anybody got any preferences?  (There's a slight shine down the spine of the clear cover-sleeves, which isn't on the actual paperbacks.)

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: KEN REID'S JASPER The GRASPER - PART FIVE...

Copyright REBELLION

The good news is that here's another superb JASPER The GRASPER strip by KEN REID; the bad news is that there's only one more to go.  The good news is that then you'll have the full set of six; the bad news is that there won't be any more to come.  The good news is that you've just had an interesting lesson in philosophy, demonstrating that the exact same circumstance can be both good and bad at the same time.  The bad news is that here endeth the lesson.  The good news is that I'll be back with another post; the bad news is that some of you will regard that last bit of good news as bad news.

Oh, well - you can't win 'em all!

JOHN BYRNE'S 'BACK To BASICS' FANTASTIC FOUR COVER GALLERY - PART ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

When JOHN BYRNE took over The FANTASTIC FOUR as writer and artist in 1981, he gave the title a much-needed shot in the arm.  Arguably, not since the days of LEE & KIRBY had the mag been as entertaining and exciting as it became under the stewardship of the little lad from Great Britain.  He did two things that I liked immediately: He reintroduced the thick black collars on the FF's costumes and made REED RICHARDS a skinny-looking guy again, as he had first appeared in the early issues back in the '60s.

Another thing (no pun intended) I loved was when he returned BEN GRIMM's epidermis to its pre-evolved dinosaur-type hide look, though I wish the change had been permanent rather than just for a few issues.  One change I wasn't keen on though, was when The Byrnester played cupid for ALICIA MASTERS and JOHNNY STORM, so I was glad when that was later shown not to be what it appeared by a subsequent creative team.

All good things come to an end, alas, and it was the same for John Byrne's sixty-two and a bit issue run on The Fantastic Four (not including Annuals or Specials).  He moved over to DC COMICS to play in their sandpit for a while, reshaping their top hero, SUPERMAN - but what a legacy he left at MARVEL.  I'm fortunate enough to have a complete set of the original issues of JB's unbroken run on the title, plus the deluxe, two-volume OMNIBUS collections of his classic contributions to the legend of Marvel's first family. 

Starting right now is Part One of a series, showcasing the covers of John Byrne's Fantastic Four.  Remember to return for future instalments - I'd hate for you to miss them!

First Byrne FF I ever bought, from Glasgow's Virgin Megastore.  Purchased the previous
two issues by mail order around a few months later because I enjoyed this one so much

I missed this issue when it first went on sale, but obtained it by mail order from Dave Hern's
Wonderworld Comics in Bournemouth a couple of months or so later.  This is a classic tale,
but it's a shame that JACK KIRBY's image was removed from the cover before publication

Read this on the train home from Glasgow and was ecstatic at the return of the 'original' Thing

Ah, Susan!  Be still, my beating heart

Yay!  The way 'things' used to be

I recall me and a pal sitting in The Blue Lagoon restaurant in Glasgow one Saturday afternoon,
each eating a Fish & Chips tea as I carefully perused this still pristine ish.  Happy memories!

Blue Lagoon for this one as well.  Perhaps I bought both issues on the same day,
though I visited the place regularly so it could've been on a subsequent occasion

Bought in local newsagent's of a former neighbourhood on Sunday, March 21st 1982.  A classic!

TOYBOX TREASURES Of The PAST: OL' PALOMINO PAL O' MINE...

Howdy, pardners!  Lemme tell ya the story of the old West - JOHNNY WEST, that is!  Or to be more precise, his trusty horse THUNDERBOLT.  The Palomino you see in the photograph is the very one I've had since I was 9 or 10 years old, and here's how it came into my possession.  In a previous post, I mentioned one of my boyhood friends, JOHN FIDLER, who was ROBIN to my BATMAN whenever we played at caped crusaders in the street where we lived.  (Just as well his nickname wasn't 'Kid' or he'd have had a hard life, eh?)  Well, one afternoon, around '68 or '69, John was in my back garden when his eyes fell upon a big battered tin truck my father had brought home one day, having found it abandoned in a ditch.

For some curious reason it was love at first sight for John in regard to that truck, and he immediately offered to swap Johnny West's Palomino for it.  Naturally enough, being an animal lover, I instantly agreed to his very generous offer.  (Not without a nagging sense of doubt it has to be said, as I'd got the truck for nothing while John's parents had paid good hard cash for ol' Thunderbolt.)  For a while I expected him to renege on the swap and demand his steed back, but he never did and I've had it ever since.

One day, while in my bedroom, a corner of Thunderbolt's left ear suddenly popped off and fell onto the new carpet.  I retrieved it at once and glued it back in place, and that's probably the reason why the smell of that carpet fills my nostrils nowadays whenever I gaze upon my plastic Palomino pal.  Curiously, 20-odd years later, I acquired a second horse and was surprised to see that it was missing a piece of the same ear - of the exact same size and shape I'd glued back on its twin.  Both pieces would've looked identical in every respect, and I can only conclude that there must've been at least one batch of horses which suffered from a weak spot in the same place, prone to popping off at any moment.  (I repaired the other ear in case you were wondering, and the fix is virtually undetectable.)

I didn't obtain Johnny West or CHIEF CHEROKEE until sometime in the late '80s, though Johnny was missing his hands and Chiefy had only one.  Luckily, a company called DAPOL had issued a limited run of their own versions of the duo (from the original moulds), and, as well as purchasing both sets, I also acquired spare hands and accessories so I could tart up and complete the original LOUIS MARX TOYS figures and horses.

So, I've now had ol' Johnny for around 25 years or so, and his faithful steed for around 45.  Before Johnny reclaimed his equine pal, an '80s ACTION MAN used to sit astride his back, but I later bought another Thunderbolt (complete with box and accessories) for PALITOY's most famous son to ride the range.  After all, I couldn't leave him bereft of a horse to get around on.

Now, hands up if you want to see Chief Cherokee.