Early Alan Davis Hulk Pin-Up, 1981

Here is an early Alan Davis pin-up from the UK fanzine, Ogre, from 1981. It can clearly be seen from this pic the fantastic promise the young Alan Davis possessed. Davis is one of the few artists today that continually astounds me as he just gets better and better with the passing of time. Shortly after this early work, Davis would secure regular work with the Marvel UK branch, culminating in his celebrated run on Captain Britain with writer Alan Moore.

Thor: A Recent Attempt

Quite pleased how this Thor drawing turned out after. However the cape looks very messed up...

G1 Bumblebee

Managed to snag this carded G1 Bumblebee from ebay for £4 plus plus £5.40 shipping from China. I'm not sure if it's a reissue or the original - but it's a pretty nice one to come by. An old favourite from my childhood. I'm not an action figure collector or anything but it's great having this old classic back in my possession and the memories that come with it.

Classic Page from the Untold Legend of the Batman #2 1981.

The Untold Legend of the Batman has to be mentioned as one of the great Batman stories. Although a lot of details of Batman's origin have been invalidated by Miller's Year One reboot, it still remains my favourite retelling of the Dark Knight's origin. There's some wonderful scenes in it such as Batman's first hostile encounters with Gordon, and their eventually budding friendship, Barbara Gordon's infatuation with Batman and Batman's first outing in a Robin suit! For a 3-parter it sure packs a lot in. It also contains on of my favourite Batman pages. A Batman pushed to the limits slaps a gun-toting assailant senseless - showing that even a great man like Batman can be stretched to limit. The storytelling prowess of the Great Jim Aparo is evident in this page - even without words it's crystal clear whats happening and the sense of explosive anger is conveyed perfectly. Aparo was still at the top of his game here.

John Romita JR's cover to Superman #32

My God, this is just awful. That's not entirely true, it just looks awful for Superman. The face looks gaunt and the eyes are completely wrong. This is J.R. Jr.'s 'stock' face these days. The legs are far too skinny and the slumped forward running pose is more suited to the Flash than Superman.The 'S' symbol looks completely off. Klaus Janson's inks look fine and are not as gritty as usual. I really liked this team on Thor 15 years ago, but that was 15 years ago and J.R Jr.s style has become even more formulaic since then.
   Actually, all in all, this is a fine drawing but it just goes to show that Superman is dead as regards the square-jawed symbol of truth,justice and the American way that rocketed to Earth in 1938. I hope it was worth it DC for the quick cash grab that was the New 52.

Silver Surfer and Galactus - A Recent Attempt...