Man, what a find ! I remember JGoldman10 from the original DC message boards, circa 2000-2004 before we all made the great migration here to RKMBs.
There were a lot of posts mocking the guy, questioning whether he was a real person posting, or just a made-up alt of someone basically role-playing a certain personality, or just someone who was seriously posting who was insane. His posts were fun, though. I lean toward thinking he was a perfomance artist. There were several of them back in the day.
Another I recall that was great fun was Ubermisfit.
And by Steven Utley, no less, who was a university academic and science fiction writer, and a fixture in those years on the DC boards, particularly in the DC ARCHIVES books section. And briefly, posted here on RKMBs.
Another great find. The very first video I've ever seen of Rob Almighty.
This was from August 2018, so I guess if the app took off, it's 3 years later, we'd be seeing a lot more about it. This video at least brings a little more presence of long-absent Rob to his own boards.
The Wrightson cover for HOUSE OF SECRETS 107, April 1973.
Which is nice enough. But then you see this...
...and you see that it was a far nicer 2-page wraparound cover, only half of which saw print. You would think that an editor in the years after would have corrected that error and run the complete version as a wraparound cover on a later 100-page issue or 1977-1980 Dollar Book, or LIMITED COLLECTORS' EDITION. But somehow that never happened, and this 2-page version never saw print for DC. The only place in print I've seen it is the A LOOK BACK book (1980, Chris Zavisa).
Issue 1 collects "The Monster Cabaret", 12 pages (r HoH 25, !982) , and "The Werewolf", 15p (r HoH 10, July 1977)
Issue 2 collects "Where Monster Roamed", 15p (r HoH 14, Nov 1977), "The Monster Club", 8p (r HoH 26, 1983), and "Father Shandor" part 1 (of 3), 6p (r HoH 8, April 1977)
Also uncollected by Bolton from HOUSE OF HAMMER are "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (in HOUSE OF HAMMER 6, March 1977, 15 pages), And 2 more 6-page stories of Father Shandor (HoH 16, Jan 1978, and HoH 21, June 1978). And "Curse of the Leopard Men", 5 pages (HoH 4, Feb 1977). Enough to fill a third reprint issue, but for some reason not reprinted.
The cover of JOHN BOLTON: HALLS OF HORROR issue 2 (above) is reprinted from a series of paintings Bolton did for a 9" X 12" hardcover book titled LET'S PLAY CHESS (1980), an instructional book on playing the game of chess, that doubles as a portfolio of 22 Bolton paintings.
One of my favorite parts at the end of issue 143 is Jimmy Olsen wakes up and follows the glow of light into the next room, where where Superman in an effort to push the monster-race of planet Transilvane in a new direction, changes out the horror movies projecting onto the planet's skies with another genre, where Superman and Jimmy, along with the inhabitants of Transilvane, sit down at the end of the story to watch the movie Oklahoma !
I also love the cover of 142, that gives a side-by-side contrast of the styles of Jack Kirby and Neal Adams in a single cover image. The Superman figure was erased from Kirby's pencils and completely re-drawn by Adams. The rest is Kirby. You can see Kirby's original cover pencils without the alterations in the latest collected trade of Kirby's complete JIMMY OLSEN run, Just released in April 2019.
I was looking at these Kirby and Adams JIMMY OLSEN covers again, and thought I'd add new links. A wide range of one-time collaborations, the Kirby/Colletta covers (133, 139), the Adams covers (134, 135, 136, and 148), the Kirby/Adams collaborations (137, 138, 141, 142 , 144), the Kirby/Anderson cover (145), the Kirby/Royer covers (143, 146), and the very different Anderson/Adams cover (147). A tremendous range of collaborations, over just 15 issues, by some of the greatest talents ever to work in comics. Plus at least 6 rejected and unused covers, in addition to these. Only some of which have appeared in the 2004, 2005 and 2019 collected trades of the Kirby JIMMY OLSEN series. Others I've only seen in the JACK KIRBY MASTERWORKS book, across scattered issues of JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR series, or scans online. And with so many unused covers that have surfaced, there's probably more unused covers I still haven't seen. It would actually make a great portfolio by DC or Two Morrows, to collect them all together, in an original art-size 11" X 17" portfolio of loose individual pages.
Here's an old post from the John Bolton topic, with a link that allows you to read all the HOUSE OF HAMMER stories by Bolton, including the ones I haven't already linked above.
Originally Posted by Wonder Boy, May 27, 2017
. I just found a site that has scans of the complete series of the British HOUSE OF HAMMER magazine:
Issues 1-18 are HOUSE OF HAMMER. Apparently for copyright reasons after Hammer films went out of business, the magazine title changed after that. HAMMER'S HOUSE OF HORROR for issue 19. And HALLS OF HORROR for the remaining issues 20-30.
The magazine's run was further complicated by cancellation after issue 23 (1-23 ran from 1976-1978). Issues 24-30 ran from 1982-1984.
