Reading Room: SPACE ADVENTURES "Lunar Rendezvous"

A 1950s-style script with art that tries to offer a 1960s "psychedelic" feel...

...in this never-reprinted tale from Charlton's Space Adventures V2#6 (1969)

Sam Glanzman was an amazingly-versatile artist, whose work in every genre from sci-fi to war to romance to Westerns was usually exemplary.

Whether this was a rush job...or he was experimenting with a new inking style...or he simply had an off-week, it's just not up to his usual high standards.

BTW, you may notice the indicia says "Vol 1 Number 6", but the book is actually from Vol 2 Number 6!

Charlton's first Space Adventures title ran from 1952-56 (1-21), then 1958-64 (23-59) for a total of 58 issues.
(There wasn't a #22 in either part of the run).

This tale was from a 1968-69 revival of the title that lasted only 7 issues.

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Voyage to the Deep

TPB reprinting the complete four-issue 1960s series illustrated by Sam Glanzman, plus some kool features!

Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Man Who Could Paint on Air"

With an intriguing cover like this...

...how could I resist running this rarely-seen tale by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko!

This story of artistic alien assassins and poisonous pigments appeared in Charlton's Unusual Tales #7 (1957) during one of Steve Ditko's most prolific periods as he freelanced for several companies including Atlas (later Marvel), Charlton, and St John doing a little in every genre...even romance!

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Creativity of Ditko

Reading Room OUT OF THIS WORLD "Secret of Capt X"

Here's an "out of this world" tale illustrated by Steve Ditko...

...that, for the life of me, I still don't understand, even after re-reading it several times!

What the hell just happened?

This lovely Ditko-rendered story from Charlton's Out of This World #8 (1958) makes no sense!
Why couldn't the Korellans simply leave?
Why were they kidnapping and forcing others to adapt to their planet?
Since they can be moved to another planet with no ill effects, why remain on Korella?
Most experts blame Charlton mainstay Joe Gill for this silly story, but could someone else be responsible?
We'll never know...

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Creativity of Ditko

Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "It's a Small World"

Behind this kool Jim Aparo cover...

...is an equally-kool Steve Ditko-illustrated tale!

BTW, neither has seen the light of day since their intitial publication in Charlton's Space Adventures V2N8 (1969).

Now that's a weird, out-of-left field, ending in a wild tale probably written by Charlton mainstay Joe Gill.

BONUS: the original art for the cover...

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Art of Ditko

...which reprints many Ditko short stories...but not this one!

Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES "Long Patrol"

Here's a never-reprinted Silver Age tale...

...that has a definite Golden Age "look" and "feel" to it!

Written by Joe Gill, penciled by Charles Nicholas, and inked by Vince Colletta, this story from Charlton's Space Adventures V2N6 (1969) feels like it's been edited down from a longer version.

Things happen almost arbitrarily, like the astronauts' home base knowing they've been mind-controlled by aliens, or the crewmen being deliberately-incapacitated by equipment on board we (and probably they) knew nothing about!

It's an interesting, but unsatisfying, tale...a rarity from Charlton.

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Taylor Illustrated History

Science Fiction Comics 

Reading Room SPACE WARS "Strange World"

A never-reprinted short story that could've been produced as an episode of the original Twilight Zone...

...from Charlton's Space War #22 (1963).

Was this a longer tale edited down to only three pages?

It certainly feels like it, since there are many unanswered questions like...

If these people are Tibetan, why are they dressed like the Flintstones...and why do they speak English?
How would they know anything about the Earth-Uranus War?
And why is it we have no idea how only Heffner survived?
Pencils by Dick Giordano, inks by Vince Colletta.
The writer is unknown, but the Grand Comics Database postulates Joe Gill as the most likely candidate.

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Taylor History of Comics: Volume 3
Science Fiction Comics

Monday Mars Madness UNUSUAL TALES "Way Out, Man"

You'd think Dr Strange's creator Steve Ditko would be a bit more sympathetic to the counter-culture...

...but when you consider he was already 34 in 1961 when he drew this story from Charlton's Unusual Tales #29, you might wonder which side of the Generation Gap he really was on!

Remember that, when Ditko was doing the Dr Strange series in Strange Tales, he was turning 40!

This article from England's The Telegraph delves into the fascinating dichotomy between the artist and what his work portrayed.

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Art of Ditko

...which reprints this tale and many other Ditko short stories!