by John | Jan 3, 2019 | Uncategorized
As announced last week, I’m doing a little experiment. Every Friday, I’m going to run one of my old Last Kiss comics that originally appeared Comics Buyer’s Guide (CBG.) Most have never been reprinted or appeared anywhere except CBG. And almost all of them were multi-panel, black & white and had comic book themes.
I really have no idea how my current readers will react since these comics are so different from the color, single-panel gags I usually do now. But I hope you like ’em. If so, I’ll keep running them.
Art by Vince Colletta Studio from the story Love’s Lovely Mirage” in FIRST KISS #36, 1964.
Transcript:
CAPTION: Is Pluto a planet again? Or is he just Mickey Mouse’s dog? Can pigs fly? (And, if so…Economy or First Class?) Do robots have souls? (How about Rhumbas?) Will these dumb questions ever end? Who knows? Certainly, not Mary Mylar! And these mind-boggling uncertainties are making her sick!
PANEL #1: Female Nurse and woman patient talking in a hospital setting. The patient is in bed.
PATIENT: I thought reality was real! But now…I’m not sure! Maybe the universe is just a constantly shifting state of mind! Oh, maybe the doctor will know!
NURSE: Have you ever considered a brain transplant?
PANEL 2: Patient and male doctor talking.
CAPTION: Fortunately, Dr. Otto Quackenflap is on the case!
DOCTOR: I’ve quadrupled your tranquilizers and…I’m prescribing a lifetime supply of comic books! After a few years, you’ll find that nothing ever really changes in comics!
PATIENT: At last! Something I can believe in!
1964 Art: Vince Colletta Studio ©2006 & 2018 Last Kiss Inc
Art Code: 36.1.8.1-2
↓ TranscriptCAPTION: Is Pluto a planet again? Or is he just Mickey Mouse’s dog? Can pigs fly? (And, if so...Economy or First Class?) Do robots have souls? (How about Rhumbas?) Will these dumb questions ever end? Who knows? Certainly, not Mary Mylar! And these mind-boggling uncertainties are making her sick!
PANEL #1: Female Nurse and woman patient talking in a hospital setting. The patient is in bed.
PATIENT: I thought reality was real! But now…I’m not sure! Maybe the universe is just a constantly shifting state of mind! Oh, maybe the doctor will know!
NURSE: Have you ever considered a brain transplant?
PANEL 2: Patient and male doctor talking.
CAPTION: Fortunately, Dr. Otto Quackenflap is on the case!
DOCTOR: I’ve quadrupled your tranquilizers and…I’m prescribing a lifetime supply of comic books! After a few years, you’ll find that nothing ever really changes in comics!
PATIENT: At last! Something I can believe in!
1964 Art: Vince Colletta Studio ©2006 & 2018 Last Kiss Inc
Art Code: 36.1.8.1-2
by John | Jan 1, 2019 | Uncategorized
I look a lot like me…sometimes.
Art by Vince Colletta Studio from the story “The Gay Deception” in FIRST KISS #8, 1959.
Transcript:
SCENE: Man talking to a woman.
MAN: You keep marrying men who look a lot like me! Next time, why not marry a man who looks exactly like me! Like, maybe…me!
1959 Art: Vince Colletta Studio Color: Allen Freeman
Art Code: 8.1.4.1
↓ TranscriptSCENE: Man talking to a woman.
MAN: You keep marrying men who look a lot like me! Next time, why not marry a man who looks exactly like me! Like, maybe...me!
1959 Art: Vince Colletta Studio Color: Allen Freeman
Art Code: 8.1.4.1
by John | Dec 31, 2018 | Uncategorized
Happy New Year!
Inks by Dick Giordano from the story “Heartbreaker” in First Kiss #12, 1960.
Transcription:
SCENE: A man and a woman are dancing close together as soap bubbles swirl around them.
MAN: I’m looking forward to keeping ALL of my resolutions in 2019!
WOMAN: That’s funny! I’m looking forward to breaking all of mine!
1960 Inks: Dick Giordano Color: Allen Freeman
Art Code: 12.3.3.4
↓ TranscriptSCENE: A man and a woman are dancing close together as soap bubbles swirl around them.
MAN: I’m looking forward to keeping ALL of my resolutions in 2019!
