IT'S A SMALL WORLD... (Updated)

Copyright relevant owner

In 1982, THE DAILY RECORD started running a new comic strip - SMALL WORLD by DON ROBERTS.  I cut out the first one they published and put it on my bedroom wall, where, over the course of 32 years (and two houses), it has been ravaged by age and is now faded, crinkled, and at the end of its shelf life.

However, I'm determined to preserve its image, so earlier tonight I removed it from my wall and scanned it, removing as many of the crinkles and age spots as I can via the aid of computer technology.  (What you see above is as it was before I started work on it.)  The next stage was to 'bleach' it, which I'll eventually re-ink and re-colour so that I can print out a brand-new copy to take its place on the wall.  The bleached version is below.

I'll keep you updated when I can find the time to finish what I've started.  If, however, you have (or know where I can get) a pristine copy of this strip somewhere, then do me a favour and let me know, will you?  It'll save me some work.

(Update: Although I later published the finished cartoon [below] in another post with a recap of the above info, I thought I'd add it here too, so that you don't have to go searching for it.)

BABE Of The DAY - JAMELIA (AGAIN)...

Don't worry, JAMELIA isn't naked - she's

 got something on.  (A rabbit, to be precise.)

WHITE? NAH - IT'S BLUE...

Continuing our series of JIM REEVES' Seasonal songs, here's the tall Texan with a rendition of BLUE CHRISTMAS that actually fits the mood of the song.  (ELVIS PRESLEY's version is too much of a 'toe-tapper' for my tastes, good as it is.)

SPIDEY'S SUPER MAIL...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

Back at the end of October, reader DUNCAN MACKINTOSH kindly reminded me that I'd had a letter printed in SUPER SPIDER-MAN & THE TITANS #206.  Well, you could've knocked me down with a feather 'cos I'd clean forgotten about it.  I wasn't long in acquiring a replacement (though, now that I think about it, the person to whom I gave my original copy back in the '70s still has it), so I thought I'd share my Mighty Marvel Missive with those of you who didn't see Duncan's comment a couple of months ago.  Read on...

******

                     Dear Bullpen,

                     In a recent letters page, in reply to an enquiry about "The Missing

                     Link/Johnny Future" saga, you said that earlier you had considered

                     reprinting this series but had decided not to at present.  I'd just like

                     to say I really enjoyed these stories when they first appeared in "Fan-

                     tastic", so I'd just like to say you've got my support if you ever decide

                     to publish this strip.  I was privileged only to read a few stories, so I

                     look forward to reading the complete set at some future date.  You

                     could even arrange a battle between the Hulk and the Missing Link

                     as a fill-in, because they're similar in appearance and it would

                     provide an interesting story.

                     G. I. Robson,

                     Glasgow.

                    We're particularly gratified to receive your approbation of the

                    Missing Link/Johnny Future saga because we had a big hand in

                    the production of it. (Yep - all those years ago!)  Those Marvelites

                    currently showing such fantastic interest in Cap. Britain might like

                    to know that the artist was British produced (well, apart from the

                    fact that the artist was a Spaniard!)  There are no present plans

                    for re-publishing the series in British Marvels...but who knows

                    what the future (and no pun intended!) may hold...

******

The Spanish artist, of course, was and is LUIS BERMEJO, still going strong today (as far as I know).  I'm puzzled as to why I said I'd only read a few of the strips, because when I eventually acquired back numbers of FANTASTIC years later, I seemed to recall the majority of the weekly instalments.  I can only assume that, in between having my memory refreshed, I'd simply forgotten reading most of them at the time of my letter.  Or perhaps, devious teenager that I was, I thought that Marvel might take pity on me for having missed these classics and republish them.

What's interesting about the response is that it's probably by ALF WALLACE (of ALF, BART & COS fame) who was the editor of ODHAMS PRESS POWER COMICS back in the '60s, and who, in the '70s, was working for MARVEL U.K.  (What's more, he wrote the Missing Link/Johnny Future strips back in the day.)  So things had come full circle for him in being once again connected to Marvel.

