PLOP!

A.K.A "my OTHER radioactive spider bite moment".





So, I think I'm about 4 going on 5, it's well before "Raunchy Hulk", and my uncles handed me down their comic collections.

And, I guess they were dark little kids, cuz there was a lot of "Ghost Rider", and "Weird War", if I remember right.

And, one issue of "PLOP!".

See, DC comics did their own ripoff of "MAD", and called it "PLOP!", and it's...all right.

It's kind of a blend of MAD, and "House Of Mystery", their "Tales From The Crypt", knockoff.

It even has Cain and Abel as hosts.

Hmm, kind of reminds me of "Cracked", in the late 80's when they got all wrapped up in monsters.

Anyway, a lot of it reads as quaint and goofy now, but this was one of those forbidden mind-warping comics for a budding 5 year old.
I treasured it, and read it over and over until it crumbled.

Comics were kinda flimsy in those days...

As you can kinda guess, every cover had one of these monsters on 'em.
Kind of a precursor to Garbage Pail Kids.

Ahh, Plop!, Cracked, Crazy, those were the days.

Surprisingly, a lot of famous artists worked on this.

Alfredo Alcala (he of Raunchy Hulk, and Marvel-Freddy).

Sergio Arigones (MAD, and Groo).

And Berni Wrightson!

That in particular is a cool connection, because he illustrated a lot of "House Of Mystery", issues, especially the story that introduced Swamp Thing, then he went on to illustrate the first 7 or so issues of Swampy, essentially co-creating him, really.

He also lock-stock-and-barrel created Captain Sternn.

Who features in a segment of "Heavy Metal", the movie.

And, of course, Wrightson-era Swampy was made into a film by Wes Craven, who's very next film was "A Nightmare On Elm Street".

So, yeah, all this great weird stuff was made by this interconnected community who essentially created...the 80's.

Great years.

But yeah, this little book helped encourage my own weirdness.
Happened well before "Grandpa's Ghost Stories", actually.

When I really look at it, there was no single "radioactive spider", I was feasted on by swarms of the suckers.

I never stood a chance, *laughs*.

Oh, who am I kidding?
If I'd've had the genes for it, I would have rejected all this "icky", stuff, and been a little math wizard with a lust for accountancy.

Nope, this is what I took to like a fish to water.
This is what I am, this is my, well, for lack of a better word without supernatural connotations "destiny".

Anyway, guess what I'm really saying is a big fat "thanks!", to my uncles. :)