Sunday, 4 August 2013

PART SIXTEEN OF FAVOURITE COMICS OF THE PAST - FRIENDS, ROMANS, SUPERHEROES...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

IPC's new EAGLE comic came out on March 20th, 1982 (cover-dated 27th), but that's not the comic I want to reminisce about this time 'round, o cultured Crivvie comicbook collectors.  So why mention it, the more astute among you may be wondering.  That seems an entirely reasonable question, so I'll tell you.

I'd bought a copy of the revived title on the day, which was a Saturday, but I wanted another one because I'd damaged the cover while removing the free space spinner gift.  Consequently, the very next morning (Sunday), I took a stroll along to my old neighbourhood, where lay situated the very newsagent's from which I'd bought some of my very favourite comics back in the '60s and '70s.

I picked up a couple of copies of the new comic from the counter and then took a glance at a magazine shelf behind me.  What's this?  FANTASTIC FOUR #241 stared up at me in almost pristine newness, begging for me to buy it and take it home with me.  So I did!  The legendary JOHN BYRNE was the writer and artist on the mag at the time, and his run ranks right up there with STAN LEE's and JACK KIRBY's celebrated 102 issues over a ground-breaking nine year span.

On my way home, I dropped in on someone I knew, who gifted me with his SMASH! Annual for 1974, which he'd got as a Christmas present way back in 1973.  The reason for this act of seeming generosity sprang from his desire to induce me to paint a HULK picture on his wall at a later date.  If I remember correctly, I drew the outline that very day, and returned on a couple of subsequent occasions to paint it in.

To digress for but a mere moment, a few years before, I'd painted a life-size Hulk on another friend's ground-floor bedroom wall at the front of his house, and it soon became the talk of the steamie.  People couldn't walk past his house without standing and staring in through his window in admiration at my awesome artistic achievement (he said, modestly).

Anyway, on that particular Sunday of March 21st, I returned home with a couple of Eagle comics, a Fantastic Four mag and a Smash Annual - all of which I've still got.  I may show you pages from the other two publications in the future, but for the moment, let's savour a few images from the fabulous foursome's 241st issue of 'The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!'

And you know what?  Back then, it was!






 
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5 comments:

  1. Simon B 4 August 2013 at 14:39

    I've got the majority of Byrne's FF run... but not this issue, so it's nice to see some of the artwork.

    I know a lot of old-time Marvel pros, like Marv Wolfman, didn't like Byrne's take on the FF as he pretty much discounted a decade's worth of their continuity, but I loved it! Byrne just seemed to have a perfect grasp of what makes the characters work and knew the best use of their powers / personalities in various scenarios. And he drew some cute women, too! Superficial, moi?

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  2. Kid4 August 2013 at 14:59

    It was a brilliant run while it lasted. The only thing I didn't much like was Alicia switching her romantic affections from Ben to Johnny, but a later writer 'discounted' that by making that particular Alicia a Skrull.

    I've got the complete run, plus the 1st volume of Byrne's FF Omnibus. The 2nd one's due out this month (if it isn't already) so I'd better start saving.

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  3. Unknown5 August 2013 at 11:27

    I love the Byrne Fantastic Four run and I most of it if not all tucked away in my collection.
    The first time I came accross his stuff though was in the Marvel UK re-prints of the Secrest was saga that ran weekly in the UK about the time the baxter building rocketed of somewhere and Sue Storm/Richards had been brain washed into becoming Malice.
    I then started collecting spider-man and the Zoids and his run was re-printed in that too.
    Not sure what it is but I find his art comes off better in the larger UK printed size to the smailler US.
    carebus660 i have a copy of the issue Kid has put here up for sale in my ebid store if you would like it. would place a link but not sure kid would aprove ;-)

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  4. Kid5 August 2013 at 11:52

    Paul, add your link in case Cerebus is interested. I wouldn't want to deprive a man of an opportunity to fill a gap in his collection. (And I want 10%.)

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  5. Unknown5 August 2013 at 12:41

    cheers Kid.

    http://uk.ebid.net/for-sale/marvel-comics-fantastic-four-241-apr-1982-115459828.htm

    not sure if it will be a clickable one so may have to cut and pastie it.

    ReplyDelete

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