PART TWO OF A PICTORIAL TRIBUTE TO MICK ANGLO...

Copyright DC COMICS

Here are some more covers from my collection of SUPER DC, the TOP SELLERS reprint title from the late '60s, early '70s.  Also shown are the free gifts from issue #1.  Traditionally, British comics had free gifts in the first three issues, but that was usually only with weeklies.  Perhaps because it was a monthly publication, editor MICK ANGLO decided to put all three giveaways in the 1st issue - or it could've been that, individually, they weren't up to much, hence the 'quantity' rather than 'quality' approach.

If anyone has issue #14 of Super DC and wants to make a few quid, then get in touch.  Then I can feature it on a future post.  (Update: Now got it.)

 

With two or three exceptions (where interior panels were enlarged for the purpose), Mick Anglo is believed  to have drawn the covers, using images from various DC sources as reference.  If anyone knows anything different, I'd appreciate you letting me know.

Look out for the third and final part soon.

IMPORTANT - CALLING ALL BLOGGERS...

Sometimes, when I click on an image on someone's blog to enlarge a picture for closer scrutiny, the image appears same size or smaller against a black background. This means that one is unable to view and appreciate the image at a larger size, which often renders featuring it in the first place a bit redundant.

If you go into 'settings' - then 'formatting' - and disable the lightbox facility, it will enable readers to enlarge images for closer study.

Go on, it's much better. 

A PICTORIAL TRIBUTE TO MICK ANGLO - PART ONE...

Copyright DC COMICS

As reported on various other sites, MICK ANGLO, creator of MARVELMAN, passed away recently.  To be completely frank, as Marvelman was merely an imitation of FAWCETT's CAPTAIN MARVEL, I'm not entirely convinced that the term 'creator' strictly applies in ol' MM's case, but I don't have an axe to grind over it.

Mick was also the editor of SUPER DC, a British monthly magazine which featured resized black & white reprints of various superhero strips from the stable of NATIONAL PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS (DC COMICS) back in 1969/'70, and I have very fond memories of the title.

Now that MARVEL own the rights to Marvelman, Mick can be regarded as having been associated with Marvel and DC - no mean feat for any British comics contributor.  In memory of Mick, I've decided to focus solely on Super DC, as I was never really into Marvelman when I was a kid.  Although, ironically, I later lettered the sample pages submitted to Marvel when they were in negotiations for the character.  No doubt it was my fantastic hand-lettering which clinched the deal.  Harrummmphh!  (Sorry, there seems to be something stuck in my throat.)

I seem to remember DEZ SKINN saying somewhere that Mick, as well as his duties as editor, also drew the covers for Super DC.  If anyone can confirm that, feel free to do so in the comments section.  If it wasn't him and anyone can identify the artist, let me know and I'll be sure to give him a credit.

According to the late comics collector and historian DENIS GIFFORD, there were fourteen issues of Super DC.  I have the first thirteen issues, so if anyone has the elusive fourteenth, either sell it to me or kindly send me a scan of the cover so I can feature it in the second part of this tribute.  (Update: Don't worry, I've now got two in fact, as I have of the other issues also.)

MAURICE ANGLOWITZ, born on June 16th 1916, died on October 31st 2011, aged 95.  In his time, he worked as an editor, writer and artist - a one-man team supreme you might say.  He could probably letter as well.  Obviously he was at the front of the queue when talent was being handed out.  (Despite BATMAN's stunted left leg on the cover of issue #2.) 

Look out for Part Two soon.

GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SNICKERS...

The world as I knew it no longer exists.  It seems I've been kidnapped by aliens and transported to an alternate dimension where things are almost the same - but not quite.  In this bizarre doppelganger planet, TREETS are called M&Ms, OPAL FRUITS are named STARBURST, OIL Of ULAY is known as OIL Of OLAY, JIF is christened CIF, KITKATs are made by NESTLE'S, not ROWNTREE'S - and MARATHONs are titled SNICKERS.

AAAAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!  I'm trapped on a world I never made.  Beam me up, Scotty!  (But while I'm waiting for the transporter to lock onto me, cast your eyes over the images on this page -  a comforting reminder of when all was right with the world and it was a saner place to be.)

PART TWO Of TERRIFIC COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here's the second instalment of TERRIFIC covers (plus their back-page pin-ups) from the 1960s for you to cast your perceptive peepers over, you lucky POWER PACK perusers of perfection.  Anybody old enough to remember these iconic issues produced by 'the Garret' is getting on a bit by now, so just take your tablets from the nice nurse and lose yourself in yesteryear.  Your telegram from the Queen will be along before you know it.  Remember to come back for part three in a few posts from now.  You surely wouldn't want to miss the treats in store from 'The Floor of 64', would you?

TWO ANNUALS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE...

Annuals copyright relevant and respective owners

For a limited time only, WH SMITH's have a 'two-for-one' offer on at the moment - buy one annual, get another absolutely free.  Thought you'd like to know.  (This obviously supersedes their previous 'buy one full price, get another for a £1' offer.)

SUBTLETIES, SHADOWS, And SHADES...

I've lived in a lot of houses in my time.  By the age of 24 I was in our sixth house, which works out, on average, as four years per house.  But forget averages - I've only actually lived in a house for four years on two occasions, the other periods of tenancy ranging from as far apart as one and a half years to eleven years.

Anyone who's ever read Scots-born author KENNETH GRAHAME's classic book The WIND In The WILLOWS will no doubt be familiar with the fifth chapter, DULCE DOMUM, which (roughly) means 'home sweet home'.  In this episode, MOLE, while out on a ramble with Ratty one Winter's day, picks up the scent of his old home, long forgotten and neglected since he unwittingly abandoned it in pursuit of adventure one fine Spring morning many months before.

The chapter relates how Mole re-acquaints himself with many dear and familiar possessions and memories, and reminds him (and us) of the value of having an anchorage - a place to return to - in life, no matter how far and wide one may roam in the meantime.  As the author writes (and as Mole thinks): "...it was good to think he had this (Mole End) to come back to, this place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted upon for the same simple welcome."

Funny thing is, I feel that way about every house I've ever lived in.  If ever I'm walking along a street in which I once resided, I almost find myself walking up the path to the front door and unconsciously putting my key in the lock.  If I were lost enough in thought, it's no stretch of the imagination to envisage such a thing actually happening.  (One evening, while out walking our dog Tara, I was passing a previous home when she turned in at the stairs as though we still lived there - and I almost followed.  It's that kind of 'instinct' - or 'force of habit' - that seems to dwell within me also.)

Or should I espy a former home lit up at night, I can 'see' (as though with x-ray eyes) my father, pipe in mouth, sat beside the fire, watching TV or reading his paper; I can also see my mother, darning socks or busy in the kitchen with domestic chores, or my brother in our bedroom listening to records or reading comics. Furniture, ornaments, wallpaper - everything as it was.

Each house beckons to me, summons me to obey its call to 'come on home', regardless of however many years have elapsed since I actually lived there, almost as if I'd only just popped out to the shops or to visit a pal mere moments before - with such clarity that the intervening years since we vacated whichever house seem like only a dream that never really happened.

Even more bizarre is when I seem to see a younger version of myself beyond the gleam which radiates from behind the curtained windows, engrossed in some book, or sat at the dining-room table, doodling or building an AIRFIX kit.  On occasions such as this, it can be disconcerting to suddenly have the moment disrupted by the intrusion of a stranger looking out of the window, or entering or exiting through the front door.

Then, just like Mole and his chum Ratty as they stand mesmerised by a lit-up window, the bitter winds of reality catch the back of my neck and return me to the present - though usually unwillingly, and not without a strange, sad sense of loss and longing.

