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I have most of the Vortex/Drawn & Quarterly issues of Yummy Fur in my collection, but no issues of Mr. X or Palookaville. I have been searching for the original Yummy Fur mini comics (sold under Chester Brown's "Tortured Canoe" name) to no avail. That stuff is pretty rare. I do have a copy of "You're Short, Bald and Ugly Charlie Brown." It's credited to "Dr. Casey 'Sparky' Finnegan" (which is a fake name referencing "Mr. Dressup," an old Canadian kid's show) and takes old Peanuts strips and changes the words to make the stories offensive. It was published in 1991 with a print run of around 300 copies. I have seen copies with yellow covers too. So, here''s the story on this one: Joe Matt, Chester Brown and Seth all did this together as a lark with each doing a third of the comic. Joe Matt spilled the beans on this a few years ago. It's a really fun one to own...if you can ever find one.

This changes everything. Great detective work here, Victor. If this is accurate (and so far, it looks good), then it means that Mr. Peanut can only possibly be Snore # 4 or not part of the series at all. It looks like the person who posted all of this stuff is in Ottawa. Might be an opportunity for you, Dan. It looks like this guy has a lot of unique stuff that he wants to share.

Nice. I just emailed you about the two Snore Comix 2 variants, Victor. Dan, your theory from a few weeks back looks like it's true!

That's a lot of quid!

I am continually struggling with these very questions, guys. Having watched the Mr. Peanut flip book video, it is obviously not a comic. I also suspect that the Shoe Journal is nothing more than a collection of drawings of shoes, as Victor suggests. It would make sense in the context General Idea's artwork more generally. I agree that further research is required. Looking through the PDF of Snore 2 and flipping through my own copy of Bright Things, I feel that both barely pass the eye test as comics. Not to take away from the many contributors to these issues, but this is true for bpNichol's entire body of work. Some publications are borderline comics and others are strictly poetry chapbooks. As a concrete poet of importance among Canadian literary scholars, regardless of how his works are classified, it is undeniable that his comics and chapbooks are experiments with form. Nevertheless, I have had not problem dropping many of bpNichol's chapbooks from the list of Canadian comics that I have been working on because they were not presented as comics by the author himself. This is essentially my answer to Dan's main question for now: if it can be demonstrated that all of these publications were intended to be part of the Snore Comix line then they should be documented as such as part of a project trying to document Canadian comics, even if this requires an asterisk. That's how I would draw the line, for better or for worse. All of this leads me to think of a different question that is probably not helpful, but is at least useful to think about: if Snore Comix did not have the word "comix" in the title, would we even be thinking about the three issues as comix? I have yet to have a chance to look at a copy of Snore 1. I did learn this past weekend that Dalhousie's Killam Library has Snore Comix listed in its special collections. I am going to see about setting up a meeting with that department sometime this month to take a look and to see if I can procure permission to take scans or pictures.

For some reason, whenever I see CoC 19, I always think of Venus 19 too, despite the similarities being minor. I like the way you describe this cover as having "a mixture of understated elegance and menace." I think it's a good way to explain its appeal. I love this cover, but since PCH is not my focus it is one of those books that I would love to have, but don't foresee prioritizing in the near future.

If you compare the PDF on the bpNichol site with the image posted on the Concordia site one is orange and the other is white. dannyboycheapboy pointed this out to me a few weeks ago and it opens up the possibility that there are print variants for Snore 2. http://ccca.concordia.ca/c/images/screen/cca/misc/hlynsky/hlynsky036.jpg

Great find! I watched the video a few times and it looks like there is no author information or mention of Snore Comix anywhere in the flip book. The plot thickens.

