The Partridges in comic book form Part 4

Here's one final batch of pics from Charlton's The Partridge Family #4!

The Partridges in comic book form Part 3

This week we are looking at pages from Charlton's The Partridge Family #4! We'll take one final look tomorrow.

The Partridges in comic book form! Part 2!

Yesterday we started talking about issue 4 of the Charlton Partridge Family comic book series. Here are some more pages! Come back tomorrow for more!

The Partridges in comic book form! Part 1!

I love digging through longboxes for TV and movie comic books, and this is one I bought well before we decided to cover the series on the podcast. This Charlton publication is dated September 1971.

Artist Don Sherwood has some interesting work in here. I kept thinking there was an odd quality to the art, like it relied on stills and publicity photos. Well, I looked him up, and sure enough, he had a reputation for swiping other artists and for tracing photos.

The stories are unexceptional, but the cast does look like the cast! What jumps out at me is the number of ads promoting Partridge merch--almost all of it sold by Charlton. It's like the comic is a vehicle to publish ads to push the stuff. 

And by the way, all that merch is David Cassidy material with the exception of Susan Dey's Private Journal:

Come back tomorrow for more pics!

Power Rankings: Characters who I want to see on "The Amazing Spider-Man" CBS series

Mike and I enjoy the short-lived CBS live-action Amazing Spider-Man series, and I think I can speak for him in confirming we both wish there were more episodes. The show is fun and does a good job of capturing some of the essence of the classic comic books--not all, but some.

For example. there are many interesting characters who liven up the source material but are missing from the series. Here is a list of 10 I would like to see in those CBS episodes. Keep in mind that this ranking is based on how these comic book characters would fare against each other on a neutral field in Rutland, Vermont.

1) The Incredible Hulk: This is the great crossover that never was in the BOTNS era: CBS stars Hulk and Spider-Man appearing together, preferably on a Friday night. If it's true the network feared becoming a "superhero channel," then this was never going to happen, but it's easy to imagine a reality in which they gave Spidey a legitimate second season and both heroes had successful series.

The real crossover I'd like to see might be Bill Bixby and Nicholas Hammond. I think Hammond's relatively subdued Peter Parker would make an interesting match for Bixby's David Banner.

2) Joe "Robbie" Robertson: Hilly Hicks plays the character in the pilot movie, but it's not enough. I can see why he's not there: The show compresses the entire Daily Bugle newspaper to 3 people, and one of them (Chip Fields as Rita) serves as the "voice of reason" as it is and the intermediary with J. Jonah Jameson. Of course there is also the fact that Jameson is not at all the hothead he is in the comics. Still, Robbie is a great character, and it feels like a missed opportunity to leave him out.

2) (tie) Ben Urich: Again, the Bugle of the show is run by 2 or 3 people at any given time, but I would love to see a hard-boiled newsman working with Peter on some of these cases. The public was still in the post-Watergate glow of celebrating investigative journalism, and Urich could provide some explorations of that territory. Unfortunately, the show often makes Parker photographer and reporter, which leaves less room for a Urich type.

4) Gwen Stacy: The series brings on Ellen Bry as friend/rival Julie in Season 2 and then seems unable to decide where it wants that to go. Then it ends the series by introducing an apparent different love interest played by Rosalaind Chao.

Hammond is not doing anything like the nebbishy Parker of the early comics, so why not give him a girlfriend or at least a potential one? Mary Jane would be welcome, too, but Gwen would provide more of a physical contrast to Julie while serving as more of a match for the show's energy.

5) Felicia Hardy: Black Cat's flirtations with Spider-Man always amused me, and she would inject a lot of life into the live-action TV Spider-verse. It would be relatively easy to bring the character to the screen: Find a hot actress, make a hot catsuit, have the character be a jewel thief who has chemistry with Spidey.

6) Chameleon: As great it would be to see someone like Green Goblin, I want to be realistic about the kind of villains the series can do on its budget. I never considered Chameleon an A-lister, but the disguise gimmick is a natural and was sort of touched on in a few episodes. They could recreate some of that "two Parkers" magic from the "Night of the Clones" episode!

7) Kingpin: Vincent Donofrio's performance as the character in the modern-era Marvel shows leaves an indelible impression, but I think this villain would work in 1978. All you really need is a charismatic big fella organizing some crimes. With the right casting, Kingpin could be a great asset to the CBS show.

8) Morbius: OK, a living vampire character would take a little more money and effort, but the supernatural was big in the decade, and I can see (or not see) the show using a lot of darkness and camera angles to make a moody, economical presentation of this character. The "haunted house" episode the show has steps into this territory, but it should have kicked it up a notch and gone vampire.

