Did You Know a Black Artist Penciled the FIRST Graphic Novel from a Comics Publisher?

Graphic Novels are the standard format for innovative storytelling today...

The complete presentation of the first graphic novel!

But "back in the day", as they say, it was an untried concept!
Written by Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller (as "Drake Waller"), illustrated by penciler Matt Baker and and inker Ray Osrin, the digest-sized 1950 one-shot from St John Publications is a pulpish "film noir" tale at its' coolest!

Dark Horse Comics (which published a high-quality reprint available below) explained it thusly...

In 1950, writers Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller, both attending college on the G.I. Bill, envisioned a sophisticated, novel-length comic tailored to their peers. Collaborating with comics art master Matt Baker, known for singularly defining the genre of "good girl art" on titles such as Phantom Lady, they crafted a film-noir inspired masterwork of romance, intrigue, and moral relativity. When cynical newspaperman Hal Weber reunites with old flame Rust Masson, he finds the beguiling widow of a mining magnate willing to do anything to undermine the local political machine--her only opponent for total control of Copper City!

Though not specifically-mentioned, penciler Matt Baker was one of the few Black artists of both comic books' Golden and Silver Ages!
It Rhymes with Lust was the basis of our 2017 Summer Blogathon spanning several RetroBlogs!
Start at True Love Comics Tales and experience not only comics history, but Black history as well!

Note: The thanks of a grateful nation go to Kracalactaka, who found the scans of the St John first edition in the wilds of the internet, cleaned them up, and made them available!

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It Rhymes with Lust

Deluxe Reprint Edition

Monday Madness THE STAND "Afterward"

Slightly-delayed...

...here's the personal notes of the writer, penciler, color artist, and editor of the maxi mini-series that, combined can be considered the War & Peace of graphic storytelling!

Roberto Aguirre-Sacsca is currently the executive producer/creative director of the various Archie Comics TV shows including Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Katy Keene, as well as the CEO of Archie Comics!

Mike Perkins continues to work for both Marvel and DC, usually both penciling and inking (a rarity in the business)!

Laura Martin may have started as a colorist, but she's now considered one of the preeminent color artists in the comics field, enhancing great illustrations and salvaging bad artwork!

Editor Ralph Macchio is now retired, no doubt exhausted from working on The Stand!

Sadly, he has no on-line presence I can link to!

He is not the actor who plays The Karate Kid nor is he related to him an any way!

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The Stand Omnibus

collecting all six miniseries and the SketchBook plus an exclusive Companion in one huge HTF and OOP two-volume slipcased set!

Now THIS is a SUPER Bowl!

Today, we PARTY, with our own Super-HERO Bowl!

A marathon of comic book-based DVDs and BluRays from around the world (including the Japanese Spider-Man live-action series with the giant Spider-Robot!).

Thank the tech gods for multi-region players!

See you tomorrow with more exciting tales!

Space Force Saturdays SPEED CARTER "BEMs"

There's never a dull moment in the future world of Speed Carter...

...as this never-reprinted tale from Speed Carter: SpaceMan #3 (1954) aptly shows!

The aliens in this story aren't identified by planet of origin or species.

The name given them, "bems", was a popular sci-fi slang term for "bug-eyed monsters"!

So, where are they from?

What species are they?

We'll never know, since they never appear again!
Written (as are all the Speed Carter stories) by Hank Chapman.
Illustrated by original artist Joe Maneely in his swan-song to the series.
Note: this was the last story in #3, but the first one from that issue we're presenting.
Maneely would later do a Famous Explorers short and a cover, but this was his last Speed Carter story.
There are two more Maneely Speed Carter tales to come...

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Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr

by Isaac Asimov

(under the pen-name "Paul French")

 Omnibus of ALL Six Space-Opera Sagas!

David Starr: Space Ranger, Pirates of the Asteroids, Oceans of Venus, Big Sun of Mercury, Moons of Jupiter, Rings of Saturn

Friday Fun CALVIN: Marvel's First African-American Humor Character!

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...

...and was the star of his own Netflix series!

Note: Though the series has ended, two of the stars have gone on to headline new CBS series!

Simone Missick (Misty Knight) on All Rise and Mike Colter (Luke Cage) on Evil!
Plus Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple/Night Nurse) is appearing on The Mandalorian!

The second character was...

WHO???

Several months before Prince T'Challa took over a reprint book, Jungle Action, and began a memorable series that served as part of the plot of the billion-dollar blockbuster movie...

...this character took over another reprint book and began a series that nobody remembers!

[You can read every never-reprinted tale featuring Calvin and his buddies HERE!]

What makes the strip even more fascinating, beyond the vaudeville-level humor, is the identity of the writer-artist behind it!

"Kevin Banks" was not a pseudonym for an already-established creative, but an editorial staffer at Marvel in the early 1970s who received his "big break" with this strip!
Trivia: Kevin was the first (and so far, only) Marvel creator to have a head shot illustration on an on-going series!

Even the ever-amazing comics researcher Nick Caputo could find little about the mysterious Mr Banks, as seen HERE.
What did Banks did after working at Marvel?
Did he work in advertising?
Become an art instructor?
Switch careers and become an accountant or fireman?
We may never know the answer...