FREAKY FRANKIE FIGURE IS FINALLY FOUND - NOT FAR OFF FORTY FLIPPIN' YEARS AFTER THE FACT...

Copyright relevant owner

Look at the above ad, published on the back of various DC comicbooks in the early 1970s.  I'd have first seen this around '71 or early '72, and so impressed was I with the idea of a pocket-sized FRANKENSTEIN that I customized an old MAJOR MATT MASON figure to fit the role.  First, I cut up a black polythene bag to make a sombre suit, and then used a BIC biro to administer some scars and the familiar Frankie fringe.  In his black outfit and complement of facial dis-figurements, ol' Matt cut quite a dash as a suitable stand-in for Boris.

However, it was the second ad (above) that prompted me to scour the back streets of BLACKPOOL (in '73 or '74) in a vain search for this elusive figure.  British holiday resorts were great places for being able to obtain obscure items that never seemed to reach other parts of the U.K.  I'd been able to buy pristine condition copies of various MARVEL mags (FF and SILVER SURFER) from the 1960s, straight off the spinner-racks in newsagents at cover price (this was in '73 or '74, remember), so it was hardly outwith the bounds of possibility that older toys and model kits were likewise available from the same outlets.  (And some were.)

Sadly, in the case of this particular Frankie kit, it was not to be, and I had to wait nearly 40 years until MOEBIUS reissued this model (a couple or so years back now) to finally get my hands on this collectors' item classic.  Guess what though?  Not too long after acquiring this figure, an original AURORA one found its way into my possession, a gift from a generous benefactor.  Guess it must be true what they say - "All things come to he who waits."

I certainly hope so.  You see, the sensational SALMA HAYEK is also on my wants-list of coveted prizes, and it surely can't hurt to be optimistic.

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY - PART TWO...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Continuing our Journey Into History (spot the pun) with early THOR covers, here's another five pieces of JACK KIRBY art from the early '60s, which epitomize MARVEL at the start of its revolution of the comics industry.  Jack's covers from the '60s probably deserve a book by themselves, so dominant were they on the spinner-racks of newsagents in the U.S. and U.K. back in the day.  So, enjoy these fabulous five examples of Mighty Marvel Masterpieces - Christmas has come early this year.

Before I acquired my toy replica of Thor's hammer, MJOLNIR, which you saw in the previous post, I obtained a smaller version given away with a British SPIDER-MAN comic.  It's inflatable, but I was as pleased as punch to have an authorized MARVEL mallet to hang on my wall.  In fact, I'd have been over the moon to have had this as a kid, never mind the other one.  If I were to pull out the stopper, I wonder if the escaping air would provide enough propulsion to allow me to streak through the sky, as a thunder god should?  What do you think?  Should I give it a try? (Whaddya mean, "Yeah - from a very tall building!" ?)

GONNA TAKE A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY - INTO MYSTERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

When I first read THOR The MIGHTY (as he was originally named) in the b&w pages of FANTASTIC back in 1967, I took a real shine (in a non-suspect, manly way, of course) to the hammer-swinging Norse god of thunder.  I made myself an 'uru' mallet (out of sponge and a stick) and ran around the field across the road from my house waving it over my head and shouting (internally) "For Odin - for Asgard!"  Yes, you're right - there was obviously far too much vinegar on my chips.

I also had a gnarled, wooden cane (well, a branch) that was the double of DOCTOR DONALD BLAKE's walking stick, which I concealed behind my back until required for my identity switch.  I'd stamp my magical mallet on the ground, then hide it behind me with one hand and produce my gnarled cane (er, branch) with the other.  Bemused passers-by would look at me, tap their heads with a finger and cast their gaze to the heavens.  I think there was a distinct possibility that they may have been trying to tell me something.  What can I say?  I was only eight years old and having myself some fun.

Actually, now that I think about it, I'd really first seen Thor in a reprint of AVENGERS #2 in the pages of SMASH!, but it wasn't 'til I'd read "The THUNDER GOD & The THUG!" in his solo tales that the idea of emulating the golden-tressed immortal from ASGARD recommended itself to me as having distinct playtime possibilities.  I'd like to be able to claim that I've matured since my childhood days, but to do so would be a lie.  When I espied an inexpensive toy replica of MJOLNIR in a shop a few years ago, I snapped it up immediately, and it now adorns the wall of the very room in which I type these words.

However, that's enough of my self-indulgent reminiscing; the time has now come to unleash upon you some of the early covers from Thor's stories in JOURNEY Into MYSTERY, first printed way back in the '60s.  Just think - MARVEL and JACK KIRBY at their very best!  Who could possibly ask for more?!

