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KEN REID, the original artist of FRANKIE STEIN, returned to the character one more time, a whopping 17 years after having last drawn him in WHAM! back in 1967. The six page strip appeared in the MONSTER FUN Annual 1985 (issued in '84), and it's odd to think that many readers, more used to Frankie from his 1970s revival as drawn by ROBERT NIXON, may well have been disappointed by Ken's version and hankered after what they saw as the 'real' Frankie.
Sadly, Ken's art was no longer as vital and spontaneous as it had once been, so it's even possible that those brought up on his original incarnation may have thought the same thing. However, Ken Reid at his 'worst' is still better than many other artists at their best, so I thought it was worthwhile showing his final Frankie strip for anyone who may not have been aware of it before.
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And below is the captivating cover of the Annual itself...
It's odd to see him render Frankie with his overhanging brow and it's funny how expectations mould perceptions, it would be quite a nice job without reference to the earlier work. From my understanding his personal circumstances were quite fraught during this time and although the story's obviously padded to up the page count, it lacks all the mayhem of his earlier work on the strip.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if he was trying to make Frankie look something like Bob Nixon's version, DSE. As you say, okay in itself, but nowhere near as good as his earlier version of the character.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's sad to see. It's not the Frankie we're used to. But it is a valuable collectors' item, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what his thoughts were returning to a strip that he'd last drawn in 1967? Happy or sad? Perhaps by that time, it was just another job for him.
ReplyDeleteThere is a missing mayhem as DeadSpiderEye comments.
ReplyDeleteIf you did not have anything to compare it would still look 'helluva' good!
I remember the strip but not the annual cover.
That is odd.
The inking is meticulous, but the layouts are uninspired and some of the characters are a bit static and flat. Far too many side-on views. And that 2nd panel on page 2 is dreadful.
ReplyDeleteI wasnt aware of this one, Franke actually looks middle age in here with a fatter body and face, so for me Ken was using his artistice magic showing the character had aged since he first drew him (ok I know thats not true) :)
ReplyDeleteMcScotty, when Frankie was revived in the '70s, I was really quite glad as it allowed me to reconnect to my childhood. At that time, I didn't even mind that it wasn't Ken who was drawing him because Bob Nixon did such a good job. It wasn't 'til much later, long after the comics the 'new' Frankie appeared in had bitten the dust, that I kind of regretted that Ken hadn't been the artist on the revival. However, if this is what it would've looked like HAD Ken drawn it, then I have to say that Bob Nixon was the right man for the job at that time.
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