Atlas Comics Library No. 10: Sports Action

After World War II our military came home there were a lot of changes. One change was that superhero comic books had lost their luster because most featured stories of superhero conflicts with JapaNazi.

People were tired of the war and wanted to move on.

Comic book publishers noticed a decline in the sales of their superhero comics and decided to diversify.

Soon comic books of all genres started appearing on magazine racks. Romance, Westerns, Detective, Crime, Funny Animals, Horror, Science Fiction and Sports, plus others.

Martin Goodman, the owner/publisher of Atlas Publications/Comics based his comic book lines on trends. Whatever was selling best he would churn out large numbers of said genres hoping to cash in.

One of Atlas’s most popular titles was Sports Action and (you guessed it) it centered on sports of all sorts.

Fantagraphics deluxe hardbound book: Atlas Comics Library No. 10: Sports Action, contains reprints of the rare 14 issues of Atlas Comics Sports Action/Sports Stars issues.

Featuring Allen Anderson cover paintings, Sports Action spotlighted the high-power, dramatic stories of sports legends such as Knute Rockne, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jackie Robinson and others.

Look for early artwork by comic book legends Syd Shores, John Severin, Bob Brown, Bill Everett, Gene Colan, George Tuska and other pencillers many that went on to illustrate stories when Atlas Comics changed its name to Marvel Comics and premiered its ground-breaking new series of superhero comic books.

Not only does the book include the legendary sports stories but it begins with a look at Atlas’s pre-comic book sports titles and strips along with other non-Atlas titles.

It’s an insightful and informative look at the history of sports publications with lots of cover reproductions.

I got a real kick out of looking at the art and trying to identify the early artwork of the now legendary artists. Even back then their styles started to shine through.

Atlas Comics Library No. 10: Sports Action is a huge book over one-inch thick and beautifully bound. The book is a ‘must-have’ for any sports enthusiast.

Psalms 34:4I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Star Trek The Edges Of The Final Frontier

To me, the most frustrating thing about the original Star Trek TV series featuring Captain Kirk and his crew was the TV show only lasted three years, when it should have lasted five years as told in the opening monologue.

There were a lot of Star Trek stories that needed to be told as they were originally written, an episode that should have had a sequel and the history of the conflict between The Klingons and The Federation.

In Star Trek The Edges Of The Universe, published by IDW, these are all addressed from a bevy of writers and artists.

Discover what the classic TV episode, The City On The Edge Of Forever, was originally was supposed to be like as written by Harlan Ellison.

Whatever happened to Gary Seven of Assignment: Earth? This collection answers that question.

And in several tales the history of The Federation’s and The Klingon Empire’s hostility began, escalated and eventually resulted in working together evolved is also covered.

If you are a fan of the original Star Trek TV series and have wanted answers of what may have happened had its original mission continued this is the book for you.

Matthew 10:28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Casey Jones

Who would have ever of thought that a hockey mask wearing, baseball brandishing loner would become a favorite character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe?

Casey Jones is his name and he’s back! after being nearly killed Casey is slowly recovering both physically and mentally.

Despite his injuries he’s anxious to get back on the streets especially since a new drug called Nostrum has hit the streets.

Criminals are using the derivative of the ooze that created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and transforming into human/beast hybrids.

Chaos rules and Ludovic is responsible. The villain hates Casey and wants him dead. But he didn’t count on his friends the TMNT.

It’s all-out action, fisticuffs and martial arts all combined to an exciting tale hockey mask and bats and all. Swing batter! Casey is back!

Author Alex Paknadel and three artists come out swinging with a brand new Casey Jones tale courtesy of IDW Publishing. Grab the Casey Jones softbound graphic novel collecting the 6-issue mini-series.

Jeremiah 17:14Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Atlas Comics Library No. 9 Adventures Into Weird Worlds

Before Congress decided that comic books were a bad influence on America’s youth and was the culprit responsible for juvenile delinquency and before the Comic Book Authority was formed comic book publishers pushed the boundaries of tasteful subjects.

Horror comic books were huge the publisher/owner of Atlas Comics knew a good thing when he saw it so like any good capitalist he decided to publish Horror comics.

Adventure Into Weird Worlds stories was one of his flagship Horror titles and boy did it get weird.

