• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Prince Namor

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    27,640

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Journal Entries posted by Prince Namor

  1. Prince Namor
    ARCHIE COMICS #95 - Classic Artists of the Era
    Whenever I find these early Archie Comics issues, especially pre-1960 in the $1 books, I HAVE to pick them up. Honestly, it's where they belong as there is only a handful of people who love and appreciate them. The Riverdale crowd isn't interested in this stuff and none of the artists are really 'hot' with the majority of collectors. Archie Comics is just kind of its own niche and I'm glad.
    I mean... I look at this Harry Lucey cover and I'm so in awe of its perfection. Lucey was a smidge less cartoony than Dan DeCarlo, thus you get the attention to detail on Veronica's feet and sandals, Archie's feet, the stripes on Veronica's swimsuit (and Betty's) and the pattern on Archie's.
    Even the radio and the lifeguard's chair. Man, I LOVE this cover.

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with cover art by Harry Lucey)
     
    Inside, his art is more in the 'house style' that Archie Comics incorporated, first introduced by Bob Montana, updated and modernized by Harry Lucey, then streamlined and perfected by Dan DeCarlo. Either way, Lucey's Betty and Veronica had smaller waists than any of the other Archie artists gave them...

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with art by Harry Lucey)
     
     
    What more could you ask for in an Archie comic, than a Harry Lucey cover, a Harry Lucey story and then a Dan DeCarlo story? By this point, DeCarlo had been drawing at Archie Comics for 7 years, and even though he was still the 'new guy' in the bunch (Vigoda and Lucey had been there, at this point for over 15 years), he fits in perfectly with the look of the line of books. 

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with art by Dan DeCarlo)
     
     
    It's rather amazing that really, in Archie Comics' long history with the characters, there's really only a handful of artists who worked on the book consistently. DeCarlo and Lucey were two of those legends. I'm not as big of a fan of Bill Vigoda's work, but he was there through the transformative years, and was the first to try and emulate Bob Montana's house style in the comic, so I'd include him (and of course Montana).

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with art by Dan DeCarlo)
     
     
    As sultry as Harry Lucey drew Betty and Veronica, Dan DeCarlo (who certainly had his past experience drawing bad girls) gave the two a more wholesome look, that was still sexy, but with a sweetness that fit the whole idea of Archie Comics and what they, especially post-Code wanted to portray. 
    Harry Lucey is my favorite, but man, DeCarlo is amazing. 

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with art by Dan DeCarlo)
     
     
    In 1958, Harry Lucey was THE artist of Archie Comics as a brand in the Comic Books (Bob Montana had long since gone to 100% making the newspaper strip an iconic part of Americana), and here's a good example of one of his ads. 

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with art by Harry Lucey)
     
     
    Every so often I'd see a panel by Bill Vigoda and think, "Now THAT is really good!" This is one of those panels.
    You have to give the guy credit, he was like the energizer bunny who kept going and going and going, taking on anything the company would give him to do. He started with MLJ in 1943, did his first Archie story in 1944 (a Betty and Veronica story in Archie Comics #10) and worked all the way through until 1973. 
    I just realized, the guy doesn't even have a Wikipedia page... I need to do something about that...

    (ARCHIE #95 cover-dated September 1958, on newsstands June 4th, 1958, with art by Bill Vigoda)
  2. Prince Namor
    STRANGE TALES #174 - There Walks the GOLEM!
    One of the earlier comics I ever had was this Strange Tales #174 from the Spring of 1974. 

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - cover art by Ernie Chan? John Buscema? Tony DeZuniga?)
    What a great cover and what a controversy surrounding who drew it! 
    I've read Gil Kane, Tony DeZuniga, John Romita, and Ernie Chan for pencils and then Ernie Chan, Tony DeZuniga, and John Romita for inks. Personally, I think it's John Buscema breakdowns finished by either DeZuniga or Chan, but... anyone ever ask one of them?
     

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - art by John Buscema)
     
      Written by Len Wein (Who'd soon be one of Marvel's early 70's revolving Editor-In-Chiefs) and drawn by John Buscema, 'There Walks the Golem' is the story of a archeiologist who is trying to discover the remains of an ancient legend, when he and his family are approached by shady looking desert soldiers needing a place to stay. It doesn't turn out well, and you kind of know where it's headed, but still... it's good little opening to the first part of three Golem stories Marvel would publish  inbetween the Brother Voodoo short run and Jim Starlin's Adam Warlock run.
    Note: There was a reprint issue inbetween this and the other two Golem stories, which reprinted both stories from Amazing Adventures #1 (1961). I can't remember ever seeing that issue for some reason. 

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - art by John Buscema)
     
    Big John Buscema is, of course in fine form here, even with somewhat bland inks by Jim Mooney. I miss this brand of storytelling. It's fun to read these old comics, because the artists MADE them easy and fun to read. And Big John was one of the best.
     

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - art by John Buscema)
     
    One of the sequences I always loved in this was at the end of the Professor's story of the Golem's past, as the sand slowly swallows him up. The words, the art... it left an impression on me that I still look back on and smile about!
     

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974)
    In the middle of the story (and I never understood why they did it this way), is the editorial stuff and here is Marvel's spin on their price increase. Now 25 cents! Oh, if they only knew...
     

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974)
     
    Just as interesting is this blurb that follows it... Golem is the first Jewish Superhero! He is? When did it become known that Wesley Dodds was Jewish? He was the Golden Age Sandman - I think that predates the Golem by quite a few years...
     

    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - art by John Buscema)
     
    The big reveal in the issue of course is the Golem returning and doleing out his vengeance. There's a twist to it though, which I won't reveal here (45 year spoiler free), but I will show the sequence above as I really dug it as a 11 year old reading this story....
    And for your enjoyment, here is the 3 page back-up story, in it's entirety, reprinted from Strage Tales #110 (December 1952), heavily influenced by the style and story of EC Comics of the same period. It's great Russ Heath art that perfectly captures the tone of the Stan Lee's story.
    I would have to say, Marvel/Atlas' first 'Horror' comic would've been (though Venus was already starting to get weird, in a cool way, just a month or two earlier) Suspense #3 (May 1950 on newsstands February 2nd, 1950), which really seemed to capture the EC style. EC had begun the changeover to Horror in January cover dated books and seen an instant surge in sales.
    Marvel/Atlas, as they did with anything that someone else had success with, quickly began to copy it.
    One of these days I'll do an entry on all the ways Stan Lee copied EC Comics over the years. They were successful, until the other publishers put them out of business, so it makes sense that SOMEONE copied what they did right.
     

     

     

     
    (STRANGE TALES #174 - Cover Dated June 1974 - on Newsstands March 26, 1974 - Reprinted from Marvel Tales #110, December 1952, art by Russ Heath)
     
  3. Prince Namor
    DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU #16 - What'd you call me?
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - cover art by Luiz Dominguez)
    Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #16 starts off with a painted cover by Luiz Dominguez. Not my favorite DHoKF cover, and certainly not my favorite Luiz Dominguez painted cover (that would be Dracula Lives #5), but... it conveys a scene from an interior story pretty well so... it's all good.
    I love this beat up copy I can read and look over endlessly. Ah, the beatup comic. So awesome.
    Originally released one day after my 12th Birthday in 1975.
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by Frank McLaughlin)
    Not sure where Frank McLaughlin got this story from or who the Thai King is supposed to be, but it's a very cool one page tale that he wrote and drew. McLaughlin of course is a Judo teacher and the creator of the JudoMaster character from Charlton Comics (now owned by DC). And he was a regular contributor to DHoFK.
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by Rudy Nebres)
    Rudy Nebres was one of my favorite artists of the wave of Filipino talent that came over in the 70's and started working in the comic book business. His dark brushed style was perfect for the Black & White Curtis Magazine stories. He was a regular in DHoKF from 1975-77.
    "Demons in Painted Death' is Part 4 in the 'Golden Dragon' Serial, written by Doug Moench. It would run 6 parts total, all drawn by Nebres, in DHoKF issues #12-14, and 16-18.
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by Rudy Nebres)
    One thing that really stands out to me about some of these stories is the blatant racism of the bad guys. Shang-Chi gets called 'Chinaman' by this guy so many times, that by the end of the story, I'm READY for Shang-Chi to knock his head off!
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by Rudy Nebres)
    And boy, could Nebres draw Shang-Chi knockin' people's heads off! I used to slowly take in every panel of a page like this...
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975)
    One big difference between Marvel and DC back in the day, was Marvel's sense of humor. You just wouldn't see a goofy ad like this in a DC Comic. Marvel wasn't afraid to have a little fun when trying to talk you out of your money.
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by Sanho Kim)
    The middle story of the book is 10 page John Warner story called 'The Corpse Rider'. Drawn by Sanho Kim (also a regular contributor to DHoKF), his style is almost the opposite of Nebres, and yet it works perfectly for this story.
    In Ancient Japan (the city of Kyoto is mentioned), a man who'd left his wife to try and become a great Samurai, finds out she died of a broken heart. To keep her from rising from the dead and claiming her vengeance, he has to get on her back and hang on throughout the entire night as she DOES rise from the dead and go on a killing spree!
    It's a cool story and the art is just right in its creepiness and haunting mood... 
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by George Perez)
    The cover story is a Sons of the Tiger 1st parter called 'The Rites of Every Citizen', in which the team goes to investigate killings at a prison and get caught up in a really bad scene. Again, the bad guys have a sick, racist edge to their abuse, the main guard continually calling Abe (he's black), the highly offensive 'boy', numerous times. 
    Personally, it's over the top, and I'm curious if they kept it as is in the collected editions.
     
     

    (DEADLY HANDS of KUNG-FU #16 - Cover Dated Sept 1975 - on Newsstands August 7th, 1975 - art by George Perez)
    Anyway, in case you're unaware, the Sons of the Tiger are the leader, Lin Sun (Chinese), Abe Brown (African American) and Bob Diamond (Caucasian), plus Lotus (the Asian babe) who is now a 'Daughter of the Tiger'. 
    Not sure why they broke the team up a couple of issues later, but some of them have made appearances over the years.
    A very entertaining issue!
     
     
     
     
     
     
  4. Prince Namor
    FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - It's a Thing Thang
    One of the earlier comics I owned within the actual time frame it came out, I would’ve been 10 years old when SOMEONE made this available to me. The cover really stood out... and I would learn to really enjoy the personality and mannerisms of the Thing, one of the great characters of the Marvel Universe.
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - cover art signed by Buckler and Sinnott)
    This period of the Fantastic Four is either extremely underrated or extremely overrated, depending how you look at it - but for me, yeah, a lot of it is simply themes that are repeated throughout the history of the book (The Thing gets frustrated and quits, Dr. Doom revealing himself as the bad guy, etc.), BUT it has one redeeming aspect to it all. 
    Rich Buckler. 
    Rich Buckler achieved a dream of his by getting to take over this book and really, with inks by Joe Sinnott, this is (to me) some of the best work he ever did. (I personally thought Sinnott’s inks worked better for Buckler than Kirby - I like Chic Stone inking Kirby the best). 
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - art by Rich Buckler with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    To me, this is the period that MADE the Bronze Age. These were highly stylized artists that either reached their peak during this time (Dave Cockrum on Superboy and the LSH, Jim Starlin on Captain Marvel, Rich Buckler on FF) or would begin to in the next year or two (George Perez on Avengers, John Byrne on X-Men). Note: And of course, I believe Ross Andru did his best work on ASM with his double inking team of Frank Giacoia/Dave Hunt - but I know it’s not everyone else’s fave. 
     
    On top of that you still had Bernie Wrightson just finishing a breathtaking run on Swamp Thing (and Mike Ploog on Marvel Spotlight with Ghost Rider), Barry Windsor-Smith after a run on Conan, going beyond the quality of expectation on the Black and White mags, along with a wave of new great talent like Pablo Marcos, Rudy Nebres and even long-time talent coming into their own like the underrated Jim Aparo. 
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - art by Rich Buckler with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    Talk about understanding the Kirby way of doing Marvel Superhero art... here Buckler makes Reed Richards dynamic in every pose - even though his emotion is one of grief - and yet he still is able to convey it and even cover his face (shame). Great stuff from what you’d expect in the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - art by Rich Buckler with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    The Thing at one time was one of the stars of the Marvel Universe, appearing monthly in the FF, the FF reprints in Marvel's Greatest Comics, and with a guest star each month in Marvel Two-In-One. Then afterward in his own monthly series! One of the great, unique characters of the Marvel Universe!
     
    Here Buckler lays out a perfect blend of action and dialogue, changing camera angles perfectly to tell the story. Man, I can see why I was so impressed with this as kid, without even knowing why! (Notice the written ad blurb for Crazy Magazine at the bottom left corner - remember these?) 
    Yep, the perfect blend of action and dialogue.
     
