Odd Comic Book Covers

In case I've never mentioned it before, I'm a big comic book collector.  Many a day has found me searching through EBAY, looking for that one last issue of whatever comic book I'm trying to find.  Every now and then, however, I come across an issue of something that makes me go, "Huh?"   Here are a few I came across recently...

Evidently, in the 1940's there was no worries of child protective services coming to take your ward away from you, so Batman (and Superman) felt justified in treating eight-year-old Dick Grayson in any manner they pleased.   However, this seems a bit cruel.   Maybe he's being punished for posting secret identities on the Web?  I'm surprised the girl on the bicycle nearby is so impressed.  Obviously not a fan of children.

I've always felt sorry for the cats in the Mighty Mouse cartoons.  It's nice to see them get some revenge on Super Raton on Halloween, 1955.  Even Heckle and Jeckle join in...  And if Dick Grayson was around, he'd probably join them as well.

If you're a Super Villain looking for an identity, this may be the clue you need!   Don't be the Penguin...   or Catwoman...  Be The Skunk!   It's just the thing to strike fear into the hearts if Supermen!   On a side note, what exactly is Robin wearing?   They look like green chainmail underwear.  How comfortable can THAT be?   Now I really feel bad about those two making him pedal that bicycle.

I guess Kryptonite isn't Superman's only weakness.   Don't tell Lex Luther.  All that money he's spent on death rays, and all he really needed was some flour, butter and shortening.

 

There's something weird about seeing Batman in a skirt.   I would think his knees would be a lot more pale then they seem to be in this picture.  After all, how often do you see Batman's knees?  As a side note, Batman actually has a Scottish connection - Bruce Wayne was named for Robert The Bruce, or King Bruce I of Scotland, who led the war for Scotland's independence. 

Okay, I know this isn't a comic book cover, but I still had to share it.  It's amazing what a little missing punctuation can do to a headline.

 

The less I say about this one, the better.

Lost Amusements #1 - The Flash!

In 1992, I took the first of what would become an annual Amusement Park tour.   That first year was the best - 45 parks in less than three weeks!   The part that made it especially exciting was that every park was a new experience - they were all new to me.   In that one trip, I got to experience Kennywood, Cedar Point, Coney Island, The Wildwoods, and several other parks on a first-time basis.   The discoveries and wonder of that first trip has never been duplicated.

Since that first trip, several rides and even entire parks have been lost to the ravages of time.   Parks such as Geauga Lake, Erieview, William's Grove and Hunts Pier have been closed down, while amusement areas such as Seaside Heights have sustained so much damage (due to Hurricane Sandy and a subsequent fire) that they may never recover.   Meanwhile, Parks such as Conneaut Lake Park are barely hanging on for survival.  I feel a certain tinge of nostalgia every time I read these stories, as a part of that first trip disappears under a bulldozer's blade.  I felt it would be a good idea to document some of what was lost...   Someone on the Internet may be looking for this info.

I'll start with one of the first parks I visited on that first trip, and one of the first coasters I rode.  Nellie Bly Park is located in Brooklyn, NY and was named after groundbreaking female reporter Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, whose took the pen name Nellie Bly.  She had quite a career as an investigative reporter.   She faked insanity so she could be placed in the state mental institution in order to report on the squalid and cruel conditions there.   She spent ten days in the institution enduring inhuman treatment before her newspaper got her out.  As part of her investigations she worked in a box factory, got a job as domestic servant, and once even bought a baby as part of a report on the baby trade.  Her big claim to fame, however, was a stunt she carried out in 1899 where she attempted to duplicate the trip portrayed in the book "Around the World in 80 Days." She completed it in 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes, setting a world's record and beating out another journalist from a competing paper.   They are still trying to locate her luggage.

Nellie Bly Park in 1992

Nellie Bly Park used the "Around the World in 80 Days" as a theme for the Park.  The Park opened in 1967 a was mostly a kiddie park, with the usual merry-go-round and circular rides.  As the years went on, the park grew, adding an "Around the World in 80 Days" funhouse, go carts, bumper cars and the like.  In 1982, they added the Flash Roller Coaster.   The coaster operated until 1996 and the park itself closed at about 2006.  Finding information on this park is not easy.  Harder still was finding information on the roller coaster I rode when I was there.   The Flash was originally a traveling roller coaster built around 1976 and designed by Arthur Lamkin.  Nellie Bly bought for $100,000.   After operating from 1982 until 1996, it sat unused until about 2000, where it was reportedly sold to a South American company.   The Park eventually reopened as Adventurers Fun Park and is currently operating several of the original rides.  

