I meant to post this yesterday. From the DC cover-a-day calendar, Alex Ross’ cover for Justice Society of America #50 (June 2011). It was also used as the cover to the TP collection, Justice Society of America: Monument Point. Not that you would know any of that from the calendar.
Today’s entry from the DC cover-a-day calendar: Wonder Woman #13 by Terry and Rachel Dodson. For whatever reason, they have the trade dress this time, minus the price, the creator credits, and of course the artists’ signatures.
Mar. 1956: Not a lot to choose from this month, but it’s about time we get to Gil Kane—plus, who doesn’t want to see a (wonder) dog riding on the back of a dolphin? So here’s the cover of The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #27, penciled and inked by Gil Kane with some nice coloring by Jack Adler.
Rex the Wonder Dog was based on Streak the Wonder Dog, a character created by Bob Kanigher and Alex Toth that first appeared as Green Lantern Alan Scott’s new pet/partner in Green Lantern #30 (Feb.-Mar. 1948). In Streak’s next appearance, Green Lantern #34 (Sept.-Oct. 1948), Streak not only took over the cover (which he would from that point alternate with GL), but had his own separate adventure in which Alan Scott was only a supporting character. By the time Green Lantern was canceled with issue #38, Streak was with a new family, then had two final adventures in Sensation Comics (the only two stories not drawn by Toth) before disappearing like his former master.
Kanigher and Toth revived the concept less than two years later in Rex the Wonder Dog #1 (Jan.-Feb. 1952). Rex was white, where Streak was brown, but otherwise they looked pretty much identical—both are German shepherds—though unlike Streak, Rex had a military background. Kane took over as cover artist with the second issue, and as the feature artist with issue #4 (July-Aug. 1952).
Gil Kane was born Eli Katz on April 6, 1926, in Latvia. His family immigrated to New York (Brooklyn specifically) in 1930. While studying at Manhattan’s School of Industrial Arts as a teenager, Kane began visiting comic publishers and showing his samples. At the age of 16 (in 1942) he got his first full-time work in the business, working in the production department of MLJ/Archie. Kane quit school and was fired three weeks later, but he immediately found a job at Jack Binder’s studio, then three weeks after that was rehired by MLJ with a raise and a penciling job on top of his production work. He worked there for a time, than at Bernard Baily’s shop, before striking out on his own. During those early years he did a variety of penciling and inking jobs, under a variety of pen names (and at least once using his birth name). His first use of the name Gil Kane came when he inked a “Scarlet Avenger” story in Zip Comics #14 (May 1941)—one of his first assignments. After working for both Marvel and DC for brief periods, Kane entered the Army, and was stationed in the Phillipines.
After he was discharged in December 1945, he found work wherever he could. DC was his biggest source of jobs, but he also worked for Prize, Fox, Eastern Color, Hillman, and a number of minor publishers. He finally settled in with DC in 1949, mostly doing westerns (such as the “Overland Coach” backup, on which he became a regular) and crime stories, but occasionally doing small jobs for Marvel and others. But he didn’t really draw many covers until 1951, when he became a fixture on Jimmy Wakely and All-American Western. Then, as mentioned above, he became the regular artist on Rex the Wonder Dog, which he would continue with until the title was canceled with issue #46 (Sept.-Oct. 1959). With Rex being a bimonthly, and Kane only having to pencil a cover (which he would also sometimes ink) and two 8-10 page features, Kane had plenty of time for other covers and stories during this period. But we'll get to that later.
Rex and Flipper in the same issue! Those dang smugglers in the midget sub don't stand a chance.
I do like the cover because it's a lot of fun, but the dolphin looks strange. I think it might be the way it's colored
Kane drew the dorsal fin too far forward to accomodate for Rex. I think that’s probably what's throwing you off. The beak’s a little off as well—the upper jaw should be wider than the lower jaw, and there shouldn't be so much curve in it.
It's been a while, but I read Marvel Knights Wolverine Hulk. The story was forgettable, but the art... I'm an unabashed lover of Sam Kieth art. So I decided to go with an early Maxx cover. Maxx #1 is rather iconic, but I always liked #2 better
Apr. 1956: I haven’t posted a Bill Everett cover since a 1939 Centaur comic, so let’s check in on “Wild” Bill. By 1952 Everett had become one of Marvel’s main cover artists, and was doing only a handful of anthology stories each year with the exception of the brief attempt at reviving the Sub-Mariner in 1954-55. He particularly excelled with the mystery/horror/suspense comic covers. During this period Marvel’s cover artists—including Carl Burgos, Sol Brodsky, John Severin, Joe Maneely, along with Everett—were working in a more illustrative style evocative of the pulp magazines, and they were colored accordingly. They definitely stood apart from the other publishers as you’ll see here with Everett’s cover to Navy Combat #8.