    Speaking of dialogue, Gerry Conway (only 22 years old when he wrote this - having been at Marvel already for 4 years!), had a busy month for comics released with a January 1974 cover date. The 20 page Incredible Hulk #171 that would also end up a Record and Comic Set, the 19 page Amazing Spider-man #128 Vulture story, the 11 page Dracula Lives #4 story,  the 19 page Sgt. Fury #117 story,  the 19 page Thor #219 story, a 5 page story for DC's Witching Hour #38, PLUS this 19 page yarn.
    That's 112 written pages of story and dialogue - he probably had a bad case of writer's cramp!
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - advertising cover art by Gil Kane)
     
    As a kid, I wasn’t the biggest Gil Kane fan. His angular, jagged edges in very harsh contrast to Romita’s smooth style (I know, I know, but Ross Andru, right?).
    Here though, inked heavily by Frank Giacoia, I dug this almost 3-D looking cover in this ad, even back then. 

    Frank Giacoia was maybe one of the underrated inkers in the business, working from the Golden Age into the early 80's. 
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #142 - Cover Dated January 1974 - on Newsstands October 16th, 1973 - art by Rich Buckler with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    And of course the big reveal at the end. It became more and more of a tough way to handle a Dr. Doom story as time went on... so everything went into the build-up. Great villain, but... what to do with him...
     
     
  5. Prince Namor
    AMAZING ADVENTURES #19-24 - 2018 Turned Out a BIT Different...
     
    In the second part of the story (#19), we get 13 pages of action right off the bat and the colors look more centered and less glaring, and it certainly makes the reading experience better. Next time I see Roy Thomas, I'm going to bring both these issues and ask him about the differences in how this process shows up.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #19 cover-dated July 1973, on newsstands April 17, 1973, with cover art by Herb Trimpe with inks by Mike Esposito)
     
    Killraven isn't lured by the Sirens of 7th Avenue (he has some mental block or something) and they disappear as quickly as they show up, and as he fights off a bunch of 'mutants', two allies appear: Hawk and M'Shulla. They defeat the Mutants and then are immediately attacked by a giant War of the World's Tripod and then a giant Aligator monster who they trick into tripping up the monster. THEN, they board a slave ship, take it over to free the slaves, and get attacked by another tripod.
    We then meet the Martian boss, utilizing human scientists. One of them warns him about the 'rebels' (Hey, this 4 years before Star Wars) and of course he wants them found.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #19 cover-dated July 1973, on newsstands April 17, 1973, with art by Howard Chaykin)
     
    Killraven then gets caught by Scarlet, Queen of the Sirens and she puts him in some kind of Sci-Fi Bondage Machine and... I think Chaykin's intentions with the angle he drew this are bit suspect...

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #19 cover-dated July 1973, on newsstands April 17, 1973, with art by Howard Chaykin)
     
    Anyway, he battles some monster, frees his friends and escapes, declaring that man will put an end to this 'War of the Worlds'.
    So ok, I probably thought, I like this Chaykin guy on his own. I'm used to it, here's the next issue and... wait... this is the Hulk artist! Yep, Howlin' Herb Trimpe would take over the art chores for at least the rest of the issues I review (he also did the cover last issue).
    Got no problem with Herb Trimpe. I LIKE Herb Trimpe. And he quickly turns it into a Marvel comic in all of it's easy to follow, easy to color, easy to read ways. Chaykin would, of course, go on to do some amazing work (he's another artist I prefer in Black and White), most notably with American Flagg, though I love his style on Black Kiss.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #20 cover-dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19, 1973, with cover art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    So Killraven and M'Shulla battle some mutants and get more weapons in a run-down museum and Killraven thankfully changes his uniform. And suddenly I have an epiphany. THIS, was the first issue of the series I ever read as a kid. I didn't get a copy of #18 until a little bit later.
    It's this panel that jogs my memory. I don't remember a character ever changing his uniform or appearance before, and I thought it interesting. Man, memory is a weird thing...

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #20 cover-dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    We meet a new protagonist, someone Rob Liefeld might be inspired by, named the Warlord. It seems Mr. Warlord had his arm ripped off in battle by Killraven (apparently it's partially shown in #18, but I'm too lazy to go look), and now, as one of the blobby Martian leaders top lieutenants, he confronts Killraven and whoops his butt.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #20 cover-dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    Of note is that one of Killraven's allies is M'Shulla. And I'll point out that M'Shulla is black for two reasons: one is that in this battle (below), the human traitor refers to him as 'black' and two, and most importantly, M'Shulla takes part in an event a few issues down the road that would be way ahead of it's time for a mainstream Marvel comic. Or ANY mainstream Comic Book.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #20 cover-dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    With #21 we get a Herb Trimpe cover, and yet another writer in Don McGregor. Roy Thomas came up with the idea (Neal Adams was actually a co-creator), Gerry Conway wrote the first two issues, Marv Wolfman the third issue and now McGregor on the forth. But McGregor gives us the best issue yet, and he would take over the series, and, from what I've been told, turn it into a classic.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #21 cover-dated November 1973, on newsstands August 14, 1973, with cover art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    If the future features the Martians' Foremost Molecular Biologists dressed like that, maybe we might want to rethink things. This is Carmilla Frost we're introduced to here, as she watches Killraven be prepared for microsurgery with Warlord.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #21 cover-dated November 1973, on newsstands August 14, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    Luckily for us, she frees Killraven's gang of friends... In fact, Carmilla seems pleased to see M'Shulla, 'the One with the Quick Tongue'! That's some good foreshadowing, as they would share comics' FIRST interracial kiss in issue #31. (SEE, I do my research!)

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #21 cover-dated November 1973, on newsstands August 14, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    They storm the lab and a fight breaks out. When Warlord becomes distracted by it, Carmilla frees Killraven. And she's a cool character who can dish it out as much as she takes it! She's taking no from Killraven!

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #21 cover-dated November 1973, on newsstands August 14, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
     
    They escape and cut through a demolished Yankee Stadium, where they battle some cool mutated monsters and Killraven uses the acid pus from one of them to disintegrate Warlords OTHER arm! Ouch!
    We also get the first letters column about the new series and they seem to be mostly positive.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #21 cover-dated November 1973, on newsstands August 14, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
     
    In #22, we get another cool Herb Trimpe cover... Herb's covers really showed off the bizarre world that Killraven was battling in and here, he features Abraxas who'd play a big role in the story.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #22 cover-dated January 1974, on newsstands October 9th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    The group makes their way toward Washington DC, where Carmilla has told them the Martians have made their headquarters. Their ship is overturned by a giant monster... I always wanted to do this: put the two pages together to see the whole picture. Unfortunately, the art is cut in the middle!

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #22 cover-dated January 1974, on newsstands October 9th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
     
    As they get to shore they're attacked by a group of mercenaries, led by a swashbuckling looking character named Sabre. They're able to run them off and survive the water monster and they get a chance to regroup and camp for the night.
    As M'Shulla and Carmilla share a quiet moment in the moonlight talking, they're attacked by a sexy green woman with a gun (this is a few years before Gamora), with the unfortunate name of Mint Julep. Even Killraven says, "You GOTTA be kidding." I'm digging all of these cool characters they keep adding to the story!
     

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #22 cover-dated January 1974, on newsstands October 9th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
     
    Anyway, they decide to team up and go at the White House, but on the way, they go through the Lincoln Memorial where ironically a slave auction is going on. Another cool character (from the cover), Abraxas, with long tentacle things for arms is serving up his wares for a bunch of the ugly aliens to choose from to buy.
    Sabre is there too and in the midst of his battle with Killraven (he leads them headlong into battle without any thought to strategy), Abraxas picks up our hero and throws him to the aliens!

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #22 cover-dated January 1974, on newsstands October 9th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    In #23 we get Mint Julep making her first cover appearance, as her and Killraven battle off big mutant rats, courtesy of another bad guy: Rattack! Drawn by, well I was going to say, it looks like a cross between Herb Trimpe inking John Romita or vice versa (I'd vote on the former), and GCD says it's something along those lines.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #23 cover-dated March 1974, on newsstands December 4th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    I'm digging this series. I'm a little bummed out I never got to talk to Herb Trimpe about it. I had a few nice discussions with him and his wife (at shows) before he passed away and, it would've been cool to get his thoughts on this series.
    Killraven cuts off one of Abraxas' arm as he falls to the Martians, and is picked up by one of the Tripods, who carries him off. The others battle off the martian guards and Sabre's other men and then make off to go after Killraven. Sabre leaves us with a bit of foreshadowing:

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #23 cover-dated March 1974, on newsstands December 4th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    Killraven is brought before the HIGH OVERLORD, which I take as his title, not his condition and he sentences Killraven to be staked in the catacombs for Rattack. Rattack it turns out is a mutated former Government Agent who has lived underground with the big mutated rats.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #23 cover-dated March 1974, on newsstands December 4th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    They don't get there in time, so Killraven has to save himself from the Big Rats, and McGregor makes good use of showing us some minor character interaction, as they all bicker amongst each other trying to get to Killraven. They show up, just as he's cleared the room (the rat pack retreats) and makes his announcement to the High Overlord who is watching on camera: The people of Earth are going to finish this fight!

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #23 cover-dated March 1974, on newsstands December 4th, 1973, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
     
    For the final issue I have, #24 (I bought these at a mall shop - set of six issues for $10), the band of rebels once again regroups, deciding to celebrate New Year's Eve (a return to human traditions). They find the Watergate tapes (!) and use the reels for streamers. They don't SAY they're the Watergate tapes in this issue, they instead mentioned it at the end of last issue.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #24 cover-dated May 1974, on newsstands February 12th, 1974, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
    They also make some parallels to Killraven, acting as an emancipator for the human race with President Lincoln. The slave auction took place at Lincoln's memorial and the finale here takes place there as well. Not sure how that'd all be seen today, but probably not favorably.
    Since... ya know... he's white.

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #24 cover-dated May 1974, on newsstands February 12th, 1974, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
     
    In fact, the politics in all of this is interesting. Today it would be called names, "Snowflake! Liberal!" or whatever. I grew up in an era when we saw ALL politicians as suspect. They were ALL fair game. I liked that world better. And this series reminds me of that.
    I think I may need to read this whole storyline!

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #24 cover-dated May 1974, on newsstands February 12th, 1974, with art by Herb Trimpe)
     
  6. Prince Namor
    Superman's Girlfriend LOIS LANE #35 - Scheming Up and Teaming Up!
    Man, it’s amazing to me what comics I can find, beat up, in $1 bins! Another classic Superman/DC artist that I prefer to Curt Swan, the oft-forgotten Kurt Schaffenberger, here with an early 60’s ‘modern-ish’ theme. I really like the way he uses shadows and shading to show depth and perception.

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - cover art by Kurt Schaffenberger)
     
    Schaffenberger doesn’t get the recognition of a Curt Swan, but just looking at an opening splash page like this and you can see he had a clear vision and a sure line. You can tell what's going on just by their body language. THIS is how you convey information through art!

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Kurt Schaffenberger)
     
     
    Women in Romance Comics (and let us make no mistake, Lois Lane was a Romance Comic first and foremost) are always scheming and competing. Lois doesn’t realize it, but that behavior to get ahead with a story is going to follow into her love life as well!

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Kurt Schaffenberger)
     
     
     Scheming, competing and sometimes outright nuts! Lois will destroy the computer of the future (someone else’s property) to keep her rival from winning Superman!
    Aw, that’s sweet! Psychotic, but sweet!

    I love this very simple and yet informative panel. Even with minimal space, he gives the characters body language and facial expressions that are telling. 

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Kurt Schaffenberger)
     
    I want both of these! Remember a time when it didn’t seem like a rip off that they were putting out an EXTRA comic for your favorite title, called an Annual?

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Kurt Schaffenberger, various on the Batman Annual)
     
    I can’t help but make these comparisons right here in the same comic - Swan’s work looks very bland to me compared to Schaffenberger. Both these characters appear stiff and unemotional as they look at a photo of Superman saving Lois. 
    Leo Dorfman's story (previous) with Schaffenberger is fun, even if Lois goes a little goofy with jealous and over competitiveness. It's difficult to balance that in DC's line of books - keep it light - with a bit of 'oh no, what will happen next' - without drifting too far either way - serious drama or absurd kiddie stories.

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Curt Swan)
     
    Jerry Siegel’s story here is a bit hokey - Lois loses her memory, Superman reveals his secret identity to eventually shock her out of it, but she conveniently forgets. Maybe I'm being a bit hard on it, but with Swan's bland art, it just doesn't entertain me the way the previous story did.

    And below: Superman as a player... even this humorous exchange is rendered rather blandly. 

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Curt Swan)

     
    The final story we get Dorfman and Schaffenberger back for a Lois Lane story featuring Supergirl. I'm all about that! Schaffenberger's inks are even more to my liking in this story, as he seems to have gotten a brush he wants to work with! 

    His layouts tell the story, as Supergirl remains rigid to show her strength here (an unmovable object) while action happens all around her. She gets her civilian clothes shot off, so it's a good thing she remembered to wear her costume!

    (Superman's Girl-Friend LOIS LANE #35 - Cover Dated August 1962 - on Newsstands June 26th, 1962 - art by Kurt Schaffenberger)
     
     
    One last interesting note about this issue - in the same month (three weeks earlier) - THESE three comics came out from Marvel! That's a good month!

