Monday, January 6, 2014
Groove's Faves: "Deathgame!" by Kraft, Isabella, Perez, and Janson
Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! Whaddya say we kick this week off with a mighty Man-Wolf tale--the first, in fact, of the series illustrated by a young George Perez (getting "guest artist credit here--little did anyone know, huh?)! In fact, this is the Pace Setter's first color feature-length thriller for Marvel, and it's so cool to see his signature style coming through this very far-out and energetic early effort. With a story by David Anthony Kraft (co-plotted by Tony Isabella) and inks by Klaus Janson, from Creatures On the Loose #33 (October 1974), here's Man-Wolf vs. Kraven the Hunter in ..."Deathgame!"
Janson's inks on Perez were as refreshing here as Vince Colletta's were in a few Avengers stories I remember reading. And, as you point out, some very impressive early Marvel work from Perez.
ReplyDeleteMan, if anything is screaming for some kind of reprint, it's these Man Wolf stories. I remember how much I loved that 2-part Man Wolf story in Marvel Premiere - I read and reread those to tatters - and how surprised I was when I learned that there were a whole bunch of Perez-drawn stories from Creatures on the Loose that preceded it.
ReplyDeleteOne of my very first "pro" jobs, inking backgrounds for Janson on this issue. I learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteWe love ya here in Groove City, Bob! With Defenders #24 you became one of my all-time fave inkers--and you're still tops!
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