Wally Wood drew four short Doctor Doom stories in Astonishing Tales. This page, from the fourth and final story is, like all of them, a Wood classic.
And yes, that’s the Red Skull lurking in the last panel. After all, what use is a super-villain story without another, even more twisted super-villain as the antagonist?
This would turn out to be Wood’s final output for Marvel Comics.
Took me a long time to pull the trigger on the “right” deal for one of these, and I’m glad to have finally acquired one.
Nearly everyone I spent some time with at NYCC 2023 ended up with Covid-19. I indeed returned from the show feeling a bit under the weather, but when I tested negative, I assumed I had a case of the more common “con-crud” and went about my business.
Next day, I stopped at a local fast-food taco joint for a seasonal lobster burrito and COULD NOT TASTE IT. So, I went home and took the test again, tested negative, and napped. Woke up, ate dinner, still couldn’t taste a thing, and went back to sleep.
Next morning, tested again. Third time a “charm?” Nope, still negative. Did some homework, and learned the home kits have about a 15 percent false negative result. Called the doctor’s office, and the nurse told me to check back in if I felt worse. I could practically see her shrug through the phone.
Fortunately, I didn’t get worse, and my taste buds returned to normal in a few days. Covid? Maybe. Maybe not. Welcome to the 2020s.
Which makes this great Paul Smith specialty art even greater. In my case, The Joker could have burned the test, and it wouldn’t have mattered.
Oh, and the punchline: Where did I acquire this art?
NYCC 2023.
Kismet, no?
Some additional Paul Smith takes on the Batman family…
Sooner or later, some smart streaming service will discover Martha Washington, one of my favorite creator-driven series (series of mini-series, actually) of the 90s. All-star creators Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons teamed up to create a memorable post-apocalyptic USA.
Maybe it will happen right after we finally see an American Flagg streaming series; they could both be part of an American Dystopia block.
Until then, the comics will have to do.
And the original art, of course, like this great action page from the second series, Martha Washington Goes To War.
Five straight weeks in the Spring of 1968. Five comic book issues drawn by the legendary John Buscema:
Sub-Mariner #3
Avengers #53
Sub-Mariner #4
Avengers #54
Silver Surfer #1 (38 pages)
Gems. Every single one. (And yes, I might be biased, because these comics are from my newsstand-era sweet spot — 1967-1973 — but I’m not wrong.) My guess is that only Jack Kirby ever had an achievement similar, or greater.
This Sub-Mariner page featuring Namor and Triton is the best Buscema superhero page I’ve ever owned, and unless an amazing opportunity comes my way, will likely remain that way.
Opinions on Bernie Wrightson’s rare inks on Neal Adams pencils range from “dream team” to “dueling styles.”
Personally, I enjoy the combo, But Neal himself is said to have told Bernie he was better off going his own way. And that, I think, we can all agree upon.
As for this great Green Lantern page from Adams legendary run? The top panel feels more Adams dominant to me, and in the cool final panel I see more of Bernie’s efforts.
Your mileage may vary.
(Pictured below the published Green Lantern comic are a few more examples of the Adams/ Wrightson combo: A terrific Batman cover and the splash page to an El Diablo story from Weird Western #12.)
An entire case of Champagne might be a bit much for a New Year’s celebration — unless you have a big crowd, and they all like to drink the bubbly.
Either way, Jack Davis brings us a killer EC title page from Aces High. A lovely way to start the new year.
(Fun fact: This page kicked around for a while as part of the complete story. When it was finally broken up, the pages sold very quickly — and at an aggregate price greater than the entire story.)
Seriously, each 2-page spread in Promethea is somewhere between great… and stunning. And yet, when pages sell at auction, the realized prices rarely reflect the quality of the work.
A definite head-scratcher, certainly. But a boon for collectors who want a terrific piece of art — from an Alan Moore project, no less — at a ludicrously low price.
And a lunar realm like this one seems like a good place to wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year.
This is obviously a cool splash page from John Byrne’s (story, pencils and inks) run on Wonder Woman. Tremendous detail apparent here.
Less obvious without the published page nearby of course is the terrific coloring here by Patricia Mulvihill. She creates a clear background and foreground with minimal tone, adding depth and clarity to the art.
If you’re curious about plot, Darkseid and his legions have killed quite a few of Diana’s fellow warriors and wrecked Themyscira, but didn’t get what they wanted, so they split.
Remember when DC had some space for some comics that were fun, even playful?
How about Plastic Man, written by Marty Pasko and drawn by the talented and versatile Joe Staton. (Also, he and his wife Hillary are two of the loveliest people you will ever meet. Trust me on this.)
DC will bring back ol’ Plas someday — although, given the current state of the editorial mindset in the industry, there is always a chance he will come back as a schizophrenic who only thinks he can stretch.
Trust me on this, too.
(Fun footnote. Someone at DC must have liked this story as much as I do — it was reprinted just a few years later in 1983’s Adventure #503, the final issue of the series.
