November 2009 Archives

Nearly a year ago, I blogged about one of my favorite comics of all time, Giant-Size Defenders #1.  Today another fan, Juan Ortiz, wrote in to tell me an interesting story about this comic:

When I was just a kid, I sent a letter to Marvel asking them to print giant-size comics, just like DC had been doing. Having been a Defenders fan back then, I suggested a giant-sized issue. For which I received a No-prize for. I also think my name was printed on the Defenders pin-up in this issue. Although I can't confirm it, since they spelled Juan with a T. It reads Tuan. But back then, my lettering was not the best. So it may have read as Tuan to them. Juan

Here you can see the double-page pin-up by Sal Buscema of my favorite non-team of all time.  The three big guns--Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Doctor Strange--are front and center, with Valykrie and Silver Surfer flanking the sides.  Look at the blurb on the lower right hand corner.

See you in our 25 cent Titan-fest, Tuan!  I find this story entirely plausible--since a J can look like a T in certain circumstances.  Or it may not have been your lettering, Juan--it could have been the Marvel staffers were high on ink fumes!  I remember originally seeing this blurb when it was first published, and wondering who the heck Tuan was.  Thirty plus years later, the mystery is solved! 

Thanks for writing T--er, Juan!  I hope you kept your No-Prize letter, I never got one.  Nuff said.

The Marvel Monster mags had some great illustrations on the inside front covers and contents pages.

This one by Pablo Marcos was featured in Vampire Tales 6, 1974.  I thought it was an outstanding visual of Morbius (the Living Vampire) meeting Lilith (Daughter of Dracula).  Marcos always had a great take on the horror characters—and his ink and grey wash tones were perfect for the black and white magazines.  There’s the violence on the left—with Morbius about to chow down on the woman—and Lilith’s bold sexuality on the right stopping him.  Alas, this was another case where the illustration did not fit the story inside—the two characters did not meet at all.

The cover to this issue also featured Lilith, a painting by Boris Vallejo.  Marvel probably intended Lilith to become the co-feature in Vampire Tales, giving the magazine two strong characters (along with Morbius) to attract readers. 

But Marvel’s decisions were often haphazard—was this due to the round robin of editors or illegal substances in the Marvel offices?  Lilith is a vampire, she belongs in Vampire Tales!  No wait, Lilith is Drac’s daughter, let’s put her back in Vampire Tales!  Oh no, we have a Lilith inventory story by Steve Gerber that was never published.  Dracula Lives is cancelled.  What to do?  Put in Marvel Preview #12 and call it the Haunt of Horror!

I suppose all these stories are collected in some Essentials trade, right?  Nuff said!

Last Sunday, I wrote about the amazing Silver Surfer #1 poster from Asgard Press.  Asgard Press also makes the perfect gift for any classic Marvel fan, their Vintage Marvel Comics 2010 Calendar.  I must confess that I was given this as a gift by someone at the company, but that doesn’t sway my recommendation at all.  I had been eyeing this calendar for weeks at Flying Colors Comics (in Concord, CA, my favorite LCS close to home).  Please note that all images shown here and in my previous post are scans taken from other sources than the actual calendar.

The calendar (around $19) features 16 Giant-Sized Marvel covers ready for framing at an 11"x14" size.  Even if you don’t need a calendar or buy this mid-year, it’s a great gift.  Asgard Press has designed this calendar so that you can separate the cover image from the calendar through perforations on the top or bottom, and it’s in perfect condition (no holes from thumb-tacks or nails). 

The inside front cover features Steve Ditko’s cover to Amazing Spider-Man #33—one of the defining moments in Peter Parker’s life, with the hero pinned under a giant piece of machinery.  The Ditko cover isn’t displayed on the back or even on Asgard’s website, and it’s a great bonus print.

Amazing Spider-Man #68, by John Romita Sr., is also included.  The famous cover blurb Crisis on Campus! reflects the anti-war and civil rights protests in 1968.  Marvel Comics were popular among college students, and Stan Lee decided to put Spidey smack dab in the middle of current events.  This cover was previously made into a poster by Marvel a couple of years after it came out.  I had that on my wall as a kid, so I’m glad to get this again.  BTW, the paper used for these reproductions are on good, thick, sturdy paper stock.

