Marvel
Omniverse No. 3 Cover by Hannigan & Beatty
Marvel
Created by Mark Gruenwald and Dean Mullaney, Omniverse was a fanzine that lasted two issues. Gruenwald would go on to be a writer and editor at Marvel Comics, while Mullaney would found Eclipse Comics with Cat Yronwode.
Worlds Unknown No. 8 Cover by Kane & Colletta
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is one of my favourite films from childhood. Big adventure, cool Ray Harryhausen characters, Caroline Munro looking sexy (as she always did), Tom Baker as a fantastic evil sorcerer and John Phillip Law as a bright and adventurous Sinbad who looked like he was having fun.
Conan the Barbarian No. 4 Cover by Rob de la Torre
Rob de la Torre is channeling the late John Buscema's work on Marvel's Conan the Barbarian on Titan Comics latest licensed series.
Tales to Astonish No. 95 Cover by Marie Severin
As I've mentioned a few times before, when I was growing up I didn't read nearly as many Marvel comics as I did DC comics. But that didn't mean I didn't have some great Marvel reading experiences.
The Doom Patrol vs MODOK by John Byrne
I've never been big on the Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing (MODOK). He was a big head with tiny limbs and he fought Captain America lot. But, I gotta tell ya, he deserved better than what he got in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, both in the cheesy visual effects used to depict him, and in the "we can't take him seriously" vibe the filmmakers set for him. Corey Stoll deserved better. I'm sure his cheque cleared and he'll be looking for something a little less dopey to be in next.
Underoos Concept Art by Alex Toth
Alex Toth was one of the true visionaries in the development of the visual language of American comic books. Eschewing the lush brushwork of contemporaries like Milton Caniff and Frank Robbins, he relentlessly simplified his linework and showed that a single line, perfectly placed was worth more than all the hatching and scalloping of lesser talents. He was also a vocal commentator and critic of trends in comics he thought strayed from a positive and progressive path of growth.
Marvel Treasury Edition No. 8 Giant Super-Hero Holiday Grab-Bag Cover by John Romita
I'm not sure I'm down with a rage monster dressed up as Santa and looking as pleased as punch with a kid on his lap, but it was a different time, I guess.
Spider-Man 2099 No. 50 Unpublished Cover by Joe Kubert
Joe Kubert didn't do an awful lot of work for Marvel Comics, and it was always a pleasant surprise when he did.
The Amazing Spider-Man by Mike Bunt
This one was so deathly simple that it took longer to extend the art to fit the cover format than it did to apply the colour.
The Lizard by John Byrne
A simple – yet complex – one this time out. Images from the life of Dr. Curt Connors, the Lizard – a tragic and unhinged foe for the Amazing Spider-Man – surround the central figure.
Chamber of Darkness No. 7 Cover by Bernie Wrightson
Wrightson emerged as the 1960s ended with a lush and expressive illustration style strongly influenced by EC Comics of the 1950s.
Conan the Barbarian No. 30 Cover by Kane & Chan
The Marvel years of Conan the Barbarian started with the evolution of artist Barry Windsor-Smith as he cast off his influences and found his first maturity as an illustrator. He would leave comics behind for a number of years, and this allowed the more classically-oriented penciller John Buscema to step in and set the look and feel of Conan for many years.
The Invaders by John Byrne
First appearing in mid 1975 as a Giant-Size issue, The Invaders was the idea of Roy Thomas with his deep love of Golden Age characters. Thomas initially teamed up with penciller Frank Robbins. The Invaders lasted 41 issues and one annual during its first volume.
I was Face-to-Face with the Forbidden Robot by Lee, Lieber and Heck
Atlas Comics of the late 1950s are known for a couple of things. One, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko drew an awful lot of monster stories that were fun to read. Two, Atlas was the precursor to Marvel Comics and Fantastic Four No. 1.
DC Special Series No. 27 Cover – Batman and the Incredible Hulk by José Luis García-López
It was the end of an era. Earlier in 1981, Marvel Comics had handled the second team-up of Superman and the Amazing Spider-Man. And then this book followed, shepherded through the DC offices. While DC and Marvel would still occasionally team-up their characters for reader excitement and mutual profit, the tabloids – a fixture of both companies throughout the 1970s – would not continue much further into the 80s.
Marvel Treasury Edition No. 23 Cover – Conan the Barbarian by Buscema & Sinnott
Another volume in the oversized Treasury Edition series from Marvel, this Conan the Barbarian issue came wrapped in a suitably-dramatic cover pencilled by John Buscema – the regular artist on the Conan books – and inked by Joe Sinnott. Buscema and Conan were made for each other.
