Celebrating Artist Fred Hembeck

While Fred Hembeck did an incredible amount of work for both DC and Marvel Comics, today (as it is his birthday), we celebrate his large amount of work on one of DC's largest groups...

...the Legion of Super-Heroes!

Fred's covered Legion friends, like the Legion of Substitute Heroes, and foes like the Fatal Five.

He's covered Legion Reservists like Kid Psycho and Insect Queen (Lana Lang). 

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There's been various humor strips on the Legion, as well as mystery characters like Satan Girl and the Tornado Twins that have had ties to other DC heroes!

He's even done homages to classic Adventure Comics covers featuring the Legion!

  

 It's easy to see why Fred Hembeck has a Legion of fans!

Celebrating Artist Frank Miller

Wishing a happy birthday to comic icon, Frank Miller (January 27, 1957).  

Usually known for grim city comics filled with ninjas, a few science fiction covers from Marvel Spotlight, featuring Captain Marvel.  (Marvel Spotlight #2 from September, 1979 and #8 from September, 1980, both inked by Terry Austin).

Frank also supplied a couple of other covers for Marvel Spotlight, #5 from March 1980, featuring a Godzilla story reworked into Dragon Lord, and #7 from July, 1980, featuring Star-Lord, with both of these inked by Bob Wiacek. 

On the shoulders of these would come greatness...

Wishing A Super Birthday To Artist John Romita

Celebrating the birthday of John Romita (January 24, 1930).  Though normal known for his work on that amazing, spectacular friendly neighborhood guy over at Marvel, John did do an occasional cover for DC.  Two, in fact, one...Supergirl #80 (May, 2003) with inks by Jose Marzan Jr., and a variant of Superman #34 (October, 2014), inked by Klaus Janson.

John also worked on two of the DC/Marvel treasury books, one for MGM's Marvelous Wizard of Oz (1975),  and the other, the Marvel Treasury Edition #28 (1981), providing layouts to Bob Larkin's painting starring Superman and Spider-Man!

Happy Birthday Artist Alex Ross

Happiest of birthdays to artist Alex Ross.  

Alex has done many covers (and interiors) over the years for DC, and these are two of his more recent, or at least 2 done in the 21st Century, as wonderful homages, based on classic Silver Age covers created when Julie Schwartz was an editor at DC, who used the idea of creating a cover, then building a story around it.

Mystery In Space #82 (March, 1963)

DC Comics Presents: Mystery In Space #1 (September, 2004)

Original cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson.

Flash #163 (August, 1966)

DC Comics Presents: The Flash #1 (October, 2004)

Original cover by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.

These were part of a group of covers designed to honor the work of Julius Schwartz, and included modern covers by Adam Hughes, Brian Bolland (covering Gil Kane)and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

Alex Ross, among other things, helped complete this painting of the Crisis On Infinite Earths with George Perez.

George Perez's Fantastic Titanic Firsts

Welcome to something a little different this time around, as I get a little personal about my favorite artist, George Perez, and reflect on a few of the places I first encountered his work on certain titles (focusing on the big teams) over the years for my entry this time for the Super Blog Team-Up.

Avengers Assemble

To start, the first Avengers issue I read featuring George Perez on art (well, about half the issue), written by Steve Englehart, with interior inks by John Tartaglione and cover inks by Mike Esposito, Avengers #150 (August, 1976), well into George's first run of Avengers, but still pretty early in his career.

What an issue to be introduced to the Avengers!  True, Steve and George only did the first 6 pages, and half of that was historical info on the Avengers, with the last half being a reprint of the Avengers first roster change into Cap's Kooky Quartet, this and its following issue was a great place to start on the long history of the Avengers, and gave me a love for this team (and you can follow that start here as well).

Improbable As It May Seem - The Impossible Man Is Back In Town

Next up, the only issue of the bunch with a cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott, is this Roy Thomas penned tale, with George inked by Joe Sinnott on the inside, Fantastic Four #176 (November, 1976), as the first time I encountered George with the Fantastic Four.

Following up on a run of issues where Ben Grimm was a man in a Thing suit, here Ben and his three fantastic teammates were returning to Earth in a space ship as Ben had changed back into the Thing.  Due to some mishaps, the team crashed their spaceship into Central Park.  

With all the excitement, the team lost track of their guest, the shape changing Impossible Man (who, in his wandering found the offices of Marvel Comics, and had some adventures with Stan, Jack, Roy, George and the rest of the Marvel Bullpen...which also allowed George to draw some parts of the Marvel Universe he hadn't gotten too yet....).

More than a little love for the Fantastic Four here, as I covered their Marvel Index book (as well as the Avengers one).

Apokolips Now

Here, a switch, and a bit of a bittersweet issue, as George took over art duties from Dick Dillin, who had passed away only finishing the first five pages of this issue, is Justice League of America #184 (November, 1980), written by Gerry Conway and cover inks by Dick Giordano, with interior inks by Frank McLaughlin.  This being George's first JLA issue (though I had read many before).

The second part of a three part JLA/JSA crossover involving the New Gods, a chance to throw George into the deep end of the DC Universe as he switch over from Marvel, with small teams of Justice League and Justice Society members working with Jack Kirby's New Gods against the forces of Apokolips as they tried to resurrect Darkseid (showcasing George's ability to do backgrounds, like when he did Marvel's Logan's Run!)

More of this JLA/JSA team up here, and the other JLA/JSA team up George drew here!

The Birth Of The Titans

Last, but by no means least, New Teen Titans #1 (November, 1980), written by Marv Wolfman, with cover inks by Dick Giordano, and interior inks by Romeo Tanghal, technically the second appearance of the team (though only Raven and Robin were in DC Comics Presents #26 in a non-dream sequence), this was chosen for that incredible cover, and its historical significance.

