Blazing Six-Gun Adventure: Wander into something bizarre...

Here’s yet another unnumbered Murray Western one-shot, which I briefly alluded to in a previous post for a memorable Jim Aparo-illustrated tale: Wander Takes on “The Fastest Gun in De Wast”, originally from Cheyenne Kid #70, January 1969.

It’s memorable for two reasons – the zipatone shading; and the weird space opera/western/comedy hybrid genre.

From what I can discern Wander was a regular back-up feature in Cheyenne Kid (I stand to be corrected) so chances are other instalments are scattered throughout other Murray westerns. I haven't noticed this feature before, something of a bizarre little treat to keep an eye out for.

Oh - and whoever painted this cover does a fair rendering of Clint Eastwood!

Superman The Comic #5/Superman The Comic [#1] Volume 2

There are a number of K.G. Murray issues circa 1980 which I and other collectors believe may not exist. I have previously discussed some of them such as Supergirl #37, Adventure Comics #5 and Super Heroes Album #18*. I think we should now add Superman the Comic #5 to this list.

There are two series of Superman the Comic. The first series began with an unnumbered issue circa December 1978 published at the time of Superman: The Movie. Over the next few years a few more issues with the same title were issued:

Superman The Comic NN[#1] $1.00 1978**
Superman The Comic #2 75c 1979
Superman The Comic #3 80c 1979
Superman The Comic #4 90c 1980
Superman The Comic #5 ?
Superman The Comic #6 95c 1981

I believe the dates are reasonably accurate approximations based on the cover price, page count and contents. And for the sake of the exercise, I’ll designate these issues Volume 1.

Volume 2 of Superman the Comic resulted in the following two issues:

Superman The Comic NN[#1] $1.25 1980
Superman The Comic #2 99c 1982

Again, I believe the dates to be reasonably accurate based on the cover price, page count and contents.

Superman The Comic NN[#1] Volume 2 was also intended to piggyback on the box office success of Superman II, and this is where I think the hiccup in the numbering of Superman The Comic Volume 1 occurs. Superman The Comic NN[#1] Volume 2 is the 5th issue of Superman The Comic. As a Special 128 Page issue at a premium price, it reflects the first unnumbered Superman The Comic issue from 1978, so it would appear the folk at Murray’s decided to designate this as a [#1] too.

Then, as they play catch-up, things go a bit haywire again. The 6th issue of Superman The Comic is published in orderly fashion after the 5th (Superman The Comic NN[#1] Volume 2), but when the time comes for the 7th issue, the numbering begins again from Superman The Comic NN[#1] Volume 2, hence Superman The Comic #2 Volume 2.

At least that’s the way it looks to me. I’d love to be proven wrong and to actually find there is a Superman The Comic #5. But I doubt that will happen.

I mentioned above all these possibly/likely missing issues are circa 1980. This appears to be a period of flux in the Murray offices. For example, after a long period of relative stability, new cover logos start to appear only to be succeeded by new variations shortly afterwards, cover prices and page counts begin to vary in a relatively short period of time, titles and series morph and move in new directions… One can only really guess it would most likely be due editorial/personnel changes.

*Super Action Album #18 is another issue on my radar which may be missing from the same period - pending further examination.

**I note that the contents indexed for this issue seem to have some 1979 DC content, which may or may not knock the actual published date for Superman The Comic NN[#1] Volume 1 out a tad… The copy I have to hand does not appear to include the competition details, which would help to confirm the date... regardless, this is just a distraction from the main point, it does not really impinge on the argument or timeline presented re: Superman The Comic #5.

Cowboy Adventures, Renegade Raiders, Frontier Fighters... the never-ending list of Western one-shots...

...and a few more Western one-shots with rather generic titles, and rather generic masthead typography, probably a default Murray house style...

Western Album NN: Between Super Western Album and Wild West Album...?

…and another unnumbered Western one-shot loosely related to Super Western Album. Indeed this would have been published before Wild West Album, given it’s a 90c cover price issue.

