I may have missed my annual post last year, but not my free Slurpee.

Again, if you’ve been following this site for any length of time, you know what July 11 means. This is one of the few days out of the year you can get something for nothing. Head on over to the local 7-Eleven or one of its subsidiaries: A-Plus, Speedway or Stripes Convenience Stores and have ‘em set ya up with a carbonated slushy.

Omar Knedlik is the father of the frozen beverages. When his soda fountain broke, Knedlik was forced to store his pops in a freezer to keep them cool. Extended exposure to the extra cool temperatures caused the pop to congeal. Customers found the semi frozen drink refreshing and a legend was born.

This year’s link between Slurpees and comic books comes from a long mistaken belief I had.

Scratch ticket

Way back in 1981, 7-Eleven and Marvel ran a contest. The convenience store offered a scratch-and-win game. Buy a Slurpee and get a ticket. Match three-in-a-row and you received a prize.

For the longest time I thought the prize was one of four mini comics. Each were two and five-eighths by three and a half inches, 10 pages in length, with a stick of gum. The first was Spider-Man in The Clutches of Doc Ock!

Next was The Hulk in Trapped in the Lair of The Leader!

Issue three featured Captain America in Satellite of the Red Skull with Spider-Woman in To Defy Doctor Doom! rounding out the line up.

One day I happened across The Secret of the Power Crown, a full-size, original Marvel comic book featuring the above four heroes. A little research and I find that what I’ve believed to be promotional mini comics are in reality Amurol’s Bubble Funnies.

The Bubble Funnies were offered in a box much like trading cards to the public at large. In addition, mini Archie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic books were sold along with the Marvel books.

I never saw The Secret of the Power Crown at that time.

I still have my Bubble Funnies, even after all these years. They are no less treasured. They can be found on the secondary market fairly easily and are nice – if odd – additions to any collection.

For me, they will still be my rewards for playing the scratchers and niche pieces in my collection.

My mother was a Philatelist and I’m not ashamed to say so.

While there aren’t as many philatelists as in years past, there’s still a core group who will appreciate today. What is today? Today is National U.S. Postage Stamp Day.

The first postage stamp issued in the United States was on July 1, 1847. Prior to the stamp, a letter could be mailed without and paid for upon arrival. That changed in 1855 when stamps became mandatory.

The first two stamps issued featured likenesses of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Since then, stamps have been adorned with everything from flowers to works of art to, yes, even super heroes.

DC Comics heroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Flash, Plastic Man, Supergirl, and Hawkman were featured on a sheet of stamps issued July 20, 2006.

Marvel followed suit a year later, July 25, 2007, with Spider-Man, Hulk, Namor, Thing, Captain America, Silver Surfer, Spider-Woman, Elektra, Iron Man and Wolverine.

Another eBay find, here’s a three-and-a-half inch Hulk bursting with holiday cheer.

Again, this plastic/PVC miniature Marvel is dated 1991. Probably a companion piece to Spider-Man and Wolverine posted a week ago.

    PVC Hulk also compliments his first Christmas dedicated issue, Incredible Hulk 378 published the following holiday season.

The Hulk doesn’t normally inspire fancies of Cupid, but ol’ Jade Jaws has had his share of romances. More so than his alter ego Bruce Banner.

His first, and truest, will always be Betty Ross.

Betty has been around since Hulk (1962) one. In true Marvel manner, she is the daughter of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Banner/Hulk’s oldest nemesis.

The two were romantically involved off and on throughout every incarnation of the Hulk’s books. They eventually married in Incredible Hulk (1968) 310 in 1986.

Next in Hulk’s black book would be a toss up. Caiera Oldstrong is his baby mama, but Jarella was pure puppy love from the dawn of the Bronze Age.

Jarella became the Hulk’s love interest, not Banner’s. When Hulk was miniaturized, he found himself ruler and betrothed with the princess of Ka’i. Their love couldn’t last as Hulk found himself yanked from the micro verse.

Caiera would play a lead role in Planet Hulk – Incredible Hulk (1968) 92-105 – becoming his wife and bearing their child, Skaar. Her death would result in the World War Hulk story arc that spanned most titles in the four color Marvel Universe.

As another famous green celebrity once said, “It’s not easy being green.”

Here’s another Marvel puzzle worth the time, the rear cover of Marvel Treasury Edition number 13 – cover dated 1976.

Well, almost. Gone from the original artwork is the Silver Surfer, and the Wasp – ironically – is shrunk. Added are the Falcon, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Hulk.

This is the third and final holiday tabloid from the House of Ideas. DC tapped out this year only offering two prior editions, though they had more material to pull from.

