DC AND MARVEL FACSIMILE EDITIONS...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

I'm still waiting for a stack of Facsimile Editions and True Believers issues which have been held up because of the current 'situation', but thankfully four of them turned up today.  Two DC ones and two MARVEL ones, so there's balance for you.  The MIGHTY THOR #229 facsimile repeats an advert page in place of the BULLPEN BULLETINS page, which just might be deliberate because of concerns over a prominent announcement about Marvel's then-new photo-profile magazine devoted to HITLER.  (However, being fearless, I've reproduced the page below so that you can see what you're missing, alongside its repeated replacement.)

Facsimile and original - side-by-side

The other three issues are DETECTIVE COMICS #38, The BRAVE And The BOLD #28 (this version is much less expensive than the Loot Crate one I acquired a few months back), and The INCREDIBLE HULK #182, completing the story in which WOLVERINE made his first appearance in the Marvel Universe, which began at the end of #180.  Anyway, tell you what - instead of me blabbing on about them, why don't I just shut up and let all you Crivs get on with gaping at the cataclysmic covers?  You'd like that?  Okay, then get stuck in.

Copyright DC COMICS

Copyright DC COMICS

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

BABE Of The DAY - HUDSON LEICK...

Sultry HUDSON LEICK does a bang-on

impression of Dr. STRANGE - right down to

the STEVE DITKO hand-gestures.  (Admit it -

that was a clever way of combining the topics

 of babes and comicbooks in one post.)

MIGHTY MARVEL COLLECTORS' EDITIONS CHECKLIST - AVAILABLE NOW!

THE ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN #52

Copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Published by PANINI

52 action-packed pages of arachnid adventure!  Spider-Man’s bizarre life is about to get even weirder.  The wall-crawler finds himself babysitting strange orange-skinned kids and battling equally strange enforcers who are almost as strong as the Incredible Hulk!  Plus, special guest-star the Human Torch!  By Tom Taylor and Juann Cabal!

Reprinting material from Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-2.

Available now!

£4.50.

THIRD TIME LUCKY? H'MM, WELL... (The SAGA Of JOHNNY FUTURE)

Copyright REBELLION

Y'know, when it comes down to it I don't even need the book.  After all, I've got a complete set of FANTASTIC and therefore already own every single MISSING LINK/JOHNNY FUTURE episode there is (apart from a new one in an upcoming Special).  However, there's something to be said for having them all in one handy-dandy hardcover collected edition, especially when it's such a handsome volume as the one that REBELLION recently issued.  And it seems to be selling well, if the fact that they're currently out of stock is anything to go by.

However, I've now spent just over £60 on three copies in a so far fruitless quest for a defect-free volume.  The first you've already seen in a previous post.  The second (from AMAZON) had wrinkles and scuffs on the back cover, and the third, received only today, still has some niggling imperfections that I could do without, but is the best out of a less-than-perfect trio.  I'm currently waiting to hear whether Rebellion will give me a discount on a fourth copy, by way of compensation for sending me a damaged one to begin with.  (I can't return it as I effected some repairs to make it presentable.)

So why my seeming obsession with acquiring a near-perfect copy?  Well, Johnny Future simply swings me right back over 50 years into the past and represents my long-vanished youth.  He's an interesting character that I'd like to know more about in regard to his origins as a comic strip superhero.  For once, the usually scrupulous STEVE HOLLAND, who penned the introduction to the Rebellion volume, failed to deliver the goods when it came to JF's backstory (if it's known).

For instance, was it planned from the outset to switch him from a HULK knockoff to a stand-in for SUPERMAN, or did MARVEL protest to ODHAMS about the visual similarity between The Link and ol' Greenskin, necessitating a switch in direction midstream?  (Remember that the strip appeared in a comic devoted to Marvel reprints.)  Did it even, perhaps, start off as a British-produced Hulk strip (similar to the one in SMASH! #38), with the Link's transformation in Fantastic #8 supposed to be him reverting to BRUCE BANNER?  Perhaps we'll never know.

It's interesting to note that the early Link strips were 'resized' - they were drawn in dimensions more suited to that of the first three POWER COMICS, before being extended height-wise to fit Fantastic.  Also, in a couple of instances where artist LUIS BERMEJO signed pages, there seems to be a date of '64 on them.   (Or could it be a stylised '67 with a stroke through the 7?)  Was the link strip originally designed for another, earlier comic (WHAM! perhaps?), before being dusted off, resized, and then pressed into service for Fantastic?

