Chew the Fat: Writers to the Rescue...

Redartz: Recently our friend Marti guided us through a discussion on comics that had "jumped the shark". That led me to wonder, have there been instances where  you have given up on a title, only to be pulled back into it by  irresistibly skilled writing? Have you found yourself losing interest in a title or character, disillusioned by (in your opinion) less-than-ideal stories, only to find your interest revived by a new hand on the typewriter? Let's consider those writers who have 'rescued' some fading books.

The example I provide today is Amazing Spider-man. Most of you are aware that the web-slinger has always been my favorite character, and his signature title was the highlight of my collecting. Over many years and through many creative teams, I followed Peter Parker's adventures each and every month. However there was one Bronze age period in which buying and reading the book became a chore for me. I had (and still have) great respect for Denny O'neil, but I found his tenure on ASM difficult to enjoy (with the definite exception to his two excellent Spider-Man Annuals). 

In my opinion, the scripts were a bit flat, and the familiar cast of characters didn't sound quite right. Worse, some of the stories just struck me as silly; particularly the "Fusion- the Twin Terror" book and the blending of Sandman and Hydro-Man ("Here's mud in your eye, Spidey"- to someone who grew up reading the drama produced by Stan Lee, Gerry Conway and Len Wein, it just felt wrong. As the months passed, I considered the option of dropping the title completely. 

But events soon changed my outlook, or rather, a writer. That writer was Roger Stern. I'd followed and loved his work on "Spectacular Spider-man", and often pined that it was a better book than ASM. So when Sterno made the switch over to the banner title, I was thrilled. And I wasn't disappointed, either- tales with Black Cat, landmark stories with the Vulture, a cool Foolkiller story, and some notable issues involving Juggernaut. 

Oh, and there was this Hobgoblin fellow, too. And topping off Stern's tenure, in my opinion, was his truly excellent story "The Kid who Collects Spider-Man". A story I consider to be, arguably, the best single Spidey story ever...

In short- what a turnaround.  Roger Stern reignited the fires of my interest in the book, and kept it at the top of my purchase list. Which, of course, is the point of a good comic- keep 'em coming back for more.

Now then, it's time for your input. What books were on your 'endangered list', only to be saved by the intervention of a stellar scripter? Go ahead and chew the fat...

This & That: Spectacular Spider-Man 77!

 Redartz:  Greetings, folks; and welcome to our first comic review of the new year! Here at BitBA, we've tried to cast some attention to some less -frequently addressed titles, such as Rom and Alpha Flight. Many have written much about Marvel's banner character Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man
 being the flagship title and Spidey's original home. But for today's discussion, we'll look at an issue of Amazing's sister publication, Spectacular Spider-Man, and a fine Bronze Age example it is.

Martinex1:  A good choice for a title to review Red.  I was indeed a Spider-Man fan, but I only owned a smattering of Peter Parker The Spectacular Spider-Man.  I cannot really say why, I just tended to buy Amazing and Team-Up first.  So my knowledge of the stories in Spidey's second series is pretty limited.

Spectacular Spider-Man 77 (Apr. 1983) by Bill Mantlo, Al Milgrom and Jim Mooney

Redartz:  To begin with, how about that cover? It really stood out to me on the stands the first time I saw it...

Martinex1:  I've always liked when they played with the logs and masthead on comics.  I know Ed Hannigan did a number of memorable examples on Spectacular, and here Al Milgrom jumps in with a good one.  I like how the corner box is torn.  My understanding is that they did this all by hand back in the Bronze age - literally cutting and pasting.

 Redartz:  I believe you're right. They didn't have Photoshop back then, but still managed to accomplish some very cool visual effects. Incidentally, Milgrom seems to be showing a few touches of both Steve Ditko and Frank Miller here. Depicting the 'spider senses' going off was a Ditko trademark, and it's nicely done  here. 

And now, a brief summary of the story:



 

The story opens at Potter's Costume Shop (proprietor Melvin Potter, better known as Daredevil's frequent foe Gladiator). A group of thugs have pulled a job, and are trying to elude the police. They burst into Potter's shop, shooting him and threatening to incriminate him (as Potter's currently on parole and trying to go straight- as revealed in references to then-current Daredevil issues).

