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Mister Miracle #8, 1972 - The last of the 52 pagers in this series, Jack Kirby's art continues to entertain and delight. His two full page splashes and roomy panels are this time overshadowed by one of his best double page spreads. Upon entering the barracks of the Female Fury Battalion, Big Barda witnesses a chaotic array of woman warriors. Kirby's complex layout is perfectly balanced with a

Ka-zar #4, 1974 - Ka-Zar had appeared in various Marvel titles since his debut in X-men #10. After a respectable run in Astonishing Tales a few years before, the character was awarded his own self-titled book. Frank Brunner delivers this superb cover, among the best of the entire series. Mystical flames emanate from below the jungle lord, radiating out toward the other figures and filling the

Doomsday Plus One #3, 1975 - John Byrne's inclination for drawing futuristic aircraft, robots and machinery reveals itself in the first few pages. He continues to employ large panels within roomy layouts, but with slightly less detail than previous issues. His center spread of an intense fight scene seems a little forced compositionally. Page six is more successful (see interior page above),

Marvel Preview presents Sherlock Holmes #6, 1976 - Concluding the "Hound of the Baskervilles" storyline, Marvel Comics gives its own rendition of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous detective. For clarity's sake, the vast majority of the issue is drawn by Val Mayerik with inks by Tony DeZuniga. Neal Adams illustrates only the inside front cover, depicting a lone Sherlock Holmes evading gunfire.

Plop #5, 1973 - Basil Wolverton continues to create even more freakish characters with each subsequent issue, and this cover is no exception. Sergio Aragones' framing pages continue to enhance the series and contributes a superbly drawn tale: "The Ultmate Freedom". In Bernie Wrightson's second story for Plop, a French sculptor conceals a potion from his overbearing wife. The artist's frequent use

My Love #20, 1972 - As far as I know, this is Jim Starlin's only contribution to the romance genre. It appears to be one of his earliest works and includes interesting panel sequences that would later become one of his trademarks. The drawings themselves lack polish and the foreshortening is poorly executed. Starlin's crude pencils are even more disappointing due to the insensitive inking of Jack

Dead of Night #11, 1975 - The Scarecrow makes his first appearance in the last issue of this Marvel horror title, previously a vehicle for Atlas reprints. Unlike DC's villainous counterpart, this character is one of several monster/heroes introduced during the bronze age. Bernie Wrightson inks over Gil Kane's pencils on the cover, but unfortunately doesn't meet expectations. His brushwork on the

Mister Miracle #7, 1972 - Jack Kirby's convoluted cover is further marred by the colorist, who inexplicably adds red outlines to Mister Miracle's eyes and lips. The resulting clownish face looks almost minstrel-like. Inside, the artist compensates for it with three bold splash pages and a panoramic double page spread. While only adequately paced, there are several painstakingly detailed panels (

The Unexpected #122, 1975 - Like many DC 100 page super-spectaculars of the 1970s, this issue boasted both new and reprinted material. Nestor Redondo's contents page opens the issue with exquisite detail, depicting a pair of late night grave robbers. Equally stunning is Alex Nino's story of a slew of Satanic murders and the fortune teller who foresees them. His pacing and layout are masterful,

Midnight Tales #11, 1975 - The lead story opens with a scene on Mount Olympus, where a youth pleads for his life before Zeus and the other gods of Greek mythology. The surroundings are resplendent in its ornate patterns and decorations. All the stories within this issue follow an ancient mythological theme, but Don Newton's illustrations are the most skillfully drawn. His fine brushwork enhances