Reading Room: SPACE ACTION "Prisoners on Solar"

Solar power is cheap and easy to access, right?

At least until someone takes control of the Sun (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)!

Considering that, even in the 1950s, we knew the Sun wouldn't die out for billions of years, you have to wonder when this story from Ace's Space Action #1 (1952) is set!

Apparently the unknown writer didn't know or didn't care, since no date is given.

But the art by Lou Cameron and Rocco Mastroserio shows technology only a couple of hundred of years ahead!

Go figure...

The Secrets of GULLIVAR JONES

Back when the ill-fated John Carter movie came out...

...we ran the never-reprinted adventures of his predecessor, Gullivar Jones: Warrior of Mars, but we indavertantly left out these kool examples of otherworldly art, like this promo piece by George Perez and Frank Giacoia from Monsters Unleashed #7 (1974)!

...or the painting by Frank Frazetta for the Ace paperback that re-introduced Gulliver/Gullivar to 1960s audiences eager for pulp high adventure!

and, last, but not least...

...George Perez's rejected splash page (page 2) for the Gullivar Jones tale that appeared in Monsters Unleashed #8 (1974).

The story ran without a splash page, probably due to tight deadlines.

Reading Room: SPEED CARTER: SPACEMAN "Kiss of Death"

We originally intended to run this story around Valentine's Day...

...but after reading the tale, you'll understand why we decided against it...

This story of futuristic male/female relations from Speed Carter: SpaceMan #6 (1954) was scripted (as were all Speed Carter tales) by Hank Chapman, and illustrated (as were all Speed Carter tales in #6) by Bob Forgione.

Reading Room BLACK MAGIC "Slaughter-House"

If you think finding employment is difficult now...

...imagine what it'd be like when your boss is an invading tentacled alien!

This tale of interstellar labor relations from Prize Comics' Black Magic #31 (1954) was illustrated by the legendary duo of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, though who penciled what and who inked what has been disputed by aficionados.

Personally, I think Kirby penciled and Simon inked.

As to who wrote it, since both Simon & Kirby co-edited the book, it's more than likely they both scripted it.

Note: this story had never been reprinted until it's recent second publication in IDW's Haunted Horror anthology title.

HELL'S KITCHEN'S "Sin City"-Inspired Opening Credits!

Hell's Kitchen has shown credits inspired by giant robots, horror movies, and sci-fi...
...now they're doing comic book movies, in particular, Sin City!
It's cute, but more a mundane's concept than a pro or even serious fan's approach.
(But it is better than the opening for Comic Book Men, supposedly supervised by pro/serious fan Kevin Smith..)