Meanwhile, Spider-man has just had an unpleasant encounter with Dr. Octopus, who has attacked the Black Cat (who is recuperating in the hospital). As Spidey patrols the city in preparation for a showdown with Ock, he stumbles upon the police cordon around Potter's shop.

 



The police fire tear gas, and the hoods exit the store, along with Potter: now costumed as Gladiator. Spider-man attacks, and there is a brief battle; worsened by Potter's pain-induced relapse into his delusional identity (he thinks he's an actual Roman Gladiator).












But the panicked thugs, fearful that Potter will turn on them, have revealed to the police that Potter was innocent of wrongdoing. Once Spider-man is aware of this, he appeals to Potter's better instincts, breaking through the delusion, and Potter ends his rampage. He then offers to repair Spidey's costume!


 





















 Any initial thoughts on the story, Marti?
 
Martinex1: One flaw I felt in the story is that the robbery thugs never seemed that threatening.   In some comics, these characters would be finished off in a page (or even a panel) so it was a little off having them threaten the Gladiator when that guy went up against Iron Man and Daredevil back in the Silver Age.  

Redartz:  That's a good point. I do like seeing the use of lower-level threats facing heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil (not really likely to have much success against, say, Galactus). Spidey facing street hoods goes back to his origins, but yes, Potter could have taken them apart easily. Perhaps his mental instabilities made him extra cautious.

The middle section of the issue was devoted to the 'subplot' of Dr. Octopus' vendetta against Spider-man and the Black Cat. I always love seeing Ock, and his attack (ripping out Felicia's life support) was pretty brutal.  Not the greatest Ock/Spidey battle ever, but entertaining and suitably dramatic...
  
Martinex1:  The threats to the hospitalized Black Cat and the subsequent fight scene between Spidey and Doc Ock were nicely handled, but at the end I was left scratching my head.  The villain came to the hospital to confront Spidey and to threaten to kill him "tomorrow"?!?  Huh?  Why not today?  

I know that this story read like a stand alone issue, but the Doc Ock tale in Spectacular had been going on for a few issues and continued after that.  But this particular fight ended like something out of the Batman television show, "Bwah ha ha.  I have you on the ropes, but I'll see you tomorrow when we can really fight!"  I must be missing something, or this could have been scripted a bit better.

Redartz:  Another solid observation, partner.  Ock somewhat addressed the issue, stating he wanted his foe to "know a night of fear". Regardless, Ock caught his foe by surprise (in a rather novel way- having Spider-man's senses alarming during a dream, and thus being ineffective), and the Black Cat was absolutely helpless. Ock never had a better shot at finishing them both off.

The final third of the issue deals with the Gladiator's fate. This particular comic featured two of my favorite villains, Dr. Octopus and the Gladiator. Thus I was warm to the story from the start. I did like how they referenced Potter's background and mental problems from the Daredevil storylines,  I also thought Spider-man reaching out in potential friendship to Melvin was a nice touch; perfectly in keeping with Peter Parker's altruistic nature.


Martinex1: Although I know the Gladiator on the surface, I knew very little of his history.   I did not know that in his madness he thought he was from the Roman gladiatorial times.  I saw the Netflix Daredevil series, and it was interesting to see Melvin running a costume shop of sorts and assisting Daredevil with the costume design.  That was a nice tribute to the original source material.

 Did Spidey and Gladiator ever team up again?  It would be nice to see Melvin identified as the tailor for the Super-set.  

 Redartz: Yes, it was fun to see him appear on the Netflix show. They even had a couple of wrist blades visible, if you looked. Regarding later teamups- good question. Perhaps some of our friends out there can enlighten us. And since you mentioned the costume shop, let's talk about the art. I got a kick out of the background details in Potter's costume shop: Batman and Hawkman costumes! You can see them on the opening pages shown above.

Martinex1: I liked the side column pictures of the creative team.  I am not sure I have seen that done anywhere else, and I wondered what inspired them this time.  Funny that they depicted Jim Shooter as Dr. Doom.  I wonder how he felt about that or if it was just a shared and accepted gag.  He at least went along with the joke.

Redartz:  That credit display was amusing. To hazard a guess, I'd bet Mr. Shooter found being portrayed as Doom pretty humorous...
Overall, I found the artwork to be pretty satisfying. I've mentioned before my appreciation of the work of Milgrom on this title, especially in tandem with Ed Hannigan. Of course here he does pencils, with Jim Mooney inking.  