     
     
     
     
     
  7. Prince Namor
    BEWARE! The CLAWS of The CAT #1-4 - Social Justice with Good Art!
    Beware the Claws of... The Cat! was a 1972 Comic Series that lasted 4 issues. It was a part of Stan Lee’s idea to expand readership to a female audience. Of course, today this would be seen as radical and liberal and social justice warrior activity and denounced as some declaration of war vs the male species. 
     
    In reality, then like now, Marvel was just looking for more suckers to buy their comics. It didn’t work, unfortunately, and it’s a shame because this is a series I always liked. I didn’t find it in a dollar box (that’d be sweet), but I DID just reread it in the Tigra Softcover collection put out by Marvel, so I wanted to review it here.
     

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #1 cover-dated November 1972, on newsstands August 22nd, 1972, with cover art by Marie Severin with Inks by Wally Wood)
     
    Issue #1 does the flashback origin while in the current story and the Marie Severin/Wally Wood art is a good combination. Legend has it that Wood turned in the art with the Cat completely naked and Marie had to add her costume and white out the naughty bits. 

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #1 cover-dated November 1972, on newsstands August 22nd, 1972, with art by Marie Severin with Inks by Wally Wood)
     
     
    Writer Linda Fite, part of Marvel’s efforts to get female creators to take part in the project, does a good job of giving us a Marvel style story and setup... and even giving the female character a great deal more to her than we're used to for female characters...
     
    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #1 cover-dated November 1972, on newsstands August 22nd, 1972, with art by Marie Severin with Inks by Wally Wood)
     
    The art though... tends to be a little more geared to the male reader...!

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #1 cover-dated November 1972, on newsstands August 22nd, 1972, with art by Marie Severin with Inks by Wally Wood)
     
    The bad guy is set up well as a male chauvinist, making the Cat's victory even sweeter, but the whole point of it isn't to be too preachy... though I'm curious to know if Marie changed the look of the villain to resemble Wally Wood...?

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #1 cover-dated November 1972, on newsstands August 22nd, 1972, with art by Marie Severin with Inks by Wally Wood)
     
    Ultimately they try and play the 'Peter Parker/Spider-man' angle, as they'd again try to do later on with Spider-Woman. Marvel had success with Spidey, so I guess they figured it wouldn't hurt to try it again on other characters...

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #1 cover-dated November 1972, on newsstands August 22nd, 1972, with art by Marie Severin with Inks by Wally Wood)
     
     
    With #2 we get a Romita cover and Daredevil villain. Marvel liked to do this to quickly incorporate the new hero into the world of Marvel Comics. Personally, I think they’d have been better off creating a new cool villain, especially since I always thought the Owl was lame. 
     

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #2 cover-dated January 1973, on newsstands October 24th, 1972, with cover art by John Romita)
     
    Marie Severin more prominently does the art on this issue with Jim Mooney inking. And it’s pretty darn good. I actually think this issue probably looks most like what you'd expect of a well done Marvel Comic. 

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #2 cover-dated January 1973, on newsstands October 24th, 1972, with art by Marie Severin and inks by Jim Mooney)
     
    In #3 we again get a lame rehashed villain (Commander Kraken from Sub-Mariner... right? I had to go check.) and a new artist in Paty Greer (layouts) with Bill Everett finishes. Rich Buckler does the cover, though apparently, Romita had to do alterations with Frank Giacoia inking.

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #3 cover-dated April 1973, on newsstands January 2nd, 1973, with cover art by Rich Buckler, alterations by John Romita and inks by Frank Giacoia)
     
    Paty Greer's art in this is a little different, but... in a good way. And Bill Everett's inks, give it a nice touch. Geez, I'd have taken this over a Sal Buscema with Vince Coletta inking any day. 
    It feels very... 'independent comic' in its layout and style and... that probably was NOT what Marvel was looking for. I know a lot is made about their 'House Style' and their need to make everything fit within the structure of what they were doing, but... personally, I like it better when the artists get overly creative and interesting. It's one of the reasons I always liked this series...

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #3 cover-dated April 1973, on newsstands January 2nd, 1973, with art by Paty Greer, and inks by Bill Everett)
     
    The final issue has a Romita cover, making it look perhaps cooler than what follows (though he probably agonized about having to draw those bulls) - yet another lame rehashed villain (Man Bull from Daredevil) and another artist change. 

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #4 cover-dated June 1973, on newsstands March 6th, 1973, with cover art by John Romita)
     
    The hard-luck lady thing continues as the Cat laments her powers and responsibility. Ya know... if they REALLY wanted her to have a reason to feel guilty about her powers, they should've let Dr. Tumolo die, and... ah, whatever.

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #4 cover-dated June 1973, on newsstands March 6th, 1973, with art by Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss with inks by Frank McLaughlin)
     
    If you’d told me going in that Jim Starlin and Allen Weiss we’re going to do the art with Frank McLaughlin on inks I’d have been pretty excited to see the results. Unfortunately it none of their best work. It’s not BAD, it just... nowhere in the realm of Captain Marvel #26 and #27, which it came out in between. 
    Most likely Starlin did some breakdowns, Weiss did some finishes and maybe both did some touch-ups and then McLaughlin came in to ink it in a rush (he's much better than this).

    (BEWARE! The CLAWS of the CAT #4 cover-dated June 1973, on newsstands March 6th, 1973, with art by Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss with inks by Frank McLaughlin)
     
    Overall though, as I said, I enjoyed this series and still read it from time to time. In fact, I'm going to finish this 'Tigra' trade paperback where these stories came from and review the rest of it very soon!
  8. Prince Namor
    MARVEL TALES #53/AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 - Wanted...Dead or Alive!
     
    The Amazing Spider-man was the comic I liked the most growing up. Occasionally something would strike me as interesting, but it seemed whenever I read an issue of ASM it would just entertain me in a way that the others just couldn't compare.
    Before I became a regular reader around 1975 or so, I remember having #43, #75, #80 and Spectacular Spider-man (Magazine) #2. Over time I would pick up an issue here and there and discovering Marvel Tales, really helped me find some classic reprinted stories.
    Even now, as evidenced below, I can pick up certain issues of Marvel Tales because they'll feature an issue that I loved and want to read again. It's unfortunate that they felt the need to edit and recolor Jazzy John Romita's original cover (inked by him - which is always the best) because it captured the mood of the story perfectly in how it already was.

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with cover art by John Romita from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
    As much as I love Romita's own inks - I think he is the greatest inker of the Silver Age - because he's my favorite artist of the Silver Age - I sometimes forget that there was one inker who did a run on the books with him that really did an outstanding job. Jim Mooney.
    More on that in a minute...
    Below: I love when an artist is able to be creative with the whole 'let's get you caught up' angle that Marvel Comics used to use at the beginning of continued stories. And in this instance, it's a classic - Spidey wanted by the law, reminding us of the Clay Tablet and that he has been falsely 'partnered' with the Kingpin - while we see the Kingpin furious behind bars. Great opening.

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
     
    Jim Mooney really captured a dark mood in the book during this run. I seem to remember it began around #67 (part 2 of the Mysterio arc, and through the Clay Tablet saga) which didn't actually end in #75 (though the basic plot did). This is classic Spider-man, that might've even made Ditko proud if he had cared about such things. 

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
     
    And of course, there was the romance! Whereas Clark Kent always gave a knowing wink to the comic reader, when Lois would say, "Oh Clark, if only you could be more like Superman", the weight of responsibility of being Spider-man would torture Peter Parker, and continuously isolate him from his friends and loved ones. 
    Understanding that... these scenes, meant to give the book a 'romance' angle - take on a much, much deeper, darker meaning. And NOW, knowing what eventually happens to Gwen... even more so. Has there ever been a mainstream superhero with more of a classic tragedy within his story?

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
     
    How many of us could put up with being labeled a coward by the person we loved - seen as always running off when trouble showed up? When in reality we were risking our lives? The original run of the Amazing Spider-man, especially up through the first 150 issues was so great... so perfect... not sure there'll ever be anything like it again.

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
     
    I find it peculiar that many of the people who talk in awe of Stan Lee are the same people who complain about politics in today's comics, and use words like 'snowflake' and 'liberal' and 'social justice warrior', etc. Stan was VERY much a liberal voice in comics (as were many of the creative types of the day) and very much a social justice thinker. 
    Even though much of it was written as a peaceful compromise (such as below), just giving a VOICE to students, especially black ones, back in 1968, would NOT have been seen as a MAINSTREAM idea, especially in the South.

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
     
    Romita had such a great foundation in romance, so his men and women always looked All-American - his cities looked well done - his standard scenes of non-action efficient - but on top of that... when it came time to have action, he was as good as anyone Marvel ever had. 
    I was never a huge Kingpin fan, but the one on one fights between him and Spider-man were always good, and Spidey was usually twice as wise-cracking as usual during it...

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
    I don't know if it was Stan's idea or Johnny's or what, but what a great ending to the issue here as Spider-man - hunted by the police, shunned by his girlfriend, and then interrupted from capturing the Kingpin by JJJ, confronts the loud mouth publisher...

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
     
    ...only to make things worse! It's weird to think that, despite very minimal use of a villain (and NOT a supervillain at that), or anything that would have a long term effect on the story or future of the comic... I'd rate this a 9/10 comic book. Just a fantastic issue!

    (MARVE TALES #53 cover-dated September 1974, on newsstands June 4th, 1974, with art by John Romita (layouts) and Jim Mooney (Finishes) from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #70 cover-dated March 1969, on newsstands December 12th, 1968)
     
  9. Prince Namor
    LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 (and #23) - Remembering Amnesia!
    No, that isn't the cover to Life with Archie #109, it's the cover to Life with Archie #23. I'm starting this post off with it because it's another cool old comic I picked up for $1 at a recent show.
     
    Featuring a fairly ho-hum cover (as far as Archie Comics and Life with Archie in particular goes) from the nevertheless under appreciated Bob White, the story inside (Sy Reit) isn't much to talk about either. However, it went on sale on August 1st, 1963, FIVE DAYS before I was born. 
    That's kinda cool.

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #23 cover dated October 1963, on newsstands August 1st, 1963, with cover art by Bob White)
     
     
    Hink Brinkley is on a search for 'America's Most Loveable Teenager' (of all the cockamamie things), and lo and behold, there he is in Riverdale - Archie himself. That's pretty much it. They search. They find him. Mr. Lodge thinks it's horrible, then concedes he IS loveable. 
    Yoinks.

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #23 cover dated October 1963, on newsstands August 1st, 1963, with art by Bob White)
     
     
    We jump ahead 8 years and here for the topic of discussion today is Life with Archie #109 with a cover by, according to me, Dan DeCarlo (with inks by Ridy Lapick). The give away is Veronica's side profile.
    Again, as far as Archie covers go and Life with Archie covers in particular, this one is another ho-hum entry. 

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 cover dated May 1971, on newsstands March 9th, 1971, with cover art by what looks to me like Dan DeCarlo)
     
     
    But then we get to the story. And we start off with a flower pot crashing down on Archie's head. As low brow as it may sound, this always gets a chuckle out of me, and we even get to see Archie's goofy care free grinning face PRE-CRASH.
    What can I say? I'm sometimes easily amused by the simplest of things. 
     

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 cover dated May 1971, on newsstands March 9th, 1971, with art by Dan DeCarlo?)
     
    It gives Archie amnesia and he honestly doesn't remember a thing. Jughead tries to get him to kiss Midge, hoping a punch from Moose will bring him back to normal, but even in this state Archie is too aware to fall for it.
    Instead, he runs into Betty at POPS, and he is delighted she's CRAZY about him. He can't believe his good fortune!

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 cover dated May 1971, on newsstands March 9th, 1971, with art by Dan DeCarlo?)
     
     
    Of course, Veronica shows up and she's having none of that, but...

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 cover dated May 1971, on newsstands March 9th, 1971, with art by Dan DeCarlo?)
     
     
    What a great ad for (the comic of course) the 'groovy' fashions showing up in comics in 1971! But what the hell is Jughead wearing?

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 cover dated May 1971, on newsstands March 9th, 1971, with art by Dan DeCarlo - almost sure of it.)
     
    To finish things off we get a great panel from (I think) Bill Vigoda, that... looks rather amateur-ish to be quite honest, but perfectly conveys its message. I can't help it - I think it's funny.

    (LIFE WITH ARCHIE #109 cover dated May 1971, on newsstands March 9th, 1971, with art by Bill Vigoda?)
     
    A nice $1 comic to read on a lazy evening!
     
     
  10. Prince Namor
    HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 - Ho Hum, Earth's Getting Destroyed Again...
    This period in the history of DC Comics was NOT one of my favorites. There's probably a fair amount of GREAT work from this period I'm just not aware of, but... there's also so much bland junk, it's difficult for me to even begin to wade into these waters....
    The Senate hearing on Comic Books in 1957 had allowed publishers like DC and others to put out a Comics Code, aimed directly at their biggest competitor (EC Comics) and put them out of business. But it came at the expense of talent and output, stripping the comic book story of any real danger.
    Luckily though, we at least get this cover by Dick Dillin with inks by Sheldon Moldoff... which is actually pretty cool and maybe the best part of the whole package.
     

