Werewolf by Night No. 1 P. 27 by Mike Ploog
Artists: Mike Ploog (Penciller) , Frank Chiaramonte (Inker) , John Costanza (Letterer) , Gerry Conway (Writer)
39 Comments - 2,198 Views - 23 Likes
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DescriptionIn the early days, my dad mostly got me comics that had a TV counterpart (Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Teen Titans, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four. etc.), so, the lack of ghoulish monsters among my comic book choices was not a big problem. However, that changed after he let me buy Amazing Spider-Man #100 in 1971. That issue ended in one of the greatest cliffhangers of all time. Peter Parker, looking to cure himself of his spider powers, takes a potion that, instead, gives him two extra sets of arms (which, along with his legs, added up to eight limbs, just like a spider). I could barely wait for the next issueAs I remember it now, the next month, a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #101 was on the shelf, but my mother took one look at the cover and said no. Why? Because Morbius, the Living Vampire was on the cover, and, while the Comics Code had just changed to allow vampires, werewolves, ghouls and zombies to appear in comics for the first time since E.C. Comics shut down their horror line, my mother remained steadfastly against her child reading about such things. If the local barber my parents took me to had not bought a copy for his waiting area, it would have been years before I learned what happened. However, trips to the barber aside, the no-monsters-in-comics "code" remained in place in the Finney household until, roughly, a year or so later. Dad convinced mom that I was now old enough to handle reading a comic with monsters in it as long as it had the Comics Code stamp on it. Thus, one day when I was shopping with Mom, she let me buy "Marvel Spotlight" No.4 featuring Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog's Werewolf by Night. WbN was the saga of Jack Russell, who, thanks to a family curse, became a werewolf on his 18th birthday. Unlike the superhero books I was used to reading, Mr. Ploog's comics had a noir-like atmosphere full of gritty details, quirky characters and dark colors. Essentially, he also added a cartoony look that appealed to my eight-year-old sensibilities (I learned later how this aspect of his art was due to the influence of his mentor, the great Will Eisner). In short order, Mr. Ploog became one of my favorite artists. His books also led me to check out Bernie Wrightson's and, later, Nestor Redondo's Swamp Thing, Jim Aparo's Spectre (which scared the bejeezus out of me), the occasional issue of Colan & Palmer's Tomb of Dracula (usually if Blade was on the cover because Blade was a bad motherfu... Watch your mouth! I'm talkin' 'bout Blade!) and to try other non-superhero genres (especially the violent spaghetti-westerns DC was publishing). A top-notch page from Ploog's time at Marvel has been on my OA want list for a long time. Unfortunately, one always eluded me. Recently, however, a collector on CAF presented me with the chance to acquire a page from the first issue of Werewolf by Night (which was the next issue after Marvel Spotlight #4). The first panel is a masterpiece of mood, lighting and classic horror imagery. Using an artistic touch that can only be done in a comic, Mr. Ploog let the werewolf's claws in that first panel break through into the panes of the middle tier, a fine bit of sequential storytelling where Jack's sister, Lissa, wakes up to a face-to-face meeting with her brother's feral form. Finally, the last panel has a full-body shot of Jack running away from the confines of man and toward the comfort of the forest. It had almost everything I could ever want with the exception that Mr. Ploog, who has always been his own best inker, did not finish the page himself. However, Bullpen veteran, Frank Chiaramonte, did such a fine job that, when I first saw the page, I thought Ploog himself had embellished it. The one and only drawback was that the price, while fair by today's standards, was pretty steep, and I just wasn't prepared to say yes. Fortunately (or, in my bank account's case, unfortunately), not too long after, the owner's deal with another collector fell through, and, sensing my initial interest, he contacted me again. This second time, I decided not to let the page slip through my fingers and worked out a deal that we both could live with. (Thanks, L.C.) Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Suat Tong Ng
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Congrats on one of your biggest acquisitions in recent years. I wonder if Charles Burns was influenced by that middle tier...
Davide G.
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Amazing page and great personal story behind! Thanks for sharing both and congrats on this stellar addition!
