HOW ARE The MIGHTY FALLEN...

The thing that once distinguished the original ACTION MAN from a doll was that he was a 'fully-articulated' figure, whereas a doll was a barely poseable clotheshorse for a variety of outfits and accessories.  True, Action Man also had his own vast wardrobe, but you didn't just dress him up and look at him, you could pose him in almost any realistic fighting position - unlike girls' dolls who weren't much more flexible than shop window mannequins.

Not any more alas!  The new Action Man is a shadow of his former self, with only eight points of limited articulation, which means his main reason for existence is to showcase his different outfits.  You have a choice of three - sailor, soldier, or pilot, but the figure is really just for display, with severely limited play possibilities compared to his '60s incarnation.  I can't really see kids of today warming to him, and collectors will be disappointed by his reduced abilities. 

Once a real action figure that truly lived up to his name, he's now been reduced to that of a mere doll.  How are the mighty fallen indeed.

******

Or at least that's what I thought until I discovered that this is intended as a range for young kids to introduce them to the Action Man brand (I still think he could be more poseable though).  A super-articulated version is now in the works for sometime this year for older kids and adult collectors.  Thank goodness for that.  Take a wee look at their site: www.actionman.com

WANTED - NOT ANY LONGER, I GOT 'EM!

Copyright DC COMICS

I imagine that when people realise their time is running out, they start tying up all the loose ends in their lives and completing things they started but never finished years before.  Consequently, I wonder if my subconscious mind is trying to tell me something, as I've recently found myself trying to complete comics collections begun more than 30 or 40 years ago.

One such title is DC's WANTED: The WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS VILLAINS, the first regular issue of which I bought back around 1973.  I had a few issues of the comic, but not the full nine in the series, and in fact, it was only in the last few years that I discovered there had only ever been nine, and that it hadn't gone on for years after.  I have specific memories connected to the ones I owned at the time, and re-acquired the first three a good few years ago.

It's a comic that I associate with the house I was then (and now) living in, which is only natural as this was my abode when I first read however many issues I had of the series.  I was therefore surprised to learn that the title had first appeared as two DC SPECIALS in 1970 and '71 while I was living in another house in a different neighbourhood.  So associated is the name and logo with my present domicile that I find it difficult to even imagine the comic originating while I was yet living in my previous abode.

Not that any such trivial musings on my part will be of any interest or concern to you.  However, I recently managed to obtain the remaining issues in the run, plus the two Specials.  (In fact, the first Special - #8 - only arrived on Friday, as it came from America and therefore had further to travel.)  I wanted them and I finally got them, so mission accomplished - at least as far as this particular mag is concerned.

That's all the excuse I need to hit you with yet another cover gallery, so here are all eleven of them for your viewing pleasure.  Wanted - the world's most interesting comments, so get typing.

MIGHTY MARVEL CHECKLIST - ON SALE NOW!!!

AVENGERS UNIVERSE #16

Copyright MARVEL COMICS,  published by PANINI

76 pages of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

‘No Surrender’ continues!  The mystery of the lost Avenger, Voyager, deepens!  The Avengers battle the Lethal Legion and the Black Order!  By Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub & Kim Jacinto!

Featuring material first printed in Avengers #679-681.

On sale 21st February.

£4.99.

WOLVERINE & DEADPOOL #15

100 pages of Marvel’s toughest heroes!  Four awesome stories!

Wolverine, Deadpool and Honey Badger uncover a sinister plot – and come face-to-face with mutated zombie bunnies!  By Tom Taylor & Marco Failla!

Wolverine goes in search of justice – and her only ally is a woman whose father she murdered!  By Tom Taylor and Djibril Moirssette-Phan!

The X-Students come under threat as Logan gets some bad news from Cecilia Reyes!  By Ed Brisson & Ibraim Roberson!

The Punisher pays a "friendly" visit on Deadpool in ‘Suicide Kings’!  By Mike Benson  & Carlo Barberi!

