Reading Room: SPEED CARTER: SPACEMAN "Kiss of Death"

We originally intended to run this story around Valentine's Day...

...but after reading the tale, you'll understand why we decided against it...

This story of futuristic male/female relations from Speed Carter: SpaceMan #6 (1954) was scripted (as were all Speed Carter tales) by Hank Chapman, and illustrated (as were all Speed Carter tales in #6) by Bob Forgione.

Reading Room BLACK MAGIC "Slaughter-House"

If you think finding employment is difficult now...

...imagine what it'd be like when your boss is an invading tentacled alien!

This tale of interstellar labor relations from Prize Comics' Black Magic #31 (1954) was illustrated by the legendary duo of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, though who penciled what and who inked what has been disputed by aficionados.

Personally, I think Kirby penciled and Simon inked.

As to who wrote it, since both Simon & Kirby co-edited the book, it's more than likely they both scripted it.

Note: this story had never been reprinted until it's recent second publication in IDW's Haunted Horror anthology title.

HELL'S KITCHEN'S "Sin City"-Inspired Opening Credits!

Hell's Kitchen has shown credits inspired by giant robots, horror movies, and sci-fi...
...now they're doing comic book movies, in particular, Sin City!
It's cute, but more a mundane's concept than a pro or even serious fan's approach.
(But it is better than the opening for Comic Book Men, supposedly supervised by pro/serious fan Kevin Smith..)

Reading Room WEIRD TALES OF THE FUTURE "Speck of Stardust"

A tale about the warmth of love in the coldness of space...

...with a twist ending worthy of The Twilight Zone!

Illustrated by Hy Fleishman, this never-reprinted tale from Key's Weird Tales of the Future #4 (1952)

Reading Room JET POWERS "Man in the Moon"

Whatever became of the evil Mr Sinn after Jet Powers whipped his butt?

Some guys really carry a grudge (but provide great expositional dialogue)!

Yeah, Sinn died.

Nothing to worry about.

Won't be seeing him again!

No, siree...

You don't really believe that, do you?

Good, 'cause if you did, you wouldn't be able to read the rest of this series, featuring superb Bob Powell art like this, the second Jet tale from Magazine Enterprises' Jet Power #1 (1950).

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Comic Collectible Corner

Reading Room JET POWERS "Captain of Science"

 

Flash Gordon!

Buck Rogers!

Brick Bradford!

Even...Rocket Kelly!

Have you ever noticed that space-faring heroes almost NEVER have a first name like "Dave" or "Melvin"? (Yeah, there was DAN Dare, but his last name was "Dare" for chissakes!)
It's always something dramatic and/or futuristic!
Makes you wonder what their parents were thinking when they filled out the birth certificate..."Yeah, 'Brick'! That's a good name for the kid!"

Jet Powers was one of the last of that breed of high-adventure heroes, a kick-butt, blast-first-and-ask-questions-later kinda guy who crossed space and time like you and I cross the street!
As rendered by Bob Powell, one of the most versatile illustrators of the Golden Age (He did everything, sci-fi, romance, war, horror, etc), Jet was a ruggedly-handsome guy with distinctive white hair and a nose that had been broken and reset! (Think of a combo of Bruce Willis and Peter Graves.)
Besides being good in a fight, Jet was a scientific wiz with his own mountaintop base and spacecraft!
He operated as a freelance agent for the United States, at least once meeting the President himself to receive orders!
In four issues of his own title Jet primarily-battled Mr Sinn, an evil scientist equal to himself, who was colored bright green, but like Ming the Merciless, was an alien variation of the "Yellow Menace" villain stereotype.
Powers also met, rescued, and fell in love with Su Shan, formerly a servant of Sinn. Of course, Sinn wanted her back, so Jet had to keep rescuing her for the entire series!

Here's how it all began...

BTW, we did present a later appearance of Jet, unconnected with Mr Sinn or Su Shan, HERE.
The amount of hits to that entry inducated you wanted to see more, so we've decided to present his complete adventures over the next few months.

And, Atomic Kommie Comics™ has returned him to interplanetary action as SpaceMan Jet, along with the SpaceBusters, (whom you've previously-seen) in our The Future WAS Fantastic!™ series, even giving him his own section.where all four of his spectacular star-spanning covers adorn mugs, shirts and a plethora of other goodies!

For the special someone in your life with a taste for retro sci-fi / fantasy, you can't go wrong with one of these items as a birthday or graduation present!
(Heck, if I didn't already have them, I'd want 'em!)

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Comic Collectible Corner

Reading Room WORLD WAR III "Unleashed" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...in the Summer of 1960, the Soviet Union launched a devastating nuclear sneak attack on the United States...

Oddly, this series presented a similar series of events to the first issue of Atomic War, but in a slightly-different time-frame, and a different order!
There were no cross-overs and technology and certain events were very different in the two titles.
BTW, Atomic War! came first, in November, 1952, following in December, then going bi-monthly in February and April, 1953.
World War III ran in March and May of 1953, the months Atomic War! wasn't published, giving kids of the era a monthly fix of fissionable future fun!
In mid-1953 most of the Ace Publishing comic line, except for romance and war books (WWII & Korea, not future), and one horror title, were cancelled.
The remainder died when the publisher dropped comics altogether in 1956, concentrating on paperbacks (including the legendary Ace Doubles) until the company was purchased by Grosset & Dunlap in 1972, and is now a highly-successful division of Penguin Publishing Group.
Story by pulp and paperback novel author Robert Turner, who wrote all the tales in both issues of World War III.
Illustrated by Ken Rice.

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uniform and equipment needs!