Saturday, October 23, 2021

Space Force Saturdays SPACE BUSTERS "Frog Men Against Belzar"

After the stories for Ziff-Davis' Space Busters #2 were written and drawn...
...most of them were shelved, as a new artist, Murphy Anderson, was brought on board to revamp the series' look!
However, the Bernie Krigstein and Martin Stein-illustrated stories that didn't make it into Space Busters #2 did find new homes!
This particular tale is the most-reprinted Space Busters story of all, appearing in St John's Daring Adventures #6 (1954), Decker's Great Exploits #1 (1958) and IW's Strange Planets #18 (1964)..under a new Ross Andru/Mike Esposito cover as shown above!
Oddly enough, though the aliens invading Mars remained "Belzarians" and the Terrans were referred to as "Earthians", the individual heroes went through a name-change.
Blond/blue-eyed Captain Brett Crockett received a new name, becoming "Captain Andall", while his balding and mustached sergeant, Bolo, became "Sgt Bala".
And the nickname "SpaceBusters", used incessantly in the two issues of the series, is nowhere in sight...
We proudly present the lead story of Space Busters #1.5, which is also the final story of the Mars Campaign...
There's another SpaceBusters tale that didn't appear in SpaceBusters Comics...and you'll see it in a couple of weeks!
Warning: Bring your red/blue 3-D glasses!

Friday, October 22, 2021

Friday Fun ZIP COMICS "Ginger and Her Haunted House Hokum!"

Yeah, it's my title for this untitled story...
...but I think you'll see it fits both subject and time period!
"I'd have gotten away with it if not for those pesky kids!"
Sound familiar?
Written by Ed Goggin, illustrated by Claire Moe, this never-reprinted tale from MLJ's Zip Comics #42 (1943) was, in many ways, a typical tale for the period.
Bad guys use "haunted" house as base of operations, kids who won't be scared off whup their butts!
(We ran a similar one, featuring fanboy SuperSnipe HERE!)
Ginger Snapp was one of a plethora of teen characters MLJ debuted in the 1940s that survived into the 1950s, even receiving her own title, running 10 issues!
Of course,you know the most popular of those characters since the company renamed itself in his honor...Archie!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Reading Room: CLASSIC COMICS "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Conclusion

It's 1790 in Sleepy Hollow, a secluded glen in upstate New York.
Ichabod Crane, a lanky, intelligent (but extremely superstitious) schoolmaster, competes with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, the handsome and athletic town rowdy, for the hand of 18-year-old Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter and sole child of wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel.
When Ichabod and Brom both attend a party at the Van Tassels, Brom prepares to deal with his rival...

Did a ghostly Headless Horseman abscond with Ichabod?
Or did Brom Bones simply scare him away?
We will probably never know...

You'll note from the cover at the top of the post that the Headless Horseman took second billing to the tale of Rip Van Winkle!
When the book was reprinted as part of the Classics Illustrated line with a painted cover (as most Classic Comics were), the Headless Horseman wasn't even mentioned, although his tale was still in the book!


Visit our...

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder TALOS OF THE WILDERNESS SEA "to the Wilderness Sea" Conclusion

...taken from his beastfolk parents when he was a newborn, Carn is raised by a royal family who weren't aware of his non-human heritage.
(He was secretly swapped for their stillborn child by the midwife.)
While exploring by himself, the now-teenage Carn is attacked by a pack of wolves, but he instinctively communicates mentally with a giant white cat who saves him, then brings him to a nearby beastfolk village whose priestess is...his true mother!
Riding high on the success of the Sword of the Atom mini-series and follow-up annuals which re-imagined the hard sci-fi character in a barbarian adventure setting, Gil Kane (along with collaborator Jan Strnad) was given the go-ahead for another high-adventure series, this time based on a new character.
Planned as a 12-issue mini-series, cutbacks at DC dictated that the already-penciled and scripted first two issues be combined into a one-shot whose sales would determine if the project would continue.
Unfortunately, the unfamiliar character didn't attract a large enough audience (as The Atom had), and only the single, open-ended issue came about.

Here's an "almost-Halloween treat"!
The text feature about the project and its' creators!
We hope you've enjoyed this never-reprinted book from 1987.
Keep an eye on this blog as we present more of these long-lost stories!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy...
One of the first true graphic novels

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Reading Room CLASSIC COMICS "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Part 1

Though it doesn't actually take place on Halloween...
...,one of the most famous ghost tales of all, as told in Classic Comics, the predecessor to Classics Illustrated, in a story adapted by Dan Levin and illustrated by Rolland H Livingstone is told around this time of year.

What does Brom have in mind for Ichabod?
Be here Thursday for the answer!
Visit our