CRIVENS! COMICS & STUFF!: SECRET ORIGINS COVER & IMAGE GALLERY

Saturday 12 October 2024

SECRET ORIGINS COVER & IMAGE GALLERY - PART THIRTEEN...

Panic ye not, cavortin' Crivs - although this entry concludes the 50 issue regular magazine run, we're not going to end on unlucky (part) 13, as there's still one final post to come featuring Annuals and Specials. So it's only taken around 8 years to get to the end of this series, which kind of reflects not only my lack of enthusiasm for this mag, but yours also, as (with a few exceptions aside) not many of these posts seemed to generate many hits or comments. Who knows, maybe there'll be a collective sigh of relief now that it's about to end, which will inspire a rabid response to mark its passing, eh? However, wait 'til part 14 when we officially pull down the curtain on this particular gallery and close its doors for good. In the meantime, cast a glance over what's on offer this time around.

9 comments:

Norman said...: Well, you've guilted me into commenting!! I'm finding numbers of views let alone comments are making me slow down.
I never saw this series as I'd left comics in the late 70s to get narried, etc. etc. And covers are one thing. But I have loved seeing the splash pages. And I hadn't realised Swan was in these. Gorgeous; 12 October 2024 at 09:03
Kid said...: Hi, NB, I've probably inadvertently exaggerated the lack of popularity of these posts, but it just seems that they haven't set the blogging world alight, even though there ARE some good images in amongst them. Also, I loved the very first issue, which had Wayne Boring drawing Superman, inked by Jerry Ordway.; 12 October 2024 at 10:57
Colin Jones said...: Tomorrow is exactly 50 years since the first episode of the POTA TV series was broadcast on ITV at 7:25pm. This is a momentous anniversary for me because the direction of my childhood was completely changed by the POTA TV series and the subsequent discovery of the POTA weekly and Marvel comics and Conan of whom I've been a lifelong fan as well as meeting other Marvel readers like my friend Carl Coffey so I can't imagine my childhood without Marvel and it probably wouldn't have happened without the POTA TV series to kick it all off.; 12 October 2024 at 13:23
Kid said...: What else can I say, CJ, but happy 50th Anniversary. As far as POTA goes, although I've seen all 5 original movies, I've never seen even one episode of the TV show. Maybe one day, eh? That name Carl Coffey sounds familiar; did he have any letters published in any of the UK Marvel mags back in the day?; 12 October 2024 at 14:47
Colin Jones said...: Not as far as I know, Kid, and I think I'd have heard about it if he did.

Talking of 50th anniversaries - did you ever watch Coronation Street in the '70s? If so do you remember when the women of the street went on holiday to Majorca? Those Majorca episodes were broadcast on October 14th and 16th 1974 so it's the 50th anniversary of them too. They are the earliest Corrie episodes I can remember watching and I watched them both again on YouTube last year.; 12 October 2024 at 15:13
Kid said...: I'd only have seen Coronation Street when my mother was watching CJ, and even then I wouldn't have been paying much attention to what was going on. I remember early characters, but not really any of the storylines.; 12 October 2024 at 18:26
McSCOTTY said...: I also wasn't aware Curt Swan was drawing some of these issues ( I thought he had retired by then) some very nice pages. The only issues of this version of Secret Origins I still have are numbers 48 and 49 .; 12 October 2024 at 20:26
Monty said...: I always enjoy looking at any comic book art particularly pre-90s. I didn't collect a lot of DC titles as I've mentioned before I didn't have access to them locally. So I don't feel qualified to comment on something I don't know too much about but enjoy nevertheless. It's a pity the blog doesn't have a like button as I'm sure all who look would click it even if not commenting.

I was a long term viewer of Coronation Street and remember the Majorca episodes even though I was 5 at the time. I watched it up until Steve MacDonald was lecturing his mate about white privilege. At that point I turned to the wife and said "This is no longer for me." We used to watch it while eating dinner (evening) but now we watch sit-coms or something for half an hour. We've just finished watching the 70s Famous Five series. Next we're watching the 90s Famous Five series. I have a long list of things to watch that should keep me going as long as I watched Corrie at least.; 12 October 2024 at 21:24
Kid said...: I think Curt still kept his hand in on occasion, McS, though I don't think he was doing much. Shame he didn't do more.

******

The blog did have a 'like' button at one time, M, but I think I disabled it because a couple of detractors used the opportunity to 'dislike' on occasions, or to tick 'amusing' on serious subjects. I just thought I'd deny them their childish spite. I also used to have a 'If you liked this post, you may also like these' option, but it just vanished one day and I haven't been able to restore it.; 12 October 2024 at 23:16

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.

********************************************

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.

********************************************

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.)

******************************************

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