Russkie-Smashers RICHIE RICH "Military Mix-Up"

Yep, you read that right!

The Poor Little Rich Boy kicks Russkie butt in this tale from Harvey's Richie Rich #51 (1966)!

Whatta guy!

And he didn't even have to become Super-Richie/Rippy...

...to do it!

(If you think there's a lot of Spider-Man or Batman titles out now...and there are quite a few...it's nothing compared to Richie Rich at his peak, when there were...take a deep breath...

32 simultaneous monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly titles!

You read that right, True Believer!

By the way, they were all selling better than almost everything Marvel and DC has out there now!

Please Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Harvey Comics Classics Volume 2

Richie Rich

Before the Ant-Man, there was...the Fly-Man! (Part 2)

There was a second Fly-Man introduced a decade after the first one got swatted...

...co-created by the artist who would co-create Ant-Man!

Using the classic idea (first embodied in comics by the original Captain Marvel) of a kid magically-transforming into a super-powered adult, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby devised a new insect-themed character for Archie Comics' first attempt at a super-hero line since they cancelled the last of their costumed characters in the late 1940s to concentrate on books about Archie and his entourage.

Among the Fly's attributes were flight, super-strength, enhanced eyesight, and the ability to cling to walls and ceilings.

Oddly, the talent to grow and shrink was not one of his initial powers, though it was added later on.

The Simon & Kirby comics studio "packaged" Adventures of The Fly and Double Life of Private Strong: the Shield for Archie, with Simon, Kirby, Bob Powell, George Tuska, and Jack Davis, among others, providing scripts and artwork.

This never-reprinted Joe Simon-written and illustrated tale from Archie Adventure Comics' The Fly #3 (1959) recaps the basics of his origin story without the various fights and chases that filled out the page count of the first issue.

Now you may notice that the character is called "The Fly", not "Fly-Man"!

After four issues, Simon and Kirby ended their long collaboration and went their separate ways.

The book was brought "in-house", and now produced by Archie's editorial staff.

The storyline was "rebooted" by making the teenage Tommy Troy into the adult Thomas Troy and stating he hadn't used the ring to become The Fly in nine years, re-setting the earlier issues (which featured 1959-contemporary clothes and technology) around 1950-51!

Other superheroes, including Private Strong: the Shield and the Golden Age Black Hood begin popping in for guest appearances.

A new girlfriend, Kim Brand, gains her own magic ring and becomes Fly Girl.

However, despite these changes, the book is cancelled in January, 1964 as of #29.

The Fly and Fly Girl's strip moves to the backs of Pep Comics and Laugh Comics before their title is revived with #30 in October 1964, then retitled Fly-Man with the next issue, which came out in May, 1965.

(Yes, that's over half a year between issues!

And you thought Marvel and DC started the trend of late books!)

Why that happened and what resulted will be shown tomorrow...with the warning that what you'll see may shock you!

Before the Ant-Man, there was...the Fly-Man! (Part 1)

With Ant-Man: the Movie opening today...

...we're presenting what could be considered his direct ancestor in comics.

Though he shares a number of attributes with the movie version of Ant-Man, including reduced height, retaining his full-sized strength while small, receiving his powers from a scientist, and criminal connections, Fly-Man couldn't control or communicate with insects.

Illustrated by Sam Glanzman, this never-reprinted tale from Harvey Comics' Spitfire Comics #1 (1941) was the first of two appearances by the Diminutive Daredevil.

In the next (and final) issue of the title, Fly-Man took both the cover and the lead section of the book from the comic's namesake character, Spitfire!

It didn't help since neither character ever reappeared...anywhere!

But, the "Fly-Man" name would reappear almost 20 years later...on a new character with interesting links to Ant-Man.

You'd learn about that on Monday!

NOT WHO YOU THINK: GRIMM "Lament of the Dead"

Long before the NBC TV series that returns right before Halloween...

...there was another man who battled the supernatural (and frauds who pretended to be supernatural)!

This never-reprinted tale from Elliot's Bomber Comics #2 (1944) is the only time Grimm encounters a non-supernatural threat.
The "Don Weaver" credit is probably a pseudonym since it doesn't appear anywhere else in comics besides on this series.
While it's a fascinating coincidence, I doubt the producers of the TV series Grimm even know about this incarnation of the concept.
Interestingly, Grimm bears marked similarities both to Zero: Ghost Detective, and the first appearance of Fero: Planet Detective, both of whom preceded Grimm.
And, as of this appearance, Grimm switched from being a "Ghost Spotter" to operating as a "Ghost Doctor"!
(And, yes, he makes "haunted house calls"...
Geez, it's like I'm talking to a bunch of 12-year olds...)

