Phantom Stranger Showcase

[Fred2]

Has anyone gotten the Phantom Stranger Showcase?

Is it any good?

[Cei-U!]

As soon as InStockTrades offers it, I'll be buying it. All that in-his-prime Aparo artwork in glorious black and white? Da-rool, da-rool!

Cei-U!
I summon the anticipation!

[dan bailey]

Glanced through it this evening at my LCS & would've bought it on the spot if money weren't so bloody tight that I've got to reserve such purchases for on-line vendors who can offer deeper discounts. *sigh*

I bought several of the early issues when they came out -- I've still got my old copy of #1 somewhere, minus not only the cover but the first couple of pages -- & am really looking forward to revisiting the stories.

[rick]

I've got it.

I'm reading it.

And man oh man the Jim Aparo, Alex Toth and Neal Adams looks good, even in B&W.

[MWGallaher]

Best Showcase so far.
OK, those here who are familiar with my devotion to Aparo probably expected that from me, but the Stranger has some great things going for it that merit that opening compliment as far as I'm concerned.
Variety DC never quite settled on a status quo for this character throughout its 40+ issue run. So once you get past the first three installments (in which reprints of PS and Dr. 13 from the 50's propped up short face-offs/team-ups between the two of them), the series gets delightfully unpredictable. There are spooky stories in which the Stranger is little more than a narrator, horror, science fiction, Twilight Zone-ish crime, superheroics, and finally the start of an ongoing epic (satisfyingly packaged, for the most part, as stand-alone tales). All of the other Showcases that I can think have have a greater degree of "sameness" to the contents, even House of Mystery, which features lots of stories sharing in the tepidness of their thrills.
Novelty Of the other Showcases so far, I'd bet that each one has had more of its contents previously reprinted (in the USA). I keep very close track of Aparo's published work, and I think there is only one four-page backup story in this collection that might have been reprinted, and I can't find confirmation of that where I thought I would! So it might just be 100% never-reprinted...and even the Elongated Man and Haunted Tank volumes have a higher count than that.
Quality At least for this volume, the quality is on a (nearly) constant rise. The artwork begins with Bill Draut, with reprints by Carmine Infantino and Leonard Starr, then we get a young Neal Adams (not quite at his peak), then Mike Sekowsky abetted impressively by Murphy Anderson, followed by the one dip in quality, when Sekowsky suffers the inks of Vince Colletta and an inker unlisted in the credits pages (Colletta inks the middle chapter, obviously, but the rest of issue 6 is quite certainly by someone else--someone who was very generous with his India ink. My judgment is far from expert, but it reminds me very much of Manny Stallman's Raven series for Tower).
Aparo Finally we get to Aparo, who was at the height of his skills in the early 70's. Those comics readers who knew him only from his last 15 years or so in the business should be prepared for a revelation. Jim's lush, extremely detailed inkwork is on great display in black and white, here. I can't imagine any professional inker not marveling at the quality of his work. I think Jim's PS was superior to his superhero work; PS gave him the opportunity to draw all the real-world scenery, fashions, buildings, and props that he excelled at.
Jim handled all but one of the lead stories in the remaining issues in this collection (nos. 7 through 21). His substitute in #18 is the capable Tony deZuniga (although Tony draws a couple of rather laughable "action shots" in that issue). Tony also handles a few Dr. 13 backups. A year into his tenure on PS, Aparo makes a change (in issue 15) that was artistically daring and, to my eyes, one of the coolest things ever done--from here onward, the Stranger's eyes are never shown. No more glowing white eyes, no more occasional glimpse of actual pupils*, Jim's Phantom Stranger becomes truly cloaked in a supernatural shadow. Man, I loved that!
After seeing these again (I already have a complete collection of the series), I marvel at the fact that DC has let this material rest in the vaults for all these years.





*Well, until Romeo Tanghal's poor decision to show his eyes straight on--that was years later, though.

