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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
Here's two of the comics mentioned, but not pictured, in the previous post. The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR lasted for 37 issues before being merged with The MIGHTY WORLD Of MARVEL (putting the good ol' FF right back where they started). It was probably one of the better comics that MARVEL U.K. ever published, so it's a shame it didn't have a much longer run. It has a modern day equivalent in FANTASTIC FOUR ADVENTURES, published by PANINI, but I hear that, sadly, the next issue (#28) is to be the last due to low sales.
RAMPAGE lasted around 34 issues before fading away, to be relaunched a couple of months later as a monthly, featuring black and white tales of The INCREDIBLE HULK. Despite the weekly featuring The DEFENDERS and NOVA, this title always seemed a bit lacklustre to me, probably because it was overshadowed by its FF sister publication, which I thought was a great little magazine. What's the old saying? "A sparrow may look beautiful - until it stands next to a peacock." Well, I guess TCFF was the latter in that instance, though it only lasted three more weekly issues than the former, so nothing to crow about. (These bird allusions are writing themselves now, so I'm outta here.)
Enjoy the covers.
6 comments:
I had the reverse reaction! I loved the Sal Buscema Defenders and Nova was, at least initially, a charming contrast. It was even better when it went monthly with the Rampaging Hulk (and the All-New X-Men!) The Starlin and Simonson stories were particular favourites of mine.
On the other hand, I'd seen all the FF back-ups and that Conway/Buckler period...echhh! Reed and Sue splitting up; interminable, dull stories with Dr. Doom (I mean, Dr. Doom! How can you get him wrong?; and Medusa- a regal villainess, reduced to a passenger. What did she actually DO as a member of the FF?
What turned me off was the fact that 2 pictures were deleted from the first half of the Nova story, which I already had in its original US colour version. (As well as some subsequent issues.) And I was never that much of a Defenders fan, viewing them as a mere imitation of The Avengers.
As for the FF, what I loved was the Lee/Kirby classics printed in the back of the mag, along with the original covers. Wasn't a huge fan of the Rich Buckler-Kirby imitation art, but the comic featured some nice John Buscema stories too.
Kid,
FF cover is either by Ron wilson or Larry Lieber, inked by Frank Giacoia and Rampage by Ron and Mike Esposito.
The Reed Richards figure definitely looks like Lieber imitating Kirby, and the Thing figure has a hint of Wilson about it. Could be Lieber copying a Wilson Thing drawing, perhaps?
It's possible both men were involved in the cover, as the Thing does look a little odd and more like Wilson's style.
Nick, looking at the cover again, I think Reed's figure has been copied from a Rich Buckler 'after Kirby' figure. The Torch is definitely copied from Kirby. Ron Wilson didn't usually copy Kirby's style, so my guess is that Larry Lieber drew the cover, copying various figures by different artists, Wilson included.
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