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!