Showing posts with label Black Americana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black Americana. Show all posts

Monday, February 10, 2025

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!
Support Hero Histories
Visit Amazon and Order...

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Before The Black Panther...LionMan!

Think the Black Panther was the first high-tech Black superhero?
Wrong!
Decades before him, a hero stalked the jungles and plains, defending them from evil men!
He's not only a scientist and athlete, but an American, as well!
LionMan made his first and only appearance in All-Negro Comics #1 (1946), a unique title for a number of reasons you can read about HERE!
Please Support Hero Histories!
Visit

Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Black Panther...UNMASKED!

As most Silver Age comics fans know, Marvel's Black Panther debuted in Fantastic Four #52 under this cover in 1966 (making him 52 years old this year!).
But, did you know he almost premiered under this cover...
Note the Black Panther's figure was photostatted and "flopped" (reversed) and the exposed parts of his face were covered for use on the published version!
When Marvel reprinted this issue in their Marvel's Greatest Comics book in the 1970s, they couldn't use the published cover, since the negatives and photostats used gray screens on the Black Panther's figure and most of the background, so a new cover by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott was comissioned with the Panther in his then-current, non-caped costume with blue highlights...
When this tale was reprinted in Italy, a pre-publication photostat of the printed version of #52 was found (without gray screens on the Panther's figure) showing the Panther's face as well as the cape as seen in the original, unpublished version...
It's TRUE, oh Faithful Fan! (As Stan Lee used to say)
Heck of a way to start off Black History Month, eh?
Please Support Hero Histories!
Visit Amazon and Order...
(Featuring The Black Panther's premiere two-parter and Klaw's debut as Master of Sound!)

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Reading Room: VOODAH "Monster Fish"

One of the first Lords of the Jungle was Black...
...and illustrated by a Black artist!
Illustrated by Matt Baker (who most fans know was one of the premiere Good Girl artists of the '40s-'50s, but don't know was one of the few African-American comic artists of the era), the idea of a non-White jungle hero seems obvious today, but was extremely-daring in the 1940s!
In fact, it was so daring that Voodah slowly became paler over the next few issues, eventually becoming just another White guy bossing the locals around!
Compare Voodah here with his first appearance in the previous issue of McCombs' Crown Comics HERE!
BTW, the "Clarence Ramon" credit at top is a house pseudonym.
Baker is the artist.
The writer is unknown.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Reading Room: VOODAH "Justice of the Jungle"

When you hear the phrase "Lord of the Jungle", you visualize Tarzan or Thun'da...

...or some other White guy.
But, during the Golden Age of Comics, one such jungle lord was Black!
Debuting in Golfing/McCombs' anthology Crown Comics #3 (1945), Voodah was the first Black hero in comic books.
Illustrated by Matt Baker (who most fans know was one of the premiere Good Girl artists of the '40s-'50s, but don't know that he was one of the few African-American comic artists of the era), the idea of a non-White jungle hero seems obvious today, but was extremely-daring in the 1940s!
In fact, it was so daring that Voodah slowly became paler over the next few issues, eventually becoming just another White guy bossing the locals around!
But, before he went White, Voodah had some kool adventures, including battling a dinosaur single-handed!
We'll be presenting those tales later this month!
Support Small Business!

Monday, February 21, 2011

ButterFly...Against the Brothers of the Crimson Cross Part 2

Read the earlier ButterFly story HERE!
Art by Rich Buckler. Perhaps a rough for a splash-page or cover for a color comic reprint of the two Butterfly stories together. It was used as the cover for the fanzine "Fan Informer" in 1971.
After her performance was interrupted by an assassination attempt on a politician in the audience, singer Marion Michaels donned the garb of The Butterfly to try to capture the gunman.
However, the Senator's bodyguard manages to shoot the killer before he can fire again.
A small device on the dead man's belt detaches and flies off with Butterfly in pursuit.
She follows it to a warehouse and is captured by the Brothers of the Crimson Cross, a group of racists who intend to brainwash the helpless heroine and use her to provoke a race war...
 Issue #3 of Hell-Rider never came out.
A cover by Gray Morrow was shown in the back of some of the other Skywald magazines, promoting a "full length" tale (which was probably like issue #1's "linked" individual stories of Hell-Rider, ButterFly and The Wild Bunch).
Now, as to the "Secrets Behind the Strip" we advertised yesterday...
Rich Buckler, who drew this strip told the collector who bought the original art shown at the top of this entry...
It was Butterfly, a character I drew for them (but didn't create)--and I had given her a makeover (made her and supporting players more black).
I also wrote the story (but not the final script) that dealt with the KKK and corrupt politicians.
This was, I believe, the first black super-heroine in the comics, and I thought I was doing something important for them.
I got flack for this and Bill Everett was hired to touch up many of the faces (to make them look more white--go figure), and I quit when I saw the final result.
There's more, and I suggest you go to this entry of the blog 20th Century Danny Boy, where it originally appeared, to read it.

Thanks for joining us as we presented the never-reprinted Silver Age stories of Lobo (The FIRST Black comic character with his own book) and Butterfly (The FIRST Black SuperHeroine)!

We'll be doing more online complete story re-presentations of this type, so bookmark us or you'll be left out of the fun!

And don't forget...
to check out the  
or

Sunday, February 20, 2011

ButterFly...Against the Brothers of the Crimson Cross Part 1

Read the earlier ButterFly story HERE!
The FIRST Black SuperHeroine returns to battle a racist organization in a solo story from Hell-Rider #2. 
(Note: the first two pages are actually a two-page spread.)
Plot and art by Rich Buckler.
Script by ButterFly co-creator Gary Friedrich.
I know it's a helluva place to say it, but...

And don't forget to check out the