Comics and I broke up.
For over a decade (or thereabouts) I sought only the comfort of back-issues and the periodic X-Men book from the local drugstore.
Because yes, Hook's Drugstore still had a comics section in with the magazines.
I eventually was drawn back. A buddy of mine wanted a shotgun rider to the comic shop, I lingered over an X-Men comic, and there I was: like a junkie sticking a spike in his arm after a successful stint in rehab.
But select Marvel comics only! I swore off indies and DC for awhile, but then I remembered I really like Batman.
So select Marvel titles and Batman.
But only those comics!
Then Steve, my friendly LCS employee, says, "Hey, if you buy Previews you get Marvel Previews free and you can browse all these other books I've been recommending!"
Small devil horns sprouted from his brow as I signed away my soul.
Now, here I am, several longboxes richer and several hundred dollars poorer. I made up for lost time, some might say.
Which brings us back to Previews...
One of the license-happy companies, Dynamite, probably, is releasing some comics based on Atari video games. I'm pretty nonplussed about the gimmick for various reasons but something caught my eye.
Glimmering in a tiny corner of the page was a solicit for a Centipede promo comic, a reprint of a vintage book available with select purchases of the original Centipede cartridge. I thought momentarily about inquiring about it at the LCS, but thought, "Hell, I wonder how much an original goes for?"
Some brief searching yielded an original Centipede comic as well as a couple issues of Atari Force and an issue of Swordquest, all for under a buck apiece.
Jackpot...
Centipede
Story by: Howard Post & Andrew Gutelle
Art by: Howard Post & Robert Smith
Well, I haven't played Centipede since the late '80s, but this comic sure makes it sound pretty rad.
Focusing on Oliver the elf and his friends, all insects and arachnids, Centipede regales the reader with an epic battle between elvenkind and an evil wizard with the fate of an Enchanted Forest in the balance.
I may be overselling it a bit, but it's about the power of imagination...
The evil wizard is intent on transforming, via the power of his Frightening Rod, the elven mushroom patches into putrid toadstools for his sinister potions.
The elves will have none of those monkeyshines and form an angry mob, complete with torches and pitchforks, to storm the wizards' stronghold in Mt. Mushmore.
Loving this book...
Needless to say, Oliver was left behind as he's the littlest elf and an angry mob is no place for the littlest elf. Unsurprisingly the mob is bested by fell magics and it's up to Oliver to save the day.
Admittedly, there's very little Centipede in this Centipede book. The titular critter doesn't play a very big part in the grand scheme of things other than serving as an antagonist after Oliver's Humble Bug companions are ensorcelled by the evil wizard. There may be some plotting that dovetails into the Centipede gameplay, but I've no idea. It would've been a clever bit of writing if that were so.
DC Comics, of all companies, produced this little gem. In retrospect it makes sense considering their own Atari Force comic, which is only tangentially (if at all) related to a video game. In any case, I hope kids in 1983 were thrilled by this giveaway. It's a fun little story and honestly a pure, all-ages romp. There's as much character development as a 1980s Saturday morning cartoon but the delivery is solid. The art is equally as impressive, blending rock-solid line work with vibrant color reminiscent of Peyo's Smurfs and perhaps a dash of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards in the design. This is surprisingly some top-notch work for what is essentially a throwaway promo. It's even printed on slick paper as opposed to newsprint.
I'm unlikely to revisit the Centipede video game or pick up any of these Atari revival comics but I'm glad I discovered this treasure. If nothing else it's prompted me to seek out some of DCs old Atari Force comics, but that's about it. It's a fantastic little one-shot AND it clocks in at 32 pages, ad-free.
That's a better page rate than modern comics...
In any case, thanks go out to Steve, without whom none of this would have been possible.
I'm ready for another hit of the good stuff...
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