This book is a very funny send-up of the classic DC romance comics (from the late '50s through the  '60s, along with one or two from the '70s thrown in for good measure).  What Ms. Martinet does in this book is take a selection of classic DC comics romance stories and remove the original dialogue and replace it with updated dialogue of her own.  The real thrill for many, however, will be just to gape at the classic comics art.  This is the exact material that Roy Lichtenstein drew from in his giant ben-day dotted canvases that were basically blow-ups of archetypical panels.  There's some great art here, and it is given the deluxe treatment in this high quality 8" x 11" collection.  While purists will doubtless object, the added layer of the dialogue being rewritten to reflect contemporary sensibilities without in any way altering the actual visual narrative of the images and their arrangement make the revisiting of these classic comics a multi-faceted pleasure.  It's really quite a bit of fun to follow the new narrative unfold within the classic conventions; you really don't know where it's going, or how it's going to end.  One of the best examples of dialogue substitution we've ever come across.  Makes a great gift to the right person capable of appreciating the humor.  

FROM THE ARCHIVES

ONE COPY ONLY - GONE!

Epic interview with John Romita conducted by Tom Spurgeon

Dan Nadel interviews Ron Regé, Jr.!

Mini-interview with Souther Salazar by Tom Spurgeon

more!

 

The latest oversizwe, full color, hardcover volume in the Atlas Comics Library being published by Fantagraphics collects ten complete issues from the early 1950s:  Amazing Detective Cases #11-14 and Men’s Adventures #21-26.  These comics offer up a potent mix of crime and horror and full of what-goes-around-comes-around karmic payback in the grand EC tradition.  

Fanta sez: 

"The Eerie Escape" by B. Krigstein, "The Torture Master!" by Russ Heath, The Drowning Witch" by Reed Crandall and "The 3rd Corpse" by Bill Everett. Stories by Gene Colan, John Romita, Joe Sinnott, Dick Ayers, Jim Mooney, Paul Reinman and George Tuska, all of whom remained through the shift to Marvel Comics, additionally fill out these issues, along with Atlas regulars Fred Kida, Mort Lawrence, Mike Sekowsky and Myron Fass. Notably included is the first appearance of "Gorilla Man" by Robert Q. Sale, a character brought back in Marvel's contemporary Agents of Atlas series, and part of their ongoing continuity.