CRIVENS! COMICS & STUFF!: THE FABULOUS FANTASTIC FOOM COVER GALLERY OMNIBUS EDITION...

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

THE FABULOUS FANTASTIC FOOM COVER GALLERY OMNIBUS EDITION...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS & respective owners

Strike while the iron is hot, so they say, which is good advice. So, having taken two years to work through all 22 issues of FOOM magazine and some of the contents, I thought it would make for easier reference to the covers to publish them all in a single post. Also included is the famous poster by STERANKO, which you'll find at the foot of the page.

Should you want to read some of the articles (in case you missed them first time around, or have forgotten them), they can be accessed by clicking on the links to earlier posts, which appear periodically in the 'You might also like:' facility beneath this post. (Or at least it used to - don't know what's happened to it.)

Update: Below is the front cover to a FOOM one-shot published in 2017. The back cover was just an ad, so I haven't bothered including it.

17 comments:

John Pitt said...: Great gallery! I was wondering did the MMMS also produce a mag in the States?; 17 February 2015 at 12:22
Kid said...: Yup, but it wasn't as good as FOOM mag. I may have shown the first one on this blog - I know I meant to.; 17 February 2015 at 12:37
Anonymous said...: I never owned a single issue of FOOM but , of course, I well remember the name from the '70s. They look really interesting though and I like the way each one looks completely unique. So why did FOOM end, Kid ?; 17 February 2015 at 14:26
Kid said...: For the same reason any mag ends, I'd guess, CJ - eventually it wasn't profitable to continue publishing it.; 17 February 2015 at 14:42
The Groovy Agent said...: What a fantastic post! FOOM was such a big part of my later childhood/teen years. Gave me a link to Marvel and even the bravery to send them art samples. Even the rejections were cool, lol! Jim Shooter gave me pointers! The early 1970s MarvelMania mag did point the way, but it wasn't nearly as slick or cool. (Oh, the MMMS was in the 60s--they didn't produce a mag, but they did do that cool "Meet the Bullpen" record.); 17 February 2015 at 14:46
Kid said...: You're right, TGA. I keep getting M.M.M.S. mixed up with Marvelmania. I've got the M.M.M.S. record on CD - shame Ditko didn't contribute. The complete kit was reissued a number of years ago by Marvel. Glad you liked the post.; 17 February 2015 at 14:52
Anonymous said...: Oops, I completely misunderstood what FOOM actually was - I thought it was a club and the magazine was sent to members. Apart from the name I knew nothing about it. When I asked why did FOOM end I meant why did the club end - you'll have to excuse my ignorance, Kid. I've googled it now :); 17 February 2015 at 15:24
Arfon Jones said...: Glorious!; 17 February 2015 at 15:33
Kid said...: When you joined the club, your first mag was included, but then you had to buy future mags - I think you got 3 (as they came out) for 50p, if I remember correctly. I suppose that I could still regard myself as a member of FOOM (having joined in '73), even though the mag is no longer produced.

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I'll just pretend that you mean me, AJ. Glorious Gordie has a good ring to it.; 17 February 2015 at 15:38
Unknown said...: Excellent gallery Kid - I haven't seen all these covers before so great to see them now. I recall desperately wanting to join FOOM when they advertised it in UK Marvel way back (possibly in an early MWOM) I recall running to the local Post Office to get my stamp and postal order and send it with the application, sadly I got a " knock back" (and my money back) with a hand written note (scrawl) saying it was “sold out” and they may order more later and so I had to look out for any adverts for it etc (I was fair miffed).

I have since picked up 3 issues of FOOM (numbers 16,17 and 18) at various marts, but I always wanted to get issues 1 and 2 (especially issue 2 with that amazing Steranko Hulk cover). As I read these magazines well after they came out I was less impressed with them as I would have been if 12 year old me got them first time around in 1973 but still nice reads (I actually preferred DC’s fanzine “The World of DC comics”); 17 February 2015 at 18:59
Kid said...: Funnily enough, McScotty, I always fancied the DC fanzine, but still haven't seen or read one to this day. (Seen pictures of one or two covers, but never 'in the flesh'.) I know what you mean about FOOM mag - on the whole, it was never really as good as it should have been (or promised to be).; 17 February 2015 at 20:06
Dave S said...: Just spent a few minutes looking at those drawings of the Bullpen in FOOM 16 and trying to identify some of the people.

That looks like John Buscema stomping along a corridor carrying some pages (with either Gene Colan or Dick Ayers behind him?), and I think I see John Romita drawing while Spidey swings past his window, Archie Goodwin shooting someone while a nervous looking Roger Stern sits nearby. There's John Verpoorten backhanding someone through a window, and I think the gent in the shirt and tie in the bottom left of the second pic is George Roussos.

That may be Larry Lieber drawing a stick figure in the room to the left of the M in Foom, and is that Dave Cockrum trying to draw while a woman does a bit of panel beating on Captain America's shield?

Anyone agree or disagree, or name any others?; 17 February 2015 at 21:40
Kid said...: You should track down the post on this blog which has some internal pages of that issue, DD - it contains the list which identifies everyone on the cover.; 17 February 2015 at 22:46
Dave S said...: Aha, just found it, Kid, thanks for the heads-up! Can't believe I missed the most obvious one of all- Jim Shooter!; 17 February 2015 at 23:13
Kid said...: Nae tother a ba', DD.; 17 February 2015 at 23:30
baab said...: That poster is just wonderful.
I remember staring in awe at a new friend's bedroom wall where it hung.

I may have had it for a few years on my own wall,but I cant be sure.; 17 February 2015 at 23:49
Kid said...: There's bits of it that don't quite work 'though, Baab. The Torch is too tall, the Hulk is too small, and the Thing and Hulk's stances are also a bit dodgy.; 18 February 2015 at 00:00

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.

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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.

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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.)

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