On This Day In History: The Birth of Marvel Comics

80 years ago today, on August 31, 1939, Marvel Comics #1 (cover date October 1939) hit the stands. The book featured stories written by Carl Burgos, Raymond Gill, Bill Everett, Arthur Pinajian, with art by Carl Burgos, Paul Gustavson, Bill Everett, Al Anders and Ben Thompson. Artist Frank Paul provided the cover art.

The rest, as they say, is history.

See! The Falcon's Dynamic New Wings!

Captain America issue 171 (March 1974)

They were made in Wakanda by the Black Panther, True Believers!

When the Official 'X:Men The Animated Series' Page Uses Your Stan Lee Essay to Inform X-Men Fans

“Hmm @XMenTAS what’s the tea?”

Prompted by a Twitter post made by OMG Facts on January 15, a curious fan of the 90s TV show X-Men: The Animated Series asked show writer & producer, Julia & Eric Lewald (@XMenTAS), about the rumor that Stan Lee based Professor X on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To my very pleasant surprise, both Mr. and Mrs. Lewald replied with a link to my essay that disproves this popular urban myth.

Pretty friggin' cool, huh?

Happy Belated 80th, Count Dante!

February 2, 2019 marked what would have been the 80th birthday of the man once known as Count Dante (1939-1975). Having grown up in the golden age of martial arts movies reading comics–where Dante's most famous ad for his martial arts system appeared–the Count holds a special place in my heart, and in the hearts of countless others. 

In the fall of 2004 I wrote an essay on Count Dante and published it in the first issue of Kung Fu Grip zine. Sometime last year, I decided that I should probably transfer that piece to the web. As coincidence would have it, a fellow Gen-Xer who both read and liked the piece invited me onto his podcast on February 1st to talk about the infamous cult figure. It was a fun chat.  

I'll post a link to the show when its edited and uploaded to the web in a couple of weeks. But in the meantime, if you've never read "Man, You Come Right Out Of A Comic Book," you can check it out the essay by clicking here. 

X-Men / Shazam: Clash of the Multiverse [Fan Art]

X-Men / Shazam: Clash of the Multiverse mash-up by Paco Taylor

Respects (and apologies) to Alex Ross, the artist whose beautiful imagery was taken from two different comic book covers to create this mash-up idea that zinged me like a baby lightning bolt on Halloween eve. (See: Sugar rush) 

What you see isn’t the original idea that hit me, calling for a Storm Halloween cosplay mash-up of some sort. But I’m very happy with the more organic place the creative process took the original idea and what came out of it. 

As you can see, Storm of the X-Men stands in for Mary Marvel (aka Black Mary, circa 2007), striking an electrifying pose in front of Black Adam and Mighty Isis. The lighting bolt on the torso is a perfect complement to the little gold lightning bolt earrings that Storm was given in the early 90s, when her look from the previous decade was given a makeover.

If DC and Marvel were ever to revisit their Amalgam Comics imprint of the 90s, which saw heroes from both comic book universes merged to create new ones, Storm–as is quite apparent here–would be a natural (and gorgeous) fit for the Shazam comics universe. 

I'll leave it up to someone else to come up with a cool name for the new character. I needed a creative distraction from my writing duties, but now I've got to get back to work. 

Oh, yeah! And shout-out to AsylusGoji91 for the Clash of the Multiverse logo. It was a perfect fit for this comic book cover-style fan art.

Paco 
pacotaylor.contently

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Original art: Alex Ross 

Digital composite: Me 

Storm and Uncanny X-Men ™ & © Marvel Comics • Black Adam and Mighty Isis ™ & © DC Comics

Uncanny X-Men NOW #29 (Variant cover by Alex Ross)

Justice Society of America #25 (Regular cover by Alex Ross)

Did Stan Lee Base Magneto and Professor X on Martin Luther King and Malcolm X? [Hot Linked]

This idea about the influence of MLK and Malcolm X on Stan Lee's creation of the mutant leaders in X-Men comics has been circulating on the interwebz for years now. Amusingly, I even saw it mentioned in a short film recently. So I decided that it was finally time for Professor XXL to weigh in on whether or not this one is fact or fiction.

