Monster Monday: Man-Thing by John Gallagher

Man-Thing in glorious full color...

...by a bloke named John Gallagher, who you can find on DeviantArt (thanks for the tip from Carlos Pacheco)! Nuff Said.

Monster Monday: Spider-Man and Man-Thing

Pat Broderick has been quite active on Facebook, sharing all kinds of commissions and original art.

This piece harkens back to Giant-Size Spider-Man #5 when he met the mindless Man-Thing in the Florida swamps!  Nuff Said.

Monster Monday: Man-Thing 2013 commish by Art Adams

Take a look at the detail in this 2013 commission by Art Adams featuring the macabre Man-Thing:

Nuff Said!

Monster Monday: Man-Thing by Reilly Brown

You can run into Man-Things in the most unexpected places...

This piece is by Reilly Brown, who I discovered on deviantART by searching for Man-Thing!  Nuff Said.

Monster Monday: Man-Thing and Swamp Thing Team-Up!

Ever wondered what would happen if DC and Marvel's muck monsters ever met?  I've often wondered, especially since they were conceived and published around the same time in 1971.

Frank Cho executed this terrific illustration with Man-Thing following Swamp Thing on a trip through the outdoors.  A typical Cho-sian babe holds an axe which won't be much self-defense if she's feeling fear.  I have no idea what this was done for, a private collector, a magazine or publication?  Please let me know.

Update: Toby wrote and let me know that this was one of the covers slated for TwoMorrows book titled Swampmen: Muck Monsters of the Comics.  This publication was solicited twice and never published.  See this link for more details from George Khoury.

George Perez recently did this commission piece at a con, which would make a nifty cover for such an inter-company crossover.  It will never happen, but we can dream, right?  Nuff Said!

Monster Monday: Man-Thing by Lee Weeks

When Mondays get tough, the tough start thinking about Marvel's Man-Thing.

A great pen and ink illustration of the muck monster rambling through the swamps of Florida.  Nuff Said!

Monster Monday: Original Art for Giant-Size Spider-Man #5!

What does a terrifying Monday really need?  More Man-Thing!  Surely all Giant-Size fans remember this title...

Giant-Size Spider-Man #5 was notable for several reasons.  It was the first meeting between Spidey and Man-Thing, but it was also the last issue featuring an all-original story.  There was a sixth and final issue but it featured reprint material.  The Giant-Sizers were doomed to extinction.

But at least Gil Kane's cover was pretty nifty, featuring Spidey caught in-between Manny and the Lizard.  Once again a lot of stuff to draw with the only 2/3 of the space available.  Nuff Said!

Monster Monday: Infernal Man-Thing covers by Art Adams

Next month Marvel is publishing a three-issue mini-series with Steve Gerber's last Man-Thing script, a sequel to the classic "Song Cry of the Living Dead Man" that appeared in MT #12 (1974).  Who is doing the covers for this new series?

Art Adams!  A natural choice since he has done many great commissions of Manny over the years.  This is the cover to Infernal Man-Thing #1.  It reminds a bit of Mike Ploog, with the water and slime dripping down his head.

Infernal Man-Thing #2 shows the swamp creature reaching out to touch someone, probably because they are afraid!  Whosoever Knows Fear...Burns at the Man-Thing's Touch.

Infernal Man-Thing #3 shows the creature ready for action.  This is very similar to the cover for Thunderbolts #154 from last year.  Great covers for a character that is finally getting some attention here and in Jeff Parker's Thunderbolts series.  Nuff Said!

My Favorite Giant-Size Marvels of the 1970s

When I created this blog back in 2008, I needed an idea for a title.  My favorite Marvel Comics from the 1970s were always the Giant-Size titles that sold for 35 or 50 cents.  Just the thought of extra pages of Marvel-ous content made me heart beat a little faster.  Here are some of my favorite titles from this era...

Giant-Size Superstars #1, featuring the Fantastic Four and wildest Thing versus Hulk match ever, was one of the first giant-size titles.  The story by Gerry Conway is fun, light-hearted, a done-in-one romp that is perfectly constructed.  The artwork by Rich Buckler showcases Marvel over the top action in the best way, with a fight that goes from skyscrapers to the subway system.  I first wrote about this comic in 2008.

Giant-Size Superheroes #1 followed a month or so later, with another whopper of a story by Conway, where Spidey's misunderstood monsters teamed up: Morbius and the Man-Wolf.  I couldn't imagine how these two got together, but it was an interesting setup.  The art by Gil Kane featured some great midnight action in New York City.  I mentioned this comic earlier in my look at Morbius' creation.

