Thursday, 19 June 2014

SIMON & KIRBY FIGHTING AMERICAN COVER GALLERY (REMASTERED)...

Copyright relevant owner

FIGHTING AMERICAN - a CAPTAIN AMERICA copy by SIMON & KIRBY - was another comic that didn't last too long in its original run, and failed to make waves with what transpired to be only a one-issue revival.  Published by CRESTWOOD PUBLICATIONS under their PRIZE COMICS imprint, this creator-owned mag lasted just seven issues before disappearing until 1966, when HARVEY COMICS released the aforementioned one-shot, containing reprints and unpublished inventory material.

Originally envisioned as a serious adventure strip, it changed direction in later issues and became a satirical superhero series, but failed to set the comics-buying world aflame.  It had a somewhat macabre premise, in that the hero, NELSON FLAGG, has his lifeforce and consciousness transferred (via U.S. Military experimental technology) into the revitalized and strengthened corpse of his recently murdered older brother, JOHNNY.

MARVEL COMICS released a hardback collection of the stories in 1989, but it's from a 2011 TITAN BOOKS edition with more accurate reproductions that most of these covers (with one exception) come.  Also included is the cover for an unpublished Harvey follow-up issue, which tends to suggest that a regular monthly or bi-monthly title was being considered if the first one sold well.  (Which it obviously didn't.)

Well, what are you waiting for?  Enjoy!








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2 comments:

  1. baab19 June 2014 at 22:52

    I just thumbed my way through my Marvel hardback edition and the reproduction is quite black ink heavy.

    I may have a wee look at the Titan edition.

    I cant add much more than they are great comics with great humour and creativity especially the 'bad guys'.



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  2. Kid20 June 2014 at 00:02

    They strike me as being okay, nothing brilliant, Baab. However, perhaps if I'd read them as a teenager they'd have made more of an impression. You can see a review of the Titan edition in the post 'Will Someone Please Give Johnny Flagg A Fighting Chance...?'. There's also a larger volume containing the complete Fighting American issues as well as other stories and the reproduction is much clearer due to better printing.

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