That's the sort of information (or even speculation) that I'd have liked to read in the intro.  Steve Holland (of BEAR ALLEY BOOKS) was originally going to reprint the strips a number of years ago (but was 'thwarted' at the last minute) so it's good that Rebellion invited (and hopefully paid) him to contribute to their own presentation of these classic strips.

Anyway, despite the inherent flaws in some copies of the book, it's well-worth having - and I realise that not everyone is as fussy as me when it comes to (relatively) minor imperfections - so if you haven't yet bought yourself this otherwise impressive hardback edition, order one today from Amazon.  Or, if you're prepared to wait a bit until Rebellion replenish their stocks (which they plan on doing), buy one directly from them.  However, I'd drop them an email requesting that they use sturdier packaging than they usually despatch their books in, otherwise it's pot luck as to whether it'll arrive damaged or not.

If you've already bought and received your copy, what do you think of it?  The comments section awaits your valued input.

******

(Footnote: As seems typical of Rebellion's collected editions, an element of carelessness has crept into this volume.  Firstly, there seems to be a couple of typos in Luis Bermejo's biography, and the colour story is attributed (at the front of the book) to Fantastic Annual 1968 when it was, in fact, the 1969 Annual.  True, it went on sale towards the end of '68, but the cover and spine declares 1969.  I do wish they'd be a bit more careful with details like this.

BABE Of The DAY - LYNDSAY WAGNER...

Write your own captions for this pic -

I'm too busy swooning over the womanly

 charms of lithe LYNDSAY WAGNER.

IS THIS THE WORST FREE GIFT EVER GIVEN AWAY WITH A UK WEEKLY COMIC?

Copyright relevant owner

Arrived today at Castel Crivens, TARZAN Weekly #1 from 1977, a comic I originally bought back when I was yet a teenager, though I remember little about it apart from the cover.  (The colour, as you can see, is out of register on the replacement, but it's nice to have again anyway.)  It was published by BYBLOS PRODUCTIONS and lasted for 20 issues as a weekly, before becoming a monthly for 5 numbered issues, followed by 11 un-numbered Specials, the last of which appeared in 1981.

Byblos also produced 3 KORAK, Son Of TARZAN Specials between '80 & '81, followed by another 6 issues of TARZAN Monthly starting in March of that year. (I've garnered this info from various sources, but any inaccuracies are no doubt my own.)

But back to the weekly - and what's this?  A free super survival kit bag?  Sounds great, doesn't it, until you see that it's only a small, empty, clear polythene bag.  Okay, not quite empty - it contains a sheet of paper telling you what you can put in it.  As a free gift, it's even worse that the paper bag (pretending to be a mask) given away in SMCW #1, which you pulled over your head to pretend you were SPIDER-MAN.

Anyway, I can no longer recall just how long I continued to buy this title, but I doubt I ever saw past issue #3.  Cop a gander at some of the internal pages and say whether this is a comic you'd have bought - or even did buy - back in the day.  The comments section awaits your valued input.

A 'FANTASTIC' REPAIR JOB?

Copyright REBELLION

Assuming that any of you are even remotely interested in this, I thought I'd show you the work I did on my damaged The COMPLETE JOHNNY FUTURE volume I received yesterday.  I'll show the previous pics I took of its imperfections alongside my 'repairs', which I decided to undertake as REBELLION didn't reply to my emails about a replacement.  (Which is an unlikely possibility as they're now out of stock.)  I knew that my options were limited as the interior damaged areas were too prominent to just 'paint' over, so I took the decision to cover them.

I ironed out the crease of the folded-under corner (after unfolding it and pasting it into its proper position, and then applied a name label over it to cover the offending flaw.  On the opposite page, I removed as much of the superfluous glue and card-fluff as I could, then pasted a picture of the cover to FANTASTIC #1 over the area, which I thought was a nice nod to the strip's origins.

As for the dunts on the cover, I repaired the back one (not shown) quite easily with the careful application of a hot iron over a double-sheet of brown paper, then did the same for the one on the front.  You can still see a hint of it in the 'after' photo below, but thankfully it's far less prominent than it was.  (And it's almost invisible in the pic that heads this post.)

Obviously, I'd have much preferred not to have had to do anything, but the book is now 'personalised' and, cosmetically, far better than the state it was in when I received it.  I can no longer return it to Rebellion, but I'll be contacting them about a partial refund to take account of it being damaged - before and after it left their warehouse.  The copy I ordered from AMAZON is scheduled to turn up tomorrow and hopefully it'll be perfect, which means I'll have a pristine copy, as well as a reading copy.  It's such a good book that I may even buy a third copy.

