Jules Verne

There have always been, for me, 4 "classic" writers of the 19th Century whose work I've admired, mostly in film adaptations, but also in the original texts, and sometimes, in comic-books.  They are Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Edgar Allan Poe.  Of these 4, I've read 8 Jules Verne novels.  This is already about 3 to 4 times as many of his books as you can usually find in most "chain" book stores for the last several decades.  I've had all of them in paperback since the 1960's, though it took me until the late-80's to get thru 3 of the most famous ones.  I have found that you can buy ALMOST anything he wrote these days-- but only from online stores.  Maybe one of these days I'll be able to read more of his output.

I was inspired to set up this page by a couple of things.  In my recent BOYS' LIFE-related project, I ran across the Bank Street Classics series, which had the audacity to adapt classic novels in a mere 16 or 17 pages each. All 4 of the authors on my list above were represented, some several times.  The other was when my friend Frank Thorne decided to send me his "last copy" of Dell's FOUR COLOR #614!  I just flipped out.  Not only did this instantly become one of the oldest comics in my collection (original, not reprint), but now I had 3 different comics versions of the same Verne story-- 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA.  That's what I'm gonna start with here, doing a tribute to various artistic intepretations of that story.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
cover & interior paintings by ANTON OTTO FISCHER   (??  /  1932)

Painting by LEO & DIANE DILLON   (1933)

YOUTH DIABRETE  /

Adaptation & art by FERNANDO BENTO  

(M. Nunes de Carvalho, Empresa Nacional de Publicidade (Lisbonne)  /  1946)

Page 2

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 47  /
cover by HENRY C. KIEFER   (Gilberton  /  May 1948)

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 47  /  Page ??  /  art by HENRY C. KIEFER

Read the Henry C. Kiefer CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED adaptation
     at the Zvi Har’El’s Jules Verne Collection site! 

There have been numerous film versions of 20,000 LEAGUES done over the years, starting in 1916.  There are many websites devoted to those, so I'm just going to narrow it down to ONE poster from the most famous one.
Which, naturally, is the only one to have a comic-book based on it!

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA   (1954 movie poster)

RCA Victor released the "official album" of the movie. This consisted of a "radio-drama" style recreation of the story, albeit with many changes, toning it down to make it more "appropriate" for children.  It was accompanied by a booklet with 10 illustrations.  Despite the claim that it features the "original cast" from the film, the actual cast that appears on the 78 rpm album is listed inside.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
cover by ??   (RCA Victor Y-4004  /  1954)

RCA Victor Y-4004  /  page 11  /  art by ?? 

King Features Syndicate for many years ran a newspaper strip series adapting many Disney films.  One of the earliest was their adaptation of "20,000 LEAGUES".  Here's a sample strip; click the link to read the entire story!

Walt Disney's TREASURY OF CLASSIC TALES
adaptation by Frank Reilly  /  art by JESSE MARSH
(King Features Syndicate  /  October 17, 1954)

Dell Comics' specialty was "licensed" properties.  It's no surprise they did the comics adaptation of the 1954 movie.  The film studio must not have sent them much in the way of reference photos, perhaps wanting to keep the film a secret, as the only thing in the comic that resembled the film was The Nautilus, and the diving suit seen on the cover.   Despite this, the art is vastly superior to the Gilberton version of 6 years earlier.

FOUR COLOR 614  /
cover by (??)   (Dell  /  February 1955)

FOUR COLOR 614  /  Page 1  /
adaptation by Gaymord DuBuoius  /  art by FRANK THORNE

Here's a comics adaptation of the novel (which incorporates certain elements of the 1954 film), from Yugoslavia!

MIKI STRIP 23  /
Adaptation by Norbert Neugebauer  /  art by WALTER NEUGEBAUER
(Vjesnik, Lykos  /  Zagreb, Yugoslavia  /  1954)

MIKI STRIP 35

MIKI STRIP  /  sample page

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
cover by (??)   (A Big Golden Book  /  Simon & Shuster  /  1954)

View Master decided to get into the game.  Incredibly, their 3-D stereo reels did NOT feature photos from the movie, but instead, of miniature figures custome-made just for their project!

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
(View Master  /  1954)

EN VERDENSOMSEILING UNDER HAVET  /
cover by (??)   (Hjemmet  /  Norway  /  1955)

Naturally, a movie as "big" and popular as 20,000 LEAGUES is going to be the target of parodies.  This one inspired at least 2!  The first was from EC (Entertaining Comics), and appeared not in MAD, but their brother publication, PANIC, with art by THE premiere science-fiction illustrator of the 1950s...

PANIC 11  /  cover by ??   (EC  /  November 1954)

Page 1  /  story by Jack Mendelsohn  /  art by WALLACE WOOD

The other is by someone more known for science-fiction, superheroes, crime & romance comics...!

FROM HERE TO INSANITY 11  /
cover by JACK KIRBY   (Charlton  /  August 1955)

It figures that in the wake of the film, Gilberton should issue a new edition of their version, under a new, painted cover.  (Doesn't that look like Harrison Ford?) 