Bolton stories are in issues : 4 "Curse of the Leopard Men" 5 pages, Feb 1977 6 "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" 15p, March 1977 (also r in DRACULA COMICS SPECIAL 1, April 1984, also at the above site) 8 "Father Shandor, Demon Stalker" 6p, April 1977 (also r in WARRIOR 1, March 1982) 10 "The Werewolf" 15p. July 1977 [a k a, Vol 2 No 1] 14 Where Monsters Roamed" One Million B.C. movie adaptation 15p, Nov 1977 [a k a, Vol 2 No 2] 16 "River of Corpses..." (Father Shandor, part 2) 6p, Jan 1978 [Vol 2 No 4] (also r in WARRIOR 2, April 1982) 21 "The Devil's Dark Destiny" (Father Shandor, part 3) 6p, June 1978 [Vol 2 No 9] (also r in WARRIOR 3, July 1982) 25 "The Monster Cabaret" 12p, 1982 [Vol 3 No 1] 26 "The Monster Club" 8p, 1983 [Vol 3 No 2]
It was editor Dezz Skinn who archived the above scans, so it's a legitimate site. From what I've read elsewhere, these magazines are extremely rare, less than 5,000 copies each for most of them, so this is a great public service. Mostly articles and photos of horror films, but aside from the Bolton work, these magazines are 52 pages each, and about 18 per issue are comics stories. And most of the artists are on a par with Bolton in quality.
I thought Grimm might enjoy the articles too.
Dezz Skinn was the editor and driving force behind WARRIOR (1982-1984), that introduced Alan Moore's MARVELMAN, and V FOR VENDETTA series, that he [Alan Moore] left to do SWAMP THING. Both series were initially left unfinished, and Moore concluded them after finishing his SWAMP THING run. It was published in a 10" X 12" British magazine size.
I have a complete run of WARRIOR. I only have one issue of HOUSE OF HAMMER (issue 8). The early issues are quite pricey in their original form.
Back on the topic of atmospheric Halloween stories, within the Kirby JIMMY OLSEN run, the story in 142-143 definitely fills the bill. But on top of that, this cover for 142 offers one of my favorite Adams/Kirby collaborations :
Kirby drew this cover for issue 142, but DC didn't like the angle Kirby had Superman posed in the pencil version, so they gave it to Neal Adams to re-draw the Superman figure, which Adams did pencils and inks for, and then the other figures and background were inked by Mike Royer. So it gives a fantastic side-by-side of Adams' and Kirby's styles, in the same cover image.
Here are the original cover pencils before Adams erased and re-drew the Superman figure. It looks in this image like Royer inked these xeroxed pencils (including the original Superman figure by Kirby) sometime after the fact, for a commission. https://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/dynamics/2011/05/16/cover-to-jimmy-olsen-142-art/
As I've mentioned before, but here it is in its entirety free to read online. Some of the best Halloween reading there is, in partial color, but whether in black and white or in color, they are exactly as they originally appeared in the Warren magazines. Plus it concludes with a portfolio of about 40 suitable-for-framing introductory splash pages by Wrightson, a fantastic portfolio of Wrightson pages, that alone would be worth having the book for, and so much more worth having for the Wrightson stories.
And "All Hallows Eve" , by Bruce Jones and Tim Conrad, from TWISTED TALES 1, Nov 1982. That includes three other tongue in cheek EC-tribute stories by Jones, with Corben, Alcala and Blevins. https://viewcomiconline.com/twisted-tales-01/
But good as the Moore/Bissette/Tottleben SWAMP THING run is, I still prefer the original Wein and Wrightson issues in SWAMP THING 1-10, that in those first 10 issues manages to to fit in tribute to every classic Hollywood monster and horror meme. I dig these out and re-read them again every year or two. https://viewcomiconline.com/swamp-thing-v1-001/ The first series SWAMP THING issues after by Wein/Redondo, and Michelinie/Redondo are also still good (issues 11-24, two with art by Chan).
I only felt the first ST first series jumped the shark in the last 2 or 3 issues, when they turned ST back into Dr Alec Holland. Which is quite a feat, when you get to issue 21 of the 2nd series in "The Anatomy Lesson" by Alan Moore, and find out he never was Alec Holland ! It begs the question: How could he have been returned to human form in (first series) issues 23-24, when he was never human in the first place, just a plant who believed he was Alec Holland ?
I've been listing a lot of older stories, so I thought I'd mention some newer stuff.
Most recently, I just finished reading the collected trade of the 4-issue series by Kelley Jones for Dark Horse, LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE, which was fun reading.
Kind of in the same mode as Angel, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a tongue-in-cheek adventure story about a private detective who fights vampires, ghouls and the supernatural.
Much of Kelley Jones' other work was listed in the:
While I like the art on both, I far prefer LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE. And aside from the art, I thought SUPERNATURAL FREAK MACHINE was something of an unimaginative, overly cynical and profanity-laden dud.
. There were a number of good Lovecraft adaptations in the underground SKULL COMICS in 1971-1972, issues 4-5 (and issue 6 is an original story, but in the Lovecraft flavor).