Giant-Size Marvel readers who also share my love for The Vision will be pleased by the inclusion of Avengers #57 in the calendar.  Note that the scan above shows this cover with colors that are extremely vibrant (probably taken from a Masterworks collection).  The Asgard Press covers are reproduced in a way that mimics the feeling of the original comic book.  At any rate, I certainly plan on framing up this one in my comic-vault garage.

You can find the Vintage Marvel 2010 calendar on Asgard Press Marvel site, along with their line of Marvel posters.  On my previous Silver Surfer post, you can see the Surfer covers that are also in this calendar.  Nuff said!

John Byrne originally gave this tutorial as a pinup page in the Thing #5 (1983).  Byrne's third and fourth rules were especially important to artists who followed him:  Avoid the Fozzie Thing!  He is a monster, not a teddy bear!  Keep him craggy! Nuff said.

Last Monday, I yakked about the Legion of Monsters and their return in the current Punisher arc by Rick Remender and Tony Moore.  Punisher 11 went on sale last Wednesday, and as many comic fans already know, it's freakin awesome.

This splash page of the Man-Thing in New York's sewer system, facing down a squad of HAMMER agents (airborne on Goblin gliders), is an example of how brilliant this book is.  (BTW, I am going to use brilliant a lot more now.  When British people use this word it sounds so elegant.  Ditto for smashing.)  Recommended for all Marvel Monster fans.  Nuff said!

Yesterday, I received a very special poster from Asgard Press, featuring this classic cover from 1968 by Big John Buscema.

Silver Surfer #1, the very first solo issue featuring “The Sky-Rider of the Spaceways” (as the masthead would later say) .  For a long time, this was one of my holy grails of comic book collecting.  I remember a friend of mine who saw it at a flea market (at a cheap price), only to have his father pull him away from the scene.  When I did finally buy it in the 1970s, long before trades or collections were available, I reveled in the origin of Norrin Radd and his transformation by Galactus.

If you’ve ever wanted a poster of Silver Surfer #1, you can now obtain it for less the $20 at Asgard Press Vintage Marvel store.  Asgard’s Marvel posters are 20"x28" and printed on 100% recycled paper with soy-based inks.  This is high quality paper—thick and sturdy, it won’t crinkle up at the first touch of your hands.  In addition, the poster is reproduced in a way that mimics the visual of the 1968 comic.  And by that I mean it’s not overly glossy.  Asgard really preserves the vintage (which is what describes all of their products) look of the original cover.  I’m gonna frame this one and get it up on the wall real soon.

You can also get an 11"x14" reproduction of Silver Surfer #4, another John Buscema classic showing the Surfer hurtling down toward the Mighty Thor.  This print—with the same high quality as the aforementioned poster—is just one of 16 prints inside the 2010 Vintage Marvel Comics Calendar.  Asgard Press has designed this calendar in a very clever way that will appeal to all Marvel collectors.  You can display this calendar on the wall for 16 months, hang it on nail or tack.  When the year is over, you can separate the cover image from the calendar through perforations on the top or bottom, and it’s in perfect condition.  It’s still a Giant-Sized Marvel cover, ready for framing.

If you always believed (as Denzel Washington did in the movie Crimson Tide) that Jack Kirby is the one true Surfer artist, the Vintage calendar also has a month with Fantastic Four #50.  Check out Asgard Press site or look for the calendar in your comic book store.  Nuff said!

Once upon a time in 2006, Stan Lee met Doctor Strange, and Alan Davis was there to capture it in his artwork.  His stunning splash page is shown above.  I know I keep saying this when I display a page of artwork I really like--but this is so good it could work as a poster!

Here's the image as it was displayed in the actual comic with full color.  No offense to the colorists, but I really think this looks better in the original black and white.  Nuff said!

What is Alan Davis' relationship to the upcoming Fall of the Hulks mini-event from Marvel?  Nothing direct, unless you count this item.

By now you've probably seen this promotional image by Ed McGuinness, showing all the various Hulks (I like to think of them as The Hulk Family) scattered about a barren landscape, utterly devastated by some unknown conflict.

McGuinness was paying a tribute 1988 poster by Alan Davis, which advertised "The Fall of the Mutants",  This event ran during the summer through X-Men, X-Factor, and New Mutants.  If you compare the two, you'll see a lot of similarities between the positioning of the foreground characters. 

Update:  I just found original black and white version of this drawing...

Nuff said!

