Tinkle No.21

Presenting a Tinkle comic cover after a gap of almost two years on this blog.I have already posted the first 20 Tinkle covers and this is issue No.21 published in August,1982.

Old Tinkle covers have got to be my all time favorite covers,mainly because one never knew what to expect in the next issue.Although they had their roster of characters like Tantri the Mantri,Suppandi,Shikari Shambu.etc, there were still many unique folktales and Reader contributed stories each week.Infact,I think Tinkle pioneered the concept of user generated content in India, decades before the advent of the Internet.Anyways, unique blend of stories and folktales each week meant that the cover was gonna be unique each week as well, with new set of characters and colors each week to quench the visual cravings of a die hard fan.

Although a big fan of Tinkle covers from the 1980's & 1990's,I somehow feel that the current Tinkle covers do not possess the same charm as their predecessors. Maybe it is because of the glossy finish as opposed to the matte finish of the earlier covers.Maybe its because some of the legendary illustrators of yesteryear are no longer with Tinkle or maybe its just pure unadulterated nostalgia which adds to the charm of old Tinkle covers!
What do you think guys?

Rani Comics-James Bond-Dr.No

Presenting Rani Comics cover No.19 from April,1985. This comic features the breath taking adventure of James Bond involving the enigmatic villain,Dr.No. Incidentally although 'Casino Royale' was the first Novel to feature James Bond,Dr.No was the first novel to be made into a movie thereby becoming the first movie of the ever successful James Bond franchise.

The rear cover is interesting and features an advertisement for a toothpaste names 'Effermint'. Anyone remember having used it?

Spectrum Comics-The Amazing Spiderman-The Absconding Outlaw

Presenting another rare spectrum comic cover.This time, it is the Amazing Spider-man.This is Spectrum Issue No.15 and was published in March 1986.

Falcon Comics-Beetle Bailey No.?

Presenting a rare Beetle Bailey comic after a long time. Published by Falcon comics,this issue came out in 1983. Earlier I had uploaded the cover image of Issue No.5 in this series. Intriguingly, this issue does not have a number either on the cover or inside on any of the pages.Does this mean,this was the first Issue of the Beetle Bailey series? What do you think people?

Amar Chitra Katha-Echchama The Brave-No.265

Presenting another rare ACK cover published on 1st July,1982.The story itself is intriguing and depicts the power struggle for the throne of the Vijayanagar empire between Srirangaraya and Jaggaraya. The role played by Echchama, one of Srirangaraya's loyal commanders forms the essence of this story.

In many ways,this story reminded me of the US Television series,'Game Of Thrones'.

Hungama-Vol.2 No.3-August 1998

Presenting another rare to see and a lively comic cover, this time from Hungama. As mentioned in one of the earlier posts,Hungama was based out of Kodambakkam  in Chennai.The content and the format of this book were heavily inspired from that of the more illustrious,Tinkle.

It really exhilarates me when I stumble upon such rarely known or short lived publications like Hungama, Spectrum, AFI,Sun,Space Age Comics.etc for two reasons.First,these are rare and not often does one stumble upon them.Second,is the contribution that they provide towards the ever increasing knowledge about the history of Indian comic publications.

Do you know of any rare or short lived Indian publications? If so, do share your knowledge of them.

Chandamama-August 1991

Presenting another breathtaking cover from Chandamama.This time from August 1991. From my perspective,I am equally fascinated by the covers of comics,as much as the stories inside them.Two of my all time favorite comics with the most fascinating covers have to be early Tinkle and Chandamama issues.However,I feel the magic is missing in the covers of most publications these days,including that of above mentioned ones .What do you think?

Also,What is your favorite Indian comic with the best cover illustrations?

 

 

 

The rear cover carries a memorable advertisement from the 90's.Apart from being one of my favorite chocolates during my childhood,my attention is drawn towards the bunny teeth which was given free with with a pack of these cookies.These bunny teeth were a craze during my school days in the early 90's, with them being used to play ligh hearted pranks and a regular feature in fancy dress competitions and stage plays.Truly,such advertisements are priceless windows to the past.