Thursday, January 22, 2026

Reading Room BLACK CAT MYSTIC "Great Stone Face!"

Despite the title, Black Cat Mystic was actually a sci-fi anthology...
...featuring the final work of the Simon & Kirby Studio!
NOTE: May be NSFW due to racial stereotypes common to the era.
Penciled, inked, and probably scripted by Jack Kirby, this tale from Harvey's Black Cat Mystic #59 (1957) is Jack's first look at what would become known as the "ancient astronauts" theory in the 1970s due to the interest generated by Erich von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods.
At the same time, Kirby himself would expand the concept into The Eternals, (originally-titled Return of the Gods), which is now one of the lynchpins of the Marvel Universe.

Kirby would present a variation of the theme a couple of years after "Great Stone Face" in Race for the Moon's "Face on Mars" as shown HERE.
Note: Kirby and Stan Lee did a variation of the concept at Marvel in the 1960s with The Inhumans, who were created by Kree scientists visiting Earth in prehistoric times and genetically-manipulating humans to draw out dormant abilities.
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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder RAUMPATROUILLE "Deserteure" (Deserters)

Buckle up, space cadets, as we rejoin the reckless crew of the SpaceShip Orion!
McLane is given a super-weapon called "OverKill" that he's to install on Earth outposts, but the Frogs can now mind-control humans...including the Orion's crew.
Will the space fleet have to destroy the Orion to keep OverKill out of the Frogs' possession?
Note: We've tried to embed the English subtitles, but if they don't come up automtaically, go to the "gear" icon on the lower right, and set them manually.)
Be here next Wednesday for another astounding adventure!

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Monday Mecha Madness (Continued) BATTLESTAR GALACTICA "Berserker" Conclusion

..the "ragtag fleet" of human survivors find a planet rich in Tylium, which they can refine and convert to fuel!
But they encounter a Cylon spy satellite in orbit that starts broadcasting their position back to the Empire!
Jamming the signal, they discover the satellite is booby-trapped so that any attempt to destroy it will trigger explosives within the planet's core, which in itself will alert the Cylons to investigate!
Commander Adama sends a bomb squad to disarm and deactivate the device, but an unknown ship launches from the planet and attacks the squad's shuttle and the accompanying Vipers, out-flying the Colonial pilots...
Neither this Mark Three "Imperator" Cylon nor any of its' "brothers" were ever seen again!
Marvel's Battlestar Galactica was cancelled seven issues later.
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(Featuring the complete original art for this story, among other goodies!)
(Original art for the cover of the issue)
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Monday, January 19, 2026

Monday Mecha Madness BATTLESTAR GALACTICA "Berserker" Part 1

After Adapting the Pilot Movie and the First Two-Part Episode...
...Marvel's Battlestar Galactica comic began doing original stories with a hot new talent illustrating them, including this one about a Cylon cyberseries never seen on TV!

To Be Continued, Tomorrow!
And, since you haven't seen the Cylon itself yet, here's the cover featuring it, which will be the header pic on tomorrow's post!
Written by Roger McKenzie and penciled/inked/colored by Walt Simonson, Marvel's Battlestar Galactica #16 (1980), is the only time a Cylon not seen in the TV show appears in the comic...the reason for which the robot itself explains in the conclusion!
Note that, continuing in the TV series' format of utilizing names from ancient mythology and the Judeo/Christian Bible, McKenzie & Simonson introduced several new ongoing characters including the Galactica's Chief Engineer, Master-Tech Shadrack, named after the Biblical figure Shadrach!
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The Original Series
Galactica: 1980
Original Feature Film
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Sunday, January 18, 2026

Because Tomorrow is Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day...MAD "Stokley and Bess"

