MOFFAT TO DEMATERIALIZE - NOT BEFORE TIME...

Hooray!  STEVEN MOFFAT's leaving DOCTOR WHO!  From penning some of the best episodes under RUSSELL T. DAVIES' tenure, he went on to oversee (and write) some of the most self-indulgent geek-fests the programme's ever been prone to.  My one reservation about his replacement, CHRIS CHIBNALL, is that he's also a long-time Doctor Who fan, which means he may likewise aim the programme at the anoraks, instead of a wider audience as RTD did when it was revived in 2005.

I'm hoping that PETER CAPALDI stays with the show for quite a bit longer.  He's been poorly-served by banal stories and prattling dialogue, so it would be good to see what he's capable of given some intelligent scripts, and plotlines which involve more than merely running through claustrophobic corridors with doors opening and closing behind and in front of either him or his companions.  What the programme needs is scripts of the quality of STAR TREK's 'CITY On The EDGE Of FOREVER'.

It would also be a very good idea to reintroduce some tension between the Doctor and his companion(s), of the kind that existed between the first Doctor and his original fellow travellers.  I found the over-familiarity of CLARA (and her predecessors), and the running banter 'twixt her and the Doctor (like that of a comedy double-act) extremely tedious.  The companion should always harbour some doubt about the Doctor, and perhaps even fear him a little.  We need that tension.

Remember when Clara slapped the Doctor?  Not only would there've been a stushie had that happened in reverse, it instantly robbed him of his authority and dignity - and all for the sake of a cheap laugh.  (Sadly, violence by women against men seems to be more acceptable on TV.  What a message to give out.)  He's a 1000-odd year-old time-traveller for goodness' sake - not a naughty little brother.  The Doctor should be held in awe and respect by the companions - with a fair serving of fear and suspicion as well.  That's the way to go.

So hopefully Capaldi will stick around and do the Doctor the way he should be done. Let's just hope he loses the sunglasses and the guitar though - these desperate attempts to be 'down wiv the kids' are simply ridiculous.  The show's played for laughs far too often - it's well-past time it returned to being serious drama.  And one thing I hope future writers will take on board is that not every story has to be SF-orientated (apart from the inclusion of the TARDIS, obviously - that's a given).

Here's a novel idea: How about a straight action-adventure or mystery tale set in the past?  Now that would make for an interesting change of pace, and may even reverse the declining viewing figures.

Okay, I'm now strapped into the stocks, and rotting fruit is available - fire away!

CONNECTIONS...

Our old house is the 2nd one from the left

Here's a post about nothing in order to give me something to write about.  When, in 1972, my family moved from our old house to the one in which I currently reside, a friend of my mother's (from our former neighbourhood) became friends with the woman with whom we'd swapped dwellings.  So not only did my mother's chum visit our new home, she also continued to visit our old one to see her new friend.  Given that she may well have gone from one house to the other in the same day, it strikes me that it sort of continued a connection between the two abodes.

What's more, our new next-door neighbour would often visit her old neighbour in our former house, again continuing a connection between both houses and neighbourhoods.  Not that I was aware of that thought at the time - it only really occurred to me relatively recently, and I find it strangely fascinating that my mother's friend would go from one house to the other with carefree abandon, never realizing that she provided a link between our old and new residences.  Is there anyone else who finds that thought as oddly and compulsively compelling as I do?

Nah, didn't think so, but at least it killed some time.

The DALEK & The DOCTOR?

Popped in briefly to a comic mart in my home town today and met one of my heroes, who kindly posed for a photo before exterminating latecomers.  H'mm, with a change of outfit, I think I'd make a great DOCTOR.  (Or do I just need one?)

THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

I'm generally a fan of SAL BUSCEMA's art, but this must be one of the worst drawings of The THING I've ever seen.  How did it ever get past editorial, by cracky?  The Thing - a midget?  If ever a drawing needed revision, then this is the one.  Who among your fave artists has ever had an 'art lapse'?  Tell us all about it, Criv-ite chums.

PART TWO Of MAD COMIC COVER GALLERY...

Images copyright DC COMICS

MAD was founded by HARVEY KURTZMAN and WILLIAM GAINES in 1952 under the EC COMICS imprint.  The former was editor, the latter publisher, and as told in part one, the first 23 issues were comicbook format, before switching to a magazine style with #24.  Although the changeover meant that Mad wasn't subject to the recently formed COMICS CODE AUTHORITY, the primary reason was in order to retain the services of Kurtzman as editor (who'd written most of the very first [comicbook] ish, as well as drawing some of the strips).  He stayed only for another year, paving the way for AL FELDSTEIN, who took the mag to even greater heights of glory.

Right, that's the historical bit out of the way, time for the good stuff.  Namely, another half dozen covers of manic Madness!

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - CAROLINE MUNRO...

"He's the man that I want!" says

lovely CAROLINE MUNRO, pointing

directly at me!  And who can blame her?

I'm a fine figure of a man and no mistake.

Gotta go now, the nurse has just brought

 my reality pill.)  Flibble-dibble.

CALVIN'S A COMICBOOK READER...

Who doesn't like CALVIN & HOBBES?  Then you're a weirdo!

MAD COMIC COVER GALLERY - PART ONE...