At this point you may think all my favorites were the first issues of the Giant-Size books.  That is true--except in the case of this one.  I longed for these Giant-Size comics to somehow tie into the story from the regular monthly titles.  Steve Englehart finally broke this barrier with Giant-Size Avengers #2.  Kang the Conqueror had attacked the Avengers in the regular monthly title, clobbering Thor, Iron Man, and The Vision into unconsciousness.  And kidnapping the Scarlet Witch and Mantis to boot!  Kang left the Swordsman behind, because he was a loser.  Bad mistake!  In this issue, the Swordsman recruits Hawkeye and the two of them start to unravel Kang's plan for world domination.  The climax of this story had a big revelation--the Celestial Madonna was actually Mantis--and the Swordsman died trying to save her.  One of my favorite Avengers stories of all time.  The artwork by Dave Cockrum, who also inked himself on this issue, is one of the best art jobs of his career.  I noticed that Doug and Karen mentioned this issue in their recent article on The Vision.

Monster Monday: Art Adams Man-Thing pin-up re-mastered as Thunderbolts variant cover!

I have featured this Man-Thing pin-up by Art Adams on more than one occasion. I think it’s a great rendition of Marvel’s muck-monster.  Now Marvel has decided to use this great pin-up as the alternate cover for Thunderbolts #154 (coming in March 2011). Wow!  I didn’t think this would look good in color, but I was wrong.  The colorist went berserk filling in all kinds of details on Manny’s body.  I love the fog at the creature’s knees.

Here’s the original pin-up, which I originally featured back in 2008.  Man-Thing rules!  Nuff Said.

Four great Man-Thing pinups by Art Adams, Neal Adams, Vicent Alacazar, and Jim Starlin

Whosoever knows Fear burns at the Man-Things touch!  And these artists burn quite hard for Marvel’s favorite muck-monster. 



Art Adams drew this Man-Thing pinup for a commission in 2004.



This pinup of Man-Thing appeared in Neal Adams 2008 sketchbook.  I just love that overhead angle looking down at him.



This illuminating pinup by Vicente Alacazar appeared in Marvel Preview 8 magazine, 1976.  That kid really needs to be brave and not fearful.



Rampaging Hulk #7 magazine featured this pinup by Jim Starlin and Ernie Chan.
Note to Satanists, Death cultists, racist rednecks, murdering thugs, FoolKillers and evildoers:  Do not get stuck in the Florida everglades this Halloween!  Nuff Said!

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

2 Comments

By Sanctum Sanctorum Comix on December 24, 2010 11:14 AM

Sweet.
I remember the bottom two from their respective publications.

However, did you know that the Neil Adams piece was also used as the cover to "Strange Tales" v4 (1998) # 2
( http://www.comics.org/issue/62213/cover/4/ )

And that Arthur Adams illo is to be the cover for THUNDERBOLTS # 154

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=solicits/marvelcomics/201103/TBOLTS154_covcol.jpg

Just helping out.

~P~

By Richard Guion on December 26, 2010 7:40 PM

No idea the Adams piece was used on the Strange Tales cover, thanks for showing me that! Yeah, I did see in the recent Marvel solicits that the Art Adams Man-Thing piece would be the alternative cover for Thunderbolts. That was an easy choice for Marvel.

Three Marvel Monster covers by Neal Adams: Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing

I was actually looking at some of the terrific horror covers that Neal Adams drew for the Distinguished Competition, when I came across these early 70s Marvel Monster covers.



Tomb of Dracula #1 launched the King of the Vampires in his own color comic in 1972.  Entirely spooky and would entice you to buy the comic, especially if you were a fan of Hammer horror films.



Adventure into Fear #11 was Man-Thing's second appearance in the title, also in 1972.  This cover plays on a recurring theme by Adams: children playing innocently while a monster approaches them from behind.  In this case, it's the monster (Man-Thing) that is innocent, as the kids draw a Satanic pentagram in the dirt.



Marvel Spotlight #2 was the first appearance of Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night.  But this has to be one of the worst covers that Neal Adams has ever produced.  A series of panels showing the Werewolf changing, and he doesn't resemble the version drawn by Mike Ploog at all.  What the heck, I had to buy this comic anyway!  Nuff Said!

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

2 Comments

By Mike on October 31, 2010 2:14 PM

I gotta wonder if John Romita inked the Werewolf cover. Look at the people in the background in the last panel. Those look like Romita-drawn folks to me, not Adams.

By Joe Jusko on November 24, 2010 8:18 AM

Those are Tom Palmer inks

Monster Monday: Mike Ploog Man-Thing Commission

We haven't had a Monster Monday here for quite a while.  Here's a Mike Ploog piece to get us back in gear.

A nice gluey gloppy Man-Thing commission for ComicArtFans Simon Reed.  Nuff Said!