Have you got yours yet?  It's still available as a digital download, though I prefer the print version.

(Update: Rebellion have now been in touch, so I'll keep you informed of what happens.  Watch this space.  Oh, and they'll be replenishing their stock of the book soon.)

JOHNNY FUTURE TAKES MAIL ORDER A GIANT STEP BACKWARDS...

Copyright REBELLION

Received my brand-new The COMPLETE JOHNNY FUTURE hardback book from REBELLION's TREASURY Of BRITISH COMICS today, and immediately felt my heart sink when I saw the dunted corners on the thin and flimsy cardboard envelope it came in.  As I'd suspected, two corners were noticeably dunted, and I feel it should behove Rebellion to send their books in sturdier protective cardboard mailers to prevent this kind of damage.

However, there was worse to come.  When I opened the cover, the two facing pages of the double-page 'frontispiece' were stuck together at the corners, and when I managed to separate them, it was only to discover that the corner of the board page was folded underneath and stuck to the board.  It was quite a large area of around two and a half by one and a half inches, so it's not exactly a minor fault.

What's worse, although I contacted Rebellion immediately, I notice that the book is now listed as being out of stock, so I ordered another one from AMAZON.  Thing is, it was always my intention to buy two copies, so I still need a replacement for the damaged one.  I've had a few problems before with the way Rebellion wrap their books, what with corners of softcovers being bent backwards or edges peeling away from the cover after catching on the opening of their thin cardboard envelopes while being placed inside.

It's a shame, because the overall standard of their books is otherwise excellent, but they need to lift their game when it comes to quality-control and using packaging that's fit for purpose.  Anyway, this book is one to have, so if you can find a copy, buy it immediately and hope you don't encounter any of the problems that I did.  I should add that Rebellion usually do their best to rectify such matters, but given my level of disappointment in receiving yet another damaged book from them, I wish they'd focus on ensuring that these kind of things didn't happen to begin with.

However, to end on a positive note, top marks to Rebellion for the nostalgic nod to the POWER COMIC symbol on the cover.

(Update: I should add that Rebellion now send me any books I order in far sturdier packaging and are extremely quick in replacing any that have slipped through the net with flaws or imperfections, so well done them.)

REVISITING The WIZARD... (Updated)

Copyright relevant owner

Well, here's a scan of the finished results of my colouring job on the WIZARD Of ID strip (seen in the previous post) which I said I was having a go at.  The printout looks much smoother than this scan would have you believe, and I've managed to make the new copy (shortly going up on my bedroom wall) the exact same size as the original dull greyscale one it'll be replacing.

I used acrylic inks to colour the strip, but one of the drawbacks of this medium is that it can obscure linework in places, so I had to re-ink quite a few outlines in order to make them more visible.  The size of the copy (approximately 8 inches by 4) hides a multitude of sins, so I'm reasonably pleased with my efforts.  One thing's for sure, it's far cleaner than the greyscale version, so that's a plus at least.  (Update: I've now done a little more work on the master copy and replaced both versions of the strip seen in the earlier incarnation of this post.)

I took the liberty of straightening the title, and created a new 'Publishers Newspaper Syndicate, 1966' line in the same-sized font as the original (which was a bit smudged and faint) and applied it over the existing line.  On last thing - the colour of the sky in all three panels of the last tier are distinctly different from one another in my master copy (below), but have been rendered kind of 'samey' in the above printout.

Well, everything considered, I think it's not too bad - what say the rest of you?

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD...

Copyright relevant owner

A peculiar thing about US newspaper comic strips is that some American papers allocate different room for strips than others, so how a strip appears in one daily periodical may differ from another.  Because of this, some strips are produced with an extra tier (padding, in effect) that often has no direct bearing to the rest of the strip and can therefore be omitted if lack of space requires it, without affecting the story or the punchline.

Strips featuring (but not confined to) HANNA- BARBERA characters were prone to this, as anyone who has ever read the excellent YOWP blog will have seen before now.  For years, I'd always thought that the WIZARD Of ID strip below was how it was originally drawn, but as you can see from the above version which I've only just discovered, it initially had three extra panels (including the logo) of which I was unaware for around 48 years.

The one shown below is a greyscale reproduction from The PENGUIN BOOK Of COMICS of a colour version, but I've no way of knowing if the same colour scheme was followed in each presentation.  At the moment, I'm recolouring a 'bleached' printout of the greyscale incarnation, but I won't be slavishly following the colour one above.  When it's finished I'll post it on the blog for all you cavortin' Crivs to cop a gander at.

