Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN AMERICA "Hour of Doom!"

Propaganda/Disinformation Presented by a Trusted Source...

...was a popular with the Russkies in the 1950s as it is with MAGA today!

Luckily, back then we had a Captain America & Bucky to expose it!

This final appearance of the Cap & Bucky of the 1950s (until Marvel's Captain America #153 [1972] as detailed HERE), written by Don Rico and illustrated by John Romita Sr,  appeared as the last story in Atlas' Captain America #78 (1954), ending his part of the short-lived revival of Timely Comics' "Big Three" (Cap, Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner)

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Decades

Marvel in the '50s

Captain America Strikes!

(Which reprints this story)

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Russkie-Smashers MAN COMICS "Bob Brant & the Trouble-Shooters! in 'Rocket to the Moon!/Out of this World!' "

There are Russkies Everywhere...

...in every country, under the sea, and the sky above...including the Moon!

Note: May be NSFW due to portrayal of Australian Aborigines, though it's not any worse than the standard depiction of Native Americans in similar stories of the era.

So, the All-American teenagers defeat Russkies and claim the Moon for the good 'ol USA in this never-reprinted tale illustrated by Carl Hubbell from Atlas' Man Comics #27 (1953)!

It's a pity the magazine only ran for one more issue after this!

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Newsboy Legion

Volume 1

by

Joe Simon & Jack Kirby

The First Kid Gang in Comic Books!

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Russkie-Smashing with AI! JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY / WHERE MONSTERS DWELL "Ruler of Earth!"

Despite the ominous-sounding title (and word balloon)...

...the Artificial Intelligence in this tale is benevolent...until Russkies enter the picture!
(Yeah, Russkies ruin everything!)

So, let's travel to the "future" year of 1990...as seen from 1962...

Appearing as the cover-featured story in one of the final pre-Mighty Thor issues of Atlas' Journey into Mystery (#82 in 1962), this story by plotter/editor Stan Lee, writer Larry Leiber, penciler Jack Kirby, and inker Dick Ayers is a clear Cold War/anti-Communist parable!

But, when the tale was reprinted at the end of the Cold War in Marvel's Where Monsters Dwell #25 (1973)...

...editor Roy Thomas had the hammer and sickle and red star insignias removed from the Russkies' hats...

...and replaced with an "H", which was explained with the change in the dialogue balloon above!
HYDRA???
Why not AIM...who were always more tech-oriented?
So, presumably, there are at least two worlds in the Marvel Multiverse where ROE presides, to this day, over a peaceful Earth!
Bonus for putting up with this all this fanboy mishigas...the lovingly-detailed original art for the spash page by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers!

BTW, did you note how warm, cuddly, and almost teddy-bear-like the cover's ROE is, compared to the version in the story itself?

Russkie-Smashers JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Invisible Woman!"

Sometimes, the Best "Man" for Russkie-Smashing is a WOman...

...as this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #43 (1957) aptly-demonstrates!

This story has a rather unique artistic pedigree

Pencils by Syd Shores, who is usually an inker, and inking by one of the (now) most famous pencilers of the era...Matt Baker!
Why did editor Stan Lee make these particular choices?
Did the artists themselves suggest it as a change of pace?
Did Lee want to test to see how they'd do in unfamiliar roles?
I'd note there's also speculation Baker re-penciled certain panels, particularly the ones focused on the female spy!
What's the truth?

We'll never know the answer!

Just enjoy the result!

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Matt Baker

Art of Glamour

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Commie-Clobbering Kaiju STRANGE TALES "Fin Fang Foom!" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Favorite Comics Kaiju...

Aroused from his centuries-long slumber, Fin Fang Foom pursues the human who awakeened him, not realizing the human has an ulterior motive...using the kaiju as a living weapon against a Communist invasion force!

Yes, we know FFF was green on the cover, but orange on the inside!

It's another of those screw-ups that occur because covers (on slick magazine stock) and comic book interiors (on newsprint) are printed on different presses on different schedules, so they don't get processed or leave the publisher's offices at the same time!

And considering Editor Stan Lee was handling the entire Atlas/Marvel line all by himself, it's lucky FFF wasn't purple on either the inside or outside of Strange Tales #89!
When Fin Fang Foom began appearing in new stories, starting with Marvel's Astonishing Tales #23 (1974), he consistently remained green, though with red, purple or green shorts!

(BTW, you'll be seeing FFF's fellow kaiju It: the Living Colossus later this month!)

He's been a part of the Marvel Multiverse, numerous animated Marvel TV series and even the Marvel Cinematic Universe (named "Great Protector") in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!

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Monster Masterworks

(with a kool new, never-reprinted, wraparound cover by Walt Simonson)

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Commie-Clobbering Kaiju STRANGE TALES "Fin Fang Foom!" Part 1

You Know Him!
You Love Him!
You Can't Stop Saying His Name!

And now you're going to see his introduction (though not his origin) exactly as it appeared in Atlas' Strange Tales #89!

To be Concluded...TOMORROW!

You may wonder why we're going to break away.from the story just as the Chi-Com Clobbering is about to begin!

There's a very simple reason!

It's because editor/plotter Stan Lee, writer Larry Lieber, penciler Jack Kirby, and inker Dick Ayers ended the first chapter here!
You'll also note that Fin Fang Foom is orange, yet most fans are used to seeing him green, like this...

...and since the reprint (above) in Marvel's Where Monsters Dwell #21 (1973), he's been some shade of green!

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Monster Masterworks

(with a kool new [and never-reprinted] wraparound cover by Walt Simonson)
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