{"id":35516,"date":"2026-05-18T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35516"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:47:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:47:24","slug":"heroic-tales-the-bill-everett-archives-volume-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/05\/18\/heroic-tales-the-bill-everett-archives-volume-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Heroic Tales: The Bill Everett Archives volume 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Bill Everett<\/strong> and others, edited and complied by Blake Bell<\/strong> (Fantagraphics Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-60699-600-3 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

The second visit to the works of Bill Everett also opens with a fact-filled, picture-packed Introduction<\/em> by Blake Bell which covers \u2018The Early Years of Comics: 1938-1942\u2019<\/em>, \u2018The Birth of Marvel Comics\u2019<\/em> and \u2018The Comic Book Production System\u2019<\/em>, before \u2018The Heroes\u2019<\/em> precedes a selection of astounding, astonishing prototypical adventure champions accompanied a brief essay on the set-up of Centaur Comics, Novelty Press, Eastern Color Printing, Hillman and Lev Gleason Publications.<\/p>\n

Augmented by covers for Centaur\u2019s Amazing Mystery Funnies<\/strong> vol. 2 #3, 5 & 6 (March, May & June 1939) are three outer space exploits of futuristic troubleshooter Skyrocket Steele<\/em>, whilst Tibetan-trained superhero Amazing-Man <\/em>offers a transformative triptych of titanic tales spanning war-torn Europe, augmented by covers to Amazing-Man Comics<\/strong> #9-11 (February-April 1940).
\n\"\"
\nEverett\u2019s deeply held sagebrush sentiments are served with another brace of barnstorming Bull\u2019s-Eye Bill <\/em>from Target Comics<\/strong> #3-4 (Novelty Press, April & May 1940) whilst from #7-9 (August-October 1940), the author smoothly switched to sophisticated suspense as master of disguise The Chameleon<\/em> cunningly crushed contemporary criminals in scintillating escapades from Target Comics\u2019 answer to The Saint<\/strong>, The Falcon<\/strong> and The Lone Wolf<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Everett\u2019s other aquatic adventurer – Eastern Comics\u2019 human waterspout Bob Blake<\/em>, Hydroman<\/em> returns next, as seen in Reg\u2019lar Fellers Heroic Comics<\/strong> # 6-9 (May – November 1941, with Bill\u2019s covers for #6 & 7): four spectacular, eerily, offbeat exploits, covering an extended battle against foreign spies and American Fifth Columnists, after which Red Reed in the Americas!<\/em> (created by Bob Davis & Fitz) offers the first two chapters in a political thriller wherein a college student and his pals head South of the Border to fight Nazi-backed sedition and tyranny in a stunning tour de force first seen in Lev Gleason\u2019s Silver Streak Comics<\/strong> #20 & 21 (April & May 1942).<\/p>\n

A section of Miscellaneous<\/em> and text illustrations follows, blending Western spot drawings with eye-catching covers from Amazing Mystery Funnies<\/strong> vol. 2 #18; Target Comics<\/strong> #5 & 6; Blue Bolt<\/strong> (vol. 1 #11, vol. 2 #1, 2 &~ 3) and Famous Funnies<\/strong> #85. The Humorous and More<\/em> then details Everett\u2019s forays into other markets: niche sectors such as licensed comics, comedy and romance, and even \u00a0a return to pulp and magazine illustration as he strove to stay one step ahead of a constantly shifting market and his own growing reputation for binges and unreliability.<\/p>\n

\u2018What\u2019s With the Crosbys?\u2019<\/em> is a superbly rendered gossip strip from Famous Stars<\/strong> #2 (1950, Ziff-Davis) whilst a stunning monochrome girly-pin-up of \u2018Snafu\u2019s Lovely Ladies\u2019 <\/em>(from Marvel\u2019s Snafu<\/strong> #3, March 1956), and the cover of Adventures of the Big Boy<\/strong> #1 (also Marvel, from the same month) lead into the back cover of Cracked<\/strong> #6 (December 1958, Major Magazines) and other visual features from that Mad magazine<\/strong> mimic, as well as the colour cover to less successful imitator Zany<\/strong> (#3, from March 1959). Everett\u2019s staggering ability to draw beautiful women plays well in the complete romance strip \u2018Love Knows No Rules\u2019<\/em> (Personal Love<\/strong> #24, November 1953 Eastern Color), before this section concludes with a gritty monochrome title page piece from combat pulp War Stories<\/strong> #1, courtesy of Marvel\u2019s parent company Magazine Management, and cover-dated September 1952.<\/p>\n

