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!