Gamut - Issue 1 (1975)

Cover of issue number one of Gamut from 1975, drawn by artist Mike Ploog. Photo from my personal copy

The first issue of Gamut rolled off of the Tabloid Press in 1975. Featuring a striking Mike Ploog cover, the issue is a showcase of Sheridan College student talent, along with pinups and sketches from professional guest lecturers like Neal Adams, Bernie (at that time, “Berni”) Wrightson, Jeff Jones and others.

A note found tucked between the cover and first page of my copy of "Gamut" #1, presumably from the printer at that time

Ploog's career in comics and cartooning began in 1969 with his work on Filmation's animated Batman and Superman TV series. He moved on to the Hanna-Barbera studio, working on Wacky Races and the pilot episode of Scooby Doo, before striking up a relationship with Will Eisner, who was in search of illustrators for the military publicaton PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly.

After his work with Eisner, Ploog would move on to Warren Publishing to work on publications like Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella, before moving on to Marvel. At Marvel, he drew Werewolf by Night, Conan, Kull, Man-Thing and more, and he also played a large role in launching the new Johnny Blaze version of Ghost Rider.

Ploog's stint as a guest lecturer at Sheridan College and contributor to Gamut was likely at the request of his friend and colleague Will Eisner, who taught at Sheridan during the 1972-1973 academic year, and was also a Gamut contributor himself.

An "error" version of the first issue also exists, printed without the red ink. It is currently unknown how many copies of this misprinted issue made it out into the wild.

The misprinted first issue of Gamut, printed without red ink. Photo from my personal copy

The inside front cover of the 40-page magazine, adorned with an uncredited piece of art, reads:

"GAMUT is a new magazine of general and varied interests. It contains the graphic story work of tomorrow's professional artists and writers -- a labor of love from a very talented group!
GAMUT's full-color cover is by comic book artist Mike Ploog, a recent guest-instructor in Cartooning at Sheridan College.
This is our first issue. We invite your support and your letters. And if all goes as expected, a year from today, we'll be launching GAMUT #2.
W.A. Hanson
Editor and
Publisher."

The inside front cover of issue number one of Gamut from 1975. Photo from my personal copy

This issue opens with a five-page story from student writer and artist Dave Matthews, titled “Know Thine Enemy,” set in the Western frontier.

"Know Thine Enemy" by Dave Matthews, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

Matthews' story is followed up on page six with a full-page pinup (also by Matthews), featuring cave-people attacking a dinosaur.

Art by Dave Matthews, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

The next piece, starting on page seven, is a five-page superhero story, titled "The Gryphon," by student writer and artist Paul McCusker. McCusker would later go on to be a regular contributor to Orb and Owl Magazine, providing the art for Harold Eastman's "Mighty-Mites" strip in Owl from 1993-2000.

"The Gryphon" by Paul McCusker, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

Page 12 begins a four-page, genre-defying story called "This Creation" by student writer and artist Matt Rust. Rust was also one of the contributors to the first issue of Orb magazine (and he worked on every issue of that publication).

"This Creation" by Matt Rust, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

Page 16 is a one-page character study called "Hunter" by student writer and artist Greg Landry.

"Hunter" by Greg Landry, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

Pages 17-19 feature a three-page story called "The Mark" by student writer and artist Chris Luspa, set in Holland in the 1500s.

"The Mark" by Chris Luspa, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

On page 20 is a one-page vampire story with a twist called "Confrontation" by student writer and artist Michael Cherkas. Cherkas is now a well-known and well-regarded Ukranian-Canadian artist, cartoonist and illustrator who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. Cherkas would go on to provide art for issues of Dave Sim's Cerebus, and he is the co-creator (with writer Larry Hancock) of The Silent Invasion, a Renegade Press comic series first released in 1986 and set in the 1950s, that combined Cold War paranoia with alien abductions.

Read the GamutMagazine.org exclusive interview with Eisner-nominated comics creator Michael Cherkas

Cherkas and Hancock would collaborate again on the titles Suburban Nightmares and Union City Comics featuring The Purple Ray, and Cherkas worked with writer John Sablijic on the alternate-world satire The New Frontier.

