Golden Age Comic Book Stories

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Michael W. Kaluta

The Swords of Shahrazar by Robert E. Howard

Published by FAX Collector's Edition ~ 1976

5 comments:

bliss_infinte said...: I continually discover fantastic illustrators that I've never heard of through your postings. Thanks so much!!; 3:52 PM
usymare said...: Thanks for this great post!!!!
Mike Kaluta is a big artist....; 7:56 PM
Steve said...: Bliss_Infinte's (do you mean infinite?) comment really shows the scope of the internet, doesn't it? I would think the only people who would be interested in a blog titled "Golden Age Comic Book Stories" would know of Kaluta. Then again, maybe because I'm old (54) and come at this from a different time I'm assuming too much from my own perspective....

I loved the two REH FAX volumes so much I sent them both with Bob Wayne to get autographed when he went to the NYC Comicon in the early 70s. I was too young to go and/or couldn't afford it and he was kind enough to do it (Thanks, Bob, I've never forgotten this!). I believe Kaluta was very proud of his work because both autographs were little gems of calligraphy that he obviously took his time on.

Jack Chalker's comments on FAX in his fine THE SCIENCE-FANTASY PUBLISHERS: A Bibliographic History completely missed the point on the failure of the final volume in this trilogy, coming to a conclusion based solely on his being a writer. He wrote "...for years, people had been buying anything with Howard's name on it, but by the time Son of the White Wolf came along, almost nobody was" completely ignores the anger and the disgust when FAX didn't wait for Kaluta but instead hired Marcus Boas. Chalker asserts that that book was one of the primary reasons for the demise of FAX, and I can believe it. I remember a LOT of fans in the local club here in Dallas-Fort Worth didn't buy it, including me. The completist in me, though, won out eventually and I confess I did reluctantly pick it up years and years later in a trade.; 2:04 PM
Benno said...: This book is certainly one of the best illustrated versions of REH fiction. Kaluta was hitting on all cylinders for this one!; 2:11 PM
Harkabir said...: You may not know this, and that's why I shall it to you.

You are the most blessed blogger ever and I hope and pray that you receive even more blessings.

Vive Le Mr Door Tree.; 7:39 AM

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