Thursday, July 28, 2011

Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Television Spies"

It may be 1948, but tv was already a national obsession...
 ...and Phantom Lady is about to go in front of the cameras!
Oddly enough, both Don and the criminals have color tvs, when they weren't available commercially until five years later!
And Ringo's cane-camera is a color transmitter, when even portable b/w tv cameras were the size of suitcases!
The superb art for this tale from All Top Comics #10 is, of course, by Matt Baker.
This plot, probably by Ruth Roche, was reused, but totally-redrawn for the Comics Code-approved Phantom Lady #3 in 1955!
We'll be re-presenting that when we get to it in the chronology.
Next week...
The issue Fredric Wertham singled-out in Seduction of the Innocent!
Phantom Lady #17!
Both Phantom Lady tales complete and uncut!

Check out the
"Naughty" 
Phantom Lady
Collectibles Shop
featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.
at No comments:

Monday, July 25, 2011

Reading Room: IMPOSSIBLE MAN "Inhuman Menace"

Sadly, we present the final tale of Hugh Mann aka The Impossible Man...
...as he adapts to life on a world where everyone except him has super-powers!
And on that note, the recorded adventures of the original Impossible Man came to a conclusion.
Not that it was easy to find his funky fables!
All of Impossible Man's adventures were in the backs of different comics, none of which featured or even mentioned him on their covers!
This third and final tale is from Meteor Comics #1 (and only!) and it actually appeared several months before his second story, which we ran here, was published!
As we said earlier, some attribute the art to George Marcoux, who created SuperSnipe, the Kid with the Most Comic Books in America! and some say Charles "C.A." Voight, who did humor strips like Captain Milksop and Sir Prize.
And these related goodies from Amazon.com...
at No comments:

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Monster in the Pool"

Sexy women and werewolves...
...long before Twilight or True Blood, the Phantom Lady put her scantly-clad body between lycanthropes and an innocent human race!
The art for this tale from Phantom Lady #16 is by the inimitable Matt Baker, and the story is probably by Ruth Roche.
Supernatural elements would crop up in several more Phantom Lady stories.
featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.
at No comments:

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Reading Room: THE SHADOW "Princess of Death"

...we promised you  a look at the purple and green-garbed Silver Age version...
You'll note a number of changes since The (Silver Age) Shadow's last appearance...
He's now a brunette, not blonde.
He's no longer using hypnotic powers to cloud mens' minds, preferring stealth.
He's wearing a green and purple skintight costume!
The art style has changed, and not for the better.
(Paul Reinman, who was also illustrating Archie's other superhero titles, has replaced John Rosenberger.)
However, the writer was still Robert Bernstein. In fact, either this tale, or its' companion from this never-reprinted issue was his last comic book work.
We'll be re-presenting the other, longer tale from Archie's The Shadow #3 in the near future.
I can hear the screams of anguish already!
for goodies featuring other Silver Age heroes, besides The Shadow!
And check out the Shadow goodies from Amazon below...
at No comments:

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Reading Room: JET DREAM "Spy in the Sky"

The very first Jet Dream tale...
...from Man from U.N.C.L.E. #7 (1965).
Jump in and enjoy!
This opening tale by writer Dick Wood, penciler Mike Sekowsky and inker Frank Giacoia was not related to U.N.C.L.E. in any way, except being spy-themed!
You'll note it's only four pages. Every Jet Dream tale until the book-length one-shot was the same length.
As a result, characterization and back-story are at a minimum and the stories race along at a maniacal pace!
The team is, like the Blackhawks, international, with members from the US, Germany, England, France, and an unspecified Pacific island.
They're all expert aircraft pilots, all can handle weapons and know various marital arts, and each has unique talents.
Unlike the Blackhawks of the era, they are mercenaries, hiring out to the highest bidder (as long as they're not Commies or an evil organization like SPECTRE or THRUSH)!
There's no origin story, we're just introduced to them as an already-organized and fully-equipped team.
We're adding Jet Dream and Her StuntGirl CounterSpies into the rotation of ongoing strips in our Reading Room, so keep an eye on us for their next appearance!
at 2 comments:

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Reading Room: IMPOSSIBLE MAN "Electro"

As we promised...the return of Hugh Mann, the Impossible Man!
His second appearance, in the back of the 1946 one-shot Captain Wizard #1!
"Knight of Light"?
Nah, stay with "Impossible Man"!
Much cooler!
This story, chronologically the second in the series, was published almost a year after his third story was printed in Meteor Comics #1 in 1945!
Also note the first appearance of a villainous Electro.
There already was a couple of heroic Electros (in Fox's Science Comics [who was renamed Dynamo] and Timely's Marvel Mystery Comics), but both were gone by the time of this story (though the Timely Electro has reappeared in Marvel books including The Twelve).
There would be a couple of other one-shot villainous Electros after this one, a mad scientist in Shadow Comics and a communist agent in Captain America before Marvel's long-running Spider-Man foe appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #9! (The Communist Electro has since appeared in flashback tales.)
As we said earlier, some attribute the art to George Marcoux, who created SuperSnipe, the Kid with the Most Comic Books in America! and some say Charles "C.A." Voight, who did humor strips like Captain Milksop and Sir Prize.
Impossible Man will return in his final appearance...soon!

And these related goodies from Amazon.com...
at No comments: