Big Glee! The Albert Bryan Bigley Archives

FANTASTIC FOUR FAQs! The Fabulous Fact-File Feature on the Freaky Foursome! See and Hear! 1974 Marvel Comics!

2013-05-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Back again with another inside info page on superhero origins! This time, the darling and dimpled dudes at DYNAMITE magazine help out with a 1974 fact file on the Fantastic Four! This kid's mag looks at the pace-setting "first family" of Marvel Comics, and what made them stand out from the usual crime-fighting throngs of the day! We get to see an actual excerpt from the (now very expensive to collectors) first FF issue from 1961 (only a mere 13 years old then), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and, tho a bit crude compared to what was to come, it displays the excitement and drama that would soon mark the FF as one of the most innovative and exciting comics around! Click below to enlarge!

This was the first issue of DYNAMITE that a 9-year-old me owned (purchased from a local
supermarket after seeing it at school book fairs, and in other kid's homes), and I bought every
subsequent issue for the "Superheroes Confidential" column alone! I was largely unfamiliar
with the FF at the time, but the above Q&A column made it clear that this comic, and
these characters, where unlike any superheroes I had ever encountered before, such as
the simpler (and less "realistic") kid-aimed crime-busters from Marvel's rival
firm, DC Comics!

BONUS! This same awesome issue came with a pull-out poster of the famed FF, and all you have to do is glance below to see said pulpy pin-up!

The above huge (16 by 21 inches) poster featured art by sensational SPIDER-MAN
artist, John Romita, Sr.! The art was originally seen that year on the cover of an
FF oversized "Treasury Edition," and would later be spotted on toy packaging, action
figure boxes, Slurpee cups, and other bits of merry Marvel merchandise!

BONUS BONUS! Click below to see me, with the above poster, along with other examples of that famed image used on past and current Marvel-related merchandising efforts!

BONUS BONUS BONUS! Click below to hear an excerpt from a 1974 (was that the year of the FF?!) Power Records FANTASTIC FOUR book-and-record set! The foursome's awe-inspiring origin is recapped in this recording, and almost matches the above 1961 comic pages word-for-word!

Stupendous 70s SPIDER-MAN Sunday Strip! "The Hunch and the Horror!" Marvel Comics!

2013-05-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, we looked on in utter horror, as Spider-Man was blackmailed into performing his second indecent deed, all at the behest of a female foe who knows his secret identity, and is willing to reveal it to the world if the Wall-Walker doesn't snap to her every whim! Now, the action heightens as Spidey is forced to make each task more personal, and more dangerous, than the last! How far will the superhero go to protect his well-guarded secret? Will he tumble to his faceless foe's identity and location before he has to go too far? More 1978 Sunday color Spidey strips, from writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr.! Click below to enlarge, web-heads!

Note how artist Romita sets up each scene, careful to give a real sense of
location. A retreating Spider-Man's distance from the target's home is established
in panel five, the nearness of the railroad station is seen in panel six, leading us
to the station (and Peter's way back to NYC) in the final panel! This also gives
readers a sense of pacing, and the passage of time.

Claw Long and Prosper--Part Two! STAR TREK! Khan! Spock!

2013-05-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's been many long years since I first spotted that odd knock-off "Mr. Spock" cloth figure in one of those ubiquitous claw machines you see outside of department stores, but take a look at his newly arrived company inside those plexiglass prisons! Due to the newest STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS flick, it looks as if Spock has been joined by Khan, Kirk, Scotty, Uhura (I think), and other tiny-tot TREK toy characters! Is this a dastardly plot by some evil space rapscallion? Click below to enlarge and engage!

Besides the ever-intrepid TREK crew, this machine also inexplicably featured odd knock-off
figures of Domo and a multi-colored "Patrick Star" from SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

WONDER WOMAN vs the Nazis! 1975 Albert Bigley Original Art! DC Comics?!

