Reading Room (JOURNEY INTO) UNKNOWN WORLDS "Prisoner of TIme!"

Here's a weird tale, even by the loose standards of 1950s comic book sci-fi...

...and, to top it off, thr tale is told by persons unknown!

Neither the writer nor artist(s) for this never-reprinted story from Atlas' Journey Into Unknown Worlds #36 (1950) have been conclusively identified, though some think longtime Atlas/Marvel production pro Sol Brodsky penciled it.
BTW, though it was numbered #36, it was actually #1 in the Journey into Unknown Worlds series!

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Taylor Illustrated History

Science Fiction Comics 

Reading Room WORLD OF SUSPENSE "Men in Glass"

This tale is about a recent immigrant to our shores...

...and how his actions have consequences for both the United States...and the entire Earth!

The Star Spangled Banner has always been a difficult tune to sing, but who knew it could be used as a weapon?

Illustrated by Don Heck, this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' World of Suspense #5 (1956) takes the "high note can shatter glass" trope to a whole new level.
OTOH, if the aliens' helmets had been made of plastic or "transparent aluminium" or some such instead of glass, we'd all be chanting "Hail Zarki!"

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Taylor Illustrated History

Science Fiction Comics 

Space Hero Saturdays CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT "versus the Space Raider!"

Our intrepid aviator-turned-astronaut faces his first interplanetary foe...

...in this never-reprinted story from Fawcett's Captain Midnight #52 (1947)!

Oh, you can bet on it, Cap!

Scripted by noted pulp and comic author Otto Binder, and illustrated by Leonard Frank, this was the first of several encounters with Jagga, who seemed able to change his skin color in each tale, likely due to colorists not being given reference of the character's previous appearances!

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Captain Midnight Archives

Volume 2

Captain Midnight Saves the World!
(Which doesn't include this story!)

Reading Room: STRANGE WORLDS "Death on the Earth-Mars Run!"

"Murder on a cruise ship" is a classic mystery story trope...

...but transposing the plot from an ocean liner to a space liner emphasized the "trapped with a killer" aspect!

This tale of murder and mayhem on the high seas in deep space appeared in Avon's Strange Worlds #8 (1952) and was rendered by Everett Raymond Kinstler, who eventually left pulps and comics for fine art (including several official portraits of US Presidents).
Unlike most pulp/comic artists who moved into fine art, Kinstler is happy to discuss and display his early work.
You'll note a lot of swipes of Flash Gordon art by Alex Raymond.
This wasn't unusual, since Raymond (along with Milton Caniff, Hal Foster, and Noel Sickles) were seminal inspirations for the first generation of comic book artists.
Note, the writer of the tale is, sadly, unknown.
When the story was reprinted in the back of Skywald's The Heap #1 (1971), the Comics Code forced a couple of odd changes...

Page 3 Panel 1

Making Santley's adopted daughter his stepdaughter and eliminating the "he signed for me" quote!

Page 5 Panel 1

Adding a "Space Police" sig to the note, emphasizing the "official" aspect of the order.

Why did they do it?

I have no idea!
As a special treat, be here Thursday, when we re-present the re-illustrated version of this tale from a b/w horror magazine from 1972!

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Taylor Illustrated History

Science Fiction Comics 

Space Hero Saturdays SPACE ACTION "Invaders From a Lost Galaxy"

A "Lost Galaxy"?

Not The "Lost Galaxy"?

How many "Lost Galaxies" are out there?

And, is this one really lost, or just misplaced? ;-)

While the writer is unknown, the art for this Flash Gordon-inspired tale from Ace's Space Action #1 (1952) breaks down as pencils by Lou Cameron, inks by Rocco Mastroserio!

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Taylor Illustrated History

Science Fiction Comics 

Reading Room SPACE ACTION "Dictator of Japetus"

It appears that, even in the future, Mankind will still have dictators!

Personally, I've never seen the appeal of someone, who wasn't elected by the majority of the populace, arbitrarily-deciding matters for us!

Penciled by then-up-and-comer Mike Sekowsky, this tale from Ace's Space Action #3 (1952) is typical space opera of the period with a little political intrigue thrown in, and reads better than most of the stories that ran in Space Action.

Please support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Marvel Masterworks

Tales of Suspense

Volume 1

Reading Room WEIRD TALES OF THE FUTURE "The Time Has Come"

Here's a sci-fi comic story starring a guy named Alan Moore...

...and he's not that Alan Moore, since this story from Key's Weird Tales of the Future #1 (1952) predates the award-winning writer's birth by a year!

On a similar (if somewhat silly) note, you can see TV's Green Hornet battle Frank Miller (not the writer/artist) HERE!

Ironically, the writer of this story is unknown, but the artist is John Bulthuis, whose credited work appeared in MLJ/Archie and Key Comics titles, but his style looks similar to quite a number of unidentified stories I've seen.

Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Watchmen Annotated

by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons