Hepcat

A prime time hit for Hanna and Barbera! 1 2 3

"Societal breakdown"? Please. I was positing merely aesthetic annoyance which of course is plenty bad enough. The bottom line though is that DC has continued to actively publish Superman and Batman comics. Why should the company be stripped of these characters? (A solid caning for their buffoonery regarding Superman's "death" should suffice in my opinion.)

While I was strongly drawn to the Revell "Big Daddy" Roth custom car and fink kits right from the start, I don't clearly remember when and where I first learned of these kits or "Big Daddy" Roth's existence. It was perhaps from an ad for one of his model kits in Boy's Life magazine in 1963 or so: But I clearly remember looking at the Revell Beatnik Bandit model kit at the Tuckey Hardware store two blocks from my house sometime in early 1964: A few months afterward I was completely knocked out when I saw the Revell Rat Fink model kit at the Coles bookstore on Dundas Street in downtown London. I bought it almost immediately, built it nicely but left it unpainted: Later in perhaps early 1965 I bought this even wilder Revell Roth Mysterion kit that I'd been admiring for several months at Tuckey Hardware: My desire for all things Roth was then further stoked by these ads: Even though I saw such a Testor's paint display stand at the hobby shop above Cowan's Hardware in downtown London, I knew these paints were for more sophisticated cooler kids who could actually paint. And who could of course afford relatively more expensive spray paint cans! I also remember gazing with wonder at this ad which also appeared on the back cover of some DC comics as well as on the back cover of Big Daddy Roth 4: Wow! Winning "Big Daddy" Roth's company as a house guest for a week! How cool would that be? A girl in her early teens from New Jersey actually won the contest with her "Scuz-Fink" submission. What's certain is that this ad which appeared in issue #16 of Drag Cartoons that I bought in May 1965 sealed the deal in turning me into a "Big Daddy" Roth fanatic for life: That issue proved key in shaping my interests since it also prompted me to send away to Millar Publications for every back issue of Drag Cartoons and Big Daddy Roth magazine I could get and also sparked an abiding interest in hot rods that's stayed with me to the present day. I then bought a Revell Brother Rat Fink T-Shirt Iron-On Transfer at the Seven Mile Hobby Shop just west of the Southfield Expressway in Detroit in the early summer of 1965 and successfully applied it to one of my T-shirts: (Not mine.) My very old-school father though took one look at it, confiscated it and used it for a rag in the garage. Very sad. The same fate befell the Rat Fink sweatshirt I ordered up and received from "Big Daddy" Roth's shop in the winter of 1965-66. I had also noticed an absolutely wild Angel Fink kit in the window of Steve's Variety & Gift Shop in Wortley Road Village just over a block from my house sometime after building the Rat Fink but I didn't buy it at the time: I did so in the fall of 1965 though at a hobby shop in Wells, Maine when I was attending a boarding school in Kennebunkport, Maine. It became the first non-Aurora model kit I painted and I actually did a pretty good job. I also clearly remember being tempted by the Revell Surfink kit when I saw it at Coles Books later in 1966 but passed on buying it because I was in high school by then: The Revell Surfink kit can be seen to have been closely based on this Roth T-shirt design executed in pen and ink by Wes Bennett (I think) which not surprisingly ranks among my very favourites: Whenever that first exposure of mine to "Big Daddy" Roth's designs was, I was absolutely captivated just about from the get-go. This stuff I knew was absolutely outta sight wild cool (and something my parents just couldn't understand of course)! By 1983 I was buying up whatever MIB Revell Roth kits I could find. At the time they were surprisingly cheap in comparison to the Aurora monster model kits. I now have almost all the ones I really want with the exception of Scuz-Fink and Surfite (to what I'm sure would have been the absolute disgust of my father anyway): I also have about 22 "Big Daddy" Roth T-shirts including these: I ordered a whole bunch of these T-shirts through the Roth catalog circa 2000 and spent some time talking with Ed himself on the phone. While I don't have a Brother Rat Fink T-Shirt Iron-On Transfer, I do have the Rat Fink one: It's the other eleven Revell T-Shirt Iron-On Transfers I really need now! I also have a couple of Roth store promo posters including this one for the Testor's paints: There's also a Revell "Ransom a Rat Fink" poster that I'd really like to add to my collection. So to this very day I remain a wild-eyed drooling fan of "Big Daddy" Roth and his custom rods and finks! Don't you just love those happy endings?

Here are scans of four more of my Adventures of the Jaguar: 2 3 4 5

But can you not see how that's precisely what I don't want? Every Tom, Dick and Harry would be trying to put his own unique stamp on Batman to differentiate his effort from that of everybody else and it would result in a nightmare! Granted DC itself has done only a passable job in preserving the integrity of characters such as Batman and Superman but at least they try (sort of). Remember when Jack Kirby couldn't draw Superman right so they had Murphy Anderson redraw his face?

I'm not so much concerned about harm done to Disney. I'm concerned about the potential harm done to the legacy of Mockey Mouse by those with no vested interest in the character. Oh, I agree! Since Crisis on Infinite Earths and the multiple reboots of characters, DC has savaged the legacy of characters such as Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Batwoman, etc, etc. But do you really believe the situation would be improved by every johnny-come-lately and his dog publishing Superman and Batman comics? Not only continuity but the pre-existing integrity of the character would go completely out the window with multiple publishers. So are you completely disinterested in not only legacy but the concepts of continuity and a unified internally consistent Universe of characters? The latter was what I really liked about what Stan Lee did at Marvel beginning with the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961.

