HALLOWEEN VINTAGE COMICS

 The Halloween season has been a veritable fountain of inspiration for comics. Here are some examples of great classic horror themed comic book covers from the Golden Age of Comic Books!

THE MONSTER MONTH OF HALLOWEEN!

            October is one week old already and the Halloween Season is officially full speed ahead. 

                                                 Also, today is my son Ricardo's Birthday!

                                  So, as we greet October, I salute my offspring and wish him all the 

                                                         health, happiness and joy he deserves!

IMMORTALITY ANYONE?

 

SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS

   SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS 

Arranged and Conducted by Gordon Jenkins 

                                                            LP Originally Released September 1965 

The first time I heard this song,  I was 14 years old and while I liked it very much, I didn't feel particularly identified with its lyrics. Now, 55 years later, the song has acquired deep and very relevant meanings for me.  It has become one of the iconic numbers in Frank Sinatra's repertoire.

One day you turn around and it's summer
Next day you turn around and it's fall
And the springs and the winters of a lifetime
Whatever happened to them all?

As a man who has always had the wand'ring ways
Now I'm reaching back for yesterdays
'Til a long-forgotten love appears
And I find that I'm sighing softly as I near
September, the warm September of my years

As I man who has never paused at wishing wells
Now I'm watching children's carousels
And their laughter's music to my ears
And I find that I'm smiling gently as I near
September, the warm September of my years

The golden warm September of my years

 

Maxwell Smart, the Spy Who Amused Me

 During the 1960's spy craze, I was an impressionable teenager who dreamt of having cloak-and-dagger type adventures in the style of my hero, James Bond 007, the debonair secret agent with a license to kill as portrayed by Sean Connery.  And so, I became exactly like James Bond!  Well, would you believe, more like Maxwell Smart?  That's right!  In reality, I always wound up goofing up in the manner of another equally famous secret agent: Maxwell Smart, agent 86 of CONTROL.

While most actors work at trying to be as versatile as possible in order to tackle a wide variety of roles, others get stereotyped and become identified with a single character throughout their entire careers. 

But far from such a condition being harmful, in some cases it becomes a blessing in more ways than one. 

Case in point, actor Don Adams, who will forever be remembered as Maxwell Smart from the 1960s TV show GET SMART!

Adams became so identified with Agent 86 that he couldn't break the connection and was seriously hindered in his attempts to pursue other roles during his career. He ended playing basically the same character, under different names all throughout his on-screen life. 

However, while most other actors from those bygone days have become nearly forgotten, Don Adams is still recognized even by today's younger generation as one of the greatest comedy characters of all time, along with such staples as Herman Munster, Samantha Stevens, Gilligan, Morticia Addams, Agent 99, Inspector Clouseau, Pee Wee Herman, Frank Drebin, Mr. Bean and a choice few others like them. 

Thusly, even if Maxwell Smart was his only memorable role, Don Adams forever will remain as one of the most recognizable and beloved icons to come out of TV's golden era of comedy shows.

Today we remember him on the date he left this mortal world and passed over to join CONTROL's branch in Heaven, always ready to fight the evil plottings of KAOS, that nefarious crime outfit of badness.

You can be sure that, throughout the ages, we shall always hear Agent 86's immortal words:

"SORRY ABOUT THAT, CHIEF!"

PERSONAL GROWTH DURING COVID PANDEMIC

 

   I have taken advantage of the coronavirus lockdown to improve my cultural, intellectual and professional knowledge by perusing large amounts of high level and stimulating literary works. No sense in wasting valuable time just hanging around with nothing to do!

Future Shock!

 

BEEP BEEP THE ROAD RUNNER

Beep Beep the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote made their debut on September 17, 1949 in "Fast and Furry-ous", a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes cartoon.

In 1973, I was commissioned by Novaro Publishing Co., to write and draw The Road Runner comics for the Spanish language market. The first few years I had to submit my story ideas and pencil sketches to Zetta DeVoe, Del Connell and Chase Craig at Western Publishing Company and upon their approval, I could proceed with the inking and coloring for publication. Later on, as they gained confidence in my work, I was only required to submit the finished artwork for their approval, which, of course, saved me a lot of time.

Those were great days in my cartooning career.  I split my time between The Road Runner and The Pink Panther comics until 1986, when NOVARO closed and I was forced to look for a job somewhere else.

In all, I did 156 issues of Beep Beep The Road Runner.

Remembering those bygone days, here is my last unpublished cover for THE ROAD RUNNER.

NO MORE UPDATES FOR YOU?

 

Only Four Months To Go!

 

                                                                       

Sometimes I feel like all those poor sailors from the 1933 film KING KONG who tried to cross the pit on a log and found themselves at the mercy of the big ape at the other side. There was no way they could escape. They couldn't go back and they couldn't go forward so they just clung to that old log for dear life. 

                          In 2020, we're all just hanging on, waiting to safely reach the new year!

 

                                               And here's the original image I'm talking about!

The TIME Riddle.

 

Observing Labor Day

 

                                          Take a deep breath and just relax!

Happy 9th Birthday, Emiliano!

I'm fortunate enough to be blessed with the company of several children who make my life brighter, happier and way more meaningful each day. Emiliano is one of those great kids who keep me on my toes. He's 9 years old today. I'm looking forward to celebrating many, many more birthdays with him! 

LIFESTYLES OF THE LOCKED DOWN!

 

The Lockdown Syndrome

 

SEPTEMBER SONG by Sinatra

We welcome the beginning of a new month in this pandemic year, hoping that things get better as the months fly by.  Sinatra's song refers mainly to the passage of time and the fact that, as we grow older, time is much too precious to waste!

The song was featured in his 1962 album POINT OF NO RETURN although it had been recorded by him before and would appear in different versions later on, but this one is my favorite. The songs on this album were recorded on September of 1961 and were the final sessions at Capitol Records.

Sinatra then moved on to his own label, Reprise.

LAST DAY OF AUGUST

 

                                  A small tribute to CASABLANCA, one of my favorite films!