Top notch talent like Russ Heath, Bill Everett, Joe Maneely, Carmine Infantino, Mort Meskin, George Tuska, Bob Fujitani, Joe Sinnott and Barnard Krigstein all contributed their creativity, pencils and best horror creations to the series.

The oversize hardbound book: Atlas Comics library No. 9 Adventures Into Weird Worlds, measuring about one inch thick, starts out with a very informative text and art piece about other Atlas Horror, Science Fiction and other titles published abut the same period as Adventures Into Weird Worlds

I have to admit I though I knew a lot about old comic books but the folks at Fantagraphics have put me in my place. This book, along with many of their other titles proved to me I don’t know as much as I though about comic book history. It’s humbling and yet very enlightening. Just goes to show you’re never too old to learn.

I can just imagine myself as a young boy reading Adventures Into Weird Worlds back in the 1950s. The stories must have been quite a shock. While not gory or bloody the stories are still creepy and always seem to have a twisted and unexpected conclusion.

I highly recommend this book along with Fantagraphics other classic comics reprints. All of them offer a rare glimpse into the past and how those comics were the genesis of much of what we read today.

Psalms 28:7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Archie Vs. The Terminator #1

There’s a new kid attending Riverdale High School. He’s smart, mysterious, knowledgeable and Betty and Veronica thinks he’s cute.

Archie is jealous. The new kid (Max) is friendly but somewhat distant. He tends to keep mostly to himself and something about him doesn’t ring true with Archie.

Jughead and Archie’s other friends like him. Jughead tells Archie Max’s real name is John Connor! He discovered it when their backpacks got switched.

Archie is having a bad day. First Reggie discovers a rare bird egg-so rare that its hatching is scheduled to be shown on TV. Archie manages to interfere and the egg hatches out of sight because of Archie’s blunder.

At first Archie is sentenced to a few days of detention. But  principal Weatherbee offers him an alternative-pick up the new coach: Coach Bell.

Archie meets up with him. the coach wants to see Max. Archie takes him to him. When the coach pulls a gun out and points it at Max....to be continued.

Archie has been in scraps before but never one involving a killer cyborg Terminator.

What will happen when everyone’s favorite high school red head comes face-to-face with a killer cyborg? Find out in Archie Comics Archie Vs. The Terminator mini-series beginning with issue #1, written by Rory McConville with art by Steve and Lily Butler, published by Dynamite.

2 Timothy 1:7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Godzilla

What happens when the king of all monsters and the transformed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles butt head to shell with the fate of Japan weighing in the balance?

Shredder is back with his Foot Clan in a last gasp attempt of controlling a legion of giant Kaiju-including Godzilla.

It’s up to the Turtles to stop them and with the aid of a new mutagen that transforms them into classic Kaiju and along with several old friends they take on Shredder, the Foot Clan and the legion of monsters led by Godzilla.

It’s all-out giant action as the TMNT, Godzilla and Shredder vie for the survival of japan. It’s the TMNT like you’ve never seen them before in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Godzilla the new trade paperback from IDW Publishing in a brand new tale from writer Tim Seeley and and artist Fero Pe.

Check out the artist gallery of alternate covers.

Psalms 31:24Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

The Cryptid Corps #1

He’s just an ordinary kid hanging out with his buddies at a campfire in their neighborhood.

The boy’s name is Pete and he’s known for having an overactive imagination.

Before joining his friends outside he sees a news flash about alien humanoid lizards attacking Las Vegas.

He tells his friends and they poo-poo his claims--until they see a bright light in the woods. Investigating it they discover an alien spaceship. Before they can leave they are met by a rather intimidating alien in armor.

Turns out the alien is friendly and part of an alien crew that have arrived to fight the humanoid lizards (Magmazards).

Meanwhile inside the alien spacecraft the leader of the group checks the status of one of her crew that has been possessed by Cold-a deadly alien entity.

Mothy, another member of the crew, is trying to discover the cure for his crew-mate using a captured alien device. What he discovers?.....

The Cryptid Corps #1 is quit unlike any other Antarctic Press comic book I can remember reading. It bridges the gap between horror and superheroes. I love the characters. It has elements of The Guardians Of The Galaxy and The Dark Justice League.

Microwave using aliens that play video games? Ya gotta love it!

In just a few pages writer Anthony Cleveland and artist Max Bertolini firmly establish all of the characters, the threat and tempo of the series.

It is a fun read and I can’t wait to see what happens next issue.

