Showing posts with label 1970s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1970s. Show all posts

Monday, May 26, 2025

Monday Mecha Madness SHOGUN WARRIORS "Raydeen!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

..an ancient society of benevolent alien scientists called the Followers of the Light have recruited expert human pilots of land, sea, and air vehicles to operate a giant robot named Raydeen against a huge extraterrestrial menace known as Roc-Korr.
The recruits are about to learn why they were chosen and what threat the planet Earth faces...








We'll return to the tale of the three titanic robots next month!
Next week, however, a quite different mechanical man takes the stage!
Don't miss the electronic action!

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Reading Room (and Bonus Video) STAR*REACH "Why Viking Lander/Mars?" by Ray Bradbury

A very kool, never-reprinted adaptation of a Ray Bradbury poem...
...first performed by the legendary author at the 1976 San Diego Comic-Con the week after the Viking probe landed on Mars!
Sadly, there's no extant video or audio recording of the event, but we did find a more recent reading by Robert Picardo ("The Doctor" on Star Trek: Voyager)
AFAIK, the poem's never been reprinted in any of the Bradbury anthologies, or anywhere else, for that matter!
It's only appearance was in Star*Reach #6 (1976), illustrated with absolutely beautiful art by Alex Nino!
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Monday, May 19, 2025

Monday Mecha Madness SHOGUN WARRIORS "Raydeen!" Part 1

We're Going Mecha at Monday Madness...

...as we feature robots big and small, some sentient, some controled by humans and/or aliens!







You'll have to wait until next Monday to learn the backstory created by writer Doug Moench, penciler Herb Trimpe and inker Dan Green in this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Shogun Warriors #1 (1979)!
(They ignored all the backstory and plotlines used in the Japanese animated series and packaging info for the toys.)
But we're not totally-heartless!
Here's a kool video about how the Shogun Warriors were assembled by Mattel out of three totally-unrelated robots, all with their own animated series from different Japanese TV studios, but all the toys were from the same Japanese toy company, Popy!

You'll note the TV commercials have the robots interacting with Godzilla, also from Mattel, but the characters never met up in the comics, although both the Godzilla and Shogun Warriors series were drawn by Herb Trimpe!
In fact, Mattel utilized Herb's artwork in some of their advertising!

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder SUPERNATURAL THRILLERS "Valley of the Worm!" Conclusion

We Have Already Witnessed...

James Allison lies on his deathbed, re-living a past life.
A millennia or more ago, he was Niord, a barbarian prince and warrior, defending his people, the Aesir, from all manner of threats, both human and inhuman.
Aided by Gorm, a Pict he defeated in battle but refused to kill, who then became an ally, he guides his people to a new home...










Note: Though Niord says his people are of "Asgard", it's doubtful, even though this tale is now canon in the Marvel Multiverse, that he refers to the mystical Asgard of Norse legend.
Bonus: Here's the title page from the story's first publication in Weird Tales V23N02 (1934), featuring both Niord and the "Worm", illustrated by Hugh Rankin.

Next Week:
A New World of Wonder
Don't Miss It!

Monday, May 12, 2025

Monday Madness ANDROMEDA "Klang! Klang!"

Who Hasn't Dozed Off on a Bus or Train...or Trolley?

But what's important is where you are when you wake up!



This never-reprinted Victorian-era high adventure tale from Andromeda #5 (1978) by writer/artist Derek Carter shows a mode of transport that has all-but disappeared from the American landscape except for amusement parks.
(AFAIK, the only city that still has cable trolleys is San Francisco.)
Derek Carter did only four stories in comics, but has gone on to an active career in both commercial and fine art!
You can check out his website HERE.

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Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder SUPERNATURAL THRILLERS "Valley of the Worm!" Part 1

We've Spent a Month in A Futuristic Dimension...

...now let's go the other way, to a world where technology is non-existent and only a strong sword arm will keep you alive!







To Be Concluded Next Wednesday!
Based on a short story by Robert E (Conan the Barbarian) Howard, Adaptors Roy Thomas & Gerry Conway and penciler Gil Kane & inker Ernie Chua/Chan turned in an absolutely magnificent version of the tale using a lot of Howard's own prose in captions and dialogue!
Though meant as a stand-alone story in it's initial publication in the pulp Weird Tales and subsequent reprintings as well as this adaptation in Marvel's Supernatural Tales #3 (1973), it has since been incorporated into both the Conan Mythos and the Marvel Comics Universe in the 2020 Marvel mini-series Conan: Serpent War! which included Conan and other Howard characters as well as Moon Knight and Khonshu!
Trivia: There was another REH tale featuring James Allison (the dying protagonist in this story) called "Garden of Fear".
It was adapted by Roy Thomas, Barry Smith & Sal Buscema as a Conan story in Marvel's Conan the Barbarian V1N9 (1971), eliminating any references to Allison in the present day!
Allison's ancient incarnation in this story was Hunwolf the Wanderer and the tale was first published in the second issue of the pulp Marvel Tales, published by Martin Goodman, the first publisher of Timely/Atlas/Marvel Comics!
There were seven James Allison tales.
Who sez comics ain't educational?

Friday, April 25, 2025

Friday Fun GRIN "Pollution is a 9 Letter Word"

We End the Week as We Began It...Talking About Ecology!

...with a never-reprinted feature from APAG House's short-lived MAD magazine clone, Grin #3 (1973)!


Scripted by D J Arneson and illustrated by Al Scaduto, it's a lightweight, mild take on a problem that still affects us to this day!

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