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kustomizer

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  • Comic Collecting Interests
    Silver Age

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  1. Anyone else ever notice how much the guy at the bottom left of the Ditko cover looks like Martin Goodman? Goodman supposedly told Stan a book about a spider man would never sell.
  2. Would have great if there'd been an interview with Stan, Jack and Steve in the same room at some point.
  3. Yes, Kirby's cover for AF#15 is far more heroic and dynamic than Ditko's much funkier version (which is still pretty awesome). But I wonder why Stan went with the more heroic version if that's the image he was trying to avoid?
  4. Those Fourth World Omnibi actually ring a bell, I vaguely recall seeing one at a shop and being impressed by the print and colours, but also heard they had binding problems so gave them a miss. I bought some Turok hardcovers years ago, but got rid of them when I saw how badly the lurid colour and glossy paper worked against the art. I've never seen or heard anyone saying they like the absurdly bright print/production on Golden or Silver Age reprints, so I wonder why the companies persist in doing it. Thanks for the tip on Absolute Batman Year One, hope to check that out.
  5. Thanks, I'd like to check that out. Which monthlies are they doing?
  6. Stan's story about Kirby's Spidey looking too heroic falls apart when you look at the covers he decided to use for both AF#15 and ASM#1.
  7. I'm not a fan of how Golden Age comics look with bright modern computer colouring on glossy pages. Would so much rather have them reprinted on decent newsprint in the more subdued orignal process colours.
  8. I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss Kirby as Spider-Man's creator, or at least a major instigator. Yes, Jack repeatedly stated he created Spider-Man's costume. After all, he drew the first image of Spider-Man ever seen by the public -- the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15. And Stan Lee always maintained that Kirby drew the first Spider-man story, which was supposedly rejected but (it can be argued) saw print in FF Annual #1 in 1963. And then there's the Simon-Kirby Fly character, created in 1959. This bug-based character could walk on walls and had a special sense that warned him of danger. I'll let that hang there. But I'll add that the Fly's arch-nemesis was fellow called Spider Spry who walked on a webline and trapped the Fly in web-like netting. Sure, these are obvious powers and abilities for insect and arachnid based characters. But it's significant when their creator is denied his part in the creation of Spider-Man just a few years later. Additionally, it's speculated that Kirby actually created the Ben Cooper Halloween costume design -- which looks remarkably like Marvel's Spidey some 8 years in advance, back in 1954. Kirby did work for Cooper, so it's almost a slam dunk. Jack also had his own fly and spider-based superheroes and villains in the early-mid 1950s too. Unfortunately nobody ever knew to ask Kirby about the Cooper costume before he passed away in 1994. It could well be that kids wearing that Cooper Spider Man costume knocked on any one of the doors of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby and/or Martin Goodman in the 8 years' worth of Halloweens leading up to the first appearance of Spider-Man in comics. For background on the Ben Cooper Spiderman costume:
  9. Maybe we do need an official Fade-Grade.
  10. That's only about a 10% fade on that Hulk #1, and as he was gray anyway, no colour loss on the main character.
  11. Just putting this out there... Regarding the origin of Spidey, Kirby did both the cover and at least some of the story for Amazing Fantasy #15. But as it became apparent that Kirby was already way over-stretched on FF, Thor etc, Stan Lee gave Spidey to Ditko to take it over and in the process re-do that first story. Oddly, there's a story in FF Annual #1 (1963) in which the FF meet Spidey for the first time, drawn by Kirby. This is supposedly an expanded (6-page) version of the same sequence that had already appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #1 as drawn by Ditko. Stan Lee explains to the readers on the first page of the Kirby version that this 're-done' story was the result of 'countless requests' to expand on the original 2-page Ditko version. Problem is, the Ditko version was just over 4 pages long, not 'merely 2'. Many of the panels in both versions are nearly identical, so one artist was clearly copying the other. The Kirby version has a few additional action panels that don't add anything to the tale. So, the Kirby version is clearly redundant. But I think it was done before the Ditko version and was intended for Amazing Fantasy #15 before Kirby was either taken off the project or opted off doing it. It was probably supposed to have been part of Spidey's origin story. Stan Lee most likely just wanted to print the seemingly pointless Kirby version in FF Annual #1 as he would have already paid Kirby for the work. Interestingly, Kirby had also drawn the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #1, although Ditko drew them all (except #10) after that. All of this lends credence to the strong possibility that Kirby did in fact create at least the visual for Spider-Man, as he always maintained he did. Oh, and there's also an 18-page Spidey-Torch team-up by Kirby in Strange Tales Annual #2, also from 1963. Yes, Jack WAS busy indeed, and there was way more to come or already on the boil (Iron Man, Avengers, X-Men, Sgt Fury, etc).
  12. I'd buy it just for the pleasure of cutting out that Marvel Value stamp, and not feeling guilty about it.
  13. Oh, and DO beware of fake #181's too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Incredible-Hulk-181-High-quality-bronze-age-newsprint-replica-/254718744858?hash=item3b4e6b991a%3Ag%3AXzQAAOSwmflfX3hA&nma=true&si=DPeAA2nKXwHUFM2xt604JFRg6bg%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
  14. The seller all_things_comics has caseloads of Hulk #181 and has several 'near perfect' (albeit clumsily trimmed and needlessly colour-touched) copies on eBay at all times. Here's the last 30 copies he's sold recently: https://www.ebay.com/sch/all_things_comics/m.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=hulk %23181&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2046732.m1684