The Comics Rack

MEN OF MYSTERY #35 & 36

   Sometime in the last few months when I wasn't looking, AC's flagship reprint book Golden-Age Men of Mystery underwent a title change and is now the short, and to the point, Men of Mystery. Although the title has changed, the contents have not and I am pleased to tell you that the quality has not changed. In fact, it is still one of the few books that I still actively collect.
   Issues 35 and 36 were discovered in one of my latest comic hunting expeditions, and both books feature some of the best Golden-Age material to be found outside of the big 2 (meaning Marvel and DC). Issue 35 features the Avenger (drawn in Dick Ayers quirky 50s style), Spy Smasher (by CC Beck, of all people) Capt. Wings (Bob Lubbers), Young Marvelman (the English version of Capt. Marvel) and, although I don't know why, a Torchy story by Bill Ward. What makes this issue different are the two oddities hidden beneath its covers. The first is a Charlie Chan story, with a splash page by Jack Kirby and the second, a short 3 pager by the team of Stanley Leiber and Carl Burgos, whom we would better recognize as Stan "the Man" Lee and the creator of the original Human Torch. Both these stories, simply for there historical value, make the issue a "must have!" Issue 36 also has some gems. Captain Flash by Mike Sekowsky, Ibis the Invincible by Kurt Schaffenberger, a post-Simon and Kirby Blue Bolt story, and a beautiful Paul Gustavson job on a character called The Twister. A preview of the Australian character, The Panther (currently available in a reprint series from AC), an English strip featuring Miracle Man and the female character, Tom Boy, round out the issue. Another excellent issue, although the Capt. Flash story makes me wonder why nobody seems to draw sharks correctly in comics. The artwork, as always, is excellently reproduced, and both are excellent books, except for a couple of tiny nits that I fear I must pick.
   In past issues of Men of Mystery, AC had a unique product that usually included credits for each story and often, and introductory material that covered the contents of the issue. With the introduction of America's Greatest Comics, AC has expanded their reprinting operations into 2 books and I'm afraid that the two books may end up becoming clones of one another or may suffer a decline in quality.
   Spy Smasher is in both America's Greatest and Men of Mystery, as is Ibis and, oddly enough, Torchy. It would seem to me, that with the wide variety of characters available, character duplication does not need to occur. After all, the title of the book is Men of Mystery, which, according to my recollection, means it is about super-hero characters, or to take the origin of the term, Mystery Men, it was the name given to most of the early costumed superheroes. America's Greatest would seem a better place for characters of all types and regardless of my love for comics of this period, a bit of this and a dab of that is much better than a whole bunch of any one character.
   The quality issue also is evident in Men of Mystery #35. There is no editorial content at all. This would not be much of a problem, except that I would not be aware of the Kirby splash reprinted in the book, were it not for an article in America's Greatest Comics #1. Since I read both books, its no problem, but for the casual reader...well you can see the problem. Things improve a bit in issue 36, since we get some background editorial material, and I can only hope that future issues will continue in this vein.
   Nit-picking aside, both these books, along with the rest of the AC reprint line, are some of the best comics being produced today. Black has an excellent eye for good material, and it is refreshing to see superheroes that look like people and not anatomical freaks or big-eyed manga folk.
   Each issue of Men of Mystery is $6.95 and, although they can be found, or pre-ordered, at some of the better comic stores, I would suggest you hop on over to our Links page and order them direct from AC.