2013-05-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

Another bombastic blast from the past! Dig this 1975 Wonder Woman pencil drawing by me, age 10, from 1975! Obviously inspired by the then-new ABC-TV movie, THE NEW ORIGINAL WONDER WOMAN, here is the Amazing (and quite mannish) Amazon fighting high-flying Nazi felons (using her famed "Bullets and Bracelets" gimmick) in a World War Two setting! Click to enlarge!

Note the personalization in the upper left corner! Looks like I meant to give
this to my next-door neighbor of the time! But, since I still have it, that means
she somehow never took ownership of this dynamic drawing! Why she didn't
accept this fabulous masterpiece of modern art remains a mystery!

BONUS! Below is the custom logo used for the long-running ABC/CBS WONDER WOMAN TV series! You can tell it was what I had in mind (going only by memory in those pre-VCR or DVR days) when placing my own hand-drawn logo into the drawing above!

Play the Silver Age CAPTAIN AMERICA Game! 1966 Marvelmania! Avengers!

2013-05-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

Dig this rare ad, gleaned from a 1966 AVENGERS comic! It's a pulsatin' plug for the then-new CAPTAIN AMERICA board game from madcap Milton Bradley! The entire Marvel Superheroes line was reaching the apex of its sizzling 60s popularity, due to Marvel's new and uninhibited approach to creating comics (and the attention the BATMAN '66 TV show was bringing to all things superhero), and Cap, Spidey, and the gang were all being slapped onto posters, t-shirts, costumes, figures, and any nutty item you could shake a drawing of Irving Forbush at! Cap had a little extra juice, tho, since he was a pre-existing character who harkened back to the 40s, so this ad may have caught more eyes than expected! Click below to enlarge!

Let's hope the art seen above (on the cards and game board) is only
quick "spec art" for the ad, and not used in the actual product! Sheesh!

BONUS! Click below to enlarge these images of the actual CAP game!

BONUS BONUS! What "free comic book" came packaged with this gorgeous game, as per that boisterous box blurb? Most fans recall getting a minty-fresh issue of TALES OF SUSPENSE #81 (see below)! Some collectors report getting no free comics, since the game was not sold shrink-wrapped in those days, and greedy Marvel malefactors could easily help themselves to the contents of this panic-producing product!

BATMAN FOREVER! The Movie You Never Saw! Robin Williams? Billy Baldwin?! 1995 DC Comics Speculation!

2013-05-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

Before the recent (and deadly dull) Chris Nolan BATMAN films, there were the Tim Burton BATMAN movies. Starting in 1989, with a morose Michael Keaton as the Dark Detective, this franchise soon become so overwhelmingly popular, that the creators found themselves pulled in every direction, suddenly being held to the wishes of merchandisers, licensees, and studio chiefs. Such wretched wrangling caused director Burton, and star Keaton, to soon bow out of the increasingly over-bloated series, leaving fans to speculate over who would be involved in the coming Bat-flicks! Below are some 1994 musings (from ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY and COMIC BUYER'S GUIDE), forecasting such never-to-be doings such as Robin Williams cast as the Riddler, William Baldwin as Batman, and more! Click below to enlarge and remember, Bat-fans!

Odd to think that it took the more recent Nolan BATMAN films to finally center
on the Batman character himself, as per Keaton's 1994 wishes above! The CBG
article also nails the fact that future Bat-films did go into a more "family-friendly"
tone, due to the demands of merchandisers wishing to appeal to kids
and their toy-buying parents, after the dark and disturbing BATMAN
RETURNS caused a stir with the public!

Shattering Sunday SPIDER-MAN 70s Strips! "A Party for Petey?!" 1978 Marvel Comics Mania!

