Briefly...

Before I drag myself down to the comic shop, a couple of plugs:

Firstly Den Patrick has asked me to let people know that his blog is two years old, (Happy blogday sir), and that to celebrate he's having a bit of a competition. Check him out, win a prize! DETAILS HERE

Secondly, big up to Mike Leader for landing an interview with Neil Gaiman. Go read it HERE

Check out more of his journalism HERE

Right. Ta-Ra!

Shopping list

Absolutely ridiculous week. So ridiculous that I can't be arsed to type everything in. Here's a scan of my list then...

That's 14 floppies this week + three that I missed last week + one item from Gosh that I've got no chance of getting at the new shop + two hefty trades from Amazon* AND a side-order from Pete at work. 

Sickening stuff. 

Probably the heaviest week I've ever had, made even more shameful by the fact that I've already spunked £9 on issue #2 of the new UK version of Wired and its American counterpart.

To be honest I'll probably end up buying the new New Mutants as well. Horrible. I hate myself.

* ADD: I had assumed that The Cerebus Archive was some mighty omnibus-like slab collecting a huge wadge of Cerebus. Apparently it's not. Excellent news, I won't be buying it, and can therefore feel a tiny bit better about the inevitable New New Mutants purchase.

Detective Comics

Esteemed comic book purveyor Mr Salmond takes issue with the quality of lettering in yesterday's Crunch scan. Well, I say forget the fonts Salmond, feel the power of this detective work...

Sherlock Holmes eat your heart out!

God Bless The Crunch!

Scans taken from "Clancy and the Man" which appeared in The Crunch #8, March 1979

What not to wear

Undercover Nazi hunters take note: The coat with the exposition on the back is a basic wardrobe error.

Scan taken from "Hitler Lives" which appeared in The Crunch #8, March 1979.

A nice find

To the Hackney Car boot sale...

...a snapshot of Second World Britain where shitty tat abounds on rickety tables and dirty old blankets.

As ever with these things, I entered convinced that I'd find Fantastic Four #1 for 10p. No joy on that front I'm afraid, but never mind, because happily, (while I increasingly leave jumble sales and junk shops empty handed), today I returned to my comic lair loaded down with a nerd sack full of disintegrating SF mags. Yay! 

Yes imaginary web chums, for just 20p a pop I procured a bunch of old Street & Smith's Astounding Science Fiction and a healthy wedge of Analog. There are some cracking short stories inside, some great bits of pop culture history (including a rather fine piece from the 60s reflecting on the first season of Star Trek) and some beautiful illustrations. But, let's face it, I bought these things for the covers. BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL COVERS particularly the Street and Smith stuff...

At Death's End

Thinking Machine

Martians, Go Home

What's Eating You?

Boy, they sure did like to cup their chins in their hands and look thoughtful back in the 50s and 60s. Actually, I originally thought I'd only scan the chin cupping covers, but I couldn't resist putting up that Death's Head - Ace isn't it? It's the work of one H.R. van Dongen, a prolific SF illustrator about whom I can find little info on the net. van Dongen,  Kelly Freas and a fellah called Emsh seem to have knocked out thousands of these covers - the three of them are responsible for the ones I've scanned in - and they are all top, top quality pieces of fantasy art.

There you are then, just a small sample of the many pretty books I picked up today. Super score!  There's a peculiarly satisfying feeling that comes from finding a stash of cheap, vintage tat in the wild that I just don't get from trawling ebay. Huzzah for the dying world of jumble sales! I shall return for more yellowing goodies next week!

Free Comic Book Day

Yes, today is Free Comic Book Day. I can't take part. Boo! Go to a comic shop and get some free comics. Buy some comics while you are there. If you are at Gosh meet Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.  Enjoy comics. Message ends.

Bonus feature: Relive the glory of Free Comic Book Days Past.

Moore and O'Neill at Gosh tomorrow

I'm gutted that I won't be able to get down to Gosh tomorrow, because not only will those who go be able to get their hands on the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic BEFORE anyone else in the flipping World, they'll also be able to get their copies signed by none other than Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Like I say, I can't make it, but if you're free and able to get down to the West End, you really should be there. Full details on the Gosh website