I'm Guessing Not Crumpets

Just an odd post prompted by personal curiosity. This one is directed at our UK readers (Now the #2 source of views, with Canada fallen to #4 (behind Spain), and Russia (our old #3) dropped down to the bottom of the top 10. Guess it's long past time for that piece on the best classic Sherlock Holmes movies ever made.)

My question:
When you settle in for a cuppa, do you have a nibble with it? If so, what is your preferred nibble?

For myself, these days it tends to be a slice of lemon cake. Lemon pound cake, not that gooey stuff. I've got one cooling from the oven at the moment, and typically bake at least one a week in recent months. This time i got experimental and added in some tart cherries; seems like they should blend well, but might be a bit much. I'll find out soon, with a spot of strong black tea on this cold afternoon. The grapefruit glaze on the last one worked out mighty fine.
I might note that i like the sweet nibble, but like the tea pure - just hot water & tea leaves - to cut through and counterpoint that sweet.

Hmm....
Wonder how cooled that cake is?

Oh. You probably want some images with the text, hm?
Tea and sweets? I think we can manage that. Of course, since we haven't ascertained the tastes of our guests, i suppose one must provide variety...

Eep!
I really should have checked the pantry first.

Time to got put on a pot...

Sunday Morning Antiques

There's a lot of feeling old going on, and i'm going to embrace that today. So the most recent of our Sunday Morning Funnies is 100 years old. Today's cartoons range from 1902-1917, so buckle up those cultural comfort safety belts and let's read on!

It's 1902 and superheroes are not yet a thing. What's a super strong fellow to do? Hugo Hercules had his own unique notions...

Before Smarty Grandpa there was the Merry Pranks Of Foxy Grandpa (1902)-

Even way back in 1904, cats were getting their own comics with Aubrey Of The Tenements-

Our most recent strips today, these Asthma Simpson The Village Queen Sunday comics come from some point between 1915-1917-

And we end up in the middle with a couple of 1907 comics from the surreally odd Loony Literature comic-

I think that last one still works today, though i must admit to a bit of surprise at seeing the telephone in a 110 year old comic. It's easy to forget that Bell filed his patent back in 1876, and phones were big enough business for AT&T's hostile takeover of the Western Union Telegraph  to have occurred in 1911. While it may not yet be a generally accessible device in 1907, it was exactly 30 years after the establishment of the first commercial telephone service in 1877. So it certainly makes sense that a "Princess" would have one at that time.

But i wouldn't have thought in that context if i was creating something that was supposed to exist back then.

Hmm...
I may have rambled off track once again.

An End To Secrets

We return for the conclusion of Stan Lee's 1947 booklet on Secrets Behind The Comics-

That offer underscores an often overlooked aspect of Stan Lee's genius. Folks may at times have called him a huckster and slammed him for his self-promotion, and i'm not going to start any defensive arguments. But, while doing so he taps a very real need/desire. It would be decades before budding creators could take their work to conventions for evaluation and review. The only hope in those days was to bus or train to a publishing hub and carry your portfolio from office to office, hoping someone might take a look. An expensive and time consuming affair if one didn't live in New York or Chicago or the like.

Self promotion? Sure. But it takes a special brilliance to sell yourself in a way that makes others happy, and can even be an amazing gift to the buyer. And i can scarcely imagine how cool a look behind the scenes of production must have been in those days when the industry was a complete unknown to the readers.

70 years later, The Man is making folks happier than ever with his unique brand of self promotion. It's hard to imagine a Marvel movie after Stan's not here to make his cameo, so hang in there Mr. Lee!

pages from Secrets Behind The Comics (1947)

More Secrets With Stan

We continue with part 2 (of 3) of Stan Lee's Secrets Behind The Comics from 1947.

One thing i've found particularly interesting about this book is how Stan is already trying to form a relationship with the readers and draw them deeper into comics. This tendency would become the hallmark of the Marvel age, setting them apart from the competition every bit as much as the new trends in characters and story telling.

Picking up where we left off...

Was this the first time that Captain America's origin didn't include Jack Kirby and Joe Simon? It certainly wouldn't be the last. It's also interesting to note that 9 years had passed between 1941 and 1947. Maybe that 6 got pasted on upside down?

We'll be back one more time with the third and final part of this unique book from early years of comics.

continuing from Secrets Behind The Comics (1947)