Thursday, August 21, 2025

Remake Reading Room JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Alien on Earth!"

...here's an earlier rendition of the oft-used concept, with one of the weirdest-looking Jack Kirby aliens I've ever seen (and that is saying something)!
Penciler Jack Kirby and inker Christopher Rule, who did the cover of the re-do, illustrated this tale from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #51 (1959).
As for who wrote it, the consensus on various sites, including the Grand Comics Database, is that it's the work of Kirby himself.
For those clever readers who noted both this story and the reworking in World of Fantasy were both published in 1959, this one came out six months earlier, and the "job number" for "Alien" (T-165) is earlier than the one on "Gargoyle" (T-345).
Usually, Stan Lee (either as editor or writer) made sure that such similar plots or reworkings were a couple of years apart.
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Order...
Volume #4
Paid Link

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder MARS "Rebirth" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...actually, this scene occurrs near the end of the story, below.

Paralyzed below the waist as a child, Dr Morgana Trace developed a method to project one's consciousness into a robot body via computer link for limited periods.
With the use of an exo-skeleton to walk, she's able to participate in a mission to Mars to supervise a team trained to use her robots on the planet's surface for construction and other tasks.
But when political problems on Earth get out-of-hand while the craft is en-route, the ship's crew and passengers face a critical choice...













There was a text feature at the end of this issue with some fascinating background about the series and characters...


The Saga Continues, Next Month!
Support Atomic Kommie Comics
Visit Amazon and Buy...
Mars
Collection of the entire 12-issue series
(Plus 32 pages of extras!)
Paid Link

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Remake Reading Room WORLD OF FANTASY "Gargoyle From the 5th Galaxy!"

Is this a kool cover, or what?
But, this sandals-wearing Jack Kirby-Christopher Rule scarlet alien isn't inside the comic!
Instead, we get a more humanoid, less "traditional" gargoyle-looking green alien!
To be fair, he does breathe fire, like the guy on the cover...
Plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber and superbly-rendered by Don Heck, this tale from Atlas' World of Fantasy #19 (1959) was actually a re-do of an earlier story (illustrated by Jack Kirby, no less), which we'll present Thursday!
BTW, though the story was reprinted in the 1970s, the cover has never seen the light of day since its' original publication!
Pity...
Support Atomic Kommie Comics!
Visit Amazon and Order...
Atlas-Era Marvel Masterworks
Tales of Suspense
Volume 4
Paid Link

Monday, August 18, 2025

Monday Mecha Madness SHOGUN WARRIORS "Mech-Monster" Part 1

 When Last We Saw Our Mecha...

...they had finally defeated the first creature (which became multiple creatures) the villainous Maur-Kon threw against them!
But Dr Tambura, leader of the alien Followers of the Light who recruited the three human pilots for the mecha is concerned about the fact it took three issues to achieve victory...


The following page shows how each of the Shoguns can transform into another form (as established in their respective Japanese animated series)...

Trivia: Raideen and Dangard Ace are solo pilot mecha in both American and Japanese versions, but Combatra has five pilots in Japan and only one in America!
But both Raideen and Dangard Ace have support teams/aides who assist the pilot!
None of the Japanese characters or plotlines are carried over to the American Shogun Warriors!





To Be Continued Next Monday!
Coming up with Toho-style kaiju/mecha threats to the Shogun Warriors was a trying task to writer Doug Moench and penciler Herb Trimpe!
But, they were chosen for the project due to the success of Marvel's ongoing Godzilla series...which they were responsible for!
Oddly, while the Godzilla series embraced continually-utilizing Marvel characters as guest-stars, Shogun Warriors resisted doing so until the very end of the series!

Sunday, August 17, 2025

The RetroBlog Summer Blogathon Concentrates This Week on HEROINES!

What's Better Than a Heroine?

A whole TEAM of them!
We've been presenting their complete, never-reprinted, exploits from the Swinging Sixties which will, sadly, end this week with the last of their 4-page tales and the one-shot book-length story that finishes their run...but left it open-ended!
Trivia: Though the last two issues of Gold Key's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. were reprints of earlier Napoleon Solo & Illya Kuryakin stories, the Jet Dream tales were new!
You'll be seeing everything this week between RetroBlogs Heroines! and Crime & Punishment!
Meanwhile (as they say in comics) here are the previously-re-presented stories...
Heroines: "Spy in the Sky" "Spider and the Spy" "Ting-a-Ling--Enemy Agent" "Powder-Puff Derby Caper" "Splash-Down to Death" "Day of Infamy" "Captive Jet" "Call to Freedom"
Crime & Punishment: "Super-Tiger of Targan!" "Death Plunge" "Set-Up Sultan" "Farmer Brown Fiasco"
True Love Comics Tales: "Achilles Heel"
As they say in the trading card business...
Buy Them!
Trade Them
Collect Them All!