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 47  /
cover by ??   (Gilberton  /  2nd edition  /  [September] 1955)

In the 1950's,  publisher Martin Goodman's Marvel Comics had more titles on the stands than any other comics company, much of it extremely derivative material.  The following contained a story inspired by "20,000 LEAGUES", in which (according to the GCD), "Three men discover that Jules Vernes' story of Captain Nemo was true."

WORLD OF FANTASY 2  /
cover by JOE MANEELY   (Marvel  /  July 1956)

WORLD OF FANTASY 2  /  page 2  /  art by AL WILLIAMSON

In 1957, Budapest, Hungary-born artist Antal Szemere did an adaptation of "20,000 LEAGUES" published in Tábortüz magazine.  He later also produced a series of "Classic Slides" based on the works of Verne.

Tábortüz

"Classic Slides" series

Disney reissued 20,000 LEAGUES to theatres in 1963.  As to be expected, there were several merchandise tie-ins.

This one has a special meaning for me, as this is the paperback edition I have in my collection!  I got it, probably, sometime in the late 60s from a local "used books" store run by a terrific guy named Mr. Devone.  Unlike most of the paperbacks I got from him, this one took me until the late-80s to finally read, which I did, on the train going back and forth to art school.  Note that The Nautilus is clearly inspired by the one in the 1954 film.

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
cover by ??   (Airmont Books  /  1963) 

Disneyland Records' specialty was movie tie-ins NOT featuring the original casts of their movies, either in songs or "radio-drama" style recordings.
Here's their 1963 33-1/3 rpm LP reissue of the 1954 78 rpm album, with a new cover, not as impressive as the original but still nice, and notably, this time using the actual logo from the movie posters.  This did not include the illustrated book the original did.  I have this in my collection.  (I'm not entirely sure if the 1963 LP was the same recording as the 1954 one, or an entirely different one.)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
cover by ??   (Disneyland DQ-1314  /  1963)

When the distributor, Western Publishing, split from Dell Comics, and created their own imprint, Gold Key, many of the properties that had been licensed to Dell went with them.  The 1954 movie adaptation was reprinted several times.  Although the cover painting was reused, I prefer the original version.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
cover by (??)   (Gold Key  /  December 1963)

As a spin-off, Gold Key published Walt Disney's WORLD OF ADVENTURE, which featured new stories based on several of their film & TV properties.  Among them was "The Adventures Of Captain Nemo", a prequel to the movie, with art by Dan Spiegle, which eventually ran for 6 installments.

Walt Disney's WORLD OF ADVENTURE  1  /
Cover by GEORGE WILSON (??)   (April 1963)

"DOOM ISLAND"  /  story by Gaylkord DuBois (??)  /  art by DAN SPIEGLE

In 1969, Fleetway in England published a new adaptation in their educational magazine TELL ME WHY, illustrated by Italian artist, Gino D'Antonio.  This version, along with 3 other adaptations of classic stories, was reprinted in 2013 in a lavish collection, WORLD OF ADVENTURE.

TELL ME WHY  /
sample pages by GINO D'ANTONIO   (Fleetway  /  July 1969) 

I wonder if Fleetway might have inspired Gilberton to reprint their own version?

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 47  /
cover by ??   (Gilberton  /  3rd edition  /  1968)

The construction and opening of the "20,000 LEAGUES" ride in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in 1972, apparently inspired a number of promotional tie-ins, beginning with a 2nd U.S. re-issue of the film.

The new cover for the 1971 reissue of the Disneyland Records' LP reflects the changing styles of that era.  It also seems more "kiddie-fied" to me, although at least they included the book with this version.
You do kinda wonder why they ever did such an intense, "serious" adventure film if right from the start, every piece of tie-in merchandise connected to it
was increasingly aimed at KIDS.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  /
cover by ??   (Disneyland 358  /  1971)

In 1972, IPC in England started a new Disney-themed magazine, DONALD AND MICKEY.  In addition to the juvenile features, it also included some "adventure" strips based on their feature films.  For about 3 months, this included "The Adventures Of Captain Nemo".  Like the Gold Key series (which had 2 NEW episodes between 1970 & 1972), this was a prequel to the 1954 film.

DONALD AND MICKEY 1
cover by (??)  (IPC  /  March 1972)

The Adventures Of Captain Nemo  /
Page 1  /  art by SAM FAIR

Perhaps the single most spectacular attraction at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida was the "20,000 LEAGUES" ride.  It was open from 1972-1994.  Apparently it was closed down by the new corporate types running the place because it took up so much space, was so expensive to maintain and repair, and could only manage a certain number of people at a time.

20,000 LEAGUES theme park ride poster  /  art by ??   (1972)

20,000 LEAGUES theme park ride painting  /  art by LEO SVENDSEN   (1972)

(Continued in Part 2)

Copyright (C) the various publishers.

