Pablo Marcos

Tales of the Zombie 1, 1973 “The Altar of the Damned!”

Posted on by billyd75

It took me quite a while, but I finally completed this series of magazines. One and four were pretty tough to find in my budget, as was the Annual, but it finally happened! This first issue is quite a treat, as it features not only super cool stories, but incredible artwork as well. Of course, the lead feature and star of the series, Simon Garth, the Zombie, is an interesting character. His stories slightly mirror that of the Man-Thing, because of one simple reason- he cannot speak. Not an easy task for any writer, but if anybody is up for it, Steve Gerber is the writer. Let us begin with an amazing cover by Boris Vallejo!

The zombie stories in this magazines are three-fold. The first, “Altar of the Damned,” shows the second appearance of the character in comics. In this one, we see voodoo rituals, and some sleazy guy (“Gyps“) controlling the whole thing in order to get control of Simon Garth. This story (art by John Buscema and Tom Palmer) serves as sort of a precursor to the second story, which is actually the very first appearance of the character (Zombie! A Man Without a Soul! in Menace 5, 1953, story by Stan Lee and art by Bill Everett). So, in short, they did a retroactive continuity (retcon) story to flesh out the character for the readers. Not a bad idea, but one that has been beaten like a dead horse since (especially in more modern comics).

Next up is a reprint from the Golden Age (Journey into Mystery 1, 1952). “Iron-Head” is a story about a seedy guy that does whatever he can to survive, including murder for money! He spends time on a ship, diving for treasure, but then gets the idea that he can take out the middle men and have all the money for himself! He blows up the ship, and gets the last but most lucrative chest for himself. He then makes his way to a nearby island, but the local natives aren’t very kind to strangers! Art by Dick Ayers!

“The Thing from the Bog!,” is a visually stunning work by artist Pablo Marcos, and the story by Marv Wolfman isn’t half bad either! We see a rotting corpse rise the from the bog, a witch casting a spell, and her untimely death! But her death was not in vain, as we see her “people” slowly rise from their graves! The last page of this story is nothing short of heart-wrenching, and deserving!

There is also a quick little two page story by horror master Tom Sutton! “Mastermind” is a Frankenstein’s Monster homage that has the good doctor regretting his action almost immediately!

The bookend story for Simon Garth, “Night of the Walking Dead!,” picks up where the first half left off, as the sleazy Gyps is dead, and Donna Garth identifies him for the coroner. She then obtains the voodoo coin from the police, and immediately gets a bad feeling. Meanwhile, in the graveyard, we see something or someone, stirring. Simon Garth rises from his grave, and is attacked by a dog (with a hunter). He kills the animal brutally, then makes his way towards the coin, as if its calling to him. Written by Steve “Baby” Gerber, art by “Big” John Buscema and Syd Shores.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Haunt of Horror 3, 1974 “Featuring Gabriel Devil Hunter!”

Posted on by billyd75

After recently acquiring this magnificent magazine, I thought it was only fitting to spotlight here on my blog! For anyone that’s been thinking about grabbing some of these black and white marvels, do not wait, as they do nothing but climb in price (seemingly by the day!). In this awesome issue, we get four original stories, and one reprint. This title had an ongoing feature of a little known character called Gabriel Devil Hunter. This was in the height of the Exorcist craze, so Marvel had no shame in creating their own guy to jump on the bandwagon.

The first story, “House of Brimstone” is another chapter starring Gabriel and his lady friend, Desadia. You see they’ve received a phone call about a possession, and that is Gabriel’s specialty! In this one though, he’ll be faced with not only a powerful demon, but a no win situation. Script by Doug Moench, with art by Billy Graham, Pablo Marcos, Frank Giacoia, and Mike Esposito!

Next up is “The Restless Coffin!” Sounds like a vampire story, right? But it is not! It is a short story (only 3 pages) that shows the rise and fall of a Canadian that wanted to become an actor, but a gypsy warned him about his future, and that he would die soon after becoming a success! Written by Doug Moench, art by Pat Broderick and Al Milgrom.

The third story is called “The Swamp Stalkers!” and it’s got a murder, a hanging, and the undead! A story of revenge if there ever was one. Written by Larry Lieber and art by Win Mortimer.

We then get a reprint from 1956, in “They Wait Below.” It’s about the classic creatures called Sirens (click here for info), and their enchanting ways! Art by Bernie Krigstein (the story has no writer credits readily available).

Finally we get to see a match-up between Satan and Death, in “Last Descent to Hell.” This is one bizarre story that shows a confrontation between the two supernatural beings. Written by Doug Moench, and art by Frank Springer!

