MY-O-MY! MAGNIFICENT MIGHTY MARVEL MADNESS CURRENTLY OR SOON-TO-BE ON SALE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Note the 'Jack Kirby' -style Giant-Man hand

For all you Merry Marvel Maniacs, the good news is that #1 of AVENGERS UNIVERSE goes on sale on June 19th, in a big 100 page super special debut issue.  I'll certainly be buying it - what about you?  And on July 3rd, The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL relaunches with the first issue of volume five - again, in a 100 page mega-huge ish.  MWOM has been running for around eleven years, which means that PANINI's incarnation of the title has outlived any previous Marvel U.K. version, including the original weekly comic from the '70s.

Makes sense with a Guardians movie due out, but I always found them pretty underwhelming

Sharp-eyed readers may've noticed I had a letter published in #61 (last month), which was an edited reworking of one I'd first had printed way back in 1977 in #226 (volume one).  However, I felt that the subject was still relevant and I wanted to write it the way it should have been written way back in '77.  Unfortunately, in rephrasing the first line, I inadvertently left in a word I'd meant to delete, describing Marvel as "...the world's largest and most popular comic publishing company in the world", instead of "...the largest and most popular comics publishing company in the world".  I'll try again in another 37 years.

H'mm, I dunno - the middle character seems a little small to me.  And Giant-Man doesn't
seem too much of a giant in relation to the supposedly small-statured Wolverine

I still buy the mag regularly, but DAREDEVIL is the only strip I actually bother reading as it's an absolutely gripping story at the moment.  While flicking through the rest of this month's ish (above), I was dismayed to see a couple of examples of what appeared to be same-sex kissing (I'm unfamiliar with the characters involved) and can only thank my lucky stars that I grew up in an age when these kind of subversive and one-sided attempts at brainwashing youngsters didn't exist.  (Feel free to disagree.)

Anyway, here are a few other Mighty Marvel Mags currently on sale.  I don't buy all of them myself, but you can feel entirely free to do so.  (No, I'm not on commission.)

"PROPHECY!" FAVOURITE COMICS Of The PAST - PART TWENTY-NINE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I'm sure I meant to do a post on this ish of DAREDEVIL a while ago and thought I actually had, but I can't find it anywhere on the blog.  Therefore, there's a chance I'm repeating myself here, but this is a comic that's worth it.  I bought this ish in Portsmouth in 1985 and recognised it as a classic from the off!  Great story (by DENNY O'NEIL at his finest) and great art (by DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI), it's an object lesson on how comicbooks should be done.  The plot weaves an incident from the past into the present and is done with such consummate skill that it seems not the slightest bit far-fetched. 

Whenever I look at this comic I can't help but think of my bedsit in Shearer Road in Fratton and a big plate of egg & chips in EVE'S CAFE at the bottom of Albert Road in Southsea.  In fact, I think I'll revisit yesteryear by pouring myself a large glass of milk and re-reading this classic tale one more time.  You must excuse me, but the past beckons and I can never resist its call.

If you don't already have this one in your collection, you really should track down a copy on eBay right away.

MINNIE The MOOCHER...

I'm sure every Criv's heard MINNIE The

MOOCHER by CAB CALLOWAY - but just

how many have heard DANNY KAYE's version?

Listen to him throw his 'audience' a curve-ball in

 this fantastic rendition.  Great stuff indeed.

BOO BOO, RUN AND GET RANGER SMITH - SOMEONE'S GOT THEIR HAND UP MY BUM!

Regular readers will know that I'm a big YOGI BEAR fan who collects all sorts of merchandise related to the bampot bruin.  So when I saw this glove puppet on eBay recently, I had to have it - especially as it was going for just a little over a couple of quid.  Yogi's nose was a bit spiky and he was bereft of collar and tie (though he may not have had them to begin with), but that didn't stop me fixing things to my satisfaction.  The result?  See below.  I'm smarter than the average blogger!

FINAL PART Of CADET DALEKS SWEET CIGARETTE CARDS From The '60s...

