ONLY THE PRELIMINARY TEST PRESSINGS MADE IT OUT OF THE PLANT, TO NATIONALISTIC COMICS. MERVIN GLOOKMAN LOOKED OVER THE BOOKS QUICKLY AND THEN RAN DOWN TO THE NEWSSTAND ON THE CORNER. NEVER MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK, GLOOKMAN WOULD SELL ALL OF HIS TEST PRESSINGS TO HIS BUDDY RUPERT MERDICK WHO RAN THE NEWSSTAND, FOR HALF OFF OF THE COVER PRICE. ABOUT 50 COPIES OF CONNIE OF THE CONGO MADE IT OUT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC WHEN THE RADIATION SICKNESSES BEGAN TO POP UP AROUND DERBY AND MANHATTAN. THE C.D.C. WAS QUICK TO TRACK DOWN THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AND ONLY 2 KIDS DIED FROM THE SLIGHT OVER SITE. STRANGE THING IS THAT EVERYONE WHO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRINTING OF THE BOOK OR WHO HAD EVEN GLANCED THRU IT WAS AFFECTED. THE RESULT WAS THEIR SKIN BECOMING A LIGHT PURPLE FOR ABOUT A MONTH! GLOOKMAN HIMSELF WAS A DISTURBING SHADE OF MAUVE FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS IN 1963 AS THE BOOKS SAT ONLY ABOUT A FOOT AWAY FROM HIM ALL DAY ON THE EDGE OF HIS BIG EXECUTIVE TYPE DESK, THAT HE NORMALY ONLY PLAYED DESKTOP FOOTBALL ON OR SET UP SOME ARMY MEN FOR A BIG BATTLE, IN BETWEEN YELLING AT VARIOUS MEMBERS OF HIS COMICS BULLPEN.
AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS COMICBOOK RADIATION POISONING, A COMICBOOK SCARE BEGAN. FUELED BY THE PUBLISHERS OF SLICK MAGAZINES AND SENSATIONAL TELEVISION REPORTS AND "DOCUMENTARIES" A NATIONWIDE PANIC WAS INSTITUTED BY ANGRY MOTHER GROUPS AND DO-GOODERS OF ALL STRIPES, AGAINST THE COMICBOOK INDUSTRY! THE COMICS CODE OF THE TIME WAS QUICK TO STEP IN TO THE DEBATE AND MANDATED THAT PEOPLE OF THE NEGRO PERSUASION WOULD NOW BE COLORED IN VARIOUS SHADES OF BROWN AS GOD INTENDED INSTEAD OF A LIGHT PURPLE, THAT THEY HAD BEEN COLORED IN SINCE COMICBOOKS BEGAN! OF COURSE BUNNY LOST HER JOB AT GLOBE COLORING AND CHEMICAL OVER THE WHOLE MESS. IT REALLY DIDN'T MATTER THAT MUCH TO HER THOUGH. SHE WAS ITCHING TO GET OUT OF CONNECTICUT AND MOVE TO NEW YORK CITY (WHERE LIFE WAS REALLY HIP!) IT ONLY TOOK HER 2 DAYS TO BE HIRED ON AT NATIONALISTIC COMICS AS AN IN-HOUSE COLORIST! A NOW TOTALLY FUCHSIA MERVIN GLOOKMAN HIMSELF HAD HIRED HER, ALL THE WHILE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COLORING AT GLOBE! IT WAS UNBEKNOWNST TO GLOOKMAN FOR YEARS THAT HE HIRED ON THE CAUSE OF ALL THE RADIATION SICKNESS AND LAWSUITS. SHE DIDN'T LAST LONG AT NATIONALISTIC THOUGH. ABOUT 6 WEEKS INTO HER EMPLOYMENT SHE QUIT AND JOINED THE STAFF OF SKIDMORE COMICS (WHERE EVERYBODY KNEW HER SECRET BUT DECIDED TO JUST KEEP QUIET ABOUT IT. REALLY MIXING IN RADIOACTIVE STRONTIUM IN WITH LIGHT PURPLE INK COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE WHO WORKED IN A COMICBOOK COLORING-TOXIC CHEMICAL PLANT.) A FEW YEARS LATER WHEN SOMEONE FINALLY CLUED IN MERVIN GLOOKMAN IN, AS TO WHAT REALLY WENT DOWN IN 1963, HE WAS FURIOUS! IN A FIT OF RAGE HE PRODUCED THE BUNNY ODEMS ADVERTISEMENTS AND BOUGHT AD SPACE IN EVERY SKIDMORE COMIC FOR SIX MONTHS! HE VICIOUSLY RAN THE AD IN SKIDMORE AND NATIONALISTIC COMICS AND MADE A SHIT TON OF PRANK PHONE CALLS TO THE COLORING DEPARTMENT OF SKIDMORE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET EVEN WITH BUNNY ODEMS! SHE DIDN'T GIVE A RATS ASS ABOUT MERVIN GLOOKMAN AND WAS KIND OF AMUSED OVER THE WHOLE THING BY THE TIME GLOOKMAN STARTED UP WITH THE PERSONAL ATTACKS. TO HER HE WAS JUST ANOTHER SQUARE FROM DELAWARE, AND REALLY.... HE KINDA WAS!
AFTER THE BREW HA HA DIED DOWN, SKIDMORE RELEASED AMY WARHOL- THE COLORIST! A COMICBOOK INSPIRED BY THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF BUNNY ODEMS! AND YOU THOUGHT COLORISTS HAD A BORING JOB. HUH?
AS A SIDE NOTE IT IS WORTH SAYING THAT CONNIE OF THE CONGO #36 IS NOW A HIGHLY DESIRED YET DEADLY PRIZE COMICBOOK ON THE COLLECTORS MARKET TODAY! COMPLETES ARE REGULARLY DRIVEN NUTS OVER THE RARITY OF THIS HIGHLY COVETED AND STILL HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE COMIC! FIVE KNOWN COPIES ARE KNOWN TO EXIST, KEPT IN LITTLE MYLAR AND LEAD COMICBOOK TOMBS, HERMETICALLY SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION. STRANGE FACT ABOUT THAT BOOK IS THAT NO ONE NOW CAN REMEMBER IT'S CONTENT! THE ONE COLLECTOR THAT ACTUALLY BROKE THE SACRED SEAL ON HIS 9.3 RATED COPY OF CONNIE, TURNED BRIGHT PURPLE AND DIED WITH IN MINUTES OF READING THE COMIC, TAKING THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK TO HIS GRAVE WITH HIM. NOW THAT'S A DEDICATED COMICBOOK FAN!
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