Saturday, November 2, 2013

Design of the Week: Bah! Humbug!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
With Christmas approaching, let's celebrate with the most famous phrase of the man who personifies the XMas Spirit ... Ebenezer Scrooge is a kool retro Victorian-era font!
 Available in either white/silver on dark items or red/green on white or light-colored items.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Reading Room: NOT BRAND ECHH "He's Mighty Sore!"

One wrrk from today, Thor: the Dark World will debut...
...and Thor-mania sweeping the blogosphere, I thought I'd add to the cacophony with this atypical take on the God of Thunder by co-creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (with Frank Giacoia) from Not Brand Echh #3 (1967).
And, if you want something even funkier, check out the Origin of the Golden Age Thor at Hero Histories™!
(Bet ya didn't even know there was a Golden Age Thor!)

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Reading Room: WILD! "Menace from Mars"

We wind up our Countdown to Halloween 2013 with another Martian invasion...
...in this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' MAD! comic clone, WILD! #2 (1954)!
Though the talented and versatile Howie Post illustrated the story, nobody knows who wrote it!
But it "feels" a lot like Stan Lee...
Happy Halloween, everyone!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

75 Years Ago Today...the World was Destroyed...

...by Invaders from Mars!
Art by Francesco Francavilla
You can hear the original October 30, 1938 radio broadcast HERE!
And a 10-minute funky dance remix of the radio show HERE!
BONUS: Here's a kool documentary from the radio show's 60th Anniversary, narrated by James (Avatar) Cameron...

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Reading Room: SPACE ADVENTURES "Tale About Time: There Shall Be an Ending!"

Art by Pat Boyette (left) and Jim Aparo (right)
...reporter Paul Mann is plucked from 1967 by the Esroms, peaceful humans from the year 4000 AD who travel in time machine/spacecraft that are mistaken for "flying saucers".
Mann and the Esroms pursue the Honjnosians (evil humans from 4000 AD) to the time before the Big Bang when Paul falls out of the ship into the ether of the pre-universe...
You'll note the use of the "breaking the fouth wall" storytelling technique with Mann addressing the reader in several panels, (with one panel of other characters thinking Paul's a bit looney).
Denny O'Neil using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom scripted this conclusion to the book-length tale from Space Adventures #2 (1968).
The art is by the highly-underrated Pat Boyette with what looks like minor redrawing by Jim Aparo in several panels featuring Paul Mann to maintain visual continuity.
Sadly, there were no further adventures of Paul Mann and the men from 4000 AD...

Monday, October 28, 2013

Reading Room: SPACE ADVENTURES "Tale About Time: Race to the End of Time"

...actually, the characters are handling the plot synopsis shtick pretty well, so I'll just let them explain...
Not to be negative (ouch), but things aren't looking good for Paul Mann.
If you want to see how he escapes from the edge of Time and Space, be here tomorrow!
Denny O'Neil using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom scripted this "part 2 of 3" in Space Adventures #2 (1968).
The amazing art is by none other than Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange!
At this point, Ditko had left Marvel and was freelancing for Charlton, Tower, ACG, and Warren, working in every genre imaginable, producing some of the best work of his career, much of which has, sadly, not been reprinted!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Reading Room: SPACE ADVENTURES "Tale About Time: The Quest Begins"

Remember the phrase "Everything you think you know is wrong!"...
...because this sequel to the three-parter we just ran HERE, HERE, and HERE will define the concept!
The questions continue to pile up, and one of the most famous artists of the Silver Age takes over the storytelling....tomorrow!
(Not that Jim Aparo was any slouch, but this guy is known even outside comics!)
This sequel to the story from Space Adventures #60 (1967) was by the first story's scripter, Denny O'Neil using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom, and appeared almost a year later in Space Adventures #2 (1968).
No, that's not a typo.
This is "Volume 2" of Space Adventures, which had been cancelled the year before with #60!
However, while this is Vol 2, #2, it's the first issue of the revival since there was no Vol 2 #1!
Geez, the time travel paradoxes in this story are easier to explain than comic book numbering!