Week 50: Gah!

I can’t believe it’s Week 50 already, I think I’m going to try to do a year end Favorite 25 Splash Pages, its going to be tough to pick because there have been so many great ones.

I’m still working through that pile of books going to eBay auction so again, I hope I’m posting a few Splash Pages that are new to many of you.

Gil Kane went all in on this fantastic double splash for All Star Western #4, so much going on here, a great piece of art. From March 1971.

Surprisingly the first few comics I leafed through from the Adams Green Lantern run were weak on impactful splash pages but I really liked what I saw when I opened up Green Lantern #78. I don’t want to say anything but I have to question these biker dudes’ priorities, Black canary on a motorbike and they’re more interested in the bike! From July 1970.

Pablo Marcos really comes through for fledgling publisher Atlas Seaboard with this high-quality splash page for Iron Jaw #4, from July 1975.

Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez setting up Mister X #1 quite nicely, Vortex Comics was out of Toronto, from June 1984.

At first glance, I thought Todd McFarlane drew X-Men Annual #14 but I was wrong, Arthur Adams put a ton of work into this issue, look how packed this splash page is, from 1990.

There was a run of Strange Tales in the #160s in my eBay pile and there was no shortage of wild double-page spreads from Jim Steranko but in the end, this straightforward Splash Page from Strange Tales #161 won me over, from October 1967.

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Walter Durajlija
Walter Durajlija

Walter Durajlija is an Overstreet Advisor and Shuster Award winner. He owns Big B Comics in Hamilton Ontario.

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11 Comments

  1. All good choices except the Adams, in my opinion. The “bikers” look like working class logging crew, way to well dressed and where’s the hair and beards. I don’ think Neal knew bikers like we did out here in Hell’s Angels and Gypsy Joker country. Even Black Canary isn’tball that cute…and I have noticed many comic artists have a very hard time drawing realistic bikes and bike riding. Like this picture, there is no “weight” to the bike.

    But the rest, great stuff all. That Mister X is top drawer, I wonder who actually designed it, its so unlike their work. Dean Motter? Art Adams as usual leaves no detail Not spelled out…he loves big groups of people and does them so well, every time. Nick Fury smoking a cigar while para-gliding? Leave it to Lee and Steranko! From Nick’s (well, Steranko’s) era incorporating James Bond wild gadgetry….but come to think of it, Kirby was doing that over in Fantastic Four, and we know Steranko was strongly influenced by Jack’s work.

  2. I like all these a lot, however most seem dated compared to the MrX and the Steranko which both have an almost timeless pop art appeal!

  4. Favorite Golden Age motorcycle covers:

    America’s Best #26 with Miss Masque by Schomberg

    https://www.comics.org/issue/6683/

    And of course Cap and Bucky during WWII, also by Schomberg

    https://www.comics.org/issue/2957/

    Another stream-lined bike, from “the future,” Target #8

    https://www.comics.org/issue/1013/

    Of course, you guys all know Steranko’s great double-pager from, what was it, Cap #113, Cap back from the dead in a big way. But that poor bike was gonna be a mess when it hit the ground. Collateral damage… Walter might have posted this at some point…

    My Dad had both an Indian and a Harley as a young bachelor in 1930s when he lived in Oakland and the Santa Cruz mountains (in Calif, for you foreigners!) We have one great photo of him. He was long past bikes when I was growing up. My RN mom, who spent too many nights in ER with MC accidents, and he too, wouldn’t let me go near one until I was out of the house. I finally snagged a sweet Yamaha 650 in my forties, but eventually decided my body parts meant more to me than wind in my hair, so to speak….

    Schomberg knew how to draw a ‘cycle, so did Jack Kirby. Heavy big things, in those days.

  7. Good catch, Walter. Undercover Girl is another underappreciated title. Ogden Whitney at his best, and a great heroine. She’s one of four excellent strips that appeared in each issue of Manhunt…the hotter covers of this are now expensive but the entire run is worthwhile. ME was a dynamo of a company, innovative, strong artists…. besides the long run of Ghost Rider, there’s many more great Dick Ayers Ghost Riders as backup stories, hidden in a, gulp, western….Tim Holt.

    Ayers said in his bio, doing Ghost Rider was one of his favorite times in his career.

    Hey Gerald, speaking of new genres….how about parachute covers? Cap did at least a couple great ones, really great;

    Here is Schomberg once again, from USA #7 and All Select #1:

    https://www.comics.org/issue/2733/cover/4/

    https://www.comics.org/issue/3186/cover/4/

    This is one of my favorites, the very last issue of Spy Smasher:

    https://www.comics.org/issue/2716/cover/4/

  8. Bud… don’t get me started! I was already thinking of a motorcycle display that incorporated superhero, romance, adventure, and even Archie!

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