This was a pleasent and informative read. I am familiar with Willie Mays but there was material in this comic that I actually didn't know. For instancThis was a pleasent and informative read. I am familiar with Willie Mays but there was material in this comic that I actually didn't know. For instance I was not aware that his father, also named Willie Mays, had played baseball with the Black Barons and was nicknamed "Kitty Kat". This is not stritcly speaking a chronology of Mays' baseball career, though it it in chronological order. it does touch upon the highlights of his career, but there is more than just his baseball career included. One chapter tells how he was responsible to getting Ed Benton, an old time scout who had fallen on hard times a job with the Giants. It is those type of human interest stories that make players such as Mt. Mays into more than just an esceptional athlete. I should point out that this comic only covers his early career. As it was published in the late fifties it does not cover his later career. Still I enjoyed this look at the early career of Mr. Mays. Besides the biography of Willie there are a couple one-page biographies )of Mel Ott and Christy Matthewson) as well as some baseball oriented cartoons. In the end this is an item well worth picking up or reading, if you find it. Happy reading....more
Another interesting volume in this title. Unlike the previous volumes this one actually does have a theme, namely aerial combat. If course this volumeAnother interesting volume in this title. Unlike the previous volumes this one actually does have a theme, namely aerial combat. If course this volume does concentrate on British comics so the fan who is only familiar with US comics might be a bit disappointed. However, they should still peruse this volume as they are sure to learn something and maybe they will find some stuff they want to check out (if possible). The book covers both regular weekly British comics and also the Picture Libraries. There are articles on various topics related to the theme and of course plenty of reviews of various Picture Libraries. I can't be sure, but after looking at the contents of this volume, it seems that aerial combat got more coverage in British comics than in US comics. I can only think of three strips in U.S. comics that featured aerial combat, two set in WWI and one in WWII. Ah well, such is life. if you are a fan of war comics than I do recommend this volume. You will find out a lot of interesting information. As well the reviews of various Picture Libraries may give you some ideas of what you might like to read. There are sources on the internet where you can find them. I really only have two complaints. First off as far as the picture libraries go this volume concentrates solely on those published by Fleetway/IPC or DC Thomson. However there were picture libraries from a lot of smaller publishers but nothing of them is mentioned here. I suppose it could be that they didn't do any aerial oriented stories which would explain it. As to the other complaint back in the sixties I was reading a British weekly called Lion, one of the features which appeared from time to time and which I enjoyed was Paddy Payne, Fighter Ace. However there is nothing about him in this volume. If they do another issue devoted to aerial combat hopefully that omission will be corrected. Be that as it may, this is a really nice volume. Certainly after reading it, especially if you are a non-British reader you will end up knowing quite a bit more than you did before. And it is a fairly easy read. It only took me as long as it did to read because I was only reading a few pages at night before bed. So give this one a try. Happy reading....more
This has been listed as being Britain's first comic book. It ran from 1890 until 1953, which explains why I had never seen a copy as it ceased publicaThis has been listed as being Britain's first comic book. It ran from 1890 until 1953, which explains why I had never seen a copy as it ceased publications two years before I was born, and it was even longer until I started reading comics American or English. Still it managed to last for a little over 3000 issues, which is a fairly good number. Of course it helps that it was issued weekly. Now as to the comic itself. It is a mix of comics and text material. The text material seems to be a mix of fiction and non-fiction, all of a humourous nature. Although some of the comics material is in strip form, though generally quite short, some of it is more the cartoon type. Again the material is all humourous in nature. I found that interesting as even the humour comics from Britain I have read usually have one or two adventurous strips in them. However we are lookin at a comic from the late 1800's and things were likely different back then. So this was a fairly decent comic. Yes, some of the jokes might be a bit old, but then they were probably new back then. If you are looking for something to amuse you this one might fill the bill. Happy reading....more
This is the girl's equivalent of a Britsh boys' comic. The stories are either adventure stories or along the dramatic line. There are no real romanticThis is the girl's equivalent of a Britsh boys' comic. The stories are either adventure stories or along the dramatic line. There are no real romantic stories in this, as would be found in some other types of girls' comics. The stories aren't too bad really. One thing I will note is that while this was in fact the girl's equivalent of the boy's paper Eagle (same publisher and editor) it did not have a science fiction strip as Eagle had with Dan Dare. Like Eagle though it did have some non-fiction elements to it, including a biography of Florence Nightingale. All in all, this wasn't a bad item. I would definitely read others in this series. Happy reading....more
