PART TWO Of The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR COVER & IMAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Welcome back!  Couldn't keep away, could you?  And who could possibly blame you when there's some classic comicbook art by both Big JOHN BUSCEMA and Jolly JACK KIRBY on display?  The COMPLETE FANTASTIC FOUR was a terrific MARVEL U.K. weekly periodical which filled us in on the then-relatively recent adventures of the Fab Four (no, Melvin, not The BEATLES), plus super classic stories from the early '60s.  Who could ask for more for a mere 10 pence?

I suppose it's a shame that all these titanic tales weren't in colour, but British readers were used to the majority of their regular weeklies being mainly in black and white. On the plus side (as I noted last time), Marvel had finally managed to master the use of ZIPATONE (that's the U.S. equivalent of LETRATONE) so that the grey tones didn't obscure the detail on the art, as had once been the case with previous titles.

Anyway, that's enough waffle from me.  I now unleash upon you highlights from another three issues of The Complete Fantastic Four.  More CFF still to come, frantic ones - be sure not to miss them!

   

MY PARTNER THE GHOST...

MY PARTNER THE GHOST was the American title for ITC's RANDALL & HOPKIRK (DECEASED) TV series when it was broadcast in the States in the 1970s.  The theme tune by EDWIN ASTLEY is a belter, but so also is the DAVID ARNOLD theme (sung by NINA PERSSON) from the 2000-'01 BBC remake.  Here's the latter in all its ghostly glory to send a shiver of pleasure down your spine.

JACK KIRBY'S CHALLENGERS Of The UNKNOWN COVER & IMAGE GALLERY - PART THREE...

Images copyright DC COMICS

Now we're into the good stuff.  WALLY WOOD takes JACK KIRBY's superb storytelling prowess to even greater levels with his sublime delineation of DC COMICS' CHALLENGERS Of The UNKNOWN.  "Greater than the sum of its parts" is a bit of a cliche, but never was it more true than when Kirby and Wood were combined on the art duties of this iconic comicbook from the '50s.

As great as JOE SINNOTT, VINCE COLLETTA and MIKE ROYER were (and I know we'll get some stick over the inclusion of VC's name there), no one ever enhanced Kirby's art better than Wally Wood  did - bar none.  (ALFREDO ALCALA did a great job inking JK's pencils on DESTROYER DUCK, and had Jack been at the top of his game at the time, the results would've been comparable to his Wood-inked  Challs pages.  They almost were - but not quite.)

Anyway, that's my opinion on the matter.  Feel perfectly free to disagree in the comments section - or even just say what your favourite Challengers cover is.  Go on - be the first!

  

COMPUTER GENERATED FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER...

Having looked at KEN REID's FRANKIE STEIN, let's now turn our attention to the original inspiration for the strip - FRANKENSTEIN.  What we have above is a CGI clip that someone made a while back.  I'd love to see a full-colour remake of the 1931 movie, with a CGI BORIS KARLOFF MONSTER.  Anyone feel the same?

PANEL-BY-PANEL - FRANKIE STEIN...

Copyright REBELLION

I've featured this FRANKIE STEIN page before, but this time I thought I'd scan it from the original artwork and present it panel-by- panel, the better for you to appreciate the mastery of KEN REID's awesome artwork.  It's when you see art of this high standard that you realise how woefully inferior some of the pages in the last incarnation of The DANDY were.  (Regardless of the feeble protestations to the contrary of some misguided souls.)

To enjoy each panel at its best, click to enlarge.

And below is the published page from WHAM! #134, cover-dated January 7th 1967.  Brilliant stuff!

BABE Of The DAY - YVONNE CRAIG...

Here's the beautiful BATGIRL (alias

yummy YVONNE CRAIG) between night-

time patrols around GOTHAM CITY.  It's a

 funny way to do the ironing though, eh? 

PART TWO Of JACK KIRBY'S CHALLENGERS Of The UNKNOWN COVER & IMAGE GALLERY...

Images copyright DC COMICS

No, your eyes do not deceive you - I've moved some of the images from part one over to here, in order to allow me to add new images to the previous instalment.  So, although you've already seen some of these pages, this post also contains half a dozen new ones to thrill and amaze you.  Well, what are you waiting for, readers?  JACK KIRBY's pulsating piccies lie before you - and don't forget to revisit the now expanded version of part one - or return for the penultimate serving of the CHALLEGERS Of The UNKNOWN - coming soon to CRIVENS!  (Absolutely the best blog you've ever read in the last 30 seconds.)