Editorial

REFERENCES & SOURCES

    Hi, gang! We're back with our 17th issue!  Amazing, huh? As promised, we're trying to stick to some semblance of a schedule for GGGA and attend to long neglected matters like our reference/source page, hence the title of this month’s editorial.

    First off, we've revamped the section of our site profiling the books and magazines that provide us with the information for our Golden Age profiles. Keep in mind that we usually use more than one book for any given profile, since many of our sources are inconsistent in their details and weigh the reliability of each source. Also, the more sources we use the more detailed our profiles become. Unfortunately, errors sometimes creep into our work, especially when we deal with obscure characters about whom little is known. In these cases we ask you, our loyal readers to aid us in correcting these inaccuracies. So this issue’s reference and source page includes the books, magazines, and articles which we have added over the last year to show you where we get the information used in our profiles. But traditional paperware is only one source of information on Golden Age comics, when it fails to rpovide what we’re look for we turn to....

 WEBSITES

    The Internet provides information seekers with a wealth of sources, and from time to time we use selected websites as the last viable alternative in gathering information, particularly for characters about whom very little information appears in books and articles. Of course we have the difficult task of weighing these sources for accuracy and reliability as well. By next issue we will have added those sites here to our reference/source page. In the interim, I would like to point out a few of the more useful or looked at sites (in no particular order):

·       Pure Entertainment Comics and the Golden Age Gallery by Bill Nolan

·       Cool French Comics, Golden Years by Steve Rogers

·       Mikel Midnite's Golden Age Directory (for links that pertain to Golden Age)

·       Jess Nevin's Marvel-Timely Page, his Super Hero Directory (still under development), and Jess's Pulp Page (probably Mr. Nevins' best work)

·       Geoffery Tolle's Centaur page

·       The Grand Comics Database

    I have written Mr. Tolle to give him updated information for his page and to thank him for providing us with valuable information, but I’ve gotten no response. If anyone knows how to contact him, let us know, ok? We occasionally use other sites, and we will have a complete and permanent listing on our reference/source page starting next issue. If you know of a site that is useful for research on the Golden Age, let us know about it. We'd love to check out your submission and see if we can add it to the list. Thanks in advance for all your help and support. We are planning updates to our links section (if you know of a cool link, please send it along) and our Wanted List (we’ll be adding part two as well).

BIG NEWS!

    Starting with issue # 18 (due out around August 27th), we will be adding a brand NEW section, "Greats of the Golden Age," which will present three Golden Age stories for you guys and gals to read! Too cool, huh? Speaking of issues, issue # 16 is still up and running, so if you haven't seen it yet, go to http://goldenage.cjb.net  and check it out. It’s really a cool issue, and it will remain up until issue # 18 takes its place.

    Another BIG NEWS item is that our very own DARRIN WILTSHIRE will present his new AMA-HERO Fanzine site really soon. So go visit that site and marvel at the wonderful work Darrin and some other really talented people have done. Darrin has worked very hard to make this site fun and informative; you owe it to yourself to go and see what great work he and his fellow fanzine friends have brewed up, ok? The link is http://amahero.cjb.net

    This month’s mini-spotlight is on CENTAUR comics, and we hope that you really enjoy this issue. I had a real blast writing about, drawing, and coloring characters from a company that for too long has lurked in the background of Golden Age comic book history. Way back in the mid-1930s, Centaur was one of the first publishers of that new fad called funny books. We hope to make a small start in bringing attention to this company, and we look forward to presenting more long forgotten Centaur heroes and heroines in the issues to come. Next month’s mini-spotlight will be on QUALITY Comic book characters. Come on back and see how they lived up to such an imposing name! Issue # 18 will also sport an expanded Companions section showcasing twelve cover-only heroes and heroines of the 1960s! You didn't think that there was so many? Well, come back and see for yourself in 3 short weeks. I think you'll find it a lot of fun.

 Along those lines....

    Mystery Guest for issue # 16 (and also # 15) was the SPOOK, who appeared only one grace the cover of a giveaway book called Top Notch Funnies (as did the Black Hood, Woozy Winks and Dexter, a cover-only hero, who has narrated one of our issues). This issue we offer a new replacement for him. We still have up last issue’s addition along with this issue’s new Mystery Guest. Look through your Gerber's and Overstreet’s, and you could win five drawings of your choice from any of the Golden Age characters from our site. Speaking of our characters, by issue # 20,we will list ALL the characters we have covered to date and update that list on an issue-to-issue basis. It will give you an idea of just how many Golden Age characters we have done so far. Well, that’s it for this month’s Richard Ramblings. Go forth and enjoy the issue at hand. God bless and take care now. See you soon.

Richard Boucher 08/03/01