Bring on the back ups - Deadman by Neal Adams- Aquaman #50, 51, & 52

As the dark nights draw closer as we await the arrival of Winter I thought I would take the opportunity to check up on some of my old mystery/horror comics - in this case "Aquaman" issues 50- 52 from 1970. Although Aquaman is not a horror /mystery character the back up feature "Deadman" ticks that box for me. These 3 Aquaman comics contain some of the best art of any comic book at this time with all issues featuring a striking Nick Cardy cover with Jim Aparo on the main Aquaman strip, and the legendary Neal Adams on the back up Deadman tale - how lucky were we back inthe day? Below are some sample pages from the 3 issue Deadman tale - enjoy:

Above: the cover to Aquaman #50 which featured the first part of the 3 issue Deadman tale. I only purchased this issue a few weeks ago in Glasgow as part of my recent back issue binge.

Above: The cover to Aquaman #51 - This issue was one of the very first back issue purchases which I bought back in 1981/2 from AKA books and comics in Glasgow.

In a nice twist, the last part of this story links up to the then current Aquaman tale which featured Jim Aparo's art on some panels.

Above: The cover to Aquaman issue 52 (purchased around 1983 in AKA ) - Despite the excellent art and stories (and covers) amazingly the "Aquaman" title would only last for another 4 issues before it was cancelled.

Top Tens: Jim Aparo

From the first time I saw Jim Aparo’s art in the pages of DCs “The Brave and the Bold” #100 he has remained one of my favourite comic book artists of all time. His style was both realistic and yet at the same time cartoony which only added to the appeal of his storytelling. For many comic book fans Aparo’s Batman is the definitive version of the character, although that accolade for myself rests with the equally legendary Neal Adams, Jim Aparo will always be the artist that defined both Aquaman and the Spectre for me. Below are a few of my favourite covers by the great man:

Jim Aparo began his artistic career working in advertising at a Connecticut ad agency, but his true passion as a lifelong comic book fan was to become a comic book artist. In his pursuit of that goal he gained his first professional work with Charlton comics where he worked with the companies then editor Dick Giordano, providing art on (among other strips) “Nightshade” a female super-hero back-up feature that appeared in Captain Atom, and most notably on Charlton comics version of Lee Falk’s “The Phantom”.

When Dick Giordano moved to DC Comics, he took Jim Aparo with him where he worked on Aquaman and the Phantom Stranger. After seeing his excellent art on the Phantom Stranger, editor Murray Boltinoff asked Aparo to work on a Batman/Phantom Stranger team-up for “The Brave and the Bold” #98 - The rest is the stuff off comic book legend and Jim Aparo stayed on this title for almost every issue until the final 200th issue.

The mystery skier in the above cover was "Two Face"

I have shown Jim Aparo's covers for his excellent run on the Spectre when it appeared in "Adventure comics" . I couldn't leave out showing an Aparo Spectre cover and recenlty came across this issue of "Ghosts" #97 which features a great Aparo Spectre cover (sadly he didn't draw the actual strip).

Jim Aparo passed away in 2005 at the age of 72. His final work for DC during his life, was the cover of the trade edition of “Batman in the Eighties” published in 2004. To this day everytime I see one of his great covers, it always makes me smile.

Great comic book runs: The Spectre (Adventure comics) Aparo & Fleisher

One of my all-time favourite comic book series of the 1970’s was the Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo revival of the Spectre character that appeared in Adventure Comics issue 431 – 440 (1974/5). This 10 issue series took its lead from the original golden age version of the character (created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Bailley in “More Fun Comics” issue 52 in 1940) who wasn’t averse to dispensing justice through acts of violence. However, the Fleisher/Aparo Spectre took his version of justice one step further through some excessive acts of brutality including turning a villain into glass before shattering him, turning another to wax and then melting him and in one particularly gruesome episode turning a bad guy into wood before feeding him through a band saw. In these circumstances it was perhaps understandable why this Spectre series was cut short as it was violent for a 1970's comic, but then again that was part of it's appeal at the time. Of course Jim Aparo’s excellent moody art and stunning covers didn’t hurt the comics lasting popularity.

Adventure Comics ~#431 – This issue also featured the classic back-up tale “Is a Snearl human?” by Sheldon Mayer and Alex Toth.

Adventure Comics ~#432 – This issue also featured a Captain Fear tale by Alex Nino and Steve Skates.

Adventure Comics ~#433 – This issue featured another Captain Fear tale by Alex Nino and Steve Skates.

Adventure Comics ~#434 – Not all issues were fully illustrated by Jim Aparo, this issue was pencilled by Frank Thorne with Aparo inking. This issue was the first in the series to feature a full length Spectre tale.

Adventure Comics ~#435 – This issue featured an Aquaman back-up tale by Steve Skates and Mike Grell. Additionally this was the notorious issue where the villain was turned to wood and then cut up in a saw. Brutal for an all colour comic at the time (perhaps even by today’s standards).

Adventure Comics ~#436 – This issue continues the Aquaman back-up tales by Steve Skates and Mike Grell

Adventure Comics ~#437 – This issue features Ernie Chan (Chua) on pencils with Jim Aparo inking. This issue also continues the Aquaman back-up tales by Steve Skates and Mike Grell

Adventure Comics ~#438 – This issue features Ernie Chua (officially using his real name) on pencils with Jim Aparo inking. This issue features part one of a pretty strange Seven Soldiers of Victory back–up tale by Joe Samachson and Dick Dillin and Howard Chaykin.

