It was the summer of 1975 and I was freshly graduated from high school and headed for college. I was looking for new ways and means to frame my identity and had grown somewhat bored with the comics from Marvel and DC. I went looking for new things and found the upstart Atlas-Seaboard company fired up and waiting to greet me. It was thrilling finding the debut issues of Ironjaw, Phoenix, and Wulf the Barbarian. But as it turns out Atlas-Seaboard didn't last very long, not even past my first semester in college. What did linger a bit longer was the comic I found with those terrific three new buys, a little gem titled E-Man. Issue six was my first one, but I was quickly on the lookout for earlier issues and never missed any of the new ones.
The amiable alien superhero Alec Tronn and his gorgeous girlfriend partner Nova were everything I wanted in a comic book. Nicola Cuti and Joe Staton were my new comic gods and then there was Rog-2000 by John Byrne. Delightful but destined for brevity. E-Man went away and only returned many years later at First Comics, barely recognizable but still there. Eventually Joe Staton and Nick Cuti returned in tandem and the decades since have been dotted with glimpses of E-Man's greatness.
His final adventure was published just this past year and so I regrettably must say farewell to the delightful creation. But I have all of his adventures still and read them with gusto this past summer. I will read them again I'm sure because E-Man, this amiable stranger in a strange land is my favorite hero.
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Hi Rip guessed a few days ago E-man would be your Number 1 I am a bit older than you and remember buying the issues you mention but for me The Question is my favourite and Mysterious Suspense Number 1 ( although dated) remains my favourite comic of all time. But hey ho great to have ones own favourite.
ReplyDelete"Favorite" doesn't mean best necessarily and I think folks get confused sometimes. I have a favorite football team...the Bengals...but no one would call them the best by any measure. E-Man ain't Superman and Batman or Spider-Man, but he is a delight.
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Yes see your point but great to have a personal preference in my opinion, I am a big Marvel fan but loved the Charlton Action line and love the Ditko creations in the D.C. universe such as the Creeper and the Hawk and Dove. look forward to seeing your thoughts on Stan the man and as for no female heroes Nightshade was severely underused but that is history.
DeleteGreat choice Rip. I have every E-Man story and consider the original 10 + the later issues by Cuti/Staton the very best.
ReplyDeleteI concur with that assessment. I recently read the whole canon and was much impressed by what was done, but the magic was never as pure as in those first issues.
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This has been a really interesting look into the way you think about comics. Quite a few of these choices are pretty eccentric creations, and I'm surprised at some that were omitted, but it made the last month unique in its unfolding, not to mention a lot of fun. How about a future series on your favorite creators?
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting idea about creators. I might well give it a go. Thanks.
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Enjoyed this month's posts, Rip. Learned a lot about some characters that I was not familiar with. In my neck of the woods, Charlton Comics distribution was sporadic at best, so I missed out on a lot. Thanks for enlightening me.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky that for whatever reason Charlton was around in my backwater Appalachian town and I gobbled them up. I've enjoyed this, and I'm glad others have as well.
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Really enjoyed your countdown, I only guessed your number 1 when you got to number 6 (initially thinking it was Judo Master) - E-Man would def be in my top 5 a really fun character I think the fact that the same team worked on the character from start to finish had a lot to to with his success. Happy tp see someone else loved Hank Pym Giant Man/ Ant Man as well( another of my top 10 characters) Would be interested in reading your top 10 "best" characters (I agree with your logic on that as well),
ReplyDeleteE-Man is a bit of a surprise to me. I've never read an E-Man comic. I guess I'll have to be on the lookout for them.
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