Star Jaws And More!

Will Eisner was always looking for new outlets for his cartooning skills, and he found such an outlet with Baronet paperbacks. These are breezy and light-hearted gags which put me in mind of Dave Berg's work for MAD Magazine. The books were arranged by theme and Eisner's work was combined with that of Keith Diaczun, Barry Caldwell, and Wade Hampton. 

These frothy little paperbacks must've found an audience because there are several of them. I've managed to round up the ones pictured here. 

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Uncle Creepy Day!

Jack Davis was born on this date in 1924. Davis was one of the field's most successful artists, making a mark at EC in its infamous heyday and moving on to become a major artist not just for comics but for movie posters and magazine covers of all kinds. I likely first encountered his work on TV Guide back in the days when such a magazine mattered. Davis also worked for Marvel and for Warren. 

Creepy #1 with that iconic cover by famed artist Jack Davis is keeper, and the inspiration for many artists over the succeeding decades.

The Warren Magazines classic was also homaged by Alex Horley when Twomorrows published their robust The Warren Companion many years ago.

Love the work of Mitch O'Connell, an artist with a bold and lively style. When I stumbled across the ad above for this book Mitch O'Connell - The World's Best Artist, I was entertained by the powerful homage to the vintage Creepy classic.

And I even found another swipe of the Davis art from a guy named Tom Neely.

Here's a nifty one from William Stout who gives a shout out to his inspiration.

And finally here is another example by Jack Davis himself, riffing on his original design, but this time putting Frankenstein's Monster front and center instead of Uncle Creepy.

A somewhat off-center rendition served as a cover to this price guide. 

Here are just some of the many great comic book covers by the late great Jack Davis.

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A Green-Skinned Gent!

(The dates for 1975 and 2025 are identical.)

The holiday season is once again upon us. This little Christmas card from the Marvel Bullpen jumped out at me (kinda' literally) and I immediately recognized the source despite the addition of the little heroes in the corner and the Santa gear (by Mirthful Marie most likely).

One of my favorite images of the Incredible Hulk is this incredible image by Jack Kirby which appeared as the front of the great sweatshirt Marvel licensed way back in its heyday.

As can be seen by this vintage ad which features the artwork of Marie Severin and images from sundry issues of Tales to Astonish. 

Here's another classic ad which gives you a look at the delightful back image for this hilarious sweatshirt. The allure for me was and is mighty, and for a mere two ninety-eight it could've been mine. I never got one, but I've always wanted one.

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