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| © 2023 Mark Ammerman |
I have never had any particular interest in Marvel's Western Comics from the 1950s and early 1960s....until now. I was vaguely aware of the names Kid Colt and The Rawhide Kid, and old tattered copies of those comics would infrequently turn up in second-hand shops in Portsmouth back in the mid-70s, but I quickly passed them by in my eagerness to find a Batman comic that might fill a gap in my collection.
Somehow Marvel's Western Comics were any unexplored branch-line of comics history for me, and I had no desire to mosey on down the path of exploration.
I suppose that my interest in things Western was whetted a few years back by Will Murray's excellent history of Western pulps, "Wordslingers", and then a recent rewatch of an episode of Marvel's Agent Carter featured Howard Stark making a movie about Kid Colt further awakened my interest.
Which brings me to discuss a fantastic new, old-school, paper-in-your-hands, no-digital-version fanzine called MARVEL WEST #1, which celebrates the Marvel Westerns of days of yore, with great articles focusing on the generally uncelebrated contributions of artist Jack Keller, who had as great an influence as Jack Kirby on Western comics in the late 1950s, as well as a leading article by Will Murray on the history of Kid Colt.
The book is the brainchild and labour-of-love of Mark Ammerman, who tells us that MARVEL WEST is published under the collective banner of ENCORE, which will be a multi-zine celebration of the 50-year anniversary of COMIC COURIER, a comic fanzine that Mark produced between 1969 and 1972.
Mark has produced a really professional-looking fanzine - I love the layout - and I look forward to reading issue #2.
Issue #1 can be obtained by jumping to the Comic Courier ENCORE site at http://ccencore.jimdosite.com. In the U.S. or Canada, a single issue is $10. If you live in the UK, a single issue is $20 (because the cost to mail from here to there is nearly $10.) If you live in Australia, you'll have to ask Mark how much postage is required for the 48 pages of MARVEL WEST goodness (you can contact him atHere's a couple of scans to get you interested.
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| Seeing small images of comic covers always made me want that comic! |
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| Great article by Will Murray |
Wouldn't you know, this page from Rawhide Kid #28 came up in my Facebook feed today. (I'm not paranoid, but I know they're watching me). Not a Jack Keller page, but a great Kirby/Ayers page illustrating Kirby's immaculate staging, and featuring a character called Jasker Jelko .........not unlike Funky Flashman....
Until next time, pardners!
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| © Marvel. Rawhide Kid #28 |
That fanzine looks very professional - I might just be tempted, depending on postage costs.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a very professional production indeed. I was very impressed by the layout, use of white space, consistent fonts. A lot of work has gone into producing this first issue.
DeleteKid - I've just updated the information on the blog about how to get hold of a copy of Marvel West, ordering via Mark Ammerman's website.
DeleteTa, I'll check it out.
DeleteJust bought it.
DeleteMy copy arrived today, though good as it looks, I'm not sufficiently invested in Westerns to get subsequent issues. At a tenner for the mag, plus a tenner p&p, it's £20 too much, but I'll enjoy reading issue 1.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading it quite a bit, Kid, as I had no knowledge of Marvel's Western comics and it opened my eyes a bit. Totally understand that £20 an issue including postage makes it a pricey proposition ordering from the UK. Still, I feel it's good to support old-school hard-copy fanzines where we can.
DeleteI must head over to take a look at your latest blogs....have been away on hols for the past couple of weeks.
Yes, it's nice to give support for such publications, but I'd prefer to put that £20 towards some nice back issues required to plug gaps in my collection. Maybe I'll have to slit open another mattress.
DeleteThanks, fellows, for your support! I'm going to take a pay cut on my end from now on and charge a bit less for copies crossing the Pond. I want my fun to be fun for y'all, too--without having to slit open that second mattress.
DeleteMarvel West#2 will be wider in scope and jam-packed with great art and story... while keeping the same visually open layout.
Great to hear that Marvel West #2 is coming along, Mark. I'll look out for it. It's always great to see a new, real printed fanzine.
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