1 Corinthians 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Gil Kane Rarities Vol. 1 Lost Marvels No. 4

I’ve read comic books almost my entire life-I’m 73 years old. I started reading comics when the Silver Age was in full swing. I started with DC Comics and moved onto Marvel Comics. I also read comics from other publishers but DC and Marvel were my mainstays.

I remember Gil Kane’s art on DC Comics' The Atom and Green Lantern. I liked his art but I never really got excited about it.

That is until he moved to Marvel Comics. It seemed like practically every Marvel Comic had a Gil Kane cover. 

The art was dynamic, in-your-face and packed with action. It didn’t matter what kind of comic it was: horror, adventure, superhero, etc.-it always packed a punch.

Gil was the main artist on a number of Marvel A-tier titles like Spider-Man. Gil also drew a number of B and C tier titles.

In Fantagraphics Books Lost Marvels (No. 4) series: Gil Kane Rarities Vol. 1, several stories in color of those titles are reprinted including Jungle Book, Gullivar, Kazar and several others.

All feature Gil’s dynamic styles and knack for making any title exciting.

Also included is a huge gallery of Gil’s cover art-all of it in color.

Art, accompanied by riveting text about Gil, his work and how practically on his own he defined the look and feel of Marvel Comics in the 1970s and early 1980s.

It’s an amazing piece of work all wrapped up in a hardbound book with color interior pages. It's fun to read with its informative text complemented by beautiful art.

1 Corinthians 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

The Hunger And The Dusk

For generations Humans and Orcs have been mortal enemies on a dying world.

When a new threat arrives the long held enemies reluctantly join forces to protect their respective societies.

WOW! What an epic! Trying to describe The Hunger And The Dusk in just a few paragraphs would be impossible and would not give justice to the work.

The Deluxe Edition hardbound book, written by G. Willow Wilson and published by IDW Publishing, with its stunning full-color cover illustration accented by gold gives you a glimpse of the amazing art inside by Chris Wildgoose and colorist Msassyk.

Tara an Orc and the Human Callum Battlechild, along with accompanying warriors must face off against the horrific Vangol, a strange albino race of giants whose sole purpose is to conquer.

Can humans and Orcs work together or will long held animosities shatter the alliance before it even begins?

Join the intrepid ragtag company as they gather support, encounter primal hatred on both sides and attempt to end the long held suspicions and animosity between the Humans and Orcs as they attempt to unit enemies to fight a common foe.

I am absolutely blown away by the art, the complex story-line and the skill it took to create new unique characters, a whole civilization and culture and the fantasy and sword and sorcery setting of The Hunger And The Dusk.

Concept and character drawings are also included, along with cover art of the 12 issue maxi-series compiled into the Deluxe Edition.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Twilight Zone

You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!

For six long and terrifying years from the late 1950s to the early 1960s TV’s The Twilight Zone both enthralled and terrified TV viewers.

I know, I was one of them even though I was only seven years old when the series began. It’s scared the dickens out of me and I loved it.

Five separate stories by five different artists and writers have successfully captured the essence of The Twilight Zone mystique.

Like the TV show the stories in IDW’s The Twilight Zone Stories From The Fifth Dimension trade paperback all successfully notch up the fear and creepiness factors both subtly and head-on.

Sit back, turn the lights off and get ready to experience five tales that will challenge your senses and submerge you into the deep and mysterious world of The Twilight Zone.

Discover what happens when one man’s obsession with immortality threatens mankind.

Join the crew of a exploratory spaceship as they discover a planet where dreams and experiences come true and reality is twisted and distorted.

When a would be conqueror encounters the forces of god he desires his power. What he discovers is 'refreshing' in a bizarre fashion.

What happens when a group of friends discover a very unusual pool of water? What they find once they jump in is a distorted mirror image of humanity.

What compelling and horrific secret does a meteor submerged in the ocean hide? Will music and sound determine the fate of mankind?

Are you ready to enter The Twilight Zone?

2 Timothy 1:7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Uncle Scrooge Clan Duck Stories And Glories

When I was a young boy my mom and I would often visit the local Goodwill and Salvation Army stores.

She would shop around for cloths and the like and I would head off to the book section where both stores kept racks of comic books priced at two for five cents.

This was in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The comic books were all donated to the stores and many dated back to the 1940s.

