And (finally), that Star Wars issue is another cool book. Honestly can't remember the story, but having Golden on art is always a plus. I'm fairly certain it was an inventory issue they used when the "Empire" adaptation got pushed back an issue, but I could be completely wrong on that count.
-chris
You're exactly right... it was an inventory issue... written by Goodwin, I think... Hard to believe such a gem might potentially just sit there forever, never being used.
Well, it was intended to be an inventory issue. And it was scripted by Goodwin, but Michael was originally going to write it, pencil it, ink it, and color it himself. Yes, it was a screw up in timing with the Empire adaptation release (Lucas didn't want the book out before the movie), and Marvel needed a quick fill-in, and Goodwin remembered the inventory job he’d given to Michael—except Michael had only penciled a few pages at that point. So Michael had to scramble to finish the pencils, and he made color guides based off his pencils. He didn't have time to script it though, so Goodwin offered to do it. They did all that in less than a week if I’m remembering it correctly.
This is not actually a comic book cover, but a recoloring of Brian Bolland’s cover to Wonder Woman #72 (Mar. 1993) done, I think, for the box art for a statue based on Bolland’s cover. In general, I'm not a fan of “realistic” shaded coloring over black line art. Too big of a clash to my eyes. I do like the textured look of the fabric in the recoloring though. Mainly I like the darker color because it helps the Wonder Woman figure pop more than the bright blue in the original cover.
Aug. 1954: This month I'm going with one of Harry Anderson’s last few jobs—and quite possibly his very best—before leaving the comic book industry, the cover to Atlas’ Battle #34. Anderson did the pencils and inks here, and it’s truly outstanding work, and nicely complemented by Stan Goldberg’s coloring. I love the way that one open eye of the sniper immediately draws your attention to the rifle.
Battle would run for another 36 issues, ending in 1960 and outlasting all of Marvel’s many other war titles from this time.
My #13 oldest comic, bought off the stands for me before the age of 5... I don't still own this one...
Jetsons #35, on stands 5/1/1970 Pencils: Tony Strobl Inks: ???
I'm pretty sure the dog being front and center sold me on this one, though I was avidly watching Jetsons' cartoons in syndication around this time, too, I believe.
Speaking of Captain America, this awesome cover was only overshadowed by the EXCELLENT John Byrne interior work and story. I must've read this book dozens of times. I just posted an art page from it here
Captain America #255 March 1981 Cover Art: Frank Miller, Joe Rubinstein, Rick Parker
This is the last issue of the criminally short Stern/Byrne run. Several reasons for this. Byrne's version is that Jim Shooter made a sudden decree that there would be no books with continuing stories, ruining an upcoming three part Red Skull storyline which would've left them scrambling to submit new stories in time for publication, so they quit in protest.
As with all such Shooter declarations, this was to be put into place +now+, immediately-with no consideration of the fact that some of us (say, Roger and I) might be already working on what was intended as the first chapter of a three part story. To cut a long story very short, Roger came into contention with the CAP editor (Jim Salicrup) over this, and decided he would leave the book in protest. Although Salicrup asked if I would be interested in staying on as writer, I decided to support Roger, and left too.
Roger Stern has said it was due to deadline issues:
In those days before royalties, Marvel had what was called a "continuity bonus." If you wrote or drew six consecutive issues, you got a bonus. And so on for the next six, and the next. A fill-in before issue #258 would set all of our bonuses back. But beyond that, I was worried about losing sales momentum on the series. We'd been working hard to build up the readership, and I knew from my days as an editor that fill-ins usually cost you readers.
Back during those early days of the Direct Market, when the greatest percentage of sales still came from the newsstand, it was a given that sales would dip after each fill-in. It could take a book's regular creative team as much as three issues to get the readership back up to the pre-fill-in level. Well, I couldn't persuade Jim not to schedule a fill-in. And, looking back, if I had been in his shoes, I might have done the same thing. But I wasn't in his shoes. I was the freelancer, and I didn't like the way we were being treated. I'd worked with Jim a long time and I really didn't want to come to loggerheads with him. So, I took back all three plots, tore up the vouchers, and stepped away from the book. I figured, better to leave Cap on an up note with the 40th anniversary issue.
Note that the "Jim" in the above quote is editor Salicrup, not Shooter. It's too bad too, this dust-up also prevented an upcoming Frank Miller 'one & done' fill-in from being published until much later in Marvel Fanfare (ironically to very little 'fanfare')...
A great pity, all things considered. It was a very nice run that was still going strong. Now collected in trade under the name: 'War & Remembrance' which the late, great @JamieD turned me on to when the geeks were discussing favorite OGNs and collected trades.
My #12 oldest comic, (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)... I don't still own this one...
Turok, Son of Stone #70, on stands 4/16/70 Art: George Wilson (painted)
For sure, the sea serpent/dinosaur would have led me to pick this one. At this age, I was obsessed with dinosaur books, and had some that had sea serpents pictured in it that looked much like this one.
