tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post6416352362904639143..comments2024-03-21T02:32:03.663-04:00Comments on Marvel Mysteries and Comics Minutiae: In Praise of RockeNick Caputohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-2072311062199531162014-11-03T19:26:01.146-05:002014-11-03T19:26:01.146-05:00Will do! I'm an obsessive blogger, and this k...Will do! I'm an obsessive blogger, and this keeps me from being a good follower, hence I find myself commenting months after the fact. I need to remedy that by regularly checking out your site. <br /><br />Great post on Marvel cover alterations by Alan Class. I have a few Class-reissued Charlton covers, and while there's no reason to expect any editing of/on those, you've gotten me curious. Re Class, while stationed in Scotland in the late 1970s, I would buy Class collections from small town newstands to read on the train to Edinburgh--never kept a single one. When I recently became interested in early Charlton history, turns out I was already familiar with same thanks to Class (though in b&w)!<br /><br />I have a brief Molno/Mastroserio post nearly ready to go up--it includes three examples I believe to be Molno/M. but which are signed by Rocke alone. You're correct that Molno tended not to sign his stuff, and I wonder why, too. He's famous for working very fast, so maybe he simply didn't take the time! I also wonder if he worked at times on an as-needed basis, given his talent for fast work. That is, maybe he was an "at large" sort of artist. As you know, Charlton was famously seat-of-the-pants, so they were probably rushing to deadline more often than not.Lee Hartsfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378950382643333359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-10448230747515599282014-11-02T21:04:41.371-05:002014-11-02T21:04:41.371-05:00Lee,
Thank you so much for all the kind words. I&...Lee,<br /><br />Thank you so much for all the kind words. I'm glad to shine a spotlight on creators such as Mastroserio who produced so much good work in a short period of time. <br /><br />I love seeing obscure stories and glad to see what you've posted. I've been indexing many Charlton issues for the GCD and adding info from places like Comic Book Plus and have discovered many Molno/Mastroserio stories. I don't think Molno signed many stories but don't know the reason why. <br /><br />Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and I hope you'll join in on future posts. Nick Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-70408096500112175992014-10-30T22:14:17.935-04:002014-10-30T22:14:17.935-04:00Thanks for this lovely tribute to the great Rocco,...Thanks for this lovely tribute to the great Rocco, whom I didn't know had died so young. Very sorry to learn as much. At my own more-or-less comic blog (mostly devoted to the pre-modern comics found in magazines, etc.), I just put up a post on the Feb., 1958 (No. 34) issue of Charlton's Hot Rods and Racing Cars, which features three Molno/Mastroserio pairings. (On that note, thanks for the kind Molno words!) The issue is without a GCD contents listing, so you may find my post, in which I include a number of sample scans, interesting. I might be the first person to give cyber-attention to this issue, a very fun one. <br /><br />In case you're interested: http://leescomicrack.blogspot.com/2014/10/fast-forward-to-1958-bill-molno-and.html<br /><br />In various Charlton comics--Western and horror, esp.--I've spotted what very much appear to be Molno/Mastroserio efforts credited solely to the latter. Not surprising, since there are Molno/Alascia efforts credited solely to Alascia. I wonder if Molno was in too big a hurry to desire credit, or...? (As you know, Molno is famous for the speed of his output.) <br /><br />Thanks for continuing to be one of the most thoughtful voices on Charlton and its underrated crew.Lee Hartsfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378950382643333359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-13706636068454469472014-04-06T21:56:13.415-04:002014-04-06T21:56:13.415-04:00Jim V, as always, has an astonishing knowledge of ...Jim V, as always, has an astonishing knowledge of comics. Take a look at Cameron/Mastroserio in the first story of Weird Mysteries #8 http://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=22737<br /><br />I can see Mastroserio's style, particuarly in the way he inks eyes. Nice work and another area for me to learn more on. <br /><br /> Nick Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-51311182859693793442014-04-06T16:28:03.601-04:002014-04-06T16:28:03.601-04:00Jim, Thanks for the added info. Do you know some o...Jim, Thanks for the added info. Do you know some of the titles the two worked on together? I'd like to see some examples of their work if they are online, perhaps at Comic Book Plus.Nick Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-1722678247178015022014-04-06T12:37:39.756-04:002014-04-06T12:37:39.756-04:00A wonderful article, Nick, and fitting tribute to ...A wonderful