The Lacquer Look

"The Lacquer Look" from The Spectre vol.2 #4 (DC, 1987) by Doug Moench, Gene Colan and Steve Mitchell

The 80s Spectre series lasted less than three years and was unremarkable (I mostly remember its cool house ad, the first cover by Mike Kaluta). Basically, Jim Corrigan was brought back from the dead, made a private eye, and the Spectre sprang out of him for a 48-hour window lest Corrigan start dying again (he was the supernatural equivalent of Aquaman then). It may just have been too gritty and down to earth for a Spectre book. After all, this guy was throwing planets around in the Golden Age.

Ovation

"Ovation" from Silverblade #9 (DC, 1988) by Cary Bates, Gene Colan and Steve Mitchell

Silverblade had an interesting premise that perhaps worked best for fans of old movies, since its hero was an old actor rejuvenated and turned into one of his characters (kind of like the Adam West comics). Not sure if Gene Colan was the right artist for this flight of fancy, but since I inherited a couple issues at some point, I think I'd like to read the whole thing at some point.

All the Senses Matter

"All the Senses Matter" from Night Force vol.1 #4 (DC, 1982) by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan and Bob Smith

Marv Wolfman tried to recapture his success at Marvel with Tomb of Dracula by teaming up with Gene Colan again on this series about the enigmatic and ruthless Baton Winters who collected broken people (including a member of the Van Helsing family) and sent them on missions smacking of the supernatural, sometimes to their deaths. It didn't catch on, lasting only 14 issues, but those I've read have been pretty solid PG horror material.

The Bus Rooftop Was Not Wide or Long Enough

"The Bus Rooftop Was Not Wide or Long Enough" from Nathaniel Dusk II #3 (DC, 1985) by Don McGregor and Gene Colan

Some gorgeous Gene Colan art in this 1930s private dick's pair of mini-series, which DC published without inking. It creates a mood perfect for the piece. Well worth seeking out on the basis of that alone, though McGregor's scripts are worthy enough of the treatment.

Utter Madness

"Utter Madness" from Jemm, Son of Saturn #7 (DC, 1985) by Greg Potter, Gene Colan and Klaus Janson

There's a lot of life in the solar system, isn't there? And if the J'Onn J'Onzz is a representative of Mars, and Jemm of Saturn, it looks like humanity is really the runt of the litter. Sheesh. We sure struck out when they handed out super-powers. From what I remember, it wasn't a particularly good series, but hey, Gene Colan doing a dark superhero version of E.T.

Son of Satan Must See Her Face!

"Son of Satan Must See Her Face!" from Marvel Spotlight #18 (Marvel, 1974) by Steve Gerber, Gene Colan and F. Chiaramonte

Disco Ball of Death!

"Disco Ball of Death!" from Wonder Woman vol.1 #293 (DC, 1982) by Paul Levitz, Roy Thomas, Gene Colan and Frank McLaughlin

What Price Ace?

"What Price Ace?" from All-American Men of War" #113 (DC, 1966) by Hank Chapman and Gene Colan

Earth Under the Gun

"Earth Under the Gun" from Phantom Zone #3 (DC, 1982) by Steve Gerber, Gene Colan and Tony DeZuniga

Dracula vs. Dr. Strange

"Dracula vs. Dr. Strange" from Dr. Strange #14 (Marvel, 1976) by Steve Englehart, Gene Colan and Tom Palmer

The Ritual

"The Ritual" from Night Force vol.1 #2 (DC, 1982) by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan and Bob Smith

The Frequency of Fear

"The Frequency of Fear" from Batman #373 (DC, 1984) by Doug Moench, Gene Colan and Alfredo Alcala

Gene Colan Tribute

"Gene Colan Tribute" from Gene Colan Treasury (Aardwolf, 1996) by Gene Colan

We lost a great comics artist last week, so all this week, I'll be showing off some of his great splashes.

The SBG's full obituary.