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| Image copyright MARVEL COMICS |
Guess what, Crivvies? When I posted the previous piece about the SUB-MARINER King-Size Special #1, I'd never seen the second issue and wondered whether it had ever actually been published, despite readers being advised in the first issue to look forward to it. (After all, plans sometimes change.) While searching for confirmation that SAL BUSCEMA had illustrated the first cover, I discovered that #2 had indeed been printed, so I searched eBay and bought one for a few paltry quid.
Look at the great BILL EVERETT art, above! It'll be a few days until the mag arrives, at which time I'll show you the cover again, as well as some of the contents. That's the seller's photo of the very issue I purchased today, so I can't wait until I get my grubby hands on the actual comic and place it next to its predecessor. It may have taken 43 or 44 years to get the next ish, but it really does seem like only a short while ago since I bought the first Special all those years ago.
I hope you crazy Crivs are all at least half as excited as I am about it, 'cos then I'll be twice as excited as you! Excelsior!
10 comments:
Interesting that the story is entitled "The End of the Quest", which would sort of encapsulate your very quest to learn of this ones existence and acquire a copy. Ah, eBay; where would we be without it?, a little bit richer in pocket but not in spirit I suspect, uniting collectors around the world as it does.
I see what you mean, PC, but it was a short quest as I only learned for sure of the mag's existence the other day, which is when I made up my mind to get one. And I already have the stories in Terrific and the first volume of the Sub-Mariner Masterworks edition. However, it IS good to have the two mags which have the complete story between them. Yeah, where would we be without eBay?
I've only recently discovered a lot of Bill Everett's art with Marvel and he was really talented. I read where Gene Colan (spelled correctly, thank you very much :)) once said that he was first choice as artist for Tomb of Dracula. I would have loved to have seen his version.
That would certainly have been interesting to see, G, but I'm not sure if he'd have been able to match Colan in the mood and atmosphere department. Still, I could be underestimating him.
One my comic con friends showed me a 60s Everett original Subby piece he got. Everett got better as he got older and I think he really suited Subby. Colan could do anything but his work was so cinematic and realistic I don't think he was best was an underwater hero. You needed someone who could do stylized water, and that was Ramona Fradon or Everett. On the other hand I never liked Everett's Hulk....
I was never keen on his inks over Kirby - gave the art too much of a cartoony look. Colan, being a master of light and shade, was great at illustrating the 'murky depths' I thought, but Everett's '50s Subby tales have an undeniable charm.
IIRC, at this point (1971-72) Everett returned to his creation, writing and illustrating the strip with amazing vigor until failing health forced him off it.
Ironically (and sadly), it's some of the best work he ever did, clearing up what happened to both Namora and Venus and introducing Namorita!
I'll have to hope the Everett Subby strips are eventually printed in an Epic Collection, BR, so that I can see what I missed.
Not only did it exist but it found its way to Blackpool in 1975, where I bought a copy from a dinky little indoor market type place on Waterloo Road.
Ah, but did you have the first one, SDC? I've now got both of them. O, the joy!
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