WOMAN: That’s funny! I’m looking forward to breaking all of mine!
1960 Inks: Dick Giordano Color: Allen Freeman
Art Code: 12.3.3.4
by John | Dec 30, 2018 | Uncategorized
For 2019, l resolved not to make any New Year’s resolutions until I lost a ton of weight; wrote a best-selling book and grew three inches. So far, so good!
Art by Charles Nicholas & Sal Trapani from the story “One Stolen Kiss” from FIRST KISS #1, 1957.
Transcript:
SCENE: A wearing a beret and smoking a cigarette talks to a woman.
MAN: This year I resolve to be a beacon of kindness and civility…even to dimwits like you!
WOMAN: You’ll never be as kind as me, you jerk!
1957 Art: Charles Nicholas & Sal Trapani Color: Diego Jourdan Pereira
Art Code: DJP.lk524 1.3.5.3
↓ TranscriptSCENE: A wearing a beret and smoking a cigarette talks to a woman.
MAN: This year I resolve to be a beacon of kindness and civility...even to dimwits like you!
WOMAN: You’ll never be as kind as me, you jerk!
1957 Art: Charles Nicholas & Sal Trapani Color: Diego Jourdan Pereira
Art Code: DJP.lk524 1.3.5.3
by John | Dec 27, 2018 | Uncategorized
Besides paying tribute to Stan Lee, today’s comic is also special because it’s given me an idea for something new for Last Kiss. Or rather something old that many of you haven’t seen before.
You see, I originally created today’s Last Kiss years ago as part of my long-running comic strip for Comics Buyer’s Guide (CBG.) While looking at it and my other CBG comics, I thought, “Hey some of these aren’t bad. And most of ’em have never been reprinted. Hmmm…”
So, for the next few Fridays, I’ll be reprinting the best of my CBG strips. Whether I continue doing so will largely depends on reader reactions. I hope you like ’em. Let me know what you think.
—John Lustig
Original Art:
Art from an old, Fox News interview with Stan Lee.
Dialogue Transcript:
CAPTION: Welcome to the exciting world of comics–where all sentences end in exclamation marks! All wars end with knockout punches! And outrageous fantasies never end!
PANEL #1
SCENE: Stan Lee is being interviewed by a man as a beautiful, scantily-clad woman in a super-hero-ish costume sits in the background,
INTERVIEWER: I’m here with Stan Lee and one of the many super-heroes he…
WOMAN: Me? A super-hero?
STAN: Try again, True Believer!
PANEL 2
SCENE: Closeup of Interviewer.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, my! Then you must be a…(gulp!)…super villain, right?
PANEL 3
SCENE: Cut back to all three of them. Stan smiles and pumps his fist.
WOMAN: No! I’m just Stan’s secretary! He says all the women who work in comics dress like this!
INTERVIEWER: Sheer genius! And that’s why Stan’s the man!
STAN: Excelsior!
CAPTION: Playfully dedicated to Stan Lee on what would’ve been his 96th birthday.
Art © 2018 Marvel Characters, Inc. Used with permission.
Art Code: RomitaStanLeeStrip
↓ TranscriptCAPTION: Welcome to the exciting world of comics--where all sentences end in exclamation marks! All wars end with knockout punches! And outrageous fantasies never end!
PANEL #1
SCENE: Stan Lee is being interviewed by a man as a beautiful, scantily-clad woman in a super-hero-ish costume sits in the background,
INTERVIEWER: I'm here with Stan Lee and one of the many super-heroes he...
WOMAN: Me? A super-hero?
STAN: Try again, True Believer!
PANEL 2
SCENE: Closeup of Interviewer.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, my! Then you must be a...(gulp!)...super villain, right?
PANEL 3
SCENE: Cut back to all three of them. Stan smiles and pumps his fist.
WOMAN: No! I'm just Stan's secretary! He says all the women who work in comics dress like this!
INTERVIEWER: Sheer genius! And that's why Stan's the man!
STAN: Excelsior!
CAPTION: Playfully dedicated to Stan Lee on what would’ve been his 96th birthday.
Art © 2018 Marvel Characters, Inc. Used with permission.
Art Code: RomitaStanLeeStrip
Text ©2010 & 2018 Last Kiss Inc. Color by Allen Freeman