Featuring material first printed in All-New Wolverine #31-32, Old Man Logan #39 and Deadpool: Suicide Kings #3-4.

On sale 21st February.

£4.99.

PART TWO Of OMEGA The UNKNOWN - WHO KNEW...?

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

It happened with three MARVEL comic mags I was buying at the time back in the '70s - HOWARD The DUCK, The ETERNALS, and OMEGA The UNKNOWN.  After the first five issues they vanished from sight in newsagents, leaving my collection incomplete for many years.  I later tracked down the rest of The Eternals, and #s 6-12 of Howard in the very late '80s or early '90s, but it's only in the last few days I've acquired the individual issues of Omega #s 6-10.

As many of you will know, after printing the US copies, Marvel changed the plates to include the UK price, and to substitute 'Marvel All-Colour Comics' in place of 'Marvel Comics Group' on the banner at the top of the covers.  This was done (so I read somewhere) to alert potential customers to the fact that the monthlies were in full colour, unlike the British weeklies, which were mainly black and white.  Interestingly, all five issues I received recently are US copies, so I suspect that perhaps the title was non-distributed in Britain after issue 5.  If anyone knows for sure, feel free to enlighten me via the comments section.

In around three months time, it'll be five years since I showed you the covers and splash pages of the first five issues of Omega, so it's well-past time I showed you the ones for the remaining five - and here they are.  If you'd like to remind yourselves of the preceding images, you can do so by clicking here for Part One.  Another post which might be of interest to you is this one.

It might take me a while to do things I said I'd do, but I get there in the end - whether it be comics or blog posts.  Enjoy!

JACK KIRBY'S KAMANDI OMNIBUS...

Copyright DC COMICS

KIRBY's KAMANDI - just what do I make of it?  Of all Jack's DC work in the '70s, Kamandi is the only major one that I'd never read in its entirety - until now.  I remember buying issue #29 at the time (it's possible that I'd bought #1 prior to that, but I'm not absolutely sure) and I perhaps purchased a few other issues back in the '70s, but I was never a huge fan of the title for some reason.  Nowadays, I have the first 8 or 9 in the run, plus #29, but recently I took the plunge and acquired the OMNIBUS volume containing all 40 issues that Kirby worked on.

So, what's my verdict on the series?  It's okay.  There are some poignant moments, especially the fate of KLIK-KLAK, a giant insect, but surprisingly, considering it was JK's longest-lasting '70s mag at DC, it's probably his worst drawn of the period (his '80s SUPER-POWERS issues were worse).  Dodgy perspective abounds, and the art seems downright lazy in places - though this might be down to D. BRUCE BERRY's lacklustre inking rather than Jack's pencils.  The reproduction in the Omnibus isn't helped by 'black and white reconstruction' on a number of pages, and some of the lettering is blotchy, while other instances appear to have been completely re-lettered.  (Not having the original issues to compare to, I can't be 100% sure, but the quality of lettering is definitely inconsistent, even when credited to the same guy.)

However, it's good to have finally read all the Kirby issues (GERRY CONWAY wrote the last three stories, and JOE KUBERT drew the last seven covers), even if it did take me 45-odd years to finally get there.  I doubt I'll ever bother tracking down the other 19, non-Kirby issues - unless they're published in an inexpensive softcover edition.  I now have every published mag that Jack produced for DC in the '70s, either in original issues or Omnibus collections, but re-reading them makes a fella realise just how much Jack benefitted from collaborating with STAN LEE.

Look at that first paragraph on the back cover below.  "After shaking the very foundations of the DC Universe in the 1970s with his classic 'Fourth World' titles..."  Well, DC are trying to sell the thing, so we can forgive them a spot of hyperbole, but though Jack's arrival at DC in the '70s might've rattled a couple of windows, his initial new series never really took off with most readers and were soon discontinued.  It was their failure, in fact, that made titles like Kamandi possible, as Jack had a contract to produce 15 pages a week, so DC had to keep him working.  Which is not to say that Jack's DC work was bad when judged on its own terms - it wasn't - but it just wasn't a patch on what he'd done at Marvel.

