Dang! August is halfway over
already! After a surprisingly cool(er) season, the heat index here
in Florida is back to usual, roughly 105 degrees. I can't complain
too much, as we've gotten a lot of rain this summer. Also, no hurricaines
to speak of.
What's on the agenda this week, blogonistas? Some
Silver Age fun. Raise your hands if you know the name Jack Sparling.
No, he wasn't the fella who quit The Tonight Show, paving the way
for Johnny Carson (that was Jack Paar. who went into early retirement
a lot earlier than he'd intended when he realised nobody missed him).
According to the Lambiek Comiclopedia, http://www.lambiek.net/artists/index.htm
(an excellent, ever-expanding resourse); "Jack Sparling created
the comic strip about the reporter 'Hap Hopper' with writer Drew Pearson
in 1939. Credits include Challengers of the Unknown, House of Secrets,
Children's Digest, Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's
Court', Flash Gordon, Eerie..." |
Me,
I think Hap Hazard would've been a much cooler name, but they
strip got sold without any input from me, so what do I know?.
They could've beaten Johnny Hazard to the punch, as Johnny didn't
appear until WWII and Terry and The Pirates.
Like a lot of latecomers, I first knew of
Sparling from reprints of his much later work, Challengers of
The Unknown and a ten-page Captain America story in Marvel Double
Feature (Originally presented, so the yellow bar at the bottom
of page one informs us, in Tales of Suspense #87). His last
published work, to my knowledge, was a Daredevil Marvel Fanfare
story in '84.
Many have been Sparling's accomplishments
in the comics field. The one that gets overlooked was his creation
of the Mullet. I'm not kidding! Okay, maybe a little, but, far
as I know, the first appearance of that proud Centurion helmet
of hair known affectionately, universally, as the Mullet was
"originally presented" by Jack Sparling.
These images are courtesy
of Marvel Masterworks vol. 46, or Cap. vol. 2, reprinting TOS
# 82-99 & Cap #100. I have most of these stories already
in one form or another, but Cap holds a special place in my
heart. Also, the restoration of the linework and the faithfulness
to the original flat colors makes it too attractive a package
to pass up. For many years, DC's Archives were the standard-bearers,
and since relaunching the Masterworks program, Marvel's caught
up with them in reproduction quality, thanks to the mysterious
person named "Pond Scum' and others...
This same story is subject to another tidbit
of curiosity: Tales of Suspense #87 was cover-dated March 1967,
which places it around Christmastime,1966. The reason I bring
this up is the uncanny resemblance of the "peerless Planner"
(ooooh, scary!) to concert pianist legend, Liberace, who made
a cameo on both the Batman AND Monkees TV shows, ham that he
was, in 1966-67ish. Could Sparling have had the TV on while
working on this issue?
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| Look at next panel and don't
tell me you don't see Liberace in all his glory. All that's missing
is The Planner onstage, wrapped in a fur coat, walking out of a giant
Faberge Egg! |
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| Then again, Liberace couldn't
convincingly double as Cap, because, never one to resist glitz, Liberace
would've replaced the chain mail with sparkly sequins. Another random
thought.. Observe how the incredible inking of Joe Sinnott shines
through. Keep in mind, you're looking at a pixelated scan from a reduced
black & white photocopy of a color reprint. This volume is inked
mostly by Giacoia and Sinnott. There's the occasional so-so Dick Ayers
ink job (sorry, Mr. Ayers), but if you're a student of line art, pick
up this book, or the b/w Essentials, where the color won't distract
you. |
| Let's thumb through this
volume further. Ah! Found something mighty cool. As with the first
Cap Masterworks, there's plenty of slam-bang Kirby action such as
this panel from TOS #85... |
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| Then Gil Kane, fresh from
DC's Green Lantern & Atom, steps in and steps up his game, adding
Kirbyisms to his already-dynamic work! |
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It's facinating to see the
different approach Kane took to Marvel. DC's stories were far more
plot-driven, where Marvel's was action-driven, often relying on last
minute dialogue from Stan Lee or Roy Thomas to wrap up the story in
a sensible manner.
Well, that's enough Silver Age fun for this week,
gang! I've been waiting to share this silliness for you, and now I've
gotten it out of my system...for now... |
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