Dick Giordano | Magazines and Monsters!

Action Comics 500, 1979 “The Life Story of Superman”

Posted on August 9, 2021 by billyd75

Continuing my look at Superman, this specific comic is a newer acquisition for me, and one I’ve just finally got around to reading. Not only was I impressed with the artwork, but the story was fun as well. A landmark issue, and a whole lot of fun. Now that’s what an anniversary should be about, right? This book has a fantastic cover by Ross Andru (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks), and Tatjana Wood (colors).

Our story begins with Superman arriving at the ceremony to open up the Superman Pavilion at the Metropolis World’s Fair. All of Superman’s supporting characters are here- Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Steve Lombard, Lana Lang, and of course, Lois Lane. Mayor Harkness introduces the Man of Steel, and then he cuts the ribbon (a piece of steel he melts with his heat vision), then we’re introduced to the man who owns the pavilion, Robert Arngrim. We can see Superman gets a strange feeling about him.

Once everyone is inside, the memorabilia is receiving oohs and ahhhs from the crowd. Arngrim then asks Superman about his super memory, and he reveals that because of repeated exposure to Kryptonite, he’s having trouble recalling information from his past. Arngrim then points out that the pavilion has his mind prober ray machine, and asks Superman to give a demonstration. He acquiesces, although a bit reluctantly. We then see behind the scenes that there is another man, working in conjunction with Arngrim, to use this device to destroy Superman!

I’m sure ninety nine percent of the people that read my blog know this story and the villains behind this one, but just in case, I’ll leave that out of my post.

This is a really good story by Marty Pasko (writer). He really “gets” Superman and his personality down quite well. The artwork…what can I say other than it’s amazing. Curt Swan (pencils) is my favorite Superman artist of all time. I really enjoy his work with this character, and wish I owned more of it. Frank Chiaramonte (inks) does a fine job adding his touch as well. Adrienne Roy (colors) and Gaspar Saladino (letters) round out the creative team on this must have book!

Dynamic Classics 1, 1978 “Starring Batman”

Posted on May 26, 2020 by billyd75

The more I read Bronze Age Batman, the more I look forward to the next time I buy and read another story! In this superb reprint issue, we see a Batman story (originally Detective Comics 395, 1970), and a back up featuring Manhunter (Paul Kirk). We also get this super creepy and cool cover by Dick Giordano!

In the first tale, Bruce Wayne has been invited to a party in Mexico, by a normally reclusive, but wealthy couple. He realizes something must be up, so he begins investigating immediately. He foils a murder attempt, and starts to piece things together. Before he can dig any deeper, he’s in fight for his life against armed thugs, then a pack of wolves! He eventually conquers those obstacles and comes face to face with the real masterminds, but as he’s about to put a stop to their plans, he’s rendered helpless by an unforeseen power they possess!

This story was a good one and really resonates with the other stories of Batman in the Bronze Age. It shows him first and foremost as a detective, then a superhero in a cape (or sometimes not at all). Moody, atmospheric, and a slight touch of horror all bring this story together. It’s not simplistic, but it’s certainly not overly complicated either. A good mix of both, to be honest. Writer, Denny O’Neil, art by Neal Adams (pencils) and Dick Giordano (inks), with letters by Ben Oda.

The second story is one I’m not familiar with, as it involves a character I’ve heard of but never read before in Manhunter (originally created by Jack Kirby in the Golden Age). This version of the character has two legendary creators behind him in Archie Goodwin (writer), and Walt Simonson (art)! Just quickly breezing through the story, it’s definitely something I’ll be looking into in the future! Definitely look for this book in the bargain bins, as that’s where I found it!

Showcase 82, 1969 “Nightmaster”

Posted on February 17, 2020 by billyd75

Sometimes when you buy a comic, you think you know what you’re in for. And then you read the book and get something totally different. That’s what happened when I read DC Showcase 82!

A hippie musician that gets teleported to an alternate dimension via a weird bookstore, then must pick up a sword and battle evil-doers, and save his girlfriend from them. The first few pages of this book give no indication that’s going to happen (OK, other than the splash page). This one is a fun romp that deserves your attention for sure. This book also has some of the best advertisements I’ve ever seen in a DC comic book (see 3 images below story)!

Very fun/cool story by Denny O’Neil, with artwork by Jerry Grandenetti and Dick Giordano! This one is something straight out of Dungeons and Dragons or slightly even a Tolkien story. If you see this one for a decent price, do not let it slip away. Oh, and of course it has a spectacular cover by DC’s best cover man, Joe Kubert!

Batman 236, 1971 “Wail of the Ghost Bride!”

Posted on October 31, 2019 by billyd75

Happy Halloween! I’ve been spotlighting the wonderful additions to my collection from Warren Publishing (Creepy, Eerie) over the last several weeks, and I hope you enjoyed them. Now though, it’s time for some holiday spookiness from the caped crusader himself, Batman! In this issue, we get three stories, but the one I’m going to be focused on is “Wail of the Ghost Bride!” Written by Frank Robbins, with art by Irv Novick (pencils) and Dick Giordano (inks).

