It is with great sadness we mourn the passing of Amazing Things Press’s InDELLible Comics Art Director, Dærick Gröss Sr. To say that InDELLIble might not exist without his guidance is not only possible but probable. Art was not just something he did, it was something he WAS. He actively searched out opportunities, making them and forming them himself if necessary. Less than a week after cofounders Jim Ludwig and David Noe announced that they were taking on the project of InDELLible Comics, Dærick contacted them and asked if they needed an Art Director. Ummm…YES! He helped in every aspect of the game: the look of the book, the logos, the talent, the presentation, the formatting, and much more. He was there with sage advice, helped mediate spats, gave advice to newby artists wanting to learn this field. All this for free. This professional who had touched so many sides of the art world, was helping a bunch of nobodies produce something they could be proud of, to produce something they had always dreamed of. He helped figure out how best to use the Internet tools by talking with the publisher at Amazing Things Press, a small press who had only done traditional books before InDELLible. We have heard many testimonials over the years from artists who expound on the time Dærick took to honestly assess their work and to make it better. He always had several projects in the works. Of the InDELLible characters, he seemed to like Phantasmo the best. Whenever something came up with that hero, Dærick wanted a shot at it. He was working on a Phantasmo story at the time of his passing. He also did some covers for David Noe’s novels, including a Trade of the Tricks cover and the Alabaster Kid/ Slipknot double cover, and they are incredible. Just a couple of weeks prior to his passing, he expressed a desire to do an Alabaster Kid illustration for the new novel. Whether those projects got finished or not, it was always a joy to visit with him. He was always self-effacing, even though he had the talent and personality to not be. We will genuinely miss him.
Read more about Dærick here: theobituaryapp.com/obituaries/dærick-gröss-sr./4477798 and on our About Us page.
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The Golden Age of comics in the 1940s brought us Fawcett’s Captain Marvel, more widely known today as Shazam. His popularity brought a lawsuit from National Comics (Now, DC) because of accused similarities to a certain Man of Steel. Although Fawcett ultimately won the lengthy lawsuit, DC effectively bankrupted the smaller publisher, and Captain Marvel was shelved. What followed years later was a strange mish-mash of character swapping and name claiming by DC and Marvel, but before that was to happen, a tiny publisher named MF Enterprises noticed an opening in the Captain Marvel market.
In 1966, Carl Burgos created an android alien super hero with a string of strange abilities. When this new Captain Marvel shouted, “Split!” his body parts would detach themselves and fly around doing his bidding (usually hitting the bad guy). He only had to shout, “Xam!” and he would snap back together. After only a handful of issues, and the tendency of Burgos to use other characters too similar to owned properties (Like Plasic Man and Batman), and after threatened lawsuits from DC, MF Enterprises ceased publication of the book. In 2023, InDELLIble Comics is now working on a brand new Captain Marvel story for All-New Popular Comics #7. Written by David Noe, drawn by Brian Wingrove and colored/lettered by Truman Vasko, this full-color story sees the Captain going by the different name (to avoid obvious legal pitfalls) of Split! as he is seemingly at the mercy of Doctor Force. All-New Popular Comics #7 is due out later in 2023 and will be available on amazon.com. All of InDELLIble Comics’ back catalogue is also available online, including Crackajack Comics, Tales From the Tomb, House of Spades and others. Picture is early sketch of Split! by Brian Wingrove An unpublished short story from comics master artist, Tom Sutton has come to light, and InDELLible Comics and Amazing Things Press has published it in Tales From the Tomb #1. The story was uncolored and unlettered, so the team of David Noe and Kevin Halter had to finish this lost gem from Charlton Comics fave, Tom Sutton. “This sort of opportunity doesn’t come around often,” Noe said, “I can’t believe I get to ‘work’ with an icon that I enjoyed as a kid, but who passed away years ago!” The artwork for the complete story came up at auction and was brought to InDELLible Comics by a Dave O’Dell. Tales From the Tomb #1 is available now on Amazon.
Introduced in Charlton Premiere U1 in 1967, The Shape was a humorous character created by Roy Thomas and Richard “Grass” Green. The child-like shape-changing being created by a mad scientist, languished for years after Charlton’s dissolution. However, comic’s legend and Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Famer Roy Thomas (Wolverine, Vision, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Iron Fist, Man-Thing, Morbius, Ghost Rider, Invaders, Defenders and many more), granted use of the character to InDELLible Comics for their all-humor issue, Crackajack Comics #1. The story is written by David Noe and illustrated/colored/lettered by Andy MacPhee. This is the first time the Shape has been used with permission since the character’s creation. Crackajack Comics #1, published by InDELLible Comics and Amazing Things Press is available now on amazon.com.
Creator and Co-creator of some of the best known and loved comic book characters, comics icon, Steve Ditko (Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Creeper, Mr. A, the Question and many more), also owned many characters he created, including the cult favorite, Killjoy, a (usually) mute hero who always spoils the crooks’ plans. Appearing first as backup stories in Charlton Comics’ popular E-Man comic, Killjoy was later used a few times in Ditko’s creator owned comics. Upon his passing, InDELLible Comics was granted permission by Ditko’s estate to use Killjoy in Crackajack Comics #1, marking the first time the character has not been done completely by Steve Ditko. Killjoy was written by David Noe and drawn by Truman Vasko and Andy MacPhee. Crackajack Comics #1, published by InDELLible Comics and Amazing Things Press is available now on amazon.com.
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