Are You Sure This Is Educational?

This is the last story in Thrilling Adventures in Stamps. While the previous two posts from this comic clearly told the stories behind the men and events featured on the stamps, this one is a bit of a stretch. The featured stamp depicts a Pangowan tribesman of Gabon, Africa. The story, however, is a sensationalistic little number about a series of killings by a Pangowan Leopard Cult. The dates of these events are never given.

Enjoy "The Leopard Men" with art by Stephen Kirkel.

Yeah, This Ad Was For Your Little Girl!

Okay, the idea that this ad is intended to be for a toy for your kids is insulting to your intelligence. But not half as insulting as the idea that this photo is actually of the inflatable doll you will receive and not a picture of a living woman.

Now, let's see, do I send in the coupon to "Finish High School at Home" ? Or do I order this inflatable girlfriend?

The True History of Baseball in Four Pages. SUCK IT, KEN BURNS!!!

So, you want to learn about the history of Baseball, eh? Well, there's no reason to sit through all 23 agonizing hours of Ken Burns' documentary "Baseball". Not when Thrilling Adventures in Stamps can teach you all about it in four, glorious pages. Who knew that our national pasttime was a complete lie? A hoax perpetrated by The Man? Well, Ken Burns probably does, he did a lot of research on that stuff. But, hey. I just saved myself 22 hours and 57 minutes by reading this piece of stamp-inspired magic:

More Stamps- Tales From The Post Office!

This second tale from Stamps Comics reads more like an old EC horror comic, right down to the ironic fate of its protagonist. Enjoy "Gyorgy Dozsa and the Throne of Fire", drawn by Ed Goldfarb and Inked by Bob Baer.

Weirdest Cross-Collectible EVER!! Thrilling Adventures in Stamps #1

Okay, comics go where the market is. There have always been licensing deals to produce comic books about cartoon characters, movie heroes, toy lines, video games (remember Atari Force?) collectible card card games, Role-Playing games...

Well, the good folks over at Youthful Publishing weren't ones to miss out on a trend the young people were all talking about- philately. Ah, ahem. That means stamp collecting, not the other thing.

Anyway, some genius thought that using historical postage stamps from around the world as a springboard for comics stories was a great idea. And to be fair, this series managed to last 8 issues over the course of 3 years- at 15 cents an issue! I mean, this ain't World's Finest here, people! And the publishers thought of everything; they've even marked off where to punch holes in your comic so you can store it in a 3-ring binder!

I found this little gem from 1951 over the weekend while hunting for more material. The comics shop I found this in had TWO copies of this comic. One was in great shape and was priced at $20. Since your Mild-Mannered Reporter is nothing if not thrifty, I bought the far less expensive, rat-chewed copy with yellowed pages that looked like the first cousin of a pirate treasure map. But hey, how many issues of Stamps Comics do YOU own??

Reprinted below for you edification is the introduction and the first story "George Rogers Clark, Hero of Vincennes"

Black Lightning. DC Wakes Up and Smells the Marketplace!

Tony Isabella, the man who brought you Luke Cage, gave DC comics one of my all-time favorite Black superheroes. Black Lightning.

Black Lightning is Jefferson Pierce, an Olympic gold-medalist who returns home to his old neighborhood on Metropolis' South Side- Suicide Slum.

Okay, I know the 70's comics were all about addressing real-world social issues, but you're telling me there's a neighborhood in Superman's home town that's SO BAD it's called "Suicide Slum" ? Hell, in the early 60's, Superman would have built clean, pretty, low-income housing on his day off and found jobs for everyone who lived in them. Of course, I guess it wasn't possible for Superman to tackle the problems of Black folks in the 1960's, as the Silver Age DC Superman comics didn't have any black folks for him to help...

Anyway, back to Black Lightning. So, in a combo of Welcome Back , Kotter and Walking Tall, Pierce (who has just accepted a job as a High School principal) returns home to find that there's a crime problem in his old neighborhood. An organized crime outfit called "The 100" have set up a drug ring on the South Side. And it looks like the 100 have a little help from a crooked politician, Tobias Whale (A freaky-looking, morbidly obese African-American albino who's kinda like The Kingpin crossed with Moby Dick).



So, of course Pierce gets his Family Friend, tailor Pete Gambini, to whip him up some disco threads -with a built-in electro-shock weapon- and takes it to the streets as Black Lightning.

At some point, with no real explanation (current retcon's aside) Jeff Pierce himself has the power to make lightning, not his costume.

Sadly, Black Lightning's series only lasted 11 issues. The first ten were written by Tony Isabella, with the final issue being written by Denny O'Neil. After his series was cancelled, Black Lightning was added to the line-up of The Outsiders, alongside Metamorpho.

Happy Birthday Spectergirl!!

Today is my wife Amy (Spectergirl)'s birthday! Please be sure to stop by "As Told To Stan Lee"or one of her other blogs and wish her a happy B-Day!