by KC Carlson

SPOTLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Dan Spiegle: A Life in Comic Art (TwoMorrows): Dan Spiegle is one of those guys where, if you’ve been reading comic books for a while, you’ve probably seen his work. And possibly not known it.

Spiegle worked in near-anonymity for most of his early career. His first work as a cartoonist was in 1950 for the seldom-remembered Hopalong Cassidy newspaper strip. Later, he worked for Western (Dell/Gold Key) drawing such series as Space Family Robinson, Korak, Son of Tarzan, and Brothers of the Spear — all without published credit. He was also frequently called upon for various movie and TV adaptations, including P.T. 109, Maverick, Rawhide, The Rifleman, Tarzan, Flipper, and Lassie, among others. One of his odder assignments in the mid-sixties was the short-lived Mickey Mouse Super Secret Agent, a series where the cartoonish mouse (drawn by Paul Murry) was placed against a realistic background featuring realistic human characters (all drawn by Spiegle).

What was odd about that was that Spiegle was also very capable of drawing in a “cartoony” style, as he demonstrated on numerous issues (through several publishers) of Scooby-Doo, beginning at Gold Key in the 70s. It was here that he was first paired with writer Mark Evanier, who ultimately became Spiegle’s most frequent collaborator. The pair worked together on Blackhawk at DC Comics, as well as several creator-owned series and characters, including DNAgents and Crossfire (Eclipse Comics) and Hollywood Superstars (Epic). Before this, while still at DC, Spiegle also illustrated Unknown Soldier, Nemesis (in The Brave and the Bold with Cary Burkett), and Mister E (co-created with Bob Rozakis, running in Secrets of Haunted House), as well as stories for Batman (Tales of Gotham City), Tomahawk, Jonah Hex, Teen Titans, and the Secret Six revival in Action Comics Weekly.

In the 1990s, he drew two Indiana Jones miniseries for Dark Horse (Thunder in the Orient and Spear of Destiny), as well as being involved in the short-lived revival of Terry and the Pirates comic strip. Spiegle has also done a massive amount of work for various Disney comics publishers, from Spin and Marty (1957) and the movie adaptation of Old Yeller (1958) to Pocahontas (1995).

TwoMorrows’ upcoming Dan Spiegle: A Life in Comic Art takes a look at this incredible career. Written by John Coates, the book covers all of the above and so much more in interviews filled with Spiegle’s insights about the comic book industry, as well as meeting celebrities (including “Hopalong Cassidy” William Boyd and “Maverick” James Garner). Plus, lots of artwork and an examination of Spiegle’s artistic process. Don’t miss this in-depth look at one of comics’ least-known but most fascinating artists and cartoonists. 104-page B&W (with color section) softcover. Recommended.

THIS MONTH IN CLASSIC COMIC BOOK COLLECTIONS

ACG Collected Works: Adventures Into the Unknown Volume 5 (PS Artbooks): Collecting issues #21-25, from July 1951 to November 1951, of the classic horror comic, featuring work by Edward Mortiz. 288-page color hardcover. NOTE: Deluxe versions and TPB versions of previous PS Artbook collections are also available in the catalogue.

Best of EC Comics Volume 1: Artist’s Edition (IDW): IDW’s latest Artist Edition (oversized volumes reprinting original artwork at actual size with fantastic reproduction) features the best of the best! Classic selections from the legendary EC Comics library — all reproduced from the original art. (Which in that era was huge!) Check out this list of classic stories (many written by Al Feldstein):

50 Girls 50 by Al Williamson and Frank Frazetta

The Corpse on the Imjin by Harvey Kurtzman

The Flying Machine by Bernie Krigstein

Touch and Go by Johnny Craig

Judgment Day by Joe Orlando

Plus a fantastic cover by Frank Frazetta, and an interior cover gallery by EC greats. These Artist Editions frequently sell out quickly, so don’t miss out! 160-page B&W oversize (15” x 22”) hardcover.

Brenda Starr: The Complete Pre-Code Comic Books: Volume One (Hermes Press): Subtitled “Good Girls, Bondage, and Other Fine Things”, that pretty much sums this volume up. Collects the first eight pre-Comics Code issues published by Four Star Publications and Standard Publishing from 1947-1949, completely restored for this collection. Many covers from these issues were by Matt Baker and Jack Kamen and used in Seduction of the Innocent. Artwork by Dale Messick is also included, but it’s unclear if this is reprinted material from the original newspaper strip. This is a deluxe hardcover including a historical essay by Ron Goulart as well as other documentary material. 256-page color hardcover.

Essential Wolverine Volume 7 (Marvel): Collecting Wolverine (1988) #129-148 and Hulk (1999) #8 in stunning black and white, featuring work by Todd Dezago, Fabian Nicieza, Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson, Leinil Frances Yu, Jeff Matsuda, Roger Cruz, Ron Garney, and others. Wolverine gets beaten up a lot, runs into many friends, and is pretty generally POed all of the time. Then he gets his adamantium claws back. Oh boy. 520-page B&W softcover. Available in June.