[shaxper]

Best Showcase so far.
OK, those here who are familiar with my devotion to Aparo probably expected that from me, but the Stranger has some great things going for it that merit that opening compliment as far as I'm concerned.
Variety DC never quite settled on a status quo for this character throughout its 40+ issue run. So once you get past the first three installments (in which reprints of PS and Dr. 13 from the 50's propped up short face-offs/team-ups between the two of them), the series gets delightfully unpredictable. There are spooky stories in which the Stranger is little more than a narrator, horror, science fiction, Twilight Zone-ish crime, superheroics, and finally the start of an ongoing epic (satisfyingly packaged, for the most part, as stand-alone tales). All of the other Showcases that I can think have have a greater degree of "sameness" to the contents, even House of Mystery, which features lots of stories sharing in the tepidness of their thrills.
Novelty Of the other Showcases so far, I'd bet that each one has had more of its contents previously reprinted (in the USA). I keep very close track of Aparo's published work, and I think there is only one four-page backup story in this collection that might have been reprinted, and I can't find confirmation of that where I thought I would! So it might just be 100% never-reprinted...and even the Elongated Man and Haunted Tank volumes have a higher count than that.
Quality At least for this volume, the quality is on a (nearly) constant rise. The artwork begins with Bill Draut, with reprints by Carmine Infantino and Leonard Starr, then we get a young Neal Adams (not quite at his peak), then Mike Sekowsky abetted impressively by Murphy Anderson, followed by the one dip in quality, when Sekowsky suffers the inks of Vince Colletta and an inker unlisted in the credits pages (Colletta inks the middle chapter, obviously, but the rest of issue 6 is quite certainly by someone else--someone who was very generous with his India ink. My judgment is far from expert, but it reminds me very much of Manny Stallman's Raven series for Tower).
Aparo Finally we get to Aparo, who was at the height of his skills in the early 70's. Those comics readers who knew him only from his last 15 years or so in the business should be prepared for a revelation. Jim's lush, extremely detailed inkwork is on great display in black and white, here. I can't imagine any professional inker not marveling at the quality of his work. I think Jim's PS was superior to his superhero work; PS gave him the opportunity to draw all the real-world scenery, fashions, buildings, and props that he excelled at.
Jim handled all but one of the lead stories in the remaining issues in this collection (nos. 7 through 21). His substitute in #18 is the capable Tony deZuniga (although Tony draws a couple of rather laughable "action shots" in that issue). Tony also handles a few Dr. 13 backups. A year into his tenure on PS, Aparo makes a change (in issue 15) that was artistically daring and, to my eyes, one of the coolest things ever done--from here onward, the Stranger's eyes are never shown. No more glowing white eyes, no more occasional glimpse of actual pupils*, Jim's Phantom Stranger becomes truly cloaked in a supernatural shadow. Man, I loved that!
After seeing these again (I already have a complete collection of the series), I marvel at the fact that DC has let this material rest in the vaults for all these years.





*Well, until Romeo Tanghal's poor decision to show his eyes straight on--that was years later, though.


A very powerful review! I might just consider purchasing this volume. Do you think much is lost in the translation to black and white, though? Whenever it comes to Showcase and Essential volumes, I always wonder if I'm better off purchasing the original issues.

[MWGallaher]

A very powerful review! I might just consider purchasing this volume. Do you think much is lost in the translation to black and white, though? Whenever it comes to Showcase and Essential volumes, I always wonder if I'm better off purchasing the original issues.
I think very little is lost by the lack of color. Phantom Stranger was to a great degree a "night-time" book, and the coloring techniques of the time weren't the best for night scenes. There are some specific reasons that some of the other Showcases suffer from lack of color (Green Lantern's weakness against the color yellow has to be noted from the text, Elongated Man's difficult-to-follow stretches need color to spot his limbs when far-removed, Metamorpho loses his garish appeal, Tony DeZuniga uses outlines to represent shadows in Jonah Hex which don't look like shadows without being colored in), but I can't spot any such difficulties with PS. In many cases, the PS volume benefits in that so much of Aparo's incredible detail work shows up better with out the dark colors laid on top of it.
Also, issues of PS aren't particularly easy to come by in the back issue market. I only see 9 copies of the PS issues (some of those duplicates in different grades) in this volume available at milehighcomics.com right now, and you'd have spent over $100 before you had the first (chronolgical) four issues available. I, myself, only have a single issue that's in NM, and I paid $40 for that. It's an incredible bargain to sample some of the best of the series in B&W for less than $20.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Great review there!

I definitely need to pick this up.

[hondobrode]

I am VERY particular about what I pick up in b & w. For all the reasons stated earlier, it is very difficult to purchase certain stories that won't lose drastically in the b & w format. So far the only volume I've felt comfortable purchasing has been Jonah Hex, but I will be purchasing this as well as the House of Mystery.