2013-05-12T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, we watched in a dumbfounded state, as Spidey was blackmailed into performing dirty deeds under threat of his secret identity being exposed to the panting public! Now, he executes his second sinister assignment: terrorizing his puppet master's former boss, for reasons still unknown! How long will Spidey have to use his powers to do the bidding of this female felon? Will he prove jeering J. Jonah Jameson (long-time naysayer who believes Spidey to be a grand-standing bad guy) correct? More Bronze Age mile-high madness from Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr.! Click below to enlarge!

Why doesn't Spidey perform his mandated tasks in yet another identity,
so, if caught in the abominable act, nobody associates
such dirty deeds with Spider-Man or Peter Parker?

Superman Finally Marries LOIS LANE! Or Does He? 1972 DC Comics Madness!

2013-05-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's very seldom that I post an entire comic book story on this blog, usually opting to display only the most interesting or oddest portions of past comic tales. However, I just had to show off the enitre lead story from this 1972 issue of LOIS LANE #128! It's the kind of story that only DC Comics of the period could produce, even as competitor Marvel Comics continued their domination in the field! Marvel was winning the "comic wars," due to their more plausible and "realistic" stories that never quite reached the levels of absurdity that DC was capable of! Don't believe me? Just click below to enlarge each page, and start believing!

Things start off with a bang with this terrific cover by Bob Oksner!

Yep, that must be it! Poor Superman has finally relented to Lois Lane's endless
marriage-minded advances! Why else would a man consent to (ugh) marriage?!
Interior art by John Rosenberger and Vince Colletta.

So, Batman lends his old buddy (who can fly, by the way), his Batmobile?! Must not be
any current crime waves that need his attention...And, what newly-minted honeymooners
rush right to a strenuous stint of "musical chairs" on their wedding night?!

So, it's now time for more dancing, and the inviting of all their pals (including Superman's
crime-busting friends) to the event? Don't they want any "alone time?!"

"When are we going to eat?" That's spoken by the book's token "fat friend" who was recently
added to the story lines. Oh, the pre-politically correct 70s! Such sensitivity throughout!

You knew the wedding had to be a trick, didn't you? What about the trauma
caused to Lois' co-workers and family? Are they in on the scheme, too?!

Don't the members of the Justice League have better things to do than watch a bogus
ceremony? And, Lois admonishes her long-time love that she wishes for a wedding, and
Supe's answer? "Cool off-you'll feel better!" Then, he further baits her with a spiffy
new ring! What a catch!

What a great guy Supes is, to put ever-loyal Lois thru such a horrifying
ordeal! Of course, it's to prove a very visual point to that wacky, silly, heart-sick
female! It's for her own good, right?

That ring serves as a visual metaphor for Lois giving up her marriage plans...
Tons of 9-year old male readers let out a collective sigh of relief...

All this tom-foolery just to prove a point? And, what if Lois got somehow stuck
in that other dimension? Can't Lois marry Supes and only exist in the dimension
where only the Man of Steel can have access to her, thus ensuring her safety from
criminals? And, is it too creepy that Superman is also spending more spare time
(aren't people starving somewhere in the world?) creating life-like (presumably
anatomically correct) robots of Lois?

1976 Gil Kane CAPTAIN AMERICA Cover Art! The Red Skull Lives! Marvel Madness!

2013-05-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Back yet again with even more mind-numbing Gil Kane comic art greatness! Here is Gil's spectacular cover to MARVEL FEATURE #15, from 1976! We get to glom not only the original b/w comic art, as it appeared before coloring, but also Gil's initial rough sketch design! Cap is in the evil grip of his long-time foe, the reprehensible Red Skull! A real feel of high tension, excitement, and drama is on display here, as only Gil can bring it! Click here to see more of Gil's comic art! Click below to enlarge!

Above, left to right: Gil's rough cover concept sketch! The b/w original comic
art! The final, printed cover, as seen on comic racks in 1976! Are the inks on the
final cover art by Frank Giacoia? Mike Esposito? Nobody can seem to agree! Special
thanks to Anthony's Comic Book Art for the cover rough image!

