Wednesday Worlds of Wonder BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR "Forest of Peril!"

When Last We Left Our Hero...

...wait..."Lt James Farnsworth"?

Tangor's original name was never mentioned in either of the short stories that made up Beyond the Farthest Star!

Well, since we've already diverged from the source material, let's see where this leads...

Murphy Anderson takes over the art duties on the series with this never-reprinted installment from DC's Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle #217 (1973).

The question is...who scripted it?
Various sources attribute either Marv Wolfman or Denny O'Neil, with no definitive answer available. 

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Beyond the Farthest Star

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR "Test Pilot"

We Have Already Seen...

...note that, at this point, the story has diverged from the novel.

Howard Chaykin assumes this art duties for this issue, continuing the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' only "hard sci-fi" story (as compared to the "scientific romances" of John Carter and Carson of Venus) with this fast-paced, never-reprinted installment from DC's Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle #216 (1973).
The question is...who scripted it?
Various sources attribute either Marv Wolfman or Denny O'Neil, with no definitive answer available.

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Beyond the Farthest Star

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Friday Fun is HERE This Summer!

Whenever possible, I try to run at least one ongoing weekly feature.

Art by Larry Hama, Paul Kirchner, Stu Schwartzberg, Wally Wood

This summer it'll be Friday Fun featuring Big Apple Comix!

It was an underground comic anthology produced in 1975 featuring an incredible range of NYC-based comics talent (including many DC and Marvel contributors, all paying tribute to the city "so nice, they named it twice!"

The book was sold in head shops, porn shops, and other off-the-beaten track venues in NYC, SF, and other cities where there was a major counter-cultural presence. 

(The first comic book shops were just starting up, and some didn't want to carry "adult" material.)

As Denny O'Neil explains...

Art by Denny O'Neil

...Flo, BTW, was Stan Lee's right-hand woman at Marvel during the Silver Age of Comics, and she had both the publishing experience and the contacts to put together this one-of-a-kind project!

The best part is...none of the material in this 40+ year old book has ever been reprinted, so, for a lot of you, it'll be a look at work by some of your favorites that you've never seen before!

For the record, we ran one of the stories several years ago. You can see it HERE.

Be here next Friday for...FUN!

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the HTF Comic Classic...

Big Apple Comix

Best of Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "Tale About Time: There Shall Be an Ending!"

When Last We Left Our Hero...

Art by Pat Boyette (left) and Jim Aparo (right)

...reporter Paul Mann is plucked from 1967 by the Esroms, peaceful humans from the year 4000 AD who travel in time machine/spacecraft that are mistaken for "flying saucers".

Mann and the Esroms pursue the Honjnosians (evil humans also from 4000 AD) to the time before the Big Bang when Paul falls out of the ship into the ether of the pre-universe...

You'll note the use of the "breaking the fouth wall" storytelling technique with Mann addressing the reader in several panels, (with one panel of other characters thinking Paul's a bit looney).
Denny O'Neil using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom scripted this conclusion to the book-length tale from Space Adventures #2 (1968).
The art is by the highly-underrated Pat Boyette with what looks like minor redrawing by Jim Aparo in several panels featuring Paul Mann to maintain visual continuity.
Sadly, there were no further adventures of Mann and the men from 4000 AD...

Best of Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "Tale About Time: Race to the End of Time"

We have Already Seen...

...actually, the characters are handling the plot synopsis shtick pretty well, so I'll just let them explain...

Not to be negative (ouch), but things aren't looking good for Paul Mann.

If you want to see how he escapes from the edge of Time and Space, be here tomorrow!

Denny O'Neil (using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom) scripted this "part 2 of 3" in Space Adventures #2 (1968).

The amazing art is by none other than Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange!

At this point, Ditko had left Marvel and was freelancing for Charlton, Tower, ACG, and Warren, working in every genre imaginable, producing some of the best work of his career, much of which has, sadly, not been reprinted!

Best of Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "Tale About Time: The Quest Begins"

Remember the phrase "Everything you think you know is wrong!"...

...because this sequel to the three-parter we just ran HERE, HERE, and HERE will define the concept!

The questions continue to pile up, and one of the most famous artists of the Silver Age takes over the storytelling....tomorrow!

(Not that Jim Aparo was any slouch, but this guy is known even outside comics!)

This sequel to the story from Space Adventures #60 (1967) was by the first story's scripter, Denny O'Neil using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom, and appeared almost a year later in Space Adventures #2 (1968).

No, that's not a typo.

This is "Volume 2" of Space Adventures, which had been cancelled the year before with #60!

However, while this is Vol 2, #2, it's the first issue of the revival since there was no Vol 2 #1!

Geez, the time travel paradoxes in this story are easier to explain than comic book numbering!

Best of Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "U.F.O.: Secret of the Saucer"

Rural reporter Paul Mann had heard many stories about locals seeing flying saucers...

...now he's encountered an alien who saved him (and the town) from a biolgical weapon stolen by a Communist spy.

Now,  Mann is taken into the flying saucer where he's about to (as we said in the 60s) "blow his mind"...

The finale of this book-length tale from Charlton's Space Adventures #60 (1967) was deliberately left open-ended.
A sequel, also using the artist "round-robin" concept, and also written by Denny O'Neil using his "Sergius O'Shaughnessy" pseudonom, appeared almost a year later.
Luckily for you, it'll be here tomorrow!
The art for this chapter was by up-and-comer Jim Aparo, who started at Charlton and went to DC when editor Dick Giordano moved there and offered him, Pat Boyette, Steve Ditko, and writers Denny O'Neil and Steve Skeates work after Charlton cancelled all their super hero and adventure/sci-fi titles in 1968!

Aparo became DC's primary Batman artist during the 70s and 80s as well as handling other series like Aquaman and Phantom Stranger.