Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Reading Room STRANGE TALES "Mister Black"

...with a tale featuring a Japanese protagonist!
Was this story from Atlas' Strange Tales #93 (1962) an inventory tale from the 1950s?
Artist Bob Forgione lost his ongoing freelance work at Atlas when the company cut back in late 1956-early 1957 after losing their newsstand distributor.
When this story was finally published, Forgione was working steadily for Dell, ACG, and DC.
It also appears to have been the last original tale by Bob that Atlas/Marvel published.
(All subsequent stories were reprints of earlier material.)
Also, could it have been reworked from an unpublished Witness tale?
Every comic company had a cloaked mysteryman narrating stories about "everyday" people (and occasionally influencing them, as well).
Timely/Atlas' entrant in the Mysterious Traveler/Whistler/Phantom Stranger/Man in Black Called Fate competition was The Witness, who had his own one-shot comic and a number of stories scattered in other titles.
At any rate, an extremely-similar tale appeared only a couple of months later...by one of the now-revived and thriving Atlas/Marvel's hottest artists!
You'll see that tale on the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima...tomorrow!

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Reading Room STRANGE TALES "Eyes that Never Close"

With the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima coming up...
...we're presenting several tales from the 1950s-60s relating to it.
This never-reprinted story from Atlas' Strange Tales #61 (1958) treats the bombing as just another disaster, but one the criminal won't escape from.
Illustrated effectively by Bernie Krigstein, who tells a story in only four pages that most artists today would need twenty pages for.
BTW, the writer is unknown.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Reading Room CAPTAIN SCIENCE COMICS "Spawn of Saturn"

Welcome to the cover feature of Captain Science #1 (1950)...
...except it's not about Captain Science!
In fact, the story's title isn't mentioned on the cover at all!
(You can find the actual Captain Science tales from #1 HERE and HERE.)
It's interesting to see a sci-fi tale where a handsome starship captain doesn't go on a landing party to a potentially-dangerous locale!
The writer is unknown, but the art is by Walter Johnson, who not only penciled and inked his own work, but ran a studio that supplied material to a number of comics companies, so some of his "signed" jobs (like this one) show elements of several artists' styles.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

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Saturday, August 1, 2015

Reading Room STRANGE TALES OF THE UNUSUAL "Man Who Said 'No' "

Here's one more Atlas/Marvel ant-themed story predating "Man in the Ant Hill"...
...about another scientist who developed a formula to shrink living beings!
Unlike Henry Pym, Max (whose last name remains unknown), never realizes his idea works...but the arrogant financier who refused to bankroll him certainly does...
This story from Atlas' Strange Tales of the Unusual #10 (1957) is illustrated by Angelo Torres, who started as one of EC Comics' sci-fi and horror-illustrating "Fleagle Gang", but found greater success when he switched to humorous cartooning for MAD Magazine and Esquire!
The writer is unknown, but might be Atlas editor Stan Lee.