PANEL PECULIAR

and concluding The Fox and the Crow from Real Screen Comics #14 from 1947 published by (ahem) National Periodicals.

And lest you should think the laughter never stops (or begins depending on your view) it all ends up as you might have guessed with the Crow taking the fall.

More merriment soon.

PANEL PECULIAR

Sometimes one panel isn’t enough and this is one of those times. I’m no fan of ‘funny animal’ stories but this caught my eye the other day. I find the interplay between the earthy Crow and the hi-fallutin’ Fox just tickles my funny bone.

To be continued … in part two next, same mpd57 time, same mpd57 channel.

PANEL PECULIAR

This week all I want to know is the name of the artist who drew this magnificent cover – I’ve got nothing but love for this artist and his career must span at least 5 decades, maybe 6! That’s something for all you artists out there to catch up with! This subject is not what he is famous for but when you can draw like that who gives a damn about subject?

You’ll have noticed the title of a truly amazing adventure on the cover there, bottom right. A classic tale that was followed with “The Man Who Had Asthma”, “The Man Who Wore His Tie Too Tightly” and later “The Man Who Couldn’t Think of a Better Title”.

Last week our hero and the dumb broad he married by accident saved the word from Sserpo! which all happened in Amazing Adventures #6 from 1961 (although I can’t be sure if that was the first time)!

PANEL PECULIAR

This is a great panel. If you thought hanging around with no clothes on was a modern invention you haven’t read enough golden age jungle comics. Nice pose, but if she ain’t Sheena then who is she? Answers on a postcard as usual.

Last week you all recognised Steve Ditko’s work on Konga #8 from 1962 or thereabouts. Konga was just another King Kong rip-off or it would have been if the stories weren’t so gosh-darned crazy. Believe me you’ll want to hunt this series down – your mind will be boggled!

SAMMY AND HIS SPEEDSUB

No time for decompression here!

A simple single pager featuring Sammy and his Speedsub from the Swift Annual 1955 (companion paper to the Eagle, Girl and Robin).

[No longer available to download here, but send me an email if you are interested and I'll see if I can sort you out]

COMIC BOOK CHALLENGER II

So last week I was just foolin’ around. That comic book challenge was waay too easy. I mashed up three comics. The picture was indeed the Thing from Fantastic Four #1, the words were from My Greatest Adventure #80 (Doom Patrol) and the caption was from Howard the Duck #2 and refered to the Space Turnip (how could you forget the Space Turnip?) and as there was no real link I’ll make one up – they were all trapped in a world they never made!! Corn-ee.

So now that you’ve got the hang of it here’s the next toughie.

This mash-up is totally off the top of my head, the pic from an age ago, but the text from the modern era – but dang if it all don’t look sweet! Answers next week.

THE RETURN OF THE COMICBOOK CHALLENGE

As the title says – it’s the return of my comic book Challenges. The panel above looks great – but it doesn’t make much sense – looks like a comic mash-up to me! Can anyone recognise the bits and pieces though? The writers, the artists, the characters, the comics – heck maybe even the issues these elements are taken from!?! This one takes in the sixties and the seventies, DC and Marvel, and if you can invent a link between the pieces, well there’s points to be won! This is your competition – you make up the rules!

I’ll have to dig out the scores from early in the year – still plenty of time for late comers to catch up. Answers next week.

JEEP COMICS

The answer to last week’s challenge (made more difficult by me not giving you even vaguely correct clues – duh) was Jeep #2 from 1944 published by RB Leffingwell featuring art by Jack Alderman. The strip inside was called Jeep & Peep (which makes all the difference)! I don’t know what’s going on with that cover but the interior doesn’t feature the big pink blimp with the polka dot trunks so your guess is as good as mine.

Let’s take a look inside at the story. A middle-aged man in the laziest costume I’ve ever seen called Jeep (so called because his Jeep is magic) disturbs Peep (his silly fat teenage sidekick) during a ‘moment of relaxation’!?! Phew – nearly caught me!

Peep looks nervous and so would I be if I was a young boy whose mentor kept barging into my room every five minutes – sometimes in the middle of the night with no shirt on! Don’t know about you but I’m already getting an I Rule the Night vibe here!

No wonder Peep has made a break for it, but I’m not surprised when the guy can do this with his legs. If you can do this without hurting yourself there’s more to your sex-life than meets the eye.

In fact this guy can’t stop himself. I’m not sure that a magical Jeep is his primary power. I might have named him Mr. Kick-your-face-in. The preceding word balloon says “I washed my legs…”. Hmm, leg washing? Wertham was right.

If I find any more adventures of Jeep & Peep don’t worry. I’ll keep them to myself! In fact, since I made a pig’s ear of this one, my Golden Age challenges will be taking a break for a short while. Tomorrow I begin something new to keep you amused at work throughout March.

Sam takes the final 1000 points all for himself. Thanks for joining in everybody who joined in!

WHAT THE … ?

Greetings all and sundry. Welcome to those of you reprobates still enjoying the chaos that is my weekly Golden Age Challenge. This week all you have to do is look at this Golden Age cover until you go quite mad. I know I’ve been looking at it too long myself. Wait until you see the strip inside! The title is so obvious you will leak tears of pure tea upon it’s discovery. So what is this comic called? It’s late. I’m tired.

Remember that highly prized points are on offer for the title, correct or otherwise. Nothing this time for meaning, because believe me I’ve read this and I still can’t make any sense of it. A clue. The title and the lead strip (somewhat abstractly rendered for this cover) are one and the same.

Once more into the realm of the feminine. More useful tips for young gals – all the way from the forties directly to right now for your reading pleasure and education. More Short Cuts to Glamour.

Don't try walking and talking at the same time tho'

FATSO & THE BLUE FLIES

That’s Fatso! He’s featured in Coo Coo Comics (a title I’m determined to revive) #41 from 1948. Y’know one of these days I’m going to find a strip called just Fat Pig. I’ll find it don’t you worry.

A pig with a Derby and no trousers!

But you’re not interested in that you want the good stuff and here it is. Yeah well, whatever you were expecting no one expects “THE BLUE FLIES AIIEEE!!”. A skull maybe, a crooked tooth, bad breath, even a Frenchman’s tackle, but not the blue flies – aieee!

Gak!

Bzzzz!

This is the last page of a rather long winded horror tonguing coming from Weird Terror #8 from 1953. For no obvious reason it’s called The Improved Kiss by Marty Elkin. I think the point of the story is that she has purposefully contracted the plague in order to get close enough to kill ‘Fatso’ in revenge for having her lover put to death – phew! Sam takes 750 points while Steve garners a sympathetic 250 for stating what can only be described as the bleedin’ obvious. Come on, Steve this is the Golden Age of comics – nothing is too stupid!

Now none of you ladies have been complaining about the lack of Short Cuts to Glamour unsurprisingly, but here’s another. Take note.

Try not to sound like a nag is my advice.

That's all for now, more top tips soon!

Try that last one at work, especially if your boss is short. That’ll make him feel a lot better.