AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #8 (1974) - CARMINE INFANTINO...

Copyright DC COMICS

Everyone's heard of CARMINE INFANTINO, right?  Well here's a feature that  AMAZING WORLD Of DC COMICS carried in its eighth issue in 1974.  Safely belted into your seat?  Okay, then it's time for KID's KOSMIC TIME KUBE to carry us all back 41 years into the past - and awaaayyyyyy we goooooo!

REG PARLETT'S BILLY BUNTER...

Copyright relevant owner

The comic strip version of BILLY BUNTER (created by FRANK RICHARDS, the pen name of CHARLES HAMILTON) appeared in KNOCK-OUT Comic and was originally drawn by FRANK MINNITT.  After Minnitt's death, other artists took over the strip, amongst them ERIC ROBERTS, ARTHUR MARTIN, LES BARTON, ALBERT PEASE and REG PARLETT.  It's Reg with whom I identify the strip, from VALIANT & SMASH! and VALIANT & TV21.  I'm unsure how many of these pages were reprints and how many (if any) were new, but regardless, they were always visually funny.  Here are two pages from the 1972 Valiant & TV21 Holiday Special for you to enjoy. 

And here's the actual cover...

BABE Of The DAY - AMANDA RIGHETTI...

Okay, hands up if you watched The

MENTALIST?  Hands up again if you only

watched it for AMANDA RIGHETTI?  Hey,

why am I the only one with his hand up?  You

 tryin' to give me a complex or somethin'?

SPIDER-MAN TREASURY EDITION 1974...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Ah, the innocence of youth!  I recall buying this SPIDER-MAN TREASURY EDITION on a sunny Saturday in 1974 and locking myself in the cubicle of a public toilet not far from the newsagent's where I'd obtained it.  Safely ensconced within, I perused the pulsating pages of the very first Treasury Edition that MARVEL had released to rabid readers everywhere, unaware of the dodgy reputation that many such places are prone to. 

However, it was daytime, and a female attendant resided in an office between the ladies and the gents (being a council-run toilet), so I was probably safe from any predatory persons who might frequent such establishments for purposes other than what they were designed for - taking a dump or a pee, or poring over a comic or three because the buyer couldn't wait until he got them home.

Even today, whenever I glance at this mag, I seem to smell disinfectant and hear the sound of running water in the cisterns, such was the impression made on me by my surroundings 41 years ago.  Funny that, eh?  And you'll be relieved to hear that I don't rush off to the nearest public lavvy whenever I buy a comic today - I wait until I get home and then sit and read it perched on the porcelain of my own loo.  It's cleaner for a start, and has a completely blameless reputation.  (Though I'd give it 10 minutes if I were you.) 

BABE Of The DAY - BRIGITTE BARDOT...

Blonde bombshell BRIGITTE

BARDOT is today's Babe of the Day.

Who'll it be tomorrow?   Don't know

 yet.  Come back then and find out.

PART FOUR Of CAPTAIN BRITAIN COVER, SPLASH PAGE & IMAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Presenting highlights from yet another thrilling three MARVEL U.K. CAPTAIN BRITAIN comics from the sizzlin' 1970s.  CB, FF and NICK FURY - this mag should've lasted longer than it did, but sad to say, somehow failed to grab the loyalty (and dosh) of enough readers to keep it going!  However, not much point now in beating yourselves up over your failure to support this Mighty Marvel Mag (if you were around at the time) - just enjoy the incredible images that lie before you.  And check out those great KIRBY and STERANKO pin-ups!

GRACE LEE WHITNEY PASSES AWAY...

GRACE LEE WHITNEY, who was Yeoman

JANICE RAND in STAR TREK, passed away on

Friday May 1st, aged 85.  She featured in only eight

episodes of series one, but reprised her role in four

 of the movies in the '70s & '80s.  R.I.P. Grace.

PART TWO OF KEN REID'S THE NERVS...

From SMASH! & POW! #138, cover-dated September

21st 1968, comes this two page strip of The NERVS, drawn by

the legendary KEN REID.  I once owned the first page of this strip,

and was wise enough to make a copy of it before later parting with

it.  When I dig it out, I'll feature it in one of my 'panel-by-panel'

posts, so that's something for you all to look forward to.

Incidentally, this may've been the first Nervs strip that Ken drew,

because if I recall correctly, the masthead was hand-drawn straight

onto the page.  It would've been too much work to draw the same mast-

head every week, so obviously this one was the 'master' from which the

others were mechanically copied (PMT - Photo-Mechanical Transfer)

and then stuck onto the page.  Ken would already have drawn several

of the strips before the first published one saw print, so they didn't

necessarily appear in the sequence that Ken drew them.

   

Anyway, in the meantime, have a few laughs on me.

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - CATERINA MURINO...

CATERINA MURINO is

elegant, charming, beautiful - and

also forgetful.  Why do I say that?  I

sent her my contact details and asked

her to call, but has she?  Not on your

nelly!  See what I mean about her

being forgetful?  Huh!