There are several super cool ads in this one, and I’ll include them below! The cover is by Jose Antonio Domingo (JAD), and the back cover by Pablo Marcos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tales of the Zombie 5, 1974 “The Palace of Black Magic!”

Posted on by billyd75

Another day, and another look at a classic horror comic during October! There are a few more black and white mags to look at, and those are a favorite of mine and quite a few other fans of the medium. These mags are an excellent example of something from the past that will never be duplicated. Right place right time scenario. All the key words are visible- “voodoo”, “magic”, “walking dead”, etc. A more Bronze Age book cannot be found, just look at the cover and the clothes the girl is wearing! The stories in this one are fantastic, and all are about zombies!

The first story is a continuation (as far as the creative team) from the previous issue. “Palace of Black Magic” by Steve Gerber (writer), and Pablo Marcos (art), is another installment of beauty from this series. Both of these men have had great careers in comics, but these issues have to be considered to be right up there with their best. The next story (“Who Walks with a Zombie?”) is a reprint from the Atom Age, and stars the incredibly talented Russ Heath on art (not sure of the credits for writer on this one). Then there is “Voodoo War” by Tony Isabella (writer), Syd Shores, Dick Ayers, and Mike Esposito (inks) on art! Two men using voodoo against each other in an old west tale of terror. Finally, “Death’s Bleak Birth” shows a dead man rise from his grave, and after that the killing spree begins! Doug Moench (writer), and Frank Springer (art), are on point with this one for sure.

There are a couple of other tidbits in this one as well. A three pager by Doug Moench (writer) describing Brother Voodoo and his lore (illustrations look like they are from a story with Gene Colan art). Also by Moench, we get a look into the excellent film White Zombie (Bela Lugosi). Lastly, there is a prose story by Chris Claremont, continuing from the previous issue. And this is all kicked off with a great cover by Earl Norem!

 

Marvel Two-in-One 24, 1977 “Does Anyone Remember…The Hijacker!?”

Posted on by billyd75

While I don’t “remember the Hijacker,” I do know an awesome villain when I see one! Brought to life during the great, but short-lived series “Black Goliath,” This little known villain is so generic he’s awesome! Marvel’s sister titles, Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-in-One, were both exquisite in their own strange way. Both offered characters that even casual fans would recognize, but once in a while, they’d throw a curveball at you, and have a villain (or even sometimes someone/thing from pop culture) that was completely off the wall. This is one of those times of awesomeness.

The name Bill Mantlo (writer, with an assist from Jim Shooter), is one that I hold is high esteem. Many times I’ve picked up a comic book and after reading it, was not shocked to find out it was from the mind of this gentleman. The art team is composed of two masters. Sal Buscema (pencils) and Pablo Marcos (inks), are two staples from the Bronze Age that really resonate with fans of that era and beyond. Irv Watanabe (letters) and George Roussos (colors), are also a couple of names synonymous with that period, as is editor, Archie Goodwin!

 

 

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Tomb of Darkness 22, 1976 “My Brother, This Monster!”

Posted on by billyd75

As Halloween is just around the corner, the hits just keep on coming! Another reprint of Atlas Era material is here, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Ghosts, ghouls, a robot, and just about anything else you can imagine! The first story is about a robot named “Grutan.”The scientist that creates him has a grudge against mankind, and wished to unleash his new robot to make them pay! The second tale involves twin brothers that are exact opposites in some ways, but ugly on the outside doesn’t always equal evil! The third story involves a ghastly figure, music, and a graveyard. The last story shows how a prison inmate makes a deal with the devil!

With all four stories credits going to Stan Lee, we are left to dive into the wonder of the artwork from some of the best of that time period. First up is Don Heck (pencils and inks on the first story). This guy was at marvel from the beginning with the rest of the giants, and somehow never gets mentioned with them. Study the man’s work, and I think you’ll find a fine craftsman. The name Mike Sekowsky might not be one of familiarity to Marvel zombies, but he was definitely someone who did a good bit of work for DC comics back in the day (credits as probable but not confirmed for the second and fourth stories). Lastly, we have Pete Morisi. He’s beat known for his work at Charlton, and was also a confidant of Don Heck! We get a great cover by the team of Mike Netzer and Pablo Marcos!

 

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Tales of the Zombie 6, 1974 “Child of Darkness!”