One of my favorite comic book series starred Donald Duck and his nephews: Huey, Dewey and Louie. I loved their adventures as written and drawn by Carl Barks.

I distinctly remember when Donald’s stingy old Uncle Scrooge was introduced. At first I didn’t like him because it seemed all he cared about was making money. 

But the more I read about him I discovered he had a genuine love for Donald and his nephews. Often they would go on globe-spanning adventures looking for hidden treasures or other exciting exploits.

In Fantagraphic Books’ Uncle Scrooge Clan McDuck Stories And Glories readers get to learn all about Scrooge McDuck’s ancestry through a series of tales written and drawn by Disney artists and writers from around the globe.

Each tale is unique in its style and the coloring is phenomenal throughout.

The deluxe hardbound book, with a picture of Clan McDuck ancestors on the cover, really showcases what readers can expect throughout the book.

Follow Scrooge’s family history beginning with a family tree and proceeding into tales of fiefdom, piracy, adventures at sea, a case of a double life, swamp shenanigans, military mayhem and treasure.

All are exciting, full of little and/or never known facts about Clan McDuck and enough adventure and excitement to fill any afternoon or evening with literary and graphic design adventures.

It’s a beautifully crafted book with its heavy paper-stock cover, top grade printing, excellent choice of interior paper stock and a diverse gallery of art styles.

Proverbs 17:6Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

The Last Ronin

He is the sole surviving member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and he’s here to reclaim the sewers.

Collecting the award-winning The Last Ronin 5-part mini-series with original TMNT’s creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, aided by other industry professionals and published by IDW, the highly prized series steps into the dark side with its story of redemption, loyalty and revenge.

This is not your typical kids’ TMNT tale. It’s complicated, multi-tiered, complex and sober and yet uplifting

Much like the Frank Miller's work on Ronin and Daredevil that inspired the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the story is dark, steeped in the shadows of a modern city and skirting on the edge of right and wrong. 

Join The Last Ronin as he restores his family’s honor and memory with the aid of some new and old foes and friends.

It’s a powerful tale steeped in legend, legacy and hope.  With its mature storyline, stellar art, impressive page layouts and overall high production quality it deserves to be a modern day classic. 

The art is gorgeous, the story is powerful and riveting.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Afraid Of Everything

There were two things I was deathly afraid of when I was young; spiders and the happy and sad faces of comedy and tragedy as depicted in theatrical plays.

Spiders frightened me because we were poor and lived in ramshackle house with wood spiders and the masks because my mom had a set of plastic masks she hung on the wall. Brrrr-they still give me the creeps.

What are you afraid of? What are young kids afraid of?

In Afraid Of Everything the creative team of Adam Tierney and Matthieu Cousin and IDW Publishing present a delightfully and slightly spooky and unsettling collection of stories exploring all the different types of fears.

Accompanied by clever and colorful illustrations each short tale is sure to send chills down your spin, make you think twice and maybe cause a giggle or two.

It’s beautifully illustrated small graphic novel, with great stories, amazing layouts and title illustrations and Behind The Scenes goodies all wrapped up in small packages kids are sure to love (and grown-ups too).

Deuteronomy 31:6Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

The Seeds Of Salvation

U.S.S. Enterprise’s Number One and Nurse Chapel are bored and wants some excitement as do other members of the crew.

They crave excitement. Soon they discover that getting what your desire coming true is not necessarily a good thing.

When Nurse Chapel decides to visit a dear friend on a frozen planet she arrives at her friend’s science research facility and no one is there.

Concerned she reports the incident and she, along with other members of the away team, track down a signal coming from under the ice.

When they arrive at an underwater complex Chapel finds her friend along with other members of the research facility. They’re alive but ‘not’ themselves.

Soon the away team meets the planet’s inhabitants and find themselves in a rather precarious situation. How do they respond and what is the secret behind the underwater civilization?

Things are far more than they first appear. It’s best to be bored.

The Seeds Of Salvation starring the members of the Enterprise from Strange New Worlds comes from the multi-talented creative team of Robbie Thompson, Travis Mercer, Serg Acuna and JP Jordan and published by IDW Publishing.

It’s an exciting tale that deserves to be a live-action episode from the TV series. The art captures the likenesses of the Enterprise crew, the writing is fast-paced, perfectly portrays the individual personalities of each crew member and is beautifully colored with high print quality all wrapped in a square-bound graphic novel. Look for cover recreations from the original mini-series.

