Classic Comics

[ensmallen]

These are great, and thanks again for sharing these brilliant finds.

It's like a step back in time, to when "real" artists were appreciated for their amazing skill at bringing scenes to life (especially in action scenes). And even the ads are entertaining!

Recommended viewing for sure!

Thanks, Sally, and ""step back in time" is right, like, thought the writer on Microbe Patrol did such a fine job I dug further and found an interview, and from there stumbled on... a children's story in a Flintstones comic book of all places from ten years earlier...
https://archive.org/details/Spooky_Warr ... ew=theater
https://archive.org/details/BarneyandBe ... ew=theater
https://archive.org/details/TheFlintsto ... ew=theater

... a children's book that happened to have an improbably-small heroine drawn by a then-unknown artist who went on to some of the best and most mature stories to show up in a comic book ever...
https://shelfdust.com/2023/07/12/fearfu ... last-hunt/

... which makes me feel like I'm barely scratching the surface here. Really appreciate it if other people took the time to dig through this trove.

[ensmallen]

Back to the Warren Publishing stable, not *strictly* SW but, well...

Christopher's Punctured Romance
https://archive.org/details/Help1960s/H ... ew=theater

Cheating a bit here, but somehow this is in the Internet Archive so...

Fables
Our spunky heroine Jill''s out to find adventure in the big, wide Mundy world, trouble's she's a Lilliputian and the guy she's hooked up to leave town with's a self-absorbed POS. What's a doll-sized girl to do...



https://archive.org/details/fables-vol. ... ew=theater
https://archive.org/details/fables-vol. ... ew=theater
https://archive.org/details/fables-vol. ... ew=theater

[ensmallen]

So I've been reading Godforgives,Idon't's posts and thought I'd try the same thing. Posting pages from old comic books from the Philippines I recently bought online, this one's a weekly four-page serial (just like many of the "classic" comics in this thread) from the late 1970s about a girl named Thumberella, lovely but born no bigger than a thumb. (Get it?)

Folklore about engkanto and maligno—the local equivalent of good and evil fairy folk—have always been fodder for Filipino "komiks" stories. From what I could piece together, "Ella" is the way she is because a maligno wanted to teach her mom a lesson after the woman belittled his kind. (Local belief says pregnant women become snippy beyond all reasoning.) The engkantos see Ella suffering through no fault of her own and assign a fairy godmother to even things out. (Why animals act nice to her.)

Something of a rebel, the godmother also proves vulnerable to Ella's persuasion, and goes beyond her remit to grant our heroine the ability to live life as a normal (sized) person—but only at night, and only until midnight like Ella's namesake.

So naturally the first thing Ella does is go after the boy of her dreams. Just as naturally, she still finds a way to mess things up and let her man in on her secret after her godmom warns her she really shouldn't. So now Ella's left with no fairy back-up, no size-changing shenanigans, and her (ex) boyfriend calling her an inhuman freak. Still, there's always family...

Thumberella #82Show

Previous: Thumberella’s parents and her brothers and sisters tried their best to cheer her up, but whenever she was alone, it was Paulo who stayed stuck in her thoughts.

It was as if Thumberella could still hear Paulo’s disgusted voice.

"I’d be insane to think I could be with a monster like you! You’re not human! You’re a monster! A monster! A monster!"




Poncha went to her daughter.

"My child, I feel your pain too."

"Mother, Paulo is a mountain. I’m just a handful of dirt... he is the sea, I’m barely a teardrop."


Panel 2: "It’s unfair that I was created this way... I wish I had never been at all!"

"My child, everything comes into this world for a reason."


3: Her brothers and sisters tried to get Thumberella to go out with them...

"Let's go to the movies, Ate Ella!"

"Yeah, Big Sis! You can sit in my pocket!"


4: "That’s right, Thumberella... I mean, Big Sis! Come with us!"

"No, thanks! I’ll just be a killjoy!"


5: One day...

"Ate Ella, Torispa and Loyal have a game today. Maybe you'd like to watch it on TV!"


6: Paulo! Paulo’s playing!




Her chest overflowed with longing to see her beloved...

"Yes, Helen, take me to the living room, I want to watch the game!"


2: It turned out Paulo was on the TV screen, close-up...

My love... my love is so handsome!


