Conan The Marvel Years Trad'n Cards by Barry Smith

These woulda been right up my alley-a different look at some great covers-but I was totally unaware of them in 1996 when they came out.  The weird thing is, despite three little ones, a full-time, house, sports, blahblahblah, I made sure to catch all the cards based on my fav artists, like Steranko, Wrightson, Kirby, Frazetta, and Jeff Jones.  Now that I think about it, I dunnae recall a set of cards ever just called Barry Smith Cards
 

Fistful Of Time Killer illos by Wally Wood

Wood did a plethora of great Galaxy illos, but this story seemed to get some of his best
 

Nightmaster Autographed by Berni Wrightson

Soooo, I'm at the comicshop, just graz'n through the back issues ("got it, got it, oh, too pricey, got it, got it...) when I see this Preview Showcase #83 in better shape than what's at home, and it's only 7.50

I open it to see what's what, and here's this sig.  Maybe it's bogus?  If anyone is a handwrit'n expert, please holla

 

First Look At The Revamped X-Men by Dave Cockrum

....and Don Maitz.  So broke I cannae even pay attention, but I always thought this group was introduced with Giant Size X-Men #1 

The Watcher by John Byrne

sweet
 

Asgard VS New Genesis by Jack Kirby

 Jack took us places we never could've gone without him

Tarzan And The Lion Man Frontispiece by Frank Frazetta

 Last three about the cover were up in the wayback, but for some reason...

The Eagle Has Landed by Jeff Jones

 

More Mighty Barbarians by Jim Steranko

 Okay, just ONE more Mighty Barbarians (first image) than I had up in the way-back, but it's again just a little different take on a great great paint'n

Baycon 3 Cover by Jack Kirby

 Sheesh!  I've been ogling this great cover for 45 years, but apparently failed to post it for the past dozen years.  Probly my fav Ikarus, at that, and I still havenae seen The Eternals movie.  embiggen and enjoy

Early Comic Convention Attendee by Frank Frazetta

Apparently, the early comic cons were rather barbaric by today's standards ( I personally have no perspective, having attended squat, but I'm fascinated by accounts and always perk up when they occur on Big Bang episodes).  This guy was seen at the 1972 Infinity Con and at the 1971 NY Comic Art Convention.  lucky
 

Hipster Couple by Berni Wrightson

...and the show they were probly going to see.

Swamp Thing Wrightson was incredible, and Frankenstein Wrightson was offthehook, but young fanzine Wrightson will always have a special place in my comicart psyche

Tanar Of Pellucidar by Frank Frazetta

 ....and Jim Pinkoski, doing his seventies fanzine thing.  Dunnae forget the Roy Krenkel version up in the wayback

By Al Williamson and Roy Krenkel

 If memory serves me (and it rarely does) this is the first time the word "by" has been capitalized in onea my post titles.  The foodforthought splash is amazeballs, a perfect blend of two great artists.  Once they produced this, Bill Gaines should have locked them in a room together just to see what they'd have given the world.  Next is an awesome Williamson splash, and finally an REH illo by Krenkel that I like to call "crow's nest"

Room Without A Roof by Jack Kirby

 From Happy by Pharrell-"Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof."  Just saw the first Thor today, and I thought "okay, I already dug it in the way-back," so I search on here (so tough to search on here), and found the second image from 8 years ago.  Not the same Thor at all

Fistful Of Watercolors by Frank Frazetta

As we've discussed before, after a hard day of drawing, ink'n, and painting, Fritz would sometimes relax by doing watercolors (strikes me as sorta like a construction worker going home and building a bird-house just for fun).  Course, some of the relaxing led to bigger things, like the Neanderthals that became a che great Creepy cover, and the Conan watercolor that led to....well, Conan.  Speaking of which, the T-Rex looks a lot like the painting for the cover of Orn
 

Conan #1 Reprints by Barry Smith

First is what I first held in my hot little hands in the early seventies.  I remember how I dug it had a letters page already, with letters from Harlan Ellison and such, because they had sent advance copies to a select few.  Next are two of the three reprints I now have (I dinnae put up Conan Classics #1 cause I find it slightly gruesome).  Both of these are che nice, but as I plopped down 4 bucks for the latest reprint, I was wondering why I hadnae just gotten two (or more) copies of the dollar reprint.  Oh, well.  Then went I flipped through the 4 buck copy, I saw it was an exact reprint (sans the letters page*), including the original ads (here of which is one).  sweet

*I no longer have the first prints of Conans #1 and #2, so maybe the Harlan Ellison letter wasnae even in #1 issue