08/02/10 - Releases for August
AC COMICS
Men of Mystery #83
Another 200 page, black and white, collection that will focus on Centaur Comics, including a complete reprinting of Amazing Man #12 and then other Golden Age stories from a variety of publishers. SRP $29.95
Western Treasury Vol. 1
A 120 page collection of never previously reprinted stories from the 50s featuring Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Tom Mix, Wyatt Earp and others. Art by Ayers, Toth, Manning, Spiegel and others. SRP $29.95
DARK HORSE
Little Lulu Vol. 24
Another 200 pages of John Stanley and Irving Tripp's kid classic, this time from Marge's Little Lulu #118-123. These are great stories and look even better now that they are in full color. Definitely worth a squint. SRP #14.99
The Harvey Comics Treasury Vol. 2
This is another collection (in full color) of some of your Harvey favorites, which are best read by kids. Featured is Hot Stuff, Stumbo and Herman and Katnip. Personally, I prefer the cartoons of these characters, but some may find it of interest (or of interest for the younger comic readers in your abode). SRP $14.99
Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives Vol. 1
Hmmmm...far as I can determine, this one will reprint the first 7 Flash Gordon comics from the Dell Four Color series, which means it will start with #173 (the first issue that was not made up of Alex Raymond reprint material) and continue on through (possibly?) #512, but it may also include Dell's Flash Gordon #2, which came out around the same time as #512. The reason for all this confusion, is that Dell comics published the Four Color series, which were basically stand-alone comics that came out at the rate of around 4 titles per month (each with different characters) and were, most likely, a way to tryout various characters without having to file for postage permits. With Four Color, they really pushed the envelope and some titles ran up into the teens before they got their own title. Whatever the exact contents, these are comics from 1947-1953 with art by Paul Norris, Jack Lehti, Frank Thorne and the ever popular "others" that will be entertaining and, since they were reprinted in severely edited versions in the 60s, you may have already read them. My suggestion is to give this one a good, long squint, since the comic book Flash Gordon always seemed, at least to me, more fun than the newspaper strip version. SRP $49.99
DC
DC Comics Classics Library: The Batman Annuals Vol. 2
Reprints Batman Annual #4-7 by various folks, including Sheldon Moldoff (ghosting for Bob Kane), Charles Paris, Edmond Hamilton and Bill Finger. I must admit a slightly guilty pleasure. I'm finding that I really enjoy the Batman material from the 50s. I know many find the stories lame, nearly a parody of the Batman as originally done in the Golden Age and that they have nothing to do with the Batman of today, but, gosh-darn-it, these stories are fun! I might have a slightly different feeling about this particular volume if I hadn't recently read the previous volume (my comments are here: Bob's Thoughts April 2009). Sure, the stories in the first volume are everything I've said before-inane and ofttimes silly, but it is the sheer inventiveness of the tales that makes them work. Batman is presented with a problem and he solves it...ignore the circumstances, just accept that the story has a beginning, middle and end and that Batman is triumphant in the end. This second volume has lots more of the 50s type Batman and these stories are even odder than the stories in the first. In #4, Batman has amnesia, looks into the first appearance of The Batwoman, marries her in a dream is given a fear of bats, disappears for a time and even finds there was an earlier Batman. #5 brings even stranger stories, with a Merman Batman, Giant Batman, Rip Van Batman, Phantom Batman and Robin as an adult. Mysteries highlight #6 with the Danger Club, the Green Lagoon, Mystery Castle and Dinosaur Hall. #7, however, is the icing on the cake as the Bat-Mite, the Bat-Hound, Bat-Woman, Bat-Girl and a plethora of other Batman cast members are featured in number of stories, one of which includes the sons of Batman and Robin (!). Digression: One of the oddities of DC in the 50s was the invention of supporting cast for Batman that added characters to the strip in a sort of parallel to those in Superman and the original Captain Marvel. The Fawcett Captain Marvel featured not only the Captain, but also a younger version (Captain Marvel, Jr.), a female version (Mary Marvel) and then assorted add-ons (Uncle Marvel, the Lieutenant Marvels, even Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny). Superman, had pets (Krypto, Beepo, the super monkey), a magical foe (Mr. Mxyzptlk), adventures as a Super-baby and a female version, Supergirl. These concepts were added to Batman in the 50s and the Bat-Hound, BatWoman, Bat-Girl and Bat-Mite (a magical foe) were added to the wide array of Bat-baggage that included the Bat-mobile, Bat-plane, Bat-copter and other odds and ends (and this was even in the era before toy tie-ins!). Clearly, these won't be to everyone's tastes, but I recommend them to you simply because they are so creative. "What if Batman...?" must have been a frequent phrase around the DC offices and while the stories may seem silly at first glance, they do nothing to undermine the basis of the Batman character. Batman is physically and mentally better than those around him...that's why he is a hero and these stories do nothing to change that concept (unlike many of the Superman stories of the same period, in which Superman is made to look downright stupid at times). Inventive, entertaining and enjoyable are all words that describe these tales and this second volume, along with the first, deserves a good, long squint and a place of distinction on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $39.99
