CAPTAINS AMERICA & BRITAIN...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

JACK KIRBY & JOE SIMON drew the above cover, SEB CAREY pays homage to it with the one below.  And didn't he do well?  Parody has always been a part of the visual language of comicbooks, as has satire, and Seb's cover combines them both in one go.

For more of Seb's great art, simply click on http://sebcarey.deviantart.com/gallery  - and all dedicated fans of good ol' Captain Britain should also check out the following link - http://throneofotherworld.blogspot.com

Well go on!  What are you hanging around here for?

A MARVEL-LOUS WORLD...

Image copyright MARVEL COMICS

Saturday - traditionally the day I'd buy my weekly comics as a teenager back in the '70s.  That continued in the '80s, but by the time the '90s came around, there weren't too many weekly periodicals left - at least, not of the kind that interested me.  Now and again, it's Saturday when I purchase the latest monthly issue of The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL (even though it may've gone on sale a few days before), and I luxuriate in the illusion that nothing much has changed in the 44 years since that esteemed publication first hit newsagents' counters back in 1972.

I continue to buy the title mainly out of a desire for continuity, unwilling to relinquish a familiar habit I've indulged in for most of my life, but it's still a rather nifty magazine, with some entertaining content that makes my commitment to it worthwhile. I must admit though, that if the mag were to resume featuring The INCREDIBLE HULK, The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and The FANTASTIC FOUR (as it did when it first came out), then I'd be a very happy chappie.  However, I still get a thrill when I see the masthead staring back at me from the shelves of my local WH SMITH's.

That's the cover of the latest issue above.  Why not give it a try and immerse yourself in another world?  The Mighty World Of Marvel to be precise.  But be warned - once you've entered its hallowed halls, things will never again be the same.  Available in shops right now  - buy one today.

SPECTACULAR SPLASH PAGES #17...

Image copyright DC COMICS

Whaddya reckon, fellow Crivvies?  I'd say this is a spectacular splash page, even though all SUPERMAN's doing is sitting on a rock in the sea.  There's just something about the way it's drawn that grabs the eye and makes the reader want to know what's going to happen next.  Again, this one is by artists CURT SWAN and MURPHY ANDERSON, the highly-regarded 'team supreme' from the sizzling '70s.

MERRY CHRISTMAS POLKA...

JAMES TRAVIS REEVES likes a good knees-up,

and here he is singing the Merry Christmas Polka.

C'mon - dance, everybody, dance!

SPECTACULAR SPLASH PAGES #16...

Image copyright DC COMICS

The titanic team of penciller CURT SWAN and inker MURPHY ANDERSON (alias SWANDERSON) produced this spectacular splash-page, Criv-ites.  I suppose the DC duo could perhaps be regarded as the direct equivalent of MARVEL'S JACK KIRBY and JOE SINNOTT (alias KIRBSOTT?  Nah!), so well did both teams' talents merge on the pages they worked on.  

The result?  Great comicbook art that stands the test of time.  Tune in again for another spectacular splash page soon.

BABE Of The DAY - SUZANNE DANIELLE...

Stunning Suzanne Danielle

is married to a golfer.  Clearly, then,

she likes to play around - er, I mean

a round - of golf, that is.

RECOMMENDED READING: BATMAN: A CELEBRATION OF THE CLASSIC TV SERIES...

BATMAN & ROBIN copyright DC COMICS

Does exactly what it says on the tin cover - celebrates the classic TV series from the 1960s.  Everything you ever wanted to know - and more - within this extremely handsome volume.  And guess where you can buy a copy?  Here, let me tell you - your nearest friendly comicbook store, that's where.

RECOMMENDED READING: DITKO UNLEASHED: AN AMERICAN HERO...

Are you a STEVE DITKO fan?  Then this is the book for

you!  It's an exhibition catalogue, containing many large-sized

reproductions of original pages of art as well as a biography of the

man and an analysis of his work.  Steve Ditko is an enigmatic, com-

plicated individual, but this valiant volume offers as much insight

into the artist as you're likely to find anywhere.  Definitely one

to have.  Available from all good comicbook shops now!

BABE Of The DAY - LYNDA CARTER...

Here she is, Crivs - the stunning LYNDA CARTER.

I wonder what she's wondering about?  (Apparently, she

does quite a lot of that, which is no doubt why she's named

WONDER WOMAN.)  Probably wondering whether I'd

 say yes if she were to ask me out on a date.  (Yes!)

