World's Greatest ComiX Magazine

[Red Oak Kid]

Did anyone notice that for years, the FF had a World's Greatest Comic Magazine on the masthead, but with ish 126, the spelling was changed to "Comix".

I noticed this because on the 12 Days thread, someone mentioned FF 129, the first appearance of Thundra and I thought I had a clear memory of this ish. I clearly recall the day I bought that ish at 7-11 and I would swear the border was a bright orange. But I now see it had a white border.

Memories can't be trusted anymore.

[Kan-Man]

Never noticed it before and now that you point it out, it looks ridiculous. But it seems they switched back to "comic" by 131.

[MWGallaher]

I'll have to trust you on this, because it appears that comix.org is down right now.

[Red Oak Kid]

It may be related to an attempt by Stan Lee to cash in on the Underground comics by coming out with a tabloid size mag with the word Comix in the title which had underground type art and stories. The name escapes me at the moment. But I think it was during the same time frame of the early 70s. I remember Skip Williamson being a major player in the art and covers for this mag.

But I no longer trust my memory on this stuff.

[dan bailey]

It may be related to an attempt by Stan Lee to cash in on the Underground comics by coming out with a tabloid size mag with the word Comix in the title which had underground type art and stories. The name escapes me at the moment. But I think it was during the same time frame of the early 70s. I remember Skip Williamson being a major player in the art and covers for this mag.

But I no longer trust my memory on this stuff.

Nope -- you're spot-on. You're thinking of Comix Book, which lasted 3 issues under Marvel's aegis back around '73-'74 or so. Two subsequent issues came out from, I think, Kitchen Sink (whose owner, Denis Kitchen, had edited the Marvel ishes as well), to use up the inventory bought at the outset, if memory serves. I've managed fairly recently, through eBay, to track 'em all down but ish 4.

The first 3 I found on the stands as a kid, at which time they really opened my eyes to a completely different world as far as comics went. They undoubtedly provided my initial exposure to any number of creators, like Williamson, Justin Green, Howard Cruse, Trina Robbins, S Clay Wilson,. Kim Deitch ... basically, any underground artist not named Crumb or Corben.

[Scott Shaw!]

That was Marvel's COMIX BOOK, edited by Denis Kitchen (originally to be titled COMIX INTERNATIONAL, but Warren had published a one-shot with that title, hence the re-naming.) It wasn't a tabloid, though; just a black-and-white magazine with newsstand distriibution. I had a DOONESBURY parody in the first issue.There was a resentment against COMIX BOOK from many of the underground cartoonists, but plenty contributed, too. The "underground" aspect mainly consisted of bare female breasts. COMIX BOOK only ran about five issues; I don't think dealers quite know how to display it. (There's a copy of No. 1 on display in the comic book store sequence of the AMERICAN SPLENDOR film.)

Didja know that DC's PLOP! -- a comic proposed by Sergio Aragonés -- was originally intended to feature "overground" work by underground cartoonists? Lee Marrs was in the first issue, but almost immediately, PLOP! was all regular
DC contributors...although in some cases, it was hilarious to see guys like Kurt Schaffenberger or Murphy Anderson making fun of the characters they'd worked on for years!

"The World's Greatest COMIX Magazine!" wasn't Marvel's first attempt to make their books seem hipper, either. I think it was sometime in 1965 that, almost all of the Marvel comics for one month bore the "cover corner box" descriptor,
"A Marvel Pop Art Production". I've kidded Stan Lee about that a few times; he claims not to remember it, but I can tell he really does!

Aloha,

Scott!