Steve Ditko Cover of the Week: Ghostly Haunts #24

The reason I am posting a black and white image of the original art for this particular cover is because I think it looks so much than the final product from the press in Derby, CT. The garish colour choices made by the folks at Charlton stripped this image of much of its texture. For example, the tire treads are nowhere to be seen on the printed cover and the impact of the car crash is lessened. The choice to go with a day glo green for the ghosts makes him jump off the page. If you look at the fine pencils and ink, I think Ditko was looking for a more subtle look. It is quite a good cover, and is from a time when Ditko was still doing covers for Charlton.

Trade Marks: Bandette - Volume One: Presto!

I am generally reluctant to take on new superhero titles for two reasons. First, most of the 'new' heroes I encounter tend to be based on recycled concepts. The second problem is that many books are so darned serious. Don't get me wrong, I love the Dark Knight Returns as much as anyone, but it seems as though many creators are trying to pay homage to Frank Miller. Enter Bandette, a high spirited young cat burglar who lends a helping had to the local gendarmerie. This is no origin story, as we're plunked into the middle of Bandette's day to day adventures. Writer Paul Tobin does a nice job mixing action with humour but it is Colleen Coover's wonderfully retro artwork that won me over, especially the way she makes the streets of Paris an important character. While it may be a little light on dramatic tension, if you are looking for a fun and charming series, this may be the ticket. Extras include a fascinating look at Coover's process from sketch to finished page. Trade Mark: A-

Highlighting House Ads: Suicide Squad - 1987

While we are on the subject of Wanted posters, I think I should mention this great house ad from 1987. I absolutely adore this series and this was a terrific way to announces its arrival. I recently watched an episode of Justice League Unlimited with Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and crew and it made me want to dig out my back issues and revisit the entire run. This was a very exciting era for DC comics, and the concept for Suicide Squad was absolutely brilliant. So is this house ad.

Hero Wanted Covers

Here's a theme that pops up more often than you might think. While we all know Uncanny X-Men #141, let's take a look at a few other prime examples.

Flash #156 (November, 1965) was one of the first Silver Age books I ever owned. How could I pass it up? When I first started flipping through back issue bins as a young lad, many Flash covers jumped out at me. This is a true classic and really sums up all of the fun and melodrama of DC in the mid-60s. Don't worry fans, he didn't really betray the world. It was all a misunderstanding.

There are a number of western comic books that feature a wanted poster, with Showcase #76 being the most iconic. I chose, however, to highlight the cover to Western Comics #44 (March-April, 1954) because I rarely get to talk about Pow-Wow Smith. This is one fine looking cover, pencilled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Sy Barry. I love how he's worth 100 times more dead than alive. 

It is interesting that no matter what theme I choose for these features, there is usually at least one Wonder Woman cover that fits the bill. The cover to Wonder Woman #108 (August, 1959) is a Andru & Esposito classic. It also has a slightly washed look to it, so I suspect that Jack Adler was involved. I have a feeling that I may have seen this on a T-Shirt once. If I am wrong about that, it should be on a T-shirt! George Perez's cover to Wonder Woman #57 is another good example.

Jim Aparo's cover to Brave and the Bold #161 (April, 1980) is the third time Aparo featured a wanted poster for this series. The other two don't quite qualify as, while they featured Batman's teammate for the story, the posters were of The Joker and Ra's Al Ghul, respectively. This cover also features the 'empty costume' theme, something I will be tackling down the road.

Let's leave off with a personal favourite of mine, Star Wars #7 (January, 1978). I vividly remember a house ad featuring this cover and being very anxious to get my hands on it. It was the first 'new' Star Wars story as the adaptation of the first film had wrapped up with the previous issue. It's a stylish Gil Kane pencilled effort, very much in line with the western covers he was doing for Marvel in the 70s. Did they ever refer to their blasters as Laser-Guns anywhere else? I find that rather amusing.

Add It to My Want List: Four-Star Battle Tales #5

This is one of the very few titles published by DC in the 1970s of which I do not own a single copy. To be honest, I don't recall ever seeing it in back issue bins and it has been completely off my radar. I'm always interested in finding affordable copies of stories from the 50s and 60s, so I recently turned my attention to Four-Star Battle Tales. This anthology reprints selected stories spanning nearly two decades. The fifth and final issue is the one that triggered the most drool from yours truly. There are three stories contained between the covers, all from the 1950s. Check out the three artists: Russ Heath, Mort Drucker and the one and only Bernie Krigstein. Wow! I need this one sooooo badly!

