PART FOUR Of TV21'S STAR TREK - By MIKE NOBLE...

Copyright relevant owner

Looking at the above cover, I'm reminded I was still occasionally buying TV21 at the time, but - MIKE NOBLE's artwork apart - the comic was really a pale imitation of what it had been in its heyday.

It's actually rather sad to see just how much it had deteriorated in quality and originality.  Nothing really distinguished it from other boys' periodicals which were available at the time, and, in some ways, it was a poor imitation of its competitors.  It was really only the inclusion of TV's STAR TREK which made it worth buying.

If I remember correctly, when it merged with VALIANT, only Star Trek and The TUFFS Of TERROR ISLAND made it into the combined title, demonstrating that it had little to offer apart from faded memories of happier times and far better days. And, of course, the acquisition of a (steadily declining) readership to give Valiant a temporary boost.

However, let's not depress ourselves by focussing on the negative.  Instead, rather, let's enjoy the positive aspects of the comic - such as the fantastic art you see before you.

Final Part coming soon!  In fact, it's here.  And if you dropped in halfway through and would like to start at the beginning, click here. 

******

Did you buy the new series of TV21 back in the late '60s/ early '70s?  Think I'm being a little harsh in my assessment, or do you, too, think that the comic was well past its sell-by date?  Feel free to share your views in the comments section.

  

SUPER SUNDAY SPECIAL: RON TURNER'S THUNDERBIRDS...

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To readers of a certain age, RON TURNER is perhaps best known as the artist who drew close to half of the 104 DALEKS strip on the last page of TV CENTURY 21 back in the '60s.  He also did far more than that, though - illustrating such strips a RICK RANDOM, WONDER CAR, FIREBALL XL5, STINGRAY, THUNDERBIRDS, etc.  He even drew STAR TREK and JUDGE DREDD in his long and illustrious career, and illustrated many book covers and magazines.

Kids from the '50s to the '80s enjoyed Ron's dynamic and instantly recognizable style, and I'm sure that their childhoods were all the more fun for exposure to the rich and varied material that this truly talented artist produced for for their entertainment and reading pleasure.

Here, from the 1967 TV21 THUNDERBIRDS SPRING EXTRA, is a 6 page story featuring the gripping adventures of INTERNATIONAL RESCUE!  And there's more like this still-to-come, o frantic follower of comic strip fashion - so stay tuned.  You'll just kick yourself if you miss any of the upcoming goodies still in store.

BATMAN: YEAR ONE...

Copyright DC COMICS

I've just watched the animated version of BATMAN: YEAR ONE, based on FRANK MILLER & DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI's four-part comic series of the same name, and I have to say that it's pretty good.  I got mine in HMV for a measly £4.99 - so if you've got a fiver to spare, you could do worse than to spend it on this neat little DVD about the first year in the 'career' of GOTHAM CITY's Darknight Detective.

(There's also a boxed set for under £12 which, as well as this movie, contains another 3 or 4, including MASK OF THE PHANTASM.)

  

MIKE NOBLE'S STAR TREK - PART THREE...

Copyright relevant owner

No point keeping you in suspense over what happens next in the TV21 STAR TREK comic strip from 1970, so here's the beautifully illustrated third episode by MIKE NOBLE for you to salivate over.  The next two instalments are front cover three-pagers that you won't want to miss, so be sure to keep your peepers peeled for future posts.  (You know it makes sense.)

Click here for Part Four.

  

KULL The TREE-WRESTLER...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CPI

While we're looking at big, brave, bold barbarians, let's take a little peek at this KULL The CONQUEROR classic from CONAN The BARBARIAN #10.  There's no point in me wittering on about it in my usual long-winded way - quality of this sort always speaks for itself.

BARBARIANS ON THE LOOSE - KULL COVER GALLERY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CPI.
Cover by Ross Andru, Sal Buscema & Marie Severin

I still remember the (long-gone) newsagent's where I first bought the above issue of KULL The CONQUEROR, can yet recall perusing its pages on the walk home on that sunny Saturday morning back in 1972 or '73.  Funnily enough, I think that's the only issue I ever read (or even saw) until they were reprinted in SAVAGE SWORD Of CONAN, a U.K. weekly published in 1975.  Sadly, it only lasted for 18 issues.

