jpepx78

The French have a different type of humor.

If you were interested in the other Avon paperback rack, here is a closeup pic.

Bob's Spa in Jamaica Plain Massachusetts in 1952 Before large supermarket chains, most people shopped at grocery or variety stores. Disposable periodicals such as newspapers, magazines and comics were sold along with groceries. Bob’s Spa was a variety store that was operated by the Ristuccia family for over 90 years in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood in Boston Massachusetts. The patriarch of Bob’s Spa was Bartholomew Ristuccia who was born in 1891 from the village of Malfa on the island of Salina off the coast of Sicily. He emigrated to Sydney Australia in 1908 to join a cousin who owned a fruit store. After learning the fruit business he joined other cousins who owned a fruit store in Jamaica Plain in 1910. In 1912 Bartholomew who had taken the name Bob, partnered with his cousins in a new fruit store at 128 South St and later bought out his cousins and renamed the store as “Bob’s Spa”. Batholomew married Rosalina Caravalio and had 4 kids, John, Robert, Rose and Mary all of whom, along with their spouses, at one time or another worked in the store. Over the years, the fruit store expanded in size and offerings to become a fully stocked grocery store, sandwich shop, fountain, newsstand and cigar store. The store thrived in a growing neighborhood where a gas company facility, streetcar maintenance yard, new housing developments and schools were located nearby. The store was also a popular gathering place and had many loyal customers due to Bob’s extension of credit for purchases. The family sold the business in 2001 and after several changes in ownership, the location is now the Happy Market & Spirits grocery store. Bob's Spa pictures Bob's Spa in Jamaica Plain history pictures: 1. exterior of Bob’s Spa 3/22/52 2. Bob (in glasses) with family in store 40th anniversary 3/22/52 3. free cake for kids for 40th anniversary 3/22/52 4. exterior of Bob’s Spa 12/20/52 note Xmas trees for sale 5. store interior with Christmas cards, cookie selection on shelves 12/20/52 6. sandwich shop area, Johnny Ristuccia 12/20/52 7. fountain area, Bob Ristuccia forefront, magazine rack in back 12/20/52 8. fountain area & magazine rack 12/20/52 9. packed shelves: cookies, bread, donuts, soda, deli meats & canned goods 12/20/52 10. magazine racks with books, magazines & comics 12/20/52 11. closeup of comics variety: humor, crime, western, war, sci-fi, romance & horror (Little Lulu, Roy Rogers, Peter Pan, Porky Pig, Tonto, United States Marines, New Funnies, Space Cadet, Little Iodine, Mickey Mouse, Mystery in Space, Rudolph, Jughead, Suspense, Straight Arrow, Real Clue Crime, Zane Grey, Battle Stories, Racket Squad, Love Romances, Witches Tales, Durango Kid, Wings) 12/20/52 12. closeup of paperbacks 12/20/52 13. present day exterior of location now Happy Market & Spirits

Looks like a Big Shots #2 comic above the Amazing Mystery Funnies.

What are you willing to do to fund your comic collecting hobby? An interesting article was recommended to me by my comic related newsfeed. There has been much discussion about who is paying large sums for collectible comics. Speculation ranged from Russian oligarchs, rich comic dealers, trust fund kids or wealthy individuals seeking alternative investments from high tech, business, sports and entertainment fields. This guy with a famous dad funded his $100K purchases of 2 Pokemon cards and an Amazing Fantasy 15 from his inheritance, wife’s salary and income from his OnlyFans account. He intends to flip the cards and comic for profit later. I was not familiar with OnlyFans until I looked it up on Google. I won’t judge this guy’s life choices but could someone tell me the investment potential of Pokemon cards? I think there may be some interesting comments… https://pagesix.com/2023/09/28/marston-hefner-spent-100k-onlyfans-check-on-pokemon-cards-comic-books/

Newsreel footage from a New York Creation Con from the 1970s that some of you might have seen before. “Yesterday’s trash is today’s masterpiece”. $7000 for Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly 1 $1500 for Marvel Mystery #5 More Fun 52 & 53 priced at $2500 for the pair. Listen to the funny exchange between a collector and dealer where the guy asked why dealer turned down an offer for More Fun 52. Dealer: I was offered 900 for the More Fun 52 but I turned him down. Collector: Why’d you turn him down? That’s a pretty good price. Dealer: I didn’t want to break ‘em up. It’s a set. Collector: That’s $2000 above guide and books aren’t even mint! Same guy later pointing toward the More Fun 52 & 53: You know I’ve been looking for these a long time… If you want the books badly enough, you have to pay the price! Try saying “your books are way over guide and they are not even mint” to any dealer nowadays when you are interested in his books and see how they respond. https://sendvid.com/yq3fnyqe sorry I couldn't figure how to embed video...some tips?

