Russkie-Smashers on Valentine's Week! SEARCH FOR LOVE "Atomic Amour!"

 Russkie Deceit and Deception Occurs Even in Matters of the Heart...

...even though we forget they were masters of such things during the Cold War!

As hard as it is to believe, this tale appeared in a romance comic, specifically, ACG's Search for Love #2 (1950).

Similar tales had appeared in crime/espionage titles, but their audience was radically-different from romance series' readers!

Regrettably, both the writer and illustrator(s) are unknown, so we can't blame anybody in particular for their stereotyped attitudes towards intelligent women.

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Weird Love

Vol 1
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Russkie Smashers HUMAN TORCH COMICS "Rekindling the Flame of Confidence!"

Besides Catching (and Sometimes French-Frying) Russkie Spies...

...the Human Torch and his teen partner Toro occasionally have to render aid to the American military in other. somewhat more unique, ways!

The Human Torch displays a power/ability in this story by writer Hank Chapman, penciler Dick Ayers, and inker Ernie Bache that he never used before...the ability to move at super-speed, thus appearing invisible to the naked eye!
Maybe because this tale from Atlas' Human Torch #38 (1954) was the final appearance of the character in the 1950s, editor Stan Lee let the introduction of a totally-new ability go without trying to keep the character within established continuity!

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Marvel MasterWorks

Atlas-Era Heroes

Volume 2

(which features this tale)
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Russkie Smashers SOUTH SEA GIRL "Echoes of an A-Bomb"

Because Winter Has Returned in a Big Way...

...we're going to look at the tropical adventures of a sarong-clad heroine battling atom bomb-wielding Russkies in an airship!

This tale from Leader's Seven Seas Comics #6 (1947) was scripted by Manning Lee Stokes with art by legendary "good-girl" artist Matt Baker, who also illustrated most of the legendary Fox Comics Phantom Lady series (which we ran HERE).
Stokes was a pulp/paperback writer specializing in mystery and action.
His only comic book work was for various strips in Seven Seas Comics.
This strip ran for all six issues of Seven Seas Comics and some of the stories have been reprinted, usually renaming the heroine or changing the story title.
When it was reprinted in the 1950s, the heroine's name was changed to "Vooda", and her bare midriff was covered both on the new cover art and the modified story pages...

When it was reprinted in the 1960s, she was once more "Alani" and her tummy was uncovered (in the interior pages)...

...but not on the new cover art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito!

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Divas, Dames & Daredevils

Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics

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Russkie Smashers AMAZING ADULT FANTASY "Ultimate Weapon"

Who, in 1962, would believe that we'd still be on the brink of nuclear war with the Russkies...in 1970?

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko thought so...and offered a potential solution...

So the "Russkie-Smashers" of our tale...are the Russkies themselves!

Would the solution proposed in Atlas' Amazing Adult Fantasy #13 (1962) work in reality, over a half-century later?
Russia and China both have the capability to reach geostationary orbit (22,236 miles)., but would they try to use it?

Think about it...

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Amazing Adult Fantasy Omnibus
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Russkie Smashers BOBBY BENSON'S B-BAR-B RIDERS "Lemonade Kid in 'Invisible Death!' "

Spurs Jackson wasn't the only present-day cowboy to fight Russkies...

...or Russkies in fake flying saucers!

Tex Mason and Harka were supporting characters in the Mutual Network's Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders radio show, which this comic series was based on!
Mason was the B-Bar-B Ranch foreman and Harka was one of the ranch hands.
However, the comic expanded the characters' roles making them undercover FBI special agents, which their employer, Bobby Benson, was unaware of!
Note: As you might expect, Bobby didn't recognize The Lemonade Kid as Tex when he ran into him whenever he was in costume!
This particular story from Magazine Enterprises' Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders #3 (1950) was illustrated by Bob Powell and likely written by Gardner Fox.
Powell had quite a bit of experience with flying saucers in 1950, illustrating them in a one-shot comic about a hotshot test pilot finding an alien ship in Vic Torry and His Flying Saucer, as well as a story featuring the pulp/radio character The Shadow encountering REAL aliens in flying saucers!

Russkie Smashers SUB-MARINER "Unseen Scourge of the Sea"

Artist Bob Powell Illustrated Two Prince Namor Stories...

...during the 1950s revival of the Timely's Top Trio (Captain America, The Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner)!

However, despite having done several Subby stories during the Golden Age, Powell's renderings here lack something...

Figure out what's wrong with Bob Powell's version of Namor from Atlas' Mens' Adventures #27 (1954)?

He's totally-missing his ankle wings!

And his ears appear to have been "bobbed" from their usual elfen points!

Why?

I'm not sure.

There are rumors from the period of a potential live-action TV series, and doing both the ankle wings and the ears on a weekly basis (especially with a character who spends a lot of time in the water) was problematic considering the limited makeup SFX available at the time.

At any rate, only Powell's two stories from the period have this quirky "look"!