Golden Age Collection

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To mark the occasion of this thread reaching 1000 pages I'll post one of my favorite items in my collection.

 

 

Thanks for sharing something special!!!

 

Is that one you got when Barks was first taking orders?

I used to collect nothing but Disney comics but failed to get a Barks' painting or even a litho. However, I do have a few scans.

Your Barks' painting looks great. Here are a few other paintings that he made.

and everyone really appreciates your sharing your collection of comics and pulps. Thanks BZ.

bb

Whatever happen to Ultra-man? I think we could use his help again or maybe not?

This splash is from All Star 1. What happened in All American?

bb

Very very cool. I still think you're holding out on us with the Action #1. Maybe when we hit page 2000...

Thanks for sharing something special!!!

 

Is that one you got when Barks was first taking orders?

No, it was acquired at a later date.

Whatever happen to Ultra-man? I think we could use his help again or maybe not?

 

This splash is from All Star 1. What happened in All American?

bb

That looks like the beginning of a great story.

Does anyone have any additional scans they could post?

The other day when I was returning Thrilling Adventures in Stamps to the shelves, I noticed a few Tick Tock Tales in my collection and got curious about what treasures might be hidden inside them.

I started flipping through a book when my attention was drawn to a story that appeared to feature an albino squirrel, or (my imagination running wild) maybe it was a squirrel's ghost. Either way it looked pretty intriguing.

The story turned out to be, "Judy and the Magic Chalk." Apparently Judy was a series that ran regularly in Tick Tock. I guess I'd never taken note of it before. It was a good story.

The Magic Chalk stories predate Crockett Johnson's "Harold and the Purple Crayon" book by nine years.

I guess Gandy Goose thought of the idea first.

and everyone really appreciates your sharing your collection of comics and pulps. Thanks BZ.

Thanks, BB.

Your posts are always encouraging and are most appreciated.

I feel likewise about your contributions. Very few people on the boards have your wide range of interests. (thumbs u

Bangzoom,

Congrats on your 1,000th page on this thread. In honor of such an auspicious occasion, I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for starting such an incredible thread. And add my own first post to it. Ok, so I've been meaning to post here for quite a while, but it's a great excuse isn't it.

I started looking at these boards close to two years ago, when your thread was probably "only" about 100 pages in. Lots of things out here interested me, but it was your thread, with these incredible comics, pulps and everything else that kept me coming back. Not only is it the amazing things that are posted, but this thread just embodies the spirit of collecting to me.

Someday I hope to have more to add to the conversation than a bit of gushing, but really, thanks. This is probably the best thread I've ever seen on a message board.

Sincerely,

JD

PS--The other boardies might want to kill me, but from earlier posts I gather that you are a bit of a record collector, in addition to everything else. Any chance you'd like to post some more choice records? I'd love to see more.

To mark the occasion of this thread reaching 1000 pages I'll post one of my favorite items in my collection.

 

Wow, mr. Zoom, that has got to be the highlight of this thread so far for me! Among the 7 versions Barks did of this scene, I think this is the most unusual and interesting because of the horizontal layout. There is a big picture of it in volume VI of the new Carl Barks' Collected Works as part of an article of some of the best oils inspired by comic book covers.

Whatever happen to Ultra-man? I think we could use his help again or maybe not?

 

This splash is from All Star 1. What happened in All American?

bb

 

That looks like the beginning of a great story.

 

Does anyone have any additional scans they could post?

I could swear I posted the whole story before but I can't find it with a search ...

Bangzoom,

 

Congrats on your 1,000th page on this thread. In honor of such an auspicious occasion, I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for starting such an incredible thread. And add my own first post to it. Ok, so I've been meaning to post here for quite a while, but it's a great excuse isn't it.

 

I started looking at these boards close to two years ago, when your thread was probably "only" about 100 pages in. Lots of things out here interested me, but it was your thread, with these incredible comics, pulps and everything else that kept me coming back. Not only is it the amazing things that are posted, but this thread just embodies the spirit of collecting to me.

 

Someday I hope to have more to add to the conversation than a bit of gushing, but really, thanks. This is probably the best thread I've ever seen on a message board.

 

Sincerely,

JD

 

 

PS--The other boardies might want to kill me, but from earlier posts I gather that you are a bit of a record collector, in addition to everything else. Any chance you'd like to post some more choice records? I'd love to see more.

Thank you, JD.

You sound like a collector with exquisite taste and refined sensibilities.

I've got just the disc for you.

A 78 rpm record of sound effects from the 1933 World's Fair Torture Show exhibition.

Article about the creators of "The Torture Chamber" exhibit.

From the Modern Mechanix website.

Messmore and Damon Company Records at the Smithsonian, 1930s-1990s: Link

Modern Mechanix article: Link

Torture sound effects and it dates from 1933? That's awesome BZ! Never would've dreamt an item like this existed.

I've got just the disc for you.

