MARVEL ARTIST PAUL RYAN PASSES AWAY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I've just learned that Peerless PAUL RYAN, artist of The FANTASTIC FOUR and countless other comics, passed away on Sunday at the age of 66.  I was mainly aware of his work from the FF, and I consider his five-year run on the title to be right up there (art-wise) with JOHN BYRNE's - and he (Paul) drew the sexiest SUSAN STORM ever, bar none.

Another light gone out, alas, but we shall remember him.

BABE Of The DAY - JORDAN CARVER...

That's a nice dress JORDAN

CARVER is almost wearing.  I'm

not complaining, it's just I don't want

her to catch a cold.  (Or find a bicycle

parked in her cleavage.)

LOOPY LAPSES In LOGIC - FANTASTIC FOUR #8...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Okay, so you all know the story.  The PUPPET MASTER lures The THING into his clutches via one of his radioactive clay figures, and is then surprised to find that SUSAN STORM has also turned up in his lair, having invisibly followed Ben there to see where he was going in his trance-like state.

Noticing that his step-daughter ALICIA bears an uncanny resemblance to Sue, he gets her to impersonate The INVISIBLE GIRL and then sends her back to the BAXTER BUILDING with Ben - as a "little prank" he says - but why?  What does it achieve, other than to send his step-daughter into possible danger?

As he later reveals, he had the 'foresight' to create a puppet of Sue, so why not just put her under his control and send her back to the Baxter Building with Ben?  In fact, why even bother doing that?  Why didn't he just put all four of them under his power and have the FF come to his apartment, where he could destroy them at his leisure?  Or just have them 'top' themselves in their skyscraper headquarters?

H'mm, one thing's for sure.  I'm either giving the matter far too much thought, or STANLEY and JACKSON didn't give it enough.  Which do you think it's likely to be?  (Be gentle with me.)

KEN REID'S DARE-A-DAY DAVY From POW! - PART SIX...

Copyright REBELLION

Seeing as how you've all been so well-behaved recently, I thought I'd reward you with another DARE-A-DAY DAVY strip by KEN REID, so here it is - from POW! #7, cover-dated March 4th 1967 - a staggering 49 years ago!  As to whether these strips were really based on readers' ideas or not, I suspect that most of them were figments of the writer's imagination.  After all, each ish was prepared at least two months in advance, so the first eight issues were done and dusted before #1 even went on sale.

Was your idea ever used, or do you know of anyone who submitted one and won a pound for their efforts?  (I'm talking to much older Criv-ites, obviously.)  Interestingly, MARC JUNG, who was the assistant editor of BUSTER in the mid-'80s, once admitted to me that they made many of their letters up, as they simply didn't receive enough of them to fill a page.  Perhaps Pow! was the same.  Anyway, don't worry too much about that, just enjoy Ken Reid's art at its lunatic best!  See you next time.

JUST OUT OF REACH...

Okay, so I've played this one before, but who's

counting?  Frazzled nerves, too much stress in your

life?  Then get the headphones on and give this song

a listen - you'll feel far more relaxed at the end of it

than you did at the beginning.  Trust me.

SUE And ALICIA - PEAS In A POD...?

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

When the November-dated first issue of The FANTASTIC FOUR debuted in August of 1961, there was a suggestion that BEN GRIMM carried a torch (no pun intended) for his teammate SUSAN STORM.  That was repeated in FF #4, but I can't recall if there were ever any further examples between that fourth issue and the eighth, in which we were introduced to ALICIA MASTERS.

As you'll no doubt remember, Alicia unwillingly impersonates Sue, to whom she  fortuitously bears an uncanny likeness.  (And gasp at how quickly Alicia's step-father, The PUPPET MASTER, knocks up a duplicate costume.)  It's clear from JACK KIRBY's art that Alicia has her hair cut 'n' dyed to match Sue's, but STAN LEE's dialogue refers to it as a wig.  However, when Alicia pops up again later in the tale, although her hair is back to its natural colour, it's still styled after Sue's, which is shorter.

So, Ben might not win Sue's love, but he does end up with a Sue Storm lookalike, which is something I'd like to have seen explored to some degree.  Years later, in a back-up tale in FF #118, legendary writer ARCHIE GOODWIN revealed that, in an alternate universe somewhere, Ben actually did marry Sue, as, on that world, he was Mr. FANTASTIC, and REED RICHARDS was The THING.  So take heart  if you're a loser in this world - on an alternate one you may well be a winner!

