[Slug]

Great comic book site.  I'm an old retired Sign Painter.  The big 7 Oh!  When I was a kid I was lucky enough to know this nice lady who worked at The Ben Franklin Store (5 & 10).  She would bring my brother and I comics every month with the top of the cover torn off.  I read all of them and loved the artwork best.  I was 27 before I decided to learn how to draw and eventually got good enough to get a job airbrushing tee shirts in Dayton Beach, Florida.  When I got to old for that I learned how to paint signs with a brush.  With the coming of the computer age I stayed in the sign business but slowly my drawing and brush skills took a back seat to the plotter and computer.  I've just recently bought a Wacom Tablet and am drawing again.  I found a bunch of comics I had tucked away probably for reference and brought them out again.  Most are westerns but only 45 years old or so and I'm sure they are not in the public domain.  Wish I could share them or at least some pics.  We'll see how it goes.  I bought a years subscription yesterday and will try to visit this site as often as I can.  Again Hi to everyone.  I've been reading a lot of older posts and just about everyone seems nice and friendly.  Thanks.  Slug

[paw broon]

Hello Slug and welcome to CB+
It's always nice to read a bit of background from our members.  Thank you.
Actually, I have to confess to a bit of  a fondness for westerns, particulalry Dell Gene Autry, Western Marshall and those good tv adaptations.

[narfstar]

Welcome slug glad you crawled in. 45 years old would not be public domain. However you can still enjoy them

[Slug]

I remember Gene Autry.  He was quiet the business man in real life I understand.  I liked all of those cowboy characters.  Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Lash Larue, Probably spelled that one wrong.  Whip Wilson, Hopalong Cassidy...And the horses.  Some of those comicbook artists could really draw them well.  I have read that some of the better artists didn't sign their work.  They didn't want people thinking that they would do comics or pulp art.  I couldn't draw back then but their work inspired me later.

[Slug]

You are right narfstar, even at 45 years old they are still interesting to look through.  I wish some of my other toys had lasted that long.

[paw broon]

It so happens that I'm sitting here at my desk writing this and right beside me there is a small pile of Giant Dell 25 cent comics that I have been re-bagging - well, I'll re-bag them eventually because I can't help reading them again.  Great entertainment.
It might be the big 7 Oh! but you are still drawing and, hopefully enjoying life.  Some of us on CB+ are getting on a bit also, I'm 66 and starting to feel it, but I'm involved with comics - American and British.  Both my wife and I enjoy cooking and gardening and we're both learning foreign languages.  I've been doing French and Italian for years so that I can read some of the amazing comics produced in those countries - and go there on holiday.
Keep drawing.

[Slug]

My wife is from England and read comics sent to her by her Grandfather here in the United States.  Of the forty western comics I have only one is an English comic.  The cover says:  "ALL NEW BILLY THE KID"  The price is UK 6P.  The artwork is not very well done and is by Jos

[crashryan]

You know, Slug, that English "Billy the Kid" comic probably reprints Charlton BTK stories. Jose Delbo drew a number of them. This was later in his career but he seems to have just knocked them out (due no doubt to Charlton's legendary low page-rates). He could draw much better than this. It's always interesting to see unexpected artists pop up in 60s and 70s Charltons. Many seem to have been at the end of their careers. I've spotted several hot rod stories by old Golden Age hand Ed Ashe; and Rudy Palais drew what must have been his last stories for the ghost books. Norman Nodel too, I believe.

[paw broon]

Bit of a mystery here re Billy The Kid. Any chance you could scan the cover, or give me some info from the indicia?  I was sure I knew about it but it's not listed in the British guide.  My first thought was that it was an L Miller comic but it's a bit late for that.  Unless it's a 64 pagerbut the price is wrong for that.  Also, at 6p in 1974 it isn't Australian.  You've got me with this one.
By the way, I assume it has a colour cover and b&w interior.

[paw broon]

I think I've solved it. It is a Charlton but with a 6p overstamp for the British market.  There were piles of American comics distributed here, many overstamped with British prices.

[Slug]

Crashryan -   I've noticed that.  The quality of some of the artwork the artists done were shameful.  I guess they were up against it.  It would suck to have to work like that.  Although when I was painting t-shirts 16 hrs a day during tourist season in Dayton Beach, I probably put out some crap also. Ha Ha.  Another thing that I noticed though when I was painting and was really, really tired...I put out some really great stuff while I was on auto pilot.  Probably few work that hard now but maybe.