More Sam Kieth, this time we take a look at his lengthy tenure as the cover artist on Marvel Comics Presents with #100. I love Ghost Rider getting squashed.
More Sam Keith, this time we take a look at his lengthy tenure as the cover artist on Marvel Comics Presents with #100.
Ahh, the good ol’ flip cover. MCP during this period would usually have one really cool creative team, and then a bunch of dreck. If you were lucky you might get two good stories.
More Sam Keith, this time we take a look at his lengthy tenure as the cover artist on Marvel Comics Presents with #100.
Ahh, the good ol’ flip cover. MCP during this period would usually have one really cool creative team, and then a bunch of dreck. If you were lucky you might get two good stories.
There were a lot of bad stories, but the great part was you had really good chance at getting at least one good cover
Today’s entry from the DC cover-a-day calendar: Action Comics #785 with cover pencils by Ed McGuinness, inks by Cam Smith, and color by Tanya and Rich Horie—as usual, with no creator credits (but with trade dress).
Today’s entry from the DC cover-a-day calendar, the first Golden Age cover so far, the 100-page Comic Cavalcade #1 (Winter 1942), penciled and inked by Frank Harry.
Continuing with my Kieth covers; I present Batman. Now this isn't the greatest cover I could pick, but it's a world's colliding Bruce Jones (Hulk's run I was speaking about in different thread) and Sam Kieth (Hulk miniseries that sent me down this path).
Comments
Denys Cowan. Jimmy Palmiotti. Noelle Giddings.
But Cowan as a "base" always makes for a beautiful image.
Mark "Doc" Bright
I'll see your McFarlane Batman and raise you a Mignola Joker.
Rex the Wonder Dog was based on Streak the Wonder Dog, a character created by Bob Kanigher and Alex Toth that first appeared as Green Lantern Alan Scott’s new pet/partner in Green Lantern #30 (Feb.-Mar. 1948). In Streak’s next appearance, Green Lantern #34 (Sept.-Oct. 1948), Streak not only took over the cover (which he would from that point alternate with GL), but had his own separate adventure in which Alan Scott was only a supporting character. By the time Green Lantern was canceled with issue #38, Streak was with a new family, then had two final adventures in Sensation Comics (the only two stories not drawn by Toth) before disappearing like his former master.
Kanigher and Toth revived the concept less than two years later in Rex the Wonder Dog #1 (Jan.-Feb. 1952). Rex was white, where Streak was brown, but otherwise they looked pretty much identical—both are German shepherds—though unlike Streak, Rex had a military background. Kane took over as cover artist with the second issue, and as the feature artist with issue #4 (July-Aug. 1952).
Gil Kane was born Eli Katz on April 6, 1926, in Latvia. His family immigrated to New York (Brooklyn specifically) in 1930. While studying at Manhattan’s School of Industrial Arts as a teenager, Kane began visiting comic publishers and showing his samples. At the age of 16 (in 1942) he got his first full-time work in the business, working in the production department of MLJ/Archie. Kane quit school and was fired three weeks later, but he immediately found a job at Jack Binder’s studio, then three weeks after that was rehired by MLJ with a raise and a penciling job on top of his production work. He worked there for a time, than at Bernard Baily’s shop, before striking out on his own. During those early years he did a variety of penciling and inking jobs, under a variety of pen names (and at least once using his birth name). His first use of the name Gil Kane came when he inked a “Scarlet Avenger” story in Zip Comics #14 (May 1941)—one of his first assignments. After working for both Marvel and DC for brief periods, Kane entered the Army, and was stationed in the Phillipines.
After he was discharged in December 1945, he found work wherever he could. DC was his biggest source of jobs, but he also worked for Prize, Fox, Eastern Color, Hillman, and a number of minor publishers. He finally settled in with DC in 1949, mostly doing westerns (such as the “Overland Coach” backup, on which he became a regular) and crime stories, but occasionally doing small jobs for Marvel and others. But he didn’t really draw many covers until 1951, when he became a fixture on Jimmy Wakely and All-American Western. Then, as mentioned above, he became the regular artist on Rex the Wonder Dog, which he would continue with until the title was canceled with issue #46 (Sept.-Oct. 1959). With Rex being a bimonthly, and Kane only having to pencil a cover (which he would also sometimes ink) and two 8-10 page features, Kane had plenty of time for other covers and stories during this period. But we'll get to that later.
I do like the cover because it's a lot of fun, but the dolphin looks strange. I think it might be the way it's colored
Pretty sure these were the first "joined" covers I bought.
[disregard the Secret Wars II callout]
I loved the Alien Costume Saga.
hashtag_childhood memories.
Cam Kennedy!
Moebius doing a cover for Marvel Tales, the Spidey reprint book. Huh?