Sunday, December 31, 2017

Holiday Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "Mummers from Mercury"

Over 6 decades ago, the world almost ended on New Year's Day...
...but it was saved by the participants of the annual Mummers Parade!
This never-reprinted story from Charlton's Space Adventures #1 (1953) was illustrated by Albert Tyler and Dick Giordano.
The writer (who was probably from Philadelphia) is unknown.

The Mummers Parade is held every New Years Day in Philadelphia.
Mummers tradition dates back to 400 BC and the Roman Festival of Saturnalias where Latin laborers marched in masks throughout the day of satire and gift exchange.
This included Celtic variations of “trick-or-treat” and Druidic noise-making to drive away demons for the new year.

Reports of rowdy groups “parading” on New Years day in Philadelphia date back before the revolution.
Prizes were offered by merchants in the late 1800s.
January 1, 1901 was the first “official” parade offered about $1,725 in prize money from the city.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Reading Room TRAGG AND THE SKY GODS "Attack of the Man-Apes" Conclusion

...seeking allies against the alien "sky gods", Tragg and Lorn encounter a group of sentient man-apes...who blame them for the inadvertent loss of the one source of fire they had!
Escaping from the man-apes, the duo proceed further into a cave...
Writer Don Glut and artist Dan Spiegle present potential future allies in the war against the alien "sky gods" in the never-reprinted Gold Key's Tragg and the Sky Gods #5 (1976)!
But what of their already-existing ally, the Yargonian Keera?
Will she be put to death for betraying her commander to save Tragg?
The interstellar soap opera continues...Next Week!
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Friday, December 29, 2017

Friday Fun TRAGG AND THE SKY GODS "Attack of the Man-Apes" Part 1

Let's see how our ancient ancestors are dealing with the daily problems of...
...aliens and dinosaurs!
Written by Don Glut and illustrated by Dan Spiegle, this never-reprinted tale from Gold Key's Tragg and the Sky Gods #5 (1976) introduces another group of proto-humans even less advanced than the Neanderthal tribe Tragg and Lorn were exiled from!
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Thursday, December 28, 2017

Reading Room SPACE SQUADRON "Menace of the Martians"

What happens when a strip ignores it's own backstory...
...and changes an entire race's history for no reason at all?
This never-reprinted story from Atlas' Space Squadron #4 (1951) contradicted the Space Squadron #1 tale that introduced Max in several ways; most notably, that Martians, who were as advanced as Earthers, are now simply savage beings who wish to slay anything living that's not them!
There's no reason I can think of, except that the unknown writer was new and unfamiliar with the series!
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Reading Room SPACE SQUADRON "General Alfred Hastings: Pioneer of the Elekoicer!"

With a series set in the year 2000...
...it's not surprising it's early history occured in the 1960s!
Of course, it was the 1960s as seen from 1951!
You have to admire the innocent optimism that would have us performing such advanced space travel in only nine years...
Neither the writer nor artist(s) for this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Space Squadron #2 (1951) are known.
The Famous Explorers of Space feature ran in all five issues of Space Squadron and the single issue of Space Worlds that used up material left homeless when Space Squadron was cancelled.
You can read other installments HERE and HERE!
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Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Reading Room SPACE SQUADRON "Target Moon"

To close out the year, we're re-presenting never-reprinted adventures of...
...showing life in the early 21st Century as seen from the mid-20th Century!
1) Why wasn't the creature vaporized?
2) If it isn't dead after a direct hit by an atomic bomb, how do we know it won't reproduce before it dies?
3) What about radiation?
At the very least, the Space Squadron should all be sterile, if not dying of radiation poisoning!
Hope Blast isn't counting on grandchildren in his future!
4) Considering, in this future, we've populated the Solar System (as well as other systems), I can't believe we don't have one (or more) moonbases!
Are they in danger from radiation?

The author of this amazingly scientifically-illiterate tale from Atlas' Space Squadron #4 (1951) is unknown, but we do know the penciler is Werner Roth!
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Monday, December 25, 2017

Have Yourself a Star Wars Christmas!

Click on the pic to see the superb Ralph McQuarrie cover art in all it's glory!
You were expecting the Star Wars Christmas Special?
Here's John Boyega (Finn) hearing this album for the first time!
(For the record, I got the album when it came out..and still have it!)