Why am I going to all the bother?  Well, a copy of the greyscale version has been on my wall for around 43 or 44 years now (though I scanned and replaced it with a cleaned up printout a couple or so years back), and I just thought it would make my room a little brighter if it was in colour (and the colour one above isn't quite clean or sharp enough for the purpose).  Anyway, enjoy what I think is one of the funniest cartoon strips ever created.

And, as I suspected, the top colour version has been re-jigged to accommodate a different sized space.  Below is how it was originally laid out so that that the removal of the top tier would make it of more manageable dimensions for some newspapers.

VAN DER VALK AT EYE LEVEL...

Photo by TERRY O'NEILL

Hey, where on earth does the time go?  In 1991-'92, VAN der VALK, starring BARRY FOSTER as the Dutch detective, was revived for two new series of two-hour episodes, and to me, it seemed like an inordinate amount of time had passed since the third of the original three series was last seen (repeats aside) on TV back in 1977.  (The first two series of one hour episodes were broadcast in 1972 and '73.)  So 14 years had elapsed, and because I hadn't seen the show since I was a teenager, it felt like quite a significant proportion of my life.

The '91-'92 series still seems relatively recent to me, so the realisation that it's nearly 30 years ago is a real punch in the gut.  Hell's bells, I'm ancient.  And now the series is back, starring MARC WARREN, but location aside, feels and looks nothing like the original version.  Reports in some newspapers claimed that the original theme had been jettisoned, but there's actually a hint of it intertwined with the new one.  I watched the first episode but wasn't too impressed, and I couldn't help thinking it's a shame Barry Foster wasn't still around to play the current incarnation's father, which would've given the new show a bit of much-needed authenticity.

It's not a new idea.  Apparently, when IAN OGILVY took on the role of The SAINT back in the late '70s, LEW GRADE approached ROGER MOORE to play his father, the original SIMON TEMPLAR, who would've appeared at the beginning and ending of each episode.  (So Ogilvy would have been Son of The Saint, which was the proposed title had Lew been able to persuade big Rog to return.)  Roger knocked it back, reportedly on the grounds that his then current commitment to the BOND franchise wouldn't facilitate his involvement, but I suspect he just didn't want to risk compromising the public's acceptance of him as 007.

Anyway, I'll give the new incarnation another go, though the shadow of Barry Foster looms large, but full credit to Marc Warren for being brave enough to try stepping into Foster's shoes.  And remember, Van der Valk is a policeman so that's mighty big shoes to fill.  Whether he succeeds or not remains to be seen.

Anyone remember the original show?  I know that many Crivs of a certain age will readily recall the theme tune, EYE LEVEL, by The SIMON PARK ORCHESTRA, but what about the show itself?  Any reminiscences you'd care to share will be made very welcome in the comments section, so get those typing fingers out now.     

WHAT ARE WE GONNA GET 'ER INDOORS...?

A whopping 37 years ago I bought the above single.  There was a jump in it, but for some now forgotten reason I didn't take it back to the shop from which I'd purchased it, but sent it back to the record company with a cover note explaining the problem.  It occurred to me at the time to retain the picture cover just in case they sent me a record back without it, but then I thought that they'd surely replace like with like - that would be the correct thing to do.

How wrong can a fella be?!  The replacement, when it arrived, was inside a plain white sleeve and I must admit that I felt a bit cheated.  Anyway, I've still got that original replacement single, but recently I saw one with the cover as I first had it on eBay, and bought it.  The photo above is not the actual one I bought (mine is in slightly better condition - I hope), but it will do to illustrate this post as the one winging its way to me even as I type was pictured at an angle in its eBay listing and didn't meet my photo requirements.

When it arrives I'll make a duplicate of the cover for my original record and thereby turn the clock back to 1983 (sort of).  Okay, so then I'll have two copies of this record, but I can live with that as I own numerous items of which I have more than one.  (It's always good to have a spare.)  I always get a buzz from making things as they were or as they should be, especially when it takes decades as it feels like finally fulfilling some unfinished task in some way.  Okay, okay, that's maybe overstating the case, but I trust you know what I mean.

Some of you are probably wondering why I'd choose this as a subject to blog about - would anyone really be interested in reading this kind of self-indulgent pish?  I'm sure you'll let me know, but when one runs a blog, one feels a responsibility to provide something to read for those inquisitive souls who visit regularly in the hope of filling a few spare moments in their day.  I may not always hit the mark, but you've gotta give me credit for trying - though money would be better, so feel free to send as much as you can afford.  (Don't panic - only joshing with ya!)

