Classic Comics Press is very pleased to present KELLY GREEN: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION. Written by Leonard Starr (Mary Perkins On Stage, Little Orphan Annie) and beautifully rendered by Stan Drake (The Heart of Juliet Jones, Blondie), this special edition reprints all five Kelly Green graphic novels in one volume: The Go-Between; One, Two, Three…Die!, The Million Dollar Hit, The Blood Tapes, and the never before published in English, fifth book – The Comic-Con Heist.
- Classic Comics Press, March 2016
- 272 pages, 9″ x 12″ Hardcover
- ISBN 978-0990412021
- $59.95 USD
- Order online: Amazon
This is a work I had never heard of, but being a fan of newspaper strips was familiar with the creative team and ordered it sight unseen. And I’m ever so thankful I did: this is an excellent collection of graphic novels that only saw print in Europe.
It’s a great premise for a series: widow becomes a go-between to catch her husband’s killer and gets hooked on the adrenaline rush the job offers. It was Starr’s desire to tap into the European market and produce “adult” works, which in this case means more adult oriented scenarios involving seedy locations and the occasional nudity. For these creators coming out of newspaper work it meant not having to worry about keeping it clean for the kids.
Starr presents exciting scenarios in a variety of far-flung locations, each presenting opportunities for action, adventure and intrigue. Green becomes a widow, gets a band of criminal protectors and turns to the grey area of life all in the first few pages, which is the only clunky part of this volume; it feels they needed to get the framework established as quickly as possible to get the story told. Everything else of the first story and the remaining four flow at a fast clip while building the tension and mystery.
Drake’s art is clean, detailed and expressive. Wonderful rendering throughout, bringing the figures and backgrounds to life. Facial expressions are greatly varied and convey so much. The lettering and sound effects show a deft hand and experience. Of the 240 pages Pelto states 101 are shot from original art, and it’s easy to spot them for their clean lines and extra details.
Production is excellent. Glued binding on a flexible spine. The paper is thin, and at first I had some concern as the images on the other side came through as I flipped through the book, but when reading the book every page is clear when laying flat.
Superb supplementary material flesh out the comics. An interview with the creators, memories from Steven Ray Austin who was Drake’s assistant, production notes from Charles Pelto, the colour covers, and story roughs from Starr. It’s a complete package, just like the name says.
I loved Kelly Green when I discovered the full colour trades in the 1970s (or was it the early eighties?). The art was a revelation to a teenager, even after Neal Adams. It was sleek and sexy, supported by stories that were genuinely (surprisingly) entertaining. This wasn’t just sex kitten material, despite the delicacy and beauty of Drake’s line work. For the modern reader, Velvet might be comic’s closest sister to Kelly Green. Seeing this volume again really took me back. I’d forgotten about Kelly Green over the years, having long lost my original trades.Terrific to see it back in print again. Highly recommended for fans of classic strips and photo-realistic art.