My favorite cover (The Stuff of Legend, sans cover text) of the FCBD books I picked up today. Unfortunately I couldn’t find everything I was hoping to, but the kids and I all got nice stacks.
Happy birthday to Toby Cypress! I met Toby a few years back at Heroes Con. I first saw his work when he took over the art for the Killing Girl mini-series from Frank Espinosa (of Rocketo fame). He was a good replacement, because he shares a lot of the same sensibilities and influences. I see a lot of Frank Robbins and Tony Salmons in Toby’s work, which is great as far as I’m concerned. A couple of years ago he released a creator-owned book, Rodd Racer, which is a lot of fun and full of gorgeous artwork—highly recommended.
The new edition, which carefully repositions her as even more of a feminist icon. Cover art and design by Simon Parr (I believe)
Can’t say I’m especially keen on the new cover. The top right corner is a bit of a mess. My eye immediately goes to the space framed by the author names and her ear—the ring leads you right there—which is not where it is meant to be going. Not really a fan of the typography either.
Actually my copy lists the cover art as by Pye Parr. I agree about the top right corner. What I find interesting is how this volume is a deliberate attempt to reposition the book for a different market. May explain some of the fuss about Ian Gibson's recent "art" print which was quickly withdrawn from sale.
I’m in the mood for some Alex Toth. Of course, I could say that pretty much any time. Toth worked primarily for Standard from 1952-54, where he did a little bit of everything—war, romance, horror, sci-fi. He didn’t do many covers for them, but there is this little gem: Joe Yank #10 (February 1953)—one of his best in my opinion.
In recent times we’ve had lots of comic book artists primarily known as cover artists—Alex Ross, Adam Hughes, Dave Johnson, etc. Today, in honor of what would have been his 108th birthday, I salute one of, if not the first superstar comic book cover artist: Alex Schomburg. Throughout the ’40s and into the early ’50s, Schomburg drew well over 500 covers, mostly for Timely—and his work was a big part of Timely’s early success.
Here’s his first published comic book cover, Daring Mystery Comics #1 (Jan. 1940), for who else but Timely.
It was common for wartime comic book covers to demonize the Germans and Japanese, but Schomburg was especially noted for his portrayals of the enemy—and it should be noted that despite his German-sounding name, Schomburg was actually Puerto Rican. Also, he often jam-packed his covers with lots of background figures and details, not unlike another Puerto Rican-born artist, George Pérez.
All-Winners Comics #13 (Fall 1944).
At some point in 1946, Schomburg stopped getting work from Timely. With the wartime boom over, the superhero books Schomburg drew covers for were being replaced by westerns, humor books, and so on. But Standard, which he had done a fair amount of work for to that point, filled the void and became his primary employer. And there he stayed for the rest of his time in comics. He began doing airbrushed covers for them (along with the standard penciled and inked covers) under the pen name “Xela,” but while they were technically well done, they didn’t have nearly the same energy and excitement as his earlier Timely work.
Roy Thomas brought him back to Marvel for a final hurrah in 1977’s Invaders Annual #1. He also drew one interior page in 1986’s Marvel Saga #3.
I'm so tired. Too many deadlines converging at once. Where’s the Sandman when you need him?
Creig Flessel, the artist of this cover, is one of my favorite Golden Age artists. His work reminds me a bit of Mort Meskin’s, but with a lighter touch with the blacks. Of course, they both came from the Caniff school, but Flessel was more rubbery with his interior work—sort of a forerunner to Jack Davis—though you wouldn’t know it from his early Sandman covers for Adventure. But I do love the textures he put into those covers. They added greatly to the air of mystery.
But Flessel wouldn’t take over the interior art until Adventure #50. It was Bert Christman who drew the Sandman story in this issue. A very talented artist in his own right, he left comics in 1938 to become a Navy pilot. He then joined the American Volunteer Group (the group later known as The Flying Tigers) which helped the Chinese try to fend off the Japanese invasion. In 1942, at the age of 26, his plane was shot down over the Burma Road, and he was killed by enemy planes while parachuting down.
At Coast Con this year completed this short lived Vertigo series. I had read the Morrison mini series that proceeded this ongoing. But didn't care for the mini that much. But love the ongoing series.
Just a little over a week ago was Alex Schomburg’s birthday. Today marks the birthday of another vital part of Timely/Marvel’s early success: Bill Everett! Most notably he created Namor the Sub-Mariner, but he had a very productive career despite a life-long battle with alcoholism that began in his teens.