From my point of view, as I had gotten into Marvel stories through the Power Comics reprints, it gives me a little thrill to think that Alf himself may've answered my letter to British Marvel way back in '77.  What puzzles me is why I ever gave the comic away - I must've forgotten that letter pretty quickly.  (Got it back now though, so a big thanks to Duncan for taking the time and effort to remind me of its existence!)

Anyway, so far I've managed to account for four letters I had printed in British Marvel mags of the '70s.  If anyone uncovers any others, please let me know.

WHAT DO LEMON DROPS & SILVER BELLS HAVE IN COMMON?

I posted a link to this song a couple of years or so back, but it's so good that it's deserves another airing.  The song first appeared in the BOB HOPE 1951 movie, The LEMON DROP KID, although BING CROSBY, I believe, was the first singer to release it on record.  Then JIM REEVES eventually lent his golden voice to the Yuletide lyrics and did the best version available.  Give it a listen and see if you agree. 

BABE Of The DAY - HEATHER THOMAS...

Are you old enough to recall The

FALL GUY starring LEE MAJORS? 

Then you'll also remember HEATHER

THOMAS, who was the best thing about

this '80s show.  "Can I fold that towel

for you, dear?  Oh, go on!"

THE MAN FROM C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.

It's the late, great JIM REEVES with

a song that sums up the spirit of Christmas.

Just listen to how long he holds that note at

the end - amazing!  What a singer!

PULL UP A CHAIR - IF YOU'RE ABLE...

The goalposts are shifting again, it appears.  The disabled, whose plea was once that they be treated the same as more able-bodied folks, now seem to expect (and sometimes demand) preferential treatment.  The cause of the most recent stramash is that a woman with a pushchair on a bus refused to relinquish her seat in response to the demands of a man in a wheelchair who wanted to board the vehicle.  As far as I understand, the woman was already on board (in an area usually available for prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs) when the bus pulled into a stop where the wheelchair user was waiting.

The woman's baby was asleep, but presumably her refusal to move was because there was no space to relocate to, rather than from a lack of empathy for her would-be fellow passenger.  Or perhaps his manner in 'requesting' her to move was overbearing and ruffled her feathers somewhat.  

Regardless of the precise details in this particular case, it gives rise to an interesting question.  If you've paid your fare, should you be obliged to give up your seat or leave the bus to allow someone else a space who feels that their need to get to the shops (or return home) is greater than yours?  I seldom use a bus, but I have a congenital liver disorder that leaves me constantly fatigued, meaning I often have to sit down when I'm out and about.  Should I be compelled to give up my seat to an older person who might be far fitter than me, just because it superficially appears that they're more in need of it - or simply just want it?

If you're able-bodied and there are no available seats on a bus, surely you just wait for the next one?  Shouldn't it be the same for those who are disabled or impaired in some way?  Or are they within their rights to demand that everyone else should give way to accommodate them?  Am I being too harsh in thinking that being 'treated the same way as everybody else' entails having to put up with the same inconveniences and disappointments that the able-bodied do?

What are your thoughts on this controversial subject?

(Update 2026: Incidentally, since this post was first published, I've now been diagnosed as 'disabled', but I haven't changed my views on the matter.)

THE GIRL AND HER UNCLE AFFAIR...

Images copyright relevant owner

To be completely honest, I'm not 100% sure who the artist is of this GIRL From U.N.C.L.E. strip from the 1968 LADY PENELOPE Annual.  My first thought was Spanish artist ENRIQUE BADIA ROMERO, who drew (amongst many other things) the MODESTY BLAISE and AXA newspaper strips.  However, it could well be another artist with a similar style - anyone know for sure?

******

Having enlarged the pages for further study, I'm now pretty sure the artist is Romero.

BABE Of The DAY - JENNIFER LAWRENCE...

