Space Hero Saturdays JET POWERS "Fleets of Fear!"

When Last We Left Jet Powers...

...oh, heck, I'll let writer Gardner Fox and artist Bob Powell explain what happened in the previous story...

He stops alien invasions and solves matters of the heart!

Jet Powers is truly a Renaissance Man!

Sadly, this was his final appearance in sci-fi...but not in comics.
When next he appeared, several months later, it was as "Army Air Ace" Jet Powers in the revival of Magazine Enterprises' WWII title American Air Forces!

Though he looked and sounded like the space-adventure hero, down to the curly white hair, there was no reference to his being a scientist, nor any use of sci-fi elements in the new Korean War-set stories!
This particular tale from Magazine Enterprises' Jet Powers #4 (1951) was one of two sequels to separate cliffhangers featuring the hero in the previous issue.
It's unusual that a series would have a pair of unrelated cliffhangers for one character in the same issue, but that's what writer Gardner Fox and artist Bob Powell did!

Considering the previous issues had inter-related stories in the same book, I wonder if this was a case of the first parts of a pair of two-part stories being completed, but the second parts weren't ready when the deadline crept up on them.

(In those days, comics had to come out on schedule since they were dependent on their status as periodicals to qualify for lower postage/shipping rates.)

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Bob Powell's Complete

Jet Powers
Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays CAPTAIN SCIENCE "Cat Men of Phoebus"

When Last We Left Our Space-Faring Heroes...

After defeating a threat to the Earth by aliens who crash-landed on the far side of the Moon, Gordon Dane and Rip waste no time in dealing with another group of aliens who just kidnapped Luana from their headquarters...

The art on this never-reprinted story from Youthful's Captain Science #2 (1950)  is by Gustav Schrotter.

The writer is unknown.

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Science Fiction Comics

Taylor History of Comics

Vol 3
Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays OUTER SPACE "Third Planet"

Some stories are truly a "product of their time"...

...such as this Silver Age story that reflects the pacifist attitudes of the 18-30 year-olds of the era.

That's how the tale ended in the idealistic 1960s.

If they re-did it today, in the far more cynical 2020s, one (or both) commanders would have had a strike force ready to attack the second the other side disarmed.

This tale from the Charlton one-shot Outer Space (1968) was illustrated by Pat Boyette.

As to who wrote it, it could have been Boyette (who had already proven himself as a writer with several stories for Charlton's anthologies as well as a couple of issues of Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt), or Joe Gill, who co-created several pacifist heroes including Peacemaker with Boyette, and GunMaster with Dick Giordano!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Mysteries in Space

The Best of DC Science Fiction Comics
Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays BARNEY CARR "?????" Part 1

We've Re-Presented Two Published Tales of the Only Space Hero with a Normal Name...

...HERE and HERE!
Now, we're proudly presenting one of two unpublished tales of the stalwart Space Detective,,,but we have no idea of what it's about, since it was never lettered!

Apparently writer/artist Jerry Faisano didn't do the balloon/caption lettering on his strips, but since the series was cancelled after only two appearances, the remaining tales remained unlettered!

Can you figure out what's going on?

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Order...

Mystery in Space

Pulp Fiction Library

(which contains only a couple of stories from this previously-listed volume)

Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays SPACE MOUSE "Master Mind" & "Believe It or Not"

This short-lived, but entertaining, series was uneven...

...with some stories, like this one from the back cover of Avon's Space Mouse #1 (1953) featuring the heroic character as a thief, obviously adapted from a different strip...

...and this one, from the inside cover of Avon's Space Mouse #3 (1953) showing him both in "hero mode" and cleverly breaking the "fourth wall"!

Writer/artist Frank Carin was an experienced pro who started as an animator the Fleischer Brothers and TerryToons, then moved over to comics in the early, writing and/or illustrating several hundred stories and covers for everybody from Timely/Atlas to Magazine Enterprises, to Nation-Wide, to Harvey, to, of course, Avon, and finally, to Gold Key!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Fleischer Story

A History of the Cartoon Studio in the Golden Age of Film Animation

(covering the studio where Frank Carin got his start)
Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays PLANET COMICS "Fero: Interplanetary Detective and the Kidnapped Councilman's Daughter"

When we first met him, Fero battled scientific menaces on present-day (1940s) Earth.

As of his next appearance, without explanation, he's set in the far future!

This tale from Fiction House's Planet Comics #6 (1940) was written and illustrated by Al Bryant under the pen-name "Allison Brant".

The change in venue from present to future without any in-story explanation (not even a caption like "returing from the past to the 21st Century..." or some-such) seems odd considering the same writer/artist did this follow-up tale.

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Planet Comics

Volume 2

Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays STEPHEN COLBERT'S TEK JANSEN "Horn Like Me! A Tek Jansen Case File"

We've Already Posted a Two-Part Tale of Tek Jansen HERE and HERE...

...from #1 (2007) of his Oni Press mini-series.

Now, to close out the issue, we re-present the final story from that book...

Written by Jim Massey and illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez, this "Case File" is more in the style of a hard-boiled gumshoe tale than a "straight" sci-fi adventure!
Tek Jansen will return, next week at...
Wednesday Worlds of Wonder!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy...

Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen

Complete Mini-Series

Paid Link