Spinner Rack - 1974/75 - Part 4 - Charlton / Gold Key

The mid 1970's was a time when you could simply pop down to your local newsagents and be presented with an wide assortment of US comic books stuffed into spinner racks. And not all of these were Marvel, DC or indeed Atlas, there were other books available from companies like Skywald, Archie, King, Charlton and Gold Key comics. Of these companies Charlton produced many of my favourite titles for the period 1974/75, some of these are shown below:

"The Phantom" issues 67 (heading) and 68 above by Don Newton. I was never really that big a fan of the Phantom as a kid until Don Newton became the regualr artist on the Charlton comic.

"E-Man" isues 10 - Cover by Joe Staton. I have rambled on about my affection for E-Man in the past but it was a really wonderful comic. Sadly this was the last Charlton issue.

"Vengeance Squad" - Issue 2 - Cover by PAM (Peter Morisi) - In the 1970's TV detective shows were everywhere yet very few comic books really tried to copy this format. Vengeance Squad made a valid attempt to break into the TV detective genre but the title never took off and was cancelled after only 6 issues.

"Doomsday + 1" - Cover by John Byrne - This SF comic was John Byrne's first original colour comic series. The story which lasted for 12 isuses, featured 3 astronauts who return to Earth after a nuclear holocaust wipes out humanity and is worth searching for in the back issue bins.

"Haunted" issue 21 - cover by Don Newton. Charlton were known for their horror/mystery anthology titles each with their own "presenters" (Dr Graves etc) - with issue 21 of "Haunted" the comic introduced Baron Weirwulf as its caretaker to the macabre.

"Ghost Manor" issue 23 -Cover by Tom Sutton - This is simply my all time favourite horror/mystery anotholgy cover. Charlton, and in particular Tom Sutton produced some stunning horror covers.

"Magnus, Robot Fighter" - issue 39 - Cover by Russ Manning - This was the only Gold Key issue of "Magnus, Robot Fighter" that I ever bought.

"Ripleys, Beleive it or Not !" - issue 54 - Ripleys, Beleive it or Not! is a museum full of kitch oddities like shrunken heads, strange animal skeletons etc. It was particaltly popular in the late 1960's to the mid 1970s spawning a film, books and a Gold Key comic that lasted 94 issues. I picked up the above issue up on a holiday visit to the Blackpool Ripley's museum shop . The comic wasn't great but I liked the cover.

As with my previous 3 posts on the 1974/75 spinner rack I end this one with an Atlas/Seaboard cover. This time one of their wonderful black and white magazines "Weird Tales of the Macarbe" issue 1 - cover by Jeff Jone.

The Spinner Rack - 1974/75 - Part 3 - DC

In 1974/75 it wasn't just Atlas/Seaboard and Marvel that were producing new titles, DC were also getting in on the act with their own series of new comics and characters along with their classic line of titles. Unfortunately, just like Atlas and Marvel many of their new titles didn't last too long, but some of them were pretty good. Below are a few of my favourite DC comic covers from this year to accompany the above excellent cover of "Detective Comics" issue 457 by Dick Giordano and Tatjana Wood:

"Hercules Unbound" - issue 2 -Cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. "Hercules Unbound" was written by Gerry Conway with art by the team of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Wally Wood (issue 1-6). The comic only lasted for 12 issues before being cancelled.

"Beowulf" - issue 3 - cover by Ricardo Villamonte. Another short lived title lasting only 6 issues, nicely illustrated by Ricardo Villamonte.

"Stalker" issue 1 cover by Steve Ditko & Wally Wood - This title only lasted for 4 issues. Despite nice art from Steve Ditko and Wally Wood, it never quite worked.

Kobra issue 1 (of 7) - Cover by Ernie Chan

"Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter" issue 3 - Cover by Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss . This 18 issue series had its moments but it wasn't exactly Shang Chi.

First Issue Special - Issue 9 - Cover by Joe Kubert - One of my favourite comics (and characters) wIth some great art by Walt Simonson.

Kamandi issue 29 - cover by Jack Kirby -Kamandi was by far my favourie Kirby title at DC and this was one of the best isues in the series.

"JLA" - issue 124 - Cover by Ernie Chan - I was always a sucker for those great JLA - JSA team-ups but for me, this was one was spoiled a bit by having Cary Bates (the writer) appear in the tale.

"Super-Team Family" - issue 1 - Cover by Ernie Chan -This title and the "Batman Family" (see below) started out as all reprint books before moving to new material with issues 7 and 11 respectively.

Batman Family - issue 1 - Cover by MiKe Grell.

"Scorpion" - issue 1 - Cover by Howard Chaykin - As with my last post looking at the Marvel spinner rack of 1974/75 I have added an Atlas comic cover here. The Scorpion was arguably Atlas' best comic until they decided to radically change the characters direction from the pulp era swashbuckler and turn him into a (poor) 1970’s superhero. Chaykin would later take his "Scorpion" character to Marvel under the name of "Domonic Fortune”.