Sky-High Sunday SPIDER-MAN 70s Strips! Spidey's Secret Second Task! Marvel Comics!

2013-05-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, we watched in numb horror, as Spider-Man was blackmailed (under threat of his well-guarded secret identity being revealed) into doing the dirty deeds dictated by a disgruntled former fashion model (hey, they can't all be on the level of a Dr. Octopus)! Now, Spidey suits up to execute his second sinister task, helpless to lash out against his unknown pulchritudinous puppet master! What has she demanded Spidey do next? Can he ever break free of this female foe? And--has anyone ever fallen for the old "handkerchief-over-the-phone" voice trick?! More 1978 Marvel Comic newspaper strips from Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr.! Click to enlarge!

Marvel and Mirthful Marie's Molten Man! Spider-Man Original Comic Cover Art!

2013-05-03T02:00:00.000-07:00

Zap! Here is the unforgettable cover for 1970's MARVEL TALES #28! Dig that magnificent Marie Severin (with Bill Everett) cover art, depicting a stymied Spidey caught by the malicious Molten Man! MARVEL TALES was the comic firm's Spider-Man reprint book, taking full advantage of the growing popularity of the still-new Web-Spinner! Fevered fans got to see the original comics when they were published, and sometimes got exciting new cover art when the reprints of those comics surfaced, around five years later! Colossal comics artists like Gil Kane, John Romita, Sr., and mirthful Marie Severin thrilled fans with their all-new takes on familiar cover scenes and stories! Click below to enlarge!

Thanks to the "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story" site for the above awesome artwork!

BONUS! Click below to enlarge the original 1966 cover (by Steve Ditko) for the famed tale reprinted above, "The Molten Man Regrets," from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #35!

Get Swept Up With The Monkees! Filming the HEAD Movie in 1968! Mike: "It Scared the %$@# Out of Me!"

2013-05-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

Direct from a 1968 FLIP teen magazine, here is the inside scoop of the Monkees' filming their wild and wooly film, HEAD! See the (not so happy) band on wires, during the crazy "vacuum cleaner" flying scene! See dimpled darling Davy Jones learn his difficult "Daddy's Song" dance steps from a then-unknown Toni Basil! Click each to enlarge!

BONUS! Click below to enlarge more tidbids and pics, all detailing the making of HEAD!

"Flying" in front of the "vacuum" background again!
Pic courtesy of "Henry Babbit" on FaceBook!

Above: On the movie set, here comes Dean Jeffries' amazing Kyote dune
buggy custom, meant to sorta be the "new" Monkeemobile! Never quite happened...

Above: From a jocular Japanese magazine, we see on-set pics and
out-takes from the movie's filming, including the strenuous "vacuum" scene!

Back on the wires, and in front of the "blue screen!"

Above: The Monkees in 1968, on the set of their weekly TV
series, contemplating their future movie plans!

BONUS BONUS! Click below for this frivolous FLIP excerpt from the previous year! The Monkees behind the scenes of their famed NBC-TV series!

More Batty BATMAN 1966 Bits! On the Set With Adam West! Batgirl Goes Capeless! Video!

2013-04-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

Back again, Bat-fans, with even more rare pics and hits from the nifty 1966 BATMAN TV series! Click each to enlarge!

Above: Adam West ("Batman") thrills a young visitor to the
Batcave set! The lad even gets to hold the famed utility belt!

Above: Back on the set of the Batcave, during scene rehearsals!

Above: Neil Hamilton ("Commissioner Gordon") rehearses with Adam West and
Myrna Fahey ("Blaze") in the two-parter, "True or False Face"/"Holy Rat Race"

Above: The ever-genial Adam West poses with set visitors yet again!

Above: Cesar Romero spends time with one lucky (and
possibly very frightened) Batman fan!

Above: What's this? Batgirl, sans her famous cute cape? Yep! During a run-thru
on the set of a BATMAN third season episode! Pic courtesy of "BatStuff" on FaceBook!

