The Last Phantom!

The Phantom leaving Moonstone was a pretty big disappointment. I thought Mike Bullock and the artists there had a bead on the character at long last which was compelling and modern, while cleaving true to the essence of the classic Lee Falk creation. The shift to Dynamite was not something I followed, mostly due to the exhausting number of variant covers the company insists on generating for their comics. Most of the variants are pointless money grabs, but then of course nothing says you have to buy them.

I decided to wait for the eventual trade collections, but then I mostly forgot about it. I need to look at these more closely, if only to further enjoy the simply outstanding Alex Ross covers. I don't know what's going on with the Phantom in those blood-drenched (or is that berry juice) early covers, but I confess to being curious.

All of the run is contained in a couple of collections. It might be time to give them a tumble. I don't think I want this Phantom upset with me. He seems quite angry.

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A Spirited Laugh?

This funny and oddly alluring cartoon image by Chuck Smith for a 1961 issue of Army Laughs reminded me of something.

This 1946 Will Eisner classic for The Spirit  came to mind. Whether inspritation or coincidence, we can all agree I suspect that femme fatales in red are the bomb!

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The Space Ghost!

Few artists "get" Space Ghost like Alex Ross. Ross is a wonderful painter, able to bring high-fantasy concepts into a real world relief which gives them at once a greater sense of reality and nobility to boot. He's not always fully successful with his adaptations, but in the case of Space Ghost he hits home runs nearly all the time. Just glance at this cover gallery for DC's unfortunate series.

Whatever one thinks of the series, and I have mixed emotions about it, it was a noble effort to bring some greater depth to the characters. I don't necessarily dislike the back story they crafted, but there was unfortunately a real misfit between the content and the interior artwork on his series. Ariel Oliveti is a fine artist, but not the one for this particular effort.

There have been failed efforts to bring Space Ghost to the newsstands before, such as Gold Key's back when the TV series was still running. It's the most like the cartoon of any thanks to Dan Spiegle's crisp art and storytelling.

The Steve Rude effort for Comico in the late 80's is fondly remembered by most folks, me included. Rude does a dandy Space Ghost too, as evidenced by this classic cover.

Rude reveals in the latest issue of Back Issue that he was the one who recommended Scott Rosema to handle the art chores when Archie Comics tried to bring the character to the stands in the 90's. Rosema does a worthy job.

Space Ghost is a hard character to handle. Alex Toth  designed a noble hero who is deceptively simple to draw, but  exceedingly difficult to capture. Artists have been at it for decades now.

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Showcasing The Spectre!

All of these fantastic and fearsome Spectre adventures are contained between the covers of the exceedingly thick (over 600 pages) Showcase Presents The Spectre from DC Comics. The material here spans the years from 1966 to 1983, nearly two decades of Spectre action.

 I've been saving this wonderfully vivid volume full of artwork by Murphy Anderson, Jerry Grandenetti, Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Jim Starlin, Nick Cardy and others for October, the month dedicated these days to such frightful entertainments. It should be a blast!

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