December 7th, 1941...     Michael D Hamersky On Comics Remembers This Date, In History...     WAR!   As Declared In Comic Books!     Just a few comic books with the WWII theme on the front cover, from  the Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos title from Marvel Comics!

TODAY'S BLOG IS #3756 -  Comic Books are an American pop culture creation. At times they have been used for promotional purposes to sell cars, or burgers, or to introduce a company itself to the general public.

Other times they have been printed to get a point across to the reading public, such as during the 'Cold War' when comics warning about the 'Red Menance' were seen.

Well, back in the 1941 era, many comic book covers had a call for patriotism because of what happened on this date back in 1941.

So comic books also went to war!

There are hundreds of comic books from that era that were published.  In previous years in this blog, I've chosen several to present on this date.

For this year, I've chosen to present seven standout issues from the Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos title from Marvel Comics from the early 1960s!

I'm not old enough to remember that day.  My dad wasn't old enough to serve yet either.  However, 'war comics' were an early part of my growing up reading and then collecting comics. Possibly because I was a 'Navy Brat', and war comics were at the Navy Bases in relatively larger numbers in the barbershops and Navy Exchanges.

Not to glorify war, but the comic book covers shown at the top portion of this blog post helped to make this war known in the 1960s to younger children when the comics were first published.

I just wanted to remember this day, now 71 years ago...

The sacrifices that our servicemen and servicewomen gave during that time period are the reasons why we are able to have the freedom that we still have today.

My thoughts go out to those that lost family or friends during that 'Day of Infamy', and in the days and years that followed until World War II ended... I may have not been there during that time period, but I still 'Remember Pearl Harbor' each year in this blog... 

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,756 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly differently, sorry about that!  The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Reviews...   Dead Dinosaurio!   By Javier Hernandez!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3755 -   Here's another comic book magazine that I want to review blog before the 2012 year is over!

I saw Javier Hernandez at the recent Long Beach Comic & Horror Con in Long Beach, California.

I hadn't seen him for a while, and he brought to my attention his new 'Dead Dinosaurio', that is shown at the left in the photo above, and in larger scale at the top right of this blog.

The front cover really caught my eyes, and it is actually a gatefold cover, which continues onto the back cover.  Very cool!

The inside front cover is an table of contents page, with a dedication.  Good start for this comic book magazine. 

The splash page was presented in black & white...

Pages 2 & 3 were a full 2 page spread... beautiful!

The continuing pages showed a good story with good art... I enjoyed reading it.

Just before the end of the pages, there was a special article titled:  'The Pre-History of Dead Dinosaurio'. Which presented the layout pages of this comic book, as well as the history of the characters used.

The final four pages were guest artist cave drawings of the characters, which included pages from Mikey Cossin, Jordan Gibson, and Adolfo Torino Nunez.  Pretty good!

The inside back cover was a color pin-up by Javier.

The back cover was the continuation of the front cover spread.

You know... I really liked this comic book magazine!  It's bigger than a comic book, so just a little harder to store in a bag and board, but this was darn good!

I would give this magazine a Near Mint (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale!

You can purchase this magazine at Javier's online store at Javzilla!

Thanks to Javier for bringing this comic book magazine to my attention...

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,755 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly differently, sorry about that!  The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Reviews...   The Nine Loves Of El Gato Crime Mangler!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3754 -   Now it's time to get back to comic book / graphic novel reviewing!

I have received many comics / graphic novels in the past few months, both at the comic cons I've attended, and those that were mailed in...

One that grabbed my eyes was the one that Michael Aushenker is holding in the top right photo of this blog.

That comic book magazine was called:  'The Nive Loves of el gato Crime Mangler'.

The front cover looked pretty good, and encouraged me to open up the magazine.

The inside front cover was a pin-up page, which Michael signed for me.

The splash page was another pin-up style page in this comic book sized magazine.

Following that were pages from the publisher, 'The Genesis of Nine Loves', and a page on the pin-up artists that presented pages in this magazine.

Then the stories were presented...

The first one, with art by Lisa Strouss showed that this would be an anthology.

The next story, with art by Jim Wheelock, was a vastly different style than Lisa's.

Following were stories with art by Kent Myers, Javier Hernandez, Amarpal Khanna, Rafael Navarro, Ted Seko, and others.

The mix of topics in the stories presented were pretty good.  The differences in art styles was at times, a little unsettling when reading straight through, but then again, it was an anthology presentation.

For an anthology... I thought this was a pretty good mix of stories.  Anthologies are always the hardest publication to review blog, but upon second review for this blog... I believe it is a worthwhile publication to read and keep for your comics collection.

My comic book grade for this publication is a Very Fine / Near Mint (VF/NM) 9.0 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale.

You can find this publication, and others that Michael has self published at this link at the Cartoon Flophouse web site owned and run by Michael.