The past continually calls to me, but never more so than when I revisit the scenes of my youth, where shades of my younger self and family, and friends long departed to either the other side of the veil or the globe, yet inhabit these enchanted places from so many years ago.

If ghosts do exist, I wouldn't be surprised to find that they aren't only ghosts of the dead, but also of the living from an earlier time.  That would perhaps explain why the shadows of yesterday dance forever before me.

******

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy this one.

TERRIFIC (AND IT SURE WAS) COVER GALLERY - PART ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

First came WHAM! in June 1964, followed nearly two years later by SMASH!  (February 1966.)  Then, 11 months after that (January 1967 to be precise) came POW!, with FANTASTIC following hot on its heels in a few short weeks.  (February 1967.)  Not long after, TERRIFIC, the final entry in the POWER COMICS series, appeared in April 1967.

Terrific was the shortest lived of the 'big 5' (to borrow a DCT term) published by ODHAMS PRESS, lasting only 43 issues before being merged with Fantastic (#52).  However, before its untimely demise, it bestowed on its rabid readership such gems as The SUB-MARINER, The AVENGERS, Dr. STRANGE, and a British-produced strip (illustrated by a foreign artist) called The TOYS Of DOOM.

Here, now, in celebration of this classic comic periodical of the '60s, is a cover and pin-up gallery which will continue from time to time in upcoming posts.  Incidentally, any back-page pin-ups which weren't reprints of original MARVEL art were usually drawn by BARRY (WINDSOR) SMITH when he was yet a mere teenager.  Keep a look-out for future posts and have fun seeing if you can tell which ones were drawn by his own fair hand.

Now - feast your eyes on this awesome artwork.

BUSTER'S BACK WITH A BANG! (WELL, SORT OF...)

Copyright REBELLION

Here's a cover that most people won't have seen before, except for a miniature reproduction on some interior or back page ad back in 1986.  Or, perhaps, the BUSTER site (for which I supplied a scan from my own extremely rare issue) - or when I posted it about a year or so ago on this very blog.

This issue was printed, but pulled at the last moment before distribution (though some copies did get through the net) because of Buster handling a lighted firework, to say nothing of his pal setting one off in such close proximity to him.  Not a good example to set the kiddies, you see.

However, I think it nicely captures the atmosphere of GUY FAWKES' NIGHT, so have decided to give it another airing to delight and enthrall all you lucky people.  No, don't thank me, that's what I'm here for - to bring joy and merriment to others.

And - still on the Guy Fawkes theme - as a bonus, here's a photo of an original page of BUSTER'S DIARY by artist ANGEL NADAL, from the 1960s.  Don't say I don't spoil you, Criv-ites.

KIRBY'S GHOST - PLANKS AND MOTES (A MORALITY TALE)...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

A while back, over on DANIEL BEST's blog, he reported the fact that GREG THEAKSTON had claimed in the second volume of his JACK KIRBY biography that Kirby did not draw any of the recreations of MARVEL covers in the early 1990s and that they were 'ghosted' by other hands.  This naturally has raised some interesting questions.  For example, would Jack and Roz have allowed pages to be attributed to him and sold for high prices if he hadn't produced them?  For that matter, would Marvel or SOTHEBY'S ?

Theakston's claim has naturally set tongues wagging as to who may have been involved in creating these pages if, as he asserts, it wasn't Kirby. (And that's important to remember - if.)  As far as I'm aware, there is no evidence to support the participation of any particular individual, but I'm not in full possession of the facts (or what passes as facts) in the matter.

Naturally, when such rumours take root (and there seems just no way to stop them), there is always rabid speculation amongst groups of fans, and, even if no one is publicly named, people tend to form their own ideas as to who might have been involved.  There is only a relatively select group of people who would even be considered capable of such work, and doubtless all of them were regarded at some stage as potential candidates amongst those given to conjecture on the matter.  It is in that context we must now consider what comes next.

