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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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.

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!

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Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Man Who Lost His Stuff!"

Spring Training is about to begin for Major League Baseball...

...but, no matter the season, the pulchritudinous Phantom Lady always hits a home run with us!

This tawdry tale from Fox's All Top Comics #16 (1949) was probably written by Ruth Roche, definitely penciled and partially-inked by Jack Kamen, and partially-inked by Matt Baker.

Oddly, though the Phantom Lady is based in Washington DC (her dad is a US Senator), the writers didn't use the existing Washington Senators or a surrogate like the "DC Representatives" or the "Washington Congressmen" or somesuch.

For those keeping chronological score, we skipped the second story from Phantom Lady #22, since it featured our heroine traveling to London and getting involved in the 1948 Olympics.

We'll be running that one in late July, around the time the Olympics open.

Next up will be the final Fox Comics issue of Phantom Lady, then her final All Top Comics appearance.

After that, we'll present her Ajax/Farrell stories from both her own title and her back-up tales in Wonder Boy!

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Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Substitute Cinderella!"

The Phantom Lady gives new meaning to the phrase...

..."If the shoe fits, wear it!", as seen in this tale from Fox's All Top Comics #15 (1949).

Of course, the old "evil twin nobody knows about" trick!

Story, such as it is, probably by Ruth Roche.

The art is a mixed bag, there's some inking by Matt Baker, but the penciling and most of the inking is unusually-stiff and awkward.

Perhaps it was Jack Kamen's first art job, but it didn't see print until after several of his later assignments had been published!

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Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Case of the Criminal Chessman!"

Some people compare the War on Crime to a chess game...

...but the pulchritudinous Phantom Lady is nobody's pawn!

Lipstick?

Don runs into Sandra's bedroom, finds the Phantom Lady trussed up to a bedpost, and the only thing he notices on the unmasked woman's face is her lipstick?

Believe me, Sandra, you don't have to change lipstick!

Hell, you could wear a nametag saying "Sandra Knight" while in your Phantom Lady garb, and Don wouldn't put 1+1 together!

BTW, if the villain's name is familiar, that's because "Algernon Blackwood" was one of the premier ghost story writers of the late 19th/early 20th Centuries!

He was not short, so I presume Ruth Roche's use of his name here was just a "tip of the hat" to the spooky story author.

The art for this never-reprinted story from Fox's Phantom Lady #21 (1948) is unusual.

Pages 1 and 2 are totally Matt Baker.

The remainder of the story appears to be Jack Kamen, retouched by Baker.

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Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Jack-in-the-Box-Murders!"

Last time we saw a villainess in a Phantom Lady costume...

 ...this time the roles are reversed as the Phantom Lady dons an evildoer's garb!

Both Senator Knight and Don Borden see Sandra in the Jack in the Box costume, yet both of them call her "Phantom Lady"!
You may notice a difference of art style in this story from Phantom Lady #21.
That's because the story is penciled and partially-inked by Jack Kamen with touchups by Matt Baker.
Kamen was being phased in as Baker's replacement as Matt moved on to other projects.
Baker's retouching grew less frequent as Kamen picked up the style, so by the end of the runs of both Phantom Lady and All Top Comics, the art was entirely Kamen.

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