POST # 56 - "VAMPIRES DRINK DEEP!" by Joe Sinnott

Greetings, Traveler!

I am

THE 

APOCOLYTE!

You've come here seeking  a story!

Let me bring out my friend,

SKULLY, and allow him to 

take care of all your needs!

SKULLY?

We have a visitor!

_______________________

POST # 54 - "HERBIE THE LIAR SAID IT WOULDN'T HURT" by Alfredo Alcala

Hello again, friends!
I am
THE APOCOLYTE!


Today we look at at a story by the incredible Filipino artist 

ALFREDO ALCALA!

Alfredo Alcala was born in the Philippines in 1925, and developed an interest in comic books as a youngster, particularly influenced by the artwork of Lou Fine. He began a career drawing the comics he loved in 1948, and soon his exquisite and detailed style made him one of the most famous and popular comics artists in the Philippines. 

He began to be known by American audiences after publishing his character VOLTAR in 1963, a sword and sorcery style hero along the lines of Conan and Prince Valiant. Alcala's lush and expressive brushwork soon drew the attention of North American comics publishers. In the early 1970's he began doing work for DC and Marvel. 

Many comic readers are familiar with Alcala's wonderful abilities as a penciler and an inker, his style being easily recognized. In the mid 70's Alcala used his gifts as inker to add new dimensions to the artwork of THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN stories drawn by John Buscema, rendering elaborate panoramas and splendidly ornate embellishments that elevated the stories' artwork from good to grandiose. I personally regard the stories he worked on as some of the greatest Conan artwork ever published. (You can see one of those amazing stories by clicking the link HERE)

Our story today originally appeared in Marvel's TALES OF THE ZOMBIE #9, published in 1975, and was written by Doug Moench. Alfredo Alcala's brilliant brushstrokes bring to life a tale of a lonely freak who struggles to make sense of the world around him, while dealing with the loss of his only real friend.

Now, I'll let my co-host SKULLY introduce today's gut-wrenching chronicle!

"HERBIE THE LIAR SAID IT WOULDN'T HURT"

_____________________

________________________

Don't forget now, if you want another real special treat,

click on the image below and feast your eyes upon an amazingly beautiful

CONAN  story by John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala!

You won't be sorry!

_____________________________

POST # 43 - "OVERWORKED!" by Wally Wood and Dan Adkins

Greetings, comic art lover!

Today's post features not one, but two wonderful artistic talents previously showcased herein.

Wally Wood is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most influential comic book artists to put pencil (and ink) to paper, and Dan Adkins is one of the most highly regarded artists to have had the honor to be associated with him. 

In 1966, Wood was the well-known and respected comic art virtuoso and the younger Adkins was a proficient craftsman beginning his professional journey.  At this point in his career, Wood had several up-and-coming burgeoning hopefuls working for him as assistants. In the book WALLY'S WORLD by Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock, a chronicle of  Wally Wood's life, Dan Adkins describes some of that time and their professional partnership and relationship together:

"Wally was 37 and I was 27 when we started working together around 1965...Wally laid out most of the stories, then it was up to the assistants to tighten the pencils - often using swipes from Wally's many files. Then Wally and/or I would ink. Even if I was inking, Wally would ink certain key items like the lead character's face - especially in frontal shots. Wally taught me what to leave out and influenced me to update my inking and feathering techniques."

"My favorite collaboration with Wally was "Overworked", which we did for Warren (Publishing). 

I got credit - for the first time - on that because of Steranko. Steranko visited the studio in the company of a sleepy-eyed blonde model. He had an idea for a solo book for Tower and Wally referred him to Samm Schwartz at Tower. Steranko and Schwartz didn't hit it off but some months later he was working for Marvel with full credit. Wally knew I was jealous so, without telling me, he signed my name on "Overworked" and then surprised me with it."

"After about a year and a half, we broke up badly. I was already doing work for Warren on my own and went to see Marvel about work, kind of behind Wally's back. They hired me and I called Wally to tell him I was leaving for Marvel. He was upset and said I should have come to tell him face to face. We did make up some years later at a convention around 1972."

