Yet another gnarly Black Hole tee. See the others here.
Archive Page 7
The Black Hole `Maximillian’ T-Shirt, 1979
Published February 18, 2016 '70s Decor/Design/Fashion , Black Hole, The 4 CommentsWuxtry Records and Comics, Circa 1975
Published February 17, 2016 Comic Book Stores , Comic Books , Newsstands/Comic Book Stands Leave a Comment
The original Wuxtry Records is in Athens, Georgia, and still sells comics. Yes, that’s Peter Buck of R.E.M. before R.EM. formed. Buck and Michael Stipe met at this very store in 1980.
(Photo via Cable and Tweed)
The Scrambler Reading Series: Panic and More Disaster Stories (Xerox, 1977)
Published February 17, 2016 Comic Books , Educational Comics Leave a Comment
Published at the height of the disaster film boom, this “educational” comic, illustrated by Frank Bolle and Tony DiPreta, takes on a “poisonous smoke cloud,” an earthquake, and, for some reason, a tidal wave. You can read all of the stories at the impeccably named Stupid Comics, where I got the images above. I’m not sure what exactly we’re learning here. Hold on to the roof of your house and surf the wave? The earthquake story is nearly as good, as it pits folk-rocking teens against some ornery geezers in a resting home—not to worry; the generational rancor is assuaged in the end by a… tambourine?
Other volumes in the Scrambler Reading Series include Space Trucker and Other Science Fiction Stories (1978), Shark!: Stories About Fighting to Win (1976), The Baron: Stories About Law and Order (1978), and The Nightwalker and More Scary Tall Tales (1976). I really would like to get my hands on these, especially the one with the shark.
Motel Postcards, Circa 1969 – 1980
Published February 16, 2016 '70s Decor/Design/Fashion , Hotels/Motels , Postcards 2 Comments
Amenities include “bath and shower combination,” “direct dial phones,” “custom designed furnishings,” “ceramic tiled baths,” “meeting rooms,” and “shuffleboard.”
Ed Valigursky Cover Art for The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein (Ace, 1972)
Published February 15, 2016 Books , Cover Art , Sci-Fi/Space Art , Skeleton Astronauts Leave a Comment
The book is a collection of short stories, none of which feature a dead astronaut. See more of Valigursky’s work here.
(Image via MPorcius Fiction Log)
Cover Art for Stanislaw Lem’s The Invincible (Ace, 1975)
Published February 15, 2016 Books , Cover Art , Sci-Fi/Space Art , Skeleton Astronauts 4 Comments
Very similar to the Angus McKie piece that was published the following year. The artist of the Lem cover is unknown, and you can see details on the book here. More skeleton astronauts, a recurring theme in sci-fi since the genre’s beginning, here.
Queen City Book Store, 1977 – 1980
Published February 12, 2016 Big Kids Reading Comics , Book Stores , Comic Book Stores , Comic Books , Newsstands/Comic Book Stands 7 Comments
Emil J. Novak, Sr. opened Buffalo, New York’s Queen City Bookstore in 1969. He and his family still own and run the place. I found all of the remarkable photos on the website’s history gallery. Some of the gems I spotted are posted below.
What can I say that I haven’t said before? We need more stores like this. Kids need more awesome stuff like this. They deserve the chance to roam around in places that exist with them in mind (I’m talking about libraries too), flip open a random book, and have their minds blown forever. What we now dismiss as “obsolete physical media” once propped up local communities and ignited the imagination of generations. It’s not just books that influenced and inspired me, but the places I found them in.
You can see more book stores and comic book stores here.
The Hamlyn Book of Horror by Daniel Farson (Hamlyn, 1979)
Published February 11, 2016 Books , Hamlyn , Occult/Supernatural Leave a Comment
The second book in Hamlyn’s horror/occult series is the hardest to find at a reasonable price, and I couldn’t locate any pages online. Luckily, I found some of the interior paintings at series artist Oliver Frey’s site.
Following the two cover images, we have depictions of the legend of Sawney Bean and his incestuous, cannibal clan, who, according to legend, ate more than 1,000 people; peasants set on fire by Vlad the Impaler; and “wolf boys” allegedly found in India in 1920 (the boys were actually girls, and the story is likely a hoax). In other words, nightly reading for ’70s kids.
The Hamlyn Book of Horror was published originally, minus the illustrations, as The Beaver Book of Horror (1977), seen below. The excellent cover of the Beaver (a Hamlyn imprint) edition is by Alan Lee.
(Images via The Cobwebbed Room, Oliver Frey, and misen 23)
Illustrating the Act of Fantasy Role-Playing, 1981 – 1985
Published February 10, 2016 D&D , D&D Art , Jim Holloway , Role-playing/Role-playing Games (Non-TSR) 7 Comments
The illustrations are from (top to bottom) the 1981 D&D Basic Set (Moldvay edition; art by David S. LaForce), a 1981 Games Workshop ad (artist unknown), and the 1982 French edition of the D&D Basic Set (Moldvay edition; art by Jim Holloway). I find it fascinating that the concept of role-playing was once so alien that it had to be explained with thought balloons. And I still can’t get over how awesomely bloody the GW sketch is.
If anybody knows of similar illustrations, please let me know.
UPDATE (2/11/2016): Thanks to Kai S. and Steve Wall, I’ve added two more illustrations. The first one (fourth image down) is the book club edition cover of Dicing with Dragons (1982), with art by Victoria Poyser. The second is from Dragon Warriors: Book One (1985), and the artist is Bob Harvey (see here and here). Brilliant stuff.
Usborne Guide to Computer and Video Games (Usborne, 1982)
Published February 10, 2016 Books , Home Consoles , Personal Computers , Usborne Publishing , Video Games 1 Comment
Just a few pages I scanned from my copy—this particular book is not yet available at the Usborne site. Note the “long distance game” predicted “by the year 2000,” somewhat anticipating the internet. The irony is that the internet has enabled an attention deficit disordered culture that, with few exceptions, no longer has the patience or smarts to play a game of chess.
2 Warps to Neptune 