Oh, but do know that I've known the answer all along. And now you–if you don't know already–will, too. You can check out the essay by clicking here.

The Incredible Hulk vs Man-Thing!

Incredible Hulk issue 197 (March 1976). Cover by Bernie Wrightson.

One of the great things about comics is that somehow–even having lived through the Bronze Age–there's still so many cool books that I've never even seen. Wow.

Paco Picks Out The 20 COOLEST 'Black Panther' Comic Book Covers For Krypton Radio!

Sometime back in November of 2017, the nice editors over at Krypton Radio extended this blogger an invitation to write for their sci-fi-centric website. And...last week I finally got around to pitchin' 'em an idea, which they were happy to accept. So, in honor of Marvel's newest box office smash, I pulled out my long boxes and clawed my way through 40 years of comics history to pick out what I deem to be the top 20 illest and flyest and dopest and – simply – coolest Black Panther comic book covers. Give it a gander on Krypton Radio's website by clicking here.

Excelsior!

Forged From Air Jordans: This War Machine Mask Takes Both Fan Art And Cosplay To A Whole 'Nother Level

'No. 117: 5Lab3 Iron Man Helmet Mask and Gauntlet' 

[Credit: @freehandprofit]

In M. Night Shayamalan's late '90s thriller The Sixth Sense, a young boy with a supernatural talent for seeing something that others can't whispers the now-famous phrase: "I see dead people." Similarly, and almost just as astonishingly, the San Francisco-based artist Freehand Profit has revealed — by way of his senses shattering artwork — his own preternatural gift for seeing in the seams and folds of athletic shoes what no mere mortals can: he sees superheroes.

[Credit: @freehandprofit]

Not only does the curiously monikered Freehand Profit (born Gary Lockwood) see comic book superheroes. He sees the faces of anime heroines, the helmets of Star Wars shock troops, the heads of robots and sci-fi inspired gas masks. But it’s his production of wares based on the Marvel Comics character War Machine — forged from the deconstructed husks of pairs of Air Jordans — that gives the most fitting glimpse into another dimension we never guessed existed.

The world of Freehand Profit is a realm of an imagination gone buck wild, where the contemporary subcultures of comic book geeks, hip-hop heads, cosplayers (costumed role-players) and sneaker freaks collide. It's a world where the stylish, logo-branded future is right now and where lowbrow fan art is the highest art. Best of all, it's a world where our materialism can become creative fodder for a recycling program unlike anything the world has ever seen.

'No. 117: 5Lab3 Iron Man Helmet Mask (Profile)' 

[Credit: @freehandprofit]

Embracing The Past, Present And Future

This sneaker mask spotlighted here is the 117th such piece in a senses-shattering series of masks produced by Freehand Profit using the leather and rubber of high-end sneakers. The artist says that he’s always found himself intrigued by masks, whether those used in the ancient rituals of various cultures or those donned by crime fighting superheroes. And Tony Stark, the wealthy industrialist of Marvel Comics' Iron Man comics provides a rich source for mining.

In the comics, the War Machine armor created by Tony Stark first made a brief cameo appearance in the closing pages of Iron Man #281 (June 1992). The armor was made to be used by Tony's friend Captain James Rhodes, who has appeared wearing the suit not only in comics, but in cartoons, video games and live-action Hollywood films like Iron Man 2, Captain America: Civil War and next year's much-awaited film Avengers: Infinity War.

[Credit: Marvel Comics]

Studying The Art of War

Remarkably, the War Machine helmet was crafted from four pairs of black and gray Jordan 5Lab3 sneakers. In addition to headgear, a glove or "gauntlet" was also produced, which boasts working mechanics and lights. Topping off the ensemble is Iron Man's arc reactor, the round technical marvel that keeps the injured heart of Tony Stark beating. True to amazing form, it was also created using the sole of a 5Lab3 sneaker with LED lights added.