SHAZAM! AND THE SHAZAM FAMILY! ANNUAL #1

   Both Marvel and DC have a catalogue of material that reaches back to the beginning of the Golden Age of comics. Yet only DC has managed to make regular reprinting of these older stories a viable part of their schedule with their Archives series.
Another reprint area that DC has been exploring is with their old annual format, that were known as 80 Pg. Giants. These books were a regular part of DC's output in the 60s and most of the major characters of the time had their own 80 Pg. Giant that, suprising for an annual, would sometimes come out 2 or 3 times per year. The books always contained a collection of reprint material, sometimes going back into the Golden Age, and often themed around a particular idea ("Batman's Weirdest Cases!"). Eventually, the 80 Pg. Giants gave way to the 100 pg. Super Spectacular (inflation, don't you know), that were often a mixture of old and new material, before they went to all new. The DC Annuals eventually returned, but, following Marvel's lead, they contained new material and the 80 Pg. Giants became history.
   In response to fan interest, DC has not only reprinted some of their earliest annuals (Batman #1 and Superman #1, Secret Origins #1), but they have also had some success with "fake" annuals: annuals that weren't printed at the time, but could have been and featuring a great mix of Golden and Silver Age stories.
   The most current of these books is Shazam! and The Shazam Family! Annual #1, an excellent mix of Golden Age material. What makes this book so special is that it is an overview on Captain Marvel and his cast of characters. The first story introduces Mary Marvel. The second is a solo adventure of Capt. Marvel, Jr. that gives first time readers a taste of both Mac Raboy art and the villianous Capt. Nazi. The third story recounts the origin of Capt. Marvel and tells the orgin of Black Adam, the evil predecessor to Capt. Marvel. The last story brings the whole Marvel family together (including Uncle Marvel) to battle the family of Sivana, the long time nemesis of the Big Red Cheese. For someone who had never read a Capt. Marvel story before, this book would be an excellent introduction to all the elements that made Capt. Marvel such a hit in the Golden Age (personally, I would have dropped the Capt. Marvel, Jr. story and included a Mr. Tawney, or Mr. Mind story, but why quibble?).
   Hopefully, this will be the first of many such Golden Age projects from DC. The $5.95 price tag is a bargain, and a welcome relief from the $49.95 for each Archives edition. This Annual format would also seem a perfect place to feature some of the characters who might not carry their own Archives, such as The Spectre, Slam Bradley or The Boy Commandos. DC has talked about a Golden Age magazine for years...maybe the time is now.
   Shazam! and The Shazam Family! Annual #1 retails for $5.95, is full color throughout and needs to be on your bookshelf. In fact, why not buy yourself a present and get this Annual along with Jerry Ordway's Power of Shazam graphic novel. The two would go together quite well.

BEST OF THE WEST #27-29

   Considering that it was almost cancelled due to low sales early in it's run, it's hard to believe that the AC title Best of the West has made it to issue 29 and is still going strong. It does have the market sowed up, however, since it is, to the best of my knowledge, the only western title currently being published. Issues 27-29 just crossed my desk and, as with the previous issues of the series, they are uniformly excellent.
   All 3 issues contain the usual mix of western heroes from the pages of Magazine Enterprises. Here you find The Durango Kid, Black Phantom, The Haunted Horseman (originally printed as Ghost Rider, but renamed due to a copyright dispute with Marvel), Redmask, and Black Diamond.
   Of special interest are issues 27 and 29. #27 reprints a Roy Rogers story drawn by the late John Buscema, something of a rarity, since Bill Black has mentioned that Dusty Rogers, who manages the Roy Rogers estate, has raised the reprint fees for the comic book stories and they are now almost cost prohibitive to use. #29 also has a rarity, a Jim Bowie story by Simon and Kirby published by Harvey in 1955.
   I've been taken with Best of the West since its inception, mainly due to the art. Dick Ayers work on The Haunted Horseman is always very interesting, even if the stories may stretch the imagination at times. Many of the Frank Bolle stories are from M.E.'s 3-D period, where the 3-D effect was faked by having the artist (in this case Bolle) extend characters or objects outside, or across, the panel borders (a drawing technique I believe was originally done by Lou Fine) giving the illusion of 3-D depth. All 3 issues also have a story by Fred Guardineer, one of my all time favorite artists.
   My only quibble with AC at this point, and this applies to all their titles, is that there is very little information about the source of the stories being reprinted. At the very least, the year of original publication would be of interest, in order to help put the sotries in some kind of historical perspective.
   We have plugged AC Comics in the past and this time is no exception. If you like Westerns that are done in the style of yesteryear, meaning that they feature heroes and aren't weird or bleak, then you need to be reading Best of the West. Each isssue is $5.95 and, although they can be found, or pre-ordered, at some of the better comic stores, I would suggest you hop on over to our Links page and order them direct from AC.

