A few years back my wife and I went to the Jardin Nelson bistro in Old Montreal, nice place with a big atrium featuring a hanging garden in the dining area. This smooth talking French waiter seats my wife facing the gardens and he chimes out this precious line “for madame – a beautiful view of the gardens, and for monsieur – a beautiful view of madame… My wife made me leave a big tip. John Romita’s nice splash/cover to Secret Hearts #75, from November 1961, reminded me of Jardin Nelson.
In November 1961 while Mr. Romita was getting all romantic on us his pal Jack Kirby was blowing our minds with fantastic stuff like this splash from Journey into Mystery #73, I think he worked on another book in November 1961 but the name escapes me.
I don’t know much about Adam Austin but I do know I really like is splash page to Tales of Suspense #75, from March 1966.
John Romita Jr. had some chops, I know its tough being the son of a famed artist but there’s no denying that Junior made a name for himself. From X-Men #203, March 1986.
This is a great Irv Novick splash, nice dynamics and the action just pops off the page. From Pep Comics #39, May 1943.
Steve Ditko being Steve Ditko in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 from 1965. I know Steve went to the well often for this look and feel but I can’t get tired of it and as a special treat we see Spider-Man tripping out.
Adam Austin = Gene Colan, pseudonymn when he first returned to Marvel in the sixties. You testing us, or you really didn’t know?
The Shield is showing for mercy for those Nazis, wow. Not they deserve any, but hey, just choke ‘em to death. Grimm.
Very cool Kirby, doing something completely different, what an imagination. He might have had fun with Dr. Strange if Ditko hadn’t started it. No one did it better than Ditko, but weitd Kirby is fun. Black Magic and Strange Worlds of Your Dreams nicely show his penchant for the fantastic and for cool monsters, just two of the titles that were great vehicles for him in the wild pre-code days.
Ditko…The coloring on this is not jiving, it’s gotta be a recolored/hand colored stat or something? Blue and turquoise is interesting but not the way I remember it. Walter, where’d you find this?
More about Colan’s pseudonym: http://www.scottedelman.com/2008/05/14/unmasking-adam-austin/
I actually thought Walt was trying to trick us on that Colan! The Kirby is fantastic and I will be looking for a raw copy of that for my Marvel monster age collection! That is a dynamic Shield there! The JRJR has me a bit confused as its hard to see…is that a periodic table of X-Men friends, foes,aliens they met?
Ive known Walt a long time. Once upon a time he knew that Colon was also known as Adam Austin. But Walt, has forgotten more then someone like me will ever know. Methinks its not a memory thing so much as juggling many many activities in life….like his passion for his family and kids, friends and comic friends and Biking mountains 🙂
Dave is just trying to be nice, I swear I did not know, and if I did know at a time I’ve since forgotten (which is what Dave is saying I guess). Suffice to say I don’t remember ever knowing !!! I hope this doesn’t get me kicked out of the club?
Bud, I’m not sure where I got that faded out Ditko page for Spidey Annual #2, I had access to the redone page for Doc Strange #169 which had better colors but I wanted to use the original.
You are right about the JrJr Gerald, it really has to be an expanded pic to get the full effect, I think its a great double splash.