LOVE AND ROCKETS — Los Bros Hernandez — Issues #1-25 covers and graphic excellence

The incredible first series of LOVE AND ROCKETS by Los Bros Hernandez stand out for me as being some of the best drawn comics of the 1980s. That the Bros are talented storytellers is a given, but as impressed as I am by the interiors, I am amazed by the poster-like quality of many of their beautifully drawn covers.

These are the first 25 issues of their initial run, published by Fantagraphics Books. I have included the back covers, some of which are even more dramatic and striking than the front covers. Issue numbers 11-19 had Fantagraphics house ads.

Cover scans are Copyright © 1982-1987 by Fantagraphics Books.

Artwork Copyright © 1982-1987 by Jaime, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez

Chas Balun's DEEP RED #1 — Complete issue, 1986

I met Chas Balun, dressed in his bloody apron and wielding a meat cleaver, at the 1986 San Diego Comic-Con. He couldn't fool me with his costume, because he was also wearing a big smile on his face.

Balun had a particular love for gory horror movies, and published a professional-looking fanzine called DEEP RED. I scanned the 20-page first issue from 1986, and am presenting it in honor of Halloween Week, and the memory of Chas Balun, who died at age 61 in 2009.

Al Capp's FEARLESS FOSDICK — "Sidney the Crooked Parrot” — complete story

Another tale of Fearless Fosdick, the underpaid and over shot-up police officer. Fosdick was created by Al Capp for his Li'l Abner comic strip, and was a satire of Dick Tracy. He became popular enough that he often starred in his comic strip within a comic strip, read by his biggest fan, Li'l Abner.

The book, FEARLESS FOSDICK...HIS LIFE AND DEATHS, is a compilation of stories, reformatted from newspaper comic strips into comic book pages, and sold as a trade paperback book in 1956. That way the publisher could sell a black and white "comic book" in a more deluxe format for $1.00 instead of the usual comic book price of 10¢. This is story number two from the book.

David Miller gets credit for providing sharp photocopies, which I scanned. Thanks, Dave!

The first story from the book can be found here.

Copyright © 1956 Simon and Schuster