Showing posts with label Allen Anderson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allen Anderson. Show all posts

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Space Hero Saturdays CRUSADER FROM MARS "Mission Through Space"

Lars of Mars wasn't the only Martian Sent to Fight Evil on Earth by Jerry (Superman) Siegel!
This guy, along with a female "friend and companion" was sent to Earth to do similar work...but for a very different reason!
If I follow the "logic" of this concept correctly, the Martians send a proven murderer (along with someone who may be either an accessory to murder or an innocent who had nothing to do with the crime except having a murderer obsessed with her) to fight evil on Earth.
Send a convicted killer with emotional control issues (and advanced weaponry) to a primitive planet and tell him to clean it up?
And then, when he screws up. send a fleet of flying saucers in to straighten out the mess.
(Martians apparently don't have a non-interference Prime Directive.)
Also note that the American military seems to be made up of idiot bureaucrats!
The writer for this premiere tale from Crusader from Mars #1 (1952) is unknown, but probably is the book's editor, Jerry (Superman) Siegel, who co-created another short-lived Martian crime-fighter, Lars of Mars, the year before.
The artist is believed to be Marvin Stein, but the layouts have a strong Jack Kirby feel to them.
Considering Stein was doing a lot of work for the Simon/Kirby studio at the time, and Jack was reputed to be very generous in terms of helping his friends, it seems likely he provided roughs for Stein to render full pencils and inks over.
BTW, you may note that Tarka wears a very Superman-style costume in this tale, but on the cover, and in the next (and last) issue, the colors are reversed.
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Saturday, December 28, 2024

Space Heroine Saturdays ALICE "Flying Saucers"

I always wondered what happens when someone takes the concept of "flying saucers" literally...
...as the amazing Dave Berg did in this Allen Anderson cover-featured tale from Ziff-Davis' Alice #11 (1953)!
And, yes, this strip is about an updated version of Lewis Carroll's Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass!
Not quite the sort of "flying saucers" we usually present, eh?
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Friday, February 12, 2021

Friday Fun AMAZING ADVENTURES "Adonis 2-PX-89"

This week's Valentine's Day-oriented entry is a weird combo of sci-fi and humor...
Art by Allen Anderson
...which was probably written by the man who created the Clark Kent/Superman/Lois Lane love/hate triangle...
This cover story from Ziff-Davis' Amazing Adventures #4 (1951) was illustrated by Henry Sharp who, during his decade in comics, illustrated only sci-fi or war stories!
Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel was the editor of the Ziff-Davis comics line, and wrote many of the stories that appeared in it, so it's not unreasonable to assume this tale, which contains many plot aspects common to those tales of Superman and Lois Lane, was scripted by the same writer!
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Friday, February 14, 2020

Friday Fun WEIRD THRILLERS "Princess of the Sea"

Though the cover may not look like it, this is a love story...
Art by Allen Anderson
...so it's a perfect post for Valentine's Day, 2020!
Well, it sure ain't Little Mermaid, or even Splash!
Penciled by Dan Barry and inked by Frank Giacoia, the writer of this tale of love beneath the waves from Ziff-Davis' Weird Thrillers #3 (1952) is, sadly, unknown.
Note: when the story was reprinted in the Eclipse one-shot anthology Weird Romance (1988), it was again featured on the cover...
...also by an artist named "Anderson", but in this case it was Brent (no relation to Allen) Anderson!
Bonus Note: For an earlier reprinting, in St John's Nightmare #13 (1954), a new cover was provided by noted Black artist Matt Baker...
...who was best-known for his "good girl" art, but could handle any genre, including sci-fi and horror, with finesse!
❤︎HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!❤︎
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Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Reading Room WEIRD THRILLERS "Fisherman of Space"

Weird Thrillers was a 1950s sci-fi comic with painted covers...
Art by Allen Anderson
..which helped set the Ziff-Davis comic series apart from others on the newsstands!
All Ziff-Davis comics, no matter the genre, had painted covers, usually by the same artists who did cover art for their large pulp magazine line.
(Avon Comics also used paintings from time-to-time, but not throughout the line, and not on a consistent basis.)
Z-D was a latecomer to the comics business, publishing their first title in 1950 and canceling most titles by the end of 1952, continuing one book, G.I. Joe, until 1957.
During the comic division's brief existence, Z-D published over fifty titles, mostly one-shots and two-issue runs, covering every genre in fiction...except superheroes!
(The closest they came to superheroes were Lars of Mars and Crusader from Mars, both of whom were Martians operating undercover on Earth, and neither lasted past their second issue.)
Weird Thrillers (and it's one-shot predecessor Weird Adventures) ran a total of six issues.
Here's an example of why they lasted longer than most other Z-D titles...
This time-traversing tale from Weird Thrillers #2 (1951) was penciled by Alex Toth and inked by Sy Barry.
The writer is unknown, which is a shame, since it's a decent story with a clever, scientifically-accurate solution.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Monday Madness ALICE "...and the Man Who Made the Weather"

We've come to the end of the 1950s comic book tales of Alice...
...with a story featuring a non-Lewis Carroll character!
Writer-artist Dave Berg kept up the surreal storylines in Ziff-Davis' Alice #11 (1951) all the way to the end of the run!
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