Mark V :: 1980s Indies

Dalgoda #3, pgs. 12-14 (1984)

Artist: Dennis Fujitake (All)

8 Comments - 248 Views - 5 Likes

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Additional Images:

Dalgoda ad from Amazing Heroes #69

Pg. 13

Pg. 14

Previous Item:
Neil the Horse #3, pg. 9 (1983)

Next Item:
Crossfire #5, pgs. 12-13 (1984)

Artwork Details

Title:	Dalgoda #3, pgs. 12-14 (1984)
Artist:	Dennis Fujitake (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	248
Likes on CAF:	5 6
Comments:	8
Added to Site:	9/5/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

11x17 page(s) from Dalgoda #3, published in 1984 by Fantagraphics Books.

Some new additions to my �80s Indie gallery showcasing some celebrated work from independent publishers of the era (as well as some fun also-rans and never-weres).

Dalgoda, by writer Jan Strnad and artist Dennis Fujitake was a title I began reading as a teenager when branching out from Big Two titles. Fujitake�s art was the draw for me. His pleasing clear line style bore an obvious resemblance to that of Moebius, an artist who when I first encountered him thought drew like Fujitake. What did I know?

This sequence from the third issue of Dalgoda shines a spotlight on Fujitake�s strengths as a comic artist: character design and clear storytelling. Fujitake had honed his skills on spot illustrations for �70s and �80s fan magazines and when given a steady gig he showed he was more than up to the task.

Interestingly, a panel from page 14, the third page in this sequence, was the first depiction I remember seeing of Dalgoda and was featured in an ad on the back of Amazing Heroes #69. That issue featured some of the first art from Frank Miller�s forthcoming Dark Knight Returns. What an era in comics!

Unbelievably, for a dead title Dalgoda attracted a slew of ardent fans. Last year, an omnibus of the entire run was published. Description below. Check it out.

PUBLISHER BLURB

Dalgoda is on a desperate mission to save his world from alien invaders. The planet Canida, where the dominant species evolved from canines, faces annihilation by the warlike Nimp unless Dal can muster Earth's resources in Canida's defense. Can he trust a race of erratic, violent beings evolved from apes? Dog may be Man's best friend, but so far, Dal has met with bigotry, deceit, and attempted assassination�and that's just Day One.

By turns light-hearted and dramatic, humorous and heartbreaking, Dalgoda tells the story of an unlikely hero with the weight of salvation on his shoulders.

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About the Owner

	Mark V Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	March 2021
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	https://instagram.com/markvcomicsandart
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Mark's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 9/5/2025

Nice! These may be the very first Dalgoda original art pages I've ever seen. I never read the title, but remember thinking how Moebius inspired Fujitake was and it was fun to look at back then, just as it is now!

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 9/5/2025

From back in the day, Dalgoda was always spoken in the same breath as Corbin's Den for peak indie adult sci-fi of the 80's because both were written by Strnad. Dennis Fujitake could have been a bigger star for sure if he would have went mainstream.

F M
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 9/5/2025

I came to Dalgoda for Nowlan initially but Fujitake's art was always different and fresh. Nice one you got here.

Comic Art Channel
Member Since 2018

1 - Posted on 9/5/2025

I can see the immediate attraction to the linework.

Rick W
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 9/5/2025

There's a blast from the past! Congrats!

Kavi H
Member Since 2018

1 - Posted on 9/5/2025

Really cool looking art pages especially with that Moebius-like linework you pointed out. Congrats on adding 3 sequential pages! I had no prior knowledge of this series at all, so I appreciate learning something (as usual) when I stop by the Mark V gallery :)

Simon Ma
Member Since 2013

1 - Posted on 9/6/2025

Three consecutive pages and a note-perfect description – thank you! When Gary Groth, Comics Journal editor, put his money where his mouth was back in the early 1980s by not just writing about comics but also publishing some the result was line of very enjoyable entertainment – Neat Stuff, Love and Rockets, Lloyd Llewelyn. I have particularly fond memories of Dalgoda because I remember my dad being well-pleased with a present I gave him one birthday – a grandad shirt which was advertised in the back of Dalgoda/Flesh and Bones which had an image of Dal on the left breast and the coat of arms of his space mission on the back. This was no cheap cash-grab but a quality item with transfers which did not come off after a few washes on a genuine “Long John Shirt Company” (do they still exist, I wonder) long-sleeved grandad shirt. When I tried a repeat purchase and they had sold out Jan Strnad sent me the catalogue for that company so I could make independent enquiries with them. What a guy! That is the sort of behaviour that endears someone to you and I have always made it a point to pick up any of his work that I am aware of – that he usually works with the best artists around makes that an easy choice. I do, however, sometimes wonder what happened to Dennis Fujitake – I miss seeing his clean and appealing illustration style. Thank you for uploading this trio of pages.

Mark V
Member Since 2021

Posted on 9/6/2025

Simon Ma wrote:

Three consecutive pages and a note-perfect description � thank you! When Gary Groth, Comics Journal editor, put his money where his mouth was back in the early 1980s by not just writing about comics but also publishing some the result was line of very enjoyable entertainment � Neat Stuff, Love and Rockets, Lloyd Llewelyn. I have particularly fond memories of Dalgoda because I remember my dad being well-pleased with a present I gave him one birthday � a grandad shirt which was advertised in the back of Dalgoda/Flesh and Bones which had an image of Dal on the left breast and the coat of arms of his space mission on the back. This was no cheap cash-grab but a quality item with transfers which did not come off after a few washes on a genuine �Long John Shirt Company� (do they still exist, I wonder) long-sleeved grandad shirt. When I tried a repeat purchase and they had sold out Jan Strnad sent me the catalogue for that company so I could make independent enquiries with them. What a guy! That is the sort of behaviour that endears someone to you and I have always made it a point to pick up any of his work that I am aware of � that he usually works with the best artists around makes that an easy choice. I do, however, sometimes wonder what happened to Dennis Fujitake � I miss seeing his clean and appealing illustration style. Thank you for uploading this trio of pages.

Thanks as always for the thoughtful commentary, Simon. Dalgoda is a series (well, a character) that stood out for me. I was happy to pick up these pages, which came directly from Dennis himself!

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