Thursday, February 1, 2018

Reading Room CALVIN "New Pool"

The Black Panther was not the first Black Marvel character to get a cover-featured series!
He wasn't even the second!
He was the third!
First was Luke Cage, who received his own title...
The second character was...
Several months before Prince T'Challa took over a reprint book and began a memorable series that's serving as part of the plot of the new blockbuster opening February 16th...
...this character took over a reprint book and began a series that nobody remembers!
Written and penciled by Kevin Banks and inked by "NT", this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Li'l Kids #11 (1972) was part of a brief, 3-issue run of one-page gags and 3-5 page stories that seemed recycled from vaudeville routines and 1940s-50s comic strips.
BTW, you can read our other Calvin re-presentations HERE!
What makes the strip somewhat more fascinating is the identity of the little-known writer-artist behind it.
"Kevin Banks" was not a pseudonym, but a staffer at Marvel in the early 1970s!
Even the ever-amazing comics researcher Nick Caputo could find little about the mysterious Mr Banks, as seen HERE.
What Banks did after working at Marvel is unknown.
Did he work in advertising?
Become an art instructor?
Switch careers and become an accountant or fireman?
We may never know the answer...
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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Reading Room OUTER SPACE "Man from Outer Space"

Finding a never-reprinted Al Williamson-penciled story really makes my day!
And finding one inked by Dick Giordano,  an artist who rarely worked with him, makes it even kooler!
Likely created in the pre-Sputnik era, this Joe Gill-written tale appeared in the first issue of Charlton's Outer Space (#17 in 1958) with other stories showing a more realistic look at space travel based on Chesley Bonestell's iconic designs and then-current technology than this Flash Gordon/Weird Science rendition!
Not that I'm complaining, mind you...
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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Reading Room OUTER SPACE "Repair Stop"

Today's comics creators have lost the ability to tell a straightforward story...
...in a short story format!
Written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Steve Ditko, this efficent, effective tale from Charlton's Outer Space #18 (1958) sets up the minimal plot, conveys multiple points of view, and delivers a satisfying ending...all within four pages!
If it was done today, it'd be a book-length tale!
You'll note Ditko's heavy use of pen, rather than brush for inking, resulting in a less-lush, less organic "feel" and a lot more cross-hatching instead of feathering than his work only a year later, when he was transitioning from Charlton over to Atlas/Marvel.
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Monday, January 29, 2018

Reading Room NORGE BENSON "Plutonian Prehistoric Peril"

...he was returning to Pluto after spending a couple of issues on a jungle planet where he met the scantly-clad Princess Jolie...
This tale from Fiction House's Planet Comics #22 (1943), proves artist Al Walker and whoever the writer is haven't lost their sense of the ludicrous!
More cold calamities next Monday!
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Planet Comics

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Design of the Week NEGRO ROMANCE

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...with Valentine's Day rapidly-approaching, here's a unique design for your loved one!
In the mid-1950s, with superheroes and horror stories all but eliminated from comics, other genres dominated!
Westerns, war, sci-fi, teen humor, and romance now filled the comics racks.
The big problem was finding a way to stand out from the crowd!
Fawcett (and Charlton, who bought a lot of Fawcett properties when they went out of business) were willing to take a crack at the untapped African-American teen/young adult audience.
Sadly, the book only ran four issues.
But, you can read the stories that appeared in this issue HERE!
Note: This design is the only comic art cover in the series (the rest were photo covers using models).
Besides being a kool retro romace cover, suitable as a Valentine's Day gift, it would also make an appropriate gift for someone celebrating Black History Month!
Check out the whole line of Kool Kollectibles HERE!