Brrrr!  It's a cold day, so here's a hot

pic of actress JENNIFER LAWRENCE

to help keep you warm.  Beats a hot water

 bottle any day of the week, eh?

SCOUTING For BOYS? (GERROUTTA HERE!)

Long-time regular readers may recall me recounting that it was my family's accustomed practice to visit my maternal grandparents every Sunday in the 1960s and '70s.  At the side of my grandfather's armchair sat a small brass box (designed originally for coal or kindling, I suppose) in which resided a selection of chocolate confectionery.  When the old mantle-clock struck eight, the box would be opened, and my brother and myself allowed to choose two bars each.  One was for immediate consumption and the other was for school the next day.

Oh, the cornucopia of tempting treats that lay before our awestruck orbs: FRY'S TURKISH DELIGHT, CADBURY'S MILK TRAY (yes, they did it in bar-form as well), FRY'S CHOCOLATE CREAM and FRY'S FIVE CENTRE, MACKINTOSH'S CARAMAC, CADBURY'S BAR SIX and CADBURY'S DAIRY MILK, MARS BARS, MILKY WAYS, BOUNTYS - you name it, that box had it!  It's a wonder that I still have my own teeth.

FRY'S FIVE BOYS, of course, had nothing to do with any seedy perverts' depraved yearnings, but was a chocolate bar with pics of five faces, representing desperation, pacification, expectation, acclamation and, finally, realisation that it was a Fry's bar of chocolate.  In contrast to the name, it wasn't five separate boys, but rather five stages of the same boy's reactions.  Originally, the bar was called Fry's Milk Chocolate, but the advertising campaign must have struck a nerve with the public and it was renamed at some stage.

Sources differ as to what year it was withdrawn, some citing 1972, others '76, but one thing's for sure - whenever I hear the name or see the wrapper, I'm transported once again to the days of my childhood, when everybody, it seems, was far more innocent and the title of this post had an entirely different connotation that wouldn't even have raised an eyebrow.  (For those readers who may be unaware, 'Scouting For Boys' was the title of ROBERT BADEN-POWELL's book for youngsters, published in 1908.)  Oh, for those days again, I'm sure you agree.

******

Incidentally, the former Fry's factory (they merged with Cadbury's in 1919) only closed in 2011.  The boy who posed for the original photographs was called LINDSAY POULTON, and the bar first went on sale in 1902.

AN OLD CHRISTMAS CARD...

I wrote out my Christmas cards last night for all my friends.  I'd bought a box of 40, so I still have 38 left if anybody's looking to buy some.  (Oh, what a wag I am.)  On the subject of cards, here's the legendary JIM REEVES being sentimental over one card in particular.  If you can relate to what he's singing about, let's hear your story.

TAKE A LOOK - IT'S ALL THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE...

Copyright relevant owner

Isn't it funny how some things seem different in black and white, eh?  This MIKE NOBLE illustrated FIREBALL XL5 story was first published in full colour in TV CENTURY 21 in 1965 (dated 2065), and reprinted in 'monochrome' in 1971 in COUNTDOWN.  When I look at the colour version, memories of where I lived at the time come flooding back, and when I look at the black and white presentation, a completely different set of memories in another house six years later is forefront in my mind.  The same tale, but two completely different sets of recollections and associations - weird, eh?  Or perhaps not.

Anyway, although I've presented the colour pages in a series of posts a couple of years or so ago, I thought I'd show the black & white ones for all those who first experienced the adventure in this format.  The story has been reprinted three more times (that I know of) since then: in CENTURY 21 in 1991, in (mainly) black and white (the first two pages were in colour), a couple or so years after that in IPC/FLEETWAY's THUNDERBIRDS comic, and again a few short years ago in one of a series of books by REYNOLDS & HEARN, also entitled CENTURY 21 (and also in full colour in both latter cases).

