Amazing Spider-Man #42

Comics were the first thing I collected as a kid that I actually kept, and I still have each one I bought growing up. Sadly, not very many of the pre-1970 issues are in good enough shape to be worth much to a collector; but they are worth a lot to me for the memories they invoke. This time we look at my dog-eared copy of "The Amazing Spider-Man" #42, published in 1966, in which Peter meets Mary Jane for the first time, and she utters the famous line "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!" I'm guessing MJ didn't have a problem with self-esteem or confidence.

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Below is the first page, a great full-page drawing of Spidey as he seemingly robs a bank. Spidey's life is the manifestation of the saying "no good deed goes unpunished."

And lastly, the final page with the famous last panel, as Peter's jaw drops and his pants get tight. Notice that he is not looking at her face in that scene.

From the same issue comes the ad below for the Marvel super-hero cartoons that were playing at the time, the fondly-remembered short episodes that it was a stretch to call "animated." Today we would label them "motion comics," which are comic panels with some elements that slide around the screen, and limited arm and leg motions, accompanied by dialog, music and sound effects. "When Captain America throws his mighty shield!" (Click here to visit a page with the audio.)

For more information about this issue, with a comprehensive review, visit this site:

http://www.samruby.com/AmazingSpider-ManA/amazing_spiderman_042.htm

1966 comic book ads

The first things I ever collected were comics, and looking through those earliest ones I bought as an 8 year old (that I still have) I am amused and taken back in time by the ads themselves. I liked "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." but this ad about a pen that "let you see through walls" was a bit deceptive. It doesn't mention that you must first have a hole in said wall or door to use the pen!

Below is a time capsule of all the shows I liked to watch on Saturday mornings in 1966, spent in my pyjamas and nursing a bowl of cereal ( I liked "Ka-Boom" cereal, remember that one?).

60's Space On The Brain

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I'm still wondering what a "drogue" chute is.

Continuing with the look back at the period in American history when visiting the moon was still an unrealised goal... above, a space-themed cartoon from the pages of The Saturday Evening Post, Jan 29, 1966. UPDATE: thanks to a comment about the "drogue" chute, I looked it up, and the cartoonist had his terms right! Here's the Wiki entry on it.

Below: Space was all the rage in the 60's, as this far-out, spacey ad from the same Post issue for a new refrigerator shows. Mod for the "now" generation, baby!

1966 "Mad" Lost In Space spoof

Heaven knows, "Lost In Space" was infinitely deserving of being lampooned, and Mad magazine does a good job of it. This spot-on spoof, scanned from my copy of issue 104, published July of 1966, came out while the show was still in first-run. Writer Dick De Bartolo accurately parodies the show's constantly-repeating situations, and artist Mort Drucker nails the charicatures; in all, it's truly funny!

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Oh, man... heh, heh, heh... (snort) oh, that was good.