Adventures of Superboy Vol. 1
Apparently, things have come to some form of conclusion regarding the copyright suit between the Siegel heirs and DC, because this month DC is bringing out the book we never thought we'd see. The original, real-deal Superboy is returning in a hardcover volume that will reprint stories from More Fun Comics #101-107 and Adventure Comics #103-121 by Siegel, Cameron, Shuster and the ever popular "other." As originally conceived by Siegel and Shuster, Superman appeared as an adult with no reference to his early years or a career as Superboy. Siegel pitched the idea of a series of adventures about Superman when he was a boy after Superman had achieved such great popularity. DC passed on the idea a couple of times before launching the series (conveniently) while Siegel was in the Army (and it was this behind the back type of action of DC's part that led to the recent suit). These are the earliest stories of Superboy, starting from the very beginning and they lay the groundwork for all the retro-continuity that, over time, eventually bogged down the entire Superman line. But, taken on their own, these are truly fun stories that focus on the simpler times of Superboy, Clark Kent, Ma and Pa Kent, Lana Lang and the town of Smallville, where a legend grew up. Definitely worth a squint and inclusion on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $39.99
Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol Vol. 2
Reprints Doom Patrol #102-121 by Arnold Drake and Buno Premiani. DC had many interesting second-tier books and The Doom Patrol has always been one of my favorites. Although many dismiss the book as an X-Men clone, it had an adventurous quality to it that Marvel's Merry Mutants lacked: probably it was the lack of outright super-heroing that permeated The Doom Patrol. The Brotherhood of Evil are here, along with General Immortus, Madame Rouge and the other quirky characters that made the book an original. This second volume wraps up the team's adventures for the first series and, in an odd twist, the dangling plot lines weren't resolved until the late-70s in The New Teen Titans. Well worth a squint and spot up on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $19.99
FANTAGRAPHICS
Fire & Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner and the Birth of Marvel Comics
From the talented pen of Blake Bell comes the first full-length biography of Bill Everett. Everett has long languished in obscurity, even though he created Sub-Mariner back in 1939 and proved himself to be one of the outstanding writer/artists throughout his career. Bell's book, which was prepared with the cooperation of the Everett family, will examine Everett's life, both professional and personal and include lots of art and photographs. This one definitely deserves a place on your sagging bookshelf without a second thought. SRP $39.99
Unexplored Worlds: the Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 2
Wish I could tell you what will be in this one, but, as of this writing, there ain't no information no how! What few suggestions of content I've found, say that this will be more material from the beginning of Ditko's career, which, I assume, means that it will pick up from where the first volume of this Archives series ended. Other than that, and the fact that the first book was very well done, I'll have to wait with all of you and give this one a good squint before I plunk my money down. SRP $39.99
HERMES PRESS
John Buscema: Michelangelo of Comics
A 176 page overview of Buscema's career, including interviews with Buscema's colleagues and over 200 examples of his original art. There are two editions: a Deluxe Hardcover with an SRP of $60 that will be limited to 300 copies and a paperback version with an SRP of $39.99
The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies Vol. 2: 1937-1939
The title sort of says it all on this one! I've seen a copy of the first volume, the reproduction is very well done and this is probably the best reprinting the Phantom has ever had. Do note that most all the stories in this volume have been reprinted before and if you have either Pacific Comics Club or Tony Raiola editions in your collection, check the dates and story titles so you don't end up with duplicates. Definitely worth a squint for a chance to read one of the great adventure strips of all time. SRP $39.99
IDW
Polly and Her Pals: Complete Sunday Comics, 1925-1927
This is the start of a new IDW series of oversized hardcovers. Begun in 1912 as Positive Polly, the strip focused on a the humorous adventures of Polly, a pretty product of the Jazz Age and here many admirers (Sterrett pretty much invented the "young, pretty girl" genre). Sterrett changed the name of the strip to Polly and her Pals in the early 20s, when he decided to to include other characters in the strip and Polly became part of an ensemble that focused on the members of her household, with her father pretty much taking center stage. The art is what is best remembered of the strip, however, and Sterrett's work is along the lines of George Herriman's semi-surreal approach, combined with a healthy dose of cubism. Reprinted here is two years of the strip, including the topper* strips Damon and Pythias and Dot and Dash, along with background and biographical material. Do note, however, the SRP of $75.00 due to the larger size of the book-12" by 16".