**spoiler alert** This was my introduction to both the Classics Illustrated line and to the Thirty Years War. I admit I do not know if the main charac**spoiler alert** This was my introduction to both the Classics Illustrated line and to the Thirty Years War. I admit I do not know if the main character, Malcolm Graeme, was an actual person but I do know that many of the other people who appear in the story were actual people. I enjoyed this one. The story was interestinh and the setting was definitely different from what I was use to, which may have been what attracted to those many years ago when I first read it. One interesting thing is that the Classics Illustrated line of comics were not approved by the Comics Code Authortity. This was because Gilberton, the publisher, didn't submit the books to the Authority as they felt there were no problems as they were merely adaptations of established literary work. Supposedly the Code disagreed with this but I suspect they were happy they didn't have to review thease comics. After all if they had said that something had to be changed they would then get accused of trying to censor the classics, and that would not be a good thing.There are quiet moments to this story, but there are also quite exciting moments as well. If you have an interest in history, or just like a thrilling story, this this comic is likely to be of interest to you. Happy reading....more
Given the page length of this book I am not sure if this was meant as a childrens' book or not. Certainly this would be a good book for children. As fGiven the page length of this book I am not sure if this was meant as a childrens' book or not. Certainly this would be a good book for children. As far as I know this is a fairly accurate history of civil rights in the US, from the earliest days of the country to the present day. It does demonstrate that slavery, and the evils that ensued after it, were an integral part of the county, even though there are those who would like to deny it (looking at you Hillsborough College). Even though this book is brief one is still able to learn quite a bit from it. I admit as a Canadian much of what was contained in here was not part of our history which may be why I was not aware of it. Definitely a worthwhile addition to one's library. Happy reading....more
This one covers more than just baseball. We have brief biographies of George Mikan (basketball), Dick Button (figure skating), Barbara Ann Scott (figuThis one covers more than just baseball. We have brief biographies of George Mikan (basketball), Dick Button (figure skating), Barbara Ann Scott (figure skating), Maurice Richard (hockey), Rene Herrias (basketball), as well as the continuation of Babe Ruth's biography. There are also a number of items which give you some basics of playing various sports. There is also an item has a young lad getting some tips on staying in shape from Mr. Ruth himself. As well we have some text material which is of either an historical nature or talks about current affairs in sports. All in all this is a nice package sure to please a sports fan. Happy reading....more
The final installment of this series. The first part is set on a show discussing a 'television' series based on the Legion Academy. Amusing, and it doThe final installment of this series. The first part is set on a show discussing a 'television' series based on the Legion Academy. Amusing, and it does give some details. Of course like most television shows it gets some of its facts wrong but c'est la vie. As always the second part is the last of the A to Z listing of people. This one includes two of the Legion's major villains, The Time Trapper and Universo. I had forgotten one fact about Universo and that was that he had been a Green Lantern. That was added into his history sometime after he made his first appearance. As with the other volumes this is probably not for the casual fan, but for the serious Legion fan it is well-worth having. Happy reading....more
This is the penultimate volume of this series. In this issue the first part is a tour of Metropolis. The city that was home to Superman has certainly This is the penultimate volume of this series. In this issue the first part is a tour of Metropolis. The city that was home to Superman has certainly grown by the 30th Century. It now includes New York and Boston, among other places. Our tour guide is named Oli-3-Queen and he does resemble his more famous ancestor. A number of places that have appeared in Legion stories are shown here. The second part of the book is more of the alphabetical listing of people. We have gotten up to Timber Wolf so you can tell the end is getting near. As I have said, an informative reference work that for someone with an interest in the Legion is a valuable resource. ...more