Above: On the set of the 1966 BATMAN movie! The four super-foes
pose with famed basketball coach Red Auerbach, yet another set visitor!

BAT-BONUS! Click below to view a fabulous 1994 ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT profile, spotlighting the career of TV "Joker," Cesar Romero!

Superlative Sunday SPIDER-MAN 70s Strips! Crisis on Campus! Marvel!

2013-04-28T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, we sat in stunned stupor, as Peter Parker responded to his evil blackmailer, a gorgeous gal who knows his secret identity! Now, she makes the weary Web-Climber sweat buckets, as she teases to expose his Spidey-self to his fellow post-doctoral peers! Will Spidey keep doing her deadly dirty work? Will he ever be able to stop her, or even know who is pulling his unseen strings? More mile-high Marvel mayhem from Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.! Click below to enlarge!

Has any character's personal life every played such a huge part in their superhero
adventures (and vice-versa) as that of Spider-Man's? As it would be in "real
life," Peter Parker finds it incredibly hard to separate both identities and
lifestyles, with so many events and details overlapping into each!

The Batboat! 1967 Aurora Model Re-Issue! Batman! DC Comics!

2013-04-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! Here is my bulit-up version of the 2003 re-release of the fabulous original 1967 Aurora BATBOAT model kit! Click below to enlarge each image!

The gloss effect on the body of the craft was created using
a spray gloss over the basic black/blue body! It was a real effort
to precisely paint the red and chrome piping and the white side oval shapes!

Where's Batman? I used his figure in another Bat-vehicle, saving Robin to pilot
this right-hand-side steered craft solo! I created new custom stickers
for the rear fins and base! I also added plastic "flames" swiped from a Lego set!

The TV Batboat made its debut in the 1966 BATMAN theatrical film, but
wouldn't appear as an Aurora model kit until the following year!

A very fun (but challenging) model to build, one I was too young for (but always
wanted) when it debuted in the 60s! I was very grateful for the recent re-release!

The "Other" Catwoman! The Strange 1963 Version! Batman! DC Comics!

2013-04-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

Sure, we all know that the famed female foe, the Catwoman, has gone thru a million kinky cosmetic changes since her 1940 introduction. But, look below to glance over a very little-known version of the character, as seen in this 1963 issue of DETECTIVE COMICS! Sure, it's only a misguided (or is she?) Batwoman, but ya gotta dig that green-and-red costume design that kinda prefigures her later 1967 version! Click below to enlage and remember (and enjoy some primo Jim Mooney artwork), Cat-fans!

Above: The cover to 1963's DETECTIVE COMICS #318, one that
gave readers their first glimpse of the "new" Catwoman!

That's right, Catman (an obscure BATMAN foe, one who would be revived
in the mid-80s) is so in love with Batwoman, he's created a tailor-made
costume for her, for use once she (surely) joins him! He even has her
exact measurements? Not too creepy...

Of course, Batwoman's sudden and shocking side-switching was only a ruse! She could
never turn evil, and, if she did, it had to be because Batman spurned
her marriage-minded advances! Ah, the early 60s...

Speaking of "creepy," check out that middle tier of panels!

Ah, the tried-and-true (and tired) use of the old "nine lives" schtick! How many
times have we seen that invoked at the end of many a Catwoman tale (tail)?

BONUS! Look below to glare at Catwoman's short-lived late-60s togs, oddly reminiscent of her above 1963 threads!

Spectacular 70s SPIDER-MAN Sunday Strip! The Telephone Tantrum!

2013-04-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, we sat stupefied, as a once-sanguine Spider-Man reluctantly performed the first terrible task issued by his new master, who turned out to be an evil female blackmailer who knows his once-secret identity! Now, she raises the tension, and throws more threats toward the worried Web-Slinger! Will Spidey capitulate? Will he be able to even locate the newest and trickiest (and possibly deadliest) enemy he's ever encountered? And---how will constantly cash-strapped Peter be able to afford a new telephone?! Click below to enlarge this rare 1978 color Sunday newspaper strip, by those Marvel madmen, Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr.!