3: But Paulo looked sluggish on the court. He kept making mistakes...

"Foul, Delgado!"


4: He was quickly pulled out of the game...

"Looks like Paulo’s not in shape, Big Sis!"


5: Meanwhile...

"Something wrong, Paulo? You seem out of it lately."

"N-No!"


6: "C’mon. I haven’t seen your girl in a while. You two having trouble?"




Paulo only nodded. He didn’t want to elaborate on it. He knew nobody would believe him anyway.

"Totally normal for sweethearts and trouble to go together!"


2: "He can’t concentrate on the game. Maybe it's because I'm not in his life anymore! He still loves me!"


3: "He still loves me!"


4: Yes, Thumberella, Paulo still loves you. He suffers while you're apart...

Thumberella! Why won’t you let me rest? Why does my soul feel lost without you?


5: Even in his dreams, he worships you...

"Thumberella, I need you!"

"Our love is impossible, Paulo... it can't ever be fulfilled!"

How will this end, Thumberella? Even our readers can't keep from crying over the way things are going!

To be continued

[Little Sally]

Very interesting pages and explanations, and well done for the time you've put into this!

[ensmallen]

You're welcome, Sally! Here's more of Thumberella, somehow Ella winds up kidnapped and in the hands of someone dangerous. Really wish I could find more of this part.

Thumberella #115Show

Previous: The doves went to rescue Thumberella. The pair circled around the mansion belonging to Vallejos. Inside, Thumberella resorted to trying to use her charms on Vallejos.

But Vallejos wasn't fooled.

"You’re trying to make an idiot of me! I’ll chop up every tiny bit of you!"




Thumberella was horrified.

That's crazy! My beautiful little self! What a horrible way to go!


Panel 2: But suddenly, Thumberella had an idea...

Wait a minute...


3: Gathering her courage...

"Go ahead! What are you waiting for? Finish me off right now! I’m not scared!"

"You really aren't afraid?"


4: "No!"

"And why the hell not?"


5: The poor little thing let it all out.

"Why should I want to go on living in this world, full of cruelty and love that can never be?"

"You mean, you really do have a boyfriend?"




"What do you take me for, a liar? Of course I do!"


2: "Well then, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, snuff me out!"

"No way!"


3: "And why not?"

"Well, it's like, I want to see you beg me not to kill you!"


4: "For pity’s sake, kill me already! If this world won't let Paulo and I be together... then maybe our love will do better in the next one! Sob!"

"You poor thing! (sniff)"


5: Meanwhile, outside...

"Twiiit! (So now what do we do to get her out of this?)"

"Twiiit! (We go in as soon as beard-guy isn't looking!)"




"Twiiit! (But they’re locked up in that cage!)"

"Twiiit! (Then we’ll grab the cage along with them!)"


2: Let's cut back to Thumberella.

"I’ve changed my mind! I won’t kill you anymore! I need to think over what to do with you and your rat!"


3: Vallejos stepped outside... leaving the window open.


4: The pair of doves slipped past him. They got in through the open window.


5: And then...

"Dovo! Dova!"

"Skwiiik! (Get us out of here!)"

How will the pair of doves save Thumberella?

Stay tuned

[ensmallen]

Got more chapters of Thumberella incoming, seller says shipping will take time though. Meantime, for a change of pace, dug up another old komiks story (unfortunately missing a page) that's like a callback to those classic horror comics from the fifties. Warning, VSW stuff.

Page 2Show

Auscher von Pollischansky went on eating.

I've always trusted Renya without question. I pray what I’m thinking isn’t true!


Panel 2: I hope she hasn’t allowed money to tempt her. To leave so suddenly, without bothering to inform me... it makes me fear the worst.


3: Maybe... maybe she stole the formula I’ve been working on!


4: But Auscher von Pollischansky was different—his purpose in developing the formula was for the good of all humanity.


5: Money meant nothing to the scientist. His work consumed him—long days and nights spent in the laboratory, living off of donations and the support of friendly governments.


6: What if Renya's sold the formula? My name—my honor—would be in ruins in the eyes of everyone who believed in my research!

Page 3Show

There was no nation on Earth that would refuse to join hands and bring Auscher von Pollischansky's discovery to fruition—least of all those burdened with overpopulation and hunger.


