Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder JOHN CARTER "Lights of Doom"

The John Carter movie is in theaters now...
...so we're presenting the never-reprinted "Secret Diaries" mini-series that ran in DC Comics' Tarzan Family in 1976!
This all-new tale from Tarzan Family #64 (1976) was written by Bob Kanigher, penciled by Noly Zamora and inked by Vic Catan with several panels modifed/redrawn by editor Joe Kubert.
Unfortunately, the story ends on a cliffhanger as the remaining two issues of Tarzan Family featured a reprint of Carter's first DC Comics appearances in Tarzan #207-208...
DC then cancelled both of their Burroughs-related titles as ERB.Inc announced plans to publish their own line of comic books which, unfortunately didn't work out, as seen HERE.
In 1977, Marvel Comics was granted the license for ERB characters, doing both Tarzan and John Carter as stand-alone titles ignoring any storylines DC had produced (including adaptations).
When Marvel's Burroughs titles were cancelled in 1979, unused artwork for both of them was adapted (ironically) into other licensed-property titles!
The unused Tarzan story became, with rescripting and additional art, a two-part BattleStar Galactica tale .
John Carter's unpublished tale was modified into a two-part Star Wars story (#53-54) with John Carter becoming Aron Peacebringer, Dejah Thoris relabeled Alisande, and Tars Tarkas losing a couple of arms, turning orange, and renamed Keral Longknife!

As we mentioned earlier, the "Secret Diaries" mini-series has never been reprinted since it's publication in 1976, even in the recent Dark Horse trade paperback that presented all the other John Carter stories that appeared in DC Comics!
There is one more never-reprinted Barsoom tale (without John Carter or any established characters) from DC which you'll see next week!
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Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Reading Room: "Supreme Penalty" Versions 1.0 & 2.0

...and we're doing so again!
This version appeared in Harvey's Black Cat Mystery #47 (1953) during the height of the horror comics boom.
It was re-presented in Harvey's Race for the Moon #1 (1959) after the Comics Code went into effect.
Let's see how things have changed...
Almost every panel has a change from the original, either in art or balloons!
Panel 4 has an interesting change in dialogue indicating the condemned survive in space...
Only change is dialogue in the first panel, which indicates the exiled criminals are still alive, but in orbit.
The figure of Judge Krenk being murdered in Panel 6, and his corpse in Panel 7 have been removed!
Panel One: Judge Krenk is said to be wounded, not dead!
Panel Six: Frances' face redrawn to look less maniacal and his sentence altered to confine him to his lab!
Interesting to note the alterations inflicted by the Comics Code Authority!
Art (and probably story) by Bob Powell.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Monday Madness ALICE "...and the Man Who Made the Weather"

We've come to the end of the 1950s comic book tales of Alice...
...with a story featuring a non-Lewis Carroll character!
Writer-artist Dave Berg kept up the surreal storylines in Ziff-Davis' Alice #11 (1951) all the way to the end of the run!
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Sunday, July 28, 2019

Design of the Week HOLO-MAN

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week...he's the hero of tomorrow who was created yesterday (the 1980s, to be exact) and is here today!
Read his (one and only) adventure HERE and HERE.
Then collect his limited-edition tchochkes HERE!

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Reading Room SPACE PATROL "TestTube Tyler"

Let's jump into the weekend with a workplace joke...but with a sci-fi twist!
This never-reprinted one pager from Ziff-Davis' Space Patrol #2 (1952) was Testtube Tyler's sole appearance.
Obviously, Cedrick never reappeared either.
And, to top it off, the writer and artist (who may be one and the same or two different people) are unknown.