Monday, December 18, 2023

Monday Madness ESQUIRE "Return of A Christmas Carol"

The tale of Scrooge's Yuletide redemption has been told and re-told ad nauseum since 1843...
...but never quite like this updated version from Esquire Magazine (December, 1961).
Adapted/laid-out by Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by David Levine, this re-telling is loaded with Mad Men-era pop culture and political references you'll have to Google to understand if you didn't live through the era!
Consider it our Monday Madness Xmas gift!

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Design of the Week...REDUX! SANTA'S WORKSHOP IS A SWEATSHOP???

Normally, each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!

In this case, the response has been so overwhelming, we're going to keep the design up until Christmas!
(BTW, you'll note that the cover is dated January, 1939.
But it was actually on sale in November, 1938! 
Publishers used to cover-date comics and pulps two to three months ahead of the actual on-sale date to keep the books on the stands for as long as possible!)
Pick up this kool design on mugs, greeting cards, and other Yuletide collectibles NOW!
Christmas will be here before you know it!

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Space Hero Saturdays JOURNEY INTO UNKNOWN WORLDS "They Wait in the Shadows!" & JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Monsters on Mercury!"

Sometimes "heroes" are everyday people...

...placed in unique situations, like colonizing a distant world, as in the tale behind a very misleading (but extremely-kool) Bill Everett cover!
Illustrated by Bob Forgione and scripted by an unknown writer, this story from Atlas' Journey into Unknown Worlds #47 (1956) is more "hard" science-fiction and less "science-fantasy" than this later tale by a pair of Silver Age legends following the same basic plot...
This long-forgotten Stan Lee/Steve Ditko (You've heard of them, right?) tale from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #78 (1962) amps up the humans' paranoia, but plays down scientific accuracy!
(Even in 1962, we knew Mercury was unlivable for humans without extensive protective equipment and clothing!)
But, to be fair, both tales are equally-good at getting the Yuletide message across, eh?
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Friday, December 15, 2023

Friday Holiday Fun LITTLEST SNOWMAN RESCUES CHRISTMAS Conclusion

...he had traveled to the Ice Wall near the North Pole...
...to find out why the Spirit of Christmas, who had always awakened by this time each year, had not yet emerged!
Sadly, The Littlest Snowman and his story of sacrifice for love is all but forgotten today...

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Thursday, December 14, 2023