Dear Marble Gang,
This issues makes for an even dozen Not Brand Echhs, and it might well have been the most consistent and funniest issue yet. It all starts with that fabulous "Mirthful" Marie Severin cover starring a beaucoup of the Marble stars with Frankenstein giving them a scare, everyone but the oblivious Forbush Man of course.
It's a hard pick but my favorite might have been "Unhumans To Get Own Comic Book" by "Arduous" Arnie Drake, "Rascally" Roy Thomas and "Titanic" Tom Sutton. The way Tom mimicked the styles of so many great comic strips was fantastic and the creative way the crew fit in the Inhumans was a laugh riot. Well done indeed.
"The Revengers" comes in a strong second and this fun yarn about nothing by Roy and Tom, this day in the surprisingly dull day of team was a furious ramble and capped off by a stunning double whammy ending co-featuring the work of "Big" John Buscema. He and "Generous" George Klein are a fantastic team on the Avengers comic and it's delightful to see them make a guest-shot here.
Third place goes to Marie various gags in the book. "Puzzle Fun" was a hoot, and "Charlie America's Photo Album" was a scream. But her work on "This-Isn't-A-Comic-Mag-It's-A-Way-Of Life Dept." was exquisite. I want all those products as impossible as they are. And "Drawing Lessons" gave all true-blue Marvelites a glimpse into the way our favorite masterpieces are made...really. Outstanding!
Fourth spot goes to "Groovy" Gary Friedrich's and "Jumbo" John Verpoorten's "Sgt.Fury's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The two-page spread is genius and the lyrics to some familiar tunes was amazing. Great work all.
"Frankenstein Sicksty-Nine!" comes in the fifth position this issue and Arnie's and Tom's work on this was top-notch. Good enough to win the overall honors in a typical issue it's just one more gem in this issue.
Love "My Search for True Love" and also loved all the attention the Inhumans are getting lately. "Medoozy's" search brought up a few famous faces and still she cannot find true love. Tom's artwork really hummed in this one.
"Comiclot" by Roy and Marie catches the final spot alas, though it was filled with many charms. It just wasn't as consistent throughout as some of the other features. Still excellent and loved the ending.
All in all an outstanding effort on the part of one and all who contributed. Looking forward to many more.
Sincerely (Not)
Rip Jagger
Notes and Comments: This is pound for pound the best issue of Not Brand Echh, at least in this humble reviewer's opinion. There's not a weak element and some of the satire is exquisitely well done. NBE suffered from a too small staff with a few decent ideas burning up quickly. The expansion to "King-Size" didn't help matters and there was suddenly more fluff alongside the full-fledged parodies. That fluff, mostly due to Marie Severin's talent was some great material. She was clearly writing these small bits of business as well as drawing them though that is not totally clear in the credits. The Inhumans spoof by Tom Sutton is a masterpiece, as he evokes a half dozen different classic art styles in trying to get this joke across. Arnold Drake was a needed infusion as he brought a deft ability to simply write to the table and this is his strongest issue. Apparently according to Roy Thomas in Alter Ego #95 "Comiclot" was to be drawn by animator Bill Peckman who lived and worked close to the Bullpen offices. He even developed four pages which still survive for the story but was unable to finish it due to other primary work requirements. Always it's up to Severin to step in and fill the breach. Her craftsmanship on this title is amazing. And finally the John Buscema page is one of my favorite bits of his work ever. The heroes-with-time-on-their-hands page is a classic.
Here is classic album cover and the NBE parody it inspired.
Rip Off
Loved this comic, and literally read it to pieces in 1969.
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