Cover by John Buscema.

Back in the mid 80's, Marvel had planned to do a 12-issue Silver Surfer mini-series, with each being a double-sized issue. But as Buscema was completing #1, Marvel decided to make a regular-sized ongoing Surfer series. Buscema dropped out, Marshall Rogers came on board, and the rest is history. They decided to take a slightly different direction with the character and storyline, so this story was tabled. After a few years, they decided to take it out of the drawer and publish it in Marvel Fanfare, because it was too purty not to.


Steve Englehart scripted it, so of course Mantis is in it. Of course.

But it still features Buscema drawing the hell out of the Silver Surfer versus Mangog, which is worth price of admission.

 Because Barry Windsor-Smith draws (& inks, & colors) a damn good Benjamin J. Grimm.

See what I mean?

And then there was that time the Sub-Mariner went back in time and became a pirate...

See, Namor got lost swimming in a mysterious fog in the Sargasso Sea, and, inevitably:

All goes as expected, until Namor catches sight of the pirate captain:

Of course, it's love for Namor...

At least she got him to put on some clothes (sort of)...except, of course, for the (tasteful) naked canoodling:




Ah, but all good things must come to an end, and as Namor finds himself back in modern times...

Oh, Bill Mantlo...that was a terrible finishing line!

From Marvel Fanfare #43 (1989). Yes, the art is by Mike Mignola, with inks by P. Craig Russell.

Yesterday my Friday Night Fight was from Marvel Fanfare #22 (1985), which was penciled, inked, colored and lettered by Ken Steacy.

That issue (and following one, which finished the Iron Man/Doc Ock story) featured numerous pin-ups by Steacy of Marvel characters. Please enjoy a few:










By all accounts Steacy is a swell guy, and has had a nice career.

But forgive me for being a bit selfish--I wish he had drawn a lot more Marvel Comics than he did...