On the same subject, a few years back, I purchased a DVD two disc set of FRANK CAPRA's film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, containing the original b&w movie, as well as a colourised version.  (This was to replace a video of the colour version I'd bought back in the '80s.)  I know some purists might disagree, but it adds a whole new dimension to the cinematic classic when seen in full colour.  You can currently obtain the double-disc set from WHS for only £9.99 - and it includes four cards and a poster.  Go on - give it a try! 

In the meantime, enjoy again one of STEVE ZODIAC and the crew of XL5's finest comic strip adventures.  "Fire retros, Robert!"

BONEY M? YOU MUST BE JOKING!

Here's Gentleman JIM REEVES with his rendition

of MARY'S BOY CHILD.  Are you listening, CJ?

BABE Of The DAY - JAMELIA...

Gentlemen, I give you - the lovely

JAMELIA!  (Drool cups at the ready.)

I'm hers anytime she wants me.

JOURNEYS - BEGINNINGS And ENDINGS...

If you suddenly awoke from a deep sleep to inexplicably find yourself embarked on a train journey, destination unknown, you'd probably be startled and wonder "Where the hell am I and how did I get here?"  Seems an obvious reaction, right?  You wouldn't merely open your eyes and gaze out of the carriage window as though you expected to find yourself in transit like it was the most natural thing in the world, would you?

In contrast, when fully-functioning consciousness (i.e., sequential thought and memory) first dawns within us as children and we become able to recognise our surroundings and the people around us (when we 'wake up' in other words), we simply take it in our stride and don't seem in any way surprised or perturbed by the situation.  Not until much later do we start asking philosophical questions about why we're here and where we're going in this unplanned (at least from our perspective) journey we call 'life'.  Yet, essentially, the two situations are the same - so why such different reactions in each case?

This has always puzzled me, as has the fact that when we first become 'aware', we have no sense of never having existed - nor do we have one of having a specific beginning.  It's as if, in some mystical, magical, inexplicable way, we've always been - and that we always will 'be'.  Life soon enough erodes the gossamer foundations supporting the illusion of immortality - at least as far as the physical goes.

As for the 'spiritual', I'd like to think that my consciousness will somehow survive the expiration of my physical body, but a nagging doubt assails me.  You see, our conscious selves give every indication of being inextricably bound to our physicality, and seemingly entirely interdependent. Therefore, since that which we regard as the 'soul' (personality, individuality, etc.,) doesn't appear to exist separately before birth, why should it continue to exist on its own after death?

'Tis said that it's better to travel hopefully than to arrive (to paraphrase Robert Louis Stevenson) - but if hope should disembark at an earlier stop, the remaining miles can make the trip a lonely one.  And what awaits us at the end of the journey?

 

I wish I could supply you with some profound and constructive conclusions to my meandering musings, but I find myself ill-equipped for the task.  If you have any pertinent observations you'd like to make on this subject, the comments section awaits your input.

ARE YOU DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS?

Well, the Yuletide season is almost upon us, so let's all try

and get into the spirit of things by listening to MR. VELVET

himself, JIM REEVES, singing BING CROSBY's biggest-ever

hit - WHITE CHRISTMAS.  Won't be long now folks - I'll link

to more of Gentleman Jim's festive-themed songs as the big

day approaches.  Aren't you Crivvies lucky?! 

The BLOGGER'S RETURN...

 

 

Well, it's been quiet on the ol' Blogging front around here for the last few weeks, beyond what I'd intended.  Reason is because I've been busy clearing up the mess after some work in my house - and because I'd locked my internet hub in a filing cabinet and then mislaid the key.  I've given myself some extra work by breaking into the cabinet to retrieve the hub and get online again, as I'll now have to find time to repair it.

 

Unfortunately, posts are still going to be a bit sparse because all my comics are still packed away and I've got some decorating to do before everything is back to normal.  However, hopefully I'll be able to ease myself back into the routine of regular Blogging before too long.  So tell me - is there anybody still out there?