We start this volume off with a tour of the Legion Headquarters. To be honest I am not sure which one this is. By the time this book came out there haWe start this volume off with a tour of the Legion Headquarters. To be honest I am not sure which one this is. By the time this book came out there had been at least three, and possibly more. The person doing the tour is supposedly a television (and movie) star and it is being done for some sort of television program. The tour guide is Phantom Girl. It is interesting to see how the clubhouse has changed since the days when it was an inverted rocket ship. The second part is more of our alphabetical guide to the people who inhabit the Legion universe. As usual this is of interest to the hardcore Legion fan or the person who has just discovered them and wants more information. Happy reading....more
With this volume we are roughly half-way through the series. The focus of the first part is the home worlds of the various members of the Legion. The With this volume we are roughly half-way through the series. The focus of the first part is the home worlds of the various members of the Legion. The one planet not covered here is Krypton, birthplace of both Superboy and Supergirl. However since Krypton no longer exists, and the two of them more or less grew up on Earth, especially Superboy, maybe that isn't really an omission. Most of the information presented in this section wasn't really new to me, but then I am a long-time reader of the series. The second section continues the alphabetical listing of various people. A number of the entries cover the members of the Legion of Super-Villains. One interesting thing on these is that the writers state that it is unknown if the adult Super-Villains are the same as the teen ones. Since the one story that had both an adult Legion of Super-Heroes and an adult Legion of Super-Villains appearing has been removed from continuity (I think) this is a valid point. As I have said about the other volumes released so far, if you are interested information about the LSH then this is a good place to get it. Happy reading...more
The first section of this book covers some of the planets of the Legion's universe. However these are not the home planets of the various LegionnairesThe first section of this book covers some of the planets of the Legion's universe. However these are not the home planets of the various Legionnaires, but rather other worlds that are important to that universe for various reasons. Some are home to enemies of the UP, such as Khundia or the worlds of the Dominators, although it should be mentioned that the UP and the Dominion have signed a treaty. There are also several artificial worlds included. These include Nullport, a space dock, Medicus One, a hospital, and Weber's World, which is the diplomatic centre of the United Planets. Even R. J. Brande's asteroid home gets an entry. The second part is more of the alphabetical guide to the Legion, its friends and its foes. All in all a handy reference work for fans of the Legion. Happy reading....more
the first part of this item is a continuation of the history of the Legion. This brings us up to what was then current time. Of course this item is a the first part of this item is a continuation of the history of the Legion. This brings us up to what was then current time. Of course this item is a few decades, and also a few reboots, old and thus is a wee bit out of date. Still interesting. After the history we get more of the alphabetical listing of characters in the Legion. Both of these are useful to have. In some cases they may jog a memory about a particular storyline or character. In the grand scheme of things though, this is probably more of use for someone just getting into the Legion and needs a primer on it, or those longtime and serious fans who thrive on this kind of information. Happy reading....more
Ares Magazine was the third member of Simulations Publications Inc.'s stable of magazines, joing Strategy and Tactics Magazine and Moves Magazine. HowAres Magazine was the third member of Simulations Publications Inc.'s stable of magazines, joing Strategy and Tactics Magazine and Moves Magazine. However while S&T focused on articles about military matters, both historical and contemporary and Moves focused on articles on table-top wargaming, Ares was devoted to science fiction and fantasy and as such contained fiction as well as non-fiction. This issue contained two stories, neither by authors whose names I recognize that much, even now. One of the is a fantasy and the other science fiction. Both are well written and enjoyable however I think I prefered the fantasy story a bit more. There is also a storyboard for the Worldkiller game that was included with this issue. That was certainly different. The articles in this issue were pretty basic. Some where basically review columns of recent books and media such as movies. There was however one that explained why it was highly unlikely that man would be travelling out to the stars anytime soon. I am sure that one didn't go over too well with the reader who was fully convinced there would be human colonies on Alpha Centauri in his or her lifetime. The other item was a collection of mini-reviews of the various SF and Fantasy games that were on the market at that time, some of which I actually have. The reviews would have been useful when they were published but they were still interesting to read. Some were even amusing, particularily if the game in question was not an especially good one. There was also a questionaire that came with a response card to be filled out and returned. This was standard in SPI's magazines. The fun part were the questions that asked you to rate certain game proposals. I actually recognized a couple of them as games that SPI eventually published. All in all a nice little magazine. Happy reading....more
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