[MWGallaher]

I am VERY particular about what I pick up in b & w. For all the reasons stated earlier, it is very difficult to purchase certain stories that won't lose drastically in the b & w format. So far the only volume I've felt comfortable purchasing has been Jonah Hex, but I will be purchasing this as well as the House of Mystery.
Hondo, this volume is very much in the same tone as Hex and HOM, and works just as well in b&w, if not better (to my eyes, the PS Adams covers in this reprint look much better than the frequently muddy Adams covers in the HOM Showcase). If you get the chance to give it a browse, I bet you'll end up carrying it to the checkout. I should also mention that, at least in the second half of the collection, these stories have the same kind of appeal to a mature reader that I find the Hex collection does, and it was marketed to the HOM audience, too...I consider it to be, in many issues, a "mature readers" HOM, in the sense that the stories are often more subtle and better-developed than the short shock-tales in HOM.
I'd love for this to be the big seller it deserves to be, so that we can get a volume 2 that finishes off the series. Read it, and you'll want the rest, too.

[Red Oak Kid]

As soon as InStockTrades offers it, I'll be buying it.
Cei-U!
I summon the anticipation!


I just checked, and they have it for sale.

I summon the Credit Card.

[Cei-U!]

I just checked, and they have it for sale.

I summon the Credit Card.

Yay! And damn! Now I have to choose between that and the Challengers Showcase for next month's purchase. Kirby/Wood or Aparo... (No, I can't buy both at once without sacrificing my monthly Essentials pick. Slave of habit, that's me.)

Cei-U!
I summon the tough call!

[matt levin]

I'm here mostly to reiterate, or at least, support MWGallaher's review, in which he says what I'd want to've said, but says it much better!

Oddly enough, the only three showcase volumes I've bought so far are in fact, House of Mystery, Jonah Hex (ok, ok, Weird Western), and Phantom Stranger. Not sorry about owning any of'm!

Matt

[Agentum]

I wonder if we could have a The Spectre Showcase too?
He had a 60s book and maybe he was in some other books, can it fill a Showcase?

No golden age i mean.

[Cei-U!]

I wonder if we could have a The Spectre Showcase too?
He had a 60s book and maybe he was in some other books, can it fill a Showcase?

No golden age i mean.

Even if you include all his Silver and early Bronze Age appearances -- the three Spectre issues of Showcase (#60-61, 64), his 10-issue '60s solo title, his Adventure Comics run (#431-40), his three Brave and Bold turns (#72, 75 116) and his five Justice League of America guest shots (#47-48, 82-83, 124) -- you'd still fall short of a full-size Showcase volume so I think you might have to at least accept the presence of the two-part Golden Age origin from More Fun.

Cei-U!
I summon the spook shortage!

[JeffreyWKramer]

Even if you include all his Silver and early Bronze Age appearances -- the three Spectre issues of Showcase (#60-61, 64), his 10-issue '60s solo title, his Adventure Comics run (#431-40), his three Brave and Bold turns (#72, 75 116) and his five Justice League of America guest shots (#47-48, 82-83, 124) -- you'd still fall short of a full-size Showcase volume so I think you might have to at least accept the presence of the two-part Golden Age origin from More Fun.

Cei-U!
I summon the spook shortage!

I hope they'll eventually change their minds and start offering some more recent stuff in SHOWCASE form. The Ostrander/Mandrake SPECTRE, for example, really deserves to be collected.

[Agentum]

Not a big chance for a long time i think, its a 90s book after all.
And i think it deserves color:)

[Indigo Al]

I'm about a third of the way through, but what a great little mood horror comic this was/is. I love the counterpoint of Dr 13 to the Stranger, I like the hep Mod Squad/Scooby gang teenagers, and Tala is a groovy Queen of Evil. (Makes me wonder what she was doing waiting tables in Gaiman's Books of Magic).

I almost see cinematic possibilities in this stuff. Imagine what a Hammer Films movie this would have been in the 60's/70's!

[Lone Ranger]

It's on my Christmas wish list, so I am anxious to see if it winds up under the tree.

I own a few of the original series and really enjoyed most of it, even the latter really weird issues with the Gerry Talaoc art.

What issues are covered in the Showcase book?

Are all back-ups in included? I hope so, as there were some really good ones in the title (although I can live without the Bernard Baily drawn Spawn of Frankenstein issue).

[Cei-U!]

My copy is arriving in today's mail. O rapture!

Cei-U!
I summon the postman!

[MWGallaher]

It's on my Christmas wish list, so I am anxious to see if it winds up under the tree.

I own a few of the original series and really enjoyed most of it, even the latter really weird issues with the Gerry Talaoc art.

What issues are covered in the Showcase book?