More reviews to follow in the day to come...

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,754 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly differently, sorry about that!  The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Mentions The History of...   Monsters To Laugh With... And Monsters Unlimited!   Back In 1964 - 1966 From Humorama Magazines A Division of the Martin Goodman Publishing Empire!    The first three issues were titled... 'Monsters To Laugh With'!     The final four issues were titled... 'Monsters Unlimited'!

TODAY'S BLOG IS #3753 -  I was busy working on my Facebook Fan Page, and catching up from this weekend's events today, when I came across a few pics of these magazines, that I thought I would post in the special photo album at my Facebook Fan Page.

However, the issues didn't exactly fit right in with the rest of the album, so I thought I would post these separately in a blog, and then in another photo album.

The issues were all edited by Stan (the Man) Lee, who mentioned them at least a couple of times in the Marvel Comics of the same time period.

The first three issues were titled:  'Monsters To Laugh With'.  The first issue was in 1964, and so was the second.  The third issue was published in 1965.

Then issue #4 came out with a different title:  'Monsters Unlimited'.  Which lasted until the final issue, #7 in 1966.

This three year period of time was during the re-introduction of the Great Monster Craze of the 1960s.

You see, one of the many ways that was used to market 'product' at that time was through the use of humor.

My first remembrances of this monster 'zine' was that Stan Lee mentioned it in one or two of his Bullpen Bulletins in his Marvel Comics.  

Which must have been after #1 was issued?  As it wasn't until issue #2 that Stan's name was plastered on the cover.

As for myself, after reading one of the issues with the pale / lame jokes that were set in the type set speech balloons, I didn't exactly 'get' what the heck was going on.  

That, plus the fact that distribution of these magazines were not great in my areas, (Kodiak Island, Alaska, and San Diego, California), I just didn't collect all seven of the magazines, or actually even see them all at the publication times!

Today these magazines are not that well known, although they can usually be found in the collections of monsters collectors.

BTW... The many gags used in this series are a continuation of Stan's YOU DON'T SAY! magazine series. It was after John F Kennedy's death, plus the big success of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, that Stan had the great idea to apply his humorous word balloons to movie stills from monster films.  Plus, you can also see him applying humorous captions to trading cards and gum stickers in the later in  the1960s.

You see.. Stan Lee did not actually write these magazines for adults. His real target market was pre-teen and young teenage boys.  These were the same people who were building the Aurora monster models, which was also part of the Monsters Craze of the 1960s! 

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,753 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly differently, sorry about that!  The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Mentions That He Was A Member Of...   Marvelmania International!   Back In 1970!    Back In 1973 at My 2nd San Diego Comic Con as a Comic Book Dealer.  At the Sheraton Hotel on Mission Bay! The above Marvelmania International Club Card is from my own personal collection when I joined back in 1970! True, it is a little worn, but I was really proud to be a card carrying member back in the early 1970's! The above items are what I received when I joined Marvelmania, everything was in black and white at that time! The Above Picture is Showing What I Would Have Received If I Had Joined In 1969 When the Club Was First Announced with everything in Color! Kit #1.  I joined a little later...!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3752 -   I just had a person ask me about the clubs that I had belonged in during my years of comic book reading / collecting.  He was interested in the M.M.M.S. and Marvelmania International, and if I had been a member.

Well... The MarvelMania Club had started in 1969 and early members received kit #1 which had its' membership items in full color.  See bottom right photo shown above.

When I joined in 1970, kit #2 was mailed to me. For my payment I received:

    Club Merchandise Catalog #2
    Official Membership Certificate (Yellow)
    Official Membership Card (Yellow) see above pic
    Sample Issue Of  Their Marvelmania Magazine
    Six Mini-Posters With Art By Jack Kirby
    Various Merchandise Flyers

I took a recent look to see what I had left from Kit #2.

Note: Marvelmania Magazine only lasted for six issues. This was the second club based on Marvel Comics, however it was a business outside the direct control of the Marvel Comics publishing group, but like the earlier M.M.M.S. it didn't last long it didn't last long....

The membership kit included flyers to purchase additional items.  As I was just graduating high school and entering college, my discretionary income was minimal. The few items I did buy from the club were resold at the SDCC during the following years.

The above Marvelmania International Club Card is from my own personal collection when I joined back in 1970! True, it is a little worn, but I was really proud to be a card carrying member back in the early 1970's!!!

For more info on Marvelmania...

Here is the link to the Wikipedia entry.

BTW... This Marvelmania had nothing to do with the Marvel Mania Restaurant, as seen in this link, that ran from 1998-1999.

At times I do receive items from all three Marvel fan clubs, (MMMMS, Marvelamania, FOOM),and they usually end up in my online comic book shop for sale, (ComicBooksCircus.com)!

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,752 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly differently, sorry about that!  The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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