Friday Funny Pages: Dracula!

 

I’ve been saving this one for awhile now, waiting for the perfect time to post it.  If you remember the very first Friday Funny Pages (seen HERE) you’ll recall there was a similar gag in that panel with Dr. Doom and Iron Man.  Now we have Dr. Strange, Hannibal King, and Dr. Strange’s business manager(?).  With my month of Halloween themed Friday Funny Pages I figured it was high time to bust out the ol’ Dracula panel.

I don’t have time today to go into much detail really, I’m running late as it is, but I know I’ve talked in the past about how I’m a huge Dr. Strange fan and anytime the good doctor does battle with the undead prince of the night Dracula, it’s always an epic event.

 

Friday Funny Pages: Stake ‘Em With Mjolnir!

If you’re going to drive a stake into a vampire’s heart what better tool to use than the hammer of the Norse God of thunder, am I right?

Today starts a month of spooky themed Friday Funny Pages in honor of my favorite holiday, Halloween.  I was out doing yard work this morning in preparation for putting out my Halloween decorations.  I dragged everything up out of the basement and began the process of turning my domicile into a haunted house.  Afterwards I sat down and finally watched Francis Ford Coppola’s Dementia 13, a horror movie of some renown which up until this point has eluded me.  Needless to say when I sat down to write this blog I was in a very eerie Halloween-ish kind of mood.  As I briefly pondered on which image to use for today I came across this one and immediately ceased my search.  With a quick look at some of the others I have lined up I decided it’s going to be a Halloween themed month of Friday Funny Pages!  Hurray!

Ok so this image obviously comes to us from Thor #333 with art by good ol’ Bill Sienkiewicz.  Thor VS Dracula.  What more needs said?  I love Dracula in the Marvel universe he’s really established himself in the comics and has made appearances across the spectrum of big name Marvel titles.  Sadly I have never actually had the pleasure of reading this particular issue and if anyone sees it out there in the quarter bin pick one up for me!  I’m purely a fan of the concept of various heroes doing battle with the lord of the undead himself, Count Dracula.  I’ve always enjoyed the supernatural elements in comics and one of my favorite heroes, Dr. Strange, has had several encounters with Vlad Dracul, each of which have been an enjoyable read.

Hmmmm that gives me an idea about what I’m going to write about next week . . . . until then . . . .

That is all!

Friday Funny Pages: Friday Sad Pages

So I got onto the ol’ Facebook this morning and checked my notifications and to my chagrin the first thing I read was a post from my pal Tim telling me that comic book artist Gene Colan had passed away.  This was particularly sad news for me because Gene Colan happens to be one of my comic creator heroes.  Mr. Colan was involved in several of my favorite Marvel titles such as Dr. Strange and Howard the Duck.  He was a co-creator of Blade, and his art was a driving force behind some of Marvel’s top horror comics especially the iconic Tomb of Dracula series.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Gene Colan in person at the 2007 New York Comic Con.  He was part of a silver age panel that they had there where he, Stan Lee, and others talked about working in the industry during the 60’s and early 70’s.  Later that day I happened to catch up with Mr. Colan at the artist’s alley there where he was quite gracious and generous enough to sign several of my Dr. Strange and Howard trades I had with me.  He took a few minutes to show me several of his sketches he had with him and some of the original comic book art that he was a part of.  As I waited in line I saw him interact with everyone in front of me and I was surprised that he was familiar with, and knew by name, a few of the other fans who had obviously interacted with him at other conventions.  After that day I was even more enamored with the man, a true comic book fan himself and a creator who was clearly dedicated to the material and the readers who embraced it.  I knew he was having some health issues as of late but it is still quite a downer to hear the news of his death.

Today I leave you with this pin-up image depicting the iconic confrontation between the title characters of Dr. Strange Versus Dracula.  Though it’s not my typical Friday Funny Pages material, this is one of my favorite stories Gene Colan drew which involved many of my favorite characters.  This particular image was a poster that was part of the 1980 Occult World of Dr. Strange Marvel calendar with art by Gene Colan and inks by Tom Palmer.

You will be missed Mr. Colan, thank you for your years of great work and for taking the time to share your experiences with comic book fans across the country!  Your art and iconic tales of fantasy will ensure that your memory goes on and I will personally do my best to continue to spread enthusiasm and appreciation for your unique style.

Rest in peace Gene Colan

That is all!