So Much Better than a Big Budget Movie

Do they make trading cards as cool as these anymore? Written by Len Brown and Woody Gelman, brought to life in Wally Wood roughs penciled by Bob Powell and painted by Norm Saunders, I see here. Are there any other original illustrated stories told in trading cards?

"Don't touch that dial!"

See the complete series from 1962 here.

From Hairy Green Eyeball: Mars Attacks!

Sorry about that, Chief

From WFMU's Beware of the Blog: Would You Believe Don Adams was a Joke Thief?

1967 marked the release of Don's final comedy LP ... and his most controversial. Don Adams Live? was recorded at the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas at the height of his popularity, the period Adams was referring to when he spoke to Zimmerman on the set of Back to the Beach. The United Artists album was probably the strongest of Don Adams' comedy records. The reason was fairly simple. Most of the material on it had been stolen from a young punk named Jackie Mason.

Smooth Move

Hank Ketcham makes prune juice a groove. I always loved the way he drew hands, fingernails, and elbows.

via Those Fabuleous Fifties

The Comics in Canada: An Illustrated History | CBC Archives

The Comics in Canada: An Illustrated History | CBC Archives

Great newsfilm from 1970 at Canada's first comic shop. So little has changed.

Psychedelic Art of the Great Depression

"A cougar with a mohawk? No problem."

These images from the work of Virgil Finlay were a bit of a revelation to me. Though coming from 30s pulp horror they strike me as much more modern. Often, psychedelic and "supernatural" art traverse the same surreal landscape. However, the mix of styles used in the collages would have also been at home on a 70s rock album cover. The black and white art also conveys a "subversive" feel, and makes me think of Warren horror comic magazines.

via Golden Age Comic Book Stories

"M" is for Milton, Macduff, and MangMade

The Internet Archive features a collection of alphabet books from the past. Shown here is a page from An Alphabet of Celebrities (1899). These days one thinks of celebrities as the latest starlets or political figures on TV. For a primer at the turn of the century, this meant contemporary news makers as well as well-known historical figures. Today these are all historical while many have fallen out of "well-known" status.

This one in particular seems to have a bit of an old MAD Magazine quality to it, given the juxtaposition of "celebrities" and the accompanying light verse.

I've been a fan of the archive for many years for finding old films, but I'm new to looking at the books there. I love the interface and the feel of "turning the pages" on these beauties.

via A is for Archive: One Hundred Years of Alphabet Books « What’s New at the Internet Archive