Dakota North #8 Cover Mock-Up

Although my childhood crush on the X-Men's Kitty Pryde was tough to match, Dakota North posed formidable competition during the brief stint of her eponymous title in 1983. Chic, sophisticated,stylish, with a no-nonsense attitude and a flair for adventure, there was a lot to like about Dakota North. I recently saw the highly memorable paper-doll pin-up by artist Tony Salmons from Marvel Age Annual #2 in the Comic Art Fans gallery of a fellow collector and I was thrilled that he was willing to part with it.

I asked UK-based colorist Gerry Turnbull, who has done great work for me in the past on Mid-Ohio-Con projects, if he wanted to take a crack at coloring the piece. Boy was I pleasantly surprised with the results! Gerry didn’t just color the pin-up, he turned it into three different covers complete with title, issue number and other indicia as if the title had continued beyond its final fifth issue. If only he had taken my suggestion for a cover to issue #9 “Dakota Takes a Holiday” featuring the bikini-clad detective. (I’m kidding, of course….) Thanks for the great work, Gerry!