On Dan's post, he related the relevant facts and indulged in a bit of speculation.  He considered the different possibilities and concluded that, if (remember that word?) the pages were ghosted, he had been led to believe that MIKE ROYER may have been responsible. He made it crystal clear, though, that his personal belief was unconfirmed - and at no time did he state that Royer, if he had actually drawn the covers, would have known they would be passed off as being exclusively pencilled by Kirby.

In short, all Dan may have meant was that he regarded Royer as the best qualified to produce the work, without necessarily ascribing to him any fraudulent intent or design.  That is an important aspect to remember.

HARRY MENDRYK from the JACK KIRBY MUSEUM website immediately went on the attack, accusing Best of not only slandering Royer, but also of charging him with fraud.  Now, while deliberately misrepresenting the work of one artist as that of another undoubtedly gives rise to legal and ethical implications, that doesn't necessarily mean that the one who produced the work knew it was going to be sold on that basis.

If something is advertised as an original piece of a particular artist's work without the actual artist's prior knowledge or consent, then he's hardly guilty of any wrong-doing in those circumstances.  And, at the risk of labouring the point, I can see nothing in Dan Best's post to the contrary.

Mr. Mendryk is not prepared to allow for any such possibility, or even to give Best the benefit of the doubt.  Indeed, such subtleties as I have expounded here seem entirely lost on him.  Did Mendryk scrupulously investigate the matter?  Did he request Best to elaborate, or to explain precisely what he meant?  No, he immediately accused Best of smearing Royer's reputation, and attributed meanings and motivations to Best's words that are certainly open to a different interpretation.  Why didn't he check first?  In this regard, he sems at least equally as guilty of the exact same behaviour of which he accuses Best. 

As far as I can see, all Dan has done is report a pre-existing story and add his thoughts on the topic.  In so doing, he has generated comment which has made people aware that Mike Royer rejects any suggestion of being involved.  (There are links to this in the comments section.)  In reporting the already well-known rumour, Best has effectively put an end to one speculative aspect of it.  Mike Royer says he was not involved, and I'm perfectly happy, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, to accept his word.  I doubt I'm alone.

As I said on Harry Mendryk's blog, although it's obviously far better if un-substantiated rumours never start in the first place, once they're doing the rounds, it's often advisable to subject them to the spotlight of truth and let them wither under its glare, rather than allow them to fester in secret.  Mr. Mendryk has recently deleted our discussion - I leave it to individuals to draw their own conclusions as to why.  However, I consider my observations worthy of consideration, which is why I publish them here.

I should add that I do not presume to speak on Dan Best's behalf - my only purpose (which springs from a desire for fairness and impartiality) is to show that people who live in glass houses should perhaps think twice before throwing stones.   

SHAMEFUL TALES: A SAD, BAD, 'MAN AND HIS DOG' STORY...

Every so often you read a story in the newspaper that reaffirms your faith in human nature.  Then, however, there's the other kind.  This is one of those.

Ginger's owner leads her away from his car before driving off.
First photo, Ginger looking happy yesterday 

By Sara Dixon

'This is the moment before a faithful dog was dumped by her heartless owner and left to fend for herself in an act of cruelty condemned as "despicable" by an animal charity.

The pet was led into a thin strip of woodland bordering a busy road where she was abandoned to her fate.

But she was so desperate to stay with her cruel owner that, even though she was lame, she tried to run after his car as he sped away.

At first it appeared he was merely taking her for a walk.  But seconds later he was captured on CCTV racing back to his vehicle.  It is thought there were three others in the car.

The dog desperately tried to catch up with him despite only being able to limp because her claws had been left to grow into her paw pads.

When the Shetland terrier cross, now nicknamed Ginger, realised she had been left she sat in one spot and refused to budge until rescuers gently coaxed her inside their office.

Luckily for Ginger the entire incident was witnessed by shocked workers in the office overlooking the car park in Granby Industrial Estate in Weymouth, Dorset.

Steve Sudworth and his colleague at BMT Defence Services, Mike Jolliffe, rushed to rescue the abandoned animal as the owner drove off in a metallic-blue Kia Rio.

