Showing posts with label Classic Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classic Comics. Show all posts

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Holiday Reading Room presents MARVEL CLASSIC COMICS' "A Christmas Carol"!

There have been numerous comic adaptations of Charles Dickens' legendary Yuletide ghost story...
...but this never-reprinted one from (believe it or not) Marvel Comics, has the distinction of being illustrated by more artists than any other version!
Credited to "Diverse Hands", the art styles I recognize include Bob Hall, Frank Giacoia, Frank Springer, Dave Cockrum, Marie Severin, Carmine Infantino, Steve Leialoha, John Romita Sr, Al Milgrom, Mike Esposito, and probably anybody who wandered into the Bullpen while this book was in production in 1978!
Trivia: 
This was the final title in the Marvel Classics Comics line which had started out as color reprints of the early '70s b/w Pendulum Press "comic adaptations of classic stories" series.
After a dozen issues, Marvel began doing their own adaptations, continuing for another two dozen issues.
Scripter Doug Moench was no newcomer to adapting prose to comics having worked on comics versions of literary properties including Doc Savage, The Shadow, James Bond, and Fu Manchu!
Colorist Francoise Mouly later became the art editor of The New Yorker, co-creator of the legendary comic anthology Raw, and is currently the publisher/editorial director of Toon Books.
You can read this HTF story by clicking HERE for Stave One, then just clicking the links at the bottom of each post!

Monday, October 25, 2021

Monday Mars Madness WAR OF THE WORLDS "Part V: End of the Invaders"

(This was Dave Cockrum's presentation piece for the Martians and their tripods, looking decidedly-different from the aliens and war machines from the then-recently cancelled Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds series!)
You know the story.
Guy meets alien!
Alien conquers planet!
Alien suddenly ghosts guy...
Overall, not a bad job by the creatives, eh?
The Marvel Classic Comics series ran 36 issues from 1976 to 1978, the first 12 of which were reprints of the b/w Pendulum Press Now Age Books comic adaptations of literary classics which had been sold directly to schools and libraries.
(Note: Classics Illustrated had ended in 1971, leaving a void in the retail comic market that Marvel attempted to fill.
Sadly, sales of the books after the reprints in 1-12 didn't warrant continuing the ambitious project.
The Direct Sales/Comic Book Shop market was just beginning, and if the project had survived another couple of years, it might have found a successful niche, but the timing was off.)
Like Classics Illustrated, the Marvel adaptations included text pieces about the original authors...
...and other goodies like the Dave Cockrum model sheet seen at the beginning of this post!
The adaptations featuring new material (13-36) have never been reprinted in America.
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Monday, October 18, 2021

Monday Mars Madness WAR OF THE WORLDS "Part IV: Earth Under the Martians"

...this ain't no treat, but the mother of all tricks, as the Martians have effectively conquered the Earth!
(Though you have to admit, this painted cover for the German edition, based on Gil Kane/Dave Cockrum's pen-and-ink art, is a treat, indeed!)
...what's the answer?
Another trick?
Or a life-saving treat?
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(the First [and extremely-unauthorized] sequel to the HG Wells novel)

Monday, October 11, 2021

Monday Mars Madness WAR OF THE WORLDS "Part III: the Rout of Civilization"

When Last We Left our Protagonist...

...as this amazingly-kool Gil Kane/Dave Cockrum cover for the British edition shows, the Martians are here, and they're kicking Mankind's collective ass!
That's really all you need to know!
...we're safe for the moment...only...as we shall see>>>
NEXT MONDAY!
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(Including Leonard Nimoy, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, John DeLancie and other Star Trek castmembers!)

Monday, October 4, 2021

Monday Mars Madness WAR OF THE WORLDS "Part II: The Conquest of Earth!"

Yeah, we could've called this chapter...
...but then HG Wells' ghost would've risen from the grave and bitch-slapped us!
(and rightly so!)
...projectiles from Mars have landed on Earth in 1898, unleashing aliens with heat-rays destroying everything in range of their landing sites.
Unfortunately, the aliens are now mobile...
To Be Continued...
NEXT MONDAY!
Adapted by Chris Claremont, penciled by Yong Montano, and inked by Dino Castrillo, it's a pretty straighforward visualization of the original novel, without updating to the present, as most adaptations of the tome have done.
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(Mars' Invasion of Earth from HG Wells to Orson Welles)

Monday, September 27, 2021

Monday Mars Madness WAR OF THE WORLDS "Part I: The Coming of the Martians"

In October 1976, Marvel's sequel series to HG Wells' War of the Worlds had just been cancelled...
...and the publisher released this adaptation of the original novel just in time for Halloween!
To Be Continued...
Next Monday!
Adapted by Chris Claremont, penciled by Yong Montano, and inked by Dino Castrillo, this never-reprinted (in America) 45-year old tale is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the original novel, which was the basis for Marvel's just-cancelled KillRaven: Warrior of the Worlds series!
Note: it's not meant as a tie-in to the series, so Dave Cockrum, who was aiding Art Director John Romita as his Associate while also drawing X-Men, deliberately designed the tripods and Martians to look different from the ones in KillRaven!
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(Includes everything involving the character in the Marvel Universe up to 2006)