Fall Guy for Murder and Other Stories (Fantagraphics): Spotlighting the EC Comics work of writer/artist Johnny Craig, which just happens to be among the very best EC crime and horror stories. This volume (the first of four to showcase the full chronological run of Craig’s EC stories) features 23 classic stories from Crime SuspenseStories, Vault of Horror, and elsewhere, along with essays and informative historical notes. My eyes are already bleeding from joy! 160-page B&W hardcover.

Harvey Double Collected Works: Thrills of Tomorrow/Race for the Moon Volume 4 (PS Artbooks): Collecting Thrills of Tomorrow #17-20 from October 1954 to April 1955, plus Race For the Moon from 1958, featuring work by Bob Powell and others. Classic SF, Fifties-style. 288-page color hardcover.

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Volume 15 (Marvel): This one’s got it all! Femazons vs. Mahkizmo the Nuclear Man! Silver Surfer vs. Dr. Doom! Shalla-Bal! Inhumans! Xemu! Arkon the Annihilator! The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse! Madrox the Multiple Man! Inter-Dimensional Alternate Thing! (I wish I had one of those!) Wonder if there’s any room for the FF! Collecting Fantastic Four #151-163, Giant-Size Fantastic Four #3-4, and something from Marvel Treasury Edition #2. 312-page color hardcover. Available in August.

Roy Thomas Presents Frankenstein by Dick Briefer (PS Artbooks): Collecting stories from Prize Comics from December 1940 to November 1943. Mixing horror and humor, this classic series is not only considered the first ongoing horror series in comics, but also may be responsible for the unnamed monster in Mary Shelley’s original novel being erroneously called Frankeinstein! Roy Thomas will have the details within. Briefer’s Frankenstein is a true early comics classic. 288-page color hardcover.

Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: “The Old Castle’s Secret” (Fantagraphics): The latest in this acclaimed series features the entirety of Carl Barks’ 1948 work, including two classic long-form works (the title story — featuring Uncle Scrooge’s second appearance — and “The Sheriff of Bullet Valley”), the lesser-known “In Darkest Africa”, originally published as a giveaway comic, and 10 more short stories from Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories. One of those is the first appearance of Donald’s lucky rival, Gladstone Gander. All are annotated by Barks and Duck experts from around the world. There’s more flat-out adventure, heroics, drama, and humor in these stories than in most modern-day comics. Seriously, Ducks Rule! 240-page color hardcover with exemplary restoration and production.

THIS MONTH IN CLASSIC COMIC STRIP COLLECTIONS: DUELING TARZANS!

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan: The Sunday Comics Volume 1, 1931-1933 (Dark Horse): This first volume reprints over 100 strips on high-quality paper in full color. It kicks off Dark Horse’s plan to collect all the Hal Foster Tarzan Sundays. Foster illustrated the Sunday Tarzan strip until 1937, when he left to create Prince Valiant. This first volume also includes historical essays on both Tarzan and Foster, as well as an introduction by historian Mark Evanier, and covers the period September 1931 through September 1933. 7” x 10” 120-page color hardcover. Available in July. Recommended.

Tarzan: The Complete Russ Manning Newspaper Strips, Volume 1: 1967-1969 (IDW/Library of American Comics): The first of a four-volume series collecting the entire run of the Tarzan newspaper strip by Russ Manning. In 1967, the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate selected Manning to restore the strip to the original Burroughs vision. Manning ultimately produced seven daily stories and 26 original Sunday storylines with assists by Bill Stout, Mike Royer, and Dave Stevens. (The Sunday storylines by Manning continue until 1979. They will appear in all four volumes and be the main focus of Volume 4, featuring ALL Sunday strips following Manning’s 1974 departure from the daily strip.) This initial volume includes both daily and Sunday strips from December 1967 to October 1969, reproduced from the Burroughs file copies. 288-page B&W (w/color) hardcover. Recommended.

MODERN-DAY SHELFBUSTERS! (Gimongous Hardcovers)

Animal Man Omnibus (DC): Collecting Grant Morrison’s entire 26-issue run of this proto-Vertigo early-1990s series, illustrated by Chas Truog, Doug Hazelwood, Tom Grummett, Paris Cullins, and others, with every cover (including a new one) by Brian Bolland. Also includes the Animal Man story from Secret Origins #39. Animal Man used to be a regular superhero (if odd and obscure) before Morrison got a hold of him, and this series is an extended adventure into the fringes of reality, with people turning into pencil-like drawings and frequent visits from other super-folks (both popular and very, very obscure). Animal Man’s odyssey of self-discovery encompasses both spiritual enlightenment and the depths of despair, ultimately leading to Animal Man meeting his maker. (No, not that one!) For mature (and well-grounded) readers. 712-page color hardcover. Available in July.