    (HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 cover-dated November 1961, on newsstands September 26, 1961, with cover art by Dick Dillin and inks by Sheldon Moldoff)
     
    Inside.... well, I'm not trying to talk down about the abilities of the people who did this work. It's not lazy, it's not sloppy, it's well crafted within the confines of what they were able to create in. The same as those pamphlets the religious nuts hand out in front of rock concerts.
    With the same goal: Get the message across without being offensive or crude.
    Here we start with a Twilight Zone story about a guy who causes people to lose their face. He's almost like a human face eraser, just by looking at them. Granted, it slowly fades away, but he realizes he's the cause of it. A key clue is in the background early in the story if you're looking for it (I wasn't.)
     

    (HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 cover-dated November 1961, on newsstands September 26, 1961, with art by Bill Ely)
     
    It's not that the story is BAD... it's a bit hokey, as were a lot of these back in the day, but BACK in the day, this is what we had and it wasn't much different than network TV.  Which is the problem. Comics had lost its ability to go up and beyond what network TV could do. Why read comics if you could watch the same type of thing on TV?
    The art was done by long-time artist Bill Ely, who was a sure draftsman. By that I mean, he wasn't at all bad - at times, some of his work is actually quite good - but mostly he had the 'Curt Swan' style of functional blandness.
     

    (HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 cover-dated November 1961, on newsstands September 26, 1961, with art by Bill Ely)
     
    Was everything like this in the very late '50s, early 60's?
    No, of course not - I probably haven't even read 1% of the stories from this period, but... Rip Hunter... Time Master might be the greatest thing ever. I mean... Nick Cardy drew it, so automatically that's a great start!
    Hey! For a $1, there's a beat-up copy out there somewhere!
     

    (HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 cover-dated November 1961, on newsstands September 26, 1961, with cover art by Nick Cardy)
     
    We get some Count of Monte Cristo type of story next drawn by Howard Sherman (another long-time artist from the Golden Age who'd slowly fade out by mid-'70s for DC) and after that the latest Mark Mirken story. I say that like I know who Mark Mirkin is. I don't. 
    But you have to admire anyone who watches the earth get blown up and as his girl cries out in horror, he says, "Steady Elsa". That was the standard American story. The girl is hysterical. The guy is an All-American rugged Marlboro Man who never loses his cool. 
    Artist Mort Meskin created Mark Mirkin, and by this point his career was starting to run down. He'd been a big deal in the Golden Age (he was a big influence on Steve Ditko) but retired from comics 4 years later.
     

    (HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 cover-dated November 1961, on newsstands September 26, 1961, with art by Mort Meskin)
     
    Here's one I'm curious to check out though - Russ Heath's Sea Devils. Always liked these covers (with Jack Adler's color and wash effects).

    (HOUSE OF SECRETS #50 cover-dated November 1961, on newsstands September 26, 1961, with cover art by Russ Heath)
     
  11. Prince Namor
    CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - It's all about the Art!
     
    I bought this beat up copy for $7.50
     
    I may have my issues with Steranko the 'person', but he certainly created some of the most memorable handful of issues ever made in comics. Probably no artist in history has less work that is more popular than Jim Steranko.
     
    Captain America #113 was the third of 3 issues he did in 1969 - the first two #110 and #111 interrupted by the origin retelling in #112 that Jack Kirby reportedly had to do in a weekend because Steranko was late.
     
    That's of course what you get from people who are more geared toward design and interesting artistic expressions.... they tend to be a lot LESS geared towards deadlines and structure.
     
    NOTE: According to the ever eager to promote himself Steranko, he penciled, inked, colored and lettered the cover and on the inside, plotted the story (dialogued by Stan Lee), penciled it, had Tom Palmer ink it (other than the 2 page spread that HE inked and lettered), while Artie Simek lettered all but the center spread.
     

    (CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - cover dated May 1969, on newsstands February 4th, 1969 with cover art by Jim Steranko)
     
     
    In the issue, we see from the opening splash page, the type of work that would inspire artists for the next couple of decades. Steranko was inspired by a creative genius' from HIS younger days, the amazing Will Eisner, who had a real flair for opening pages in his Spirit stories.
     
    Combined with his obvious love for movies, this opening splash makes perfect sense. 20 years later Frank Miller would beat this idea to death in DKR.
     

    (CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - cover dated May 1969, on newsstands February 4th, 1969 with art by Jim Steranko)
     
     
    Speaking of influencing Frank Miller, why doesn't anyone ever mention Steranko's influence on his Sin City? Isn't it obvious?
     
    This is a great sequence from an art perspective, but from an editorial point, it... sure does take up a lot of room to put forth a simple idea. That's why I'm NOT a big fan of editors - it's COMIC books, not BOOKS... it should ALWAYS be about the art and the design and the ability to tell the story with the ART. This does it amazingly.
     

    (CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - cover dated May 1969, on newsstands February 4th, 1969 with art by Jim Steranko)
     
     
    Same thing here... what's with all the wasted space?
     
    Well... it LOOKS cool. That's what it's supposed to do. Really, when it comes right down to it... there are really only a handful of comic book STORIES that are worth saying are really GREAT. Most of of them just follow the basic guideline of - Bad Guy shows up, looks like he'll win, Hero beats him. 
     
    So make it LOOK good. 
     

    (CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - cover dated May 1969, on newsstands February 4th, 1969 with art by Jim Steranko)
     
    Now THAT is a two page spread. Steranko was great at these...
     
    Really, did we criticize the Image Comics guys for the wrong reasons? Wasn't all of that art supposed to LOOK cool. Did it really matter that the STORIES were... regurgitated drivel? What are Marvel and DC's stories? Regurgitated drivel.
     
    Make it LOOK good.
     

    (CAPTAIN AMERICA #113 - cover dated May 1969, on newsstands February 4th, 1969 with art by Jim Steranko)
     
     
  12. Prince Namor
    MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Wanna Play on the Bridge?
    Marvel Team-Up was the FIRST regular spin-off series for Spider-man (Spectacular Spider-man Magazine preceded it for two issues) and featured Spidey in all but 10 of its 150 issues and 1 of its 7 Annuals.
    Somewhere out there, someone has all 150 issues collected, but amazingly enough all SEVEN Annuals as well. I can picture the first one in my head (Spidey and the X-Men) but for the life of me can't remember the other 6.
    On the cover here we have Gil Kane heavily embellished (inked) by John Romita, so that... well so that it looks more like a Romita drawing than a Gil Kane drawing, which is what I prefer. I appreciate Kane's work in my older age, but Romita is, to ME, the greatest, most underrated artist of his era.
    And it gives us, really, an amazing type of cover, that both artists are known for, and here working together they've created an almost 3-D like look at these two characters. 
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - cover art by Gil Kane with inks by John Romita)
     
    Don Perlin isn't someone who I was much of a fan of throughout my young comic book reading days, or even later on, but... looking at some of his work now, especially when he has a strong inker, he has some really quality work out there!
    HERE, he's essentially Ross Andru's inker and maybe finisher to some degree, but I can tell these truly are Andru's layouts (I grew up on his ASM), and Perlin's inks/finishes give Andru's work a really smooth appeal. I like this a lot.
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - art by Ross Andru and Don Perlin)
     
    Now, strangely enough, despite taking place (in real-time) two months after Gwen's death and a month after the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn's death (both remembered in thought here by Peter/Spidey), he isn't freaked out by the Werewolf, at the start of the story, falling to his 'demise' off the side of the Golden Gate Bridge!
    (For those that don't know, the love of Peter's life, long-time girlfriend Gwen Stacy was knocked off the George Washington Bridge in New York by the Green Goblin. Spidey used his web to catch her, but the jolt snapped her neck, killing her instantly.)
    Hmm... maybe that's why he doesn't shoot his web and try and save the Werewolf here?
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - art by Ross Andru and Don Perlin)
     
    Ok, so I'll chalk it up to 'its not the same bridge', and he's in a different city (San Francisco on assignment).
    As you may or may not know, I'm easily amused by comic book characters (or actors/actresses) getting boinked on the head, and here, later in the story, Wolvie (who survived the fall), lunges at Spidey, Spidey leaps out of the way, and Wolvie knocks himself out by crashing headfirst into the side of some poor guys parked sedan. They've should've put that scene in one of the movies!
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - art by Ross Andru and Don Perlin)
     
    MTU has some lame villains though, and this one, Moondork, uh, I mean Moondark is a perfect example. As goofy as he is, he'd appear at least 4 other times after this though...
    Did you know that whenever Spidey WASN'T one of the Team-Up heroes in the book (18, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 97, 104, 105, and Annual 3), it coincided with the release of one of his Giant Size Issues?
     
    Well, it's not true. I fact-checked it and SOME of those issues did:
    MTU #23 (Human Torch/Iceman) vs Giant-Sized Spider-Man #1
    MTU #26 (Human Torch/Thor) vs Giant-Sized Spider-Man #2
    MTU #29 (Human Torch/Iron Man) vs Giant-Sized Spider-Man #3
    MTU #32 (Human Torch/Son of Satan) vs Giant-Sized Spider-Man #4 and
    MTU #35 (Human Torch/Dr. Strange) vs Giant-Sized Spider-Man #5
    But not the rest...
      Ah well. When MTU ended (#150) it was replaced by Web of Spider-man.
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - art by Ross Andru and Don Perlin)
     
    Why I didn't send away for this as a 12-year-old, I don't know. I sent away for the Legion of Super-Heroes issue of Amazing World of DC Comics and I was MUCH more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy. 
    It looks pretty cool...
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973)
     
    They must've been really impressed with this cover or lacking story to give it a full-page spread. I mean... it's for Doc Savage... issue #3.
    You want real Doc Savage from non-Golden Age Pulp, I'd go with the Curtis Magazine Series.
    It IS a sweet Gil Kane cover here though...
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - art by Ross Andru and Don Perlin)
     
    Now at the end of the story, Spidey finishes off Moondark by letting him fall to his death from a BRIDGE! For the 2nd time this happens in THIS comic, just two months after Spidey sees Gwen fall to her death from a BRIDGE.
    His attitude about it is pretty breezy, and... yeah, there was no general knowledge of PTSD at that time, but... sheesh. Talk about a weird lack of editorial!
     

    (MARVEL TEAM-UP #12 - Cover Dated August 1973 - on Newsstands May 29th, 1973 - art by Ross Andru and Don Perlin)
     
  13. Prince Namor
    The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set
     
    I bought this beat up copy for $10
     
    It's something I had never owned before, or even held in my hands, so I was excited to see it at the local comic book shop - and with that John Romita cover and $10 price, I had to have it.
     
    Of course, I wondered how I'd listen to it, but... it's 2020 and You Tube has everything:
     
    The Invasion of the Dragon Men Recording
     
    Mark of the Man-Wolf Recording
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with cover art by John Romita)
     
     
    The back cover uses art from two sources - bot the stories inside. The first, 'The Invasion of the Dragon Men', looks like a hodge podge of artists - Romita, Buckler, Adams - most likely very much Giordano inks. Comics.org has it as Buckler? art and Giordano? inks.
     
    The bottom part is from Amazing Spider-man #124 - from September 1973 (on newsstands June 12, 1973) and we know is Gil Kane with inks by John Romita and Tony Mortellaro.
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art by unknown on the top and Gil Kane on the bottom from Amazing Spider-man #124 - from September 1973 on newsstands June 12, 1973)
     
    The record is in ok shape!
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art on the 33 1/3 LP by Gil Kane on the bottom)
     
    The inside front cover and inside back cover features art from some of the other records and it definitely looks like Neal Adams with Giordano.
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art by unknown, but it looks like Neal Adams to me with Giordano inks)
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art by unknown, but it looks like Neal Adams to me with Giordano inks)
     
     
    The Dragon Men story is pretty lame, but at times it has some pretty cool artwork. Parts of this make me think Neal Adams, but I'm so unfamiliar with if he'd ever done Spider-man, so I'm hesitant to make that complete claim. 
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art by unknown. Comics.org has it listed as Rich Buckler? with inks by Giordano?)
     
     
    Throughout you can definitely see signs of cut and paste. And swipes. It's interesting to me now, because this is one Spider-man story from the 70's I had never read! I wasn't missing much, but I'm sure glad I found this. It's a pretty cool piece of memorabilia! 
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art by unknown. Comics.org has it listed as Rich Buckler? with inks by Giordano?)
     
     
    I'm not going to go into much detail on the Man-Wolf story, as I'm sure I'll find a beat-up copy of ASM #124 sometime and do a full posting on it. But man, did Gil Kane's art look a LOT better with Romita's inks and then Motellaro's inks on top of that.
     

    (The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Book and Record Set - 1977 - with art by Gil Kane and inks by John Romita and Tony Motellaro from Amazing Spider-man #124 - from September 1973 on newsstands June 12, 1973)
     
     
     
     
     
  14. Prince Namor
    FANTASTIC FOUR #51 - This Man, This Monster!
     
    I bought this slightly beat up reader copy for $8!
     
