The History of Ant-Man! Giant Man? Goliath? YellowJacket? 1985 Fred Hembeck Special Feature!

Holy identity crisis! Here's a fun and funny look at the checkered past of Hank Pym, alias the size-(and name) changing Ant-Man! As most hard-core fans know, Hank hasn't had the smoothest of super-hero careers, and super-cartoonist Fred Hembeck chronicles all of his ups and downs (sorry) in this great feature from MARVEL AGE fan magazine! Maybe Ant/Giant Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket will finally get his due in upcoming AVENGERS movies? Click to enlarge!

BONUS! Lest you think I'm exaggerating Hank's severe identity confusion, click below to glare at a 1967 Pym-parodying panel from NOT BRAND ECHH!

Albert Bigley 1977 FANTASTIC FOUR Artwork!? Marvel Comics Calendar?!

Another brain-blistering look at my early work! This time we view some not-so-fabulous FANTASTIC FOUR artwork, drawn by me in 1977, at age 12! Fully cribbed from the then-current 1977 MARVEL MEMORY ALBUM calendar, here is my attempt (using crow-quill pens and nibs) to re-create that good old Jack Kirby/Joe Sinnott magic you see beneath my art, in the image below! How'd I do? Never mind. Just click to enlarge!

Jesus Christ! Original 1976 Albert Bigley Easter Art!

That's right! Here is a 1976 Easter card, drawn by me, at age 11. Man does not live by Batman alone, folks! Happy Easter!

ISIS! Original 1976 Albert Bigley Art! Shazam Cover Art! DC Comics?!

Here we go again with another original drawing from my past! This is the cover (sorta) to SHAZAM! #25, but I re-configured it (at age 11) to become an indelible ISIS cover! The Saturday-morning super-heroine had JUST gotten her own magazine from DC Comics, and I supposed it woulda been more effective to have her make her dramatic debut with THIS cover image! Did it work? YOU be the judge! BONUS: The original comic art (by Kurt Schaffenberger) for the cover in the spotlight! Click images to enlarge!

The Monkees! Drawn by--Jack Kirby?! True! Who Says a Comic Has to Be Good? Not BRAND ECHH!

What?! The same comic artist who breathed life into Captain America, Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-Men and Thor, once drew the pop superstars, the Monkees? True! Dig this pandemonium-producing panel from Marvel's humor mag NOT BRAND ECHH # 3, from the swingin' summer of '67! Not only do the Monkees appear to be touring Thor's Asgardian home, but so do many other luminaries of the era! Bobby Kennedy! Muhammad Ali! Bob Dylan! How many more can YOU name, old timer? A rare glimpse at the "King's" humorous caricature abilities! Click each to enlarge, and remember: Irving Forbush lives!

The X-MEN?! 1980 Albert Bigley Original Comic Art! Wolverine! Cyclops! Marvel?!

Another blast from my art-ridden past! Here is my version of not only the "original" X-Men, but also the (then) new team! Achieved by (what else?) taping two standard drawing sheets together side-by-side, this extra big illustration is jam-packed with such Marvel Comics favorites as the Beast, Cyclops, Angel, Wolverine, Iceman, Storm, and Nightcrawler! You even get TWO great shots of the ever-sexy Professor X! Drawn by me in 1980 (age 15), I was inspired by the super-hot ('cause they were so good) Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-MEN comics, then gaining major attention due to the quality of the book. I was still struggling with anatomy, composition, and inking (all inked by Flair pens bought from the local Eckerd drug store), to the extent that this now looks sorta like a precursor of the over-cooked "Image style" to come in ten years time! Glad I learned that "less is more!" Click to enlarge!

The Monkees?! 1977 Albert Bigley Art! Davy Jones!?

Another 70s attempt (by me, age 12) to depict The Monkees in pencil form! Culled from a then-recent teen magazine article on the group (their popularity re-ignited due to after-school reruns of the show), here is the group in all their psychedelic glory! Dig that KISS-like logo I also provided! One of my early stabs at celebrity caricature (always difficult)...At least the composition is interesting! Sheesh! Click to enlarge!