Note how Stan and John detail how Spidey gets back to his familiar
big-city surroundings in those first panels! Touches like that made the
Marvel characters seem more "real," as if they (like us) also have to
deal with time, space, distance, inconveniences, and other
occasional irritants the real world has to offer!

Leonard Nimoy! "Mr. Spock's Other Life" at Home in 1967! STAR TREK!

2013-04-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

Another great look at the original early years of STAR TREK! Here is a 16 Magazine profile on Leonard Nimoy, TREK's own "Mr. Spock!" Although later to become a truly well-known star and "household name," in the 60s Nimoy was a sudden fan sensation, and such peeks "behind the curtain" were quite rare then! See him at home with his family! In a bizarrely re-colored pin-up! In the recording studio, casually cutting the funky and famed "Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space" disk! If you've never heard that piece of wacky wax, you owe it to yourself to find it immediately! Click below to enlarge!

Superman vs Magical Mr. Mxyztplk! 1976 Albert Bigley Original Comic Art!

2013-04-19T02:00:00.000-07:00

Here's another blast from my past! Here is a dynamic drawing depicting Superman in ineffectual battle against his mystical menacing foe, impish Mr. Mxyztplk! Inspired by my then-newly acquired 1976 Power Records SUPERMAN 45 disc, with fabulous cover art by Neal Adams (more below), I just had to try my hand at re-creating that image for myself! But, some nagging questions remain about my less-than-sensational scribblings! What's with my odd additions and alterations to Neal's version, such as Superman casually observing his failure to capture his enemy? How about the Man of Steel's insensitive shattering of the side of the Daily Planet building in order to go into action? And, why the radio station call letters? Who knows? Click below to enlarge! Not too bad for an 11-year old fan!

Above: The actual 1976 Power Record 45 cover, sporting Neal Adam's fantastic
artwork that inspired my own not-so-fantastic artistic efforts! In those
pre-internet days, young fans (like me) were thrilled to discover a new piece
of unexpected Adams art, and once I stumbled upon this wax gem (at a
Texas JCPenney) in the sweltering summer of '76, I had to have it! Who
knew Neal had drawn another fantastic front-piece for Power Records?

The Face? Tomboy? Razorback?! The Super-ZEROES That Never Made It! Marvel! DC!

2013-04-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Dig this 2003 article from the riotous SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS magazine, produced by the nifty Nickelodeon folks! Here, the over-worked editors put together a pandemonium-packed piece on all the comics characters that never quite passed the test of time, with some lackluster losers dating as far back to the "Golden Age" of comics! Who recalls the mid-60s "Captain (no, not that one) Marvel," who possessed the pulse-pounding power to bodily fly apart, whenever he shouted his famous magic word: "Split?" And how about that sizzling 70s sensation, Razorback? He was a hero/villain who bedeviled Spider-Man, using marginally interesting CB/trucker jargon and motifs that were (briefly) popular in the day. Well, they can't all be winners! Click below to enlarge and remember! If you must...

DAREDEVIL #84! Original 1972 Gil Kane Cover Art! Marvel Comics Mayhem!

2013-04-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Back again with more of that ubiquitous Gil Kane artwork! This time, I dip into my own original art collection to show this fabulous 1972 DAREDEVIL cover! Once again, Gil demonstrates his skill with lithe and action-oriented superheroic figures, as well as with staging, establishing depth, and just plain creating a truly arresting cover scene! Ol' Daredevil has never looked better! Click here for more great Gil artwork! Click below to enlarge!

Note how the art had to be slightly adjusted and continued on the sides, due to
the then-new implementation of the "boxed" cover art design! Marvel used
this visual device on their covers for a few months in 1972, in an attempt
to set their books apart from their competition on the stands!

