JAMES BOND 007 TRAILERS...

Like JAMES BOND?  Of course you do -

doesn't everybody?  Thought you might like to
see the trailers - they're a little slice of history.

BABE Of The DAY - VALERIE PERRINE...

VALERIE PERRINE made a big impression

on me in the first two SUPERMAN films back in

the late '70s and early '80s.  I don't recall ever seeing

her in anything else, but so long as she's a babe (and

she is), she rightfully deserves a place on Crivens'

 world-famous BABE Of The DAY feature.

DOCTOR WHO IN TV COMIC - PART FIVE...

Copyright BBC TV.  Art by NEVILLE MAIN

Bet you thought I'd forgot, but no sirree, not me, not ever.  Here are the final pages which complete DOCTOR WHO's first ever comic strip, first seen in TV COMIC #s 685-687, cover-dated January 23rd to February 6th 1965, and as coloured for DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC COMICS #2, published by MARVEL U.K. in 1993.

These tales were simple and unsophisticated, but TV Comic was a children's periodical after all, and no doubt did what it was designed to do - which was to entertain kids in their many thousands.  The good Doctor jumped ship over to COUNTDOWN/TV ACTION in 1971, before jumping back on board TV Comic in '73, where he stayed for six more years.  In 1979, he got his own comic when Marvel U.K. published DOCTOR WHO WEEKLY, which, in monthly form, is still being published today.

But let us now return to an earlier era, when the Doctor was still a white-haired mysterious stranger, whose history was unknown and whose future was uncertain. Nobody could have guessed he would still be around today, over 50 years later. Enjoy!

BABE Of The DAY - CINDY CRAWFORD...

Two words - CINDY CRAWFORD. 

(That's all you need - honest.)

TV COMIC'S MIGHTY MOTH...

Copyright relevant owner

Seeing as how you've all been particularly well-behaved recently, here are the final two MIGHTY MOTH strips from the TV COMIC Annual for 1968.  Artist (and writer) DICK MILLINGTON had a pleasing style which served the strip well for the duration of its run, and many a modern-day cartoonist could do worse than take a leaf out of his book as to how to tell a story in a simple, straightforward, effective and - just as importantly - funny way.

(I'm surprised that, in the final panel of the strip below, Mighty Moth didn't mention dad's teeth looking even more like piano keys now, but perhaps Dick was just avoiding the obvious joke.)

HOW TO TELL A LIE WITH THE TRUTH...

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends..."  For any of you who don't like controversy, or are bored with having read about this subject before, you can skip this post 'til one more suited to your tastes comes along. 

******

Regular readers may recall one of my SCHOOLTIME SCANDALS posts (here), wherein I related the true tale of the time I found a paintbrush in my schoolbag in art class one day.  In a nauseating CYRIL SWOT type attempt to draw attention to my integrity, I informed the teacher of my discovery.  At the end of the lesson, more paintbrushes were found to be missing (found to be missing - is that a contradiction in terms?) and the head art teacher was sent for.  While informing him of the vanished brushes, the teacher said "A brush has already been found in Gordon Robson's schoolbag!"

Now, strictly speaking this was true, but by not mentioning that it had been I who'd found and reported it, a falsehood was implied.  Whether it had been inadvertent or otherwise, the suggestion was that I'd stolen a paint- brush.  It may not have been her intention, but it was certainly the result.  At least for a few seconds until I interjected and explained the circumstances of the discovery to the head teacher.

So, what do you call someone who deliberately misstates a 'truth' (as in something that is 'technically' true, but does not convey the actual, factual circumstances involved) for the purpose of creating a negative impression about someone with the sole intention of impugning their character?  Would you regard that person as honest or honourable, or say that they had morals and integrity - or simply describe them as a lying b*st*rd?

And so, Crivvies, I return yet again to something I've referred to a few times before in previous posts.  Here's the READER'S DIGEST version: I joined a comics forum, which some members objected to from the start as, presumably, they took issue with my forthright views on many of today's comics as expressed on my own site.  A forum moderator, who was, hypocritically, a member of my blog, was one of those not happy about me being allowed to join and wanted to ban me from the off.  The site owner, who seems to be a decent and honourable man, advised me of this - and several facts - in a few email communications between us.

He admitted that I was being baited by certain members and that it should have been nipped in the bud from the start.  He admitted that it appeared that one person in particular was being given 'inside info' about certain things by one of the moderators.  He admitted that warnings given to me by the moderator who wanted to ban me (when the owner was away for a few days and had no knowledge of what was happening) should never have been issued.

Furthermore, when I resigned from the forum, the owner, who freely concedes that his moderator banned me after I'd gone (on the stated grounds that I'd 'left the forum') invited me to rejoin, and has since said that he never wanted me banned and found my posts interesting and informative.  I can only speculate as to why he allowed his moderator's knee-jerk, after-the-fact ban to stand, but it seems to me that, as I'd left and declined to rejoin, he saw little point in overriding his moderator's redundant action (after all, I was gone anyway), imposed in nothing more than a petulant venting of spite.

