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Post by Icctrombone on May 6, 2016 4:39:20 GMT -5
Prior to the Americomics brand, as I mentioned, Bill Black was doing upscale, mail order fanzine comic magazines. The company was originally called Paragon Publishing. Here's examples Looks like he put together a collection of them recently  This cover smacks you in the eye. Staton doing soft porn. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,210 
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Post by Confessor on May 6, 2016 8:12:47 GMT -5
Great idea for a thread and nice to see that some weird and wonderful comics have been posted already. I'm not sure I really have anything all that weird or obscure in my longboxes, but a few things that might qualify are... The Three Dimensional Alien Worlds one-shot from Pacific Comics. This features one of my all-time favourite covers, ever!  A complete collection of Calibur's and Arrow's late '90s Oz comics...  The one and only issue of Wally Wood's Malice in Wonderland reprints from Eros Comics. 'Cause, you know, sexy comics!  Possible NSFW content: I don't think the late '80s mini-series Slash Maraud counts, does it?  |
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Post by MDG on May 6, 2016 8:24:40 GMT -5
Another obscurity, bought these from the newstands in 1968. At first, I had no idea that they were actually Marvel Comics.The didn't identify it as such until #3 They were very slightly risque, reprinting 1 page or single panel cartoons from their men's sweat magazine line. Only 3 issues came out. Here it is... Groovy
I had issue 3--would love to find them again. |
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Post by MDG on May 6, 2016 8:27:24 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure I have a copy of this. For some reason, you could always see it at NY cons for a year or two--the guy must've hustled around to every comic dealer in the area. |
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Post by MDG on May 6, 2016 8:30:42 GMT -5
Dick Ayers solo book from the 90s. Smilin' Stan sez: "Dick Ayers can to it all!" Not the first time he's exaggerated.  |
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Post by tingramretro on May 6, 2016 9:01:38 GMT -5
Looks like he put together a collection of them recently She could put someone's eye out with those, if she's not careful... |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 6, 2016 13:09:51 GMT -5
 Warlock 5 #1 (Aircel, 1986)
Published by Aircel Comics in 1986, Warlock 5 was created by writer Gordon Derry and artist Denis Beauvais, who together weaved a complex tale of five Guardians engaged in an epic power battle for control of the Grid, a portal where all parallel dimensions intersect. One problem -- the Grid is located here on Earth, and it's their battleground.
The Warlock 5 are a diverse and interesting group. There's a medieval knight called Doomidor, Argon the Terminator, Tanith the Sorceress, a Mystic dragon that takes human form called Savashtar, and Zania, a punk rocker Witch straight out of Mad Max. Together they get along like an episode of Survivor, taking alliances and strategizing together to manipulate the outcome for the ultimate control of the Grid. The first issue doesn't waste any time getting to the good stuff, letting the carnage knock you off your feet while also telling the story. Both Derry and Beauvais worked on Warlock 5 for the next dozen issues or so, and the series lasted up to 22 issues.
