Friday, June 7, 2013

Reading Room: FANTASTIC WORLDS "Boy Who Saved the World"

The short-lived anthology Fantastic Worlds featured Earth-based stories...
...contrasting with the other anthology from Standard Comics, Lost Worlds, which was a space-opera book.
This tale from Standard's Fantastic Worlds #6 (1952) was drawn by Alex Toth and Mike Peppe, though the writer is unknown.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Reading Room: COMMANDER BATTLE AND THE ATOMIC SUB "Battle Beneath the Earth"


...now that you've read the built-in synopsis, let's proceed, but with one caveat: this part of the story (despite being Comics Code-approved) is possibly NSFW due to politically-incorrect racial attitudes.
SPOILER: The "new, exciting mystery character" will quickly replace one of the original four Atomic Commandos.
Is he...
  • 1) an alien?
  • 2) a teen sidekick?
  • 3) an alien teen?
You'll find out when Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub return this summer!
Two points:
1) You'd think the giants would find blonde and red-headed Belotti just a bit out-of-place.
2) I wonder if Irwin Allen saw this series, years before either the movie or tv versions of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Besides the similar plots to several episodes of the tv series, Allen's use of a submarine-berthed aircraft (the Flying Sub) seems more than coincidental.
Just sayin'...
The script for Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub #2 (1954) by Richard Hughes, the Stan Lee of ACG who wrote practically everything at the company during his tenure as editor/writer!
Pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Al Camy, Odgen Whitney and others.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Reading Room: COMMANDER BATTLE AND THE ATOMIC SUB "Fight for Survival"

...and with that succinct synopsis, let the mayhem ensue!
Tomorrow:
The pseudo 3-D created by Craft-Tint tones used in the first issue was eliminated for #2 of ACG's Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub (1954), although it looks like the pages were initially-conceived to utilize the Craft-Tint effects to create depth.
Script by Richard Hughes, the Stan Lee of ACG who wrote practically everything at the company during his tenure as editor/writer!
Pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Al Camy, Odgen Whitney and others.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Reading Room: COMMANDER BATTLE AND THE ATOMIC SUB "Giants from the Depths"

...and completed their shake-down cruise, the aptly-named Commander Battle and his Atomic Sub are ready for action!
Tomorrow:
The pseudo 3-D created by Craft-Tint tones used in the first issue was eliminated for #2 of ACG's Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub (1954), although it looks like the pages were initially-conceived to utilize the Craft-Tint effects to create depth.
Without it, the giants aren't quite as imposing as they would have been, and panels like the last one on Page 7 (Battle bailing out of the airplane) just look silly.
Script by Richard Hughes, the Stan Lee of ACG who wrote practically everything at the company during his tenure as editor/writer!
Pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Al Camy, Odgen Whitney and others.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Reading Room: WEIRD MYSTERIES "Spirits from Outer Space"

An astronaut returns from space and doesn't act like himself...
...yeah, it's a bit of a cliche, but this tale from Key's Weird Mysteries #1 (1952), has a surprise gimmick to defeat the baddies!
Illustrated by Walter Palais (brother of better-known Golden Age artist Rudy Palais) and Mike Esposito, this "possession by aliens" tale manages to present a variation of the old story with the fact that literally ANY pain causes the parasite to flee.