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I feel like if you're a comics fan and you don't know the art of P. Craig Russell, then you need to do yourself a favour and educate yourself. Today's featured creator is one of the most dynamic and innovative comics artists out there. No one lays out a page like Mr. Russell, and no one tells a story in the way he can. And, according to his wiki entry, he was the first comics creator to openly come out as gay. I can't access the article in which this is stated, but I'll give the wiki the benefit of the doubt.
I'll say this: even if you didn't know he was gay, you'd have an inkling after reading this comic. There's so much more attention lavished on the male bodies than on the female ones here. That's not to say that the women aren't present in the story, just that the men are prominent in the story. This is an early series for Mr. Russell, and as he moves through the 80s and 90s I find his work becomes slightly more stylized, but also more confident. His adaptation of Wagner's entire Ring cycle is a beauty to behold, though it's sometimes a bit of a slog. Maybe I'm just not an opera fan.
While there isn't any explicit homosexuality in this comic, given it's a mainstream comic from teh mid-70s, there is a remarkable amount of homosociality. Mr. Russell's art illustrates the story and words of Don McGregor, whose work I've spoken highly of in the past. Mr. McGregor, to me, demonstrates an interesting precursor to ally-ship in a very specific forum. His comics celebrate diversity in ways that I don't think any other comics were at the time. Both of these creators really bear some attention, more than they have been given, I think.
One other thing came of my reading this comic - I think I'm going to have to track down all the issues. I've only ever read the entirety of the Killraven saga in the Marvel Essential series, which reprints in black and white. While you still get the story, it's hard to really appreciate the beauty of the setting and the characters without some colour. That's my feeling, anyway. So Amazing Adventures joins the original run of Man-Thing on my list of old comics that I just need to get.
More to follow.
Further Reading and Related Posts
I've read a few other bits of Mr. Russell's work in the project. He always brings a remarkable beauty to whatever publication he's involved in.
And Don McGregor is really a great writer. I think he's worth checking out.
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