Space Heroine Saturdays TARA "Key of the Cuchin Van!"

We continue the space-spanning saga of Tara, Queen of the Space Pirates 

...with this tale from Nedor's Wonder Comics #18 (1948).

The Grand Comics DataBase lists Gene Fawcette, who did the previous stories, as the penciler/inker, but it looks like fellow Wonder Comics artist George Roussos, who used a more standardized layout and looser inking style.
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Tara: Queen of the Space Pirates™

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Reading Room ADVENTURE COMICS "These are the Star Men"

Here's a never-reprinted space opera saga from a surprising Bronze Age source...

...a cautionary tale about taking what's not yours!

The Bronze Age run of DC's Adventure Comics began by moving the long-running Legion of Super-Heroes feature to back-up Action Comics, while Action's back-up Supergirl, was moved to take over Adventure.

When Adventure's page count (along with all DC titles) went up as the line's price increased from 15 to 25 cents in 1971, the book featured a variety of back-ups including Zatanna, classic Supergirl reprints, and inventory sci-fi tales by noted artists.

This particular one is from Adventure Comics #420 (1972), written and pencilled by Howard Purcell, an artist/writer whose work on over 600 stories and covers spanned the Golden and Silver Ages, and inked by George Roussos.

My impression is that this was a "pilot" for an ongoing These are the Star Men anthology strip, since the title really doesn't relate to the particular story, and the opening caption states "This is Con Rikon's story...", indicating it would be one of many such tales.

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Showcase presents Strange Adventures Volume 1

Showcase presents Strange Adventures Volume 2

Monday Madness / Halloween Horror THE SPECTRE "Footsteps of Disaster"

Return with us to the Swinging Sixties...

...when one of DC's most powerful characters was reduced to being a CryptKeeper-type host for PG-rated tales of "horror" as shown HERE...

Scripted by Mike Friedrich, penciled by Jerry Grandenetti, and inked by George Roussos, this intro to the final issue of the Ghostly Guardian's Silver Age series (#10 from 1970) is a combination of Golden Age and Silver Age talents quite common during the era.

Friedrich was one of the second wave of fans-turned pros, which also included Berni Wrightson, Jim Starlin, Rich Buckler, Mike Ploog, and Steve Englehart.
He founded Star*Reach, initially a publisher of creator-owned projects, which evolved into an agency packaging stories for various publishers.

Both Grandinetti and Roussos were Golden Agers who stayed in the comics field literally until the day they died, thanks to their unique storytelling and technical skills.

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Showcase Presents

The Spectre
(which reprints this tale...but in black-and-white!)

CoronaVirus Comics UNSEEN "Eerie Glen"

No, it's not about a weird guy named "Glen"...

...but, according to dictionaries, a Scottish/English term meaning "valley with gentle slopes"!

In truth, it seems more like a swamp than a glen, which tends to be open and grassy!

This never-reprinted tale from Standard Comics' Unseen #6 (1952) is typical of the "Oops! I'm dead!" twist-ending story, but because of the reason for the demise (a fever from an unspecified disease), we felt it appropriate for CoronaVirus Comics.

Artist George Roussos worked for for half a century in comic (1940s to the 1990s) as a penciler, colorist, and, most notably, a fast, clean and efficient inker (one of the few who could keep up with speed-demon penciler Jack Kirby)!

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Ten-Cent Plague

Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America

Reading Room CRUSADER FROM MARS COMICS "Tower of Jacob Dis"

What if someone discovered the Ultimate Power?

Would he use it for good...or evil?

This tale, unseen for over 65 years, holds one possible answer!

Underrated artist George Roussos and an unknown writer told this story which appeared as filler in the back of Ziff-Davis' Crusader from Mars #1 (1952).

If this tale was created today, Jacob would be seen as almost idiotically-idealistic, and his wife as a pragmatic realist.

Sad, isn't it!

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Pre-Code Classics

Lars of Mars / Crusader from Mars / Eerie Adventures

Title

Reading Room TALES OF SUSPENSE "Creature from the Black Bog!"

Is this guy a "Kirby Kreature"?

Art by Francesco Francavilla

Read the story and judge for yourself!

While it's clear that Steve Ditko penciled and inked this Stan Lee-scripted tale from Atlas' Tales of Suspense #23 (1961), did he design the Creature?

It's unknown if the moody cover by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko predates the interior art.

But considering the differences in facial detail, I'd say it was done first, which would make this monster a Kirby Kreature!

The George Roussos version from Marvel's Monsters on the Prowl #19 (1972) follows the Ditko design pretty closely, but shows the elderly couple as teenagers/young adults!

Monsters Unleashed looks like a lot of fun, so get it at your local comic shop...NOW!

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Monsters Unleashed: Prelude
(which, sadly, doesn't include the Creature from the Bog's premiere appearance!)

Reading Room WORLD OF SUSPENSE "Brain Trap"

We conclude our look at Atlas' World of Suspense #5 (1956) with...

...a tale of brains, business, and betrayal!

And so, the world had to wait, until the mind-reading side-effects were filtered out, for Rogaine...

This never-reprinted, story was illustrated by George Roussos, but the writer is, mercifully, unknown.

BTW, there's one more tale in the issue, but since it's a Cold War spy story, it'll appear in our brother RetroBlog Crime & Punishment next week!