And whaddya know?!  I've just learned they performed it on TOP Of The POPS, so that's it below.  (The volume of George Cole's mic seems to be a bit low though.)

PULSE-POUNDING PANINI PUBLICATIONS CHECKLIST - AVAILABLE NOW!

DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #551

Copyright BBC TV.  Published by PANINI

Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat interview each other in issue #551. Other highlights include: • Extended Production Notes from current showrunner Chris Chibnall • Composer Segun Akinola reveals his inspirations for the Series 12 soundtrack • Out of the TARDIS with Neil Gaiman answers questions from the TARDIS tin • The Fact of Fiction on The Caves of Androzani • A tribute to the late David Collings • Doctor Who Lockdown • A look at Birth of a Renegade, a short Doctor Who story from the Radio Times 20th Anniversary Special • A review of the Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 14 Blu-ray box set • A round-up of how Series 12 performed in the ratings • Part Three of The Piggybackers, a new comic-strip adventure.

Available now!

£5.99.

WHEN SUGAR WASN'T A DIRTY WORD...

Copyright relevant owner

Remember the 1969 song 'SUGAR SUGAR' by The ARCHIES?  In 1977, the famous HONEY MONSTER released a cover version of it, but don't ask me what position it reached in the charts 'cos I don't have a Scooby.  (Did a quick search, but could find no info.)  I bought it though, and still have the single in the same condition as when I acquired it back in '77, cover and all.  Was doing some shifting about in one of my rooms earlier and rediscovered it in a box along with a pile of other singles, and thought you might like to see it.

SUGAR PUFFS was first launched by QUAKER OATS back in 1957 with JEREMY The BEAR as mascot, but Honey Monster replaced him around 1976/'77 (sources vary).  At first, Jeremy was a cartoon bear, but eventually a real one was used, though apparently it ripped its keeper's arm off.  That's maybe why the decision was made to bring Honey in.  The owner of the cereal - as well as its name - has changed more than once over the years, but it's reassuring to still see Honey's face staring out from the supermarket shelves whenever I'm doing my shopping (only on the servants' day off, mind) after all these years.  Long may it be so. 

And below is Honey Monster with actor HENRY McGEE (comedian BENNY HILL's sidekick) in a 1976 TV ad for Sugar Puffs, these days known as Honey Monster Wheat Puffs.  (Note that, in the ad, Jeremy The Bear still adorns the box as mascot.  That would soon change as Honey's popularity increased.)

And just in case you were wondering how the song sounded as performed by Honey Monster, below is another TV ad of an earlier 'customised' version of it, which proved so popular it led to the release of the 1977 single - though featuring the original 1969 lyrics, not the amended ones in the ad.  Catchy, eh?

YOGI AND HIS TOY LIMITED COVER GALLERY...

Copyright relevant owner

YOGI And His TOY was an odd comic that lasted for 36 issues from February to October 1972, before becoming HANNA-BARBERA'S FUN TIME in November, lasting for around 6 months or so.  It was odd because it combined two different forms of storytelling; namely the use of speech balloons along with captions below the panel drawings.  The DANDY's WINKER WATSON employed the same format, but that's the only other time I recall it being done in a (then) 'modern' comic.  (The DAILY EXPRESS newspaper strip RUPERT BEAR also used lower captions, of course, but not speech balloons.)

I only have a handful of Yogi Issues, but I thought I'd show the covers anyway, just to give all you crazy Crivs an idea of what it looked like in case you missed it at the time.  As you can see, a couple of them are quite worn, as it's difficult to track down better condition copies at a reasonable price.  I doubt I'd ever bother seeking out a complete set unless I got them for a song, but it would be good to have several in sequential order and in decent condition.

As I said before in a previous post, I was probably too old (at 13) to be buying this comic, but I always found it hard to resist the lure of a new periodical and was also a big Yogi Bear fan, which was no doubt my main reasons for buying it.  The comic only had 14 pages and cost 10 pence, which despite full-colour throughout, was a tad on the expensive side.  This was doubtless to cover the cost of the alleged 'free' gift, and makes you wonder where the Trade Descriptions folk are when you need them.

Anyway, that's enough weary waffle from me - enjoy the covers.  And if you'd like to read the complete first issue, click here.

BABE Of The DAY - MARTEL MAXWELL...

Not sure what MARTEL MAXWELL is

doing in this photo, but she looks good doing it.

Maybe she's playing at BATGIRL, but if so, she

forgot to wear the mask.  (It'd be a sin to cover

her cute wee face anyway, don'tcha think?)