Silver Age

Marvel’s Unsung Heroes! -Don Perlin!

Posted on by billyd75

This is one post I’ve been looking forward to for a while now, and it’s about time I got around to spotlighting one of the creators that has always had me glued to the panels of comic books! His name is ‘Dandy’ Don Perlin, and I’ve never met him in person, but I have had contact with him on social media, and he’s nothing short of a gentleman! He has some of the most unique pencils I’ve ever seen (I can easily spot his Werewolf by Night!), and some very eerie stuff as well from early in his career (as you’ll see in the first set of images below). This artist has been a contributor in the comic book industry for over forty years! His place in the comic book community cannot be denied, and co-creating Moon Knight, is certainly proof of that fact!

Oh, and just a quick side note -Don Perlin is responsible for the best comic page in history, just to set the record straight (5th image down from the top). Whether it was Joe Sinnott, Pablo Marcos, or Vince Colletta inking, the consistency of his artwork is on a solid level! So, here’s to you, Don Perlin, thanks for your tireless efforts to the comic book industry over the decades!

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Marvel’s Unsung Heroes! -Sal Buscema!

Posted on by billyd75

When people hear the name ‘Buscema’, they just about always gravitate to John.  Sometimes just at first, and sometimes only, but I’m here to tell you that the other Buscema brother has chops too! Sal Buscema is a gifted artist that never seems to get his due. Well, he’s going to get it today, as I spotlight some of his work right here and now! It doesn’t matter if it was The Avengers, The Defenders, Rom, or even Spider-Man, Sal Buscema put his heart and soul into his work, and that cannot be denied! He and J. M. Dematteis crafted one of the most emotional death scenes in the history of comic books. So, here’s to you, Sal Buscema, as we go forth and spread the word of your awesome work!

 

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Gene Colan Tribute Part 4- Dr. Strange

Posted on by billyd75

As we creep closer to the end of the month, and my spotlight on Gene Colan, I would be remiss, if I didn’t get some of his fantastic work on Dr. Strange out there for the masses! The Doc is my favorite character of all time, just edging out Thor and Captain America, and Gene’s work on the Doc is a big reason! Of course, Tomb of Dracula was the ultimate influence, and that title will get its due in my last post on Saturday! Here are some of my favorite covers, title pages, and splash pages by Gene! Quick warning, there are a lot of pics! Enjoy!

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Gene Colan Tribute Part 3- Captain America!

Posted on by billyd75

So far we’ve seen the master, Gene Colan, and his early suspense/horror work in some of the long-lost anthology titles of the 1950’s, and his Daredevil work from the 1960’s. Now, strap yourself in for his work on the Star-Spangled Avenger, Captain America! Gene’s time on the book was very special, and when he returned in 2009 for a grand send off (color pics at the bottom), who knew this would be his last work for Marvel (and in comics, I believe). This master of the medium will be missed, but in the meantime, check out his great work on Marvel’s WWII superstar! Enjoy!

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Gene Colan Tribute part 2- Daredevil!

Posted on by billyd75

Now that we’ve seen some of Gene Colan’s early horror work, lets shift gears, and check out some of his Daredevil work from his early days penciling superheroes! He was a master at telling a visual story with a character like DD, and he’ll always be my favorite Daredevil artist! Check out these incredible pages from the ‘Dean’, with some of his Daredevil work originally presented in 1967 (my copies are Marvel Adventure #3, 4, & 6, 1976)! An adventure with Ka-Zar, the wacky Leap-Frog, and a team up with Spider-Man, because you need a partner when you’re facing villains as nefarious as…The Masked Marauder and Stilt-Man? Enjoy!

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Gene Colan Tribute- part 1!

Posted on by billyd75

To finish off the month of March, I let my favorite artist for last! Gene ‘The Dean’ Colan, has always been my favorite, and always will be. His style just jumps off of the pages to me, and speaks to me like no other. Over the years, he was an artist who could draw any genre, but he certainly excelled at the macabre! Just his Tomb of Dracula (with long time partner, Marv Wolfman) alone could be enough to push him into the hall of fame, but when you look at his entire body of work (Strange Tales, Daredevil, Captain America), you’ll be astonished! Let’s dispense with the verbiage, and get right down to the work of the master himself, Gene Colan! Here is some early work in the title, Strange Tales in 1952!

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John Romita Sr. Tribute Finale!

Posted on by billyd75

Well, here it is, time for the John Romita Sr. finale! You know, Jazzy John is most notably known for his romance work, and of course, Spider-Man. He did do a fantastic job though on everything he touched, as evidence showed in my first post. As we move further into his career, lets look at some of his other work for Marvel. His runs on Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, and Captain America, are also most excellent! Three cheers for Jazzy John Romita! Enjoy!

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John Romita Sr. Tribute! Part 1!

Posted on by billyd75

Well, after my tribute to Big John Buscema last week, I’m on to the next face on my Mount Rushmore of comic book artists, with Jazzy John Romita! This man is nothing short of a legend, from his early work at Timely Comics (a precursor to Marvel), then onto becoming one of the industries all-time greatest romance artists, then a return to Marvel that would see him follow the incredibly talented Steve Ditko on Spider-Man. This is where Romita would make his mark, but he also penciled Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and many other Marvel titles before being named Marvel’s art director!

Here are a few of his early pages from Menace, Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, and more! Enjoy!

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Marvel Double Feature #21, 1977 (Originally Tales of Suspense #98 & 99, 1968)

Posted on by billyd75

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In this, the penultimate post of February, and of my month-long Jack Kirby tribute, I give you a gem of a story! Captain America versus the Black Panther! You’ve got to love superhero fights, as they are almost as cool as super villain fights! In these two reprints, Cap heads to Wakanda at the behest of the Black Panther, but when he arrives, he’s attacked by that very same hero! Moments later, T’Challa tells Cap that he attacked him to make sure he was the real deal, and not an impostor. Both men know there are some shenanigans going on in the jungle, so they leave to investigate. They find some crazy device, but it’s very heavily guarded. They manage to subdue just about everybody, but then a beautiful spy knocks them both unconscious with some energy weapon!

After Cap and Panther have been revived slightly, they are being held against their will, but by whom? It doesn’t take long for their tormentor to make his presence known. It’s the nefarious Baron Zemo, and he’s out for revenge against Cap, and also wants to take over the world or some nonsense. Can Cap and the Panther get loose in time to stop him? Who is this mysterious blonde super-spy that seems to be helping Zemo? You must read this story to find out!

This issue is one of those rare instances where you get such a variety of work from Kirby. The jungles of Wakanda, outer space, the Panther’s lair, and everything in-between! Yes, you really get to see Kirby at the height of his powers in this one, and as usual, you wont be disappointed! Enjoy!

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Marvel Spectacular #15, 1975 (originally Thor #144, 1967)

Posted on by billyd75

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With only a few more posts left in the month of February, I really want to go out with a bang! What better way to showcase the talents of Jack Kirby, then to show some classic Thor! Lets be honest, nobody was better at drawing Thor. John Buscema did a fantastic job, and probably is the only artist to come close or equal Kirby’s greatness on this character (Pollard, Coipel, & Frenz were also quite good).

In this great issue, Thor and the rest of the Asgardians are besieged by someone called “The Living Talisman”. This entity has a tremendous amount of magical powers, so much power, that he even has the audacity to face the mighty Odin himself! In the end, we see an all out brawl between the emissaries of The Living Talisman, Thor, Odin, Balder, and every other Asgardian that can fight! A backup story starring Thor and the Warriors Three  finishes off this fantastic issue!

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