Mike Sterling's Progressive RuinStar trekking, across the universe, since 1969

Today’s post is dumb.

§ February 24th, 2013 § Filed under found art, wolverine § 3 Comments

“Oh, you have such good taste in comics! You certainly picked a top notch book to read! May I say again how much I admire your discerning eye for such excellent reading material?”

Um…I don’t think that’s what the “complimentary copy” stamp on your cover is supposed to mean.

“Okay, fine. Enjoy your lousy free funnybook, cheapskate.”

Those are some form-fitting earpieces.

§ September 25th, 2012 § Filed under found art § 7 Comments

from Fun and Games #13 (September 1980)

You mean…like a…mutant?

§ August 27th, 2012 § Filed under found art, x-men § 13 Comments

Recently acquired at the shop…issue #59 of X-Men (August 1969), with a special message for you X-fans scribbled onto the logo by some anonymous comics critic:

And apparently our critic wasn’t satisfied with warning you on the cover…he hit the first page, too:

Just what we needed…a back issue that deliberately insults possible buyers. …Surely that’s my job?

Also, that horrible imp will get you while you’re sleeping if you don’t turn in your comics.

§ June 6th, 2012 § Filed under found art § 6 Comments

So Rob, of Rob’s Movie Vault, found this bookplate in a old book donated to his library, and sent along a scan of it to me to share with all of you:

As Rob says, “How’s about that? Swap ten disgusting, depraved (*blecch*) comic books at your library and you can get one GOOD book, kids!”

I realize this is from the ’50s, back when we were all worried about the evils of comic books, Communism, and other things beginning with “com,” but I’m hoping the next time I swing by New Bedford, the offer is still standing. I have a bunch of old, crummy Swamp Thing and Love and Rockets and American Splendor comics I want to unload so I can get a real book that’s worthwhile and live-affirming to read.

…I’m not shore…er, sure which book just yet, but I’ll think of something.

I’ll pretty much put together a blog post about any stupid thing.

§ May 25th, 2012 § Filed under found art, moustache, superman § 13 Comments

So sometime between the release of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #122 in 1969 and today:

…the previous owner of a copy of that very comic decided Jimmy Olsen needed a snazzier look more appropriate for the modern gentleman. And thus, with the gentle application of a ballpoint pen, Mr. Olsen went from snoozy:

…to groovy:

Sure, it’s a little on the bluish side, but in the Superman comics, whose hair isn’t? Well, aside from Lana’s. And Perry’s. And Lex’s. Well, young Lex.

By the way, have I mentioned I have a moustache category on my site? All the cool sites do.
 

NOTE: Moustachioed copy acquired in a collection on Thursday. Non-moustachioed copy from the Vast Mikester Comic Archives, and shown for comparison. I’m spelling this out because someone’s gonna ask why I drew on a copy of this comic for a blog post. Someone probably still will. I’ll bet that person won’t have a cool moustache.

Little Lotta seems to have shed a few pounds.

§ March 18th, 2012 § Filed under found art, harvey § 5 Comments

Some found art from the back cover of the Harvey Comics AstroComics 1973 airline giveaway:

“Little Dot” looks terrifying, frankly. It’s those soulless coal-lump eyes, I think.

Even that logo is amazing.

§ December 3rd, 2011 § Filed under found art § 5 Comments

I don’t mind having piles of comics we don’t need dumped on us, so long as I find original fan art like this mixed in with them:

There is nothing about this I don’t love.

(This doesn’t mean that I will happily take your long boxes of Youngblood Strikefile on the off-chance there might be one of your drawings of Crypt in there, by the way.)

At least I spelled it correctly.

§ November 19th, 2011 § Filed under found art § 12 Comments

So it’s only fair, if I’m going to present some anonymous person’s drawing on my site for everyone’s entertainment, I should put up one of my own. Thus, behold this stunning 1974 illustration of the world’s largest rodent by a 5-year-old Mike:

If I were drawn like that, I’d be angry too.

“Got all Spider Women.”

§ November 24th, 2010 § Filed under found art § 9 Comments

So it’s been a while since I’ve brought you some “found art” drawn within one of the old comics or magazines we’ve had floating around the shop. I’ve actually had this particular example for a while, but it ended up getting dumped in a box in the backroom and forgotten until I dug it out again the other day.

Sure, it may look liked your typical beat and mold-spotted copy of Marvel Comics Index: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1976), featuring a photo checklist (with credits) of Spider-Man comics:

But within…oh yes, within….

Apparently, the checklist, which only goes up to #151, wasn’t enough, as the previous owner of this index wrote, in red pen, on the “NOTES” page issue numbers #152 through #204, with checkmarks by each number through 194. Apparently the first appearance of the Black Cat was the last straw for this Spidey collector.

Also on the notes page were other details of this person’s collection:

Make no mistake…this dude got all the Spider-Women. Oh yeah.

And while the index does contain a character appearance/issue number listing which is primarily supervillains, there apparently was a need for a separate list of just the bad guys, without such distracting indexing information:

The masterpiece of this particular copy of the Index is this hand drawn and colored image, found on the inside back cover:

At the bottom corner of the inside back cover, written in tiny, tight handwriting, is the signature of the artist, and presumably the former owner of this item:

We salute you, Chris, and your youthful intense obsession with the webslinging wallcrawler. It’s my guess that you’re probably in your forties by now, at least…I wonder if you remember doing all this, and if you do, if you ever wonder what happened to that old Spider-Man mag in which you spent so much time writing and drawing.

But why was he haunted by the ghost that wasn’t there?

§ April 12th, 2008 § Filed under found art Comments Off

Ghost Stories #7 (July-Sept. 1964)

The terrible secret of the man’s curse, of why he is haunted by this apparition, is revealed in a child’s scrawl on the cover of this particular copy from our shop:

“Rememmmmmber to bruuuuuush every daaaaaay…or Dental Health Cat will get you! WoooOOOOoooo!”