Are all back-ups in included? I hope so, as there were some really good ones in the title (although I can live without the Bernard Baily drawn Spawn of Frankenstein issue).
It reprints Showcase #80 and the first 21 issues of Phantom Stranger. It includes all the backups that were new material (mostly Dr. 13 stories drawn by DeZuniga, but there are a few very short spooky thrillers drawn by the likes of Cardy and Anderson), but not the reprints from the "48 pages for 25 cents" era, so, sorry, LR, no Meskin-drawn Mark Merlins here. It doesn't make it to the start of Spawn of Frankenstein (#23) nor to the beginning of the Talaoc/Bailey era (#27). So neither Frankenstein nor Bailey in this volume.
I hope that DC can eventually manage to put out a volume 2 of this, although it probably straddles the period of transition to unfavorable reprint fees. Just one more volume would finish this off (20 issues to go, which might be short for a Showcase, but there are choices to pad it with; DC Super-Stars #18 with a Deadman/PS team-up, and/or Dan Spiegle's PS backups from Saga of the Swamp Thing).

[Lone Ranger]

It reprints Showcase #80 and the first 21 issues of Phantom Stranger. It includes all the backups that were new material (mostly Dr. 13 stories drawn by DeZuniga, but there are a few very short spooky thrillers drawn by the likes of Cardy and Anderson), but not the reprints from the "48 pages for 25 cents" era, so, sorry, LR, no Meskin-drawn Mark Merlins here. It doesn't make it to the start of Spawn of Frankenstein (#23) nor to the beginning of the Talaoc/Bailey era (#27). So neither Frankenstein nor Bailey in this volume.
I hope that DC can eventually manage to put out a volume 2 of this, although it probably straddles the period of transition to unfavorable reprint fees. Just one more volume would finish this off (20 issues to go, which might be short for a Showcase, but there are choices to pad it with; DC Super-Stars #18 with a Deadman/PS team-up, and/or Dan Spiegle's PS backups from Saga of the Swamp Thing).

Thanks - I thought there might be enough for a Vol 2., but perhaps not.

Could they also add B&B and JLA appearances?

Alternatively, perhaps they could fill the back of the book with Black Orchid stories, from Adventure Comics, as well as those that ran in the last issue of Phantom Stranger (those were 'new' at the time, no?).

That would be a lot like what they did with Jonah Hex.

One more alternative - how about additing the 50s Phantom Stranger stories at the back. I know DC isn't digging that deep into the vault, but it might make sense here.

[dan bailey]

My copy is arriving in today's mail. O rapture!

Cei-U!
I summon the postman!

I'm hoping mine is, too -- can't really tell, because the USPS tracking number hasn't been updated since last week.

[Red Oak Kid]

I hope that DC can eventually manage to put out a volume 2 of this, although it probably straddles the period of transition to unfavorable reprint fees.

What do you mean?:confused:

[MWGallaher]

Thanks - I thought there might be enough for a Vol 2., but perhaps not.

Could they also add B&B and JLA appearances?

Alternatively, perhaps they could fill the back of the book with Black Orchid stories, from Adventure Comics, as well as those that ran in the last issue of Phantom Stranger (those were 'new' at the time, no?).

That would be a lot like what they did with Jonah Hex.

One more alternative - how about additing the 50s Phantom Stranger stories at the back. I know DC isn't digging that deep into the vault, but it might make sense here.
I'd assume that the Black Orchid stories that ran as backups in the later issues of PS would be included in a potential volume 2, just as the Dr. 13 stories were included in this one (although Black Orchid didn't have the direct involvement in the main stories that Dr. 13 had). Other potential filler would include the Dr. 13 vs. the Spectre stories from GHOSTS, material unrelated but similar, like the handful ofAdventurers' Club stories, or heck, I wouldn't even mind seeing the original Mr. E series filling in the gaps!
Bottom line, I think there are plenty of options to fill out a second volume of Showcase Presents Phantom Stranger...I just hope that if such a volume comes to pass, they don't opt for the Kupperburg/Mignola miniseries as filler. Yechh, that was lousy.

