Saturday, February 11, 2017

Reading Room MENACE "Walking Dead"

As we pointed out yesterday, "Walking Dead" didn't always refer to zombies...
...but it sure does here!
This cover-featured story from Atlas' Menace #9 (1954) came at the tail-end of the horror comic craze.
Dr. Wertham's crusade against those magazines had already taken it's toll as entire comic companies folded due to falling sales and public outcry.
Menace itself only lasted two more issues before disappearing.
Luckily, Atlas, which already had a predeliction for jumping onto whatever current fad was selling, had such a diverse line, that it was easy for Stan Lee and company to simply "switch gears" and replace the disgraced horror genre with other types of books.
(For example, When MAD comics took off in the mid-1950s, Atlas had four MAD-clone comics; RIOT!, CRAZY!, WILD!, and SNAFU!!
None lasted more than five issues!)
With the Silver Age dawning only a couple of years later, Atlas hung on long enough to become Marvel, and the rest is history...
Illustrated by John Forte with a cover by Gene Colan, the story's writer is unknown.
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Friday, February 10, 2017

Reading Room CHAMBER OF CHILLS MAGAZINE "Walking Dead"

The phrase "Walking Dead" wasn't always synonymous with zombies...
...as this never-reprinted story from Harvey's Chamber of Chills Magazine #3 (1951) demonstrates!
Penciled by Bob Powell, inked by Powell, Howard Nostrand and Martin Epp, this tale was one of the earliest to use the phrase "Walking Dead"...but in connection with ghosts, not zombies!
But don't worry, zombies get equal time this weekend...
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And save 25% from the regular price of $19.95!

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Return of the Walking Dead!

...but before that, there were other "Walking Dead" stories!
Since the AMC tv series based on the wildly-successful current graphic tales is returning this Sunday, we're going to run several of these "predecessor" tales this weekend!
Be here Friday through Sunday for some long-unseen four-color zombie stories that'll thrill and chill you!

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Reading Room PLASM "The Sedition Agenda: Prologue 'The Death of Love' " Conclusion

...an alternate dimension/universe where Plasm, a world of humanoids using organic technology, dominates the region!
With their technology requiring constant intake of organic material as both fuel and construction material, the Plasmoids prize professional "seekers" like Lorca above all others in their society...except the ruling class.
But Lorca has begun to feel guilt about destroying all others the Plasmoids encounter simply to sustain their society.
And he's begun to question the "groupthink" that restrains individualism and free thought...
With an intriguing start like this, you may well ask...what happened?
Marvel Comics happened!
You can read the gory details HERE.
End result: Defiant Comics was gone in two years!
Sad, eh?
Depending upon the audience response, we may present more tales of Plasm and the Defiant Comics multiverse.
It's up to you, dear readers!
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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Reading Room THRILL-O-RAMA "Old Hulk"

A never-reprinted tale from an influental artist...
...whose greatest contributions were to animation, not comics!
(And no, it's not Alex Toth!)
During the mid-1960s, Harvey Comics jumped back into superhero and sci-fi/fantasy comics with several titles combining a mixture of reprints and new material.
This tale from Thrill-O-Rama #1 (1965) was one of the "new" ones, though it's likely left over from Harvey's previous sci-fi anthology, Race for the Moon (1958).
Though the writer is unknown, the artist is Doug Wildey, who spent several years in comics, but found working in tv animation steadier and more profitable!
His many credits include Jonny Quest, Godzilla, and, Return to the Planet of the Apes!
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Jonny Quest
the Complete Original Series

Monday, February 6, 2017

Reading Room THE UNEXPECTED "Choice"

When DC's 1979-80 sci-fi anthology Time Warp folded, the remaining stories...
...were published in the fantasy/horror anthology The Unexpected!
This tale of questionable "justice" was written by George Kashdan and illustrated by "Vicatan" (Vic Catan, Jr), this never-reprinted tale from DC's The Unexpected #210, (1981) was typical of the output by long-time pro Kashdan, solid, but not really memorable.
The art by Vicatan raises it a notch with effective storytelling and clean linework.
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Sunday, February 5, 2017

Super Bowl / SuperPro / Super-Heroes!

In 1991, Marvel and the NFL teamed up to produce...
...a football-themed superhero!
...who, despite meeting a couple of Marvel's best-known heroes...
...lasted only 13 issues, then disappeared into obscurity!
Due to licensing restrictions, NFL SuperPro will never be reprinted or offered as an e-book!
However, when you can find copies, they're usually pretty cheap, like the one below...
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