Raw scan of FOUR COLOR #614 interior from my collection
     with special thanks to Frank Thorne!
Raw scan of 1963 Disneyland Records LP from my collection

Raw scans of 1932 Anton Otto Fischer paintings
     from the Norman Rockwell France site,
     the Squidoo CDN blog,
     The Gallery From Over There blog,
     the Michael May Adventure blog,
     & the G Captain blog
Raw scan of Leo & Diane Dillon painting,
     CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #47,
     FOUR COLOR #614 cover painting,
     PANIC #11 cover,
     FROM HERE TO INSANITY #11,
     WORLD OF FANTASY #2,
     & 1963 Gold Key reprint from the Heritage Auctions site

Raw scans of YOUTH DIBRETE (1946) and MIKI STRIP (1954)
     from the Mobilis In Mobile site

Raw scan of the 1954 newspaper strip from the I Love Comix site
     with special thanks to Jimmm Kelly!
Raw scan of the 1954 film poster from the Disney And More site
Raw scans of the RCA Victor 78 rpm album from the Mountain Ear Song blog.
Raw scan of CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #47 interior page
     from the Nostalgia League site
Raw scan of the 1954 Golden Book from the Open Library.org site
Raw scan of the 1954 View Master package from the Selling Tourist Info site
Scans of PANIC #11 from the All Sci-Fi message board
     with special thanks to Robert Day

Raw scan of CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED #47  (1955 & 1968 editions)
     & 2001 Hieronymus Press reprint
     from the My Comics Shop site
Raw scans of EN VERDENSOMSEILING UNDER HAVET  (1955)
     from the GCD site
Raw scan of WORLD OF FANTASY #2 interior page from the Pencil Ink blog
Scans of 1957 Tábortüz magazine & slides from Lambiek site
Raw scan of 1963 Airmont edition from the Hilobrow site
Raw scan of WORLD OF ADVENTURE #1 cover from Photobucket
Raw scan of WORLD OF ADVENTURE #1 interior from the Nemo Nautilus site
Raw scans of 1968 TELL ME WHY pages from the Bear Alley blog
Raw scan of the 1971 Disneyland Records LP from the Etsystatic site.
Raw scans of DONALD AND MICKEY #1 from the Blimey! blog
Raw scans of 20,000 LEAGUES theme park ride poster
     from the Disney And More site 

Restorations by Henry R. Kujawa

For more:
Visit the Vern.ca site to see various editions of the original novel!
Read The Catalog Of Nautilus Designs at the Vernianara site
Read about the 1916 20,000 LEAGUES film at the Silent Volume blog.
Read the Anton Otto Fischer page at Wikpedia
See more illustrations from the 1932 edition at the Book Graphics blog
Read about Youth Dibretes & Fernando Bento at the Mobilis In Mobile site

Read about the history of Gilberton & Classics Illustrated at Wikipedia.
Read about the history of Jules Verne adaptations from Classics Illustrated
     at Tom's Place.
See production art & posters for the 1954 film at the Disney And More blog!
See & read the RCA Victor album book at the Mountain Ear Song blog!
Read a fascinating examination of the 1954 film
     at the Steampunk.WonderHowTo site!
See the 1954 View Master pics at the Selling Tourists Info site!
Read about MIKI STRIP at the Mobilis In Mobile site
Read FROM HERE TO INSANITY #11 at the Mars Will Send No More blog!
Read Perspective magazine's article on Dell Movie Classics.
Read about the 1963 Disneyland Records LP
     at the Voyages Extraordinaire blog.
Read about Gino D'Antonio's classics adaptations at the Bear Alley blog!
Read about DONALD AND MICKEY at the Blimey! blog!
Read about the 20,000 LEAGUES theme park ride at Micechat.com.
Read more about the WDW ride and watch a video
     at the DisneyAndMore blog.
Read about Vincent Fago's Pendulum Press at the Kleefeld On Comics blog
Read about the Moby Books "Illustrated Classic Editions"
     at the Lost In The Cloud blog.
Read more about the Moby Books edition and see more interior artwork
     at the Mars Will Send No More blog.
See Sam Ita's 20,000 LEAGUES pop-up book on Youtube!
See Jim Tierney's innovative book cover design at the 2PenniesWorth site.

See the 20,000 LEAGUES overview!
Read the Henry C. Kiefer 20,000 LEAGUES adaptation
                    at the Zvi Har' El's Jules Verne Collection site!
Read the Jesse Marsh 20,000 LEAGUES adaptation!
Read the Frank Thorne 20,000 LEAGUES adaptation!
Read the Wally Wood 20,000 LEAGUES parody!
Read the Jack Kirby 20,000 LEAGUES parody!
Read the Dan Spiegle CAPTAIN NEMO series!
Read the Jim Fair CAPTAIN NEMO series!
Read the Bill Baker 20,000 LEAGUES adaptation!
Read the Gary Gianni 20,000 LEAGUES adaptation!
Read the Ernie Colon 20,000 LEAGUES adaptation!

See the JOURNEY overview!
See the MYSTERIOUS ISLAND overview!

Special thanks to Luke Blanchard for supplying info
     on TELL ME WHY and DONALD AND MICKEY,
and Patrick Ford for identifying the writer of the 1954 Dell Comics version
     & the cover artist of the Gold Key comics.