2019 Promises

2019 Promises

Happy New Year!

Inks by Dick Giordano from the story “Heartbreaker” in First Kiss #12, 1960.

 

Transcription:

SCENE: A man and a woman are dancing close together as soap bubbles swirl around them.

MAN: I’m looking forward to keeping ALL of my resolutions in 2019!

WOMAN: That’s funny! I’m looking forward to breaking all of mine!

1960 Inks: Dick Giordano Color: Allen Freeman

Art Code: 12.3.3.4

↓ Transcript
SCENE: A man and a woman are dancing close together as soap bubbles swirl around them.

MAN: I’m looking forward to keeping ALL of my resolutions in 2019!

WOMAN: That’s funny! I’m looking forward to breaking all of mine!

1960 Inks: Dick Giordano Color: Allen Freeman

Art Code: 12.3.3.4

New Year, New Attitude

New Year, New Attitude

For 2019, l resolved not to make any New Year’s resolutions until I lost a ton of weight; wrote a best-selling book and grew three inches. So far, so good!

Art by Charles Nicholas & Sal Trapani from the story “One Stolen Kiss” from FIRST KISS #1, 1957.

 

Transcript:

SCENE: A wearing a beret and smoking a cigarette talks to a woman.

MAN: This year I resolve to be a beacon of kindness and civility…even to dimwits like you!
WOMAN: You’ll never be as kind as me, you jerk!

1957 Art: Charles Nicholas & Sal Trapani Color: Diego Jourdan Pereira

Art Code: DJP.lk524 1.3.5.3

↓ Transcript
SCENE: A wearing a beret and smoking a cigarette talks to a woman.

MAN: This year I resolve to be a beacon of kindness and civility...even to dimwits like you!
WOMAN: You’ll never be as kind as me, you jerk!

1957 Art: Charles Nicholas & Sal Trapani Color: Diego Jourdan Pereira

Art Code: DJP.lk524 1.3.5.3


Stan Lee’s Birthday

Stan Lee’s Birthday

Besides paying tribute to Stan Lee, today’s comic is also special because it’s given me an idea for something new for Last Kiss. Or rather something old that many of you haven’t seen before.

You see, I originally created today’s Last Kiss years ago as part of my long-running comic strip for Comics Buyer’s Guide (CBG.) While looking at it and my other CBG comics, I thought, “Hey some of these aren’t bad. And most of ’em have never been reprinted. Hmmm…”

So, for the next few Fridays, I’ll be reprinting the best of my CBG strips. Whether I continue doing so will largely depends on reader reactions. I hope you like ’em. Let me know what you think.

—John Lustig

Original Art:

Art from an old, Fox News interview with Stan Lee.

 

Dialogue Transcript:

CAPTION: Welcome to the exciting world of comics–where all sentences end in exclamation marks! All wars end with knockout punches! And outrageous fantasies never end!

PANEL #1
SCENE: Stan Lee is being interviewed by a man as a beautiful, scantily-clad woman in a super-hero-ish costume sits in the background,

INTERVIEWER: I’m here with Stan Lee and one of the many super-heroes he…

WOMAN: Me? A super-hero?

STAN: Try again, True Believer!

PANEL 2
SCENE: Closeup of Interviewer.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, my! Then you must be a…(gulp!)…super villain, right?

PANEL 3
SCENE: Cut back to all three of them. Stan smiles and pumps his fist.
WOMAN: No! I’m just Stan’s secretary! He says all the women who work in comics dress like this!
INTERVIEWER: Sheer genius! And that’s why Stan’s the man!
STAN: Excelsior!

CAPTION: Playfully dedicated to Stan Lee on what would’ve been his 96th birthday.

Art © 2018 Marvel Characters, Inc. Used with permission.

Art Code: RomitaStanLeeStrip

↓ Transcript
CAPTION: Welcome to the exciting world of comics--where all sentences end in exclamation marks! All wars end with knockout punches! And outrageous fantasies never end!

PANEL #1
SCENE: Stan Lee is being interviewed by a man as a beautiful, scantily-clad woman in a super-hero-ish costume sits in the background,

INTERVIEWER: I'm here with Stan Lee and one of the many super-heroes he...

WOMAN: Me? A super-hero?

STAN: Try again, True Believer!


PANEL 2
SCENE: Closeup of Interviewer.
INTERVIEWER: Oh, my! Then you must be a...(gulp!)...super villain, right?

PANEL 3
SCENE: Cut back to all three of them. Stan smiles and pumps his fist.
WOMAN: No! I'm just Stan's secretary! He says all the women who work in comics dress like this!
INTERVIEWER: Sheer genius! And that's why Stan's the man!
STAN: Excelsior!

CAPTION: Playfully dedicated to Stan Lee on what would’ve been his 96th birthday.

Art © 2018 Marvel Characters, Inc. Used with permission.

Art Code: RomitaStanLeeStrip

Text ©2010 & 2018 Last Kiss Inc. Color by Allen Freeman

Easy to Love

Easy to Love

Art by Matt Baker from the cover of Diary Secrets #28, March 1955.

 

Transcript:

SCENE: Woman with a compact mirror in a fur-lined outfit/dress who is smiling and patting her her hair.

WOMAN: Like Most women, I’m easy to love! impossible to forget! And dangerous to ignore!

1955 Art: Matt Baker Re-Creation: Kirsten Wilson

Art Code: KW.lk9

↓ Transcript
SCENE: Woman with a compact mirror in a fur-lined outfit/dress who is smiling and patting her her hair.

WOMAN: Like Most women, I’m easy to love! impossible to forget! And dangerous to ignore!

1955 Art: Matt Baker Re-Creation: Kirsten Wilson

Art Code: KW.lk9

Christmas Spirit

Christmas Spirit

I know the holidays aren’t all sugar plums and smiles. But I hope this Christmas brings you genuine joy as well as many wonderful moments and warm memories!

—John Lustig

(Many thanks to Diego Jourdan Pereira for the Christmas-themed re-vamp of this art.)

All Romances #1 (1949.) Artist may be Alice Kirkpatrick.

 

↓ Transcript
SCENE: A smiling Santa Clause carries a happy young woman. She has her arms around his neck.

WOMAN: I can’t resist the Christmas Spirit!

SANTA: Ho! Ho! Ho!

CAPTION: Merry Christmas

1949 Art: Alice Kirkpatrick? Re-Ink, Color & Santa-ification: Diego Jourdan Pereira

Art Codes: djp_lk_badsanta01b DJP.lk41

Art possibly by Alice Kirkpatrick from the cover of All Romances #1, Aug. 1949. Published by Ace Magazines. alias