Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts

Monday, March 16, 2026

Monday Mecha Madness ADAM LINK!

This Requires a Little Explanation/Background...

Introduced in Ziff-Davis' sci-fi anthology Amazing Stories (1939), Adam Link was the first ongoing series about a sentient robot!

Though credited to "Eando Binder" (a pen-name used by author brothers Earl and Otto Binder when they worked together), the Adam Link stories were entirely Otto's work!
Adam was no soulless automaton!
From his introduction onward (and Binder used the title "I, Robor" before Isaac Asimov) he was on a quest to become as human as possible!
Though created to be totally-logical, he developed emotions!
In fact, after his second story "Trial of Adam Link" where he was accused of killing his creator (scientist Dr Charles Link, not Otto Binder), though found innocent (he was framed)  he decided he couldn't go on living without his "father", and decided to commit suicide.
That's the basis of the third tale, "Adam Link's Vengeance", where another scientist (of the "mad" variety), prevents his untimely death, and plans to use him as a weapon!
That particular story was adapted by writer/editor Bill Spicer and artist D Bruce Berry into a two-part story in Spicer's prozine Fantasy Illustrated in 1965 and reprinted in Spicer's Graphic Story Magazine (under a new Berry cover) in 1971.
You'll be seeing that over the next two Mondays.
The comic story was done shortly after the Adam Link tales were adapted into a fix-up novel combining all the short stories...
Note the Isaac Asimov quote!
BTW, if the name "Otto Binder"sounds familiar to comics fans, that's because he wrote a lot of DC, Quality, Timely, and Fawcett comics in the Golden and Silver Ages, as well co-creating among others, the Legion of Super Heroes, Black Adam, Braniac, Kid EternityKrypto, Young AlliesMary MarvelBizarro, and Supergirl!
But, for some, he's best-known as the writer of the first Marvel Comics prose novel...

(Dig the Doc Savage-style logo!)
BTW, We'll be running this long OOP & HTF novel this summer during the annual RetroBlogs Summer Blogathon!

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Tales Twice Told STRANGE WORLDS "Lost Kingdom of Athala"

Here's a tale that would make a great "popcorn" CGI action flick!
It's hokey, doesn't make much sense, but boy, it's loaded with action and it looks great!
Written by Gardner Fox, penciled by Joe Orlando & Wally Wood, and inked by Wood, this fast-paced story from Avon's Strange Worlds #4 (1951), would make a great Saturday afternoon flick, thanks to current state-of-the-art special effects!
EXTRA: Here's the b/w inside cover for this issue, which featured an illustrated preview of all the stories in the issue by Wally Wood.
Note the heavy use of "craftint" texturing which Wood used to create a distinctive "look" for his art...
The script was re-used, almost verbatim, in 1970 by Eerie Publications, but the artwork for the retelling was nowhere near as good.
You'll see that version on Thursday!

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Space Hero Saturdays BARNEY CARR "Peril on the Plant Planet!"

He's Barney Carr, the Only Space Hero with a Relatively-Normal First Name!
...read his adventures...while you can!

Jerry Fasano's Barney Carr was too busy being a typical square-jawed, two-fisted, ray gun-wielding action hero, kicking alien butt, to do any actual detective work!
And unlike the other features in Famous Funnies, Barney Carr wasn't a reprinted newspaper strip, but an original series!
This never-reprinted tale from Eastern Color's Famous Funnies #192 (1951) was his second and final appearance, before disappearing into the void, but original art for a third story exists, without any captions or word balloons!
You'll be seeing that...in the future!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...
(which contains only a couple of stories from this previously-listed volume)
Paid Link

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Edge of Fear"

 Will Those Using Artificial Intelligence Do So with Intelligence and Ethics?
This story from Charlton's Unusual Tales #10 (1958) offers one take on the matter!


Writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko told a fascinating tale about AI-augmented human intelligence over a half century ago that seems to be unfolding today...with vastly different results!
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy...
Paid Link

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Space Hero & Heroine Saturdays KIDNAPPED BY A SPACE SHIP! "Part 1-Off to the Stars!"

 In pop culture, lots of kids besides comics' Buzzy Bean went into space...

...as early as 1970, according to this tale from Treasure Chest V14N11 (1959)!
Oops!
We'll find out how this liftoff happened when the story continues next month!
Writer Frances Crandall followed the accepted concepts of space travel postulated by scientist Wener Von Braun and, illustrated by Chesley Bonestell in various books and magazines like Conquest of Space, and popularized in numerous 1950s movies like Destination Moon and Angry Red Planet!
Artist Fran Matera was also the art director/art editor for Treasure Chest, but is best known for his long run on the Steve Roper and Mike Nomad newspaper strip.
Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
Vol 3
Paid Link

Friday, February 27, 2026

Friday Fun PETER RABBIT "Trouble on the Moon!"

As Artemis prepares to launch, we wanted to present a Moon-themed Space Mouse story...
but all we could find was this strip also by Space Mouse's writer/artist/animator Frank Carin!
This never-reprinted tale from Avon's Peter Rabbit #30 (1955-6) isn't based on the classic Peter Rabbit character created by Beatrix Potter.
Avon Comics had been running a comic since 1947 reprinting the similar Peter Cottontail newspaper strip by Harrison Cady (based on books by Thornton Burgess) under the name Peter Rabbit Comics.
Perhaps due to not wanting to pay to license the Harrison Cady strip, the series was rebooted with a totally-new, very Americanized, contemporary version of the character, as of #7 (1950), which continued until #34 (1956).
Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Golden Treasury of
Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics
Paid Link

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder WEIRD FANTASY "Judgement Day"

This 1950s comics tale is considered the gold standard in utilizing a sci-fi motif for social commentary...
...rightfully-so, I must say!
Perhaps it's a tad slow-paced, even pedantic, by today's standards and the pay-off isn't as shocking as you might expect, but this oft-reprinted tale by writer Al Feldstein, artist Joe Orlando and colorist Marie Severin from EC's Weird Fantasy #18 (1953) was quite controversial when it first appeared.
Even when it was reprinted in the Comics Code-approved Incredible Science Fiction #33 (1956), it caused hassles.
The Code wanted Tarlton changed to a White guy!
Publisher Bill Gaines refused!
The Code tried to get EC to, at least, remove the beads of sweat from Tarlton's brow!
Bill Gaines, again, refused!
The Code refused to approve the comic.
Gaines said he didn't care.
As it was, "Judgement Day" was a reprint fill-in for a new story ("An Eye for an Eye") the Code refused to approve, and, since it was EC's last color comic ever, they'd print it without the Code stamp.
The Code gave in and approved the reprint without changes.
No less a personage than Ray Bradbury praised "Judgement Day" effusively in the final letter (among many...except one...that praised the tale) in Cosmic Correspondence...
Public praise from one of the Masters of Science Fiction/Fantasy!
Can't argue with that...
Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Buy...
Judgement Day and Other Stories
Illustrated by Joe Orlando
Fantagraphics' EC Comics Library
Paid Link