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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
Well, folks, here we are again, this time with a belated part two of our TALES OF SUSPENSE cover gallery - featuring ten, count 'em - ten great covers from the dawn of the MARVEL AGE. I'm familiar with a few of these INVINCIBLE IRON MAN images from when they adorned the covers of a British weekly periodical called FANTASTIC, published by ODHAMS PRESS in the late 1960s, but it's great to see the originals.
Some of them look a little rushed to me, but JACK KIRBY was pencilling almost everything that Marvel was producing at this time, so, given his workload, it's understandable. Look at #52 - The CRIMSON DYNAMO looks like a midget compared to Iron Man, but the size of characters in relation to one another was never Jack's strong point. My favourite cover out of the bunch is, in fact, #57 by DON HECK - although it's actually a makeshift one consisting of 'cut-ups' from some of the story's interior panels.
Know something? If Marvel were to republish these comics tomorrow as single issues, I'd buy 'em before any contemporary comic, even though I already have several reprints of each one. Just what does that tell you about modern comics? Answers on a postcard please. (Or you can use the comments section.)
You're a bit hard on modern comics there, Kid. When I came back to reading them in 2007 after a 24-year gap I certainly noticed how they'd changed but I soon got used to it and I quite enjoy them. I've got no intention of abandoning them again and I like to keep up with what's happening - did you know the Watcher has been murdered !!! (Of course he won't stay dead but the audacity of murdering the Watcher !!).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Kid - I'm currently immersing myself in those POTA stories on the Hunter's POTA website and they also show the letters pages which are fascinating to read and on the letters page from MWOM & POTA No. 237 there's a letter from somebody replying to a previous letter from a "Gordon Robson" lol. I know you've mentioned this in a previous post but it was still extraordinary to stumble on it while reading the letters pages. I seemed to keep missing the comics your letters were in - I didn't have POTA No.8 nor MWOM/POTA No. 237 but I did have the one after it as I remember the Apes story, in fact I think that was the final Apes story I read - until now when I intend to finally finish reading them all.
ReplyDeleteI'd read about The Watcher being murdered, Col, but find myself oddly uninterested. I've got a number of Fantastic Fours still to read going back several issues - all lying in a pile. Despite enjoying one or two current mags, I still think I'd rather buy re-issues of '60s ones in single monthly format.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the info, Col. I had photocopied that reply to my letter, but hadn't kept the actual ish, nor remembered the number. Now I can hunt one down on eBay.
One can't help chuckling when looking upon Tales Of Suspense #53: the threat to a man wearing the most sophisticated tech ever is a curvy brunette in an evening dress - complete with fur wrap and pillbox hat - shooting little squiggles out of her hands.
ReplyDeleteThings certainly improved come Spider-Man #86!
I dunno, BS -a curvy brunette in an evening dress always knocks me for six - with or without squiggles.
ReplyDelete