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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