Martinex1:  I am not the greatest fan of Al Milgrom's art.  It is very hit and miss.  I really liked his early work on Marvel Presents with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but in all honesty his work on the Avengers turned me away.  I feel that he positions heroes in very stiff ways; they never seem comfortable in the pose.  And he also tends to widen the characters' faces; that part often reminds me of Carmine Infantino's work.
However, I do find Milgrom's work to benefit from the inker assigned.  In this case, I am curious how Jim Mooney will fare as I liked his work many years prior over at ASM.  In fact I always thought he helped keep Spidey consistent, and even here on the splash page that is a nicely formed Spider-Man.  

Redartz:  I agree, some of Milgrom's work can be...less successful. I do feel he did some of his best work on Spider-man, and on the Guardians of the Galaxy. And regarding Jim Mooney: great point about his consistency. Mooney seems to have a fairly heavy presence as an inker. Whether inking John Romita, Sal Buscema, or Milgrom, you can see that familiarity everywhere. 

Martinex1:  Mooney was in the comic industry for a long time.  He started out in "funny animal" comics back in the heyday of that genre, before getting a shot at Batman.

Redartz: Quite right; he shows up on some of those old Supergirl stories in Adventure Comics too. 
Oh, that dream sequence of Spider-man and the Octopus:  fairly well executed. That color effect seemed to show up often in comics of this time period, Keith Giffen loved using the technique. I will say that there were a few places in the book (for instance, the orange sky behind Ock during a nighttime scene; shown above) where the coloring seemed a bit odd.

Martinex1:  I too liked the dream sequence and how it was depicted.  The coloring choice for the dreams was interesting - simply leaving the inks alone but colored in magenta.  I wonder whose choice that was.  There is a language used for memories and dreams in Marvel comics that usually includes the panel corners to be rounded.  This was bit different and I liked it.  Although the actual color choice was strange; perhaps a darker green or purple would have been more off-setting, dark, and mysterious.

Redartz:  Okay, time to sum it all up. 

The Good:  A good story with some nice artistic touches; two classic villains and a great cover.
The Bad:  Nothing really bad per se, but there could have been more motivation to Potter's actions, and a few examples of clunky dialogue could be found (is a furious, fleeing hood really going to insult his accomplice using a  "PC" phrase such as "overweight idiot"? ).

 The Ugly:  Some of the pastel colors in the backgrounds. Kind of brought to mind an IZOD shirt. Ew.


Martinex1: 

The Good:  A nice single issue story with a basic if not memorable plot and some action.  It gave some insight to an older standard villain in the Gladiator.  Nice dream sequence.
The Bad: To me it came across sometimes as a Bill Mantlo filler issue. To be fair, I rank Mantlo as one of my top ten favorite writers but there are times, probably due to his prolific nature, that some stories seemed to have less characterization and motivation.  That was somewhat apparent here.
The Ugly: C'mon Doc Ock - finish off your arch nemesis and the Black Cat when you have the chance!  And Shooter as Dr. Doom (I always considered him more like Galactus)!
Rating: I give the book 3,25 Bronze Medallions.   Extra quarter point for the fantastic cover!

Chew the Fat: Rediscovering Old Stories...

Redartz:  Greetings, friends, neighbors and fellow travelers on this ever-spinning planet called Earth! If you'll forgive me a brief digression before we undertake today's topic...
It's been a tough year for many folks; and I mean most everyone globally. So much difficulty, strife, and pain. Too much. So, I just wanted to reach out to all of you and let you know how much I (and Marti as well) appreciate your patronage, your comments, your presence, your friendship. This community , of which each of you (those who comment, and those who join us 'silently') is a crucial part, makes it a little easier to face each day. Regardless of the daily news or the turmoils found on social media, you all can be counted on for a refreshing round of pleasant conversation. I thank you, and wish you all peace. Okay, digression over. To our topic...

Some things are just as good, or even better, the 'second time around'. I have a friend who swears that pizza is better the second day, after reheating. I don't know about that, but I've found numerous comic stories that really impressed me upon rereading them, years after the original perusal. Stories that were certainly enjoyable. But going back to them with the eyes of someone several decades older,  I find them even richer, more meaningful than I'd have expected. 

You want a few examples? You got them...


