Reading Room GREEN PLANET Part 1

Based on a then-recent (1960) novel by J Hunter Holly...

...which is mentioned nowhere in the comic itself or on the cover!

Go figure!

But, what is the answer?

Be here Thursday for the startling conclusion!

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

Scary Steve Ditko: Space Adventures #12 Cover

Even though it has nothing to do with any of the stories inside Charlton's Space Adventures #12 (1954), it's one of the most famous and most reprinted covers artist Steve Ditko ever did (excluding Amazing Spider-Man and Amazing Fantasy #15 covers, of course)!

Friday Fun TOM CAT COMICS "Dog Daze"

It's hard to believe the Comics Code Authority OKed this rather violent and vicious tale!

But, apparently, having "funny" animals do it to each other renders the violence acceptable!

The identities of the writer and artist(s) of this tale from Charlton's Tom Cat Comics #4 (1956) have been lost to the mists of time, which may be just as well...

Reading Room OUT OF THIS WORLD "Secret of Capt X"

Here's an "out of this world" tale illustrated by Steve Ditko...

...that, for the life of me, I still don't understand, even after re-reading it several times!

What the hell just happened?

This lovely Ditko-rendered story from Charlton's Out of This World #8 (1958) makes no sense!
Why couldn't the Korellans simply leave?
Why were they kidnapping and forcing others to adapt to their planet?
Since they can be moved to another planet with no ill effects, why remain on Korella?
Most experts blame Charlton mainstay Joe Gill for this silly story, but could someone else be responsible?
We'll never know...

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Creativity of Ditko

Friday Fun FROM HERE TO INSANITY "Car Show"

Ever wonder how Serious Steve (Spider-Man) Ditko would've handled a MAD comic book-type story?

Well, wonder no longer, true believer!

Charlton's From Here to Insanity #10 (1955) provides the answer!

And it's surprisingly-good, despite the lame premise by an unknown scripter!

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Sincerest Form of Parody

Monday Madness THE THING "Cinderella"

You've seen "dark" versions of fairy tales on TV and movies...

...but comics handled similar material going back to the 1950s, the heyday of horror comics!

(Illustrated by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, no less!)

This tale from Charlton's The Thing! #12 (1954) sure ain't like the Disney version, eh?
The Thing was the snarky, but unseen, host of the comic series in the vein (as it were) of EC's Crypt Keeper.

He was no relation to either the movie character The Thing from Another World (whose film came out in 1951, just before this comic debuted), or the Fantastic Four's super-strong team member.

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Friday Fun EH! "Paradise Gained!"

"It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven!"
--Milton "Paradise Lost"
Though the inspiration may be from Milton, this story's script is strictly from hunger!

Illustrated by Dick Ayers, this never-reprinted tale from Charlton's first MAD color comic clone, EH! #2 (1954), is strangely-compelling as a snapshot of 1950s America's follies and fears.
I'd suggest anybody under 50 use an encyclopedia to figure out what events from that era the characters are referring to!

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Sincerest Form of Parody

Reading Room UNLIKELY TALES "Expedition"

Exploring jungles in "deepest, darkest Africa" was a common sci-fi/fantasy trope...

...even into 1968, when this never-reprinted story appeared in Charlton Premiere #4 an anthology under the banner Unlikely Tales.

All the stories in the issue were written by up-and-comer Steve Skeates with a different artist on each tale.

This particular one was rendered by another up-and-comer Pat Boyette with the rest of the tales illustrated by vets Steve Ditko, Rocke Mastroserio, along with another newcomer, Jim Aparo.

Trivia note: all the artists in this issue inked their own pencils, a rather uncommon occurrence in the deadline-driven comics business where the need for speed and high-volume output tended to preclude allowing artists to do both.