Unused Covers

[john56peter756brit]

No doubt Lew will bear me out on this, covers to comics that folks never see and a different version is used instead and many times i have liked the original version.As you know some companies like at least a couple of versions to choose from and maybe at times they may scrape it and use something completely different.

[Cap Haggis]

I have neer seen an unused UK comic ideas /cover (it would be interesting to see one) but I have seen lots of US one that were not used and the published - in particular Neil Adams (like many others) - was asked to re draw a couple on Green Latern covers that had pretty minor changes (the positions of GLs face in one case) through to total re do's - although for me everything Adams did was stunning. At Marvel I think people like Marie Severn adn John Romita (Snr) did loose sketches of the covers for the artist to work from first . Has this always been the case in the UK and US - What about when UK comics feature the comic strip on the front page (Korky, Biffo, Buster etc) were these also re drawn from time to time for better "character" impact????

[philcom55]

I suppose one of the best UK examples would be the famous 'dummy edition' of Eagle number one, featuring 'Chaplain Dare'!

Also wasn't there an early edition of 2000AD with a cover by the legendary Don Lawrence...except that Pat Mills had the central figure of Judge Dredd replaced with a version drawn by (I think) Mike McMahon? Since this was (to the best of my recollection) the only time that Lawrence ever illustrated the character I've often wondered if anyone thought to make a copy of the original cover. In fact one of the joys of acquiring original comic artwork is being able to peel off such 'corrections' and reveal virgin images that have never been reproduced - nor even seen - since the day they were first covered up.

- Phil Rushton

[Muffy]

Originally a cover for Dr Who Weekly No.44 was prepared (and I think we saw it printed in the Dr Who Magazine 10th Anniversary special in 1989), but instead Marvel decided to turn it into a monthly publication and created an entirely different cover. The Weekly version still had a photo on it but of the 4th Doctors head only and a pink background, instead of the green used.

[Steve Bright]

Here's an exclusive for you, and a slight variation on this theme. The very first cover of Nutty comic, back in 1980, wasn't drawn by a professional artist at all, but by a nineteen-year-old sub-editor.

[img:344:500]http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/images/covers500/Nutty_10.jpg[/img]

It's the same illustration that was used for the comic's dummy version, the only change being that the Wacky character on the cover was redrawn by the young man in question from Mike Attwell's version of the character (the dummy version was very different).

How do I know? It's not rocket science (see what I did there? Sorry, Brendan!). I was that soldier boy....



Incidentally, Mike Attwell very sadly died in March of last year. He was not only a very talented cartoonist, but a professional actor. Older members may recall him as Razor Eddie in the wonderful ITV series, 'Turtle's Progress'. He also turned up frequently playing baddies on account of his massive stature, and I think I'm right in saying he was in eastenders for a while playing Pete Beale's brother (?).

I never met him, but we used to exchange the odd (sometimes very odd) note on the Wacky scripts I sent him.

[David McDonald]

IIRC the piece of Art that Philcom refers to is owned by Rufus Dayglo. He peeled off the McMahon dredd to reveal the Don Lawerence art. The art was posted on the 2000ad messageboard.
Also the cover to The Best of Eagle Monthly no.2 uses an unused cover by Jose Ortiz of The 13th Floor, originally meant for Scream no. 18.

David

[Peter Gray]

thanks Steve........nice to see.....

I can see the Nutty colours could easy fit the word Bananas the original name...even the y in nutty is curved a bit like a banana...

Any first cover ideas for Hoot!

[moose]

these were never used, or reused in edited form. i got my crayons out on some of them because they were black and white...i'm no colourist.

[img:1000:1245]http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/or ... 231076.jpg[/img][img:1000:1303]http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/or ... 301076.jpg[/img][img:1000:1283]http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/or ... 061176.jpg[/img][img:1000:1300]http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/or ... 131176.jpg[/img][img:1000:1276]http://www.sevenpennynightmare.co.uk/or ... 201176.jpg[/img]

three if not four of these are by eric bradbury. there are two more covers that were comissioned which never emerged.

[colcool007]

And that's not a bad job in re-colouring them Moose. Have drooled over them before as I have Martin Barker's book on Action. I also recommend his Comics: ideology, power and the critics. An interesting read in how some people seem to think that comics justify their political agendas.