Aquaman 12 hit my mail box early in September shortly after our return from Toronto. I was a bit miffed with it arriving folded in half down the middle though. I also clearly remember acquiring these comics off newsstands by mid-September: I remember buying the #9 at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind newsstand at the Covent Garden Market building in downtown London and trekking home with it. The excitement at my house otherwise that day was the selecting of a dress for my sister's prom. This Flash cover absolutely knocked me out when I first saw it on the bottom of the magazine stand at Les' Variety. Both the composition by legendary artist Carmine Infantino and the colours are fabulous. I didn't realize it at the time but Heat Wave would be the final villain to be inducted in what soon became known as the Flash's Rogues Gallery: I also remember seeing this comic for the first time on the magazine stand at Les' Variety shortly thereafter. It was another in the series of wildly colourful eye-catching Justice League covers. Only as an adult though did I notice that Mike Sekowsky habitually drew Wonder Woman with a huge and not at all athletic looking butt. Green Lantern, wow! Finally! And such a gorgeous cover by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. It remains one of my favourite comic covers of all time. Wow! The two members of the Justice League of America who sadly did not have their own title featured teaming up on the cover of a comic. I was feverish with excitement! Mike M. from down the street had been pressing me to collect Dinky Toys with him but I knew my quarters and dimes would have to be reserved for more DC superhero comics. I first saw Wonder Woman 142 downtown at the News Depot which together with Ken's Variety was one of my go-to places for Krun-Chee Potato Chips which frequently had great coin premiums free inside. But Wonder Tot?! What in hell was editor/writer Robert Kanigher thinking to introduce and then repeatedly feature such an execrable character? Kanigher must have been a soft-headed new father. Plus a few more I clearly remember buying: Well that was it, game, set and match! By this time I was well and truly hooked on DC superhero comics. And now here I am today, still a huge comic fan!

Here are scans of three more of my Fox and the Crow comics: Despite being forced off the cover of their own title, the majority of the stories in the comics above were "Fox and the Crow" stories. Stanley and His Monster though were steadily commanding more of the pages.

Mattel's Hot Wheels division has also been actively involved in race and racecar sponsorship: In 1970 Mattel Hot Wheels sponsored the Funny Cars of both Tom "Mongoose" McEwen: And Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: To coattail with the launch of this wildly successful Mongoose & Snake Drag Race Set: (Not mine.) Here's a magazine ad for the above set:

They're briefcases for the office. Top level execs like to demonstrate that they busy themselves at home with only the most important matters and therefore don't carry thick briefcases. There could be more than four and of course in a multiplicity of colours. In addition to the briefcases SPP also released binders: It seems that the Digger, Daddy, Davey and Freddy Flameout binders listed in the above catalogue were available in red, yellow, green and black. Here are some pictures I've managed to find: SPP also released at least two more Weird-Ohs binders not shown in the above catalogue: So I count at least six different binders. Each was perhaps available in red, yellow, green, black and perhaps even teal. Plus at least one pencil case: I'm not sure how many different pencil cases there were or in how many different colours. All I know for sure is that any self-respecting Hawk Weird-Ohs enthusiast needs to have them all!

Some of the parts are enclosed beneath the cardboard insert.

What then were the last few comics you purchased? And now after taking a seventy year breather, do you not feel sufficiently refreshed to start adding to your collection again? e.g. all those issues from the late 1940's and early 1950's you missed out on at the time?

Those LP's are wild cool! I remember seeing one of the "Big Daddy" Roth ones when I was actively accumulating vinyl LP's circa 1970. I have one other "Big Daddy" Roth LP you've not pictured: I like to relax to the sweet sounds of Rods 'n Ratfinks: But I don't have the Weird-Ohs or Silly Surfers LP's. I take it that yours are two separate albums. I believe I've seen an LP with the Weird-Ohs on the front of the sleeve and the Silly Surfers on the back.

Felix's Nephews!

The difference is in the "use it or lose it" provisions of case law. Shakespeare understandably did nothing with respect to continuing to use his creations. (He died.) So his creations became "abandoned property" under Common Law (just like a couch you put out on the curb) and thus entered the public domain centuries before such concepts were even codified in acts of Parliament. DC though has kept Superman in very active publication since his creation. In no way, shape or form has he been "abandoned".

Another fabulous Jay Scott Pike cover! Dolphin eventually became a love interest of Aquaman after Mera walked out on him.

A Rat Fink figure proportional to the car and resembling the one pictured on the box is included. The inclusion of the fink figures made the slot cars too top heavy of course and they were very poor performers on any slot car track.

Wow, fantastic!

The DC house ad that impressed me the most in the spring of 1962 though was this one: Since I've already posted the Atom and Hawkman comics from which the images in the above ad were taken, here's the Aquaman comic: And here's a Metal Men comic:

I remember making the drive from London to Detroit circa 1985 thinking that a big city comic shop in the States must have all those Silver Age DCs that I hadn't been able to find in Canada. Well of course it did not. Worse yet was when I was in New York to take in a Mets series against the Pirates in 1986 or so and I decided to drop into the Batcave comic shop in Manhattan thinking that with a full page ad in Overstreet it must be big time. Well it was a tiny shop with minimal selection.

A marsupial variant of Felix perhaps?

Here's a Four Color with the fabled Krazy Kat!

Count Dracula wasn't Madeline's only fan. She had many at Hammer Studios and elsewhere!

Whoever wanted a woman with no fuss, no bother I'm guessing.

Five more of my Action Comics: Northland copy