RAMBLING REPOST: The MYSTERY Of The MYSTIFYING MEMORY...

Many years ago I had a dream.  I dreamt I was in a shop and saw a CORGI TOYS ASTON MARTIN DB5, but in a bigger scale than its previous two releases.  I opened the box, took out the car, looked at it, and was quite impressed by this new model.  Then I awoke and realized I'd only been dreaming, and was slightly disappointed by the fact.

A couple of years later I'm upstairs in JOHN MENZIES, and my eyes fall upon a familiar object.  A JAMES BOND Aston Martin by Corgi toys, and it's the bigger scale model that I saw and handled in my dream.  I'm astounded.  Had I had some kind of prophetic vision, or was it simply a coincidence?  Surely the latter, because there's no such thing as being able to see into the future, is there?  Tell me, is there?

That was back in the '70s.  The car was issued in 1978, so my dream must have preceded the actual event by a year or two.  But such things don't happen, do they? Tell me, do they?  It's because of my doubt over such things that I've begun to consider other possibilities.  Could it be I'd seen the car, but forgotten it, then had a dream about it as if I was seeing it for the very first time?  Perhaps that's why I believe that the dream came first, but that I'm simply mistaken.

Thing is, I had the dream more than once before I saw the car for what seemed like the first time in real life.  So now I'm in the position of wondering exactly what to believe.  Did I see the car first (but then forget), and then have the dream - or could it have been precisely as I thought for many years afterwards before the doubt set in?  Obviously it's got to be either one or the other, but which one?  Tell me, which one?

Or maybe there is another explanation.  Perhaps it was only in my dream that I felt I hadn't previously seen the car before discovering it on sale in a shop.  That's to say, I'd seen the car in a shop, but dreamt I hadn't spied it until after seeing it in a dream; a 'dream within a dream' in other words, that never happened despite me believing it had.  (I sure hope that makes some kind of sense to you all.)

Ever had anything similar happen to you?  Something you think you dreamt about that seemingly came true, but now you're not quite sure if you remember things as they actually happened, or whether time is merely playing tricks with your memory.  Tell all in the comments section.

BABE Of The DAY - HEATHER THOMAS...

You've gotta hand it to HEATHER

THOMAS - not only does this gal box

clever, but she's also a knockout!  (See

what I did there?)  Back to your corner,

 Heather dear - I'm waiting.

THE MYSTERY IN THE ATTIC...

Found this in a box in the attic a couple of days or so ago, and I have to confess it's a bit of a puzzler.  I assume it was my late father's as it was in a box of his stuff, but just how did he come by it?  The only thing I can think of is that it was given to me by an IPC editor with a stack of other things back around 1986, and because it was war-related (a subject in which I have no interest), I gave it to my father who was into the topic in a big way.  That seems the only logical explanation, but If so, I've absolutely no memory of ever before seeing the envelope or its contents.

Amazing the mysteries that the depths of an attic can yield, isn't it?  Going by the covering letter (below), the sender was trying to drum up some freelance work with FLEETWAY.  I wonder if he ever succeeded?  That'd be an interesting tale, wouldn't it?  If I'm honest though, I'd have to say that his ideas don't strike me as being particularly inspired.  What think the rest of you?

RAMBLING REPOST: NEW COINS FOR OLD...

Following the previous post, I thought this earlier one on the same theme might prove interesting to those who've forgotten it from its first outing.  Remember now, despite the above set being described as Britain's first decimal coins, the first one was actually the Florin, first introduced in 1849.  (Like, wow!)

******

If you're anywhere around my age, you'll no doubt remember L.s.d. from back in the 1960s.  No, not the similarly-named hallucinogenic drug of which hippies were reputedly so fond, but Britain's system of currency (pounds, shillings and pence, from the Latin, 'librae, solidi, denari) before decimalisation was officially introduced in 1971.  (Although usually pronounced and written as 'L.s.d.', apparently the proper way to render it is '£sd'.) 



What most of us tend to forget however, is that two years before 'D-Day', some decimal coins were introduced into our £sd currency.  In 1968, the five, ten, and fifty 'new' pence coins were issued, mingling quite happily with the threepenny (pronounced thruppenny) bit, sixpences, shillings and florins (two shilling piece), until the new decimal system officially took over.  The old sixpence (tanner) continued in circulation until 1980, and shillings and florins were interchangeable with their counterparts for many years after, until the size of the new coins was reduced in the early '90s.

