An Unexpected Find in a Comic Book Store

As Free Comic Book Day 2019 is only two days away, I was reminded of the great haul of books I picked up at Free Comic Book Day 2014. Among the books was a hidden gem of a find.

Cheap Thrills: The Amazing! Thrilling! Astonishing! History of Pulp Fiction by Ron Goulart. This book is worth it for the art alone. Gorgeous. This is an updated version (2007) from Goulart’s 1972 book.

The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino – Now, I’ll admit something here: by the time Infantino left DC and worked for Marvel, specifically Star Wars, I did not like his art for those characters. Those books were among the first comics when I realized there often were different cover artists and interior artists. The covers of those post-Star Wars, pre-Empire Strikes Back were often great, but Infantino’s drawings of Han, Leia, Luke, and especially Chewie left a lot to be desired. Later in life, I learned who Infantino was and how big a role he played for DC and got new appreciation for him. This is basically a biography with lots of art.

All-Star Companion by Roy Thomas – I love how the old Justice Society heroes were operating in World War II. Always have. Might be one of the reasons why I like history so much. Heck, it’s probably among the reasons why all my published mystery novels to date have been set in and around World War II. This is a compendium of art and articles about the JSA.

The Shadow: 1941 by Dennis O’Neil and Michael Kaluta – Never knew Marvel had The Shadow but I picked this one up because I like the Shadow and wanted to see O’Neil’s take on the famous character. In an interview with Kevin Smith on the old Fatman on Batman podcast, O'Neil talks about how much The Shadow influenced him as a kid.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the cover and found this inside.

Talk about finding the unexpected. I’m not usually one for autographs, but how cool is that? O’Neal and Kaluta!

Tune in Tomorrow...

...for some bonus Shazam content!