Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "I Fell to the Center of the Earth!"

Here's a kool 1950s sci-fi story penciled by Matt Baker, whose speciality was "good girl" art!

Yet, there's not a single beautiful woman (not even a cavewoman), in this story, one of his few assignments for Atlas (later Marvel) Comics!

When this story appeared in Atlas' Tales to Astonish #2 (1959), Baker was near the end of his career, working through Vince Colletta's studio, doing only penciling to increase his productivity.

Vince Colletta inked the pages, and it's possible that, seeing how much detail Colletta tended to leave out during inking, Baker did less-detailed pencils than normal.

The writer is unknown, but it's believed to be the book's editor Stan Lee.
Penciler Matt Baker was one of the few Black comic book artists of the Golden and Silver Ages, and was easily the most prolific of them!
Though known for his "good girl" art, including the famous (and infamous) Phantom Girl stories, he handled every genre with ease, including horror, war, sci-fi, and romance!
Sadly, though, few of his stories featured Black characters...who were rare in comics until the mid-1960s!
You can read a short, but complete bio HERE!

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Matt Baker

Art of Glamour
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Holiday Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "It Walks Like a Man!"

Sometimes a child becomes too attached to a Christmas present...

...or is it vice versa...as seen in this story which has only been reprinted once since its' initial publication in Marvel's Tales to Astonish #45 (1963).

Plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Robert Bernstein, and illustrated by Paul Reinman, this tale was one of several from Atlas/Marvel in the 1950s and 60s based on the theme of an automaton developing emotion and protecting the human object of its' affection.
You'll see two of them next week!

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Marvel Masterworks

Atlas Tales to Astonish

Volume 4
(with the only reprint of this story in almost 60 years!)

Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "I Found the Abominable SnowMan" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

Art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

...reality TV show producer Victor Cartwright stops at nothing to get ratings, even faking some of the wonders he shows on the cathode screen!

When he publicly promises to deliver film of the legendary Abominable SnowMan, Cartwright dons a furry costume to fake some footage.

But things go terribly wrong when a huge furry creature captures him and takes him via an advanced drilling ship into the depths of the Earth, where Victor discovers...

Whatever happened to the stranded lizard-man?

The cover art above was reused, but not for a reprint of the story you just read!

When it appeared on the cover of Marvel's Where Creatures Roam #5 (1970)...

Art by Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers with additions by Marie Severin

..it was to cover-feature a reprint of a different furry character (also drawn by Kirby and Ayers) that had it's own cover when it appeared in Tales to Astonish #18!

Why didn't they use that art?

Most likely, the original photostats and printing films of that cover had been lost, so Marvel decided to modify the art for TtA #24 that they did have stats for!

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August 1961 Omnibus
(Featuring EVERY comic published by Atlas/Marvel the month Fantastic Four #1 hit the newsstands!)

Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "I Found the Abominable Snowman!" Part 1

Baby, it's COLD outside!

So, here's one of the coolest (literally) giant monster tales from the final days of Atlas Comics' pre-Marvel Universe Tales to Astonish! told by the King himself, Jack Kirby, assisted by inker Dick Ayers!

Be Here Thursday...

...when things get even hairier for Victor Cartwright!

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Unfortunately, there's no available record (or even consensus among experts) as to who wrote this snow-bound story from Tales to Astonish #24 (1961).

But, if you haven't read this tale previously, the conclusion does have a couple of surprising developments!

BTW, when we said this was from the "final days" of the pre-Marvel Universe Atlas Comics, we weren't kidding!

The very next month saw the debut of Fantastic Four #1, launching the Marvel Age of Comics!

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August 1961 Omnibus
(Featuring EVERY comic published by Atlas/Marvel the month Fantastic Four #1 hit the newsstands!)

Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "Monstrom! The Dweller in the Black Swamp!"

Last week, a mini-series debuted...

Art by Francesco Francavilla

...featuring Marvel's heroes and heroines vs monsters from the company's pre-superhero "Atlas Comics" days in the 1950s!

So, what we're going to do over the next few Fridays for the run of the title is present the first appearance of the cover-featured monster!

Art Adams

(Yes, the first issue was last week, but we had a different bloated orange swamp monster to deal with that Friday!)

So let's play "catch up" with..."Monstrom!The Dweller in the Black Swamp!

This story from Atlas' Tales to Astonish #11 (1960) by writer Stan Lee, penciler Jack Kirby, and inker Dick Ayers has been reprinted a number of times, almost always as the cover feature...

Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers

Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, and Marie Severin

Ron Wilson, Mike Esposito, and Frank Giacoia

Monsters Unleashed looks like a lot of fun, so get it at your local comic shop...NOW!

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Monsters Unleashed: Prelude

Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "Voice of Fate"

Our final tale is a re-working of the previous one...

...but with some interesting variations!

This story by plotter Stan Lee, writer Larry Lieber, and artist Don Heck is from Atlas' Tales to Astonish #33 (1962) and is a retelling of "Mister Black", which appeared only a couple of months earlier in Atlas' Strange Tales #93 (1962).
You'll note the protaganist is now American, but still a draft dodger.
Of course, the story omits why the Japanese would even take him in (since he had nothing of value to the government), or how he even got to Japan in the middle of World War II...

Reading Room FANTASY MASTERPIECES "I Saw the Other World!"

"...if ever a man was born to draw comics, Darlin' Dick Ayers is that pussycat!"

"He's still as much of a comic book fan as any of our rollicking readers!"

Dick Ayers penciled and inked this story from Tales to Astonish #7 (1960) which was also reprinted recently in Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish #1 (2006).

It's believed that Stan Lee plotted and Larry Lieber wrote captions and dialogue for the tale.

Tomorrow, the final story from Fantasy Masterpieces #1...by both of Spider-Man's co-creators!