Friday, December 11, 2009

Making a Splash: Marvel Comics 40 Years Ago

Here's a sensational selection of splashes from December, 1969. Is it any wonder everyone was making theirs Marvel?


Oh, you noticed that Iron Man cover, eh? Think Ol' Groove's pullin' a fast one? Look closely at it, Groove-ophile! That cover IS the splash to IM #23. Look at it again, this time side-by-side with page one...


Pretty far-out, huh? And for a kicker, here's an actual splash panel--from page 16!--with a nutty note from Stan...

That's your lesson Groovy Age history lesson for the day, baby! Pax!
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6 comments:

  1. HEHDecember 11, 2009 at 12:24 AM

    As a boy growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was a huge Avengers fan. My mom would be me Avengers comics from the PX on Alameda base.
    Little did I understand that the the Avengers issues were reprints (Marvel Super Action, if I recall...).

    Anyway, those J. Buscema issues had the most amazing, memorable splash pages. Much like the selection you present above.
    Wow, the lettering and artwork are electrifyingly immediate!

    Thanks for sharing!

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  2. AnonymousDecember 11, 2009 at 2:50 AM

    Nice selection. I like the moodiness of the Gene Colan/DD splash panel. Marvel sure had the deck stacked in their favor back then. Wonder what was going on at DC? Besides Brave and the Bold and Sgt. Rock(OAAW), probably not much.

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  3. Simon B December 11, 2009 at 1:51 PM

    That Iron man cover is strange - maybe it was a last-minute replacement for a cover that fell through for some reason? Reminds me of DC's Secret Six #1 which also started the story on the cover.

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  4. ReakyDecember 13, 2009 at 5:37 AM

    Is it just me, or does that belated Iron Man #23 splash (page 16) look like Barry Smith rather than George Tuska?

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2010 at 1:37 PM

    I think page 16 is drawn by Marie Severin. My guess is that there was some problem with getting a cover done, so someone came up with the idea to use the splash page, then with a page missing, needed someone to fill in. Marie, who worked on staff, likely added a page.

    Nick Caputo

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  6. JimmySlatteryMay 17, 2013 at 10:59 AM

    This was right when tehy went to single-issue stories, which took a lot of what made marvel special away. The art was still great but I loved the ongoing subplots and multi-part stories. it allowed the writers to stretch out - of course, that ld to self-indulgence later but when it worked, it was something wonderful.
    After this the line exploded and the quality of new artists to fill the pages wasn't up to snuff

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