batman issue number one - front page, plus early spider-man.

You would assume (if you didn't collect comics) that this is worth bugger all.  It's the front page only of the first issue of Batman, and not in very good condition at all. However, it currently has15 bids on ebay, is at present going for £645.45, with many days left on it for bidding.  EDIT - IT WENT FOR £1,529
Even the crappy copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 with a big torn off part of the front cover (the first Spider-man appearance) is currently at £2,661.96!!  EDIT - IT WENT FOR £2,728

I really need to get myself more money, and if l do, look out below. Currently only £7,178.32.

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comics and leeds

Three of about 30 comics l purchased this Saturday at the comic fair held in Leeds Town Hall.
Robbo and my good self travelled were there for the fair (once he eventually arrived), but we also met my brother as it was his birthday (and he conveniently lives in Leeds), so l could give him some money for his upcoming holiday.  We all only had a couple of drinks after the comic hunting, as Robbo needed to get back, and my brother was under strict instructions not to drink too much, as he and his wife were going out for a meal that evening.  Robbo then dropped me off at White shops for a few ales, as Jisum were playing at JT's, and l couldn't be bothered going to Richmond to see the other band at The Ship.
Pretty much stayed in bed and the bath all day today, reading and then watching TV. Thankfully l have only got Monday at work before l am off for another couple of days, so no doubt lots more reading (and comic sorting) will be done.
I'm a mixture of a rock and roll idiot hellraiser, and a nerdy stay at home geek, depending on how the days off take me.

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some valiant comics l've uploaded

Some of the many comic pages (from The Valiant) that l have uploaded on another site.
I really need to get a life.

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batman looks worried

Are they trying to hint at something here?  Batman certainly looks worried, and l think he may be getting a call from Operation Yewtree pretty soon. I bet he's praying Robin keeps quiet.
Originally featured here.


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captain america wank sound affect

I don't know if this clipping has been doctored, but l certainly hope not.
Captain America wanks an enemy with his shield.

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alan moore - big numbers and pop will eat itself - def con 1 and can you (u) dig it

As the wonderful Pop Will Eat Itself sang in 'Def Con 1' (a song heavily based on 'Watchmen'), "Alan Moore knows the score".
He certainly does, and this is one of the many gems l have recently unearthed (yes....from the ongoing garage saga), signed by the great man himself. It's a shame it's not a signed copy of 'Watchmen', but hey ho, it's still a treasured item.
This is not the whole cover, as my scanner couldn't fit it all on, and (of course) my copy is in great condition, as the dark shadows are just from the scan.
Big Numbers - big book (but not one of his best).
Thinking about it, re-watching the video reminds me that when l first read the 'Watchmen' comics, they actually belonged to the one and only Graham Crabb (from Pop Will Eat Itself'), as he was sharing a squat in Highgate with a mate of mine at the time, and l was crashing there.
Nowadays l sing "Colin Moore knows the score" when l see a lad l know called........yes, you guessed it.
I really need to get a life.




Edit - I just realised. The Alan Moore quote is from another of their songs (Can you (u) Dig it?)
Ah well, any excuse to post another of  The Poppies tunes.



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cleaning out the garage and doodle bug comic

Myself and the FPO spent some time yesterday sorting out some of the crap that was in the garage, resulting in me bringing in a load of boxes to see what was in them, to check if they were water damaged, as the door has been broken for ages.
There was some damage to old press reports for bands, but other than that, it was like being in an ideal junk sale, as l had forgotten about lots of the boxes contents, and of course they were originally stored away because they were items l wanted to keep in the first place.
I now have crap all over the house which l have been slowly working through, and you can expect plenty of scans and photographs of the crap in the near future, starting with these editions of 'Doodle Bug', a comic that l got involved with in 1987, and helped to start off and sell, mainly around the Catterick Garrison, Richmond and Newcastle area, with the main man and main artist himself, Royston Robertson.
I think l can safely say that it would not have been put together if l had not met and advised him (at Colburn stores), but once underway, he was the main ideas man and artist, and did most of the work. Looking at them now (and even at the time) there was a lot of room for improvement, but there was some great ideas and it was fun thing to do.
Only eight editions (I think) were put out, but the others must still be in the garage (trust me, there's still plenty more crap out there).
I am glad to say that Royston has since managed to make a career as a cartoonist, and books of his can be purchased from his site, which can be found here.  If asked nicely, he might even sign them for you.

