CRIVENS! COMICS & STUFF!: AN AMAZING ADVENTURE INTO ADULT FANTASY

Monday, 21 October 2013

AN AMAZING ADVENTURE INTO ADULT FANTASY - COVER GALLERY...

Art by KIRBY & AYERS. Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Forget what you've read, it didn't happen that way! AMAZING FANTASY #15 was never intended to be the last issue, and SPIDER-MAN wasn't published in it as a 'one-shot' so that STAN LEE could get the character out of his system. It's true that AF #15 was the final ish, but it wasn't cancelled 'til after it had gone to the printers and probably not even until after it had hit the stands. Ol' Spidey was intended as an ongoing character from the very beginning and issue #15 was meant to be the first in a new direction for the comic.

It started as an anthology mag called AMAZING ADVENTURES, featuring various SF and mystery tales (including an early prototype of DOCTOR STRANGE, called DOCTOR DROOM), drawn by artists like KIRBY, DITKO, AYERS, HECK and REINMAN. However, with its 7th issue, the name changed to AMAZING ADULT FANTASY and it became an exclusive showcase for Steve Ditko's artwork. Sales were slipping though, so it was decided to try and infuse new life into the mag by changing it into a superhero title along the lines of The FANTASTIC FOUR and The INCREDIBLE HULK. The word 'adult' was dropped from the logo as it would've seemed out of place on a comicbook featuring a 'long underwear character' aimed at juvenile readers.

Meanwhile, however, publisher MARTIN GOODMAN had seen the recent sales figures and, despite Stan's plans for the comic, ordered its cancellation with immediate effect. The Spidey story intended for #16 then found its way into The AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 several months later, and the mag lasted for 700 issues before being cancelled to make way for The SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN last year.

Here, then, is a complete gallery of all 15 covers from the short-lived comic that led to the debut of The Amazing Spider-Man, MARVEL's flagship character. From such little acorns mighty oaks do grow!

SPECIAL BONUS: Below is the original, unused cover for AF #15. I suspect the logo from the published issue above would've replaced the one (based on the original Amazing Adventures logo) on Ditko's version, had it seen print.

5 comments:

Nick Caputo said...: Kid,

Wonderful covers by Ditko with # 13 being my favorite cover. For thouse of you into Minutiae (plug!) Amazing Adventures # 5's cover is taken from the splash page of the story, leading to some extra space on the right. Ditko added the figure of the meek fellow on the bottom, thus a preview of Ditko's covers to come.; 21 October 2013 at 03:15
Kid said...: Thanks, Nick. I'd spotted the Ditko figure - no way it could've been drawn by anyone else. Incidentally, #13 was reprinted in its entirety (apart from new ads) back in the '90s. No silver or black margins around the cover, the art filled the dimensions completey. Very nice.; 21 October 2013 at 03:27
baab said...: That was great.

Number 13 has a cover that would not have been out of place or date on a Creepy or Weird Worlds cover.
I see a massive difference between the style of the rest compared to this,until that Spider-Man figure on 15.
That must have been a dimensional shift in people's visual world.

The figure you both mention above,drawn by Steve Ditko sticks out like a sore thumb to those with eyes to see.

The standing figure on number 2 with the blonde hair and the guy at the front of the class,white shirt and tie, have very non-Kirby faces,possibly just the inker.

That was great.; 21 October 2013 at 09:54
Nick Caputo said...: Baab,

I think it is the inkingo the cover of AA 2, which I believe is by Sol Brodsky.; 21 October 2013 at 22:15
Anonymous said...: Not seen these before amazing stuff with Ditko (in most cases) at his very best - Issue 15 (the famous Spidey issue)looks the most drab by comparison to the rest - Issue 13 is fantastic love it – it’s going to be my new PC wallpaper – Great stuff again - McScotty; 22 October 2013 at 18:08

About the artist:

From 1985 to 2000 A.D. (little joke there), I contributed to a variety of high profile comics and magazines for various companies.

For IPC/FLEETWAY/EGMONT, I freelanced as a lettering and logo artist on various weekly comics and monthly magazines, and also as a resize comic artist and spot illustrator on pocket books, summer specials and annuals.

For MARVEL U.K., BLACK LIBRARY, REDAN and USBORNE BOOKS, I again freelanced as a lettering artist, also working as a restoration artist for MARVEL U.S., restoring and re-creating certain pages of JACK KIRBY art for their MARVEL MASTERWORKS editions.

I also lettered the MARVELMAN sample pages submitted to MARVEL U.S. when they were considering acquiring the character, which - as we all now know - they DID.

Supplied comic strips, cartoons and illustrated advertisements for local business campaigns and newspaper publication on a professional basis since the age of 16. Did my first paid art job for publication at 14 or 15 for Lanarkshire Education Board.

Have also made TV appearances as a collector of memorabilia.

********************************************

Just some of the titles I worked on are:

2000 A.D. * JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE * DICEMAN * SONIC The COMIC * JUDGE DREDD, LAWMAN Of The FUTURE * CRISIS * REVOLVER * EAGLE * TIGER * BATTLE ACTION-FORCE * BUSTER * WHIZZER & CHIPS * WHOOPEE * NIPPER * SCHOOL FUN * ACE VENTURA, PET DETECTIVE * The REAL GHOSTBUSTERS * DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE * COUNT DUCKULA * RUGRATS * The TRANSFORMERS * DEATH'S HEAD * THUNDERCATS * GALAXY RANGERS * DRAGON'S CLAWS * SINDY * MARVEL MASTERWORKS * The TROLLS * LOADED * INFERNO * WARHAMMER * ROSE BLACK.

Copyright Notice:

Images remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are used here only for the purpose of review, promotion, and nostalgia.

********************************************

In the case of images culled from my own collection where copyright of an item isn't mine, I impose no copying restrictions on fellow bloggers.

(Although, if you don't allow copying on your own site, then you really shouldn't be copying from others, should you?)

And while you can credit this blog if you like, it's not mandatory. Who has time to make notes of every casually visited site during an idle browse of the internet?

In the case of anyone copying images of my own artwork and calligraphy, I affirm my right to be identified as the creator, and any such copying should not be for the purpose of monetary or material gain. (Unless it's mine.)

******************************************

Please also note that this blog is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or connected to, any organisation, business, or group, and is wholly independent.