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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
I've shown it before and I'll show it again, because it was the first issue of FANTASTIC I ever bought - even though I'd seen previous issues, but never succumbed to their lure. If you compare the above cover to the original, below, you'll notice that it's been re-lettered, and that there're slight differences to the art - leading me to think that the Fantastic version may be from a very poor stat which has been heavily retouched - or perhaps even completely traced from an inferior source. Think I'm havering? Then compare the two covers for yourselves and make up your own minds.
But there were much bigger bloopers than this on Fantastic and Terrific. Perhaps it may have been traced, but it went completely unnoticed by myself and, (I suspect) other kids? All these little aborations have been picked up by enthusiasts in later years, once they become familiar with particular artists' work. I do, however, find posts comparing all of the different covers of reprints of (particularly Marvel) comics very interesting though, should you fancy perhaps a series of these? (Marvel/Power side by side, as above). And you could detail the differences for those of us not so Eagle-eyed as yourself?
ReplyDeleteIs that a blogtastic idea, or what?
I know I asked you first, but, if you're not all that bothered about doing this, I wouldn't mind having a crack at it?
DeleteThis was probably the first Iron Man solo story that I ever read, when it was reprinted in Marvel Collector's Item Classics. Although I had seen the character before (along with Thor and the Hulk) in Marvel Super Heroes Special #1, which reprinted Avengers #2.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call this a 'blooper', JP. There would've been a reason for it, and it least it preserved the spirit of Kirby's original drawing, if not the original inker's linework. Perhaps Marvel couldn't find a file stat of the original inked cover to supple to Odhams, and had someone else ink a stat of the pencilled version? Guess we'll never know for sure.
ReplyDelete******
I believe this was my first Iron Man solo story as well, TC, and one of my favourites - along with The Mad Pharaoh story. I've got that MSH #1, but I didn't see it at the time it was published in 1966, although I read The Space Phantom tale in a British comic called Smash!
I'm curious why covers have to be redrawn. I'm assuming photo stating at the time of an actual comic gave bad results.
ReplyDeleteNo, stats were usually fine, PS - Marvel wouldn't have sent Odhams any original art, so the rest of the comic was produced from stats. (Or photo-mechanical transfers - a high-quality 'stat', not like the ones on cheap paper that you'd get in the public library.) It's always possible that the b&w cover stats were mislaid, requiring a new version of the cover to be re-inked from an enlarged stat of the actual printed comic. Like I said, it's pure speculation 'though.
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating and new to me, photostating of the US comics for the UK reprints, but I guess that's how they made splash pages out of covers, etc.
DeleteWas surprised to find that every issue of Astounding Science Fiction's British Reprint Edition had a repainted cover. It ran from 1939 to 1963. So, it wasn't just Power comics and Marvel that did this.
ReplyDeleteHere's a website that compares them
http://www.efanzines.com/JTE/index.htm
Took a look, LJ, and very interesting it was too. Makes you wonder why, eh?
ReplyDeleteYou have to remember, JP, that 'photostat' machines back then were huge things, and not neat little boxes conveniently tucked into a corner of a room somewhere. The copies were on something akin to photographic paper and usually of a very high quality. There were exceptions of course. The thing is, as I said in a previous response, they weren't equatable to copies made on library or office photocopies.
ReplyDeleteI always assumed that Odhams/Class,etc. somehow got hold of b&w prints from Marvel.
DeleteI live and learn!
Well, they did, JP - but they were called 'photostats'. Or 'prints', or 'pmts', or whatever word was applied to them. Marvel supplied Odhams, Class, etc., so the cover to Fantastic #7 may well have been supplied to Marvel for one of the reasons mentioned in my previous comments. One Thor story published in Fantastic was from photostatted copies of an actual printed comic, with the contrast turned up and the pages retouched with process white to dilute the 'grey' areas. Whether the retouching was done by Marvel in the States or by Odhams in Britain I just don't know 'though.
ReplyDeleteI've actually done at least one post about cover differences before, JP (the Iron Man Mad Pharaoh story), but feel free.