Been way too long since we last gaped in wonder at the incredible art of Jesus Blasco, so here he is with one of his all-time classics, and an all-time fave of my old pal David Holman's: The Lektrons!
Louis Crandell aka. The Steel Claw had been away from Valiant for a while, following his massively wrong-headed turn as a silver-spangled superhero ( alluded to here ).
Happily, on his return he was back to what passed for normal, though it's noticable that he was much more heroic looking, much less sallow, and now armed with a burgeoning third division footballer haircut & a never ending supply of groovy polo necks.
Regardless, the invisible secret agent was back to doing what he did best, saving the world from alien invasion!
In Blasco's hands, this really does feel a teatime serial they'd put on before Blue Peter, or the kind of b/w film BBC2 used to run on a Sunday afternoon.
Look out! Run! Hide! Only The Steel Claw can save us from... The Lektrons!
Ace. Even if it isn't from Marvel.
ReplyDeleteGood of you to help your old pal through his Marvel cold turkey Pete, and great for the rest of us too - many thanks for posting.
-sean
Ah, the rules don't count when it comes to Blasco, Sean..
ReplyDeleteDoes that include appreciating the artwork in the one-off early 90s Steel Claw reboot by that other fella?
DeleteYou know the one (call me a heretic, but it looked pretty alright...)
-sean
Oh yeah, whatever happened to him?
DeleteNice drawing. I like his work.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Chris A.
Even though I haven't read it yet Blasco's storytelling is clear enough that I can get the gist of the plot. Many of today's comics artists can't say the same.
ReplyDeleteGene Poole
Brilliant! Many thanks for sharing the story in its entirety Pete.I'm still missing a few issues of Valiant with this story, so it's good to see every panel.The quality of Blasco's work speaks volumes about the man.He could easily of rushed off a few pages each week, but every panel has such detail. The other Return of the Claw stories are great too. Well worth a look :)
ReplyDeleteExactly.
Delete"easily have" such a rookie grammar error :D
ReplyDeleteMy grandma used to get onto my grandpa about his grammar.
Delete- Neil
Re Steel Claw's "...turn as a silver-spangled superhero …" That suit was made of copper, so I'm assuming it was brown in colour; an appropriate colour, I suppose, for those misguided enough not to like that the Claw's superhero period. It was my introduction to Steel Claw, and to Valiant, in an issue bought for me by my dad after a football match, so very fond memories there.
ReplyDeleteI've since read all of Steel Claw and the superhero suit period was a logical progression from his claw being filled with gadgets, something that I think the writer managed to make work.