Space Hero Saturdays FANTASTIC COMICS "Space Smith and the Crustaceans of Ganymede"

Space Smith Doesn't Seem to be Quite Himself...

...as another artist fills-in for Fletcher Hanks, bringing a rather Buck Rogers-esque feel to the strip!

While the scripting on this story From Fox's Fantastic Comics #7 (1940) has that Fletcher Hanks "feel", the art, definitely, is not Hanks!

It looks like the artist is trying for the same look as Dick Calkins' original Buck Rogers newspaper strip, which was incredibly-popular at the time!

The next issue would feature a totally-Fletcher Hanks tale....for the last time!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Buy...

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Complete Newspaper Dailies
Volume 1: 1929-1930
Paid Link

Monday Mecha Madness ROCKET SHIP X "Robot Rebellion"

We're DOOMED, do you hear me?

DOOMED, because 2035 will bring a...

...as shown in this never-reprinted tale from Fox's one-shot sci-fi anthology Rocket Ship X (1951)!

It's actually a decent little tale whose creators, regrettably, are anonymous.

Think James Cameron read it as a kid?

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Science Fiction Comics

Taylor History of Comics

Vol 3
Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays ROCKET KELLY "Mr Weather's Revenge"

As a Heat Wave Bakes the Continental US...

...we thought you'd enjoy a Space Hero Saturday story involving something cooling...like glaciers!

Gotta admit, a smiling Sun is not what you'd expect in the final panel of an ostensibly-serious strip!

This never-reprinted tale from Fox's Rocket Kelly #4 (1946) was credited to "Ted Small", a Fox in-house pseudonym used on all the Rocket Kelly stories (despite several obviously-different writers and artists) along with a number of one-shot features!
Illustrated by Arnold Hicks, this story is from the third (and final) version of the strip, after being a WWII aviator with a souped-up fighter-bomber...then a WWII aviator who accidentally ends up aboard an alien spacecraft...to an ex-WWII aviator whose genius father gives him his own creation to fly around in and keep the Earth safe.

Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Taylor Illustrated History

Science Fiction Comics 

Paid Link

Space Hero Saturdays FANTASTIC COMICS "Space Smith and the Mummified Meteor Vacuumites"

If that title doesn't lure you into reading this post...

...I'll eat my Cosmic Transtator!

Enjoy this even weirder-than-usual installment of Space Smith by the legendary Fletcher Hanks from Fox's Fantastic Comics #6 (1940)!

Say what you will about Fletcher Hanks' sometimes-iffy technical proficiency, but his stories are never dull!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy..

I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!

by

Fletcher Hanks
Paid Link

Monday Celtic Madness: He's NOT Who You Think...Banshee!

Before a certain Marvel villain-turned X-Man...

Original pen & ink art by Dave Cockrum

...acquired the title, there was this guy...who also used the name of a female Irish demon!

(And yes, I know Sean Cassidy's daughter now uses the name, but this is Atomic Kommie Comics, not Heroines!)

Illustrated by Louis Cazeneuve, this premiere/origin of the Banshee plays more off the classic "Criminals are a cowardly, superstitious lot..." shtick with a costumed athlete than the later, sonic super-powered mutants from Marvel.
Of course, I'm curious as to why a villain named "The Scorpion" is wearing a Devil mask instead of, say, a hood with an embroidered scorpion image....like this baddie from the Republic Studios serial Adventures of Captain Marvel...

Was he working on a really tight budget?

Debuting in Fox's Fantastic Comics #21 (1941) and continuing until the book was cancelled two issues later, the Banshee migrated to a new book, V... Comics, for it's brief two-issue run, then disappeared into comics limbo.

BTW,
HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!

Space Hero Saturdays FANTASTIC COMICS "Space Smith and the Floating Island in the Lost Sun"

One of the Truly Difficult Things About This Feature...

...is coming up with titles for Fletcher Hanks' almost-always untitled stories!

How do you convey some of the truly weird goings-on?

This Space Smith tale from Fox Features' Fantastic Comics #5 (1940) could've had several different titles including "The Hopping Men of the Floating Island!" or "The Hopping Men of the Lost Sun!"!

We decided on the title based on the two locations shown in the story!
But, like most of Fletcher Hank's stories, there's so much going on that it's hard to pin down one or two aspects.

Best to just go along for the ride and enjoy!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy..

I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!

by

Fletcher Hanks