selegue

Are there reprints, preferably cover to cover and not expensive, available? If not, any plans to make a reprint available? (Mostly directed to Bob B.) Did Castelli [?] et al make enough money on Obadiah to try again? It seems that Yellow Kid has more name recognition and would sell more copies. The book certainly better accepted here as a "real" comic book. Jack Maybe people think that colorful nightshirt is a cape.

No, but I'm fascinated. Marx, Lenin, Mao & Christ -- the dream team? What's the point of view of the book? Who's Open Door Publishers? Where did you find this gem? Between Beerbohm's Platinum Parade and this sort of book, the forums have been really great lately! Jack

Sensational! Thanks for the information -- the issue just zoomed up my want list. It sounds like Kanigher taking liberal "inspiration" from the Marston story in WW 21. Was it a uranium atom again? I can't find that it's been reprinted and it will probably be a long wait for it to appear in an Archive, so I'll have to bite the bullet to buy the real thing. Jack

These are terrific! Probably many American readers don't know that Katzenjammer means "hangover". Given this cover and the typical "child abuse" ending of so many Katzenjammer Kids strips, it makes you wonder why they weren't the Arschschmerzen Kids. Unusually happy Katzenjammer Kids cover! Who's the smilin' sailor? I thought that I knew something about the strip, but I don't recognize him. Jack

Interesting. Did Mike Friedrich (scripted these issues) think it was very clever to call Iron Man's suit "tin"? I know this crack had been used earlier (first by Stan Lee or Larry Lieber? Bro' Larry scripted most of the early IM stories, right?) but this is almost two covers in a row. Sharp copies! Jack

If you take your books out of the baggie and *CHOKE* read them, could you tell me whether the "Atom World" story has anything to do with the similar story in Wonder Woman 21? Does WW shrink down and visit a subatomic world again? I'm deciding whether to move this book up my want list. I don't think the story has ever been reprinted, but I'd be happy if someone corrected me on that. Thanks, Jack

And the "inspiration" for Amazing Fantasy 15 to boot! Jack

You're absolutely right! I had no idea that Frazetta was a Dean Martin look-alike. http://www.frazettaartgallery.com/ff/bio/1950/1950.html Jack

Is this also Dean Martin's first cover appearance? It predates the DC series by a couple of years. (How strange -- surely intentional.) Jack

Thanks Jack. I shall try to provide that when I can fit it. I write for my audience (i.e, you). don't forget those crickets in the background. Peachy-Caen! That's more than I knew. No wonder you have such exquisite taste in comic books. Jack

What a great write-up! JERK PATROL?!?! (I think some of the members hang around the CGC boards) WOW -- and it's not even my birthday. Thanks for the details about this story. Y'know, that's exactly what's been missing in this group. Not enough discussions of crystallographic space groups. Sparling has to be one of the most frustrating, inconsistent of all comic-book artists. When he was "on", he could be excellent. I think that some of his best work was actually the promo books like "Joe, the Genie of Steel". Later in his career, some of his work for DC, Dell and Gold Key (Neutro!) was hard to love. Did the variation in quality have to do with page rates, his interest in a project, or something else? Did he hand lesser assignments off to ghosts? I suppose that lonely soldiers reading this book were supposed to wonder about her undies... Thanks, Jack

YOW! I didn't realize that I was so forceful! Thanks!! Can you make $1000 appear in my wallet that fast? Interesting cover and nice copy. Scarce? No clue on the mysterious artist(s) with the stiff poses? Did Centaur have their own "stable" or buy from shops? Jack Funny you should ask, I just scanned it today at october's house. Here's C-M-O #2: We're going to need Jon or someone else to show us #1; I don't have it.

Could this be the same artist? I've wondered for a long time who drew this bizarre, stiff cover. Do any of you Centaur collectors have the two issues of C-M-O (Chicago Mail Order) to post? Jack

Jack, that would be VERY prescient as Fabulous Flo started at Magazine Management in 1963 and that page is from 1953! D'OH! I thought that she started earlier, but from the picture I posted I should have been able to figure it out. Uh, I read that Martin, Stan and the gang kept interviewing receptionists until they found one that matched the picture in Millie. That's the ticket. I wonder whether the 1953 receptionist drawing is based on a real person. Those are likely prospects. Are you on the timely-atlas yahoo group? If you're not, I'll ask there. The gang there probably not only knows who they are, but also what DeCarlo had for breakfast the day he drew that story. Jack

"And how!" must have been one of Stan's favorite expressions. How many times did Timely-Atlas-Marvel use that punch line on their girly humor covers? It seems like hundreds! No word balloons = NOT A COMIC BOOK! The things I've learned in this forum... With Tillie the Toiler dating back to 1921 with essentially the same shtick, sort of a pointless argument. Was Hanover Modeling Agency named after an existing, famous agency? I've seen mention of a similar name (Hanford? Something-over?) but forgot to make a note of it. Does anyone know whether the name of Star Trek's "Seven of Nine" was a sort-of homage? Hah! It's a caricature of Fabulous Flo Steinberg: Funny little bit of cheesecake in the photo. If you've ever heard the Merry Marvel Marching Society record, you'll never forget her voice. Great stuff, Scrooge. Looking forward to the next installment. Jack