Before we begin the re-presentation of this never-reprinted tale adapting...
...I sincerely suggest anybody under 45 check out the links to these people...
and this musical...
...before proceeding.
I'll take it as given that even the youngest among you know who Malcolm X, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and Muhammad Ali/Cassius Clay are...
Is there a reason this particular tale by writer Larry Siegel and illustrator Mort Drucker from MAD #111 (1967) has never been reprinted?
Was it controversial?
Did it generate too much negative reader response?
One thing's for sure...it wouldn't be done in today's cultural climate!
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(note: requires region-free DVD player since it's an import disc)
The movie's NEVER been released in the US on DVD or BluRay!
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Saturday, January 17, 2026

Space Hero Saturdays CAPTAIN SCIENCE "Tracking the Flying Saucers"

A dying alien gives a human without fear the ability to defend Earth...
...nope, it ain't the Silver Age Green Lantern!
It's Captain Science!
Appearing full-blown in the first issue of his own title in 1950, Captain Science was a bold attempt at a Captain Video-type comics hero, one more dependent on brains and technology than brawn.
Unlike Captain Video, who created advanced technology simply because he was really smart,  Gordon Dane was shown to be smart and had the advantage of possessing alien knowledge he could use in adapting and improving present-day tech to serve new uses as the situation required.
Visually, the art on his never-reprinted premiere appearance by Gustav Schrotter is adequate, but hardly distinctive.
Captain Science Will Return!
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Vol 3
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Friday, January 16, 2026

Friday Femme Fun MODELING WITH MILLIE "Mille the Marvel"

If you think Marvel and DC are rebooting their characters more frequently than ever...
...you've never followed the many incarnations of Millie the Model from 1945 to the present!
This particular story is from the early Silver Age "romance comic" phase of her career.
This never-reprinted story from Marvel's Modeling with Millie #54 (1967); written by Gary Friedrich, penciled by Odgen Whitney, and inked (uncredited) by Frank Giacoia; was Millie the Marvel's only appearance.
It was also the final issue of this particular title.
Over at her ongoing "sister" title, Millie the Model, the character returned to her previous Archie Comics-influenced format, once more becoming a teen-humor title without ongoing storylines.
Trivia: From 1945 to 1973, there was always at least one Millie title from Atlas/Marvel, for a total of five different series, plus annuals, a couple of one-shots, an ongoing series in Comedy Comics, and a spin-off series for her rival, Chili!
Her main title ran for 207 issues, and was, until Fantastic Four #207 came out in 1979, Marvel's longest-running character-named book!
(Books with longer runs like Mighty ThorIncredible Hulk, and Captain America had different names [Journey into MysteryTales to Astonish, and Tales of Suspense, respectively] before becoming "character" titles.
Millie's flagship title was always Millie the Model!)
Millie was rebooted several times going from a romance/humor hybrid to Archie-style humor to romance/soap opera and finally back to Archie-style humor with changes to the characters' ages, professions, and relationships at each stage.
Millie Collins, despite being shown as outside the Marvel Multiverse in this tale, has appeared as part of the mainstream Marvel Universe in several titles, including the "Wedding of Reed and Sue" in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (along with Marvels #2), Dazzler #34, Sensational She-Hulk #60, and the Models, Inc mini-series.
In the 1980s, a middle-aged Millie appeared in the Star Comics mini-series Misty, about the teen-age daughter of Millie's brother!
(The best thing about this Trina Robbins-produced mini-series was the retro look and use of readers' designs for the characters' clothes.)
Millie was scheduled to be rebooted in 2003 as a teen-age tennis player in a manga-style mini-series called 15-Love.
When the project was finally published in 2011 (yeah, eight years later), the lead character was Millie's teen-age niece (though Millie herself did appear briefly)!
In 2009, Millie and her Silver Age supporting cast were the 20-something title characters in the mini-series Models, Inc.
The series also features Johnny (Human Torch) Storm, Spider-Man, Dr StrangePatsy (HellCat) Walker, Tigra, Night NurseMary Jane Watson, and real-life fashion expert Tim Gunn, re-establishing the Mille characters in the Marvel Multiverse...but nothing's been done with them since!
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