Reading Room 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY "Vira the She-Demon" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

In the prehistoric past, a lone woman, Vira, is granted skills and knowledge by the mysterious Monolith which she uses to manipulate the hostile and less-intelligent men around her to keep herself alive, manipulating their supersitious fears by appearing to be a supernatural being.
Transitioning to the post-2001 world, we encounter astronaut Vera Gentry, assigned to a lonely outpost...

As in the movie and previous issue, the protaganist is "transitioned" to a higher life-form

But what happens when the subject doesn't become a "new seed"...you'll find out next Friday!

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Simon & Kirby Library

Science Fiction

Happy 100th, Jack Kirby!

To celebrate his centennial, here's a Kirby piece that's never been reprinted in color!

Appearing in the September, 1966 issue of Esquire magazine...this art was later reused, in pieces, as clip art for various projects including MarvelMania publications.

The Spider-Man was retouched by John Romita to keep him "on-model".

The art (probably photostats) was hand-colored with Dr Martins dyes used for decades by comics colorists for their color guides.

Inking on this spread looks like Joe Sinnott. (The Thing is a dead-giveaway. Nobody inked him like Sinnott!)

These two pages were b/w in the original publication, though the art was probably provided in color.

(In b/w publishing, blues and greens print as light gray, reds and oranges print as dark gray.)

Note the unusual, never-seen-again leg-webbing above on Spider-Man!

The inking on these two pages looks, to my eye, like Frank Giacoia.

Wonder who has the originals?

Are they in the Esquire art archives, or were they returned to Marvel?

On a side note: the best way to appreciate Jack Kirby the creative person is to read/hear his own words.
For those who want to understand Kirby the man, a fairly-complete list of interviews with The King thanks to the Kirby Museum...HERE!

LONG LIVE THE KING!

The REAL Fantastic Four!

Word is the new Fantastic Four flick is crap...

...so let's look at one of the more successful media adaptations...

Adapted from Marvel's Fantastic Four #126 (1972), this Roy Thomas-written, John Buscema/Joe Sinnott-illustrated tale beautifully-expanded on the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby story!

The voices are a fascinating group.

Johnny Storm/Human Torch (and Narrator) was Peter Fernandez (Speed Racer himself).

Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic sounds like Les Tremayne (Mentor on the SHAZAM! TV series) who started out on dramatic radio in the late 1940s!
Enjoy the REAL Fantastic Four!

Reading Room FANTASY MASTERPIECES "I Became a Human Robot"

"Employing a style that combines decorative embellishment with crisp, clear, no-nonsense storytelling..."

"...this talented artisan (Joe Sinnott) has long been one of the most durable and dependable of illustrators." --Stan Lee

Note: this story was originally presented in Tales of Suspense #5 (1959), not Suspense, which was a 1940s-1950s Atlas comic based on the popular radio and TV anthology series of the same name!

In terms of the story itself, how did the scientists know the button on the robot's head would turn it on/off?

And, more importantly, why did the aliens put it there when they built the automaton?

Why not somewhere a little less obvious?

Since the writer is unknown, there's no way to ask him/her.

Joe Sinnott is best-known to Marvel fans as one of the slickest inkers ever, making great pencils look amazing, and salavaging mediocre pencils with his slick style.

Oddly, almost all his Silver Age pencil work was for other companies like Gold Key and Charlton, on licensed titles like 12 O'Clock High, religious-themed stories for Treasure Chest, and romance books, usually inked by Vince Colletta, who obliterated much of the detail work!

BTW, unlike the other Fantasy Masterpieces tales we've presented, this one was reprinted fairly recently, in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales of Suspense #1 (2006)

Tomorrow, another Silver Age stalwart shows us "how it's done".

50 Years Ago...FANTASY MASTERPIECES!

Face Front, True Believer...

Beginning tomorrow, and for the rest of the week, we'll be presenting the tantalizing tales Smilin' Stan described lurking behind this colorful cover 50 years ago.
(And dig those MadMan-era threads!)

