Showing posts with label John Buscema. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Buscema. Show all posts

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Reading Room WORLDS UNKNOWN "Arena" Conclusion

Carson, a space fighter pilot on station at the edge of the solar system intercepts an alien ship, but before he or the intruder can fire, they are both teleported from their ships to a planetoid, where unarmed, they face each other.
A voice explains to the two combatants that they must fight to the death to decide the conflict, thus avoiding the mass destruction to both sides that a full-scale war would cause.
A force field separates the combatants, but they are told they can utilize the materials at hand to create weapons.
The opponents discover they can't pentrate the force field, but inanimate objects can!
They throw rocks at each other, but rocks alone won't provide a victory for either side...or will they?

This extremely-faithful adaptation of Fredric Brown's short story was created by writer Gerry Conway, penciler John Buscema, and inker Dick Giordano.
Be here tomorrow when we take a look at some less-accurate, but far more famous adaptations!

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Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Reading Room WORLDS UNKNOWN "Arena" Part 1

It's the sci-fi novella so nice, TV adapted it twice...
...first on Outer Limits, then, two years later, on Classic Star Trek!
Will human ingenuity, cunning, and strength triumph?
Or will the alien win?
Be here THURSDAY for the answer!
This extremely-faithful adaptation was created by writer Gerry Conway, penciler John Buscema, and inker Dick Giordano.
The Fredric Brown-penned short story it's based on first appeared in Street & Smith's Astounding Science Fiction (June, 1944) pulp magazine.
The tale was voted one of the Top 20 Science Fiction Stories before 1965 by the Science Fiction Writers Association and included in the must-have (if you're a serious sci-fi fan) anthology... 
...which is still in print.
(Note: this is the dust jacket/cover of the hardcover 1st edition, one of the coolest and most effective cover designs ever, IMHO of course, and a proud part of my personal collection!)
You can read the taut tale of terror online HERE.
Feel free to compare to the comic.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Andrew Johnson: the FIRST Impeached President!

With lame-duck President Donald Trump about to be impeached for the second time...
...lets look at how the first President to undergo the ritual was portrayed in comics, starting with this one-pager by writer/artist Joseph Kaliff from Centaur's Wham Comics #1 (1940) which doesn't mention his impeachment!
OTOH, this one-pager by artist John Buscema and an unknown writer from Dell's one-shot Life Stories of American Presidents (1957) tackles it head-on...
....while this half-pager from Our Presidents (1953) doesn't have the space to go into detail...
....unlike this text piece illustrated by Alex Blum and scripted by an unknown author from Classics Illustrated #105 (1953)!
The matter was ignored in the same publisher's Classics Illustrated #162a (1961), illustrated by George Evans...
...though the political conflict behind the impeachment is mentioned!
The impeachment is covered again (briefly) in the same publisher's World Around Us #21 (1960), though only referred to as a "trial"!
Finally, EC's Picture Stories from American History #4 (1947) presents the matter in their feature on the post-Civil War Reconstruction period...
Writer Jerry Coleman and artist Allen Simon cover the impeachment as a sidebar to the main story.
You'll note differing "points of view" in the various versions, much as TV and movie "docu-dramas" tend to differ when retelling the same events.
Which is closest to the truth?
I offer the legendary Encyclopedia Brittanica as an unbiased source on the topic HERE and HERE.
Then judge for yourself...

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder / CoronaVirus Comics CONAN THE BARBARIAN ANNUAL "Bride of the Oculist!" Conclusion

...it's the story of a lovely lady who cheated on her husband (who had developed a lethal pathogen).
One of her many lovers (and the only one who truly loved her) tried to find her...and did so, finding her slain by her husband's disease (which he's also contracted)!
Scripted by Christopher Priest (as "James C Owlsey"), and illustrated by Ernie Chan/Chua (with an assist on layouts by John Buscema), this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Conan the Barbarian Annual #11 (1987) is easily the most "adult" Conan color comic adventure ever!
Note: Marvel didn't introduce their ratings labels (All Ages/Mature/etc) until 2001.
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(and ONLY!)
Featuring issues 1 to 25

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder / CoronaVirus Comics CONAN THE BARBARIAN ANNUAL "Bride of the Oculist!" Part 2

Richel, an oculist relates the tale of Narada (his unfaithful wife), Tolkan (her current lover), Conan, and the malady he, Richel, created that binds them all together...
Hard to believe, but this issue was approved by the Comics Code Authority!
Guess they considered Hyborian Era STDs to be "fantasy"...
Scripted by Christopher Priest (as "James C Owlsey"), and illustrated by Ernie Chan/Chua (with an assist on layouts by John Buscema), this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Conan the Barbarian Annual #11 (1987) is easily the most "adult" Conan color comic adventure ever!
Note: Marvel didn't introduce their ratings labels (All Ages/Mature/etc) until 2001.
Payback's a bitch as you'll see when this story concludes...
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
(and ONLY!)
Featuring issues 1 to 25