Gil Kane Cover of the Month: Conan the Barbarian #25

Gil Kane excelled at drawing swords. He also excelled at drawing serpents. These were two of the key reasons he was an excellent choice for Conan the Barbarian covers. In fact, if you scan the cover gallery for any Marvel sword and sorcery series from the 70s, you're likely to spot at least one Kane cover.This is a particularly good one, as I have always been a fan of covers that use a 'Through the Looking Glass' gimmick. This one is actually a collaboration between Gil Kane and Ralph Reese. Reese provided the layout and inks, while the finished pencils were provided by Kane. I like their work as a team quite a bit, and my only real complaint about this cover is the choice of colours for the background, as contrast between the grey and the yellow does not help the image jump off the page. I also question the colour choice for evil sorcerer figure, as he fades a bit too much into the background. Overall, it is a decent final product but not top tier as far as Bronze Age Kane covers go.

Highlighting House Ads: Charlton's Action Heroes 1967

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you are fully aware that I am a pretty big fan of Charlton's Action Hero line. Readers were bombarded with new heroes in the 1960s, but this small collection must have stood out as quite unique. When I see them all together on one page, the thing that really strikes me are the cool costume designs. Perhaps none of these became as iconic as Superman or Spider-Man but each of them, from the minimalist Peter Cannon (with a tip of the hat to Lev Gleason's Daredevil) to the Eastern influenced Judo Master, really stand out from what we were seeing at the Big Two. I'd love to get a poster of this one and put it up on my wall. I only wish they'd found room to include Sarge Steel. While I am generally not a fan of Stan Lee's constant hype about the greatness of Marvel during the 60s, I do find the 'And They're Not Half Bad' line to be a bit too far down the other end of hyperbole spectrum. A truly odd choice of words.

Exit Stage Left: Twilight Zone #92

Here's a terrific final issue, cover dated May, 1982, a full 18  years after the final episode of the TV series aired and a nearly 3 year hiatus since the previous issue. I devoured this series as well as other Gold Key/Whitman mystery titles as a child. A number of years ago, I stumbled upon a bargain bin containing a ton of final Gold Key/Whitman issues. Sure, it may be a bit on the esoteric side, but that's the stuff dreams are made of. This one is a true gem as it reprints the very first issue of the Twilight Zone series from 1962. These stories had all been reprinted in digest size, but I am very happy to own them in the standard format. Why I am so happy? Well, the artwork herein is provided by comic book legends Reed Crandall and George Evans, both working at the height of their powers. My favourite stuff involves a thief seeking refuge in a museum only to be transported back to Custer's Last Stand. It's great stuff and completely in keeping with the TV series. This is great stuff as the series comes full circle and signs off with a classic.

Comic Book Robot of the Month: Mr. Goon-Child

Here's a terrific little robot that made a single appearance in Weird Fantasy #15 [3] in 1950. The Goon-Child is the creation of Henry, who constructs this rather simply robot to do menial chores around this house. It turns out that the Goon-Child isn't all that keen on being a slave and upgrades his design to the point where he can revolt against his slob of a master. There's a terrific 'They call me Mr. Tibbs' moment and I find it quite comical that Henry is overpowered by a robot who looks like an ancestor of Johnny Five. All of this is handled beautifully by Harvey Kurtzman who balances humour with a sense of threat. A true classic.

You've Been Warned: Shazam - A New Beginning

Let me begin by saying that I am a big fan of the Big Red Cheese. I think he's a wonderful character and that Fawcett City and its denizens represent an important little corner of my comic book universe. That said, this mini-series is pure dreck. Roy Thomas fell into some bad habits at DC in the 1980s. The worst one was his need to cram an incredible amount of backstory and historical context into each story. These four issues contain twelve issues worth of material and it just kills any sense of pacing. On the art side, I'm actually a pretty big fan of Tom Mandrake, but he's a bad fit here. His loose, organic style is much better suited to something like Swamp Thing or The Spectre. Don't get me wrong. I don't think that every Marvel Family artist needs to ape C.C. Beck and Bud Thompson. In fact, I liked Don Newton's take on these characters. The combination of Thomas and Mandrake results in a product that runs counter to what makes a good Shazam! story work. Your money is much better spent Captain Marvel stories engineered by the likes of Jerry Ordway or Jeff Smith. Avoid this one.

