FABULOUS FLASHBACKS - COUNTDOWN TO TV ACTION ANNUAL...

Copyright relevant owner

Launched in 1971, COUNTDOWN was, to all intents and purposes, an attempt to duplicate the former success of the now declining TV21.  With the inclusion of GERRY ANDERSON related content and (instead of The DALEKS) DOCTOR WHO, the fact it was edited by TV21's former art editor DENNIS HOOPER made comparison between the two periodicals inevitable.

Initially, I ignored the comic - until it started reprinting (usually in black and white) strips from TV CENTURY 21.  Even as a boy, I had an overdeveloped sense of nostalgia, so the comic suddenly became a 'must-have' for me.  Truth to tell though, my strongest memories of the paper are from when it metamorphosed into TV ACTION with #59.

Something else I ignored was the hardback Annual incarnation of the weekly.  In fact, I'm not even sure if I was even aware of them at the time they were published. However, a year or two back, someone gifted me the first two, and I recently acquired the third and final one via eBay, thereby completing my collection of them.  The first is simply titled COUNTDOWN, the second, COUNTDOWN For TV ACTION, and the third, TV ACTION.

Being a rather generous chappie (somewhat against the Scottish stereotype of tight-fisted meanie), I thought I'd share the covers and some of the contents with you in this post.  So, if you had these Annuals when you were a youngster, you can relive precious moments from your childhood or teenage years.  Or if you're clapping eyes on them for the very first time, it lets you see just what sort of books that boring old farts like your dad may've been reading over 40 years ago.  Either way, you're a winner!

NEAL ADAMS' BATMAN COVER GALLERY - PART ONE...

Pencils by CARMINE INFANTINO, inks by NEAL ADAMS.  Copyright DC COMICS

Raise your hand if you like the art of NEAL ADAMS.  Wait 'til I count 'em - one, two, three - h'mm, the pubs must still be open.  Never mind, I'll just assume that everybody likes Natty Neal's awesome artwork and present a series of covers either pencilled and inked by him, or inked by him over another's pencils.  That way, we get the absolute best of both worlds.  Ready?  Then away we go!  (See?  Who says intros have to be long and boring?  Sure wasn't me!) 

Pencils & inks by NEAL ADAMS

Pencils & inks by NEAL ADAMS

Pencils and inks by NEAL ADAMS

Pencils & inks by NEAL ADAMS

Pencils & inks by NEAL ADAMS

Pencils by NEAL ADAMS, inks by DICK GIORDANO

Pencils by NEAL ADAMS, inks by DICK GIORDANO

The DOCTOR IS IN - TV COMIC (PART THREE)...

Copyright BBC TV.  Art by NEVILLE MAIN

Coloured for DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC COMICS #2 in 1993, here are another two episodes of The Doctor's comic strip from TV COMIC #s 676 & 677, cover-dated November 28th and December 5th 1964 respectively.

Maybe one day, someone will get around to tying in JOHN and GILLIAN with regular TV continuity (if it hasn't been done already).  Were they the brother and sister of SUSAN?  Does TV Comic's Doctor, seemingly like PETER CUSHING's, come from an alternate reality?  We deserve to be told - so someone please tell us before we get much older.

In the meantime, however, enjoy these pages from the start of the Doctor's comic strip career.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING...

ISBN: 978-1-905239-30-6  *  Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Are you a fan of CAPTAIN BRITAIN?  If so, five volumes worth keeping an eye out for in your local comicbook store are the five MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVELS reprinting all the CB stories from his own weekly title in 1976, right up to the last issue of his monthly title in '86 - and every titanic tale in between.  The first volume came out in 2007 and the final one in 2011, but they've probably been reprinted since, as I saw volume one with a different cover advertised on AMAZON a just few months back.  There's also been at least one OMNIBUS volume, but as the early stories are scanned from original issues, it's slightly more obvious than in the smaller softcover editions, where it's barely noticeable.

Alas, I can't scan the interiors without cracking the spines, so you'll have to take my word that the quality in these PANINI-published volumes is extremely good, and you'd have to look twice to notice that the early tales are, as I mentioned, scans from published comics.  They're well-worth having if you want to own every CB adventure from '76 to '86.  Each book has informative intros by comics pros like CHRIS CLAREMONT, HERBE TRIMPE, STEVE PARKHOUSE, GARY FRIEDRICH, RON WILSON, BOB BUDIANSKY, DAVE THORPE, ALAN DAVIS and DEZ SKINN, plus various other bonus features.

I'd imagine they're still available to order for the discerning Marvelite who wants to add them to his personal library.

ISBN: 978-1-905239-72-6

ISBN: 978-1-84653-401-0

ISBN: 978-1-84653-433-1

ISBN: 978-1-84653-459-1

DOES THIS HAVE THE X-FACTOR? THE OFFICIAL MARVEL INDEX PART ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Cover by SANDY PLUNKETT

The very first MARVEL Indexes (or Indices, if you prefer) were published by PACIFIC COMICS DISTRIBUTORS around 1976-'82 and then by MARVEL COMICS themselves, who've issued various versions over the years.  Two of the best were The X-MEN and The AVENGERS series in 1987, the former being six issues and the latter seven.