The Superhero Women Cover by John Romita
In the 1970s, both DC and Marvel released comic book collections into the mainstream book market. Marvel released a number of trade paperback volumes through Fireside Books beginning with The Origins of Marvel Comics in 1974, and their form factor was very close to the trade paperbacks we read today.
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Marvel Treasury Edition No. 13 Cover – Giant Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag by Kane, Romita and Sinnott
Another holiday season and another Christmas reprint special from the House of Ideas. Pencilled primarily by Gil Kane – with touchups by John Romita – and inked by Joe Sinnott, I wonder how many people thought it was off the wall to have the Thing dressed up as Santa with Thor and Hulk as his reindeer. Plus Ben Grimm is Jewish and Thor came from the Norse gods.
Marvel Treasury Edition No. 6 Cover – Doctor Strange by Frank Brunner
Frank Brunner was at Marvel Comics for only a decade, but he made an impact with each comic he did, foremost among them his collaborations with writer Steve Englehart on Doctor Strange in Marvel Premiere and volume two of Doctor Strange.
Amazing Spider-Man No. 102 Cover by Kane and Giacoia
The last issue of the Six-Armed Spider-Man saga, writer Roy Thomas used the larger page count to tell the chilling origin of Michael Morbius and deliver a final battle between Morbius, Spider-Man and The Lizard.
Amazing Spider-Man No. 101 Cover by Kane and Romita
How do you top giving Spider-Man four extra arms in a last-page reveal of Amazing Spider-Man No. 100?
You put Spidey up against a brand-new character once again acceptable due to changes in The Comics Code: Morbius the Living Vampire! And for good measure you add The Lizard trapped somewhere between his monstrous persona and his human form of Dr. Curt Connors.
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Amazing Spider-Man No. 100 Cover by Romita and Giacoia
It was a time of transition. The Sixties were ending, leaving a very different world than when they'd begun. The Silver Age in comics was giving way to the Bronze. The Seventies would be a decade of experimentation in packaging for new publishers and slow decline for Marvel and DC until they worked out a different model of distribution.
Blade Runner: The Comic Book Adaptation by Williamson & Garzon
Blade Runner came and went during the summer of 1982, neither a hit nor an outright flop. The film would garner its audience and appreciation in the years that followed, aided by the growing home video market. Today it’s regarded as one of science fiction film’s best.
Marvel Treasury Edition No. 30 - X-Men Fractures by Dave Cockrum
Rarer than regular tabloids that reprinted popular material were the special editions that contained new material prepared expressly for their oversized pages.
Marvel Treasury Edition No. 29 by Severin & Tartaglione
If you were reading comics between 1975 and 1980 or so, tabloid-sized comics were a wonderful thing to find on the newsstand. Oversized with cardstock covers, they most often reprinted older material. Seeing some of your favourite stories printed big was an awesome thing to experience.
Daredevil Poster by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson
It had made Miller a star creator, first joining Daredevil as its penciller and then becoming its writer as well. Aided and abetted by Klaus Janson, the finishing inker and colourist played a larger and larger role over time as Miller's pencils became simplified layouts.
FOOM No. 9 Cover by Jim Starlin
Here's another cover to FOOM, Marvel's 1970s fan magazine. Jim Starlin was making waves at Marvel as a writer and artist with a strong interest and ability in science fiction and all matters cosmic. He began with Captain Marvel, injecting new life into that character, and by the time of this issue in 1975, he had revived and was revolutionising Adam Warlock.
FOOM No. 14 Cover by John Buscema & Tom Palmer
FOOM was the successor to the MMMS and was the fan service of the MCG. Translated for the less geeky: Friends of Ol' Marvel was the successor to the Merry Marvel Marching Society and was the fan service of the Marvel Comics Group.
The Incredible Hulk Annual No. 5 Cover by Kirby, Abel & Romita
This was the second appearance of Groot – made famous in recent years by his association with Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy films from Marvel. But 11-year-old me had wangled the price of a comic out of my mother as a way to keep me occupied while we attended my cousin's wedding.
Captain America No. 1 Cover by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
Coming a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour – the event which precipitated the US's entrance into the Second World War – Captain America was created by two young Jewish New Yorkers: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. With the Nazi government in Germany already persecuting Jews and other groups they wished to eliminate, Cap was the perfect patriotic avatar for young Americans eager to get into the war in Europe. Punching Hitler square on the jaw is an iconic depiction of the Golden Age of comics.
Iron Man No. 67 Cover by Gil Kane and Mike Esposito
I have to admit, I've never read many issues of Iron Man, but when a lady at work said her son liked Marvel more than DC, I figured ol' Shellhead would be appreciated for one of my restoration and re-colouring posts. It ended up being a fun piece to work on.
