Reading Room: JET DREAM "Powder-Puff Derby Caper"

Jet Dream meets up with her evil counterpart...

...and can someone tell me why there's always an evil counterpart to a hero/heroine?
This one even has her own team of female assassins...

Raven Red will return!
(And, she's the only villain in this series to do so!)

Script for this tale from Man from U.N.C.L.E. #12 by Dick Wood, art by Joe Certa as he assumed his position as the permanent artist on Jet Dream, except the very next issue, featuring the return of Mike Sekowsky, which we presented on our "sister" blog True Love Comics Tales™.

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Reading Room: JET DREAM "Death Plunge"

It's amazing how, back in the 1960s, an entire tale could fit into only four pages...

...when most of today's writers can't tell a complete story in twenty pages!

Admittedly, it is tight, but everything's there!
Script for this tale from Man from U.N.C.L.E. #11 by Dick Wood, art by Gold Key mainstay Jack Sparling in his only Jet Dream assignment.

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Reading Room: JET DREAM "Ting-a-Ling--Enemy Agent!"

While we sit here freezing, our fave femme fatales are on the beach...

...unfortunately, not in bikinis!
(Aren't those jumpsuits warm?)

It's too bad these stories were limited to 4 pages at a time, posing a real challenge for writer Dick Wood.
This story from Man from U.N.C.L.E. #10 would've benefited from another 2-4 pages of kick-assery in the inimitable penciling style of Mike Sekowsky, who, sadly, did only one more Jet Dream tale (Which we presented on our "sister" blog, True Love Comics Tales™).
Joe Certa illustrated most of the remaining stories, including the one-shot full-length comic, with Jack Sparling contributing our next Jet Dream tale, which we'll be presenting after the New Year.

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Reading Room: JET DREAM "Super-Tiger of Targan"

It's Labor Day, but there's no rest for our favorite femme fatale...

..as she goes on the hunt in this short story from Man from U.N.C.L.E. #9 (1966)!

Ah, the Swinging Sixties, when a story like this actually seemed plausible...
Though the story by Dick Wood is silly, it's made quite palatable by the Mike Sekowsky/Mike Peppe artwork.

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Reading Room: JET DREAM "Spider and the Spy"

Let's welcome back Silver Age Comics' female James Bond...

...in another short, but sweet comic adventure!

It's amazing how much story writer Dick Wood and artists Mike Sekowsky & Frank Giacoia can cram into only four pages!

Gold Key ran very few ads in their books, so they had to provide editorial content to fill out the 32 pages of material.

Issues 1-6 of Man from U.N.C.L.E. had 32-page stories (Yes, 32 pages of story, not 18-22 story pages with 10-14 pages of ads!)

From #7's into of Jet Dream to the end of the book's run, the lead U.N.C.L.E. story ran 27-28 pages with Jet Dream running 4 pages and, if needed, a one page spy-themed text or filler page.

And all these stories were self-contained.

No ongoing plotlines!

No cliffhangers!

You could jump in at any point and follow the stories perfectly!

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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!

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Silver Age Green Hornet Comic Art

A few odds-and-ends from the Gold Key Green Hornet Silver Age comic.
The first two were the inside covers for #1, and were probably the proposal pieces submitted to the licensor for approval.

You'll note that the illustrations are of the characters in costumed form.
The next one is from the inside back cover of #3 showing the Hornet's equipment...

The Hornet Sting shown is the original version seen in the pilot and early promo photos.
The later version had a...focusing dish or somesuch on it...

But, the mask shown is the later, molded-to-the-face version, not the one used in the pilot episode and promo photos...

 ...which I think looks kooler and actually hides the wearer's identity better, but limited Van Williams' and Bruce Lee's peripheral vision, potentially making fight scenes hazardous.
BTW, all art was by Dan Spiegle.

Hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I've enjoyed bringing them to you.
There's much more Golden Age Green Hornet stuff coming up in the Reading Room, so keep an eye on this blog!

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