Wednesday 24 April 2013

VENUS IN BLUE SCREAMS! FIREBALL XL5 AND THE BATMEN FROM SPACE - PART THREE...

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In case you thought I'd forgotten, here's part three of the FIREBALL XL5 adventure (from TV CENTURY 21 #3, cover-dated February 6th 2065) wherein COLONEL STEVE ZODIAC and his crew encounter the mysterious BATMEN from outer space.  If you haven't yet read the previous instalments, this tale has never been reprinted in comics, magazines or books since it was first published a hundred years ago in the future (if you know what I mean), so you're being treated to a rare and wonderful delight.  GRAHAM COTON is the artist, but he would be replaced by MIKE NOBLE in issue #6 because editor ALAN FENNELL wasn't too impressed with Graham's take on the strip.  Personally, I quite like it, but it has to be admitted that Mike Noble was the Fireball artist.

Look out for Part Four soon.

4 comments:

DeadSpiderEye said...

I wonder what criteria his opinion of the artwork was based on. It looks pretty good to me, the first page is excellent with a lovely sequence. The rendering drops of a bit at the end of page two slightly but nothing I would pick over.

Kid said...

Perhaps it was based on what he knew Graham was capable of, DSE. Having seen some of the stuff he did for Look & Learn and one or two other mags, his Fireball stuff does seem a little less detailed and even a tad rushed in places. However, as I've said elsewhere, it is wonderfully 'atmospheric'.

PhilSee said...

Not being familiar with Graham Coton's other work (big gaps in my UK comics history), though I have a folder full of clippings from Look and Learn and may have some of his art without knowing who the artist was; this looks, as you say quite atmospheric. Venus seems to have been put in more peril than I can recall from the TV episodes, though it's been years (decades?!) since I have seen one. Any more Frankie Stein heading our way? Thanks again for posting all of this material.

Kid said...

Frankie will be along soon, Phil. He's looking forward to seeing you too.



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