My Kind of Opera! by Dave Goode

MY KIND OF OPERA by Dave Goode

Wally Wood has been my favorite comic book artist for decades now. His style worked in every genre. Humor, horror, romance, mystery, jungle adventure...He could do it all. I'm especially fond of his science fiction stories. Or should I say "space opera". The stuff that featured steely-eyed, square-jawed space pilots with ray guns rescuing sexy damsels in distress wearing modified burlesque costumes. And of course B.E.M (Bug Eyed Monsters). And nobody drew the interior of a rocket ship like Wally Wood. Not even Jack Kirby.

I sometimes imagine Wood drawing comic book adaptations of certain 50s sci-fi flicks that Dell never got around to. The classic THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955) based on Raymond F. Jones 1952 novel with Wood illustrating the Metaluna mutant would have been pure magic. Not to mention what Wood's rendering of Faith Domergue in her sexy space suit would look like.

 

Another one that would have been great drawn by Wood would have been an adaptation of WORLD WITHOUT END (1956) written and directed by Edward Bernds who was well known for his work with the 3 Stooges. WORLD WITHOUT END was pure sci-fi pulp with it's future world of mutant cavemen and an underground civilization populated by leggy beauties in futuristic miniskirts. I always thought that with a little tweaking this flick could have made a good Challengers of the Unknown movie.

The list seems endless. With Wood drawing adaptations of QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE (1958) and others. Another one I would have loved to have seen Wood illustrate, maybe as a graphic novel, would have been INVADERS FROM MARS (1953). No Flash Gordon or Captain Future types in that one. But it did have Martian mutants, ray guns, and beautiful Helena Carter in seamed stockings.

WHAT'S A PERFECT NUMBER FOR A TEAM OF HEROES? by Dave Goode

Being born a year after the Silver Age of Comic Books began I was just three when the Justice League of America premiered. It was a re-imagining of the Justice Society of America feature from the Golden Age of Comics. And like the Justice Society,  the Justice League was a collection of All-Stars that first appeared in The Brave and The Bold No.28 (March 1960). Written by Gardner Fox it had a cover illustrated by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson with interior art by Sekowsky. The cover featured Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman in combat with Starro, a giant starfish. Both Superman and Batman made cameo appearances in this first story. But were not featured on the landmark cover.

I was one of those people that the editorial staff at DC was trying to entice with the all - star team format. Hoping that someone who was a fan of the Flash would buy a copy of the Justice League and find Green Lantern was pretty neat and start buying that hero's title as well. Though at this time in my life as a young comic book reader I couldn't understand why Captain America wasn't a member of this team. It seemed like a natural. If nothing else he and Wonder Woman would look great in scenes together.

 

The JLA had some of the coolest covers going. Some, like the cover for JLA No.1, would become iconic. And most of these covers displayed the "super friends" using teamwork to defeat an enemy. Though it always seemed to me while reading these stories that if any of the villains they fought had turned up in any of these heroes' individual titles they would be handily beaten as well. I also preferred the earlier stories where Superman and Batman only made cameo appearances. And the action was carried by lesser known characters. After Green Arrow joined the team I thought that he and Martian Manhunter would have made a good substitute for the "World's Finest Team". To me four or five was the perfect number for a group of superheroes. But seeing that this was an all-star squad I could see them having a few more.

Below is a cover from the Goode Guy Comic Book universe illustrated by Vance Capley. It features the heroes Dr. Judo, Mr. Incognito, the Phantom Gorilla, and the Judo Twins (Judo Jim & Judo Jenny) with a guest appearance by El Tigre.

Get Dr. Judo, Judo Comics, Monster Magazine, and many more....here:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/VanceCapley

Now YOU can support the JLA!!