 

Spectacular Spider-Man 69- a story featuring the return of Cloak and Dagger, five issues after their debut. I had this book when it first came out, and the title at the time was among my favorites. But all those issues ended up being sold years ago, and only recently have I picked up a few. I was struck (again) by the cover, and so grabbed this issue at my local lcs. I know the book impressed me before, but it was even better than I'd recalled. The art, by Ed Hannigan and Al Milgrom, was very dramatic, and quite effective. And Bill Manto showed the same writing chops he displayed in Micronauts. He convincingly gave voice to everyone from the young Cloak and Dagger to veteran Spidey foe Wilson Fisk. I really enjoyed the book, and based upon it am looking for a collected edition.

Fantastic Four 233- the second issue of Byrne's famous run on the title. Over the last couple years I've been picking up those Byrne issues, usually from dollar boxes (amazing to get such quality so cheaply). And, correspondingly, I've been going back to read them, here and there, for the first time since the 80's. And it is a constant reminder of just why this run of comics is so highly regarded. This issue isn't a major villain appearance, no great event in the FF's life. But it was a fine story, giving some past history of the Torch. Byrne shows, even this early in his stint, that he has a solid handle on the characters of the book. And artistically? Byrne at his best. Again, the book was good the first time I came across it. But seeing it afresh now? I can't believe how good the art is. 









Defenders 17, 18 and 19- with Luke Cage and the Wrecking Crew. This is another story I've not read in over forty years. Having picked up the Essential Defenders, I'm going back to those stories and again being struck by their quality. A good story arc, solid art (especially like Sal Buscema with Klaus Janson's inks), and typically engaging Marvel characterization. And I find these books read better as a group, an advantage to having the collected edition. When I last read these three issues, there was a month-long gap between each part. It may be an obvious point, but  being able to get through the whole tale in one non-stop sitting makes a big difference. 

 Those are just three cases of comics surprising me anew. After all these years, they still have new appeal. Perhaps it's just the extra years behind me, but I am liking them better than ever. Any thoughts, group?

Chew the Fat: Spotty Villains!

Martinex1: It has been said that the villain makes the hero.   Could Batman be Batman without the Joker?   Perhaps not.   The better the rogues gallery, the better the adventure.   The bigger the threat, the more challenging the conflict.   I think we can agree that is true to some degree.   Spider-Man has a plethora of crazy and iconic villains from Doc Ock to the Green Goblin.  On the DC side, Flash has a cool collection of baddies with Captain Cold, the Top, Weather Wizard, Heat Wave, Gorilla Grodd and the rest.


But today we are not going to talk about the "good" villains (the villains who you look forward to seeing).  No, today we are going to discuss villains that make you scratch your head - but you like them anyway.  In other words, with new villains created throughout the Silver and Bronze ages there were a lot of dogs.  But some of those "misses" stay near to your heart because of nostalgia or theoretical untapped potential. Who are the third stringers and the D-listed creeps that you have enjoyed over the years?  


Here are a few of my favorites from the past, that almost nobody would include in top tier lists.  I am curious what you have to say about other "enemies" that we should be more welcoming towards.

My first example is the Spot.  He appeared first in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man issue #99.  While I am not always a fan of Al Milgrom's art or writing, I really enjoyed his work here.  The Spot is a scientist who was trying to find a path to Cloak's (of Cloak and Dagger fame) dark dimension.  Things went a bit haywire and  Dr. Jonathan Ohnn emerged with some of the funkiest powers I've ever seen.  The myriad of dark spots on his body are actually holes in and out of another dimension.  The character has a great sense of humor and was a good rival for Spidey.  The first time they met, Spider-Man couldn't control his laughter after hearing the villain's name, but he quickly got his comeuppance as the Spot showed him a thing or two in defense of the Kingpin.  A fun story, a fun character, and there should be a lot more of him in the books.

My second example harkens back to the Silver Age.   Daredevil was modeled somewhat after Batman in terms of his nighttime crime-fighting and athletic skillset.   So who was Daredevil's Joker in the early days?  It was none other than the Jester.  Jonathan Powers was a washed up actor who took on a criminal assassin's role in Daredevil #42.   While not ultra powerful, he was a good foil for the serious Daredevil and really gave him a run for his money.  Much of my liking of the Jester is nostalgic.   Some of the first comics I received were part of the first Jester arc and I particularly liked when he teamed with Cobra and Mr. Hyde in Daredevil #61. The Gene Colan art helped as he portrayed the villain as cagy, wiry, and quirky.   He made a few appearances in "modern" times, but never really caught fire.  There should be room for a deadly swashbuckler loaded with dangerous yo-yos, puns, and yuks. (And that cover with the Statue of Liberty photo is top notch).

