Santa on Mars

 

Could it ever happen, Christmas on Mars?

The Clock

The Clock is considered to be the first masked comic hero to appear in American comics in the Golden Age. He was created by George Brenner.

Wearing a sort of black hanky over his face, the Clock was a hypnotist crime fighter with a cane. He fought his bad guys in Chicago.

He debuted in November 1936 and his alter ego was the catchy-named Brian O' Brian.

DC eventually acquired the Clock but let him slip silently into the public domain in the 1950's.

His calling card read The Clock Has Struck!

I couldn't find any Clock merchandise but I imagine there's still time.

Have you any Clock stuff? 

My New Bran Bowl

My meagre but fun catch at the car boot, my first trip out in a week.

LtoR. Castle Bran bowl. Dr.Who mag free gift 2009. Silver ironing board cover. Modern Action Man.

The Bran bowl from Dracula's castle in Romania was a no brainer - or should that be branner! I was fascinated by comic ads for vials of Bran soil when I was a kid and now I have at least a bowl. You can guess what's going it in! And no, not bran!

Do you remember Dracula's soil in bottles?

The silver cover is for a future action man outfit. Can you guess?

The modern Action man will be my deep sea diver when I'm done. Those modern hands are WAY too big!

I also saw this Route 66 picture. What is that car? Anyone?

What are you up to today?

S E A S T A R 5 UPDATE

Hi Woodsy

Just letting you know that my Children's sci-fi ComicBook Series "SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS" has moved forward a bit in the last six months....I have been busy....

The first comicbook on the Amazon Kindle platform as a digital download , also available now as a paperback illustrated printed edition in the Amazon store...UK and USA....and others...

The full supermation comicbook edition can be purchased at comicbook stores in Lancashire England at Lancaster , Preston , Blackburn....together with book store "storytellers inc. " St.Annes on Sea .

The second book in the series is in production now with a release in late summer this year....to be followed by book three in the winter....

We are also on Twitter and Instagram , Facebook social media platforms...

The series is starting to get attention....some new images from the series attached for your readers to see....

Will keep you posted on my progress....my new format of supermation retroart images....a combined photo-art , drawn characters with realistic photon art backgrounds is beginning to be accepted in a number of areas....will see how far I can push the style....

Regards Richard Dixon 

TPD STUDIOS Lancashire 

UK

Bonner Comics Laden

 The comic shop Bonner Comic Laden is easily one of the biggest I've ever been in. It is deceptive to start with but the length of it is astonishing! It just keeps going back and back! 

Here are a few of the comics and modern Action figures for sale there in what is clearly a thriving German comics scene.

Fortuitously for me they had this Creepy archive by Dark Horse in the sale bin. €12.

I already have a hardback version at home with different stories in it.

This softback contains reprints of 1. My favourite cover, the young ghouls - below and 2. My favourite story, Monster Really. Result!

Do you have reprints of your childhood favorites or do you still have the original comics?

F O R M I C

 Speaking of ants, I'm getting worried about the number of ,Phase 4' diets I'm seeing.

Makes me think of ants and much chomping in the formulary of phase IV.

I've seen a lot of Ant movies and read a few Novels.

I've never seen Food of the Gods though - maybe that's rats film? It used to be advertised as a cine film for home viewing at the back of Warrens Creepy and Eerie comics.

I bought this softback of Creepy reprints this morning at the Bonner Comic Laden.

 Although Food of the Gods isn't advertised in it, some classic monotone monster cine films are, pictured above. The VHS of it's day! 

Have you seen it? Read any ant books? Did you or do you like Creepy and Eerie comics Readers?

🐜

Ant-dendum

In a sleepy Rhine village we're visiting is, yes, of all things, an ant controller! 

Der Comic Shelf

 More German comic covers. It's a vibrant scene over here.

Bahnhofbuchhandlung

 On route to the German First of May bank holiday festival today where we are staying, whilst waiting for the free shuttle bus, we visited an old haunt, the train station book shop.

Always a litmus of the nation's tastes, It's enjoyable to browse the many magazines in particular. 

We've been visiting for decades and to be honest tastes haven't changed much. 

Here's a few snaps of the train mags and books (a national obsession), hobbies and comics sections.

See anything you like?

DAN DARE AND EARTH'S GREATEST MENACE: TERRANOVA47'S COMIC STRIP!

I have always had a love for the comic strip Dan Dare from it's origins in the 1950's.

I'm not alone in this and 20 years ago other fans started a magazine called SPACESHIP AWAY which licensed the rights to produce new Dan Dare material based on the original version of Dare.

This publication includes science articles on space, reprinting old science fiction comic strips, new art by original artists and new humour strips.

This summer with Issue 60 proclaiming 20 years of being published I decided to become a contributor, not just a reader.

Here is my two page contribution for the latest issue, art by Dave Windett

For readers not familiar with the UK's Dennis the Menace, he first appeared in BEANO a weekly children's humour comic in 1952. At almost the same time and unrelated, a comic strip with the same name began in the US.

While having the same name, the boys had far different behavior characteristics. The US one is an angel compared to the UK one whose early adventures often ended with a 'slippering' from his father.

My five year old grandson looks like the US one on the left, but acts like the UK one on the right.

I don't think this is the Best of Both Worlds.

Earth's Greatest Menace and Dennis the Menace art by Dave Windett.

Spaceship Away is published three times a year we have produced strips for next years first two and are about to start a third. Hopefully blog readers will find this one enjoyable and possibly can suggest who is Earth's Greatest Menace?

Terranova47

NYC

USA

SUPERMAN AND THE MOKES

 My handful of purchases today at Elsecar Antiques.

A quartet of old Superman Pocketbooks comics in superb condition, yet to be dated. £2 each.

Do you know them?

and a really interesting little boxed wagon, part of the MOKES range, again needing to be dated.

The Part 5 The Awakening box is slightly bigger than a Matchbox one and contains the small pink and orange wagon, four collectors' cards, a sheet of decals and a mini-comic book.

Turns out the MOKES are a race of vehicles that are in conflict with another race of vehicles, the STUKKAS. Each has a planet. It reminds me a lot of Transformers, with Autobots and Decepticons, except these tiny vehicles don't transform.

I have no idea where MOKES were sold but they originally cost 99p. Mine was £3. After pulling off all the sellotape from the box I'm quite chuffed with this intriguing boxed set.

Any good?

SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS -THE COMIC! LAUNCH WEEK!

Hi,

Hope your well ... here's my latest venture , a children's sci-fi comic book , the printed version is released today .

SEASTAR 5 INVADERS FROM THE ABYSS.....

the supermation comic book printed version .

Its taken a bit longer in time and energy to pull this together but its finally done .

My childhood dream of creation of my own printed comicbook is now out on the E/Bay sales platform.

Its even getting noticed on the social media platforms of Instagram and Twitter.

The follow-up two books to this first one are in production and hopefully be released later this year or early in 2024 .

All the images in this new book version the new version of the printed book is extended and also includes a "Making of SEASTAR 5 feature article....the story is like my earlier Amazon Publishing Download Kindle release but also extended........images all created with model vehicles , sets and characters as cut-outs using artwork drawn figurines with cloth clothing for uniforms etc...

Will keep you posted on my "super submarine adventures at the bottom of the sea" in the future .

Best regards

Richard Dixon .

TPD STUDIOS

Lancashire, UK