Gene Colan | Magazines and Monsters!

Doctor Strange #38, 1979 “Eye of the Beholder!”

Posted on December 13, 2014 by billyd75

To close out the 1970’s, Chris Claremont had a short stint on this title, as it had become a bit of a merry-go-round of creative teams for the last couple of years. Claremont took his turn (as if he didn’t have enough on his plate with the then resurgent X-Men!), and didn’t disappoint. He brings a new character to the book, named Sara Wolfe. She’s an “old friend” of the Doc’s, and you can immediately see the “Betty and Veronica” approach taking a foot-hold on the book. Matched with the eerie artwork of Gene Colan, this book definitely reminds you of a horror story. Speaking of the story, Wong gets captured by an unknown foe, then the Doc must face Native American demons, for his eternal soul!

Written by “Superscribe” Chris Claremont, pencils by Gene “The Dean” Colan, inks by “Delightful” Dan Green, letters by “Terrific” Tom Orzechowski, colors by “Boisterous” Bob Sharen, and edited by “Joyful” Jo Duffy! Don’t forget the awesome cover by Bob Hall and Terry Austin! A great creative team for the greatest sorcerer in the universe! Enjoy!

Doctor Strange #6, 1974 “Lift High The Veil of Fears!”

Posted on December 4, 2014 by billyd75

After just a few issues, the Englehart/Brunner team lost one of its members. The rigors of monthly comics just didn’t suit the style of Frank Brunner, so he stepped aside from that chore (still doing awesome covers like this one). It just so happened that someone else with incredible artistic talents was ready and willing to take up the job! Gene “The Dean” Colan returned to the character that he had worked on before back in the late Silver Age, along with Roy Thomas, Tom Palmer, and others. Colan has done a lot of magnificent work in his lifetime, but other than Tomb of Dracula, I think Dr. Strange was his best work. The character just seemed to fit his style perfectly, and Colan really added a more macabre feeling to the book.

In this issue, the Sorcerer Supreme and Clea are beset by the unyielding powers of Umar and of course, the Dread Dormammu! This fantastic issue was written by Steve Englehart, pencils by ‘Gentleman’ Gene Colan, inks by Mr. Klaus Janson, letters by Sir Tom Orzechowski, colors by the indomitable Petra Goldberg, and edited by ‘Lively’ Len Wein! Enjoy!

Dr. Strange #183, 1969 “Beware The Undying Ones”

Posted on November 3, 2014 by billyd75

Well, Halloween is over, so the monster theme will die down, for now, but don’t worry, I wont stray too long from going back to the horror well once again soon! What I will do is gravitate back to my all-time favorite artist, Gene ‘The Dean’ Colan! Before his legendary run on Tomb of Dracula, Gene had a short run on the Dr. Strange title, written by Roy Thomas. The two seemed tailor-made for each others style, and we saw some absolute magic (pun intended)! In issue #183, we see a story called “They Walk by Night,” and the Doc is in his mask phase, which never bothered me per se, but I certainly prefer him “unmasked.” Colan’s style was perfect for this character, and he did do some more work with the Doc in his second volume that started in 1974. Some great covers in that series came from Gene as well.

The story is from the mind of Roy Thomas, and he’s one of my (if not tops)all time favorite writers. He seemed to excel more at team books, but make no mistake, he can write anything. This story, along with a myriad of others is proof. Let us travel to the realm of darkness, and seek out these demonic beings, so that the Sorcerer Supreme may do battle with them! Story by Roy Thomas, art by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer (cover inks by Bill Everett, Colan pencils), and Jean Izzo on letters! I know (and understand) why people love to talk about Steve Ditko’s work on Dr. Strange, but I think Colan did a better job at showing the worlds of the mystic arts that the Doc traversed!

