The late Jim Aparo was one of my many favorite comic book artists. I think the first time I saw his work was when he began doing (exquisite!) interior artwork on Aquaman in 1968. I was eight years old, and still a few years away from paying attention to writer and artist credits. I don't think I saw any of Aparo's work for Charlton Comics (notably his beautiful art for The Phantom) until I started picking up back issues in the '70s. As I became aware of credits, I soon began naming Jim Aparo as a preferred creator.
The overwhelming majority of Aparo's work was for DC Comics. Aparo's decades-long DC tenure commenced when Charlton editor Dick Giordano joined DC's staff and hired some of Charlton's freelancers to reap the benefits of DC's higher page rates. That brought writer Dennis O'Neil to DC, and it brought in Mr. Jim Aparo.
At DC, Aparo made his mark as the primary artist on The Brave And The Bold, a Batman team-up title that gave Aparo an opportunity to depict a vast array of characters in DC's extensive line of superstars, from his already-familiar Aquaman, Phantom Stranger, and the Spectre to Sgt. Rock, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Metamorpho, Black Canary, Plastic Man, Superman, Supergirl, the Flash, Kamandi, the Atom, the Demon, Mister Miracle, Wildcat, the Joker, the Metal Men, Deadman, Man-Bat, Swamp Thing, and more. B & B also led to Aparo taking on art chores in some of The Batman's solo books as well. Jim Aparo will always be one of my all-time top four Batman artists, alongside Marshall Rogers, Neal Adams, and Dick Sprang. It's one hell of a legacy, and I say we should celebrate that legacy with a modest li'l gallery of Aparo covers.
As always, we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s, '70s, and '80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's selections include books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection; most images are courtesy of the Grand Comics Database, which is grand indeed. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.
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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
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