9) Madame Web: Let's just say that the recent screen portrayal of this character does not leave an indelible impression. A "seasoned" character actress being weird and making dramatic proclamations about the future could make for an entertaining episode. The series barely uses Aunt May, so how about a nod to the Gray Panther crowd?

10) Hypno-Hustler: No commentary needed. Just look at him and tell me you wouldn't want to see an attempt to do this on 1978 broadcast television:

Mulligan Stew: The Comic Book (Part 2)

We continue our look inside the Mulligan Stew comic book today! 

Here is a recipe for that 4-4-3-2 superstar, pizza!

And here is another page of story. Note that the stories are not adaptations of the TV episodes, but many seem to be continuations or at least reference those episodes.

Here's a groovy game that is inside the comic. 

Finally, here is another recipe, but not just any recipe. Read on to learn how to make Mulligan stew! "Everybody likes it!"

Mulligan Stew: The Comic Book (Part 1)

Today and tomorrow, we present some pics from the Mulligan Stew comic book we discuss on the latest podcast! Thanks again to Mike for getting this for me and setting us down this path!

Here's the cover and back cover of the comic, which is pretty thick. There's a lot of value in here, what with the stories, recipes, games, songs, and more!

There are more lyrics inside, like the following. Check out my personal favorite, "Good Nutrition":

And here's a look at an actual story page. The original owner of the comic book beat me to the puzzles in this issue!

Tomorrow, we'll look at a recipe!

My Blake's 7 Collection

All of this is courtesy of Laurie! She even took the picture.

The Programme Guide book by is largely plot summaries and other information like that, which were more valuable back in the publication year of 1982, but it also has a great section of interviews. I think subsequent books have made use of that material.

I plan to dive into the two Marvel UK magazines, which she just got me, in another post. They are fantastic and well worth seeking out. I haven't yet read the two Trevor Hoyle novels, and the Critical Guide is something I picked up at a used book store to add to the collection but haven't dug into at this time. Perhaps if/when we get the Blu-Rays and start a rewatch...

And here is the awesome shirt Mike got Laurie:

Missing: Action figures...because there AREN'T any!

TV-related comics (sort of?) featuring (sort of) Bert Parks

On Free Comic Book Day, I got (not for free) some "funny animal" comics, including these two DC issues from 1952:

Fox and Crow are legit screen stars (I quite enjoy their old Columbia cartoons), but the addition of "Hollywood" to the title of Funny Folks is a bit of a misnomer because the characters that dominated that title, like headliner Nutsy Squirrel, weren't actually in cartoon shorts. 

The latter title also features Tito and his burrito (insert standard disclaimer about it being of its time) and Flippity and Flop (insert standard disclaimer about any resemblance to other cartoon cat/bird teams being purely intentional). All were indeed in 'toons of the era. I have seen Fox and Crow on TV but not the others, but I am sure they have been on the tube at some point, so let's count them!

Hollywood Funny Folks relies on Nutsy, Biggety bear, and Nip and Chip (Parrot and chipmunk who seem to have much the same dynamic of Fox and Crow). Both titles are filled out with colorful ads. What kid wouldn't be thrilled by a comic as for Ludden's cough drops? There are also text features and puzzles.

My favorite part of each issue is this ad with the future Miss America host Bert Parks, who was apparently hip enough in 1952 to be the star of this campaign:

Power Rankings: Comic characters who should have had a TV show/TV movie in 1977

The 1977 Exo-Man TV movie may or may not have been an attempt to do Iron Man without Iron Man. It was a time of superheroes on TV. In 1977-1979, viewers got Doctor Strange, Captain America, and of course Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk in addition to The Amazing Spider-Man and the NBC DC/Warner Brothers shows. Saturday mornings in 1977 still hosted The Shazam/Isis Hour.

What besides Iron Man was missing from live action? Here is a list of comic book and comic strip characters I wish were on the air in 1977.

1) Luke Cage: The obvious number one is Luke Cage, AKA Power Man. Combine the "hip" Afrocentric aesthetic of the Marvel comic (Well, it was trying) with 1970s sensibilities, and you might get a cool street-based comic show.

2) Iron Fist: And we should go ahead and include Cage's comic book partner, Danny Rand. Given the martial arts craze of the Seventies, it seems combining some TV-friendly action with some decade-friendly mysticism would make a good fit.

3) Green Lantern/Green Arrow: The totally unsubtle but well-meaning "social relevance" era of the book had been in the early part of the decade, but at this time the two were traveling in outer space. That's not as budget friendly as two heroes roaming the country "to find America," and media is often several years behind a trend, so why not make a series of that run?

4) Mary Worth: The criminally underused, perpetually nosy senior could have had her own soapy melodrama. Maybe she's too tame for primetime TV, but a daily soap opera, maybe?

