VIRGIL FINLAY ART FOLIO

I hold Virgil Finlay's art in very high regard. His imaginative, ethereal illustrations and stunningly meticulous technique is rarely matched.

While his work spanned numerous genres in many different books and magazines, along with Lee Brown Coye and Margaret Brundage, I find his contributions WEIRD TALES to be among his finest.

This fanzine, published about two years after Finlay's death by Trek Publications of Texas showcases fine examples from across his subjects. Hard to see from this scan is the slick paper wrap-around cover and the interior pages printed on heavy card stock.

See more about Virgil Finlay HERE.

THIS COMIC IS NUTS!

An entry in THE SINCEREST FORM OF PARODY: THE BEST 1950s MAD-INSPIRED SATIRICAL COMCS (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) is Premier Magazines' NUTS! To say that it was MAD-inspired is a gross understatement as it mimics the MAD comic in nearly every way . . . except not as humorous. There's even the text strip along the spine, "That Crazy Mad Comic" that shows they were unabashed with their source of so-called inspiration.

But like all of these MAD wanna be's, there's some fun to be had. NUTS! lasted for five issues and was a collateral casualty of the Comics Code Authority after whose publisher, Delaware's Premier Magazines shuttered its doors.

In this first issue is some work by Harlem-born Alvin "Al" Hollingsworth, one of the few black cartoonists in the comic book industry at the time.

There's also some interesting artifacts to be found in the stories, "Home Cooking" with an interracial kiss panel and the Lil' Abner parody has a Marilyn Monroe panel.

Herman "Hy" Fleishman drew the MAD/EC rip-off "Marvin's Monster". He can be identified as the artist by the gravestone in the background: "Hy Fleishman worked all week without sleep to get this story in on time!"

NUTS!

Vol. 1 No. 1

March 1954

Premier Magazines Inc.

Editor: ?

Cover: ?

Pages: 36

Cover price:10 cents

CONTENTS

"Home Cooking"

Script: ?

Art: Gerald Alman?

"Li'l Abernathy!"

Script: ?

Art: Bill Fraccio?

"Scarface!"

Script: ?

Art: Alvin Hollingsworth; Ben Sargent

"Marvin's Monster"

Script:

Art: Hy Fleishman