Reading Room TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED "Who is Mr Ashtar?"

We usually don't run stories that have already been reprinted...

...but this one is so kool, we just couldn't resist!

(And after reading, I'm dure you'll agree!)

Penciled and inked by Jack Kirby, shortly before his return to Atlas (which shortly thereafter became Marvel), the writer of this story from DC's Tales of the Unexpected #17 (1957) is unknown...but could be Kirby himself!

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Jack Kirby Omnibus

Volume 1

...which includes this story!

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder ATARI FORCE Part Four "Conclusion"

In 2005...

...humanity, spearheaded by the Atari Force, explored multiple dimensions of the Multiverse to prepare to colonize them since Earth's biosphere is rapidly-decaying!

However, some species, such as the Malagon, are hostile to the intruding humans, but Atari techs developed the Phoenix starfighter to defeat them...if the pilot knows the correct strategy!

Note that the combat technique shown here was actually the way to win the video game!

As shown last week, when this digest-sized comic was reprinted in standard comic size as an insert in a couple of DC's ongoing books, the rather nasty-looking Malaglon...

...became almost-too cute-to-shoot frogs...

...not that something like that would ever stop a trigger-happy human pilot!

Liberator was the Atari arcade game which utilized the Atari Force comic's characters and graphics to greatest effect...

...from the advertising/promotion material...

...to the arcade console itself!

The Atari Force WILL Return!

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Art of Atari

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder ATARI FORCE Part Four "Part 1"

We Return to the Atari Universe, where in 2005, we started travelling into other dimensions...

..including some where humans definitely aren't welcome!

To Be Continued...

Next Wednesday!

As of this tale in the 1982 fourth cartridge insert comic by writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, Penciler Ross Andru and inker Dick Giordano, it's clear that the pioneering crew of Scanner One finished their initial assignment, returned home, provided vital intel to Atari and helped organize and train a second wave of explorers!
Besides this digest-sized mini-comic, the story was also published as a bonus comic-sized insert in DC's DC Comics Presents #53 and New Teen Titans #27 (both 1983).

That version had some differences...

...starting with a retitling from "Phoenix" to "Code Name: Liberator"...

...and a new subtitle"Liberator Mission: Freedom or Death!"

Plus, every reference in the captions, dialogue and signage is altered from "Phoenix" to "Liberator"!

In addition, the alien Malaglon are altered from brutish, fanged extraterrestrials to...

...frogs, albeit armed and armored frogs!

I'm uncertain if the Comics Code Authority pushed the alteration of the aliens for the mass-market comics version...

...though it is so much more satisfying to see them getting blown up as hideous monsters than cute frogs.

But, that's just me...

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Art of Atari

Space Hero Saturdays STAR HUNTERS "Part 1: The Farrell Alternative" Conclusion

When last we left our handsome intergalactic rogue...

...swashbucking Donovan Flint, after single-handedly rescuing a vital Earth-bound shipment of fresh food from space pirates, is invited to a meeting with Director Farrell of The Corporation.

But when he arrives, the smiling rogue discovers getting out will be much harder than getting in...

We want to apologize for this post being a week late.

This was supposed to appear last week, and Jumpin' Jupiter was supposed to appear this week.
But the birth of my first grand-niece took priority and my assistant couldn't follow my terrible handwriting on a post-it about which post went when and things went "futzy"!

Note about this story...though this never-reprinted tale appeared in the double-sized DC Super-Stars V2 #18 (1977), it's actually the first of two regular-sized issues of the proposed series which were cobbled together.
You'll see the other one in the near-future...and this time on the correct order!

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Mystery in Space

Best of DC Science Fiction

Space Hero Saturdays STAR HUNTERS Intro and "Part 1: The Farrell Alternative"

In the mid-1970s, tv/movie sci-fi experienced a revival...

...and comics, as they had done since the late 1940s, jumped on the pop culture bandwagon!

But, instead of doing adaptations of popular shows like Space: 1999 (Charlton), or movies like Star Wars (Marvel), DC decided to do a couple of original series using talented, young, up-and-coming creatives.

One of them was The Survivors...I mean The Outcasts...er, make that Donovan Flint: StarHunter...or finally, The Star Hunters!

Here's the explanation of how the project came about, from DC Super-Stars V2N18 (1977)...

And now, from that never-reprinted issue...

To Be Continued...

NEXT SATURDAY!

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Mystery in Space

Best of DC Science Fiction