Reading Room TALES OF SUSPENSE "Last Rocket"

Marvel's Tales of Suspense #39 (1963) is famous for it's cover story...

...but that oft-retold tale is not what we're looking at today!

Instead, we're presenting one of the backup stories...the third and final version of the "Adam & Eve on past/future Earth" trope plotted and/or scripted by Stan Lee.

You can read the previous two tales HERE and HERE.

Ok, I'm willing to believe that, with 1960s-level technology, all of Mankind could pull off a When Worlds Collide-style evacuation of the planet, though how they'd survive to reach another solar system is questionable.

I'm even willing to accept a couple of ecology-oriented sorts being stubborn (and let's face it, sucicidal) enough to remain on their homeworld to the bitter end.

But an "exploding star" close enough to warm and light the planet, yet totally-unknown to anyone before that?

C'mon!

And one more thing...why couldn't the space fleet just turn around and return when they noticed the "exploding star" behind them?

In this retelling, it's believed that Lee plotted the story, his brother, Larry Lieber, scripted it.

But it's a fact that the legendary Gene Colan penciled and inked the absolutely beautiful art!

It makes the rather silly story bearable.

Reading Room STRANGE TALES "A Thousand Years Later..."

Yesterday, we showed you the first of three variations of a theme...

...today we give you the second version, by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko!

Written by Stan Lee and illistrated by Steve Ditko, this story from Marvel's Strange Tales #90 (1961) is the second time in two years that Lee produced a story based on the "Adam and Eve on past/future Earth" cliche, this time adding the plot element of an immortal man who didn't fit in with society.
He would reuse the concept one more time two years later...as we shall see tomorrow!

Reading Room STRANGE WORLDS "I Am the Last Man on Earth!"

One thing Stan Lee was really good at was recycling plots (with minor variations)...

...as demonstrated in this first of three tales based on the same premise!

Plotted (and probably scripted) by Stan Lee, this never-reprinted story from Atlas' Strange Worlds #1 (1958) was illustrated by Silver Age mainstay Don Heck.

Yes, it's the "Adam & Eve begin a new Earth in the future/past" tale, which has become something of a cliche in sci-fi/fantasy.

But, it's some of the details that carry-over from one story to another that make this particular variation's multiple versions interesting.

Be here tomorrow to see what I mean...

Design of the Week Redux: BUNNY? DADDY?

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another...unless it's really popular, in which case we keep it up one more week!

Since Easter is coming, we thought we'd present an absolutely adorable piece by the legendary Walt (Pogo) Kelly featuring a bunny with a surprised look on his faces a the egg in his basket hatches, producing yet another cute animal...a baby duck!

You just don't see stuff like this anymore!
So, why not order some kidswear, or even holiday greeting cards with this one-week-only graphic?
Everyone who sees it will go "Awwww."

MANHUNTER 2070 Will Return...

...in April, with the Origin of Starker...

...as shown in this "teaser" from the back of DC's Showcase #91 (1970).

Written and penciled by Mike Sekowsky, inkd by Vince Colletta.