Gremlin Two!

I want to cap off my Thunderbolt reviews with the cover image of Thunderbolt by his creator Pete Morisi (P.A.M.) for the 1970 fanzine Gremlin published by Gary Brown.

Issue two of Gremlin not only features this graceful image by Morisi of his most famous character, but is brimming with features and artwork. The fanzine is printed offset, no mimeo here, as charming as mimeo can be. Unfortunately it's side-stitched and not saddle-stitched, so getting the interior pages onto a scanner is just about impossible without destroying the book.

The back cover is by Steranko of a character I don't recognize. Inside the issue is an article titled "The Charlton Story" which reviews the history of the Action-Heroes era which had come to an end a few years previously. The article is ripe with artwork by fans and a few sample pages, one a Captain Atom page by Steve Ditko and the other a Sarge Steel page by Dick Giordano.

Also in this issue is an interview with Hal Foster, an interview with Charles Flanders, an article on Don Martin, and featured is an interview with Neal Adams. Also included are several pages of comic art by Adams produced when he was in high school.

It's a rich issue, but I mostly bought for the Charlton stuff, and most especially for the outstanding Morisi cover. Morisi really excelled at drawing a hero in repose, coiled and ready for action, but nonetheless calm. Great!

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