Reading Room: FLASH GORDON "and the Space Pirates" Part 1

Ya want space opera?

Now here's SPACE OPERA!

...starring the one-and-only Flash Gordon as rendered by EC Comics legend Wally Wood!

The story continues tomorrow...with a different artist!

Illustrated by Wally Wood and his studio.

Wood (and writer Harvey Kurtzman) had previously-done the hysterical MAD parody "Flesh Garden" (which you can read HERE), but this is his only "official" Flash Gordon work.

The writer is unknown.

Though Flash had his own comic at this time, this three-parter appeared in the back of The Phantom's title from the same publisher, King Comics.

The particular tale appeared in the back of The Phantom #18 (1966), which was actually the first issue of the series from King Comics.

(They just continued the numbering from the previous publisher, Gold Key!)

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Reading Room: WEIRD TALES OF THE FUTURE "City of Primitive Man"

Instead of the usual "space opera", let's go into the future...

...where it appears the geeks have inherited the Earth, and only jocks can save civilization...

As this tale from Key's Weird Tales of the Future #2 (1952) shows, only extremely-manly men can keep civilization from being over-run when danger threatens.

The story is signed "EJS", but I don't know if that's the artist, or if he/she also scripted the tale as well.

(The credit also appears in one other Weird Tales of the Future story that we haven't run yet.)

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Design of the Week: GangBusters!

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!

This week, celebrate the law-enforcement professional in your life with this retro-kool comic cover from the long-running GangBusters radio show.

Note: there was also a movie serial, TV series, plus two features re-edited from the TV show!

Trivia, the last season of the radio show was narrated by narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., retired head of the New Jersey State Police and father of US Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.!

Reading Room: OUTER SPACE "Planet Which Had Everything--Almost!"

Here's a tale that takes a concept from one of H.G. Wells' novels...

...a concept which was based on real-life events from Earth's history!

Yep, it's the classic ending from War of the Worlds!

Note: The movie version of Wells' First Men in the Moon also incorporates the "germs kill aliens who haven't been exposed to them" concept, but it's not in the original novel!

As to real-life, European settlers inadvertently brought a plague to North America and caused an epidemic that decimated a number of native tribes that had contact with them.

While the writer of this tale from Charlton's Outer Space #1 (1968) is unknown to me, the art is by Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia.

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Reading Room: SUSPENSE "Raving Maniac"

People blaming pop culture for violence and evil in society is nothing new...

...as seen in this 60-year old short story from Atlas' Suspense #29 (1953)!

Writer/editor Stan Lee is the model for the story's editor.

Though artist Joe Maneely doesn't use Dr Fredric Wertham's likeness for the screaming loon, the character is clearly based on the impression the "good doctor" made on comics industry workers.

This was the final issue of the pre-Comics Code horror title.

When the similarly-named Tales of Suspense debuted a couple of years later, it was a Code-approved science-fiction/fantasy title until the arrival of superheroes Iron Man and Captain America.

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