Comic Book Collecting

Some people get very excited by the idea and the pursuit of collecting only mint versions of comic books. Even though I throughly understand the cult of the new it makes little sense. Sure holding the unread in your hands is exciting but surely reading something for the first time is more exciting! Don't get me wrong. I own a number of pocket war comics in pretty good nick. I also own a number that have been read again and again and then some more. They look and feel like they've been through a number of owners as well as through their own unfair share of neglect. The history of a comic book can be so exciting. Past from hand to hand, marks left by owners, uncaring book exchange owners, and efficient news agents all make up the provenance of an item. For me that means so much more than having something that has been forgotten about. Even though that has it's own sad romantic charm.

 

Stuka Sunday!

Stuka Sunday on Tuesday asks...Who will stop them? You know they're up there. Somebody has to take a stand. That's one down for sure! But what of the others? You only have seconds to decide!

Moustache Monday!

It takes a man with a big gun to make a real statement. Other fellows might rely on their shady companions and a piece of hardware that needs a truck to move it around But are they real men? The man of moustache understands big. He also understands comedic. Size is a lot of things but when it comes to guns if you can't wield it yourself it deserves to be in a circus.

Cover of the Week Air Ace Picture Library 527 Out of Control.

If you saw this sitting at the newsagent would you want to pick it up? I would! I bet you would as well!! Just look at it!!! This is one excellent piece of cover artwork. The only thing odd about it is the customary exclamation mark is missing from the title.

Besides that quirky anomaly when has a cover that shows so little shown so much? And it does it all in shades of grey, apart from that ghastly torn masthead.

I like how we don't even get to see the gunner's face - yet we know how tense this all is. We know how dangerous this all is. The title also tells us that something is out of control. I want to know exactly what it is.

Damn it! I'll pick this up. I want to know! As you should have guessed by now Air Ace Picture Library 527 Out of Control is a solid 10/10.

Cover of the Week War Picture Library 17 Commandos Die Hard

Before Bruce baby had a crack at it and made it his own - Die Hard belonged to another bunch of blokes. These guys are so tough they don't even need weapons to fight the enemy let alone a sneaky bloke called Hans. So when the going gets tough the tough clearly have the right idea about where they need to be.

For me the best member of this trio is the figure obscuring his face with his hand. Has he suffered a wound or is he merely making sure his tin hat is staying where it should? I enjoy the ambiguity whether it is intentional or not. Our friend in the middle has a fair degree of being manic about him, nicely supported by his colleague trying to restrain him.

This is a nice example of early War Picture Library cover artwork - so old that it is published by AP and not Fleetway. It doesn't have the edge of later pocket war comics - but it does carry charm, if that is the right word for it. So there is a story going on here. Why is the man in the middle being restrained? Why are their weapons on the ground and not in their hands? I can't quite pick the quality that pegs this as a pre 1960s piece of art but it clearly is because it was published in 1959. Perhaps it's a combination of the colour range and the rather flat faces. So in that context I'm going 8/10.

Moustache Monday!

When the moustache hits the dirt don't sit there gawking. Get down! When danger is all around standing upright is not always the best option. In order to grow a healthy, and living, moustache often times being wise is the best alternative. Leaders lead! A dead moustache is no good to no man. So when the men need to come up from behind- hit the dirt! Don't be confused and see this as a sign of weakness.

Stuka Sunday!

By land or by sea. By dawn's early light or as the  sun is setting there is one thing that is always certain. Look skyward on Stuka Sunday.

Squareheads. Is this the squarest?

Squareheads...don't just belong to the other side apparently. The C.O. has a bonce that you could square a foundation with. The angles of that cranium just aren't natural. The C.O, even has problems balancing that thing. Is it possible his head was bound and set in a beer carton when he was young? Is he part of some strange cult that cultivates a cubic culture? Who can say? Look at poor Mr Flopsy Hair. He is either totally in despair or irrepressibly overcome with laughter by what he has before him. Squareheads! They believe they rule the roost - but those around them tend to believe differently.



Moustache Monday!

Not all moustache is good moustache. There are those that recognise the power and decide to use it for deceit and, even worse, sometimes evil. Just think of all that grooming and trimming used for bad and not for good. Take this fellow here...he clearly is a man of intelligence and clearly the leader. Counting comes to him as naturally as breathing does to others. He will have considered his options and understands what he needs to do - it's just a shame that he has decided to use his talents for wrong doing. Such a shame that his moustache can't think and act for him!  

Stuka Sunday!

You know they're around. You  know what they're up to. You know you don't like it. You know you need to stop them...on Stuka Sunday.

Moustache Monday!

When men gather it is more than an opportunity to compare moustaches or discuss guns - even though some individuals are unable to distinguish between the two. When men come together and converse it is often with reserved energy and purpose - even though shadowy figures will try and dissuade men from their task. Any person can talk. Any person can chat. But purposeful conversation is another matter.There are those that have the skill and understand and there are those that can only look on and smile. However there is one thing that is certain. When a man with a moustache engages you for a bit of chat just be prepared to engage him back. Do not insult him, or yourself , with a simple yes or no answer.

 

Now some fellows simply do not have the gift or have refined the fine art of conversation. What is a man supposed to do if he finds himself in this situation? Some learn that you can get further in life with a good moustache and a gun than you can go with a gun alone.

 

However the ideal is to get further in life with a moustache alone. 

Every Day is Moustache Monday! in the Middle East

Apparently Middle Eastern men (well at least according to the UK Daily Mail) want every day to be Moustache Monday! There is a reported rise in the number of upper lip follicle implants with plastic surgeons in France and Turkey who do this sort of thing experiencing an increase in trade. According to pocketwarcomics.blogspot.com the advantages of course are many - the disadvantages are few, if any. Read the whole article here.

 

By the way for those who don't know...this man is the Turkish singer Ibrahim Tatlises who, I understand, has no need to visit a plastic surgeon. He must be doing something right  - this song on YouTube has over 10 million views and he has many others.