GASPAR SALADINO in OTHER MARVEL T TO V

GASPAR SALADINO in VAULT OF EVIL &amp... GASPAR SALADINO in WEREWOLF BY NIGHT

GASPAR SALADINO in OTHER MARVEL T TO V

All images © Marvel. From TARZAN #2, July 1977

This article is a catch-all for titles that have a small amount of Gaspar Saladino lettering. The Edgar Rice Burroughs characters were licensed to Western Publishing for many years, then were at DC Comics for a few years, and Marvel got the license next in 1977. The two blurbs on this cover are the work of Gaspar, who does his usual scary treatment for DEATH.

From TARZAN #3, Aug 1977

As they liked to do, Marvel has reversed the banner at upper left, ruining the shape, but it does make Saladino’s flaming letters look good.

From TARZAN #14, July 1978

Gaspar was expert at adding excitement and energy with his lettering, and here’s a good example.

From TARZAN ANNUAL #2, Nov 1978

Here’s a first story page lettered by Saladino, the rest was lettered by Jean Simek, as the credits indicate, but her work was quite different. Marvel often hired Gaspar to do these, perhaps thinking his skills might sell a few comics to browsers.

From TERROR, INC. #1, July 1992

About twenty years later, Gaspar lettered the first issue of this horror series. I’m not sure if he designed the story title, but the credits and lower right caption are his.

From TIMESPIRITS #1, Oct 1984

Gaspar was often called in to letter the first issue of a new series, this is another where his handsome captions add gravitas to the excellent Tom Yeates art.

From 2099 UNLIMITED #9, July 1995

Numbers are sometimes put before the alphabet, but I’m taking my cue from the Grand Comics Database, where numbers in titles are placed as if they were spelled out, so TWENTY NINETY-NINE in this case. Here editor Joey Cavalieri brought Gaspar in for a short feature about this version of Spider-Man, and his large display lettering helps to sell it.

From TWO-GUN KID #109, March 1973

One of Marvel’s longest-running western comics, surprisingly Saladino lettered only this one cover. The speed lines in FASTEST suggest his work on THE FLASH.

From 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY #10, Sept 1977

This Jack Kirby spinoff from the Kubrick science-fiction film had just one cover lettered by Gaspar, but it features the long-running character later known as Machine Man.

From UNCANNY TALES #1, Dec 1973

Another of Marvel’s many horror titles with a logo and cover lettering by Saladino. Here he used type on the first two lines of the burst at left, his hand-lettered work is so much better.

From UNCANNY TALES #6, Oct 1974

The title changed with issue #3, but not the indicia. Logo and lettering again by Gaspar, with lots of drama in the second balloon.

From UNCANNY TALES #7, Dec 1974

Notice the larger first letter in the caption, something Saladino liked to do, and VAMPIRE is one of his scary styles.

From VAMPIRE TALES #3, Feb 1974

One of Marvel’s magazine-size black and white comics, for which Gaspar lettered two stories, this is the first. His handwriting on the photo at middle right is a good clue.

From VAMPIRE TALES #9, Feb 1975

Gaspar only lettered the first page of this story, the rest is by someone else. These books didn’t have lettering credits, but his style in BLOODMOON is unmistakeable. The open double outline inside the letter O’s suggests he did the same on the outside of all the letters, but the space between was filled black by someone else.

From VIDEO JACK #2, Nov 1987

This short series from Cary Bates and Keith Giffen had two issues lettered by Saladino using his pen name L.P. Gregory, perhaps signaling he didn’t like the material much.