Where indicated, the photos below are courtesy of Jim McDonnell at http://jimvid.smugmug.com/

The basic layout of the Park from a more recent visit.  Courtesy Jim McDonnell

This is the Haunted House from 1992.   Unfortunately, when I experienced it, there were very little working stunts.   At last report it was closed, awaiting renovation.

Me in the jail.   Nellie Bly actually spent time in Mexico reporting on conditions there, and was almost arrested.

Classic fire truck ride.  Courtesy Jim McDonnell

The Superslide!   You will literally wet your pants on this one...   Courtesy Jim McDonnell

The Flash Roller Coaster, from 1992.  It had a unique square configuration.   I've never seen another one like it.

Another picture of the Flash after it was closed down.  From http://rcdb.com/ and Ken Denton.

Interior view of the Flash.  As you can see, the hills weren't large.  From http://rcdb.com/ and Ken Denton.

The Fun House.  It celebrated the trip Nellie took around the world.   It must have been a boring trip, because when I went through the fun house there were very few stunts.

Another view of the Fun House.  Courtesy Jim McDonnell

The ungraded Haunted House, in 2005.  Courtesy Jim McDonnell

 

Christmas Morning Cartoon: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Merry Christmas, one and all!   This year we're celebrating the Holidays with a Max Fleischer Color Classic from 1936:   Christmas Comes But Once a Year.   This cartoon marks the first and only color appearance of Grampy, a wild inventor that co-starred with Betty Boop in several classic cartoons.  At this time, the Max Fleisher studios was trying to make Disney-type cartoons along with their roster of Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons.  This cartoon is kind of a weird bridge between the two styles:   The first couple of minutes tries to create a scene full of sincerity and pathos, but it comes off as cloying, maudlin and a little annoying.   However, once Grampy enters the cartoon, the picture takes off, because this is what the Fleischers were great at: innovention. 
Grampy appeared in ten Betty Boop cartoons and was always a welcome addition to the films.   If you have a desire to see more I suggest you check out Grampy's Indoor Outing and The Impractical Joker, two of his better films.
This cartoon also showcases the three-dimensional sets that the Fleischers liked to use with their characters.   You can see them at the beginning and the end.   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon - Santa's Surprise

I am continuing my annual tradition of posting a few Christmas-themed cartoons in the weeks before Christmas.   This year I'm starting with Santa's Surprise, a Paramount Noveltoon from 1947.   This was the first appearance of Little Audrey, who replaced Little Lulu when Paramount decided they no longer wanted to pay for the rights for the Little Lulu character.  Little Audrey went on to appear in several other cartoons and a long-running series of comic books from Harvey.   Also appearing in this cartoon is one of the most stereotypical set of children since the Our Gang comedies.   Still, it's a cute cartoon to launch the holiday season here at JoeFood.   Look for the December calendar with only 30 days.  Enjoy!

Yukon Have it!

This summer I made my semi-annual trip to Alaska.  Last year, we rode the White Pass railway, which took the path the sourdoughs followed when making the trek into the gold fields of the Yukon.  The ride ended at the border to Canada, stopping short of the wonders of the Yukon.  This year, we took a trek into the Yukon to experience the granduer of Canada's least-populated province.
The tour bus picked us up promptly at 0800 AM at the Skagway shipyards.  Once aboard the bus took a trip through town, then joined up with the Klondike Highway to start the trip to the Yukon.   This road winded through the mountains that once challenged then fortitude of the goldseekers (and my stomach), and the fog made driving difficult.   But once we reached the top and began the trip into Canada, the fog cleared and the weather cooperated for the rest of the trip.



Driving along the Klondike Highway.  Nary a Stuckey's to be found.

Welcome to the Yukon!   I immediately took on the nickname of "Yukon Joe" and insisted that everyone on the bus address me by that name.  For some reason, after that no one would tell me when it was time to get on the bus.   I assume they wanted me to have the most time to enjoy the scenery.

