Showing their true metal.
Speaking of the Metal Men comics I received at my shop recently, I noticed something on them that I don’t think I’d paid much attention to before:
I hadn’t noticed signatures on DC’s Silver Age books before with an affixed “ART:” or “ART BY” credit. These particular examples are from Metal Men #2 (1963) and #11 (1964/5), telling one and all that these swell cartoon robots were delineated by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Just seemed a little odd to me, though perhaps inspired by the increased realization of the marketability of specific creators as the Silver Age progressed, particularly with Marvel’s “we’re all your pals here!” editorial emphasis and cutesy nicknames, making sure you knew which comics were by “King” Kirby and “Jazzy” John Romita.
Anyway, whatever the reason, these sure look neat blown up nice an’ big like that.
In other Metal Men news, I continue this current semi-obsession in asking a related question of the War Rocket Ajax fellas, at around the 1 hour 22 minute mark, more or less.
Mike, I once heard that Ross Andru always had great contracts, but I’m not sure where I heard it — a Gil Kane interview? Gil Kane? — and I never knew exactly how they were great.
Didn’t Andru and Esposito package comics material similar to Simon and Kirby? I know they had their own Mad-style satire mag. Could their prior experience doing that sort of thing have influenced this?