I never became a huge fan of the actual Turok stories, but a couple times the painted covers definitely lured me in, before I become very focused on Marvel and DC.
Sept. 1954: Earlier this year Russ Heath began getting work from DC—war stories for their war anthology books. But for now he was still doing the vast majority of his work for Atlas, and at this point he was mainly a cover artist for them, though his still did one or two short stories each month. In fact, this month’s Atlas books feature seven covers drawn by Heath, six war books and one western. (Joe Maneely drew 11 Atlas cover this month!) And it’s no wonder, as Heath’s covers were among the best on the stands at the time, as witnessed by this cover for Battlefront #26.
Creatures on the Loose (1971 Series) # 37 September 1975 Cover Gil Kane / Tom Palmer
This was the final issue of the series. Man-Wolf stars in "Moonbound" in a script by David Kraft with art by George Perez and Fred Kida. This story concludes in Marvel Premiere 45. This issue has never been reprinted. This series would probably never make it past issue 6 in today's comics culture, if it were even green-lit at all.
This series would probably never make it past issue 6 in today's comics culture, if it were even green-lit at all.
I think something like this could definitely find a home today... at Image. The core Marvel readers didn't want it then, and wouldn't want it now, but the concept would do just fine as an indie book.
This series would probably never make it past issue 6 in today's comics culture, if it were even green-lit at all.
I think something like this could definitely find a home today... at Image. The core Marvel readers didn't want it then, and wouldn't want it now, but the concept would do just fine as an indie book.
I thought of Kirkman's Astounding Wolf-Man series as I typed that, but yes I was referring to Marvel
Oct. 1954: There are so many interesting covers this month, it’s very difficult to pick just one. There’s Jerry Grandenetti’s cover to All-American Men of War #16 with its wonderful composition and sense of movement and action, but I've already picked two war covers in a row; there’s Leonard Starr’s finely rendered and dramatically colored cover to Gang Busters #43; there’s Dick Giordano’s fantastic choice of POV perspective that adds drama and tension to his cover for Hot Rods and Racing Cars #19; there’s Ruben Moreira’s cover for House of Mystery #33 where the background inks have been knocked out with a cyan plate to great effect; there’s Bob Powell’s fantastic use of silhouette to create a more interesting image for I’m a Cop #3; and speaking of silhouette, there’s Jack Davis’ famous werewolf cover for Tales from the Crypt #46; there’s Murphy Anderson’s fun cover for Mystery in Space #23; and there’s Sam Savitt’s wonderfully painted covers for Four Color #604 and 606.
For a change of pace, I'm going with Sam Savitt’s cover to Four Color #606. Savitt specialized in painting horses. But before he became an author and illustrator of numerous equine books, before he became the official illustrator of the U.S. Equestrian Team, before he co-founded the American Academy of Equine Artists, Savitt was a comic book artist. Mostly he was a cover artist, but his first work in comics was the “Tex Rainger” feature for Fiction House’s Rangers of Freedom Comics in 1942. In the ’50s and ’60s, though, all his comic book work was done for Dell on titles like Gene Autry’s Champion, Roy Rogers’ Trigger, and The Lone Ranger’s Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver (do you sense a pattern here?). This cover featuring King Arthur’s right-hand man is one of the few non-western jobs he drew.
Nov. 1954: Another Russ Heath cover, but not a war title this time—though he drew four of those this month as well. Here’s Heath’s dramatic cover for Mystery Tales #26. The use of black in this cover design really emphasizes the tunnel, and the fear on the main figure’s face. That face, incidentally, looks an awful lot like Russ Heath. I wouldn't be surprised if he used a mirror or took photo reference of himself while working on this cover.
Mystery Tales would run another three years, when Atlas ran into tough times.
Dec. 1954: Even though this issue was filled with reprinted stories, Blue Beetle #18 was Charlton’s first attempt at publishing a superhero comic since the mid-’40s. The series took over the numbering from The Thing, and lasted only four issues (one more with reprinted material, and two with new stories) before being retitled once again. All four issues featured new cover by Dick Giordano, who would be responsible for reviving the character nearly ten years later.
Giordano broke into comics as with Charlton in 1952, and (outside of some jobs for Lev Gleason, Premier Magazines, and Atlas/Marvel) he spent the next several working primarily for them. He always inked his own pencils, and he did a ton of covers for Charlton, as well as interior work. From 1958 into 1961, he split his time fairly evenly between Charlton and Marvel, but then the Marvel work completely dried up, and he was back to being practically exclusive with Charlton. In 1965 Giordano was hired by Charlton as their executive editor, and he brought about a mini-Renaissance period for the company by revamping their superheroes and starting their “Action Hero” line, and by making Charlton a place where bright new talent could break into the business and have a large degree of creative freedom.
