Goin' Underground: Monolith (Last Gasp, 1972)

San Francisco was a haven for underground comics in the early seventies, and Last Gasp was right up there alongside fellow underground publisher Print Mint as part of the biggest underground art movement at the time. Hundreds of comix were published by the Big Two between 1970-1975, so there's a chance you might have missed Monolith, featuring the work of Larry Welz and Larry Sutherland. The cover sports a towering Jukebox behemoth staring down at you, reminiscent of something out of a giant monster movie. Awesome.

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Cult Classic Comics: FREAKWAVE! Pt. 2

Continuing on from the previous post is our look at Freakwave, the post-apocalyptic surf-scavenger epic by Peter Milligan and Brendan McCarthy. After concluding the first Freakwave story for Pacific Comics, the next episode of the saga would go on to appear in Eclipse Comics' Strange Days.

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Cult Classic Comics: FREAKWAVE! Pt. 1

I have a special treat for readers of this week's feature. Are you ready to ride the Freakwave? Go ahead and put your Fog-Mask on, and I'll fill you in on the background of this insanely awesome series while we wait. It all began at the San Diego Pacific Comics' office in 1983. Brendan McCarthy, a talented British artist trying to find work in American comics, made the trip to San Diego and showed Pacific's editors his portfolio of work, including some of the work he had done for 2000 A.D. No doubt they were blown away, and recruited McCarthy's talents for their upcoming sci-fi anthology series titled Vanguard Illustrated.

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Spotlight: X-Ray (1986-1988)

X-Ray is a character that began life in a comic called B-Movie Presents, which was published by B-Movie Comics out of South Bend, Indiana in 1986. Created by Mark Paniccia (now editor of Marvel Comics and Tokyopop), you'll need to think of a poor man's Cyclops...then throw in a dash of The Crow, and we're close to getting to what X-Ray is all about.

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Unusual Heroes: Omni-Man (Lighthouse, 1989)

Readers of OTBP will probably remember my post about L.I.F.E. Brigade, a Blue Comet comic that was amazing in it's absurdity and amateur artwork. My most recent post, The Electronaut, featured a Canadian hero straight out of the 80's. Well, I've found a comic that just might rival both of those, and it's none other than Omni-Man #1! 

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Unusual Heroes: Electronaut (Icon Text, 1987)

In the 1980's, and long before the internet, electromagnetic waves were the source of most communication forms. Canadian Curt Shoultz tapped into that technology as inspiration for the superhero he created, and in 1987 The Electronaut #1 was born. The story revolves around a company called Wavision in Brandon, Manitoba. Scientists there are working on a suit that can read all forms of electromagnetic waves, and due to recent security threats, they need to hire an undercover agent to supervise the company.

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Unusual Heroes: Bleu Horn #1 (Lewis Studios, 1993)

Here at OTBP, no comic is safe from the dusty bargain bins I find them in. Not everything I find or post is going to be worthy of recommendation. Some are just so odd you have to wonder what the creators were thinking at the time, and such is the case with Bleu Horn #1.

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Fanzine Fever: Hot Stuf' #1 (1974)

Last month I posted a fantastic fanzine called Phase (click here for review) made in part due to the efforts of Sal Quartuccio's ability to recruit the best artists in the business at the time. Well, Quartuccio struck again in 1974 when he released a new fanzine titled Hot Stuf'. While the new zine didn't compare to the amount of sheer talent that preceded it, there is still some surprising finds to be had here.

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Unusual Heroes: Pteranoman! #1 (Kitchen Sink, 1990)

Don Simpson is best known for the hilarious antics of his Megaton Man creation, but he also created many other characters such as Pteranoman: Dinosaur Fighter!...a guy that dresses up as a dinosaur and...fights dinosaurs!

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Goin' Underground: Starhead Presents #2: Curse of the Baby Monster (Starhead Comix, 1987)

The underground comix scene was pretty much dead by the birth of the 80's due to much controversy. While a chosen few such as Zippy the Pinhead saw success in publication, Fritz the Cat and many others disappeared by the wayside, and the underground pickings were slim.

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Science Addiction: Star Reach #1 (1974)

Sometimes finding the long lost early works of a respected artist can throw one for a loop and blow them away. Such is the case of what happened when I first read Star Reach #1. Star Reach was an independent anthology comic book that wasn't easily found among the comic racks in department and convenience stores at the time. This was the type of book you had to mail order or subscribe for, or if you were the type, might have found in a head shop. It contained dark subject matter featuring sex and drugs within sci-fi and fantasy realms.

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Fanzine Fever: Phase #1 (1971)

In 1971, two young men by the names of Sal Quartuccio and John Carbonaro put together what may be the greatest group of talent to ever appear in one fanzine: Marv Wolfman, Ken Barr, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Gerry Conway, Gray Morrow, Mike Kaluta, Tony DeZuniga, Ernie Colon, Frank Brunner, Rich Buckler, Jeff Jones, Denny O'Neil and Len Wein to name a few. The result of this amazing group of collaborators became Phase #1.

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Goin' Underground: The Skull Killer (Pulp Mania Inc., 1975)

Part of the job in maintaining a blog such as this one is in finding comics that are not only obscure and unusual, but entirely mind-blowing and fantastic as well. Well look no further folks, because I've found the grandaddy of them all...The Skull Killer #1.