The Mighty Thor Omnibus Volume 2 (Marvel): Collecting the fabled Stan Lee/Jack Kirby run of Journey Into Mystery #121-125, Thor #126-152, Thor Annual #2, and Not Brand Ecch #3 from the Marvel Age of Comics! (Well, okay, the Not Brand Ecch story might not be quite so epic. Funny, yes! Epic, nope.) Featuring classic appearances of Loki, Odin, Ego, Ulik, Sif, and other words that look like I’m just randomly typing letters (like Ragnarök). Plus, Hercules, the Wrecker, Absorbing Man, the Destroyer, Super-Skrull, and more! Plus, all the Tales of Asgard backups and all the original lettercols are included. All in a book so thick, that Mjölnir couldn’t dent it! Available with two different covers: Klassic Kirby or Modern Esad Ribic. (Not random typing — that’s his real name!) 768-page color hardcover. Available in August.

Promethea: The Immateria Edition (DC): Collecting the entire 32-issue series by Alan Moore, J.H. Williams III, Mick Gray, and Charles Vess in a unique 16.25” x 12.25” horizontal widescreen format, designed to present every two-page spread in the series on a single page (no gutters!). (Or, in other words, every page of this volume has two original pages of artwork, printed side-by-side.) For those of you who don’t know, Promethea tells the uniquely weird tale of ordinary college student Sophie Bangs, whose life is radically changed after her research into the mythical warrior woman leads to her transformation into Promethea. Plus, lots of information on magic from the mind of Alan Moore. 496-page color hardcover in an unusual format. Available in September.

Archie 1,000-Page Comic Digest (Archie): Do you like big books, but not the giant price tags?! Well, then, check this out! Over 100 classic Archie stories from across their 70-year publishing history are included in this full-color, digest-sized special, for less than 15 bucks! Just the thing for long car trips. (Please don’t read while driving!) 1024-page color softcover digest. (Ooh, my spine!)

BOOKS ABOUT COMICS

Best of Alter Ego Volume 2 (TwoMorrows): Collecting more fantastic features from the 11 original 1960s issues of the classic superhero fanzine by Jerry Bails, Roy Thomas, and others. This represents the origins of modern superhero comics fandom! 160-page B&W hardcover.

Modern Masters: Cliff Chiang (TwoMorrows): Spotlighting one of modern comics’ most dynamic artists, whose bold, modern style also has a classic feel. Currently the artist on DC’s New 52 Wonder Woman, Chiang is also known for work on Human Target, Green Arrow/Black Canary, and Beware the Creeper, as well as numerous miniseries, one-shots, and covers. One of his best-known projects is the fan-favorite Dr. Thirteen back-up story, “Architecture & Mortality”, from Tales of the Unexpected (written by Brian Azzarello). The eight-part tale was one of DC’s strangest back-up features of the modern age, where many fringe/cult characters teamed up after they were left out or forgotten in the then most recent of DC’s periodic continuity revamps (now several revamps ago). This Modern Masters book features a career-spanning interview as well as copious examples of Chiang’s dynamic artwork. 120-page B&W (w/color section) softcover.

HISTORY ZINES: Avengers fans should not miss the in-depth look at the first decade of Avengers stories in Alter Ego #118, including the behind-the-scenes origins of the classic Marvel team . . . Back Issue #65 also has team spirit, with features on the Bronze Age’s “B-teams” — The Defenders, The Champions, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter David’s X-Factor, Doom Patrol, and the Legion of Substitute Heroes! — and more!

NOW IN SOFTCOVER: Don’t miss NY Times best-selling author Larry Tye’s must-read biography of the Man of Steel: Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero, now in a more-affordable softcover edition. I thought I knew a lot about Superman, but Larry Tye set me straight in this can’t-put-it-down history of an icon. 432 pages.

RESOLICITS:

The Complete Flash Gordon Library Volume 3: The Fall of Ming (Titan Books): The book is being resolicited. Previous orders have been canceled. If you previously ordered this book, you must order it again. Continuing the work of revered writer-artist Alex Raymond, this volume follows the adventures of pulp hero Flash Gordon on the planet Mongo and his ongoing battles with the deadly and heartless Ming the Merciless.

Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 6 (DC Comics): Now delayed to June. Previous orders have been canceled. If you previously ordered this book, you must order it again. The sixth volume in the series of classic JLA/JSA crossovers, featuring work by George Pérez, Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Don Heck, and others. 208-page color softcover.

Tales of Batman: Archie Goodwin (DC Comics): Now delayed to July. Previous orders have been canceled. If you previously ordered this book, you must order it again. Almost 500 pages of classic Batman stories written by the late, great Archie Goodwin, including the entire legendary Manhunter saga (with Walter Simonson) and Batman: Night Cries (with Scott Hampton), both currently out of print. 480-page color hardcover.

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KC CARLSON SAYS: 1,000-page collections! What’s next? The Complete Marvel Comics: August 1993 at 4,000 pages?* I sure hope not. I recently saw DC Comics: The New 52 Zero Omnibus at a bookshop (1,344 pages), and the spine was already broken — just months after it was published.** I really love the value of large collections, but maybe some of these books are getting too big!

* fictitious example, created for snark-fueled parody.

** I do appreciate the unintentional symbolism, however.

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the stupid things that KC says. Especially that thing that really irritated you.