    One of the greatest FF saga's of all time it comes immediately following the Galactus Trilogy and just before the 1st appearance of the Black Panther! Man, Kirby was on a tear! I'll be honest... I'm NOT the biggest fan of Jack's covers. As great as he is at sequential story telling, action sequences, and even grand splash pages... I always thought his covers were primarily... functional.
    But THIS, is one of my favorites. The cover says a LOT about what's inside... and it makes you wonder...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with cover art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    THIS would've made a great cover too, except for the fact that the cover is already GREAT! But as far as splash pages go, this is also a great one and sets the tone immediately. The Thing is bummed out and depressed and wandering the streets...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    Stan used to make a big deal about the Marvel Method and how the artists would make even a simple telephone call look exciting and action packed. But the truth is, as far as Kirby, he knew exactly when to slow the pace down and show emotion. Kirby was a master of the art form...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    This issue was a month before Ditko quit and some wonder if Stan knew what was coming (or was already planning on replacing Ditko) and had John Romita do a warm-up for the character in Daredevil. Either way, Stan decided not to give us a glimpse in this ad!
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by... looks like Steve Ditko on the Spider-man and Wally Wood on the Daredevil)
     
    Reed prepares to do what he has to and the 'fake' Ben Grimm realizes that maybe he was wrong. If Stan was modeling himself after Reed (and Jack, the Thing), it's kinda funny how he presents him as selfless and 'doing it without any fanfare'!
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    As much as I have an issue with Stan's over-pontification and... what I think of as the 'dumbing down' of comic books, there are times when... his wording really DOES play a huge part in moving the story forward and adding to the drama. Here it's just perfect...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    The line may have snapped but the 'fake' Ben is so overwhelmed with guilt he jumps in to save Reed! And Reed's ready to take death like a man (with no thought of Sue)...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    And 'fake' Ben sacrifices himself to save Reed! What a sneaky way to have 'Ben' give his life to the guy who ruined HIS, without actually losing Ben...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #51 cover-dated June 1966, on newsstands March 10th, 1966, with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    And now, a great essay on this issue by FF Historian Chris Tolworthy...
     
     
    How Lee took credit for "This Man This Monster" by FF Historian Chris Tolworthy
     
    I often hear people either praise or condemn Lee for the ending to "This Man This Monster" (Fantastic Four 51, FF51), where the red shirt dies. I am probably the world's most obsessive FF fan, and I want to argue that:
     
    (1) FF51 is completely misunderstood. Yes, Lee had input, but NOT the way people think.
     
    (2) Lee's reputation rests mostly on this book. This is due to the above misunderstanding.
     
    PART 1: PLOT OVERVIEW
     
    A quick refresher: FF51 is famous for two things: the red shirt death, and the first appearance of the Negative Zone, more accurately called the Sub-space portal. Thanks to Lee's edits, most readers miss the significance of the first plot, and so they miss the significance of the second. 
     
    This is the plot as most people see it: 
     
    Ben Grimm (The Thing) is depressed. An unnamed scientist takes advantage of this and steals Ben's power. He replaces Ben in the Fantastic Four, intending to kill Reed Richards. But he learns that Reed is really a hero, and sacrifices his own life to save Reed.
     
    PART 2: WHY FF51 MATTERS
     
    Some people love the "heroic death" ending. FF51 is sometimes voted "best comic of all time". It stands out even more as it comes right after the Galactus saga. It is seen as a change of gears, a different story. It is presented as proof that Lee and Kirby could turn on a dime and were masters of all topics.
     
    --WHY IT IS CRITICISED--
     
    Others find it less impressive. They point out that the unnamed scientist is a "red shirt": he is introduced simply to die. A cheap cliche.
     
    --WHY IT MATTERS TO THE MARVEL METHOD--
     
    It is often claimed (based on a superficial reading of Kirby's superhero art) that Kirby added the god-like cosmic elements to the Kirby-Lee stories, and therefore Lee added the human elements. When people learn more they are forced to back track: just look at Kirby's romance comics, or the personal depth in his Fourth World stories. And then look at the shallowness of Lee's writing. But here FF51 comes to the rescue. 
     
    FF51 is used as proof that Lee must have added the red shirt detail. After all, Kirby would never be so crass. And yet sales are sales. Survey after survey shows that people LOVE that story. So the narrative becomes, "Kirby aded the depth, Lee added the cliché. Both are essential. Neither man could do it alone. What a team!" 
     
    See for example the first volume of The Comics Journal Collected Library. The great question of "who did what?" is (supposedly) answered by the essay "Once And For All, Who Was The Author of Marvel?" (reprinted from The Comics Journal. October 1995: 70-78) The essay argues that Kirby did not do "noble death" stories but Lee loved them. Therefore (it argues) this is a sign of Lee's input. 
     
    FF51 thus becomes crucial to the pro Lee argument. We can PROVE that lee only dealt with shallow clichés. But the pro-Lee argument turns it round: this PROVES that Lee added the end to FF51. And since people LOVE that ending, it PROVES that Lee added a lot of the value! So now when any Lee fan begins to doubt, they remember FF51 and get a warm glow: their faith is secure.
     
    I will next argue that the logic of that argument fails. And while Lee DID make major changes to that issue, they are not what we think.
     
    PART 3: LEE WAS EDITOR, NOT PLOTTER
     
    The idea that Lee added the ending is "special pleading": that is, all the evidence says Lee did NOT plot, but we say "in this one case he must have done (because the plot point is bad)". I will now remind readers why the default position must be why Lee did not plot this issue, and then show why the "bad ending" argument fails.
     
    As we have shown time and again in the Marvel Method group, all the evidence points to Lee having MINIMAL control over the plot of the stories. He might say "Bring back Dr Doom" or "lighten up the tone" or "have them fight Spider-Man" but that's about it. Normally the story conferences take place behind closed doors, but when we do catch a glimpse they always show that lee had literally no idea what was in the comic until he saw it. This is nowhere more clear than around issue 51. 
     
    We are lucky to get two accidental glimpses into a story meeting around this time: one just before, one just after. For FF48, Roy Thomas accidentally walked in on a meeting and famously reported the "who's that guy?" quote. Lee knew nothing about the Silver Surfer until he saw him. Then for FF 55, Lee put on a fake meeting for a reporter, and Lee's comment shows he had no idea what was in the comic (being unaware of the ongoing Klaw plot, and thinking the Surfer whose whole story was being trapped on Earth, was "somewhere off in space"). So the default assumption must be that, barring other evidence, Lee did not plot the stories at all. He was an editor: he edited stories after they arrived.
     
    PART 4: LEE'S MOST FAMOUS EDIT
     
    The simplest way to see Lee's edits is to read the stories without dialogue. The "Kirby Without Words" blog shows that the art and dialogue are frequently in conflict. 
     
    https://kirbywithoutwords.tumblr.com/
     
    The clearest and most common conflict is sexism (check the blog for examples). Lee always wanted the male hero to be THE MALE HERO. So:
     
    * when a woman did something, Lee changed the dialogue to give credit to the man. 
     
    * When the male hero was controlled by a villain, Lee changed the dialogue so the male hero was NOT being controlled. 
     
    * When the male hero did something morally ambiguous (especially if it might offend the Comics Code) Lee changed the dialogue to make it safer.
     
    The number one example is Reed Richards, Mr Fantastic. By editing out his moral conflicts, Lee removed the heart and soul of the Fantastic Four. I'll look at that next, and then how it changes FF51.
     
    PART 5: EDITING OUT THE HEART OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR
     
    Right from the start, Reed Richards made hard decisions that had bad consequences. In issue 1 he ignored his best friend: Ben Grimm warned him the space ship needed more shielding. Reed took the ship up anyway: Ben was right, the ship crashed, and Ben had his life ruined. Reed then took Ben's girl and always showed astounding insensitivity. Highlights are when he humiliated Ben in issue 13, and was unforgivably bad to him in issue 40, and so on and on, The pattern is usually that Reed has some Big Science invention, takes Big Risks, and Ben pays the high price. 
     
    Reed's story reflects real life: big science is amazing, but big science also has consequences. Lee undermined Reed's story by removing the conflict. Lee edited the dialogue to make Reed a one dimensional hero. So we lose the ongoing tragedy of how Reed hurts his best friend. And we therefore we lose the point of the Subspace portal in FF51.
     
    PART 6: THIS MAN THIS MONSTER
     
    Let's look back at the plot most people ignore. The fact that this is "the first appearance of the negative zone" is treated as a footnote, a coincidence. But when we remember the theme of Reed's life - scientist who hurts his friend - we recognise the pattern: Reed will do some Big Science and Ben will get hurt. Except this time Ben starts at the worst place ever. And this time it won't be Ben. This time Reed will finally see. This is the Big One where the "Reed hurts Ben" plot finally resolves. 
     
    In FF51 Reed decides that he has to build the ultimate weapon. The subspace portal lets him go anywhere, and therefore breach any walls, and obtain any technology. Such a portal makes nuclear weapons seem quaint and obsolete. Reed tries to keep it a secret from the team, and is angry when they find out about it. Here is the old theme again, taken to its final level: you just know that Ben will end up hurt. But this time there will be a twist. Instead of Ben paying the price, somebody will imitate Ben, thinking he has such a great life, and then THAT man will pay the price. 
     
    The idea of the scientist as both hero and monster is at least as old as Frankenstein. It was also the theme of the Hulk: "Is He Man Or Monster? Or Is He Both?" or it WAS the theme, until Lee's editing forced the Hulk to become a hero, again removing the heart from the story. 
     
    So "This Man This Monster" refers not just to Ben, not just to the unnamed scientist, but since issue one it has also referred to Reed. There are three men-monsters in this story, in different trajectories, so we can compare and contrast. The real monsters are often not the ugly people who see their faults clearly. The real monsters are the handsome people who are either unaware of their faults, or dismiss them for the greater goal. In the FF, Reed frequently hurts his best friend and is not even aware he is doing it. In this story, by seeing two other "monsters" lose everything (one is rejected by his best friend and loses his old life, the other who actually loses his life in Reed's latest experiment - it was Reed's faulty cable that broke), Reed finally learns to appreciate Ben: it is the climax of 51 issues.
     
    Yet even here Kirby does not tell us what to think. We can still see the good in Reed, as the unnamed scientist does. Kirby is simply telling a tale of monsters: the monster that is IN ALL OF US. Ben, with his self destructive depression. Reed, with his blindness to the human cost of his actions. The unnamed scientist, with his readiness to tread on others to get "justice".
     
    Lee's need to have one dimensional male heroes undermined this story. Just as it undermined the Hulk. Just as it undermined Spider-Man once Ditko left and Peter became handsome. It created shallow comics that only comic fans could love: comics that would never break into the mainstream of literature. And that is just the start.
     
    PART 7: EDITING OUT THE HEART, CONTINUED
     
    I discussed how Reed's science reflected the arms race. Did Reed NEED to beat the Russians into space at the expense of hurting his best friend? Did he NEED to ruins Ben's life to defeat Doctor Doom in issue 40? Did he NEED to build the ultimate weapon? That is left for the reader to decide. It was the story of the 1960s: the arms race. Did America need to build bigger and bigger bombs? Did it need to send people to die in Korea? Kirby shows both sides. These could be hard decisions that MUST be made for our survival. Or they could be mankind's greatest folly. Are the peaceniks the real heroes? Or just well meaning children? Both sides are there in Kirby's art, and he lets us decide.
     
    Is there an alternative to this arms race? I mentioned how Lee added sexism: the men are always strong, the women weak. Strip that back to the original art, and we see a different story. Sue fights just as well as the boys: Sue beat Dr Doom the first time round, when the boys were helpless. But Sue's real power is in her alliances. Sue's compassion for Namor turned him from enemy to friend. Sue's compassion for the Impossible Man made him like humans. Sue's compassion for Triton turned the Inhumans from enemies to friends. And it was Alicia who really defeated Galactus, by getting inside the Surfer's heart: when Galactus lost his only friend he lost the will to fight. In each of these cases the women do not simply convert one person, but the convert a nation or a cosmic power. Kirby does not say "the women are right, the men are wrong", he simply shows both sides. But Lee's dialogue makes the women weak, so we remove the alternative to war, so the heart of the bigger story is lost.
     
    Both sides of that lost story - the arms race and the power of love - change how we see the "noble sacrifice" of FF51.
     
    PART 8: CONCLUSION: THE NOBLE SACRIFICE THAT WASN'T
     
    Lee's editing always made Reed one dimensional. We therefore lose the central conflict of the story: the question of whether Reed should have done this, and whether the price was worth it: the price always paid by his friend. We still get a hint that this story is about Reed: the central tragedy on which the plot hinges is that Reed cannot even recognise his best friend. But most readers will not pick up on the importance of that, because Lee spent the past 50 issue telling everyone that Reed has no faults.
     
    This time Kirby added a twist to the "Reed hurts Ben" story. A stranger thinks Ben has a great life so takes on his role. (The stranger only sees the outside.) And so the stranger pays the price. The arms race can hurt anyone, not just the people involved.
     
