MEMORY LANE PUBLICATIONS Location: 594 Markham Street, Toronto Owner: George Henderson
Contributors:
Peter John Harris, journalist & editor of Star Week, Derek Carter, Don Daynard, Don Hutchison, a TVO cameraman and expert on pulp magazines, Don Miller and Peter Gill.
Memory Lane Publications was an extension of George Henderson’s Memory Lane memorabilia shop. The Vast Whizzbang Organization was probably a sub organization within Memory Lane Publications. It appears to have been founded in 1968 to publish Captain George’s Whizbang and Captain George’s Penny Dreadful. The enterprise was comprised of George Henderson and the tight knit group of popular culture aficionados whose names are listed above. A series of reprints of newspaper cartoon strips was also published by Memory Lane Publications, but apparently not the Vast Whizzbang Organization. It may have been a separate operation.
Captain George’s Whizbang and Captain George’s Penny Dreadful were both edited by Peter Harris. Captain George’s Whizbang was a regular sized magazine with black & white covers and interiors while Captain George’s Penny Dreadful was a weekly newsletter printed on an eight and a half by 11 inch sheet of paper folded in half. The back page was written by Pete Harris and contained short events items. The two inside pages were filled by various writers most often those listed above.
When the reprint series began is not known. The first title of the series was Comic World Presents … but quickly changed to Captain George’s Comic World then finally settled on Captain George presents,….
PUBLICATIONS:
PERIODICAL GRAPHIC COLLECTION:
Comic World Presents no number, no date. Hal Foster’s Tarzan”.
Captain George’s Comic World,…. Memory Lane Publications.
16, no date. “Buck Rogers”
22, no date. “Capt. Marvel, Capt. Marvel Jr., Bulletman.
27, no date. “The Spirit” by Will Eisner, “Brothers of the Spear”, 2 essays.
Captain George presents,…. Memory Lane Publications.
33&34, no date, “Seein’ Stars.” by Feg Murray
37, no date, “Thimble Theatre starring Popeye” by E.C. Seegar.
45, no date, “Rip Kirby” by Alex Raymond &”Napoleon by Cliffe McBride..
46, no date, “Prince Valiant by Hal Foster.
PERIODICAL TEXT ANTHOLOGY:
The New Captain George’s Whizbang. Vast Whizzbang Organization/Memory Lane Publications. | ||
No. 7 (vol. 2 no. 1), 1970.
No. 8 (vol. 2 no. 2), 1970. No. 9 (vol. 2 no. 3), 1970. |
No. 12 (vol. 2 no. 6), 1971.
No. 13 (vol. 3 no. 1), 1971. No. 14 (vol. 3 no. 2), 1972. |
No. 16 (vol. 3 no. 4), 1973.
No. 17 (vol. 4 no. 1), 1974. No. 18 (vol. 4 no. 2), 1974. |
Captain George’s Penny Dreadful, Vast Whizzbang Organization/Memory Lane Publications, 352, 21 Nov. 1975 to 487, 23 June 1978.
Captain George’s Penny Dreadful, Vast Whizzbang Organization/Memory Lane Publications, Special Edition, no number no date. An explanation by James Waley for the collapse of Orb magazine.
GALLERY:
The New Captain George’s Whizbang, 7, no date: Front cover. Illus., Hal Foster.
“The Beavers” were created by cartoonist Dave Sim.
“Shawn Among The Ruins.” Written by George Henderson appeared in Andromeda 2-2, June 1978.
Captain George’s Penny Dreadful, Special Edition, no number no date: Front cover.
Captain George presents, 46, no date, “Prince Valiant”: Front cover.