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Post by MDG on May 10, 2022 13:55:43 GMT -5
I know certain creators jumped from Charlton to DC or Marvel but I am uncertain of creators that came from Gold Key DC artists like Joe Certa, Jack Sparling and Mike Sekowsky did work for Gold Key but appeared in DC earlier. Luis Dominguez did a lot for Gold Key before becoming a mainstay the the DC mystery books in the 70. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,864
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Post by shaxper on May 10, 2022 14:37:22 GMT -5
I own all the non-reprint issues of Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 AD, as well as most of the Doctor Solar and Mighty Samson issues. I also pick up Space Family Robinson, MARS Patrol, and Turok whenever I see them cheap. Really, for that matter, I'll pick up any painted cover that I can find cheap. And while the Carl Barks Gold Key stuff was great, his best stuff was definitely produced during the Dell era. For what it's worth, I did review Magnus Robot Fighter a while back and really enjoyed doing so. |
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Post by tarkintino on May 10, 2022 14:56:36 GMT -5
I used to get Gold Key (and later, Whitman) comics at the supermarket, usually in the polybags. As a kid in Los Angeles, I found Gold Key comics were being sold everywhere--from bookstores, 7-Eleven, liquor and drug stores, and of course comic book shops--just about everywhere. The titles which were in short supply were those close to cancellation (I recall finding Dark Shadows and Ripley's Believe it or Not difficult to locate in their last years). I bought it as well, but being very fond of Williamson's comic strip work, I was disappointed in how thin and rushed the Flash Gordon adaptation looked. Indeed it was daring both for content and the TPB format, and far ahead of the bigger publishers (Bronze/Modern Age Marvel only experimented with sci-fi comics and magazines such as Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction in '76, and eventually Epic Illustrated starting in 1980) who were not really using the TPB format for much other than their biggest superhero characters. Although I was buying the regular Star Trek comic, I really enjoyed The Enterprise Logs, not only for issues I did not have in the collection, but all of the special artist, character and Starfleet history profiles. The Logs knew the exact way to play into Star Trek fandom at the time. I'd suggest the Logs were as filled with great extras as any produced for DC or Marvel in the 70s. |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 10, 2022 23:34:57 GMT -5
I know certain creators jumped from Charlton to DC or Marvel but I am uncertain of creators that came from Gold Key Alex Toth did Zorro for them and I think a few others. Doug Wildey did some of the film adaptations. Dan Spiegle did Maverick, Space Family Robinson and Scooby Doo and a bunch of the Disney movie adaptations Russ Manning and Jesse Marsh did Tarzan and Manning did Brothers of the Spear and Magnus, Robot Fighter. Turok had Rex Maxon, Giovani Ticci and Alberto Giolitti Flash Grodon had Carlos Garzon and Al Williamson and Carlos Garzon did the movie adaptation. Jesse Santos did Dagar and Dr Spektor Frank Thorne did early issues of Mighty Samson Bob Fujitani did early issues of Doctor Solar, man of the Atom, with Frank Bolle following him. Jose Delbo did some work on it, too. On the writing side, Gaylord Dubois did a ton of stories, as did Paul S Newman. Mark Evanier did work on the Hanna-Barbera and other animated cartoon comics, including Woody Woodpecker, Scooby Doo, and Road Runner. He also wrote some of the other Warner characters, like Bugs and Daffy. Western's creative talent and comic offices were on the West Coast and you got a lot of people who worked in animation/Hollywood, especially on the Disney and Warner titles, plus guys like Spiegle and Manning, who worked in newspaper strips, as well. Alberto Giolitti helped recruit some Italian artists. Jesse Santos was one of the Philippine contingent. Don Glut wrote Dagar, Dr Spektor and Tragg & the Sky Gods, which had some crossovers. he had also done work for Archie, Charlton, Marvel, DC Skywald and Warren, as well as for Filmation and Marvel Animation and some others. he also wrote multiple books and novels, including the Empire Strikes Back novelization. Gaylord dubois did much of the adventure series work, especially Tarzan, Turok, and many of the tv and movie adaptations. Paul S Newman wrote Doctor Solar, Turok, and some of the Big Little Books. He also worked for DC and Marvel, on some of their teen titles and war comics. Both Dubois and Newman also worked in newspaper strips. |
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2022 6:26:14 GMT -5
Inspired by everyone's feedback here, I just placed an order for a smattering of back issues to explore further. I do have a few collected editions of Star Trek and a volume each of Doctor Solar and Space Family Robinson already so went with later issues I haven't read for those. The rest are all new to me. I tried to pay attention to the creators on these issues based again on what folks mentioned, but I'll confess there was some measure of "ooh, cool cover!" at times. If nothing else, based on cover art alone, this is hands down the best looking batch of books I've ever ordered!
