Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts

Monday, April 13, 2026

Russkie-Smashers DATE WITH DANGER "Spies Walk Alone!"

Not All Russkie-Smashers Wear Costumes...

...because sometimes...to battle spies, you need a spy...like this guy!




Remember, this was the era before we had elegant secret agents in dinner jackets, carrying various kool gimmicks!
(But he still got to make out with the "bad girl"! Some things never change!)
It was a time of down n' dirty action and survival meant using your wits and whatever was at hand!
Illustrated by Ross Andru and inked by Mike Esposito, this never-reprinted story from Standard's Date with Danger #5 (1952) featured a character the publisher might have wanted to do an ongoing strip about, but since the book ended with the next issue, he never returned!

Monday, April 6, 2026

Russkie-Smashers HUMAN TORCH & TORO "Human Torch - Fugitive at Large!"

Since We Spent All of March Punching Nazis...

...it's only fair we dedicate April to kicking Russkie ass, starting with Captain America's fellow Russkie-fighter, the original Human Torch!





Written by Hank Chapman, penciled by Dick Ayers, and inked by Ernie Bache, this tale  from Atlas' Sub-Mariner #35 (1954). is one of the most-reprinted of the 1950s Human Torch stories!
Understandable since its' packed with a lot of action in only five pages!
(BTW, besides appearing in the Men's Adventures and Young Men's anthology comics, the "Big Three" of Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and Human Torch all had backup features in each other's comics!
"Corporate synergy" long before the phrase was coined!)

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Monday, February 9, 2026

Russkie-Smashers on Valentine's Week! SEARCH FOR LOVE "Atomic Amour!"

 Russkie Deceit and Deception Occurs Even in Matters of the Heart...

...even though we forget they were masters of such things during the Cold War!
As hard as it is to believe, this tale appeared in a romance comic, specifically, ACG's Search for Love #2 (1950).
Similar tales had appeared in crime/espionage titles, but their audience was radically-different from romance series' readers!
Regrettably, both the writer and illustrator(s) are unknown, so we can't blame anybody in particular for their stereotyped attitudes towards intelligent women.
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Monday, January 26, 2026

Russkie Smashers HUMAN TORCH COMICS "Rekindling the Flame of Confidence!"

Besides Catching (and Sometimes French-Frying) Russkie Spies...

...the Human Torch and his teen partner Toro occasionally have to render aid to the American military in other. somewhat more unique, ways!





The Human Torch displays a power/ability in this story by writer Hank Chapman, penciler Dick Ayers, and inker Ernie Bache that he never used before...the ability to move at super-speed, thus appearing invisible to the naked eye!
Maybe because this tale from Atlas' Human Torch #38 (1954) was the final appearance of the character in the 1950s, editor Stan Lee let the introduction of a totally-new ability go without trying to keep the character within established continuity!

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Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Nazi-Punchers SPACE WESTERN COMICS "Spurs Jackson and His Space Vigilantes in 'Tomorrow the Universe' "

Note: Curiously, there's no mention of the Martians, including their (of course) beautiful princess, Spurs and the Space Vigilantes had already encountered in previous stories!
Yeah, it's just business as usual for Spurs and his crew!
Written by Walter (The Shadow) Gibson and illustrated by Stan Campbell, this never-reprinted, beyond bonkers, tale from Charlton's Space Western Comics #45 (1953) was part of a pop culture trend in sci-fi fantasy that included movies like They Saved Hitler's Brain, and even a Twilight Zone episode, "He Lives!"

Monday, January 5, 2026

Nazi-Punchers SPACE WESTERN COMICS "Spurs Jackson and His Space Vigilantes in 'Madman of Mars' "

You've seen Cowboys and Indians, Even Cowboys and Aliens...
...but cowboys and Nazis...in outer space???
To Be Concluded, Appropriately, Tomorrow!
Written by Walter (The Shadow) Gibson and illustrated by Stan Campbell, this never-reprinted, beyond bonkers, tale from Charlton's Space Western Comics #44 (1953) was part of a pop culture trend about Adolf Hitler surviving to the (then) present in sci-fi fantasy that included movies like They Saved Hitler's Brain, and even a Twilight Zone episode, "He Lives!"
The comic itself, a mashup of Western cliches and the flying saucer fad of the 1950s set in the then-present, ran only six wacky issues before reverting to its' original title, Cowboy Western Comics!
As for how cowboy rancher (and US government vendor) Spurs Jackson ended up in outer space, well, you can read the beginning of his stellar saga HERE!

(You know you want to!)