kevinsworldofcomics-blog

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Batman #222 (1970) cover by Neal Adams. This issue was before my time & because I didn’t know the Beatles, seeing this old cover was a baffling mystery. Who were those guys? Why were they dressed like that? What did a record have to do with Batman?!? 

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Phoenix: The Untold Story (1984) by John Byrne & Terry Austin. If I had the chance to own any piece of original art from — or in this case, related to — their iconic X-Men run, it might very well be this beauty.

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A highlight of SDCC 2019: getting a drawing from the great Alan Davis. I asked specifically for the Silver Age Flash and he delivered A++.

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While I enjoy Phil Jimenez’s art in general, there’s a special magic he seems to always bring to Wonder Woman.

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Having just reread Legion of Three Worlds by Geoff Johns & George Pérez, I was wowed all over again by the quality of storytelling. Yes, it’s incredibly dense. No, it’s not new reader friendly. But damn can Pérez make the moment sing.

Everyone knows he can execute the group shots... 

And the big beats...

I want to call out the character work in smaller scenes. Look what he does with facial expression and body language, how each character looks like an individual person...

The one hiccup for me is $#%&! Superboy-Prime, who IS amusingly obnoxious but really makes no sense (given what the Earth Prime concept was originally supposed to be). Oh well, at least I got to see my old favorite Mon-El...

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As far as old school monster Spider-Man villains go, Man-Wolf was my favorite but Morbius was the creepy-coolest. Here he is by Gil Kane (above and below)...

And Gabriel Dell’Otto bringing the horror...

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Green Lantern/Green Arrow vs. Queen Bee by Mike Grell (1978). 

Because I didn’t discover Gil Kane or Neal Adams GL until later, Grell’s was THE version of that character for my childhood. Looking at this picture, it all comes back: the black/grey coloring on the arms & legs... the anatomy... his signature on the edge. Serious flashbacks here.

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Most comics readers in the late 80s likely only knew the Sheldon Mayer-Tony DeZuniga Black Orchid from the old Adventure Comics — if they knew her at all. I’d certainly seen her on back issue covers, but never actually read a story with the character in it. Then along came this house ad...

The Neil Gaiman tidal wave was just starting to gather steam back then, so it was probably Dave McKean’s name that first caught my attention. 

This was such a surreal, odd, touching miniseries. Seeing familiar faces like Poison Ivy...

...Batman...

...and Swamp Thing was like seeing them in a dream. Everything felt just a little OFF.

This could have easily tipped over too far into whimsy; instead, these two master storytellers — to use the appropriate analogy — knew exactly what would grow from the seeds they planted. Wondrous.

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It’s always a special pleasure to see Alex Ross take on “my” JLA: the Satellite Era team I grew up reading. The top image — from Wizard magazine, IIRC — was one of the first Ross images I ever saw & remains a favorite to this day. Bonus points for BLUE Batman with the yellow chest oval! 

While this collector plate is a beautiful piece I’d happily display...

...I do need to push my nerd glasses up on my nose & say that I love some Plastic Man — but he was never on this iteration of the team! 

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Thor #248 splash by John Buscema & Tony DeZuniga (1976). Leave it to “Big John” to make an image of two flying figures so powerful it looks like they might break right through the page.

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Karate Kid #1 (1976), art by Mike Grell.

Back to back Legion posts must mean I’m excited for their return. This character, while he doesn’t make a lot of sense in the context of the team & likely owes the existence of his solo book to the martial arts craze of the 1970s, will always be a personal favorite. The Grell cover is pure nostalgic goodness.

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Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes by John Byrne & Karl Kesel (1987), original coloring and digital version.

This image sums up what I love about the Legion: the brightness, the variety of characters, the sense of pure JOY. All that’s missing is one of my favorite members, Karate Kid, who apparently forgot about the team meeting that day...

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The Riddler by David Mazzucchelli (from Who’s Who).

I love this, because a) it’s my favorite version of Riddler, and b) it’s such a contrast to DM’s more “realistic,” noir-inspired work on Batman Year One — yet still feels a part of that same world. 

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Can something simultaneously be both awesome and... not? Not even Spidey Super Stories screams 1970s to me like seeing images of the Spider-Mobile.

Words by Gerry Conway, art by Ross Andru.

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This playset was a favorite toy of my childhood. Looking at it now, I particularly like Superman’s exclamation at seeing the Fortress’s door blown off: “That looks like the Penguin’s calling card!” LOL, riiiiight. Front cover art by Neal Adams.

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Fantastic Four 1234 by Grant Morrison & Jae Lee is unlike any other FF story I’ve encountered. It’s got all the recognizable elements — heroes and villains alike — but presented almost more like a horror comic than a superhero one. Among the highlights for me, the portrayal of Namor in particular is SPOT-ON.

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Hellblazer covers by Dave McKean 1988-90.

One of the many fun things about early Vertigo was waiting to see what graphic surprise McKean had in store each month on this title. Issue #1 was my go-to recommendation when working at a comic store back then, while #27 was the rare treat of DM on interior art as well as cover.