[MWGallaher]

What do you mean?:confused:
DC's policy so far is not to include in the Showcases material that was published after a particular point in the mid-70's. So far as I know, they haven't explicitly spelled out the economic problems, but it relates to a change in their policy for paying creators for reprints.
As I understand it, for stuff prior to the cutoff (let's just say it's 1975), the creators are payed a percentage of the cover price of the reprint. So, for the PS collection, Jim Aparo's estate gets some established percentage of the $16 cover price. Say he gets 1% (to draw a number out of a hat); that means his estate gets 16 cents for each volume of SP:PS that's sold.
For material after "1975", the creators get an established payment for each reprint of a story; so if Aparo's estate got $0.10 for each story of his that was reprinted (to draw a number out of a hat), he'd get $1.00 out of the cover price if he had 10 stories in volume 2. That's a considerable chunk out of a low-price collection. Then you've got the writers' cuts on top of it. The consequence is that the Showcases can't be sold at their low price point and still make enough profit to be worth publishing, unless the talent is willing to negotiate changes.
I must stress, these numbers are randomly chosen, but I think the basic idea is right: under the old (pre-"1975") rules, reprint fees to the creators are low enough that a 500+page book at $16 still makes a profit, while under the later deal, a 500+page reprint wouldn't make a profit.

[Fred2]

Holy cow, this thread is longer than I anticipated. I thought I was the only Phantom Stranger fan.

I looked for it at various stores, but it seems scarce. No one is carrying it.

Are most people getting it online?

[benday-dot]

Yesterday, following the lead of others on this thread, I picked up the Phantom Stranger Showcase. On a trip to my (excellent!) lcs I went in to buy Allan Moore's From Hell, and happened to spot the pertinant DC volume on a nearby shelf, flipped through it, and it was love at first sight.

I have to tell you I never layed eyes on any of the coloured originals before in my life. Thus, I am speaking as someone who proceeded without anything with which to compare this B&W Showcase. Furthermore, I don't usually buy Showcases or Essentials (the exception on the latter being Ditko portion of the Amazing Spider-Man titles, and the first two Hulks), and have never bought a Showcase period.

I have to say, though not better than MW has already said it, that the Phantom Stranger looks as if it was made for black and white. I look through the pages, gushing at their pitch perfect moodiness, chiarascura excellence, striking half-tone work (oh modern comics what an art you've lost here!), gorgeous scenes of night and shadow, stark expressionism and then say to myself I don't even know if I want to see this stuff in colour. It looks so good, it even rivals the amazing Eddie Campbell black and white sketch drawings that powerfully grace the twice as expensive From Hell I picked up.

Finally, a word on this volumes major, and the Phantom Stranger's signature artist. I almost feel as if I should pay penance, say sorry to the man who is no longer with us... save for his glorious art. In my younger days, an absolute acolyte of Marvel, I would occasional look across the waters to see what was going on at DC. It seemed more often that not I would see pages drawn by a Jim Aparo. It was usually Aquaman, or maybe a World's Finest or Justice League title. I immediately decide I didn't like his stuff. It seemed too squigley, too, I don't know too sketchy and unclean... not Neal Adams enough. And then I was comparing Aparo to Perez or Buscema, whom I very much liked at the time, and decided I'd take the clear lined Marvel look any day over this DC guy.

Well, how things change. Now Buscema does little for me, and Perez not much more. But Aparo... forget about Aquaman or any other old judgment of mine... seeing this work on Phantom Stranger... to the unconverted out there, this man truly is a master of the art form. Its perhaps unfair to both, but in this Showcase Jim Aparo comes across like DC's Gene Colan.

If you are out there Jim Aparo... I owe you a huge apology, and thanks, 30 some years later, for your brilliant gift to comic fans.

Here's to maybe best impulse purchase I ever made.

[dan bailey]

My copy is arriving in today's mail. O rapture!

Cei-U!
I summon the postman!


I'm hoping mine is, too -- can't really tell, because the USPS tracking number hasn't been updated since last week.

Mine was indeed waiting by my front door when I got home yesterday. Now, if Kurt's postman also brought him Essential Hulk vol 4, the first 11 ishes of the current Legion of Super-Heroes incarnation, & a recent book on poltergeist activity, not to mention a bill from Alabama Power, I'm going to be very, very afraid.

[DarthAstuart]

holy cats--my copy of the Phantom Stranger Showcase arrived in the mail TODAY.

i expect DC to see a significant uptake in the sales numbers on this volume for November. any chance they can float us a commission?

probably not.

[benday-dot]

Continuing with my praise of Aparo's work on this Showcase. Really... does anyone draw fog, vapours, spectres, atmospheric gloom and all the miasmas of night better than Jim Aparo?

For those here still waiting to feast eyes upon your Phantom Stranger 500 + pages of glory, be prepared, for a book replete with many many such scenes of all these intangible delights...

[Cei-U!]