When I bought the above set around twenty years ago, I was amazed by how many of my pals claimed to remember it, saying that they were given one of these little blue plastic wallets at school.  They can't all be mistaken, so I can only assume that I was off the day they were handed out because I definitely never received one.  I didn't even know they existed until I saw them in a coin catalogue back in the early '90s.

So, if you were one of the lucky ones who received a decimal coin set as a child, enjoy this look back at a moment in time which I never got to share - and then feel free to reminiscence about it in the ever-lovin' comments section.

ARE YOU A BIT OF A SPY?

Here's a question for you - when did Great Britain first adopt decimal currency?  February 15th 1971 you say?  Well, you're right, though you're not completely right, as the Florin (two bob bit) was actually our first decimal coin, and it was introduced in 1849.

I learned that fact from the above little book, dug out of a box in my attic the other day.  It was published in 1969, and no doubt my father purchased it then - or perhaps in 1970/'71.  To think it's been lying up in the loft for all this time is rather amazing.

I-SPY was a great series of booklets, and I remember buying a couple in Blackpool back in 1973 or '74 (I think it was '74 in fact), which I've still got somewhere.  Did you ever have any of these little booklets?  Let's hear all about them then.

BABE Of The DAY - MICHELLE KEEGAN...

Here's lovely MICHELLE

KEEGAN - putting 'red-hot' into

 that red dress she's wearing.

RETURN Of The CAPED CRUSADERS...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Fans of ADAM WEST's and BURT WARD's portrayals of BATMAN and ROBIN may be interested in this new animated DVD movie, featuring the voices of West, Ward and the seductive JULIE NEWMAR.  I haven't watched it yet, so can't give any details as to its merits (or lack of them), but you can always buy it and then make up your own minds on the matter.

RAMBLING REPOST: WHERE WERE YOU IN SEPTEMBER 1967?

"Looking back to those days of old ere the gate shut to behind me..."

 From 'The Golden Age' by Kenneth Grahame.

******

The above photo was taken in September 1967 by departing teacher Mrs. TIGHE (not sure about the spelling, to be honest), in front of the annexed huts in the grounds of my primary school.  I can actually recall the photo being taken, and can only assume that Mrs. Tighe wanted a memento of her 'angelic' pupils to look back on in later years.  Maybe she was just trying out for a career as a photographer though, as she made copies available (can't recall whether she charged us or not) to those of us who wanted one.

The image is off-centre, as you can see, but I decided to leave it un-cropped in order to make an ego-feeding speculation.  The exact middle of the photo lies between myself (I'm wearing my blue jumper, but that wasn't the day I was at the zoo with DOUGAL and FATHER TED) and DAVID DRUMMOND (on my left), and I can't help but think that Mrs. Tighe naturally gravitated towards me as the most obvious centre of attention.  (I know what you're thinking, but I prefer my version.)

The blond boy on crutches further along in the same row is GAVIN REID, alas now sadly deceased.  He had his right leg strapped up behind him all through primary school (due to some medical condition), and it came as a surprise when I later saw him in secondary school walking normally without the crutches.  He started secondary the year after me, so he may have discarded the crutches in his last year at primary, or in the school holidays between changing schools.  He was killed in a motorbike accident, aged only about 18 or 19, I think, in the late '70s.  (Update: ROBERT BAIRD, next to him on the left of the picture, died of Covid in January of 2021, and ALAN BOWIE, far left, end row, died of cancer in January of 2013, though I didn't learn of his demise until over ten years later in September of 2023.)

Not long before Gavin died, my parents told me that someone had asked them if they were "Gordon Robson's mum and dad" as they waited at a bus stop, and when they confirmed that they were, asked them to pass on his regards.  "Gavin Reid was his name" they said, recounting the incident to me when they got home that night.  Poor Gavin.  To endure a childhood infirmity for so long, and then be cut short in his prime.  He used to play football in the playground, using his crutches for support as he kicked the ball around, or sometimes using one of them to blooter the ball between the 'goalpost jumpers'.  I can still see him in my mind's eye to this day, hopping around as fast as any jackrabbit ever could.

Returning to David Drummond, he used to trot along to my house on November 5th for two (maybe three) years in a row, in order to partake in our 'Bonfire Night' celebrations.  Lest you think we indulged on a grand scale, let me disabuse you of any such notion by revealing that it consisted mainly of waving sparklers around and setting off a couple or so bangers, with a handful of rockets from the smallest box of fireworks available.  Nothing grand by any means, but David's parents didn't observe the 'Fawkes festivities', so he shared in our meagre show held within the perimeters of our back garden.

