This is one of those collections I've been waiting for ever since it was evident that DC wanted to get their vintage material into cheap collections good for reading. The Challengers of the Unknown, the Doom Patrol, and now The Sea Devils have seen significant reprint collections and it's a cornucopia of reading for fans who were like myself too young the time, and now too cheap to afford the back issues or the color collections. Those outstanding covers have been calling to me for decades. It's good to at last answer than call.
From a distance the stories appear to a mash up of Sea Hunt, the old TV show starring Lloyd Bridges and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Lots of giant monsters against mere men. The covers are justifiably famous for their craft and for their sheer dynamic power. These are stories which demand to be read.
And it doesn't hurt that Russ Heath, the primary artist on this series has work that looks outstanding in black and white. The wacky scripts are by Robert Kanigher and France Herron. The later issues feature great try-outs by other DC artists, a nifty way to showcase (living up to its name) these fantastic talents. Irv Novick, Gene Colan, Ross Andru, Joe Kubert, Jack Abel, and others all show up in this highly recommended collection.
Here are the issues included in this volume.
UPDATE: I have finally gotten around to reading some of these little gems and found them quite diverting. The team of the Sea Devils is pretty fundamental, following the pattern set by the Fantastic Four and many others with a dashing lead, a beautiful girl, an eager youth, and a strong second mate. The face some delightful monsters and mysteries and their adventures often make the reader spin at the amazingly dense pockets of treasure and hidden beasts deep in the seas. Russ Heath's artwork is less exciting than preferred at times, but is always exquisitely rendered.
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