Adventure Comics ~#439 – This issue features part two of the Seven Soldiers of Victory back–up tale by Joe Samachson and Lee Elias.

Adventure Comics ~#440 – The final issue of Adventure Comics featuring the Spectre. This issue features part two of the Seven Soldiers of Victory back–up tale by Joe Samachson and Mike Grell.

The Michael Fleisher and Jim Aparo Spectre series has been reprinted several times over the years including a 4 issues series in 1988 (cover to issue 3 above) and the “Wrath of the Spectre” collection (cover at header) which are both worth seeking out. This series may not have any deep meaning as it was largely based on the premise of a criminal doing something evil and the Spectre showing up and killing him. But it was a well written and illustrated book that was a cross between the best of 1970’s superheroes and the EC horror comics of the 1950’s, what’s not to like?

Favourite comics: Detective Comics #443 -Batman & Manhunter

Detective Comics in 1973/1974 was an excellent 100 page title featuring some wonderful new stories alongside many classics from the golden and silver ages by some of comics greatest artists and writers. However it was with issue 437 that (for myself at least) the comic went into another gear when it featured a brand new character called “Manhunter” written by Archie Goodwin with art by relative new comer (and future comic legend) Walter Simonson. The excitement of this storyline came to a climax with the above issue #443 (cover by Jim Aparo.)

The Manhunter character seemed to appear out of nowhere in issue 437 (cover by Jim Aparo) and it was an instant fan favourite. The strip itself appeared in 8 page segmentsand was always the last story in each issue until the final Manhunter tale when the character appeared on the cover with Batman as the main feature, it was fanboy heaven.

Manhunter told the tale of Paul Kirk a man raised from the dead by a secret organisation of super scientists called the “Council” intent on controlling mankind. The Council give Kirk healing abilities, martial arts training and a natty 1970’s glam rock style costume and sent him out as an operative for their cause. In order to test his loyalty to the Council Kirk is tasked with killing an Interpol agent, which he refused to do. As a result the Council clone him and send the clones to kill him. Realising that the Council are corrupt Kirk sets out to kill the clones and destroy the Council.

At the end of the story Paul Kirk, Manhunter destorys the Council but in doing so he sacrifices his own life. The Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter series has been collected several times and is worth picking up if you havent read this 1970's classic series.

Favourite comics: The Brave and the Bold issue 100 - The A- team (that's Adams & Aparo!)

I don’t think I was actually aware that the “Brave and the Bold” was an standalone comic title at the time I purchased this issue on my way back from school in mid-1972. The reason for this confusion was because the first time I recall seeing “The Brave and the Bold” was in an advert for issue 99 (below) in a DC comic and I can vividly remember thinking it was an issue of the regular “Batman” comic with a pretty cool story titled “The Brave and the Bold”. The cover of issue 99 (by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano) set my fanboy juices alight and I was determined to track that issue down, sadly I failed but around six month later I stumbled across issue 100 in a local R S McColl’s newsagents in my then home town.

As soon as I saw the cover to issue 100 by Nick Cardy I instantly realised my mistake and that this was an ongoing DC team up book and better still it had 4 guest stars and a Deadman back up story, comic book heaven. The main story “The Warrior in a Wheelchair” featured the first work I had seen from the legend that was Jim Aparo. In the story itself Batman is struck by a snipers bullet and only the skilled surgeon Dr. Hellstrom can save his life. However the doctor has to travel from Zurich to Gotham. As Batman is in a weakened condition and is unable to finish the job of stopping the latest shipment of cocaine into Gotham City himself he enlist the help of Robin, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Green Lantern to help him. He sends the group out to seek out his leads however these all lead to a dead end. When Batman is undergoing the surgery to remove the bullet from his chest , the lead surgeon is revealed not to be Dr. Hellstrom, but the drug lord Belknap, who has taken Hellstrom's place to try and kill Batman on the operating table. Stopped by the other heroes, Green Lantern then uses his power ring to bring the real Dr. Hellstrom to Gotham (he really could have done that at the start) . When he arrives to undertake the operation Dr Hellstrom finds the drug shipment stashed away in a cabinet in the operating room. Aparo’s art in this issue is excellent as was his entire run on the title where he drew some wonderful versions of Batman’s various team up partners including Wildcat, Mister Miracle and Black Canary.

As much as I enjoyed the above story and Aparo’s art it was the backup strip that blew me away. Deadman “Hide and Seek” (originally published in Strange Adventures issue 210) by Jack Miller and Neal Adams. By 1972 I was aware of Adams art but I hadn’t seen great deal of it so every morsel of his work was savored and his Deadman art was an artistic banquet. I still remember pouring over the first page of the story and that atmospheric scene with Deadman walking down the “lonely and empty” street (strangely casting a shadow in an “empty” street with cars and lorry’s) regardless the art was stunning and inspired me to copy several of his panels almost every day for a few months so much so that I could still probably draw a half decent swipe of a Neal Adams Deadman face.

In the story Deadman seeks to learn what has happened to the police detective assigned to his case. Michael Riley. He discovers that the detective has been falsely accused of brutally beating a thief who had already surrendered to him, and has been kicked off the force. As with most Deadman stories there is a link to the Hook (the man Boston Brand thinks killed him) which again leads nowhere - I wonder if Deadman every found his killer? . I wouldn’t see another issue of “The Brave and the Bold” until number 106, and from that issue onwards it became one of my favourite comics and one of the few types of book (team -ups) that for me DC did better than Marvel.