A 2023 replacement for the Santa Raymond gave me

Three along from me on my right is RAYMOND BENNIE, who emigrated to Australia around '68 or '69.  I haven't seen him since and sometimes wonder what happened to him and whether he's ever been back to visit.  On the only occasion I was ever in his house, he gave me a stuffed Santa (which may have been a cat's toy) and I have fond memories of me and my brother playing 'dodge it' as we tried to hit each other with poor ol' Mr. Claus from opposite sides of our bedroom on Saturday or Sunday mornings. 

At least two other people in the photo (AUDREY HAMILTON and GORDON FAIRBAIRN) also emigrated Down Under in later years, Louise around 1983, and Gordon in '88 or '89.  I know Australia's a big place, but I'd like to think that they run into each other on occasion and reminisce about happy days gone by.  Just imagine that, in the fullness of time, everyone in the photo (apart from myself) were to emigrate over there - I wonder if they'd even remember me?

Ah, so many familiar faces, so many meandering memories.  Funny how events from nearly 50 years ago can sometimes seem as fresh and as close as what happened only yesterday.

******

29 years ago, I returned to the playground with a framed copy of the photo from 20 years earlier, and snapped myself beside it on the same spot.  The annexed wooden huts had been gone for some years by then,  The school followed them into oblivion at the beginning of 2014 after a replacement building had been erected in the football fields nearby.

Me, with photo to my right, in front of the former site of the huts sometime in 1987

WHO ARE YOU GONNA SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH?

The GO GO's are gonna spend it with a DALEK.  Sure beats spending it with the in-laws, eh?  (Not that I'd know from personal experience.)  Go on, admit it - 'cos they feel the exact same about you.

BABE Of The DAY - SOPHIA LOREN...

I wish I could think of something

interesting to say about this photo of

SOPHIA LOREN, but I've suddenly

gone all weak at the knees and need to

lie down for a bit.  I don't quite know

 why.  (Maybe it's my age.)

SPECTACULAR SPLASH PAGES #15...

Image copyright relevant owner

This story is interesting in that there was once a TRIGAN EMPIRE strip with essentially the same plot.  One day I'll get around to checking which tale came first, but in the meantime, let's just enjoy this spectacular splash page by JACK KIRBY & JOE SIMON.  Now that's what I call activity!

******

Oh, wait a minute, what was I thinking?  FIGHTING AMERICAN was published in the '50s, The Trigan Empire in the '60s, so I guess that settles the matter.

THE MEANING OF C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S. ...

JIM REEVES spells out the meaning of

Christmas.  Listen to him hold that crystal-

clear note at the end of the song.  Lovely.

BABE Of The DAY - EMILY PROCTER...

There was a knock on my door last week and

when I opened it, there stood EMILY PROCTER.

"Come on in and make yourself at home" I said to her.

Well blow me down with a twirly straw, she did!  I like

my guests to be comfy, but Emily is taking me a tad too

literally, as you can see from the above photo.  (And

 she eats like a horse, lemme tell ya.)

RECOMMENDED READING: X-MEN EPIC COLLECTION VOLUME TWO...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

There's nothing I like more than a good bit of X.  In fact, it could be said that I'm very highly Xd, but I don't like to brag.  Given my strong X drive, it's hardly surprising that this new book is right up my street.  It's seriously Xy, so you're bound to love it too.  MARVEL's X-MEN EPIC COLLECTION Volume 2 is in your local friendly comicbook store now!

PICK A COLOUR - WHITE OR BLUE...?

What colour of Christmas do you think you're going to have,

Criv-ite chums?  As far as I know, there are only two choices -

white or blue - and neither of them is mutually exclusive.

SSSSHHH! The EMPEROR Has A SECRET...

The DALEKS copyright BBC TV and the Estate of TERRY NATION

If you're a doddery old fart fogey like me, you'll recall when the golden DALEK EMPEROR was challenged by ZEG, the red Dalek, to a duel for supremacy, as recounted in the pages of TV CENTURY 21.  Although red is my favourite colour, I cheered on the Emperor and was glad when he won.  Well, now you lucky peeps are in for a rare treat, for here's a four-page tale about the very chappie, from the pages of The DALEK OUTER SPACE Book.  Enjoy!