I'm sure that others will disagree, but I've now read everything he produced for both companies, and I know which I prefer.  What about you?
   

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - CAROLINE MUNRO...

Enchanting goddess CAROLINE

MUNRO graces us all with her stunning

presence today, lads.  Caroline also graced

The SPY WHO LOVED ME, but she was

unaware I was a spy when she was covering

my face in kisses.  (Hey, you're getting this

for nothing, so don't expect quality [or

even factual] witticisms!)

MARVEL UK FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL COVER GALLERY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Sometimes, an Annual could go on for several years, far outlasting the weekly comic that spawned it.  The '70s incarnation of KNOCKOUT is a good example, the comic lasting only two years, but continuing in Annual form for another twelve, thereby producing thirteen Annuals in total.  It's not quite the same with MARVEL UK's FANTASTIC FOUR Annuals, which, as far as I'm aware, total a mere three, and it's by no means certain that the final two (if such they were) are even tied into the weekly The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR anyway.

The comic had burst forth on newsagents' counters on 21st September 1977 (dated 28th), and expired with its 37th issue on 31st May '78 (dated June 7th), so the first Annual at least (published by WORLD DISTRIBUTORS on Marvel's behalf) was almost certain to have been a direct tie-in to the weekly title.  It would have gone on sale in August or September of '78 (a couple of months after the comic's demise), but would most likely have been prepared at the beginning of the year, as, although mainly reprint, it had a new cover, and such things are usually commissioned well in advance.  (I remember working on the 1986 2000 A.D. and JUDGE DREDD Annuals at the beginning of 1985.)

Also, in its last few weeks, the comic had been reprinting The INVADERS, and the 1979 FF Annual carries a team-up tale between the World War II group and the cosmic quartet.  The Invaders first appeared in the May 3rd issue of the weekly (which went on sale on April 26th), but comics are prepared around eight weeks in advance, so the decision to include them was taken at least at the start of the year, suggesting that the Annual's team-up story was no mere coincidence, but designed to reflect the contents of the weekly.

By the time the other two Annuals appeared (for '80 & '81), they were published by GRANDREAMS (who, if I recall correctly, were situated in the same building as Marvel UK, hence the 'collaboration'), but whether or not they were intended to be seen as a direct spin-off from the now-deceased weekly title is just about anyone's guess.  They may simply have been commissioned because the first Annual sold well (I'm assuming), so it would have made sense to continue - at least until sales started to decline beyond a commercially-viable margin.

I'm puzzled by the strong similarity between the first two covers - could they both have been drawn at the same time to the same editorial description just to give Marvel a choice?  That first one is nothing brilliant - The THING is far too large to fit in his FANTASTI-CAR section if you imagine the rest of his body, and the perspective of The TORCH is decidedly dodgy in relation to his own section of the vehicle.  Even the second cover has its faults, with SUSAN RICHARDS being too small in comparison to the other three.  Also, The Thing's thumb on his right hand is lost against the detail of his arm, and should've been drawn protruding slightly upwards, the better to be seen.  This illustration first appeared on the back cover of FOOM #22 (the final issue), so I'm assuming it was reused for the Annual.  However, there's always a chance it was specifically drawn for the Annual well in advance and FOOM perhaps merely nicked it to fill a space.  Couldn't say for sure either way though.  

I only acquired the first two Annuals in recent weeks, though I've had the third one for well-over twenty years, but I decided to complete the 'set' to complement my run of The Complete Fantastic Four weekly comic.  Feel entirely free to regard this post as a follow-up to the above-named title's cover gallery series from around three years back - whether the last two Annuals were intended to represent the comic or not.  And as I said earlier, if you know of any other Marvel UK FF Annuals from around this period, then let's hear all about them, effendis.  