5) Rip Kirby: I don't really have a good idea for this. I just like saying 'Rip Kirby," a character maybe forgotten now but quite popular in 1977.

6) Sad Sack: Beetle Bailey got some TV cartoons earlier, but Sad Sack hasn't received his due in other media. There have been many military comedies, and some of them actually worked. Maybe the Sackster could have been a hit.

7) The Daily Planet: The live-action Spidey show gave us The Daily Bugle, and Lou Grant premiered in Fall 1977, but I would enjoy a 1970s-"Metropolis"-set newspaper comedy/drama featuring the cast of Superman comics. To save money, they could have had minimal cameos by Supes and even by Clark Kent while focusing on others like Perry and Lois and Jimmy.

Of course, this thing would probably have been seen as a cheat back then, whereas today I think we can count on more than one hand the number of, say, Batman shows without Batman that appeared in recent years. Plus there is the big problem of Superman: The Movie, which would premiere in 1978. Hey, I just think it could have been a cool TV show, is all.

8) The Haunted Tank: Forget the Confederate/Union thing, which would have been much more palatble in 1977, but let's think of this as a way to combine two types of comics DC published that didn't get much multimedia love: Supernatural and War. This is a long shot, but a series about the ghost of Jeb Stuart guiding soldiers in WWII would stand out.

9) The Spirit: There are two reasons Will Eisner's all-time classic feature isn't higher on my list: 1) The 1987 attempt to bring it to TV and 2) My fear it would be screwed up. I wonder, though, if the Seventies would have been a better time. The Spirit was in reprints then, so it was still around, and maybe the b&w magazine era and 1970s crime TV would have found some compatibility.

10) Richie Rich: Several years later, a cartoon version would appear on Saturday mornings, but I am thinking of a live-action series. ABC tried a couple of Little Lulu specials around this time. Maybe the Richie Rich character could be an appealing presence in a similar format back before the days when an embarrassment of riches might actually be considered embarrassing.

Two from TwoMorrows Publishing

Two new publications arrived here from the great folks at TwoMorrows Publishing, and each has my strong recommendation. The latest issue of RetroFan is low on material with a direct connection to BOTNS-era TV, but it is still a lot of fun. Andy Mangels' story on The Lone Ranger covers his Filmation cartoon as well as the character's other media incarnations, and that is the most relevant for our purposes.

However, there is plenty of other entertaining stuff, like the bio of cover boy Sergio Aragones, the piece on mail-order contests, Moe Howard, the origins of G.I. Joe (the toy line), and much more! It's another fun effort with a lot of good stuff.

Next up, a book I pre-ordered a looong time ago because I was excited as soon as I learned about it, yet I haven't dived into it yet. Why? I want to set time aside to savor it. It's a book that I could have requested be written: American TV Comic Books.

I tell you, the book is in my hands now (making it tough to type), and it is gorgeous. The TwoMorrows books combine superb info and writing with awesome visual design. 

I just turned to a random page (Well, not totally random; I went to the back to get a page from the BOTNS era) and found a look at the Charlton Emergency! series. There is so much cool stuff in here and plenty of pictures. The book is structured kind of like an encyclopedia, with individual entries arranged chronologically instead of alphabetically.

Now that I open the book again, I gotta forget my "find perfect time to savor this" strategy and start reading it! 

Stan Lee's Soapbox--(mostly) lost show

Our recent post about Marvel Comics appearances on TV before the superhero TV boom of the late Seventies led me to this great clip:

 

The uploader worked on the show, a production for Manhattan Cable in the mid 1970s, and says most of the tapes were lost in a fire and Lee, last he asked, didn't know where surviving copies were.

That's a shame because this is a lot of fun. Stan is relaxed and self-deprecating. He's an engaging host even if (maybe partly because of) his apparent non-over-preparation. It's a warm conversation that draws you right in. It's easy to see why Roy Thomas got such a prominent role at Marvel; he helps Stan in various ways throughout the conversation without upstaging or undermining anything he's doing.

The backdrop may seem a little silly, but to me it's part of the charm.  I also love the ad reads for local comics-related businesses, and the general cable-access-level production is perfect for this kind of chat show.  In several decades, Marvel productions would mean big budgets, bombastic effects, etc.  At this moment, it's a couple guys who care about their vocation sharing their thoughts.

If anyone has more of these, please share! The uploader says Stan talked to Harvey Kurtzman, John Buscema, and more as part of this series.

