Create Your Own Classic Comics

[GavinR]

1980's: The Peacemaker written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by George Perez.

[Scott Shaw!]

DC's follow-up to CAPTAIN CARROT AND HIS AMAZING ZOO CREW!, 1986's HOPPY THE MARVEL BUNNY by Roy Thomas, Scott Shaw! and Chad Grothkoph, with backup stories by Jim Engel. We only did six issues but they were a lot of fun. Fortunately, WHAT IF? No. 8 sold so well that Marvel asked Roy and I to expand on my back-up story for that comic, and WEBSTER WEAVER, MAN-SPIDER ran for at least two years!

Aloha,

Scott!

[benday-dot]

The two part tabloid size "graphic novel" from 1974 and 1975 in which the The Fourth World crosses over with the universe of Lone Sloane. The killer twist: Kirby handled the art chores on Druillet's Lone Sloane, while all those great splash panels and oversize gods from the Kirbyverse were taken on by the the resplendent and baroque pen of Druillet. There was talk of extending the collaboration up until Kirby's passing. Alas, all we will ever now are those fabled 64 pages of mind-blowing comics.

[Red Oak Kid]

1960-A young Neal Adams gets his first comic book series doing Dell's adaptation of the TV series Route 66. This bi-monthly book lasts one year longer than the tv series.

[JKCarrier]

1947 - After the untimely death of William Marston, the team of Tarpe Mills and Dale Messick take over Wonder Woman.

[Phil Maurice]

1960-A young Neal Adams gets his first comic book series doing Dell's adaptation of the TV series Route 66. This bi-monthly book lasts one year longer than the tv series.

Oh, I like this one a lot. Looking at photos of Tod and Buzz with that convertible 'Vette, I can totally see Adams nailing this one. Would have liked to see him work on a similar adaptation of "Hawaiian Eye," if only to see a Neal Adams photo-realistic Connie Stevens. Bang-zoom!!

[Red Oak Kid]

Oh, I like this one a lot. Looking at photos of Tod and Buzz with that convertible 'Vette, I can totally see Adams nailing this one. Would have liked to see him work on a similar adaptation of "Hawaiian Eye," if only to see a Neal Adams photo-realistic Connie Stevens. Bang-zoom!!

Hawaiian Eye was a backup feature in some issues of Route 66 but they were drawn by Dick Giordano. The 5th year of the R66 comic was all reprints of earlier issues.

[Phil Maurice]

July - August 1963: The Sgt. Rock fill-in issue of Showcase Comics (#45) is unnecessary because Arnold Drake and artist Bruno Premiani turn in their adaptation of Jerry Lewis' "The Nutty Professor" following a legendary collaborative session, having only been given the assignment four days prior. It outsells #43 (Doctor No) by a substantial margin.

[Scott Harris]

As everyone knows, in 1964 Stan Lee decided to create a Marvel version of the classic Lev Gleason superhero Daredevil after that character became public domain.

My classic comic would be the inevitable follow-up. Bolstered by the great sales on Daredevil, in 1965 Stan teams up with Steve Ditko for the new adventures of Lev Gleason's other bestselling superhero, Crimebuster. Instead of leaving Marvel for Charlton, Ditko stays at Marvel, re-invigorated by the chance to keep doing the teen drama stuff he was doing on Spider-Man, but now crossed with the crime and punishment morality tales he was truly more interested in. Crimebuster becomes one of the quirkiest cult hits of all time thanks to the Lee-Ditko team and stories which combine the soap opera of Amazing Spider-Man with the best aspects of The Question.

[icctrombone]

1990's- Jim Shooter/Jim Starlin - Solar man of the atom.

1980's- Marv Wolfman/George Perez- Superman

1970's- Stan Lee/ Neal Adams- Avengers

[dan bailey]

Crimebuster becomes one of the quirkiest cult hits of all time thanks to the Lee-Ditko team and stories which combine the soap opera of Amazing Spider-Man with the best aspects of The Question.

Also, Squeeks.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

July - August 1963: The Sgt. Rock fill-in issue of Showcase Comics (#45) is unnecessary because Arnold Drake and artist Bruno Premiani turn in their adaptation of Jerry Lewis' "The Nutty Professor" following a legendary collaborative session, having only been given the assignment four days prior. It outsells #43 (Doctor No) by a substantial margin.

Previous Jerry Lewis movies were adapted in his own comic book--so this isn't actually so far-fetched. If it had been done it would be a holy grail now.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Why was it in 1961 that Gardner Fox gave up writing Justice League of America and Adam Strange--and shelved plans for a revival of The Atom while handing off Hawkman to Bob Kanigher? Why in that same year did Carmine Infantino leave The Flash, as well as Adam Strange--and why did Sid Greene stop contributing to DC's science fiction anthologies?

Of course everyone knows the answer. The three superstar creators were far too busy with the run away hit comic book: The Dick Van Dyke Show! Lasting for 124 issues--three more years than the actual television series--DVDS was the most popular comic book--and comic strip--of its day, making celebrities out of Fox, Infantino, and Greene. When the three in-demand creative talents threatened to leave the series in 1965 (Marvel had promised them their own Beatles comic book), they were tempted back to DC with a lucrative deal that saw them sharing in the profits from their labours. A ground-breaking deal that would revolutionize the comic book industry.

In 1970, Mary Tyler Moore herself begged the FIG team to re-unite for the adaptation of her new television show. Sadly, Sid Greene only managed to ink the first ten issues of MTM before his passing, but his shoes were ably filled by Neal Adams who embellished the series for the remaining seven years of its existence.

[MRP]

In the 1970's...

when Marvel acquired the ER Burroughs licenses, they tempted a young Mike Grell away from DC to get him to write and draw their John Carter of Mars book and got the Roy Thomas Barry Windsor Smith band back together to do their Tarzan book. Both were critical and commercial successes and lasted until they had exhausted all the original ERB materials.

Cashing in on Dr. Strange's popularity with the counter-culture, Stan the Man convinces Ken Kesey to write for Marvel and teams him with a young Jim Starlin to relaunch a Dr. Strange strip in the pages of Marvel Premiere...

After seeing the success of Conan, Stan and Roy go after the other big fantasy property of the time and acquire the rights to adapt Tolkien, assigning the art to Michael Kaluta and P. Craig Russell, getting the Brothers Hiledebrandt to do painted covers and Archie Goodwin to edit, they launch a black and white magazine with The Hobbit adaptation as its lead feature and round it out with other original fare.

In the 1980's...

after enjoying his experience drawing a two part Silver Surfer mini series for the Epic imprint, Moebius convinces his former collaborator Alejandro Jodorowsky to work with him on a Marvel property for Epic and the two combine on a science fiction opus featuring Star-Lord, and go on to tell a gritty philosophical epic that surpasses their previous collaboration on the Incal. The greater universe they create and depict becomes the standard for Marvel's shared sandbox universe.



-M

[Cei-U!]

1966: In a major talent coup, Stan Lee lures Curt Swan away from DC to replace the departing Steve Ditko on The Amazing Spider-Man. DC romance artist John Romita assumes the art chores on Superman and Action Comics, giving the two titles a glamorous new look that bosts sales. Everybody wins.

Cei-U!
I summon the might-have-beens!