Wet Satin - Women's Erotic Fantasies, Issue 2, 1978, Last Gasp

'Wet Satin - Women's Erotic Fantasies' ran for two issues by Last Gasp, under the guidance of comic artist and writer, Trina Robbins, who was heavily involved in the underground comix movement in the 1970s, as well as being the co-creator of horror icon, Vampirella.

Issue 2 contained nine stories in total:

• 'Noblesse Oblige' by Sharon Rudahl
• 'The Best Parts' by Joyce Farmer
• 'Feline Frolic' by Lee Marrs
• 'Nifty Ways to Cleave Your Lover' by Joey Epstein
• 'Dog Fight' by Trina Robbins
• 'Piece & Quiet' by Shelby Sampson
• 'Those Beautiful Babes in their Bain de Soleil' by Mary Wilshire
• 'Floating' by Lee Marrs
• 'Upstairs' by Trina Robbins

The cover is by Lee Marrs, while the back cover is by Margery Peters.

Invisible Scarlet O'Neil No. 8

I have always loved visiting second-hand bookstores, ever since I was a small boy, and this has grown and developed into a love of antiques and curios, particularly ones that aren't encountered very often. Obviously, this is where my decision to create The Curios blog has stemmed from. 

If memory serves me correctly, I found this comic in an antique store somewhere in Adelaide's western suburbs, possibly in 1999. I'm not exactly sure why I bought it, as I had no previous knowledge of Invisible Scarlet O'Neil. The book itself was disappointing - there was definitely an element of classic comic absurdity and leaps of logic but ultimately, it was not as engaging as some of its contemporaries.

Scarlet, the creation of Russell Stamm, a former assistant to Dick Tracy creator, Chester Gould, was one of the first female superheroes to appear in comics, her superpower being that of invisibility. Hence, the not-so-imaginative title 'Invisible Scarlet O'Neil'. 

More info can be found on Wikipedia (but not much). 

Apparently, Scarlet has at least one fan out there, if the Invisible Scarlet O'Neil Blog is anything to go by.  

Regrettably, I don't have a publishing year for this one, but one can easily deduce that it's an Australian edition, from the mention of 'Sydney' on the front cover.

And for a small bonus, here's a particularly disturbing excerpt, courtesy of the Invisible Scarlet O'Neil Blog:

Sick Day

I'm taking the day off work today because I'm feeling sick. Nothing serious, just a bad case of the sniffles.

Whenever I feel like this, I think of Batman villain, Maxie Zeus.

To be more precise, this particular panel of Maxie:

While I'm not really a big fan of Maxie Zeus, I think it's fair to say I have an affinity with his delusions of grandeur.

And how did I get sick? Well, the same way as him, actually: mucking about in the rain:

From 'Of Gods and Men', Batman, Issue 470, October 1991. Script by Alan Grant, pencils by Norm Breyfogle, inked by Rick Burchett, colours by Adrienne Roy, letters by Todd Klein.

Kiss Comix 140, 2003

Kiss Comix 140, 2003

Swamp Thing, #46, 1985

I never really read much Swamp Thing but I've had this issue in my collection for as long as I can remember. I've no idea where it came from, either; it just appeared one day...

These particular pages have stuck with me ever since I was a kid. And I'm still disappointed that Ford never produced the 'Basilisk'.

(sorry about the page seam)

Kiss Comix 140, 2003

Kiss Comix 140, 2003

What If No One Was Watching The Watcher?, What If... ? Vol 2 Issue 34

(spoiler alert: he stayed on as the King of Rock N' Roll)

Kiss Comix 140, 2003

What If No One Was Watching The Watcher?, What If... ? Vol 2 Issue 34

'What If Thanos Changed Galactus Into A Human Being?'
Writer - Scott Gimple, Artist - Tom Morgan, Letterer - Janice Chiang, Colorist - Renee Witterstaetter

Kiss Comix 140, 2003

Ringo Kid

I have some amazing friends.

My friend, Matt, gave me this for my last birthday. I'm currently funding research with a local university to find a way so that I may have his children.

Batman - Dark Knight, Dark City - The Riddler

A few weeks ago, I posted about my favourite Riddler/Batman story, and neglected to put up any decent pictures of The Riddler!

I've always been a little annoyed that Riddler and Joker had to share the green/purple colour scheme. But, dang, it does look good on both of them. And if it's part of a natty three-piece suit, all the better.

I mentioned previously that the rumours regarding Christopher Nolan's third Batman film are already flying, including that The Riddler will be one of the villains, and that he'd be played by Joseph Gordon Levitt.