Doctor Strange #41, 1980 “Maelstrom at the Center of Time”

Posted on October 19, 2014 by billyd75

I definitely wanted to sneak in some Doc Strange for Halloween, and what better way, than with a Man-Thing story! In this issue, we see the Doc in an adventure with not only Man-Thing, but also Jenifer Kale, Baron Mordo, a cult, and even Death itself! From cover to cover, you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted – the Nexus of All Realities, magic, monsters, skeletons, you name it!

The story is brought to us by Chris Claremont, pencils by Gene ‘The Dean’ Colan, inks by Dan Green, letters by Diana Albers, colors by Ed Hannigan, and edited by Jo Duffy! You also get a spectacular cover by Bob Layton and Klaus Janson, as well! Definitely check out this issue, as it can found for a decent price in most back issue bins.

Marvel Comics: The 1970’s: Great Mash-Ups- Dr. Strange and Dracula!

Posted on June 23, 2014 by billyd75

Thanks for all the cheers, high fives, fist bumps, etc., I know you missed me while I was on vacation! Now that I’m back, I want to get back in the groove with one of my all time favorite mash-ups! In the 1970’s, the horror scene went wild, and so did the psychedelic books like Warlock, Man-Thing, and Dr. Strange (Strange had been that way since the Ditko years, but it continued)! Two awesome things that dominated the 1970’s (and early 1980’s) were horror and sorcery. This is the subject of today’s “Mash-up”! The year was 1976, and it was time that Dracula, lord of all vampires, and this dimension’s (616) Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange had to meet!

Both books were selling well at the time (of their fist meeting), and a conflict seemed inevitable. Marvel had the incredible team of Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer on The Tomb of Dracula, but not to be outdone, Marvel super-scribe, Steve Englehart (and later, Roger Stern) was writing Dr. Strange at the time (along with Colan and Palmer on art duties – later Green, Leialoha, and others)! So, not only did this story make sense from a buyer’s perspective (most readers probably read both books), but also from an editorial angle as well. Now, without further interruption, here are a few of the great pages/panels from some of those early meetings between Dracula and Dr. Strange! Enjoy! For these stories check out Dr. Strange #14 & Tomb of Dracula #44 (their first meeting), & Dr. Strange #58-62 (The Montesi Formula).

Comics: The 1970’s Horror Explosion! Pt. 3

Posted on June 6, 2014 by billyd75

As I dig deeper into the horror craze of the 1970’s, we must make a stop at the best offering of the decade from Marvel. Of course, it’s the Tomb of Dracula, and the incredible creative team of Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan (along with Tom Palmer on inks), wove an incredible story of love and loss, blood and sacrifice. Whether it was Dracula fighting some incredible adversary, or the Vampire Hunters, led by Quincy Harker, this title gave you everything you could want or need from a comic book. Rather than prattling on about it for a year, I’ll just let the work speak for itself. Enjoy!

Gene Colan Tribute- Finale!

Posted on March 29, 2014 by billyd75

In this, the last installment of my Gene Colan tribute, we’ll take a look at his finest work. Yes, Gene did tremendous work on all of his projects, but none matched his excellence on The Tomb of Dracula. This collaboration with friends Tom Palmer, and Marv Wolfman, is without a doubt one of the most incredible series in all of comic books in the 1970’s. For anyone that’s read any part of this series, you know what a gift gene and this team gave us. For seventy issues, Gene poured his heart and soul into this book, and that cannot be debated.

In this finale, you’ll see Dracula’s life, his death, his resurrection, his constant battle with Quincy Harker, Blade, and the rest of the Vampire Hunters, and the birth of his son! So, here’s to you, Gene, the one artist who will always be at the top of my list! Rest in Peace, Gentleman Gene!

Gene Colan Tribute Part 4- Dr. Strange

Posted on March 26, 2014 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!

Gene Colan Tribute Part 3- Captain America!

Posted on March 23, 2014 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!

Gene Colan Tribute part 2- Daredevil!

Posted on March 20, 2014 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!