THE COMPLETE FRANK MILLER SPIDER-MAN

   Back in the late 80s and early 90s, just before its near collapse, Marvel seemed to believe that anything they printed was gold. The price of the Masterworks volumes jumped to $49.95 before they were cancelled and then a series of hardback books began to hit the shelves in an ever-increasing flood with an ever-increasing price tag (The biggest bomb that was solicited during this time, but never printed, was a hard bound collection of all of Steranko's Nick Fury stories for the wholesale price of around $180, which would translate into a street price of over $200!).
   Fortunately, saner heads appear to be running Marvel for the moment, and most of these overpriced hardbacks have now been reprinted in trade paperback or hardback, at a price that most can afford. One volume that has been reprinted in a lower priced volume is The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man. Originally going for, I believe, $80 or $100, the book is now available for $29.95, a price that is a bit steep, but at least reasonable.
   Although Miller is best known for his work on Daredevil, his earliest Marvel work was on Spectacular Spider-Man #27 and 28, both of which were wretchedly inked by Frank Springer. These stories are included in this volume, as are Amazing Spider-Man Annual 14 (inks by Tom Palmer), Marvel Team-Up 100 (Bob Wiacek inks), Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15 (Janson inks) and the unfortunate Marvel Team-Up Annual #4, which was written by Miller, drawn by Herb Trimpe and Mike Esposito, and hasn't improved with age. Also included are 22 covers from various Spider-Man books, featuring Miller pencils with a variety of inkers.
   Overall, the book is not a bad read. The Spectacular Spider-Man jobs are obviously done by a budding artist (with a bad inker) and, for the reader in all of us, it is a shame that they 2 segments from a much longer storyline. One needs only to look at the Daredevil figures in the story and then compare them with those Miller later drew for the Daredevil comic to see how far he progressed in a very short amount of time. Similarly, Marvel Team-Up Annual #4 is written by a writer on the way up the learning curve, and should again be compared to Daredevil to see what hard work and experience can accomplish.
   On the flip side, Amazing Spider-Man Annual 14 is arguably one of the most beautiful jobs that Miller has ever done, a tremendous homage to Steve Ditko, and also, a great Dr. Strange story to boot. Marvel Team-Up #100 is also excellent, giving Miller a chance to do a number of Marvel characters, and although not in the same league as Annual 14, Annual 15 has a number of interesting layout devices, which look like a precursor to Miller's later Dark Knight work.
   With this book back in print, and with the printing of the Daredevil volumes, nearly all of Miller's Marvel work has now been reprinted. There are only a couple of black and white stories left, along with an odd cover or two and, if memory serves me right, an issue of Marvel Two-In-One. Maybe we will see the release of The Complete Frank Miller Other Stuff in the near future.
   A delightful package that will read well and look good on the shelf, The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man retails for $29.95, but can be found for less if you shop around. Miller's introduction from the 1994 edition is included and the book is labeled in the indicia as a second printing.

AMERICA'S GREATEST COMICS #1-3

   The first 3 issues of America's Greatest Comics are now out and each is an excellent example of what DC and Marvel could (and should) be doing. Each issue is an anthology of stories from the 40s and 50s, covering all the major genres of comics, from superheroes to horror and everything in-between.
   And the art! The first issue has work by Matt Baker, Joe Kubert, Simon and Kirby, Bill Ward, Doug Wildey, Lou Fine, Bob Powell and Steve Ditko...a virtual who's who of comic's Golden-Age. But it gets better. The second issue has Ditko, Dick Ayers, Frank Frazetta and Jack Kamen, along with some little known, but still excellent artists. The third issue boasts the presence of Kurt Schaffenberger, Dan Barry and Bob Futajani, among others, illustrating stories that you just can't find anywhere else, in beautiful black and white reproduction.
   Still not sold? Want to read about the Phantom Lady? How about Torchy? What about Spy Smasher, Thun'da, Dollman, Ibis, Nyoka, The Mysterious Traveler, or a story from the Simon and Kirby series Black Magic? Does that grab your interest?
   Obviously, I could go on and on at length with my admiration of America's Greatest Comics. Bill Black understands what makes a good comic book story and, as editor of the series, makes each issue just as diverse as the comic industry used to be. There are also insightful introductions by Black to each issue, which give background on the stories and the artists. Let's face it, these are just darn good comics and, if you like Golden Age material, you need to be reading these wonderful anthologies.
   America's Greatest Comics retail for $6.95 each and, although they can be found, or pre-ordered, at some of the better comic stores, I would suggest you hop on over to our Links page and order them direct from AC.