Reading Room TALES TO ASTONISH "I Challenged Groot! The Monster from Planet X!"

He's one of the stars of the new Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy...

...but Groot was originally meant as a one-time "monster of the day" prevalent in Atlas Comics' sci-fi/fantasy books before they became Marvel in 1961!

Of course nobody (including writer Stan Lee) considered the super-termites might start eating the surrounding forest once they finished munching on Groot...

The cover-featured story from Tales to Astonish #13 (1960) was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Dick Ayers was Groot's only appearance (except for reprints) for 15 years until Incredible Hulk Annual #5 (1976) which combined an alien scientist's recreations of several pre-superhero-era monsters against The Hulk...

...including...

...as you'll see tomorrow.

GROOT is Coming!

He's one of the breakout characters in the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie, opening this week...

...but Groot didn't always look like that!

He was much taller...and far more hostile towards humanity!

Art by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko

Be here tomorrow when we present his first (and almost last) appearance!

Reading Room SUPERSNIPE "Strong Medicine" Conclusion

When Last We Left the Kid With the Most Comic Books in America...

Attending a local carnival with his friend Roxy Adams: Girl Guerilla, SuperSnipe is tricked by look-alike Duper Dan into impersonating the midget performer on stage to give the criminal carny an unbreakable alibi while he commits a robbery.

But Roxy smells a rat...

Note that SuperSnipe finally wears an actual costume rather than his grandfather's woolen long-johns and father's lodge cape.

But, ironically, because this was the final issue of his series, he never got to wear it again!

Written and illustrated by George Marcoux, this never-reprinted story from SuperSnipe Comics V5N1 (1949) marked the character's final appearance in his own strip, though he also popped up in his secret identity of Koppy McFad in the other stories starring his supporting cast.

Reading Room SUPERSNIPE "Strong Medicine" Part 1

With San Diego Comic Con well under way, let's look at the original fanboy...

..in his final adventure!

What will Roxy discover?

Be Here TOMORROW for the startling climax featuring Super vs Duper!

Written and illustrated by George Marcoux, this story from SuperSnipe Comics V5N1 (1949) marked the character's final appearance in his own strip, though he also appeared in his secret identity of Koppy McFad in the other stories in this issue starring his supporting cast.

Ant-Man, nah, nah, nah, nah...Ant-Man, nah, nah, nah, nah...

Looks like my favorite Marvel character...

...is finally making an appearance in a big-budget Marvel movie...sorta!

except now he'll look like this...

Makes me nostalgic for his first appearance on the syndicated Marvel Super-Heroes in 1966...

...adapting The Avengers #2 "The Space Phantom", where he appears as both Giant-Man and Ant-Man!
(The tv series never adapted the first issue, but did feature Hank Pym as Ant-Man, Giant-Man and Goliath in adaptations of Avengers #4, #5, and #6 as well as the Captain America story in Tales of Suspense #84.)