This week I'm taking you on a deep dive (couldn't resist) into the To Save a Monster story from 1966 comic Undersea Agent #4.
The Undersea Agent series was published by Tower Comics and follows Lieutenant Davy Jones throughout his time at Atlantis - an underwater research facility on the ocean floor. Other than having great hair his other superpower is super-magnetism. I suppose regular magnetism would have been too boring for a comic so it was made "super" - electronics watch out!
The gist of this story is that Jones's side-kick, Skooby (a pun on "Scuba" Diving?), unwittingly gains a new superpower that turns him into a giant sea monster upon contact with water. Jones and crew spend the remainder of the story unravelling the mystery of this superpower and of what happened to their friend.
Gil Kane did the drawing for this story, along with the cover, and it shows in the dynamic poses and highly-kinetic action sequences. There's a real feeling of energy and movement when leafing through the pages. Let's jump through the highlights to really appreciate Gil's art.
Cover
This is just about my favourite cover I've come across to date. The sea monster practically pops out of the screen. The clean, crisp lines are used to add small, satisfying details to things like the blaster and the teeth of the monster. The bold, canary yellow paired with emerald green of the sea monster complement each other nicely. The violent splash of the water adds energy to a scene already overflowing with it. I found issue while browsing through stacks of comic books at Toronto Comicon 2022 and knew I had to have it as soon as I saw it!
A monstrous chemical reaction!
We're teased with a taste of what's to come with a splash image featuring a transformed Skooby attacking Lt. Jones in his boat. One thing that immediately stands out is the way Gil chooses to stylize water. It has an explosive - almost violent - quality. He seems to choose to imbue it with an angry energy in order to bring more depth to the story - a level of detail I didn't see in accompanying artist's work.
We open with Skooby being tasked by Professor Weston to fetch some "chemicals" for an experiment he's conducting. Weston is quick to emphasize that Skooby not drop anything - implying some clumsiness. Of course we know where this goes next..
After hitting his head on the table and going unconscious Skooby is doused in chemicals and turns into a giant green sea monster.
Escape ensues
Upon waking, the monster that once was Skooby is panicked by the enclosed space and destroys one of the walls to escape. The Lieutenant and Professor Weston hear this and rush over to see what happened. This brings us to my favourite panel for this story. The dynamism and strong understanding of the human form is classic Gil Kane. The symmetry between the Lt.'s barreling run and the Professor's laboured sprint, coupled with the angled camera to convey a sense of things being "off", creates a very vivid scene.
By the time Jones patches up the hole the monster has already attacked Morgan the sentry and has swam off. Jones and the Professor rescue Morgan who recounts what he saw. The economy with which Jones's face is captured particularly stands out. The eyebrows, nose, and lips are geometric and "sharp". The intensity of the eyebrows draws the eye in. The shading leaves something to be desired but the crispness of line is beautiful. The face is almost as if it has been hewn from stone - the edges left rough - traces of the process intentionally left.
A look at some old comic ads
At this point the story is interrupted by an interstitials. I find these old ads to be a fascinating glimpse into the zeitgeist of what was popular with kids at the time. The ad is for a fishing set - complete with three different fishing rods, various bait lures, and other extras like a fish knife, monofilament line, and net. Advertising in the 60s can be summed up with the phrase "citation needed". Joking aside, what stood out to me was the confidence of the ads found at this time! "Deadly lures that are all-time favourites", ", "Proven the Deadliest Lures Yet!", "You will not find a bargain like this anywhere!". Whereas today's ads are a race to the bottom of vaguery, yesterdays - it seems - were a race to the bottom of boastfulness.
Panic at the cruise ship
Back to the story! While Jones, the Professor, and Weston the sentry are setting out to find the monster it has found its next victim: a cruise liner. The kinetic water effect is used greatly here to communicate the energy and power of the monster. A good understanding of proportion and anatomy is also evident.
The crew fire at the monster but this only makes it angry. The color balance of this panel is delicious. Navy blue ocean with blood-red sky meeting in a clash of violent waves as the monster descends on the ship is a crisp vignette.
Jones and crew catch up with the monster shortly after it has destroyed the cruise ship and is coming for the life boats. The pronounced musculature and defined forearms of the monster are eye catching, but what really caught my eye is the pose of Jones and company on their boat. As they are not the focus of the panel the shapes are simplified giving us an even better glimpse into Gil's understanding of the human form and its dynamics.
A hunch saves a friend
Weston goes to shoot the monster but Jones stops him after noticing its vaguely-humanoid appearance and positing that it could be a transformed Skooby. On a hunch he yells out Skooby's name. This panel pops for its opinionated lettering. The jaggy, wavy baseline of the text implies the turbulent waves of the ocean on which Jones's boat bobs. The 3/4 stance is a nice way to create a bit of 3D as well.
Jones, sensing that this is indeed Skooby, stuns the beast with an energy blast which eventually renders it unconscious. This panel is well-composed, the small stature of Jones contrasted with the towering size of the beast.
They secure the beast aboard and Weston concocts what he believes is a serum that will bring back Skooby. But! When they come into the holding area, Skooby has already transformed back into a man on his own! One thing I haven't yet mentioned is the special attention to hair that Gil had. The Professor's white whisps create beautiful swirling shapes while Jones's signature kiss-curl is communicated in the simple flick of a line - great economy of line!
We leave our heroes with Skooby coming to - unaware of the chaos his-monster self caused. Jones realizes the transformation was due to Skooby being exposed to water. In the end, he decides to not say anything so as to not overburden him.
Thanks for reading!
Gil Kane's art is a joy to look at. I hope enjoyed the cover of Undersea Agent #4 as much as I did. You can buy a 24x36 inch, museum-quality poster, made on thick and durable matte paper, of the cover of Undersea Agent #4 to hang on your wall by visiting our shop!