Author Topic: Comic Book Collecting  (Read 50263 times)

Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #120 on: August 11, 2020, 02:50:53 PM »
Shari Lewis and Howdy Doody were characters who filled me with a sense of wonder when I first discovered comics in 1959-60. That's because they were popular kids' show characters who appeared on U.S. television stations that in London, Ontario required a good roof top TV antenna to access. Therefore only a very fortunate few kids got to see their shows and their unattainability imbued these characters with a magical aura in my impressionable young mind.

While Shari Lewis appeared in no comics, 38 issues of Howdy Doody were published by Dell with cover dates from January 1950 to September 1956. Howdy Doody was also the title feature of Four Color issues #761 and #811 with 1957 cover dates.

Here are scans of my five File copies:

 

 

 13

 

 20

 

31



 8)
« Last Edit: August 12, 2020, 08:51:22 AM by Hepcat »
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Rex fury

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #121 on: August 11, 2020, 04:31:33 PM »
Nice books Hep. You seem to have a great run of file copies in your comic collection. The only file copies I own are a run of Grim’s Ghost stories. Just FYI- while Shari Lewis wasn’t featured in comics per say, there was a nice run of Lambchop Weekly children’s magazine. These are sometimes referred to as comics ( but you probably already knew that).
RF

Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #122 on: August 11, 2020, 05:38:02 PM »
Just FYI- while Shari Lewis wasn’t featured in comics per say, there was a nice run of Lambchop Weekly children’s magazine. These are sometimes referred to as comics ( but you probably already knew that).

Actually I did not! Thanks for the info. It seems that Shari Lewis' Lambchop Weekly was a U.K. publication.

 :)
« Last Edit: August 11, 2020, 11:07:29 PM by Hepcat »
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Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #123 on: August 13, 2020, 12:20:53 PM »
The cartoon character that for the same unattainability reason seemed the most magical to me in 1960-61 was Deputy Dawg. Fortunately I now have all seven comic magazines in which Deputy Dawg is the cover feature. The first five issues of New Terrytoons with 1960-61 cover dates:

1



2



3



4 File copy



5



Plus the two issues of Four Color Comics from 1961 and 1962 in which Deputy Dawg is the title feature character:





 8)
« Last Edit: August 13, 2020, 12:25:27 PM by Hepcat »
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Haunted hearse

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #124 on: August 14, 2020, 07:42:27 PM »
The cartoon character that for the same unattainability reason seemed the most magical to me in 1960-61 was Deputy Dawg. Fortunately I now have all seven comic magazines in which Deputy Dawg is the cover feature. The first five issues of New Terrytoons with 1960-61 cover dates:


2



3




 8)

I find it interesting that the character is called "Minute and a Half Man" on the comic book cover. The character was called "Hector Heathcote" in the series I watched as a child.
What ever happened to my Transylvania Twist?

Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #125 on: August 14, 2020, 10:56:48 PM »
Interesting! Western Printing evidently picked up on the name of the first cartoon in which Hector Heathcote appeared and ran with that even though a second cartoon had already appeared several months before New Terrytoons 2 hit newsstands in late July 1960:

Quote from: Wikipedia
Hector Heathcote is a Terrytoons animated cartoon character. Created by Eli Bauer and Ralph Bakshi, he first appeared in July 18, 1959 in The Minute and a Half Man.... Terrytoons created the character for television, but the cartoons also received theatrical distribution.

Hector is an 18-year-old orange-haired Colonial era patriot who turned up, often as an unsung hero, during various stages of American History. In later cartoons he was accompanied by his faithful red-and-yellow dog Winston who talked with a slight English accent. Heathcote was also antagonized by a big bully named Benedict who parodied the infamous American traitor Benedict Arnold.

The Hector Heathcote Show aired on NBC from October 5, 1963 to September 25, 1965. The series ran for two seasons, replacing The Shari Lewis Show. Additional cartoons in the program included Hashimoto-san, a Japanese mouse, and Silly Sidney the Elephant, a wacky pachyderm whose friends included Cleo the giraffe and Stanley, a cantankerous lion.

Hector was merchandised on lunch boxes, books and toys. Gold Key published him in comic book form, but only one issue (dated 1964)

Filmography

Terrytoons made 19 Hector Heathcote cartoons between 1959 and 1971, directed by Arthur Bartsch, Dave Tendlar, Connie Rasinski, Bill Tytla and Bob Kuwahara.

