The book was actually a British edition of an American one published a year earlier. (The US version didn't have the 'Crazy Cartoon Book' added to the title.) It was written by Howard Liss and illustrated by Gene Fawcette. The contents were a mixture of four longish adventures and three short (3 page) strips, plus four pages of portrait photos of Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork. Presumably the book was one of the first items of Monkee memorabilia created as Mike is only referred to as 'Wool Hat' in the strips, which was his name in the pilot episode.
As you can see from the random examples I'm showing here, the approach the comic strips took was to try and mimic some of the surreal comedy of The Monkees TV show. It could prove to be a bit silly in places.
Anyway, it's an unusual item that may have passed you by so I thought I'd show a few pages from it here. I've had the book since 1967 so my apologies for it being a little dog eared and tanned around the edges now.
Either my brother or me would have nabbed that at the time if we had seen it. My brother would get the annuals at Christmas ( on my recommendation to my Mother, so I could get to read them too! )
ReplyDeleteI think it was Mike Nesmith's mother who invented tippex (is that how it's spelt - y'know, that white stuff they used to paint over typing mistakes).
ReplyDeleteYes, 'Liquid Paper'. I used it for art corrections back in the pre-computer days.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough I'm reading The Art of Brett Ewins at the moment and he tells a story of meeting Mickey Dolenz on a Saturday kids TV show and giving him a page of Judge Dredd art....featuring 'Mickey Dolenz Block' in the Big Meg!
ReplyDeleteThat book is excellent.
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