Celebrate D-Day...by Reading Comics/Graphic Novels!

It's the anniversary of D-Day, when the Allies, led by America, invaded Fortress Europa...

...and we at Atomic Kommie Comics had our "brother-in-arms" RetroBlog War: Past Present and Future post numerous graphic tales of that epic day, beginning with Marvel's Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos hitting the beach on D-Day!

Yes, it was reprinted in a Marvel Masterworks over a decade ago, but those are extremely-expensive and didn't sell very well, so most of you have never seen this tale from over a half century ago!

We gave equal time to Fury's DC counterpart, Sgt. Rock, presenting his never-reprinted D-Day adventure...which was also the final story illustrated by his co-creator Joe Kubert!

It was really crowded at Normandy on June 6th, 1944 since Blackhawk and his team were also there, so it's only fair we present their never-reprinted D-Day adventure...which also doubles as their previously-unrevealed origin...at Hero Histories!

The EC Comics crew, best known for sci-fi and horror, also did a story about D-Day...by three ex-military personnel as seen HERE!

And one of their crew, who served in the Merchant Marine before becoming a paratrooper, did this tale  about our paratroopers on D-Day...

We here at the "parent" RetroBlog joined in with both a brief three-pager...

...and a multi-part retelling courtesy of Gilberton, the publisher behind Classics Illustrated and World Around Us!

Enjoy, and if you have a friend or family member who's a D-Day veteran, tell him "Thank You" for us!

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Essential Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers and others

And

Showcase Presents Sgt Rock

by Robert Kanigher, Joe Kubert and others

Space Hero Saturdays SPACE WESTERN COMICS "Spurs Jackson and His Space Vigilantes in The Saucer Men"

When you think of "Space Heroes", cowboys and Indians aren't the first people who pop into your head!

Why not?

BTW, Isn't it amazing how these guys (of all people) take the whole idea of outer-space aliens in stride?

  

Just over 70 years ago, Charlton introduced Space Western Comics in 1952, starting with #40.
Though the numbering was a continuation of already-ongoing "parent" title Cowboy Western Comics, none of the previous strips were carried over or revamped, as so often happened when comic titles were altered!
Instead, a new series, set in the present (1952), was launched starring Spurs Jackson who was both a cowboy and electronics expert!

He was also a Federal government contactor, so when he needed backup, the military tended to come a-running (and a-shooting).

Good thing, since his ranch became a magnet for alien invaders during the series' run.

The so-called "Space Vigilantes" consisted of Spurs' ranch hands including Hank Roper and Strong Bow, both of whom had backup strips in the book where they also showed their solo alien-buttkicking talents.

An infrequent supporting cast member was Queen Thula of Mars, whom Spurs met in the story above.

Whenever a tale took place on Mars, or Spurs needed some really advanced tech, she appeared and livened up the usually all-male ensemble considerably.

BTW, if you think that this short story covers a helluva lot of ground in just eight pages, you'd be right.

Today this tale alone would be a six-issue miniseries (with a couple of tie-ins to other titles)

It shouldn't surprise you to learn the writer who penned it was Walter Gibson, aka Maxwell Grant, biographer of the pulp hero The Shadow.

If there was anyone who knew how to cram a narrative with both plot and action, it was him!

Besides aliens from a number of worlds, Spurs and friends battled Commie spies (Hey, it was 1952! "Reds" were EVERYWHERE!), ancient Aztecs, and space-going Nazis!

It was weird!

It was wild!

Sometimes it was dumb!

But it was never dull!

And it only lasted six issues.

After #45, the title reverted to Cowboy Western Comics, and Spurs put in a final appearance in a one-page filler.
He was forgotten.

Until now.

We'll be re-presenting Spurs' never-reprinted battle against Those Who Threaten the American Way of Life here in Space Hero Saturdays.

And we're offering a line of Space Western collectibles...perfect for summer wear at the beach!

Check out the

 Space Western Comics Store

Reading Room JUNGLE JIM "Winged Fury"

In the 1960s, the usually-staid Jungle Jim series jumped into high adventure/fantasy...

...with lost civilizations, mutants, aliens, even mystical menaces, threatening the Don Moore/Alex Raymond-created hero!

Scripted by Bhob Stewart, penciled by Steve Ditko and inked by Wally Wood, this never-reprinted (in color) tale from Charlton's Jungle Jim #27 (1969) was a classic example of how to update a series properly, unlike say, DC's attempt to make the 1940s aviators, the Blackhawks, into super-heroes from that same era!

Trivia: Though the cover looks like just a modification of Ditko/Wood's art on Page 5, panel 1, its actually a redraw by editor Sal Gentile, a pretty good artist in his own right!

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Official Jungle Jim Annual

Reading Room OUT OF THIS WORLD "Supermen"

Yes, you read the title correctly..."Supermen"!

But this tale from Charlton's Out of This World #3 (1957) isn't about your usual muscle-bound heroes...

After all, who said only human minds and bodies were being affected?

Written by Jack Oleck and illustrated by Steve Ditko, this oft-reprinted tale is one of only four stories the prolific Oleck scripted for Charlton...and all four were illustrated by Ditko!

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Creativity of Ditko

Friday Fun EH! "That's How T.V. was Born!!"

For the record, this is not a true story!
In fact, this never-reprinted tale from Charlton's EH! #1 (1953) isn't even close to the truth!

But, in the pre-cybertech era of the 1950s when all that existed was radio and blurry black-and-white TVs, this feature illustrated by Dick Ayers made a lot more sense.

As they say,"You had to be there!"

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Sincerest Form of Parody

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

Reading Room GREEN PLANET Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

Art by Dick Giordano

Exiled by the repressive government of Earth, Jason Tolliver and other dissenters are shipped to the planet Klorath in a far distant solar system where a colony of rebels led by Tolliver's father had been established.

Upon arrival at the so-called "Green Planet", they discover a partially-completed colony encampment, totally-deserted.

The new arrivals cautiously move into the camp, and utilize the supplies to finish the camp and grow food.

Within a couple of weeks, the camp is completed and the first crop ready to harvest, but an attack by a giant pterodactyl-like creature on the farmers provides a possible answer to the fate of the previous Earthmen.

Following the creature to its' nest on a nearby cliff, Jason encounters another human...but not one of the Earthmen!

Tolliver and the fur-garbed man fight off an attack by one of the pterodactyls, then go their separate ways, having conquered a common foe, but unable to communicate.

Jason returns to the camp, calls a meeting and informs the others that they are not alone on the Green Planet...

For those who say classic sci-fi was just Westerns with spaceships instead of horses, this story, with its' "pioneers and native inhabitants" concept seems to prove them correct, albeit with a much happier ending than most settler-Indian encounters in the real Old West.

Penciled by Charles Nicholas, inked by Vince Alascia using the combined pen-name "Nicholas Alascia".

Based on the 1960 Monarch Books novel by J Hunter Holly (Joan Carol Holly), the writer of the comic adaptation is unknown.
Note: Charlton Comics and Monarch Books were divisions of the same company, much as Archie Comics and Belmont Books were also owned by the same people.

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Green Planet

by J Hunter Holly