The Battle For Leyte Gulf - Part 3 Comic Book

Here is Part 3 of 3 of the 1967 comic book Combat #24 published by Dell Publishing Co. dated April 1967.

I purchased a few days ago for $1. IN the Very Fine (VF condition it is in, it is worth around $20. I also purchased Tarzan #67 (1955) and #108 (1958) and something called Mighty Comics #43 (1967) - each in VF condition and also for $1 apiece. They are each worth, $49, $43 and $26, respectively. That's $138!

Not a bad haul, eh?

Anyhow, this comic book represents the pivotal battle for the Pacific between the Japanese and Allies during WW 2. It's the Battle for Leyte Gulf and stars General Douglas MacArthur.

Click on each page to make it larger.

Enjoy:

And there you have it. I hope you learned a little history. And for Mike Rogers, I hope it was fun to read one of your childhood comics!


More good stuff to follow in a few hours!

Cheers
Andrew Joseph

The Battle For Leyte Gulf - Part 2 Comic Book

Here's is Part 2 of Combat #24, a Dell Publishing Co. comic book that appeared as the April 1967 issue.

Comics in those days past were listed by month about three months ahead of when they actually appeared on the newstand. That means this book actually appeared in January of 1967. The idea behind this practice was so that the comic book could appear longer on the shelves, while still giving it the appearance of having just appeared.

This particular comic book was published quarterly. Again, the implication being that war comics  - not quite 18 years removed from WWII, but within the confines of the Vietnam Conflict, were not as popular as they once were amongst the reading public.

By the way, I like how the Vietnam War was renamed the Vietnam Conflict by the Americans - a rewriting of history to show that the U.S. never lost a war. Vietnam was a piece of crap war that was every bit as violent as WWII. The main difference was the in WWII, you knew who the enemy was.

This tale presented here is about the Battle For Letye Gulf in the Philippines, when General Douglas Macarthur uttered his famous words: "I have returned."

This book was one I had purchased on Saturday for $1 - a great deal considering the book is in fantastic shape. It's not an overly valuable book as Dell war comics are not as sought after as DC and Marvel's. Marvel had the very popular Sgt. Nick Fury and His Howling Comandos. Yes... the same Nick Fury who is part of the Captain America movie of 2011 and The Avengers movie of 2012 that is about to hit the movie screens.

DC had, amongst it's many war books: The Haunted Tank, Sgt. Rock and The Losers - all of which I enjoyed and still enjoy.

These Dell books tended to have a bit more realism to them and I didn't like them as much - perhaps because it hit too close to home that war was real and hell.

I only offer this book to you all because it is an important part of U.S. and Japanese history. Besides... it doesn't hurt to learn something of the past - just so you know your grandpa wasn't just bull-sh!tting you.

Part 3 follows tomorrow. As always, if you click on the image, it will increase in size enabling you to read it. Enjoy:      

That's the end of Part 2. Tomorrow, The Battle Ends.

Cheers,
Andrew Joseph

The Battle For Leyte Gulf - Comic Book

Presented for your reading pleasure is Part 1 of  3 of a comic book I purchased on April 14, 2012 for $1.

As you can see from the title up above, it's called COMBAT, and is a $0.12 comic book published by Dell Publishing Co. in April of 1967 - not quite 18 years after WWII ended with the surrender of Japan in the Pacific theater.

The tale below presents a westernized view of the Battle for Leyte Gulf and the recapture of the Philippines by the Allied Forces from Japan back on October 21, 1944.

As a fair warning, the comic book refers to the Japanese with the term "Japs", which while some would consider it offensive nowadays, was not considered so back when the war was going on or when the comic was published. It certainly is a lot better than the more offensive term "Nips" which is derived from "Nippon", which was one way Japan was written, the other being "Nihon".

The comic book itself is in Very Fine condition, and until I purchased it, it didn't appear as though anyone had ever turned a page within its covers before. I have no idea why I was able to purchase the book so cheaply, nor do I care... I'm just glad I did.

