The next cover that’s been revealed in the Komix Korner cover gallery is a Starbuck Jones cover by the inimitable Michael T. Gilbert. I first met Michael and by extension Mr. Monster at a dinner at Craig Russell’s house way too long ago. He and Craig were working on the Elric books at the time, and along with getting an early look at some amazing Elric pages, Michael showed me some Mr. Monster repros that he had. There’s just something nuttily endearing about good old Doctor Strongfort Stearn and his monster dispatching alter ego. If you’ve never checked out Mr. Monster, you really should do yourself a favor. I guarantee it will be totally worth it.
For his Starbuck cover, Michael chose a Robinson Crusoe themed scene that’s reminiscent of so many fifties comics where the hero would get stranded in some exotic local far from civilization. And, as is often the case when you let others play with your toys, he added the Octo-Shark to the Starbuck Jones canon. As other covers are revealed, you’ll see how the Octo-Shark reappears to vex our hero. It’s one of the things that made this project the funnest.
Michael also holds court in each issue of Alter Ego as the interlocutor at Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt and is always a fascinating read. His tale of his search for the long-ago creator of the first Mr. Monster is worth tracking down. And if you want to see Michael’s Starbuck cover, just go to the Gallery page and give it a click. You just might want to start saving up to bid on it and make it your own while at the same time helping the Lisa’s Legacy Fund in its battle against cancer.
