Let's see how funny the legendary Stan Lee could be...
Now who could argue with that?
...but there's more next week, boy fiends and ghoul friends!
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Showing posts with label b/w. Show all posts
Showing posts with label b/w. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2025
Monday Monster Madness MONSTERS TO LAUGH WITH "Best of #1"
Monday, September 29, 2025
Monday Monster Madness MONSTERS TO LAUGH WITH / MONSTERS UNLIMITED & MONSTER MADNESS
Besides comic books, Marvel made occasional forays into the b/w magazine market...
..with this seven-issue 1965-66 title being their longest-lasting Silver Age series!
(Note: with the second issue, Stan Lee's name was added to the cover as a selling point!)
(Note: with the second issue, Stan Lee's name was added to the cover as a selling point!)
Other mags had used the gimmick of captioning old movie and tv photos for a feature in a magazine...but never an entire magazine!
At this point, the book changed it's title...
...nobody's really sure why, but it seemed to work!
One of the koolest aspects was that Stan Lee wrote the captions...
...bringing the same kitchy vaudville-level humor that he used for decades in Marvel's humor comics!
I'm not sure if declining sales or Stan Lee's increasing workload caused the cancellation!
(Besides his writing/editing duties, he was now the public face of Marvel, giving interviews, making appearances on tv, even touring college campuses where Marvel Comics were the "in" thing!)
In 1973, when Marvel unleashed an entire line of b/w magazines, ranging from horror to kung fu to Planet of the Apes...
(Besides his writing/editing duties, he was now the public face of Marvel, giving interviews, making appearances on tv, even touring college campuses where Marvel Comics were the "in" thing!)
In 1973, when Marvel unleashed an entire line of b/w magazines, ranging from horror to kung fu to Planet of the Apes...
...they revived the concept, still written by Stan Lee!
...but this time, the book was the least-successful of the b/w line!
It was re-tooled into a Famous Monsters of Filmland/Castle of Frankenstein format, adding features about both old and current films and tv shows...
It was re-tooled into a Famous Monsters of Filmland/Castle of Frankenstein format, adding features about both old and current films and tv shows...
...but the alteration didn't help and the book was cancelled.
Marvel tried again, later that year with a Famous Monsters of Filmland/Castle of Frankenstein clone called Monsters of the Movies, which lasted for eight regular issues and an Annual.
Starting next Monday, through the rest of October, you'll be seeing the best (IMHO) of Monsters to Laugh With and Monsters Unlimited!
Don't Miss It!Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Earth Day Reading Room NIGHTMARE "Pollution Monsters!"
"The Devil made it do it!" is given new meaning...
...in this never-reprinted tale from 55 years ago (the year Earth Day was first celebrated) which reads like one of Atlas' (pre-Marvel Comics) late 1950s-early 1960s monster stories!
Before we continue, two points:
1) Penciler Don Heck was one of the primary artists of both Atlas era and Silver Age Marvel comics stories, including numerous giant monster tales.
(Inker Mike Esposito, though he entered the field at the same time as Heck, didn't do much work for Atlas or Marvel until the late 1960s.)
(Inker Mike Esposito, though he entered the field at the same time as Heck, didn't do much work for Atlas or Marvel until the late 1960s.)
2) The story is broken into two parts, even though it's only 10 pages, much like those Atlas Comics stories.
Is it a deliberate homage?
Writer Mike Freidrich was one of the first generation of comic fanboys turned professional creatives, so he was very familiar with the inherent tropes...
Writer Mike Freidrich was one of the first generation of comic fanboys turned professional creatives, so he was very familiar with the inherent tropes...
One big difference between this story and those Atlas-era giant monster stories...we don't win!
We might, but there's no guarantee in this cover-featured tale from Skywald's Nightmare #1 (1970)!
It's over 50 years later...and it's still frightening!
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Friday, August 9, 2024
Friday Fascist Fun MAD "Mad's All-Inclusive Do-It-Yourself Impeachment Newspaper Story"
When the previous criminally-inclined Republican Prez was about to be impeached in 1974...
...it was (unlike now) for a non-violent crime and MAD Magazine was at a creative peak, as demonstrated by this classic (and pretty comprehensive) piece by writer Frank Jacobs published in EC's MAD #170 (1974)!
The process took several months, allowing for such satirical pieces to be carefully-crafted.
Today, sadly, MAD as a print magazine is gone (except for reprints), and the increased speed political matters now proceed at prevents such material from being created!
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Wednesday Worlds of Wonder BRAK THE BARBARIAN "Unspeakable Shrine" Conclusion
...it's not a synopsis, but the Steve Gan art was too kool for me not to present it!
Anyway on with the story (and an actual synopsis)...
Afraid not, Septegundus!
This story in Marvel's Savage Tales V1N8 (1975) was the finale for Brak's graphic story adventures by any publisher to date!
Unlike other barbarian/high adventure characters, Brak was never reprinted or revived.
OTOH, he fared better than Lin Carter's Jandar of Callisto!
There was a text feature in the previous issue of Savage Tales about that multi-volume John Carter/Carson of Venus pastiche by noted fantasy author Carter being adapted by Marvel.
Unfortunately, except for a couple of promo pieces, there was never any work done on the projected strip.
Next Week:
More Worlds of Wonder!!!
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(includes a never-before-published conclusion to the series!)
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Wednesday Worlds of Wonder BRAK THE BARBARIAN "Unspeakable Shrine" Part One
Though Brak was the least-successful of Marvel's early 1970s barbarian horde...
...it wasn't for lack of trying, as this never-reprinted story from Marvel's Savage Tales V1N7 (1974) demonstrates!
To Be Concluded
Next Issue
(I Mean Next Week!)
Doug Moench and Steve Gan both went on to other kool high-adventure projects at Marvel!
Doug scripted the b/w Doc Savage series (considered by many, myself included, to be the best comics version of the Man of Bronze ever) and Steve worked on Tarzan, Conan, co-created Skull the Slayer, and co-created the Guardians of the Galaxy's own Peter Quill/StarLord!
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(includes a never-before-published conclusion to the series!)
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