Does anyone recognize this 1970's / 80's page ? 0

[wardevil0]

On 7/9/2024 at 1:34 PM, r100comics said:

The indicia is the "blank" portion at the top of the page above the artwork.

It's not actually blank but has title, issue number, page number, approval date etc but is too faint to read.

Have you tried looking over the marginal notes with a black light? It could make any remaining ink fluoresce, or improve visibility somehow. 

[seanfingh]

He did an Indy book called Blackmark. Don't know much about it and I never read it.  I thought he had done one, and when I googled Gil Kane S&S book - Blackmark came up.

[wardevil0]

On 7/9/2024 at 1:57 PM, seanfingh said:

He did an Indy book called Blackmark. Don't know much about it and I never read it.  I thought he had done one, and when I googled Gil Kane S&S book - Blackmark came up.

A Blackmark story was also published in Marvel Preview 17 (1979) but it was black and white.  This could be colored later, but it lacks the shading I would expect from art meant to be black and white.

[ttfitz]

On 7/9/2024 at 2:25 PM, Uff_Da said:

It originally came out as a paperback and is considered one of the first graphic novels.

The page doesn't seem to be from this.

[bronze_rules]

On 7/6/2024 at 7:19 AM, Ken Aldred said:

The facial expressions and the arm musculature on the bald guy resemble Gil Kane’s style more.

Gil Kane was my first thought looking at the tree inking (and maybe anatomy), but looking at the character face on the right makes me think of steve ditko.

Edited July 10 by bronze_rules

[Get Marwood & I]

On 7/10/2024 at 6:44 AM, bronze_rules said:

Gil Kane was my first thought looking at the tree inking (and maybe anatomy), but looking at the character face on the right makes me think of steve ditko.

100% Ditko face 

[wardevil0]

It's this very whimsical tower that's throwing me off.  I can't place where a design like this would be appropriate.

[Chip Cataldo]

On 7/10/2024 at 6:15 AM, wardevil0 said:

It's this very whimsical tower that's throwing me off.  I can't place where a design like this would be appropriate.

Smurfs.

[flchris]

On 7/6/2024 at 10:08 AM, r100comics said:

The answer lies in the indicia but it's impossible to read. Apart from what might be "barbarian" there is the faintest partial outlines of what looks like "Sword", "Denny O'Neil" and "Page 1" but it's so faint I'm having to fill in the blanks and imagine half the letters. 

I tried going the "Denny O'Neil" route and couldn't find anything. Did see Sword of Sorcery which you mentioned done by O'Neil and Chaykin. Makes me wonder if it was a rejected version or rendition of the same comic or characters (Fafhrd and Mouser) but different artist? 

[Ken Aldred]

One of those situations where I’m convinced I’ve seen it somewhere, decades ago.

[Sal]

its not from "The Ring of the Nibelung" or whatever its called nor is it from Sword of Sorcery...

[shadroch]

Portfolios were very popular in the 1970s, although most were black and white. It could come from one of those. 

[Dick Pontoon]

I like Shad's theory. It doesn't look like a piece of published art to me.

[Ken Aldred]

I suggested that it might be from a portfolio earlier on. I haven't owned one since the mid 80s, and my memory's hardly photographic. Seems familiar, somehow.

Either a portfolio or an art book, maybe?

Interesting puzzle.

Edited July 10 by Ken Aldred

[crazyhips]

Have you tried running it through an AI search like ChatGPT? 

[ADAMANTIUM]

Idk image search shows prince valiant or maybe marvel fanfare

[Dick Pontoon]

On 7/10/2024 at 6:08 PM, Ken Aldred said:

I suggested that it might be from a portfolio earlier on. I haven't owned one since the mid 80s, and my memory's hardly photographic. Seems familiar, somehow.

Either a portfolio or an art book, maybe?

Interesting puzzle.

I guess I forgot or glossed over that post!

[r100comics]

I don't think it's a portfolio page because you can see the Marvel style approval date box top right.

It looks like 70's / 80's fantasy title to me, something like Elfquest, Saga Of Crystar or Elric but I've gone through what I can find of those titles and can't see it.

Interestingly Elric did appear in Conan around that time, which ties in with the word "Barbarian" that I think I can see, but I can't find any page that matches.

Also went through some Krull pages after the image search threw that up as a possibility, Marvel Super Special etc, but nothing matches.

[flchris]

Have you tried the Silver or Bronze Age forums to see if someone might recognize anything?

[Ken Aldred]

Another problem is that many titles have been filled out with inventory illustrations featuring obscure characters, trying to compensate for a lacking story page count.

Something inherited, also with the use of variant covers or artist sketches, to justify the cost of modern trade paperbacks.

A long-standing tactic.

Edited July 11 by Ken Aldred