Reprint This! Mr. & Mrs. Superman

Never heard of this series? You're likely not alone. Unless you were a reader of Superman Family in the late 70s and early 80s, you were probably not aware that there was a series featuring Earth-Two Lois and Clark in a state of marital bliss. It was a charming little series, with fun scripts by Cary Bates and E. Nelson Bridwell with clean, almost retro artwork by the always underappreciated Kurt Schaffenberger. In these stories, trouble always seems to find its way into the Superhome, and we get plenty of guest appearances including Alan Scott, Bruce Wayne and both Mr. Mxyztplk and Mr. Mxyzptlk. I understand that these stories had zero value to the powers that be at post-Crisis DC, but I honest believe that a collection of these 8 page gems would find an audience in today's market.

Single Issue Hall of Fame: Battlefield #2

It could be argued that the pre-implosion bullpen at Atlas was as good as it gets. The talent pool was so deep that terrific artists such as Mac Pakula rarely warrant a mention. Some of the best work produced by these artists can be tough to track down, as they are scattered among the myriad of Atlas war books. If you're looking for a great example of the high calibre of work coming out of said bullpen; look no further than Battlefield #2. We start with a great cover by Russ Heath, showcasing the horrors of the Korean War. Check out that hand coming out of the ground! What I find most interesting about this era of war comics are the propaganda-soaked stories. The first story here is a great example of that, showing the North Korean soldiers as savages. Another intriguing aspects of this genre is the attempt to educate the reader. This issue has a rather haunting look at the atrocities of war, including a look at WW2 concentration camps. If you don't think Paul Reinmann is much of an artist, I urge you to check out this story. Also on the educational front is a look at various defensive walls through the ages, beautifully rendered by the aforementioned Mr. Heath. Yup, all of this and some Joe Maneely art to boot. If you happen upon an affordable copy of this book, I urge you to snap it up or check it out via the Marvel Masterworks volume. 

Hidden Gems: The 'Nam #41

I know quite a few people who rave about this series, but this is the only issue I've ever owned. I am pretty darned happy with it, too. Why is it a hidden gem? Well, let's start with the lovely John Romita cover. It's may be odd to see three key Avengers bursting through a map of Southeast Asia, but it sure is cool. This issue comes across as a quasi-What If? as the soldiers imagine what the war would be like if superheroes had been involved. It is all quite light hearted, or as light hearted as a book about Vietnam can get. What I really like however, is how the same soldiers absolutely skewer the John Wayne-starring Green Berets. They take that film to task and some of the panels are recreations of scenes from the movie. All in all, this is a bit of an oddity and one I think you'd be happy to have in your collection.

Memoirs of a Bronze Age Baby: Micronauts #15

I think that this was the first Micronauts comic I ever owned. I had a bunch of the toys as a child and thought they were pretty cool. I especially loved my Antron figure with the glow in the dark brain. I re-read this particular issue for the first time in years and I have to say that it made about as much sense to me now as it did when I was a 7 year old. I can imagine I would have understood a word of it back then, as Bill Mantlo had built up a pretty complex back story and the featured a remarkable number of characters and subplots. This little issue has all of the Micronauts, a S.H.I.E.L.D. courier, the Fantastic Four, Psycho-Man and even a panel with Captain Universe. I must have simply admired the visuals, and there is some decent emotion here as Princess is truly upset to see Microtron viciously attacked. I also must have liked it for the ads, which included ROM, Star Trek: the Motion Picture and many other cools toys and gadgets I wish I could get my hands on. Typically, I really like Bill Mantlo, but something just does not work for me here. It is all a bit too convoluted. I also think that the Chaykin/Milgrom team is a step down from Michael Golden, but they do a solid job.  

Trade Marks: Doc Savage - The Silver Pyramid

While I would not consider myself to be a Doc Savage expert or super-fan, I have read enough of the Man of Bronze's exploits to be fairly well versed in the character and I am always keen to revisit his world. I also know that pulp flows through Denny O'Neil's veins, so I had pretty high expectations when I got my hands on this collection of stories from the late 80s. What I wasn't expecting, however, was a focus on a supporting cast that truly works better in small doses. I was also underwhelmed by the new characters introduced and the attempt to build an almost Phantom-esque feel to the Savage lineage. There were two key missed opportunities. The first was the underdeveloped Nazi villain, who never got beyond a cartoony sketch. The second was a chance for a terrific whodunit surrounding a traitor in Savage's midst. We get the answer in the end, but there was no dramatic tension. I'm generally not a huge fan of the Kubert boys' artwork, but it is very, very paternally inspired here so, at times, you feel as though you're reading an old Joe Kubert war book (those parachutes!). All in all, this one is a yard sale candidate. Trade Mark: C-