Tuesday, August 26, 2014

FANTASTIC WORLDS & LOST WORLDS Cover Gallery

They ran for a combined total of only five issues...
Art by Alex Toth
...but Standard's short-lived sci-fi anthologies Fantastic Worlds and Lost Worlds had some first-rate talent both on the covers and inside them!
Art by John Celardo
Plus, all five covers had something in common quite unique in publishing...
...the covers had nothing to do with any of the interior stories!
Art by Alex Toth & Mike Peppe
Despite the captions, which did mention titles from stories that ran in the books...
Art by Mike Sekowsky & John Celardo
...the art didn't depict anything even close to what was in the tales!
But they sure look kool, don't they?

Monday, August 25, 2014

Reading Room ADVENTURES OF THE DOVER BOYS Conclusion "Treasure Trove"

Don't wait!
Here it is!
The Big Finale!
(One codicil: may be NSFW due to racial stereotypes common to the era [1950].)
Apparently very few people sent postcards because the Dover Boys have never been reprinted and never reappeared anywhere else.
And I do mean NEVER!
In 2011, Archie and Friends #137-138 and #150 featured a storyline involving almost all the "forgotten" characters from MLJ/Archie's long history from Suzie to Sam Hill to Super Duck crossing dimensions to Riverdale to encounter Archie and the gang...except the Dover Boys!
Sad, ain't it?

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Reading Room ADVENTURES OF THE DOVER BOYS Chapter Five "Power of the Evil Eye"

Before I present the synopsis, note that the material that follows may be NSFW due to politically-incorrect racial stereotypes common to fiction of the era (1950).
No need to hold your breath, just dive right in...
Suzie was a combination of the teen-age antics of Archie's crew and the bubble-headed blonde stereotype common to movies/tv/radio shows of the era.
The character first appeared in 1942, the same year as Archie, and kept going until 1954, ending her own book with #100.
Don't miss it!

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Reading Room ADVENTURES OF THE DOVER BOYS Chapter Four "Molten Death"

Now that you've been updated, read on...with one caveat:
May be NSFW due to politically-incorrect sterotypes common to the period (1950).
Super Duck was a duck, but was not "super"...at this point (1950).
He did start out in 1943 as an anthropromorphic superhero in red and blue, but lost both the costume and powers within six issues, becoming Archie's answer to those other ducks, Donald and Daffy.
It obviously worked since he kept going until 1960, and has been reprinted occasionally since then.
Be here TOMORROW when we will continue our re-presentation of this never-reprinted story and you'll see "the most thrilling scenes you have ever witnessed!"

Friday, August 22, 2014

Reading Room ADVENTURES OF THE DOVER BOYS Chapter Three "Lost in the Jungle"

Is your spine tingling?
Then let's continue, boys and girls...with one caveat:
May be NSFW due to politically-incorrect sterotypes common to the period (1950).
As you might have guessed from the ad at the end of this chapter, Archie Comics was not above doing their own imitation of their most successful character.
Be here TOMORROW to see if the Dover Boys can avoid a "certain and horrible death!"