Reading Room BLACK CAT MYSTIC "MysteryVision!"

Here's a tale that could've inspired the movie They Live! as well as several Twilight Zone eps...

...plus it has a rather unique aspect we'll explain at the conclusion...

"We take our leave of Herman Scudder, who discovered that "reading" people can be as easy as reading an eye-chart...in the Twilight Zone..."

(Sorry, instinctively channeled Rod Serling for a moment...)

Pencils and inks for this never-reprinted story from Harvey's Black Cat Mystic #57 (1956) are by Jack Kirby, who rarely inked his own work since editors felt his time was better-spent penciling at a rate of up to four pages per day!

(Yes, I said per day!)

Probably written by either Kirby himself, or studio co-owner/creative partner Joe Simon.

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Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio

featuring images shot directly from the original art!

Reading Room CAPTAIN 3-D "Man From the World of 'D'" IN COLOR!

You won't need a pair of red/blue 3-D glasses to read this version of...

...as presented in the hardcover anthology Simon & Kirby SuperHeroes from Titan Books, restored from scans of both the original art and first-generation photostats used in the original book's production in 1953.

...and here's the original text intro to the character...

(For this you will need 3-D glasses.)

BTW, if you want to see the original 3-D version of this tale, click HERE!

Script by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Art by Jack Kirby (pencils) and Joe Simon, Mort Meskin and Steve Ditko (inks).
Taking comic book line art and modifying it to produce a 3-D effect with red and blue colored art was technically simple, so almost every company attempted at least one 3-D book between 1952-55.
Most were 3-D versions of existing comics including Superman, Batman, Tales from the Crypt, even Katy Keene.
However, Captain 3-D was the Simon & Kirby team's attempt to jump on the 3-D bandwagon with NEW material.
As you've just read, Captain 3-D had both a cool premise and nice set-up, playing up the use of glasses to both empower the hero and perceive villains. (The John Carpenter movie They Live! used a similar gimmick)
Unfortunately, a legal battle involving the 3-D process all but killed the financial viability of producing 3-D books, and, though material was already finished, there was never a second issue of Captain 3-D!

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Simon & Kirby Superheroes 

Reading Room BLACK CAT MYSTIC "A Weemer is the Best of All!"

"Whimsical" is not a word you usually associate with Jack (King) Kirby...

...but in this case, it's perfectly appropriate!

Though Jack Kirby both penciled and inked (a rare occurrence) this tale from Harvey's Black Cat Mystic #59 (1957), the identity of who wrote it is unknown, but it's probably Kirby himself or ex-partner Joe Simon who was the editor of the book at Harvey Comics!

BTW, Black Cat Mystic, despite the title, was a science-fiction, not horror, comic!

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BLACK CAT MYSTIC "Woman Who Discovered America 67 Years Before Columbus!"

From Harvey's Black Cat Mystic #60 (1957)...

...comes a Joe Simon/Jack Kirby tale that may have been created for Simon & Kirby's Strange World of Your Dreams, but not used until years later!

Prize's Strange World of your Dreams only ran for four issues.

Several stories planned for the fifth issue ran in Prize's Black Magic after SWoYD was cancelled.

But S&K left Prize and took any unused material with them, so this could be another tale meant for SWoYD #5!

BTW, I was unable to find any record of an actual Marina Dorotea De Vargas, so it's safe to presume this is an entirely-fictional tale.
And, yes, Columbus Day is tomorrow.
But, we have an ongoing Monday feature we couldn't interrupt 

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Strange World of Your Dreams

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Space Hero Saturdays COSMIC CARSON "Iako's Attack!"

This totally-inaccurate cover from Fox's Science Comics #4 (1940) by Joe Simon...

...featuring characters who never appear in the strip (except for the hero) marks Cosmic Carson's only cover appearance ever!

Ah, but it's who's on the inside that counts...and for this issue, it's Jack (King) Kirby, who penciled and inked this story!

("Michel Griffith" was a Fox Comics pen-name that anybody who wrote or drew this strip used!)

Though this Cosmic Carson tale from Fox's Science Comics #4 (1940) ends on a cliffhanger, the story in the next issue neither resolves nor even mentions it, or the current plotline and characters!
Not surprising, since Kirby had been moved to other strips in the next month's production cycle.
Cosmic Carson, in and of itself, was one of the worst, most inconsistent, poorly-plotted and illustrated strips (with this one exception) in the history of comic books.
(And that's saying a lot!)
So enjoy this appearance, since it's the only one Cosmic Carson will make in any RetroBlog!

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St Patrick's (Sun)Day! BLACK MAGIC "Nasty Little Man!"

We've run several posts involving leprechauns on St Paddy's Day...

...but never one quite like this Simon and Kirby classic!

Written and illustrated by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (though who did which at any given point in the story is up to debate, since they both could do everything except lettering), this story from Prize's Black Magic V2N12 (1952) is one of the most reprinted tales from the legendary horror comics anthology!

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Kirby Reading Room BLACK MAGIC "Slaughter-House!!"

If Republicans think finding employment is difficult now (hint: it isn't) ...

...imagine what it'd be like when your boss is a tentacled invading alien (which some Repugs believe Democrats actually are)!

This tale of interstellar labor relations from Prize Comics' Black Magic #31 (1954) was illustrated by the legendary duo of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, though who penciled what and who inked what has been disputed by aficionados.

Personally, I think Kirby penciled and Simon inked.

As to who wrote it, since both Simon & Kirby co-edited the book, it's more than likely they both scripted it.

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