In the 1980s, Moon Knight gained popularity as a solo character with his back-up series in Hulk Magazine, and then a special solo outing in Marvel Preview #21.  Marvel reprinted these stories in three full color Special Editions in 1983.

The Moon Knight Special Editions all had terrific wraparound covers by Bill Sienkiewicz.  I think the cover to issue #1 really captures the appeal of Moon Knight, a glittering, slightly insane superhero battling bad guys when most of us are asleep.

The second cover features Moon Knight hunched over Marlene as he faces a mad killer, while the Hulk looks on from the rear.  I really admired how Sienkiewicz (and Doug Moench) humanized the character.  At times he looked utterly beaten down, exhausted, and about to keel over at any minute.

Special Edition #3 included the reprint of "The Mind Thieves" from Marvel Preview #21.  This story was really Moon Knight's coming out party, a giant-sized story that had Marc Spector and Co. travelling to Paris to stop "Operation Cobra".  The above scene takes place at the Tatin Museum in Cossé-le-Vivien.  Nuff said!

In 1980, John Byrne was the featured interview in issue #57 of The Comics Journal.  Byrne and his superstar inker Terry Austin provided the cover.  Here's the original black and white version.

The classic core team of Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler.  Here's the actual color cover...

This was one of my favorite TCJ issues of all time.  The Byrne interview was full of behind the scenes stuff like his love for Wolverine and modeling some of his character from Clint Eastwood.  Byrne also talked openly about his disagreements with Claremont and desire to write his own material.  In addition to all of this, you had Steve Gerber, Harlan Ellison, and a Daredevil story rejected by the Comics Code.  Why did I ever throw away this issue?  Insanity.  Nuff said.

Here's a charming pinup of the Thing and his nephew Franklin Richards that Mike Deodato drew, somewhere around 2007.  Doesn't it just make you go awwwhhhhh?  Nuff said.

If you haven't read Dark Reign Punisher The List (by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr), I highly recommend it.  The ending was very surprising to me, and it sets up this next Punisher arc (starting in issue #11) with art by Tony Moore.

Moore's cover to Punisher #12 brings back the Legion of Monsters to aid the Punisher (now FrankenCastle).  Morbius, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night are all there, along with the Living Mummy, who I haven't seen in decades.  I'm looking forward to this, especially after the terrific job that Moore did recently Ghost Rider. 

I'll be you dollars to doughnuts that Moore remembers this cover...

The very first (and only?) appearance of the Legion of Monsters in Marvel Premiere #28, 1975.  As a total Marvel Monster freak, I couldn't wait to read this story.  Written by Bill Mantlo and Frank Robbins, you had to admire the lengths that Mantlo went to have Man-Thing transported out of the swamp--it was an ordeal just to get all these horror guys together to fight a menace.  It was a bit of a letdown, but I was always hoping for a return appearance.

Keep on eye on that logo, because it moved around a lot.

Later that year, Marvel published a black and white magazine called Legion of Monsters, with a Neal Adams cover painting.  I had hoped for a team-up, but the magazine contained only solo stories.  I believe most of them were inventory stories left over from the defunct magazines Dracula Lives and Monsters Unleashed.  The editorial indicated that the magazine was an ongoing publication, but issue #2 never appeared.

But Marvel was never one to let a crappy logo go to waste!  The Legion of Monsters title appeared yet again in Marvel Preview #8 in 1976.  You would think with a cover like this, there would be a team-up, right?  Blade and Morbius never crossed paths, they were featured in solo stories only.  More inventory material, this time left over from Vampire Tales.

Let's raise a glass to Tony Moore, who loves Marvel Monsters as much as we do!  Nuff said.

While thinking about the great Special Editions of the 1980s, I came across these pinups from Doctor Strange Classics #1, from 1983.

John Jay Muth (Moonshadow) contributed this wild (almost pre raphaelite) painting of Doc trying to save some poor woman.  If that's the Wand of Watoomb, I've never seen it look so impressive!

Kevin Nowlan's piece shows Stephen Strange in a quiet, contemplative mood as the ghost of Clea lurks in his memory.  Clea left Doc in issue #53, circa 1982.  You can imagine Doc/Clea fans (would Lost-style fans have called it Clok?) felt a little less cheery seeing this.  Thanks for scratching at open wounds, Kevin Nowlan!

Carl Potts also delivered this terrific Ditko inspired drawing of Doc with the Orb of Agamotto.  Nuff said.