 

In the meantime, here's JACQUELINE BISSET in our Babe of the Day feature to tide you over.

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - OUR GIRL SHIRL...

Having a fly puff between takes is

golden girl SHIRLEY EATON in either

her swimming costume or her underwear

 - whichever one you prefer, amigos.

CAN SO-CALLED COMICS 'PIRACY' EVER BE A GOOD THING?

Here's a 'Babe of the Day' at no extra cost - PENELOPE CRUZ

The subject of 'piracy' seems to get some people hot under the collar, going from a recent discussion on a certain comics forum.  (That's the one I resigned from and was then 'banned', after the fact, "for leaving", by an over-zealous, biased moderator - even though the site owner invited me to rejoin.  Running true to form, a disingenuous detractor of mine continues to maliciously misrepresent the facts of the situation over on his blog in an attempt to malign me.)

But that's by-the-by; more pertinent is how one defines 'piracy' in relation to comics.  Some people sell discs of comic collections on eBay, comics that the copyright holders (if they can actually be identified) don't seem particularly interested in exploiting for financial gain.  It seems to me that some so-called 'piracy' can have positive benefits which, in certain circumstances, mostly outweigh any negatives.

To give you an analogous example: I'm a JIM REEVES fan (don't shoot), and on occasion I've made compilation discs for my own use which I've occasionally duplicated to give to friends.  No money is involved, except for what I spend in buying the originals (not for the purpose of copying, merely for my own enjoyment) and then on the blank tapes or discs when it occurs to me that someone I know might enjoy listening to a sample.  I don't even let them cover the cost of the blank disc, should they offer.

I know from experience not to lend originals because they won't be returned in the condition lent, regardless of how well the borrower may think they've looked after them.  So in the case of my own music collection, being able to occasionally burn a disc for someone to see if they might like it is a handy thing.  As I said, I don't charge, and in some cases, the other person has become a fan and then bought other recordings by the same artist, thereby increasing sales.  So who loses in that situation?  Certainly not the record company, who lose no money by me giving a compilation copy to someone who wouldn't have bought an original disc in the first place.

With back issue comics it's a similar scenario, although collectors prefer to own the originals, and in most cases only resort to facsimiles or disc collections as a stop-gap, until such time as they manage to track down an acceptable-condition original at an affordable price.  In my case (and I'm sure it's true with most folks), if I really want a particular series and it's released in an authorised print edition, I'll buy it - even if I already have it in disc form.  If I don't buy it, it's because I'm really not that fussed about it, though I may have it in digital form merely because it was available.

In that instance, as it's something I wouldn't have bought anyway, me having acquired it in digital form from the internet doesn't deprive the publishers of income. I'm sure most of us own something that we don't mind having because it was free, but would never have purchased otherwise.  Obviously, I'm not talking about new material (whether it be comics, music or movies) bought by one person for the purpose of copying for friends (or selling to strangers) in order to spare them having to buy an item they'd willingly pay full price for if there was no other way of acquiring it - I only mean out-of-print comics, books or old records that aren't currently available and don't look like being at any time in the future.

In the case of facsimiles of old back issues, no surviving contributors are deprived of any royalties as they were paid for their work outright.  Nor are the publishers losing out if they don't have any intention of reprinting the stuff as it first appeared.  And, if the publishers ever do decide to reprint their back catalogue in some form or other, the vast majority of avid collectors would readily buy it, because they'd want the 'official' package with its superior printing on quality paper, along with the informative introductions, prefaces and appendices - regardless of however many digital discs or 'pirate' facsimiles they may already possess.  Those that wouldn't clearly don't want it enough to spend money on it anyway.

In short, what I'm saying is that whether or not I buy an official collected edition is determined only by how much I like the material - not by whether I already own it in digital form.  That isn't a factor.  I bet it's the same for most of you.