2: According to Auscher von Pollischansky’s theory, a human being could shrink to no bigger than a speck compared to an apple.


3: Imagine—a single fruit feeding thousands. The world would feel far less crowded if its inhabitants were all greatly reduced in size.


4: Auscher von Pollischansky stopped what he was doing.


5: He suddenly felt very ill.

Page 4Show

It happened in an instant.

The formula had not yet been perfected.

Renya had decided to try it on herself. The woman shrank till she was too small to see... and by an unfortunate twist, wound up in the meal prepared for Auscher von Pollischansky.

The formula’s effect wore off. Renya returned to her normal size—inside the stomach of Auscher von Pollischansky.

The End.

Also found an actual classic sci-fi comic reprinted in the Philippines, it's online though so just sharing the cover.



https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Space- ... d=218133#1

[ensmallen]

Another installment of Thumberella, wish I could see more of where this is headed.

Thumberella #101Show

Thumberella went to her parents for advice about Paolo’s marriage proposal. They told her to take her time thinking it over—the situation was far from normal.

Before dawn, the villains carried out their plan to abduct Thumberella...




Nearby, their car sat waiting...


Panel 2: "Making a million was this easy? Heh-heh!"

"Mr. Vallejos is waiting!"


3: Mr. Vallejos stared in disbelief when he saw Thumberella.

"If I weren’t seeing it myself, I’d never believe such a tiny person could exist!"


4: Thumberella woke up groggy...

"Uhh... why am I here? Who are you?"

"The real question is, why are you so small? Are you even human?"


5: "That’s none of your business!"

"Such a sharp tongue for a tiny little thing! Heh!"


6: "You may be tiny, but you really are beautiful—and even prettier when you’re angry!"




"And you? You’re hideous! Ugh—so ugly!"

"What?!"


2: "Boss, we want that million already! Heh-heh!"

"Yeah, boss!"


3: "Here it is—ready to go."


4: The two almost fainted at the sight...

"In cash!"

"So much money!"


5: They rushed for the door...

"You jerk, don’t hog it all yourself!"

"Relax, I got this!"


6: But as they stepped out...

BANG! BANG!

"Aaagh!"





"You shot them?"

"We’ll just tell the authorities they were caught stealing—red-handed! Heh-heh!"


2: "And you—be good, or I’ll crush you like I'm making pesto!"


3: "What do you want from me?"

"Just satisfying my curiosity, that’s all! Heh-heh!"


4: "You bastard! Let me out! Let me go!"

"Just behave yourself!"


5: "Paolo, help me! Mom! Dad! They’re hurting me! Sob!"

What is Perico Vallejos planning for Thumberella?

Find out next time...

[Godforgives,Idon't]

So I've been reading Godforgives,Idon't's posts and thought I'd try the same thing. Posting pages from old comic books from the Philippines I recently bought online...

See? I have been contributing content, not just whining about "stupid daddy issues". (I'm guessing that the fathers of the people who lashed out at me never beat them with a belt just because they didn't eat all of their dinner, never threatened them with a belt on Christmas Day, never threatened to make them wear a dress to school, never threatened to send them to military school when they were in junior high school, or threatened to abandon them in a restaurant if they weren't finished eating their dinner when he was finished eating his dinner. I have not eaten in a restaurant since February 1991 because I have had so many bad experiences in restaurants with my dad, with my grandfather on my dad's side (who pretty much took my dad's place after my parents divorced, and while I was at Tusculum College, including the manager of the Bonanza restaurant in Greeneville, Tennessee threatening to throw me out.)

Colleen Coover's "girly porno comic book" Small Favors has SW content in the first four (of eight) issues. And one issue (I can't remember which one) has fanmail from our own Sally Reynolds in it.

(I was shocked to discover how much back issues of Small Favors are selling for on eBay now. I got mine fairly cheap at least 13 years ago, though I only have the first six issues.)

[Schadenfreude]

Courtesy of the Digital Comic Museum. Drawn by Jack Kamen, who drew all of the SW stories in Weird Science and Weird Fantasy:

http://www.digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=380

[ensmallen]

Courtesy of the Digital Comic Museum. Drawn by Jack Kamen, who drew all of the SW stories in Weird Science and Weird Fantasy:

http://www.digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=380

So that's where that first page is from. Cool, link added to the first post.