SPIDEY GETS HERE - EVENTUALLY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Yes, it contains the free gift

I usually get there in the end, and so it was in this instance.  34 years and another house and neighbourhood away, I was buying the UK weekly SPIDER-MAN comic, but happened to miss a couple of issues.  Not that I wanted to, but they were just nowhere to be found in any of the shops I looked for them at the time.  Thank goodness for eBay!  A year or two ago, I got the issue below, and today I received the issue above, thereby completing that run of comics I was buying back in 1984.

I gave both issues a cursory glance and placed each of them in the respective space that had long awaited their arrival, and maybe one day I'll give them a proper read-through.  Suffice enough for the moment that they're there when I want them, and that 1984 seems as fresh and new as if it were only a year or two away, instead of the gulf that it actually is.

So I'm glad to have them, though can't help but being slightly sad at the thought that I may not have another 34 years ahead of me to locate any new comics that escape me today.  Every rose has a thorn, eh?  

MIGHTY MOTH'S WINTER & HOLIDAY SPECIALS...

Copyright relevant owner

MIGHTY MOTH is probably one of the earliest comic strip characters I remember from childhood, maybe even the earliest.  I first saw him in the 1962 or '63 TV COMIC Holiday Special while either holidaying (aptly enough) in Ayr (I think), or perhaps only visiting on a day trip.  The title of the comic didn't register with me, nor did the name of the character (though I was aware he was a moth) - it was the artist DICK MILLINGTON's distinctive style which I remembered.  A year or two later, while thumbing through a weekly issue of TV Comic in a newsagent's, that style jumped out at me and, although I didn't become a regular reader of the periodical until the late '70s, I did buy the occasional issue over the years up until then.

It was because ol' Mighty reconnected me to an earlier time in my life that I bought the Winter Special bearing his name towards the end of 1980.  That's it above, the very same one which I've now owned for just over 38 years - wow!  I only found out a few short years ago that there was also a 1981 Holiday Special and have been trying to obtain one ever since.  (I featured an image of it in a couple of posts some years back, but it was 'borrowed' from eBay.)  I'm now glad to say that my very own copy arrived yesterday, thereby completing my two-issue set.  At least, I'm only aware of two, so if anyone has any info about other issues, I'd appreciate you letting me know.

I've just read (or re-read in the case of the first one) both comics over the last couple of days, and my already huge regard for Dick Millington's talent and appreciation of Mighty Moth has increased to even greater heights in the process.  I derived a goodly portion of laugh-out-loud moments from the strips, and Dick's deceptively simple style possesses a really funny visual quality that's quite impressive.  To get a laugh from just looking at a picture suggests that it must be good, and there are quite a few of them in these two publications.  It's possible that I never knew Dick's name until I saw it on his HAPPY FAMILIES newspaper strip (having recognised his style), which, if so, means I was an adult (allegedly) before I could put a name to the artist.

Mighty Moth's basic premise was the same as (though preceded) the FRANKIE STEIN strip in WHAM! (and later comics), in that 'dad' was always trying to get rid of the one who inadvertently plagued (but loved) him.  In Mighty's case, he sometimes deliberately tried to annoy dad (usually in revenge for dad's hostility), but this was merely in service to a story, and, in fact, he often seemed to regard dad and his wife as actual parents.  Anyway, in celebration of me finally having both Mighty Moth Specials, below are a handful of strips to hopefully provide you all with a few chuckles.  If only REBELLION would acquire the rights to the character and do some collected editions - The COMPLETE MIGHTY MOTH.  Sounds good to me.

