Behind the spooky cover by John Bolton is an issue stuffed to the staples with content, opening with "Dog in the Donor Bank" by Michael Saenz:
Next is the cover feature, "Business Hours: Monday Through Friday, 9 To 5" by Chris Claremont and Bolton, a story with all the horror movie trappings--woman alone, deep shadows, threatening monsters:
Next is the fourth chapter of a serial called "Last of the Dragons" by Carl Potts and Terry Austin. I'm not sure exactly what's going on here, short of it being about the very bad idea of importing dragons to your land. But thanks to Potts and Austin's work, it sure is pretty to look at:
...I particularly love that negative space of the branches in the top panel.
"Bookview" is a text piece by Jo Duffy reviewing the book The Mists of Avalon, then "Mediaview" by Denny O'Neil doing the same for Videodrome.
Next is "Obsession", an early work by Peter Kuper! As you can see, a lot of the themes Kuper would play with in his later work are here:
I mean, you've got four mushroom clouds in just the first page.
Next is "Generation Zero" by Archie Goodwin and with a beautifully detailed art job by Pepe Moreno:
Next is "Garbage Scow" by Bob Aull, a three-page, EC-esque "message" story, ending with a nice full-page punchline.
Following is an interview with "visual futurist" Syd Mead, discussing his futuristic work, and then "The Art of Go Nagai", a look at the Japanese superstar artist. Mazinga!
Go Nagai also contributes "Oni", about the battle to contain the beast that lay within man.
Next is Rick Geary with "In Search of Einstein's Brain", one of his true to life stories about where the genius cranium actually ended up, but with a bit of a personal twist:
"Bookview" is a text piece by Jo Duffy reviewing the book The Mists of Avalon, then "Mediaview" by Denny O'Neil doing the same for Videodrome.
Next is "Obsession", an early work by Peter Kuper! As you can see, a lot of the themes Kuper would play with in his later work are here:
Next is "Generation Zero" by Archie Goodwin and with a beautifully detailed art job by Pepe Moreno:
Following is an interview with "visual futurist" Syd Mead, discussing his futuristic work, and then "The Art of Go Nagai", a look at the Japanese superstar artist. Mazinga!
Go Nagai also contributes "Oni", about the battle to contain the beast that lay within man.
Next is Rick Geary with "In Search of Einstein's Brain", one of his true to life stories about where the genius cranium actually ended up, but with a bit of a personal twist:
Last is "Lost Bones" by Duffy and Kent Williams, starring a character known as "Tail Gunner", whose job it is to provide escort for anyone willing to pay his price, no matter how dangerous. Nice moody art by Williams:
I can't imagine the amount of effort went in to just one issue of Epic Illustrated; with this many features by this many different people Marvel was clearly trying to get into the market that made Heavy Metal such a success. The ads are from big ticket, adult advertisers like the liquor and automobile industries, so they were able to compete, for a little while at least.
6 comments:
Wow! More memories. I wish you'd scanned a page of the Kent Williams story. I remember I enjoyed it, but not much else.
Another fine job, sir!
>>I wish you'd scanned a page of the Kent Williams story<<
done!
we aim to please here at all in black & white for 75 cents!
"we aim to please here at all in black & white for 75 cents!"
Any chance of putting it up on issuu?
I would be very, very grateful, to say the least. Especially since it has little chance of being reprinted.
This is one of the few issues of Epic Illustrated I own, and as you said it's a good one. A great range of talent and some decent features as well. And if you need proof that this was an adult magazine, there's some very strong language in "Dog in the Donor Bank" you wouldn't see in another Marvel title. Love that cover as well.
Thanks for posting the Kent Williams page -- you know, I'll bet I have that story in a file in the garage!
Being a Marvel zombie, I duitfully bought every issue of EPIC ILLUSTRATED as it hit the stands (oh, for that money spent!); but I have to say -- looking back -- I don't think I ever really, truly enjoyed them. Sure, there were some interesting and literate stories as well as beautifully rendered artwork, but the whole package seemed piecemeal and hodgepodge. Some stories seemed just like inventory leftovers from somewhere -- there was just no "theme" to it all. Marvel seemed to be trying to lure in their regular readers with the Silver Surfer and whatnot on a rare occasion, but it just didn't seem Marvel-ous enough.
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