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War Comics
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Started by CycloneComics,

11,083 posts in this topic

thirdgreenham

thirdgreenham

Posted
Posted
Fellers,

I zeroed out the Big-5 account. I'm not planning on further sponsoring any artists at this point. The Big-5 war comics banquet will still continue as a fan get-together (and any surviving Big-5 pros who join us will get a free dinner/drinks), but we're scaling back. We've been doing this for 21 years. One of the main reasons we held the banquets was to show some recognition for the creators who made the best genre DC ever put together. Over the years, we held auctions during the banquets from art donated by artists (often from artists in attendance, but a sizable amount of donations made in absentia) and turned that money over year after year after year to help underwrite the hotel and travel expenses. We received sweetheart deals on hotel accommodations from Comic-Con whenever possible, but most of the expenses were on our collective Big-5 dimes.

 

The list of pros who attended our banquets over the years is kinda staggering:

Russ Heath, Mort Drucker, Irv Novick, Joe Kubert, Jon Severin, Charles Cuidera, Sam Glanzman, Dan Spiegle, Ric Estrada, Sergio Aragones, Tom Yeates, George Pratt, Carmine Infantino, Tony Dezuniga, Gerry Talaoc, Bob Haney, Walt Simonson, Grey Morrow, Ayers, Angelo Torres, and probably a couple I'm forgetting. Of the 50s and 60s crew, only Heath, Drucker, and Glanzman are still alive. There are still people like Aragones, Simonson, Yeates, Adams, Tucci, and Pratt who all contributed to DC war AND contributed donations to the auctions over the years, but they all tend to make it out to the con on their own dimes or are special guests of the con. We've occasionally been lucky enough for most of them to drop in our banquets, but their attendance is often pending availability against competing events during the convention.

 

One of the original missions was to sponsor remaining artists. . .while they're alive to receive some recognition. With Russ fast approaching 90 and Sam at 92, the roster of artists (from the original Big-5 titles) even ABLE to attend has dwindled to a trickle. Sam Glanzman ALMOST made it a couple years ago, but health issues have made it prohibitive. Likewise, Russ Heath is still interested in attending, but the logistical concerns with travel to and from his home in Van Nuys (north of LA) along with his extremely limited mobility have made it a complicated 24-hour commitment, so I'm hoping that Comic-Con will kick in for him as a special guest in 2017 and any more remaining years. I received the endorsement of all Big-5ers in attendance at the banquet to turn over any remaining $$ after the auction and all the travel arrangement dust settling and split ALL the remaining $$ between Russ and Sam while the two of them can still benefit from the donation. I'm including a snapshot of the two bank checks that will be mailed out by Thecollectron (he doesn't know it yet, but I know I can count on him).

 

For future years, we will continue the war comics banquet, but the focus will move away from artist sponsorship and auctions to just an opportunity for old war comics collectors to convene at an annual event around a mutually loved genre--a modest but certainly no less compelling reason to get together.

 

Here are some snapshots of the bank checks I'm sending to Sam and Russ.

 

 

glanzman_big_5_zpsred4bwrq.jpg

 

heath_big_5_zpsamxdzs5f.jpg

 

 

 

 

If anybody has any questions, I'll be happy to respond.

 

(worship)

 

Thanks Mick, for the dedication and hard work behind the scenes!

 

Great to see these sizable checks making their way to Sam and Russ. :cloud9:

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thirdgreenham

thirdgreenham

Posted
Posted
Thanks for putting this material together. Sam's a great guy and his stories deserve a wider audience. :applause:

 

Hello everyone. I am the person who put together the USS Stevens collection. It took two years of my life, and I would encourage anyone interested in War Comics to give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

If anyone has any questions about this collection, just let me know. And if you have any questions for Sam, I can't promise a reply, but I can promise he will see your question.

 

Lastly, since putting together that collection of Sam's work at Dover Publications, I have left Dover to launch my own imprint called IT'S ALIVE! My imprint was picked up by IDW, so we will have solid distribution. I plan on publishing several more collections of Sam's work.