Look at the 3rd panel in the 3rd tier - little Mighty sits like a happy kid next to
his 'dad' on the way to the seaside.  That pic of Mighty made me laugh out loud

Hoppit from TV Terrors makes a cameo appearance in the last tier's middle pic 

An unpublished fanzine cover I drew 34 years ago, featuring Mighty Moth
 and some dude in long underwear whose name escapes me for the moment 

CONAN The BARBARIAN - The ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS - VOLUME ONE...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CPI

My CONAN The BARBARIAN Omnibus volume arrived from America yesterday and I just love poring over it, drinking in the vibrant colours and ornate BARRY SMITH artwork.  If you're going to buy this book, get the one with the variant Smith cover, as the other one by JOHN CASSADAY and LAURA MARTIN is truly awful - sorry, but it is!   Really, it has to be the worst cover I've ever seen on an Omnibus edition.  Conan has no neck, looks as if he has no hair on one side of his head, his arms are stiff, and his legs are twisted in unnatural positions.  The colours are nice but can't save the drawing, and I'm surprised that it was ever chosen as the main cover of the book.

This volume has over 700 pages, and while it's great to see the tales coloured after their initial printings, the book is let down in other respects.  Firstly, there are too many typos in the text pieces, with words like 'clearly' being rendered as 'clearing', 'was' as 'will', and 'Silver Surfer' as 'Sliver Surfer' - and that's only the ones I noticed during a cursory glance.  Also, there's too much repetition, with just about everything ever written by ROY THOMAS from previous reprint publications, even though he retells most of it in his new introduction.  It would be better if his new intro encompassed everything (if it doesn't already) related in the old ones, and the pages instead featured the KULL The CONQUEROR back-up story from CTB #10, which I was disappointed to see wasn't included.  (Or RED NAILS from SAVAGE TALES #2 & 3.)

Another thing that irks me is that issue #9's story has no corner page numbers, being seemingly sourced from a later reprint in which they were removed, and #12 has no corner page numbers on the last two pages, though the second-last one appears to show faint traces of where it had been.  (Perhaps someone with the original issues can check just to make sure I'm right in what I say.  It's always possible that the last page never had one.)  A book this expensive really should be the definitive version, but sadly isn't quite that.  However, it's a very handsome volume, and even though I've got all of the tales in the softcover DARK HORSE reprint series from a few years back, it's nice to have them in (mostly) their original shape and form.

Once MARVEL has sorted out the typos, I may buy a new printing in the future, but in the meantime this one will do for now.  It's just great to see Smith's cover on the front of a book of this size -and if you're a Conan fan, you'll be able to overlook its few imperfections and gladly add it to your library of Marvel Omnibuses.  Speaking of which, far too many of them have faults like the ones detailed above, and it's time that Marvel fired their proofreaders and got folk that can do the job properly.  You know the old saying - "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well!"

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT MOUSE...

'Twas many, many years ago now - way back at the end of 1972 or very early in '73 if I recall correctly.  It was late afternoon and beginning to get dark, and the street lights had already sprung to life in order to pierce the gloom of the advancing blackness.  Did a recently fallen thin covering of rain adorn the pavements and roads, reflecting the gleam of the lamps in their twinkling surface?  I no longer remember with certainty, but there could well have been.

I was in a shopping precinct called Calderwood Square when a sudden idea struck me.  First, a bit of background detail: On Friday, 6th October '72, my father had taken me with him on a jaunt into Hamilton.  I'd been off school for a day or two with some trifling illness, but had started to feel better by early afternoon.  (Funny how being off school aids recovery, eh?)  Because I'd perked up, my father felt it would be good for me to get out of the house for an hour or two, so took me with him on some errand to the aforesaid place.

Whilst there, I remember us going into a charity shop, and then passing a shop that reminded me of The TERRIBLE TINKERER's repair shop in The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2.  In the window was a DALEK money bank which I could've afforded, but passed on because of its weird shape.  (How I now wish I'd bought it when I had the chance.)  Then we went into a newsagent's shop, where I bought a second copy of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL #1, plus The FANTASTIC FOUR #126.  On the way home on the bus, I was struck by how fast the journey was, as if Hamilton was only a few minutes away from my own town.

