I think these were stored away following using them 26 or 27 years ago in Fantasy Empire magazine. In case you didn't see them there, here's a look at a couple of delightful British fantasy comic-strip gems.

First is the very first daily-strip episode of Four D. Jones, a series consisting of the adventures of a cowboy who traveled to many alternate worlds by jumping through a fourth-dimensional hole (which he carried with him for the purpose). It was by Peter Maddocks, who ended the strip in the mid-1960s (with his title character jumping into the hole, as I recall).

Second is the start of one of my favorite episodes of the brilliant satire strip Flook by "Trog." It began in 1949 and ended in 1984. "Trog" was jazz musician Wally Fawkes, who drew it, and I think this episode was written by George Melly. I believe this story was also collected in a trade paperback several years ago.

It'd be keen, if both those strips would be featured in the sort of reprint volumes Fantagraphics is producing these days. Sigh ...

Scripter Stephen Moffat (whose "Girl in the Fireplace" Doctor Who episode just won a Hugo Award, whose "Blink" will probably win next year's Hugo in that category, and whose series Jekyll and Coupling have attracted much-deserved notice) will adapt Tintin for theatrical release.

Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg will adapt three Tintin graphic novels by Belgian writer-artist Herge, the three not yet announced. There are more details at Guardian Unlimited -- and more details elsewhere are sure to follow. Tintin is already available around the world; I first read the English translations 25 years ago or so. The stories are terrific, and some have been adapted before. But this looks to be The Dream Team.

A postcard just arrived reminding us all about the Midwest Comic Book Association's FallCon comic-book convention on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds (at the Education Building) in Saint Paul from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 6 and 7.

There are door prizes, an art show, guest panels, portfolio review, Hero Clix tournaments, and a charity auction. (They say they need volunteers, too.)

Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, Don and I used to put on a picnic every summer, when our garden's corn was ready for consumption. We'd tell our friends, and everyone would spend a Saturday munching corn on the cob and spaghetti and talking about everything under the sun, most of it with pop-culture overtones.

When we moved to Wisconsin, Chet Krause suggested we continue the idea, and 1983 kicked off an annual casual picnic-type event with the Comics Division as host, minus the corn (on the cob, anyway) and retaining the spaghetti. And last weekend was the latest such, with attendees from as far away as Chicago. The conversation ranged from the recent Steve Ditko documentary on British TV (with yearnings from all and sundry that it would air at some point in America) to the art of brewing mead (and the hazards attendant upon letting it ferment too long in a confining container) to what was strange about the two Walt Kelly comics I'd posted on this site recently to whether one should publish original art that had been, in effect, a thank-you gift, never intended for publication.

And we played Cineplexity. And kids romped on the lawn. And it took two batches of spaghetti to feed the multitude. And there were DVDs of Donald Duck and Bullwinkle in a small separate room for when the kids yearned for other entertainment. And, my, but it was fun!

The point here is that you don't have to put on a formal convention to get together with like-minded folks to have a whale of a good time. But some previous years' guests were unreachable this year. Has anyone spoken with Dennis Jensen recently, for example? We didn't get a bounce-back from our e-mail, but ... And Jim Bahler? Where's he these days? Is Barb Kaalberg in Wisconsin?

Long story short: We're now in autumn, and the opportunities are dwindling for such events in this neck of the woods. Have you considered having your buddies over for an afternoon of comics chat and spaghetti? Or pizza? Or?

Here's one of the comics from that Heritage order: Four Color Comic #97: Walt Disney's The Wonderful Adventures of Pinocchio (copyright 1939, 1945 by Walt Disney Productions). The primary story, "The Wonderful Adventures of Pinocchio," was reprinted in the Four Color series later -- which is when I first saw it.

But this version had a back-up story that wasn't reprinted: "The Wonderful Mis-Adventures of Donocchio."

And, among the cool aspects of #97, the whole shooting match was by Walt Kelly. The weird thing is that it wasn't all inked by him, despite his obviously having written it and pencilled it. Only a few panels carry the full Kelly style, shown in the first panel. Perhaps he was trying out an assistant? Maybe he was even trying new tools: different brushes? drawing with his other hand? In any case, it's clearly his work -- with a difference. And the script of "Donocchio" has fun with Disney's Pinocchio (as well as the comic book itself). "Blow me down!" Donald says. "There's the wishing star -- and it reminds me that Pinocchio was a real blockhead! If he'd played his cards right, he could have stayed on Pleasure Island and nobody the wiser -- I'd like to be Pinocchio for about --" and he drifts off to sleep.