Wizard No. 10 Cover by Rob Liefeld
Marvel
Rob Liefeld had started at DC, then moved on to Marvel where he co-created characters like Cable and became one of their most-popular artists. In '92, he and other artists left Marvel to form Image Comics, and Liefeld's book was Youngblood.
Wolverine No. 10 Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
By 1989, Bill Sienkiewicz had cemented his place in comics as a creator to be watched. With early work on Moon Knight, moving on to The New Mutants, a great Dune movie adaptation, and stunning painted and collage work on Elektra: Assassin.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 14 Cover by Frank Miller
A standout issue from 1980, Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 14 was drawn by rising artist Frank Miller, inked by Tom Palmer and written by Denny O'Neil. The cover is strong and memorable and the original colour scheme is solid. Still, couldn't resist working with it.
X-Men No. 137 Cover by Byrne & Austin
It had been an incredible run, making stars of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin. The trio had first worked together on a memorable Star-Lord tale in Marvel Preview No. 11, but it's X-Men they're most remembered for. No. 137 is a standout issue in a standout series, and there's been controversy about it ever since it came out due to the editorial battle between the book's creative team and then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. The creative team wanted Phoenix to live, Shooter made sure she died.
Giant-Size Chillers No. 3 Cover by Hannigan & Wrightson
From August 1975, this was a reprint issue of horror stories wrapped in a new cover. And what a cover. The darn thing nearly leapt off the rack at you and it remains a favourite, so giving it an updated treatment was a natural thing for me to do.
Doctor Strange by Frank Miller
Frank Miller was on the rise. He was soon to take over writing Daredevil, a book he was already drawing and getting noticed for. In February 1981, this Marvel house ad appeared, announcing that he and Roger Stern were going to be the new team on Doctor Strange. But it wasn't to be. According to Roger Stern:
Giant-Size Blog Headers
Marvel
Online friend Richard Guion (aka Cousin Dick) was kind enough to give this site a couple of plugs on his blogs Giant-Size Marvel and Giant-Size Geek, and I returned the favour by making new blog headers.
Marvel Comics Giant-Size Cover Template
I've rebuilt and coloured a lot of vintage comic book covers. Now, it's your turn. Here's a template for Marvel's Giant-Size comics of the mid 1970s. I'd love to see what you create in the comments below.
Marvel Preview No. 4 : Star-Lord by Gan and Wrightson
Star-Lord first appeared in Marvel Preview No. 4, cover dated January 1976. The character was named by Marv Wolfman, and Steve Englehart created the character from there. Steve Gan was the artist.
Doctor Strange (1978) DVD and Blu-ray Cover
Marvel
You have to feel for the folks over at Shout Factory. They got the rights to re-release the 1978 Doctor Strange TV movie to tie in with the release of the new feature film starring Benedict Cumberbatch. And they went to the effort to remaster it from the original film elements. That's dedication, and one of the reasons genre film and TV lovers love Shout like cinephiles love Criterion and Kino Lorber. They do things right.
Spider-Man & Daredevil Special Edition No. 1 Cover by Frank Miller
Frank Miller had completed the Daredevil run with Klaus Janson which had made him a top creator at Marvel. His next major project would be 1983's Ronin limited series.
The Original Star-Lord Covers
His mother murdered by aliens, Peter Quill wanted revenge and his only goal was to get out into space to see it through. The early Star-Lord adventures were darker in tone than what we see today. They also had some great covers by top illustrators. Here they are as originally published, and new versions as Star-Lord magazine.
The X-Men Chronicles by Dave Cockrum
From 1981, Cockrum's hand-painted cover for this one-shot fanzine.
Uncanny X-Men No. 138 Cover by Byrne & Austin
One of the iconic covers in a run of iconic covers by Byrne and Austin. With fresh type and colour by me.
The Silver Surfer by John Buscema
I ran across a really grotty copy of the late John Buscema's pencils for this page from The Silver Surfer v3 No. 110. Detailed below are the steps from inks to layout to turn it into a cover.
ROM the Space Knight by Jeff Slemons
One of the early integrations of electronic features into an action figure, the ROM action figure didn't do well in the market, but the Marvel comic lasted 75 issues and four annuals. He'll return to comics in 2016 via IDW Publishing.
Star-Lord by Byrne & Austin
Back in 1976, Marv Wolfman – then editor-in-chief for Marvel Comics – came up with the name Star-Lord and passed it on to writer Steve Englehart to flesh it out. The result appeared in Marvel Preview #4, January 1976.
The Silver Surfer by Kirby & Sinnott
From Fantastic Four No. 55, Oct 1966. Kirby's energy and Sinnott's precision are in top form as the Silver Surfer returns.
Pro! NFL Cover by John Buscema
From 1970, John Buscema does a Marvel group of characters for Pro!, an NFL official progam.