Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Reading Room WEIRD THRILLERS "Fisherman of Space"

Weird Thrillers was a 1950s sci-fi comic with painted covers...
Art by Allen Anderson
..which helped set the Ziff-Davis comic series apart from others on the newsstands!
All Ziff-Davis comics, no matter the genre, had painted covers, usually by the same artists who did cover art for their large pulp magazine line.
(Avon Comics also used paintings from time-to-time, but not throughout the line, and not on a consistent basis.)
Z-D was a latecomer to the comics business, publishing their first title in 1950 and canceling most titles by the end of 1952, continuing one book, G.I. Joe, until 1957.
During the comic division's brief existence, Z-D published over fifty titles, mostly one-shots and two-issue runs, covering every genre in fiction...except superheroes!
(The closest they came to superheroes were Lars of Mars and Crusader from Mars, both of whom were Martians operating undercover on Earth, and neither lasted past their second issue.)
Weird Thrillers (and it's one-shot predecessor Weird Adventures) ran a total of six issues.
Here's an example of why they lasted longer than most other Z-D titles...
This time-traversing tale from Weird Thrillers #2 (1951) was penciled by Alex Toth and inked by Sy Barry.
The writer is unknown, which is a shame, since it's a decent story with a clever, scientifically-accurate solution.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Monday Madness FAIRY TALES "Wolf Boy"

...this time, it's another lad, but with a decidedly-different tone in this never-reprinted story from Ziff-Davis' Fairy Tales #10 (1951)!
Feral children are a common concept in folklore, and I was unable to find a published version that corresponded to this tale!
The strip's artist is unknown, but I see elements of Joe Kubert's work from this period, so while he didn't do the entire job, he probably helped whoever the primary artist(s) were!
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Sunday, September 15, 2019

Halloween Treats for the Young (and Young-at-Heart)!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have told you about our Horror Comics of the 1950s™ and Seduction of the Innocent™ sections, PLUS the Martians, Martians, Martians™ category of The Future WAS Fantastic™, all of which have kool retro horror-oriented goodies year-round for the older kids.But what about something Halloween-themed for the younger crowd, the tweens and pre-teens, the toddlers and babies?
Well, never let it be said we ignored a target demographic!
We have a kool Haunted Halloween  collection specifically-for those little ones who want a slightly-scary take on the spectral and spooky, as well as one for the 7-13 category who want a bit more meat on the bone (as it were).
We're offering Yard Signs and Banners, plus; invitation cards, and greeting cards!
Note to the older crowd, sorry, but the shirts 'n stuff are kid-sized only!
Have a look and order now, before your treat turns into a trick due to late delivery!

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Comics Trade Paperback You Should have Bought...but Didn't!

Remember this spectacular wraparound cover?
This superb, never-reprinted Murphy Anderson illustration encapsulates what made DC's science fiction line in the 1950s and 60s so entertaining!
Adam Strange and Alanna! (DC's premiere space-going heroes!)
Winged Apes! (DC was famous for using apes almost anywhere you could think of!)
A ridiculous, physically-impossible image (giant arrow thrown by aforementioned winged [but normal-sized] ape through the Earth) that you just must know the story behind! (Though, sadly, in this case, there's no story behind this particular piece!)
Fireside's Mysteries in Space (1980), a $7.95 trade paperback reprint compiled from Strange AdventuresMystery in SpaceTales of the Unexpected, and From Beyond the Unknown came and went quickly through bookstores.
Sadly, it didn't sell well, and many copies were returned to the publisher and pulped!
It's not available in e-book form, and a different 1999 tpb, Mystery in Space, doesn't reprint any of the stories featured in this compilation!
Now, when you can find a copy, it runs from $30 to $100, depending on condition!
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Friday, September 13, 2019

Friday Fun SPACE MOUSE "Genius at Work" & "Great Hero"

Besides the four-color stories in the book, the b/w inside covers were used for one-page features...
...although this first one, with its' vaudeville-level humor could've been used for any character...and probably previously had by writer-artist Frank Carin!
The second one shows something unusual in that Space Mouse apparently runs an interplanetary gas station in his spare time!
Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Both these never-reprinted one-pagers are from Avon's Space Mouse #1 (1953), which cover-features a different space beauty pageant story!
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