IF YOU MISSED THEM

COMICS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
By Alex and my best friend, Rich Chapell
November 8, 2023

I wanted to create a regular feature wherein I consider works that didn't linger long enough on the shelves to inspire a collected version, or as a limited series it didn't have sales that suggested a TPB would have additionally good sales. My first few attempts led to no responses. But this time and a previous time, a number of my comic book loving friends said let's do it. I'll begin with my choices, and follow with choices of my friend Rich Chapell. The only rules were, the comics considered critically or popularly, needing better sales, critically appreciated works that no one saw or heard of, and could do well now, or works that just lingered upon the outer reaches of success, but never quite broke through. It isn't a contest, and it is a matter of taste that we are sharing, but you might find a work that inspires you.

THE ORIGINAL ASTRO BOY by NOW COMICS

During the run of the original Astro Boy in Japan, it was a fun, well written and drawn work, that Americans might have had a slight knowledge of. But Now Comics utilized the newsstand market versus the direct market, and Astro Boy was a robot, a happy looking creation, and the stories appealed to both children and adult comic readers. I truly enjoyed it, bought it for less than a 25¢ each, and read them all, upon the end thinking, I really wanted more. The writing captured the original flavor, the art was both modern, but still reminiscent of the original.

AIR FIGHTERS CLASSICS by ECLIPSE

Airboy by Chuck Dixon, Thom Yeates and Timothy Truman was a rebirth of a World War II work, that featured a boy and a unique aircraft, and villains that were deliciously dark, and the whole work felt adventurous and worth the rebirth. But, for most readers, the universe it existed in was alien and unfamiliar. It was well written and illustrated, the editorial guidance obvious and steady, but the Air Fighters Classics was an attempt to create a mini series that reprinted stories that helped ground Airboy in the world his adventures took place in. It was truly a work that the readers needed, but it was troubled by stereotyped art, black and white pages, and a relatively high price. But I enjoyed it.

JUDGE DREDD by DC

Allowing Mike Oeming and Andy Helfer to tell stories in the Judge Dredd universe, for me, was a brilliant choice by the license owner, and the original publisher. Judge Dredd's world is dark and dangerous, a dystopia with little hope. Helfer's work on the Shadow pissed off many. Oeming had been working on many independent comics and had excellent skills and talents, but was relatively unknown to many. All I could think of was the freedom to tell a story with the audience being new to the world. But it seems the newness of the approach alone angered many. The art was great, the stories were quirky, and original.  I thought it should be collected.

RACE OF SCORPIONS by DARK HORSE

Leo Durañona told a story in a way that was epic, and in a world that was dystopic, it was powerful and demonstrated a people in grave crisis. The devastated world considered was part Dune, part Arzach, or straight Moebius, or Nausicaa, this work is about people who suffer after a climactic disaster, where water is as good as gold. Art was wonderful, the story, if familiar, wonderful to read, if also depressing too.

Rich Chapell's Choices, and Commentary

Demon Hunter (Atlas, 1975)

Demon Hunter, by Rich Buckler with writer David Anthony Kraft, was hands-down the best book produced by Martin Goodman’s short-lived Atlas/Seaboard comics. Sadly, it appeared at the tail end of that venture’s existence, and lasted only a single issue before the entire company folded. Buckler and Kraft later revived the character as Devil Slayer at Marvel, but the iron was no longer hot.

To my eye, the look of the character invokes Ditko. Both his early Dr. Strange and his contemporaneous Stalker come to mind. On the other hand, the storytelling, panel composition and narrative structure remind me of Goodman and Simonson’s groundbreaking Manhunter series.

Gideon Cross is a mercenary; a bodyguard/enforcer for hire, but he’s also a mystic warrior for a mysterious cult, the Harvesters of Night. In addition to his combat skills he is a telepath with powers of illusion and a has mystic cloak that enables him to teleport or banish foes to distant dimensions and also serves as a cache for weapons both mystic and mundane. He begins to question the motives of the Harvesters, but sensing this they send a demon to destroy him.

Created at the tail end of the Monster Comics fad that gave us Ghost Rider, Moon Knight and Blade the Vampire Hunter, Demon Hunter provides a good glimpse of the post-Viet Nam aimlessness that characterized the period. Cross joined the Harvesters because they gave him direction. It could have been the Hare Krishnas or the Peoples’ Temple. Or Disco. He emerges from his fog to learn that the Harvesters intend to bring about Xenogenesis, the rebirth of the demon race and their domination over the Earthly realm. “From now on,” he thinks, “I believe in myself.”  

He declares war on the Harvesters of Night, but they’re at least one step ahead of him, and already have him under surveillance.  With that, the issue ends, and we never find out what happens.

Hotspur (Eclipse, 1987)

1987 was a good year to be John Ostrander. His Grim Jack was defining the Grim & Gritty style of the era, DC was publishing his short-lived but innovative horror anthology Wasteland, and he’d just created the revamped Suicide Squad. On top of this, he found time to write the fun, campy swashbuckler Hotspur, a three-issue miniseries for Tim Truman’s 4Winds Productions, published by Eclipse.

