The Complete SPARKY #1 From 1965... (Updated)

Copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd

It looks a little dated now, and it's difficult to believe it was released in the same week as TV Century 21 (even sharing the same cover-date, except for the latter being dated 2065, not 1965), but Sparky lasted for 12 years as its own comic (compared to the former's 6 year period before it was merged into Valiant in 1971) so it can be rightly considered the more successful of the two titles, at least as far as longevity goes.  (Though I doubt it sold as many weekly copies as its rival, but I couldn't say for sure.)

It's unlikely it would ever be published in today's woke age, given the fact that the 'star' of the comic was a little native black boy, even though he was treated with respect and always usually came out on top of whatever situation he was in.  Sure, he's a caricature, but anyone who's ever seen an issue of National Geographic knows that such natives existed - and probably still do.  (*See photo at foot of post.)  To my way of thinking, unless he was being portrayed in a negative light (which he never was), he's no more offensive a character than Fred Flintstone is as a cartoon representation of a white man.

Your opinion may differ, and that's fine - I'm not here to try and convince you otherwise.  No, my purpose here today is to pull back time's curtain and show you the complete contents of the very first issue of a comic that is still highly regarded in the memories of former readers who collected it avidly every week.  The early issues didn't really hint at the promise of the title it eventually developed into, but it's no less historically important for that little fact, so enjoy the very first issue of the late, lamented Sparky - and then leave a comment if you'd be so kind.

(Click on images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.)

Oops!  I don't know how, but I inadvertently omitted the Minnie Ha-Ha page and only just noticed.  It was waiting patiently in my file so I've now added it.

*Below, plucked from the Internet, Wadaabe males - related to Sparky perhaps?  They're taking part in some tribal ceremony wherein they wear full makeup and their finest clothes in a traditional mating ritual to attract female partners.  (Full makeup, eh?  That may just be giving off the wrong signals to the wrong gender.  They look happy enough with each other.) 

The MARVEL COMICS ART Of WALLY WOOD...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

The first comic mart I ever attended was in The Royal Stuart Hotel in Glasgow in 1982.  I stumbled across it by accident while passing the hotel with a friend and curiosity got the better of me.  It was there I first spoke with the late Pete Root, who told me of his plans to open a comics shop with a group of friends - which, he claimed, would be so good it'd put eight other comic shops out of business.  (The shop was AKA Books & Comics.)  I bought Silver Surfer #1 from him for £12, and I also ran into Brian Bolland that day and got his autograph on the back of a mini calendar tab for 1983 (I like to be prepared), which I still have today.

At that mart I also saw a book called The Marvel Comics Art of Wally Wood, and though I was tempted, I didn't buy it.  I've always regretted not doing so, so I recently purchased one via eBay and it arrived at Castel Crivens from the States today.  Just think - 42 years wiped away in a single stroke and things are now as they should've been back then.  The inevitable question - how the hell did 42 years of my life pass so quickly?  And the same question would apply even if I didn't now own the book, as that day only seems such a short while ago to me, rather than the vast expanse of time (two-thirds of my life in fact) it actually is.

I didn't have the Surfer ish long as I inadvertently damaged and then dispensed with it, but three or four years later I bought a better copy I still have today, along with the other 17 issues.  If you don't have the Wood book, I thought you'd appreciate seeing some of the art contained within.  The Royal Stuart Hotel is now student accommodation (and has been for many years), but when I look at my SS #1, my autographed calendar tab, and my Wally Wood book, I'm back in 1982 and everything is as it was.  In fact, it feels like I've owned the book since then now that it's in my possession.  Anyway, enjoy the images - click to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.

(Incidentally, there are no biographical details about Wood, nor an introduction in the book, so either it was rush-released as a tribute in the wake of Wood's death [in November '81] or the publishers felt that his art spoke for itself.)

Past Postings: CONFESSIONS OF A CRIMINAL CO-CONSPIRATOR - IN LITTERBUGGING...

A copy of the finished artwork

I readily confess - it was me.  Yes, I'm the one you're looking for.  How can I deny it?  After all, I put my name to it.  I sit here, consumed by guilt in my participation in the worst ever spate of litter-bugging that Scotland has ever seen.  "How can this be?" I hear you ask, and, not wanting to disappoint your eager expectations, I am only too ready and willing to tell you.

In a previous post, I alluded to a company for which I occasionally did a bit of advertising work.  Amongst their diverse interests were various food outlets, including that great Scottish stalwart and home of the deep-fried MARS BAR - the humble chippie.

