You may remember Simon Williams from his artistry on the originated Marvel strips published by Panini UK a few years ago, when he produced fantastic work for comics like Marvel Heroes. A master of dynamic superhero storytelling and a fan of 1970s comics, Simon has now put his talents to use on the first issue of Retro Tales, and it's a blast!
Not only a brilliant artist, but also a witty writer and great designer, Simon has produced Retro Tales to look like a forgotten American comic from the 1970s, and it really is spot on. The 24 page comic gives us a 10 page adventure with the Discotronic Funk Commandos, a soul/funk inspired supeerhero team facing off against punk-inspired villains such as Squid Vicious, Blockhead, and Mohawk.
It's an affectionate pitch-perfect parody of '70s superhero comics with the added bonus of loads of song title puns and references. The result is a comic that's such great fun to read!
The artwork of Simon Williams has a true classic Marvel feel to it, and a storytelling clarity that many of today's artists simply lack. Retro Tales is a joy to read, but at the same time I felt sad that Simon isn't the regular artist on The Incredible Hulk (his favourite character). Marvel should sign him up immediately!
The rest of the comic gives us a YMCAgent pin-up, black and white, unlettered pages of art as a bonus feature, a YMCAgent single pager spoofing the old Hostess Fruit Pies adverts, unpublished art, and more. I hope Simon finds time to produce a second issue soon!
With so many modern superhero comics being grim, slow-paced efforts, Retro Tales makes for a very refreshing change. If you're interested in buying a copy, message Simon Williams directly at his Twitter page here:
https://twitter.com/Soulman_Inc
The mighty Simon Williams, brilliant comic artist and all-round good guy, has given his blog a bit of a makeover and it looks great! Simon is a natural superhero artist of the old school (but not old fashioned) where storytelling was clear, the pages were exciting, and the characters were suitably dynamic. He was a regular on the much-missed Spectacular Spider-Man and Marvel Heroes comics from Panini, and one of his strips featuring Death's Head is reprinted in the Marvel Heroes Annual 2015, out now!
Check out Simon's blog to see his awesome work, including authentic looking imaginary cover creations such as the one shown above. And Marvel editors, if you're reading this, give Simon a series!
http://soulmaninc.blogspot.co.uk/
