Showing posts with label retro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retro. Show all posts

Monday, August 31, 2026

Nazi-Punchers CAPTAIN AMERICA "Adventures of Captain America" Part 1

Poster from the 1944 movie serial!

We're presenting a slightly-different story this week, a fictional tale on the real-life filming of the reel-life Captain America serial from 1944!
Movie serial authority (and occasional comic book writer) Don Glut pitched a story to Marvel about how Captain America and Bucky ended up working on the Republic Pictures movie serial in order to stop a plot by the Red Skull to sabotage the film's production!
The story, told in flashback, began as Private Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes went on leave...

"Democracy Pictures" = Republic Pictures
"Sundown Dawson" = Sunset Carson, noted 1940s Western b-movie actor.
"Lyle Dekker" = Howard  & Theodore Lydecker, Republic Pictures' SFX wizards
"Glenn Reeper" = stuntman Dale Van Sickel.
"Whit Spencer" = directors William Whitney & Spencer Bennett. Everything (except the reason for no Bucky in the serial) is true!
"Tim Irons" = stuntman Tom Steele
"Jet-Man" poster in panel one refers to the King of the Rocket Man serial which, in the real world, was produced in 1949, a half-decade later!
Tune in next Monday for both
1) the astounding conclusion
2) some more background info about the movie serial!
The real Lydecker brothers were not Nazi Agents!
We're ending today's entry on (what else?) a cliffhanger you'll have to come back next week to see resolved!

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Captain America
The 1940s Movie Serial

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Monday, July 13, 2026

Nazi-Punchers THE SHADOW "Diabolical Dr Demon!" Part 2

 We Have Already Seen...

(Actually, this cover scene hasn't occurred...yet!)
The Shadowtracking 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 the1960s Batman TV series...which began filming several months after this particular issue appeared...the way the original Shadow pulp stories influenced the Caped Crusader's early tales?
The entire story could just as easily be a two-part episode of the Batman series with a few name changes!
Note: Due to the RetroBlogs Summer Blogathon, we're taking a break from Nazi-Punching & Russkie-Smashing (as much fun as they are) for a special crossover presentation with Atomic Kommie Comics starting next Monday, featuring a never-reprinted Silver Age tale by a noted comics/sci-fi writer...

The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker by Otto Binder!
Don't Miss It!

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by Walter B Gibson
(Creator of the pulp Shadow)
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Monday, July 6, 2026

Nazi-Punchers THE SHADOW "Diabolical Dr Demon!" Part 1

Looking for this guy?
He ain't here!
But we do have someone with the same name, wearing green and blue/purple tights, armed with all sorts of weird weapons!
BTW, despite the snarky opening, this is Lamont Cranston, unfortunately "updated" and camped-up for the Swinging '60s!
To Be Continued
Next Monday!
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 (albeit elderly) Nazis, especially ones with high-tech weaponry, still running around and creating havoc wasn't unreasonable, especially in pop culture!
In fact, it was the basis of the last Indiana Jones movie (set in the 1940s and the 1960s)...
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by Walter B Gibson
(Creator of the pulp Shadow)
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Monday, February 23, 2026

Russkie Smashers SPACE ADVENTURES Captain Atom II in "One Second of War"

Cold War Paranoia Hit It's Peak in the Early 1960s...

...when people were terrified about being one button-push away from nuclear annihilation!




Interestingly, Captain Atom isn't concerned about radioactive fallout contaminating the surrounding area...inhabited by innocents!

Guess if it's Africa, they don't matter, eh, Captain?
Written by Joe Gill and penciled/inked by Steve Ditko, this was one of two tales in Charlton's Space Adventures #38 (1961) involving enemy nuclear missiles!
(The other one doesn't involve Russkies!)

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Monday, December 29, 2025

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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Monday, November 24, 2025

Nazi-Punchers CAPTAIN SCIENCE "Traitors to the Earth!"

It was only his second story, and already Captain Science had his hands full...
...any way you look at it, it's a helluva way to begin your career!

Cap destroyed a threat by other humans (including Adolf Hitler) using alien tech and picked up a hot babe in the process!
Not bad for the second gig in his career!
Note, though it's only mentioned in a caption, it takes Gordon Dane months to prepare for his new career (though it's never explained how a guy on a teacher's salary can afford to cobble together the equipment he needs)...
The art on this never-reprinted story from Youthful's Captain Science #1 (1950)  is by Gustav Schrotter.
The writer is unknown.
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Vol 3
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