Ain't it strange though, that no one ever referred to Sue and Alicia looking like twins after that one issue?  Just think what someone like ALAN MOORE would've done with that dangling plot-thread.  Who knows?  Maybe one day.

RECOMMENDED READING: FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS VOLUME THREE...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

Here's the latest addition to my OMNIBUS collection - the third volume of The FANTASTIC FOUR, containing #s 61-93 and Annuals 5-7.  Normally, I go for volumes featuring an original JACK KIRBY cover, but they were sold out, so I had to 'settle' for an ALEX ROSS alternate cover instead.  (I'll probably acquire a Kirby dustjacket at a later date.)

This volume reprints the four-part classic tale where The SKRULLS capture Ben Grimm, The THING, and take him to a planet modelled after the roaring 1920s & '30s in the USA during the period of Prohibition to fight in 'The Great Games'.  This was the last continued adventure under the helm of Kirby and STAN LEE, the remainder of their run consisting of single ish stories until Jack's final issue, #102.

Mighty Marvel Magic at its bombastic best!

(BOND) BABE Of The DAY - DIANA RIGG...

DIANA RIGG looks like she should

be delivering boxes of MILK TRAY after

jumping out of helicopters, or off tall cliffs,

evading sharks - and all sorts of spectacular

stuff.  (She wouldn't need to tempt me with

chocolates to succumb to her charms.)

 Yup, she certainly has 'M appeal'.

REFLECTIVE REPOST: WATCHING THE CLOUDS DRIFT BY...

Image copyright DC COMICS

I'm not 100% sure exactly what year it was - maybe 1969 or '70 - when the above comicbook first came into my possession, but some of the stories stuck in my mind from that point on.  It was a fellow by the name of GRAHAM BROWN, whose family lived in the house across the back lane from ours, who gave it to me along with some others - none of which I now recall, strange as it may seem.  (At least, not in relation to that particular day.)  What was it about this comic which etched itself in my memory?  Who can tell after all this time?  Certainly not me.

I remember the day was a sunny one.  I was sitting on a small rug on the path in my back garden, leaning against the door of the cellar in which I often sat when it rained, listening to drops pattering off the roof.  Not today though.  Today the sun shone brightly overhead, and on the far horizon I could see a famous Scottish mountain, purple against the blue sky, and white clouds drifting lazily by in the distance.  A faint hint of a balmy breeze gently blew on my face and hair, and it felt good merely to be alive without a care in the world.

My garden cellar.  'Twas the door on the right against which I sat

As I sat there, out came Graham with a pile of U.S. comicbooks and dropped them into my lap.  I can no longer recall if the comics were a gift freely given or exchanged for a heavily discounted monetary consideration.  Graham was a friend of my brother, so wouldn't have wanted to be seen exploiting his pal's younger sibling.  In fact, let's be charitable - let's just say he gave them to me because he'd read and was done with them.  That's more than likely the case.  And thus the day passed into history.

When I bought SUPERMAN From The '30s To The '70s in late 1972, I instantly recognised three stories from the 80 page giant: The CASE Of The FUNNY PAPER CRIMES, The MYSTERIOUS Mr. MXYZPTLK, and SUPERMAN, CARTOON HERO.  However, when I obtained a replacement copy of this issue a couple or so years ago, there was one adventure I didn't recall at all - WHEN SUPERMAN LOST HIS POWERS.  Some aspects from another tale, The EYE Of METROPOLIS, seemed vaguely familiar - but had I not seen it again first, I doubt the suggestion of memory would ever have occurred unprompted.

The very mountain in the distance - Ben Lomond

So why did I seemingly forget those two tales as opposed to the other three?  Was it because their splash pages weren't featured on the cover and therefore made less of an impression on me?  Or could it be that, not having appeared in the '72 Superman book, their previous association wasn't reinforced in my memory like the other strips were?  Perhaps it's simply the case that the stories weren't particularly memorable.  Guess I'll never really know for sure, but it's unlike me to forget two stories in one comic.

A picture, 'tis said, is worth a thousand words - it can also be worth many memories.  I only have to look at that cover and I'm once again a boy sitting out in my back garden, reading comics and occasionally watching the clouds drift by.  Oh, to be a lad again.

******

I'd give all wealth that years have piled,
The slow result of life's decay,
To be once more a little child
For one bright summer-day.

From "Solitude" by Lewis Carroll.  March 16th, 1853.

