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 JIM APARO PHANTOM - PART THREE
"I wanted full command of my work. Years later at DC, they said 'Let's just do pencils,' and inkers, they'd get a little happy. I may put something I want to be in there and they'd take it out.
If they used blacks where I didn't do something, that was great because that helped me out. They look at it differently.
These are the little things you have to deal with when you work with other people. When you're doing it yourself, you got no one else to blame when it came out or didn't come out."
-- JIM APARO
RIGHT: Aparo's self-portrait, from Brave and Bold #124. |
The PHANTOM #37 - April 1970 |
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"BANDAR BETRAYERS"
by Norm Di Pluhm (Steve Skeates) and Jim Aparo (7 pages)
The evil fragrance of a deadly tree that blooms once every ten years turns the men of Bandar against The Phantom! Can his horse, Hero, and his dog, Devil, help The Phantom escape? |
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"SKYJACK"
by Norm DiPlume (Steve Skeates) and Jim Aparo (7 pages)
Skyjackers -- terrorists who hijack airplanes in mid-flight -- were as big a menace in the 1970s as they are today. But these particular skyjackers are not aware that among their hostages, in disguise, is The Ghost Who Walks!
"I used Zip-a-tone at first, but then it got to be too much of a chore because you're cutting it out and sticking it down. I think it came from love of comic strips. Charlton didn't put any color over it. They left it black and white when the lightning flashed. I never made color notes. I have no idea who did the color work at Charlton." --JIM APARO |
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"DISBAND THE PATROL!"
by Norm DiPlume (Steve Skeates) and Jim Aparo (8 pages)
If The Phantom's men fail to pass this test, they will be disbanded! This story features more of Aparo's ground-breaking zip-a-tone work, this time on the Phantom's uniform. Once again, the entire panel is left completely uncolored, adding to the dramatic effect.
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"Dick Giordano let me know he was moving on and asked if I was interested in working for DC. 'Sure. But what about Charlton?' Dick said, 'You can make arrangements here.'
And that's why I was doing The Phantom. The books were bi-monthly. So one month I was doing The Phantom and the next month I did Aquaman. There was never a conflict in scheduling; I was busy all the time."
-- JIM APARO
RIGHT: Aquaman stamp, drawn by Aparo |
The PHANTOM #38 - June 1970 |
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"THE DYING GROUND"
by Norm DiPlume (Steve Skeates) and Jim Aparo (7 pages)
The Ghost Who Walks is caught in the middle of a conflict between two tribes. He is captured, drugged, and left to die in the elephant graveyard. Can he escape before a sick bull elephant kills him?
"My favorite Phantom story was the elephant graveyard [The Dying Ground]." --JIM APARO |
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"THE PHANTOM'S NEW FAITH"
by Norm DiPlume (Steve Skeates) and Jim Aparo (7 pages)
Can even The Phantom live up to a four-century old legacy? An erupting volcano puts him to the test as never before... wrestling a gorilla, plunging over a waterfall, and diverting the course of a lava flow!
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"THE TRAP"
by Norm DiPlume (Steve Skeates) and Jim Aparo (7 pages)
The Ghost Who Walks sets a clever trap to ensnare a gang of art thieves. Along the way, he encounters his dear friend Diana and, in gentlemanly Silver Age style, attempts to protect her from all harm. And in the end...
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FINAL WORD FROM JIM APARO
"I was never fast. I'd do a page a day -- pencils, inks and letters. I stayed at that pace and never increased it. I remember when I went to DC, Carmine Infantino said to me, 'Gee, I wish you could do more work.' I said, 'How do you want it -- good or fast?' He said, 'I want it good.' I said, 'Okay.' --JIM APARO
Jim Aparo passed away on July 26, 2005, at age 72. He is survived by his wife Julieann, three children, four grandchildren, and two step grandchildren.
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FINAL WORD from The PHANTOM! |
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NEVER THE END |
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