Wednesday, December 5, 2018

100-Page FAKES! presents: ADVENTURE COMICS # 439 [with THE SPECTRE and THE SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY]

100-Page FAKES! imagines mid-1970s DC 100-Page Super Spectaculars that never were...but should have been!



Continuing our run of faux 100-Page Super Spectacular expansions of Adventure Comics, we come to the second Adventure Comics appearance of The Seven Soldiers Of Victory. The first two chapters of this story-- written in the '40s, then illustrated and published in the '70s--were in the previous issue, already embiggened as the 100-Page FAKES! edition of Adventure Comics # 438. The story has never been reprinted. 100-Page FAKES! intends to cover the remaining issues in that run over the next few weeks.

That ghostly avenger The Spectre is nearing the end of his run as the lead feature in Adventure, but he's going out in style. "The Voice That Doomed...The Spectre" is the first of a thrilling two-part story by Michael Fleisher, in which The Spectre is returned to mortal form, given a chance to live again as Detective Jim Corrigan. Following a couple of issues where he shared the art chores, the great Jim Aparo returns here as the sole artist, and he returns to characteristically stunning effect. Although this two-parter wasn't intended to be The Spectre's finale, it does serve as a fitting and satisfying end for this controversial series.

How do you follow Jim Aparo? With more Aparo! Aparo's 1968-1971 run on Aquaman (with writer Steve Skeates and editor Dick Giordano) remains my all-time favorite take on the Sea King. For this issue's reprints, we include a particularly trippy Skeates story from 1970's Aquaman # 54, with some simply dazzling Aparo artwork that borders (and occasionally invades!) the psychedelic. Here's Skeates' original text piece about the story:




Why hasn't DC reprinted the entire Skeates-Aparo Aquaman...?!

To round things out, we have Golden Age exploits of Bulletman and Bulletgirl and The Guardian and The Newsboy Legion, plus the 1968 introduction of Jonny Double. Roll credits!

The Spectre in "The Voice That Doomed...The Spectre," Adventure Comics # 439 (May-June 1975)
Aquaman in "Crime Wave!," Aquaman # 54 (November-December 1970)
Bulletman and Bulletgirl in "The Halloween Murders!," Master Comics # 73 (October 1948)
The Newsboy Legion in "Brains For Sale!," Star-Spangled Comics # 22 (July 1943)
Jonny Double in "Meet Jonny Double!," Showcase # 78 (November 1968)
The Green Arrow and Speedy in "Father Time's Inn!," Adventure Comics # 439 (May-June 1975)

Everything here is copyright DC Comics Inc. The Bulletman and Bulletgirl story is now public domain, but the rest can only be depicted here via representative sample pages. I share the whole book with my paid patrons. The Spectre! Aquaman! JIM APARO! The other guys, too! Once again, it's time for Adventure.


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COVER GALLERY




1 comment:

  1. I was never a big Lee Elias fan, but he was so completely right for this story

    ReplyDelete