If you would like to see more of the "No. 117: 5Lab3 Iron Man Helmet" and more mind-blowing "sneaker head" productions of Freehand Profit, please check out his Instagram page. If you think the mask featured here is amazing, just wait until you see an earlier incarnation of the other Iron Man mask ("No. 45), and the Wolverine mask in the colorway of the classic yellow and blue uniform. If you're lucky, true believer, you'll never see your Air Jordans the same way again.

'War Machine' [Credit: @freehandprofit]

The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu – Collect 'em all!

One thing that every collector realizes early on is that there will always be something new (or old) on the horizon that will trigger the desire to covet  hoard collect. My present guilty pleasure is the Marvel-affiliated magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Published during the kung-fu craze of the 1970s, this eye-gougingly good mag ran for 33 issues, between 1974 to 1977. In addition to serialized black and white comic strips starring a rotating cast of characters like Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, White Tiger, Daughters of the Dragon and others, each issue of Deadly Hands of Kung Fu also offered great interviews, articles, pop culture reviews, and so much more. How it was that not a single issue of this series was represented in my collection is worthy of a Scooby Doo Mystery. But the oversight has been corrected. Thanks to Ebay, I now own five of the seven or so issues that have piqued my interest: Since the Iron Fist comic book runs of Marvel Premiere 15-25 is complete, and Iron Fist 1-15 is one issue away from being complete, I'm focusing on the Deadly Hands issues that feature this kick ass character. I've got some classics, true believers. Check 'em out.

 

 

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This Halloween, be a Mighty Marvel Masquerader!

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Happy Halloween, trick 'r treat, smell my feet, and all that. – SP

Kung Fu Grip! #3B: Super Special Edition

When I was a snot-nosed third grader, I was super envious of one of my classmates who had this folder that he'd decorated with the Marvel Comics Super-Hero stickers. Between 1974 and 1976, the Topps Chewing Gum Company produced a senses-shattering assortment of Marvel hero decals sold in wax packs like baseball cards–complete with a flat pink slab of chalk-flavored bubble gum.

Three decades later, in the fall of 2007, I hand produced a limited edition series of two-hundred covers for the third issue of Kung Fu Grip! (The Stick & Move Special Edition). Featured on the front of each copy was a sticker collage made up of "slaps" that had been sent to me over the years by slap-taggers and street artists from around the world.

Quite often, though, while working on that cover series I would remember that childhood classmate's folder, and I thought about trying to recapture that vintage flavor on one of my sticker collage covers. But I never got around to actually doing it. Now five years later, though, the idea still continued to haunt me.

And so, last week I made up my mind to place a conservative bid on a small collection of Marvel super-hero decals (circa 1975) that I found on Ebay. A few days later, the assortment was mine. Muahahaha!

Now, cuz I don't want you to be super envious, I ain't gonna say just how utterly cheap I got the collection for. But only a few years ago, the price I paid would've been completely unheard of. (Or perhaps it was the hand of fate that tipped the bidding in my favor...)

Anyway, as you can see from the scans included with this post, I wound up producing two "super special collector's edition" covers. One of these will most certainly be kept in my personal collection, but the other will likely be offered for sale at the underground publishing & art show that I plan to curate later this year.

This past January, I decided to put together an exhibit in order to commemorate a decade of my continuous zine production between 2002 and 2012. And whenever I envisioned the covers of my zines on a wall, I would see half-a-dozen copies of the KFG3 special edition also on display. Among them, I could also see a cover like this one hanging on the wall.  When the time comes, it really will.
 