Another character I like is Blackout.   He originated as a villain for Nova and has a strange dark dimension origin that is slightly similar to the Spot's (go figure).   He was a lab assistant caught in an accident falling into the void and emerging with light absorbing powers along with the dark force.  He goes a bit mad and is very paranoid.  I really began to admire the strangeness of the character when he was manipulated and controlled by Moonstone in the Avengers' "Under Siege" arc.   In Roger Stern's story, he was essentially used and abused by Zemo and the Masters of Evil and had a truly tragic end at their hands.  Despite the whacky mask and the limited early characterization, I found myself wanting more of Blackout.

On the DC side of things, as a kid I stumbled across an issue of Detective Comics at a school White Elephant sale.  On the cover it looked like Batman was fighting a purple and orange Spider-Man.   In fact the character was the ruthless killer Black Spider who hunts down druglords.   He sees himself as serving a brutal justice to the evildoers who got him addicted and sent his life into turmoil.  Gerry Conway and Ernie Chan created the character.   I think his costume is very sharp looking.  It is interesting that Conway brought a Punisher-type character with a spider motif to DC.  I like how Black Spider's motivations are not that much different than Bruce Wayne's, but Eric Needham (Black Spider) does not share Batman's reluctance to kill.

Those are my picks for underappreciated villains.  Who are your favorites; what is their potential; and why don't others see it like you do?   Villains who never really made the mainstream cut, but remain personal favorites is the theme of today's post.  Cheers!

Panel Discussion: Covering Ed Hannigan!

Martinex1: Good day all!   I am not sure if the name Ed Hannigan is recognizable to our regular BitBA visitors, but I find his work from back in the Bronze Age to be quite enjoyable and perhaps more influential than we all realize.  So today in Panel Discussion, we are going to take a look at Mr. Hannigan's body of work and discuss his contribution to our favorite comics.

Martinex1: From what I can gather, Ed Hannigan started contributing as a penciller to Marvel in 1975.  His first story work was in a Planet of the Apes comic which was quickly followed by work in Giant Size Man-Thing issues #4 and #5.   That same year he premiered as a cover artist for a variety of Marvel's horror anthology titles, and he also contributed cover work for The Incredible Hulk and Marvel Team-Up while also modernizing some of the Western titles.  He was off to a fast start.  The below Frankenstein Monster (July 1975), Ringo Kid (January 1976) and Two-Gun Kid (February 1976) were amongst his earliest work.   I enjoyed Hannigan's sense of action; his mid-fight captures attracted my eye easily.   I also liked his use of space and the overall exciting and angled perspective..

Redartz:  Hannigan's earlier work included some of my favorite Bronze Age covers, particularly Marvel Team-Up. Your examples here really show off Hannigan's feeling for the dramatic...
 

Martinex1: In the early going, Hannigan seemed to be relegated to the second and even third tier titles, particularly those with a horror aspect.  His covers for Werewolf By Night were quite interesting and much better than the stories inside.   If there were ever covers that improved a title's sales, I think these are good examples.  Hannigan demonstrated a mastery of various heroic poses; his skill was recognizable in the Werewolf and Moon Knight characters on #37's cover.   I've included the inked version of Werewolf By Night #40 because I think his detailed line art often gets hidden by the colors.

Redartz:  Great point, Marti. That Werewolf cover is truly striking; strong composition, nice lines and shadow. Additionally, he makes effective use of some "Kirby Krackle", which contrasts nicely with the more linearly (is that a word?) rendered foreground. And as for poses- he seems to make frequent use of unusual body positions, no stock poses here. And he executes them well.
 

Martinex1: Later that decade, Hannigan was tied to The Defenders title, starting with more cover work.  And this is where it gets interesting, because he also was the writer on the title for a couple of years.  He had started writing in 1978 with issues of Marvel Premiere (starring Tigra), Power Man and Iron Fist, and Black Panther before taking over the writing duties of The Defenders with issue #70.  Prior to that he had already handled some of the art chores with the book.  I think his Defenders' covers are amongst the best and most memorable of the series.

