The Abraham Lincoln story scheduled for today can be found HERE.
In the early 1970s, there were a
lot of underground / alternative comics...
...but
this HTF 1975 one-shot was one of the koolest, if only for it's awesome
lineup of big-name New York-based comics talent including:
Wally
Wood (who did the amazing cover above as well as a NSFW spoof of his
classic "My World" strip, plus he wrote a second strip and inked a third.)!
Al
Williamson, who illustrated a NSFW strip written by Wood, illustrating a
Roy Thomas-lookalike nerd thrust into a world of barbarians, nude
princesses, and monsters, becoming a loincloth-wearing, sword-wielding
hero!
Plus: Neal Adams, Larry
Hama, Ralph Reese, Paul Kirshner, Archie Goodwin, Marie Severin, Mike
Ploog, Alan Weiss, Stu Schwarzberg, Linda Fite, and Herb Trimpe.
Edited
and published by
Flo Steinberg (known as "Fabulous Flo" when she was
Stan Lee's Gal Friday during the Silver Age), the comic was sold
primarily in
"head shops"
and sleazy bookstores since the Direct Market was in it's infancy and
there were maybe two dozen comic book shops in the entire country!
The comic was a tribute to New York City, the city we love, the city we hate, the city we love to hate and hate to love.
(Yeah, I was born and raised in NYC...Brooklyn, to be exact!)
There's lots of venting of cynicism and irritation, like the cover with commuters just standing there with an "It's always something!" attitude instead of fleeing in terror as most populaces do at the sight of giant monsters tearing up the skyline.
And then there's the gentle, poetic, side as shown by the highly-underrated Herb Trimpe's visual treat...
BTW, the object in question is a subway token.
Its' use was discontinued over a decade ago in favor of "smart cards", so
there are probably readers of this blog who have never used, or even
seen them.
Penciler/inker (and occasional writer) Herb Trimpe, who fell into
disfavor with Marvel in the 1990s, despite trying to adapt by becoming a
Rob Liefield clone, was as much a part of their Silver and Bronze Age
success as the Buscema brothers, Don Heck, John Romita Sr, Dick Ayers,
Frank Giacoia, Joe Sinnott, or any of the other hardworking craftsmen of
the era.
He passed away a couple of days ago...another of the links to the Silver and Bronze Ages (and, according to all accounts, a heck of a nice guy) lost to eternity.
Here's a never-reprinted pic of him (sitting in the tree) from Playboy Press' Trump #1 (1957)
And here's a never-reprinted Davis pencil and ink feature: " 'You Know Who' Gets Killed" from Humbug Publications' Humbug #1 (1957)!
Rest in Peace, Jack.