Proverbs 30:5Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Shredder Volume One

He is the ultimate nemesis of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and he’s out for revenge. He’s Shredder and he’s back, alone, furious and possibly insane.

But, revenge will have to wait, he has other problems on his hands. One of his former Food Clan flunkies has formed their own gang and Shredder must deal with them if he ever hopes to regain his power.

This is Shredder like you’ve never seen him before: alone, without his armor, challenged and changed.

Once a killing machine Shredder has become more reflective on his life and choices. He begins to see things from a different point of view. Although still determined to rule he begins to examine his own motivation, choices and life.

Challenged he must try to gather his forces, face down new adversaries and confront his past.

I always pictured Shredder as pretty much a one-dimensional character. After reading Shredder Volume One by Dan Watters, Michelle Bandini and Sid Kotian and released by IDW Publishing, I have a whole new respect for the character.

This trade paperback reveals his inner demons, weaknesses and surprisingly-his humanity. Even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are surprised by his return. Is he now more deadly than ever?

Ephesians 4:29Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Sonic The Hedgehog Knuckles Anniversary Special

At first a deadly adversary of Sonic, Knuckles would eventually prove to be a strong and courageous ally to Sonic and his friends.

He’s tough, fast and strong (and very stubborn).

Knuckles The Echidna is the Guardian of the Master Emerald. He’s headstrong, independent and a little bit full of himself. He’s the last of his kind-until he meets a young, somewhat timid, cautious would-be Guardian.

Reluctantly he becomes her mentor which turns out to be a bit of a challenge. Eventually the two hit it off. Along the way Knuckles confronts his past, reevaluates what it means to be a Guardian and that being a Mentor is more about fists and fighting-it’s what type of person you are.

The Sonic The Hedgehog Knuckles Anniversary Special story is written by Ian Flynn with art by Aaron Hammerstrom and published by https://idwpublishing.com/IDW Publishing.

Included with the Knuckles story is the an unusual tale about Dr. Eggman’s birthday. After reading the story one cannot help but wonder if Dr. Eggman is as tough and cold as he appears.   Art is provided by Thomas Rothlisberger with words by Gale Galligan.

The art on both stories captures the characters perfectly and the stories are true to each.

It’s a thin, hardback graphic novel that packs quite a punch.

Romans 12:12Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Event Horizon Dark Descent

The movie Event Horizon is an absolutely terrifying horror film set in space.

In the not too distant future the ship, along with its crew, disappeared. It was discovered floating in space and what it contained was a gateway to Hell.

What happened to the original crew?

This is the story how the crew of the Event Horizon made a horrifying discovery: the dead live, the denizens of Hell exist and reality can be twisted and altered.

What is a nightmare and what is a dream? Are they the same? Can they be trusted? Does hope exist? Crew member after crew member discovers there is no escape and that Hell awaits them with open arms.

Wow! What a scary tale. The writing grabs you, the art (especially the predominance of red) is unsettling and the quality of the paper, printing and design of the trade paperback is topnotch.

Add to it all with cover reproductions from the mini-series and you have a terrifying, repulsive yet compelling tale that is best read in the daytime.

High marks to creative team of Christian Ward, Tristan Jones and publisher IDW on Event Horizon Dark Descent.

Don’t turn off the light because nightmare populate the Event Horizon.

Psalms 28:7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him

A Very Mechanoid Summer

In IDW Publishing's and Nickelodeon’s trade paperback Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles A Very Mechanoid Summer Donatello makes a fighting robot called Metalhead.

Donnie is proud of his creation and its incredible martial artist skills.

Evidently someone else is impressed too because Donnie and Metalhead are invited to to a very exclusive robotics camp for young geniuses.

Things sail along smoothly at first and then things start to heat up, especially when Metalhead meets his competition.

That gets Donnie to thinking, “Is this some sort of trap? Exactly what is going on?”

It’s fast-paced, in-your-face, action and adventure tale that spotlights Metalhead’s fighting prowess.

When I first picked up the graphic novel and looked at it I was a little taken back. The art style threw me at first. It’s not like most TMNT art styles.

The figures are leaner, there’s a lot of motion and action lines, panel race along at a fast pace and the coloring and use of sporadic flashes and visual effects are abundant.

