Exit Stage Left: Daredevil Comics #134

This little gem from 1956 is the final issue to a title with a long, strange history. To think that it all began with Daredevil battling Hitler, and somehow continued through the years, surviving the premature exits of the chief villain and even the title character. Hitler was gone in 1945, the Claw was killed that same year and Daredevil vacated the premises in 1950. Still, this title kept rolling along. The main story in this issue has the Little Wise Guys mistakenly thinking that some police trainees are up to no good. Ultimately, they help a rather bumbling candidate pass the test. It’s typical post-Code fun – but not exactly a battle against Hitler. Much has been said about the impact of the Comics Code Authority on EC, but it could be argued that Gleason was hit even harder. They relied heavily on their crime comics but their one-time ‘superhero’ books such as this title and Boy Comics, stayed on the racks much longer than most would realize. In the end, they departed with far less fanfare than that which announced their arrival. This is a tough book to track down but a nice piece for your historical oddity shortbox.

You've Been Warned: Fantastic Four Annual #18

Hey folks, do you remember the star spanning Kree/Skrull War? Remember how generations of Krees and Skrulls fought each other in a never ending battle for galactic supremacy. Well, did you ever wish that the whole thing could be wrapped up in a lame, 3-page pseudo fight? Did you always hope that The Watcher would essentially declare the war to be a tie and simply state that it was now over. If so, this is the book for you! Seriously, I know that Annuals were typically a place to stuff as many ideas as possible, but this is ridiculous. We've already got another typical Marvel Universe wedding disrupted by party crashers. In this one, it is Black Bolt and Medusa tying the knot. I get the feeling someone at Marvel realized that they had never been married. That oversight was explained with the 'Inhumans just take a long time to wed' argument. We've seen the whole wedding chaos thing a million times and there's nothing new here, and the fact that a whole Kree/Skrull subplot was dropped in reeks of desperation. I have no idea how long the war remained 'over', but I am not sure I really care. I am certain that it is considered blasphemous to diss anything from the John Byrne era on Fanastic Four, but this one stinks. Decline this wedding invitation.

My Reading Pile: August, 1979

I'm returning to these posts about what I read during any given month at various junctures in my life. This time around, I am looking at comics that would have been on spinner racks in August, 1979. I would have been two months shy of my 7th birthday. Again, I must give kudos to the Amazing Mike and his Newsstand: http://www.dcindexes.com/features/timemachine.php?site=

I have always loved Mysterio and I have to think it has to do with the fact that I read so many great Mysterio comics as a kid. He was also featured in the 60s cartoon, which was in heavy rerun rotation in Toronto at the time. Amazing Spider-Man #198 still holds up today, with a ton of good background on the 2nd Mysterio and very solid work by the Buscema/Mooney team. Great cover, great book.

As I have likely mentioned a million times on here, Justice League of America was one of my 'go to' books for years. From the house ads I'd seen, this storyline seemed to be so earth shattering. In reality, the outcome in Justice League of America #172 did not blow my mind. The question I was asking wasn't really 'Who Killed Mr. Terrific?' but rather 'Who the heck is Mr. Terrific?'. In the end, the story didn't have much punch, but I'm still a sucker for JLA/JSA crossovers.

 

UFO & Outer Space #23 would have been at the top of my reading pile that month, as I absolutely loved that series. The covers were usually fantastic and the stories was all very intriguing and sent a shiver up my spine. The Reader's Reports were such an innocent and charming way of presenting these stories. I'd like to find out where the stories came from. Actual letters? Tabloid mags? Or just made up by the writers? I still feel very nostalgic about the old Gold Key gems.

Must like the JLA, I could not live without the Avengers as a kid. Avengers #189 features one of those super dramatic covers that I loved so much, the cover to #181 being an all-time favourite. Who is in? Who is out? I loved that stuff. I also loved the Hawkeye being mad at the Falcon angle that played out over the entire year. This one is almost a Haweye solo book, and that's just fine by me.

Cool books I totally missed the boat on that month include Daredevil #161 and Iron Man #128. Oops.

