Space Force Saturdays SPACE SQUADRON & SPEED CARTER: SPACEMAN "Famous Explorers of Space" Part 3

Both Atlas' Space Squadron and Speed Carter: SpaceMan had "future history" features...

...covering from the then-present (1950s) to the future (early 2000s) as this tale about the first manned ICBM in 1961 (yes, 1961) demonstrates!

The writer of this tale from Atlas' Space Squadron #3 (1951) is unknown, but the artist is Werner Roth.
The Famous Explorers of Space feature ran in all five issues of Space Squadron and the single issue of Space Worlds that used up material left homeless when Space Squadron was cancelled.

When Speed Carter: SpaceMan came along a couple of years later, writer Hank Chapman ignored everything done in Space Squadron, producing stories that often contradicted "history" established in the earlier series...

In 2004, we reached Venus and Mercury!

Then, in 2007, men reached another planet...

You do remember this stuff, don't you?

It was only a few years ago!

Didn't quite work out that way, did it? 

Damn!

This story from Speed Carter: SpaceMan #3 (1953) references the previous Famous Explorers tales in its' first paragraph, mentioning the explorations of Venus and Mercury.
Written by Hank Chapman, and illustrated by Al Eadeh.

Note: the astronauts in this story, which takes place three generations in the "past" of Speed Carter, have different uniforms and lower-end technology than what's shown in the Speed Carter tales.

Space Squadron also presented "future history tales" about the guy who was young, hotshot Jet Dixon's crusty Commander-in-Chief when he was a young hotshot pilot...

...rocketing thru the Solar System in the 1970s!

(Yes, I said 1970s!)

While the writer for this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Space Squadron #3 (1951) is unknown, the artist should be familiar to Speed Carter: SpaceMan fans...Joe Maneely, Speed's designer/co-creator and primary illustrator for the first half of his run!

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Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr

by Isaac Asimov

(under the pen-name "Paul French") 

Omnibus of ALL Six Space-Opera Sagas!

David Starr: Space Ranger, Pirates of the Asteroids, Oceans of Venus, Big Sun of Mercury, Moons of Jupiter, Rings of Saturn

Space Force Saturdays SPEED CARTER "Space Trap!"

"Wow! That's the second biggest robot I've ever seen!"

But, in the 1950s (or the future as seen from the 1950s), giant robots didn't transform into trucks...

This is the sort of story you wish Joe Maneely had ten pages instead of five to play with to allow a couple more pages of kool robot vs spaceship mayhem.
The series continues to play up the Saturnians as the future's equivalent of the Chinese Communists of the 1950s.
This never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Speed Carter, Spaceman #2 (1953) is written (as are all the Speed Carter stories) by Hank Chapman and illustrated by original artist Joe Maneely.

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Friday Fun SNAFU "Understanding the Atom: Diagram of an Atom Bomb"

Considering Don da Con almost managed to stage a coup and gain total control of the government on Wednesday...

..we thought we'd offer this never-reprinted, easy-to-understand diagram of the weapon he's only one temper tantrum away from launching from #2 (1956) of Atlas/Marvel's short-lived 1950s MAD b/w magazine clone, SNAFU, written by Stan Lee and rendered by Joe Maneely.

Most of you are aware Marvel had a fairly-successful MAD clone in the 1970s-80s called CRAZY, but they also gave it a try back in the 1950s, with a three issue run!

#1

#2

#3

As you can see from the contents page of #2... 

...the incredibly-versatile John Severin and Joe Maneely handled literally all the artwork for the series.
Also, Irving Forbush was their Alfred E Neuman / Sylvester P Smythe-type mascot, whose face was shown constantly.
Later versions of Irv in Not Brand Echh, What Th--?, and other comics didn't show his face, and his "costume" as Forbush-Man included an all-concealing cooking pot with holes in it as a mask!
To date, none of the material from these very hard-to-find issues of Snafu has ever been reprinted, which is a pity, because it's pretty damn good! 

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Unquotable Trump

Sh*t My President Says:

Illustrated Tweets of Donald J Trump

MAD About Trump

A Brilliant Look at Our Brainless President

Space Force Saturdays SPEED CARTER "Who Stole the Sun?"

If you think it's cold now, read about what happens...

...when the sun is hijacked in this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Speed Carter: SpaceMan #2 (1953)!

A "Giant Gravity Magnet" that looks like a big horseshoe magnet?

And, if you destroy the magnet which was towing the Sun (without at least turning it around to head back where it came from), the Sun will continue, unabated, in whatever direction it was going!

With all due respect, Hank and Joe, this was not your finest hour.

The series continues to play up the Saturnians as the future equivalent of the Chinese Communists of the 1950s

Written (as are all the Speed Carter stories) by Hank Chapman and illustrated by Joe Maneely.

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Space Force Saturday SPEED CARTER "Half-Horrors of Hyades!"

We skipped last Saturday to present a tribute to the late, great writer/artist Richard Corben...

...but we're back with a never-reprinted story that gives new meaning to "split personality" from Atlas' Speed Carter: SpaceMan #2 (1953).

This tale takes several cliches, including hero/heroine tied to a buzz-saw and the idea that, since different sides of the brain control different aspects of memory and personality, physically dividing it would result in different personas and mixes them together.

It's an interesting concept, but doesn't quite work.

Written (as are all the Speed Carter stories) by Hank Chapman and illustrated by Joe Maneely.

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Space Force Saturdays SPEED CARTER "BirdMen of Uranus"

The 1950s, when heroic astronauts fought for Truth, Justice, and the American Way...

 ..against the Uranians, who apparently are the space-age counterparts of the Chinese Communists, as least until the end of this lead story from Speed Carter: SpaceMan #2 (1953)!

While physics isn't my strong point, they must still be in the atmosphere, not the vacuum of space, or Kondor's wings wouldn't work!

Written by Hank Chapman, illustrated by Joe Maneely!

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Space Force Saturdays SPEED CARTER: SPACEMAN "Robots' Revenge!"

The 1950s, when heroic astronauts fought for Truth, Justice, and the American Way...

 ..even in their pajamas, as seen in the final story from Speed Carter: SpaceMan #1 (1953)!

The Saturnian wore the Martian ambassador's skin?

Now that's gonna screw up interplanetary diplomatic relations!

Written by Hank Chapman, illustrated by Joe Maneely!

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Reading Room / Halloween Horror SUSPENSE "Raving Maniac"

People blaming pop culture (like movies and video games) for violence and evil in society is nothing new...

...as seen in this over 65-year old short story from Atlas' Suspense #29 (1953)!

Writer/editor Stan Lee is the model for the story's editor.

Though artist Joe Maneely doesn't use Dr Fredric Wertham's likeness for the screaming loon, the character is clearly based on the impression the "good doctor" made on comics industry workers whose livelihood he almost destroyed.

This was the final issue of the pre-Comics Code horror title which, initially, adapted stories from the famous dramatic radio show.

When the similarly-named Tales of Suspense debuted a couple of years later, it was a Code-approved science-fiction/fantasy title until the arrival of superheroes Iron Man and Captain America.

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Ten-Cent Plague

The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America