There are 28 Treasury Editions in all, from 1974 through 1981.

Original back cover

December 23rd: Two days and counting…

Hallmark unleashed the Hulk in 2014 with an ornament simply entitled Hulk Smash!

While a great sculpt and pose, what this reminds me of is The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction from 2005. Our version is for the underrated GameCube and one I still pop in from time-to-time.

Radical Entertainment was able to capture the Hulk perfectly. In addition to the GameCube, Ultimate Destruction was released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

This gem happened about the same time I was embarking on putting together my Hulk collection. A long-time fan, I finally took the plunge and went back for a full run of the second Hulk volume. With the exception of issues 141 and 180, I’ve done so.

The game happened to be a Christmas purchase as well. We had rented it enough times we probably bought it twice over, but it was still under the tree for 2005.

Hulk first appeared in a video game with the title Questprobe in 1984. It was featured for several fledgling computer models of the time.

It was another 10 years before he was pixelated again. This time for the Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Super Nintendo in a self-titled side scroller.

Three years passed before he starred in The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga in 1997. Featured on the Playstation and Sega Saturn, this beat ’em up was based on the Pantheon story arc in Hulk comic books.

Hulk was released in 2003 to coincide with his first movie. The GameCube, Playstation 2 and Xbox were the systems that handled the game.

Hulk got small for the Game Boy Advance the same year with a ported version of the above game.

The Incredible Hulk hit the shelves in 2008 to tie-in with the second Hulk movie. Playstation 2, Wii and Xbox 360 were the platforms at the time.

He’s also appeared in other games as part of an ensemble cast, like the Lego games. These are probably the only ones that come close to equaling Ultimate Destruction. Sometimes you can’t outdo the originals.

December 18th: Seven days and counting…

Its simple and elegant, but speaks volumes.

The red block design features the Marvel Comics logo with super heroes on one side and villains on the other. Heroes include Thor, Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Hulk and Iron Man. Villains are Loki, Red Skull, Hela, Thanos and Ultron.

   Amazingly, these are the same heroes and villains featured in recent movies allowing both theater goers to enjoy as well as comic book veterans.

   This is part of the less expensive Hallmark ornaments produced for outlets like Walmart. It doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of adding this one to the tree.

December 10th: 15 days and counting…

I’ve had this ornament long enough I can’t remember where it originally came from.

The company responsible for this piece of whimsy began overseas with a dream by a visionary in the Christmas market.

Hallmark normally overshadows most other ornament makers, but Kurt S. Adler was christened America’s Father Christmas by Life Magazine in 2002 for his lifelong pursuit of production and profit.

Adler was born June 19, 1921, in Wurzburg, Germany. He moved to the United States at the age of 16 to live with an uncle to escape Nazi Germany. He served as a shipping clerk in the United States Army during World War II. When the war ended, he continued his trade learned in the armed forces by importing products to the U.S. He soon focused exclusively on European Christmas items such as figurines and snow globes. Next were artificial trees from Nuremberg in the 1950s and light strands from Italy in the 1960s.

His empire continued to grow with the licensing of figures from such well-known companies as Walt Disney and Warner Brothers.

Adler passed Nov. 25, 2004, due to heart failure. His legacy continues on many trees throughout the world, especially the United States.

December 8th: 17 days and counting…

Any comic book devotee will tell you what a turbulent time the 1990s were for comic books and Marvel in particular. The situation was simply a money grab as the company was sold a few times over, based on inflated sales at the comic book shops. When the bubble finally burst, Marvel found itself filing for bankruptcy as it floundered to stay afloat.

Avi Arad, ToyBiz owner and executive producer on the X-Men the Animated Series, showed foresight by licensing out some of the product. Blade saw a return of $70,000,000, but Marvel only received $25,000. Same with the X-Men and Spider-Man movies.

What it did do was set up a formula that brought Marvel out of its financial distress; rather than farm their talent out, Marvel formed its own studio and began utilizing its characters, allowing the company to reap the rewards directly.

Yet, during the strife of the late 90s, Marvel carried on as best it could, licensing out not only its characters to films, but pimping out just about anyone to turn a profit. Three of the biggest – and most recognizable – names at the time were Hulk, Spider-Man and Wolverine. This ornament three-pack housed in a metal lunchbox-type holder showcase that trio.

Wish I had this set.

December 2nd: 23 days and counting…

Hallmark began producing and marketing ornaments in 1973. It wasn’t until the late 1990s they started giving us what we really wanted with Spider-Man and the Hulk.  Jade Jaws is sporting some uncharacteristic blue jeans as he gallops along the tree.  Still, a nice addition to anyone’s season.