  

And for all those who are interested, here's my very own Mjolnir.  It definitely falls into the category of "Toys I wish I'd had when I was a kid!"  Hey, better late than never, eh?

MARVEL'S GREATEST SUPERHERO BATTLES...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

A whopping thirty-four years ago, I purchased the latest in the Mighty MARVEL series of ORIGINS books, which just happened to be MARVEL'S GREATEST SUPERHERO BATTLES.  This was a cracking book, featuring the tales you can see below.  Only the covers of the first issues of two or three-part adventures were reproduced, and in the case of the DOCTOR STRANGE saga, the cover from a '70s reprint, not the original '60s one.  However, unlike earlier volumes, the stories bore no clumsy alterations to mar the enjoyment of purists like myself.

Just look at all those great covers - especially the SILVER SURFER #4 by Big JOHN BUSCEMA.  A dozen blockbuster battles between the pages of one soft-bound omnibus.  Now that's what I call a book!

DICK'S MIGHTY DELIGHT...

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Here's another nice Christmassy image to gladden your hearts and make your spirits soar with the splendours of the Season. From the early 1980s, TV COMIC's very own MIGHTY MOTH in a bumper WINTER SPECIAL. I'm not 100% sure whether the accompanying strip comes from this particular issue or not, but who cares? It's another DICK MILLINGTON delight, and that's good enough for me!  

TV COMIC'S LAST CHRISTMAS...

Copyright relevant owner

Believe it or not, but you're looking at a genuine collectors' item classic - the very last Christmas edition of TV COMIC, a periodical which began in November 1951 and survived until June 1984.  If my basic arithmetic is correct, that means there were 33 Christmas issues over TV Comic's lengthy run, a feat not to be sneezed at.

Maybe I'm a little too soon with the Yuletide imagery, but as some of you are no doubt fretting over whether you'll be here after the 21st, I thought I'd steal a march and publish a Festive post early.  That way, if the world really does end in a few days, you'll at least go to your eternal rest with a smile on your face.  Yes, I know - I'm consideration itself.  What can I say?  That's just the sort of guy I am.

Hopefully, the pages that follow are actually from the above issue; I scanned them last year along with some other Christmas strips and my files are in a state of mild disarray at the moment, but I think I've got the right ones.  Not that it matters much, as you'll all be dead in four days time anyway.  Me?  I've got other plans.

The 2012 CHRISTMAS BEANO REVIEW...

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

Since The BEANO was 'relaunched' a few weeks ago, it's actually been quite funny at times, with a level of humour seemingly aimed at a wider age group, as opposed to the rather infantile kind purveyed to its readers over the last several years.  Maybe I'm imagining it of course, but the comic seems to have upped its game and, all in all, is a nice little package these days.  Saying that, I hadn't picked it up in ages before its 'new look', so perhaps it had already moved in that direction.

And so to the Christmas edition: £3.99, eight extra pages, and the usual pack of tat you could probably buy three-for-a-quid in a pound shop.  Why do they bother with this infuriating practice?  I'm sure even the most easily amused children would find it difficult to generate much enthusiasm for the rubbish contained within the bag the comic comes in.  If DCT are going to charge its readers twice the usual price, then give them twice the usual content.  A double-sized issue would have gone down a lot better than a pile of junk which will be lost, broken or discarded within a half-hour or so of opening.

Imagine a 72 page bumper Christmas Special, jam-packed with all your favourite strips to read at your leisure over the Yuletide period.  Sounds good to me, how about you?  Remember, you can currently buy the hard-backed BEANO Annual for 2013 for around £3 or less, so given the choice, what would you spend your money on?

Inside, the contents are fairly well-drawn for the most part, and even the normally under-whelming art of a former DESPERATE DAN cartoonist is less annoying than usual, although his interpretation of ROGER The DODGER is unconvincing and he still shouldn't be allowed to do his own lettering.  Let's just hope the appointment of former DANDY Ed to that of Beano editor doesn't presage the appearance of further strips by this particular artist and his ilk, otherwise I'm off.  Anyway, his puzzle pages are easy to ignore amongst actual comic strips by more accomplished artists, and don't prove to be too much of a distraction.

The FUNSIZE FUNNIES strips would benefit from being half- pages each, instead of single tiers, as it'd give the writers and artists more to work with.  These kind of strips are okay for newspapers, but they seem a bit of a wasted opportunity in a weekly comic.  Hopefully, those in charge will see the benefit of such an idea and institute some half-page strips in the future.

