Here's a Taste of What's Coming This Summer from the RetroBlogs' Summer Blogathons...

...starting with an over-half century old, never-reprinted novel...

...that introduced the Marvel Universe into prose!
Note: neither Quicksilver or the Scarlet Witch appear in the book, though they're referenced, along with Thor, as past members.

The Wasp and Iron Man are the other featured members of the team in this story!

The cover art is by James Bond movie poster artist Robert McGinnis!

Written by long-time pulp/comic book writer Otto Binder (whose credits include Superman and the original Captain Marvel, this never-reprinted tale is a rolicking, fast-paced adventure that would have made a kool flick back in the Swinging 60s!

Trivia: Binder co-created both Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes!

Though there had been numerous paperback reprints of Marvel comics by Lancer Books, this was the first prose novel...and an original story, not an adaptation of any of the comics tales!
There were three previous comic book prose novels before this...all based on DC characters!
George Lowther's Adventures of Superman (which, technically, was based on the radio show), and Winston Lyons' (William Woolfolk's) Batman vs the Three Villains of Doom (based as much on the tv show as the comic) and Batman vs the Fearsome Foursome (a novelization of the 1966 theatrical movie).

Let's have a look at what the book is about!

Karzz is more an alien Kang the Conquerer than Thanos the Mad Titan, but there are a number of parallels between this and Infinity Wars.

Now, read the intro and first chapter of this lost classic, directly from the printed pages...

The inside cover teaser!

Yes, (Stan the Man) Lee intros the story!

Iron Man does show up at the studio in Chapter Two...after running into Karzz!

Avengers vs the Earth-Wrecker is one of two time-lost novels based on comic books that we'll be running after July 4th!

As for the other book, plus the subjects of the other blogathons we're running, come back next Sunday and we'll fill you in!

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Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker

by Otto Binder
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Monday Mecha Madness GRAPHIC STORY MAGAZINE "Adam Link's Vengeance" Part Two: Vengeance

We Have Already Seen...

...actually, this scene appears later in this chapter!

Robot Adam Link, after realizing Humanity doesn't trust him (despite being innocent of committing the murder of his creator/"father", Dr Charles Link), decides to end his existence.

but another scientist, Dr Paul Hillory, aborts the process.

The scientist agrees to help Adam construct a mate, Eve.

But Dr Hillory isn't acting out of benevolence!

In assisting Adam, the scientist learns how to manipulate and control both the robots!

He then forces Adam to rebuild Eve in a larger, deadlier form...

Despite the downbeat ending, Adam Link continued to help humanity.

The original prose series ran for another seven stories, which were eventually combined into a "fix-up" novel...

Note the Isaac Asimov quote!

Before this particular adaptation, EC Comics attempted an ongoing comic series in Weird Science Fantasy.

Scripted by Otto Binder and illustrated by Joe Orlando, there were three stories directly adapted from the pulp tales; I, Robot in Weird Science Fantasy #27, Trial of Adam Link in Weird Science-Fantasy #28, and Adam Link in Business in Weird Science-Fantasy #29 (all 1955).

The cancellation of the comic due to the Werham-led Seduction of the Innocent anti-comics mania ended the series.

After the novel Adam Link: Robot was published, Binder and Orlando tried again, this time with Warren Publishing in the b/w Creepy magazine!

They re-conceived the three previously-published comics with a re-designed Adam Link, then adapted five more stories (including Adam Link's Vengeance), so,etimes as two-parters, before Warren ended the strip, which ran from Creepy #2 to Creepy #15 in 1966-7.

Both the EC and Warren versions are available in Weird-Science Fantasy and Creepy reprints!

Neither had been reprinted in standalone Adam Link books.

Next Week: the Return of...

Monday Mecha Madness GRAPHIC STORY MAGAZINE "Adam Link's Vengeance" Part One: the Rebirth of Adam Link

Last Time...

...we presented background information on sci-fi's first robot with his own ongoing series!

...and now, we re-present this graphic tale about him, unseen since since 1971.

This was the chapter break during the story's initial publication in Fantasy Illustrated #1 (1963), so we'll pause here until next Monday.

(The tale's original readers had to wait three months to see the conclusion!)

This is from the complete story reprint in Bill Spicer's Graphic Story Magazine #13 (1971).

Publisher/editor Spicer scripted this adaptation of Otto "Eando" Binder's novella, which was illustrated by long time pulp and comic illustrator D Bruce Berry, best known to most current fans for initially-working as Mike Royer's associate inking Jack Kirby's art during the King's 1970s DC period, eventually taking over entirely when Royer's commitments on other projects forced him to give up working on Kirby's material for a while.
There's a fascinating article about Berry at The Comic Journal HERE!

Monday Mecha Madness ADAM LINK!

This Requires a Little Explanation/Background...

Introduced in Ziff-Davis' sci-fi anthology Amazing Stories (1939), Adam Link was the first ongoing series about a sentient robot!

Though credited to "Eando Binder" (a pen-name used by author brothers Earl and Otto Binder when they worked together), the Adam Link stories were entirely Otto's work!
Adam was no soulless automaton!
From his introduction onward (and Binder used the title "I, Robor" before Isaac Asimov) he was on a quest to become as human as possible!
Though created to be totally-logical, he developed emotions!
In fact, after his second story "Trial of Adam Link" where he was accused of killing his creator (scientist Dr Charles Link, not Otto Binder), though found innocent (he was framed)  he decided he couldn't go on living without his "father", and decided to commit suicide.
That's the basis of the third tale, "Adam Link's Vengeance", where another scientist (of the "mad" variety), prevents his untimely death, and plans to use him as a weapon!

That particular story was adapted by writer/editor Bill Spicer and artist D Bruce Berry into a two-part story in Spicer's prozine Fantasy Illustrated in 1965 and reprinted in Spicer's Graphic Story Magazine (under a new Berry cover) in 1971.

You'll be seeing that over the next two Mondays.

The comic story was done shortly after the Adam Link tales were adapted into a fix-up novel combining all the short stories...

Note the Isaac Asimov quote!

BTW, if the name "Otto Binder"sounds familiar to comics fans, that's because he wrote a lot of DC, Quality, Timely, and Fawcett comics in the Golden and Silver Ages, as well co-creating among others, the Legion of Super Heroes, Black Adam, Braniac, Kid Eternity, Krypto, Young Allies, Mary Marvel, Bizarro, and Supergirl!

But, for some, he's best-known as the writer of the first Marvel Comics prose novel...

Bantam's The Avengers vs the Earth-Wrecker!

(Dig the Doc Savage-style logo!)

BTW, We'll be running this long OOP & HTF novel this summer during the annual RetroBlogs Summer Blogathon!

Reading Room TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED / FROM BEYOND THE UNKNOWN "Cartoon That Came to Life"

Here's an off-beat tale...

Art by Nick Cardy

...that made the cover both times it was published!

Art by Bill Ely

...though I have to admit the original cover (above) is a bit dull compared to the reprint's cover (top)

Written by Otto Binder and illustrated by Bill Ely, it's a nicely-done story with one obvious question?

Why is the Martian called a "dragon-man"?

His wings are feathered and look more like a bird's...or even an angel's!

The new art for the cover of the reprint gives him scales and a beak so it's a little more like a dragon, but still...

Was the original concept much more lizard/dragon-looking, but the Comics Code Authority forced DC to "tone it down" to the rather innocuous-looking alien?

Trivia: This story is one of the few to be the cover feature both for its' original publication (Tales of the Unexpected #1 [1956]) and the reprint (From Beyond the Unknown #24 [1970])

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Mysteries in Space

The Best of DC Science Fiction Comics