Need to read

Stu the Human comics are extremely scarce in this dimension. They are reasonably easy to obtain on Duckworld despite the comics (and the subsequent film) failing to meet expectations. After all, what sane water fowl could believe in such a far-fetched premise as a talking hairless ape.

Here are some other comics on my “wants” list. The Sentry is potentially the most powerful hero in the Marvel universe. He also appears in some of the most ridiculously bonkers stories since the Superman/Captain Marvel/Marvelman days in the 1950s.

“Tales to Stupefy” was a short-lived companion comic to Suspense and Astonish. A fire in a warehouse destroyed all known issues of No 13 days before its release.

The writer of “Gonad” depicted what life would really be like for Barbarians sleeping rough in forests for years at a time. A 3D Scratch-n-sniff limited edition was planned but never issued.

Alcoholics Illustrated was either 35c or available free if you sent in 500 Shotz Beer ring-pulls.

The Second Comics Code of 1960 (repealed 1961) banned any violence whatsoever from comics. “Tales to Mildly Amuse” reworked artwork from earlier issues of “Stupify” to comply with this new code.

“Space Action” only lasted a few issues after DC entered litigation claiming they owned the right to the word “action”. Fawcett was sueing Atlas/Timely at the same time saying they owned the rights to the word “captain”.

It has been suggested that as Newton Comics may not have paid Marvel for some of the artwork they subsequently printed that technically just by reading those comics you were committing a criminal offence.

There is a world of comics you’ve never heard of out there. “Fantastiske Fire” bears similarities with another comic you may have come across. The cover is re-coloured/re-drawn. Here, Sue goes by the name of “den usynlige piken”.

The Wham-O Giant Comic Book of 1967 claims to be the world’s largest comic book at the American/Imperial measurements of 14″ x 21″. I suspect our own “The Big One” which ran for 19 weekly issues in 1964/1965 may have been ½” bigger all round as it was printed on the same presses as broadsheet newspapers.

I didn’t know “beat off” was American slang for masturbation. Evidentally neither did the writer of this 1968 Archie Comic.

If you saw a magazine containing an article entitled “How to get in and out of bed” could you resist buying it?

So, I missed all these magazines and would love to read them. If you have any of these issues or similar unwanted and pushed under the armchair cushion let me know………..

PS: If you want something slightly comic-related to listen to whist Googling obscure words/subjects try this.

Fred

The story of how Fredrick Wertham’s Book “Seduction of the Innocent” ultimately led to the demise of most of the EC Comics range and 1950s “horror” comics in general has now become folklore. What has always puzzled me is why it took ten years before the realisation dawned that the obvious solution was magazine-sized “comics” aimed at ”adults” and sold without any need of Comic Code approval. Warren Magazines initially sold well with adult-orientated stories similar to those that had appeared in the ECs and in the 1960s Warren were often using the same artists.(I recommend Warren’s “Blazing Combat” in particular).

Mr Gaines soon successfully moved EC’s “Mad” to a magazine-sized publication and even produced a few magazines such as “Shock Illustrated” featuring “Picto Fiction” which was basically comic strip art alongside text rather than word balloons. Fred seems to be enjoying issue one. Why didn’t Bill or any of the other companies affected immediately enlarge their horror lines from “comic” size to ”magazine” size and continue business as normal whilst they still had a massive and loyal fanbase?? Beats me…..  

Nightcat

Stanley Martin Lieber is rightly famous for creating numerous memorable fictional characters from the ones everyone has heard of down to the lesser known Soldier Zero, Willie Lumpkin, Chili Storm, Fin Fang Foom….Spiderman…. Not every idea he’s had has lasted the test of time though. “Nightcat” was to be a real-life version of “Dazzler”. A comicbook heroine and also a pop singer. The idea was quietly shelved as quickly as it began in 1991 after one comic and one CD and single.

The “real” Nightcat as pictured on the front of the single was Jacqueline Tavarez. Was she chosen because she looked like the comic character or was the comic character drawn to look like her? Who knows. Who cares. I don’t believe the CD has ever been re-issued. Curiosity made me track it down. I was expecting soft-metal but it’s actually forgettable dance pop. I’ve forgotten about it already.

Hank Garvin, Man of Steel

The “Golden Age” UK/Australian Atlas/K.G.Murray Superman No 29 published in August 1952 reprinted the cover story from Superman 73 dated Nov/Dec 1951. No sideways comics this time.

I like this exchange between Lois and Superman from the backup story “The Anti-Superman Club” (originally found in Superman 71).

Superman No 29 UK version

How to avoid death and taxes

Of all the self-help books ever published, this one is the most useful.

Sideways comics

The “Golden Age” UK/Australian Atlas/K.G.Murray Superman No 24 published in March 1952 reprinted the cover story from Action Comics 155 from a year earlier. The rest of the comic was made up of DC material from other places such as the Johnny Quick story that was originally found in Adventure 150.

Apart from the missing gun on the cover the oddest thing about this comic, (and presumably other comics issued by Kenneth G.Murray at the time) was that half of the comic consisted of two DC pages reduced and printed sideways. Not something you see every day.

Superman No 24 UK version