Comic ads from Billboard magazine from 3/14/42 & 3/21/42 respectively. It might be worth taking a chance to pay $1.95 for a hundred comics (complete with covers!). Spending $19 for a thousand comics would be risky. Where would you store all that junk? Batman, Superman, Green Hornet are fine but who wants Mickey Finn?

New York Times 12/6/64 10 cent comic price ranges from $2-25, many WW2 era books average $7.50

It is interesting to see other massive collections. YouTuber Stickygoose Comics was able to video this collection. Video is a year old but some of you might not have seen this. Notice the nice Barrister Bookcase shelving units. Interesting question was asked- what is going to happen to your large collection when you are gone?

These ads were in Billboard magazine dated 3/14/42 & 3/21/42 respectively. Buy hundreds or thousands of old books. Action 45, Superman 15 and More Fun 76 seem to be pretty good deals at 2-3 cents each but who wants Mickey Finn?

Here is an interesting video that takes “nerding out” to an extreme level. This guy combines art and engineering to build a robot that creates paintings that look like Lichtenstein paintings.

Here is some interesting “street art” on a boarded up business in San Francisco. A few panels have fallen off but what characters do you recognize in the color panels?

I strongly disagree with your opinion that Rulah 22 is a Baker cover. It is more in the style of Kamen. You might have been more focused on the other parts of her figure to not notice the unappealing foot with the stubby toes which stood out to me. Baker women had nicely drawn bare feet without the stubby toes as shown in these other Baker covers of the time. All Top 16, JoJo 25, Seven Seas 5, Zago 4, Zoot 8 That Rulah cover reminded me of the woman on the Panic 5 cover.

The girl and the man with shotgun was probably based on the syndicated comic “Bobby Sox” by San Francisco based artist Marty Links. The girl was Emmy Lou and the man her dad. The officer was obviously D Tracy.

This blond haired kid in St Augustine Texas is binding the cut pages of comics in 1939. The gang is learning the evil deeds from him.

David Armstrong wears a homemade Captain America costume as he reads a Golden Age issue of Captain America Comics 2 during a 1960s convention. This photo saw print at least as early as Monsters and Heroes #5 (July 1969). In 2013 board member MrBedrock, who knows Mr Armstrong, said "He is still very involved in comics and collecting. He was the final president of the old American Assoc. of Comic Collectors. He has avidly interviewed and filmed as many of the living early creators as possible with the hopes of eventually doing a documentary. He has 100s of hours of film compiled. He is still a huge fan. And while he is in great shape, sadly the Cap suit doesn't fit any longer."

Could this copy be in the 1950s photo?

Here's an old thread about the Kehoe Sweet Shop stamp on another book.

That guy had too many cars. He even lost his new Rolls Royce. https://manofmany.com/rides/cars/mclaren-p1-drowned-by-hurricane

You can save some comics but one guy couldn’t save his $1.5 million McLaren P1 during the hurricane.

Yes

We have dealt with Covid for a couple of years and currently dealing with Monkey pox. Recently New York governor Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency for polio, a viral threat that has reemerged. Poliovirus was found in sewage samples from 4 counties in the NY metropolitan area and in the city itself. Polio has flu-like symptoms, is easily spread orally and can lead to permanent paralysis. Polio is fatal to 2-10% of the people suffering from paralysis because the muscles used to breathe are immobilized. Major polio epidemics occurred in the early to mid 20th century and primarily afflicted young children. Polio was one of the most feared diseases of the developed world since polio could hit without warning and required long quarantine periods. It was impossible to tell who would get the disease and who would be spared. There is no cure for polio but the iron lung was developed in the 1920s to aid breathing for polio patients. In 1952 the worst polio epidemic in US history heightened parents fears of the disease and focused public awareness on the need for a vaccine. Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine that was licensed in 1955 and a few years later Albert Sabin developed a second polio vaccine. It is notable how people’s attitudes toward vaccinations for deadly and debilitating diseases have changed over time. President Franklin Roosevelt who was paralyzed from the waist down from polio helped found the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now known as the March of Dimes) in 1938 that raised money for rehabilitation for polio victims and was instrumental in funding the development of polio vaccines. Many comics were promoting support for the March of Dimes by displaying logos or including public service ads. DC promoted the March of Dimes by giving color postcards of Wonder Woman, Superman or Batman & Robin for a donation. 1. A kid with polio in an iron lung reading a comic. 2. A kid with polio getting a pair of corrective shoes and comics in an Iowa hospital in 1951. 3. A kid with polio looking at his western comics. 4. These kids were given comics to read while waiting for their polio shots in Delaware on July 6 1954. 5. Capt Marvel 43 with Fight Infantile Paralysis logo. 6. Star Spangled 54 with Join March of Dimes logo. 7. Action 142 with March of Dimes logo. 8. Superman promotion for March of Dimes in Detective 85. 9. Superman polio card front/back. 10. Wonder Woman promotion for March of Dimes in Sensation 15. 11. Wonder Woman polio card front/back. 12. Batman & Robin promotion for March of Dimes in Detective 97. 13. Batman & Robin polio card front/back. 14. A public service ad for polio prevention in a 1953 Mighty Mouse comic.

