Reading Room WEIRD THRILLERS "Shadow on the Screen!"

For all those whose parents told them "TV is bad for you"...

...and "comics are bad for you", well, they were right, as this comic tale about TV proves!

This tale from Ziff-Davis' Weird Thrillers #3 (1952) was illustrated by Bob Powell.

Powell, besides being a gifted illustrator was also a pioneer in the use of "color holds" in comic books.

The same technique he used on the tv screen was also used in a tale of radio and pulp hero The Shadow HERE, taking artwork that normally would be black-line and making it one of the color plates.

It was a very tricky thing to do back in those days since the interior pages were almost never proofed due to time and cost restraints.

But, Powell does some amazing things with the holds, making them line up exactly almost all the time!

Sadly, the writer of the story is, as in so many cases, unknown...

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Reading Room LARS OF MARS "EarthShaker!"

It's time for another adventure with the Martian posing as an actor playing a Martian on TV...

...in a story of world-shaking (literally) menace!

Lars was co-created by writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Murphy Anderson, as shown HERE.

This terrifying tale of tectonic turnabout from Ziff-Davis' Lars of Mars #11 (1951) was, sadly, the character's final published appearance.

But, there's still a tale hidden away for decades, so be here next Thursday as we unearth it...and don't forget your 3-D glasses!
You'll need them!

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Reading Room WEIRD THRILLERS "Fisherman of Space"

Weird Thrillers was a 1950s sci-fi comic with painted covers...

Art by Allen Anderson

..which helped set the Ziff-Davis comic series apart from others on the newsstands!

All Ziff-Davis comics, no matter the genre, had painted covers, usually by the same artists who did cover art for their large pulp magazine line.

(Avon Comics also used paintings from time-to-time, but not throughout the line, and not on a consistent basis.)

Z-D was a latecomer to the comics business, publishing their first title in 1950 and canceling most titles by the end of 1952, continuing one book, G.I. Joe, until 1957.

During the comic division's brief existence, Z-D published over fifty titles, mostly one-shots and two-issue runs, covering every genre in fiction...except superheroes!

(The closest they came to superheroes were Lars of Mars and Crusader from Mars, both of whom were Martians operating undercover on Earth, and neither lasted past their second issue.)

Weird Thrillers (and it's one-shot predecessor Weird Adventures) ran a total of six issues.

Here's an example of why they lasted longer than most other Z-D titles...

This time-traversing tale from Weird Thrillers #2 (1951) was penciled by Alex Toth and inked by Sy Barry.

The writer is unknown, which is a shame, since it's a decent story with a clever, scientifically-accurate solution.

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Monday Madness FAIRY TALES "Wolf Boy"

Last time we presented a gingerbread boy...

...this time, it's another lad, but with a decidedly-different tone in this never-reprinted story from Ziff-Davis' Fairy Tales #10 (1951)!

Feral children are a common concept in folklore, and I was unable to find a published version that corresponded to this tale!

The strip's artist is unknown, but I see elements of Joe Kubert's work from this period, so while he didn't do the entire job, he probably helped whoever the primary artist(s) were!

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Reading Room LARS OF MARS "Crucial Game"

Even a Martian pretending to be a TV actor playing a Martian reveres the Great American Pastime...

...and won't allow anybody to sully or demean the sport's image...even if it means cheating to do so!

The ends justify the means even if it involves alien manipulation of peoples' minds, eh?
Great lesson for kids!
Written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, illustrated by noted DC Comics artist Murphy Anderson, this tale appeared in Ziff-Davis' Lars of Mars #11 (1951), the second (and last issue) of the series!
Considering the moral lessons the series apparently taught, perhaps it was for the best...

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Reading Room LARS OF MARS "Terror Weapon" Conclusion

When Last We Left the Martian disguised as an Actor Playing a Martian on TV...

...he was heading for Manchuria to stop a mad Soviet scientist from unleashing a super-weapon that could freeze anything!

After facing several deadly devices, Lars uses his ability to travel at light-speed...

Written by Jerry Siegel, illustrated by Murphy Anderson, this was the cover-featured tale from Ziff-Davis' Lars of Mars #11 (1951), the second (and last issue) of the series!

BTW, the cover artist is Allen Anderson (no relation to Murphy)

And, Allen also did the cover to the second (and last) issue of Ziff-Davis' Space Busters...which was illustrated by Murphy!

Weird, huh? 

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Reading Room LARS OF MARS "Terror Weapon" Part 1

Old Commie Villains Never Die...

...they just return in the next issue, as the guy who doesn't just play a Martian on TV, but is a Martian playing an actor playing a Martian on TV while fighting crime in real life (got that?) discovers...

What Next?

Will Lars Stop Raskov?

Will Raskov Stop (and/or Kill) Lars?

Be Here Next Thursday for the Astounding Conclusion!

You'll note the Communist Chinese were illustrated in a non-cartoony manner, unlike the Japanese in most World War II comics and animated cartoons!
(The unfortunate lemon-yellow skin-tone wasn't artist Murphy Anderson's choice, I'm sure.)
Written by Jerry Siegel, illustrated by Murphy Anderson, this was the cover-featured tale from Ziff-Davis' Lars of Mars #11 (1951), the second (and last issue) of the series!

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Monday Madness FAIRY TALES "All About Fairies!"

It makes sense a comic called Fairy Tales would have a feature on fairies...

...although classifying witches as "bad fairies" seems to be stretching the concept to the breaking point!

From the inside cover of Ziff-Davis' Fairy Tales #11 (1951) comes this never-reprinted b/w feature by an anonymous writer/artist or writer and artist which raises more questions than it answers!

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Reading Room LARS OF MARS "Terror from the Sky"

Commies and atomic weapons!

As the song says, "They go together like Love and Marriage..."

...as the guy who doesn't just play a Martian on TV, but is a Martian playing an actor playing a Martian on TV while fighting crime in real life (got that?) discovers...

Could this be an attempt to set up an ongoing Lex Luthor-esque arch-enemy (but with lots of hair) for our hero in this final story from Ziff-Davis' Lars of Mars #10 (1951)?

Consider the fact that this Lars tale was produced by the duo who created the short-lived character, writer Jerry (Superman) Siegel and and artist Murphy (Buck Rogers) Anderson (who also did a lot of work on Superman during the Silver and Bronze Ages) and you'll see a lot of Man of Steel-style elements.
And, yes, Raskov returned the next issue with new super-scientific weapons...

Trivia:

The cover paintings for both issues of Lars of Mars were painted by Allen Anderson, who was not related to interior artist Murphy Anderson!

Here's a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon"-style fact (done in four degrees)...

1) Ziff-Davis also published a short-lived adaptation of an actual sci-fi tv series, Space Patrol, illustrated by Bernie Krigstein.

2) Krigstein illustrated the first issue of another Ziff-Davis sci-fi series: Space Busters!

3) Bernie was replaced on interior art for the second (and final) issue of Space Busters by...Murphy Anderson!

4) Allen Anderson did the painted cover for the Space Busters issue illustrated by Murphy! (Norm Saunders had painted the first issue's cover!)

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