Single Issue Hall of Fame: Power of Shazam #8

The 90s are not fondly remembered by many comic book fans. It was a time of garish artwork and headache inducing 'events'. That said,  I was hooked on many titles during the decade. The Power of Shazam was a great series, with a nostalgic, but fresh atmosphere. The 8th issue is a treasure trove for fans of the Golden Age as it is almost a Fawcett City All-Star Game. We meet Bullet Man, Minute Man and Spy Smasher and get to see Freddie Freeman first cry 'Captain Marvel!'. On the bad guy side of the ledger, we see Theo Adam, Captain Nazi and even Hitler's skeleton. There's a cool call back to the old Unknown Soldier series (a favourite of mine) and even some Curt Swan pencils. What else could fans of classic comics ask for? How about a great Jerry Ordway cover that seems to straddles the eras? This is a good one, and a nice addition to the 90s wing of the Hall of Fame.

Gil Kane Cover of the Month: Creatures of the Loose #31

Kane did a lot of great covers for Marvel in the 1970s, but you need to look to some second tier titles to find some of the very best. Let me start off by saying that I'm not in love with the inking here. The GCD credits both Frank Giacoia and Mike Esposito, so that might explain why it seems to be a bit of a mess. What I am in love with, however, is the perspective chosen for this cover. What a great design! It gives it such a wonderful horror movie vibe. Was that 'Beast' font ever used for the X-Men's Beast? I know it is not the one from his run in Amazing Adventures, but it seems familiar.

Trade Marks: The Original Clone Saga

This is one big book, coming in at nearly 500 pages. It also has a hefty price tag and I likely would have passed had I not found it for $20. I was not reading Spidey books during the whole Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider era, but I was intrigued to revisit some of these older stories to see how the origins of the whole saga. As a child, I had read many of the individual stories through a combination of Amazing Spider-Man and reprints in Marvel Tales. For some reason, the Jackal always freaked me out when I was young. He came across as wild and insane and reminded me a bit of Gollum from the Bashki animated movie. Some of my earliest comic book memories involve the Jackal. Getting back to this volume - the storyline goes on and on and includes just about every story with a tenuous link to the Clone story. Some are more engaging than others, and I began to lose interest as we moved into the 80s and early 90s and became more focused on Carrion and Hobgoblin. I'm a pretty big Sal Buscema apologist, but some of those later issues looked quite terrible. Let's blame the inkers, shall we? All in all, the artwork is beautifully reproduced and the stories are mostly enjoyable. Most importantly, it reminded me of a few things. First, nobody draws NYC streetscapes like Ross Andru. Spider-Man and Andru-drawn buildings go together like webbing and a flagpole. Secondly, the Tarantula was an awesome villain. There's a reason many of my favourite Spidey stories featured this sharp-toed foe. It is worth adding to your bookshelf if you can find it at a reduced price, but far from essential. Trade Mark: B-

Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Konga's Revenge #2

Ok, it has been more than a week but it I don't see myself changing the category label at this point. Steve Ditko drew a number of amazing covers in the 1960s. This was not one of them. I love the Konga stories but, for some reason, the covers were often lacklustre. The problem with this one is not the rat. Sadly, it's not a giant rat, because Konga becomes Doll Man sized in this story. The rat looks gross, but in a cool kind of way. Konga, on the other hand, is posed very awkwardly. It just doesn't work for me at all. The biggest problem for me, however, is the background. It's just a terrible, garish yellow. Why not go with something that would cause less eye strain? Overall, although I dig the rat, this one is a dud.