Images copyright DC COMICS

As I'm sure most of you will know, MAD Magazine started life as a comicbook in 1952.  Yup, for the first 23 issues, Mad was a comic just like any other, before switching to magazine format with its 24th number in 1955.  Interestingly, although most people tend to think that Mad Mascot ALFRED E. NEUMAN first appeared in the magazine incarnation, he actually made his debut in a mock ad on the cover of #21, when it was still a comic.  (Don't worry, you'll see it in part four of this series if you stick around.)

So fasten your seatbelts, you Mad Maniacs - we're off!

PART TWO Of KEN REID'S QUEEN Of The SEAS...

Copyright REBELLION

Back on May 1st last year, I promised you more of KEN REID's classic strip from SMASH!, namely QUEEN Of The SEAS.  I want to show them in sequential order, but that presents a slight problem.  Y'see, I've already shown the first part, which means that the next one due is the second.  However, that was included in my relatively recent post about Smash! #2, so what's a fella to do?  You'll just have to bear with me as I repeat myself, I'm afraid.  After all, Ken Reid's artwork is always worth another look.

AHHHH...

And if that doesn't bring a smile to your face, you must be dead.

RECOMMENDED READING: THE MIGHTY THOR EPIC COLLECTION VOLUME ONE...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here's another EPIC COLLECTION that belongs on your bookshelf (though you'll have to buy your own copy, you ain't getting mine) - The GOD Of THUNDER, otherwise known as The MIGHTY THOR.  In full-colour, containing 27 issues of JOURNEY Into MYSTERY, that's only three issues short of the b&w ESSENTIALS volume.  Superb stuff!

Nip 'round to your local comics shop before they're sold out!

BABE Of The DAY - PENELOPE CRUZ...

When I was a boy and regularly buying

TV21, I thought LADY PENELOPE's name

was pronounced 'Pen-eh-loap' - was I ignorant

or what?  One thing I do know, however, is that

this Penelope is most definitely a lady.  (Wrap

 her up nicely now - I'll take her with me.)

GARDENS Of The MIND...

I was passing my former house in an old neighbourhood yesterday and, acting on impulse, decided to 'catch a swatch' at the back garden.  I was saddened to see that the clothes poles and lawn were gone, and that the garden had been re-slabbed to cover the whole area.  It was a bit of a shock as the last time I'd seen it, it was pretty much as it had been in my day.

I'm glad I'd managed to get photographs of the garden back in 1988 and again in 1991, and preserved it as it used to be in the halcyon days of my childhood.  For 20-odd years after we'd flitted, the house and gardens (front and back) had remained mostly as I recalled them, but since then several significant changes have been made, and things as I'd known them are now a mere echo in the hallowed halls of history.

If I were ever to win the Lottery, I'd buy every house in which I've ever lived and restore them as much as possible to their former glory.  In a completely self-indulgent wallow in nostalgia, I thought I'd take another walk around my old garden and permit you to accompany me.  It wasn't much, but it was mine - and shall forever remain so in the mystic bands of memory.  Now, follow me - the past is this way.

******

Update:  Sadly, I now see that the outside 'cellar' has been demolished and replaced with what looks like an acrylic storage area.  It looks absolutely terrible and in no way improves the garden's appearance.  Why some people make such unnecessary and arbitrary alterations is beyond me.

PART FOUR Of LION'S ROBOT ARCHIE: The JUNGLE ROBOT...

Copyright REBELLION

From the pages of LION comes another two instalments of ROBOT ARCHIE, The JUNGLE ROBOT.  If there were any justice in the world (or a real comics industry in this country), we'd be reading brand-new Robot Archie adventures today - along with his U.K. comic chums like The SPELLBINDER, ADAM ETERNO, JANUS STARK, The SPIDER, KELLY'S EYE, and The STEEL CLAW.  You really should all start praying that I win the Lottery - then I could buy the rights to all these characters and start publishing them in new stories.

So just imagine that it happens - what do you think would be a good name for a new comic with all these greats from the past?  Leave your title suggestions in the comments section.  And don't forget to come back for part five in this super series.

BABE Of The DAY - ALIONA VILANI...

Hey, it's ALIONA VILANI -

 dance, woman, dance!

ATLAS/SEABOARD COMICS COVER GALLERY - PART SEVEN (THE B&W MAGS)...

Images copyright relevant owner

I first suspected that ATLAS/SEABOARD wasn't destined for longevity when I read an article in one of their b&w mags (at least, I think it was one of theirs) on The SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, featuring an interview with LEE MAJORS, star of the TV show.  He mentioned author MARTIN CAIDIN's book, 'SIDEBOARD', which made me do a double-take as the book was actually called 'CYBORG' - something I knew for certain 'cos I'd previously read it (and still own it today - or maybe it's OPERATION NUKE I have).  Obviously the article had been transcribed from a recorded interview (either by 'phone or in person), but with that kind of sloppy journalism, I figured that both the mag and the company were fated  for a short life.

Well, it gave me no pleasure to be proved right, and I'm certainly not crowing about it, but MARTIN GOODMAN was paying higher rates than other companies, so he was surely entitled to expect a far better standard than he was receiving in some cases.  Ten months after it had started, the age of Atlas came to an end.  Not so much an age, more of a moment.   They'd tried just a little too hard to look like MARVEL, and in so doing, failed to establish an identity of their own.  Would-be publishers would be wise to take note.

Hope you've all enjoyed this series of cover galleries looking back at the Atlas/Seaboard output, frantic ones.  If so, let's hear from you in the comments section.  Your appreciation is always appreciated.  (Why, that's almost profound.)