I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!

With art that looks like something Basil Wolverton might've done if he'd drawn used his feet & keeping his eyes closed this is a great collection of early '40's superhero comics. Plot? Characterization? No way! This was when action & good beating evil were what superhero comics were all about. And I've seen enough G-A stuff to know that this may not be the best but it sure ain't the worst (wait til Marvel reprints USA Comics #5, now THAT was the worst!). Oh, its also very well made and the story about Fletcher Hanks himself is both touching & disturbing as well as a change from the usual text format.

If you enjoy strange and forbidden comics like The Monster of Frankenstein then Mr. Hank's odd 4-color creations will not disappoint you. The comics are almost as odd as the artist himself!

This is a long overdue collection of the most mystery of comic book creators. Not only are his drawings strange and weirdly naive but the story are simply out-of-this-world bizarre. Hanks style is immediate and wholly idyosyncratic on par with Wolverton for oddity and inventiveness. Fletcher and Basil are probably the lone standouts in the form. It wasnt until the underground movement began that we again see the clear awareness of artist manipulating the mark and structure of the medium in such interesting and individual ways. Everytime I look at his work and read the stories I feel as though I am tapping into some primal awareness; some strange clarity of the world in absolutes. Having the original comics is best(I have accumulated only a few) having this book however is a rare gift-- share it with any who want to investigate genius. I only wish we knew more about him. Come check out the wonderous world of Fletcher Hanks.

by Glenn Phillips (Atlanta GA) I've collected comic books for 50 years, and this was probably the most important collection of comics that I've ever read. The work of Hanks is surreal, crude yet beautiful (and impossible to take your eyes off), highly imaginative, and more importantly, it's a one-of-a-kind direct connection to a man's subconscious that exemplifies the power of the creative process. What really put this book over the top for me, though, was the afterword by the book's editor, Paul Karasik, told as a 10-page graphic novel. In it, Karasik tracks down Hank's son and uncovers the disturbing story of Fletcher the man. This puts the violent and retributive nature of Hank's comics in an entirely different light, and is filled with surprises (including the fact that Hanks foreshadowed his own death in one of his stories, and the ultimately redemptive legacy that his son was able to wrestle from his upbringing). For me, this book was an unforgettable journey into the world that lies just beyond the realm of imagination, yet is, nonetheless, forever linked to reality.

Fletcher Hanks, pioneering comic artist, created the most surrealistic comic environments brimming with wonder and unspeakable evil at every page turn. His larger than life heroes, Fantomah (mysterious jungle woman), Stardust (omnipowerful wizard), Big Red McLane (two-fisted lumberjack), and Buzz Crandall (space ace), all rendered with slight heads and powerful bodies, use occult powers, super science or just a powerful right hook to banish the legions of offbeat and oddball villains -- with fatal results. Hanks' rough-hued, boldly primitive artwork and "pre-comic code" visceral storytelling, makes this volume a must for anyone who enjoyed early comic collections like Dick Briefer's The Monster of Frankenstein or Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries 1900-1969.