The Titans had been a team before, but things were going to be different here, as the alien Koriand'r (later to be Starfire) was making her way to Earth, as empathic Raven started to manipulate Robin into reforming the Teen Titans with old standbys Wonder Girl and Kid Flash (adding an infrequent member, Beast Boy, to the team, but giving him the new name of Changeling...and setting up future storylines for Donna, Wally and Gar).

Raven was also motivating injured Vic Stone to accept the deal life had given him by turning this student athlete into Cyborg, getting him to go along with the rest of the team.  These Titans, together, rescued Starfire from the Gordanians she had escaped from, but the mysteries of why Raven would want this group together would unfold over the next few issues (as well as the problems that Wilson lad would give the team, especially after his father got involved as well).  

Here, a little more history of the newer members of the Titans team, with more of George's artwork!

Since I'm breaking tradition a little, going more with my feelings towards the material as opposed to just the facts, here, a picture of me with the legend himself, from the Motor City, where I was his overflow line coordinator (and got a chance the next day on my off day to meet and get a sketch from George...one of three times I've met Mr. Perez over the years, and I'm grateful to have done so as he is a fantastic person).

I am not only only fan who appreciates the work of George Perez, so here are a few more articles from the SBTU gang!

Here they are:

The Superhero Satellite:

PEREZ  

Between the Pages Blog:

George Perez’s Uncanny X-Men

Source Material:

Brave and the Bold #1-6

In My Not So Humble Opinion:

I-BOTS from Tekno Comix

*51:

JLA/Avengers: It Had to be George

The Telltale Mind:

Future Perfect - Hulk: Future Imperfect

Comics Comics Comics blog (JJG):

Justice League of America 200 and discovering George Perez

RAdulich in Broadcasting Network:

Comic Stripped: Logan’s Run

The Daily Rios:

A George Pérez Celebration #2

The Man Who Lived Forever

What would you do if time no longer mattered?  

That's what Evans Talbot had to find out after he made himself immortal in Strange Adventures #145 (October, 1962), all under this cover by Murphy Anderson.

 

The Man Who Lived Forever

In a story by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, scientist Evans Talbot had to figure out what to do with all his time, after making a serum to give himself immortality.

After drinking this serum, he had to hibernate for a thousand years....during which humans found aliens named the Kaasin, and were conquered by them.  

Evans went about and freed them (after he awoke).

But, then Talbot found out the secret of his own immortality...that he had devolved humanity as well.

So, with literally nothing but time, Evans set about to invent time travel to stop himself....and, though becoming a master of time, he was still too late.

Still, he drew the immortality out of his younger self, and with that double immortality, devolved the Kaasin in his own time (giving up his immortality as well, but devoting himself to help the future of humanity!).

National Pizza Week 2022

To be fair, National Pizza Week started on January 9th, but with a whole week, figured it would be best to save a pair of covers with Jughead enjoying a pizza until the weekend.

One thing Jughead loves is pizza, as shown as he's dating Debbie on the cover for Jughead #5 (April, 1988) by Nate Butler and Rex Lindsey, or enjoying a snack while working like on the cover to Archie's Pal Jughead #183 (September, 2007) by Rex Lindsey.

Savage Tales Of Boris Vallejo

Celebrating the birthday of fantasy artist, Boris Vallejo (January 8, 1941), with a couple of covers of Savage Tales from the 1970s, featuring Ka-Zar, Lord of the Hidden Jungle!

Since Boris is such an epic artist, as an extra special treat, the cover to Epic Illustrated #15 (December, 1982), as well as two issues of Vampire Tales from the 1970s as well, just to showcase his painted covers to magazine sized comics!

Remembering Aron Eisenberg

Remembering actor Aron Eisenberg on his birthday (January 6, 1969 - September 21, 2019), most famous for his role as Nog, the tenacious Ferengi from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Celebrating the brief career of Aron's with special issue, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Celebrity Series: The Rules Of Diplomacy #1 (August, 1995), co-written by Aron Eisenberg and Mark Paniccia, with art by Leonard Kirk, and inks by Bob Almond, John Montgomery, Scott Reed and Leonard Kirk.  

A one shot issue about Nog's adventure helping a Klingon diplomat on the Ferengi homeworld, showing Nog's eagerness and interest in Starfleet, with the issue also including containing a biography of Aron.

Mysteries In Space

What better way to start off sci fi month than with this wraparound cover by Murphy Anderson to Mysteries In Space: The Best Of DC Science Fiction Comics, a Fireside book that was released in 1980, celebrating DC's science fiction titles, with a foreword and edited by Michael Uslan, featuring Mystery In Space's Adam Strange and Alanna fighting Strange Adventures' Flying Gorilla Meance...

...though these stories didn't appear within this tome.  

A shame, but here's what did....

The collection has many generic sci-fi stories, from Mystery In Space (#1, #8, #11, #19, #28, #35, #49, #61), Strange Adventures (#36, #134) Tales Of The Unexpected (#84)...

...as well as tales of the Martian Manhunter from Detective Comics #225, Captain Comet from Strange Adventures #22, Strange Sports Stories from Brave and the Bold #47, Space Museum from Strange Adventures #112, Space Cabby from Mystery In Space #42, Star Hawkins from Strange Adventures #125, Tommy Tomorrow from Real Fact Comics #6 and Action Comics #205, the Atomic Knights from Strange Adventures #117, Star Rovers from Mystery In Space #74...

...Space Ranger from Showcase #15, and Adam Strange from Showcase #17 and Mystery In Space #75 (with Kanjar Ro and the JLA!), though most of these features didn't end up on the covers of the issues presented in this book, and all of which suggests more to be covered in the future!