New England Comics Newsletter #14 - the first appearance of The Tick!

I had a stroke of luck (better than a regular stroke) recently and was able to get a copy of New England Comics Newsletter #14. Most newsletters, especially from local comic shops, aren't anything to get that excited about, but this one is different as it contains the very first appearance of The Tick! Published in the summer of 1986, this pre-dates the "special edition" of The Tick #1 by almost two years, and prints the first comic artwork of Ben Edlund, who would have been a few months short of his 18th birthday at the time.

The front cover uses the template that Marvel did for their 25th anniversary covers from '86. Instead of the barcode, The Tick shows up on the cover, too, along with characters like, um, the Thing.

The Tick's first story was only two pages, and even then NEC put them both sideways to fit on a single printed page. Let's look at each of them a little more up close:

The Tick was originally drawn with a fuzzy suit and with distinguishable toes, as opposed to the boots that he's seen with today. You'll also notice that the character's antennae are kind of droopy. This look carried over into 1988's Tick #1. You'll also probably notice the very obvious appearances by two characters who appear to be borrowed from the Muppets, Bunsen and Beaker. 

So does this mean that The Tick escaped from TWO asylums, as The Tick #1 features a similar scene with The Tick leaving a clinic just outside of The City? Or does The Tick #1 simply re-tell this short with a few edits? Since NEC has made it clear that this is in-continuity, I'd say that The Tick made his way across the country and stopped at more than a few asylums along the way. But why is The Tick punching poor Beaker? What did he ever do to him?!

Perhaps presciently, above the two pages is a note telling readers to hang onto their copies. "And it's not totally beyond the realm of possibility that the Tick may appear in his own comic book one day." Two-for-two, I guess.

That's it for The Tick in this publication, but let's take a peek a few more items to appear at the same time. On the very next page, we see an ad for Watchmen #3!

And here's a quick paragraph on the upcoming Transformers movie!

Highlighted is a short description of Fantastic Four #296, the 25th anniversary issue that featured the return of the Thing!

Here's the back cover.

My copy came with a certificate signed by Ben Edlund, George Suarez (publisher) and Bob Polio (art director). It looks like they printed these things out in 2013.

Since we're here, let's take a quick look at New England Comics Newsletter #16, which I picked up at the same time. I've never seen a copy of issue 15 - does it even exist? Keep your eyes peeled.

NEC classifies this as the third appearance of The Tick, which, I suppose, is correct, because there he is on page seven! This Christmas-themed Edlund drawing is pretty tiny, and it's the only mention of the blue guy (who I suppose wasn't even blue at this point) in the newsletter. And it'd be the last we'd see of him until 1988!

There are a few other interesting items in this issue, including a Batphone drawing by Bob Polio.

Also printed is a comics survey, which NEC hoped people would fill out and mail back to them (but then they'd ruin their copies of the Tick's third appearance!!).

Included in the survey is "What do you think about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" (Actually, it says "What you do you", but these things happen.)

And lastly, checking out these 30-plus-year-old correspondences, we find this one from Anton Selisky of Truro, MA, who somehow worked up the gall to complain about people hiring Jack Kirby to draw for their books. 1986 was, as mentioned, the 25th anniversary of Marvel (not really, but just go with it), and at the time, some of Kirby's friends were pointing out that the co-creator of much of the Marvel Universe was being kept away from the company. This was an early example of the creator's rights struggle that many people didn't talk about at the time. It's kind of funny that this reader wrote a letter complaining about putting politics in comics, given some of today's more ridiculous positions on the matter. I guess nothing changes!

The Christmas haul, 2015

Is it weird that I post pictures of some of the stuff I got for Christmas? Maybe. But here's what I got for Christmas. I like it.

I got some great comics this year. The Gaiman/Williams Sandman prequel was collected just in time for Christmas. I'm now caught up on the Hellboy library editions. I'm very excited to read the comic adaptation of Don Quixote. And WOOOOOAH, I got the Complete Calvin and Hobbes hardcover edition, which must weigh about 50 pounds. It's really impressive.

Your pal (and mine) Larry got me some great Thing items. First up are these two figures. The first one is from Japan, and the second is part of a kid's memory game. Both are awesome (and both come apart!).

Larry also went above and beyond when he found these two gems from the 2005 Fantastic Four movie. Thing hands and Thing feet!

Check out this sticker on the Thing feet box. Was it necessary? You can see the feet in the box, and it says "THING FEET" just inches away, in big, capital letters, at the bottom of the box. The artwork doesn't fit the rest of the packaging, either. But how cool! Somewhere out there, there's a roll of these "Thing feet" stickers.

While everyone else is moving away from DVDs to digital downloads and streaming services, I am apparently doubling down on discs with bizarre additions to my collection like the Dr. Katz complete series.

I got a WiiU a few months ago, and now I have a few more games to play, plus my first Amiibo. What's an Amiibo? Why, it's a huge racket that forces you to buy toys to go along with your games. And here I am, falling for it! I think I'll get the Pac Man Amiibo next.

My Steelers sideline shirt from 2004 is nearing the end of its life. So here's my new gameday shirt, which maybe I'll wear for another 10 years or so. Let's get a picture now while it's still black.

And then there's my haul from the yearly Gallery 1988 sale. These aren't technically Christmas presents (since I bought 'em for myself), but they came in December and they are great. So we're listing them. These two Weird Al prints are from separate shows, but they obviously follow a theme. I buy a few each year in hopes that the many Weird Al prints don't sell out before I have a chance to buy them all.

This one is freaky but great.