Monster Monday: Vicente Alcazar's Man-Thing

Here’s a pinup that I’ve waiting to share for a while…

Man-Thing, by Vicente Alcazar, in the frontispiece for Marvel Preview #8, 1976.  Great use of the light source held by the boy, illuminating Manny in all his freakish glory.  Alcazar always worked well with ink washes, but he dropped off the comics radar after 1980 or so.  You can read a small bio of Alcazar on Wikipedia.  Nuff said!

Monster Monday: Tony Moore Man-Thing in Punisher 11

Last Monday, I yakked about the Legion of Monsters and their return in the current Punisher arc by Rick Remender and Tony Moore.  Punisher 11 went on sale last Wednesday, and as many comic fans already know, it's freakin awesome.

This splash page of the Man-Thing in New York's sewer system, facing down a squad of HAMMER agents (airborne on Goblin gliders), is an example of how brilliant this book is.  (BTW, I am going to use brilliant a lot more now.  When British people use this word it sounds so elegant.  Ditto for smashing.)  Recommended for all Marvel Monster fans.  Nuff said!

Monster Monday: When One Isn't Enough, You Need A Legion of Monsters!

If you haven't read Dark Reign Punisher The List (by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr), I highly recommend it.  The ending was very surprising to me, and it sets up this next Punisher arc (starting in issue #11) with art by Tony Moore.

Mike McKone's cover to Punisher #12 brings back the Legion of Monsters to aid the Punisher (now FrankenCastle).  Morbius, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night are all there, along with the Living Mummy, who I haven't seen in decades.  I'm looking forward to this, especially after the terrific job that Moore did recently Ghost Rider. 

I'll be you dollars to doughnuts that Moore remembers this cover...

The very first (and only?) appearance of the Legion of Monsters in Marvel Premiere #28, 1975.  As a total Marvel Monster freak, I couldn't wait to read this story.  Written by Bill Mantlo and Frank Robbins, you had to admire the lengths that Mantlo went to have Man-Thing transported out of the swamp--it was an ordeal just to get all these horror guys together to fight a menace.  It was a bit of a letdown, but I was always hoping for a return appearance.

Keep on eye on that logo, because it moved around a lot.

Later that year, Marvel published a black and white magazine called Legion of Monsters, with a Neal Adams cover painting.  I had hoped for a team-up, but the magazine contained only solo stories.  I believe most of them were inventory stories left over from the defunct magazines Dracula Lives and Monsters Unleashed.  The editorial indicated that the magazine was an ongoing publication, but issue #2 never appeared.

But Marvel was never one to let a crappy logo go to waste!  The Legion of Monsters title appeared yet again in Marvel Preview #8 in 1976.  You would think with a cover like this, there would be a team-up, right?  Blade and Morbius never crossed paths, they were featured in solo stories only.  More inventory material, this time left over from Vampire Tales.

Let's raise a glass to Tony Moore, who loves Marvel Monsters as much as we do!  Nuff said.

Mike Ploog Man-Thing Recreations

A number of years ago, Mike Ploog produced a series of cover recreations for some of his most famous Marvel Comics from the 1970s.  I'll showcase a few each day leading up to Halloween.

Man-Thing #9 from 1974 has a great yarn about the creature discovering a hidden enclave of Spanish soldiers who had discovered the Fountain of Youth.  They have miraculous potions which can possibly change the monster back into Ted Sallis.  But construction magnate F.A. Schist (fascist) throws several wrenches into this plan.

The recreation to this cover accentuates everything.  The Man-Thing is gloopier than ever and the wizened skeletal man in the lower right is scarier.

Giant-Size Man-Thing #1 is one of my favorite all time comics.  Ploog and swamp monsters slugging it out in a giant-size comic, what could be better?

The recreation is pretty cool--notice how great the colors are in this version. 

You can find all these Mike Ploog cover recreations (and more) on comicartfans.  Nuff said.

Neal Adams Man-Thing, A Monster Unleashed!

Finding that Neal Adams pinup yesterday reminded me that wasn't the only time the Nefarious one drew Marvel's muck-monster!



There was this terrific cover to Monsters Unleashed #3 in 1973, featuring Man-Thing cracking a couple of redneck heads as a young woman looks on in horror.  If she's feeling fear, then I don't like the way Man-Thing is looking at her!



But wait--if we go back even further in time--we can find this Man-Thing story that Neal Adams drew, featured as an interlude in Astonishing Tales #12, 1972.  Ka-Zar, the star of the series, met Man-Thing in the Florida everglades.  Since Manny had only appeared in Marvel's black and white Savage Tales #1, this story introduced him to Marvel's color comics.  Man-Thing would become the lead character in Adventure Into Fear #10, a few months later in 1972.

You'll notice the story doesn't have color, it's printed in black and white with yellow tones.  Perhaps it was originally meant for publication in Savage Tales #2?



