Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Reading Room: MYSTERIES OF UNEXPLORED WORLDS "Can This be Real?"

Steve (Spider-Man) Ditko was doing X-Files long before X-Files...
...as this tale from Charlton's Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #9 (1958) demonstrates!
Are we sure those odd-looking men were "helping"?
Only artist Steve Ditko and the unknown writer (who could be Ditko himself) know the answer...and they ain't talking!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Reading Room: SUPERSNIPE'S GRAMP "Gramp the Air Raid Warden"

With all the talk about North Korea attacking us, you should remember...
...mainland US has only been invaded once, and that was back in 1812!
But during World War II, we were concerned that the Axis would bomb or invade!
And thereby hangs our tale...
Apparently, Koppy McFad aka SuperSnipe's talents are inherited...
George Marcoux gave the SuperSnipe supporting cast a lot of play, including solo tales for Gramp, boy inventor Ulysses Q Wacky, and Roxy Adams: Girl Guerrilla.
Story and art for this tale from SuperSnipe Comics V1N6 (1942), which was Koppy's first issue (the book used to be Army & Navy Comics), by George Marcoux.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Noted Fantasy Artist Bob Larkin Needs Our Help!

The perils of being a freelance artist are numerous...including not having medical insurance!
Bob Larkin, who’s done hundreds of paintings for Marvel, DC, Fleer and numerous others, is in desperate need of help.
Bob’s wife, Fran, has been battling various forms of cancer for the past 12 years and the endless medical bills have put an incredible financial strain on the family.
Fran is currently recovering from her latest surgery and Bob has become her caregiver 24/7 leaving him unable to take on new work.
To help pay the bills Fantom Press is offering numerous items for sale...including a new sketchbook (see cover above) of Larkin's art featuring never-seen roughs, prelims, and sketches!
The books are square bound, 8 ½ x 11″ 48 black and white pages and each one is individually signed and numbered by Bob. The paperback edition is $20.00 and there are two deluxe hard cover editions available that are in short supply. 100% of the sales from this book, as well as anything else that might interest you on site are going directly to the Larkins.
So, if you can, pick up a kool collectible and help one of our own in the process!
Talk about a win-win proposition!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Which Witch is Which?

Guess which witch becomes this witch in OZ: the Great & Powerful...
Click on pics to enlarge and download
Is it Evanora, played by Rachel Weisz?
Her sister, Theodora, performed by Mila Kunis?
Or Glinda, portrayed by Michelle Williams?
If you were one of the audience (including myself), who filled Disney's coffers with $80 million this past weekend to see the flick, you know.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Holiday Reading Room: EASTER WITH MOTHER GOOSE

Here's a short story featuring a plethora of fairy tale characters...
...as presented by a (then) future superstar of the comic strip or, (if you want to be pretentious) graphic novel form!
The title story from Dell's Four Color Comics #103: Easter with Mother Goose (1946) was written and illustrated by Walt Kelly, whose signature series Pogo wouldn't debut for another three years.
Trivia:
While Pogo as a stand-alone series began in 1949, various characters including Pogo himself and Albert the Alligator had appeared as supporting characters in other Walt Kelly-written and drawn strips since 1941.