"Post No. 565"

An Interesting Thing to wake up to this morning. A guy misses the curb, plows over the sidewalk and thru a little wooden fence and birdhouses of my wife's on the side of the yard, barely misses my car and stops within inches of a large tree. Didn't even hear it until my wife wakes me and says the police were outside around 7AM. They took him to jail. He'd been sitting there passed out (since 5:30 A.M.) from drinking (and they found some pot in his car) and called his mama to come get the car.

After she backed the car out of the way, I went out there and cleaned up the mess and was able to save the fence and re-erect it, then put another of my wife's birdhouses back like the destroyed one was and one could never tell the accident happened. The driver (as well as myself) was very lucky that he didn't hit the tree or my vehicle!

I overheard one of the police say that he'd probably be out in 6 hrs., but IF they press the marijuana charges, well...that's another story.

Anyway, since we were both up early, Debbie (my wife, of course) wanted to go to Wallyworld to pick up some items and we stopped by the local flea market. One guy I knew there had a small stack of modern comics cheap. I went thru them and picked out five: 3 different Amalgam titles ("Spider-boy", "Amazon" & "Bullets & Bracelets"),a Now Comics issue of "Green Hornet #22" (sealed with a Kato trading card), and a Marvel "Original Ghost Rider #8". The most interesting of this lot was the GR which reprinted the Johnny Blaze version of issue #1 from 1973 or so, which is also the first app. of Daimon Hellstorm="The Son of Satan". It was good to re-read that issue after so many years. I bought both Ghost Rider and Son of Satan app.'s on a pretty regular basis back 35 years ago.

The backup feature in several of those OGRs was drawn by Dick Ayers and was a 4-5 page "Phantom Rider", which was a redo of the 1950's western GR character. To avoid confussion when the 1960's Marvel Comics' GRs were reprinted they redubbed him Night Rider, and then The Phantom Rider. Why so many changes, I dunno. looks like "Night" Rider would have been good enuff.

The Amalgam issues are sorta fun, altho' I've had/read them all before. Nice collaboration between DC/Marvel Comics, however, and wish there'd been more that two series of them.

Finally got my Paypal payment to go through this morning for that copy of DC's Showcase #51 I think I previously mentioned winning here. Had one devil of a time paying for it because I didn't notice the seller only accepted "confirmed" addresses, which means you have to have a credit card listed with Paypal services (which I currently do/will not). But he removed that restriction momentarily so I could send him payment after checking my feedback (which was real nice of him). That's it pictured above; has a real nice 60's style Infantino/Anderson original cover with early 50's reprints (also by Infantino). I don't have that many Silver-Age issues of Showcase these days (not as many as I'd LIKE to have). Maybe around 20 plus most of the resurrected title issues from the 1970's. (My earliest one is a #27 with the first app. of "The Sea Devils".)

And, Election Day is fast approaching us (or, Black Tuesday, as I like to call it with no reference to anyone in particular). Both candidates are hitting the air waves pretty hard these days and I'm sure that no matter which one becomes our next president, it'll still upset a lot of people. So just remember that when you go to vote, that'll be the guy you'll have to live. with for at least 4 years.