 

Recently, I ran a Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to republish a graphic novel written by Joe R. Lansdale and illustrated by Sam Glanzman called RED RANGE. We were successful in raising the funds, and the Kickstarter version of the book will be out in November, with the regular IDW edition of the book coming out around January of next year.

 

I will be running more Kickstarters to publish many different types of reprints, including more books of Sam's work. (I am running one right to publish work for another legendary comics creator, Trina Robbins:

 

I am also selling some of Sam Glanzman's originals from his A SAILOR'S STORY graphic novels, and from his USS STEVENS stories that were published more recently in JOE KUBERT PRESENTS. I am working with Sam to sell these, as part of the money will go to him, and the rest will go towards getting more of his older work in print. If you are interested in grabbing a page of Sam Glanzman original art, and helping us put more of Sam's work back in print, let me know and I can show you what is available. My email is: drewfordcomics@gmail.com

 

Thank you for your time.

 

Best,

 

Drew Ford

 

+1 absolutely!! :applause:

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thecollectron

thecollectron

Posted
Posted

 

One of the original missions was to sponsor remaining artists. . .while they're alive to receive some recognition. With Russ fast approaching 90 and Sam at 92, the roster of artists (from the original Big-5 titles) even ABLE to attend has dwindled to a trickle. Sam Glanzman ALMOST made it a couple years ago, but health issues have made it prohibitive. Likewise, Russ Heath is still interested in attending, but the logistical concerns with travel to and from his home in Van Nuys (north of LA) along with his extremely limited mobility have made it a complicated 24-hour commitment, so I'm hoping that Comic-Con will kick in for him as a special guest in 2017 and any more remaining years. I received the endorsement of all Big-5ers in attendance at the banquet to turn over any remaining $$ after the auction and all the travel arrangement dust settling and split ALL the remaining $$ between Russ and Sam while the two of them can still benefit from the donation. I'm including a snapshot of the two bank checks that will be mailed out by Thecollectron (he doesn't know it yet, but I know I can count on him).

 

 

I felt a disturbance in The Force and figured I better check the CGC boards.

Thecollectron is reporting for duty!

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OV

OV

Posted
Posted

Does anyone know where I can find a place online that would show the first panel that shows Joe Kubert's first drawing of Sgt Rock? I'm looking for the first panel in issue #83. Any help would be greatly appreciated! :wishluck:(thumbs u

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IngelsFan

IngelsFan

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Posted
Does anyone know where I can find a place online that would show the first panel that shows Joe Kubert's first drawing of Sgt Rock? I'm looking for the first panel in issue #83. Any help would be greatly appreciated! :wishluck:(thumbs u

 

This listing has a pic of a coverless copy, and shows the splash. Not the best quality though:

OAAW 83 coverless slabbed

Hope that helps!

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IngelsFan

IngelsFan

Posted
Posted
Even the Sgt Rock series 302-422 has some good stuff. Of course, I'm a Frank Redondo fan. No one even talks about him as a DC war comics artist.

 

I like Redondo a lot and he stuck with Rock well into the 80s.

 

I'm a big fan of Redondo. Also of Talaoc-his Unknown Soldier run is fantastic. Those guys (along with Tanghal) really kept the war and horror titles moving. I also like the Kubert School grads who contributed a lot of work toward the end of the runs.

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FutureFlash

FutureFlash

Posted
Posted

A few of my recent pickups...marching ever closer to complete runs of the Big5

 

SSWS 107

Statement of ownership, average number of copies for 1962: 195,000

DVokRQg.jpg

 

SSWS 124

OlA4Crq.jpg

 

GI Combat 92

Statement of ownership, average number of copies for 1961: 205,000

Xe3W8no.jpg

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MusterMark

MusterMark

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Posted

 

Congrats on some very cool pickups! I've always liked the Kubert/Andru & Espo team up on the cover to SSWS 124.

 

Thanks. The Dino issues have real really grown on me, good silly fun. What is not to like, guns and dinosaurs.

 

Yes, very nice books. (thumbs u

 

 

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