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Unusual Heroes: Berzerker #1 (Gauntlet, 1993)

Berzerker began life on Gary Carlson's (of Big Bang Comics) spiral notepad during high school way back in 1974. Originally called the Terminator, the character was a cyborg sent back in time to stop sentient machines from killing humans. Sound familiar? That would be because the 1985 movie of the same name shared many common themes with Carlson's idea, although Carlson has chalked this up to just coincidence.

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Unusual Heroes: Sidney Mellon's Thunderskull! #1 (Slave Labor, 1989)

There are heroes, and then there is Thunderskull!...a hero that could only exist within the fantasies of young Sidney Mellon. A smart fellow, you might have caught Mellon's name within the columns of comic-book letter pages in the late 80's, spewing fanboy kitsch among the masses.

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Goin' Underground: Surf Crazed Comics #1 (Pacifica, 1991)

Surf Crazed was created by two surfing-artists in 1991. Salvador Paskowitz and Roy Gonzalez created and shipped roughly 55,000 copies of the first issue to surf shops around the nation, with the intention of cashing in on the idea of an underground surfing comic based purely upon the culture of surfing.

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Science Addiction: The 7th System (Sirius, 1998)

It's fair to say that most comics from the 90's suffer from a bad rap for drawing artwork that has become notorious for it's sense of style during the decade. One of the most underrated artists of the period, and certainly an exception to the 90's comic-curse is Roel Wielinga, who in my opinion is one of the better artists still drawing today.

The 7th System was Roel's first attempt at writing and illustrating a comic book, and it's a damn good one at that. The story focuses on a cluster of planets called the 7th system, and the various races that inhabit each world. The leaders of each planet formulated a ritual called the Games of Cruden, a gladiator-style battle that would determine which planet would rule the 7th system.

The last man standing and victor of the contest is a man called Domonisk from the planet of Borset. He becomes the Governor of the 7th system and rules for 12 years before becoming overthrown by an alliance formed by other planets..and is subsequently exiled to the prison planet of Vela.

Due to an experimental serum that was given to him while he was Governor, Domonisk found that he was now immortal and fought his way for survival on the harsh planet, becoming a Demon God with a vengeance against those that had banished him.

Armed with a powerful dragon mount, Demon God Domonisk now seeks out his revenge as a group of bounty hunters are on his trail...

After a tense battle, Domonisk is knocked from his mount and left vulnerable. As words are exchanged, a giant Roche Wyrm attacks from below, which the hunters believe the Demon God has summoned.

As the giant Wyrm wreaks havoc it is discovered that one of the bounty hunters is actually Princess Kat, who Domonisk decides to rescue from the Wyrm and kidnap for reasons unknown. It's a fantastic end to the first issue that has me yearning for more.

The 7th System lasted six-issues, and they are well worth seeking out as for the amazing artwork and the fascinating, fully-fleshed out universe. Although Roel has moved on from comics, he is still illustrating beautiful artwork. Check out his website over at www.roelphantasm.com.

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Science Addiction: Swiftsure #1 (Harrier, 1985)

Now this is quite a cover, eh? I wasn't sure what to make of it at first...but anything combining a corpse, an exploding spaceship, and Stonehenge (in vivid color) is enough to awake my interest. Swiftsure #1 was a sci-fi anthology series and the second comic title released by UK-based Harrier Comics. Alan Moore endorsed the title as Editorial Consultant and referred to the series as "a channeling of some of the best new talent Britain has to offer into a solid and presentable format that will allow each to develop into their own unique way, without the restrictions of a given style or genre."

That premise really sounds great, but to be perfectly honest most of the first issue of Swiftsure did little to captivate me...until I landed on the last story, "Codename: Andromeda". Written by Bill W. Ryan and penciled by Dave Harwood, together they tell the story of Kris Prescott, a scientist who dies in a spaceship explosion and is found and revived by aliens. Check out the first episode below:

The premise of "Codename: Andromeda" is captivating and well written, and has me wondering how the story turns out. I'll have to pickup more issues of Swiftsure to find out, and although some of the stories in this series are hit and miss...it's gems like this one that light the imagination in the science fiction parts of my brain. Well done, Harrier.

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Fanzine Fever: A+Plus #1 (Megaton, 1977)

Look closely, comic lovers....as this may be the only time you ever see a Clown, a little kid and a naked woman all on a front cover! A-Plus was Detroit's answer to the fanzine/underground scene of the 70's, and featured a bevy of local and amateur talent.

The standout feature in this one has to be "The Fool", by Bill Bryan...featuring the aforementioned cast of characters appearing on the cover. Instead of talking about it, read it for yourself and make your own conclusions...and get ready for something entirely off the wall:

And there we have it. Pretty epic in a strange, unique way. I enjoyed Bryan's art-style and thought it was pretty good as far as amateur work goes. The other stories in this issue are mainly sci-fi based, including "Stargod" by Joel Stolinsky and "Tendrils of the Mind" by Kevin Siembieda. A-Plus lasted another three issues before disappearing entirely before the end of '77.

Here's the equally awesome cover for A-Plus #2, which I may review in a future post:

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