Posted on by billyd75

The Marvel black and white magazines from the Bronze Age are nothing short or astonishing. The painted covers, great creators, and over-sized goodness are just a few reasons why I’ve decided to make a concerted effort to grab more every time I hit a convention. One of the books at the top of my list, is Tales of the Zombie. This particular issue only has two stories (most had more), but they’re great ones! The first is a Simon Garth tale, and as you can imagine, it involves something eerie. A prominent couple that leaves all their wealth behind to move into a voodoo infested swamp! The second tale involves Brother Voodoo! Yes, Jericho Drumm himself, as he battles The Black Talon!

As far as creative teams go, this book is tough to beat. The Zombie story has Steve Gerber (writer), and Pablo Marcos (art)! Both men made their names in the 1970’s, and their work still resonates to this day. The second story is brought to us by Len Wein (plot), Doug Moench (script), and the art team of Gene Colan (pencils) and Frank Chiaramonte (inks). The fabulous cover is by the late Earl Norem. He did a few of these great covers for Marvel’s magazines, and really seems to have been an unsung hero of the industry.

 

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Tales of the Zombie #3, 1973 “When The Gods Crave Flesh!”

Posted on by billyd75

I have a new passion for a certain comic book that wont stop gnawing at me. The black and white horror magazines from the 1970s are very hypnotizing; from the fantastic artwork, the wild stories, and the overall more mature tone are really exceptional. I’ve already talked about the first issue of these that bought a while back (Monsters Unleashed #11), and that one really hooked me into the genre. I was already a fan of most of the creators that worked in this era, and saw some work from creators I’d never seen before (Billy Graham, being one). In this great issue, we start out with a story starring the one and only, Simon Garth (the Zombie)! There are four other stories (one reprint maybe?) in the issue, but this first one definitely stands out the most, as you will see!

Legendary writer, Steve “Baby” Gerber wrote the Zombie story, and with artwork by “Prolific” Pablo Marcos, you really get the best of what these magazines had to offer. Throw in more artwork by long time artists Tony Dipreta, and Bill Walton (both Golden Age alumni), and more stories written from talents like “Devil-May-Care” Doug Moench and Tony “The Tiger” Isabella, and you get an incredible book! Let’s be honest though, you’ll fall in love with this one just from the Boris Vallejo cover alone (a definite shout out to magazine editor, “Marvelous” Marv Wolfman, as well!)!

 

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Omega the Unknown #4, 1976 “Cats and no Dogs!”

Posted on by billyd75

On my last adventure to the comic shop, I had several issues in mind that I was going to grab. The only problem was that those issues were nowhere to be found. I did the only thing any red-blooded comic book collector would do…I bought some other great comics from my favorite age, the Bronze Age! It’s no secret that I love the writing of Steve Gerber, so when I saw the opportunity to grab some issues of Omega the Unknown, I knew I had to do it! In this issue, #4, (of short title run of ten issues) we see the enigmatic hero faces off against one of the most obscure, and wild villains of all time, a man named  El Gato! This wild man can control felines, and when you really tick him off, he’ll summon a multitude of them to viciously attack his enemies!

Gerber (along with Skrenes), has always been known for writing well, but especially when the content is even more insane than the last. He portrays Omega the Unknown sort of like how Brian Bendis portrayed The Sentry. Very doe-eyed, and simple, but powerful as well. The flip side to the story is that we also get to focus on the boy named James-Michael Starling. This odd youth has two young lady friends, but doesn’t seem to realize what’s going on half of the time. The artwork by Jim Mooney (pencils) and Pablo Marcos (inks) is very good, and will definitely turn some heads. Colors by Phil Rachelson, with letters by Gaspar, Karen Mantlo, and Ray Holloway. The cover is by Howard Chaykin and Frank Giacoia!

 

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Superstar Artists- George Perez! Pt. 3

Posted on by billyd75

In this, the finale of my George Perez spotlights, we will see his early Avengers work. Most long time fans will recognize it immediately, some newer comic book fans may not. Either way, get ready for a real treat, because what you are about to see is magic! With inkers such as Mike Esposito, Ernie Chan, and Pablo Marcos (just to name a few), you can’t go wrong! Perez was really the first guy post-Kirby to really elevate his style, and become an absolute rock star with his fantastic talent, and genuine personality. Let us now take the journey through some of the earliest work by this legend! Enjoy!

 

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Marvel Two-In-One #22, 1976. “Touch Not The Hand of Seth”

Posted on by billyd75

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I love comic books with skeletons! Maybe it’s my passion for Ray Harryhausen movies? Anyway, this is not just a cool cover, it has a great story by Bill Mantlo, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Pablo Marcos, Don Warfield on colors, Karen Mantlo doing the letters, and Archie Goodwin editing! Thor and Thing must battle Seth, Egyptian god of the underworld! Enjoy!