One panel in this story always stuck in my memory--the one above where Man-Thing watches an old lady walk across the swamp.  Notice the way Manny stands, left arm braced against a tree, right arm supporting himself on the muddy floor.



This same pose was used in the Man-Thing cover, the one Marvel usually put on the left-hand upper corner, featuring an iconic shot of the titular character.  Neal Adams' drawing isn't used line by line--but someone must have used that panel above as a reference.  It's exactly the same pose.  Nuff said!

Update: Comments from my old MT blog...

2 Comments

By Klaus Nordby on October 30, 2009 4:26 PM

Yes, you've showcased some great Adams art on Manny here! I'm happy to say I own both the magazine and the inside story. Do you know why the inside story is printed with only yellow colors? It's because it was printed from Adam's pure, uninked pencils -- possibly due to, ahem, deadline-problems? -- and hence regular colors would have made (or so at least the production people feared) the artwork too muddy. This was back in the day when the reproduction qualities of comics was far, far below what we find on printed toilet paper in our enlightened days! But it gives us a through-a-glass-darkly view of Adam's glorious pencil work.

FWIW, four years ago I visited Adams at his fancy NYC Continuity studio -- which employs his whole family, including his ex-wife! There I spent some happy hours talking to Neal about comics in the 60s and 70s, but mostly about his, umm, well, "rather radical ideas" in physics. He is, alas, not fully content with having revolutionized comics, so, in his sunset years, he also wants to revolutionize science. 'Nuff said!

Oh, and the day after visiting Neal, I visited another long-standing Art Hero of mine: Frank Frazetta. Yes, it was a good week. 'Nuff said!

By Klaus Nordby on November 1, 2009 5:39 AM

(I posted this some days ago, but it never appeared, hence suspect SNAFU, hence I repost.)

Yes, you've showcased some great Adams art on Manny here! I'm happy to say I own both the magazine and the inside story. Do you know why the inside story is printed with only yellow colors? It's because it was printed from Adam's pure, uninked pencils -- possibly due to, ahem, deadline-problems? -- and hence regular colors would have made (or so at least the production people feared) the artwork too muddy. This was back in the day when the reproduction qualities of comics was far, far below what we find on printed toilet paper in our enlightened days! But it gives us a through-a-glass-darkly view of Adam's glorious pencil work.

FWIW, four years ago I visited Adams at his fancy NYC Continuity studio -- which employs his whole family, including his ex-wife! There I spent some happy hours talking to Neal about comics in the 60s and 70s, but mostly about his, umm, well, "rather radical ideas" in physics. He is, alas, not fully content with having revolutionized comics, so, in his sunset years, he also wants to revolutionize science. 'Nuff said!

Oh, and the day after visiting Neal, I visited another long-standing Art Hero of mine: Frank Frazetta. Yes, it was a good week. 'Nuff said!

Monster Monday: Neal Adams Man-Thing

I found this drawing of Marvel's Man-Thing in Neal Adams 2008 Sketchbook.

Startling, eh?  Fantastic point of view, as if the viewer were sitting in a tree and seeing Man-Thing trudge through the swamp below.  What makes Manny look up?  Perhaps it is because the voyeur suddenly feels...fear?  Nuff said.

Monster Mondays: Mike Ploog October 1975 Calendar piece with Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolf by Night!

Marvel Comics started producing calendars in 1975.  For the very first calendar (which I've been able to acquire recently, thanks to eBay), they tapped the best artists of that year...including Mike Ploog, who they unleashed in the month of October.

The October illustration featured the trio of monsters that Ploog had drawn in their own comics: Frankenstein, Man-Thing, and Werewolf by Night!  The big bad daddy of all supernatural characters, Dracula, lorded over all of them--Ploog had drawn this character as well, when he teamed up with Jack Russell in Werewolf by Night #15.

The month of October itself is ridden with monster-sized jokes by Marvel staffers. 

Oct. 4th: Man-Thing with the caption: Save the Everglades--Or Else!  That scares me into taking care of the environment.

Oct. 8th-9th:  Son of Satan asks pop for the hell-horse drawn chariot, but sister Santana asked for it first.

Oct. 13-15: Three nights of the full moon with Werewolf by Night.  Jack Russell's eyes go left, middle, right.

Oct. 19th: Jim Starlin's birthday.  Which is today, Happy Birthday Jim!

Oct. 28th-29th: Two creatures called IT!  The first one was featured in Supernatural Thrillers #1, the second one was a hero who appeared briefly in Astonishing Tales.

Oct. 30th: The Halloween party in Rutland Vermont, which was featured by Roy Thomas in both Avengers and Defenders (Marvel Feature #2).  Several comics creators made the trek to this party.  If only we could go back in a time machine! 

Many thanks to Sanctum Sanctorum Comix for providing the scans of the Marvel Calendars!  Nuff said.