"OVERWORKED" first appeared in print in the June 1966 issue of Warren's CREEPY #9, ostensibly with pencils by Adkins (working from Wood layouts as described above) and inked again by both in  conjunction. Writing credit was attributed to Archie Goodwin, who was both editor and head writer for CREEPY at the time, though in reprints of the story (notably in Eclipse Comics WORLD OF WOOD #1) it is Wood himself who is credited. Seeing that it has been documented that Goodwin frequently allowed artists plenty of creative latitude to choose what types of stories they wanted to work on, and with a visionary juggernaut and predominant artiste such as Wood, it is more than likely that the outline, if not the details of the story was in fact Wood's brain child, and Goodwin's contribution therefore possibly relatively minor. Another clue is the name of the protagonist in the story, comic artist Allan Wallace, a thinly disguised allusion to Wood himself , whose full name is Wallace Allan Wood. 

In the story, comic book artist Allan Wallace begins to lose control of his senses while, after being pressed for more work,  he attempts to complete his latest production to no avail. Drifting in and out of reality with increasing regularity and increasingly alarming results, it becomes clear that his latest production will remain unfinished, when it becomes evident that the artist is clearly and irreconcilably 

OVERWORKED!

______________

___________________________

Wallace Wood became famous in the 1950's mainly for his incredible artwork done for EC Comics, in titles like WEIRD SCIENCE and IMPACT, and later in MAD, where his highly detailed panels were filled to overflowing with unmatched power and extreme minutia in his unrivaled style of chiaroscuro. A master of light and shadow on the comic page, as his career progressed he retained the elements of shading he had become known for, while eschewing the more highly complex and intricate detailing that had marked his EC work. Some critics of his later work bemoaned the newer, more simplified streamlined style, and Wood was notably affected and irritated by such criticism. How much pressure he felt can be assumed by the biographical element revealed to us in "OVERWORKED!".

Sadly, tragically, the world lost a pioneer and a genius when Wally Wood, after a decline in his health and his career,  committed suicide in 1981. He was only 54 years old.

Dan Adkins went on to produce many fine paintings and comic art for Warren, Tower, DC, and Marvel, where he drew for such characters as Sub-Mariner and Doctor Strange, and later became used primarily as an inker, where he utilized the detail and skills he developed under the tutelage of his one time mentor, Wally Wood.

 Dan Adkins passed away on May 3rd, 2013, at the age of 76.

Two greatly talented and individually gifted artists, 

they both left behind a legacy of inspired works that we can continue to enjoy.

__________________________

POST # 39 - HARVEY KURTZMAN's "POT-SHOT PETE" (Original Art) and MORE...

In the world of comic books and humor there are few names that can cause such awe
and inspiration as the legendary name of Harvey Kurtzman.

For decades, aspiring artists, writers, animators, and humorists have bowed before his work in reverent study to glean inspiration, seek illumination, and generate stimulation. Kurtzman possessed a rare genius of wit and creativity that have provided innumerable moments of imaginative entertainment for more than half a century. Even if you have never heard of the man, you have likely been influenced in some way by his far-reaching creations, the most well-known brainchild being one MAD Magazine. While acolytes of William M. Gaines and Al Feldstein may debate who conceived the original idea, there can be no doubt who was the original driving creative force behind the influential humor publication.

While he is just as revered for his ground-breaking war and adventure comics, as well as his innovative story-telling techniques, it is the culture warping humor of the zany MAD that will ultimately be Kurtzman's legacy. Prior to MAD's inaugural issue in October 1952, Harvey Kurtzman had been honing his craft with his hilarious HEY LOOK! series of one-page gag cartoons published in various Timely/Atlas/Marvel comics since 1946. From there he joined the young and talented staff at EC Comics who would soon change the face of American comics, where he initially contributed dozens of stories for their science fiction and horror lines, but would later discover his niche as the editor, writer, and artist for EC's war and adventure comics TWO-FISTED TALES and FRONTLINE COMBAT.

It was during this period when Kurtzman also conceived of the character of POT-SHOT PETE, a sheriff whose charmingly amusing adventures were published first by DC in 1950 as one page gags, and later that year by TOBY in JOHN WAYNE ADVENTURE COMICS, debuting in issue #5 with the 5 page story, POT-SHOT PETE vs. TWO-GUN ZILCH (which was later reprinted in MAD #15 and #18, both in 1954, under the title of "POT-SHOT PETE Sheriff Of Yucca-Pucca Gulch"). The delightful and amusing story is a playful mixture of Kurtzman's HEY LOOK style and his later MAD satirical story-telling.

