Bob Hope Meets Superman

Here's a rare real-life still of two DC comics characters meeting! In this case, we have legendary comedian (and star of DC's long-running ADVENTURES OF BOB HOPE comic) and the Man of Steel himself, SUPERMAN (star of...well...you know.) In this case the Metropolis marvel is portrayed by serial star Kirk Alyn, the very first live-action Superman. The event is a charity baseball game in the late 1940's. Note that Bob's wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform. For those unaware, Bob actually BOUGHT his hometown baseball team around that time and owned it for many years.

ACG Ad

If you had told me ten-twenty-years ago that here in the new century one could purchase hardcover reprints of the American Comics Group characters Nemesis, Magicman and Herbie (two of which are seen in this vintage ad) I would have called the guys with the butterfly nets. All three were written by Richard Hughes under various pseudonyms and they were all a little over the top. In the case of Herbie, of course, that's putting it mildly. Still with art by, respectively, Chic Stone, Pete Costanza and Ogden Whitney--talented veterans all--these series were a cut or two above similar fare from other companies in the mid-sixties. There's a quirky charm to them that could only have come from the quirky ACG company. I've always enjoyed them myself. That said, I STILL can't believe they're reprinting them in hardback editions!

Bazooka

Still sweeping up around the Library here after yesterday's big revamp so no time for a post right now! Sorry. Here! Take B Western cowboy star Johnny Mack Brown's advice and have some Bazooka bubble gum while you wait. Be with you shortly.

Pardon Our Dust

Been doing some long overdue sprucing up here at the Library. Sometime today or early tomorrow, we're expecting our 200,000th visitor and I wanted the place to look nice. How do you like it so far? Probably going to continue tweaking it off and on over the next week or so. Anyone have any suggestions? Anything you think doesn't work? If so, that doesn't mean I'll change it but hey, I would like to know, y'know?

Oh, and if you DO like what you see contentwise, my continuing unemployment (just put in for two big jobs but haven't heard a thing yet) makes this a perfect time to consider pressing the DONATE button on the right and helping the upkeep around here. Thanks!

Marvel House Ads

Okay, so when it came to originality, DC's creative house ads had it all over Marvel's repetitious ones back in the early sixties. That said, those exciting Marvel covers were really all that was needed to make one want to plunk down their 12 cents right then and there!

Random Panels of Comic Book Weirdness # 52

Chalk this one up to aging lettering legend, Artie Simek. Earlier in 1970's DAREDEVIL # 71, he had misspelled the word "forty" as "fourty." Here we see ol' hornhead tossing a statue at a fleeing helicopter just as the statue starts...TICKLING??!!

RIP-Andy Hallett

Haven't seen too much on this yet but actor/singer Andy Hallett who stole many episodes of Joss Whedon's ANGEL died yesterday of heart failure at age 33. I always enjoyed seeing him.

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b106789_angel_star_andy_hallett_dies_of_heart.html