I note with interest that one of the more vocal opponents of so-called 'piracy' has no objections to people scanning their own collections and making digital copies available to friends - so long as no money changes hands.  What real difference does it make?  The contributors would never see a penny in royalties anyway - even if it was an authorised publication, and those chasing their nostalgia fix could well be dead before the current copyright holder (if even known) extracts the digit and decides to make the material available to an ageing and ever-diminishing audience.

What must be remembered is that the current crop of new 'Best of' Annuals now on sale are aimed at a readership whose interest has been kept alive by internet comics blogs; and digital discs and amateur facsimiles have fed the appetite for vintage material in the absence of proper print-editions - until some publishers took note and realised that there was still a market for it.  A limited one, admittedly, and ever-decreasing, but one that would probably have long since perished had it not been for a dedicated group of enthusiasts stoking the fires and keeping the spluttering flame alive.

So ignore those po-faced, self-righteous critics who are lucky enough to be able to afford those scarce back issues for themselves, but loudly decry anyone whose only option is to obtain the much-missed, long-sought reminders of their childhood by the only means open to them until something better comes along.

I don't know about you, but I've always considered the "I'm all right, Jack" attitude of the 'haves' towards the 'have nots' to be a particularly ugly one - whether it be with regard to money, security, status, or even just comics.

What say the rest of you?      

PART EIGHT Of GERRY ANDERSON'S TV CENTURY 21 COVER GALLERY...

Copyright relevant owner

I'm unable to scan anything at the moment, but fortunately I have quite a bit of stuff in my computer's comics files and folders to dip into for material.  Therefore, what better way to utilise it than to present you with the next instalment of our TV CENTURY 21 cover gallery?  This time around, we have numbers 71 to 80, and I intend to reproduce the covers of at least the first 104 issues - the first two years' worth - when the comic was at its height.

Any memories of these particular issues?  Why not share them with your fellow Criv-ites in the comments section?  Go on, we're all waiting - and you'll feel much better for it.  (Honest!) 

CLASSIC COVERS - TV COMIC HOLIDAY SPECIAL 1967...

Characters copyright relevant owners

For no other reason than it's a little glimpse into yesteryear, here's the cover to the TV COMIC Holiday Special from 1967.  ADAM ADAMANT seems a bit on the large side compared to The DALEKS below and in front of him, but it's a nice little scene all the same.

FARRAH 'NUFF - AN UPDATE ON THE BLOGGING SITUATION...

Babe Of The Day Extra - FARRAH FAWCETT

Just to keep all you cavortin' Criv-ites up to date, the reason regular blogging has been sparse for a while is because my house requires some emergency work which entails the carpets and floorboards having to be lifted in every room.  This meant that I had to pack all my comics and collectables away in boxes (close to a couple of hundred by now - boxes, that is) and store them in the attic, which I've just completed after several weeks.  The work commences this coming Monday, but as my scanner, comics and books are all packed away, I'm kind of limited in what I can actually post until I can get them all unpacked again.  That could take a while, because my rooms will first need some decorating and carpet laying when the work is completed before I can finally restore everything to its accustomed place.

In the meantime, posts will be occasional and probably lightweight until everything is as it was on the home front - but I'll do my best to come up with something.

BABE Of The DAY - SAMANTHA FOX...

Back in the '80s, the stunning

SAMANTHA FOX was the pin-up

gal of the moment.  I'm sure you can

 spot two good reasons why.

The CHERILEA CAPED CRUSADER - Take Two...

BATMAN copyright DC COMICS

Here's my CHERILEA BATMAN figure after a little light restoration, which you can compare to the seller's eBay photo below.  Truth to tell, I'd already given the picture a slight digital retouch to enhance the item for use in an earlier post, so it looks better painted than it actually was.  However, it gives a close enough indication of 'before' and 'after.'

These small figures were originally available in WOOLWORTH'S in the mid-to-late '60s and are highly sought after these days.  Once I've restored the ROBIN figure winging its way to me, I'll post a photo of the two of them together.