Despite her ordeal and distress, the good-natured dog quickly made friends with her rescuers.

Mr Sudworth, 49, an engineer at the firm, said:  "I saw the man walking very fast back to the car and he jumped in.  I thought he was going to shout to the dog, but he just drove off fast.  He looked really unrepentant.  The dog was trying to follow but couldn't because of the limp.  I would have run up the road after them but they were gone too fast.  It's shocking."

Mr Jolliffe, a designer, made the dog a makeshift collar out of his belt.

Ginger, who was abandoned last Thursday lunchtime, was taken to a vet so her painful paws could be tended.

Mr Jolliffe said:  "She was a lovely little girl and she made so many friends here very quickly."

Animal charity Dogs Trust condemned Ginger's abandonment as "inexcusable".

Chief Executive Clarissa Baldwin said:  "There is absolutely no excuse for abandoning a dog to fend for itself in this despicable way.  Sadly cases of animals being dumped in this fashion

are all too common.  We would urge people always to seek help from animal rehoming charities."

Ginger is being cared for by dog wardens at the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council kennels while they look for a new home for her.  Officials are hunting Ginger's heartless

owner from the CCTV footage.

Chris Robertson, the council's assistant dog warden, said: "The footage speaks for itself and it is appalling."

Her owner is described as white, between 5ft 10in and 6ft tall and wearing blue jeans and a brown sweater.

Mr Robertson said the council was considering prosecuting the owner under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.'  

From THE DAILY EXPRESS, Tuesday, September 21, 2110.

******

We can only hope that they find him and someone kicks the absolute living sh*t out of him.  In a tender, loving, caring way of course.

******

Ginger with walker Vicky Crow

UPDATE: The response to Ginger's predicament was overwhelming, and I'm glad to say that she has now been re-homed with a more suitable owner who will give her all the love and attention she deserves.  Two people are being prosecuted for abandoning her.

So... VINCE The PRINCE Or FORGETTA-COLLETTA?

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

VINCE COLLETTA is a name which seems to cause controversy whenever it's mentioned these days.  Some comicbook fans think he was great, others think he was okay, and then there's another group who think he was the worst inker ever to work in the business.

Some JACK KIRBY fans in particular believe he ruined every page of the King's work he ever touched.  Others think he transformed Jack's THOR pages into a tour de force of illustrative brilliance which should grace the Sistine Chapel.  Then there are those poor souls who can't see the difference between one page and another, regardless of whoever pencilled or inked it.

While it's true that Vince's inks may not have suited every artist whose pencils he worked on, there are some whose art was definitely enhanced by the touch of his pen and brush.  (GENE COLAN, JOHN BUSCEMA, and FRANK ROBBINS, to name but three.)  Jack Kirby was definitely on that list.  Vinnie diluted the idiosyncrasies and abstractness of Kirby's art, imbuing it with a rugged, realistic quality that perfectly suited the mythical backdrop of Thor's adventures, particularly when set in ASGARD.

I'm not alone in thinking that part of the reason for Colletta's bad rep these days is based on poor quality reprints of his work in various magazines back in the early '70s, printed from proofs in which his fine detailing was lost and clumsily retouched by less-skilled hands.  (Using a blunt felt marker by the looks of things.)

However, back in the late '60s a U.K. publication called FANTASTIC reprinted Thor's adventures from JOURNEY Into MYSTERY, using clear, sharp proofs for near-perfect black and white reproduction. U.S. spellings, colloquialisms and ref-erences were changed, creator credits and corner page numbers were deleted, and open case sound-effects were sometimes blacked-in or cross-hatched for greater impact in the b&w format, but the art still looked great.

It gives me great pleasure to present Vince's inking of Jack's pencils more or less the way they would have looked when they were first completed, as opposed to the far inferior reprints which came later.  Enjoy.   

Click on image, when it appears, click again for optimum size.