Given my propensity to include trivial, unimportant detail when relating events, it should come as no surprise to you when I say that most of the above has no bearing on my tale - apart from the last part about my impression of the neighbouring town being not too far away.  So let's return to Calderwood Square and the idea I alluded to earlier.  The main road to Hamilton was a short distance from the square, so I decided to walk there, as I'd have a better selection of goodies on which to spend my pocket money.  So off I set, but it wasn't long before I realised that I'd optimistically misjudged the distance.

I therefore abandoned my plan, left the main road, took a shortcut past a nearby farm, and made my way back to Calderwood Square, where I purchased an ALAN CLASS comic reprinting FF #6, (CREEPY WORLDS #130) and a wind-up walking mouse - Jerry from TOM & JERRY fame, to be exact.  I may also have bought FOREVER PEOPLE #4 or/and 5, though that could well have been another occasion (or occasions) which I'm merging into this one.  If so, it's understandable - same shop, same place, and my memory's not as sharp as it once was.

Which brings me up to date you'll be glad to hear.  (I just felt like indulging in a bit of preamble in order to live again that far-off time, which seems like no time at all and a million years ago at almost one and the the same moment.)

Today a replacement for Jerry mouse arrived at the same house I was living in 47 years ago when I acquired his doppelganger, but this time he crossed the doorstep with a friend - namely Tom, the cat, from the series of MGM classic cartoons that both characters appeared in, which were frequently shown on TV back in the '70s. Both of my toys are manufactured by MARX, though their name appears only on the boxes, not the toys themselves, which is unusual.  In fact, the following close-up eBay photos of the same toys do have the Marx brand on their backs, so it must either have been added or removed from the moulds at some stage.  I no longer recall whether my original Jerry had the brand or not.
   

Another little bit of 'yesterday' to keep me company today, on my journey into tomorrow and however many (or few) tomorrows yet to come.  Surely you wouldn't grudge me it?  Incidentally, I did subsequently make that journey into Hamilton on foot a few months later (with a friend), but that's perhaps a tale for another time.  (Update: That time has now arrived - click here.)

******

P.S.  I've borrowed the opening photo from the Internet, as I haven't got around to taking one of my own yet.  When I do, I'll replace it.  Meanwhile, below is a scan of the comic I mentioned in the above post.

MIGHTY MARVEL CHECKLIST - ON SALE 7TH FEBRUARY!!!

ESSENTIAL X-MEN #11

Copyright MARVEL COMICS, published by PANINI

76 pages of Mutant Mayhem!  Two uncanny stories!

The Gold Team battles inside the Negative Zone to save Nightcrawler and Kitty Pryde!  By Marc Guggenheim and Ken Lashley!

The Blue Team travels back in time to face their sinister counterparts!  By Cullen Bunn and RB Silva!

Featuring material first printed in X-Men: Gold #18-19 and X-Men: Blue #19-20.

On sale 7^th February.

£4.99.

DEADPOOL UNLEASHED #24

76 pages of Marvel’s hottest hero!  Two awesome tales!

Deadpool goes one-on-one with Captain America – and he wants Cap to feel the payback!  By Gerry Duggan and Mike Hawthorne!

Deadpool tackles the Assassins Guild in New Orleans!  By Cullen Bunn & Mark Bagley!

Featuring material first printed in Despicable Deadpool #295-296 and Deadpool: Assassin #3-4.

On sale 7^th February.

£4.99.

MIGHTY WORLD OF MARVEL #12

76 pages of Marvel Universe adventure!  Four fantastic stories!

The Guardians of the Galaxy discover one of the hidden Infinity Stones!  By Gerry Duggan and Marcus To!

The Thing and the Human Torch travel into the multiverse!  By Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti!

Hawkeye and Jessica Jones meet a very unusual dragon!  By Kelly Thompson and Michael Walsh!

Doctor Strange challenges Tiboro, tyrant of the Sixth Dimension!  By Don Rico and Steve Ditko!

Featuring material first printed in Guardians of the Galaxy #148, Marvel Two in One #4, Hawkeye #5 and Strange Tales #129.

On sale 7^th February.

£4.99.