    Without the central conflict - the question of whether Reed is man or monster - the reader looks round for another conflict. Is it with Ben? No, Ben is passive, and does not get what he wants, so he cannot be the protagonist. That leaves the unnamed scientist as the star. But as critics have pointed out, this is problematic. he is a red shirt: introduced just to die. We do not even know his name. And it is hard to sympathise, as most of the time he is a jerk and only makes the right decision at the end. But when we recover the central "is Reed Man or Monster" plot, the role of the scientist becomes clear. 
     
    The unnamed scientist does not make a noble sacrifice: he simply pays the price for his own crime of letting the rope break instead of saving Reed. His role is important, to show that inside people can be decent. But it is something ANYBODY should do. His role is to be an everyman: he struggles, he follows the tide of history, he has bad inside him, but also good. He is a human being, nothing more or less. 
     
    When we shift our attention to Reed, the ending now makes sense. Reed is pushing an arms race, at the expense of those around him (ignoring his wife, hurting his best friend). This lesser scientist is caught up in Reed's slipstream, envying him. So he gets the arms race bug, and he gets hurt instead of Ben. The message is not "noble sacrifice" but "the arms race hurts people." The story does not end with the man dying, it ends with Reed finally realising the importance of Sue and Ben.
     
    THE REAL ENDING
     
    Even if we choose to see the scientist as a hero in the end - and Kirby leaves us free to do so - it is simply a sub-plot, a tying up of a loose end, and not the point of the story. It is three pages before the end of the story. The story ends with Reed learning to value his best friend. 
     
    From this point on in the Fantastic Four, Reed never again hurts Ben. That is the whole point of the story. This is the real ending of the four part Galactus saga: to see that love is the answer. This issue is not a break from the Galactus story, it is the climax. It began in the previous issue, when Ben felt helpless knowing that the Surfer is here, a man he cannot defeat in any way, physically or for Alicia's love (he thinks). Note how Ben's depression simply mirrors Reed's despair when Galactus arrives. The saga is about feeling helpless. What can we do when we can do nothing? We can love. 
     
    Yet this ending is completely undermined because, according to Lee's editing, Reed never had any faults, he was never in despair, so had nothing to learn. So the reader is left turning back the pages looking for a satisfying ending, and the scientist is all we got.
     
    SUMMARY
     
    In summary, it seems to me that Kirby plotted the whole of FF51, just as he plotted everything else. And Lee edited the dialogue to make the hero one dimensional, just as he always did. This had the unexpected side effect of weakening the ending so much that people think Lee must have plotted it. Give the popularity of FF51, this becomes proof that Lee not just influenced plots, but added value. But there is no need for that hypothesis. FF51 is explained by Lee's normal editing.
     
    At least, that's how I see it.
     
     
  15. Prince Namor
    ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 - Length and Suggestiveness!
     
    I bought this ok looking copy for $4
     
    This 48 page Annual came out in 1972 and features a couple of 'Still going strong Harry Lucey' stories, though it sports a humorous Dan DeCarlo cover. (See what I did there?) Lucey was in the last couple of years of working for Archie Comics, retiring in 1976 with Archie Comics #254 (July 1976) after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Inker Chic Stone completed the art for the rest of the stories in the issue... 35 years Harry Lucey drew for Archie Comics...
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with cover art by Dan DeCarlo)
     
     
    There was just something about the way Lucey drew his females. DeCarlo was great at making them look wholesome and yet sexy, but Lucey had a way of making them look 'sexual'.  The way they turn their body, the length of their skirt... he was a master at it...
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with art by Harry Lucey)
     
     
    For Archie himself... not so sexy. Though no less suggestive. But funny. 
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with art by Harry Lucey)
     
     
    Now talk about somebody who was at Archie Comics even longer... Bill Vigoda! His first Archie story was in Archie Comics #8 in 1944 (he started at MLJ in 1943) and he would work there until  January 1973's Reggie & Me #68. Vigoda drew for Archie Comics for 30 years...
     
    Within two months, Stan Goldberg, who'd been freelancing some work with Archie Comics since 1969 (when his Marvel work suspiciously started looking more Archie like) started to transition his workload from Marvel to Archie. By the end of 1973, Goldberg was done at Marvel and full time at Archie Comics.
     
    Bill Vigoda probably said more than "Oh! Whoopee Twang!"
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with art by Bill Vigoda)
     
     
    I sometimes wonder if they had a library of these half page strips sitting around and then they'd occasionally plug them into an issue to take up some space. It's tough to tell who drew them at times because they always look hurried and a little less polished. But they're funny most of the time...
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with art by ?)
     
     
    Not sure who drew this ad, but Betty and Veronica look like they both have some big FEET. I like Betty's pose and her hat though... The Summertime Giant Series was always something I looked forward to. Well... I looked forward to picking them up when I saw them anyway!
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with art by ?)
     
    And here's Harry Lucey again. That's a random girl from the High School by the way, but I'm sure you know who's behind the water fountain there.
     
     

    (ARCHIE ANNUAL #24 cover-dated 1972, on newsstands May 30th, 1972, with art by Harry Lucey)
     
     

     
  16. Prince Namor
    HAWKMAN #25 - My Baby has a Temper!
    Here's another series I'm pretty clueless to, but this cover lured me in and, boy am I glad it did. It sort of has a 'Coop' (Devil Girl artist Chris Cooper) look to Dillin's art (even though Coop was born the year this came out!). Anyway, I dig it a great deal - the sexy green 'Death Goddess' (not sure why she's 'green' on the cover) - the flames  - Hawkman getting his butt kicked - the purple background...
     

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with cover art by Dillin)

     
    One of the things I always subconsciously noticed about Hawkman, despite almost never reading any of this series (or any of his series ever), is that they always seemed to make his wife Shayera Hol (I had to look that up), or Hawkgirl, look... more sexy than other DC women. 

    This issue REALLY kind of highlights that, as she's possessed by the spirit of Medusa and goes berserk, wanting to destroy the world. 

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Dillin)
     
    Dillin, was a Quality artist (see what I did there?) who drew Blackhawk throughout the 50's and continued to draw the character over at DC as they bought the publisher. Finally after 18 YEARS on the book, he did a few issues to finish off the Hawkman series, before he'd make a name for himself on Justice League of America for the next 12 years.
    Here, his art is... well I've already compared it to a semi-pornographic pop culture 'hot rod' artist, but... it has almost a Charles-Burns-does-a-Mainstream-Comic-Parody look to it, which means of course, I LOVE it. Chuck Cuidera's heavy brush inks, just add to it so well. 
     

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Dillin)
     
    Was Hawkgirl the only one who flies as a woman at DC Comics in 1968? What about Supergirl?
    It used to drive me nuts when superheroes would make these kinds of statements, knowing full well it isn't true.
    Richard Hughes wrote the story... he spent a long career at ACG Comics and then had a short stint at DC to finish his career. 

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Dillin)
     
    Come on. Look at this page. A sexy woman, a growling TIGER, and Hawkman flying in to save the day while holding a walkie-talkie! Or a radio. It sounds cooler saying it's a Walkie-Talkie.
    But I love this page. The story is ok... I mean it's a 1960's comic book. But the art is cool and really, that's what I'm looking for.
    If Dillin had a habit of drawing his females this sexy, I might have to take a look at his JLA run... I'm already won over by his art altogether.

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Dillin)
     
    It's not a full 20-page story, so they have a backup reprint story from Flash #12 (1940) drawn by Sheldon Moldoff and written by Hawkman co-creator Gardner Fox (with Dennis Neville). He co-created the story, he didn't co-write this story.
    Some pretty cool detailed art by Moldoff for 1940...
     

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Sheldon Moldoff. This story is a reprint from Flash Comics #12, cover-dated December 1940, on newsstands October 15th, 1940)
     
    Reading a story from the Golden Age almost always shows us the difference in eras - society AND comics - and here Carter Hall (Shhh, he's really Hawkman), says, "There's Tommy Rogers. Drunk as a Lord." Good stuff.
     
    Overall, a pretty enjoyable issue from a comic series I never read...

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Sheldon Moldoff. This story is a reprint from Flash Comics #12, cover-dated December 1940, on newsstands October 15th, 1940)
     
    Yeah, it's interesting to compare the evolution of the art, story, mannerisms, etc.
     

    (HAWKMAN #25 cover-dated Apr/May 1968, on newsstands February 15th, 1968 with art by Sheldon Moldoff. This story is a reprint from Flash Comics #12, cover-dated December 1940, on newsstands October 15th, 1940)
     
  17. Prince Namor
    TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - Can't create? Imitate!
     
    I bought this beat up copy for $8
     
    This is one of those issues that are sort of well-loved... I mean, the idea of it and that cover are certainly well-loved. It IS a great Marie Severin cover (inks by Frank Giacoia), the kind of thing where someone (probably Stan) said, "What if the Hulk ran into the Silver Surfer?"
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with cover art by Marie Severin)
     
     
    We start off with the Sub-Mariner's story though, who had been sharing the Tales to Astonish title with the Hulk since #70 (May 1965) and would through #101 when the book was canceled so he and the Hulk could start their own series.
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with art by Dan Adkins)
     
     
    This was Roy Thomas' first issue writing Subby and he starts it off by... imitating the scene from Amazing Spider-man #33 where Spidey is trapped under the building wreckage and it's too heavy for him and he somehow finds the strength to lift it and save himself.
     
    Except here... instead of the hero, it's the android who does it. It's kind of weird...
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with art by Dan Adkins)
     
     
    It even has the payoff panel as a splash... it's a direct homage!
     
    I'm actually a fan of Dan Adkins - he's a bit stiff compared to Kirby, but he's still better than Swan or some of those DC artists. And his inks on this are nice as well.
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with art by Dan Adkins)
     
     
    I wasn't old enough to see this stuff when it first came out, but man, I would have loved to have ordered these shirts and sweatshirts and posters and buttons! I would've ordered all of it!
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with art by various - mainly Kirby and Ditko)
     
     
    Speaking of stiff, I love Marie Severin's work as well, but she too lacks the flair of a Kirby or Ditko in her action scenes. She also has a bit of a problem trying to come up with a story here, as Stan's plot synopsis was most likely (again), "What if the Hulk ran into the Silver Surfer?"
     
    Great idea, but not much of a story.
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with art by Marie Severin)
     
     
    Always thought it was funny though, towards the end of it, the Hulk punches the Surfer square in the face! Not sure who's idea it was, but I thought it was pretty humorous...
     

    (TALES TO ASTONISH #93 - cover dated July 1967, on newsstands April 11th, 1967 with art by Marie Severin)
     
     
     
     
     
  18. Prince Namor
    FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - Pencil! Ink! Action!
     
    I bought this beat up copy for $7.50
     
    It's fun to read these old issues, in no order other than when I buy them, the same way I used to read them when I was a kid and teenager). Storylines are somewhat overrated if you ask me... sometimes I just want 15-20 minutes of entertainment.
    And one title that always seemed to deliver was the Fantastic Four.
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with cover art by Jack Kirby)
     
     
    And deliver it does, starting off with a bang as the Baxter Building is under attack! The FF would seemingly alternate between calm and then crazy openings but was always full of action.
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby)
     
     
    If there's one thing Stan Lee did that I was a big fan of, it's dialogue Ben Grimm. And at various times he was hilarious as in this sequence. Whereas the Avengers never could seem to get this right with me (Hawkeye was more of a wise guy than funny), the FF's characters seemed to have the perfect interaction with each other.
     
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby)
     
     
    He's page 14 of the issue in it's penciled form. You can see Jack's very full pencils and his margin notes. There's a fair amount of these pages out there, so it's cool to see what Stan used and didn't use or changed and added. Here, not too much, it's just cool seeing it through each stage of the process.
     
     

    (Original art from FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby)
     
     
    Here's the page with Sinnott's inks, and you can see how much it brings the page to life. He was my favorite Kirby inker, and really... I used to LOVE those Essential collections that had the art in Black & White. I know people swear by newsprint and that color process of comics back in the day but... not me.
     
     

     
    (Original art from FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby and inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
    Here's the final finished page.
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby)
     
     
    Kirby's action storytelling style was so enjoyable on these...
     

    (FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby)
     
     
    What the heck, let's look at the original art on this page as well...

     
    (Original art from FANTASTIC FOUR #61 - cover dated April 1967, on newsstands January 10th, 1967 with art by Jack Kirby with inks by Joe Sinnott)
     
     
  19. Prince Namor
    The ATOM #27 - Funny Little Guy
    Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman survived the disappearance of Superheroes through most of the 50's, but DC's power was so strong during this period, that in July 1956 a re-vamped Flash hit the scene, followed by the Green Lantern 3 years later. 
    TWO YEARS after that (man things moved slowly back then), The Atom appeared in Showcase #34, an Atomic Age type of hero, firmly landing in the Silver Age of Comics. Culled from the concept of the Golden Age Character, this was a new Atom (Ray Palmer), created by Editor Julius Schwartz, Writer Gardner Fox, and Artist Gil Kane.
    Here we have a random issue, #27 featuring the same creative team that started it (those were the days), 5 years and almost 30 stories into it.

