Tagged: ron wilson

Halloween Comic Cover of the Week: Ben Grimm Meets the UNDEAD!

I was such a gigantic fan of The Thing as a kid (and still today) and would buy pretty much any comic book he appeared in if my mom would buy it for me! All of my time seeing him in the Fantastic Four had always made me wish he’d get his own solo book. In a way he’d already gotten in with ‘Marvel Two in One’ which featured him and a revolving cast of wild often times unknown characters from the Marvel Universe. But the real deal series for him came right after in 1983-a solo comic series written by John Byrne. Anyway it was one of my favorite comic books and it got really interesting when he quit the Fantastic Four (was replaced by She-Hulk) and went off planet for a bizarre series of adventures. one of my favorite covers was from THIS awesome simplistic spooky tale that’s perfect for Halloween. The Thing #19 continues his wild solo adventures and picking this cover to showcase really inspires me to go back and re-read this series from the start! Ron Wilson was the perfect artist for the series second imo only to John Byrne himself….

 

Comic Cover of the Week: Ron Wilson’s Version of The THING is still one of the BEST!

The Thing’s solo series in the early 80’s remains one of my favorites. It was a HUGE deal for me as a kid, seeing one of my favorite characters ever in his very own monthly series. Written by John Byrne and illustrated by Ron Wilson we got Ben Grimm finally in some pretty thrilling solo adventures. Originally even as a kid, I was a big fan of John Byrne’s artwork and I remember seeing that he wasn’t doing the art work, I was at first worried, but soon it was clear Wilson was one of the best at portraying The Thing. That’s something that’s even more apparent today with simplistic style, he add just the right amount of charm to Ben. This cover from 1983 from his 8th issue also features Joe Sinnot putting the finishes on Wilson’s work- it’s a real gem and really represents everything I miss about comic books today…..

Comic Cover of the Week: Vintage BEN GRIM!

The Thing was always one of my favorite superheroes, I just couldn’t get enough of this damn character. He was so freakin’ cool that besides being one of the mainstays in the Fantastic Four comics he also was the main character of ‘Marvel Two in One’ series (that started in the 70’s) and teamed up with pretty much every superhero to ever appear in the comics. There were some really really obscure team ups I’ve got to mention someday in another post. Well in 1983 I was beyond stoked as kid when John Byrne decided to give Ben Grim his very own solo series, it was one of my favorite things EVER (no pun intended)! Well issue #6 was always one of my favorite covers just ‘The Thing’ in all of his rocky glory in a simple black background. This issue itself utilized the blackness in quite an interesting way as well as he faced off against the Puppetmaster, this one drawn by the legend Ron Wilson and Brent Anderson is a true classic and shows that sometimes the best covers are sometimes the most simple!

Comic Cover of the Week: Vintage Professor HULK!!!

One of the things I really enjoyed about ‘Avengers: Endgame’ was the “Professor” Hulk finally making his big screen appearance. I’ve gotta admit I was a bit disappointed that this version of the Hulk really didn’t do any smashing and even more of a let down was that we never got to see Hulk and Thanos get a rematch. Just because the Hulk’s got Banner in the brain doesn’t mean he still can’t kick some major ass! Regardless it brought back memories of the character as a kid when “Banner Hulk” was introduced and for me it was shocking to see the character this way. Incredible Hulk #285 was always a favorite of mine, where we really see Banner Hulk in full effect.

I mean the cover and the first page feature Hulk with his classic Banner attire and even some sweet ass combed hair!! Back in 1983 I was in awe that this could even ever be a thing for Hulk, the character during this period feels a lot like the ‘Endgame’ Banner Hulk, where he was a lot more reserved about doing any serious ass kickin’. Later in the 90’s we got Professor Hulk yet again, though he was much more of a bad ass often using guns instead of fists to fight his enemies. Still this great cover is a total classic from artist Ron Wilson and inker Joe Sinnot and of course who doesn’t love a classic showdown with one of his greatest villains-ZZZAX!!! Check out the first page of this issue, it’s one of my all time favorite depictions of the Professor Banner Hulk! He never looked so damn smart and sophisticated!!

 

 

Comic Book Cover of the Week! It’s Miller Time!

So this weeks cover is one of my faves drawn by Thing artist extraordinaire Ron Wilson-I always love comic book story lines that really show superheroes on their time off. This particular issue has an amazing cover that simply shows the Thing gettin’ wasted at the local dive bar with none other than the Sandman! This was an unusual pairing at the time to have The Thing “teaming up” with a villain but it seems that after this issue in which the Sandman contemplates his life’s direction and tells his complete origin to Ben Grimm, that the two seem to have a friendship that forms that will lead them once again to drink beer together in yet another later issue (the next time will be in a hospital room). It’s simple comic book story lines that I feel are missed greatly in the comics of today-If you’re looking for a great simple and fun back issue to check out Marvel Two in One #88 from 1982-just make sure to crack open a cold one when reading!