It would be quite interesting if that Millie 17 comic is an actual comic that Wertham used to compile notes. Maybe the book was used by another comics censor. Millie 17 was on sale Dec 1948 and the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (ACMP) adopted a comics code on July 1 1948. ACMP Publishers Code of 1948 1. Sexy, wanton comics should not be published. No drawing should show a female indecently or unduly exposed, and in no event more nude than in a bathing suit commonly worn in the United States of America. 2. Crime should not be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy against the law and justice or to inspire others with the desire for imitation. No comics shall show the details and methods of a crime committed by a youth. Policemen, judges, Government officials, and respected institutions should not be portrayed as stupid, ineffective, or represented in such a way to weaken respect for established authority. 3. No scenes of sadistic torture should be shown. 4. Vulgar and obscene language should never be used. Slang should be kept to a minimum and used only when essential to the story. 5. Divorce should not be treated humorously or represented as glamorous or alluring. 6. Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible. Here is my theory if that book was used by Wertham or another comics censor. The circle and check mark codes on the pages would designate offensive or objectionable content on the pages and the position of the marks would correspond to the location of the offending panels. The marks would designate violations of the code. One of the marks may mean a serious violation and the other a minor violation. Here are my interpretations of the marks on your pages while referencing the above comics code. Millie cover: boobie & scanty swimsuit pic Examples: Millie pages 5, 7, 9, 13, 15. Page 5 panels 2 & 5 some upskirt views. Page 7 panel 6 butt photo Page 9 panels 2, 3, 4, 6 jiggly butt & boobs Page 13 panels 1, 2, 3, 6 jiggly butt & boobs, panels 4 & 6 offensive portrayal of store cop (authority) Page 15 panels 1 & 6 boobies & slang, panel 4 ridicule of store cop ( funny attire) Was there a sale of Wertham's research materials?

Yankee Stadium July 4 1939 Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day where Gehrig says farewell to baseball with his "Luckiest Man" speech. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-4-1939-lou-gehrig-appreciation-day-ruth-and-gehrig-end-feud/

Summertime Reading In the past, many kids were sent to summer camp to experience nature, make new friends, escape the urban heat and pollution or to get away from their parents for a while. Comics were common entertainment when camping or on trips and they didn’t stay in good shape since they were read many times and shared amongst other kids. I don’t know if many kids today could survive without their electronic devices for an extended period of camping. 1. Posing with a comic before boarding the Greyhound bus to camp. 2. Taking a break from Famous Funnies. I'm not sure which issue. 3. Boy scouts reading comics and magazines in Albany New York camp around July 1940. 4. Closeup of sleeping scout with comic. Must be a boring comic. 5. Closeup of scout reading a pulp magazine and the other reading a comic. 6. Reading comics under lantern light at Wading River Long Island in August 1959. 7. Kids reading Happy and Crime & Punishment comics in their bunk beds at Camp Barnes Delaware around 1950. Which kid would be the troublemaker? 8. Three kids sharing a comic in camp. 9. Girls enjoying comics while sunbathing or before swimming in Holyoke Massachusetts around 1950. One girl is reading Henry 11 and the more mature one is reading Love Confessions 6. 10. Reading the funnies at Interlochen Grand Traverse Michigan in August 1942. 11. Racially integrated group of boys sharing the same interest in a comic at Camp Nathan Hale in Southfields New York. The camp was supported by the Methodist Camp Service. The photo was taken by Gordon Parks in August 1943.