From http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/m/mitymous.htm (The Mouse of Tomorrow) The cats of the city are terrorising the mice who live there. After a narrow escape where he was nearly eaten, Mike Mouse (unnamed in this cartoon - see notes) hides out inside a large supermarket. Tired of living in fear, he sets out to remake himself, Charles Atlas style. Removing wares from the shelves, he washes using Super Soap, eats Super Soup, gnaws down Super Celery, then jumps head first into a piece of Super Cheese, to emerge transformed into Super Mouse. No longer will he run around on all fours; now he will stand tall on two legs, dressed in a cape and costume similar to Superman's. Using his new powers he gathers up all the cats and dumps them on the moon, before returning to a hero's welcome. That cartoon confused me when I was a young sprat. As I remember it on TV in the 50s, the voiceover recited the names of all the Super groceries, then announced that he was transformed into ... MIGHTY MOUSE! Do I remember right? Was the cartoon edited for TV release? I loved the opera cartoons -- such a unique style. They must be readily available on DVD, probably both fly-by-night and legal releases. I should seek them out. That Mighty Mouse got around... Thanks for another fine write-up, Scrooge! Jack

YEAH! The return of my favorite feature! Hey, no conflict there. The title says that the Men (reading it) are Weird, not the adventures! Apparently Goodman and company decided that the readers were getting normal. Wow! Some mighty strong propaganda there! I wonder whether Stan wrote it. Especially next to this surprisingly sympathetic tale: Thanks for all the scans and info, Scrooge! Jack

Correct, but by day he was a mild mannered newspaper reporter. He hid his alter ego by wearing glasses. I thought he used a monocle JPS

Did Fiction House cover artists usually just trace or copy soft-core girly mags? This is yet another example that convinces me. Just look at that pose! The artist slapped a leopard-skin bikini on a pin-up. Anyone know who drew this one? Whitman? [i'm not passing any moral judgment here about the content or ethics of the artists -- just musing about source material.] Jack

Oh dear. Apparently she remembers Wonder Warthog too. Thanks for the story Jack

The more Maneely work I see, the more I like his stuff. If he hadn't died young, we probably would have seen Spider-Man and Hulk by Maneely at some point, since he was one of Stan Lee's favorites. Fast, prolific and distinctive. Seeing this Astonishing cover, I can imagine that his Spider-Man would have been magnificent (not that Ditko's wasn't). Jack

"Shrowd" -- HAW! I wonder whether an editor got his butt kicked for that after it hit the stands. You're right that covers don't get much pinker than that! Jack Don't forget Voodoo!