The Spinner Rack -1974/75 - Part 2- Marvel - The new(ish) batch

1974/75 may be best remembered as the year that the Atlas/Seaboard company temporarily shook up the industry by bursting onto the scene with a plethora of new comic book titles before just as quickly disappearing from the spinner racks. But it wasn't just Atlas that were creating and cancelling comic books, Marvel also produced a number of new comics in 1975 while cancelling many of their existing titles as the resurgence of the horror and suspense craze ended with the cancelation of most of their black and white line. Despite the loss of titles like "Dracula Lives" in June 1975, Marvel produced many new titles and characters featuring some of them in their existing comics such as the first full appearance of "Starhawk" from "The Defenders" issue 28 - cover above by Ron Wilson and Frank Giacoia. Below are some of my favourite covers from the new batch of Marvel comics and characters from 1975:

"Invaders" - issue 1 - Cover by John Romita.

"Skull the Slayer"- issue 7 - Cover by Ron Wilson and Klaus Janson. Skull the Slayer only lasted for 8 issues but it was an interesting title. The comic featured some nice art by Sal Buscema and the highly talented Steve Gan ( who just didn’t do enough comics).

"Black Goliath" - issue 1 - Cover by Rich Buckler and Mike Esposito. I have always liked size changing characters (Giant Man, The Wasp, Colossal Boy, Ant -Man etc) and had great hopes for this series. Sadly this comic never really got of the starting blocks and ended with issue 4.

"The Champions" - issues 1 - Cover by Gil Kane an Dan Adkins. The Champions lasted a respectful 17 issues but it was never a match for other team titles like the Fantastic Four, Avengers or the Defenders.

Astonishing Tales issue 29 - cover by Gene Colan and Frank Giacoia. This excellent issue suddenly appeared after 4 issue of the "Deathlok the Demolisher series. Reprinted from "Marvel Super-Heroes" issue 19 (1969) this reprints the first appearance of the original "Guardians of the Galaxy". Later in 1975, new Guardians of the Galaxy stories would appear and the rest (after another long absence) is history.

Marvel Presents - issue 3 - Cover by John Romita. After their reprint appearance in "Astonishing Tales" issue 29 (above) in January 1975 the Guardians were given their own series in "Marvel Presents" which lasted for 10 issues (issue 3 - 12)

"Creatures on the Loose" - issue 34 - Cover by George Perez. Man-Wolf would last for 8 issues before "Creatures on the Loose" was cancelled in June 1975 as part of the cull of Marvels horror/suspense titles.

"Amazing Adventures" - issue 30- Cover by P Caig Russel. "Killraven/War of the Worlds" was an interesting comic that lasted for 22 issues before ending with issue 39.

KA-ZAR - issue 12 - cover by Jack Kirby and John Romita. This was a good series from issue 6 until issue 20 (the last issue) which featured some nice art by John Buscema , Russ Heath, Val Myerick and Larry Hama.

Warlock -issue 10 cover by Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss. After a successful run in "Strange Tales" Warlock was again given his own title starting its numbering from the previous title "Power of Warlock" (with issue 9). Sadly, this excellent series only last for 7 issues before being cancelled.

Iron Jaw - Issue 2 - Cover by Neal Adams. Obviously, this is not a Marvel comic book but in 1974/75 Atlas comics were everywhere so I thought I would add an Atlas cover to my "1974/75 Spinner Rack" posts, plus it’s a great Neal Adams cover cover.

The Spinner Rack - 1974/75 Part 1 - The Atlas years

Even today after nearly 50 years I can still remember the day I entered my local newsagents (R S McColl’s, Rutherglen) to be confronted by a new comic company logo peeking out from the spinner rack. That logo belonged to Atlas Comics, the company set up by Martin Goodman with some of the money he made from selling Marvel comics to the Perfect Film and Chemical Company in 1968. The troubles and failings of Atlas/Seaboard comics were many and have been well documented throughout the years, but to your average comic fan in 1974/75 all that mattered was that Atlas comics provided a wide selection of new and entertaining comic books with new titles appearing almost every week in the spinner racks. In the short time (June 1974 to late 1975) Atlas /Seaboard were active they produced a total of 23 comic book titles and five comics magazines. Unlike many US comics at this time Atlas titles were regularly available in the UK/Scotland (the only exceptions being “Vicki” and “Gothic Romances)”) most of which I manged to purchase and enjoy. Below as some of my favourite Atlas comics, the little company that made a big impression (above cover to "The Destructor" by Larry Lieber and Wally Wood):

"Phoenix" issue 1 - Cover by Dick Giordano - This was the first Atlas comic I saw and immediately purchased. The Phoenix lasted 4 issues changing its direction and name to "Phoenix, The Protector" from isuse 4

"Iron Jaw" issue 1 - Cover by Neal Adams - Despite the excellent Neal Adams cover (issue 2 being even better) the story / dialogue inside was pretty dire to say the least. Iron Jaw was probably Atlas' most successful character lasting 4 issues of his own title and appearing as the lead tale in "The Barbarians " title.

"Fright - featuring the Son of Dracula" issue 1 - Cover (and story) by Frank Thorne. This was one of my favourite Atlas issues, unfortunately the title only lasted for one issue.

