The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Another in the Uncollecteds series, for the idea and the rules see the first post.

This time it’s a straight A-Z, with the contributor in brackets alongside the title.

2001 – Jack Kirby (Paul Cornell)

Give it the Essentials treatment because Kirby would, again, look a lot better without those muddy Marvel colours back then.

A1 – various (Pádraig Ó Méalóid)

The variety of material in the various issues of A1 (from 1989) is still amazing, even today. But at the time, this high quality comic had some amazing stuff and was practically a who’s who in comics for the time. Well due some sort of best of collection.

Angus Og – Ewan Bain (Joe Gordon)

I’ve got a strong fancy for some collected Angus Og by Ewen Bain. There was a local publisher in Glasgow did a collected book, the Og Logs, but that was a decade ago and not seen anything since. It ran for years and years in the Daily Record and Sunday Mail. (wiki, sample page)

Bogie Man – John Wagner, Alan Grant & Robin Smith (Joe Gordon)

Scottish mental patient with a Bogart fixation on a rampage through Glasgow. It even got made into a BBC movie in 1992. So far it’s been collected twice. Maybe third time lucky?

Brave & The Bold – with Jim Aparo (Paul Cornell)

Paul: Still an under-appreciated artist, and these were my first exposure to DC as a kid.

Breathtaker – Mark Wheatley & Marc Hempel (Kenny Penman)

Kenny: It was collected but long out of print. I always thought it a beautiful book. Filled with some of the real joy of love and sex coupled with the guilt and regret of broken hearts and broken dreams. Lovely art too.

The Champions – Tony Isabella, Don Heck (Paul Cornell)

Paul: Becomes a great superhero book out of insane beginnings, and is then instantly cancelled.

The Cloak – Mike Higgs (Gary Spencer Millidge)

I knew Mike Higgs back in Birmingham and it’s nice to see him get a nod as one of the key figures in British comics, both for his cartooning and his efforts at co-ordinating the UK fanbase and th efirst Birmingham convention. The Cloak is one of those strips with a timeless quality – the nature of Mike’s art makes it work today as well as it did in 1967-1969. For more on Mike & The Cloak, there’s a great piece at Lew Stringer’s blog.

Dalgoda – Jan Strnad (Dave Hopkins of Nostalgia & Comics)

Dave: I can’t remember much about Dalgoda except that it featured a dog, was written by Jan Strnad and had really nice clean art by Dennis Fujitake. Apparently it was finished in a hurry, only ran 8 issues, and was set in the future

The Complete DC Thompson Libraries  (Kenny Penman / Joe Gordon / Gary Spencer Millidge / Dave Whitwell / pretty much all of us)

This really should be a no brainer. Why isn’t there a reprint series for the classic stuff sitting at DC Thompson’s vaults? How much would you pay for a hardback collection of Baxendale work? Or  Ken Reid? Or Dudley Watkins? Yes, so would I. And whilst we’re on classic British material (deadlines mean having to shoe-horn it all together with the DC Thompson entry – sorry folks!) how about Queen of the Seas (Ken Reid, Smash! 1966), Jonah (Ken Reid, Beano 1958-63), Frankie Stein/Jasper the Grasper/Dare-a-Day Davy/The Nervs (Ken Reid, Odhams; various, 1965-69), Colour Work of Roy Wilson (1930s to 1950s).

Dan Dare (2000AD version) – Kelvin Gosnell, Steve Moore, Gerry Finley-Day, Tom Tully, Massimo Belardinelli, Dave Gibbons, Brian Lewis, Trev Goring, Garry Leach (whew) (Joe Gordon)

Joe: Although it never quite hit the right note for the writers I’d like to see the early 2000 AD Dan Dare strips again (Belardinelli’s freaky alien art!). That was the biggest strip in the comic for the first year or two, still have a DD annual somewhere back home, he had one before Dredd got his own. Rights probably a minefield now with the new DD on the scene, I suppose, but I’d like to see the early strips again.

Druid – Warren Ellis & Leonardo Manco 1994 (Richard Bruton)

Doctor Druid, a dull Marvel Comics character gets the full Ellis treatment; powermad, went insane, betrayed by his allies, and killed by Hellstorm, Son of Satan. Marvel reprint anything, but not this?

E-Man – Nicola Cuti & Joe Staton (Pádraig Ó Méalóid)

Padraig specified the Charlton series of this wonderful superhero’s comic runs. I remember the First series though and also loved it. Fun and light at a time when that really wasn’t the done thing at all. I’ve just found out that there’s a new E-Man series by Staton from Digital Webbing. Maybe there is hope for a collection after all? And maybe they’ll start from the Charlton issues to make Padraig’s day?

Escape – A Best Of (Kenny Penman)

Another one that makes you think – why haven’t they already? There was so much great, original and ahead of it’s time material in Escape that it’s a terrible loss to be without it now. Paul Gravett has an informative look back at his own past over at his website.

Fish Police – Steve Moncuse 1985-1990 (Richard Bruton)

I almost hesitated to put this on the list as I think it might be one of those things that was hilariously funny and wonderful at 16, but just wouldn’t hold up now. But dammit, I’d like the chance to find out! Fish Police: exactly what is says. They’re fish. And they’re police. Except the hero, who is possibly a man transported into this bizarred world. Sort of Life on Mars but underwater. Until looking for images doing this I was never aware of the animated series they made in 1990. Now, thanks to You Tube, I wish I’d never been aware of it at all. It completely misses everything I remember the series being great for.

Girl – Pete Milligan & Duncan Fegredo (Marc Ellerby)

Marc writes: Amazing three issue series Vertigo put out god knows how long ago. (ed – 1996) It’s amongst the best sequentials that Mr Fegredo has ever done – I pretty much love everything about it. Especially the bits in the council flat lift. Surprised this hasn’t resurfaced due to Duncan doing Hellboy, but oh well.

Hellstorm – Warren Ellis & Leonardo Manco (Richard Bruton)

This was Ellis’ first work at Marvel. So he’s obviously out to prove a point. The point being that no one does cynical and nasty as well as he does. So he takes one of Marvel’s crap horror characters and turns him into a complete bastard. It was great. (Johnny Bacardi overview of Ellis’ run.)

Hero Hotline – Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano (Pádraig Ó Méalóid)Corporate Superheroes having fun. No wonder it was cancelled and not collected. We certainly can’t have our heroes enjoying themselves at DC.

Howard The Duck – newspaper strip (1977-78) – Gerber, Colan and Mayerik, later Marv Wolfman & Alan Kupperberg. (Gary Spencer Millidge)

Gary: Marvel published a Spidey newspaper strip collection a couple of years back, but sadly Howard remains in limbo.

Hugo Tate – Nick Abadzis (Richard Bruton)

From basic stick-man lost in a normally drawn world through to the epic O America, we really want to see Abadzis’ creation once more on our shelves.

Join us tomorrow for the next part….

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