article, Nick, and fitting tribute to an underrated great. Thanks.Tony Isabellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07356415470545816484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-90730541617579758912014-04-06T09:11:50.232-04:002014-04-06T09:11:50.232-04:00Nick, an early and important step in Rocke's c...Nick, an early and important step in Rocke's career, often under-appreciated, is his collaboration with Lou Cameron at Ace when Lou was just getting started. This would be about 1951, I think, but Mastroserio was the better of the two at the time and added a slick ink line to Cameron's exuberant pencils. The two must have shared a studio or at least known each other fairly well to have done so many stories together. Peace, Jim (|:{>Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05202049887034952088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-51787790266393329592014-04-04T12:00:23.374-04:002014-04-04T12:00:23.374-04:00Thanks for thw info Mark. I think that would have ...Thanks for thw info Mark. I think that would have been an interesting strip for him to do.Nick Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-70510738712188203552014-04-04T05:41:49.771-04:002014-04-04T05:41:49.771-04:00Murray Boltinoff told me that Mastroserio was slat...Murray Boltinoff told me that Mastroserio was slated to do an issue of CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN but died before that could happen.Mark Evanierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08294096494779171404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-79829174808995184322014-04-03T21:52:44.072-04:002014-04-03T21:52:44.072-04:00Smurfswacker,
I clearly see the Severin influence...Smurfswacker,<br /><br />I clearly see the Severin influence in his inking. <br /><br />Yes, at least one story that appeared in The Unexpected # 104, which featured one of DC's less popular hosts, "The Mad Mod Witch" Nick Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-74715965442466969542014-04-03T19:12:20.186-04:002014-04-03T19:12:20.186-04:00I read a lot of Charltons back in the day, and I l...I read a lot of Charltons back in the day, and I loved Mastroserio's inking on <i>Captain Atom,</i> but I mostly overlooked him until his Warren stories made me sit up and notice, "Hey, this guy can really draw!" I liked Mastroserio's use of dramatic black/white contrast, something he didn't do in color comics. And the "Morning Maid" story he did with Pat Boyette is a treasure.<br /><br />In some half-forgotten interview Mastroserio cited John Severin as an influence. It certainly shows in his western and war work. Did the DC job with Sparling ever see print?Smurfswackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11807173070389349098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-62169080829804450102014-04-03T16:20:39.841-04:002014-04-03T16:20:39.841-04:00Kid,
It looked like Rocke's art was steadily...Kid, <br /><br />It looked like Rocke's art was steadily gaining in maturity, and with better pay at Warren and DC he likely would have been able to take more time on each story. I could also see him working for Marvel, particularly as an inker. His inking style has a Severinesque quality and he would have done wonders on Don Heck or Herb Trimpe.<br /><br />Narfstar,<br /><br />I've been enjoying so many of Rocke's covers both at Comic Book Plus and on the GCD. I just looked up the Submarine Attack 12 cover and it is very nice, with strong inks by Vince Alascia.<br /><br />Kirk,<br /><br />So many of the "non-stars" are neglected by fans. From time to tome I hope to turn the spotlight on them and give them a little attention. Nick Caputohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05096100224095280865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-88912472977395755872014-04-03T11:01:39.827-04:002014-04-03T11:01:39.827-04:00You are right he produced many very good covers du...You are right he produced many very good covers during his run with Charlton and he is very much ignored by comic fans. I always enjoyed the cover with his "Rocke" signature on them.54343992 48Kirk Tingbladhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13626597018109533563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-90182499940421519672014-04-03T07:56:29.636-04:002014-04-03T07:56:29.636-04:00Thanks for the article Nick. Rocko is my favorite ...Thanks for the article Nick. Rocko is my favorite Charlton cover artist. Submarine Attack 12 is my favorite of his. narfstarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14288664052692568850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2089733759263636022.post-87457155931400442192014-04-03T07:20:02.489-04:002014-04-03T07:20:02.489-04:00A sad story, Nick. Just as a new door at DC was op...A sad story, Nick. Just as a new door at DC was opening in his career, he dies. As you suggest, who knows what feats he might have accomplished had he lived. And only 41. Such a shame. Kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224781868125924337noreply@blogger.com