This is Bove Island, located in Taglish Lake.   I wish I was a better photographer, because this really was a beautiful site. 

Our lunch stop was at Spirit Lake Wilderness Resort, where we were treated to a lunch of soup, sandwiches and what was billed as the best pie in the Yukon.   All I can say is, someone could make a fortune opening a Marie Callendar's up here.

 After making a brief stop at what was billed as "The Worst Restroom in Canada" we eventually made it to Carcross.  Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, was a popular stopping point for prospectors heading towards Dawson City or Whitehorse, and continues to be to this day.   Tourism is the #1 economy for this population of about 200.  It's conveniently located at the intersection of the Klondike Highway and Tagish Road, between Lake Bennet and Nares Lake.  It's also a stop on the White Pass Railway.

 

Here's the train station at Carcross.  Train service resumed in 2007. 

The Matthew Watson General Store is the oldest operating store in the Yukon.  They don't take supermarket coupons, as I soon found out.

Inside the General Store, catering to all your moose-related needs.



Another view of the train station.   To the left is one of the original locomotives.  I asked someone where I could find an old caboose.  I didn't like his answer.

Beautiful downtown Carcross.  There was a bakery on the right that served some great rolls. 

This was the Carcross visitor's center.  Next to it was a small assemblage of shops catering to the tourist.   They DID take coupons, all of which could be found in the travel guides in the visitor's center.   A very symbiotic relationship.

The Shoppes of Carcross.  Not exactly Westside Pavilion, but the fish and chips were excellent.

Now this is a sad story.   The S.S. Tutshi was the largest excursion boats built at the time, and catered to first class-passengers with such novelties as room service.  Built in 1917, she took pleasure-seeking tourists to Ben-My-Chree (a interesting story in itself that you should seek out later) and up the river until she was retired in 1956.  She sat unused until the people of Carcross decided to buy her and restore her to her formal glory as a tourist draw.   Work began in 1972.  Painting was completed in 1977 and the restoration work began in earnest in 1984.   By 1990 work was almost completed when an early morning fire destroyed most of the ship, except for a small part of the bow.  It now sits just as you see it, a testament to early tourism in the area.

Lake Bennet.   You can almost imagine the sourdoughs piloting their boats towards Whitehorse.

Who said there are no beaches in the Yukon?  Probably no one.   But, in case you are curious, here's the beach at Carcross.

There was an annoying photographer on our bus that was constantly taking pictures of everything.  However, annoying as he was, he really could take a good picture, even with my cheap camera.

Outside of Carcross was Emerald Lake.  It was the color of an emerald.   Hey, maybe that's where the name came from...

Another view of Emerald Lake.  Yukon Joe like!

This is everyone getting on the Tourbus.   As usual, no one told me they were leaving.  

Carcross Dessert is really not a desert at all, but a small area of sand dunes leftover from a dried-up lake.  However, the populace bills it as the "World's Smallest Desert."  It's popular for sandboarding and off-roading.

This is Yukon Joe, making his perilous trip across the Carcross Desert.  The desert consists on one square mile of rugged, unrelenting hardships.   Will he make it?   Or will the elements get the best of him??

Yeah, the bus tried to leave me here as well.

Heading back into Alaska, we  crossed back over the mountains and beyond the timber line, where tress can't grow.  The landscape looks like something out of a Hobbit movie.

At this point, we re-entered Alaska and made our way back to Skagway. I was going to take pictures of the customs area, but our driver warned us that our cameras would be confiscated by Homeland Security if we did.  Seriously.

Just another thing for my "Bucket List"...   One day I may drive up here.   It seems like a beautiful way to see this area without getting seasick.

Saturday Morning Cartoon - Dog Show

Earlier in this blog, I mentioned the new Mickey Mouse cartoons that the Disney studios were making.  They've now made close to ten of them, and each one has gotten better and better.   Here's one of the latest ones, Dog Show starring Mickey and Goofy.   It's a pretty predictable story, yet delivers some great laughs along the way.  If you like this one you can watch some of the other ones by following the YouTube link.   I recommend Gasp, No Service, and Ghoul Friend.  Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

I don't have time to write a Halloween story today, so I'll refer you to one I wrote a couple of years ago.   Please read Halloween Do's and Don'ts...