Redartz:  His Defenders work really put him on my radar. This Scorpio cover has some great visual effects. He combines the innovation of a Steranko with the solid, smooth finish of a Romita. Plus, it is a fine example of Hannigan's skillful manipulation of cover elements and symbols, also nicely done on the webbing on issue 61's cover. 
 

Martinex1: Ed Hannigan had a way with figures on the cover that often had me buying the book even if the tale was rather weak.  A few that I find memorable are shown below.  Omega was a mere  curiosity for me, but looking back at it I think Hannigan made the character seem much more "Marvelized."   His Fool Killer, a C-list character, looked rather cool highlighted on The Defenders cover, and Amazing Spider-Man #168 was one of the first comics I ever purchased, and it was the cover that got my attention.   John Romita worked with Hannigan on that one, but the perspective and the use of signs and structures is all Hannigan; that would later become a bit of his "trademark" as you will see.

Martinex1:  On top of that, Hannigan designed some iconic covers that you may not have realized were his creations.  He really rolled out some nice poses and layouts.  And that also led to work in which he helped design cover layouts for other artists.  He would quickly thumbnail or sketch covers to be handed to other artists to work from.  In the late 1970s and early 1980s he impacted the look of Marvel with his extensive guidance and suggestions to other artists.  These below though are all his.

Redartz:  He really seems to choose some unique points of view. Very nice depth and foreshortening on the Hawkeye image. That Avengers 226 cover is a wonderful bit of compositional play: his positioning of the beam, Cap's pose and the Black Knight lead the viewer's eye around and around. And that Deathlok cover ranks with the very best.

Martinex1:  Here is some more of Hannigan's work uncolored.   The original art shows the amount of detail he would employ; he used shadows and the balance of light and dark quite well.  Perhaps that is why he was such an influence on the appearance of Cloak and Dagger.

Martinex1: Hannigan became known for playing with text and for modified logos.   During his run on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, he had the characters impact the corner box, logo, and text.  Keep in mind that this was before the wonders of modern computers and that Hannigan changed, angled, and destroyed the headers the old-fashioned way.  He had a wonderful run on that book.

Redartz:  He did indeed. His Spectacular Spider-Man covers were among the most memorable eye-catchers on the stands. They often made the covers of ASM seem staid by comparison. Hannigan had a nice touch of Ditko, but more importantly, had a wonderful talent for cover design all his own. He seemed a perfect choice for drawing the web-slinger. It is odd that he doesn't seem to get much notice for his stint of PPTSM; these are beautiful...
 

Martinex1: In the late 80s, Ed Hannigan moved to DC and was just as impactful with Mike Grell on Green Arrow.  He continued to crank out memorable covers for the DC line.

Martinex1: Here are some more examples of covers that he created throughout his career.  I particularly enjoy his work on The Inhumans and the reimagining of the old Avengers in Marvel Triple Action.  The Marvel Two-In-One Annual was not the best comic, but that cover is very interesting despite all of the text.

Martinex1:  And in case you think Hannigan was just a cover artist, take a look at the detailed layout of his interior art with this splash page.

Redartz:  I'm glad you included the above page, partner! Hannigan's interior art on PPTSM was every bit as sharp as his covers were. And his pencils held up well under the sometimes heavy inking of Jim Mooney and Al Milgrom. Actually, I thought Milgrom's inks were particularly well-suited for Hannigan's style on this book.

Martinex1:  He definitely had a way with shadows, and I like how he plays with the shadows on these books.

Martinex1:  If you are interested in Ed Hannigan then you have to take a look at his site http://home.myfairpoint.net/hannigan7/ where he shares information about his work designing covers.   He shares examples like the below and other insights about his art.   In addition, here is a wonderful 2014 interview with Hannigan from https://magazinesandmonsters.com/2014/11/10/cbl-edhannigan/

Redartz:  Again, you choose some great examples, Marti. Fascinating to see that color rough of the Hobgoblin cover above. A great talent, and one of the 'unsung heroes' of the Bronze Age.
 
Martinex1:  So what do you think about Ed Hannigan's art?  Were you aware of his work and influence?   Why is he lesser known than others in the field?   Whether coloring, penciling, inking, writing, or later in his career editing - what did Hannigan do the best?  We are interested to hear what you think about the Bronze Age talent?