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas haul, 2014

These posts make me seem superficial, I'll bet.  But what better place to show off the stuff I got for Christmas?  It is a conundrum, I tell you.  Off we go!

I got some great comics and comic-related items this year.  I finally picked up the Fantastic Four cartoon series on DVD.  From what I remember, it wasn't a great adaptation, but I hear that the second season is actually pretty good.  We'll see.  I also got a copy of Jennie Wood's new book, "A Boy Like Me!"  Jennie's doing a lot of promotion for this book, so I'm happy to be able to grab one.  You can get one, too, here: http://smile.amazon.com/Boy-Like-Me-Jennie-Wood/dp/0692238069/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421198014&sr=1-1&keywords=a+boy+like+me+jennie+wood

I got a bunch of DVDs.  You know I've managed to get most of the shows I actually want to watch when I start asking for shows like the 1990s Flash TV series.  It's fun to have but I'll put it in the player and probably immediately regret the decision.  I also landed the complete Caprica series, True Detective and the reissue version of The Tick live-action series.  It's basically the same as the one I already have, but this is a one disc release.  Now you can hit "play all" and watch 'em all in a row without that pesky task of changing discs.

I only got a couple comics for Christmas, but I'd like to think that I did a good job at the ones I did get.  On the left is a reprint of a DC Treasury book from the '70s.  It features some great creators, most notably Joe Kubert.  The content is watered down a bit for a younger audience but it's still a treat to read.  On the right is the second volume of the gigantic Sandman collection from Neil Gaiman.  I got the first volume last year.  Each volume contains over a thousand pages and, if I'm not mistaken, the entire Gaiman run on the character (until last year's prequel miniseries).

I'm not sure if the picture does this justice.  It's a huge collection.  I've never read this series, but now I can read it in style, I guess.

It's not Christmas without a few new Steelers items.  I got a hat for the top of my body and socks for the bottom.

Larry and I went to the playoff game at the beginning of the new year.  It was disappointing.  But the Ravens lost last week so they can officially eat it.

I got some electronics...most notably a GoPro camera.  I imagine this will be used for both Comic-Con and Franks and Beans.  I also got a new flash drive and a 2TB backup hard drive.

Funko has the license to every brand in the world.  Here's a Firefly bobble head.

Every December, Gallery 1988 has a sale on their prints.  I got these two for myself, but they're too cool not to show off.  They are both limited, high quality prints.  Of course I go for the Weird Al prints, of which there are many.  This year I picked up two with a UHF theme.

This blue poster had a run of 200.  This one was a bit more rare.

Only 12 made.  Yikes.

This was an eBay find...but still too cool not to show here.  This is a postcard that was given out in advance of the movie's release in 1989 advertising a sneak preview at a college campus in California.

Larry got me some cool things this year.  Anyone can now pretty much dress up entirely like the Thing, thanks to the new jacket.  Grab the fists and feet that were made for the first movie and you're well on your way.  Please note that my dog totally did not see that clobberin' coming.

Lastly, we have this Fantastic Four storybook from the late '60s.  It's part of a series of licensed kids books, and Larry managed to get one that's in pretty nice shape.  It was made for younger readers, but now, of course, it's a collector's item.  Nearly ever page spread has some art, such as...

...the Thing beating up a chair.  Or...

...the Thing beating up Dr. Weird, who I think was created just for the book.  It's goofy madness, but I love it.

But my best gift of all was you, dear blog reader.  Okay, I'm kidding (but only a little).  Take your pick from these pictures.

Merry Christmas, blog friends!

We all know that blog friends are real friends.  So Merry Christmas to one and all.

The Haul, 2013

Christmas was, as always, good to me...in more ways than just what I got, but what I got is a very visual thing, and it's easy to display, and this is a comic book blog, and...here's what I got.  Yes.

I got quite a few comic related items this year and I'm happy to add 'em to the giant pile of things that I've got to read.  Case in point: the fifth volume of the lavishly packaged Hellboy library editions.  These oversized giants present Hellboy in a deluxe setting and they are obviously put together with care.  I've only got one more edition to get until I'm all caught up on these.

Gutters is a webcomic that spoofs mainstream comics and the industry in general with one-page parody comics.  This is the first volume of the hefty collections that they put out and I'm excited to crack it open.  Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker and Jim McMunn (all of FUBAR fame) each have a  page in this book, which makes it a good find.

The newest piece of Weird Al merchandise is this Royal Bobbles bobblehead, and I'm glad that I was able to snag it for Christmas.  It's labeled as part of a limited edition, but who knows what that means. In any case, it's pretty much a must-have for fans.

I bought a portable charger to take with me to Comic-Con this past summer, and it was really helpful...except that it didn't hold much of a charge.  This guy here is just about the best you can get right now.  It's a bit bulky (like carrying around a second phone), but it's supposed to have nearly three full charges in it.  It's definitely coming with me to San Diego the next time I go.

Christmas isn't complete without a new item commemorating the history and success of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This DVD set collects the "America's Game" productions about the Steelers' six Super Bowl championships.

Your friend (and mine) Larry got me this awesome Star Trek shirt.  I think my wife already stole it.

And lastly, check out this monster of a collection.  It's Neil Gaiman's Sandman omnibus, volume one!  This collects half of the much revered Gaiman run and man, is it thick and heavy.  Sandman is one of the classics that I've yet to read, so I'm glad to finally get on board.

I got a few other things, but these are the highlights for sure.  I had a nice time spending the day with family and friends, and I hope that you, faithful readers, had a lovely holiday as well.  I hope you enjoy seeing some of my stuff.