Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Boys from Derby: "The Mystery of the Mali Ibex" by Pearson and Newton
Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Here's an all-time fave amongst fans in the know--Bill Pearson and Don Newton's "The Mystery of the Mali Ibex" from Charlton's Phantom #70 (January 1976). Pearson's tale combines elements of some of Humphrey Bogart's greatest flix--The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, African Queen, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, allowing artist Don Newton to really work his artistic muscles by drawing many of the stars of those films, Bogie, Lauren Bacall, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Claude Rains, into this rip-roaring adventure epic. Newton also manages to work in many of his own compadres. What I really dig is how Will Eisner's influence shows up in Newton's art--from the Greenstreet character's poses to The Phantom's sunglasses-and-suit "disguise". And on top of it all, Pearson colored and lettered the whole mag. These particular Boys from Derby were definitely firing on all cylinders! Dig it, baby!
WOW! What a wonderful issue! I'm always surprised at how The Phantom seems to be a 'second tier' figure in comics, when there is so much that is wonderful about him.
ReplyDeleteIt is a tragedy of sorts that the Phantom became a "second tier" here in the USA. Inspite of being an American creation, he became very popular in India, Australia and Scandinavia.
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd mention in the latest issue of Back Issue #47. There's a 18 page article about the Phantom. The first article is on his Charlton comics. The second on his 80's book at DC.
ReplyDeleteYou can get a sneak peek of the issue on the Twomorrows website under Back issue. It also features The Avenger, Dave Stevens last interview & the Rocketeer & cheese cake! Not to mention Man-god by yours truly!