Here's the review. I apologize that I can't provide more scans -- the book is in a storage shed 15 mi away and I'd be lucky to find it in less than an hour, and my old SCSI scanner doesn't work with my new USB computer! Jack Toytown Comics (Cover title Toy Town Comics) Swappers Quarterly and Almanac February 1945 There is no date on the book; the date is from Gerber, Vol. 2. Art credit is from Gerber and Overstreet, 30th Edition. The indicia give the publisher as Swappers Quarterly and Almanac; Gerber gives Toytown Publ./Orbit Publ.; Overstreet gives Toytown/Orbit Publ./B. Antin/Swapper Quarterly. The parent company is usually called Orbit. I think that some books were also published under the names Our Publications, Patches Publications, Rural Home, etc. I gather that publishing as a group of “loosely connected” entities was standard operating procedure for reasons of swapping paper supply during wartime shortages, and so that parts of the company could go bankrupt without dragging down the rest. The book was probably edited by (Ms.) Rae Herman [pseudonym Ray Herman], apparently a colorful character in comic-book history. The book was produced by the L. B. Cole’s studio, possibly with contributions from anyone available to meet a deadline. The cover shows Mertie Mouse, slingshot in hand, being chased by other characters with lumps on their heads. The cover artwork is certainly by L. B. Cole, although unsigned. He most likely inked the cover, and the vibrant colors might be his work as well. The cover design demonstrates a lot of manic energy and motion, with all of the characters save one rushing toward the lower right corner, guided by garish blue and yellow perspective lines. On the right, one stationary character in somber black and dark red peeks around the spine, looking directly at the reader. His pointy-eared cowl and mask with a long, scalloped cape look very familiar. Chapter 1. The Potato Bug Invasion Mertie Mouse loses his apartment and girl friend. He meets Bertie Bat. Potato bugs attack the town. The plot is fairly surreal, with a mob of anthropomorphic potato bugs attacking Mertie’s bag of potato chips. The writer tosses in several odd subplots involving Mertie’s henpecked, naive landlord, Tubby, and his domineering wife, as well as Mertie’s girlfriend and her violent father, rumors of a mysterious and feared despot called Storm King. Lurking around the edge of the story is the unidentified Batman character shown on the cover. The characters are mostly cynical and disagreeable, with the possible exception of the Batman character, who is lonely in a petulant, “Casper the Friendly Ghost” way. Typical dialog: Gertie’s dad (looks like a rat), holding up Bertie by the scruff of his neck, asks, “Yong man – do you intend to marry by dotter?” Bertie replies, “Well --- since you put it that way!” [next panel, speaking behind his hand in a stage whisper] “What’s in it fer me?” Gertie sobs as dad kicks Mertie out the door! The art is still most likely by L. B. Cole. Chapter 2. Mertie Becomes Mayor Mertie is arrested, then appointed mayor by the town council so that he must tell the Storm King that the town cannot pay its taxes. More surreal plot, more cynical funny animals. Chapter 3. The River of Death On his way to the Storm King’s castle, Mertie is joined by Tubby (his ex-landlord). They meet Christopher Q. Catt, who plans to eat Mertie. Tubby builds a raft to cross a river. Christopher pushes Mertie and Tubby into the river. Man, these are a bunch of mean funny animals! The splash panel is signed HC. The artwork is probably L. B. Cole layouts with Hal Chambers finishes from Chapter 3 on. Chapter 4. Terror from the Skies Bertie Bat rescues Mertie and Tubby from alligators in the river. Christopher takes credit, then sends a message to Vincent Vulture. Vincent carries Mertie away. When Tubby heads out to save him, Christopher threatens him with a gun but is knocked out by Bertie Bat. Time out for a two-page text story with half-page illustration, probably by Cole, to satisfy postal regulations. Mertie Mouse Cries Wolf Mertie heads for Florabel’s house expecting, “not without reason, that he and Florabel would have a cozy evening together.” A crowd of moochers is gathered. Mertie isn’t exactly concerned about Florabel’s affections, but rather wonders, “if things keep up like this Florabel may find another boy friend. Then where will I go nights? [!] There isn’t another girl in town who will loan me money.” Mertie fakes a robbery at Florabel’s then runs out when a real robber arrives. Florabel captures the robber and punches out Mertie. Chapter 5. The Forest Ruler Bertie Bat rescues Mertie from Vincent Vulture. They continue together to the Storm King’s castle. Freddie Fox promises the Ruler of the Forest (a Cowardly Lion look-alike) a new set of teeth in exchange for putting out a wanted poster for Mertie and Bertie, who are soon arrested. Chapter 6. The Dungeon of Doom The Ruler of the Forest sentences Mertie and Bertie to the Dungeon of Doom. Mertie persuades the monster of the dungeon, an elephant, to break him and Bertie out of the castle. Tubby reaches the Storm King’s castle and is locked in a trunk by Christopher. Chapter 7. The Storm King’s Castle Mertie and Bertie reach the Storm King’s castle where Christopher Q. Catt and Freddie Fox beat them up and lock them in a torture chamber. The torture scene surprisingly brutal for a funny-animal book! Mertie is stretched on a rack and Bertie is about to be closed in an iron maiden. Christopher and Freddie reveal that they are the “Storm King”, predicting rather than causing storms. The Ruler of the Forest beats up Christopher, Freddie and their gorilla Horrible Harold. Horrible Harold is a hoot! He comes running out like Magilla Gorilla, yelling “Coming Boss!” when called by Christopher. One panel later he gets the snot punched out of him by a smirking Ruler of the Forest, who’s very mean when he’s mad! That’s his entire scene! Mertie, Bertie and Tubby return home as heroes. The dialog in the last two panels is amazing. Lonely Bertie says, “Now that you’re famous, Mertie – can I still be your pal?” Mertie replies, “Sure! My first act as mayor will be to appoint you treasurer! You’ll handle all the cash!” [next panel, addressing the reader] “What a racket this will be! Who said it doesn’t pay to be a stinker?’ Wow, none of the moralistic tales that we’ve grown accustomed to from the comic books and cartoons of the 1950s! The characters are almost thoroughly unlikable, except for poor, henpecked Tubby and poor, insecure Bertie. The dishonest and lazy prosper through no efforts of their own. No one learns a lesson and reforms. The characters are as violent as Itchy and Scratchy, with characters clubbed over the head with a full panel “Whango!” complete with a star and Saturn. Others are tortured, kicked, smacked in the chin with a telescope, knocked through a wall, nearly drowned and about to be boiled alive. This is not a comic book to read your kid for a bedtime story! I wonder whether Wertham and the gang saw this one.

HAW -- typical of me. Double referenced. ... Don't ever doubt yourself again! ... I'm not sure whether I will Jack (but I might)

HAW -- typical of me. Double referenced. Jack