Space Force Saturdays SPACE SQUADRON "Terror from the Deep!"

Let's blast-off for excitement (if not scientific accuracy) in the year 2000...

...as the Space Squadron journeys to the "water world" of Neptune!

Until the Voyager 2 flight in 1989, little was known about Neptune except for it's size and color, so sci-fi went all over the place speculating about what lay under the bright blue atomosphere.

Because of the name, derived from the Roman god of the sea, most tales (like this one) portrayed the planet as an aquatic world with a breathable atmosphere and amphibian, reptilian, or fish-like inhabitants.

The artists for this tale from Atlas/Marvel's Space Squadron #3 (1951) are penciler Werner Roth and inker Sol Brodsky.

The scripter is unknown, though in his case, it might be best to remain anonymous.

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Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr

by Isaac Asimov

(under the pen-name "Paul French") Omnibus of ALL Six Space-Opera Sagas!David Starr: Space Ranger, Pirates of the Asteroids, Oceans of Venus, Big Sun of Mercury, Moons of Jupiter, Rings of Saturn

Friday Fun BLAST-OFF "Danger! Atoms!"

Some stories need little extrapolation...

...such as this never-reprinted short by writer/artist Howard Nostrand from Harvey's Blast-Off! #1 (1965)

Cute, eh?

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Chilling Archives of Horror Comics Volume 7

Howard Nostrand's Nightmares

Reading Room BLACK CAT MYSTIC "MysteryVision!"

Here's a tale that could've inspired the movie They Live! as well as several Twilight Zone eps...

...plus it has a rather unique aspect we'll explain at the conclusion...

"We take our leave of Herman Scudder, who discovered that "reading" people can be as easy as reading an eye-chart...in the Twilight Zone..."

(Sorry, instinctively channeled Rod Serling for a moment...)

Pencils and inks for this never-reprinted story from Harvey's Black Cat Mystic #57 (1956) are by Jack Kirby, who rarely inked his own work since editors felt his time was better-spent penciling at a rate of up to four pages per day!

(Yes, I said per day!)

Probably written by either Kirby himself, or studio co-owner/creative partner Joe Simon.

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Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio

featuring images shot directly from the original art!

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder LOST WORLD "Among Us Walks...a Traitor!"

We Have Already Seen...

...Spoiler...the guy in the blue robe is the traitor!

(Guess the shadow gives him away...)

Bet you thought "Juggernaut" was just the name of an iconic Marvel super-villain!

In the14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was Jagannath, literally, "lord of the world") through the streets of India in religious processions.

Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu.

That story was probably an exaggeration (or misinterpretation) of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe anyway.

By the 19th century, Europeans were using "juggernaut" to refer to any massive vehicle or any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities!
Though it's often been used, along with "blitzkrieg", in historical texts and pop culture to describe the Nazi army's tactics during World War II, it is not a German word!
(But it sure sounds like should be...)

Who says comics ain't educational?

Discover MORE Amazing Factoids...

Next Wednesday!

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Lily Renee, Escape Artist

by

Trina Robbins

Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "Jealousy on Kano"

One of comics legend Bernie Krigstein's few non-EC art jobs...

...which was probably unused material that Charlton purchased when they bought out some of Ziff-Davis' inventory when the company closed their comics division in 1953.

Note Panel 3 from the last page.
Though there's a ZZZAAAAB! sound effect, and Dr Lexikon slumps over, there's no ray from the gun or impact on his body.
This was not an uncommon edit on material produced before the Comics Code went into effect, but published after companies complied with its' rules.
Though not explicitly-stated in the very generic regulations, one request the Code made to publishers was to not show a gun or bow being fired and the victim of the shot in the same panel.
This was relaxed a couple of years later for ray guns or other fantasy weapons, but not for bows, crossbows, guns, or other realistic weapons.
The rule of thumb was, if a kid could imitate it using a real weapon, don't show it.
From Charlton's Space Adventures #16 (1955), it has the same look as Kreigstein's Ziff-Davis SpaceBusters or Space Patrol material from the early 1950s, not his much tighter and more-detailed EC work!
It's also his only artwork published by Charlton.

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Messages in a Bottle

Comic Book Stories by B Krigstein

Monday Madness THE STAND: NIGHT HAS COME "Finale & Epilogue"

We Have Already Seen...

...the Dark Man (Randall Flagg) has been destroyed.

Stu and Frannie's baby, Peter, is born...with the disease, but quickly recovers!

Is The Stand 2 Coming?
Only Stephen King knows...
BTW, the Epilogue is only in the extended/expanded edition, not the original published text!

In Two Weeks:

Behind-the-scenes info from the comics mini-series creatives!

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The Stand Omnibus

collecting all six miniseries and the SketchBook plus an exclusive Companion in one huge HTF and OOP two-volume slipcased set!

Do You Want a KOOL NEW PPE Face-Mask?

We're still going to need face masks, ...at least for awhile!

So why not make it an incredibly-kool one?

Each double-layer mask is reusable, washable, and built for comfort.

Every one-size-fits-all adult or kid mask features a pocket for optional filter use...and comes with two free carbon filters!

PLUS: these are exclusive designs, not available anywhere else on-line or in brick-and-mortar stores!

(Even Amazon doesn't have them!)

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