Awesome! There are a lot of rare 80s action figures that were exclusive to Brazil. Since your gf's family lives there it might be worth your while to do some research on Estrela and Glasslite toys and send them hunting for more. Some of that stuff has reached mythic status in toy circles (Dinosaucers certainly comes to mind). I've had series 3 Super Powers stuff at times over the years. I always end up selling it so I can buy other stuff for my inventory or other collections that I am working on. Series 3 stuff is hard to find, but the Estrela Batman is a true rarity. Gulliver Juguetes was headquartered in Brazil, but made Super Powers toys for the Colombian market. If you can track down a Captain Ray or an Abominable Snowman from their line I would be really impressed.

That's the Brazilian Batman from Estrela. That must have cost a pretty penny! And I thought my Clark Kent figure made me a hardcore Super Powers enthusiast...

I interpreted Bronson's message to you as being three additional issues of Snore including Shoe Journal. Perhaps you are right that it is Shoe Journal and then three others. Nevertheless, this accounts for seven issues maximum. I am going to update the Grand Comic Database during the weekend to account for the information you have provided here.

This email is a great source. I'm glad to read it. If Bronson only planned three other issues then it calls into question the existence of a "# 4" (at least in terms of the numbering I provided) and also calls into question whether or not Mr. Peanut is even an issue of Snore! It also suggests that Slug Book and Coach House Nose Who's Who were not ever printed. Good stuff, Reverend. At the same time, the image from Steven Ross Smith and from the information Dan shared with me from Trasov, we have conclusive evidence that Mr. Peanut was printed in some capacity. Whether or not it was officially released is still up for debate. I do not doubt Smith's credibility (as he was part of the concrete poetry movement and knew bpNichol personally). Another possibility is that the date that he gives for Mr. Peanut is being confused with the date when Trasov started dressing as the character. I did not speak directly with Trasov, but I am willing to give Trasov's version more clout than Smith's. But, Bronson's explanation calls into question Trasov's version, or creates problems or assuming that Slug Book or Coach House Nose are part of the Snore line. If someone can procure a Mr. Peanut and there is no date printed or indicia (which is quite possible) then the problem remains unsolved. This series of problems is why I agree with everything you say in the post where you mention Poor Farm Comics. There is definitive proof for Snore 1, 2, 3 and Shoe Journal. There is proof that the Mr. Peanut Flip Book exists physically. There is erroneous information out there and without physical evidence this will continue. The best we can do is make educated guesses based on information from primary sources. And Snore Comix is one of various Canadian Undergrounds where these kinds of problems exist...

I think price is the main reason why Shoe Journal is still available after 10 years. I would love to own one, but not at that price. I think its overpriced by $100. Mind you, they are trying to sell it as an art object, rather than as a comic. I have also wondered whether or not the numbering for Snore Comix is off, which is one of the reasons why I suspected that the Mr. Peanut Flip Book was actually # 4 in the first place. It is entirely possible and believable that there is not a missing book and that the way that different people researching the series have numbered everything is incorrect.

This is a bit confusing. Bright Things is dated 1970 on the first page and Snore 2 is dated 1970 on the back cover. I suspect that the author of this piece has the dates wrong, as the evidence available suggests that the Flip Book was published later. In fact, it would have to be if it is part of the Snore Comix line. The only way that 1969 is the correct date is if the Flip Book was not part of Snore Comix. I am inclined to believe what Trasov told Dan until proven otherwise.

There are some inconsistencies with the Concordia page. For example, they have a picture of Dr. Brute listed as Snore 4, but the image is from Bright Things. I had suspected that Mr. Peanut was Snore # 4, but Dan reached out to Trasov who said that his comic was indeed the 8th one in the series.

There were actually 8 issues of Snore Comix, but at least two were never properly released. Issue # 5, the "Shoe Journal" by George Saia (aka Jorge Zontal from the art collective General Idea) was produced, but buried away until 2007, when Robert Fones procured the remaining 120 copies and had the best 100 copies bound. It was sold through Art Metropole for $150. Ten years later, they still have some for sale: https://artmetropole.com/shop/4367 Issue # 6 was Gerry Gilbert's "Slug Book." This was followed by issue # 7, called "Coach House Nose Who's Who" by Jim Lang. An eighth issue, "Mr. Peanut" by Victor Trasov was printed but never released. dannyboycheapyboy and I spent a few days discussing this back and fourth, and neither of us were able to find information about Snore Comix # 4. Has anyone ever seen a copy of # 4?

