"Yours for old Shazam…."
Pictured above is a Mary Marvel Fan Club card from 1946, acquired in that collection I’ve been scanning ‘n’ photographing from all week. It came in an envelope along with a merchandise sheet and a “welcome to the club” letter ostensibly from Mary herself, plugging the merchandise, reminding folks of the paper drive, and giving fashion tips:
CLICK TO MAKE SHAZAM-IER
Speaking of Mary, here’s a column by Customer Jim reminiscing about the Mary Marvel of old, and lamenting her treatment of late.
In other news:
- More news from the Beanworld: Larry Marder has posted the solicitation information for two Beanworld projects: the first Beanworld hardcover, reprinting issues #1 through #9, and the all-new, all-color Beanworld Holiday Special! Go see Larry for more info and art samples!
- Speaking of solicits, from DC’s listings for December:
“SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING BOOK ONE HC
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Stephen Bissette, Dan Day and John Totleben
Cover by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben
Writer Alan Moore’s seminal horror series is now published in hardcover for the very first time — including the never-before-reprinted SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #20, in which Moore wraps up the previous storyline and sets the stage for the groundbreaking tales that were to come. Collecting SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #20-27, this first volume features the stories that put Moore on the comics map in the 1980s thanks to his unique narrative style and deconstructive storytelling. Created by a freak accident, Swamp Thing believed he was once scientist Alec Holland — but when he discovers his true nature, it shatters his universe and sends him on a path of discovery and adventure.“Featuring the art of Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, this groundbreaking work features mind-blowing, genre-defying stories starring the rich, complex character that Neil Gaiman called ‘The No. 1 New Classic Monster’ in Entertainment Weekly.”
At long, long last, we’re getting a reprint of Alan Moore’s first Swamp Thing issue, left out of previous reprintings due to its being more of a wrapping up of storylines from Marty Pasko’s run than a beginning for Moore’s own story. (And hopefully the new hardcover will restore the missing caption from the last page of Saga of the Swamp Thing #24, which isn’t in the most recent softcover edition.)
Tom Bondurant, in his own DC solicits examination, wonders if I know why there haven’t been any Showcase Presents reprintings of the entire first Swamp Thing series (including the never reprinted in their entirety, at least in the U.S., post-Wrightson #11-#24) and the pre-Moore Saga of the Swamp Thing by Pasko, Tom Yeates, and the first ST work by Bissette and Totleben. I don’t know, aside maybe from royalties issues, or maybe a feeling that non-Wrightson, non-Moore/Veitch ST sales wouldn’t justify reprinting. I really have no idea.
The black and white Showcase books would be an okay solution…as Tom says, the first series would fit in one volume, and a second volume could cover all the pre-Moore stuff (though instead of including the early Moore issues to fill the rest of the book, I’d go after the Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents stories…and maybe somewhere there’d be room for Swampy’s star turn in those Challengers of the Unknown comics).
That initial 13-issue story in Saga of the Swamp Thing by Pasko and Yeates, et al, ain’t too bad. (And 14-19 are pretty good too, actually…I’ll write more about those some other time.) It’s a bit overwritten, captions and word balloons overwhelming the art at times to the detriment of the story, but it still holds together as a fine example of modern horror. It’s been mostly lost in the large shadow cast by Moore’s run, but still deserves some attention. And hell, it’s cheap…even if it’s never collected, you can pick up those issues for a couple of bucks each, by and large.
But if any of that early Swamp Thing can be reprinted, especially in color, I’d like to see those Nestor Redondo issues from the original ’70s series on nice paper, finally. His style was quite a bit different from Wrightson’s — a little more polished and slick, maybe — but still quite beautiful and moody and, again, hidden in the shadow of a more famous and highly-regarded run in the same series.
And I’d like a cheap, full-color reprinting of Sugar & Spike…you know, so long as I’m wishing for things I’m not going to get.
- Via the mighty Neilalien: the Sound Effect Generator. “pwoik coo pwoik coo croaaak-croaaak tsssss-tsssss blug-blug”