Can you identify the artists who drew this outtasight wraparound cover to Avengers Special Edition #1?

It was a baxter reprint of the Avengers Kree Skrull War saga.  Marvel fans will immediately recognize the inker, but who was the penciller?  I’ll bet most fans will think it was Big John Buscema.  The answer is given after the break…if you don’t cheat by looking at the tooltip on the picture.

Before trade paperbacks and hardcover collections, we had reprints, but no way of seeing classic tales reprinted on quality paper...until the Marvel Special Editions started in the 1980s.  They had some great wraparound covers and I'll be presenting a few of them here.

Fantastic Four Special Edition from 1984 reprinted the classic Lee-Kirby story from the very first FF Annual.  John Byrne depicted this event in a widescreen drawing that made it seem like the invasion of Normandy!  You have to admire the detail on that Atlantean fleet.  Sheesh, it's enough to make an NYC resident flee to the suburbs!  In addition to the reprint material, Byrne drew some interior pages filling in on Namor's history, as well as some pinups.

This pinup of the Sub-Mariner presents Namor in an apparently more mature phase of his life.  Byrne would later create a Namor series in 1990, which he wrote/drew for 25 issues and stayed on as writer until issue #32.

Byrne obviously had fun drawing this pinup of Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl...before she became a woman!  Sue's hairdo and costume puts her in the early 1960s Kirby era.  Groovy!  Nuff said.

It's time for I Love the 70s/80s with Michael Golden!

Golden drew this poster of the Marvel Universe in the 1970s.  It actually may have come out around 1980 or so--Moon Knight is featured, and he wasn't popular until the late 70s with his series starting in 1980.  But it's very 70s in spirit, with the All-New X-Men, Storm's classic costume, the Avengers (just love the Vision sinking into the ground), Black Bolt, Hulk, Doc Strange, Silver Surfer, and the Watcher on the left.  There's a few Marvel Monsters with Ghost Rider and Man-Thing.  Heck, even Ka-Zar, Luke Cage, and Captain Universe are in there.

Golden also drew this print that was featured in a 1980s Marvel Calendar.  You can immediately see the difference in this post-Secret Wars era, with Spidey's black costume, Beta Ray Bill, Grey Hulk Joe Fixit, New Mutants, Archangel, and Iron Man's armor that he donned in IM #200.  Note also the prominence of Daredevil and Elektra due to Frank Miller's work on the series.  The Punisher, another top seller, is also in the background.  Beyond the characters, the awesome sauce is the setting--the heroes in front of the Pan-Am building and crawling around the statue in front.

I think these two Golden masterworks are so great, Marvel could re-publish them today as posters!  Nuff said.

By the time I had discovered the X-Men, the series had already been cancelled!  The first full length X-Men tale I read was in the giant-sized reprint issue, X-Men 68, featuring the first titanic battle with the Sentinels.  I was immediately hooked and bought every X-Men issue after that--and remember, this was when mutants were uncool--in fact, even the Inhumans were more popular.  Some of these reprint issues had nifty original covers.

X-Men King-Size Annual #2 featured a dynamic cover by John Romita Sr, with a sweeping vista of Washington DC in the background as the mutants fought the Scarecrow, Eel, Unicorn, Plantman, and the biggest nutball of all time...the Porcupine!  Sheesh, what a bunch of losers, but Romita manages to sell this issue by giving the Angel and Iceman some terrific action poses.

X-Men #69 featured this cover by Sal Buscema with the Mimic attacking the team.  The Mimic's power can imitate the X-Men's abilities if he's near them.  In the first story, he's a villain, attacking the X-Men and then losing his power at the end of the story. 

Apparently the Mimic was popular, as he returned a few issues later, attacking the team while under the control of the Puppet Master.  By the end of the story, the Mimic is on his way to becoming the bad-boy member of the team--the equivalent of Hawkeye in the Avengers.   I really liked Cal Rankin, because his personality was edgy and he stirred up trouble within the team.  The Mimic only lasted as a team member for a few issues, and I always wanted to see him return.  Cal did make an appearance in Incredible Hulk #161, where he died absorbing the Hulk's gamma radiation.  I know there's more to the story after that, which seems baffling as hell.  I loved it when Judd Winick made an alternate reality version of the Mimic a team member of the Exiles.

