Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Good DC Comics Ad from 1966!

Here's the kind of comic book publishers' ad that you just don't see anymore! 

(Click to Enlarge!)

From various DC Comics released in early 1966 (February or March?). 

It not only crosses characters, but GENRES as well! 

Like THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD # 65 (Cover Date: April-May, 1966), still two issues shy of becoming the de facto "Batman Team-Up" book, which it would remain until its end in 1983!

And the immortal (at least to me) BATMAN # 180 (Cover Date: May, 1966) - the SECOND BATMAN comic I ever bought!  (Its predecessor, # 179, being the FIRST!) 

This issue featured the one-shot villain "Death Man", who thanks to fandom overseas (primarily Japan) is now known as "Lord Death Man"...

...And has since appeared in the animated series BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD and the BATMAN '66 comic book!  (...By now, probably more!) 

...And it all started with this comic!  

But we also BREAK GENRE with this "Paul McCartney lookalike" known as SCOOTER!  

Scooter even rates an official welcoming plug from none other than Superman and Lois Lane!  

Anyone who could get the Silver Age Superman to say "It's DC's newest swingin' star -- SCOOTER!  Everybody'll dig him!" must be quite groovy indeed!  

Alas, Scooter was a little "too swingin' for me" - even back in the "too swingin' sixties"...

...And, while I will ALWAYS have a soft spot for "Go-Go Dancing Penny Robinson" and her groovin' fellow space traveler, Swingin' Smith...

...I did take a pass on SCOOTER!  

  

However, an ad like this did sell me on TWO of the THREE comics therein...

...And that's not a bad success rate, by any means!  

Besides, back then, Superman did enough... er, "swingin' of his own" to keep me entertained! 

...Scooter, I think you got away easy!  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: You Can Almost HEAR Them Say it!

Here's a great one-page gag from ABBOTT AND COSTELLO # 5 (Charlton Comics, Cover Date: November, 1968)!  Story: Steve Skeates.  Art: Henry Scarpelli. 

And here it is broken-out by panel for your reading pleasure! 

With all that back-and-forth dialogue, it's almost like watching them do one of their old routines, isn't it? 

 

Rocky Rocks, but Boris is Da Bomb!

Here are some wonderful sketches of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and his nemesis Boris Badenov by our great friend Debbie Anne Perry!  

Deb actually GETS how Rocky should look - proper cheeks and all - unlike the more modern designs like this!  

Yeah... THAT'S IT!  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Christmas in... May?

As you might know, Saturday is often a day reserved for reading comics! 

But, Friday, May 24, 2019 was a PERFECT spring day, with a nice wafting breeze felt through the front bay window - at which I read NEW FUNNIES # 71 (Dell Comics, Cover Date: January, 1943 - the Christmas, 1942 issue)!

I had just received this comic the day before, and couldn't think of a better time or situation (the house was empty, quiet, and spring-breezy) to enjoy this bygone treasure!

Didn't matter that it was a CHRISTMAS ISSUE in May, I enjoyed it all the same! 

BACK COVER:  Say, aren't there supposed to be EIGHT reindeer?  Oh, wait... The other four are off reading NEW FUNNIES!  ...That must be it! 

And I KNOW Santa is supposed to be "magical", but how is his arm and wrist able to SLIP BEHIND THE PRINTING on the Gift Card? 

Then again, this wouldn't be the first feat of Christmas Magic he performed for an issue of NEW FUNNIES, would it? 

You can read about that little bit of Christmas in summer HERE! 

But, back to (AHEM!) The Issue At Hand...

Ya gotta love the "Little Andy" in the upper left corner... trying to call attention to the fact that A CANDLE IS SETTING THE LOGO ON FIRE! 

Hopefully, the outcome would be no more serious than Raggedy Ann and her "two Andys" merely being COATED WITH CANDLE WAX (as was the "case-times-two" HERE)! 

...After all, even though it's actually MAY, it's still "Christmas" - and nothing bad should ever happen on Christmas! 

RIGHT?  

RIGHT! 

Especially something as BAD as me playing around with images like this!  

I’m Not an Artist, But… A HUGE STOOGE Opportunity Lost!

I’m Not an Artist, But… I *AM* a writer!  And, as a writer... and, particularly as a writer of comic book material laced with gags, I must point out something I regard as a HUGE opportunity lost!  

Here is the cover to THE THREE STOOGES: ASTRO-NUTS (American Mythology Productions, Released: May 08, 2019).  

Okay, Stooge-O-Philes... I'll give you to the count of TEN to tell me what's wrong with this cover!

ONE... 

TWO...

THREE...

FOUR...

FIVE...

SIX...

SEVEN...  (Time's runnin' out, folks!)

EIGHT...

NINE...

Last chance...

TEN!  

Of ALL characters to do this gag with...  (The Three Stooges)

And, of ALL characters to SPEAK the line...  (Curly Howard)

Shouldn't he be saying: "MOE, LARRY... THE CHEESE!"

...Or, better yet, paraphrase Curly's famous line with something like: "Moe, Larry... IT'S CHEESE!" 

But, no... it's just "Cheese!", and a great big Stooge-Fan-In-Joke falls by the wayside!  

That said, I wish to say that American Mythology Productions does a great job with their various THREE STOOGES comics!

Each issue leads with a new story, backed by a Dell or Gold Key reprint, giving readers the best of both worlds!  

This issue's new story... 

...Is actually a sequel to THIS!  

...With a Dell reprint back-up story by Pete Alvarado!  

Continuing the classic comedy, they've just put out an issue of LAUREL AND HARDY...

...True to form, with a new lead story...  (Click to Enlarge) 

...And a 1960s Gold Key reprint by (once again) Pete Alvarado!

So, let's hear it for American Mythology Productions and the whole line of great comics (both old and new - in one issue, yet) that they produce... even ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE!

.

...But, they STILL shoulda referenced "Moe, Larry... The Cheese!"