The Minute and a Half Man (July 1959)
The Famous Ride (April 1960)

 :-\
« Last Edit: August 15, 2020, 09:59:16 AM by Hepcat »
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Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #126 on: August 22, 2020, 02:39:06 PM »
Dell's advertising slogan since at least the formation of the Comics Code Authority in 1955 was "Dell comics are good comics!" And Dell comics really did provide good value to the young customer. All 36 pages including the exterior and interior cover pages of a Dell comic mag were devoted to panel comics with an ad on the back cover being an occasional exception. In comparison the Harvey comics from the late 1950's to 1961 through which I've flipped have around 10 1/2 pages of ads including 1 - 2 1/2 pages of house ads plus 1 1/2 - 2 pages of text features.

Nonetheless newsstand sales of Dell comics plummeted beginning in December 1960 when the price of Dell comics was raised from $0.10 to $0.15 despite the still reasonable value proposition.

Despite what was in retrospect the better value of Dell comics, before the age of nine or so the comics that I reached for most often (and purchased once in a blue moon) from the spinner rank were Harvey. Since most of the Dell funny animal characters were from cartoon shows, they seemed commonplace to me. Casper and the other Harvey characters just seemed more exotic to me. Even then I was drawn to spooks, witches and demons! Hot Stuff was a particular favourite of mine at the time:



These days I'm really put off by the fact that the diaper Hot Stuff wears indicates that he's a baby so i have very few Hot Stuff comics in my collection.

My favourite Harvey character these days is Spooky because unlike Casper he's not a milquetoast and I really like his derby. Here are scans of a few of my older (defined as ten cent) Spooky comics:

 

 

 

 

 

I also really like Wendy since I know she grew up to be super hot:



Here are scans of some of my older Wendy comics:











I do keep an eye out for any older Casper comics which I'm willing to buy if they're cheap. Here are scans of a few from my collection:







Richie Rich though turns my stomach. Nor can I abide the grotesquely fat Little Lotta or the diaper wearing Baby Huey characters.

 cl:)





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Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #127 on: August 28, 2020, 03:57:12 PM »
Though I was already familiar with Superman and Batman comics from the barber shop or wherever, the first superhero comics I distinctly remember reading were the Adventures of the Fly in early 1961. I remember reading them at Lamont & Perkins drugstore a block away on Wortley Road before they chased me out, at which point I'd head for Tyler & Zettel's pharmacy six or so blocks to the south on Wortley Road. I think the first issue of  the Adventures of the Fly that caught my eye was #12:

Bethlehem copy



I believe these drug stores only stocked Archie, Dell and Classics Illustrated comics which is why the Fly was the first superhero to catch my attention.  The closest two variety stores/grocery stores from which I bought bubble gum cards and various penny candies didn't stock comics. The best selection of comics in the immediate neighbourhood was at Ken's Variety four blocks away but I usually didn't have to travel that far to spend what little money I had. Moreover what was the point of making the four block trek to Ken's to be tempted by comics I didn't have the money to buy?  Therefore I just don't remember seeing any of the DC superhero titles such as these that would have been on many newsstands/magazine racks at the time:







But then Adventures of the Fly 13 turned out to be even more of an eye opener for me:



Because inside were these ads heralding the introduction of Fly Girl and the Jaguar!


 


I also read through the Adventures of the Jaguar 1 when it first hit the newsstand at Lamont & Perkins or somewhere:



I was spellbound by this dashing new hero! The issue also included this tantalizing ad for the mysterious Fly Girl:



Who would shortly make her debut appearance in Adventures of the Fly 14:

Bethlehem copy



These comics left such a profound impact on my impressionable young mind that Fly, Fly Girl and Jaguar have remained among my very favourite comic book characters and superheroes to this very day! I now have nearly complete runs of both Adventures of the Fly and Adventures of the Jaguar in generally very nice condition including the first two issues of the Fly from 1959 which feature Joe Simon & Jack Kirby artwork.