Well, I'm about halfway through the book. I'm loving the art, not just Aparo (and he is at the peak of his powers here) but Neal Adams, a surprisingly effective Mike Sekowsky and even Bill Draut who seems to be channeling John Romita in many places. The monotony of the format in the early issues, with both the Stranger and Dr. 13 telling pointless stories about marginally relevent past cases (some of them '50s reprints), wears on this reader when read en masse. I'm finally getting to the Len Wein issues and the change in tone and story structure is most welcome.

More as I continue reading.

Cei-U!
Wein certainly wrote to Aparo's strengths, didn't he?

[DarthAstuart]

i'm only two issues in (trying to savor it) and i'm enjoying the book. i'm utterly fascinated by the concept of dr. 13, and the way they've woven his stories together with the phantom stranger was totally unexpected to me. i assumed they'd be stand-alone back-ups but the way it's been shaping up is very clever.

if the len wein stuff is even better, I'm in for a big treat here. i HEART the showcase/essential format.

[will_butler]

Good stuff thus far. I'm about 160 pages in, and I'm really enjoying it, especially now that the Stranger has ditched his pupils. :)

Will

[Aaron King]

If anyone's interested, Dr. Thirteen is now appearing as a backup in DC's new Tales of the Unexpected. It's written by Brian Azzarello, who I normally couldn't be bothered with, but it's turning out to be a pretty humorous story about this guy who's living in a universe that OBVIOUSLY has mystical elements. The first issue is only so-so, but the second is funny, and both feature the amazing art of Cliff Chiang. At least give it a look next time you're in the comic store.

[gking727]

A very powerful review! I might just consider purchasing this volume.

Me too! And I've got all of the originals!

[DarthAstuart]

If anyone's interested, Dr. Thirteen is now appearing as a backup in DC's new Tales of the Unexpected. It's written by Brian Azzarello, who I normally couldn't be bothered with, but it's turning out to be a pretty humorous story about this guy who's living in a universe that OBVIOUSLY has mystical elements. The first issue is only so-so, but the second is funny, and both feature the amazing art of Cliff Chiang. At least give it a look next time you're in the comic store.

at this point, I am really hoping the Dr. 13 story is somehow collected in a one-shot or slim TPB, as I have been cutting back on my miniseries buying and haven't had a chance to read this. i am curious, however.

i'm also already pondering whether I want to build a collection of all of Dr. 13's appearances. i dunno what it is but this character really trips me out. maybe it's the RIGHTEOUS name he has.

[Aaron King]

For the Thirteen seekers, he made a pretty neat little appearance in Neil Gaiman's Books of Magic. I think it's only for a couple pages in issue two, but it's nice. He makes a convincing speech.

I'm so happy that everyone's loving this Phantom Stranger volume so much. I got a huge kick out of it, especially the Len Wein scripts. All the art was fantastic -- there was not one picture that I disliked. Well, there was one moment, and that was the cover. The mixing of Aparo and Adams art didn't work for me. But, yeah, everything inside the covers is great great great.

[Cei-U!]

Continuing with my praise of Aparo's work on this Showcase. Really... does anyone draw fog, vapours, spectres, atmospheric gloom and all the miasmas of night better than Jim Aparo?

For those here still waiting to feast eyes upon your Phantom Stranger 500 + pages of glory, be prepared, for a book replete with many many such scenes of all these intangible delights...

Aparo's backgrounds are astonishing. The man obviously did his research. In this volume alone, he draws everything from ships to coal mines, from greenhouses to wharfs with confidence, giving the scenes an authenticity that few of his contemporaries could create. Seeing this in black-and-white has done nothing but make me appreciate the man more.

Cei-U!
I summon the wow!

[dan bailey]

If anyone's interested, Dr. Thirteen is now appearing as a backup in DC's new Tales of the Unexpected. It's written by Brian Azzarello, who I normally couldn't be bothered with, but it's turning out to be a pretty humorous story about this guy who's living in a universe that OBVIOUSLY has mystical elements. The first issue is only so-so, but the second is funny, and both feature the amazing art of Cliff Chiang. At least give it a look next time you're in the comic store.

*siiiiiiiiiiiiigh* Every time I try to whittle down my pull list, along comes a post like this regarding a title I was already on the fence about trying out.

Thanks loads. ;)

[Aaron King]

My apologies, Mr. Bailey. If you only read the first issue, you might not like it. But if you read the second issue, I think you'll be thoroughly into it. There's a great guest star from House of Mystery, too...