Those of you who know me, realize I collect comic books and have over 30,000 of them in my collection dating back as early as 1911 - though I do have a pair of 1862 Japanese comic books utilizing woodblock printing techniques, both of which I presented HERE and HERE for you previously.

So, without much further ado, here's Combat #24. I shall present parts 2 and 3 over the next two days, along with other material for your reading pleasure. I'm sure that if you click on each image, it shall increase in size for you to allow you to better read it.

   

End of Part 1

Cheers,
Andrew Joseph

Sustainable Food Packaging Inspired By Origami

I admire good packaging. If you knew me, you would understand why.

It's why I wanted to show you this wicked-looking package, which if you have read the headline, you realize is a folding paper(board) container designed to look like origami.

Origami, as you hopefully know, is the Japanese art of folding paper into simple or intricate shapes. 'Ori' means folding, and 'kami' means paper. The 'k' becomes a 'g' in origami due to something called RENDAKU.

I can barely fold a piece of paper in half without a police squad becoming involved, so I have always been impressed by those who can take a simple piece of paper and create a work of art.

Of course, I used to be able to do that when I actually wrote stories with a pen and paper rather than keyboard and screen.

This origami-inspired package comes from Guactruck, a mobile food service take-out restaurant situated in Manila, Philippines. This eatery serves up Mexican-inspired Filipino cuisine. Sure. Why not? But it's not simple greasy-dive, fast-food takeout.

No.

Guactruck is more than that, as evidenced by its keen eye to packaging detail.

Blooming great package!

While this packaging is truly a work of art, it was created with sustainability in mind. Manufactured from a single piece of paperboard, and keeping with the pure traditions of origami, the package is constructed without any type of adhesive. And, as we all know, paper is biodegradable. Mmmmm. How green is my guacamole?

The design, as you can tell, looks like a the bud of a flower - and when it is opened up, it definitely looks like a blooming flower! Awesome!

For your amusement and mine, I have counted the actual folds diecut into the package. No wagering.... there are 38 folds that a machine has made.

Machines make the pattern, Guactruck staff fold the paperboard.

Now... I'm not 100% positive of this, but if I am the company cutting the paperboard pack for Guactruck, I'm pretty sure it is shipped flat to the food guys... that means that the staff, in order to place their freshly cooked Mexican-Filipino dishes in it, must first construct the package. And if you take a close look at the flat open package, and what it looks like closed, this is a precise piece of work, and looks to be a tad time-consuming.

Oh, the sacrifices one does for one's art!   

According to Guactruck (which I take it is a mash-up of 'guacamole' and 'truck'):
"The design for the packaging is a creative solution to the wastefulness that most containers are today with its single cardboard, origami-inspired design. It’s made of biodegradable paperboard that is easy to recycle... All of the cutlery used is made from cornstarch and biodegrades within 90 days."

Cutlery, too? Fantastic!

Guactruck is not offering standard greasy, junk food one could purchase from a truck (at least here in Toronto, that is all we get! Fries, burgers, hot dogs...  Sucks!). The proprietors not only create some tasty-looking dishes, but they wanted a packaging design to focus on creativity and aesthetics, all the while desiring something sustainable.

While the packaging itself is biodegradable, Guactruck has come up with (for me, here in Canada) what appears to be an innovative way to encourage recycling of its packaging.

Guactruck encourages its customers to return the used packaging with the incentive of obtaining a free meal in exchange for 10 returned packs. The returned packaging will then be sent to the proper local channels for recycling.

So... Guactruck has not only created an awareness of sustainable packaging and recycling, but has also instilled a habit of conscious and conscientious consumerism.

Brilliant logo!

And, just so you know, the Guactruck truck itself uses LED and energy-saving lighting.

Guactruck - thank you for being so international, using Japanese-inspired packaging design with your Mexican meals in the Philippines, so this Canadian guy could share his food with the world.

Sorry. That last paragraph was corny. Article over! I'm hungry! Guacktruck! Do you deliver?

by Andrew Joseph