Reading Room: SPACE ACE "Harp of Death"

This is the last story of the first of three incarnations of Space Ace by the same publisher...

...none of whom have any relation to the 1980s video game character!

While it's not confirmed as to who wrote the tale from Manhunt #7 (1947), it's clearly illustrated by Fred Guardineer, creator of numerous Golden Age characters including Zatara, Tor the Magician (both of whom spoke their incantations backwards), Blue Tracer, Alias the Dragon, and Moon-Man.

This 1930s-40s Buck Rogers-style character ran in the first seven issues of Magazine Enterprises' Manhunt anthology comic, which featured law enforcement officers past, present, and future.

As of #8, Ace was replaced by a Western hero, Trail Colt, and the ManHunter of the 21st Century wouldn't be seen for a couple of years.

When he did reappear, he was (literally) a new man...as we shall see tomorrow...

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Emergency

Due to an emergency regarding construction of our new bathroom, there's no post today.

Be back tomorrow,  I hope.

Reading Room: PUSSYCAT "Madly Mirthful Misadventures of a Lively Little Lass!"

If Austin Powers had a sister in the Swingin' 60s, she would have been...

...our favorite, funtastic, femme Agent of S.C.O.R.E.!

This tale originally appeared in Male Annual #4 (1966), but this is from the one-shot PussyCat (1968) that reprinted her stories from the various "laddy" magazines published by Martin Goodman, who also owned Marvel Comics at the time.

The writer is officially-unknown, but the scripter is probably Stan Lee or Larry Lieber, and the artist is pretty clearly good-girl legend Bill Ward with inking by Bill Everett.

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Francesco Francavilla's the Black Beetle Cometh...

Our old friend, Francesco Francavilla, has a new series out this week...

...with a decidedly retro-kool flair!

Note that the cover above is one of two for the anthology title Dark Horse Presents #11.

But, of course, we'd want the Black Beetle cover...

The Battle of Riverdale!

All is not peaceful in Riverdale...

Art by Mark Matcho

...as fighting among the second generation of owners of Archie Comics hits new highs in nastiness even as Archie Andrews and his ensemble hit new heights in popularity, as seen in a feature New York Times article HERE!

(Ironically, I was on-staff at the only other family-run comics company, Harvey Comics, during their final collapse and dissolution in 1988-91, and while it didn't hit quite the levels seen in this article, it was lively as the children of the three founding brothers fought and squabbled among themselves while the staff [myself included] kept our heads low and produced the books.)

Read the article, it's wild!