There's no doubting that Levitt certainly has the acting chops and wirey physique necessary to portray Edward Nigma, but I think there are a few other actors who might be worthy of consideration:

Steve Buscemi - I'd love to see an older Riddler, especially one that could be as endearing and sinister in equal measures. I'm thinking particularly of Buscemi's turn in Con Air.

Michael Emerson - Possibly most familiar as being 'Ben' from 'Lost', Emerson was suggested to me by my significant other, and I can see where she's coming from. I'm not a Lost fan (nor am I a hater, I just haven't really gotten into it), but what I've seen of Emerson, he can portray devious enigma with aplomb. And he really does have The Riddler's face.

Frank Gorshin - I know, I know, the wonderful Mr Gorshin is no longer with us, but seriously, his version of The Riddler in the 60s TV show is so enduring and burnt into the popular consciousness that the idea of him returning as a rebooted Riddler gives me goosebumps. In a good way.

(since when do guns go 'BBMM'??)

Batman - Dark Knight, Dark City

I recently got a shout-out in one of my favourite blogs - Is That Cool? - and I'm proud as punch! And while I may never have read much Heavy Metal in my youth, I certainly read a lot of Batman comics.

This particular storyline (Batman, issues 452-454) has been a favourite of mine over the years, and with the burgeoning rumours regarding Christopher Nolan's third Batman film, I felt it time to share my thoughts, particularly regarding the rumour that the Riddler wil be making an appearance.

A lot of people say the Riddler is one-note, a mere shade of the Joker. Those people never read 'Dark Knight, Dark City', which saw the Riddler take a very very vicious turn (and deliver some very very nifty riddles!). I admit, there's definitely something endearing about Joker's out-and-out chaos, the Riddler's modus operandi always appealed to me. Couple that with Frank Gorshin's unforgettable portrayal in the TV series (and that laugh!), and you're onto a winner.

Without trying to spoil too much of the plot, DKDC finds the Riddler attempting to re-enact an occult ritual, originally partaken in by early Gotham residents, including future US president Thomas Jefferson.

Story by Peter Milligan, ink by Kieron Dwyer, lettering by Dennis Janke, covers by Mike Mignola.

All frames taken from issue 452.

'Sploding babies!!! WTF??? (or are they?)

Zombies!!! WTF??? (or are they?)

2000AD Prog 923, 20 Jan 95 - Jason Brashill

I was going through my 2000AD weeklies collection (it's pretty impressive, if I do say so myself), and I found this cover by Jason Brashill, from January 1995. While it's pure coincidence, its similarity to events that occurred in 2001 is interesting nonetheless, especially with Dredd's detonator being reflected in his visor in that particular way.

I quite like Brashill's work. Find his wiki page HERE.

Amazing World of DC Comics Special Edition No.1 - Addendum

I realised I neglected to include two of the more interesting pages from my recent post of The Amazing World of DC Comics Special Edition No.1, so to rectify this, here are those scans.





I've always liked Neal Adams' Batman, but his Supes looks a little goofy.

Amazing World of DC Comics Special Edition No.1

Amazing World of DC Comics Special Edition No.1 is a commemorative magazine, which also acts as a program for Super DC Convention, held in February 1976, at Hotel Commodore, New York.

I received this bundled in with an Ebay purchase, acting as a bonus free gift, and also as protective padding for whatever it was I'd actually purchased. I'm always keen for more reading material, so it was a pleasant surprise. The other comics were a 'What If', a Superman, and a Hulk, if I'm not mistaken, and they were all severely water-damaged.

A quick side-note: Old crappy comics make really good wrapping paper for gifts. Of course, sound judgment should be used when deciding which comics to destroy.

I haven't scanned the magazine in its entirety, just some of the more interesting pages.

For the record, I'm not a Superman fan, by any means. DC is definitely my preferred stable (having given the world my all-time favourite title: Garth Ennis' Preacher) but I wouldn't say I'm an ardent follower of all titles. I was a steady collector of Batman and Detective for roughly a year, coinciding with the height of Bat-Mania in 1989, and have been trying to read as many of the trades I can (most recently, 'Hush'. And what a steaming pile of manure that was), but I'm still remarkably far behind on what's been happening in Gotham over all these years...







Ever see a man say 'Yaahooo!' to a snack-cake before?





















Superman really is a dick.



So based on the pic on bottom right, am I to assume that Edward G Robinson once played the Man of Steel?



"He buys and sells us, but we like it"???





If you're wondering who or what 'Mego' is, try this site.