1st Zatanna cover Green Lantern v1 #42, 1966 - Journeying to the land of Ys, Zatanna and Green Lantern find themselves battling against a warlock. Since her premiere in Hawkman, she guest-starred in several DC titles in the 1960s. While this is Zatanna's fourth appearance, the issue marks her first full appearance on a cover. The Gardner Fox story was drawn by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. Cover by Kane and Sid Greene. /// key 1st full cover Zatanna  - - - - - - - - - - Home / Green Lantern / DC ebay  >this issue (The affiliate li ..read more

T.h.u.n.d.e.r. Agents v1 #19, 1967 - Comprised of mostly reprints, this double sized issue opens with a new Dynamo story. Enemy spies create an army of androids, some of them disguised as Thunder Agents. The opening splash looks suspiciously like Dan Adkins, but the rest appears to be Wally Wood's handiwork. Panels are small and numerous, but distinctively drawn, especially the close-ups of character faces. The covers touts the absence of ads, but uses a montage of previous covers (including three by Wood). The inside front cover reprints a portrait of Dynamo from Thunder Agent ..read more

Walt Simonson Thor v1 #377, 1986 - The one-armed Grendell and the dark elves attack Thor at his moment of weakness. Walt Simonson illustrates the impending death blow on this colorful cover. While not among his best layouts, the overall effort suffices. Sal Buscema draws the interior story art. This is 50 of 55 Thor by Simonson. - - - - - - - - - - Simonson cover pencils and inks = *** - - - - - - - - - - Home / Simonson / Thor / Marvel ebay  >this issue >Simonson (The affiliate links above earn commissions which help ..read more

Frank Miller Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories v1, 1994 - His first collection of shorts, Frank Miller uses spot color (red) only on the main feature. The effect puts emphasis on the female lead, but not to the point of distraction. All three stories are illustrated in his graphic style with minimal distortion. The back cover repeats the front, sans masthead / trade dress. This is 1 of 1 Sin City: The Babe Wore Red and Other Stories issues by Miller. - - - - - - - - - - Miller cover pencils and inks = *** "And Behind Door Number Three" Miller story penc ..read more

Queen of the West Dale Evans #9 Queen of the West Dale Evans v1 #9, 1956 - Accused of theft, a young indian girl turns to Dale to help prove her innocence. In a separate tale, a pair of bank robbers conspire to steal money slated for charity. In both stories, Russ Manning's artwork shows his continuous improvement on the series. Each have a few lesser drawn panels, but his attention to detail and composition helps compensate. Overall, "Black Star" has a stronger aesthetic (see interior page below). Other artists in this golden age comic include Hi Mankin. This is 6 ..read more

World's Finest Comics #274 World's Finest Comics v1 #274, 1981 - Using a gadget that suppresses sound, a silent killer tries to assassinate city racketeers. Billy Batson tracks him down, but is unable to speak to transform into Captain Marvel. The story artwork is merely adequate, but consistent with other Don Newton works on the title. Larry Mahlstadt's inks add little definition to the pencils. The opening splash also seems more straightforward than necessary. This issue also includes artwork by Trevor Von Eeden and Gene Colan, cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano. This is 21 ..read more

- - - - - - - - - - Love Letters v1 Quality 1949-56 1 2-4 5-10 11-49 50 - Baker art 51 continues as Love Secrets - - - - - - - - - - Home / Quality ..read more

Bernie Wrightson House of Secrets v1 #94, 1971 - Celia Graves, a former flapper from the roaring '20s, is now elderly and alone. Regretful about what happened to an old suitor, she uses black magic to bring him back. Bernie Wrightson contributes partial inks, which minimally improve to Alan Weiss' pencils. His hand seems most evident on the first three pages. This story was later re-published in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #17.  Wrightson's cover, by contrast, is outstanding in its depiction of menace and horror. Rounding out the issue is a fine Alex Toth&nb ..read more

Matt Baker Pictorial Romances v1 #11, 1952 - As conveyed on Matt Baker's splendid cover, a young wife leaves her husband's farm for the excitement of city life. Although heavy with dialogue, the story's artwork is polished and purposeful. Flourishes abound on narrative text boxes, adding variety to the overall layouts. Baker's skill stands out more so compared to his other two stories: "Crazy for Love" (originally titled "I Liked Older Men") from Teen-Age Diary Secrets (#5) and "Playgirl at Work" (originally "They Caught Me Cheating at Love") from Pictorial Confessions ..read more

Barry Windsor Smith Original page from Daredevil #51, 1960s - - - - - - - - - - Home / Original art / Smith / Daredevil ebay  >Smith (The affiliate links above earn commissions which help support this blog ..read more