Cult Classic Comics: Warlock 5, Part One

This week I'm going to tear into Warlock 5, an 80's series that I consider to be a cult classic within the B&W comics realm. Published by Aircel Comics in 1986, Warlock 5 was created by writer Gordon Derry and artist Denis Beauvais, who together weaved a complex tale of five Guardians engaged in an epic power battle for control of the Grid, a portal where all parallel dimensions intersect. One problem -- the Grid is located here on Earth, and it's their battleground.

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Fanzine Fever: A+Plus #2 (Megaton, 1977)

A while back I wrote about a strange fanzine called A+Plus #1. The stories inside were pretty obscure and off-the-wall, and I had wondered about the second issue after seeing this cover above, with a giant Gargoyle in a business suit. It's a neat cover, and I've finally got my hands on a copy.

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Goin' Underground: Rockin' Bones #1 (NEC, 1992)

Who says OTBP is dead? We're back, baby! And I have to apologize for the insanely long hiatus. A renewed vigor and love for video games led me to create another blog, called videodyssey (specializing in obscure games, of course), but other than that it has just been a bout of pure laziness on my part. I am happy to say that I am back and ready to up the ante on this blog, with all kinds of cool and obscure comic madness.

Let's kick this thing off with 90's underground comix gem Rockin' Bones #1 by New England Comics. The Rockin' Bones series was the brainchild of one Darren Merinuk, whose distinctive brand of retro-kitsch rock art will blow you away.

Right away we are introduced to Darren as he let's us in on what to expect in this first issue:

There are several different stories in this first issue. Monsters, Aliens, Punk Rockers...they're all here in a glorious lo-fi rock n' roll mash-up. Here are a few of my favorites:

In "I Was A Rockabilly Werewolf", Ronnie learns a vital lesson in women, being a werewolf, and revealing to much information in a song...

"Rock 'N' Roll Confidential" is a throwback tale reminiscent of the Pre-Code Horror scare of the 50's:

One of my favorites is "Mutant Lobsters At Large!", which appears to be an homage to Roger Corman:

Another favorite is this one page story "She Was A Hippie Vampire":

We are also treated to this splash page of absolute Monster Mayhem:

This is just a snippet of the awesomeness to be had in Merinuk's Rockin' Bones series. I believe the series lasted three issues, but Merinuk has gone on to make artwork for several album covers (you can see a bunch here). His artwork is amazing and really stands out, claiming a genre of it's own. Also be sure to check out In The Rubber Room, which is Merinuk's art blog where he is still posting his amazing works today.

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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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