Saturday, June 1, 2013

Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery - Pelorus Jack

Some of the dates and details have been changed but the comic below about a friendly porpoise guiding ships in New Zealand waters is based on the real-life Risso's Dolphin, Pelorus Jack, and featured in the Gold Key Comics title, Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery. Gold Key Comics, an imprint of Western Publishing, also published comics and digests under the imprint Whitman Comics from where the following scans are taken from.

Brief archival footage of Pelorus Jack.

Pelorus Jack featured in many New Zealand newspapers in the early twentieth century. Conflicting reports of Jack's death below featured in the Wanganui Chronicle March 22nd 1911.

DEATH OF PELORUS JACK. END OF THE FAMOUS FISH. PRESERVING THE SKELETON.
(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 21.

This afternoon, Mr Geo. Allport, Secretary for Marine, received a letter from Mr G. Webber, settler at French Pass, in which he said that Wells Bros. of D'Urville Island, had found what they believe to be the carcase of Pelorus Jack. Webber, who has seen Pelorus Jack many hundreds of times, was asked to identify the remains, and as a result the opinion was expressed that the colour, size and shape exactly corresponded with what they had seen of the fish in the water. The length of the carcase is, they state, just one inch under 14 ft, and girth between 9ft. and 10ft. "I should say, says Webber, "that he has been dead for a week or ten days, and has been considerably bitten by sharks, probably after death." The Department has sent instructions to take photographs of the fish and secure the skeleton till the Hinemoa can call for it. The Department is also requesting masters of passing vessels to ascertain if Pelorus Jack is frequenting his usual haunts.

REPORT CONTRADICTED. JACK MORE FRISKY THAN EVER. NELSON, March 21.

The "Colonist," is in the position to contradict the report as to the death of "Pelorus Jack." Mr W. T. Bond. of Nelson, who returned home by the Pateena today, states that he and others saw Jack in the water on Monday night, and that, he followed the Pateena for miles. Mr Bond has seen him many times, but never saw him so frisky as he was on Monday night.

FURTHER INFORMATION. WELLINGTON, March 21.

In reference to a report of a dead fish having been found and believed to be 'Pelorus Jack," It is stated by the officers on the Pateena, which arrived in Wellington tonight, that Pelorus Jack was seen on Saturday afternoon as usual when the Pateena was on the passage from Nelson to Picton, and on Monday night the look-out man on the Pateena saw Jack accompanying the vessel from twenty past nine till ten. Pelorus Jack was also seen by some passengers. This afternoon Jack was not seen by anyone on the Pateena but this is not unusual as he has frequently been absent during the past few months

Sources: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Paper Trail

Tonight on the exciting sexually active Melbourne Comic scene from the facebook page for Merv Heers' Salary Man launch:

Listen up you little freaks ! Wednesday May 29th at 6pm Merv Heers will be launching ONE full size salary man comic as well as an attention seeking SEVEN mini comics ! That's right ma'am. The big kahuna. Outta sight !

Tonight at the Slient Army Storeroom 110 Franklin Street CBD, Melbourne, publishers and stockists of many fine Australian and New Zealand comics.

Salary Man comics tumblr.

Silent Army Storeroom.

If like me you were navigating planes, trains, and buses on Free Comic Book Day and missed out you can still enjoy Chugnut Comics Free Comic Book Day Comic #3 here.

Australian history comics from Michael Fikaris, Cannabis Australia.

Preview tumblr for Tim Danko's Comic Book now available for pre-order through Tim's Pozible campaign.

Leigh Riggozi talks about putting together anthology Blood and Thunder Anthology #2 showcasing some of the best comic illustration that Australia and New Zealand have to offer.

Video tour through Chromacon 2013.

Have you checked in with Dylan Horrock's Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen lately? 84 pages in, Dylan has been hitting a weekly schedule of late, a good time to catch up if you've fallen behind.

Brent Willis' Bristle anthology is back as a jumbo size annual featuring David Piper, Bryce Galloway, Ned Wenlock, Robyn Kenealy, David Tulloch, Edward Lynden-Bell, Tim Bollinger, Jerome Bihan, Robbie Neilson, Anders Gronland, Ross Payne, Matt Emery, Sarah Laing, and Lorenzo Van Der Lingen. Wellington launch is on Wednesday night (29th June) at the Bristol.

Simon Hanselmann puts the Problem Solverz into the Truth Zone.

Remember the Problem Solverz?

L S Marquez' The Tremblars.

2013 Zine and Indy Comic Symposium in Brisbane.

Is every cartoonist a musician as well? Stream Greg Broadmore and Christian Pearce's influential Hamilton post hardcore band Ghidrah's Invincible Deluxe here.

Haven't mentioned Oglaf in a while.

Alex Thomas interviews Tim Gibson.

Australian Cartoon Mueseum 2010 election showcase.

Gavin Aung Than pays tribute to Jeff Hanneman through the words of John Donne at Zen Pencils.

Daniel Brader and Yi Lang Chen's The Adventures of the Kite Family.

Esther interviews Hookups creator Jess Hansell.

Chris Cudby writes about behind the scenes of Hookups.

Anthony Woodward issues a minicomic challenge.

Daniel Best's Rise and Fall of Newton Comics Pozible campaign is almost 2/5ths of the way to it's funding target. Best has recently added original art incentives from his personal collection. From Best's blog 20th Century Danny Boy:

This was a Melbourne based company after all and has all the right ingredients for a juicy story - sex, drugs, rock and roll, comic books, crime, brothels, politics - you name it, Newton did more than dabble in it. Americans with an interest in comic book history? Well this is the FIRST full length book about an Australian publisher and, don't forget, they managed to take Marvel Comics for over $30,000 in 1975. That wasn't chump change. Comic books were never like this before, or since.

Take part in the campaign here.

(Not final cover.)

Dean Rankine visits New Zealand.

Karl Wills shares a couple more pics from the Connie Radar short film.

Darian Zam's redbubble store of recreated kiwiana designs.

Amongst various paper ephemera last weekend, a satchel of original art including AFL cartoons from 1979 by Weg, priced $750-$1500.

Weg

Ken Maynard

Comics of yesteryear showcase: Australian editions of GI Jane originally published in the US by Stanhall Publications. Stanhall published 11 issues of GI Jane from May 1953 to March 1955. Jane like many comic wartime and post wartime heroines was the story of a G.I. gal who drove the soldier boys crazy, mixing humour with lashings of sexual innuendo.