*Topper? Well, way back in the early days of newspaper strips, the artist and/or writer, were given a full Sunday page to present their story. By the 20s, the demand for comic strips was high enough that, in order to give the impression that they ran more comics in their Sunday sections without adding any pages, publishers requested that the creators create a single tier strip (think of it as a daily on Sunday) to run above the main feature (An example of these type of toppers Jungle Jim, which started out as a topper to Flash Gordon before spinning off into its own Sunday strip. Toppers ended with paper restrictions during World War II when the size of Sunday strips were reduced to half pages or less...
Dick Briefer's Frankenstein
According to IDW, this is the first volume in a new series that will be called "The Chilling Archives of Horror." Don't know what other titles to expect, but this first one will reprint an unknown number of stories featuring the Frankenstein. Frankenstein (at least in the Briefer series) was at first a monster (and, in fact, the same monster from the Mary Shelly novel) with a destructive, killer instinct. This changed, however, with World War II, and the monster only directed his rage at member of the Axis (Good, monster...Bad, Nazis!). With the war's end, Briefer completely turned the strip in another direction and Frankenstein became a comedic character, which he remained until 1949 when the series was canceled (there was a brief revival in the early 50s and in this series, the monster returned to his horror roots). Briefer's work has a cartoony quality to it reminiscent of the EC comics that were to follow ( in the horror stories) and then a distinct comic style that makes the humor stories work on their own level. One of those type of books that needs to be seen to be appreciated, this one deserves a good squint. SRP $21.99
MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Comics Revue Presents August 2010
The Phantom in "Return of the Sky Band," Flash Gordon by Mac Raboy, Mandrake the Magician by Falk and Davis and Tarzan by Russ Manning are just some of the Sunday highlights for this issue, which will also include dailies featuring Flash Gordon, Buz Sawyer and the continuation of the first Mandrake the Magician story. Look for The Phantom on the cover! SRP $19.95
MARVEL
Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales of Suspense Vol. 3
Reprints Tales of Suspense #21-31 by Lee, Leiber, Kirby, Ditko, Heck and Reinman. Insect Man, Oog, Klagg and Monstollo...these are some of the giant monster stories that were Marvel's stock and trade in the pre-superhero era of the, in this case, early 60s. Science-fictional creatures or very low-key horror were the norm in the industry after the Comics Code was introduced and, at least in terms of monsters from another planet or dimension (sometimes they even came from within the Earth itself!) Marvel pretty much had the market sewed up. All these stories read like good B-movies of the 50s, but the best part of the book is the art, simply because Kirby and Ditko were knocking themselves out doing really tremendous visuals within the restrictions of the time. Most covers are by Kirby, many are inked by Ditko, the Heck and Reinman work is very well done and, if that ain't enough to sell you on this one, simply give a squint to "The Man Who Found Shangri-La" in #31...one of the truly great fantasies of the waning days of Atlas before it became Marvel (Iron Man makes his first appearance in TOS #39, after all). Worth a squint and probable inclusion on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $59.99
Marvel Masterworks: Sgt. Fury Vol. 3
Reprints Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #24-32 and Annual #2 by Lee, Thomas and Ayers (with inks by John Tartaglione). Although the tenor of the country in the mid-60s was turning towards a decided anti-war stance, at both Marvel and DC, World War II was continually being fought up until sometime in the 80s. Here we have more of the super-heroic battles of Sgt. Fury in the depths of the "Good War," even while America was embroiled in the morass of Vietnam. These are fun stories in their own fashion and quite over the top in their approach to both combat and personalities. The origin of Fury's eyepatch occurs in #27 (later seen in the Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. series) and there is also a climactic battle between Fury and Baron Strucker in #29. The story in the Annual concerns the Howlers involvement in the D-Day invasion. Ayers tries to emulate Kirby in most every panel and does a passable job, but if realism is what you are after, you would be better pressed to look at the DC war books of the same vintage. Worth a squint. SRP $54.99