SKULL COMICS issues 1-3 are more underground-ish, with sex, drugs and hippies, but also capture and are tribute to the unrestrained 1950's E C horror comics. I like the more sophisticated turn the series took in issues 4-6. With some nice art on multiple Lovecraft stories, from an unholy host of underground artists, including Spain Rodrigues, Jaxon, Corben, Sheridan, Dallas, and Dietch. https://viewcomiconline.com/skull-comics-4/
Two more underground series that ran concurrent with SKULL COMICS in the 1970-1972 period:
Richard Corben's self-published underground, with an E.C. style host chaqracter "Gurgy Tate" introducing the stories. I especially like the opening and closing splash pages of the two-headed Fantagor and Gurgy Tate in issue 5. Issue 1 is black and white, issue 2 is partial color, and 3 and 4 are full color. Issue 5 is partial color, and I think black and white works better on the horror stories presented.
These issues aren't online to read yet. There's a back cover house ad/poster on issue 2 that shows all 3 E.C.-styled horror hosts in one ad together, promoting the whole line.
In 1973, Corben began doing work for Warren in CREEPY, EERIE, and VAMPIRELLA, and at that point his underground work mostly stopped.
A CORBEN SPECIAL, released in 1984 by Pacific Comic, is a pleasant addition, reminiscent of Corben's work on all these earlier horror/gothic offerings, adapting Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" https://viewcomiconline.com/a-corben-special-full/
Originally Posted by Wonder Boy
.
Still feeling a bit Halloween-y this morning. Another selection from Richard Corben, WEREWOLF :
A Halloween-appropriate art print by Richard Corben. Used as the cover for Corben's EDGAR ALLAN POE collection of stories, reprinted from CREEPY, EERIE, and several underground comics.
The first is in BATMAN FAMILY 1, Oct 1975, an 18-page story set in Washington DC, that pairs Robin and Batgirl, against a resurrected Benedict Arnold, and... Satan himself. With nationalist and bicentennial themes, where Benedict Arnold is brought back in the present, to re-fight the War of Independence, and this time defeat the United States continental army. And Satan gets pissed off ! At once silly and creepy, a fun story. https://viewcomiconline.com/the-batman-family-issue-1/
And from DETECTIVE COMICS 455, Jan 1976, an 18-page story by Elliot Maggin, with art by Mile Grell. Where Bruce Wayne and Alfred are driving through a rural area, and when their car breaks down they look for help in what appears to be an old long abandoned home, and inadvertantly awaken a long-dormant vampire, ending up in a fight for their lives. https://viewcomiconline.com/detective-comics-1937-issue-455/
Both these stories give a satisfying sample of what Grell might have done in a long Batman run. But these two issues at least give a partially realized sample of what more was possible in an atmospheric creature-of-the-night Grell run on the series. Both published about the same time as the first 3 issues of Grell's THE WARLORD run.
A less satisfying sample is Grell's 4 issues in BATMAN 287-290, scripted by David V. Reed, that present no similar atmosphere, not The Batman, but just a guy in a bat-suit fighting standard costumed supervillains. Far more Adam West, than in the O'Neil/ Adams vein. While David V. Reed's scripts arguably had a playful and whimsical detective element, they were completely devoid of the shadows and mystery essential to writing Batman. Reed's scripts would have been perfect for Elongated Man backup stories, but they made for terrible Batman stories. Particularly when compared to the absolutely perfect Batman stories done in that decade by O'Neil, Adams, Giordano, Novick, Robbins, Wein, Aparo, Englehart, Amendola, Golden, and Rogers/Austin. As high above, so far below.
Reed did a handful of enjoyable stories in BATMAN 296 (Scarecrow, Amendola art), 297 (the Mad Hatter, with Buckler/Colletta art) 300 ("The last Batman story", with Walt Simonson art), and DC SPECIAL SERIES 15 (with Mike Nasser art)
But mostly Reed's Batman stories were pretty off the mark. Reed did BATMAN issues from 267-304 (Sept 1975-Oct 1978), and all 4 of these stories were at the very end of his run, DC SPECIAL SERIES 15 being the very last Baman story he wrote.
A new version of the CAVEWOMAN ONE-SHOT variant cover by Bud Root (2000), with interior art by Devon Massey. A very fun and Halloween-festive story, with playful inclusion of all the classic Hollywood monsters. This was a great introduction of artist Devon Massey, and I wish the rest of his CAVEWOMAN books were this good.
"Hide the frauleins !" Another version of Frankenstein by Budd Root. Done as a pin-up in BUDD'S BEAUTIES AND BEASTS issue 2, Feb 2007, in black and white. And possibly duplicated in other CAVEWOMAN issues.
And a nice Arthur Adams Vampirella story, in CREEPY 1993 FEARBOOK, a 13-page story within a larger 48-page anthology. (I couldn't find the full issue to link here, but a few sample pages at: http://www.sleepycomics.com/732 )
A few more Arthur Adams Halloween-orific monsters. The first looking like a cross between H.P. Lovecraft, and a 1950's science fiction B-movie.
The second is Adams' version of a Lee and Kirby/Ayers pre-Marvel monster story, from TALES TO ASTONISH 11, Sept 1960. With, as have many of these pre-Marvel stories, a wonderfully ironic twist ending. https://viewcomiconline.com/tales-to-astonish-1959-issue-11/