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 6, 2016 13:15:05 GMT -5
 Power Comics #1 (1977)Power Comics #1 came to fruition in Lansing, Michigan where writer T. Casey Brennan (of Creepy fame) brought together a group of writers and artists in the hopes of creating and publishing their own comic series. Released in 1977, the first issue featured four stories, one of which featured Dave Sims' first aardvark. Sims had been working on Cerebus the Aardvark around the same time, which would be released later that year. Here's a quick overlook at each story: A Gift of Wonder - Written by Brennan and penciled by Vince Marchesano. A short story about how a man of the mystic arts is sensing the world of magic interloping with reality. The Belt of Americe - Story by Jerry Younkins with art by J.J. Friel. Tells the tale of Valkus the sea-dweller, whose curiosities of the land above leads him to leave the waterworld behind. There he finds a woman in distress and saves her from an onslaught of Beast Men. He is brought to the Queen Americe where it is learned that the Beast Men are preparing to take the city. Together with the power of the Queen's belt, Valkus uses his powers of the occult to destroy the Beast Men, but he loses the spell of transformation needed to stay on land and is banished to the sea. Nightwitch Rising! - Written by Grant Stevens with artwork by Skip Williams, this story explains the origin of Nightwitch. It begins with the trial of Hemsut, the last witch of Atlantis. She is persecuted for her powers by a hooded order called The Twelve. Hemsut believes in the power of Ka, which she unleashes on the unsuspecting order. This event ends up becoming a dream for a woman named Onyx Moro(first day on the job at a mental institution), who happens to be dreaming while connected to a REM scanner that disconnects during the chaos. Fast forward to a mental patient (who is really the demon Azimuth), who escapes and starts killing everyone...including throwing Onyx out of the window, 32 stories to her death. Hemsut appears to Onyx moments before her death and explains her true purpose, that she is a descendant of Atlantis and wields the power of Ka. Onyx can either die or be reborn with her true Ka powers, which she chooses, and Hemsut and Onyx merge into one being...the Nightwitch. The story ends as the Nightwitch fights and destroys Azimuth, then returns all of the hospital's employees to a point in time before the incident occurs, curing the mental patient in the process. A Boy and His Aardvark - Written by Brennan and penciled by Dave Sim, this is the story of a boy and his aardvark...and a dad and his penchant for guns. It's an odd one, but it's pretty cool to see a pre-Cerebus aardvark in the story.
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 6, 2016 13:29:19 GMT -5
 Black Zeppelin #1 (1985)
In 1978, before Gene Day got busy with Marvel, he had dreams of publishing his own comic magazine. Inspired by the success of Cerebus created by his good friend Dave Sim, Day wanted to put out an anthology series of work by several artists. He called it Black Zeppelin.
But before the idea could be realized, Day got caught up in the Marvel deadline schedule, and Black Zeppelin kept getting postponed up until the moment Gene died suddenly in 1982. A few years later, with the help of Day's wife Gale and brothers Dan and David, Renegade Press released five issues of Black Zeppelin featuring a showcase of artwork by Gene, his brothers, and several other artists.
There is also a Dave Sim horror story in this one called, "Adriene All Alone", which was inspired by Alice Cooper's album "Welcome To My Nightmare". It has a really trippy 80's horror vibe going for it.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on May 6, 2016 13:31:47 GMT -5
I bought a huge lot of comics a couple years ago and I think there was a whole run of Warlock 5 in it. I never read it though; there were way too many comics for me to ever get through them, so I just culled the most interesting stuff and sold the rest on craigslist. I do have a couple oddball comics left from that batch though:  Sweet Sixteen #1 - I almost find these super obscure Marvel and DC titles to be more interesting than the indie books. Just when I think I've heard of every Marvel title, I find something like this. Shanghaied #1 - for an obscure indie book, this has really excellent art. Topper Helmers is the artist, and he's top notch. He did a little other work in comics, but seems to have gone into graphic design, which is a real shame because from this it seems like he could have been a top talent in comics for a long time if he had wanted to. Power Comics #4 - This is super, super early in the indie wave, with a cover date of November, 1977. James Craig is the artist; he went on to work for Marvel for a long time until the implosion in 1995, though I can't recall ever hearing of him before this. Lugh, Lord of Light #1 - Very ambitious story - not great, but ambitious anyway - with that sort of classic 80's indie art style, i.e. someone with talent but no experience, publishing their first fumbling efforts. There's a gleam of something good here, it's just not fully formed yet. The Fantastic Being - This is so bizarre I don't know where to start. It's from 1981, and it's a comic featuring an alien that comes to Earth and encounters a group of kids, who basically teach him how to write a resume and apply for jobs. It's an educational manifesto, but strangely not free like most of these. Weirder still, the art if by Bill Sienkiewicz. I dunno. A real oddity. Donnie Jupiter's Cartune Land #1 - Basically the sketchbook of Donnie Jupiter. It's not bad, but it's derivative; some of the style seems very, very familiar, though I can't exactly place it, but he's definitely channeling his influences. Richard Corben, maybe? This is from 1987, but most of the art inside was done in 1983 and 1984. I'd think he would have been better off publishing new stuff, because he probably got better in the intervening years and this still shows some very ragged edges. |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 6, 2016 13:42:57 GMT -5
 Swiftsure #1 (Harrier, 1985)
Now this is quite a cover, eh? I wasn't sure what to make of it at first...but anything combining a corpse, an exploding spaceship, and Stonehenge (in vivid color) is enough to awake my interest. Swiftsure #1 was a sci-fi anthology series and the second comic title released by UK-based Harrier Comics. Alan Moore endorsed the title as Editorial Consultant and referred to the series as "a channeling of some of the best new talent Britain has to offer into a solid and presentable format that will allow each to develop into their own unique way, without the restrictions of a given style or genre." The first issue features a story called "Codename: Andromeda". Written by Bill W. Ryan and penciled by Dave Harwood, together they tell the story of Kris Prescott, a scientist who dies in a spaceship explosion and is found and revived by aliens.
