Reading Room STRANGE TALES "Beware of Meeks Bringing Gifts"

A couple of days ago, we brought you a never-reprinted sci-fi comics tale...

...but, while it has never been reprinted, that doesn't mean the story wasn't reused...this time with an oddly-contemporary aspect...

What?

Newspeople have a responsibility to uncover and tell the truth objectively and honestly?

Please don't tell FoxNews that...

We do know that Jack Kirby penciled this (also) never-reprinted story from Atlas' Strange Tales #86 (1961).

However, everything else is pure speculation.

It's thought Sol Brodsky inked the story (though it has aspects of Dick Ayers' style as well).

And, since it's not signed "Stan Lee" (as most confirmed Lee-scripted tales were),  the consensus is that Stan's brother Larry Lieber penned the story.

Monstrous Mini-Buttons! THE Perfect Halloween Treat:

These Halloween-themed 1"-diameter Mini Buttons are just the thing to use as trick-or-treat bag stuffers or Halloween party favors!

And they won't rot kids' teeth!

A "win-win" for parents!

Your house will become Halloween Central when everyone discovers you're giving away these unique items, which kids trade and collect and stick on everyting from jackets to backpacks to sweatshirts to hats!

Five G or PG-rated designs to choose from!

You can mix-and-match with several different design 10-packs at $19.99 each or a 100-pack of a single design for only $84.99 (That's less than 9 cents per button!
Cheaper than most brand-name candy!)

Order now, to get them in time for Halloween!

Reading Room ALIEN WORLDS "Few and the Far"

In space, things aren't always as they seem to appear...

...as this never-reprinted tale from Pacific's Alien Worlds #1 (1982) demonstrates not once, but twice...

Admit it.

Writer Bruce Jones and artist Al Williamson fooled you!

Reading Room WORLD OF FANTASY "Creatures that Captured Earth"

Do you know the two famous sci-fi stories' plots that were combined to create this tale?

Hint: one original involves robots/androids,, and the other is about cannibalism...

This never-reprinted story by Stan Lee/Larry Lieber and Don Heck from Atlas' World of Fantasy #18 (1959) was based on two classic sci-fi tales...

"With Folded Hands" by Jack Williamson, which premiered in Astounding Science Fiction...

...and was expanded into the novel The Humanoids, (and a sequel, The Humanoid Touch, over 30 years later)!

Though never done on film or tv, the story was adapted to radio on Dimension X (which you can hear HERE) and the basic plot was re-used in the classic Star Trek episode "I, Mudd".

The other plot point, involving decoding an alien text to discover a secret agenda, was probably taken from the 1950 Galaxy Magazine short story "To Serve Man" by Damon Knight.

(Note that the classic Twilight Zone episode adapting the tale wouldn't appear until three years later.)

Also note that, while the comic tale was never reprinted, it was redone only two years later by another of Atlas/Marvel's major artistic stars!

We'll have that story on Monday...

Return to the Swinging '60s with Frankenstein, Dracula, and Wolfman!

Well, we warned you...

As part of the Countdown to Halloween blogathon, our "brother" RetroBlog, Hero Histories, will present the complete runs of the 1960s superhero incarnations of Frankenstein and Dracula., plus the first issue of the superhero WolfMan, which was retitled "Werewolf".

If that doesn't scare your pants off, nothing will!

Be here October 1st!