I recently discovered this new online fanzine while noodling about on the net. I liked it so much that I...no, I didn't buy the company, I put my atrophying skills to work and wrote a review of it. I hope the guys who put it together will forgive me.
Hidden inside a mock Sex Pistols sleeve is Sequential #5, a Fanzine with an accent on history and humour. First up is Bob Benton's brief article on Herbie - not the VW Beetle, but the American Comic Group's "Fat Fury."
Now I was a bit dubious to start with as, believe it or not, I was once a fat kid. And I did it, gentle reader, long before the childhood obesity epidemic was even a Twinkie in a PM's eye. But I need not have feared, because Herbie is more than a fat kid in a costume, he's a true modern grotesque fit to take a place alongside any of the gargoyles at Notre Dame. Eyes half-shut, permanently sucking a lollipop (the souce of his power) Herbie's hero enough to take on Satan himself and emerge victorious. With Ogden Whitney art that strikes the right balance between realism and cartoon, the Plum Lump inhabited ACG's pages in the fifties and sixties, and Sequential can tell you where to find out more.
With as resounding cry of "Have at thee, varlet!" Stephen Montgomery presents Codes of Honour, a detailed appreciation of comicdom's fascination with Ye Knights of Olde. Starting in 1937 with the classic series Prince Valiant, the article touches on fifties TV heroes like Robin Hood and William Tell, and the chivalrous Sir Lancelot and Ivanhoe. Many of these appeared in comics in the US, UK, and Europe, while DC championed The Shining Knight showing him both alone in the modern world, and with the super-team Seven Soldiers of Victory.
Differing versions of The Black Knight came from both Marvel and Atlas, and Dutch and Belgian comics shared the long-running Eric The Norseman while back in the USA DC's Viking Prince and Silent Knight provided more deeds of derring-do. Steed of The Avengers and Adam Adamant represent our swashbucklers in the 20th Century, and all of this is lavishly illustrated with beautiful pages from Hal Foster, Frank Frazetta, Joe Maneely, Joe Kubert and Frank Bellamy. Hopefully that'll be more than enough to whet your appetite, if not your blade, for further adventures in the days of yore.
Contributor Ron Harris plainly hangs out with people of influence, as he's managed to get Steve Ditko's Mysterious Traveller to present his "essay" on Vintage Comic Book Mouths. Starting at an undetermined point sometime in the forties, when a tongue or tooth confusion arouses Ron's curiosity, he tracks the development of gobs galore as various artists throughout history strive to define the ideal comic book mouth. Alex Raymond, Milton Caniff and Frank Robbins all vie for the perfect piehole before the mighty Jack Kirby nails the modern mush, and passes his technique on to Sal Buscema, with jaw-dropping results. Illustrated and annotated throughout, this article is both informative and exceptionally entertaining. It's only five pages, but rest easy Mr. Harris, you've said a mouthful!
Bob Todd tells a true story of one man's struggles to become a comics artist, and to my great sorrow I'd never heard of him until I read Bob's article. The catch now is, if I tell you his name it'll be a mahoosive spoiler, so I'm just going to give you clues like in a whodunnit. Born in 1934, our hero was such a great fan of Captain Marvel that he often wore a full CM costume replete with boots and cape. There's a great photo of him in costume with CM artist CC Beck feeling his muscle. CC himself looks like such a marvellous eccentric that the pic's worth it just for a gander at the old master.
But I digress. Our protagonist was sufficiently gifted that he got a job teaching art at a high school, but his overwhelming love was still comics. He soon became fascinated by fanzines and submitted much of his artwork to them, becoming regular cover artist for Rocket Blast Comicollector, and contributing his own strip, The Savage Earth. Although he sent many samples to DC and Marvel without success, he did catch the eye of Charlton who employed him to do both internal art and covers for their version of Lee Falk's Phantom.
After that things began to look up. He was approached by DC to work on Aquaman with Dan Adkins, and became regular penciller on the New Gods series before moving on to Batman and, at last, his hero Captain Marvel in Shazam! He was finally able to afford to quit teaching and concentrate 100% on the comics. He was tempted away by Marvel but was never happy with the choice of strips they gave him or the inkers they teamed him with, and he returned to DC to draw many titles including a long stint on the Green Lantern Corps.
Do you know who it is yet? Or what became of him? If not. and your interest is piqued, then please read this piece in Sequential #5, and enjoy the many pages of his artwork that accompany the full story. I've said all I dare say.
In Turning Back Time, Roy Johnson tells why he's flying the flag for Standard comics and bringing their dead heroes back to life (how appropriate then that one of them is called the Grim Reaper!). Starting with covers and working his way up to full, crowdfunded issues, Roy's leading a resurgence for defunct publishing house Standard, resurrecting heroes of yesteryear and pairing them with 21sr Century super-folk of his own design, in an experiment more worthy than any Dr. Frankenstein dreamed up. Full pages of digitally designed covers and interior art illustrate the colourful results of his labours.
And Matt Selwood closes with the whimsical Thunder Belts Are Go, a brief exploration of the heroic habit of jumping up in the air in order to crash down through the floor beneath you, which surprisingly happens a lot more often than you might imagine. Readers are invited to send in their own examples, so go to it! If any of this appeals, I recommend you download a copy of Sequential #5 and have a gander. You can find it at
https://sequential.webstarts.comStevie ("I have not been paid to do this!") King
