Avengers #60- The M*A*S*H Connection

Recently posted on another website, a still photo from a MASH TV episode #91 (Jan.6th, 1974) shows Radar O'Reiley sleeping with his teddy bear and a copy of Avengers #60 open face down, under his right hand sg

This, of course, must be a continuity error, because Avengers #60 was not published until January  1969, while MASH is set in the Korean conflict of 1951-53.  Radar could NOT have had that issue at that time.

However, it started me wondering if the actual issue might have been a reprint of #60 in Marvel Super-Heroes or something, which would have been much more available to the TV studio prop department at the time in the mid 70s.

But a quick check of the GCD suggests NO, because the title masthead clearly shows Avengers, not supplanted by a small line reading "Marvel Super-Heroes".

That got me wondering if  the original had ever been reprinted in perhaps, a Sears X-mas package of the greatest Marvel's ever printed?  If that's the case, there might have been a fresh reprint that looks just like the original.

How many times has the end of the first two-part Yellowjacket story been reprinted? Does anyone know the answer, or can we assume that Radar is a time lord or destined to become Kang?

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  • Kirk, according to the GCD it has been reprinted 4 times in English.

  • The REAL question here, is if Kang had made a stop in the Korean Conflict and dropped off a pack of comics, trying to disrupt the time stream again!

  • I'm reminded of 2 different incidents on CHINA BEACH.  In one, the station's DJ had a copy of Steve Miller Band's FLY LIKE AN EAGLE (1976-- you couldn't mistake that LP cover).  In another, the song "Stand By Me" was heard --but it was John Lennon's version (1975).  I forget if that was just on the soundtrack or if it was supposed to be playing over the base's radio station.

  • I wouldn't put it past him. Maybe he was just having a little fun. You can't always be a-conquering!



    Kirk G said:

    The REAL question here, is if Kang had made a stop in the Korean Conflict and dropped off a pack of comics, trying to disrupt the time stream again!

  • 1936094537?profile=RESIZE_480x480I don't mean to make your head explode or anything while you ponder how this happened, but that's actually the second shot in the scene.

    When the scene opens, he's holding Avengers #72! WTF?

    Maybe the prop guy wanted "old" comics, and the intern brought back a bunch of Marvel comics from the prop room. He handed Radar #72 and shot the first take, then realized that the comic wasn't really old enough. 

    So he asked for the oldest comic the intern had, he handed him #60. The prop guy shook his head in disgust and shot it. Or maybe Kang snuck in 1936095122?profile=originaland swapped out the original Korean-period comic with #72, then swapped it again for the next shot, just to prove he could and let us know he was screwing with the Avengers during the Korean War, in the Silver Age, AND in 1974 It could happen.

    Or maybe it had Captain America more prominently on the cover, and that was good enough.

    -- MSA 

  • I always assumed that M*A*S*H took place in an alternate universe where the Korean Conflict went on much longer than it did in our timeline, so that it was still going on by the time those comics came out.

  • In many ways M*A*S*H was in an alternate reality. I really enjoyed the earlier ones, which were closer to the movie version than the later more politically correct ones. The Avengers issue was kind of in keeping with the Vietnam vibe, as were the attitudes and haircuts. I don't think they ever portrayed a North Korean soldier in a bad light, but they sure didn't have a problem portraying a lot of the American soldiers negatively. Radar dating nurses (commissioned officers) was also unreal. They had an interesting one with a male nurse (probably rare in the 1950s) forced to be an enlisted orderly instead of an officer nurse because of his sex. Of course what we are missing is that portraying Radar with a comic book and a teddy bear associates the comic book with being infantile.  

    The Baron said:

    I always assumed that M*A*S*H took place in an alternate universe where the Korean Conflict went on much longer than it did in our timeline, so that it was still going on by the time those comics came out.

  • I don't believe it.  Somebody is messing with me.  Not a nice thing to do on Father's Day!   I believe the images below have been BADLY photoshoped!

    Mr. Silver Age said

    1936094537?profile=RESIZE_480x480I don't mean to make your head explode or anything while you ponder how this happened, but that's actually the second shot in the scene.

    When the scene opens, he's holding Avengers #72! WTF?

    Maybe the prop guy wanted "old" comics, and the intern brought back a bunch of Marvel comics from the prop room. He handed Radar #72 and shot the first take, then realized that the comic wasn't really old enough. 

    So he asked for the oldest comic the intern had, he handed him #60. The prop guy shook his head in disgust and shot it. Or maybe Kang snuck in 1936095122?profile=originaland swapped out the original Korean-period comic with #72, then swapped it again for the next shot, just to prove he could and let us know he was screwing with the Avengers during the Korean War, in the Silver Age, AND in 1974 It could happen.

    Or maybe it had Captain America more prominently on the cover, and that was good enough.

    -- MSA 

  • LOL! You have a high standard for Photoshop. You think someone photographed #72, front and back covers, at just the right angle and resolution and got the lighting just right, then fit the image in around another shot of Radar in bed, which is different from the one where he's sleeping with #60? I'd say that's a pretty GOOD Photoshop job!

    Especially for all the more the Photoshopper got out of doing it. I mean, I know Facebook shows just how much time some people have on their hands, but that might take the cake. 

    1936094425?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    -- MSA

  • No. What I'm suggesting is that someone has taken a screen grab for Radar in bed, photoshopped or traced out the Avengers #60, and opened their copy of #72, set it face down and tried to shoot it from about the right angle.  And then attempted to insert it into the "hole" left from #60.  I don't think they did a really good job of fitting it in, cause I see half the masthead is cut off, and the parallelogram that the comic book represents, isn't filled very well. (Or am I mistaking the lump under the blankets from his feet or knees as the edge of the book?)

    Second, when they're shooting TV series and movies, speed is of the essence.  And so, they would have gotten Gary B into position, after the lights were set, set the cameras rolling, and shot a few seconds of Radar sleeping. Then they would have cued him to shift in his sleep, and shot a few more seconds of him in the second position, and perhaps even a third position. Then they'd strike, and set up the next shot...chopping up the initial scene into two or three cutaways to be spliced in when needed.  It doesn't make sense that they would have changed only the comic cover when shooting the shots.  And they would not have had time to send a prop master back to wherever to get another cover once they were rolling.

    MAYBE, if they were on set and rolling, someone might have said, "Hey, you got one that's more patriotic? Or has Captain America front and center?"  But I don't think either is as good as #56 'Death Be Not Proud", #16 "The Old Order Changeth" or even #22 "The Long Road Back"....or even #4 "Cap joins the Avengers".   That assumes they had a selection to chose from.  And I haven't seen the episode, so I have no real idea what's going on in the episode.

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