RECOMMENDED READING: BLACK WIDOW #1...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

If you enjoyed MARK WAID's and CHRIS SAMNEE's

run on DAREDEVIL, it's a pretty safe bet that you'll enjoy their

new mag, BLACK WIDOW, the first issue of which is in comic-

book shops even as I type these imperishable words.  So get your-

self 'round to your local store and grab a copy today.

RECOMMENDED READING: AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES: THE '50s TO THE '80s...

Copyright relevant owner

For those interested in the history of American comicbooks (notice that I render the term as one word, just like STAN LEE), this scintillating series of volumes by TwoMorrows Publishing sure hits the spot.  Lavishly illustrated, each book explores a different decade (with the swingin' '60s being accorded two tomes) from the '50s to the '80s.  A fascinating and illuminating look at the history of the medium, these five volumes are just what every true comicbook fan should have on his bookshelf.  (If he's got a bookshelf that is.)

Read the back covers for further details about each book.

The ORIGIN Of Dr. STRANGE...

Dr. STRANGE copyright MARVEL COMICS

Right, everybody, stop what you're doing and jump over to here for a riotous retelling of 'The ORIGIN Of Dr. STRANGE' drawn by PAUL SMITH and coloured by IAN SOKOLOWSKI.  There's no script, but as we're all familiar with the story, it makes no difference to our understanding of exactly what's going on.  Take a look at the colour pages, then scroll down to the b&w versions.  And thanks to Gerry for deciding to share them.

ONE TO WATCH FOR...

Click to enlarge, then click again for optimum size

BABE Of The DAY - ANGIE HARMON...

Beaming ANGIE HARMON

gives me a wave as she has a huge

crush on me.  Or she would've had if

she'd run me over with her Ferrari.

Luckily, I managed to jump out of

the way just in time.  Women -

 who can understand them?

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

Copyright REBELLION

From the pages of SMASH! #4, cover-dated February 26th 1966, comes another two pages of irrepressible KEN REID manic madness in the form of QUEEN Of The SEAS.  Just check out the detail in each panel - absolutely stunning!  I'd love to see them in colour, wouldn't you?  Some later episodes were in colour, but I'm talking about a more subtle colour, not the slightly overpowering kind that was used at the time, where all the outlines were in blue.

Anyway, whether in colour or black and white, it's always a thrill to see Ken Reid's art from a time when he was at the very top of his game.  Want to see more?  Then let me know, frantic ones!

A DIFFERENT KIND Of COMICS CODE...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

If American comics still operate the same way today as they've always done, the June cover-dated monthly mags will be coming out in March.  That said, there was usually a delay in the United Kingdom, before the advent of specialist comicbook shops speeded things up for the British consumer.  Forty years ago, I'm not quite sure when we'd have had access to mags bearing the month of June on them, but one thing I do know is that the bar-code box made its first comicbook appearance on all mags bearing that date.

Forty years!  I can hardly believe it, mainly because that little box still seems like a relatively recent interloper on the covers of my favourite comics.  Can it really be the case that it's now existed for the majority of my comics-buying life?  Tell me it isn't so.  You'd think that after all this time I'd be used to it, but no - it still leaps out at me like a spot at the end of someone's nose, demanding my undivided attention and preventing me from being able to properly focus on the actual cover art itself.  "Out, damn'd spot!  Out, I say!"

Forty years, eh?  I don't even feel like I'm old enough (most of the time) to have forty years behind me.  Yet for some strange reason, I find myself fervently hoping that I've got at least that length of time ahead of me.  If it passes half as fast as the previous forty, my life will be over before I even know it, a thought that affords me no pleasure.  Anyway, I'll try and be gracious and wish that little bar-code box a Happy 40th Birthday.  And from now on I'll try not to stare.  No point in making it self-conscious.

AMAZING FANTASY #15 - FACTS VERSUS FICTION...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

It's surprising just how many people still think that SPIDER-MAN was thrown into AMAZING FANTASY #15 because it was the last issue, just so that STAN LEE could get the character out of his system while assuaging MARVEL publisher MARTIN GOODMAN's reservations about the teenage hero by the fact that, hey, it was the mag's last ish, so what did it matter?

As you can see from the above lower cover caption box (and if that's not a contradiction-in-terms, I don't know what is), there was "An important message to you, from the editor - - about the new Amazing!"  And just what exactly was this message?  Read it below.  (Click to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.)