Magneto and Titanium Man

Paul McCartney & Jack Kirby

Mark Evanier's Kirby: King of Comics holds a slew of cool anecdotes between its covers. One of the coolest tells of a day in 1975 when Paul McCartney met Jack Kirby. At the time, Paul was touring with his band, Wings, promoting the release of their new album that included "Magneto and Titanium Man," a song boasting the influence of three Marvel super-villains. During a concert at Southern California's Forum Theater, Kirby, who had been invited by Paul's record company, presented the ex-Beatle with a pencil illustration that showed Paul and his wife, Linda, under the control of Magneto. During the concert, Paul would later introduce and dedicate his song to Kirby–all to the thunderous applause of the audience.

Wings - Magneto and Titanium Man (1975)

First Nick Fury, and now...

...Miles Morales, Marvel Comics' amazing new Spider-Man.

When the story first broke on Wednesday of this week, I didn't know what to think about the surprising introduction of a young, Tiger Woods-looking wall crawler to Marvel's parallel comic book universe (known as the Ultimate Comics line). After reading an interview with editor Joe Quesada @ Comic Book Resources, I've since made up my mind and look forward to seeing just what fan-favorite writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli will do with this 21st century web-slinger.

If you're already getting a steady four-color fix, I don't have to tell you how to 'score'. But if you don't know the whereabouts of your local comics dealer, just toss your preferred zip code into the handy dandy Comic Shop Locator and...SHAZAM! You're on your way to unlocking the mystery of all that has been missing from your life.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 will be in stores on Wednesday, September 7th. Mark your calendar and make sure to swing by your friendly neighborhood comic shop.

Howard, the Mighty Duck

It was mentioned some weeks back that I scored a nice low-grade copy of Howard the Duck #1 at Phoenix-con for a dollar. Now, I wasn't even a fan of this comic when I was shortie. It was actually during adulthood that I acquired an appreciation for the adventures of the angst-filled fowl who was cursed by being "trapped in a world he never made!"

It's also been mentioned that I'm a big fan of the late artist Gene Colan. The majority of the books published under this title were illustrated by him, and it was mainly because of Colan that I ended up giving Howard the Duck a second 'gander'. In so doing, I came to understand how the book achieved cult-favorite status with older comic book readers in the 1970s.

Not only did Howard the Duck contain page after page of great illustration by artists like Val Mayerik, Frank Brunner and Gene Colan, the book also offered surprisingly intelligent story-telling by writer Steve Gerber, who co-created the character with Mayerik.

While flipping through the worn out copies of Subway Art and Spraycan Art in my studio, I was recently reminded of the impact that Howard the Duck comics also made on the first generation of graffiti artists. As illustrated here, a whole-car by Seen & PJay (1980) and a wall mural by Lee (1981) once served as spray-painted testaments to this cigar-puffing duck's popularity back in the day.

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P.S. If you're wonderin' why the George Lucas produced Howard the Duck movie wasn't referenced here, it's because that movie sucked moo-goo-guy-ass™.

Gene Colan (Sept 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)

Giant Size Chillers Featuring Dracula #1, June 1974

Just yesterday I was just reading one of the books that I bought at Phoenix Con that the legendary Gene Colan penciled. A lot of the comic books in my 1970s stash are there specifically because his art graced the pages: Daredevil #137, Doctor Strange #17, Howard the Duck #26 and Tomb of Dracula #45, especially.

Even when I was eleven years old, when I didn't exactly recognize Jack Kirby's art on sight, I recognized Gene Colan's art. And of all the old school masters, he's the one that I most wish I had the chance to meet.

The Best Things in Life...Cost $1 Buck

I mentioned in my previous post that attended the Phoenix Comicon last month. The San Diego Comic-Con, which takes place each summer, is usually an annual pilgrimage for me. But, due to a fan base that has expanded exponentially, I and everyone I know who tried were shut out of getting passes. That being the case, I was glad to have the Phoenix Con as a consolation prize, and the books I got there are probably better than anything that I ever got my hands on in San Diego: lots of vintage Bronze Age books, all selling for $1 buck each. Everything I got my hands on was a steal–and I got more than what's posted here. This is kinda' like a "Top 10" list.