Sunday Sports Special LARS OF MARS "Crucial Game"

Even a Martian pretending to be a TV actor playing a Martian reveres the Great American Pastime...

...and won't allow anybody to sully or demean the sport's image...even if it means cheating to do so!

The ends justify the means even if it involves alien manipulation of peoples' minds, eh?
Great lesson for kids!
Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, illustrated by noted DC Comics artist Murphy Anderson, this tale appeared in Ziff-Davis' Lars of Mars #11 (1951), the second (and last issue) of the series!
Considering the moral lessons the series apparently taught, perhaps it was for the best...

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Wednesday Worlds of Wonder MARS "Rebirth" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...actually, this scene occurrs near the end of the story, below.

Paralyzed below the waist as a child, Dr Morgana Trace developed a method to project one's consciousness into a robot body via computer link for limited periods.
With the use of an exo-skeleton to walk, she's able to participate in a mission to Mars to supervise a team trained to use her robots on the planet's surface for construction and other tasks.
But when political problems on Earth get out-of-hand while the craft is en-route, the ship's crew and passengers face a critical choice...

There was a text feature at the end of this issue with some fascinating background about the series and characters...

The Saga Continues, Next Month!
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Wednesday Worlds of Wonder MARS "Rebirth" Part 1

From Tragedy Can Come Greatness...

...as paraplegic genius Dr Morgana Trace demonstrates in this unjustly-forgotten series, set in the future, from over four decades ago!

And on that ominous note, we take our leave until

NEXT WEDNESDAY!

Written and illustrated by Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, First Comics' Mars #1 (1984) is a fast-paced start into the tale with several twists you won't see coming!

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Reading Room (and Bonus Video) STAR*REACH "Why Viking Lander/Mars?" by Ray Bradbury

A very kool, never-reprinted adaptation of a Ray Bradbury poem...

...first performed by the legendary author at the 1976 San Diego Comic-Con the week after the Viking probe landed on Mars!
Sadly, there's no extant video or audio recording of the event, but we did find a more recent reading by Robert Picardo ("The Doctor" on Star Trek: Voyager)

AFAIK, the poem's never been reprinted in any of the Bradbury anthologies, or anywhere else, for that matter!

It's only appearance was in Star*Reach #6 (1976), illustrated with absolutely beautiful art by Alex Nino!

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Space Hero Saturdays LARS OF MARS "Secret Origin"

What if 1950s sci-fi shows like Captain Video or Space Patrol were real?

 Or if the aliens shown on the screen were real aliens?
And what if the alien was the Space Hero???

As you've just read, that was the premise of the short-lived (two issues) Ziff-Davis series Lars of Mars!

Created by Jerry (Superman) Siegel and Murphy (Buck Rogers) Anderson, this premiere story from the first issue of his own title (which, oddly enough,  was #10!) established the somewhat-silly premise.

During his run, Lars battled Commies, crooks, and other interplanetary aliens while protecting his "secret identity" from his nosy producer (who bore a disturbing resemblance to Lois Lane).

You'll be seeing all of Lars' stories here (including his final tale from the 1980s (in 3-D, no less) in the future.

Watch for them!

Trivia:

The cover paintings for both issues of Lars of Mars were painted by Allen Anderson...who was not related to interior artist Murphy Anderson!

Here's a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon"-style factoid (done in only four degrees)...

• 1) Ziff-Davis also published a short-lived adaptation of an actual 1950s sci-fi tv series, Space Patrol, illustrated by Bernie Krigstein.
• 2) Krigstein illustrated the first issue of another Ziff-Davis sci-fi series: Space Busters!
• 3) Bernie was replaced on interior art for the second (and final) issue of Space Busters by...Murphy Anderson!
• 4) Allen Anderson did the painted cover for the Space Busters issue (#2) illustrated by Murphy! (Norm Saunders had painted #1's cover!)
  
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Holiday Reading Room MARVEL TALES "Man Without Fear"

"What holiday?"

Why, Halloween, of course!

Or...is it!

Is this never-reprinted story by writer Carl Wessler and artist Joe Sinnott from Atlas' Marvel Tales #140 (1955) a Halloween treat...or trick?

You tell us, kiddo!