This bravura image was produced by the woefully underrated Ernie Colon, one of the many artists who flocked to the fledgling Atlas-Seaboard banner in 1975 when that little-company-that-couldn't suddenly exploded onto the comic book racks.
Above is the original artwork for Colon's cover for that special issue of Twomorrow's Comic Book Artist, at one time the most kick-ass magazine on comic book history I've ever seen.
Colon was a perfect choice for the cover art as he was the artist behind one of Atlas-Seaboard's best and most memorable comics, The Grim Ghost. This violent ballet of a comic was a real change of pace for color comics at the time, with it's brutality really having impact in the face of so many color comics with mere "action" to offer. This was violence, but offered with the gentle yet still sharp hand of Colon, an artist who rarely misses the mark.
Here are the covers for The Grim Ghost's short but brilliant run.
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| Ernie Colon |
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| Ernie Colon |
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| Russ Heath |
Alas the revival of the Atlas line was pretty much a flop. The Grim Ghost was probably the best of the batch, but lacked the punch of the original run and was limited by incoherent art. It's too bad, this character deserves better.
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| Kelley Jones |
I had the first two issues when they first came out in '74/'75, but gave them to a pal a few months later. 30-odd years later he gave me them back (the same ones) and not long after I got #3 at a comic mart. How about that for completing a set?
ReplyDeleteI love it when a plan comes together.
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I've been becoming more and more a fan of Ernie Colon lately. The more I see of his work whether it's his Warren stuff, his DC stuff, his Harvey stuff or even THE SEXORCIST or his 9-11 graphic novel. It's all so amazing and unique.
ReplyDeleteColon is just outstanding, and his 9-11 volumes with Sid Jacobson I think make him one of the most important artists in the field today. He's found another way to do comics for the mass market outside the confines of the traditional industry. The way his style seamlessly moves from an abstracted comic approach to pure realism is fascinating. He's got a new one out about Anne Frank.
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