Greetings, Groove-ophiles! As Ol' Groove promised ya on Thursday (man, you guys really dug
this post according to the number of hits it's gotten!), here comes the first ish of the first-ever comicbook mini-series (or limited series, if you're a Marvelite)--
World of Krypton! According to most sources,
World of Krypton was conceived as a three part tryout for DC's
Showcase mag, but when
Showcase was cancelled (along with a gazillion other DC titles) during 1978's
DC Implosion, someone at DC had the inspiration that led to the mini/limited-series format that would become all the rage in the 1980s-onward (a format that would produce some of the greatest comics ever--
Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and many others). Besides that, who would want this three-part epic that pulls together the events leading up to
Kal-El's journey to earth to sitting on a shelf--especially in the days following
Superman: The Movie's success?
Of equal interest (and mystery) are the credits for W
orld of Krypton. Sure, the blurb says, " Paul Kupperberg-Writer/Howard Chaykin and Murphy Anderson-Artists", but according to the author, himself, Paul (
Life With Archie) Kupperberg, editor E. Nelson Bridwell's input was "invaluable" due to his vast knowledge of all things
Superman. Paul also states (in a
comment to Win Wiacek's wonderful
Now Read This! blog) that his brother,
Alan Kupperberg, ghost-penciled the mini-series for the credited Chaykin (which is why I chose to post this under
"Secret Origins" rather than
"Makin' Chaykin"). Man, there's lots-o-stuff that goes on behind the scenes of these classic funnybooks, huh? Enuff yappin'! From April 1979, here is..."The Jor-El Story"!
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Cover art by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano |
Like that Batman mini you mentioned last week, I ate this one up - I loved all that "history" stuff, and I loved that new-fangled mini-series concept as well.
ReplyDeleteThey never looked like Chaykin's layouts to me - now I know!
ReplyDeleteNo question about the Kupperberg layouts/pencils: This is a style I fled every time it showed up in a Marvel comic!
ReplyDelete