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Post by tingramretro on May 6, 2016 13:58:26 GMT -5
I remember Swiftsure very well, I wasn't aware it was considered obscure. Great series.
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Post by Rob Allen on May 6, 2016 20:55:11 GMT -5
I've got a few things that qualify as odd and/or obscure; here's the first one. In 1974, when I was buying all the comics I could, an unusual publication found its way to me. I think they were at one of my usual newsstands but I might have bought them at cons. I recognized the art - Joe Staton was a regular in Charlton comics. But this was something different: The Gods of Mount Olympus in Ancient MythologyThere were three issues. All were 11 x 17, 16 pages, black & white (including the covers) and were not bound or stapled, so they're physically unique. The story I heard at some con or other back then was that these were an artifact of the pulp paper shortage that roiled the comics world in 1973-74. Apparently someone out west had a supply of paper and decided to try publishing, putting out these three issues under the corporate name "Quintessence Publications" based in Spokane, WA. The company seems to have vanished without a trace after publishing these. The stories were adapted from Greek myths by Johnny Achziger, and the art was all by Joe Staton. He may have lettered them too, I don't know. Two years after these came out, the contents were reprinted in standard comic-book format in Star*Reach #5-8. Shrinking the art didn't do it any favors. As far as I know, the scans below were all made from the original 11 x 17 editions. First, here are the covers:    And some interior pages:          More reading: www.treasurycomics.com/gallery/galleryOTHERgods.htmgobacktothepast.com/fabulous-find-the-gods-of-mount-olympus/ |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 6, 2016 21:11:01 GMT -5
I've got a few things that qualify as odd and/or obscure; here's the first one. In 1974, when I was buying all the comics I could, an unusual publication found its way to me. I think they were at one of my usual newsstands but I might have bought them at cons. I recognized the art - Joe Staton was a regular in Charlton comics. But this was something different: The Gods of Mount Olympus in Ancient MythologyWell, you stumped me with this obscurity from the 70s, Rob. Hats off to you |
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Post by berkley on May 6, 2016 22:33:25 GMT -5
Power Comics #4 - This is super, super early in the indie wave, with a cover date of November, 1977. James Craig is the artist; he went on to work for Marvel for a long time until the implosion in 1995, though I can't recall ever hearing of him before this. I first became aware of Jim Craig from a Canadian mag called Orb, of which I only ever saw 1 issue on our local stands:  That's Craig's cover and he also drew an interior story that quoted a line from the then-recent Pink Floyd album Wish You Were Here ("Shine on you crazy diamond!"). As with most anthology mags the quality was variable but on the whole I was intrigued and would have continued to follow the series had I seen any more of it. I was excited by the idea of a Canadian comic, something we had almost nothing of back then. I never did see another one, though, and years later the internet informed me that this was the 6th and last issue of a sadly short-lived series. |
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