BONUS! Glance below to see me with the above much-loved DD cover!

Stupendous Sunday SPIDER-MAN 70s Strips! Spidey vs--The Car?! Marvel Comics!

2013-04-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, we watched in stunned terror, as a sinister and scheming female blackmailer began lowering the boom onto Spidey, after she tumbled to his well-guarded secret identity! Now, she gives the world-weary Web-Spinner his first daring assignment: mess with her former lover's car?! She starts small, but Spidey knows he'll be on the hook for more mandated missions, or else his secrets will be revealed to a gasping world! More 1978 newspaper strip action from Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr.! Click below to enlarge, Spider-fans!

Was that a hatch-back the successful cosmetic mogul was
driving?! Well, it was the 70s...

Zook! The Naked Truth! 1963 DC Comics Censored Controversy!

2013-04-13T06:03:00.001-07:00

Who can recall the early-60s tales of that emerald-hued crusader, Martian Manhunter? He never achieved major success, despite being featured in solo back-up strips in DC comic books, as well as in the JUSTICE LEAGUE line-up, but the character was an odd and unique take on the superhero theme. In his earliest days, tho, he was strangely saddled with a humorous little elfin creature/partner called Zook, possibly in an attempt to lighten the mood of the strip, since ol' MM was very wooden and serious! But, the oddest thing about the diminutive and dwarfish Zook was the fact that his artists applied a great deal of effort to always draw him in poses that covered his--uhm--mid-section at all times! Was Zook naked and shaped similarly to humans? Could he not wear shorts, or conveniently have some sort of hair-patch there? Was he embarrassingly well-endowed (onlookers were often drawn with aghast or surprised expressions as alien Zook made his way toward them)? Such an odd thing to see (or not see) in those kid-oriented days of DC Comics! Click below to check out the naked and ugly truth of that zany Zook!

The above excerpt come from the pages of 1963's DETECTIVE COMICS # 318! Art by Joe Certa!

The AVENGERS! 1970 John Buscema Original Cover Art! Captain America! Marvel!

2013-04-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's very difficult to find examples of Silver/Bronze Age John Buscema pencil art, but this piece has to be one of his greatest! This is the unused cover to AVENGERS #79, from 1970! Drawn for one of the amazing issues involving the threat of the evil cabal called "the Lethal Legion," here are Captain America, Black Panther, Goliath, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch, threatened as never before! Dig big John's expertise at facial expressions (no other villains ever looked meaner), body language (you don't need to even see facial expressions to understand each character's emotional state), and composition! Click below to enlarge!

So, exactly why did the above (left) cover go unused, and the other (above, right) get printed?
That original pencilled cover (on its way to inker Tom Palmer) was lost in the
mail (in those pre-FedEx, pre-internet days), showing up much
later, after Buscema pencilled the replacement!

The Origin of--SUPERMAN! 1938 Golden Age Greatness! DC Comics!

2013-04-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Let's peek into the very first 1974 issue of the ever-delightful DYNAMITE magazine! The long-running kid's mag had a regular comics-centric feature (and the only reason I bought every issue) called "Superheroes Confidential," and who better to launch that captivating column than the first comics superhero himself? The mag editors treated fans to actual excerpts of Superman's first adventures from the late 30s, featuring the early raw and powerful talents of Supe's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster! Plus, dig that fun-filled fact sheet on the Man of Steel, promising tons of "playground cred" to boys all over the nation! Fun Fact: DYNAMITE's creator, Jenette Kahn, was later hired by DC Comics (Superman's publisher) to steer that company into the late-70s! Click images below to enlarge!

So much of the above wacky wonderfulness has since
been "erased" by later super-serious comics editors...Pity..

BONUS! From that same initial issue, we see one frantic fan fill out this back-end survey! Thank heavens (for us and the mag) he never sent this in! A real peek into the period!

"...and another one. The side with the picture...." Priceless.