Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Reading Room REALITY "Quasar!"

Long before the internet and DeviantArt, up-and-coming artists were published in fanzines...
...to get their work in front of an audience, receive feedback, and make a few bucks!
Originally-drawn for Web of Horror, this early tale by Steve Hickman ended up in the first issue of Reality, a fanzine published in 1970 by 15-year old Robert Gerson.
When Web died after only three issues, a number of writers and artists had no market for their material without losing all the rights to it, so, in order to get it published to make a few bucks for their labor (and retain the copyrights), they let a young entepreneur use the stories in his fanzine, which was sold at conventions and in used book stores and head shops alongside underground comics.
(There were no comic book shops back then.)
Hickman spent a few years working in the comics field before moving on to commercial art, particularly sci-fi/fantasy book covers, with over 400 titles to his credit!
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Monday, March 19, 2018

Reading Room NORGE BENSON "Dragons of Diablo"

One thing I've noticed about this strip...
...is that there seem to be a lot of alien worlds easily-accessible with a quick trip from Pluto!
This never-reprinted story from Fiction House's Planet Comics #29 (1944) showed the versatility of Iger Studios newcomer Lily Renee, who was already handling Ranger Comics' Werewolf Hunter and Wings Comics' Jane Martin with the best yet to come!
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Sunday, March 18, 2018

Easter Egg-citement with Walt Kelly!

...but we don't believe in playing April Fools Day tricks on you!
So we've brought you some classic Walt Kelly tales and features from the annual Easter with Mother Goose issues of Dell's Four Color Comics, many of which have never been reprinted!
This centerfold from Four Color Comics: Easter with Mother Goose #103 (1946) is a splendid example.
Can you find the bunnies, chicks, and eggs hidden in the art?
And, after you've done that, click HERE to read some kool stories!
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Saturday, March 17, 2018

Holiday Reading Room VAMPIRELLA "Jackie and the Leprechaun King"

For St Patrick's Day, here's an offbeat tale about leprechauns...
...as rendered in an extremely non-traditional way by comics legend Estban Maroto!
Written by Bill DuBay, this somewhat more "heroic fantasy" approach to the legend of leprechauns appeared in Warren's Vampirella #53 (1976) when elves and related creatures were experiencing a revival in popularity due to the 20th Anniversary of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to start prepping Shepherd's Pie (with lamb marinated in Guinness) for dinner...

Friday, March 16, 2018

Friday Fun JETTA OF THE 21st CENTURY "Zoomer: Time Out for Trouble"

Let's look in on other teens in the future Jetta universe...
...and see how they react to being transplanted to the (then) current time period of 1953!
While we're nowhere near the "future" as shown in this never-reprinted story from Standard's Jetta of the 21st Century #6 (1953) by penciler (and probable writer) Dan De Carlo with inks by Fred Eng, there are elements of truth in the tale, including many Millennials' inability to prepare a meal from scratch!
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Dan DeCarlo's Jetta