Hepcat

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 favourie 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 premiuks 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: 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:

Dracula by the book: His castle: And his favourite serving wench at the blood bank:

Here's another house ad I admired that appeared in the very same comics as the "Atom" and "Hawkman" ads above:

Here are three of mine: 14 15 17

DC's Superman and Batman properties are therefore an excellent example of why it's not only not necessary to have expiration dates based on creation dates, but why basing these expiration dates on creation dates is an absolutely harebrained idea. For Superman and Batman to enter the public domain and thus have multiple publishers and thus storylines is beyond ridiculous.

That one I've had for some 25 years: This one though was among my most exciting acquisitions last year: Here's the ad that Revell ran in publications such as Boy's Life in 1964-65 to advertise the two kits:

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