[MWGallaher]

Aparo's backgrounds are astonishing. The man obviously did his research. In this volume alone, he draws everything from ships to coal mines, from greenhouses to wharfs with confidence, giving the scenes an authenticity that few of his contemporaries could create. Seeing this in black-and-white has done nothing but make me appreciate the man more.

Cei-U!
I summon the wow!
This reminds me of one of the arguments I make to support my belief that veteran comics artists were generally more capable than lots of modern-day "hot" artists. Back then, they had to draw whatever was in the script. Which was as likely to be a horse-drawn carriage as it was a stampede of elephants. Too many "A-list" artists, especially in the 90's, either plotted their own stories (which usually tended to conveniently require panels that were either easy to draw or featured the stuff that the artist felt he could draw "kewl"), or--so I've heard--they presumed to draw whatever they felt like drawing if they didn't like what the script called for. "I can't draw horses, so I'll shift the action into outer space and have them all riding rocket sleds instead! Let the scripter explain it."
Versatility was a requirement of virtually every artist that wanted a steady gig in the business. Sure, there were specialists, but Irv Novick went from war to Batman without a blink, John Romita from romance to Spider-Man, Barry Smith from superheroes to Conan the Barbarian...even the more pedestrian veterans showed more ability to convincingly draw more different things than the guys who made fortunes drawing hundreds of pages of people in tights duking it out in warehouses.
Of these versatile vets, Aparo was better than most, no question about it. And this Phantom Stranger volume has a bigger range of "sets" than any single series I can personally think of. I'm really happy so many folks here are digging it, and I'm surprised to find that a lot of you weren't already very familiar with the series, but like I said early on in this thread, none of it's been reprinted, and the back issues aren't common. Now you guys understand why I was marveling that DC left this material un-reprinted for so long!*


*I understand Neil Gaiman had long been a champion of the idea of reprinting the Wein/Aparo "Dark Circle" saga that begins in the later issues in this collection. Neil's got good taste. I should also mention that DC almost reprinted at least one of these stories in their reprint comic Dynamic Classics, but the series got caught in the DC Implosion before it could be published. Aparo did a nice cover for that one; maybe we'll see it--and the other unpublished Aparo works--in some sort of collection one day. After all, this Showcase has got to be stirring some widespread re-evaluation of his contributions to the medium, right?

[dan bailey]

My apologies, Mr. Bailey. If you only read the first issue, you might not like it. But if you read the second issue, I think you'll be thoroughly into it. There's a great guest star from House of Mystery, too...

Having picked up #1 Friday evening -- the LCS nearest my house was out of #2 -- I must say you've really piqued my curiosity about what you say is the far superior second go-round, because I liked the initital strip a lot. Even if I hadn't, Chiang's art (heck, his rendition of Dr Thirteen's daughter alone) would've been worth the price of admission . His name doesn't ring any sort of bell with me ... I'll have to look into what else he's done.

Actually, my first quick dash through said LCS I must've been on some version of autopilot, because I unthinkingly picked up all 3 ishes of the recent Spectre mini instead of looking for Tales of the Unexpected, because I instinctively associated the Spectre with the latter (which in turn means I thought I'd picked up Unexpected & thus didn't look for it a few minutes later when I dropped by the city's other LCS, which I suppose might've had #2 in stock). Color me stupid ... though seeing that Chiang drew those as well, at least I feel a lot less like kicking myself.

[Cherokee Jack]

I looked at this book today. In the table of contents (and correct me if I'm wrong), the art for the Dr. Thirteen story from SHOWCASE # 80, is credited to Leonard Starr and Wayne Howard. I know the story is a reprint from the 1950s. Didn't Howard start in comics much later than this?

[Aaron King]

Re: Mr. Bailey and Tales of the Unexpected
I think the issue I had with the first, um, issue, was that I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be funny or serious. Reading it seriously, it came off trying to be edgy. Reading it as funny, it came off as a little funny.

The second issue, though, is unavoidably funny. Dr. Thirteen has some great characterization, and I, Vampire is pretty badass. So maybe I just didn't approach the series correctly at first.

[MWGallaher]

I looked at this book today. In the table of contents (and correct me if I'm wrong), the art for the Dr. Thirteen story from SHOWCASE # 80, is credited to Leonard Starr and Wayne Howard. I know the story is a reprint from the 1950s. Didn't Howard start in comics much later than this?
I hadn't noticed the Howard credit, but it may be correct: the Dr. 13 stories were altered to fit the repackaging (or so I've been told; I don't have the original Dr. 13 issues of Star-Spangled Comics), so Howard may have been the guy who made the changes.

