Continuing a mini-celebration of the X-Men’s 60th anniversary.
What’s so great about this issue of X-Factor?:
Walter Simonson.
Classic X-Men characters.
Sentinels.
Story by Louise Simonson.
Terrific inks by Bob Wiacek.
Did I mention Walter Simonson?
You get the picture. I overpaid (really overpaid, I think) for this page in an auction bidding frenzy during the pandemic — you can look it up — but I love it, so it’s a win. It’s not going anywhere, unless, in all unlikelihood, I find a better page out in the wild.
We can’t let 2023 fade into the memory books without at least some tribute to the 60th Anniversary of the X-Men.
Neal Adams drew nine issues of the X-Men. John Byrne drew four times as many. I love John Byrne art, but the prices of his pages are — how do we say? — a bit out of whack when compared to the scarcity of Adams.
Oh, and this is a great one from his run, with superb inks by the legendary Tom Palmer. (Despite the disappointing quality of the scan.)
Commission, October 2019, Based on Brian Rolland’s TPB cover, The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen
As a kid, I loved the goofy adventures of Jimmy Olsen.
As an adult, I love Brian Bolland’s art. I wish I had the good sense to acquire a cover years ago, when the price was in a lower level of the stratosphere. But of course, hindsight is 20/20, etc.
So naturally, I get a kick out of Brian’s cover for The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen. Peanut Butter and Chocolate, yes?
Well, mostly. I think Bolland’s interpretation of Jimmy is a just a bit too “adult” — despite the bizarre themes and eccentric characterizations.
Enter Archie All-Star Artist Dan Parent: Turn Jimmy Olsen into Archie Andrews, and presto, you have the goofiness and joy this treatment deserves.
My pal Dan knocked it out of the park, and he is kind enough to show appreciation for my wacky commission ideas.
And let’s face it, the 60s Jimmy Olsen is pretty much a Pete Costanza or Curt Swan version of Archie anyway. Wait a minute — now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of them in the same place at the same time. Hmmmm…
Happy Halloween!
My first two issues of Jimmy Olsen (#104 and 105, 1967) obviously shaped my Olsen worldview forever.
Frankly, it’s gorgeous art like this from Jose Gonzalez – the best of a very talented group of Vampi artists during her original Warren run — which makes the melodrama secondary for me. This is my second piece of Gonzalez art, and this one is an absolute keeper. (Ok, I had to sell the first one to help finance this one.)
Well it was great to see everyone at NYCC. Missed a few folks of course, but saw quite a few, so I think I will take the win. I might have some issues with this show, but it still has one of the best Artist Alley’s around.
Thom ZahlerSara RichardAndy PriceLivio RamondelliDavid NakayamaPaolo VillanelliAaron CampbellShawn CrystalTim SeeleyJohn BeattyBernard ChangScott WilliamsMichael GoldenCharles StewartChrissie Zullo-UmingaDean Haspiel & Peter RostovskyWhilce PortacioJim Salicrup & Janice ChiangFrancesco MobiliJason Shawn Alexander & Jim MahfoodJorge JimenezRick LeonardiTerry MooreRob Liefeld (R) with original art maven Albert Moy — and a great page from Neal Adams’ Superman vs. Muhammad Ali
My first trip back since 2019. The Convention expansion has provided (some) breathing room, but it still felt like it took forever to get from point A to point B. Of course, I am four years older…
The late Norm Breyfogle spent about a year applying his exceptional talents to the Spectre. Here’s one of the best pages of the run: The Hal Jordan-merged Spectre vanquishes Sinestro, and — I kid you not — basically sends the dark member of the GL Corp to hell. (Well, Sinestro helps choose his own fate. It’s complicated.)
I wish DC had comics like this when I was a kid. (Well, with Jim Aparo’s version of the Spectre, and Neal Adams’ Deadman, maybe they did. Sort of.)
Tom Mandrake — criminally underrated as a storyteller — gets to have some fun with the DC occult universe in a page that’s somehow now twenty years old.
The bottom 1/2 splash featuring Etrigan (Demon), Phantom Stranger, Dr, Fate and Zatanna is definitely cool — and looks especially great in the original black and white.
And the long-time villain Eclipso —also apparently an avenging angel, but an evil one — merging with the Spectre to form a super-villainous apparition? Love it.