Titles represented in my order:
Dagar, Doctor Solar, Flash Gordon, Korak, Magnus, Mighty Samson, Doctor Spektor, Space Family Robinson, Star Trek, Tarzan, and Turok.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 11, 2022 22:34:54 GMT -5
I didn't get to read it until much later; but, one of my favorite Gold key comics was Wally Wood's Total War, aka MARS Patrol. The premise is that some unknown power launches an all-out invasion of the United States. The Defense Department scramble the Marine Attack Rescue Service, a collection of specialists who lead the counter-attack on the invaders. The basic premise wasn't wholly original, as the Operator 5 series of pulp magazines featured the hero, Agent Jimmy Christopher, spent his career fighting various invasions of the US by outside powers, such as the epic Purple Invasion. Buck Rogers spent his time in the 25th Century battling Mongol hordes, who have spread across the world. It was all an extension of the "yellow peril" and "communist infiltration." Still, in the hands of Wood and his associates, it was gonzo goodness.  |
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Post by Farrar on Jun 2, 2022 22:51:09 GMT -5
I usually buy old Gold Keys for the glorious painted covers, but the mention of Sekowsky and Joe Certa upthread reminds me that a few years ago I also bought a bunch of Man From U.N.C.L.E. comics (what can I say? I'm a big Ilya Kuryakin fan  ). These all had photo covers of the TV series' stars.  Well, the big surprise for me was the back-up feature that premiered in U.N.C.L.E. #7 (1966), written by Dick Wood and illustrated by Mike Sekowsky.  No, it's not Diana Prince from Sekowsky's "mod" Wonder Woman era. This is--er--Jet Dream 🙄 and her team of counter-spies, a series by Dick Wood (writer) and Sekowsky (penciler). Now, I knew that when Sekowsky was asked to take over the WW comic he agreed to as long as he could remake her into a Diana Rigg(Emma Peel)-type character...but I had no idea that he'd already previously worked on such a feature at Gold Key! To put it into chronological context: the Jet Dream series ran from issue #7 through #22 ( U.N.C.L.E.'s last issue), or from May 1966 through February 1969 (for most of its run U.N.C.L.E. was bimonthly). There was also a Jet Dream one-shot comic published in March 1968--its George Wilson cover made it a must-buy for me! Sekowsky did the first several Jet Dream stories but left the series for good after July 1967. Joe Certa soon took over as Jet's regular artist; he remained with it until the series and the U.N.C.L.E. comic ended in 1969. March 1968, a few months before the debut of the new mod Wonder Woman at DC. Interior art by Certa.  Sekowsky's new-look WW debuted in July 1968; U.N.C.L.E. #20 would have been on sale later that same month. But the U.N.C.L.E. comic was on its way out and its last two issues #21 and #22 were published in Nov 1968 and Feb. 1969 respectively. The new WW continued (on a bimonthly basis) until late 1972, though Sekowsky had left the book about a year earlier. Sekowsky: Here's Jet on the left and Diana on the right.  |
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Post by MDG on Jun 3, 2022 9:10:11 GMT -5
^^^ Sekowsky shows up a few times in Gold Key, including an issue of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp. (And it's Dell, but there's also an issue of Get Smart by Steve Ditko.)
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Post by kirby101 on Jun 3, 2022 10:16:36 GMT -5
I was a big fan of the Glut/Santos Dagar series.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2022 10:23:42 GMT -5
I was a big fan of the Glut/Santos Dagar series. I literally just picked up that issue recently, and has been my introduction to the series. Really enjoying what I’ve read so far. |
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Post by tonebone on Jun 7, 2022 9:21:12 GMT -5
I just bought this beauty off Ebay, and it should be in my hands today. I bought the original 3 issues in a polybag at the Winn Dixie supermarket in 1980, and have them still to this day. But this version is the collected "trade paperback" before the term existed. Love it.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2022 10:54:40 GMT -5
I just bought this beauty off Ebay, and it should be in my hands today. I bought the original 3 issues in a polybag at the Winn Dixie supermarket in 1980, and have them still to this day. But this version is the collected "trade paperback" before the term existed. Love it. Is that the hardcover? I have the hardcover, I found it in a Goodwill of all places about 10-12 years ago. I wasn't buying much in the way of comics then (it was at some point in my 5 year hiatus between 2007 and early 2012) except when I saw something interesting in places like Half-Price Books or Goodwill or such. -M |
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Post by tonebone on Jun 7, 2022 14:30:33 GMT -5
I just bought this beauty off Ebay, and it should be in my hands today. I bought the original 3 issues in a polybag at the Winn Dixie supermarket in 1980, and have them still to this day. But this version is the collected "trade paperback" before the term existed. Love it. Is that the hardcover? I have the hardcover, I found it in a Goodwill of all places about 10-12 years ago. I wasn't buying much in the way of comics then (it was at some point in my 5 year hiatus between 2007 and early 2012) except when I saw something interesting in places like Half-Price Books or Goodwill or such. -M Actually it's the paperback. I bought off the shelf the Black Hole and Clash of the Titans books when they came out as a kid, and wanted to have a matching set of them.. I THINK they did a Buck Rogers one, as well, before they let Marvel print it as a Super Special. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2022 2:51:19 GMT -5
I see this cover, and instantly in my head I hear Queen singing "Flash! ah ah..."
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Post by tartanphantom on Jun 8, 2022 7:33:39 GMT -5
I see this cover, and instantly in my head I hear Queen singing "Flash! ah ah..."
And here I thought it was just the voices in my own head! 
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). These all had photo covers of the TV series' stars. 
