Reading Room THE SHADOW "Menace of Radiation Rogue!"

He Who Knows What Evil goes into sci-fi territory with a new villain...

...who kills with atomic radiation!

To Be Continued...
TOMORROW!

This never-reprinted tale from Archie's The Shadow #5 (1965) by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Paul Reinman introduces another of what the publishers hoped would be an ongoing gallery of colorful villains to battle our hero.
Oddly, except for Shiwan Khan, (who appeared four times in the pulps and five times in the 1940s comics), none of the Shadow's multiple-appearance enemies from the Golden Age were utilized in the Archie series!

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Shadow Scrapbook

by Walter B Gibson

Reading Room THE SHADOW "Diabolical Dr Demon!" Part 2

We Have Already Seen...

(Actually, this cover scene hasn't occurred...yet!)

The Shadow, tracking Dr Demon, has arrived just as the Nazi fiend is about to form an alliance with Shiwan Khan!

But the long-time arch-enemy of He Who Knows What Evil has a quite different idea...

Curiously, Shiwan Khan in the Archie series apparently doesn't have the same mind-controlling powers as The Shadow..although they are utilized in his other comics appearances!
And, I have to ask, did this Shadow series influence the Batman TV series...which began filming months after this particular issue appeared...the way the original pulp stories influenced the Caped Crusader's early tales?
The entire story could just as easily be a two-part episode of the show with a few name changes!

The 1960s Shadow Will Return to Hero Histories Next Monday!

Tomorrow, Visit

Crime and Punishment

for a never-reprinted tale of the 1970s Shadow!

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Shadow Scrapbook

by Walter B Gibson

Reading Room THE SHADOW "Diabolical Dr Demon!" Part 1

Looking for this guy?

He ain't here!

But we do have a person in blue/purple and green tights with all sorts of weird weapons!

To Be Continued

Tomorrow!

Note: this never-reprinted story by writer Jerry (Superman) Siegel and artist Paul Reinman from Archie's The Shadow #4 (1965) was published only 20 years after the end of World War II, so the idea of first-generation Nazis (especially ones with high-tech weaponry) still running around and creating havoc wasn't unreasonable, especially in pop culture!
In fact, it's the basis of the newest Indiana Jones movie (set in the 1940s and the 1960s)...

...now in theatres!

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Shadow Scrapbook

by Walter B Gibson

Russkie-Smashers/ChiCom-Crushers AVENGER "One Man War!"

As the Red Chinese threaten to invade/annex Taiwan yet again...

...let's look at how one of our favorite Russkie-Smashers was also a ChiCom-Crusher in a story (from 1955) that shows an amazingly-similar concept!

With both the North Koreans and the Red Chinese threatening the world...again...we believe it's only fair and right that we add them into the weekly rotation of Smashers, Crushers, and Clobberers, especially since most of the characters we've been re-presenting fought them along with the Russkies!

In this tale from Magazine Entertainment's Avenger #3 (1955) by writer Gardner Fox and artist Bob Powell, the Russkies are supplying the ChiComs with the armament and tech, while today the roles are reversed as technologically-superior Red China provides tech and armament to a struggling Russia!

Note: there are historical tie-ins, since the Russkies supplied the North Koreans with aircraft and pilots during the Korean War, and now the NKs are supplying ex-KGB guy Putin with armaments against Ukraine.

In addition, the Red Chinese assisted the North Koreans with arms and troops during the Korean War.
Technological Note: All the Asians (both good and bad) in this story have a skin tone of 50% Yellow!
While it's an improvement from the "bright lemon" 100% Yellow used during the Golden Age, it's still not quite correct!

Next week: another of our Russkie-Smashers shows versatility as a ChiCom-Crusher or NoKo-Clobberer!

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Golden-Age Greats

Heroes vs Villains!

(Though, technically, The Avenger is a Silver-Age Hero!)

Russkie-Smashers JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Propaganda"

Not every Russkie-Smasher is a super-hero...or even human...

...as this tale from over sixty years ago seems as timely as ever!

Note: because of racial stereotypes common to the era of publication, this may be NSFW, though it is Comics Code-approved!

This story from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #80 (1962) by plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, penciler Jack Kirby, and inker Dick Ayers, is a reworking of an earlier more horror-oriented story, also called "Propaganda", from Atlas' Uncanny Tales V1N9 (1953).
That one was reprinted in Marvel's Uncanny Tales V2N1 (1973) and can see it on our "brother" RetroBlog, Seduction of the Innocent by clicking HERE!

In the meantime, here's a special treat...scans of the complete original art for this tale!

Enjoy!

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Secret History of Marvel Comics:

Jack Kirby and the Moonlighting Artists at Martin Goodman's Empire