Visit our...

Comic Collectibles Store

Reading Room: GREEN HORNET FIGHTS CRIME "Flirt with Death"

When Last We Left Our Hero...

While breaking up a racket, The Green Hornet inadvertently reveals his secret identity to Linda Travers, a Daily Sentinel reporter secretly working for Britt's father, Dan Reid...

(Don't worry, you didn't miss a Hero Histories™ blog entry!

The previous entry was at our brother blog, Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™.)

The secret identity exposure storyline took place over four episodes of the radio show...

"Exposed" 10/28/47 (which we covered HERE.)

"Graft Crosses a Bridge" 11/4/47

"Too Hot to Handle" 11/11/47

"The Man on the Top" 11/18/47

...which were condensed into two eight-page stories in Green Hornet Fights Crime #43.

You can hear the Green Hornet radio episode, "Too Hot to Handle", that contributed primary story elements to the comic tale, HERE.

The art on this final (and never-reprinted) tale from Green Hornet Fights Crime #43 (1949) is presumed to be by Al Avison, but I believe he only did the pencils.

The inking looks a lot like Lee Elias, who was doing, among other things, The Black Cat for Harvey.

The writer of the comic adaptation is unknown.

This entry is part of our Retroblogs™ Masks Marathon, celebrating the new Dynamite comic series Masks which combines, for the first time, the major masked mystery men of pulps and comics including The Green Hornet, The Shadow, The Spider, Zorro, The Black Terror, The Green Lama, and Miss Fury (ok, a masked mystery woman), among others.

We'll be presenting more never-reprinted stories featuring these characters throughout the month of December.

And don't forget to visit...

The Classic Green Hornet Store

Reading Room: NOT WHO YOU THINK: GRIMM "Haunting of Castle Tuber"

The concept of a man battling supernatural threats with unique weapons isn't new...

...but, when that man is a "Grimm", well that idea's just 75 or so years old!

Funny, I thought it was vampires that didn't cast reflections in mirrors, not zombies!

And that "I never drink...wine." line is straight out of Bram Stoker's Dracula!
(Happy 165th, Bram...)

This story initially-appeared in Harvey's War Victory Adventures #3 (1943-44) and, less than a year later, reappeared in Elliot's Bomber Comics #1 (1944), where the series ran for the four-issue duration of the title's publication.

The "Don Weaver" credit is probably a pseudonym since it doesn't appear anywhere else in comics besides on this series.
While it's a fascinating coincidence, I doubt the producers of the TV series Grimm even know about this incarnation of the concept.
Interestingly, Grimm bears marked similarities both to Zero: Ghost Detective, and the first appearance of Fero: Planet Detective, both of whom preceded Grimm.
And, as of his next appearance, Grimm switched from being a "Ghost Spotter" to operating as a "Ghost Doctor"!
(And, yes, he makes "haunted house calls"...
Geez, it's like I'm talking to a bunch of 12-year olds...)

Visit our...

Comic Collectibles Store

3-D: CAPTAIN 3-D "Man from the World of 'D'"

Get out the red/blue 3-D glasses (red on the left, blue on the right)...

 ...cause it's 3-D Week at all the RetroBlogs™!

Script by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Art by Jack Kirby (pencils) and Joe Simon, Mort Meskin and Steve Ditko (inks).

In the early 1950s, "3-D" using red and green prints of simultaneously-shot movie footage from cameras a couple of feet apart. (note: sometimes blue was used instead of green, but the stereotype of 3-D is a red / green lens juxtposition.)

When a viewer wore glasses like these they would perceive the two projected images as a single 3-D image!

Taking comic book line art and modifying it to produce a similar 3-D effect was technically simple, so almost every company attempted at least one 3-D book between 1952-55.
Most were 3-D versions of existing comics including Superman, Batman, Tales from the Crypt, even Katy Keene.
However, Captain 3-D was the Simon & Kirby team's attempt to jump on the 3-D bandwagon with NEW material.

As you've just read, Captain 3-D had both a cool premise and nice set-up, playing up the use of glasses to both empower the hero and perceive villains. (The John Carpenter movie They Live! used a similar gimmick)

Unfortunately, a legal battle involving the 3-D process all but killed the financial viability of producing 3-D books, and, though material was already finished, there was never a second issue of Captain 3-D!

Special treat: If you want to see this story in traditional full comic book color (but 2-D), go to Atomic Kommie Comics™ now.

Support Small Business!

Visit our

3-D Comics Collectibles Shop