Neal Adams’ artwork came to my attention when I first started reading comics. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since first seeing his cover work gracing various comics like Superman, World’s Finest, Adventure, and a handful of horror books like House of Mystery. Adam’s interior artwork on Spectre, Deadman, X-Men, Batman, Green Lantern/ Green Arrow and the short lived Inhumans feature in Amazing Adventures completely enthralled my young mind. His work inspired many juvenile attempts to copy it. While Adams’ art didn’t make me gay – nature did – it helped to make me aware that I was different from the other kids at school.
Tastes change as we grow. My obsession with his style waned as I found other comic book artists and artists working in other media. Aside from an occasional nostalgic trip these days when I look through boxes of old comics I rarely think about Adams’ comics work anymore. That changed when this Dragula short story came to my attention a while ago when I stumbled on a post written by UK Jarry at his Street Laughter blog. This Dragula strip written by Tony Hendra and drawn by Neal Adams, which appeared in the November 1971 issue of National Lampoon, is full of swishy, effeminate gay stereotypes and negative stereotypes in general. Frank Frazetta, whom Lampoon editors may have wanted to draw the story, illustrated a fake cover.
The Street Laughter blog hasn’t been updated recently though you’ll still find lots of interesting stuff at the blog that you may not have known about before.
