John Severin, R.I.P.

Mark Evanier has the essential obituary here.

The Spirit -- when it all came together

One of these days, when I'm feeling flush, I'll break down and buy myself a complete hardbound set of the Spirit so I can really watch it develop from the beginning. It's possible that reading straight through will change my opinion, but for now I suspect that June of 1941 was when the strip became fully realized.

It had been brilliant and filled with wonderful ideas from the beginning but the first appearance of Dusk is the first story where the strip's mature style and flavor are evident. This is all the more impressive when you remember that the medium itself was still in its infancy.

Another striking WWII cover from L.B. Cole

I'm amazed this didn't catch on

It seemed like such a great idea when Jethro did it.

From Ghost Rider #13

A visually striking early effort from Simon and Kirby

The narrative logic may leave something to be desired but the fourth dimension still looks pretty cool.

I wonder if Lee and Ditko read The Barker?

Extraordinary WWII propaganda from MLJ

Before they became synonymous with teenage humor and changed their name to Archie, MLJ was known for its notoriously violent superhero line. One of their most prominent characters was a Spectre knock-off known as Mr. Justice.

The art in the following story is crude in places but the images are striking and the portrayal of Hitler is a fascinating glimpse into the mindset of the times.