(You can find more about Harvey Kurtzman and his stories and art on another blog of mine here, here, and here.)

Here now for your pleasure I present Harvey Kurtzman's original artwork for...

POT-SHOT PETE vs. TWO GUN ZILCH

________________________

A Harvey Kurtzman bonus:

If you enjoyed the previous story, you'll also dig these...

Original artwork for Kurtzman's HEY LOOK!, circa 1950

Original art for a Kurtzman one-page gag story, "GENIUS",

published in JOHN WAYNE ADVENTURE COMICS #12, circa 1951-52

Original art for an unpublished Kurtzman gag page, circa 1950,

later reworked in MAD as a "Movie Scenes We'd Like To See" bit

__________________________

POST # 13 - "THE CITADEL AT THE CENTER OF TIME" by John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala

Hey, you know I like you, right?

I hope you realize that. I'll bet you don't know how much I like you...well, let me show you!

I like you so much that I went way above and beyond the call of duty with this post.  No mere 4 - 8 page story for you, uh uh...not today! You deserve a real treat, and I'm about to give it to you.

How would you like a full length Conan story?  But not just any Conan story, oh noo! How about a 44 page epic featuring not one, but two incredibly talented artists? Trust me, you're going to want to kiss me after you check out the stunningly gorgeous black and white artwork taken from Marvel's SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN #7, 1975. While this particular story isn't based on any known Robert E. Howard story to my knowledge, the uncredited (likely Roy Thomas) story is a good one, and coupled with the beautiful visuals, it becomes a masterpiece.

This is the first post here to feature two artists, and both are fully deserving of credit. John Buscema started drawing comics for Stan Lee and Timely/Marvel comics in 1948. In the mid 60's he found himself back at Marvel where he became one of their most important, capable and best-loved artists. In 1973 he took over for Barry Smith drawing CONAN THE BARBARIAN, and he would soon become the artist most associated with the popular Robert E. Howard character. Now, let me say that personally I think Barry Smith is a wonderful artist, and his later Conan artwork was certainly more accomplished than his earlier stories. But, for those of us who had read the Lancer paperbacks and seen the iconic representation of Conan by Frazetta, Smith's Conan was a skinny kid. That just wasn't really Conan. Gil Kane did a wonderful job drawing two issues, but it really wasn't until John Buscema stepped in that we saw that real Conan again.  To me, and to many others, this was the way Conan should look, or at least the closest thing we had to the Frazetta version. A year later Marvel published the new black and white SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN, and of course Buscema would be the main artist in nearly every issue. A new phenomena was being born, and Buscema would be the architect behind the visual onslaught that was just beginning.

Starting in issue no. 2 of SAVAGE SWORD, Buscema was paired with a relative newcomer to American comic book readers, Alfredo Alcala. Alcala was born in the Philippines, where, like Buscema, he also would enter the comic business in 1948, working for the Philippines biggest publisher, Ace Publications. American audiences got their first exposure to Alcala's art in 1963 when he published his own creation, VOLTAR, a Viking in the sword and sorcery mold, very similar to the work he would be doing later in CONAN. Here is what the World Encyclopedia of Comics had to say regarding VOLTAR and Alcala: "...an astonishing display of sustained artistic endeavor. Every chapter contains a spectacular center spread. Each panel is embellished in an etching style that rivals the works of the old masters. Inch for inch, it is probably the most detailed art ever to appear in comic books." I couldn't have said it better. In the 70's he came to New York and was quickly recognized for his amazing pen and ink work, as you will soon discover (or re-discover) for yourself here.

As I was scanning this story, I can't tell you how many times I stopped and found myself saying "Wow!" right out loud as I examined each amazing page. To enjoy this story, you must not rush...have something to drink handy, maybe something to eat, your not going to want to go anywhere for the next few minutes. The combination of Buscema's Conan, his solid, exciting story-telling visual style, and Alcala's detailed, lush pen and brush work elevates the comic book to the level of fine illustration. This story is absolutely breath-taking!

You can thank me later...and never, ever doubt how much I like you!

Now, finally, I will shut up and let you feast your brain on...

"THE CITADEL AT THE CENTER OF TIME!"

_________________________________

WHEW!!

Ishtar's Knotted Knickers! That was a BLAST! Well, see you next time, CROM willing!
___________________________

Cover for SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN # 7.
Art by Boris Vallejo.

___________________