Four Color #1139

Dell's Movie Classic line brings the epic story of Spartacus to the comics page in this 1960 adaptation, drawn by John Buscema with inking by Buscema and Mike Peppe. The cover makes a bold impression with a full-color photo of a bare-chested gladiator in fighting stance — chainmail shoulder armor, short sword in hand — poised on what appears to be an arena floor, with two inset black-and-white film stills showing crowd scenes and combat that hint at the sweeping scale of the story. The tagline says it all: "the story of a gladiator-rebel who sprang from slavery to challenge the awesome might of Imperial Rome" — adapted by Gaylord Du Bois into what promises to be a gripping ten-cent adventure.