It’s the Cracked Guide to Skateboarding, published in the September, 1976 issue of Cracked Magazine. As a kid, not knowing the history of which came first, I still somehow managed to grok Cracked as a somewhat inferior imitator of Mad Magazine. That didn’t stop me from pouring over each issue I came in contact with. I’ve always associated Mad and Cracked with trailer homes at the lake where my cousin kept his stash hidden from plain sight in his closet. His mother would literally sneer when she’d see us reading them, and she often disapproved vocally of “that trash,” which lent them a small fraction of an illicit quality usually reserved for Playboy and the likes. Sure, there were the frequent Bill Ward illustrations featuring out of place dangerously endowed females, but for the most part it was just adolescent gags and smart-assed comments. Issue 135 of Cracked tackles skateboarding in typical Cracked fashion.

I made some 7 color, screen printed reproductions of an advert for Nash skateboards Park Rider model. These ads appeared in comic books around 1978. I thought I had posted my copy here, but I must have been thinking of this old Bullwinkle ad instead. The idea of printing these has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I went as far as working on the separation file before sitting on it for a year. Earlier this week I got it in my head that I should try to crank these out in time for the Above Coping art show benefit at Commonwealth Skateboarding in Portland tonight. On Tuesday I called RC Screen Shop, luckily they had four screens stretched that the original buyer never picked up. They were large enough that I could burn two colors side by side on one screen, so I decided to go for it. After a few sweaty late evenings (cutting it down to the wire) I have a finished print run. If you buy one at Commonwealth, all the proceeds will go directly to Above Coping. Original advert and more after the jump.

An inmate at a minimum-security facility in Watsonville walked away and escaped the grounds Thursday morning and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help finding him. Stakeout the nearest DIY spot – Case solved. At least he didn’t get a company logo tattooed on his face. – Thanks to Coulter for the tip. [Source: Kron 4]

The age old story of an insanely wealthy boy and his dog’s misadventures on a time traveling skateboard. How a comic book character as weak as Richie Rich got a spinoff title is a mystery. Richie must have been pretty popular. The number 2 issue of Richie Rich & the Dollar Dog, (February of 1978) has a story titled “Skateboard Dog.” With the bar already raised so high by the title, you’d think the story would fail to measure up, and you’d be correct. I think every issue of Richie Rich and his affiliated crew is worthy of the title “Number 2.” You can check out this sad tail [sic] after the jump. Some of the pages proved difficult to lay flat, but I didn’t take apart the issue for scanning in fear of destroying it’s obvious (huge) money making potential. I think I paid $3.50 for this 15 year old comic. In 15 more years I may double my investment! Eat that, Richie Rich.

This is an advertisement for Jantzen swimwear published int the June, 1966 issue of the Life Magazine. It gives Further credence to the idea that skateboarding was not dead by the end of 1965. Granted, the submission deadline could have been a couple months in advance. Also of note, this advert features 3 future Hall of Fame professional athletes in 3 different disciplines. It has NFL football player Frank Gifford, NBA basketball player Jerry West and NHL hockey player Bobby Hull, all admiring the Jantzen “Chemstrand Sharkskin” fabric wrapped around a skateboard and surfboard.

This is a model named Kate Kondas, who I guess is a thing. She was photographed for the August 2013 issue of Elle Magazine Hungary in a partially finished, partially ghetto looking skatepark somewhere. I’ve never seen a concrete park with asphalt on the top deck. The photographer (and possible anime villain) is named Zoltan Tombor. [Source: Fashion Gone Rogue] – Thanks to the spawn of MC for the tip.

We’ve seen Eddie Munster on a skatebaord before, and now we can add Grandpa and Herman Munster to the list of super cool tough guys. This painting of Grandpa and Herman riding skateboards was found uncredited on Stumpahnds. I couldn’t find the original source, so if you know where it came from, please leave a comment. UPDATE: It’s a coloring book.

It’s 1978 and the Rocket Racer is back in Volume 1 #182 of The Amazing Spiderman. I haven’t seen the first appearance of the Rocket Racer, but the storyline mimics the ’90s animated Spiderman series, except the Rocket Racer in the cartoon is a teenager, while the original Rocket Racer is drawn more like a full grown man. The Rocket Racer has a skateboard that allows him to defy gravity. Not only does it stick to walls, but it magically adheres the riders feet to the board while riding vertical surfaces. Rocket uses his skateboard to perpetrate crimes to pay his mother’s or gandmother’s medical bills. It’s the age old story of a good hearted person forced into a life of crime. The pages with skateboarding in them are available after the jump, as well as the entire episode from the 1994 animated series.

I’ll join you too… The official title of this publication is “Archie’s Girls Betty & Veronica.” Archie’s been skating since the 60’s. His previous appearances here have only cover-only affairs, but this issue (#250 October, 1976) actually has a skateboarding story inside. Archie gets away with murder as far as the ladies go. I don’t know if Betty and Veronica have ever wised up, but you’d think they would have ditched him. Veronica always seemed more appealing to me when I could stomach to read Archie, but in this comic I’m squarely on Betty’s side. Turns out Betty is a good skater. She’s so good that she’s giving pointers to the guys in the gang, who are doting on her purely because of her skills and not because of her feminine wiles. Big surprise, Veronica is jealous of the attention. I wonder if this the origin of the term “Skate Betty?” Sit back and enjoy the “Wheel Zeal” and let me know if you what the heck the”Shu-Fly” variation of the Christie is. UPDATE: The Wheel Zeal title gets used again in a 1999 Betty & Veronica skateboarding story.

This is Richie Rich #163 published in February of 1978 by Harvey Publications. As a child, I never understood the appeal of Richie Rich. Why would anyone want to read about a kid who was absurdly rich unless he was also Batman? In 1978, Richie is on the forefront of the novelty skateboard trend with this dollar sign shaped deck. He’s got bling too – that looks like some sort of gem covered mounting hardware. “With a model like this, I’ll never be skate-bored!” Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk…