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Monday, February 16, 2009

Adventure Comics #437 Ad - 1975

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This is a humble little quarter-page ad that ran for Adventure Comics #437, the final issue to feature the Aquaman back-up drawn by Mike Grell.

Normally, I wouldn't post something so simple on a Monday (when I like to go for the big stuff), but this is the kick-off to what I'm informally calling Mike Grell Week.

The three-issue Aquaman back-up that ran in Adventure Comics #s 435-437 is the only Aquaman run in the title that we've never gotten around to covering here on the Shrine. Its memorable for being mostly written by one of Aquaman's greatest writers, Steve Skeates, and being Mike Grell's first professional assignment in comics.

So I thought we'd really do it right, and profile each of the three issues over the next three days, culminating on Friday with a brand-new interview with Mike Grell himself! Be here, it'll be good!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooh, I like this!!!

See how Aquaman's logo is larger than The Spectre's? The Spectre was already on his last legs, and Aquaman's return to the spotlight was just a matter of time...!

Anonymous said...

Mike Grell Week! Woo hoo!

That reminds me of the article I wrote for John Schwirian's "Aquaman Chronicles": "The Warlord and the Sea King" (No. 14, May 2004.) It had a lot of good tidbits about Grell and Aquaman.

I was big Warlord fan, and I'm looking forward to the new series.

Anonymous said...

"The Spectre was already on his last legs"

HEY, now!

Let's not let our love for Arthur sully the fact that this was one of Jim Corrigan's finest hours, with early great work by Mike Fleischer and mature great work by Jim Aparo!

Great week,
-Craig W.

http://www.radiodramarevival.com/

rob! said...

I think Russell meant the feature was ending its run, not knocking its quality. Russell...?

I did love that Spectre feature--a classic run by Fleisher and Aparo.

Funny observation: I bought the collected edition of those Spectre stories, and you know what? I felt they read better on cheap paper with ads in the middle, than one the nice bright paper with new coloring and no ads. I eventually gave away the TPB and went back to the original books when I wanted to re-read the stories.

Those Spectre stories are so pulp-y that it feels more appropriate to read them in the original kinda grungy format!

Anonymous said...

Rob, I felt exactly the same way!!!

But I'd gone to such trouble to hand-bind the better reprints, and get it signed by Aparo, that I kept them.

Too-brilliant paper, and too-technicolored hues, ruins many redos for me.

-Craig

Anonymous said...

I didn't mean to be knocking The Spectre series per se, as I enjoyed it for what it was (horror adventure). I only meant that Aquaman was being played up in JLA and on TV, so DC was trying (and succeeding!) in getting people to read about him. These three issues sold very well and Arthur came back to the lead spot within three (IIRC) issues of this. :-)

Anonymous said...

No harm meant, Russell; just representin' one a' my Main Men, Jim C.!

(The one, the only, Spectre.)

-Craig