In 1938, his first comic work—and first creation (he wrote, penciled, and inked the character)—Skyrocket Steele, appeared on the cover of Centaur’s Amazing Mystery Funnies #1, though the first story featuring Skyrocket didn’t appear until the second issue.
Everett’s second creation, which he also wrote, penciled, and inked, was the Sub-Mariner, but he wasn’t created for Marvel. The first Sub-Mariner story—an eight-pager—appeared in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1, a promotional comic given away at movie theaters, for First Funnies, Inc. The comic was never distributed, though, and the company never published another issue of that series or any other. But they did package comics for other publishers, including the company’s first client, Martin Goodman, who was starting his own comics publishing house. Everett added four pages to the original Sub-Mariner story, and the new version appeared in the first Timely/Marvel comic book, Marvel Mystery #1 (Oct. 1939). But Everett rarely got the opportunity to draw covers featuring the Atlantean in those early days. Usually the Sub-Mariner stories appeared behind Carl Burgos or Alex Schomburg covers.
But between the time of Namor’s creation and his eventual publication in Marvel Mystery, Everett had created another character for Centaur Publications, Amazing-Man, who first appeared in Amazing-Man Comics #5 (Sept. 1939). Amazing-Man would serve as the template for later characters Peter Cannon (Thunderbolt) and Iron Fist. And Everett did get to draw the covers this time.
Not bad for two years of work. We’ll get into the ’40s tomorrow.
With Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (July 1940), Everett finally penciled a cover featuring Namor, though Alex Schomburg did ink it, making it look much more like Schomburg than Everett.
And the next month marked the first appearance of yet another Everett creation, Hydroman, this time for Eastern Color’s Reg’lar Fellers Heroic Comics #1 (Aug. 1940).
While the Sub-Mariner and Hydroman kept him pretty busy (besides his stories in Marvel Mystery and before long All-Winners Comics, Namor also got his own quarterly title in the spring of 1941), Everett still had time that year to create the Namor-esque The Fin for Timely’ Daring Mystery Comics #7, as well as produce a few other covers and stories for various publications. And the next year, while he didn’t exactly create the concept of The Conqueror, Everett did write and draw his first comic adventure (and cover appearance) in Victory Comics #1 (Aug. 1941).
Likewise, he co-created (being only the artist and perhaps co-writer) The Music Master and provided cover art for Reg’lar Fellers Heroic Comics #12 (May 1942). Music Master could make music into pretty much any solid object he desired, and also use it to fly. He could probably use it to soothe the savage beast as well, but I can’t say I’ve read all his adventures to find that out.
Happy birthday to Mike Norton! It’s his 40th, so to make him feel extra old today, here’s what I think is his first professional comic book cover, Badger #7 (Nov. 1997). Mike did the interiors too.
And a few others from throughout his career that I just like:
In early 1942, Everett joined the Army. Some of his work, including the aforementioned Music Master, was published throughout the year. But that would be the last comic work from Everett until the fall of 1946 when he returned to his greatest creation, the Sub-Mariner, which occupied most of his time until the cancellation of Sub-Mariner Comics with issue #32—the only issue for which he drew the cover—in 1949.
In 1951, Everett became the main writer and artist of the “Marvel Boy” and “Venus” features—until they too were cancelled in 1952—and provided most of the covers featuring those characters.
Throughout much of the ’50s, horror was king at Atlas/Marvel, and Everett drew many a horror story and cover from 1952-54.
In December 1953, Sub-Mariner returned, again written and drawn by Everett and again appearing alongside Captain America and the Human Torch, in Young Men #24. Not long after, Sub-Mariner Comics was back on the stands, picking up right where it left off with issue #33 (April 1954). But this time, Everett was also drawing the some of the covers.
But a year-and-a-half later, the Sub-Mariner sank yet again, and it was back to drawing horror/mystery stories for Everett. Well, that and the very first Big Boy giveaway comic for the Shoney’s restaurant chain.
The funny thing is that after having drawn so few covers for Marvel up until the early ’50s, from 1956-1960, Everett was almost exclusively a cover artist for Marvel, and he was cranking them out too.
So it's my birthday today, but it's not just mine. Besides Mr. T, I also share the date with my favorite of the Golden/Silver Age British artists, Frank Bellamy! Bellamy’s best work was on the “Fraser of Africa” and “Heros the Spartan” features for Eagle magazine—gorgeous stuff—and the Garth newspaper strip for The Sun. If you’ve never seen Bellamy’s work, I highly suggest you seek it out. Some of it has been reprinted here in the States over the years, and in fact a Heros collection just came out recently, though it's a bit pricey. Alan Davis is a big fan of Bellamy, and if you examine Bellamy's work closely—particularly Garth—you can see some things Alan carried over into his own style.
Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina the teenage Witch have always been my favorite of the Archie comics.
What I love about this 48 page issues is 3 things.
1.It reprints the "Decisions Decisions" story from Josie#45. Which is the first appearance of the Josie and the Pussycats band and Valerie Smith 2.It also reprints the "Pussy Footing" story from Josie#45. Which is the first time Josie and the other ladies first donned their cat-suits. 3.It comes with a great pull out poster of Josie and the Pussy cats playing in outer space. Which I think is a neat nod to the final season of the Josie cartoon where the band got accidentally shot into outer space.
Got this issue in a stack of 12 random comics that cost me $3 total. So 50 cents. In those 12 comics was 2 issues of ZU from MU Press.
I go to check the creator credits and who do I see is the editor but @chuck_melville. Read them both earlier and was surprised at how much I enjoyed both issues.
Got this issue in a stack of 12 random comics that cost me $3 total. So 50 cents. In those 12 comics was 2 issues of ZU from MU Press.
I go to check the creator credits and who do I see is the editor but @chuck_melville. Read them both earlier and was surprised at how much I enjoyed both issues.
Gee, but those do look familiar...!
The cover to #9 is by Mark Stanley, of his strip, Freefall... which he continues to this day as a webcomic. #11's cover is by John Ott, an animator who also assisted on a few American Manga books, as well as the series Skye Blue (written by Dwight Decker), a kind of Americanized Manga-style superhero mini-series.
I think I posted some ZU covers here in the past, if I'm not mistaken, including the one I did. (If I didn't, I may have to correct that oversight.)
Comments
Cover art and design by Simon Parr (I believe)
I agree about the top right corner.
What I find interesting is how this volume is a deliberate attempt to reposition the book for a different market.
May explain some of the fuss about Ian Gibson's recent "art" print which was quickly withdrawn from sale.
Here’s his first published comic book cover, Daring Mystery Comics #1 (Jan. 1940), for who else but Timely.
It was common for wartime comic book covers to demonize the Germans and Japanese, but Schomburg was especially noted for his portrayals of the enemy—and it should be noted that despite his German-sounding name, Schomburg was actually Puerto Rican. Also, he often jam-packed his covers with lots of background figures and details, not unlike another Puerto Rican-born artist, George Pérez.
All-Winners Comics #13 (Fall 1944).
At some point in 1946, Schomburg stopped getting work from Timely. With the wartime boom over, the superhero books Schomburg drew covers for were being replaced by westerns, humor books, and so on. But Standard, which he had done a fair amount of work for to that point, filled the void and became his primary employer. And there he stayed for the rest of his time in comics. He began doing airbrushed covers for them (along with the standard penciled and inked covers) under the pen name “Xela,” but while they were technically well done, they didn’t have nearly the same energy and excitement as his earlier Timely work.
Roy Thomas brought him back to Marvel for a final hurrah in 1977’s Invaders Annual #1. He also drew one interior page in 1986’s Marvel Saga #3.
Pencils and inks by Win Mortimer.
Pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Stan Kaye.
Pencils and probably inks by Al Plastino.
Pencils and inks by Win Mortimer.
Creig Flessel, the artist of this cover, is one of my favorite Golden Age artists. His work reminds me a bit of Mort Meskin’s, but with a lighter touch with the blacks. Of course, they both came from the Caniff school, but Flessel was more rubbery with his interior work—sort of a forerunner to Jack Davis—though you wouldn’t know it from his early Sandman covers for Adventure. But I do love the textures he put into those covers. They added greatly to the air of mystery.
But Flessel wouldn’t take over the interior art until Adventure #50. It was Bert Christman who drew the Sandman story in this issue. A very talented artist in his own right, he left comics in 1938 to become a Navy pilot. He then joined the American Volunteer Group (the group later known as The Flying Tigers) which helped the Chinese try to fend off the Japanese invasion. In 1942, at the age of 26, his plane was shot down over the Burma Road, and he was killed by enemy planes while parachuting down.
Sean Philips
At Coast Con this year completed this short lived Vertigo series. I had read the Morrison mini series that proceeded this ongoing. But didn't care for the mini that much. But love the ongoing series.
And happy birthday to Dave Sim too!
