Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Reading Room OUTER SPACE "Planet Which Had Everything--Almost!"

Here's a tale that takes a concept from one of H.G. Wells' novels...
...a concept which was based on real-life events from Earth's history!
Yep, it's the classic ending from War of the Worlds!
Note: The movie version of Wells' First Men in the Moon also incorporates the "germs kill aliens who haven't been exposed to them" concept, but it's not in the original novel!
As to real-life, European settlers inadvertently brought a plague to North America and caused an epidemic that decimated a number of native tribes that had contact with them.
While the writer of this tale from Charlton's Outer Space #1 (1968) is unknown to me, the art is by Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia.

Monday, January 3, 2022

Monday Madness FANTASTIC "Deadly Doodles of Dandy!"

One of the funkiest versions of the "Everything I write comes to life!" concept...
...is this tormenting tale from Youthful's Fantastic #9 (1952)!
While the writer is unknown, the art is by Edwin Goldfarb and Bob Baer...or is it?
Oddly, the duo of Goldfarb and Baer poped up all over the place, always working together.
Yet the quality of their art fluctuated wildly from barely competent to superb!
This story has a lot of the stylistic hallmarks of both Mike Sekowsky and Carmine Infantino, while the inking looks a helluva lot like Frank Giacoia.
Were "Goldfarb & Baer" pen-names?
We may never know!
Note: For January, we're taking our leave of Mars-based stories, since our buddy at Rip Jagger's Dojo is doing a month-long look at the various renditions of life on the Red Planet...and how it affects life on our world!
We'll make a decision at the beginning of February as to what direction our Monday feature will take.
In the meantime, we're restoring the "Madness" aspect to this weekly feature!
Enjoy!
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Sunday, January 2, 2022

It's a New Year! Are You Ready for "A-DAY"?

Are you scared because you think the world is on the brink of war?
HA!
Back in the 1950s, we lived with the concept on a daily basis...and even told comic book tales about it!
This never-reprinted tale from Ziff-Davis' Amazing Adventures #1 (1950) offered some interesting, and (to some) subversive messages.
Illustrated by long-time pro Ogden Whitney, it shows how, unfortunately, human nature can destroy a potential Utopia...while ignoring how current technology wasn't (and still isn't) up to keeping "cheap" atomic power reasonably safe.
Something to ponder, even more than seven decades later...

Saturday, January 1, 2022