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adam west in the australian batman

CHARGES OVER BATMAN INCIDENT

• WEDNESDAY, 10 JULY 2013 07:09
 
• PRINT
 
•  EMAIL

Police have interviewed and charged a 25-year-old Noble Park man over an incident which occurred at Batman Railway Station early yesterday morning.

Mark Harris faced an out of sessions hearing early this morning and was remanded into custody to appear at the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court later today.

He is facing over 40 charges including charges for theft and criminal damage.

Senior Constable Adam West
Media Unit
VP28385/2013

You couldn't make this sort of crap up.  The Senior Constable in Batman, Australia, is called Adam West.
The same name as the TV Batman, but now the major of Quahog, Rhode Island in Family Guy.
The proper page with the report is here.

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the spiral cage - al davison

I was recommended this book before last Christmas, but have only just got around to reading it.(out in the hammock with hot sunshine and a beer - bliss).
It's an autobiography by Al Davison in the form of a graphic novel (originally in comic form). He's from Newcastle, was born with Spina Bifida, and the book tells of his struggles in life, his childhood and schooldays, adult life and relationships, plus his interest in martial arts and Buddhism (which he puts to good use).
Michael, the person who recommended it to me, is a fan of comics, and knows Davison personally, so correctly guessed it would be something that would interest me, and he was proved to be correct.
An excellent read, all the more gripping because it is true (plus it bought back memories of going into Timeslip, the Newcastle comic shop, to flog a comic l was involved with).

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the green lantern gets power ringed to death

Not a fate l would wish upon my worst enemy.  The Green Lantern is about to get power ringed to death.
No wonder he is looking so pissed off.
By the way, the Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds was one of the worst of it's kind l have ever had the misfortune to see.  I'm talking crap really (no change there), as l didn't really sit through it all.  I switched it off after about half an hour, and trust me, l really wanted to like it, as l used to read and love Green Lantern comics when l was a kid.  However, if it looks like crap, sounds like crap, and probably smelt like crap on the set, it's crap of the highest kind.

Avoid this film - it's crap

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jamie foxx in the new spider-man movie

I'm already looking forward to Amazing Spider-man 2 (due out next year), which will be featuring Jamie Foxx as Electro (one of Spidey's arch enemies).  Here's Jamie as his alter ego, the non more geeky Maxwell Dillon.
My best friend used to dress like that until l got his mind right (Hello Robbo!).
I just hope they try to stick to the stories and timeline in the comics, even if Electro is going to be based on the Ultimate version.

The Ultimate Electro

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planet of the knobheads

By God, l hope this is a real book.

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the cardiff city promotion and tiger comic from 1972

Whilst scanning some comics for another blog (OK - l admit l am sad), l saw this picture of Cardiff City in an old Tiger comic from 1972.  They have just been promoted to the football premiership this week for the first time in about 50 years, which must be real 'Roy of the Rovers' stuff for Craig Bellamy, who went back to Cardiff to play for his old boyhood club, who he used to watch with his father, and who he has just helped gain promotion (the club, not his father).
The thing that sours it, is, as you can notice in the photograph, they are known as 'The Bluebirds' and play in a blue kit.
That is, until they were taken over recently by Malaysian billionaires, who then changed the kit to red, and bugger the team (or community that support the team's) tradition.  Luckily for them, the team have done excellently since then, but that is not the point.
Money doesn't talk, it corrupts and steamrolls everybody's principles, and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Then again, having no money at all is even worse.
At least now they will be amongst other teams with the same kind of ownerships and disregard for the fans, and l should know, l support Manchester United.
The modern commercialisation of football is shit.

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brian aldiss - the saliva tree