He was hired away from Charlton by DC in 1968, but left just three years later because he didn’t see any room for editorial advancement. Upon leaving, he and Neal Adams formed Continuity Associates, though he continued freelancing for DC as a penciler and inker. He came back to DC in 1980 as the editor of the Batman line, and was promoted to managing editor the next year, and to vice president/executive editor in 1983. He retired from DC ten years later after the death of his wife, and eventually returned to freelancing, which he continued up until the time of his own death in 2010.
Comments
July 1976
Cover art by John Buscema
And in honor of the United States' Independence Day 4th of July for the American comic geeks here! My avatar inspiration...
Battle would run for another 36 issues, ending in 1960 and outlasting all of Marvel’s many other war titles from this time.
Jetsons #35, on stands 5/1/1970
Pencils: Tony Strobl
Inks: ???
I'm pretty sure the dog being front and center sold me on this one, though I was avidly watching Jetsons' cartoons in syndication around this time, too, I believe.
At least the last one is still $0.35!
Captain America #255
March 1981
Cover Art: Frank Miller, Joe Rubinstein, Rick Parker
This is the last issue of the criminally short Stern/Byrne run. Several reasons for this. Byrne's version is that Jim Shooter made a sudden decree that there would be no books with continuing stories, ruining an upcoming three part Red Skull storyline which would've left them scrambling to submit new stories in time for publication, so they quit in protest.
From ByrneRobotics: Roger Stern has said it was due to deadline issues: Note that the "Jim" in the above quote is editor Salicrup, not Shooter. It's too bad too, this dust-up also prevented an upcoming Frank Miller 'one & done' fill-in from being published until much later in Marvel Fanfare (ironically to very little 'fanfare')...
A great pity, all things considered. It was a very nice run that was still going strong. Now collected in trade under the name: 'War & Remembrance' which the late, great @JamieD turned me on to when the geeks were discussing favorite OGNs and collected trades.
My #12 oldest comic, (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)... I don't still own this one...
Turok, Son of Stone #70, on stands 4/16/70
Art: George Wilson (painted)
For sure, the sea serpent/dinosaur would have led me to pick this one. At this age, I was obsessed with dinosaur books, and had some that had sea serpents pictured in it that looked much like this one.
I never became a huge fan of the actual Turok stories, but a couple times the painted covers definitely lured me in, before I become very focused on Marvel and DC.
September 1975
Cover Gil Kane / Tom Palmer
This was the final issue of the series. Man-Wolf stars in "Moonbound" in a script by David Kraft with art by George Perez and Fred Kida. This story concludes in Marvel Premiere 45. This issue has never been reprinted. This series would probably never make it past issue 6 in today's comics culture, if it were even green-lit at all.
I thought of Kirkman's Astounding Wolf-Man series as I typed that, but yes I was referring to Marvel
June 1967
Cover Dick Giordano
For a change of pace, I'm going with Sam Savitt’s cover to Four Color #606. Savitt specialized in painting horses. But before he became an author and illustrator of numerous equine books, before he became the official illustrator of the U.S. Equestrian Team, before he co-founded the American Academy of Equine Artists, Savitt was a comic book artist. Mostly he was a cover artist, but his first work in comics was the “Tex Rainger” feature for Fiction House’s Rangers of Freedom Comics in 1942. In the ’50s and ’60s, though, all his comic book work was done for Dell on titles like Gene Autry’s Champion, Roy Rogers’ Trigger, and The Lone Ranger’s Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver (do you sense a pattern here?). This cover featuring King Arthur’s right-hand man is one of the few non-western jobs he drew.
Mystery Tales would run another three years, when Atlas ran into tough times.
I know, it's a remastered cover.
Giordano broke into comics as with Charlton in 1952, and (outside of some jobs for Lev Gleason, Premier Magazines, and Atlas/Marvel) he spent the next several working primarily for them. He always inked his own pencils, and he did a ton of covers for Charlton, as well as interior work. From 1958 into 1961, he split his time fairly evenly between Charlton and Marvel, but then the Marvel work completely dried up, and he was back to being practically exclusive with Charlton. In 1965 Giordano was hired by Charlton as their executive editor, and he brought about a mini-Renaissance period for the company by revamping their superheroes and starting their “Action Hero” line, and by making Charlton a place where bright new talent could break into the business and have a large degree of creative freedom.
He was hired away from Charlton by DC in 1968, but left just three years later because he didn’t see any room for editorial advancement. Upon leaving, he and Neal Adams formed Continuity Associates, though he continued freelancing for DC as a penciler and inker. He came back to DC in 1980 as the editor of the Batman line, and was promoted to managing editor the next year, and to vice president/executive editor in 1983. He retired from DC ten years later after the death of his wife, and eventually returned to freelancing, which he continued up until the time of his own death in 2010.