The Horror<\/em> concentrates on our post-superhero passion for scary stories: an arena where Bill Everett absolutely shone like a diamond. For more than a decade he brought a sheen of irresistible quality to the generally second-rate chillers Timely\/Atlas\/Marvel produced in competition with genre frontrunners EC Comics. It\u2019s easy to see how they could compete and even outlive their gritty, gore-soaked competitor, with such lush and lurid examples of covers and chillingly beautiful interior pages…
\n\"\"
\nFollowing a third informative background essay detailing his life until its cruelly early end in 1973, a choice selection of his lesser known or celebrated efforts opens with tale of terror \u2018Hangman\u2019s House\u2019<\/em> (Suspense <\/strong>#5, November, 1950),; a grim confrontation with Satanic evil, followed by futuristic Cold War shocker \u2018I Deal With Murder!\u2019<\/em> and a visit to a dark carnival of purely human wickedness in \u2018Felix the Great\u2019<\/em>(both from Suspense<\/strong> #6, January 1951).<\/p>\n

Adventures into Weird Worlds<\/strong> #4 (Spring 1952) offered a laconic, sardonic glimpse into \u2018The Face of Death\u2019<\/em>, whilst from the following issue (April 1952) \u2018Don\u2019t Bury Me Deep\u2019<\/em> tapped untold depths of tension in a moodily mordant exploration of fear and premature burial. Hard on the heels of the cover to Journey Into Unknown Worlds<\/strong> #14 (December 1952) comes one of its interior shockers as \u2018The Scarecrow\u2019<\/em> helps an aged couple solve their mortgage problems in a most unusual manner. The Marvel madness concludes with a cautionary tale of \u2018That Crazy Car\u2019<\/em> from Journey into Mystery<\/strong> #20, December 1954, concluding a far too brief sojourn amidst arguably Everest\u2019s most accomplished works and most professionally adept period.<\/p>\n

This magnificent collection ends with a gallery of pages and one complete tale from the end of his career; selected from an even more uninhibited publisher attempting to cash in on the adult horror market opened by Warren Publishing with Eerie<\/strong>, Creepy<\/strong> and Vampirella<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Skywald was formed by industry veteran Israel Waldman and Everett\u2019s old friend Sol Brodsky, tapping into the burgeoning black-&-white, mature-reader market with supernatural flavoured magazines Hell-Rider<\/strong>, Crime Machine<\/strong>, Nightmare<\/strong>, Psycho<\/strong> and Scream<\/strong>. Offered an \u201cin\u201d, Everett produced incredible pin-ups (included here are three from Nightmare<\/strong> (#1, 2 & 4, December 1970-June 1971); \u2018A Psycho Scene\u2019<\/em> (Psycho<\/strong> #5, November, 1971); a stunning werewolf pinup from Psycho<\/strong> #6 and one of revived Golden Age monstrosity \u2018The Heap\u2019<\/em> from Psycho<\/strong> #4. Most welcome is a magnificent 10-page monochrome masterpiece of gothic mystery \u2018The Man Who Stole Eternity\u2019<\/em> from Psycho<\/strong> #3 (May, 1971).
\n\"\"
\nAlthough telling, even revelatory and concluding in a happy ending of sorts, what these books truly celebrate is not the life but the astounding versatility of Bill Everett. A gifted, driven man, he was a born storyteller with the unparalleled ability to make all his imaginary worlds hyper-real; and for nearly five decades his incredible art and wondrous stories enthralled and enchanted everybody lucky enough to read them.
\n\u00a9 2013 Fantagraphics Books. Text \u00a9 2013 Blake Bell. All art \u00a9 its respective owners and holders. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Bill Everett<\/strong> was born today in 1917, as was Mad <\/strong>mainstay Don Martin in 1931, foundational Underground Commix publisher\/empresario Don Donahue<\/strong> (AKA Apex Novelties<\/em><\/strong>) in 1942 and in 1953 both Alan Kupperberg<\/strong> (Blue Devil<\/strong>, Dragonlance<\/strong>) and Arthur Suydam<\/strong> (Cholly and Flytrap<\/strong>, Marvel Zombies<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Today in 2017, Oscar Gonz\u00e1lez Guerrero<\/strong> died. The Mexican comic artist, art director and educator had started taletelling in the 1950s and created Zor y Los Invencibles<\/em>, Hermelinda Linda<\/em>, Burrer\u00edas<\/em>, Smog<\/em>, Don Leocadio El T\u00edo Porfirio<\/em>, Las Aventures de Capulina<\/em> and run \u00a1Ka-Boom! Estudio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Bill Everett and others, edited and complied by Blake Bell (Fantagraphics Books) ISBN: 978-1-60699-600-3 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. The second visit to the works of Bill Everett also opens with a fact-filled, picture-packed Introduction by Blake Bell which covers \u2018The Early Years of Comics: 1938-1942\u2019, \u2018The … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Heroic Tales: The Bill Everett Archives volume 2”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,78,119,75,102,122,66,108,225,127,148,107,385,93,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-comic-strip-classics","category-comicsacademic","category-crime-comics","category-fantasy","category-historical","category-horror-stories","category-miscellaneous-superhero","category-mystery","category-nostalgia","category-romance","category-science-fiction","category-sea-stories","category-war-stories","category-westerns"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9eQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35516"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35522,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35516\/revisions\/35522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}