Showing posts with label Bronze Age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bronze Age. Show all posts

Monday, August 11, 2025

Monday Mecha Madness WORLDS UNKNOWN "Farewell to the Master" Conclusion

Cover art by Rich Buckler & Wayne Howard (with additional art by John Romita Sr)

Reporter Cliff Sutherland and photographer Ann O'Hara may be on to the scoop of the century.

An alien robot, which went inert after Klaatu (the alien humanoid it accompanied) was shot and killed (without provocation) when he tried to initiate contact with people of Earth isn't as unmoving as the US government believes!
The duo conceal themselves nearby, hoping to catch the automaton in motion...which they do!
They witness the robot enter the alien vessel...which sealed up and apparently deactivated after Klaatu was killed.
And now things get really weird...
Cue the Twilight Zone theme...
The original story by Harry Bates appeared in Street and Smith's Astounding Science Fiction V26N2 (1940) with the following illustrations by Frank Kramer...all of which feature Gnut!
"Farewell to the Master" has been reprinted numerous times, usually in anthologies about Astounding Science-Fiction magazine, or compilations of stories which were adapted into films or TV shows.
But the graphic adaptation from Marvel's Worlds Unknown #3 (1973) has never been reprinted, and no other comic book/comic strip version has ever been done!
However, there was another prose adaptation of the short story...

This book, written by Arthur Tofte, published by Scholastic Books in 1976, combined "Farewell to the Master" with the screenplay for the 1951 movie into a new novel which presents Klaatu and a rather verbose Gnut (not "Gort") as a pair of equal partners, representing their respective civilizations within a galactic organization calling themselves "The Watchers"!
Finally, Lux Radio Theatre produced a one-hour radio adaptation in 1954, narrated by Paul Frees and starring Michael Rennie as Klaatu!
Regrettably, it doesn't use Bernard Herrmann's magnificent soundtrack but it's still worth listening to.
You can link to it HERE!
KLATTU BARADA NIKTO!
Which translates to:

Shogun Warriors Return Next Monday!
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(Contains both the 1951 and 2008 versions plus kool extras)
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Monday, August 4, 2025

Monday Mecha Madness WORLDS UNKNOWN "Farewell to the Master" Part 1

You know the story...sorta.

You've seen (and/or heard) the story adapted...sorta.
Now read the most faithful adaptation of the tale...short of the original novelette!








And before you go any further, "Gnut" is pronounced "Nut".

That's one of the reasons it was changed when the story by Harry Bates was adapted in 1951 into a movie...

Aw, you guessed!
As you've surmised, there were quite a few changes made when the silver screen version was created and produced!
And, when writer Roy Thomas, penciler Ross Andru and inker Wayne Howard went back to the source material for the never-reprinted Marvel's Worlds Unknown #3 (1973)...well, let's let Rascally Roy himself tell you about that...

Be here NEXT MONDAY for the ASTOUNDING conclusion...plus some kool extras (which will explain why I capitalized "astounding"!)
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy...
(Contains both the 1951 and 2008 versions plus kool extras)
Paid Link

Friday, July 18, 2025

Friday Fun BLAST! "Ethics" & "I Know Him From Somewhere!"

Over a Month Ago...

We brought you never-reprinted examples of Stan Goldberg's amazing Dan DeCarlo-esque artwork from the short-lived MAD magazine clone BLAST!
Here's the last two we could find!
Note: Richard Nixon had four brothers: Harold, Donald, Arthur, and Edward.
Four of the five Nixon boys were named after historic British kings.
None of his siblings looked like Richard!
Enjoy!

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Friday, July 11, 2025

Friday Fun SUPERMAN GOES PLOP!

From DC's Plop! #5 (1974)...

Easily one of the funniest gags about Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane ever told!

Though the writer of this short is unknown, the art is by long-time DC artist Murphy Anderson!
Trivia: The piece was actually conceived and illustrated as a one-pager, as shown in the original art below!

Note that the original panel six, showing Clark climbing back through the office window is omitted in the final version!
Blue pencil/marker didn't show up under the cameras that were used to shoot line art as film or photostats, so, while it looks a little tacky, it was common practice to mark corrections/alterations using them directly on original art!
(Nobody in those days was concerned about reselling original art to collectors/fans!)
The feature been reprinted twice since Plop!, but only in digest-sized comics, which muddy a lot of the detailed Sergio Aragones background art!

See Superman the Movie!

Friday, May 30, 2025

Friday Fun BLAST "R.O.T.C.NoteBook"

When is Dan DeCarlo Art Not Dan DeCarlo art?

When it's by one of the best DeCarlo imitators in the business...Stan Goldberg!



Written by Nick Cuti and illustrated by the aforementioned Stan Goldberg, this never-reprinted feature from the short-lived MAD Magazine clone G&D Publishing's Blast #1 (1971) featured an awesome assortment of established pros like Goldberg, Bill Everett, Jim Mooney, and Bob Jenney, along with talented up-and-comers like Cuti, Berni Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, and Marv Wolfman!

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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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Star*Reach
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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!