"The Grim Ghost" issue 1 - Cover by Ernie Colon. The Grim Ghost lasted for 3 issues and was another favourite of mine.

"The Brute" - issue 1 - Cover by Dick Giordano - Another title that lasted for only 3 issues whch was frankly 2 more issues than it should have lasted.

"John Targitt..Man-Stalker" - issue 3 - Cover by Rich Buckler and Al Milgrom. This title was originally called "Targitt" and like many Atlas titles it was changed to a superhero type vigilante character with its 3rd and final issue. This was a strange title with a pretty violent storyline (similar to Marvels "Punisher") illustrated in a cartoony style by Howard Nostrand, but I really liked this one.

"Weird Suspense The Tarantula. issue 3 (last issues) cover by Rich Buckler.

"Tales of Evil - Featuring the Bog Beast" - issue 2 - Cover by Frank Thorne - The Bog Beast was another of my favurites Atlas characters nicley illustrated by Enrique Badia Romero.

he Cougar issue 2 (last issue) - Cover by Rich Buckler and Al Milgrom - Not one of Atlas' best titles.

"Planet of Vampires" issue one -Cover by Patrick Broderick and Neal Adams - Possibly my favourite Atlas title (and cover) which I have rambled on about in a previous post.

"Thrilling Adventure Stories" - issue 2 -Cover by Neal Adams. Atlas' black and white magazine titles were for the most part excellent and featured the work of some of comics best artists ( Russ Heath, Alex Toth, John Severin, Walt Simonson etc) . This issue is one of the best black and white magazines produced by any comics company.

By the end of their run Atlas Comics were in total turmoil and were frenziedly changing the direction of many of their titles before the second issues had hit the newsstands in an vain attempt to imitate the shared fictional Universes of Marvel and DC. Sadly, Atlas failed and their last titles “Demon Hunter” issue 1 (cover above by Rich Buckler) and “Savage Combat Tales” issue 3 hit the newsstands in June 1975. Next up the 1974/75 Marvel Spinner Rack.

Page Turners: Alex Toth

Alex Toth is regularly touted as one of most influential and important comic book artists of all time. But I would hazard a guess that in the early 1970’s your average comic book fan was either unaware of his work or considered his style as old fashioned and not as exciting as that of the likes of the great Jack Kirby or the then “new kid on the block”, Neal Adams. The first time I became aware of Toth’s work was in the pages of Action Comics issue 406 (1971) where they reprinted the Atom and Flash tale from “The Brave and the Bold” issue 53(1964). Although I enjoyed that story (by Bob Haney) and really liked Toth’s interpretation of the Atom (see page below) this would be the last Alex Toth art I would see (other than the occasional Golden Age reprint) for some time, and gradually I forgot about his work. Thankfully, I managed to pick up several comics from the mid 1970’ onwards that featured Toth’s art that would make me a life long fan of the artist known as one of the "grumpiest" in the industry. Below are just a few of my favourite Alex Toth pages to enjoy along with above illo of the "Black Hood" (from " Black Hood" issue 2 from 1983).

Action Comics (DC) issue 406 from 1971

Our Fighting Forces (DC) issue 146 - 1973. Toth excelled at War and Western comics creating some of the most visually stunning comics of the genre.

Black Hood issue 2 (Red Circle Comics) 1983:

The Witching Hour (DC) issues 1 - 1969: Toth provided the framing sequences for the early issues of "The Witching Hour" which contained some of his finest artwork. Toth also provided a 7 page story in issue 1 . As a side note, I managed to pick up issue one of "The Witching Hour" about 5 years ago for only £4 (smug!).

Green Lantern (DC) - issue 171 - 1983.

Superman Annual (DC) - issue 9 - 1983

Blackhawk (DC) issue 260 - 1983. - A 7 page back up tale.

Savage Sword of Conan (Marvel) Issue 64 -1981 - One of Alex Toth's stranger pieces of work was providing a series of Conan posters for this issue of SSOC.This llustraton was also used as a variant cover for Marvels 300th issue of "Conan the Barbarian" - Cover from the Grand Comic Database.

Hot Wheels (DC) Issue 1 (1970) - One of my all time favourite comic book finds is this six issue series of "Hot Wheels". Based on the the enormously successful Mattel's toy this series featured art by Alex Toth, Ric Estrada and Neal Adams (on issue 6).

Weird Western Tales (DC) issue 14 - 1972 - This 8 page western tale (Anachronism) was printed in landscape format.

Star Spangled War Sories (DC) issue 164 - 1972 -One of the genuinely all time great War stories.

Super Friends (DC) Limited Collectors EditiONS (C41) -1975. Toth provided the cover , a 6 page framing story and several pages of art on TV Cartoons for this Collectors edition.

Alex Toth spent a large part of his career working as an animation design artist for Hanna-Barbera on various cartoon series including Super-Friends, Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Birdman and the Fantastic Four. The above design page of the Skrull is taken from the excellent book "Toth by Design" by Darrell McNeill.