So there you go - AF #15 was never intended to be the last issue.  It was meant to be the first in a new direction for the mag, so clearly the decision to cancel it was made after it had been prepared for (or sent) to the printers, and maybe even after it had gone on sale.  (See the final caption below for further proof.)  When later recounting Spidey's debut, Stan remembered that it had appeared in the final ish of AF, joined two and two together - and came up with five.  Which is not to suggest that he set out to deceive, only that much of his 'reminiscence' belonged more properly to what he believed had most likely happened than what actually did.

Regular readers will be aware that I've covered this subject before, but this time I decided to include the actual pages to show that I ain't just whistlin' Dixie.  So, yeah, AF #15 was the last ish, but that's not why Spider-Man appeared in it.  Excelsior!

BABE Of The DAY - JORDAN CARVER (AGAIN)...

"How do you get into that dress?"

I asked JORDAN CARVER.  "Well,

buying me a large drink would be a good

start!" she replied, with a mischievous

 glint in her eye.  My kinda gal.

The ACT Of CREATION - FACT Or FICTION...?

As an occasional writer of poetry, I can tell you that only a very small proportion of them were about subjects I set out to write.  Although I'd sometimes decide on a poem's theme beforehand, the majority of my writings resulted from a line popping into my head from nowhere, then following its own course with not much direction or assistance from me.  My main contribution was to juggle some rhymes and then polish the finished poem into a composition that seemed to be the result of someone who'd had something specific to say and said it.

Thing is, someone will then ask what your inspiration or motivation was, and you find yourself relaying a perfectly convincing account of why you wrote what you did.  A poem about a fear of the dark?  Well, that was because you recognized that such a fear was common to a lot of people and you wanted to make a statement about it, and... blah, blah, blah!  It's only much later (if at all) that you may recall it was a random line that jumped into your head, and that you merely followed in its wake.  Honest, take my word for it - however ridiculous that may sound, that's often simply the way it is.

There's no conscious desire to deceive anyone over the origins of what you've written, but in being asked what your motivation was, your mind is misdirected into thinking that you had one, and it automatically produces a rationalization that seems entirely likely and reasonable.  If it isn't what actually happened, it should've been.  You even believe it yourself as you relate the creative genesis of your poem or story to your inquisitive enquirer.  You simply accept it as fact and it may never occur to you to question or doubt it.  Then, whenever you're asked about it in future, your mind goes into automatic mode and you trot out the same old story.

Which brings me to STAN LEE.  Where did he get the idea for SPIDER-MAN?  Did JACK KIRBY give him it, did he recall the '30s pulp hero The SPIDER, or was he inspired by watching an arachnid crawl up a wall and then decide to base a comic strip on a character with spider powers?  I don't think even Stan remembers for sure.  I think it's not unlikely that, when asked years later what had prompted the idea, his memory searched itself for a logical explanation and produced one which seemed the most probable.  And you know what?  It may even be the true one, with a little creative embellishment to make it more interesting.

I don't believe Stan has ever consciously lied in an attempt to steal credit for other folk's creations.  I think that he genuinely believes his accounts of the origins of MARVEL COMICS and, like I say, they may well be true.  If his version of events has occasionally strayed from historical fact, it's likely due only to the fickleness of memory and its ready capacity to construct order and reason for that which is often the result of sudden, random impulse and not the deliberate and controlled act of conscious creative endeavour. 

What think the rest of you?        

RECOMMENDED READING: DK III - THE MASTER RACE...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Here's a new title I think you'll like, Criv-ites.  DARK KNIGHT III - The MASTER RACE, by - well, you can see the talent listed on the covers of the first three issues on show here.  Each ish contains a separate mini-comic, connected to the main tale, but best read after it.  I don't know which version of the DC Universe this story takes place in (I haven't been buying DC titles for quite a few years now), but it's shaping up into an intriguing and compelling epic.  Money to spend?  Then give this titanic title a try-out, Criv-ite comic chums!

      

THE ASTONISHING SNIDER-MAN...

This is a page I drew a few years ago, based on the splash page of AMAZING FANTASY #15.  PETER PORKER is based on an actual person in Glasgow who lives up to his comic counterpart's name.  I'll have to try and finish this strip one day - there's a story that's worth the telling.  In the meantime, have a chuckle or two at this parody page.

BABE Of The DAY - JORDAN CARVER...

Only thing I know about

JORDAN CARVER is she's

stunning - but it's more than

enough for superficial me.