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - cover art by Gil Kane)
     
    It's not surprising that Gil Kane's cover is action packed - that's what he did best. What's surprising here is how uncluttered it is... and I use that term in the context of Gil Kane in a GOOD way, as his covers with Marvel were always so cluttered with so MUCH going on! Here it's on a plain green background.
    I might suspect this is some DC Editorial weirdness, but upon further investigation, Gil was doing a brisk amount of work at DC during this time. Of the DC books that came out for Octiber/November 1966, and his side work with Tower over the same time period, it looks like he did 80+ pages and 5 covers!
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
    Again I think the splash page is far superior to the cover in this DC comic. What is up with this? I think each one of these DC books I've reviewed had the same situation. Now my radar is up for this...
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
     
    What suprised me about this comic... and to be quite honest I can't remember ever reading an Atom comic from this era before, or maybe ANY era, so I had nothing to base it upon - is the playful sense of humor and open fun they seem to be having with this story. 
    Obviously this is taken somewhat from Marvel Comics of the day, who in 1966 were gaining ground and causing some conflicting emotions at DC Comics. The 1966 sales numbers show that Amazing Spider-man and Fantastic Four were selling as well as the Flash and OUTSELLING the Atom and Green Lantern.
    For the numbers available, the Atom had peaked in 1964 as the #20 top selling book (265,304), but had fallen to #34 (255,254) in 1965. That's only 10,000 copies (at COVER price, about $1200), but DC knew exactly where those lost sales were going to.
    By 1966, it lost even more ground (#55 - 232,850) and by 1967 (#70 - 184,100) it was on it's way to eventually becoming 'The Atom and Hawkman' for it's last few issues in 1968/69 before being cancelled half way through 1969.
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
     
    Here we're a few years away from that and the Atom and it's Writer/Artist team are excited with the idea of trying to spice up the book and they do so with a classic scenario of the nerd in love with an unknowing beauty - and how his unaware photo taking of her (we call that stalking and invasion of privacy these days), will lead to some bad guys and crime and the Atom.
    It's not lost upon me, the sexuality in that above panel... though I do find it a bit surprising in a mainstream 60's DC Superhero comic. Kane was never... someone I thought of as drawing beautiful women (especially compared to issue vs issue with Romita on ASM), but here he renders the female posterior in a way that is neither dirty or offensive and yet somehow still... very well done in it's 'message'.
     
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
    'A Real Cool Picture, Cats!' 
    Stan Lee had to be chuckling to himself...
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
     
    Kane's strength is of course his action and when the book has it, it's well done. Here, the Atom gets swatted like a baseball. Now THAT'S a 'real cool picture, Cats!' Gil is somewhat forgotten these days, but he was a great within the business and a wonderful interview if you ever get a chance to read one.
    Below that is an Ad for Batman in your Daily Newspaper! 
    Comic Books made me so happy when I first discovered them. It was like a whole new world. And seeing the ads in the them made me realize there were endless amounts of stories and art out there waiting to be discovered. 
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
     
    MmHmm. 
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
     
    As I was reading this I began to wonder... was the Atom always written like this? Above is an example of slapstick humor - which really surprised me. I've read a great deal of Gil Kane interviews over the years and he had a very.... educated sense of humor, though certainly not above using slapstick in the proper context - and now I may go back and read some of his specific discussion regarding his work on the Atom.
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
     
    "...some Billing and Cooing of my own."
    Maybe not as hip as they think...
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966 - art by Gil Kane)
    Wow! Now there's an ad!
    I want them both!
     

    (THE ATOM #27 - Cover Dated Oct/Nov 1966 - on Newsstands August 4th, 1966)
     
    Ok, so here's my answer! Apparently the new writing style started in Issue #25 and the fans have spoken:
    'It's lousy' - 'Lets see more of this tyle of writing' - 'absolutely unnecessary' - 'the humorous footnotes improved the -script immensely' - 'one firm vote against' - 'more' - 'Keep up the good gags' - 'This is terrible'.
     
    Well it certainly got a response!
     
     
  20. Prince Namor
    Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - Romance Comics in Plain Sight
    I'm going to warn you ahead of time - I may sound overly critical of Curt Swan's work here in this piece. I get that he was the definitive Superman artist for 2 1/2 decades. No question about that. But personally, I just never understood the huge fan love for his work, other than "I was 13 and these were my favorite comics." That I get. Going back and discovering his work after reading Neal Adams Superman stories? Hmmm...
    Now I wasn't a big Superman fan as a kid, and really was more of a Marvel guy in general, but I've started to read some of these old DC books, because... well, because when it comes to cheap readers, there just tends to be a lot more DC than Marvel available. So we'll start with this cover. I've always felt Swan's figures for his covers were better than his interior art, and this is a good example. Superman looks properly proportioned here, and Lois actually looks like she has an attractive figure. 
    There's probably a tiny bit more wasted space than needs to be here, and the action is nearly non-existent. It's practically the opposite of a Marvel cover where the characters almost seem to leap off the page. HOWEVER, this IS a romance comic, if not in specific genre (it's considered part of the Superman Family of books), most CERTAINLY in content. So in that respect, it shouldn't have the same, 'jump off the page' action as a normal superhero comic. 
    It's not a BAD cover - it's okay. Professional. Does the job.

    (Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - Cover Dated January 1970 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - cover art by Curt Swan)
     
    Yes. Professional. Does the job.
    THAT is Curt Swan. As Gary Groth once wrote: 
    "Swan is symptomatic of what the industry requires. They adore Swan at DC because they give Swan a --script and it says 'Superman flies out the window'...and there's Superman flying out the window. The --script says 'Clark Kent walking down the hall' and there's Clark Kent walking down a hall. He's just a technician who does exactly what's required of him."
     Unlike Groth (who's opinions on much of comics I DO respect - sorry fanboys), I'm ok with THAT aspect of Swan's work. He's a MAINSTREAM comic artist on the most MAINSTREAM Family of books. He's NOT Neal Adams. There's still a lot to be said for someone who can do the job exactly as told to do it. DC wasn't producing ART, as much as Groth, and many of us wished they would have. They were producing PRODUCT, and as such, Swan was a sturdy machine, pumping out what was asked on a monstrous monthly basis. He maybe did more work than any artist in comics, other than Kirby.
    But unlike Kirby who was constantly soaring with new ideas and ways to express them, and ever-evolving as an artist, Swan was slow and steady and the same, same, same.
    Which is part of my issue with him...
     
     
    Another issue I have are the artists completely overlooked who I felt were far superior to Swan, and right here in this issue, we get to compare them back to back. Irv Novick got his start in the Golden Age (an early MLJ artist!), where his creativity was on display even in the infancy of the profession (you can read about some of it in my Undercover Archie blog). Here at the ripe old age of 53 (he was 4 years older than Curt), we see a splash page that is far superior to the cover. It's almost as if the editor told the both of them, "Draw me a full page of Lois cutting off a lock of Superman's hair, amused that it is robbing him of his powers", and THIS is the contrast in style between the two artists. And DC chose Swan's cover???
    In Novick's, Superman looks furious, explosive, yet held back by Roman guards (it's a Samson and Delilah story), while Lois, looks sexually suggestive, in a position of relaxed power. The word ballons, editorial text, and title are all perfectly placed within the room that's left. 
    Far superior to the cover.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    And speaking of Superman, which is Swan's 'speciality', let's look at the splash page for HIS story, featuring the Man of Steel. I personally find this layout boring. I can't stand Superman's bland body shape here, a constant annoyance I have in Swan's style. He looks like a husky 25 year old male instaed of a 'Man of Steel'. His entrance is pretty vanilla - stationary camera angle... And Lois? You may as well be drawing a 15 year old boy. I just don't get the excitement for this work. Neal Adams must've given some of these old timers a heart attack when he first came to DC.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Curt Swan)
     
    So let's look back at Novick's story and compare a Superman entrance. Superman's entrance is EXCITING, as it should be. It's at an angle that highlights he is descending down. His body language shows action. The expressions of the characters and even their subtle body movements, give us emotion and action within a scene that really ISN'T all that. This is a superb example of an exciting layout within a standard 5 panel page. It keeps the story going without even needing to read it. THIS is how you draw entertaining sequential story art.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    And even when it's a page that isn't full of action, Novick is a master draftsman. Below is a classic Z flow page construction, yet none of his angles are forced - he's using what comes naturally to tell the story in each panel - changing camera angles and perspective when needed. On top of that, he's keeping what could become easily cluttered and messy, quite tidy. 
    Let's examine what's going on without reading.
    Perry White is examing some pictures and discussing them with Clark and Lois.
    Lois is holding the pitcures now and listening intently as White gives instruction.
    Clark and Lois talk as they leave White's office.
    Lois is looking on in surprise as a man is standing on his head.
    A director walks Lois through a room where some perfromiers look to be doing some type of peculiar performance exercises.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    Below, Swan's is a little more heavy handed. The first two panels could very easily just be one and still show Lois' frustration as she runs from her doctor's office. And other than the second panel, it's difficult to tell Lois' emotion
    Let's lay these out:
    Lois is running down the street from a distance.
    Lois is holding her head, upset, as she is nearer to us.
    She looks determined, with tears on her cheeks as we see a close up that she is leaving? entering? Hospital parking.
    She's driving somewhere, we see the back of her head from a distance.
    She's etering a cave with a blank expression.
    In the cave she sees a giant snake, man-sized snake, and we see she is shaking from a distance.
    Hmm.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Curt Swan)
     
    As far as facial expressions, Novick's work in this issue is a great example of how well he told a story with his art. The facial expressions here tell you exactly how the characters are voicing what they're saying and work to help bring the printed page alive.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    Now here's an example of Swan spicing up his page a bit. Superman is descending down at a camera angle that gives it a bit more action. It starts off in much better in style than some of the other pages in his story, but still is a little more bland than what we see from Novick in the same issue. It's not bad... again, it's functional. 

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Curt Swan)
     
    In this day and age, you can hear even the average fan talk about and know who Curt Swan is. And he deserves it - he WAS a great, Hall of Fame name in the history of the hobby. But who talks baout Irv Novick? Many comic book fans, even fairly knowledgeable one's just aren't that aware of his work, and yet... he WAS a great artist that worked continuously in the business from 1939 until the 1990's! (He had a short exit of 5 years from 1946-1951 when he worked in advertising).
     
    So it isn't so much my problem, with Curt Swan's work - it was efficient, I guess, iconic to many, and plentiful - the guy put out so much work it's mind boggling. I just think there were better artists out there, working within the same genre and style, who were in his same age group, who were BETTER and more creative and yet get almost no recognition compared to him.
    And Irv Novick is a perfect example.
     
     
    This IS a romance comic. And John Romita worked for 7 years at DC doing romance comics, before he went back to Marvel and helped change Spider-man from just another crime fighter, to a monthly soap opera of broken hearts and jealousy.
    And good old Irv Novick was maybe just a bit influenced by Romita in his romance work...

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Robert Kanigher's story that opens the comic, "I Betrayed Superman", which is the story that Irv Novick did the art for. It takes a fun poke at the Stanislavski Acting method, calling the instructor here 'Stanislav', and it's pretty funny.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    The facial expressions, the sense of humor... it makes me want to read more Kanigher/Novick work.

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by Irv Novick)
     
    For OE DOLLAR, ya can't beat it. And of course I love reading the ads as well!

    (from Superman's Girl Friend LOIS LANE #98 - on Newsstands November 13, 1969 - art by various. Ok, ok, I recognize Henry Scarpelli on the last issue of Leave it to Binky and in order: Kubert, Cardy, and Adams)
     

     
  21. Prince Namor
    TIPPY TEEN #1 - This Looks Familiar!
    Wally Wood had a long and storied career in comics, and there's plenty to go into, but of note today was his and Publisher Harry Shorten's Tower Comics. Shorten had worked as a writer and Editor at MLJ (Archie Comics) in it's early days and Wood had worked for nearly everyone.
    Tower Comics is primarily remembered for it's Thunder Agents by Wally Wood, but the LONGEST RUNNING comic they published was Tippy Teen, an obvious Archie Comics influenced Teen Humor book.

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, cover art by Samm Schwartz)
     
    Shorten brought in Samm Schwartz from Archie Comics to Edit and oversee the book, so naturally, Schwartz got work for Archie artists Harry Lucey, Dan DeCarlo, and Bob White.
    Harry Lucey did the first story and... that looks a LOT like Archie, Betty and Veronica (with hair colors the same, but styles switched) and blonde-haired guy (Animal) as a cross between Moose and Jughead. From what I've read, these characters were designed (homaged) by Schwartz.
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Harry Lucey)
     
    And the innuendo was there from the beginning...

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Harry Lucey)
     
    As well as Harry Lucey's famous female poses. If the stories were true, and Lucey would turn his art in with the female characters not wearing any clothes, uh... the inkers certainly got an eyefull!
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Harry Lucey)
     
     
    The second story was done by Dan DeCarlo. 1965 was DeCarlo coming into his prime. And this... this looks like a variation of Betty and Veronica with all of the small detailed touches of 1965 home life. 

