Showing posts with label Ace Publications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ace Publications. Show all posts

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Reading Room SPACE ACTION "Silicon Monsters from Galaxy X"

If you're a cheesy sci-fi fan like me, you'll go for a story with a title like...
...'cause with a title like that, you're in for a fun (if not totally rational or even coherent) time!

While the writer is unknown, the art for this tale from Ace's Space Action #2 (1952) is attributed to "Jim McLaughlin", who had a short-lived comics career doing work primarily for Ace!

After Ace dropped comics in 1955 to concentrate on paperbacks, "Jim" did a couple of stories for Atlas/Marvel and a run on Dell's comic adaptation of TV's Gunsmoke!
Then "Jim McLaughlin" disappeared!
Totally.
Unlike most comic book artists who went on to do commercial art or newspaper strips, there's no trace of "Jim McLaughlin" after his brief foray into four-color publishing...and no background about his pre-comics career!
Here's another interesting point...his art style altered considerably during his career.
In this story, the inking looks a lot like the work of long-time artist Jim Mooney!
In fact, a number of panels resemble Mooney's work on the DC strip Tommy Tomorrow, which Jim Mooney was both penciling and inking during the same period as "Jim McLaughlin's" work for Ace!
In McLaughlin's later work (particularly his Gunsmoke art), while the layouts look similar, the inking style is totally-different!
Was "Jim McLaughlin" a pen-name for a penciler working with at least two (if not more) different inkers?

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Science Fiction Comics
Taylor History of Comics
Vol 3

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Reading Room: SPACE ACTION "MIssion into Time"

Remember When This Happened 10 Years Ago?
...You Don't???
But, it was predicted in this tale published in the third and final issue of Ace's sci-fi anthology, Space Action (1952)!
Did they lie???

At least this tale, illustrated by Lou Cameron, offers an explanation as to why time travelers haven't come back to the past...AFAWK!
But, I find it difficult to believe the people of the future couldn't retrofit a vehicle with still-functioning (though centuries-old) technology with a control device.

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Saturday, September 9, 2023

Space Hero Saturdays SPACE ACTION "Invaders From a Lost Galaxy"

A "Lost Galaxy"?
Not The "Lost Galaxy"?
How many "Lost Galaxies" are out there?
And, is this one really lost, or just misplaced? ;-)

While the writer is unknown, the art for this Flash Gordon-inspired tale from Ace's Space Action #1 (1952) breaks down as pencils by Lou Cameron, inks by Rocco Mastroserio!
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Thursday, September 7, 2023

Reading Room SPACE ACTION "Dictator of Japetus"

It appears that, even in the future, Mankind will still have dictators!
Personally, I've never seen the appeal of someone, who wasn't elected by the majority of the populace, arbitrarily-deciding matters for us!
Penciled by then-up-and-comer Mike Sekowsky, this tale from Ace's Space Action #3 (1952) is typical space opera of the period with a little political intrigue thrown in, and reads better than most of the stories that ran in Space Action.
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Thursday, July 13, 2023

Reading Room: SPACE ACTION "Weird Threat of the Space Giants"

There's nothing better than some good 'ol cheesy sci-fi schlock...
...just think of it as a SyFy network Saturday night movie, but on paper rather than your TV screen!
This never-reprinted tale from Ace's Space Action #2 (1952) was illustrated by workhorse Bill Molno, but the writer's name has eluded our keen senses.
Lucky guy!
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Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Reading Room: SPACE ACTION "Beware the Human Meteorites"

C'mon, a title like that is a real attention-grabber...
...and the story is equally-funky, once you get past the whole "medieval garb" thing that invariably crops up in comic sci-fi of the era.

So the "human meteorites" are, in essence, flaming space zombies?
Dumb, but cool!
Here's a trivial (but pertinent) question: Why don't other Jovians have pointed ears, like Deuel?
Aren't they the same species?
Art for this never-reprinted story from Ace's Space Action #3 (1953) is by Bill Molno, the writer is unknown.

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