MAGNIFICENT ENTERTAINMENT - DICK AYERS ROCKS SPYMAN !!!

Harvey Comics hired the legendary Joe (Fighting American) Simon to package a new line, aimed at more experienced readers, with superheroes such as Jigsaw & Jack Q. Frost prominent in the mix. Great line-up for a young fan to latch onto! Among the new heroes introduced as part of the line was my personal favorite from Harvey, Spyman. 

Top Secret Adventures Spyman #2, published under the Harvey Thrillers logo, featured fantastic art by powerful Dick Ayers of Ghost Rider & Sgt. Fury fame. I've always admired Dick Ayers for his awesome work on the original western Ghost Rider comic & Marvel Comics Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. 

Spyman's hand was the only thing Jim Steranko did draw!

 

Spyman was secret agent Johnny Chance, who lost his left hand defusing a nuclear bomb. Johnny was an agent of the American spy group LIBERTY, headquartered under the Statue of Liberty. After losing his hand, he would be outfitted with an 'Electro-Robot Hand', each finger a different tool/weapon (complete with a built in blaster, x-ray device, recorder, magnet, camera & "black light ray.) He would soon be outfitted with a belt with extra fingers with additional uses.

Chance and LIBERTY fought against MIRAGE (Empire of Guerrilla Assassination, Revenge, and International Menace), led by the Whisperer. Whisperer was killed in the first issue, and Chance would go on to fight Cyclops and the Evil Eye Society in the second issue and the Id Machine in the third.

Spyman #2   It was Spyman and his Amazing Electro-Robot Hand Against the Evil Eye Society!
"The Hand Is Quicker Than the Monster"
Written by Jim Steranko with art by Dick Ayers.
Cover art by Joe Simon & Dick Ayers.

In an interview in Fantastic Fanzine # 11, Steranko said: "I had worked for Joe Simon years ago. I created a half-a-dozen characters for him on order. He bought three of them; three original characters. I wrote the stories, never drew them...".

Man, I never get tired of looking at Steranko art, stunning!

I'm not sure if this every appeared in print, appears to be an incarnation of Fighting American that Harvey Thriller published a terrific reprint of stories from the fifities!

Live Large My Friends!

Thank You!

Gladiator shows up in Double Dare Adventures #1 under the name Glowing Gladiator!

Sorcerer was also published in Double Dare Adventures #1, under the name Magicmaster!

I'm not sure, but this may be Clawfang, from Thrill-O-Rama #2 & Unearthly Spectaculars #2. Clawfang was written by Wally Wood & illustrated by Al Williamson in the Harvey Thrillers!