Moon Knight: Countdown To Dark
Although I generally tend to ignore most of Marvel's non-Masterworks hardcover collections, occasionally one come along that deserves a bit of attention. More years ago than I care to remember (the late-70s for those of you keeping track), Marvel attempted to increase their place in the magazine market and expand a couple of titles into full color (up until this time, all their magazines had been done in black and white). One of the titles that made the jump was The Hulk!, which had originally been The Rampaging Hulk. While the addition of color did not particularly improve the story content of the magazines involved, Marvel did slip in some back-up stories that were, in some ways, better than the lead stories. Here we have the Moon Knight stories done by Moench and Sienkiewicz (aided and abetted by Joe Rubinstein) that ran as back-ups in The Hulk! #13-15, 17-18, 20-21 and a full story from Marvel Preview #21 and a fine selection of stories they are. Moon Knight, as originally conceived, was a supporting character in Werewolf by Night and after appearing here and there in the Marvel Universe, was given his own back-up series in The Hulk!. What made these stories so memorable, was that Moench and Sienkiewicz decided to make Moon Knight into a Marvel version of Batman, with Sienkiewicz doing his level best to emulate Neal Adams (the main twist to the series, was that Moon Knight had a bit of schizophrenia thrown into the mix: a major point that actually pre-dated the whacked-out Dark Knight of today). The stories here are all great fun, are both well written and well drawn, and worth a good long squint. The only caution I would have is how Marvel plans to handle the story from Marvel Preview, since it was originally done in black and white. SRP $24.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Silver Surfer Vol. 2
Reprints The Silver Surfer #7-18 by Lee, John Buscema and Jack Kirby (and inkers uncredited). Some of Stan the Man's weakest work appears in this volume, which I really wish was better, since John Buscema did some of his best work on this strip. Under Lee, the Surfer, who is the most powerful being on Earth, spends his time whining and musing and pining for Shalla-Bal (his girlfriend for those out of the loop) and...well, you get the picture. Bottom line, the stories are boring and one can only wish that the Kirby re-boot in #18 had been allowed to play itself out with the Surfer as an enemy of mankind. For the completeist only. SRP $24.99
PURE IMAGINATION
Big Book O' Ditko
A collection of Ditko's work from various periods that will feature, Konga, Gorgo, Mukla and, according to publisher Theakston, "other stories not previously reprinted." Always fine reproduction, so give it a squint! SRP $25.00
TITAN
The Epic Chronicles of Hagar The Horrible: the Dailies—1974-1975
A second volume of Hagar: the Viking barbarian created by Dik Browne. A gag-a-day strip that tells of the plundering by a blunderer. Intro by Sergio Aragones. SRP $19.95
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Alter Ego #96
An issue devoted to the 1960s Archie Comics group The Mighty Crusaders. Vintage art, "artifacts" (whatever they are) by Jerry Siegel, Paul Reinman and others, tributes to the group by those who were there at the time and the usual features from the FCA. SRP $7.95
Back Issue #43
Jungle and barbarian characters are featured this time around and features will cover Shanna, Ka-Zar, Beowulf, Claw the Unconquered and others with lots of interviews and lots of art. SRP $7.95
VANGUARD PRODUCTIONS
Some quick takes from Vanguard...
- Neal Adams' Monsters - A reprinting of a graphic novel that was originally serialized in the Continuity produced anthology Echo of Future Past that came out in the 80s. Not a terrific story and the SRP of $24.95 puts this one in the completist only category.
- Art of Neal Adams - A softcover reprint of the hardcover that came out some months ago. Set to feature a sampling from all phases of Adams' career along with a section of seldom-seen paintings. SRP $24.95
- Vanguard Frazetta Classics: Johnny Comet - A softcover version of the hardcover that came out in July. Features the entire strip shot from Frazetta's set of proofs with the Sundays in color. SRP $24.95