Here's my copy of Snore Comix # 3:

Here is a house ad from the comic that lists several other comic magazines. Notice the short gag about two members of the CWAC (Canadian Women's Army Corps) above the ad.

Here's an interesting find. It's the earliest comic made by Superior that I have ever found: Army Gags. This issue is Vol. 2, # 6 and is dated September, 1943. It is digest size and is 100 pages (including both covers). It has a crude Superior logo on the cover and on the spine, but the indicia lists the publisher as "Duchess Printing and Publishing Co." (104 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, ON). The indicia says that it was published "every six weeks" Superior has a messy history, but I generally associate the company with FECA era books. I had long assumed that they had jumped into the game late in the WECA period and then tried to market books to the UK before become one of the main FECA publishers. Prior to now, I had assumed that Superior's earliest books had come out in 1945, as "Comedy," "Gals & Gags" and "Cartoon Parade" all appear that year. All three titles are in digest form. The fact that this issue of Army Gags is Vol. 2, # 6 and came out in September, 1943, suggest that the first volume of this comic came out in 1942. Perhaps this is the first comic title that Superior dabbled in, but this date puts the company firmly in the middle of WECA. Duchess was mainly a pulp and pocket book publisher. The company was a prolific publisher of pulps, with titles like "Keyhole Detective Cases," "Stirring Detective," "Private Detective" and "Real Western Stories." What's peculiar about Army Gags is that, despite its distinctive Canadian flair, many of the comic gags were created by Americans. Most do not have creator signatures, but there is art by Gladys Parker (creator of Mopsy), Dave Breger (creator of G.I. Joe) and Chon Day. There are numerous cartoons that have U.S. Patent Office information on them and they are obviously reprints. At the same time, there are several (albeit crude) Canadian cartoons in the magazine. In some of the research I have been conducting, I have been led to believe that comic strips were exempt from WECA (as were some magazines that targeted the upper class). Duchess/Superior was likely pushing the limits and looking for loopholes in Canadian laws (something that they continued to do until 1954). Here is a link to a youtube video for a comic from 1944 called "Halt" published by Duchess in the same style: Here is a picture of Army Gags Vol. 2, # 6:

Nice. Thanks for the information, Stephen.

Cool book. I'm very interested to learn about the interior. Also, Space Nomads? I have a copy of Zor from the UK, but I'm not familiar with Space Nomads. Can anyone offer some insight(s)?

The Robin Hood # 1 went for significantly less than I projected. I'm glad it went to Walt and is in the hands of someone who cares deeply about WECA books. Should be interesting to see what the 1st Brok Windsor goes for. Looking at what is coming up at the next two auctions, we must be close to the end of what has been a very impressive collection of books.

Showcase 8 for me. I love Captain Cold. Issue 123 is next in line on my list.

The Fashion Teeners and Skediddle Kiddles do really well on eBay. My wife and I have sold a lot of Kiddles over the years and Skediddles sell quickly. The Dawn dolls are a good find, but harder to sell IMO. I really like the Rock Flower line, but that stuff is really hard to sell. The Ideal Petite Princess stuff, on the other hand, sells well in lots. Don't feel too badly about missing out on the Micro Machines and some of the Star Wars stuff. Chances are that what you picked up is worth more than what you missed. I would have taken this stuff over the Micro Machines every day of the week. Congrats.

Wow! A quick Google search suggests that this has been going on since at least July. Thanks for the heads up. I'll be letting some of my close contacts know about this. Sorry about the headache you are going through regarding the Lego set.