Marshall Macao - K'ing Kung-Fu

[severance]

Resurrecting an old thread from the old place on the 70s phenomenon of Kung-Fu novels - just to see the lovely cover gallery originally provided by Steve:

Originally published between 1973 and 1974, the U.K. covers were done by Chris Achilleos, the U.S. covers by Barry Smith (1-4 at least) and Achilleos (#7). The other two remind me of Neal Adams but seeing as I haven't even got them, who knows

The identity of Marshall Macao was unknown (I think), but Ron Goulart was definitely ruled out.

[justin]

Steve Holland once wrote to me and told me who was behind the Macao pseudonym- but I lost the mail! There's no clue in the copyright details of 5, 6 and 7. A Thaddeus Thallejah III has appeared in the copyright for the first four, band despite sounding as unlikely as Marshall Macao I believe he actually did exist. Wrote a couple of fantasy novels in the early 1980s as well.

Leonard Mears has been suggested elsewhere in connection with the later editions- pretty sure that's not the western author. Ron Goulart's name does keep surfacing as writing one, but you can't help but think people are confusing the ones he wrote for the Kung Fu TV series.

There were rumours of an unpublished eighth book- I assume this is the one you've uncovered Sev? A bit like the fifth Horrorscope book by Robery Lory that only appeared in Germany? And the Guy Smith werewolf? How many pulp sequels only appeared in non-UK/US editions?

The only thing I can help with is the identity of Dick Giordano doing a Neal Adams impersonation. Giordano was at DC comics for years, mainly as an editor but I think he may well have inked Adams at one point. That Windsor Smith did 1 to 4 suggest Freeway were using high-profile comic artists, possibly as a way of attracting comics readers to the books?

[killercrab]

Giordano inked Adams on Batman in many issues of Detective Comics - probably on Batman's own mag too. Steranko would of been a great fit on the K'ing Kung-Fu covers or Paul Gulacy.

KC

[stuyoung]

Some fine artists being namechecked here. The covers look great. And I'm having fun trying to figure out which Bruce Lee films were used for the photo reference on the bottom row of covers. There's at least three shots taken from Enter the Dragon and, I think, one from Way of the Dragon.

[stsparky]

Apparently the alias of Thaddeus V. Tuleja