Here is an interesting one. I really love this cover as it has the amazing mixture of bright colours and stark grey that I have come to love about Atlas covers. I think this is a fairly early entry as far as Ditko cover assignments for Atlas are concerned, as this is early 1960.What makes it even more interesting is that Jack Kirby was the go-to cover artist on Journey Into Mystery and he even contributed the splash page for the RRO! story. In fact, that splash page as used as the cover for the UK reprint title Zombie. As I said, I really love this one, and I'm happy they chose Ditko for the job. There must be a number of covers out here with monsters clutching subway trains. Time for me to start looking around!
How have I never bought this one? I'm a big fan of the movie, and even got the chance to take my son to see it on the big screen at the TIFF Lightbox a couple of years ago. I don't recall ever seeing this comic book on the racks but I was a poor undergrad student at the time so I may have passed on it for budgetary reasons. I've been buying everything touched by the great Mike Parobeck but somehow missed this one. I love his work on the Batman: The Animated Series comics so I have got to think that this one will be great, too. Now the trick is to keep my eyes open. Sometimes you can never find what you're actually looking for in those back issue bins. The search begins.
Today would have been Lee Elias' 95th birthday. My love for his work has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. I know that some folks do not share my views, but maybe they've only seen some rush jobs for Marvel in the mid-70s. I think that those stood out to readers of my generation because they were the exact opposite of Neal Adams. Take another look at those Human Fly comics. They are actually pretty fun, with a great sense of movement throughout. His horror covers are iconic and it is still difficult to this of a heroine as cool as The Black Cat. We miss you, sir!
Here's a good example of the kind of entertaining romance book Charlton was able to produce in the early 70s. The cover is simply a collection of interior images, but it does a good job selling the reader on the contents. If you're like me, you think "I Married a Monster" is likely a story about an abusive husband. Nope, nothing that dramatic. It's a simple tale of a wife who is embarrassed by the fact that her husband's big acting gig is as a creature on a kids' TV show. "You Don't Own Me" had me scratching my head. It's the tale of a possessive husband who only acts in that way because he knows that the new man on the scene is 'bad news' as far as women, including his wife, are concerned. I'm still not clear on why he pushed his wife into the swimming pool at a party, though. The final story is a bit dull as it's nothing more than a couple eloping in Mexico. I did like the fact that the woman's name is Beatrice as that's my daughter's name. The artwork is serviceable but unspectacular. Don Perlin's work on the lead story is the strongest. If you see this one in a bargain bin, it's worth grabbing!
This was a blind buy for me last year. It caught my eye, I did a quick flip through and the sheer pulpiness of it had me pulling out my wallet. I have now read it twice and I put the book down feeling very satisfied both time. Of course, this stuff is right up my alley as the character is some sort of Batman/Sandman hybrid. I know that there have been a ton of book in recent years trying to tap into the vein of pulp, but many fail. This one gets it right, and full credit goes to creator Francesco Francavilla. He finds the right balance between atmosphere, plot and action. His artwork and storytelling is also sublime. I do not read too many new comics, but I will be picking up the next volume and devouring it. This is a strong recommend for those of you looking to see something recent and decent. Trade Mark: A
When will I learn? I've have been burned by issues from the main Secret Society of Super-Villains series, so why did I think this would be any different? This stuff should be right up my ally. A handful of my favourite heroes going up against some of my favourite villains (sorry, Angle Man). Perhaps it's a matter of too many cooks spoiling the broth. This issue is an absolute mess, with a very convoluted plot involving far too many moving parts. Gerry Conway's script feels like something salvage from Roy Thomas' wastepaper basket. The villains take the heroes down one by one, but rather than through brute force or intelligence, it is done using some sort of inter-dimensional mind control or something along those lines (honestly, I wasn't following). I am not generally a fan of Arvell Jones' artwork as I find his storytelling lacks fluidity and this is compounded by 8 or 9 splash pages throughout. I know that people love big splashes, but I find that they can kill momentum. As it comes from 1977, there are some cool ads but that's about it has going for it. Avoid.
I don't recall how this Scooby-Doo issue came into my life, but I did end up reading quite a few of the Marvel/Hanna-Barbera books back then. I know that I had some Laff-A-Lympics, for sure. Scooby-Doo #8 is the only issue of the Marvel version of this series that I remember owning. I think that the Gold Key creative team of Evanier and Spiegle was still in place as Chase Craig remained as editor. I'm not sure what happened to these titles. Maybe the licensing got too pricey?
Godzilla #17 is what inspired meto revisit this month as someone posted the cover on an internet group and I dug out my old copy. How could I not have picked this up as a 6 year old. I was absolutely nuts for dinosaurs and Godzilla (I would soon be a proud owner of a Godzilla Shogun Warrior). This remains a very fun book as S.H.I.E.L.D. uses Pym particles to turn Godzilla into the cutest little thing that you ever did seen. Gabe learns that those teeth as still sharp, though.
If you know me at all, you'll know that Brave and the Bold is my all-time favourite series so you will usually see an issue during these entries. Brave and the Bold #145 remains near and dear to my heart as it introduced me to The Phantom Stranger and contained some of Jim Aparo's finest B&B artwork, in my humble opinion. It was also one of my first experience with a voodoo-based story. That kind of thing leaves an impression on a boy!