Therefore, for a certain person, in his repeated attempts to malign me, to simply claim that I was banned from this forum, and that he has an email from the site owner confirming this, completely misrepresents the facts of the case.  The site owner may have confirmed that his moderator banned me (after I'd resigned, remember), but it was a ban that the same site owner didn't agree with or instigate, otherwise he wouldn't have invited me to rejoin.  Bear that in mind when you're reading the blatantly dishonest spin that a certain blogger seeks to impose on events.  That's what I call "childish spite"!

Incidentally, it is not my intention to suggest for a moment that the site owner was displaying any kind of bias in my favour; as far as I can tell he is completely impartial in the matter, but being an honourable man, he was simply being frank and honest in response to points I'd raised and questions I'd asked in our email discussion of events.

Right!  Hopefully this is the final time that I'll have to address this particular matter, but time will tell - as it has a habit of doing.  I have now irrefutably demonstrated that the blogger concerned has distorted the truth in his version of events and now stands exposed as the wilful manipulator of the facts that he is.  In short, a liar!

SIXTH And FINAL PART Of The THING COVER & SPLASH PAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

No point in padding this post out with pointless preamble that you probably already know, so I'll just let the pulsating piccies speak for themselves.  Worth a thousand words, remember?  Go to it!

BABE Of The DAY - ANN-MARGRET...

She rocked with ELVIS and FRED

FLINTSTONE, making her one red-hot

babe in my book.  Stoop and stare in awe at

this amazing amazon - ANN-MARGRET.

(Now where'd I stash my drool cup?)

NOW THIS IS FUNNY - MIGHTY MOTH...

Copyright relevant owner

DICK MILLINGTON wrote and drew the MIGHTY MOTH strip which appeared in TV COMIC for just over a staggering 25 years, from his first appearance in 1959 right up 'til his last one in the final issue in '84.  I suspect that for quite a few years (and perhaps even longer), the strips were reprints, but ol' MM is one of the longest-lasting characters in British comics.  (Or at least he was up until 30 years ago.)   He's certainly one of the best-remembered ones.

The above strip should serve to demonstrate why.  (Here's a clue - it's just plain funny!)  

The THING COVER & SPLASH PAGE GALLERY - PART FIVE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

JOHN BYRNE did his best, but The THING's solo mag failed to set the comicbook world on fire and fizzled out after 36 issues.  Perhaps if he'd drawn it himself as well as writing it, it may have had a longer run, but there's no guarantee of that.  I continued to buy it from start to finish, but apart from the occasional ish, there was really nothing memorable about the series.  Having said that, it's still worth looking back on as an example of what comics were like back in the early to mid '80s, art-wise.

Anyway, enjoy this glimpse into yesterday and, if you like what you see, be sure to come back for the sixth and final part - coming soon, on this, the finest blog you're ever likely to read - whenever you've absolutely nothing better to read, that is.

  

PART TWO OF CLASSIC COMICS: COUNTDOWN #1...

Contents copyright relevant and respective owners

As promised, here's the second part of COUNTDOWN #1 for all you Crivs to drool over.  If you caught part one, you now have the complete issue of this collectors' item classic.  I could drone on and on, giving you some background to the comic, but why bother?  If you're interested, you can buy STEVE HOLLAND's new book, COUNTDOWN TO TV ACTION, which you can read more about by clicking here.  (Better be quick though - it's a limited edition.)

Feel free to share any memories of Countdown/TV Action you have if you bought the comic back in the day.  Which version did you prefer - the GERRY ANDERSON orientated one, or the revamped, wider-based TV adventure comic?  Let us all know.

BABE Of The DAY - LEE MERIWETHER...

When it comes to CATWOMAN,  I have to admit to nursing divided loyalties with regard to whom I prefer as the feline filly.  JULIE NEWMAR was magnificent in the role, but I've a soft spot in my heart for the equally impressive LEE MERIWETHER, who stepped into Miss Newmar's kitty-cossie for the 1966 BATMAN movie.  You can see my problem, Julie or Lee?  In a perfect world I could have both of them.  Hey, what am I talking about?  I do have both - and so do you!  For the moment though, you'll have to be content with just Lee.  The delectable Julie will be our babe at a later date.

MORE MIGHTY MOTH...

Copyright relevant owner

I love MIGHTY MOTH.  Surely every right-thinking comics reader feels the same in regard to the diminutive lepidopteran, who appeared in the pages of TV COMIC for just over 25 years.  DICK MILLINGTON created, wrote and drew the strip (which appeared for the first time in issue #384, cover-dated June 14th 1959), and the formula was pretty much the same as ODHAMS' (and later IPC's) FRANKIE STEIN, in that 'dad' was always trying to rid himself of his unwanted 'house guest'.

Anyway, in my efforts to share my comic strip treasures with all you panting panelologists, here are another two Mighty Moth escapades from the TV Comic Annual for 1968, to give you a chuckle or three and lighten and brighten your day.