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Dan DeCarlo)
     
    There are moments when you just do a double-take and think... dd they take this STRAIGHT out of an Archie comic? Hey... I love DeCarlo's work (and Harry Lucey and Samm Schwartz), so I love this issue. So it's ok!
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Dan DeCarlo)
     
     
    And I LIKE how they brought back some sexual innuendo too. Not much, but you didn't see anything like THIS in Archie anymore. It's all innocent and fun to me. The art here was by longtime journeyman Bill Williams and fits in pretty well. GCD seems to think Samm Schwartz inked him here, but it can be hard to say.
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Bill Williams)
     
     
    The problem with doing an Archie rip-off... eh homage, is that they've already done almost every storyline you can think of already and ripped THEMSELVES off repeating stuff numerous times. Here, Harry Lucey rips George Frese off with a story he drew in Ginger #1 from 1952. Who'd ever remember, right?
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Harry Lucey)
     
     
    Some of the panels are straight up lifts, and even though Lucey does spice it up a bit and make minor changes - when you read them back to back, it's very clear... still, back in 1965 very few people would've even noticed.

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Harry Lucey)
     
    Lots of Pin-ups to take up space...

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by ....)
     
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by ....)
     
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by ....)
     
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Samm Schwartz)
     
    And... the Beatles-esqe storyline (which I always loved) in which Tippy actually gets to play with the band. 
    This series isn't loved by many, but I'm one who still appreciates it... especially this first issue with Lucey and DeCarlo!
     

    (TIPPY TEEN #1 cover-dated November 1965, on newsstands September 1st, 1965, art by Bill Williams)
     
     

     
  22. Prince Namor
    The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - Too many cooks!
     
    I bought this beat up copy for $4
     
    Herb Trimpe did the cover for this (I really like Herb's run of covers on this book) but this is actually Part 2 of a two part story that Ayers and John Severin did the art on. John Severin is one of the few thin line inkers that I really like.
     
    For some reason it took two people to write this, Roy Thomas and Mike Friedrich are credited, this just a couple of issues after Harlen Ellison did a guest-written issue. This is right as Roy was getting ready to transition into the Editor-In-Chief role, so I suspect he had his hands full at the time.
     
    Also thought it was interesting how in the 'Incredible Herb Trimpe' Book released after the artists' death, Roy talked about how many times, he gave Herb just a small bit of information and he'd put the whole story together. Those artists' did a lot more work than they get credit for.
     
    So this story took two writers and two artists and the rest of the team...
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971 with cover art by Herb Trimpe and inks by John Severin)
     
     
    The Incredible Hulk seems like the type of comic that works perfectly as a month to month, as opposed to a long form story, but even back then they had continued stories - this one starting in the issue before. In it, Bruce Banner is taken away by Doom to be brainwashed and work on a Gamma Bomb for him...
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971 with art by Ayers and John Severin)
     
     
    But love gets in the way. Comics loved this type of thing back then... the all powerful bad guy who's all bent out of shape because of a woman. It doesn't really fit Dr. Doom, but these comic books were always pretty limited in their storytelling.
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971 with art by Ayers and John Severin)
     
     
    It's funny how I have as much nostalgia for these ad pages as I do the comics they appear in! I always wanted to get this stuff, but for me, I guess sending $1 off in the mail was too much work at 12 years of age!
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971)
     
     
    I'm guessing the Comics Code Authority assumed Doom meant that in a figurative way...
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971 with art by Ayers and John Severin)
     
    The Hulk ends up not too happy he's been a part of some brain wash scheme, and comes as close to hand-to-hand ending the life of Doctor Doom as I can ever remember. But he also has this pensive moment, which in hindsight looks especially weird...
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971 with art by Ayers and John Severin)
     
    Here in the Hulk's mailbag, (Roy?) address' the Comics Code Drug issues done in the Amazing Spider-man. They even make appearances in each others mail bags!
     
     

    (The INCREDIBLE HULK #144 - cover dated October 1971, on newsstands July 13th, 1971)
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
  23. Prince Namor
    AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 - It's All in a Name!
    I was a pretty well-read 10-year-old kid, and I think comics may have had an opposite effect on me than it does most people. MOST collectors learned to read from comics. They didn't teach me to read, they made me lazy to read. Who needs books when you have pictures to spell it all out?
    I didn't STOP reading books of course, but when movies like War of the Worlds (1953) was shown on regular TV, how could I not be glued to the screen? Back in the early '70s, that was pretty believable special effects. We didn't have much to compare it to.
    And that's what probably attracted me to this Amazing Adventures #18 - maybe one of the earliest comic books I remember having. 

    (AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 cover-dated May 1973, on newsstands February 20, 1973, with cover art by John Romita with inks by Frank Giacoia)

    But how is a comic book going to compare to a movie?
    It didn't of course. For one thing, it was a story BASED upon concepts from the novel/movie, something I found annoying. And the art...
     Looking back at it now, there ARE moments when his art does look very Neal Adams like (as it SHOULD since he's Neal Adams drawing it), but in particular, the colors look terrible to me and even when it's not they seem to clash in their drab tones. I'm not at all familiar with Petra Goldberg, who is no relation to Stan Goldberg, but this is an early job of hers coloring. She'd do more, a LOT more over the years, but looking at Fantastic Four #142 which I just recently reviewed, everything looks fine there...

     (AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 cover-dated May 1973, on newsstands February 20, 1973, with art by Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin)
     
    Who knows? Maybe they were going for a darker tone, but here on the splash, a few pages in, the colors just seem to clutter with the lettering and... ah, what the hell do I know? Between the art, which looks phoned in by Adams and finished by a young Howard Chaykin on one of his earliest assignments, and the ugly colors... I mean, this story just SCREAMS to be in a Black and White Curtis Magazine.
    NOW, reading it, I kinda like the story. It's not bad. Killraven, in his ridiculous outfit, tracks down his nemesis, the Keeper and impales him. But as he's dying he tells Killraven of how things got to be how they are, in this post-apocalyptic world.

     (AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 cover-dated May 1973, on newsstands February 20, 1973, with art by Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin)
     
    So according to him, the events in War of the Worlds happened in 1901, but then the aliens came back in 2001, better prepared for the bacteria that killed them the first time. They took over the earth and the earthlings tried using an advanced virus to kill them, but it ended up wiping out most of humanity! 
    The Keeper, a traitor to humanity for the aliens, killed Killraven's mom, who was trying to be free, but they kept Killraven as a boy, to train as a warrior, he escaped, and now he's seeing the messed-up world for the first time. That's why Killraven kills him - to get revenge, and keeping him as a slave.
    Another thing about this comic is... and I said it should be in a Black and White Curtis Magazine, is when they try and deal with mature subjects, like below. It comes off heavy-handed and the art is just not up to par for what you'd expect in a Marvel Comic.  Of course, by this point in the comic, a younger, much less experienced Howard Chaykin was doing the art...
    I didn't know that THEN. I just knew I didn't think much of it at the time. 

     (AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 cover-dated May 1973, on newsstands February 20, 1973, with art by Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin)
     
    Not to knock Chaykin, who'd go on to be an exceptional artist and storyteller, but here, you can certainly see when Neal Adams WASN'T drawing and Chaykin was. I didn't like it as a kid, I'm more accepting of it as an adult (it's not HORRIBLE), and I certainly like the story better than I remember as a kid.
    Now I just have to get through a couple of more issues of it to see if I should read it all...

     (AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 cover-dated May 1973, on newsstands February 20, 1973, with art by Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin)
     
    If you're curious as to how they all came up with this, well... Roy Thomas will tell you why:

     (AMAZING ADVENTURES #18 cover-dated May 1973, on newsstands February 20, 1973)
     
  24. Prince Namor
    The STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES:
    The THING #13 - Dr. Strange had a Brother! (Or Did He?)
     
    Everything I'm about to tell you is untrue, except this: This story was done by Steve Ditko two years before he ever worked at Marvel (as a freelancer for 16 stories), and five years before he worked there regular AND two years before he ever did a story with Stan Lee (it was a Western) and five years before he ever did a story with Stan Lee that was horror/scifi themed.
     
    Just saying.
     
     

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with cover art by Steve Ditko)
     
     
    Nine years before Dr. Stephen Strange would get into a car accident that would eventually lead him into becoming 'Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts', Steve Ditko did a story for Charlton about his brother Eric Strange (Eric Staton?), a reporter who... due to writer's block would get himself involved in some mystical adventures of his own...
     
    He lived in Greenwich Village just down the street from where Dr. Strange would one day reside!
    Look familiar?
     
    And no, that's NOT a joint he's smoking. Tobacco relaxes people TOO, ya know?
     

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with art by Steve Ditko)
     
     
    Turns out the Terrible Tinkerer hadn't yet met those Aliens he'd work with in Amazing Spider-man #2, so instead he was still focusing on his Used Books for sale... but those books were a special kind of evil! (One day Dr. Strange himself would come into possession of them).
     
    But for NOW, Eric Strange would see the power behind them!
     

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with art by Steve Ditko)
     
     
    Eric Strange would be pulled into the Unknown Dimensions and experience and see horrors he never thought possible! Unbelievable worlds that one day his brother would venture to...
     
     

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with art by Steve Ditko)
     
     
    Despite being quiet and staying hidden he would eventually be discovered and Nightmare would send his minions after him!

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with art by Steve Ditko)
     
     
    He would have to make a 'Deal with the Devil' and of course, it was a double cross, and his sweetheart, Marion Stacy (Yes, you always wondered whatever happened to Gwen Stacy's mom) paid the price for it...
     

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with art by Steve Ditko)
     
     
    Then Spawn shows up, 36 years before Todd McFarlane... what? Ok, The GREEN GOBLIN then... hunh? You caught on? Darn it.
     
    Ditko has two other stories in this issue, it's one of his best books of the pre-Marvel era for him! And yes, you can see some future influence in his Marvel work here!
     
     

    (The THING #13 - cover dated April 1954, on newsstands February 1st, 1954 with art by Steve Ditko)
     
  25. Prince Namor
    SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - Dress for Success!
     
    I bought this beat up copy for $4.00
     
    Nothing against Cary Bates, who... wrote some decent stuff for DC Comics in his long career there (sold a few stories at the age of 13, wrote regular beginning in 1970 at age 17, and stayed until 1986). But this is all about the creativity of Dave Cockrum.
     
    Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes was monthly, except for March, May, August and December. Not sure if those were holiday months for various staff or what. This one starts off with a great Nick Cardy cover. Right away we see that Timber Wolf has a new costume!
     
    #195 had really ramped up the new look LSH and this issue was following in that trend. It was the first issue it shared title billing on the cover!
     
     

     
    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with cover art by Nick Cardy)
     
     
    The Legion story leads off this issue, and if I had been a little older and a more regular reader, it might have made me wonder (in a good way) what the heck was going on here. Legend is that the response to Cockrum's look for the LSH (and I suppose Cary's stories) was overwhelmingly positive and so DC started featuring them more and more. 
     
    This is a great splash page, probably more fitting in a Marvel Comic, but that was what Dave brought to DC, in his short time there... he also inks his own work here on this story.
     

    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with art by Dave Cockrum)
     
     
    Here's a situation that probably wouldn't be well received today. Clark Kent gets a signal from the future that the LSH needs him, so he decides to use his heat vision to drop and apple from the tree and KNOCK HER OUT COLD. 
     
    That's pretty harsh Clark. No one complains about THIS though. As Superman (in the movie) he kills a homicidal maniac who plans on destroying the earth at all cost - everyone loses their mind - give your girlfriend a concussion so you can sneak off to the future - perfectly acceptable!
     

    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with art by Dave Cockrum)
     
     
    Timber Wolf's new costume is pretty cool and whereas you can see they may have used the Wolverine concept as a bit of a jumping off point, slightly changing the color, Marvel would pay back the homage by giving Wolvie a costume similar to this a few years later. 
     
     

    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with art by Dave Cockrum)
     
     
    Cockrum was a Star Trek fan and he brought that futuristic aesthetic to the LSH!
     

    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with art by Dave Cockrum)
     
    Probably influenced by Gil Kane, but man, did I like this a whole lot better. Cockrum should've been an early superstar in the business.
     
    In this issue, Lightning Lad also gets a costume change and I think it's one of the best costumes ever designed for one of the team! He's been a team captain and leader (and one of the charter members since the beginning), so it's only fitting he has a sort of military, officer kind of look.  
     

    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with art by Dave Cockrum)
     
     
    For some reason, the first appearance of Saturn Girl's more... revealing costume isn't something fans necessarily look for, so in case you're wondering - this issue ISN'T it. It actually changed back in Action Comics #392 from July of 1970 (3 years earlier). The costume design was actually sent in by a fan (K. Haven Metzger).
     
     

    (SUPERBOY and the LEGION of SUPER-HEROES #197 - cover dated September 1973, on newsstands June 19th, 1973 with art by Dave Cockrum)