Cherkas' newest book, Red Harvest, is "based on the tragic events that took place in Soviet Ukraine and other parts of the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1933," and is availble for purchase at nbmpub.com.

"Confrontation" by Michael Cherkas, Sheridan College student. Photo from my personal copy

The Swinger's Turn begins on page 21 - a five-page story by writer and artist James Craig, about an interesting disaster at sea.

In 1975, Craig would work with comics writer James Waley on a new Canadian superhero, "The Northern Light," who would appear in Orb magazine and Power Comics.

Craig's career continued in the comics, animation and film industries, where he worked for Marvel Comics on titles like Master of Kung-Fu and Marvel Premiere; at Nelvana animation studio as a storyboard artist for cartoons including Inspector Gadget and Ewoks and as director of Mythic Warriors / Guardians of the Legend; and at various film studios on movies including The Dead Zone, Sea of Love and Johnny Mnemonic.

"The Swinger's Turn" by James Craig, Sheridan College. Photo from my personal copy

Page 26 features a one-page pinup signed by an artist named Vukovich.

Art by "Vukovich." Photo from my personal copy

Page 27 includes a second five-page story from Matt Rust, this one titled Augh Comix Presents: The Meaning of the Vegetable! An Adventure in Oral Fixation.

"Augh Comix Presents: The Meaning of the Vegetable! An Adventure in Oral Fixation" by Matt Rust. Photo from my personal copy

Page 32 is uncredited, a one-page pinup of a vampire attacking its prey.

An uncredited pinup. Photo from my personal copy

Contributions from the professional guest lecturers begin on page 33 and go through page 38, including pinups and rough sketches from Bernie Wrightson, Neal Adams, Will Eisner and Jeff Jones.

Wrightson kicks things off with a rough sketch/storyboard of his story "The Gourmet," which appeared in DC Comics' Plop! #1. The word bubbles on the page are filled in with text specific to the Gamut issue, and serve as an introduction for the pages to follow.

 
A rough sketch from artist Bernie Wrightson, and the finished page in DC Comics' "Plop!" #1

From Bernie Wrightson's official biography: "Legendary artist Bernie Wrightson created horror art for over 45 years. Bernie “Berni” Wrightson (born October 27, 1948, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) was an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books. He received training in art from reading comics, particularly those of EC, as well as through a correspondence course from the Famous Artists School. In 1966, Wrightson began working for The Baltimore Sun newspaper as an illustrator. The following year, after meeting artist Frank Frazetta at a comic-book convention in New York City, he was inspired to produce his own stories. In 1968, he showed copies of his sequential art to DC Comics editor Dick Giordano and was given a freelance assignment. Wrightson began spelling his name “Berni” in his professional work to distinguish himself from an Olympic diver named Bernie Wrightson, but later restored the final E to his name." Read more at www.BernieWrightson.com.

Page 34 features a rough sketch of the cover of The Spirit Harvey Giant #2 from artist and writer Will Eisner. Eisner was a faculty member at Sheridan College for the 1972-1973 academic year, and he worked with students to create a new 12-page The Spirit comic called "The Invader," pubished by the college’s Tabloid Press.

 
A rough sketch from artist Will Eisner (photo from my personal copy), and the finished cover of "The Spirit Harvey Giant" #2 (photo courtesy of the RareComics Blog)

Will Eisner was a pioneer in the comic book industry, with his most well-known work, The Spirit, debuting in 1940. His 1978 book, A Contract With God, is credited with popularizing the term "graphic novel." The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for creative achievement in American comic books were created in his honor in 1988 and have been held at the San Diego Comic Con every year since 1991. Eisner himself was a regular attendee until his death in 2005.

From his official biography: "In a career that spanned nearly seventy years and eight decades — from the dawn of the comic book to the advent of digital comics — he truly was the 'Orson Welles of comics' and the 'father of the Graphic Novel'. He broke new ground in the development of visual narrative and the language of comics and was the creator of The Spirit, John Law, Lady Luck, Mr. Mystic, Uncle Sam, Blackhawk, Sheena and countless others." Read more at www.WillEisner.com.

Wrightson returns on page 35 with another rough sketch pinup, this one of two demonic-looking creatures messing with an arial TV antenna on the top of a house while the man insde tries to regain reception. This art appeared as the cover image of DC Comics' House of Mystery #213.

