Bring On the Back-ups: The Dark Avenger vs. "The Rat Pack!"

From the back pages of Atlas/Seaboard's Phoenix #3 (March 1975) here's a freak-out of a back-up tale by John (Jonah Hex) Albano and the awesome art team of Pat (Captain Marvel) Broderick and Terry (Uncanny X-Men) Austin. Dark Avenger (originally to be called the Golden Avenger--wonder was to have been the company's version of the Batman, but somebody must have told Albano to make his alter ego a bigger loser than Peter Parker. He succeeded!

Also, you may note a bit of difference in the art on pages 7-8. According to Austin, he penciled and inked most of page seven and all of page 8 due to Broderick's need to leave for Florida before he could finish the strip. Even cooler (and weirder), Broderick and Austin used photo references for the art, nabbing various members of Continuity Associates to model for 'em. Inker Jack Abel posed as DA's mom, in case you're wondering. Check it out...