Wild West Album NN: It ain't blood...

As Western Heroes is to Bumper Western Album, so does this Wild West Album appear to be loosely related to Super Western Album, at least based on the similar typography.

I love this cover for the striking twilight vibe. It reminds me a bit of another K.G. Murray Western cover for Super Western Album #10. Nothing to do with cowboys or horses, but everything to do with mood and light contrast.

Or, it ain't blood, it's red...

Beautiful stuff. Who needs photoshop…?

Western Heroes NN: A 'Bumper Western Heroes Album'...?

Based on the “Western” typography I’d say this unnumbered one-shot issue follows on the heels of the unnumbered Bumper Western Albums which in turn followed superseded the long-running Bumper Western Comic series. Bumper Western Heroes Album sounds fine to me...

Tomb of Darkness: Vault of Evil #'s 7, 8 and 9

Snagged another nifty little Page Publications horror digest – this unnumbered Tomb of Darkness, which was previously mentioned in passing a few months ago.

This issue reprints Vault of Evil #'s 7, 8 and 9, omitting The Dictator! from #9 (based on this index).

The cover is reprinted from Vault of Evil #7, and it includes a black and white reproduction of the cover to Vault Of Evil #9.

Planet Series 2 No. 8: Love Diary

This is one of the harder-to-find one-shots to be published as a Planet Series issue.

Well, it’s the only copy I’ve seen to date, and I’ve had my eyes peeled for these for a few years now.

Not that I expect there to be any great demand for it. It’s basically just Charlton reprints.

Possibly the most noteworthy feature is that it includes Jim Aparo art with zipatone, which is always nice to find (I spotted some in a Western comic recently too, which I must remember to blog).

I also note that the cover is based on the splash page of the first story, which is kind of expected from K.G. Murray comics of this ilk, but the surprise is that this also happens to be the cover and splash page of the U.S Charlton edition too.

Actually, given it's Charlton, maybe that’s not so surprising after all.

Yang: Remixed and Remastered (sic)

I’m not especially disciplined when it comes to picking up stray K.G. Murray comics. At the right time, in the right place, for the right price, and in the right condition, even a copy of Hot Rods has been known to activate certain primordial neurons and endorphins.

Which is just my way of saying that even though I have been able, up to this point, to resist each and every Planet Comics issue of Yang I have come across - and I believe I’ve seen them all more than once - even I found myself irresistibly drawn to this wonderful cover.

It’s just the colours and the layout which appeal to me. And if the reproduction of the scan on the GCD of the original issue is true, then it’s a quantum improvement on Sanho Kim’s original painting. (Well, that’s my opinion anyway. I doubt I would have purchased the original Charlton issue based on the cover.)

It does appear someone has gone to some lengths to remix the colours. Or could it be that the original was so poorly printed in the first instance that they only look like different mixes...? I'm no colour expert, nor printing expert... I just know which one I like better.

Texas Rangers in Action, One-Shot Murray Westerns, and the Absurd Drama of the Never-Ending Quest.

When it comes to one-shot Murray Comics Westerns, I think there’s only one workable theory: There’s Always One More.

Seriously.

Don’t even think in terms of a finite wants list. Think instead of a wave, with ebbs and flows, shallow ends and deep centres, quiet moments and hot spots, quantum particles and virtual black holes. Only then will you be properly primed for this particular absurdist quest.

Then, when you’re ready for your zen moment, in which you decide Enuff! The Quest Has Ended, you can take one more peek over your shoulder, knowing full well you will spot the likes of this Texas Rangers in Action one-shot. Bang.

But it will not matter. Your task will have been done. Your karma will be settled. Your angst just a memory. Your loss a balanced ledger. Yes, you will understand without a shadow of a doubt there are more Murray Western one-shots out there. But it will no longer matter as it once did. You will have moved onto the second stage of collecting Murray comics (seeking upgrades!). The circumference is everywhere, and no centre can be drawn until this point.

Yes indeed. There’s Always One More. But the question is: How Much Is Enough?