Joseph Normoyle
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
This is a beast of a page! Congratulations on acquiring it. It is definitely a masterpiece. Ploog did more then a fine job laying it out.
Mike W
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Congratulations, my friend!!!!! I'm truly happy for you.
J. Hiroshi Morisaki 
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Oh, man-!!! Are you kidding me-!?!? This page was so seared into my wee noggin I recognized it from the tiny thumbnail. I can't imagine a better WbN page and as usual your great description just adds to the fun!
Joshua McCoy
Member Since 2013
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Stunning page and great story to go along with it! Congrats on adding this to your collection!
Steve Kro
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Terrifyingly terrific! Love this page! Congrats!
Jeff Singh
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Great addition to you gallery. It means so much more to you than any other collector and so it has finally found the home it has been searching for.
Marvel Two-in-One Guy
Member Since 2003
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
The only thing better than the art is the story behind it. Congratulations! This is a real beauty.
Michael Rankins
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
I remember buying this book when it was new on the rack. What an incredible talent Mike Ploog is!
Bill Lait
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
It's an outstanding page, and congratulations on acquiring a personal grail!
Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
An amazing page has found its way into the right collectors hands.....
Fernando Arteaga
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 5/25/2017
Wow, always been a Werewolf By Night fan especially by Ploog, this page is a great example why. Congrats!
Aaron N.
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/26/2017
I vividly recall this whole sequence from a book I bought off the rack what, FORTY years ago??? --and, I'm pretty sure, still have. Panel 4 in particular, is sublimely raw. N I C E get.
J L
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 5/26/2017
The last panel is wonderful. Congrats Timothy. A stunning WbN example!!!! 8 )
Sean Clarke
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 5/26/2017
Monumental congratulations on a glorious Mike Ploog Werewolf By Night page! Ploog WBN art was pivotal in my own collecting and artistic life, and I wanted this page with a fiery craving... but ultimately, couldn't get my mind around the asking price. That said, most of us regret the art we didn't buy more than the art we did, and I applaud your decision to add such a great and personally meaningful page to your own collection, where it'll clearly be much loved, as well! Thanks for sharing the great story!
Anthony F
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 5/27/2017
Big congrats to you, this page is a wonderful example of Ploog and Marvel's horror comics! That first panel is so rich in detail, it could have been a title splash.
Will K
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 5/29/2017
Great story !! I couldn't really get into monsters myself unless they involved Abbott and Costello. I like how Ploog and Brunner were different from Marvel's house style of the day. Looks like another page has landed in the right collection !
Earl Hamilton
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/30/2017
It doesn't get much better than this!! I remember this so well! This is a perfect example or pure Ploog Perfection!
Dino Mauricio
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 8/2/2017
Awesome page...perfectly captures the art and appeal of WbN, congrats!
Full Mag Veteran Stories Illustrated
Member Since 2017
1 - Posted on 12/3/2017
I think these WbN pages are like hen's teeth; just super rare. You have a perfect example ! nice!
Bill J
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/12/2022
Fabulous page by Mike Ploog! I loved his work on the early issues of Werewolf by Night! He did a nice job of balancing action and horror in every issue.
Marc Pecorella
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 9/12/2022
GREAT page and I love your story to boot...Congrats!
Mark Levy
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 9/13/2022
Looks like I missed commenting on this beauty the first time around but let me correct that as you did when you purchased it - love the panel layout on this one!
alessandro gentili
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 9/13/2022
Perfect page. Incredibile addition..Congrats!!
Craig M
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 2/5/2025
Hey there,
I just read your account of buying the comic off the rack and then as an adiult buying your favorte page, I too have that same event. I bought Kull #11 off the rack as a kid. LOVED the Ploog art in the issue! Today I am the proud protector of a page from that issue. It's been in my collection for over 20 years. It did break my bank at the time but each time I look at that page I am so glad I lived on ramen for a few months. :-)
CJ Design
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 3/16/2025
Historic page by the BEST WWBN artist. Ploog wa the Bronze Marvel Monster Master.
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