"Cold Tuesday"

Wow...Superman is almost 70 years old.

I got to thinking about that yesterday when I got in a copy of Booster Gold #6 (DC/1988) which completed my run of all 25 issues from the first series. I pulled out my collection to put up this issue, and plastered on the first issue down where usually there's a bar code (but this being a direct sales' edition had a "blurp") it had that old logo about DC being 50 years old: 1935-1985). Since then, DC's turned 73 years old, and with Supes coming out in '38, he's reaching an iconic age, not just for the character, but the time since real super-hero types were introduced in comic books.

When I first read a Superman story, he wasn't even 20 years old...which makes ME feel a bit ancient these days. Probably the first one I ever paid attention to was when I was 5 or 6...maybe earlier since there were comics, it seems, always around the house from my older brother buying them. I know we used to get "Superman Popcorn" at the local Houchen's Market which came in a clear plastic bag and featured a Wayne Boring illustration on the package. And I already knew "who" the character was by then from both comic books and the
George Reeves live-action television show. Guess that's why the silver-age Superman will always be my favorite due to the time in which I grew up reading his adventures.

Also in the mail was a copy of ACG's Forbidden Worlds #114 (1963), which is a "Herbie Popnecker" issue; the 4th. app., in fact, but the first Herbie cover, and a classic issue with his story titled: "A Fat Little Nothing Named Herbie!"

Herbie was really some sort of god to me since he wore glasses, was fat and even had a similiar haircut as I wore as an early teen. I was also a fat kid who wore glasses, with few friends way back then, and Herbie was my idol since he was able to do anything: Walk on air, beat-up all the villians...loved by all the women...friends with all the rich and famous. In fact, in this story we have President Kennedy enlisting his help to battle some African idol. Jackie Kennedy , naturally, falls in love with Herb'! And even all of the animals knew
Herbie. In one panel two apes are whispering to one another....("It's HERBIE!") A tiger (yeah, I know...what's a tiger doing in Africa?) starts to attack Herbie until he realizes "who" he is and high-tails it away from him. And when Herbie's fighting a bunch of natives he calls on ghosts from the beyond for help. Was there nothing he couldn't do? (Nope.)

Great Fun!

Well I got outbidded on a lot of around half of the issues of the Warren Ellis/ Helix-Vertigo series, Transmetropolitan (as usual) and by a mere fifty cents (the rat bastard!). I keep trying to get a set of these in either originals or TPB's but they always go well beyond my current means...but I AM determined to get a full run "someday"as I've always really liked that series featuring "Spider Jerusalem". (Hey! Warren Ellis! You say you see all, so's how about sending a REAL fan of your work a FREE FULL SET, dammit!). What's worse is that I do have all of these issues on CD-ROM where a friend who has a full set burned me a copy and gave it to me just to read, but over the years I've had to delete the programs to open such for space in this old pc o'mine. Anyway...

I did in fact win full sets of City of Silence and Mek(limited series of three issues each), both of which were written by him and I shall count the days to get to read these books.


Okay. Is there any antique furniture people out there? I'm trying to get some information regarding an antique library table of my mom's. I know for certain that she's had this for at least 50 years as I can always remember it. The story goes that a great uncle of mine couldn't afford to pay his gas bill one time in the late 1950's, and my step-grandfather paid it for him. So, in graditude, my great uncle gave this table to my step-grandfather(who was a master carpenter). My step granddad professionally refinished it due to it having 5 or 6 layers of old paint on it, striping it down down to its natural oak. Here's a couple of shots of that library table (as you can see, my mom collects as much "junk" as I do!)


Photo 1


Photo 2

I've looked at literally hundreds of photos of antique tables on the net and can't seem to find one that looks just like it, so if by chance anyone has some info (or a link I could go to), I sure would appreciate it. (Thanks!


And today amid the cold temperatures and off-and-on sleet, a plumber friend of mine and I had to rout out that sewer line again. Fortunately we could do this outside of the house this time since I had located and dug out the clean-out valve. The cable fed at least 90 feet this time, all the way out to the main line, and obviously it had two blockages (tree roots). All is fine now with our drainage again. Next will be adding new shingles to the one side of the house we didn't get before, lowering ceilings and replacing panels and fixing overhead light fixtures. We are determined to fix up this old place.


And finally, today I won THIS. A bottom-feeder for sure, but still it's a Fantastic Four #16 (1963) and a two-for-one deal with Ant-man's first x-over and the fourth app. of ol' Doc Doom. (Just a nice old comic to have a copy of from Marvel's best silver-age years.)