Blackmark by Gil Kane

[@Brian_Boru]

I love Gil Kane's work!

[@steveoh9285]

Gil Kane’s artwork on Silver Age Green Lantern was absolutely awesome, so true!

[@glockensig]

Congratulations on your 22K subscriber plateau!! Thank you for the hard work and passion you have put into your 1,000+ videos!!!

[@MourningConstitution]

The chapters from the PB are printed in issues 1-4 of Savage Sword of Conan

[@stephennootens916]

Clearly a head of his time. It is sad that he didn't finish his series, the black and white art work looks amazing and the story sounds interesting.

[@davebrzeski]

Did you notice that there are several pages with Neal Adams art in there? They're fairly easy to spot if you look closely.

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

@@davebrzeski I did see some art that looked very much like Neal Adams, but as he was uncredited in this edition I wasn’t certain.

[@davidmacpherson770]

Archie Goodwin did assist with the writing of blackmark

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

It’s a shame he didn’t get credit in this edition. Archie Goodwin was great.

[@davidmacpherson770]

@@michaelk.vaughan8617 From what I have learned about Goodwin, he was just happy to help out a great artist. From all information available Archie Goodwin was the nicest person in comics (and a hell of a great writer)

[@michaelalley214]

Gil Kane is my favorite Comic artist. I remember when this came out. I bought it immediately at the stern age of 11.(Actually Dad bought it for me). I have two original copies and a graphic novel copy with an included 2nd issue that did not go to print included. The artwork like you said is incredible. Two other graphic novels printed around the same time in the same format was Jim Davis' (from Mad magazine) Superfan ('72) and Superfan Again!9'74) I have both of those as well!

[@bizarrebraincomics7819]

Great Girl Kane art there. I've got or at least had Blackmark in a couple of versions. Had some potential.

[@alancarr7718]

Good afternoon Sir Michael, Roger & Mr Clock Congratulations on 22000 subs, Thank you for the passion you bring, and the entertainment you provide. You are a wonderful storyteller. Best wishes Al TheGoldkeyfourcolorkidownunda

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

Thanks Al!

[@sao9995]

This guy is beautiful.

[@sgriffin9960]

Excellent video! Never heard of this item but I love it!

[@dcampbell6988]

Fantagraphic books published a 30th Anniversary Edition in 2002 reprinting the story in a slighly larger format. It's a terrific copy. And yes, Gil Kane's art is so good.

[@charliedogg7683]

22.1k subscribers! No-one on KZbin deserves it more. Gil Kane is very much a superhero artist in the eyes of many but he clearly had an interest in Sword And Sorcery: apart from Blackmark, he did a couple of issues of Conan The Barbarian during the Barry Windsor-Smith era and several Atom Specials in which he moved The Atom into a heroic fantasy setting. Blackmark also appeared in Marvel Preview #17 (1979) and that story plus the first installment were collected by Fantagraphics in the 30th Anniversary Edition in 2002. Kane's illustrated novel is a noble experiment but I think it was published at a time when its intended audience wasn't ready for the format. And personally, I don't buy the concept that the scientific knowledge implanted in Blackmark's mother would stay dormant and only emerge in her son - I find it unjust that she is just a vessel for her son's future victories. In addition, the path of Blackmark's rise is hardly original, from slave to gladiator to king; Kull followed a similar path, as did many S/S heroes. But despite my criticisms I did enjoy reading Blackmark.

[@BobBbro]

Blackmark sounds a lot like the basis for the Conan the Barbarian film. Just place a post apocalyptic future in the Hyborian Age. Evil ruler kills young boy's parents in front of him. Boy grows up, becomes a gladiator. Gains his freedom. Finds a strange sword. Defeats evil ruler..... and, later on in life, becomes king. I wonder if John Milius ever read Blackmark?

[@summonersummoner9536]

It would take many more years of legal battles and changing industry norms before creators could more easily retain rights to their original characters and stories. The independent comics scene also grew, providing more opportunities for creator-owned works.

[@russworks2882]

The pages were designed with the mass market paperback format in mind. When Fantagraphics reprinted it in a larger size, the layouts begin to drift apart. Kane was heavily inspired by the density of Feldstein's EC scripts, and wanted to provide a richer reading experience than comics at the time. He also was interested in the slabs of type as a design element for a form somewhere between comics and books. I don't know if today's comic readers would have the patience for text-heavy comics, but I like that Kane was looking for a new direction. His violent comic magazine called His Name is Savage (also scripted with Archie Goodwin, also reprinted by Fantagraphics) looked a lot like the EC Picto-Fiction magazines. (By the way, did you spot the pages that Neal Adams drew in Blackmark?)

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

There was at least one page where I thought it had to be Neal Adams. But, like Goodwin, there was no credit in the first edition so I couldn’t be sure.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I had Blackmark at some point. Although I want to say it was in a larger format graphic novel. I may still have it somewhere. Buried deep down in the recesses of the comic vault. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find it. Thanks for jogging my memory on this one Michael!

[@ivossmarttv468]

Poor dragon. He had a family too.

[@georgeseal8463]

I learned about Blackmark in the spanish edition of a Comics Encyclopedia that was sold by volumes back in the 80s. Each volume had 2 articles and a comic. The first chapter of Blackmark came in a volume with an article on Conan comics and another on "paradivine" comics (Thor Wonder Woman). Years latter I got the Spanish edition of Blackmark. I think I still have it, I'll look it up to show it to my kids. Nice video.

[@abhilashmaddali7158]

I have the Fantagraphics edition which is trade sized. I really like this book actually, classic revenge tale propped up by great Kane art, especially the panels in the gladiator arena. Blackmark definitely is a piece of American comic history, I think it was the first American graphic novel to try to break into the mainstream with the Bantam Books contract.

[@williamdewhurst3205]

How nice to see an appreciation of Gil Kane! It seems to me that, of all the artists who acquired a bit of Jack Kirby influence, Kane was the only one who really approached Kirby's sheer power. I actually own a page of Kane's original art, from his version of "The Rings of the Nibelung", gifted to me long ago by my late wife. I have now watched a fair number of your videos. Our tastes seem to overlap considerably. In case you don;t know his work, may I recommend the now regrettably obscure Thomas Burnett Swann?

[@charliedogg7683]

I second Swann as more than worthy of being the subject of a Michael K. Vaughn (and Roger) retrospective.

[@jimkuna8687]

Sounds like Conan story lol

[@andrewmacdonald3667]

Harvey Kurtzman’s ‘Jungle Book’ was an even earlier attempt to get original comics work into paperback. No one bought that either. 🤷‍♂️

[@bigaldoesbooktube1097]

Ah rule the world.. normal little kid stuff 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ricwoodward1569]

Hey! First time commenter! The Marvel Preview issue of Blackmark caught me at age 17, the perfect time! I loved it! I want to say its the next part of the Blackmark saga. The reprint graphic novel is great! I have an extra copy of the Preview issue, if you wanted it... id be happy to mail it to you!

[@waltera13]

Was this before or after Killraven started? Is there a progenitor text before both of these that"barbarian of the post-apocalyptic wasteland has the sum total of man's science / culture stored in his brain so he may be a savior" what's the inspiration for?

[@michaelalley214]

Before my friend.

[@michaelalley214]

I have always loved Gil Kane's art but he had HORRIBLE inkers in the 60's with DC .I prefer his 70's work with Marvel. Better inkers, better detail. And of course he also grew as an illustrator.

[@SleepyBookReader-666]

Loved the art, hated the font…

[@jimkuna8687]

Sounds like Conan story lol