Close your eyes and think of all of those great war covers Kane did for DC in the 50s and 60s. Having a hard time picturing any, aren't you? Although I've read a biography of Kane, I cannot remember if it delved into which genre he preferred over others. For one reason or another, he did not get many assignments on war covers (although he'd contribute a number of Sgt. Fury covers for Marvel years later). While this particular cover, inked by Joe Giella, is absolutely fine, it does not pack the same impact as the covers done by war comic mainstays Irv Novick and Jerry Grandenetti back then. While there is a lot going on here, it somehow lacks excitement and seems like something you'd see on an generic comic of that era. If you look at the cover gallery for the first 50 or so issues of Our Army At War, you'll agree with me that Kane's entry was one of the weakest.
Remember the good old days when comics were often about real people? Or at least about the type of people that we, the public, thought they were? Neither do I. I'm too young that that stuff, but I have always been intrigued by them ever since I spotted them in the Cover Gallery section of the first Overstreet Guide I ever owned. I've also always been fascinated by Alan Ladd as he had an interesting life, both professionally and personally. This series featured Ladd in a variety of adventures, many of them drawn by the great Ruben Moreira. The likes of Curt Swan, Carmine Infantino and Nick Cardy also chipped in so it must be a treasure trove of fine art. Some sites that I have seen claim that these stories are in the public domain, and are likely available in downloadable format but I want a nice hardcover, with glossy pictures of Mr. Ladd throughout. Someone get on this, please!
Here's a bit of an oddball comic from Marvel in the late 70s. Right in the middle of a run of Captain America and Avengers reprints, Marvel decided to reach into the Timely/Atlas archives and pull out a couple of old Marvel Boy stories. The character had made a couple of appearances in Fantastic Four and also in What If...? but I don't believe there was any indication that he was being groomed for a series, or else they likely would have featured him in a try-out book such as Marvel Spotlight. Marvel Boy is an interesting character because, much like DC's Captain Comet, he was introduced during that awkward stage between the heyday of the Golden Age superhero and the Silver Age revitalization. The stories themselves are a bit hokey and the dialogue strains the limits of the word balloons, but it is very interesting as a historical artifact, especially the blend of sci-fi, super-heroics and espionage. As a bonus, the book features art by Bill Everett and Russ Heath, so that's not a bad problem to have. If you see this in a bargain bin, snag it as it will give you a taste of that era for a very small investment.
Squirrel Girl. Who doesn't love her? With her powerful tail, 'can-do' spirit and overcaffeinated Steve Ditko eyes, she was a breath of fresh air when she first showed up in an Iron Man story. My kids both loved that book, especially the visual of Victor Von Doom being felled by an army of squirrels. Can a character with the potential to be a comical comic book footnote carry a series? Well, from the evidence that I have gathered from the first two issues, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. There is a lot of room in the field for a book that favours charm over grim and gritty, and this one got off to a solid start with some strong characterization, humour and some fun guest appearances (I'm looking at you Mr. The Hunter). The down side, however, is that the artwork is serviceable at best. The facial expresses are uniform throughout and the storytelling in the action sequences muddled (Exhibit A - the Iron Man armour bit). There's good potential here, though but I am not sure that my children are as keen on it as I am. The jokes seemed to be geared towards long-time funnybook fans and no young readers. A good comic can strike the right balance (see. Powerpuff Girls) and this one is not there (yet).
Let's start with Warlord #20 (April, 1979). Of all of the long-running DC series of the 70s and 80s, Warlord may be the one with which I am the least familiar. I have read a bunch, but it never really clicked with me. I should probably give it another chance. I like this Mike Grell cover a lot. He's crammed a lot onto the page, but it doesn't seem too busy. Great design. This was a favourite gimmick for the series as crystal balls were also featured on the covers of issue 16 and 63.
I am sure that somewhere along the way, I have declared myself to be a fan of John Force, Magic Agent. If I haven't, let me do it. now. The cover to Magic Agent #2 (March-April, 1962) is a great example of ACG charm. It's so clean, simple and innocent that it's hard to imagine that they were trying to compete with Marvel and DC. I love Kurt Schaffenberger, and he was a great fit on this type of series. It's too bad he didn't do the interior artwork but Paul Reinman is also underrated. 
I cannot discuss crystal ball covers without including Mike Kaluta's awesome cover to House of Secrets #99 (August, 1972). It's obviously an homage to M.C. Escher's Hand With Reflective Sphere, a lithograph first printed in 1935. My guess is that this was on dorm rooms across America back in '72 and that Kaluta's cover resulted in a collective "Whoa - far out, man!". Great stuff and one of the most iconic covers from that series.
Let's visit the superhero genre, as countless heroes have appeared in crystal balls over the years, including the JLA (Justice League of America #21 and #29) and the Legion (LOSH #303). I'll go with Invaders #30 (March, 1979), though, as I actually had it as a kid. I'm not a huge fan of Alan Kupperberg but this cover is decent. I'm not sure that I'd want to be stuck in a confined space with someone called The Whizzer.
For my final selection, I am returning to the horror genre with the cover to The Witching Hour #77 (July, 1977). I am sure that we can all agree that the story title "Coffee, Tea... or Kill!" is awesome, but so is Luis Dominguez' cover. I've seen skeleton Doctors, Santas, Cabbies and Pilots but this is the first Skeleton Stewardess (sorry, Flight Attendant) that I've ever seen. Very patriotic witch, too.