Marvel on TV (1976, that is)

In 1976, Superman: The Movie was not yet a thing and the superhero explosion on TV hadn't occurred.  The Wonder Woman pilot movie ran in Fall 1975, and a few episodes debuted in early 1976, but The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, and the TV movies we have discussed here were still in the future. it must have been exciting, then, to see news of comic books on TV...or even comic book creators on TV. Check this item from the Marvel Bullpen Bulletins feature in the Captain America and the Falcon cover-dated May 1976 but obviously written months earlier:

Stan Lee on The Mike Douglas Show and Good Morning, America AND Tomorrow sounds pretty cool (love the reference to the Distinguished Competition), and how about Rascally Roy Thomas on To Tell the Truth? Stan was out there hustling, wasn't he?  Soon superheroes, not just their creators, would be all over the small screen.




To Tell the Truth was a mainstay for years, dating back to its prime-time run on CBS beginning in 1956 but this would have been the second incarnation. From 1969 to 1978, the series, then hosted by Garry Moore, was in first-run syndication.  Thomas likely appeared with Moore, but at the end of that run, the ailing Moore was replaced by Bill Cullen and Joe Garagiola.

As for Tomorrow, according to Phil Gries' Archival Television Audio site (where you can buy an audio copy of the program), the program aired November 20, 1975:

Host Tom Snyder's guests are Stan Lee publisher of Marvel Comics, Carmine Infantio publisher of Superman Comics and Julius Schwartz editor who is spearheading the revival of comic books' "golden age" in this topic of "Comic Strips and Comic Books".

Also interviewed is Marvel comic book collector, Warren Storab who has every edition of Marvel comic books from October 1939 through 1949. 

Get More Mike Part One: Uncanny X-Men 138

While we're on an extended break here at Battle of the Network Shows, I had the chance to talk to friend of the show Tim Blevins for his podcast Menage a Pop. In part one, we talk about Uncanny X-Men 138, the issue that introduced me to the world of Marvel's Merry Mutants and stirred my imagination. Find it right here or wherever you find your podcasts. Also, check out more episodes of Menage a Pop and Tim's other excellent podcast 20th Century Pop while you're there.

Show Notes: Bonus Episode: List-o-rama: Comic books that should have been adapted as TV shows

*Don't read this post until you listen to our new bonus episode unless you want our lists "spoiled!"

*This episode is a companion to our earlier bonus episode in which we discussed TV shows that should have been adapted as comic books.

*Mike's list, for easy reference:
1) Marvel Two-in-One/Marvel Team-Up
2) Forever People
3) Jimmy Olsen and the Newsboy Legion
4) Mark Trail
5) Bill Hoest's Laugh Parade
Honorable mentions: Nexus, Damage Control, Black Kiss

*Rick's list, for easy reference:
1) Legion of Super-Heroes
2) Green Lantern/Green Arrow
3) All-Star Squadron
4) Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!
5) Prez
Honorable mentions: Not Brand Ecch, Mr. Monster

Listen to the episode for details on the comics and how we would have turned them into television in the 1970s and 1980s!

Note: the actor who played Vinnie on The Odd Couple is Larry Gelman.

Show Notes: Listorama--TV Shows that would make good comic books

We hope you enjoyed our newest bonus episode, a listing of 70s and 80s TV shows we'd like to have seen become comic books. Here is a handy rundown of our picks and some notes on what we discussed, but please download and listen to the pod first!

Mike #1 The Learverse
#2 Magnum P.I.
#3: Search
#4: In Search Of
#5: The White Shadow

Honorable mentions:
Sandbaggers, Voyagers, The Incredible Hulk (adaptation of the TV series)

Rick #1 Maude
#2 The Greatest American Hero
#3: Gemini Man
#4: Miami Vice
#5: Battle of the Network Stars

Crisis on Infinite Earths is the landmark 1985 miniseries that served as a turning point in DC comics continuity. It's going to be a crossover event in the CW's Arrowverse TV shows this fall.

The British Magnum comics Mike mentions appeared in 1982, and you can get a good look here at the definitive Magnum Mania site. An in-depth review here proves that...it was pretty awesome!

Gold Key Comics were published for just over 20 years. It featured a lot of titles starring licensed characters and properties.

Just because:

Gil Thorp continues as a newspaper comic strip to this day! Creator Jack Berrill started it in 1958, and after his death in 1996, the first person to take it over was the co-author of the Left Behind series!

We couldn't find a cartoon drawing of Rona Barrett, but I want this magazine:



Also couldn't find a Jack Davis illustration of Bea Arthur, but there is this:



We'd love to hear what you think of our ideas and also if you have any suggestions of your own! Thanks for listening to the show, and get ready for our next season, coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts!

List-o-rama: TV Shows That Should Have Had Comic Books

Back in the BOTNS era and before, many TV shows had licensed comic book adaptations, but many more didn’t. Rick and Mike pick five each that should have had their own comic, suggest possible details like look and format, and Mike even offers to write some of them! Join us for this mixed media adventure.


Check out this episode!