Nonetheless these issues of the Adventures of the Fly and the Adventures of the Jaguar didn't yet prompt me to start up a collection of superhero comics. Quite simply at the age of ten I didn't have the money. A dime was a serious piece of currency in those days. A Canadian dime contained exactly 0.06 ounces of silver meaning that at the present moment's silver price of U.S.$27.52 per ounce it was worth U.S.$1.65 or Cdn.$2.16 in today's terms. Two packs of cards containing a total of eight cards and eight flat sections of bubble gum, a ten ounce bottle of pop including the two cent deposit, a full size chocolate bar, a good sized bag of chips or a two scoop ice cream cone could be had for a Canadian dime in those days. That's right, two scoops! Even a penny was a not insignificant bit of currency. A penny could get you a proper sized piece of Dubble Bubble or Bazooka gum:



 :)

« Last Edit: August 31, 2020, 03:52:35 PM by Hepcat »
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Rex fury

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #128 on: August 28, 2020, 10:49:45 PM »
I too have fond memories of the early Radio comics. I really thought the fly and fly girl were cool, especially the Kirby issue(s). The Double Life of Private Strong also found its way into my collection. Anyone read the first issue of their version of the Shadow?  The Shadow quickly became a standard superhero, but I think he’s closer to the “real” Shadow in that first issue. Anyone have recollections of him?
RF

Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #129 on: August 29, 2020, 10:11:59 AM »
I too have fond memories of the early Radio comics. I really thought the fly and fly girl were cool, especially the Kirby issue(s).


Yes, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby were the creative team behind the inception and origin of the Fly.



Here are scans from my collection of the covers and some of the interior panels from the first two issues of the Adventures of the Fly on which Simon & Kirby worked:

1









2







 8)
« Last Edit: August 31, 2020, 05:13:30 PM by Hepcat »
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John Pertwee

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #130 on: August 29, 2020, 11:20:47 AM »
I found a great book about Jack Kirby called Kirby King of Comics by Mark Evanier. It is full of artwork, stories about Jack, and other goodies.

Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #131 on: August 29, 2020, 11:44:46 AM »
I found a great book about Jack Kirby called Kirby King of Comics by Mark Evanier. It is full of artwork, stories about Jack, and other goodies.



Mark Evanier is perhaps Kirby's single most notorious fanboy. So yes, Evanier does indeed give Kirby the plaudits he deserves. Unfortunately, Evanier is also prone to over aggrandizing Kirby's accomplishments by giving Kirby more than his due of credit at the expense of co-creators such as Joe Simon, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

 :(
« Last Edit: August 29, 2020, 01:21:57 PM by Hepcat »
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John Pertwee

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #132 on: August 30, 2020, 10:17:38 PM »
We will never know who did what, but I sure am glad they all did what they did.

Hepcat

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #133 on: August 31, 2020, 04:28:12 PM »
The Double Life of Private Strong also found its way into my collection.


The Double Life of Private Strong 1 cover dated June 1959 was the issue in which the Shield, one of MLJ's Golden Age superheroes, was relaunched in a new incarnation as Lancelot Strong:

(Not mine.)

The first thing to note here is the composition of the cover. The main Shield figure appears to have been drawn by Joe Simon but most of the rest of the cover seems to have been rendered by Jack Kirby.

The new Shield is shown in his full glory on the splash page:



His origin tale is actually stretched over four stories all pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon:









I was going to say that the Simon & Kirby artwork was once again a treat for the eyes, but I actually think it was their very best effort to this point!

The Shield, initially Roger Flemming, gains his powers as a result of his father, Dr. Malcolm Flemming, training him to use the untapped portions of the human brain thus making him a superhuman. But Communist spies kill Dr. Flemming and a farm couple, Mr. and Mrs. Strong, end up raising Roger. The new Shield's superhuman powers include great strength, the ability to fly, throw lightning bolts, run really rapidly and see in the dark.

The Fly was also introduced in this issue in a two page story:





The issue also included this nifty one pager starring the Fly's alter-ego Tommy Troy:



The Double Life of Private Strong would last for only one more issue. Further appearances of this Lancelot Strong Shield in the Silver Age would be limited to two-pagers in Adventures of the Fly #1, 2 & 4 and guest team-ups with the Fly in Adventures of the Fly #8 & 9. Sad because this new Shield was a much more interesting character than the Golden Age Shield.

Here's a good background summary of the new Shield:

Shield - The Mighty Crusaders Network

What's really sad though is the fact that I have neither issue of The Double Life of Private Strong.

 :(
« Last Edit: December 04, 2020, 03:14:46 PM by Hepcat »
Collecting! It's what I do!

Rex fury

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Re: Comic Book Collecting
« Reply #134 on: August 31, 2020, 06:59:46 PM »
I agree that S&K were hitting on all cylinders during this period. Their Fighting American was a great satire of both Captain America and The Shield. Another fun comic that only lasted one ( newsstand release) issue was Boy Explorers. Stuntman was pretty cool too, but alas there just wasn’t a strong enough market for any of this stuff at the time. More in line with monsters and science fiction, The Three Rocketeers and Race for the Moon also had some decent S&K work.
RF

 

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