Saturday, October 1, 2022

Space Hero Saturdays VIC VERITY MAGAZINE "Rocket Rex"

Take a handsome hapless hero, a hot helpless heroine, a sinister sneering villain, add spaceships and ray guns...
...and, you've got classic 1940s-50s sci-fi action...with a unique twist!
Oh, did we mention they were anthropomorphic animals?
This never-reprinted story from Vic Verity Magazine #7 (1946) was obviously the first episode of a projected series.
Unfortunately, it appeared in the last magazine the short-lived Don Fortune Publishing ever produced!
Both the writer and artist are, at this point, unknown.
But the other stories in the comic were the work of CC Beck, Otto Binder, and others who worked on the Fawcett Comics line, so the odds are that the writer and artist for Rocket Rex are also from that ensemble.

Friday, September 30, 2022

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Reading Room ALARMING TALES "Secret Weapon"

We've worried about homeland security for decades...
...but, quite frankly, we're damned good at it!
OK, maybe we haven't produced an invisibility device/formula...yet, but we Americans can handle anything terrorists can thtrow at us, as this never-reprinted Silver Age story from Harvey's Alarming Tales #4 (1958) shows!
BTW, it's written bJack Oleck (a talented novelist and comic book writer who was the brother-in-law of Alarming Tales editor Joe Simon) and illustrated by Johnny Quest's co-creator Doug Wildey!

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder UNKNOWN WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION "Vision of Venus"

Though not as prolific as Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E Howard...
...Otis Adelbert Kline deserves a place on any bookshelf of "scientific romances/high adventure"!
Weird Observation: Why do so many of these early writers have three names?
This never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #4 (1975) by writer/artist Tim Conrad adapts one of Kline's Venus stories.
Like ERB and others, Kline did multiple stories set on Venus, Mars, and the Moon.
(His lunar-located novel, Maza of the Moon, was adapted into the one-shot comic Rocket to the Moon, which we presented HERE!)
Sadly, none of Kline's other works have ever been presented in graphic form.
This text piece might offer a clue as to why...
Hopefully, someday, some publisher will take a shot at a new adpataion!
Next Week:
We turn to HORROR for the month of October!
Miss It at Your Own Peril!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Reading Room ALARMING ADVENTURES "Silent Street"

A quiet suburban street late at night...
..hardly the typical locale for a sci-fi story, eh?
We'll see...
Did Harii take possession of Bowen's body after teleporting there or do the two simply look alike?
(Harii apparently didn't arrive in a ship of his own, so teleportation is the most obvious answer.)
The "poetic" explanation would be that Harii was waiting for Vlado inside Bowen and "emerged" when Vlado arrived...except we had seen Harii back on their world, so he couldn't have been waiting on Earth!
George Tuska illustrated this never-reprinted tale from Harvey's Alarming Tales #1 (1962), but the writer is unknown...
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Monday, September 26, 2022

Monday Madness: Does Putin Realize World War III Already Happened?

Nuclear Armageddon came to America in 1960...
...not once, but twice!
At least, that was the basis for two different series from the same publisher running simultaneously in 1952; Atomic War! and World War III!
Oddly, the premiere issue of World War III 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 certain events and available technology were very different in the two titles, indicating the two series were alternate universe / multiverse versions of each other!
BTW, Atomic War! came first, in November, 1952, with a second issue 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 future fun!
Noted comics, pulp, and paperback author Robert Turner wrote both issues of World War III, but the writer(s) of Atomic War! are unknown.
With Russia threatening us with nuclear annihilation (again), we thought we'd call your attention to our re-presentation of these kool examples of Cold War paranoia at our "brother" RetroBlog ™War: Past, Present & Future™.

Sunday, September 25, 2022

The PERFECT Halloween Trick-Or-Treat Bag Stuffer! MINI-BUTTONS!

These Halloween-themed 1"-diameter Mini Buttons are just the thing to use as trick-or-treat bag stuffers or Halloween party favors!
And they won't rot kids' teeth!
A "win-win" for parents!
Your house will become Halloween Central when everyone discovers you're giving away these unique items, which kids trade and collect and stick on everything from jackets to backpacks to sweatshirts to hats!
You can mix-and-match with several different design 10-packs at $19.99 each or a 100-pack of a single design for only $79.99!
(That's less than 8 cents per button! Cheaper than most brand-name candy!)
Order now, to get them in time for Halloween!