A 98th BIRTHDAY SALUTE! By PETER BOSCH Several days ago, we saluted the 90th anniversary of Lee Falk’s newspaper strip, The Phantom. That article also talked briefly about the three main artists of the strip — Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy, and a fellow named Sy Barry. It was Barry’s art, in particular, that made the strip even greater, and he drew it for 33 years (from 1961 to 1994)! He also did a number of special illustrations for The Phantom comics and posters, here and abroad. And since today is his 98th birthday (born March 12, 1928, and still with us!), we here at 13th Dimension think this is the perfect time to enjoy more of his artwork for The Phantom. Mr. Barry, thank you for all the enjoyment you have given us. Happy birthday! Special note to other Sy Barry fans: A new, 304-page hardcover book, The Phantom: The Best of the Sy Barry Years, 1961-1994, is scheduled to be released May 27 by Hermes Press. This is apparently going to be limited to 1,000 copies. See the planned cover art below. — MORE — THE PHANTOM AT 90: 13 Highlights of the Ghost Who Walks. Click here. — BURNE HOGARTH’S SPECTACULAR TARZAN: A Birthday Salute In 13 STRIPS AND COVERS. Click here. — 13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is out now. (Buy it here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in...
Hundreds of titles! Matt Baker! Bob Lubbers! Phantom Lady! Black Cat! MORE! PLUS: A 13 COVERS gallery! There has never been a better time to be into comics history. There are so many ways to read old issues in so many formats, whether you’re talking omnibi, Epic Collections, DC Finest, high-end books, you name it. It’s no secret that my favorite is the Facsimile Edition, a cover-to-cover reprint that allows you to experience a comic book in its original context. So, when I hear about a project like this, it blows my mind: A California-based outfit called Pixelmon Media is launching a Kickstarter campaign March 17 that will give you the opportunity to purchase up to almost 500 Facsimile Editions of the most sought-after “Good Girl” comics of the Golden Age. We’re talking artists like Matt Baker and Bob Lubbers, as well as famed titles like Phantom Lady, Planet Comics and tons more. Here’s the launch page for the appropriately named The Golden Age Good Girl Comic Book Facsimile Collection to get you pumped up. The beauty of these — besides the art itself — is, like all Facsimile Editions, the opportunity to see inside classic issues that these days are typically slabbed and stored away. For me to list all the available issues and their tiers would be something of all a fool’s errand, so again, click the Kickstarter link for the full rundown. Boiling it down, though, there are tiers highlighting Baker, Lubbers, Phantom Lady, horror, crime, jungle girls and romance books. There’s also a complete Harvey Black Cat Comics run. Adding to the campaign’s luster is that so many of these issues are exceedingly scarce, such as Phantom Lady #16, #17, #19 and #23; Startling Comics #49; Startling Terror Tales #11; Seas Comics #4; Blue Beetle (Fox) #54; Eerie Comics (Avon 1947) #1; Underworld Crime #7; Cinderella Love #25, #29, and #26; All-Top Comics #16; Planet Comics #15; All-Pictures All-True Love Story #1; and the unnumbered 1950 Diary Secrets, from Superior. (As a bonus, backers in the first 48 hours will be able to acquire a Facsimile Edition of the hard-to-find 1944 Speed Comics #35, from Harvey, with its especially lurid cover featuring Black Cat and Captain Freedom.) “True beauty personified is these Golden Age Good Girl Facsimile covers,” said Omar Spahi, CEO of Pixelmon Media. “We’re...
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