Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Black and White Wednesday: Bill Mantlo and Pat Broderick's "Saumrai!"

It's hard to believe that this beautiful, original, truly far-out example of comicbook magnificence was created as "just" filler material...but it was. When Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #25 (May 1976) was to have gone to press, the Dreaded Deadline Doom had left editor Archie Goodwin with nary a Shang Chi, Iron Fist, Sons of the Tiger, or White Tiger job in his files. In the Groovy Age, comics came out on time, baby! (Usually.) Even if it meant filling pages with reprint material, which was hard to come by for a mag that was barely a couple years old and featured a genre that had rarely been seen on the comicbook page. Fortunately, Bill Mantlo and Pat Broderick had completed a furious fist-filled fantasy called "Samurai". Twenty eye-popping pages of martial arts and magic were just what the editor ordered. Sadly, most fans have probably forgotten (or worse, never seen!) this gem, and that's a shame, 'cause writer Bill Mantlo and artist Pat Broderick turned out one of the most original and magnificently illustrated stories in the history of DHofKF. Can you dig it?


I knew ya could. Ol' Groove's gotta lay it on ya straight, dudes and dudettes, Broderick and his Groovy Age art are criminally underrated. Perhaps this example of his awesome artistry will help rectify that situation!

5 comments:

  1. "...Broderick and his Groovy Age art are criminally underrated."

    Hell, yes! I knew he was good, seriously, but I had no idea... the details... I don't even remember this one, I used to collect DHoKF, but I guess this one fell through the cracks... but how?!?

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  2. WOW!
    I also never seen this issue or story of DHoKF. Which I also used to pick up, maybe my locale small news shop never ordered or recieved it. Or possibly it sold out, or I had skipped that issue over another great book in that era. In 76 most of the horror & DHoKF were being canceled also. Thanks for posting this, I love Patrick Broderick's art! I agree with Wilfredo, he's always been way under rated.

    Many fans Compared him to Michael Golden, even being called a seond rate Michael Golden. Which I thought was pretty harsh. Pat also drew a text Man-Thing story in a issue of Monster's Unleashed. Dave Cockrum also drew some beautiful piece with Morbius in M'sU as well. Thank you very much Groovy one for posting this great story. Not to forget the great Bill Mantlo of hulk & Rom fame as well.

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  3. This was simply amazing. Thanks for posting this lost classic, Groove.

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  4. You're welcome, fellas! More Broderick to come!

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  5. I used to have this issue of Deadly Hands. Enjoyed this story.

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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.


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