Memoirs of a Bronze Age Baby: Spider-Woman #4

I can't quite recall why I read so many Spider-Woman comics as a kid. I think my parents were trying to be fair and would often grab comics featuring females heroes featuring the likes of Wonder Woman and Spider-Woman. I don't think that I ever fully understood Jessica Drew's origin story (still not sure that I do today), but her little corner of the Marvel Universe turned out to be quite interesting, if a bit confusing. I've always liked her character design and also thought that Brother Grimm's costume was pretty cool in its simplicity. The Hangman character who shows up here is nothing new from a design perspective, but his deeds do seem a bit gruesome for a mainstream comic. I have to commend the Infantino/Dezuniga team here, as the artwork is quite compelling - especially their use of shadows in one noose-based panel. Marv Wolfman's script, on the other hand, continues to hurt my brain 30+ years later. It was not until recent years when I began to realize how large a role Infantino played in my young reading from Star Wars to Nova to Spider-Woman. Flash books were also some of the first Silver Age books I ever bought. I'm generally not a fan of his late 70s and early 80s work, as everything became less sleek and too wide as if faces and bodies were being stretched horizontally. That does not happen here, though, as his pencils are much tighter, perhaps added by DeZuniga. It's a good looking book, with a confusing, overly soapy storyline. Still, I get the rush of nostalgia as I flip through it and that's not a bad thing.

Hidden Gems: Wanted, The World's Most Dangerous Villains #5

Today, we live in a world of glossy reprint volumes and online comic databases. Once upon a time, tracking down Golden Age stories was much more difficult. DC did Golden Age fans a huge favour back in the 70s when they started digging through their vaults and putting history into their readers' hands. It was great to see all the Golden Age Flash and Hawkman stories in those 100-Pager Super Spectaculars but I think the real treat was to see Quality Comics characters return to the spotlight. Even today, we've see a ton of reprints from DC, but they tend to avoid the folks from Earth-X. I've owned a number of Doll Man and Feature Comics issues over the years and feel that Doll Man was a one of the most consistently great strips of the 40s and 50s. This particular issue contains one of only four Doll Man stories reprinted by DC in the 70s (I think my math is correct on this one). Until the time comes when we see a Doll Man Archives (my fingers are crossed), issues such as this one will have to do the trick. Oh yeah, it's also got a pretty great Green Lantern story.

An Evening at the Improv Covers

Take a brick wall, throw a spotlight against an you're left with either mullet-based comedy (I'm looking at both of you, Jeff Foxworthy and Rosie O'Donnell) or a dramatic comic book cover. Let's take a look at a few examples of the latter.

Crime Must Pay the Penalty #5 (December, 1948) is a perfect example of this type of cover. It looks straight out of a film noir, and I can envisions someone like Robert Ryan or Robert Mitchum striking this pose. I am not sure who drew this particular cover. I know that Rudy Palais did many of the early covers for this series, but if this is his work, someone else came in to do the inking. Good stuff.

The fantastic team of John Buscema and Ernie Chan visit the pages of Marvel's non-canon sandbox with the cover to What If? #13 (February, 1979). I love this one as it has a good pre-Giuliani NYC vibe to it and is date stamped by the Star Wars poster on the wall. I was a big What If? fan as a kid, but I don't think I have ever read this particular issue. I will keep an eye out for a copy.

I have discussed Marvel Treasury Edition #18 (1978) on here before, but I would be remiss if I did not include it in this group of covers. It is an exceptionally awesome image by Bob Budiansky, inked by Mr. Chan. I think that Budiansky is unheralded, or at least under heralded, in terms of cover designs. This one is simply fantastic. The back cover is just as cool, with the issues bad guys caught in a Spidey spotlight.

Metal Men covers have always been a little 'out there', but everything was kicked up a notch during their 'disguised as humans' era. Mike Sekowsky handled the pencilling chores for the final year or two of Metal Men covers, and this is among his best.  Metal Men #39 (August-September, 1969) has a whole lot going on, but the reader still get the Phantom/Hunchback vibe that is at the heart of the story inside.

I will leave off with this brilliant cover to Blackhawk #272 (September, 1984) by the always underappreciated Dan Spiegle. The use of colour,  or lack thereof, is key to this one as it almost comes across like a Jack Adler grey tone cover. I have sung the praises of this run by Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle before, but if you have not given this series a chance I encourage you to head to your nearest back issue bin as soon as possible. Looking at this cover, I see its beauty but I can understand how it got lost on the spinner racks back in '84.