The opening splash page shows Batman attacking a man with his back to the audience, and with a ghostly apparition of a woman egging him on to kill her murderer. We then flashback to a time before, and Bruce Wayne is on a flight back to Gotham City. He’s reading a book on unsolved mysteries (cue Robert Stack), and wonders about the death of a woman named Corrine, the heiress to Hellbane Manor. He falls asleep and begins to dream. He wakes up though, and lurches back in terror, as this same woman he read about, Corrine, is outside the window, calling to him to avenger her death. From here, the story follows Batman, as he attempts to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the young woman.

The story is a good one, but the overall brilliance is the art by Novick and Giordano. The two make a great paring for a character like Batman, and really showed me that they belong right up there with the other great Batman creative teams. And of course, you can’t go wrong with a fabulous cover by Neal Adams!

I’ll just briefly mention the two back up stories. First is “Rain Fire” written by Mike Friedrich and again Novick and Giordano on art. It’s just ok, and not really my cup of tea (a political/social commentary story). The second one is a reprint from Batman 30, 1945. “While the City Sleep,” is a fun little romp by Bill Finger (writer, and the true creator of Batman with the various ghost artists), with art by Dick Sprang!

Adventure Comics 408, 1971 “The Face at the Window”

Posted on October 27, 2018 by billyd75

With only a few days left in October, I wanted to focus a bit more on DC comics, since they don’t get as much love sometimes around here! Checking out one of the only Supergirl centered comic books in my collection, this one is a ghost story, so that fits in perfectly for my spooky blog-a-thon in October!

In this crazy issue, Supergirl must investigate a haunted house (of sorts), and find out why the face of a little girl can be seen in the windows, when there isn’t supposed to be a little girl living there anymore. After the crew from the local TV station gets run off by a crazy old man with a shotgun, Supergirl takes matters into her own hands! There is a back up story as well, and “Invasion of the Mer-Men” is very Silver Age ridiculous but good for laughs.

None other than Mike Sekowsky is responsible for the cover, writing, and interior pencils (both stories)! Looking at his overall body of work, he didn’t write very much, so I’m not sure if he did these two out of expediency or what really went on. The interior inks are by Henry Scarpelli (a name unfamiliar to me) and it seems that he did a lot of Archie work. The cover inks are by the ever dependable Dick Giordano (long time DC artist and editor). Letters are by Gaspar Saladino.

Time Warp 1, 1979 “Doomsday Tales and Other Things”

Posted on June 26, 2017 by billyd75

In the late 1970s, DC cut back on their titles, and laid off a ton of employees. The comics just weren’t selling, and they needed to regroup. The early 1980s would bring some new hope in the form of All-Star Squadron, and New Teen Titans, but there were also some additions that are very obscure, but noteworthy for the comic book aficionados out there!

A short series of only five issues, this weird book gave us some rather interesting material. Mostly sci-fi (with a little horror), this first issue is chocked full of creators with a long list of credits, and quite frankly, legends in the business. From aliens to spider-men, you’ll be whisked away to fantasy worlds that will take you back to a time when comics were great!

Cover by Mike Kaluta, interiors stories by Denny O’Neil, Michael Fleischer, George Kashdan, Mike Barr, Jack Harris, Bob Rozakis, and Paul Levitz. The art teams are nothing short of spectacular and include the late, great Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano, Steve Ditko, Tom Sutton, Jerry Grandenetti, Don Newton, Dan Adkins, and Jim Aparo!

Doctor Strange #1, 1974 “Through an Orb Darkly”

Posted on December 1, 2014 by billyd75

As a tribute to my favorite Marvel character, I’ll be spotlighting Dr. Strange for the entire month of December! No matter who the creative team is, I’ll always give any title featuring the Doc a try! For me, he’s kind of like pizza – even when it’s not so great, it still isn’t half bad either! My personal favorite run is Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner in the pages of Marvel Premiere (1972), and this team led the charge for the character into his own solo series, starting in 1974. Honestly though, there is still great work being done with this character, as recent as 2012 (Doctor Strange: Season One, by Greg Pak (writer) and Emma Rios (artist), which is a slight re-imagining of his origin in an OGN).

Back to the Bronze Age though, and the true greatness of creativity in the medium, especially with characters in the magical or cosmic realms. It was a perfect time for these characters to take off, due to the creative minds that were entering the medium. This series begins with Steve Englehart writing, Frank Brunner pencils (and cover art), Dick Giordano inking, Glynis Wein on colors, John Costanza lettering, and Roy Thomas editing. This issue also brought us one of Dr. Strange’s most evil enemies, Silver Dagger! And now, for your enjoyment, let’s take a look at the wondrous world of the Sorcerer Supreme!