What distinguished them from earlier and later versions was the fact that the cover reproductions were printed almost full-size, and the odd variation aside, were mostly faithful to how they'd been originally published.  They also sported some nice new cover art, and 'pin-up' splash pages by various then-current Marvel artists.

Have a look at the first three and, if you like them, let me know and I'll post the other three; then perhaps I might let you have a peek at The Avengers Index.  Go on - whaddya say?

Splash page by JOHN ROMITA Jr. & KLAUS JANSON

Cover by WALT SIMONSON

Splash page by WALT SIMONSON

Cover by TOM GRINDBERG & TOM PALMER

Splash page by TOM GRINDBERG & TOM PALMER

TOMORROW'S HERO TODAY! JOHNNY FUTURE - PART THREE...

Copyright REBELLION

Ol' JOHN FOSTER's certainly got his work cut out for him and no mistake.  We know he'll triumph eventually, but it's how he achieves those victories that provides the chills, spills and thrills and  keeps us enthralled right to the very end.  Of course, LUIS BERMEJO's spectacular artwork is the main draw (no pun intended), and it's just a monumental shame that FANTASTIC absorbed its companion paper TERRIFIC and (one last appearance in an Annual apart) effectively ended the adventures of JOHNNY FUTURE, Britain's MAN Of TOMORROW.

However, take heart. You can relive JF's titanic tussles right here on CRIVENS! - the U.K.'s brightest, boldest and best blog on comicbooks, cartoons and collectables.  (As voted by me and two of my pals - so it's official!) 

PART TWO OF DOCTOR WHO'S FIRST-EVER COMIC STRIP -

Copyright BBC TV.  Art by NEVILLE MAIN

In this post back in November, I showed part one of the first-ever comic strip featuring DOCTOR WHO from TV COMIC #675, cover-dated November 21st 1964.  Thought you might like to see part two, as reprinted - in colour - from DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC COMICS #2, cover-dated January 6th, 1993.

Want to see part three?  Then lemme know, frantic one.

POIROT - LOOPY LAPSES In LOGIC DEPT...

I'm a big fan of the POIROT TV series, wherein the Belgian super-sleuth was definitively portrayed by DAVID SUCHET.  Of course, PETER USTINOV did a fine job prior to Mr. Suchet, and ALBERT FINNEY won an award for his role as the detective in MURDER On The ORIENT EXPRESS.  I don't really understand why, to be honest, as - good actor that Mr. Finney undoubtedly is - his version of Poirot was awful.  His accent was all over the place, he sounded like he had a sore throat, and his performance was more suited to a pantomime than a big-budget movie.

But that's by the by.  I've just watched The MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR At STYLES and was reminded of a glaring absurdity that no one seems to have picked up on.  I read the book quite a while back, but I'm unsure after all this time if the TV episode takes certain bold liberties with AGATHA CHRISTIE's plot (as TV programmes often do) or whether it's faithful to how the authoress described events.  If it's the case of the latter, then Agatha made a big-time boo-boo.  (In fact, 'twas the TV show's oversight.  See comments for details.)

So get this: The desperate murderer is in his victim's bedroom sometime after the fact, recovering a letter which incriminates him.  He hears Poirot and company approaching along the hallway, stops to tear the letter into three vertical strips, twists them into tapers ('spills' Poirot calls them) for lighting the fire and pops them in with some others in a vase atop the fireplace.  Then - get this - he exits through an adjoining door and makes himself scarce.

So here's my problem: Why didn't he simply take the letter with him and destroy it at his convenience, rather than leave it for Poirot to eventually discover and identify him as the murderer?  To say nothing of risk getting caught by taking the time to tear the letter into strips.  It makes absolutely no sense and is a 'crime' against logic, to say nothing of common sense.

It's a crime I'd like to see Poirot solve, but why not play detective and see if you can come up with a reasonable-sounding explanation for this loopy lapse in logic? You all know where the comments section is - so what are you waiting for?

(Incidentally, "Because then there wouldn't have been a story" won't be considered an acceptable answer.)

GERRY ANDERSON'S TV CENTURY 21 COVER GALLERY - PART FIVE...

Characters copyright relevant owners

I reckon it's time for another ten covers of Britain's best-ever comic of the '60s - TV CENTURY 21.  With a headline that's topical for today, issue 46 features a photo of one of the fantasy females of my childhood - ATLANTA SHORE.  (Fancying a puppet - I was a right little perv and no mistake!)  I'm sure that most of you will know that LOIS MAXWELL, alias MISS MONEYPENNY from the JAMES BOND films, was the voice of hoverchair-bound COMMANDER SAM SHORE'S daughter - and if you didn't, you do now!