A copy of the original 'rough'

No, nothing to do with building sites; I of course refer to the traditional fish and chip shop, that bastion of British (well, at least Scottish) civilization as we know it.  (And I'm well-aware that there are some amongst you who will gleefully proclaim that the words 'Scottish' and 'civilization' do not belong together in the same sentence.  Youse are claimed!) 

Here's how it happened.  This particular fish and chip shop needed a cartoon illustration for their bags - I provided it.  (The 'rough' and the finished article can be seen on this very page.)  However, the company which owned the shop also had quite a few other food outlets in various parts of Scotland.  Whenever any of them were short of bags, they were supplied from any excess stock of bags which I had designed.  (This, of course, would sometimes happen in reverse.)

Add to that the fact that one of these shops was right next to a bus terminal to which hordes of hungry travellers called in for fish suppers and the like on their way home, and you can well understand the reasons as to how this humble little paper bag managed to get around.  

The finished, printed result

This resulted in the situation that, no matter where I happened to be, at some stage I was likely to see a bag with my name on it drifting down a high street or across a field, or stuck in a hedge somewhere - not only in the remotest areas of my own home town, but also in Hamilton, Rutherglen, Glasgow - and even as far afield as Edinburgh for goodness' sake!  That bloody bag got everywhere - I'm sure it was haunting me.  I never dropped a bag myself, but I somehow felt responsible.

Anyway, I feel better now.  Whoever it was who said that confession is good for the soul was right, bless 'em.  Hopefully, I'll now be able to sleep at nights, and face myself in the mirror with an untroubled conscience.  Only time will tell.

Right now, however, I'm off down the chippie for a fish supper and a deep-fried Mars Bar.  Braw!

A GIANT AMONG (SUPER) BOYS - SWAN, ADAMS, & ORDWAY...

Copyright DC COMICS

It sometimes amazes me to realise that I'm still 'completing' collections over half-a-century after 'starting' them (even if I wasn't then aware of it) back when I was a kid.  For example, in the '60s I bought Superboy #146 and World's Finest #178, which were the first instalments of two-part continued stories that I never saw completed.  What's more, the two issues of each individual title were interrupted by 80-Page Giant reprint numbers totally unconnected to the continued stories, despite their consecutive numbering.  That must've been a 'bummer' at the time for readers eagerly awaiting to find out how each tale concluded.

I don't remember which issue I bought first, nor is it likely I obtained them on the same day; they were probably purchased months apart and not necessarily in sequential order - though the Superboy mag was published a few months before World's Finest.  In the UK there often seemed no rhyme or reason as to when US comic mags appeared in newsagents, so it was often 'pot luck' as to what was available to you at any given time.  However, I never retained my original issues, but obtained replacements for them quite a number of years ago now, which I've owned far longer than their predecessors.

A few years back, I managed to acquire the wrap-ups to each tale, and Superboy #148 seemed slightly familiar to me.  Previously, I'd always believed I'd never read the conclusion, but I found myself wondering if I'd perhaps read it out-of-sequence to the first part in #146.  As part two wasn't an obvious 'follow-on' from part one (read them and you'll see just what I mean), if I'd read part two first, I may not have recognised it was a follow-up to part one when I eventually bought and devoured it (figuratively-speaking of course).  Not that any of that will be of interest to you, but you know how such mysteries fascinate me.

Anyway, a while back I obtained World's Finest #179 (the Giant reprint ish) and today I received Superboy #147 (again, the Giant reprint ish), which means I now own three sequential issues in a row of each mag, bringing to an end something started way back in the '60s when I was a mere primary school kid.  Ah, the sense of achievement that fills my soul!  But hold!  That's not just what this post is about.

No, check out the cover at the top of this post.  Pencilled by Curt Swan, it's actually inked by Neal Adams (McS is sure to pop-up at the echo of that name), but when this issue was reprinted as a 'Replica Edition' some years ago, the cover was redrawn/re-created by Jerry Ordway.  That's the cover below, and as you can see there are a few minor differences; mainly, the colours are 'flatter' and don't have the same depth and subtlety of the original.  I bought the replica when it was first published (2003), so I've read the stories, but I wanted the 1968 original for the ads and the smell of the paper.  (Perv!)

Anyway, all that preamble was mainly an excuse to show you a Neal Adams cover that you may not have realised he was involved with.  Sure, Curt Swan pencilled it, but it's still (at least) 50% Adams.  Any comments will be most welcome, so don't be shy now!

For the tale about Superboy #146, click here.  A link on the page about #148 might also prove interesting to you.  For the story about World's Finest #178, click here.  There's a link on the page about my acquisition of WF #180.

BABE Of The DAY - SUSANNA REID...