Almost a decade later, I obtained a replacement for that 1st ish, and acquired subsequent issues over a period of 15 years or more.  The art in #1 was by ROSS ANDRU & WALLY WOOD, with ace siblings MARIE & JOHN SEVERIN illustrating #s 2-9, and Marie & FRANK CHIARAMONTE on #10.

Number 11 saw MIKE PLOOG take over the art chores as the mag changed direction and title, being renamed KULL The DESTROYER.  One day I may decide to collect the remainder of the series, but until then, allow me to share the covers of these magnificent MARVEL mags with you here.  (Update: Acquired the Kull Omnibus in October 2022, which contains every Marvel Kull tale from the '70s.)

Cover by Marie & John Severin

Cover by John Severin.  This tale was published between #s 2 & 3

Cover by John Severin

Cover by John Severin

Cover by John Severin

Cover by John Severin

Cover by John Severin

Cover by John Severin

Cover by Marie & John Severin

Cover by Marie & John Severin

Cover by Mike Ploog

BONUS: Below, Kull's first Marvel Comics appearance in CREATURES On The LOOSE #10, cover by HERB TRIMPE & MARIE SEVERIN, interior art by BERNI WRIGHTSON.

EXTRA BONUS: Below, LIN CARTER's THONGOR Of LEMURIA - cover drawn by JIM STERANKO, interior art by VAL MAYERIK & VINCE COLLETTA.

CONAN CLASSIC COVER GALLERY...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS and CPI

The above dramatic cover takes me back in time, I must say.  Purchased from the basement comics department in the Glasgow Virgin Mega-Store in 1994, I had it with me when I met legendary entertainer BOB HOPE (for the second time) after his show in the City's Royal Concert Hall at the top of Buchanan Street.  This was the only issue left, so as it's dated the actual month I bought it, it would've likely gone on sale around March.

Perhaps my ol' memory is playing tricks on me, but I seem to recall that it was in this very issue that I first learned of the then-relatively recent death (in February) of JACK KIRBY, though I was buying quite a few MARVEL mags fairly regularly at that period and should already have read of the sad event.

Of course, it could be that I was simply re-reading something of which I was already aware, but the BULLPEN BULLETINS announcement of the "King's" demise - along with a JOE SINNOTT illustration of The THING - made quite an impression on me, so I tend to associate the comic, Kirby's death and Bob Hope's concert with that one particular night on a pleasant June evening in Glasgow City Centre almost 20 years ago.

There's something else which is significant about this issue - the entire 11 issue series, in fact - and that is, as far as I'm aware, it was the last time that Marvel Comics reprinted the '70s BARRY (WINDSOR) SMITH classic tales of the Cimmerian mercenary, CONAN The BARBARIAN (in colour anyway). 

So, come with us now, back to the dark days between the sinking of Atlantis and the dawn of recorded history.  Come with us to the raw, untamed world of - CONAN CLASSIC!

******

(To read the above issue, click here.) 

And, just to complete the Cimmerian circle, here's the original cataclysmic cover to Conan The Barbarian #1 from 1970, which I own.

BATMAN... AND THE RINGER!

BATMAN copyright DC COMICS.  Art by WALTER HOWARTH

Here's another 'errant' part of my childhood recently returned to the fold.  I managed to pick it up on eBay for a mere couple of quid and can now place it alongside #2, which I re-acquired 32 years ago from a shop in Gosport to replace the one I had as a youngster.  At this rate, I'll need to live for another couple of hundred years or so to have any hope of completing the set.

Should you be interested in reading my reminiscence of when I first owned these collectable little BATMAN books back in the '60s, click here.

PART TWELVE Of MWOM COVER GALLERY - With CLASSIC TALE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Only one issue of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL this time around, but what an issue it is.  Containing the STAN LEE & STEVE DITKO tale, "I USED TO BE... HUMAN!", this classic was worth the cost of 5 pence by itself back in 1973 - and then some.  I've posted this story before, from the 1968 FANTASTIC annual, but that version's text had been slightly revised in places.  Not so with this presentation, which is exactly as Stan typed it and ARTIE SIMEK lettered it.  (The panels were slightly cropped, however, to fit the different U.K. page dimensions.)

There's no point in me saying "enjoy" - how can you fail to?