Hart's Afire-1966

Here's an interesting story about a big fire at the studio of BC cartoonist Johnny Hart back in 1966 and how his firefighter dad rushed to his son's rescue.

 

Voting is Your Super Power--Order Now!

I don’t usually review books that I worked on in one capacity or another but I’m making an exception as this one is important. 

Voting is Your Super Power!is the latest collection of rare vintage comics from Craig Yoe and it comes at a time when its message has never been more needed in America. So many people become cynical and think that their vote doesn’t count but that has never been true. If every person in America who is legally eligible to vote were to actually do so, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’ve been in. The people that DON’T vote are the ones who cause much of this country’s problems, the ones who need to read this book NOW…and then vote!

 

The rare giveaway comic books collected here date from an earlier time, a simpler time, but their goal was the same in the 1950s and 1960s. As the back cover of the book so accurately sums it up, “The American civil rights movement and the Red Scare motivated civic organizations and publishers to create giveaway comic books about the dangers of political corruption and the importance of voting to stop it!”

 

On the cover and inside, you meet General Election, a brand-new super character specifically designed to promote and encourage voting. Then “Why I Vote,” a brief Introduction from everyone’s favorite Catwoman, Julie Newmar, is followed by Craig’s own background text on politics in comics in general and on the eight reprinted comics here in particular. 

 

And what are those comics?

 

Your Vote is Vital-1952

The Man Who Stole Your Vote-1952

If Your Kids Could Vote-1952

An American Family Gets Out to Vote-1956

The Price You Pay for Graft-1952

The Street Where You Live-1960

Your Future Rests… In Your Hands-1964

The Adventures of…Voteman!-1968

 

The ones from then 1950s show variations on the classic “nuclear family,” and how voting or not voting impacts their lives. Most are straightforward but the first two above are a little more cartoony, if no less truthful. The last few appeal to the black voter of the 1960s, with one even being a little-known Marvel comic book, produced by Larry Lieber and looking for all the world like a Marvel superhero could show up in any panel at any moment. 

 

  

But the whole point, if I may say it again, is that the only real-life superhero in your story, is YOU, the voter. Voting is your super power! Now is the time. It isn’t a comic-book-like exaggeration to say this is the most important election in history. In life, if you learn one thing, ever, it’s that you can never go back. You can only go forward. The past stays right where it belongs—in the past. It’s up to the voters to decide what the future will be. I trust you. Decide wisely.

 

PLEASE VOTE!

And for inspiration, order this book below: VOTING IS YOUR SUPER POWER!

https://cloverpress.us

The Way-Out Life of Riley

It's been a while since I've backed a creative project online but I couldn't resist this one from Archie expatriates Jeff Shultz and Rich Maurizio. Look derivative? Why, yes it does, but it also looks fun in the way teen comics haven't really been in quite a while. 

Their campaign is off to a slow start. Please take a look and consider helping fund it to bring back more fun comic books!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-way-out-life-of-riley#/

 

George Harrison 1974

Not much to see here. Just a little-seen photo of George Harrison receiving some Canadian awards while on tour in the 1970s. I was researching something entirely different and ran across this. Thought some of you might like to see it.

 

Alternate Earth U.N.C.L.E. Agents

First time watching the pilot for THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. in decades. I remembered that Mary Ann Mobley preceded Stefanie Powers as a very different, more sophisticated April Dancer but I had totally forgotten that Norman Fell, of all people, was the original Mark Slate! It's even said he had mentored Napolean Solo years earlier. April comments that U.N.C.L.E. regulations require agents of his age to have a desk job. Age jabs occur throughout. Perhaps the later Slate as played by Noel Harrison is this one's (English) son? Who knows? It's never said.

Nancy Sinatra Meets Baby Snooks

The most popular post this blog has ever done was about Nancy Sinatra so here's another...although it may not be what you had in mind. This is 6 year old Nancy back in 1946, celebrating the 25th "birthday" of the perpetually Kindergartenish Baby Snooks (as played by Fanny Brice).

 

Alfred Eisenstadt --The Man Who ISN'T Groucho

 

See that man on the left? That's Alfred Eisenstadt, a once-famous photographer for LIFE magazine. That's him on the right, as well. What's that? You thought that was someone else on the left? It's not. The classic 70s history of LIFE's coverage of Hollywood, LIFE GOES TO THE MOVIES, reprints an article in which Eisenstadt was made up by makeup legend Wally Westmore to look like various movie and TV people, "that" man being one. Personally, I've never thought it looked all that much like him, although it's clearly recognizable whom he's meant to be portraying. But every year on the anniversary of that man's death, or the anniversary of his birth, or just in sometimes made-up quotes from him in memes, that picture turns up. They say it IS him. They never take it down if I tell them otherwise. They never acknowledge it, and more and more people--also thinking it IS him and ignoring me--continue to share the photo. There are at least two BOOKS I know of that inaccurately include that photo...on their covers!! I don't even know why I'm posting this as it will likely be ignored by all except those who already know.