history is made - dennis the menace meets gnasher

I haven't posted any comic related nonsense for a while, so here's a beauty, which I'm old enough to remember reading at the time, whilst lying in my bedroom in Bootle, listening to the trains go by.  Dennis the Menace meets Gnasher for the first time.  From The Beano, issue number 1363, August 31st 1968.  Drawn by David Law.

Toodle pip

some favourite spider-man covers and stories

Here's some of my favourite Spider-Man comic front covers, the first three especially have magnificent, heartbreaking stories inside, and are well worth checking out, even for freakish people that are not into comics. The first two cover the death of Gwen Stacey, and the third one has the death of (spoiler alert!!) Peter Parker /  Spider-Man's aunt Mary. The last two feature the artwork of Todd McFarlane, who revolutionised the franchise when it was getting stale in the 1980's.

As a side note, the comics are so good, it pisses me off when the films don't stick to them, as it's such a no brainer to follow the stories that have already proven to be so successful. Bastards!

Get reprints though, or read them online, as they are getting pretty expensive these days.

toodle pip

some batman graphic novels

Through a work assignment, I recently found myself in Richmond library for the first time in ages, and while l was pottering around in there, decided to get out some recent (ish) Batman Graphic novels for a bit of light reading.
I used to read a lot of Batman comics when l was younger, but haven't followed his exploits for years, although l have occasionally dipped my toe in the water. Therefore l was completely out of touch with developments reading these, but all can be read as stand alone stories.
Here's some thoughts on them. More scans from all of them can be found here. 

Batman and Robin

I still think of the old Dick Grayson Robin with Batman, but this has Damian's (a new one) story, and includes other older Robins, plus the rivalry between them.
Damian (as you would expect) is a bit of a bastard, but the story ending is pretty moving, especially if your a blubbery (in more ways than one) old sap like me. Very well written.
I know Batman has had cars and flash weapons at his disposal over the years, but to me, what makes him different, is he is just a normal guy who has trained himself to fight crime. Even Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained powers. They should leave flying off into space to other superheroes, otherwise Batman will become just like them, and it dilutes his original appeal.

Batman  Heart of Hush

Batman's story of his long friendship and later battle with Tommy, plus a love story with Selina (not Tommy).

Also pretty moving, and interesting to someone like me who didn't know the back story.

Batman   RIP

Batman loses his marbles - what more do you want?

Also very well written

Batman   Gordon of Gotham

I was pretty sceptical of this one, as l'm not too keen on too many spin offs, but it was pretty good, especially the end parts when Gordon struggles with right and wrong moral decisions, but l preferred the other books.

I originally typed l preferred the other boobs instead of books by mistake -  a classic Freudian slip up!!

toodle pip

the wipers times

The Wipers Times was a satirical newspaper that was produced by troops of The Sherwood Foresters at Ypres Salient during the First World War between 1916 and 1918, mainly to take the piss out of officers and each other, and featured spoof adverts. There's a pretty good (albeit very English TV movie about it), and there is also a hardback book, gathering copies of it together. 

Considering that it was produced using found or 'liberated' equipment and materials, and the conditions it was made under, it's a work of stubborn genius.

Here's a copy.

toodle pip

captain america's birthplace gets changed

This is a sketch of the Captain America statue that is about to be placed in Brooklyn, New York's Prospect Park, with the inscription 'I'm just a kid from Brooklyn'.
The trouble is, he was actually (according to the comics and his co-creator, Jack Kirby) born in Manhattan's Lower East Side, the son of Irish immigrants. Supposedly this is so films fans can identify with it, rather than the comic fans, which to me, is the wrong way round.
This is one of the reasons why, although some of the superhero films are pretty good, it drives me up the wall when they change the stories, so best not to get me started on the Spider-Man movies (again). I'm not even sure whether l should risk the 'Captain America - Civil War' film, as l really enjoyed the comic version, and don't want to taint my memory of that.
Time for a lie down before l get too worked up.

toodle pip.

robert crumb sums up record collecting

Robert Crumb nails what it's like to be a collector, in this case, of records.
I can relate to it sooo much.

toodle pip

recent car boot sale purchases

Sometimes it's actually worth dragging myself out of my pit on a Sunday morning.  Here's some recent car boot purchases, some of which l already have, but my old scratched copies will be replaced by these and moved on elsewhere (when l eventually get around to it). Also, l've already read the 100 year old man book on my kindle, l just fancied a hard copy for the bookshelves.
If l only had more money and time on my hands...............(and a bigger house).
I'd be even more of a sad bastard.
And in the meantime, l'm also trying to plough through these..

It's a hard life.

toodle pip

the thing (1982) - john carpenter's storyboards

John Carpenter's movie 'The Thing', freaked me out years ago (and still does to a degree), when the (spoiler alert!!!) exploded head turns into a spider like creature.
Above are some of the storyboards from that sequence, and the complete set can be found at my comic blog (here), or at the main site of The Thing, along with many other of the movie's storyboards.

toodle pip

morrissey gets a job - brian brooks

Morrissey gets a job by Brian Brooks.
More pages and information here.

toodle pip

batman fights dracula, and dragula, queen of darkness.

Rather sadly, a film l will probably never see.  Batman fights Dracula, a rather strange looking Filipino offering that is now considered lost.
I know it will probably be crap, but l can imagine it being soooooo buttock clenchingly bad, it will be hilarious.
I also think Adam West (and his costume) must have been unavailable at the time of shooting.

On a related note, here's a comic strip that not many have seen - Dragula,Queen of Darkness (from here).  Originally featured in National Lampoon 1971.
Enjoy

toodle pip