In 1938, his first comic work—and first creation (he wrote, penciled, and inked the character)—Skyrocket Steele, appeared on the cover of Centaur’s Amazing Mystery Funnies #1, though the first story featuring Skyrocket didn’t appear until the second issue.
Everett’s second creation, which he also wrote, penciled, and inked, was the Sub-Mariner, but he wasn’t created for Marvel. The first Sub-Mariner story—an eight-pager—appeared in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1, a promotional comic given away at movie theaters, for First Funnies, Inc. The comic was never distributed, though, and the company never published another issue of that series or any other. But they did package comics for other publishers, including the company’s first client, Martin Goodman, who was starting his own comics publishing house. Everett added four pages to the original Sub-Mariner story, and the new version appeared in the first Timely/Marvel comic book, Marvel Mystery #1 (Oct. 1939). But Everett rarely got the opportunity to draw covers featuring the Atlantean in those early days. Usually the Sub-Mariner stories appeared behind Carl Burgos or Alex Schomburg covers.
But between the time of Namor’s creation and his eventual publication in Marvel Mystery, Everett had created another character for Centaur Publications, Amazing-Man, who first appeared in Amazing-Man Comics #5 (Sept. 1939). Amazing-Man would serve as the template for later characters Peter Cannon (Thunderbolt) and Iron Fist. And Everett did get to draw the covers this time.
Not bad for two years of work. We’ll get into the ’40s tomorrow.
And the next month marked the first appearance of yet another Everett creation, Hydroman, this time for Eastern Color’s Reg’lar Fellers Heroic Comics #1 (Aug. 1940).
While the Sub-Mariner and Hydroman kept him pretty busy (besides his stories in Marvel Mystery and before long All-Winners Comics, Namor also got his own quarterly title in the spring of 1941), Everett still had time that year to create the Namor-esque The Fin for Timely’ Daring Mystery Comics #7, as well as produce a few other covers and stories for various publications. And the next year, while he didn’t exactly create the concept of The Conqueror, Everett did write and draw his first comic adventure (and cover appearance) in Victory Comics #1 (Aug. 1941).
Likewise, he co-created (being only the artist and perhaps co-writer) The Music Master and provided cover art for Reg’lar Fellers Heroic Comics #12 (May 1942). Music Master could make music into pretty much any solid object he desired, and also use it to fly. He could probably use it to soothe the savage beast as well, but I can’t say I’ve read all his adventures to find that out.
More of Bill Everett in the ’40s tomorrow.
And a few others from throughout his career that I just like:
In 1951, Everett became the main writer and artist of the “Marvel Boy” and “Venus” features—until they too were cancelled in 1952—and provided most of the covers featuring those characters.
Throughout much of the ’50s, horror was king at Atlas/Marvel, and Everett drew many a horror story and cover from 1952-54.
More to come...
But a year-and-a-half later, the Sub-Mariner sank yet again, and it was back to drawing horror/mystery stories for Everett. Well, that and the very first Big Boy giveaway comic for the Shoney’s restaurant chain.
The funny thing is that after having drawn so few covers for Marvel up until the early ’50s, from 1956-1960, Everett was almost exclusively a cover artist for Marvel, and he was cranking them out too.
Dan Decarlo does the cover.
Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina the teenage Witch have always been my favorite of the Archie comics.
What I love about this 48 page issues is 3 things.
1.It reprints the "Decisions Decisions" story from Josie#45. Which is the first appearance of the Josie and the Pussycats band and Valerie Smith
2.It also reprints the "Pussy Footing" story from Josie#45. Which is the first time Josie and the other ladies first donned their cat-suits.
3.It comes with a great pull out poster of Josie and the Pussy cats playing in outer space. Which I think is a neat nod to the final season of the Josie cartoon where the band got accidentally shot into outer space.
Got this issue in a stack of 12 random comics that cost me $3 total. So 50 cents. In those 12 comics was 2 issues of ZU from MU Press.
I go to check the creator credits and who do I see is the editor but @chuck_melville. Read them both earlier and was surprised at how much I enjoyed both issues.
The cover to #9 is by Mark Stanley, of his strip, Freefall... which he continues to this day as a webcomic. #11's cover is by John Ott, an animator who also assisted on a few American Manga books, as well as the series Skye Blue (written by Dwight Decker), a kind of Americanized Manga-style superhero mini-series.
I think I posted some ZU covers here in the past, if I'm not mistaken, including the one I did. (If I didn't, I may have to correct that oversight.)