The most remarkable woman ever known, Fantomah (above in one of her many exciting adventures, although you can't see her blue skull here as gorillas tear apart an evil scientist [yes, gentle gorillas, but they've had a dastardly serum injected]): she's just one of the characters created by Fletcher Hanks. The weird and wonderful art of Hanks (AKA Hank Fletcher, Barclay Flagg, and Hank Christy) seems to come from a seriously disturbed mind and a singular (if anatomically suspect) hand. His heroic son, Hank Fletcher Jr., gives a little insight into why that might be (see pp 21-22 of this profile).
Gene introduced me to this bizarre work with the Super Wizard Stardust comic (sent by the joey Zone, thanks :-). I am convinced that there is a Fletcher Code to deduce within these pages (it can't just be inept storytelling!), so I will have to write that bestseller soon.
Really weird stuff, indeed.
5 comments:
My new book, "I Shall Destory All the Civilized Planets: The Comics of Fletcher Hanks", collects 15 of the artist's best stories followed by a comics-Afterword by myself that solves the true-life mystery, "Whatever Happened to Fletcher Hanks".
Readers unfamiliar with his work may want to go to my website to the BONUS page for a slideshow of a Fatomah story that does NOT appear in the book (t-shirts soon!):
www.fletcherhanks.com
-Paul Karasik
Thanks, Paul -- that Fantomah story is AMAZING! That concentrated power of will and animal control -- I have to write about this at some point. Maybe next PCA, although I had planned to write on Voice of the Fire. But what rich subtext throughout this story. Wow -- and I thought Super Wizard Stardust was messed up!
Be sure to check out Stardust vs the Mad Giant Experimenter, a "virtual cartoon" which adapts (occasionally a bit loosely) a Stardust story. Who knew that The Super Wizard spoke with a semi-Shatnerian cadence?
It's Fletcher Hanks' World--we just live in it. If we're good. Otherwise we die a horrible embarassing death.
FANTOMAH is She Who Must Be Obeyed Or Else.
FANTOMAH is the lovechild of Sheena & The Ghost Who Walks--Who then killed Her parents when She found them cohabiting in sin.
FANTOMAH *will* make the perfect Hallowe'en costume, but don't forget to wear the blonde wig on top of that deathshead,
GENE ;D
I think he would look very fetching. And that would go well with my costume -- NO, I'm not telling!
Post a Comment