 
A rough sketch from artist Bernie Wrightson (photo from my personal copy), and the finished cover of "House of Mystery" #213 (photo courtesy of the DC Database)

Neal Adams (my favorite all-time Batman artist) contributes a pin-up on page 36, showcasing a variety of popular characters. It's unclear if this art was original to Gamut, or if it was also published elsewhere.

Art by Neal Adams. Photo from my personal copy

Neal Adams was a titan in the comic book industry, whose art re-defined some of the most beloved characters in comics, including Batman and Robin, the Joker, Green Lantern and Green Arrow, Deadman and more. His comic covers are among some of the most iconic and highly regarded pieces of comic art, and the characters he created or co-created, including Man-Bat, Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins, Green Lantern John Stewart and Marvel's Mockingbird endure to this day.

Adams was also a staunch advocate for creators' rights, helping to form the Comics Creators Guild in 1978 and helping secure pensions and recognition for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Adams was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998.

Page 37 is a rough sketch pinup by artist Jeff Jones. Like Adams' work, it's unclear if this contribution from Jones is original or was published elsewhere.

Art by Jeff Jones. Photo from my personal copy

Jeffrey Catherine Jones was a comic book artist, illustrator and painter, whom fantasy artist Frank Frazetta once dubbed "the greatest living painter." From 1975-1979 (the same time period as Gamut's publication run), Jones was part of a working collective in Manhattan called The Studio, with fellow artists Bernie Wrightson, Barry Windsor-Smith and Michael Kaluta, where they were colloquially known as "the Fab Four."

Jones worked for a variety of publishers and contributed cover art to more than 150 books.

Wrightson's work appears one more time on page 38 in a rough, unfinshed sketch featuring a character called "Bat-Bunny." The word bubbles at the bottom of the page, spoken by a rough sketch of the character "Cain," read: "Berni Wrightson began the Bat-Bunny story while guesting at Sheridan this year. It's incomplete... As duty and Jim Warren called... And it was back to New York (see speeding taxi above!)"

"Bat-Bunny" by Bernie Wrightson. Photo from my personal copy

Page 39 is a full-page ad for The Invader, Will Eisner's 12-page The Spirt publication, created with the class at Sheridan College and published by Sheridan's Tabloid Press.

The ad reads:

"The Spirit by Will Eisner
$2
no checks"

"ALL NEW
FULL COLOR"

"Written, drawn and colored by Will Eisner, the Tabloid Press Spirit is a never-before published, brand new, full-length Spirit Adventure. A limited collectors' edition, this magazine is printed on heavy stock, with mammoth dimensions of 11" x 16". This is a full-color first for The Spirit... and a must for Eisner fans everywhere."

"Tabloid Press
(Department G)
Post Office Box 1064
Oakville, Ontario
Canada"

Ad for Will Esiner's The Spirit publication by Sheridan's Tabloid Press. Photo from my personal copy

The final page of the first issue of Gamut is a full-page ad for Fancon, touting "tables of books, comics, magazines and more," "special guests, films," "free prizes" and even "a chance to win... one million dollars!" at the York University Cosmicon.

The Joe Shuster Awards website has a great article on the early days of Cosmicon at York University, which would feature notable guests like Jim Steranko, Michael Kaluta, Stan Lee and more. Read the article at www.JoeShusterAwards.com.

Ad for the Fancon Cosmicon at York University. Photo from my personal copy

The inside back cover of the magazine continues the uncredited art from the inside front cover and includes an indicia, which reads: "GAMUT is published by Tabloid Press on behalf of the Cartooning Program at Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada. GAMUT is registered and is Copyright 1975, and all rights to individual stories and art remain with their student creators, and cannot be reprinted without their written permission."

The inside back cover of the first issue of "Gamut." Photo from my personal copy

Finally, the back cover serves as an ad for the Cartooning Program at Sheridan, reading:

"Draw crowds..."

"... heroes and villains, and gags, and political cartoons, and ads, and covers, and color, and ..."

"direct inquiries to W. A. Hanson
Cartooning Co-ordinator
Sheridan College
Oakville, Ontario
Canada"

The art on the ad is undredited.

The back cover of the first issue of "Gamut." Photo from my personal copy