Showing posts with label Planet Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planet Comics. Show all posts

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Space VILLAIN Saturdays QUORAK: SUPER PIRATE "Man Who Stole a World!"

Remember When This Happened 25 Years Ago, in 2000?

No?
Well, I guess we'd better remind you!










OK!
This didn't actually happen in the year 2000!
It did happen...in the pages of Fiction House's Planet Comics #1 (1940), an anthology of space opera series set in the future running from 2000 to 25,000AD!
This particular one was about a mad scientist, since most anthology comics in the early Golden Age, whether they were sci-fi/fantasy, crime, Western, or even super-hero featured an ongoing villain strip with a plucky, stalwart hero and/or heroine thwarting the baddie at every turn!
And though Lt Gary Blake and Joan Perry captured Quorak, he never escaped and threatened the earth again!
The byline on the strip, "Albert Charles", was a Fiction House pen-name.
The company rarely-credited actual creatives on ongoing series (unless one person was both the writer and artist like Dick Briefer or Basil Wolverton), since teams changed members fairly-frequently.
Planet's editors tried several other ongoing villains, the longest-running of which was Mars: God of War who ran for 20 issues until his feature was taken over by Mysta of the Moon, a new heroine who defeated him in his last appearance!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Space Hero Saturdays ROCKETMAN "Venus Afire" / SPURT HAMMOND "Fiery World"

Apparently, People Being Unwilling to Take in Refugees is Not a New Problem!

In fact, it dates back to the 1950s, when this tale was published...or an unspecified future, where this story is set!




This tale from Ajax/Farrell's Rocketman #1 (1952) ignores some basic science, like the fact that the homeless Venusians would have to pass Earth's orbit to get to Mars!
Perhaps that's because this story originally-appeared a dozen years earlier, when science in comic books was at a somewhat more primitive state!
And, please, no jokes about the lead character's name...






When this tale, part of an ongoing Spurt Hammond series (which ran in Planet Comics from #1 to #12), appeared in Fiction House's Planet Comics #8 (1940), the artist was identified through Fiction House records as Henry Kiefer.
But as for who modified the art at the Iger Studios for re-use in Rocketman, we have no idea!
In addition, the other three Rocketman stories were modified and re-used from earlier Iger Studio-provided art for other features...and other publishers!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Space Heroine Saturdays / Baker Reading Room MYSTA OF THE MOON "Prison Break on Paladnor!"

The February Matt Baker Posts have been Space-Oriented...

...but our final one goes full-on SPACE OPERA...starring a beautiful woman as the protagonist!
Surprise!






Though he didn't create Mysta of the Moon, Matt Baker demonstrates a wonderful "feel" for the character!
Makes me wish he had a chance to do more stuff for Planet Comics!
This tale from Fiction House's Planet Comics #58 (1949), was the first of two consecutive stories he penciled, inked by long-time associate Ray Osrin.
The script was by ongoing series writer Ross Galun.

Support Atomic Kommie Comicss
Visit Amazon and Order...
Matt Baker

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Space Hero Saturdays PLANET COMICS "Buzz Crandall of the Space Patrol in 'I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!' "

This strip started out as a typical Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers clone...
...but when eccentric (to put it mildly) writer/artist Fletcher Hanks took over as of Buzz's second appearance in Fiction House's Planet Comics #7 (1940)...well, let the apocalyptic craziness begin!
Just another Tuesday for Buzz Crandall, who, despite the "Space Patrol" in the title, seems to run a two-person operation with only his girlfriend to aid him!
Like the tales of Fletcher's other Space Hero, Fantastic Comics' Space Smith, these stories played with the fact that there werem't any "rules" to follow and took the concept of "anything goes" to dizzying levels!
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy..

Saturday, January 20, 2024

Space Heroine Saturdays GALE ALLEN OF THE WOMEN"S SPACE BATTALION/GIRL'S PATROL/GIRL PATROL

Ever see spaceships with...propellers???

Well, here they are, in the premiere appearance of one of the longest-running Space Heroine strips of the Golden Age!
Gale Allen's introductory tale (by currently-unknown creatives) from Fiction House's Planet Comics #4 (1940) sets the series in an unspecified future where interplanetary travel is accomplished by spaceships with wings and propellers!
My impression is that it was conceived as a "day after tomorrow" war strip, but was re-scripted as a futuristic sci-fi series...without modifying the art to match the script!
Oddly, Fiction House's Planet Comics #5 (1940), with art by Bob Powell, revamps the vehicles to look like spaceships, but turns the strip Earthbound, as an alien invasion force with a foothold in Europe and Africa attempts to conquer the rest of Terra...in the year 1990!
You'll also note an alteration in the second tale of the "balance of power" between the sexes, as a suddenly-competent Jeff Allen rescues Gale!
The next story, in Fiction House's Planet Comics #6 (1940), also illustrated by Bob Powell, ignores the fact the aliens still have the female pilots hostage...
With Blaga Daru (temporarily) imprisoned, the series will take yet another turn, as you'll see in a near-future post!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy...
(Including Gale Allen!)
Paid Link