I used some covers from Charlton's 1976 runs of Emergency to decorate one of my political rants the other day and at least one person commented they did not know of the comic adaptations. Well here are all four covers each of both the comic book and magazine. Charlton was doing the same at the time with Six-Million Dollar Man and Space:1999, but clearly Emergency is the stretch.
The magazines were written by Charlton staff such as the always ready Joe Gill and Nicola Cuit and the artwork came from Continuity Associates, a gang of up and coming artists also known as the "Crusty Bunkers" under the guidance of Neal Adams and Charlton veteran Dick Giordano. The fourth issue of the magazine was more of a Charlton in-house affair with Jack Sparling pitching in.
The comic books were handled by completely different talent from inside Charlton's ranks.
The debut issue of the comic was and maybe still is quite collectible because it was drawn by the soon-to-be star John Byrne. Joe Staton supplied the cover for this debut effort.
Joe Staton did the cover for the second issue well but Byrne was gone and by the third issue both were replaced by Jack Sparling among others.
These tales of Rampart General and the two fireman who became medically competent before our eyes are a pure example of the type of TV one could rely upon in the 70's. The shows have more than a little rust on them these days, at least in my opinion, but not unlike other shows from Jack Webb's operation, showcased to some extent the workaday worlds of those we now call "First Responders".
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There was also a Saturday morning cartoon spin-off, Emergency + 4.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten it until you mentioned it. Thanks for prodding that memory.
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For some reason, i just have to get a hold of these and read them. Wondering which would be worth the time to track down, the comic or the magazine?
ReplyDeleteBoth are worth the effort from my perspective, though my adoration for Joe Staton makes the comic my favorite.
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