PART SIX Of The COMPLETE DENNIS The MENACE BOOK COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

Here we are at last, readers, with the final part in our series of DENNIS The MENACE Book covers.  The Annual for 2009 was the last one  to contain the Dennis that old-timers like me know and love.  The last two in the 55 year run reflected the Dennis from the CBBC cartoon, which makes me wonder if that factor was responsible for them being the last two published, as the 'look' of the original Menace was sadly absent - despite some good art from NIGEL PARKINSON and TOM PATERSON, respectively.

And so ended a tradition first begun in 1955.  Got any childhood memories of any of these great books (including ones in the previous five parts)?  Then jump over to the comments section and share them with your fellow Criv-ites, Menace fans.

    

MORE MARVEL POCKET MAGS...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

As a follow-up to the previous post, here are another four MARVEL Pocket Mags, this time from 1988.  This quartet of titles had far fewer pages, the X-MEN one containing a single story and the other three a couple of shorter tales, though unlike the last ones I featured, had full colour interiors (not counting the inside covers).  They're only 108 by 160mm in size and, thankfully, don't take up too much space.

Anybody know of any other ones?

MARVEL POCKET MAG COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I've got so much stuff that I'm always considering what I could bear parting with to make space, and earlier tonight my eye fell upon these MARVEL Pocket Mags from 2005.  I'm going to keep them 'cos they're nice little items, but it occurred to me that some of you may be unaware of their existence, so here they are for you to have a look at.

They're 124 by 164mm in size, the interiors are black and white, and a page has been discreetly edited out of The MIRACLE MAN tale (FF #3) in The FANTASTIC FOUR mag, which means that some others may have been similarly 'abridged' (I did once know, but have long since forgotten), but they're still great little comics to thumb through in those inevitable idle moments.

Anyone else remember them, and were there any other issues in the series that I may have missed?  Feel entirely free to enlighten me on the matter.

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

Look at those lips, that nose, those eyes -

what do you mean you're not going that way?

Crivvies, for your very own viewing pleasure -

CATERINA MURINO!

EVERYBODY SAY "AW"...

Here's a cute little panda cub being reunited with its mother.

Who said pandas are boring?  (Well, some of them might be.)

TOPPS 1966 BATMAN CARDS - PART FIVE...

Images copyright DC COMICS & TOPPS

Time now for some more TOPPS BATMAN CARDS from 1966, which were re-issued in a deluxe boxed set in 1989.  If anything conjures up the mood of the '60s more effectively than these cards, I'd be surprised.  One glance and I'm back in the house where I lived at the time, watching the ADAM WEST Batman TV show, which was a huge hit amongst kids in Britain and America, and quite a few other countries.  What more can I say?

"To the Bat-poles, Robin!"

  

BABE Of The DAY - GRACE LEE WHITNEY...

Here's GRACE LEE WHITNEY

from, I believe, before her STAR TREK

days.  I wouldn't even have recognized her

if not for her being identified as the actress

who was Yeoman JANICE RAND.  She

 sure was a babe, no doubt about it!

THE MIGHTY EVERGLADES...

You've heard of MARVEL's MAN-THING - now hear JIM REEVES

sing about the place that the swamp creature inhabits.  Spoooooky!

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.