The anthology proved popular enough to keep going for several years, adding Golden Age superhero reprints, and, eventually, becoming a launch platform for both Captain Marvel (The third one, aka Captain Mar-Vell of the Kree) and the Guardians of the Galaxy!

But it was these sci-fi tales by the guys who were doing the Marvel super-heroes, that grabbed my attention!

(Not to mention the sheer chutzpah and showmanship of Stan the Man, linking the tales to the artists who were already becoming the first nerd culture celebrities!)

Be here tomorrow to discover (or re-discover) the magic!

Reading Room: JOHN F KENNEDY "From Triumph to Tragedy"

When Last We Left the President of the United States...

Cover for the comic we've been re-presenting this week

...his term in the Highest Office in the Land had been tumultuous, including a barely-avoided nuclear conflict.

But the worst was yet to come...

Tomorrow:

Death of the Assassin!

by Jack (King) Kirby

This 1964 one-shot from Dell Comics appeared on newsstands about six months after Kennedy's death and was one of the first comics to go thru multiple printings!

Written by Paul S Newman (no, not the actor), penciled by John Tartaglione (with assists by Joe Sinnott) and inked by Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin.

And now a word from our sponsor (us)...

Visit our Design of the Week shop featuring...

...kool kollectibles with the cover art from this HTF comic book featuring Kennedy's most famous quote; "Ask not what your country can do for you..." (You know the rest.) for this week ONLY!

Reading Room: JOHN F KENNEDY "The Highest Office in the Land"

We Have Already Seen...

...John F Kennedy entered politics without any experience and won a seat in the US Congress in his very first election!

Serving first in the House, and then the Senate, he aspired to the highest position any American can hold...President!

But he faced a major hurdle...the fact he was a Roman Catholic in a country that had previously only had Protestants as Presidents, and many believed a Catholic as President would prioritize the Pope's wishes and Vatican dictates over America's needs.

Kennedy emphasized that he believed in the division of Church and State and that he would always do what was best for the USA, first and foremost...

Tomorrow:

From Triumph to Tragedy!

This 1964 one-shot from Dell Comics appeared on newsstands about six months after Kennedy's death and was one of the first comics to go thru multiple printings!

Written by Paul S Newman (no, not the actor), penciled by John Tartaglione (with assists by Joe Sinnott) and inked by Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin.

And now a word from our sponsor (us)...

Visit our Design of the Week shop featuring...

...kool kollectibles with the cover art from this HTF comic book featuring Kennedy's most famous quote; "Ask not what your country can do for you..." (You know the rest.) for this week ONLY!

Reading Room: JOHN F KENNEDY "From Tragedy to Triumph"

When Last We Left the Man Who Will be President...

...though John Kennedy had survived combat in World War II, his older brother Joe had not been so fortunate, as his aircraft was destroyed.

Now the war is over...

Tomorrow:

The Highest Office in the Land!

This 1964 one-shot from Dell Comics appeared on newsstands about six months after Kennedy's death and was one of the first comics to go thru multiple printings!

Written by Paul S Newman (no, not the actor), penciled by John Tartaglione (with assists by Joe Sinnott) and inked by Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin.

And now a word from our sponsor (us)...

Visit our Design of the Week shop featuring...

...kool kollectibles with the cover art from this HTF comic book featuring Kennedy's most famous quote; "Ask not what your country can do for you..." (You know the rest.) for this week ONLY!

Reading Room: JOHN F KENNEDY "PT-109"

When Last We Left the Future President of the United States...

...uh-oh, better get those life-jackets on, guys!

Tomorrow:

From Tragedy to Triumph!

This 1964 one-shot from Dell Comics appeared on newsstands about six months after Kennedy's death and was one of the first comics to go thru multiple printings!

Written by Paul S Newman (no, not the actor), penciled by John Tartaglione (with assists by Joe Sinnott) and inked by Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin.

And now a word from our sponsor (us)...

Visit our Design of the Week shop featuring...

...kool kollectibles with the cover art from this HTF comic book featuring Kennedy's most famous quote; "Ask not what your country can do for you..." (You know the rest.) for this week ONLY!