Add It To My Want List: Classics Illustrated Junior #529

I do not know a single thing about The Magic Servants by the Brothers Grimm, but I spotted this cover and I am very intrigued. Sharp-eyed fans of the Legion of Super Heroes might do a double take when they see this one. Is that Bouncing Boy? Elastic Lad? Colossal Boy? That one guy has ears just like Chameleon Boy. Even the one in the back with the bowl cut looks as though he's wearing Mon-El's costume. Can all of this possibly be a coincidence? Probably, but I'm a sucker for a good conspiracy, so I want to track down a copy to see if there are any other similarities between these servants those super powered teens from the future. The hunt begins.

You've Been Warned: Marvel Preview #16

Boy, did I ever get bait and switched on this one! A quick scan of the cover led me to believe this was a Sherlock Holmes tale. Considering that a couple of earlier issues in this try-out series were actual Sherlock Holmes stories, who could blame me? What I got, however, was a dull modern day Holmes-clone named Hodiah Twist. I get it. This was supposed to be a clever nod to Arthur Conan Doyle, but it completely misses its target. The main problem is the author: Don McGregor. The older I get, the less patience I have for his overly verbose prose. He pushes word balloons to their absolute limit. In terms of the artwork, Colan's storytelling is a bit of a mess, especially as the action ramps up over the last few pages. Overall, this was should have stayed in the unused inventory heap. The second story 'Death By Disco' seems to be fondly remembered by fans of the Gerber/Colan team. It is not terrible, but I have never been a fan of Lilith and Gerber seems to have been taking advice from McGregor in terms of his prose. This is essentially a 5-page story stretched out over 20+ pages. Colan's artwork is quite nice here, but this is definitely a sub par effort by this particular team. Required reading for completists only.

Kids' Corner: Bigfoot Boy - Into the Woods

Now that I'm a Dad of two young children (7 year old boy and 5 year old girl), I am constantly trying to find good quality comics for them. One thing I have learned is that not all comics aimed at young readers are made equal. I thought it would be fun to start a new series here discussing comics aimed at actual children. Let's start with a relatively recent graphic novel written by J. Torres with artwork by Faith Erin Hicks. This is the story of a city boy reluctantly staying at his grandmother's house on the edge of a spectacular forest. He befriends his adventurous neighbour and discovers an amulet that transforms him into a Sasquatch with the ability to communicate with wildlife. It's a pretty simple concept that appeals to boys and girls alike. The character designs are simple but stylish, our heroes are likeable and the dialogue is witty without being snarky. A personal pet peeve of mine is too much sarcasm in children's books. There are some menacing wolves that help add a bit of threat to the proceedings. The humour is pretty broad but even the potentially awkward stuff (Rufus is naked when he switches back to human form) are handled tastefully. Torres and Hicks make a very good team and I'll keep my eye out for future volumes. This is a good fit for kids in the 5 to 9 range and is a nice alternative to superhero books.

Reprint This! Zane Grey's Stories of the West

There were a lot of western comics published in the 1950s, but one series that was of a consistently high quality was this 13 issue Dell series. Mix in the ZGSotW installments found in Four Color and you've got quite a volume. The covers are gorgeous and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they were reprinted from Dell paperbacks. Inside, the artwork by Albert Micale is very handsome. He was perhaps best know for his work on Dell's Roy Rogers series, but was always a talented painter. Google him to see some of his western images. I am not sure who wrote the bulk of these well paced and entertaining stories - Gaylord DuBois, perhaps? They are ripe for rediscovery and I'd love to see a hardcover collection on the shelves.

Single Issue Hall of Fame: Creature From The Black Lagoon

In 1993, Dark Horse published a small handful of Universal Horror adaptations. I completely missed these the first time around, but lucked out during some bargain bin diving a few years back. While they are all quite good, the Creature From the Black Lagoon issue is the real standout. I love the movie, but I was concerned that it would not translate very well to the Four Color format. This is mainly because part of what makes the movie so great is the phenomenal underwater camerawork and just the overall sense of being below the water's surface with the Creature clawing at your heels. I tip my hat to Mr. Art Adams who not only does a superb job conveying that eerie feeling, but absolutely nails the whole vibe of the movie - from the characterizations to the pacing. If you're a big fan of the film, I urge you to hunt down this book. It is a joy to read. My runner-up selection from the series is the Mummy adaptation, as it features some very moody artwork by Tony Harris.