Monday, August 23, 2010
Random Reads: The Brute #1
Greetings, Groove-ophiles! Here's another of the short-lived Atlas/Seaboard's attempts to rip off another Marvel character. This one's pretty obvious: The Brute=The Hulk. The Brute is a hulking giant who is angry at the world; instead of being created by gamma rays, he's released from being frozen in ice (a la Captain America) by nuclear radiation. He has blue skin instead of green skin (I s'pose from being in ice all those centuries), and he's a whole lot more vicious than Marvel's mass of manic muscle. In fact, that's the thing that really sets The Brute apart from TheHulk; by the end of the first issue, he'd killed four people. It should come as no surprise that this much darker and edgier Hulk knock-off was written by Michael Fleisher, best known for his work with Jim Aparo on the epitome of mid-70s dark and edgy, The Spectre. The art by Silver Age great Mike Sekowsky is inked by Pablo Marcos--an unlikely but quite appropriate combination. When most folks think or hear about The Brute, they usually think about the--eh--suggestive tail numbers on the airplane featured on its last page, but that's doing this mag a huge disservice. Fleisher, Sekowsky, and Marcos crafted a very well done comic. From November 1974, under a far-out Dick Giordano cover lurks... "Night of the Brute!"
The Brute v1 #3, 1975 - In the tradition of the Incredible Hulk, Atlas Comics takes a turn at the man-monster genre. Unfortunately, The Brute lacks the charisma of more mainstream characters and last for a mere three issues. In this final story, some price guides credit the pencils to Alan Weiss, Jim Starlin and Frank Brunner. There seems scant evidence of the two latter artists' contributions. Page sixteen (see interior page shown above) most closely resembles Starlin's work, especially in the faces. Brunner's style is frankly indistinguishable. If they did lend a hand, their efforts fall far below expectations. Other artists in this issue include Pablo Marcos (cover). This is number 1 of 1 Brute issues with Starlin art and/or covers and number 1 of 1 Brute issues with Brunner art and/or covers. See today's posts or more Starlin or Brunner issues. See also this blog's Starlin checklist, Top 10 Starlin comics, Brunner checklistor Top 10 Brunner comics.
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"Live or Let Die" Starlin partial pencils (Jack Abel inks) = *, Brunner partial pencils? (Jack Abel inks) = *
Apparently Sekowsky was pissed off at the editors.
I think we're going to have one of our rare disagreements on this one! Like yourself, I've got a soft spot for the Atlas (Seaboard) line but I thought this one was a stinker. I actually gave it a D+ when I reviewed it — one of only four comics that have dipped down into the D's!
Of course, I still own. It's a sickness, Groove!
Cheers,
Andrew
ComicsBronzeAge.com