I wish that someone would publish deluxe, actual-size omnibus collections of at least the first 104 issues of TV21 (when it had The DALEKS), as it would be good to have sturdy, high-quality volumes of this classic comic from 100 years in the future.  It's increasingly unlikely it will happen, as the 'nostalgia market' target audience it would appeal to is dwindling with every passing year.  If I ever win the Lottery, I'd publish them myself - even at a loss -  simply because it would be good to preserve such a treasure for future generations.

Anyway, enjoy the covers on offer, and if you'd like to share any reminiscences relating to them, feel perfectly free to do so.

This was either the last issue bought while in the house we'd lived in for only 15 months, or the first one
bought in the house we moved to.  My uncertainty is because TV21 seems to have gone on sale only three
days before the cover date, whereas most British comics traditionally came out the week before

DETECTIVE COMICS #27...

Images copyright DC COMICS

DETECTIVE COMICS #27 is the first of The NEW 52 series that I've actually bothered reading and, for the most part, I actually enjoyed it.  I bought a few early issues of the relaunched titles when they first came out, but after browsing through them, felt less then compelled to devote any serious attention to them.  (And this from a guy who loves comics and wants to read them.)  They just seemed so pretentious - and underwhelming.

However, I liked this issue's cover, so I brought it home from a local Glasgow comicbook store several weeks back and have just got 'round to reading it recently.  The mag celebrates The BATMAN's history and contains 7 stories, the first of which is called - aw, you guessed - "The CASE Of The CHEMICAL SYNDICATE!"  There are several pin-ups from various creators which are worth seeing, so if you're lucky, your local comics shop might yet have an odd copy or two lingering on the shelves.

You know what?  I may even buy #28 & 29, as one of the stories is a three-part tale.  It's a long time since I've felt like that about a modern comic, that's for sure.

GOING ONCE - GOING TWICE - GONE! (AND NOT COMING BACK EITHER)...

Marx Yogi Bear toy.  He'll be with me 'til I croak

As I sit in my cavernous Kid-Cave, luxuriating in all my tremendous treasures - toys, books, comics, records, etc. - I sometimes wonder what will happen to them all when I'm no longer around to cherish and protect them.  I'd like to think I'll have established a museum of childhood of the 1960s & '70s by then, but if I were to drop off the twig tomorrow, they could end up in a skip or charity shop - and, to be perfectly truthful, I'm uncertain as to which of these options is the greater evil.

When LEWIS CARROLL (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, to give him his real name) died, his possessions were auctioned off, leading one of his friends, Frederick York Powell, to pen the following poem in despair at how his comrade's beloved belongings were disposed of.

At a Certain Auction...

                                         Poor playthings of the man that's gone,

                                         Surely we would not have them thrown,

                                         Like wreckage on a barren strand,

                                         The prey of every greedy hand.

                                         Fast ride the dead!  Perhaps 'tis well!

                                         He shall not know, what none would tell,

                                         That gambling salesmen bargain'd o'er

                                         The books he read, the clothes he wore,

                                         The desk he stood at day by day

                                         In patient toil or earnest play,

                                         The pictures that he loved to see,

                                         Faint echoes of his fantasy.

                                         He shall not know.  And yet, and yet,

                                         One would not quite so soon forget

                                         The dead man's whims, or let gain riot

                                         Among the toys he loved in quiet:

                                         Better by far the Northman's pyre,

                                         That burnt in one sky-soaring fire

                                         The man with all he held most dear.

                                         'He that hath ears, now let him hear.'

So I suppose that's another option open to me - just get everything cremated with me, but it's not one I'm too keen on.  I'd like my treasures to survive my passing, and, as long as I knew they would be looked after, other people would get to see and enjoy them as I once did.  And if they knew that all these wonderful things had once belonged to me, that would be the icing on the cake.

Ah, I can see it now.  The Kid Robson Museum of Childhood.  (No children permitted, of course.  They'd only break something.)

However, here's a question for all of you:  What would you like to happen to your most treasured material possessions when you're pushing up the daises?  Why not share your hopes with your fellow Criv-ites in the comments section.  And no cheating - none of that "I don't care, I'll be dead!" cop-out nonsense. 

FLIPPIN' 'ECK! IT'S FREAKY FRANKIE STEIN...

Copyright REBELLION

As a special treat (seeing as how you've all been behaving yourselves this last little while), here's an episode of FRANKIE STEIN from WHAM! #43, cover-dated April 10th 1965.  That means it more than likely came out on or around the 3rd, so you can argue amongst yourselves as to whether I'm early or late with it, seeing as how this is the 9th.  (Though considering it's 49 years old, it's certainly late regarding the year, even if not the month.)

Another KEN REID strip from when he was at the top of his game, I'm sure you'll agree.  Feel free to express your immense gratitude in the Criv-ites comments section.