Before Ultron...there was Makino!

Who created Ultron?

If you go with the new movie Avengers: Age of Ultron...Tony Stark aka Iron Man. and Bruce Banner aka The Hulk!

If you go with Marvel Comics history...Henry Pym aka Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket/Wasp/etc (Don't ask. It's too long a story...).

In reality, it was writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema in Marvel's Avengers V1 #54 (1967).

But where did Roy come up with the idea?

Well, he "borrowed" it from Captain Video!

Yep!

In #3 of Captain Video's short-lived 1950s title, he faced a robot named Makino who killed his scientist creator and then threatened all mankind!

The story left such an impression on the young Roy Thomas that, almost two decades later, he adapted elements of that story into the long-running saga of Ultron!

Roy explained how it came about in TwoMorrows' Alter Ego #114.

You can read the actual comic story on our "brother" RetroBlog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video HERE and HERE!

Visit Our Other RetroBlogs: Secret Sanctum of Captain Video

Specializing in comic adaptations of tv shows, movies, and dramatic radio shows, Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™ runs material unseen since first publication years and sometimes decades earlier.

Recent posts include...

The Avengers

Conan the Destroyer

Man from U.N.C.L.E.

and both the radio and movie versions of The Shadow!

Check it out!

Before the Dawn...there was the Battle!

Looking over the trailers for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes...

...I was struck by how similar a lot of the concepts were to the classic series' final entry...

...so we're re-presenting the never-reprinted color comics adaptation of Battle of the Planet of the Apes at our brother RetroBlog, Secret Sanctum of Captain Video!

Call Him "Merciless"! Call Him...MING!

As part of the Great Movie Villains Blogathon, We chose to do...

..the guy lovingly-referred to as "Merciless" 

on our "brother" RetroBlog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video...but as a multi-part post, since he appeared in several movie serials (as well a a feature film)!

Part 1 is HERE!

Part 2 is HERE!

Part 3 will be posted Tuesday

Part 4/Conclusion will appear on Wednesday!

Don't miss it.

You'll piss-off Ming, and he ain't called "Merciless" for nothing!

Happy Birthday, Mr Bond! Now Die...

It's Sean Connery's 83rd Birthday...

Inside cover of Showcase #43

...so why not celebrate by visiting our "brother" blog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™ where you can read the never-reprinted DC Comics adaptation of Sean's 007 debut in Doctor No!

Before you say "But, that's a reprint of the Classics Illustrated version available only in England!", I'll point out that numerous changes (which are compared in the blog posts) were made by DC in both text and art!

And, while the Classics Illustrated version has been translated and printed all over the world, the DC version has never been reprinted!

Because Showcase #43 came out months before the movie debuted in America, it sold poorly, and DC didn't exercise their 10-year option to do more James Bond tie-ins!

Ironically, in 1972, DC realized they were about to lose the rights to do 007 comics and considered doing an entire series of one-shot movie adaptations up to, and including, the current film, but Sean Connery's announcement that Diamonds are Forever would be his last film in Bondage (ouch) put the kibosh on those plans!

That's why there were no comic adaptations from Gold Key or Dell (who were doing comics based on every movie and TV show they could get their hands on) during the height of '60s Bond-mania!

Tomorrow, we'll be presenting a two-part tribute to the late Michael Ansara...

...at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™ and Western Comics Adventures™ featuring a never-reprinted comic adaptation of an episode of his breakout TV series, Broken Arrow!

Don't miss it!

The Lone Ranger: Complete Series Box Set at an Incredibly-LOW Price, plus Classic Lone Ranger Movie Blogathon Posts!

See this kool Brand-New box set with every 1950s episode (even the John Hart ones)?

If you look on the net, the cheapest you'll see it for is $129.99!
Want to get it, still in shrink-wrap, for...hold your breath...

...$79.99?

Yes!

$79.99!

Go to Costco!

It's supposed to be $99.99 (which is still a great deal).
But, apparently due to the collapse of the new movie, they're taking an additional $20 off to move it off the shelves!
(I found this out yesterday, when I went shopping at Costco...)
BTW, it's not available through Costco's website, only at the warehouses!
Who would've thought a movie about one of our favorite heroes doing badly at the box office would work to our benefit?

Art by Leroy Neiman

Our contributions to the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon are now up, including...

A look at the Republic Film serials at Hero Histories.

The two feature films starring the TV Ranger and Tonto at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video.
and
The previous cinema flop, 1981's Legend of the Lone Ranger at Western Comics Adventures.

The Lone Ranger

Our contributions to the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon are now up, including...

A look at the Republic Film serials at Hero Histories.

and

The two feature films starring the TV Ranger and Tonto at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video.

Join Us in the Peter Cushing Centennial Blogathon!

To celebrate the 100th birthday of horror cinema legend Peter Cushing, a wild collection of bloggers (including yours truly) are doing a blogathon!

You can see our entries (there'll be a couple) over the next few days at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, where we're covering Cushing's turn as Doctor Who!

Annette Funicello in Comic Books!

We were saddened about the passing of 50s-60s icon Annette Funicello...