[Red Oak Kid]

I hadn't noticed the Howard credit, but it may be correct: the Dr. 13 stories were altered to fit the repackaging (or so I've been told; I don't have the original Dr. 13 issues of Star-Spangled Comics), so Howard may have been the guy who made the changes.

Which repackaging are you talking about? This collection or the Showcase #80?

Does that mean Wayne Howard once worked in the DC production dept.?:confused:

[Red Oak Kid]

OK, the GCD says Howard reinked the entire story for Showcase 80.

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=22510

I never heard of Howard working anywhere but Charlton.

[Aaron Kashtan]

OK, the GCD says Howard reinked the entire story for Showcase 80.

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=22510

I never heard of Howard working anywhere but Charlton.

How odd....

[Lone Ranger]

The GCD credits him as inking Ross Andru on Marvel's Worlds Unknown #3 (it say he signed it too).

That's the only other non-Charlton credit I've see for him.

Anyone have any other insight into this? I could see him doing some work for Warren, but don't think I've seen it.

http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=26673

[MWGallaher]

Howard did quite a few stories for DC in 1969-1970 in House of Mystery, which, like PS, was a Joe Orlando-edited series.

[Lone Ranger]

Howard did quite a few stories for DC in 1969-1970 in House of Mystery, which, like PS, was a Joe Orlando-edited series.

I'll have to check out my Showcase House of Mystery to see his work in there. I don't know why I can't recall that - it would have stood out quite a bit.

[MWGallaher]

And now that more of you have had the chance to see it, does anybody have any guesses as to the mystery inker of PS #6? The credit goes to Colletta, but I think it's quite apparent that Vinnie only inked the middle chapter. Who's the Stallmanesque inker of the rest of the issue?

[Lone Ranger]

And now that more of you have had the chance to see it, does anybody have any guesses as to the mystery inker of PS #6? The credit goes to Colletta, but I think it's quite apparent that Vinnie only inked the middle chapter. Who's the Stallmanesque inker of the rest of the issue?

I haven't seen it, but based on your description - could it be Jerry Grandenetti?

I could see him giving a "Manny Stallman" feel to a horror story, and would have worked for Joe Orlando elsewhere.

[Cei-U!]

Wayne Howard inked Gil Kane's pencils in Marvel Team-Up #14 (Spidey and Sub-Mariner vs Dr. Dorcas, Tiger Shark and the Men-Fish). Looks kinda cool, actually.

Cei-U!
I summon the goofy-looking monsters!

[Rob Allen]

Here's a GCD search that returns all 231 items credited to Wayne Howard:

http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?type=credit&query=Wayne+Howard&sort=chrono&Submit=Search

His career started in 1969. He has some credits in the last decade but they might be reprints of his 1970s work.

[DarthAstuart]

still not up to the Wein/Aparo stuff but I must give a tip of my hat to the two SUPER wacky Robert Kanghier stories I just read last night. He adds Tala, that weird siren of the darkness, and a quartet of "kooky" hippie kids who inevitably also get wrapped up in the antics.

Weird, wild stuff.

[Fred2]

I finally got a hold of a copy and my thoughts are...

meh.

I was so excited about this showcase, having been introduced to the Phantom Stranger through his appearances in Justice League of America stories.

But as I read the book, I felt I was reading a compilation of Charlton's The Many Ghosts of Dr. Graves.

Now, I find it curious why he was introduced into the Justice League of America stories. Was it at a time of his own series being canceled? Trying to revive him as a superhero?

I dunno, but I am sorry to say a little disappointed.

[Cei-U!]

Now, I find it curious why he was introduced into the Justice League of America stories. Was it at a time of his own series being canceled? Trying to revive him as a superhero?

Don't quote me but I think it was as simple as Len Wein, being the writer on both titles at the time, wanting "his" character on the team, much as Gerry Conway later added Firestorm.

Cei-U!
I summon the reasonable guess!

[MilkManX]

I have this on hold. Someone here mentioned Toth has a story in here. I didnt see him in the credits.


I've got it.

I'm reading it.

And man oh man the Jim Aparo, Alex Toth and Neal Adams looks good, even in B&W.


Can anyone else confirm that there is Toth in here?

[MWGallaher]

No, there's no Toth in the PS Showcase. There's Bill Draut, Neal Adams, Mike Sekowsky, Murphy Anderson, Nick Cardy, Jim Aparo, and Tony deZuniga. Plus Vince Colletta, Wayne Howard, and an unidentified inker.
But dang, Toth would have been a good one to see on a Phantom Stranger story or two.