 UK TV presenter Susanna Reid

is our babe today, folks.  She has a very

 classy chassis, I'm sure you'll agree.

COVERS, BOOKS, & JUDGES - BATMAN #200...

Copyright DC COMICS.  Cover NEAL ADAMS & IRA SCHNAPP

You've seen the above cover before on this blog, Crivs, but it was scanned from one of a trio of Neal Adams volumes featuring his Batman work for DC.  This time around, though, it's the actual published issue on display, which I acquired only recently so I thought I'd show you the real deal, plus a few interior pages to give you a taste of what it was like.  

You know the old saying, 'you can't judge a book by its cover' - well, never has that been more true than in this case as the contents are pretty mediocre in both writing and art, and any readers expecting anything different due to the striking Adams' cover were doomed to disappointment.  For an Anniversary ish, it should've been a lot better.

Written be Mike Friedrich, pencilled by Chic Stone and inked by Joe Giella, the comic was published in 1968, but when you compare it to what Marvel was producing at the time, it falls far short of the superhero shenanigans emanating from The House Of Ideas.  Number 200 should've been a significant issue story-wise, but sadly it was not to be.

Nice cover though.

STINGRAY & BATMAN Return To The Scene Of The 'Crime'...

One of the good things about having a blog is that you can be wonderfully self-indulgent.  ('Wonderfully' from the blog-owner's perspective, that is, though perhaps not from the readers'.)  I've previously told you the tales of my Plaston Stingray and Marx Batman, and how I recently obtained replacements for them nearly 60 years after the fact.  Well, this evening, I decided to indulge myself one step further, and took Stingray along to the field where I lost its Ratemaster propellor in early 1966, and another close-by field where my Batman (then in possession of a friend with whom I'd swapped it for a Marx soldier) met its untimely demise after being hurled skywards by an older boy around 1969.

I took a few photos in approximately the same spots where the original events transpired and, in so doing, reconnected and reinforced their associations in my mind with the neighbourhood I lived in as a young boy.  It's almost a compulsion that I can't resist and, thankfully, my pals tend to humour me in these mad notions to which I occasionally succumb.  So thanks to Tongalad for assisting me in capturing for posterity a pictorial link to my memories and associations of so very long ago.  (He snapped the pics with me in them.)  In returning to the scene so long after the fact, it's almost like I've rewound time and rewritten the fate the toys succumbed to so many decades earlier.*  Fanciful I know, but I derive a measure of satisfaction from it.

(*"How so?" you may be wondering.  Well, this time, Stingray returned from its journey fully intact, and Batman survived his visit unbroken - each from the same locations they'd originally come a cropper.) 

Any of you Crivvies ever done anything so daft that you'd care to admit to?  If so, fire away.

Stingray's in the foreground in this pic and in my hands in the others

******

This field is just across from my former home, and further up from the one
in the previous photos, which is at the foot of the street and over the road

Batman (sans cape & cowl) going solo, here and above, but held by me in the pics I'm in

When I was setting up the previous two photos, I lost my balance and fell over,
but was uninjured.  Vanity made me leave my 'wheeled walker' out of the scene

SUPERMAN & BATMAN ARTICULATED FIGURES...

Characters copyright DC COMICS

Nothing much to talk about this time around, Crivvies, but I didn't want you to think I was neglecting you - so here's a couple of photos of additions to my vast accumulation of stuff at Castel Crivens.  7 inch articulated figures of Christopher Reeve as Superman and Adam West as Batman.  Great, don't you think?  Anyone else got them?

 

STINGRAY - IN THAT SINK-ING FEELING...

STINGRAY copyright relevant owner

You Crivvies will likely think I'm flogging this topic to death, but something occurred to me about my recent replacement for my childhood toy, the Plaston Stingray.  Because it's main chassis is blow-moulded, it's ideal for use as a bath toy, and even though it's retroactively referred to as such, it's not described as a bath toy on the box, nor, as far as I know, in any ads for it at the time.  It's therefore not altogether impossible that this toy has never even been near water in its 60 years of existence, prompting me to do something about it.

So, according to my diary, my next bath night's not actually due for another couple of years (I jest - it's only a year), but I thought the bathroom sink would suffice to finally fulfil this classic toy's purpose to be 'played with' (okay, photographed) in water.  (Classic and extremely rare - it's regarded among collectors as the 'holy grail' of Stingray toys.)  I added a little touch of Toilet Duck to give the water a blue tinge, popped the super-sub in its natural element, and snapped a few pics for posterity, plus for your palpitating peepers' pleasure.

No, don't thank me - 'tis my duty to serve.