Comics

Comics, manufactured by Rally (Rally Play Company) of Nice, France in February 1968 (model 2203), is a rare electro-mechanical pinball machine built around a comic book character theme. Rally operated from 1961 to 1969, and Comics comes from late in that run -- its playfield design is identical to Rally's earlier 1967 game 'Play boy.' According to "Pinball: The Lure of the Silver Ball," a prototype 6-player version of the game did not make it to commercial production.

The 4-player machine features two flippers, a center-up post, and spinning posts, with scoring handled by Nixie tube displays and electronic sound generation. Relays are mounted on circuit boards rather than hand-wired, an approach notable for late-1960s EM design, though there was no electronic logic controlling game features.

Comics' comic-book theme is reflected in its colorful artwork, though specifics of its designer and artistic inspiration are not well documented. As a late-decade Rally release built on a reused Play boy playfield, it offers an interesting look at the French manufacturer's final years of production.