Friday, March 17, 2023

Friday Holiday Fun 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 Esteban Maroto!
Scripted 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 the official American publication JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy.
(It's a long story, and I'll tell it in a future post...)
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to start prepping Shepherd's Pie (with lamb marinated in Guinness) for dinner...

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Reading Room WORLDS OF SUSPENSE "Dead End"

Automobiles like this kool prototype aren't a new concept...
...but this particular one has a potentially-deadly feature for the unwary...as these thieves are about to discover!
know I've seen the 1950s gull-wing concept car used as the protoype vehicle, but I'll be damned if I can find it on the 'Net.
Anybody recognize it?
The art for this never-reprinted tale of greed, gasoline, and goof-ups from Atlas' World of Suspense #8 (1957) was by Howard O'Donnell, whose career in comics was brief (1953-1958), but whose art career continues to this day as a noted painter of maritime and Western subjects!
The writer is unknown.
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Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder SPACE MAN "Out Into Space" Conclusion

Returing to Earth after successfully breaching the Anti-Force that kept humans from leaving Earth orbit, Ian and Johnny must keep from the public that they are now part of a secret interplanetary defense force operated by a (dare I say) federation of planets to protect the galaxy.
The series would run another seven issues that got even weirder and wilder than this premiere from Dell's Four Color #1253.
We'll be presenting those tales in the future.
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Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Reading Room WORLD OF FANTASY "Brain Picker!"

Nuclear accidents mutating everyday people were common in pre-Marvel tales...
...plotted or written by Stan Lee for Atlas Comics...except they didn't result in costumed superheroes...or costumed supervillains!
If this never-reprinted story by plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, penciler Matt Baker and inker Vince Colletta, from Atlas' World of Fantasy #17 (1959) had appeared after the intro of the Fantastic Four in 1961, I don't doubt Frederic Kane would've become an ongoing super-villain and scientist brother Phillip would've become his nemesis, probably working with S.H.I.E.L.D. and/or Professor X to stop him!
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Monday, March 13, 2023

Monday Madness REAL FACT COMICS "Rookie of the Year" & PICTURE NEWS "California Flash"

For the past few weeks, we presented a fictional tale about a ballplayer facing prejudice...
...today, it's the "real deal" with the guy who broke the racial barrier in Major League Baseball!
The story from DC's Real Fact Comics #14 (1948) presents the story in a straightforward, if slightly patronizing, manner.
The following tale from Parents Magazine's Picture News #4 (1946) by writer/artist Charles Wessel, predates his being called up to the majors.
Note it does contain a couple of racial stereotypes common to the era, and may be NSFW.
There was also an official Jackie Robinson comic book from major comics publisher Fawcett that lasted six issues (longer than most other comics based on real-life sports figures) from 1949-52.
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Digitally-restored and remastered from a scan of the actual original cover!