Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Colossal Comic #15


It might not be slab-worthy, but I don't care - Colossal Comic #15 is incredibly hard to find, and this is the only copy I've ever seen. And it's mine!

Contents-wise it's very similar to the issues immediately preceding it, with Captain Triumph and Taxi O'Hara (Hack O'Hara) features from Quality Comics brushing shoulders with regular DC features such as Superboy, Superman, Batman and Green Arrow. I haven't quite completed indexing this issue, but it does appear all the features previously appeared in K.G. Murray issues (TBC).

I'm curious about the origins of the cover image. It's odd enough that it doesn't feature Superman (this was more common in the last dozen or so issues of the series), but the fact that the figures are arranged so that their facial features are hidden is even stranger, especially for a cover. It looks like it may have been based on a panel rather than a cover. I'm quite sure it's illustrated by an Australian artist, and it may be that the Batman and Robin figures were adapted ie: dressed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't that supposed to go...

"Its all mine... Bwah HA HAHA HA..."

Despite the odd arrangement on the cover and the fact I can't see the original in detail, I wouldn't be surprised if this was Hart Amos stretching his wings. His art to me has an "open" feel to it, solid and three dimensional without feeling cramped. It is a shame there are no faces, as I find his work on faces quite distictive.

However, the capes look like his work, he has a tendency to draw Batman's ears very cat-like, and makes his super-hero pants look like they are actually being worn, rather than painted on.

spiros xenos said...

OK - bwahahahaahhaahahaaaa!!!!
Ahem.

Yes, I agree this could very well be Hart Amos, untypical layout notwithstanding. There may be a signature in the missing portion of the cover.

Kevin Patrick said...

Spiros

Here's a thought - what if this Colossal cover might be an adaptation, by Hart Amos, of a page/panel or cover design he might have done for the Devil Doone series? I have no evidence to back up this suggestion, but the setting of the cover (underwater sabotage) is very Devil Doone/spy-adventure in its overall tone. It might also explain why Amos (and, yes, I'm fairly certain it's his artwork, too) chose not to show Batman & Robin's faces, if he was reworking an earlier Devil Doone panel/cover design. Am happy to be proven wrong on this, but it could be a possible explanation.

- Kevin

Michael Mead said...

I have a copy of this one too, in G with front and back cover complete, I was going to sell it but something about the cover just got to me, it's just a nice, simple image, maybe it is indeed Hart Amos.

Michael