Making a Splash: Marvel Comics 40 Years Ago this Month
Last Friday we checked out DC's awesome offerings from January 1973, so today it's only right we give equal time to mighty Marvel's splash pages from that same 40 year old spinner rack! Check 'em out, Groove-ophiles!
Special thanks to Mike's Amazing World of Comics and Grand Comics Database for being such fantastic resources for covers, dates, creator info, etc. Thou art treasures true!
Note to "The Man": All images are presumed copyright by the respective copyright holders and are presented here as fair use under applicable laws, man! If you hold the copyright to a work I've posted and would like me to remove it, just drop me an e-mail and it's gone, baby, gone.
All other commentary and insanity copyright GroovyAge, Ltd.
As for the rest of ya, the purpose of this blog is to (re)introduce you to the great comics of the 1970s. If you like what you see, do what I do--go to a comics shop, bookstore, e-Bay or whatever and BUY YOUR OWN!
Love these splash pages! I remember the Fantastic 4 and Capt. Americs / Falcon(wingless) distinctly. 1973 was when I really started collecting comics; a great year !
ReplyDeleteMy collecting days began in spring of 68 myself. But the 70's were my golden age. Especially 1970-72, so many great titles. By great talent, it was a small miracle I raised all the $$ I did back then. To beable to buy almost every monthly title! Marvel truly Rocked in the 60's & 70's!
ReplyDeleteI realized many of those wonderful pencilers where doing two titles at a time (John Buscema, Gene Colan, George Tuska, Ross Andru, Gil Kane) if not inking a third one on top of that (Sal Buscema) !
ReplyDeleteAmazing !
Groovy !
A hell of a great blog !
I would LOVE to read/see the entire Lovecraft tale, "The Hunter in the Dark" at some point...
ReplyDeleteDig right in, Bud!
Deletehttp://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2010/04/shock-theater-ron-goulart-jim-starlin.html
Very solid, rather than spectacular offering.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think of two things
1. I always look to see who the artists are, they the writers. The current notion of writers as the stars of comics is just plain odd.
2. Interesting to see that with the variety of artists represented they all used the convention of making sure the title characters were prominently displayed on their splash pages. Perhaps just in case we might be confused about whom the comic was about.
My gosh--Combat Kelly. I'd forgotten about that one. I guess it wouldn't have rolled off the tongue as well if it had been named, say, "Combat Smith." :)
ReplyDeleteSomeday I'll have to break down and do a post on that issue of Sub-Mariner (where he battles Thor) if someone doesn't beat me to it. That issue was absolutely cringe-worthy.
Is it just me, or do there seem to be some slightly odd penciller/inker combinations going on there?
ReplyDeleteAndru/Palmer
Fradon/Sinnott (OK, it's the Fantastic Four, Sinnott goes with the territory, but Ramona Fradon...?)
Tuska/Graham
Buscema/Perlin
Mayerik/Bolle
Not the usual kind of lineup you'd expect to see in any Marvel mag of then, or any time.
cheers
B Smith
"The Moon of the Fear Bulls" is either the best or worst title ever!
ReplyDelete