 Paul Chadwick's Concrete displays one of the most sensitive sentimentalities
of any graphic novelist. Writing and illustrating all of the stories himself, Chadwick's Concrete
grew from a character many considered a rip-off of Marvel Comic's The Thing, a character tortured
by being locked in a large, unweildy body of rock. Chadwick, who had illustrated Marvel's
Dazzler series, wrote and illustrated stories, however, which were much more slice-of-life
and focused on realistic feelings rather than fights.
Concrete was there at the beginning of
Dark Horse Comics.
He first appeared in a short story in
Dark Horse Presents #1
and soon had his own series, running from 1987-1988. A special, collecting two revised issues of
the series, was published just a few months later; similar specials would occasionally be
published, leading up to their collection in The Complete Concrete in 1994. Concrete also
appeared in occasional short stories, often in
Dark Horse Presents,
including issues 1-6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 (which featured two stories), 22, 28, and 32
(cover-dated August 1989). Concrete Color Special #1, which featured Concrete in color
for the first time (outside of covers) followed the end of the Concrete series by a few
months. Concrete Celebrates Earth Day 1990 was the next issue entirely devoted to
Concrete, displaying the environmentalism that would increasingly affect the series.
1991 saw the beginning of the first Concrete mini-series, Concrete:
Fragile Creature. In color, it inaugurated an era of color mini-series, interrupted by
occasional short stories. Focusing on Concrete's employment on a fantasy movie derivative of
Masters of the Universe, the four-issue story was based on Chadwick's own experience on
the film After Midnight. The second mini-series, Killer Smile, followed in 1994.
The story, odd for Concrete, featured an armed assailant -- though the entire four issues
followed how the entire cast dealt with this one villain. Think Like a Mountain,
consisting of six issues instead of four, followed in 1996 and was entirely focused on Concrete's
relationship with environmentalists and with environmentalism. Strange Armor, consisting
of five issues, followed in 1997 and retold Concrete's origin in expanded form. Paul Chadwick
then took some time off from Concrete, illustrating only the occasional short story.
|
| IMAGE | TITLE | DESCRIPTION | STATUS |
| Concrete Color Special #1 | reprints in a colored an expanded form the first two Concrete appearances from
Dark Horse Presents;
44 pages; cover-dated February 1989; e-mail me if this is a book (i.e. has a spine) or not | 0 |
| Concrete #1 | cover-dated March 1987 | 2 |
| Concrete #2 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Land and Sea | contains a revised version of Concrete #1-2; cover-dated February 1989 | B |
| Concrete #3 | tells Concrete's origin | 0 |
| Concrete #4 | | 0 |
| Concrete: A New Life | published in 1989, this contained a revised version of Concrete #3-4 (featuring 11 pages of new art) | B |
| Concrete #5 | | 0 |
| Concrete #6 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Odd Jobs | contains a revised version of Concrete #5-6; cover-dated July 1990 | 0 |
| Concrete #7 | | 0 |
| Concrete #8 | | 0 |
| Concrete #9 | | 0 |
| Concrete #10 | final issue, cover-dated November 1988 | 0 |
Larger Version Available |
The Complete Concrete | collects Concrete: Land and Sea, Concrete: A New Life, Concrete: Odd Jobs, and Concrete #7-10; magazine-sized; Geary Gravel introduction; 320 pages; first published in September 1994
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| 1 |
Larger Version Available |
Concrete: Complete Short Stories 1986-1989 | collects short stories from
Dark Horse Presents
#1-6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 (which featured two stories), 22, 28, and 32 (cover-dated August 1989); magazine size; Archie Goodwin introduction; Paul Chadwick foreword; 144 pages
[REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]
| 1 |
| Concrete Celebrates Earth Day 1990 | 52 pages; e-mail me if this is a reprint or a book (i.e. has a spine) or not | 0 |
| Concrete: Fragile Creature #1 | cover-dated June 1991 | 0 |
| Concrete: Fragile Creature #2 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Fragile Creature #3 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Fragile Creature #4 | cover-dated February 1992 | 1 |
Larger Version Available |
Concrete: Fragile Creature | collects Concrete: Fragile Creature #1-4; Paul Chadwick introduction; 152 pages; published in 1994
| 1 |
| Concrete: Killer Smile #1 | cover-dated July 1994 | 1 |
| Concrete: Killer Smile #2 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Killer Smile #3 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Killer Smile #4 | cover-dated October 1994 | 1 |
Larger Version Available |
Concrete: Killer Smile | collects Concrete: Killer Smile #1-4; Frank Miller introduction; Paul Chadwick afterword; 120 pages; published in October 1995
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| 1 |
Larger Version Available |
Concrete: Short Stories 1990-1995 | collects unknown short Concrete stories; magazine size; 112 pages
| 0 |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #1-6: Geof Darrow cover |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #1 | cover-dated March 1996 | 0 |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #2 | | 0 |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #3 | | 1 |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #4 | | 0 |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #5 | | 0 |
| Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #6 | cover-dated August 1996 | 0 |
Larger Version Available |
Concrete: Think Like a Mountain | collects Concrete: Think Like a Mountain #1-6; 160 pages; published in 1997
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| 1 |
| Concrete: Strange Armor #1 | cover-dated December 1997 | 0 |
| Concrete: Strange Armor #2 | | 0 |
| Concrete: Strange Armor #3 | | 0 |
| Concrete: Strange Armor #4 | | 0 |
| Concrete: Strange Armor #5 | cover-dated May 1998 | 0 |
Larger Version Available |
Concrete: Strange Armor | collects Concrete: Strange Armor #1-5; introduction and afterword by Paul Chadwick; published in October 1998
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| 1 |
 |
MISCELLANEOUS
| |
|
| Concrete: Eclectica #1 | e-mail me if this is a reprint or a book (i.e. has a spine) or not; cover-dated April 1993 | 0 |
| Concrete: Eclectica #2 | e-mail me if this is a reprint or a book (i.e. has a spine) or not; cover-dated May 1993 | 0 |
