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| Images copyright DC COMICS |
Here's a post first published over eight-and-a-half years ago which never garnered a single comment. I thought it might have better luck this time, so come on, Crivvies, don't let me down.
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Back in the early to mid-'70s, DC COMICS published a 9 issue run of a comic called BLACK MAGIC, which reprinted strips from the 1950s PRIZE COMICS mag of the same name. Some of the art was revised in places to look less dated (and also to meet then-current Comics Code requirements) and, overall, the reproduction wasn't quite as good as it could (and should) have been. However, it was a noble attempt to present older tales to a then-modern readership, so here are the covers to all 9 issues of this short-lived but interesting revival of a SIMON & KIRBY classic.
Looking at these covers takes me right back in time. I still remember the shop from which I bought the first issue, though it's so long since I've been there that I'm unsure whether it still exists or not. I suspect the latter. Also, I don't think I had every issue at the time, just the first three or four perhaps. However, I've got 'em all now, even if it did take me 40 years to own the complete set. Did you buy this mag back in the day, and if so, what are your memories of it?
(Interestingly, the fourth issue featured a version of a hitherto unused cover originally intended for the first issue of the title's initial 1950s run.)
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5 comments:
I am an enormous Jerry Grandenetti fan and his work with Joe Simon and Creig Flessel during these years is tons of fun. I had a hard time thinking of Kirby as a supernatural artist during these years since I'd run into his stuff on science fiction oriented work but I was soon to learn he and Simon had done a lot of it.
Rip Off
Blogger coincidence as I 've just commented on a similar post on Black Magic on "Steve does comics" , although that focused on a issue 6. I only had issue 3 which didn't impress me that much. I only really liked the Superhero golden age reprints like Wanted and Secret Origins etc. Love those covers though especially issue 1 a classic Grandenetti cover.
Grandenetti's style is one I'm not quite sure what I think of, even after all those years, RJ. One day I'll have to decide whether I like it or not. It certainly does its job though. I'll dig out my Prez #1 and give it another reading.
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It's interesting that out of 9 comics, only two have Kirby covers, McS. Guess any others were just too dated-looking, hence Gerry's 7 covers. Sadly, Wanted and Secret Origins didn't last long either, probably on account of the contents being not that great, historically interesting as they may've been.
Wanted and Secret Origins were really good comics as well but I understand that they might not have been to others tastes. Grandenetti did some lovely work on the Spectre before Neal Adams took over the character and they are well worth a look .
I have a full set of Wanted and Secret Origins, McS, and although I liked them, it seems that most readers just weren't interested at the time, sadly. They were mostly just a bit too old-fashioned looking for then-modern tastes - unless one was a comics 'historian'. Don't think I've seen Grandenetti's Spectre.
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