...and we thought you might like to see her appearances in comic-book form, as presented in our RetroBlogs™.

Beach Blanket Bingo

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Zorro

"Spaniard's Secret"

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

My Uncle is The Lone Ranger and My Son is The Green Hornet!

Status quo-changing events are not a new phenomenon in fiction.
Even in the Golden Age of Comics, series and characters received revamps (or even total reboots) if sales weren't meeting expectations.
Sometimes, the revamp extended through a character's other media incarnations as well!
And, at least once, through two different characters' incarnations with a crossover character...Dan Reid!
Much has been written about the radio show episodes that tied The Green Hornet and The Lone Ranger together, using Dan Reid, who was both Britt (Green Hornet) Reid's father, and John (Lone Ranger) Reid's nephew!
Though Dan was the same character in both shows, different actors played him on the two series, because Dan was a 'tween/teen on the 1880s-set Lone Ranger, and a middle-aged/elderly man on the contemporary (1940s) Green Hornet!

The 1940s Harvey Green Hornet comic book series had been loosely-adapting the radio show's scripts into comic stories, but when this storyline (spread over four episodes) ran on the radio show, the comics' creatives had to do some serious juggling to fit two hours of dramatic radio into two eight-page chapters in a single issue!

(And, yes, a subtle Lone Ranger reference is in the comic story, too!)

It's so historically-important that we couldn't confine this tale to a single blog!

You can see the results at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, with the conclusion at Hero Histories™.
In both entries, we're providing not only the comics tales, but the radio show episodes as well, so you can compare them!

Plus, we're presenting the introduction of Dan Reid (as a kid) into the Lone Ranger series, which added another ongoing character with whom the Masked Rider of the Prairie could interact (especially when the actor playing Tonto went on vacation or was out sick) in both comics and mp3 formats!
You'll find Part One HERE at Western Comics Adventures™ and Part Two HERE, back at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™.
Enjoy!

And, don't forget to visit...

The Classic Green Hornet Store

"My Son is The Green Hornet!"

Status quo-changing events are not a new phenomenon in fiction.
Even in the Golden Age of Comics, series and characters received revamps (or even total reboots) if sales weren't meeting expectations.
Sometimes, the revamp extended through a character's other media incarnations as well!

To celebrate the release of the new Dynamite comic series Masks, which teams up the greatest mystery-men of the Golden Age of Comics and Pulps (plus radio and movie serials), RetroBlogs™ will be running some never-reprinted tales of those amazing heroes through the month of December!

First-off is the story that changed the status quo of The Green Hornet!

Much has been written about the 1947 radio show episodes that tied The Hornet and The Lone Ranger together, using Dan Reid, who was both Britt Reid's father, and John (Lone Ranger) Reid's nephew!

The 1940s Harvey Green Hornet comic book series had been loosely-adapting the radio show's scripts into comic stories, but when this storyline (spread over four episodes) ran on the radio show, the comics' creatives had to do some serious juggling to fit two hours of dramatic radio into two eight-page chapters in a single issue!

(And, yes, a Lone Ranger reference is in the comic story, too!)

It's so historically-important that we couldn't confine this tale to a single blog!

You can see the results tomorrow at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, with the conclusion Tuesday at Hero Histories™.

Plus, we'll be running tales of other heroes presented in Masks including Zorro, The Shadow, Miss Fury, Black Terror, and Green Lama through the RetroBlogs™ line during December.

And don't forget to check out...

The Classic Green Hornet Store

Relive the CountDown to Halloween 2012 at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video!

Our "brother", Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, participated in this blogathon...

...with several entries, each from a different movie studio!

First up was Quatermass 2 aka Enemy from Space, from Britain's legendary Hammer Studios!

Next was the never-reprinted 1940s adaptation of Universal Studios' Son of Frankenstein!

Then, a week-long mini-blogathon of the never-reprinted graphic novel based on the movie inspired by 1950s horror comics...Laurel Entertainment/Warner Brothers' CreepShow!

Then...the first, never reprinted, American comic book appearance of Toho Studios' Godzilla!

(Note: it's NOT the Marvel Comics series from the late 1970s!)

Finally, the rarely-seen, one-time team-up of terror-titans Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and Lon Chaney from 50 years ago on Route 66!

It's not too late to join in the fun!

Just click on any of the links above for monsterous thrills!

CountDown to Halloween 2012 at Secret Sanctum of Captain Video!

Our "brother", Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, has been participating in this blogathon...

...with several entries, each from a different movie studio!

First up was Quatermass 2 aka Enemy from Space, from Britain's legendary Hammer Studios!

Next was the never-reprinted 1940s adaptation of Universal Studios' Son of Frankenstein!

Then, a week-long mini-blogathon of the never-reprinted graphic novel based on the movie inspired by 1950s horror comics...Laurel Entertainment/Warner Brothers' CreepShow!

Finally, this week...the first, never reprinted, American comic book appearance of Toho Studios' Godzilla!

(Note: it's NOT the Marvel Comics series from the late 1970s!)

It's not too late to join in the fun!

Just click on any of the links above for monsterous thrills!