BABE Of The DAY - HEATHER THOMAS...

HEATHER THOMAS is what I

call a woman!  As to what she'd call

me...?  Well, let's face it - she's never

 gonna call, is she?  (Sob!)

GO AHEAD - MAKE MY DAY...

This is a song I quite enjoyed when I first heard it on the radio back in 1985, working away in my bedsit room in Fratton, Portsmouth.  RADIO VICTORY was the name of the local station, which was just down the road from me, if I recall correctly.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, too. 

PART SIX Of The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR COVER & IMAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

A few regular commenters have been conspicuous by their absence recently, but as they're still commenting on other blogs, I'm left to assume that they've found many of my last few posts rather boring.  Time to up my game, methinks, and what better way than to bring on the big guns - and you don't get any bigger than The FANTASTIC FOUR!

So here are another three issues of The COMPLETE FF to thrill and amaze you, featuring covers, splash pages and pin-ups.  This was one of the better weekly titles by MARVEL U.K. from the '70s, and far superior to the subsequent FF periodical which popped up only a few short years later.  I wish PANINI's monthly mag featuring the cosmic quartet was still around, as that was 72 pages in full colour and, like the subject of this post, was devoted solely to Marvel's first family of the '60s.

Will REED, SUSAN, JOHNNY and BEN ever star in their own U.K. periodical again?  Only time will tell, frantic ones - but in the meantime, why not share your reminiscences of this particular mag with the rest of us?  You know where the comments section is, true believers.

HIGHBROW? YOU'RE CRACKED!

Copyright relevant owner

The American version of CRACKED was launched in 1958 and lasted (with a few stops and starts near the end of its run) until 2007.  Unashamedly a MAD knock-off, it featured art by JOHN SEVERIN, BILL WARD, and even DON MARTIN, when he left Mad in 1987 after 32 years.  STEVE DITKO, GENE COLAN and JACK KIRBY also contributed to the mag, though in Kirby's case, it was only once - in 1960. Cracked ended with its 365th ish in 2007, and now exists online at www.cracked.com 

The British version was launched in the mid-1970s, but I've no idea how many issues there were or how long it lasted.  However, I've heroically managed to feign some interest by going to the enormous bother of digging out my copy of the 'First British Edition' to show you the cover, as you likewise pretend you're interested in this second third-rate imitation of ALFRED E. NEUMAN's humour mag.  The interiors?  Trust me - you're not missing anything.

Any memories of reading this publication?  How did it measure up to Mad, in your view?  Go on, express yourself - you'll feel better for it!

  

1st British edition.  Cover by JOHN SEVERIN 

1st American edition.  Cover by BILL EVERETT

ANOTHER (BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MARTINE BESWICK...

It's an age-old philosophical question

- can one have too much of a good thing?

Not when it comes to Babes of the Day

you can't!  And here's the magnificent

 MARTINE BESWICK to prove it.

THE TIE THAT BINDS - HANKIES READY...

Here's another sad song sung in the style that only JIM REEVES can sing them.  Hankies on 'wipe' mode - it's a real tear-jerker.

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MARGARET NOLAN...

It's now time for a 'pick-me-up' for

all you tired ol' comics fans out there, so

here's MARGARET NOLAN to do just that.

One glance at her and you'll suddenly feel more

alive, more vital - and more redundant as you

realize she wouldn't look twice at you.  That's

because she only has eyes for me - 'natch.

 (And who on earth can blame her?)

FANTASTIC BOOK FOR FACEACHE FANS...

Just noticed the above book on sale on eBay.  Rather than me repeating the details here, jump over to this link and read them at the source.  Doesn't it look fantastic?  And there are even more pics at the link.  Don't miss out or you'll be kicking yourself later.  This is the great KEN REID's FACEACHE we're talking about here.

******

Update December 2017:  This book will be long-gone, but since the post was published, a new FACEACHE book by REBELLION has been released, so support the copyright owners by buying the official volume.  It doesn't contain as many strips as the book you see here, but it's much less expensive.  Check out your local bookstore or comics shop.

'POT LUCK' MARVEL COVER GALLERY - PART NINE...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS & respective owners

Presenting yet another bold batch of MARVEL covers from various British publications over the years, including humour, nursery and adventure titles.  They pretty much speak for themselves so I'll spare you all my tedious prattle and let you get straight into them.  Considerate or what?

  

THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING WORDS...

Anyone else have this problem?  When I've been on Blogger for an hour or two (though the time varies), some words disappear.  For example, it might be bold words in the text of the posts, or all words on the page.  Sometimes when I type a response in the comments section, no text comes up on screen, but if I reopen Google Chrome and bring up my blog again, there are the words I typed.  It's as if certain words just become invisible after a while.  Sometimes if I visit another site, it's the exact same thing - missing words - either just certain ones or all of them.

Is this Blogger's way of telling me I've been on too long, or is it a fault with Blogger or Google Chrome browser?  Anyone know?  It doesn't seem to happen with anything except Blogger.

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - MARTINE BESWICK...

It would be cruel to distract your attention from a photo

this good with my worthless, woeful waffle - especially when

it's a pic of the magnificent MARTINE BESWICK.  In fact,

if you're sensible, you won't even have read this.

PART EIGHT OF 'POT LUCK' MARVEL COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS and relevant and respective owners

Above is the first, last and only MWOM Special, from 1983, which is the same year that the second volume of the title was launched on an unsuspecting public.  True, there had been a MARVEL SUPER-HEROES Special in 1979 (which we saw in the previous instalment), which had sprung from a later incarnation of the comic, but this was the only one ever to bear the original name.

The mag below came out at the same time as the Marvel one, but the subsequent covers actually pre-date these two.  However, how could I not start this post with that painted eye-grabber above?  The interior poster was a glossy centrespread of the cover art, sans logo and lettering.  (I bought another copy from a back issue shop by the name of WONDERWORLD in Southsea - apparently unconnected to one of the same name in Bournemouth - in 1985, and the poster has adorned one of my walls ever since then.)

Okay, that'll do you for now (no point in being greedy) - see you in the next power-packed part of this sensational series.