The comic actually looks more 'Christmassy' in its bagged state, as a few snowballs adorn the cover that way.  However, I miss the days when the look of freshly-fallen snow graced a comic's logo.  Christmas Editions somehow don't seem complete without such a long-established nod to the traditions of the Season.

The Verdict?  Overpriced at just short of four quid.  £2.99 would've been a more reasonable figure, but that apart, worth buying - even if only to support the last original U.K. humour comic on the market.

Agree?  Disagree?  Not sure?  Just want to see your name in print?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

"EVERYONE SING HIS NAME..."

Copyright CLASSIC MEDIA/EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS

RUPERT BEAR was created by MARY TOURTEL and appeared for the first time in The DAILY EXPRESS on November 8th, 1920.  15 years later, ALFRED BESTALL took the daily newspaper mascot to even greater heights of glory, working on the strip until he retired from it in 1965.  However, he continued to draw the covers to the Annuals until 1973 (for '74) and apparently occasionally contributed to the character in some way right up into his 90s.

Although I was aware of the famous British bear, it wasn't until browsing through an old Rupert Annual in a dentist's waiting room in the late '70s or very early '80s that I found myself transfixed by the art and the magical atmosphere it conjured up.  Then in the late '80s, when I was regularly posting work to IPC Magazines in London, post office workers (seeing that I was involved in 'publishing') would continually ask me if I knew the Rupert Bear artist who also often posted work from the same branch.  I had to admit I didn't.

 

However, one day when I was in Glasgow's AKA Books & Comics, co-owner JOHN McSHANE introduced me to JOHN HARROLD, the artist in question.  He'd been living in my home town for quite some time looking after his mother-in-law when she was sadly dying from cancer.  We both found ourselves on the same train back home and it transpired that John actually resided only a few minutes down the road from my house.  Despite John's repeated invitations to visit him sometime, I never managed to get 'round to it (I was a busy boy back in those days) and a couple of years later, John moved, first to London (I think) and then shortly thereafter to France.

It's strange to think that the then-current Rupert artist lived just a short walk down the street from me.  Small world, eh?  Anyway, it's the work of Alfred Bestall we're looking at today, featuring art from the pages of the 1949 Annual.  I decided to publish these wonderfully evocative examples because they're so apropos of the season.  They just exude the kind of Christmas that I fancy I remember from my long-ago boyhood, although perhaps it's more a case of how I want to remember things rather than how they actually were.  Then again, perhaps not.

 

Regardless, I hope that you enjoy looking at them.  If you have any fond recollections of Rupert from your own childhood, feel free to share them in the comments section.     

The END Is NIGH...

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

According to what some people are currently saying, based on ancient Mayan prophecies, the end of the world is nigh.  Well, personally, I don't buy it - not yet, anyway.  However, I can understand how people could be misled into thinking that such was the case.  The world - as you and I both know it - is essentially 'expiring' at an alarming rate, what with the steadily-increasing deaths of celebrities we grew up with (or their once-good reputations tarnished beyond repair), the advance of technology, the change in society's habits - and, last but not least - the death of The DANDY.

 

Yeah, I know what you're thinking: "You cannot be serious!"  However, it seems to me, and to those of a similar age, that the world today is far different to the one we grew up in.  And remember, we grew up with radio, colour television, the telephone, computer games, video recorders, space travel, etc., so we were hardly in the stone age.  With the demise of The Dandy, it's one more nail in the coffin for the world with which we (that is, my contemporaries and I) were once so familiar.

 

Every Christmas, toys such as ACTION MAN, LEGO, MECCANO, AIRFIX, CORGI, DINKY, MATCHBOX, etc., to choose from; truckloads of colourful, sturdy Annuals on sale, Yuletide numbers of seemingly innumerable, favourite comic weeklies - essential elements which flavoured our very experience of the Season and gave it the magic which we so fondly remember.  I hope that the children of today will look back in adult years on their childhoods and remember them with equal fondness, but I have a hard time believing that they could ever be as magical as my own.  Yeah, I know - I'm sure that every generation thinks the same.

Every time someone dies, the world for them has effectively ended (natch), so it shouldn't be such a difficult prospect for the rest of us to come to terms with.  However, this year, with just one remaining British comic of yesteryear left standing, it really does seem that the world we once knew is coming to an end.  The CHRISTMAS BEANO is going to feel mighty lonely this year as it peeks out from newsagents' shelves.  Will it even be here in December 2013?

Welcome to my world.  It's dead, Jim!  (Or very nearly.)  Anyway, on that cheerful note, enjoy reading the above Christmas cover stories from a time when the world of comics was in far better shape than it is today.  (Not to mention far more recognizable to people of my age group.)