Showing posts with label wally wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wally wood. Show all posts

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Reading Room STRANGE WORLDS "Invasion from the Abyss!"

Alien Invasions of Earth are a Popular Story Concept...
...even when the "aliens" are from inside the Earth, rather than outer space!
This story from Avon's Strange Worlds #3 (1951) was a "Fleagle Gang" production.
The "Fleagles" were a group of artists including Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Wally Wood, Angelo Torres, and George Woodbridge who would help each other out on tight deadlines by doing a "jam" with individuals penciling and inking different pages and even different panels on a single page, producing some absolutely-amazing visuals!
Trivia: the group was named by EC Comics editor/writer/artist Harvey Kurtzman.

The idea of advanced beings living inside the Earth and invading/reconquering the surface was very popular in the early 1950s.
Richard Shaver and 1930s-40s pulp magazine editor Raymond A Palmer caused a media firestorm with a series of stories presenting a theory that combined the "civilization inside the Earth" concept with another pop culture phenomenon...flying saucers!
Numerous readers wrote in, claiming that they had actually seen creatures and vehicles exactly as described in the stories!
The "Shaver Hoax" (as it came to be known) influenced 1930s-50s sci-fi/fantasy ranging from the two-part pilot episode of the TV's Adventures of Superman "Superman and the Mole Men" to movie serials like The Phantom Empire and movies like Brain Eaters!
Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
Vol 3
Paid Link

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder 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!
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder FLYING SAUCERS "Final Objective"

Art by Wally Wood
...he was rescued by the aliens from foreign spies who wanted the secret of alien technology!
Inspired by the flying saucer craze of the late 1940s-early 1950s, this 1950 Wally Wood-illustrated book was one of many one-shot titles from Avon Comics during their short, but prolific existence.
Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
and

Friday, September 27, 2024

Friday Fascist Fun UNQUOTABLE TRUMP "Strange Wombs"

Sometimes Don da Con's incoherent ramblings are sadly, self-explanatory...
...as he misquotes others to make a "point" that doesn't actually exist!
The original cover by Wally Wood and Joe Orlando from Avon's Strange Worlds #5 (1951) is less frightening than the reworked version above!

Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...
Drawn & Quarterly Special Edition
by R. Sikoryak
Paid Link

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder FLYING SAUCERS "First Contact"

...well, between the kool inside front cover (with art by Wally Wood and an unknown inker) above, and the first paragraph below, you have all you need to follow the tale, so dive right in...
Next Wednesday:
Final Objective!
Inspired by the flying saucer craze of the late 1940s-early 1950s, this 1950 Wally Wood-illustrated book was one of many one-shot titles from Avon Comics during their short, but prolific existence.
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
and
Volume Two
Paid Link

Friday, September 20, 2024

Friday Fascist Fun UNQUOTABLE TRUMP "Trump SuspenStories"

From Now Until Election Day, We'll Be Presenting Examples of How Creatives See Don da Con...
With his current demonizing of legal immigrants...who just happen to be Black, Don da Con returns to his, dare I say, roots!
Interesting to note the Klan leader in the original Wally Wood-illustrated cover from EC's Shock SuspenStories #6 (1952-53)...
...had a red hood!
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...
Drawn & Quarterly Special Edition
by R. Sikoryak
Paid Link

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder FLYING SAUCERS "Spawn of Terror"

Was Erich Von Däniken (Chariots of the Gods) the first to tie flying saucers to ancient civilizations?
Nope!
The idea of aliens visiting us in ancient times had been popular for as long as fantasy and science fiction have been around.
Next Wednesday:
First Contact!
Inspired by the flying saucer craze of the late 1940s-early 1950s, this 1950 Wally Wood-illustrated book was one of many one-shot titles from Avon Comics during their short, but prolific existence.
Another one-shot (though it probably wasn't intended to be such), was Fawcett's Vic Torry and His Flying Saucer (1950).
Flying saucers also popped-up in almost every already-running comic book from funny animals to mysteries.
They even appeared in Charlton's Cowboy Western Comics, which changed it's name for a year to Space Western Comics to play up the connection!
Please Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
and
Volume Two
Paid Links