So our pal Drew Ford, from It’s Alive! and formerly of Dover, has a neat Kickstarter for Sam Glanzman’s Voyage to the Deep that we wanted to share with you all. The campaign is closing soon, so we wanted to be sure you were aware! I asked Drew a few questions about this campaign so that we would all be more informed about it.
Tell us about your Kickstarter project, Drew.
The goal of this Kickstarter campaign is to publish the first ever collection of Sam Glanzman’s VOYAGE TO THE DEEP. It was originally published in 1962 by Dell Comics, and has been out of print for almost 55 years! VOYAGE TO THE DEEP follows the adventures of Admiral Jonathan Leigh, as he commands the mighty Proteus (a shape-shifting atomic sub) through the deepest of Earth’s oceans, battling fanged sea creatures, arctic monsters, anti-matter generators, sonic attacks, and even terrorism!
I know this is the 5th project you’ve done with Mr. Glanzman. How did your working relationship with him start?
Many, many years ago, I wrote a letter to the Comics Buyer’s Guide, wherein I basically sung the praises of Sam Glanzman, with a focus on his A Sailor’s Story graphic novels. When I had the chance a few years ago to begin collecting important out of print comics work while working at Dover, the first person I thought of was Sam Glanzman. And the first project I wanted to do was collecting both A Sailor’s Story graphic novels in one book. I was lucky enough to make it happen, and the ideas for further Glanzman projects just kept springing up in my head.
I read your Dover volume of A Sailor’s Story, it’s quite good, and was a nice package.
Also, this is a splash page. I feel I need to get that pun in there.
Is this a good starter volume for beginner Sam Glanzman readers?
In some ways, yes. Although Sam is probably best know for his bevy of incredible war comics, at the end of the day I understand that war comics are not for everyone (although when it comes to war comics created by Sam, I always try to convince folks that they are!). Voyage to the Deep is an Atomic Age deep sea submarine adventure, with just a hint of the fantastical thrown in, which might make it a better entry point for someone who wants to learn more about Glanzman, but has been hesitant to pick up his straight war material.
Are there more Glanzman volumes that you’ve got in mind for the future?
There are actually many more Glanzman projects I would like to sink my teeth into. But there are many other projects I am working on as well, and I think it makes more sense to sprinkle the Glanzman collections in between collections of other excellent work.
With only four days left in the campaign, we are hoping to reach our third stretch goal, allowing us to turn what would be a paperback edition of this collection into a beautiful over-sized hard cover! So as you can guess, all pledges are greatly appreciated!
You’re pretty close to the stretch goal for an extra story, and fairly close to turning the book into a hardcover, as well! I’m going to look closer and see about pledging myself before the campaign ends, which appears to be Saturday evening! Thanks for talking with us, Drew! I apologize for my goofy puns in the captions!
And if you’re interested, make sure to check out this Kickstarter. Pretty cool looking stuff!
Will this be made available from Diamond, Ingram, or Baker & Taylor?
– “I apologize for my goofy puns in the captions!”
Fishy but not too deep. Two years punitentiary.
Looks cool. I would hope future Glanzman collections would include his beautiful Hercules (at Charlton) and Lonely War of Willy Schultz. No idea who owns what, with Charlton, though. Roger Broughton reprinted some of Willy Schultz, in black & white (under the America’s Comics Group banner) , so can I take it he owns that?
Just read on old Comics Journal article on the sale of Charlton’s remaining assets, in 88 which made it sound like he definitely owned Willy Schultz. Wish someone would reprint it though, in color (ACG did some in B&W).