Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Man Who Could Paint on Air"

With an intriguing cover like this...

...how could I resist running this rarely-seen tale by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko!

This story of artistic alien assassins and poisonous pigments appeared in Charlton's Unusual Tales #7 (1957) during one of Steve Ditko's most prolific periods as he freelanced for several companies including Atlas (later Marvel), Charlton, and St John doing a little in every genre...even romance!

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Creativity of Ditko

Monday Mars Madness UNUSUAL TALES "Way Out, Man"

You'd think Dr Strange's creator Steve Ditko would be a bit more sympathetic to the counter-culture...

...but when you consider he was already 34 in 1961 when he drew this story from Charlton's Unusual Tales #29, you might wonder which side of the Generation Gap he really was on!

Remember that, when Ditko was doing the Dr Strange series in Strange Tales, he was turning 40!

This article from England's The Telegraph delves into the fascinating dichotomy between the artist and what his work portrayed.

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Art of Ditko

...which reprints this tale and many other Ditko short stories!

Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Night of the Red Snow"

As near-record cold finally leaves America...

Art by Steve Ditko

...we present a chilly comics tale, illustrated by the creator of Dr Strange and co-creator of Spider-Man, Steve Ditko!

Unfortunately, due to Charlton Comics' legendarily-bad printing, the "red" effect on the canvas is muted almost to uselessness, diminishing the ending's effectiveness!

BTW, did you note the sneaky "red herring" (or was it) on the sides of the moving van on page 3?

Beautifully-rendered by Steve Ditko, this tale from Charlton's Unusual Tales #9 (1957) has no credited writer, but many researchers/historians believe the scripter is the prolific (and underrated) Joe Gill.

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Steve Ditko Archives Vol 1

Strange Suspense

Monday Madness UNUSUAL TALES "Man Who Could See Tomorrow"

When you want a tale that exemplifies "madness" visually...

...it's hard to go wrong with Steve (Doctor Strange) Ditko!

Originally-appearing in Charlton's Unusual Tales #7 (1957), this simple (but effective) story by writer Joe Gill and illustrator Steve Ditko leaves the reader wanting more.

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Steve Ditko Archives Vol 1

Strange Suspense

Baker Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Blotting Threat"

Here's another rarely-seen sci-fi/fantasy tale by Black artest Matt Baker...

...the never-reprinted cover story from Charlton's Unusual Tales #19 (1959), about a disillusioned commercial artist involved with...

This story, penciled by Baker and inked by Vince Colletta, was one of the last tales published before his death later in 1959 of a heart attack at the age of 38.

Note that Matt was so prolific that the inventory of stories he worked on though Colletta's studio for both Charlton and Atlas (later Marvel) wasn't exhausted until a year after his passing!

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Matt Baker

Art of Glamour

Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Where Does It Go?"

Have you ever seen a bus pass by that you're unfamilar with, and wonder...

..."Where Does It Go?"

This never-reprinted tale behind this never-reprinted Rocke Mastroserio cover offers one possibility!

While the concept is rather kool, I have to ask, why is the robot such an insulting s.o.b.?

Writer Joe Gill, penciler Bill Moino, and inker Vince Alascia probably could have provided the answer when they created this story for Charlton's Unusual Tales #29 (1961), none of them are around now to answer the question...

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Mysteries in Space

The Best of DC Science Fiction Comics

Reading Room SPACE ADVENTURES / UNUSUAL TALES "They Say It Really Happened"

Here's a kool one-pager by writer Joe Gill and artist Dick Giordano...

...originally presented in Charlton's Space Adventures #4 (1953) in b/w (it was on the inside cover, which is usually black line/grayscale or two-color)!

But when it was reprinted two years later in Charlton's Unusual Tales #1 (1955), it was in color.

As you can see, the gray tones were left intact, giving the color art a really unique look. 

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Charlton Arrow #4

A tribute to this kool, eccentric, comics company!

Best of Reading Room UNUSUAL TALES "Night of the Red Snow"

As near-record heat grips most of the good ol' USA...

Art by Steve Ditko

...we re-present a chilly comics tale to take your minds off it, illustrated by the co-creator of Spider-Man, Steve Ditko!

Unfortunately, due to Charlton Comics' legendarily-bad printing, the "red" effect on the canvas is muted almost to uselessness, diminishing the ending's effectiveness!

BTW, did you note the sneaky "red herring" on the sides of the moving van on page 3?

Beautifully-rendered by Steve Ditko, this tale from Charlton's Unusual Tales #9 (1957) has no credited writer, but many researchers/historians believe the scripter is the prolific (and underrated) Joe Gill.