Saturday, March 2, 2013

Holiday Reading Room: EASTER WITH MOTHER GOOSE "Chicken Little"

Combine fairy tales and Easter with current fears of Sequestration and you get...
...as told by the legendary Walt (Pogo) Kelly in Dell's Four Color Comics #140 (1947)
"Fudgy-wudgy" indeed!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Reading Room: EXPLORERS IN THE UNKNOWN "Runaway Asteroid""

These are the voyages of the Hunter I, it's ongoing mission...
...to fill four pages per issue of Gold Key's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
The Hunter I crew had adventures set in the near-future of the late 1990s-early 2000s, much like then-current films like Green Slime, Wild Wild Planet, and Battle in Outer Space.
With only four pages per issue, there was little character development (or even names) for the crew, but lots of action!
The entire never-reprinted series was written by Dick Wood, and this tale from VttBotS #15 (1969) was illustrated by Jose Delbo, who entered the business in 1965, worked for practically everybody at one point or another, and retired in 1996 with over 800 stories and covers to his credit.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Reading Room: WEIRD THRILLERS "Cycle of Time"

Here's a sci-fi triple-treat: time travel, aliens, and dinosaurs!
This kool tale appeared in the HTF Ziff-Davis' anthology Weird Thrillers #2 (1951)!
Illustrated by Murphy Anderson, who was doing quite a bit of work for ZD including the second issue of Space Busters and both issues of Lars of Mars as well as various one-shots like this.
We don't know who wrote this tale, but it might be series editor Jerry (Superman) Siegel.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Reading Room: OUTER SPACE "3rd Planet"

Some stories are a "product of their time"...
...such as this Silver Age story that reflects the pacifist attitudes of the 18-30 year-olds of the era.
That's how the tale ended in the idealistic '60s.
If they re-did it today, in the far more cynical '10s, one (or both) commanders would have had a strike force ready to attack the second the other side disarmed.
This tale from the Charlton one-shot Outer Space (1968) was illustrated by Pat Boyette.
As to who wrote it, it could have been Boyette (who had already proven himself as a writer with several stories for Charlton's anthologies as well as a couple of issues of Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt), or Joe Gill, who co-created several pacifist heroes including Peacemaker with Boyette, and GunMaster with Dick Giordano!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Reading Room: BRANT CRAIG "Space Pirates of Lanthus IV"

He's not the first "Interplanetary Detective"...
...that honor goes to Planet Comics' Fero (who went "inter"planetary in his second appearance)!
But Brant Craig was the longest-lasting, with seven appearances!
Yeah, let's not worry about the innocent spacemen who were just killed during this raid, or their families.
They're just collateral damage...
This never-reprinted premiere from Youthful's Captain Science #2 (1951) was probably illustrated by Bill Molno.
The writer is unknown.
Brant Craig continued through the remaining five issues of Captain Science.
When the book was re-titled Fantastic, Brant (and Captain Science) made their final bows in the first issue.

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Oscar Tribute to James Bond's 50th Anniversary

Well, we didn't get to see six cinema Bonds on screen (not counting the '67 Casino Royale ensemble), but we did get Shirley Bassey, still going strong at 76 years young, belt out Goldfinger!

If you can't have Bond, at least have the greatest Bond song performer of all...

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Sorry, Guys, but I'm Busy...

Between the Oscars, a new Walking Dead/Talking Dead combo, and Doctor Who: the Doctors Revisited: the Second Doctor, and a cranky Significant Other, there's no posting today.
Be back tomorrow!