Madcap actor Josef Quist is summoned by a wizard to an alternate world and tasked with stealing the talisman of the sex goddess. As is always the case on a good quest, he makes friends and enemies along the way, including a gay barbarian, the high priestess of the sex goddess, and a pair of Hollywood ghosts who invoke both Thin Man and Topper. Buckles are swashed, tongue never leaves cheek, and after three issues of madcap hijinx and clever repartee, good (albeit naughty) triumphs over evil and order (though admittedly somewhat messy) is restored. Big, stupid fun!

This first issue was beautifully drawn by Karl Waller, but he unfortunately took ill and much of the remaining two were done by Ben Dunn. While he tries to adapt his style to suit the material, he’s not playing to his strengths. Still, he’s a skilled sequential storyteller, and gets the job done.

Hotspur is (or has been) available as a trade paperback from Comicmix.

Cartoon History of the Universe (Rip Off Press, 1978)

Founded in the ‘60s, Rip Off Press published Underground comix. That means you couldn’t find their books at the news stand or even in the specialty comics shops that were starting to appear by the late ‘70s. To find their books, you had to go to a… Head Shop! There, among the glassware, healing crystals and Grateful Dead tapestries, you might find a small spinner rack of books you couldn’t find anywhere else. Zap Comix! Dr. Atomic! Checkered Demon! The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers! And almost as an afterthought, Cartoon History of the Universe.

Cartoon History stood out from the other books because it wasn’t focused on sex, drugs or deviant behavior. It was genuinely informative, interesting and very funny. It wasn’t long before I’d bought all seven issues extant at the time. The first issue takes us from the Big Bang through the rise of the primates. The second guides us through human evolution, use of tools and the development of agriculture. Subsequent issues focus on the Babylonians, Egyptians, Hebrews and finally the Greeks. Years later I discovered that two more issues had been published, covering ancient India and China. I thought these were a bit weaker than earlier issues. They seemed rushed, and showed less affection for the subject matter.

Writer/Artist Larry Gonick approaches history as a story, with many characters, themes and motifs occurring and recurring. While there’s sex, drugs and depravity along the way, there is also wisdom, empathy and insight. Everything is carefully researched, with references cited. Gonick interrupts his broad sweeps with illustrative, and often hilarious anecdotes, illustrating the conflicts between slave and master, culture and culture, or individual and society. The art style is as realistic or cartoonish as necessary to make the point and/or the joke.

Nine issues were published by Rip Off Press between 1978 and 1992. They have been reprinted in trade paperbacks by Doubleday along with additional material bringing us up to the end of the 20th century.  All are still available in five volumes, with the last two titled The Cartoon History of the Modern World. I didn’t know these existed until I began research for this article, but they’ve been moved to the top of my Amazon wish list.

Pervert Club (A.M. Works, 1995)

This faux-manga by Will Allison is both a faithful translation of Japanese manga conventions and a satyric send-up of absurd manga tropes. It falls securely into the High School Club genre, which really is a genuine genre in Japan, with stories running hundreds of episodes about chess club, tennis club or drama club.  But this is Pervert club, not officially sanctioned by the school.

When Malcolm Davis is caught by his sister stealing her panties, she retaliates by telling the entire school. This attracts the attention of April, president of the underground Pervert Club. When, Inspired by his platonic friend April, he decides to come out as a crossdresser. Julia is ecstatic, and recruits him into the club, which includes an infantilist, a voyeur and a dom/sub lesbian couple.  Teen drama ensues.

The kink never rises above a PG rating, because that’s not really the point. It’s not about the kink, it’s about people’s reaction to the kink. Malcolm’s mom takes it in stride, while his sister is mortified. His classmates react as the genre dictates. Various tropes make themselves known, such as the Interloper, the power struggles within the club, unrequited crushes, and the opposition of adults who Just Don’t Understand. Other tropes are raised only to be mocked.  When Julia channels Team Rocket to rant about taking over the school via Fetish Power, the others just laugh.

Despite the overall satiric tone, a certain amount of insight is displayed as well. In a scene that would doubtless be condemned by Moms for Liberty if they ever became aware of it, Malcolm’s mom defies the school principal to come up with a single reason he can’t wear women’s clothes to school. April assumes that being a crossdresser means Malcolm is gay, which never even occurred to him. A bisexual student is rejected from Pervert club because that doesn’t even count as a kink (And also because he’s handsome and popular, and thus a threat to Julia’s power.)

The art is unpolished but adequate. The writing is spot-on. Pervert club runs a full twelve issues and reaches a satisfying conclusion. I commend Allison for completing a series that probably barely covered his printing costs.  I wish the series had done better and he’d gone on to produce more books.

The first few issues of Pervert club are available in trade paperback from Radio Comix. The rest you’ll have to track down on your own. They won’t be expensive, but they’ll be hard to find. The book only sold a few thousand copies per issue. I understand there is also an unrelated manga with the same title now. I know nothing about it other than the fact that it exists.

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