Amazing Heroes Issue # 8 Table of Contents

Amazing Heroes Issue # 8 Table of Contents

Periodical
Comics Strips

The table of contents for Issue 8 of Amazing Heroes announces basic identification information in a large space at the top that reveals much of what was already on the cover, that being, the title and issue, “Amazing Heroes # 8”, aligned to the left, the release month “February 1981,” centered at the top, and artist credits, for “Cover: Dennis Fujitake,” and “Inside Back Cover: Paul Abrams.” Below this information is a small, thin banner denoted with a bold, horizontal line with the word “Articles” at its center. Laid out neatly are four square representative images from four matching articles, their titles, subtitles, and page numbers written below them. The first is “Silly cover #51 by Kurt Lichte,” subtitled, “More outrageous tomfoolery, satirical sardonicness, and impardonable impropriety!” (picking up a tradition of fun alliteration in the comics fandom community), to be found on page 22. The image features caricatures of the X-Men’s Cyclops and Storm, normally well-rendered, serious characters, represented as a googly-eyed loon with a goofy smile and a cross-eyed, small-headed nymph, respectively. The second is “I Remember Krypton by Dwight R. Decker,” subtitled, “A loving look at comics’ greatest fictional world: Krypton—birthplace of Superman!” (page 34.) The illustration is an excerpt of a Superman comic discussed in the article, showing two men in alien outfits feeing something but turning back towards the audience, also included is some humanoid automaton on the left. The third is “T.H.U.N.D.E.R.’s Back! By J. Collier,” subtitled, “An exclusive, in-depth look at the brand-new revival of the classic series—with pictures!” (page 40), and the illustration is a character from that series, an extremely muscular man in a powerful pose, ready to strike. Continuing this exploration is the final article, “T.H.U.N.D.E.R. History II by David Singer,” subtitled, “The conclusion of the history of the fabled group of superheroes from the Silver Age!” (page 46), with an appropriately Silver-Aged depiction of a trio of T.H.U.N.D.E.R.’s team, including the hero, Dynamo, backed by the supporting NoMan and Lightning, outrunning an explosion.

Below these articles are the “Features,” printed with a similar format but excluding images. They include, “Star Wars by Goodwin and Williamson” (page 7), “Comics Report, The Latest in Comics News” (page 13), “Coming Distractions, Jan./Feb. Comics Checklist” (page 22), and “Star Hawks by Goodwin and Kane” (page 58). Given a space of equal size are further features, now organized in a traditional table of contents format, with the titles and explanations on the left and the page number on the right, preceded by a length of periods. Headed by a “Plus:”, these extra features are “The Collectors: Goofy Comics From The Pen Of Charles Treadwell” (page 39), “The THUNDER Agents: Special Origins Page” (page 45), “Comics Review: The Avengers by Gail Freeman” (page 57), and “Amazing Readers: Letters From All Over” (page 64). Taking up the remaining third of the page are a long list of credits and minutia, including the list of staff, copyright information, and contributor’s info.

This issue of Amazing Heroes speaks to a mix of irreverence and fondness that characterizes comics fandom, with the X-Men, the best-selling comic of the decade, playfully mocked, while the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, a comic property from the 1960s sanitized by the Comics Code, is given two major articles that focus on its past and future as a series.

Editor: Kim Thompson
Assistant Editor: J. Collier
Contributing Writers: Dwight R. Decker, Gail Freeman, Rich Morrissey, Gene Reed, David Singer
Consulting Editor: Dwight R. Decker
Art Director: Peppy White
Contributing Artists: Paul Abrams, Bill Anderson, Willie Blyberg, Rudi Franke, Dennis Fujitake, Mark Heike, Gary Kwapisz, Kurt Lichte, Kevin Nowlan, Mike O'Neal, Charles Treadwell

MSU Special Collection Comic Art, PN6725.A47

Redbeard, Inc.

1981-02

Colin Corcoran

Rights Restrictions

8 3/8" x 10 7/8", Color

English

Periodical

1981-1992

Comic Book

8 3/8" x 10 7/8"