But, after looking it over I really like the style-it’s different-but in a good way. It all comes together to create a really fun TMNT story that almost takes your breath away.

Romans 5:2-5By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

13 Demons Dead

Imagine being 14 year old teenage girl. You’re a newbie in high school and are trying desperately to fit in and adjust. It doesn’t help that certain uppity students give you a hard time.

One day her favorite teacher is attacked by some invisible force. Turns out it’s a demon and the teenage girl: Everly “Ev” Espada accidentally kills it, saving her teacher’s life

As if being a teenage girl new to high school and killing an invisible demon isn’t bad enough she soon discovers she is the latest in a long line of holy demon hunter dating back 2,000 years.

From that point on her life changes-drastically. It stands to reason that the word about her demon killing has spread to other demons and they are none to happy about it.

There are 12 demons left of 13. They know that if she succeeds in destroying the crystals in their bodies they will die.

Killing the demons take them out of action for one year and then they are resurrected, but, if EV can defeat and kill all 13 demons at the same time their resurrection cycle is ended.

You can see why the demons will do anything and use anyone in order to stop her-permanently.

13 Demons Dead, by writer Adam Tierney with art by Saspy and IDW Publishing, is a high-octane, seat-of-your-pants, action-packed gore-fest that accelerates as the story progresses.

I am always amazed at the sheer talent of comic book/Manga writers and artist. How a writer and artist can work at as a team a produce stories takes a tremendous amount of talent.

When looking a the art of 13 Dead Demons I am struck at how complex it is-so many perspective shots, amazing character designs, emotion, action and the mastery of the human figure is impressive. It’s a fun read and yet another reason why there is more to comic books than superheroes.

Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Favorites and Unappreciated Classics

I’m 73 years old. I’ve been reading comic books since I was five years old. I’ve collected, sold collections and collected more comic books than I can count.

I’ve whittled my collection down to those titles I enjoy the most. But, there are a few comic books in my collection I consider unappreciated classics.

Any comic book collector worth their salt knows all about ‘key’ comic books. Most are priced far out of range for average collectors.

More and more people are getting into the hobby-mostly for the wrong reason-cash, dinero, mullah-it all comes down to greed.

But what about reading comic books? Over the years I’ve had my favorites-most of which are not on the ‘hot’ list.

They are great comics. The art and stories mesh perfectly and leave lasting impressions-at least to me they do.

I’d like to share those comic books. I intend to do so by using cover art and a short explanation as to why I think that those particular comic books are vastly unappreciated and underestimated.

I plan to do this in stages-a few issues at a time over however long it takes.

I’d like to start out with 10 independent smaller comic book publishers’ titles.

First up is Doc Frankenstein that takes a different approach to the Frankenstein monster. In this case he’s a good guy that fights evil backed by fellow warriors. Great story and art by Steve Skroce and The Wachowski Brothers from Burlyman Entertainment

Shaolin Cowboy featured Geof Darrow’s martial arts cowboy that engages in some of the most detailed, gory, incredible and visually stunning fights imaginable-published by Burlyman Entertainment.  The fight sequence where he takes down a huge assembly of 'bounty hunters' out for his blood is amazing

Doomsday #1 from Charlton Comics was a post apocalyptic series that John Byrne both wrote and drew before he made the jump to Marvel Comics.  Published in the mid-1970s the art by Byrne already reflected his unique style.

Steed & Mrs. Peel adapted the classic, clever, ground-breaking and quirky British TV spy series The Avengers to the printed comic book page from Boom! Studios.

Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip was adapted to a comic book series from Kaboom! Studios containing several short tales by various writers and artists. The best adaptation of Peanuts to comics ever achieved.  The subtle wit, heart warming and often poignant observations from the Peanuts gang are all there.  What a delight.

Elementals, both written and drawn by Bill Willingham, featured a superhero group that derive their powers from the four elements: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. They face-off against The Destroyers. Published by Comico. The series pre-dated Willingham's DC work.

Another Comico title: The Gumby’s Summer Special one-shot, brought everyone’s clay animation figure and his sidekick Pokey to comics courtesy of Art Adams. This one-shot has everything from pirates, to spacemen to monsters and more!  Adam's work shines.

Yet another Comico title, Space Ghost, by Steve Rude, brings back the specter of space to comic books. It’s like watching the Saturday morning animated TV show in print. All of Space Ghost’s deadliest enemies appear.  Rude really captured the look and tempo of the animated series.