The X-Men #76 cover by Gil Kane introduced us to the Banshee.  I like this perspective of the Banshee hurling his sonic terror at New York City, with Cyclops cringing to his knees in the foreground.  No matter how hokey the Banshee seemed in the reprint story, Kane made him cool.  I was excited when the Banshee was a member of the all-new X-Men.

X-Men #79, another Kane cover, introduced the Cobalt Man, or as I thought of him, Iron Man Blue!  Can't say much about the story, but as a kid, I always thought Iceman's power to create these frozen slides and walkways was the coolest way a hero could possibly travel.  I don't care for the way Iceman is drawn now, with all those icicles and ice spikes.  I prefer a clean shaven Iceman!

X-Men #80 (Kane, again) unveiled the threat that had been percolating for a few issues...the threat of the unstoppable Juggernaut.  If you had never seen Juggy before--and I had not--the cover was tantalizing because you only saw him from the back.

Hope you enjoyed this look back at The Strangest Teens of All!  Nuff said.

I have a fond attachment to Marvel’s reprint titles from the 1960s and 1970s.  This is where I was schooled in Mighty Marvel History, after all.  Marvel’s Greatest Comics was the home to Fantastic Four reprints, and issue #39 contained the story that originally appeared in FF #52, the debut of the Black Panther.

The reprint cover was by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott.  At first glance, you can’t determine the identity of the penciller, because Sinnott always managed to make these characters look consistent.  But if you look at the Thing, his expression and his stance, it is unmistakably a Starlin Thing.

Here’s the original art to the cover.  My apologies to the owner or gallery, I totally forgot where I found this scan!  Nuff said.

When Ghost Rider first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5, I was absolutely run over (pardon the pun) by Mike Ploog's artwork and character design.  Especially intriguing was the cover blurb: Is He Alive or Dead?  I sold my original as a kid, but I was able to buy a back issue a few years ago.  It's still one of my favorite origin issues ever.

Here are the pencils to a recreation that Ploog did a few years ago, from Pheng Taing on comicartfans.

Marvel Spotlight #8 really showed me the potential of Ghost Rider as a character--by taking him out of the city and pitting him against another brand of magic.  It was also cool to see the Ghost Rider--a revamp of a Western character--in an Indian reservation.

Ploog's recreation--also from Pheng Taing--really oomphs up the crazy magic going on here.  What lucky guy to have both of these!  Nuff said.

Here’s a nifty little pinup that John Romita Sr drew, featuring Captain America, She-Hulk, and Spider-Man standing together in a group hug.  I think I saved this scan from Romitaman.  Nuff said!

John Byrne drew this pinup of Red Sonja in 1975.  I thought he captured everything great about this character in a single pinup.  Beyond her beauty, the way she carries that sword would make you think twice about propositioning her!

Red Sonja graduated from the pages of Conan to her own series, beginning in Marvel Feature #1, also circa 1975.  This title, written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Frank Thorne, lasted seven issues.  You can see from this cover to issue #6 that Mr. Thorne had an unmistakable art style.

Dave Cockrum drew this great pinup featuring Storm and Red Sonja, where they swap costumes.  It’s hilarious to see Storm wearing Sonja’s metal bikini, and her thought balloon says Good Lord—This bra is enormous!  It’s cold too!  Near Cockrum’s signature he says Heh Sorry, Ladies.  I think we all celebrate Cockrum’s art and design, but let’s not forget his fantastic sense of humor!

If you’re in the mood for more laughter, check out Storm critiquing Ms. Marvel’s costume.  Nuff said.

Neal Adams joined Roy Thomas on the Avengers with issue #93 (1971) to kick off the Kree-Skrull War.  That story was titled This Beachhead Earth by Thomas.

Adams originally wanted the story to be titled Three Cows Shot Me Down!  As you all know, the story opens with the Vision stumbling into Avengers Mansion.  He's severely damaged after a skirmish with three cows...who happen to be Skrulls in disguise!  When the Kree-Skrull saga was collected in trade paperback, Adams was able to use his original title on this dynamic new cover.

Here are the pencils to this cover.  This was published in the Neal Adams 2007 sketchbook.  Adams commented: You have no idea how many years I have waited to put those words on this picture.

And now the inked version, which was featured in the Neal Adams 2008 sketchbook.

For more tidbits on Neal Adams Avengers (and other Marvel) work, you can read the excellent interview with him from TwoMorrows Comic Book Artist #3.  Nuff said.