Happy STAR TREK Day … from Spock and Me!

 As you’ve probably heard, September 8 is a big hoop-de-doo day.  On September 8, 1966, Star Trek premiered.  Along with Jonny Quest, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Adventures of Superman, it was a big influence on my growing up—if you allege that ever happened.

In July, 1980, family member Spock chose to investigate the concept of Sleep Learning.  After all, if it worked for Edgar Cayce, why not for the world’s best dog?  So he went to dreamland with his head cradled on some LPs in our inventory.

Directly under his schnozzola is the two-LP soundtrack for The Empire Strikes Back.  And to the left of that is a Peter Pan Star Trek story record.

You can see that Star Trek has passed down to many generations of the family. See you Monday.

  

Some Notes About Kandor

While in my younger decades, I took many notes about things found in DC comics of the Silver Age. From 1990, here's a page of my notes about Kandor.

Of course, regarding Superman #158, I knew whereof I spoke.

I've lived with this puppy a long time.  Vide the portrait taken by Mom:

That's a plate of cinnamon toast on the left, my Kitty on the right, and my six-year-old self in the middle, with one of the best comics ever.

A few Super Blog posts regarding this comic:

Number 1 in a Great New Series!

Letters, They Got Letters!

Good Taste in Reading!

Anyway, study my notes on the Bottle City of Kandor and write a nice long note on how it's now presented in the comics, compared and contrasted with the Silver age version.  Get those papers turned in by next Thursday!

Otherwise, I'll have to write something for Thursday!  Either way, see you then!

  

A Surprise Anniversary Party!

As reported in the October 12, 2001 Comics Buyers Guide, the ladies of comicbookdom threw a party for Lois Lane Kent on the 5th anniversary of her marriage to Clark (Superman) Kent.

And what would they talk about at such a party nowadays?  Talk to you again on Monday!

  

Attention, Day Laborers!

Labor Day is Monday!  Before then, here are the calendar pages for September.

Don't forget, the year 1971 has the same layout as 2021, so you can print these pages, hang them in your office, and watch people freak out!

You Need Some "Innocence of Spirit"!

That's part of the observations of the reviewer of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the January 16, 1980 issue of the magazine The Christian Century.

Well, that's the end of this month of TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS.  Never fear, there're several hundred left in the ol' scrapbook scans folder.

See you on Thursday with who-knows-what.  First, on the First, you'll see the September PsychoFlairapy calendar pages for the month.

See you then!

  

Spock Dies or Not? Spock Lives or Not?

From the May 10, 1982 and May 18, 1982 Tulsa Worlds.

Waffle?  Let 'em twitch in the wind!

See you Monday.

  

As McCoy Said, "The Vaccine WORKS!"

Why won't folks believe him?

It's clipped from the December 21, 2020 Daily Oklahoman.  See you on Thursday.  Until then, stay healthy, and don't hitchhike on the wrong ship!

  

Nichols Says RIGHT ON!

That's because this was the name of the magazine that ran this photo spread.

Yup, everyone should have the same opportunity to make it to space.  Study hard and be a fitness nut, and you'll stand a better chance than I do!

For the record, this is from the June 1984 issue of Right On!

See ya Monday, fellow Trekkers, Trekkies, and Trekkettes!

 

For the Last Time: Hurrah!

From the October 8, 1991 National Enquirer:

We all know how "last" it really was.  See you Thursday!

  

I Think He Looks Sketchy Too

From the July 20, 1993 National Enquirer:

I ain't sayin' that at least once, Princess Margaret or the Queen Mother ain't gotten bombed, but that's between the porcelain throne and their security detail.

See you Monday for more TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!
  

Merch Trek, Part 1

Yup, crass commercialism reaches into Trekkies' pockets!

Didn't you buy a lot of bubble-gum packs?  I sure did!

Although I had a lot of the small figures, I never got the JC Penney bridge set.

Did you play this game?  We didn't have Vectrex, or any other game systems.

I must confess that when STII came out on video, I borrowed money from my boss to buy it, paying it back in bits, because Joyce would have gotten mad at me for blowing FORTY BUCKS on a video.

SOURCES OF THESE IMAGES:

• Topps Bubble Gum cards wrapper -- from 1979
• JC Penney Christmas catalog -- December 1980
• STTMP videogame review comes the September 1982 Video Review
• The ST II video ad ran in The Dallas Morning News of November 12, 1982

See you Thursday!

  

A "Weird ESP Experience"! Is There Any Other Kind?

It's from the May 29, 1984 issue of the Star, a wonderful tabloid carried by the convenience-store chain which employed me at the time.

Check out that first sentence.  How does somebody "literally" skyrocket to fame?  Wouldn't it scorch their undies?  And, since Nimoy had over a dozen acting credits before Star Trek, including The  Twilight Zone and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (the latter playing against William Shatner in one scene), how do you define unwarranted "skyrocket"?

End of rant, see ya Monday!

  

Welcome to TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!

Yep, fellow TREKaholics, it's another month of stuff I cut out from mags and papers back when there were only a few STAR TREKs.

This is from the January, 1980 Playboy.  Yes, I only bought it for the articles!

For mucho moreso info about STTMP, buy our book These Are the Voyages: Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek in the 1970s, Volume 3 (1978-1980), And don't forget Chapter 14, "The Merchandising Adventure Continues (1979-80)," written by yours truly!

See you on Thursday for more TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!

  

Glad to Be in Your August Company

How can it feel like fifty years ago to remember part of August, 1971?

The odd little humanoids appear to be harvesting some sort of seaweed, rolling it into bundles, then unrolling the bundles and hanging fronds up to dry.  Seems like a few extra steps there in the middle.

Above is the cleaned-up version of the calendar page.

Friday, August 13, 1971 was an unlooked-for, momentous day for me.  I was dropped off at a church teen activity night by parents who were probably glad to be free for a few hours.  There I met a girl from Cortland, New York, the cousin of a church friend.  I was 14 and she was 13.  We talked and held hands.  I was allowed to ride along with her cousin's family as they took her to the place her family was staying.  I walked her to the door and kissed her very clumsily.

Yes, Lori was my first girlfriend.  The sense-of-wonder and the commencement of the civilization of this beast (yours truly) commenced here.  Best wishes, young lady, wheree'er ye be!

See you Monday, August 2nd, for the commencement of a month of TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!

  

From March 1976, It's DETENTE TREK!

 It looks like a Gold Key Star Trek comic, but it's really from the March 1976 National Lampoon.

The art is by real-life comics artist Alan Kupperberg, famous for Spider-Man and others.

You can tell that President Ford plays Kirk, while Henry Kissinger is in the Spock role.  SOMEBODY tell me who is supposed to be Dr McCoy?!?! 

After a visit from the August calendar page from 1971 and today, join us on Monday, August 2nd, for an entire month TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!

 

Julie Schwartz -- American Hero!

 It's one of my eternal regrets that I DID not make it a point to meet Julie Schwartz when he was a SoonerCon guest in November 1992 here in OKC.

This interview with the cultural giant is from Comics Interview #88, in 1990.

See you on Thursday for the last installment of this cockeyed salute to some of the crazy, glorious facets of this spiffy country.

IN AUGUST:  MORE TREKKING WITH CLIPPINGS!