Art Adams adapts The Creature From The Black Lagoon movie to comics. Published by Dark Horse Comics, the one-shot faithfully translated the film to print made even more amazing by Art Adams’ art.  Some of his best work.

Comic book artist Art Adams presents his love letter to Godzilla, the king of all monsters courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. The one-shot pits Godzilla against the resurrected god Gekido-Jin. Wow!  Adams was/is a huge Godzilla fan.

While I’m talking about comic books I’d like to approach the subject of comic book storage and protection.

I’ve been a comic book collector for a loooong time. I’ve heard all the stories about changing out your comic book bags and boards every five years or so, submitting books for grading and comic book boxes.

Here’s the lowdown. I have comic books stored in the same bags and boards for 40+ years. None of them stick to the plastic, nor do the bags stick to each other.

I’ve stored comic books with no bags or boards stacked on top of each other with alternating spines. No problem.

I keep my comic books in beat up old comic book boxes (they new ones cost too much for cardboard-get serious!) I store my comic book boxes in a cool dry place away from sunlight. The comic books are like they were purchased yesterday-no problem.

Sure most of the boxes are acid free but I also store my comics in plastic totes, regular boxes and in steel filing cabinets. No problems whatsoever.

It’s all a sham to get you to spend all your money on supplies. Use common sense.

As for grading. Forget modern issues. Sure if you have a comic book worth thousands of dollars you may want to have it graded. But here’s the kicker. For example, if you have comic book that is worth $5,000 raw and get it graded let's say as a 9.2 according to the ‘experts’ that book is now worth in excess of $25,000.

Here’s the problem. If you remove it from its plastic protective case it plummets back down to $5,000. So, is the book worth $25,000 slabbed or is the plastic slab worth the additional $20,000?

Who decides? What makes the graders experts?. Let me tell you of a grading incident I encountered a few years ago.

A good friend had a book graded. It came back as a 9.8. I took a look at it and I immediately spotted that the cover was printed crooked and part of the cover image was cut off. What?!

Who is really making money on old comic books? The graders, that’s who. The more ‘expensive’ a comic book is the more it costs to grade it. What a racket.

What about signatures? Grading companies decide if a signature is legit if they witness the signing? What if you have a book that was signed before the grading companies started verifying signatures? Does that mean the signature is illegitimate? Again, who decides?

Here’s another point. Let’s say you have an Avengers #1. You get it graded and slabbed. Whose to say that the slabbed book you receive back is nothing more than a Avengers #1 cover wrapped around and Archie Comic book?

Now comic books have all sorts of grade and condition types? Who comes up with this stuff?

Here’s another point. Again let’s pretend you have a slabbed comic book that is priced at $600. You go to sell it at a comic book shop. If you’re lucky the shop may offer you 25% of its value. You go to sell it online and after you pay the fees, settle for a lower price and ship it you may come away with $200. Are you kidding me?!

OK, one more rant. How is that Silver and Bronze Age comic books (especially keys) have skyrocketed in value? Do yourself a favor and before you purchase a comic book that’s expensive go online and see how many copies of that book is on sale on E-bay or some other selling site. Look at the sold prices.

Give me a break! There is no way realistically that a Silver Age comic book that sold for $300 a mere five years ago would all of a sudden jump to $30,000!

It’s all about greed-nothing more, nothing less. I'm on a budget. I'm retired.  There is no way I could afford to buy what some comic books are selling for.  In my opinion the price hikes are driving collectors out of the market.  Investors are taking over the hobby.

My advice is to buy what you like, read it, use sensible storage practices and quit blowing your money on outrageous costly supplies, expensive grading and unrealistic prices.

Most of the people who are online touting certain books want you to buy from them. It’s called business and they are trying to sell you something. Many times a ‘retailer’ has an overstock of a particular book and by parading it as a ‘key’ issue they hope to rack in some more money.

Variant covers-forget it-the interior art is the same as a regular issue. I’ve seen boxes and boxes of variant comic books for sale in shops for cover price after the 'got-to-have-it' heat wears off.

I’ve visited some comic book shops that have books on their walls that are $5 comic books at best and they’re asking upward of $50. Get educated. Do your homework, avoid the hype and enjoy the hobby. Don’t get caught up in the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) mentality. Rant over.

Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.