Tales from the past viewed through rose tinted glasses
Friday, September 2, 2022
Top Tens: Mike Kaluta
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Gone but not forgotten: Near Myths - The early work of Grant Morrison and Bryan Talbot
Near Myths was an A4 SF magazine (similar to Dez Skins’ “Warrior”) published out of the Science Fiction Bookshop in Edinburgh under the ”G...
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I was probably about seven years old when I walked into my local newsagents in Cambuslang (near Glasgow) with my pocket money firmly he... -
Following on from my last post featuring some of my favourite Marvel comic book covers from 1973, I thought I would show some of DC's ... -
Nearly a half-century on I still consider 1973 to be the year that cemented my destiny in becoming a lifetime comic book fan. It was a yea...
Lush delicate artwork. I first noticed him on The Shadow. I was smart enough to pick up the first issue, but failed to get many more. Made up that years later. Has that ever been reprinted?
ReplyDeleteAll of the Kaluta Shadows from that run were reprinted in a DC hardback around 1989 in a book titled "The Private Files of The Shadow" - well worth finding a copy, Rip.
DeleteThanks for the info baggsey.
DeleteI missed the first DC issue of the Shadow as well but managed to pick up issue 2 and 3 at the time. My next issue was Frank Robbins first attempt (number 5) which I found so disappointing at the time but now it's one of my favourite comics. I picked up the entire DC first run like yourself over the years and it's a great comic. I don't think the DC run has been collected but I couldn't swear to that. Kaluta with Russ Heath on inks did a Marvel graphic novel written by Denny O'Neil which looks very nice .
ReplyDeletePaul, it's funny you've included Conan The King because only last week I bought the e-book of King Conan #1-6 (December 2021-July 2022). After five years back with Marvel the Conan licence is moving to Titan Comics next year so King Conan #1-6 was the final Conan comic published by Marvel. Will Conan ever return to Marvel? Conan goes out of copyright in America in 2028 so anyone can publish Conan comics or novels from then on.
ReplyDeleteI heard that Conan would soon be out if copyright but I wasn't aware Marvel were no longer publishing his title. Is that the UK company Titan? Interesting stuff thanks for tge info.
ReplyDeleteThere are few things in this life more enjoyable than a Mike Kaluta cover. He also did a great cover for The Shadow #12 which I remember slavishly copying in my drawing pad during the summer holiday in 1975.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly has a great style that is both robust and delicate. It was good that he drew the last DC issue of the Shadow (at that time with issue 12) it was a lovely cover as was his cover to issue 10. I used to try and copy his work as well Steve focusing on certain panels, sadly it didn't look great !
ReplyDeleteThat Shadow #1 cover has to be one of the greatest comic covers of the Bronze Age, McScotty. In the mid 1970s I took a photograph of the cover and projected the transparency onto the back of a spare bit of wallpaper so that I could trace the image to create a big poster, which I still have.
ReplyDeleteMy first introduction to his work was Shadow #2 "Freak Show Murders" and Batman #253 when my Gran brought back those comics for me from the States following her visit in October 1973. I immediately became a fan of Kaluta's work.
I always think that Golden Age artist Leo E O'Mealia must have been a major influence on Kaluta, as Kaluta was himself subsequently on many others. Take a look at O'Mealia's cover to Action #2 and you'd swear it was drawn by Kaluta. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Action_Comics_Vol_1_2?file=Action_Comics_Vol_1_2.jpg
I checked that artist Ian and you are 100% right it's spooky just how much Kaluta's art looks like O'Mealia's. The first issue of The Shadow is an amazing iconic cover and has always been a big favourite of mine as well. It would be good to see your poster on your blog I did a similar copy of Action Comics 429 by Adams (Superman flying toward the reader over a cityscape) to A3 size was happy with it at the time but it's long gone now.
ReplyDelete