Memory is a funny old thing.
I remember reading Brian Aldiss' 'The Saliva Tree' (and other short stories) when l was a youngster (many, many moons ago), and have just re-read it on kindle.  The story was excellent. It kept me interested, kept the old pages turning, and kept me desperate to find how the plot developed.  But then again, that is also my problem.  The thing is, when l was re-reading it, l couldn't remember anything at all from when l originally read it.
Nothing.
Nadda.
Squat.
The old memory banks were completely closed for business, yet l do remember the cover and title vividly.
It's not even a fantasised scenario, whereby l was just imagining l read it while younger, as l was really into science fiction books when l was a kid (which bright 14 year old virgin wouldn't be?).  I loved the works of   Brian Aldiss, Michael Moorcock and Isaac Asimov at the time, and my original book may still be in a box in the garage (amongst many others).  The trouble is, l can't remember anything about the stories nowadays (or where my book has got to).  I was talking to the FPO this evening, and realised all l can remember about 'Stig of the Dump' was that he was found by a boy on the dump.
I can remember old 'Raven on the Wing' and stories from 'The Valiant', but that is not good enough, especially for someone as big headed as me.
The positive way to look upon this, is l can re-read the books, and enjoy them all once more, afresh and alive.
The negative outlook is, l have lost many of my marbles, and things will only get worse.
My view is, there's so much information that l am interested in and have access to nowadays, it would be freakish to remember everything, so for whatever memory has been lost or erased, something else has taken its place.
That's my view, and l'm sticking to it.
By the way, if you are into people being sucked dry (and Lordy knows, l am), The Saliva Tree is the book for you.

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mad magazine

I don't think l have bought a new Mad Magazine for a few years, but once upon a time, l was an avid reader and collector, and still have a load of them stashed away.  The humour was obviously geared towards American tastes, but some of the writing was razor sharp, contemporary, ironic and sarcastic. I also loved some of the cartoons, especially the Don Martin and Mort Drucker ones.  Here's some of the better covers from the recent (and not so recent) past.  Like a pub that l no longer visit, l'll miss it when it ceases to exist (apart from in my memories).

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the golden shower man comic

The superhero you don't want to show up in your town.  The Golden Shower Man, from 1947.

Actually it's a spoof comic (not done by me) based on The Fire Demon one below.  A fine job, and certainly believable, but God knows where l found the Golden Shower version, I've just had a look but turned up nothing.  It's a pity it's not real, as l would rather read the top one than the original (but that probably says more about me).

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I'm back again! (this time from leeds)

Well, l've finally got around to posting again, and not before time.  Christmas and New Year have long gone, and it's back to the grim reality of life.
While l've been away l haven't read much, but have been watching plenty of TV, going out, and working way too hard. Trying to sort out repairs to our house and life in general, and l also banged and split my head open, resulting in a new and improved man (who still has a cab from the cut).
I have just returned from Leeds, where Robbo and myself went to the comic fair at the Town Hall on Saturday, met my brother Paul (as it was his birthday), and pratted about all day and evening, ending up in the Stone Roses bar, dancing with some Leeds fans, before heading for some samosas and bhajis.  Then it was a taxi home for Paul, and back to the hotel for me and Robbo.  The  hotel room was nothing special (we shared a room), but the hotel itself (Bewleys) was pretty good as far as the bar, stag and hen nights, and lounging around chatting in large leather chairs went, so that suited us down to the ground. They were only messing about (I hope) but I still haven't recovered from seeing Paul and Robbo kissing in one of the gay bars.  A more hideous sight l can't imagine, and l'm sure l will be traumatised and scared for life (even more that l already am).
We returned to meet the girls in Middlesbrough the next day, then went to Cross Keys for a couple of pints and some food, before heading back to sunny Catterick, JT's, then wine, chocolate and food at home, followed by a disturbed night due to somebody snoring (I won't say who). Back to reality now and work again this afternoon, but at least there's the Manchester United against Real Madrid game to look forward to this evening. It's going to be close, and it sure is squeaky bum time.
Life goes on, and it least it is nearly summer.

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a spider-man approved patio door

An Altrium patio door that Spider-Man can swing in on.  If it's good enough for Spidey, it's good enough for me.  Mine's on order.

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keeping clean the mad way

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batman - the long halloween - jeph loeb and tim sale

This was one of my birthday present from Robbo in September, and pretty good it was too. 'The Long Halloween' was originally released as 13 comics in 1996 and 1997, and has 'Holiday' killing off various people (on each festive occasion), while Batman tries to figure out 'Holiday's' true identity, and how to stop him.  Along the way, Batman tries to worm the killers identity off  'The Calender Man', while simultaneously dealing with other arch enemies as 'The Joker', Scarecrow, and 'The Riddler'.  It's one of those stories that you want to re-read immediately once you have finished, to have another search for the clues.  I still prefer the artwork on the 1960's comics, but the storyline couldn't really be faulted. Top stuff.

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