Copyright BBC TV and the Estate of TERRY NATION

At long last we've reached the end of our journey at the side of DOCTOR WHO in his quest on behalf of The DALEKS, on which we commenced over a year ago.  As you'll recall, these cards were made by CADET, a confectionery company who manufactured sweet cigarettes in the mid-1960s for the purpose of luring Britain's impressionable youngsters into the evil habit of smoking by weaning them on candy-flavoured counterfeits until they were old enough to start on the real thing.

As an extra-added bonus I've included one of the two boxes which housed the cards and confectionary, so that your collection is as complete as I can manage.  Just look at that last card - can you imagine such a scene happening in the famous BBC TV SF serial? It's just like the final panel in an IPC BILLY BUNTER comic strip. Of course, the 'real' Daleks would've exterminated the Doc once he'd served his purpose, the naughty but loveable little rascals.

So - that's one journey completed.  Let's see what others await us in future posts and we'll traverse them together!

******

Read the back of card #49 - "Why was not Dr. Who destroyed?"  What's wrong with "Why was Dr. Who not destroyed?"  These cards read as if a Dalek wrote them (or YODA from STAR WARS).

    

MARVEL SUPERHEROES COVER & IMAGE GALLERY - PROLOGUE...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

As a little taste of what's in store, here's a teaser for an upcoming cover gallery I'm planning.  I no longer have every issue of MARVEL SUPERHEROES, but I have enough to get a few posts out of them.  Take a look at The WONDERFUL WORLD Of MARVEL feature by DEZ SKINN somewhere below.  The cover to MWOM #1 appears to have been reproduced from an actual published comic (as does the centrespread), but, interestingly, it bears the legend Reg TM and (c) Marvel Comics Group 1972, whereas the copies I have all say Reg TM and (c) 1972 Magazine Management London Ltd.  So was the one available to Dez for his article a 'dummy', or one from an early try-out printing which was changed at some stage before the finished comic was published?

Another one of life's little mysteries to puzzle and perplex us.  Anyone know the answer?

MOOD INDIGO...

One of my favourite vocal groups is The MILLS
BROTHERS - here's why.  Click that link, man!

BLOWING MY OWN TRUMPET DEPT...

Dustjacket in protective sleeve

Behold - a copy of The Wind In The Willows I purchased via eBay a few months back.  A stock photo of the book - with a dustjacket - was used to advertise the tome, but the copy I received was without one.  Upon studying the small print of the original listing, I noticed  it said that the condition of books may vary and may not have dustjackets, which annoyed me as I'm of the opinion that photographs used to advertise an item should portray the actual one for sale.  (Or at least one of a similar condition and appearance.)

Anyway, it was a nice little volume (see pic below), so rather than moan about things I decided to create my own dustjacket.  I wanted to use the cover illustration originally used for this particular edition (Scribner's, 1960) so I scanned the dustjacket of a centenary edition (Atheneum, 2008) and used computer technology to remove any references to its anniversary status from the cover and inside jacket notes.  The cover I scanned was from a different-sized book so it wasn't quite so straightforward as it sounds, but with a bit of trial and error I eventually produced a result I was happy with.

So, being proud of my handiwork, I thought I'd share it with you here so that you can all tell me how creative and multi-talented I am.  Obviously you don't have to mean it, I just like to read paeans of praise exalting me to the heavens.  Doesn't everybody?

        

The book as I received it

The SUPER HEROES COVER & IMAGE GALLERY - PART THREE...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Here we are again with the next part of The SUPER HEROES cover gallery, for which you've all been wishing your very lives away.  Just look at the above image - an absolute stoater, wouldn't you say?  Okay, perhaps it's not clear exactly where the Kryptonian bad guys are aiming their heat vision, but that aside, it's a belter.  One of the best pieces of artwork featuring the late CHRISTOPHER REEVE I've ever seen, as well as being a ruddy good painting in its own right. 

However, that's enough chit-chat from me - I'll let you get on with savouring the iconic images awaiting your attention.  And don't forget to return for part four.  You'd hate to miss it!