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 T-MAN "Death Trap in Iran" & "Trouble's Double"

What happens when you combine Russkies and Iran in a kick-ass 1950s spy story?

Besides a Repug's wet-dream, you get this Russkie-Smashing tale from Quality's T-Man #3 (1952)!

But, that's not all!

There's also this sanitized-for-your-protection, Comics Code-modified reprint from Quality's T-Man #31 (1956), which waters down all the kool hard-boiled elements from the original tale...and makes the Russkies into generic "Communists"!

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Russkie Savers SPACE ADVENTURES "Captain Atom: 2nd Man in Space"

Putin didn't take a holiday over Christmas, continuing to attack Ukrainian targets...

...but we Americans are far more benevolent than the ex-KGB putz and his allies!

So, in the spirit of the season...

This tale from Charlton's Space Adventures V3N34 (1960) was published almost a year before the USSR's Yuri Gargarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961.
Note: Not to minimize the achievement, but Gargarin made only one orbit before returning to Earth.
But the fact the Soviets had put both the first satellite (Sputnik) and the first man into space made America all the more determined to beat them to the Moon...which we did!
BTW, the "vaccine" in this tale written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Steve Ditko is total hogwash.
No drug would've counteracted the effects of acceleration on a human body!

Next Week:

No More "Mr Nice Guy!"

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Action Hero Archives

Captain Atom

Volume 1

What If Don da Con Actually WAS a SuperHero?

We interrupt our Christmas-themed blogathon to bring you...

...an early (or late, depending on your chronological point of view) April Fool's Day presentation!

Our resident disgraced, twice-impeached ex-President presented a line of NFT "trading cards" featuring himself as (among others) a super-hero, a cowboy, and and astronaut...sort of a six-year old's wish list of future careers!
But we couldn't help wondering...Did Donald Trump, born in 1946, read comics when he was a kid?

And, if so, which hero did he dream of being?

Superman?

No, despite being one of the single mightiest beings in the universe, Superman's stories required logical thinking to enjoy, and we've seen Donnie's not big on that, even now.

Captain America?

Certainly patriotic, but not powerful enough.

Donnie thinks BIG!

So there's only one character he might have read, and whose adventures are wish-fulfillment without having to think about how it works, much like how Don the Con ran the country from 207 to 2021.

Read the following, and compare the story (and captions) to Trump's descriptions of himself and how he'd be as President...

Written and illustrated by Fletcher Hanks, this surreal intro from Fox's Fantastic Comics #1 (1939) has little logic or even sanity in it's tale of almost-magical justice, much like Don the Con's own explanations of how he would deal with real-world problems.

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Fire and Fury

Inside the Trump White House

Unquotable Trump

Sh*t My President Says:

Illustrated Tweets of Donald J Trump

MAD About Trump

A Brilliant Look at Our Brainless President

Holiday Reading Room GREEN LAMA "Turn of the Scrooge"

How does a Buddhist clergyman celebrate Christmas?

Why not sit back with a cup of hot cocoa and find out?

This story from Spark Publications' Green Lama #7 (1946) was scripted by Green Lama creator Kendell Foster Crossen and illustrated by Mac Raboy, using Craftint paper stock to create the line effects.
If the effect looks familiar, it's because a number of artists including Wally Wood, Al Williamson and Reed Crandall used it extensively on their work for EC Comics' Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, and Weird Science-Fantasy.

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Heroic Halloween Horror SCORPION "Devil Doll Commission" Conclusion

When Last We Left our Pulp-inspired Hero...

Art by Ernie Colon

...freelance "problem solver" Moro Frost aka The Scorpion, is engaged by the wife of missing financier Jules Reinhardt, who dabbles in the occult.
The Scorpion finds Reinhardt...murdered!
Frost learns that the dead millionaire was once smuggler Max Cervantes, who "disappeared" after plastic surgery...becoming the respectable Reinhardt!

But who ordered the death of Cervantes/Reinhart..and why?

The answer to both those questions is Buddy Lyle, a crooked nightclub owner owed a fortune in gambling debts by the dead mllionare...who hadn't paid up!

Lyle used the powers of a voodoo mambo to kill Reinhardt, then killed her, but not before she cast a curse on him.

Though Lyle had the numbers for Reinhart's foreign bank accounts, only the dead man's wife could draw funds from them.

Lyle's men kidnap Bishop, The Scopion's aide, impersonating Mrs Reinhart, and are about to board a plane for Panama when the Scorpion strikes and kills Lyle's aides and pilot.

The criminal is about to force The Scorpion to pilot the airplane or he'll kill his far-from-helpless hostage...

The Scorpion was the creation of Howard Chaykin, a young writer-artist who was already a recognized talent in the comics industry.

Unfortunately, while he was (and is) good, he was also slow, and the deadline for this issue crept up on him.

To get the issue out on time, a group of friends including Mike Kaluta, Walt Simonson, Ed Davis, and Berni Wrightson jumped in doing whatever needed to be done, so the book is a fascinating amalgam of styles.
The next issue solved the deadline problem by replacing Chaykin and his version of The Scorpion with a present-day costumed super-hero who was more Spider-Man than anything else.

That Scorpion disappeared after his one issue.

Chaykin would revive the character at Marvel with modified garb and a new name; Dominic Fortune, who continues occasionally-appearing in both present-day and flashback tales.

The Scorpion (in any form) wasn't included in the recent short-lived revival of the Atlas/Seaboard characters.
BTW, here's another, never-used cover for #2 by Howard Chaykin...

Wonder why it wasn't used...

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Weird Heroes
Volume 1