Fantastic Foursome?

From FANTASTIC FOUR 65, we're to assume Johnny and Ben (the Thing and Human Torch, natch) sleep in the same bed?! Use the same bathroom facilities?! Is this the BRADY BUNCH? Hoo Boy!

Remembering Sam Grainger...

Above is a picture of Marvel inker and penciller, Sam Grainger, from the mid 1980s. He's seated next to fan Robert Clyde Allen. Sam worked on many books, most famously THE AVENGERS, X-MEN, and more.

Sam was one of the first comics pros I ever met, at a 1981 Heroes Mini-Con, in Charlotte, NC. He was all you'd want in a pro, being kind, attentive, funny, and helpful. Sam also joked with my mom, who was in attendance (since I was mere months away from obtaining my driver's license), about their ages and the crazy content of comics.

I wanted to have Sam sign something, but all I had for him to autograph was a newly purchased back issue of FOOM (below) that Sam had no artwork in (an awkward, ill-advised fan move). He graciously signed the back cover, with a lovely inscription.

I refuse to part with that magazine.

Step Right Up! See Nick Cage as Superman!

'nuff said...

Unpublished Steve Ditko HULK Pin-Up! 1964!

I imagine Stan Lee, as editor, didn't warm to the idea of a pin-up spotlighting the rear side of the star....But darned fabulous pencilling work!

John Romita Spider-Man Treasury Edition Cover!

Swine Flu Scare Gone Too Far?

Monkees Covers!

These guys do tons of great Monkees covers....with tongue firmly planted in cheek..Give them a listen!

Joe Kubert Marvel Ad! Oddball!

I know. It's not really fair to spotlight the great Joe Kubert in an "OMM" post. But, ya gotta love his quick sketch of the Marvel Madmen in this 1979 ad for lunchboxes! Thor's helmet looks odd, Captain America is way off, and Hulk and Thing look like to deformed construction workers chowin' down on the ol' lunchmeat...Love it!

Joe's comic art school of the day handled the preparation of these ads, and you could tell he was called upon to pinch-hit with last minute art..Were YOU gonna tell this artistic great his drawings were "off?!"

Gil Kane Cover Rough! 1976 Marvel Holiday Grab-Bag!

Gil Kane's fabulous pencil rough, and final original cover art for the 1976 MARVEL HOLIDAY GRAB-BAG tabloid!

Above is the design used on a recent "frosted glass" release from the fine folks at TOON TUMBLERS! They have tons of great Silver and Bronze Age Marvel and DC art on high-quality glasses and tumblers!

Green Goblin Goof!

From 1976, here is my attempt to create some sort of poster or file of Spider-Man's "most fiendish foes!" The art is based on a Ross Andru-drawn issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and is evidence of how darn smart I thought I was, by running the finished drawing through my (manual) typewriter for the added text! Remember, this was way before computers and desktop publishing, so this was about as high-tech as it got then!

This was also produced years before the ubiquitous "handbooks" of the comics characters, too...

I'm sure I was inspired by the early 60s pin-up profile pages of the various villains, as illustrated by Steve Ditko...See first image...

Batman "New Look" 1964 Comics Ad!

From 1964's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 28, here is one of the first comics ads to trumpet the arrival of the "New Look Batman" in comics! Up until then, Batman was depicted in roughly the same style since the 40s (see first image), and here was a daring attempt to "modernize him," with crisper art and stories, and an updated costume.....

Get Us Out From Under-Wonder Woman!

From 1964's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 28, we see that Wonder Woman has nothing better to do than to "perform," and "put on a show" for passing ships and airlines?

Isn't there a typhoon in Chile, or an earthquake in California, or...?

1967 Monkees TV GUIDE Cover and Article!

Neal Adams 1985 DEADMAN Poster!

Friday Fun Book Fun!

E-mail me for the amazing answers, real frantic one!

1978 INCREDIBLE HULK Painted Poster!

From the 1978 collection of four Marvel posters by the Thought Factory. This poster hung on my wall from summer 1978 on!

KISS Grinds On!

So, what do ya do after a hard night of rock and roll all night? You sober up and party every day with lots of Kiss coffee! Here it is, in Myrtle Beach, SC--the Kiss Coffeehouse! A really cool KISS store with lots of interesting memorabilia inside....

Dig the "bat-wing" shaped umbrellas...

Gene's sketch for the DYNASTY LP cover...and reel-to-reel master..

Lots of overpriced crapola!

Gene's "ax!"

Signed things..check out my fabulous calf muscles in the glass case reflection!

Cheap junk from the past, including the Mego figures from the late 70s...

Dunno if they sold a blend to cause you to belch fire, but....