 

A 78 rpm record of sound effects from the 1933 World's Fair Torture Show exhibition.

 

 

 

 

Wow, mr. Zoom, that has got to be the highlight of this thread so far for me! Among the 7 versions Barks did of this scene, I think this is the most unusual and interesting because of the horizontal layout. There is a big picture of it in volume VI of the new Carl Barks' Collected Works as part of an article of some of the best oils inspired by comic book covers.

Thanks, tb.

Any chance you could scan (or take a photo) of that article for me?

The only other reproduction I know of the painting was in the 1977 Overstreet Price Guide and that was a small blurry shot.

Whatever happen to Ultra-man? I think we could use his help again or maybe not?

 

This splash is from All Star 1. What happened in All American?

bb

 

That looks like the beginning of a great story.

 

Does anyone have any additional scans they could post?

 

I could swear I posted the whole story before but I can't find it with a search ...

That's why images should always be partnered with descriptive captions.

It helps increase the odds that searches will end successfully.

Torture sound effects and it dates from 1933? That's awesome BZ! Never would've dreamt an item like this existed.

 

A 78 rpm record of sound effects from the 1933 World's Fair Torture Show exhibition.

 

That was from a time when they weren't afraid to be daring.

From the Modern Mechanix article:

Turning from the primeval to the medieval, Messmore took over the Show Boat and set up another mechanized exhibit called “The Torture Chamber” where he entertained his customers with such delicate scenes as screaming and groaning men and women being broken on the rack, getting boiled in oil, having their feet seared with red-hot irons or cooked in iron boots filled with molten lead. These exhibits consisted of life-sized, mechanized men with settings, costumes and torture methods accurately reproducing those of the middle ages. Through cleverly recorded and synchronized sound effects, visitors heard the questioning of the inquisitor as well as the screams and groans of the unfortunate victims.

High spot of this exhibit, however, was Ann Kay, “The Crusader’s Bride,” who stepped forth wearing a medieval chastity belt, one of those iron panties which crusading husbands locked their wives into before going off to war. Ann Kay wore nothing else. This soon brought down on Messmore the wrath of official World’s Fair Censor Joe Moriarity.

“See here, Messmore,” he cried, “you cover up that girl’s bosom or I’ll close your show!”

“O. K.,” said Messmore. “Will any opaque covering do?”

“Yes,” replied Moriarity, “but it’s got to be opaque.”

That night Messmore put his ingenuity to work. He made a plaster cast of Miss Kay’s bust, poured some flesh-colored latex into the mold and made a paper-thin, thoroughly form-fitting bra which, when donned, powdered and retouched with rouge, couldn’t be spotted from two inches away.

“Moriarity sure was mad,” laughs Messmore, “but he couldn’t do a thing. The bra was opaque. People offered me thousands for that formula but we never gave out the secret.”

Though Ann Kay and her cast iron device drew large crowds to the exhibit, Messmore’s press agent for some reason couldn’t get the papers to mention the chastity belt.

“It’s no use,” he told Messmore one night, “the papers won’t touch it. I’ve tried everything.”

“That’s what you say,” replied Messmore. “I’ll bet you fifty bucks I can get it mentioned.”

“It’s a bet!” answered the P. A.

Messmore reached for the phone and called one of the local papers.

“I want to place an ad in the Lost and Found section,” he said into the mouthpiece. “This is it: ‘Lost: The key to the chastity belt. Liberal reward. Return to M. T. Show on Show Boat.’ ” Messmore won the bet.

Here are the illustrations of the "Tall Ship" paintings: the 1st, 5th, 2nd, and 7th. The article has other very nice reproductions of cover inspired paintings. CBSW literally has thousands of pages of background articles about everything related to Barks, including his paintings.

The title of the article translates to "fine art at the top". It talks about how the person who commissioned the first version originally wanted an exact replica of the cover with logo and all, but Barks talked him out of that.

The caption next to "Bora Bora" mentions that it was the only horizontally oriented version which gave Barks room to explore the background in more detail.

As with all Barks art, I personally have a strong preference for everything that is free of "investment potential". I think it's funny how most American experts tend to mention money bin and money lake paintings as the most valuable, because these are the ones that appeal the least to me. Likewise, I don't like all the paintings where the composition was changed to include Scrooge (like the last one below). The early paintings with genuine, speculation-free scenes are my own favorites.

From Wikipedia: Link

Created by writer-artist Jon L. Blummer under the pseudonym Don Shelby, Ultra-Man debuted in All-American's flagship title, All-American Comics #8 (Nov. 1939), in the first part of a two-part story. Part one featured Gary Concord Sr. Part two, in All-American Comics #9 (Dec. 1939), continues the story with Gary Concord Jr., who took over the mantle of Ultra-Man. He would appear until issue #19 in 1940.

Thanks very much for taking the time to make the scans.

I'm not familiar with those books.

Are they available in an English translation?