Saturday Leftover Day.
Friend of the blog James Kaely sent me scans of the Roy Raymond "Impossible... But True" story from Detective Comics. Roy Raymond was the host of a documentary television series entitled "Impossible...But True!". As socalled TV Detective, he investigated unusual news stories usually debunked them in a clever and unexpected way. A typical gimmick oriented stories, which DC did a lot in those days. His first appearance in Detective Comics #153 was drawn by Ruben Moreira, who later became the principle artist. But from #154 to #172 it was drawn by the spectacular Dan Barry. Because Barry laten took over the Flash Gordon daily strip, his role as one of the artistic architects of the fifties is all but forgotten. What we no recognize as the DC style was built by artists such as Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Mike Sekowsky and Frank Giacioa and inkers such as Frank Giella and Sy Barry was based on the styles of Dan Barry and Alex Toth. In the late forties and early fifties they invented the slick look the DC editors thought defined quality. Ans yet, Alex Toth earlier work has been rediscovered, but Dan Barry's remains unseen and unmentioned. If ever anyone deserved a well illustrated biogrpahy, it is him. But I would settle for a Showcase Presents Impossible... But True book with all of that gorgeous Dan Barry and Ruben Moreira work. And some pretty clever stories as well.
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