The Black Panther...UNMASKED!

As most Silver Age comics fans know, Marvel's Black Panther debuted in Fantastic Four #52 under this cover in 1966 (making him 52 years old this year!).
But, did you know he almost premiered under this cover...

Note the Black Panther's figure was photostatted and "flopped" (reversed) and the exposed parts of his face were covered for use on the published version!

When Marvel reprinted this issue in their Marvel's Greatest Comics book in the 1970s, they couldn't use the published cover, since the negatives and photostats used gray screens on the Black Panther's figure and most of the background, so a new cover by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott was comissioned with the Panther in his then-current, non-caped costume with blue highlights...

When this tale was reprinted in Italy, a pre-publication photostat of the printed version of #52 was found (without gray screens on the Panther's figure) showing the Panther's face as well as the cape as seen in the original, unpublished version...

It's TRUE, oh Faithful Fan! (As Stan Lee used to say)
Heck of a way to start off Black History Month, eh?

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Fantastic Four Omnibus

Volume 2

(Featuring The Black Panther's premiere two-parter and Klaw's debut as Master of Sound!)

Can you fit a not-so-jolly Green Giant under your evergreen?

Pre-dating the "Ho-Ho-Ho-ing" frozen vegetable spokesman by over a decade, a radically-different, costumed, Green Giant appeared in (what else?) Pelican Publications' Green Giant Comics #1 (and only) in 1940!

The emerald hero was secretly Mr. Brentood (no first name given in the tale), who beat Marvel's Henry Pym at the size-changing game with a costume which enabled him to grow to between 15-150 feet (depending on who illustrated the story)!

Less than a dozen copies of this incredibly-rare comic, which was distributed only in the New York City area, and valued at several thousand dollars each, are thought to still exist!
But you, dear reader, can peruse his one (and only) story HERE!

Atomic Kommie Comics™ has incorporated him into the Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, in the Solo Heroes section, where characters with only one cover available to us (at the moment) go!
If you're looking for a retro-style Christmas gift for a Golden Age of Comics fan in your life, why not bundle one (or more) of our Green Giant goodies with the Project SuperPowers hardcover or trade paperback for a kool, kollectible present?
It's what I'd want, if I didn't already have it! (one of the few perks of working here) ;-)

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Project SuperPowers

PLASTIC MAN "Plastic Man's Fantastic Old Man" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...err..wait!

This cover scene does not appear in this story!

In fact, there's no simian of any sort in the story! 

Apparently, then-publisher (and cover penciler) Carmine Infantino's fetish for apes got the best of him!

Well, at least the captions are accurate!

This tale concerns the Silver Age Plastic Man's dad...the Golden Age Plastic Man!

Now in retirement, the older super-hero is about to lose his only source of income, his Plastic Acres retirement home to the notorious criminal King of Spades!

The two heroes and their sidekicks pose as a shiek and his entourage in order to catch the greedy King of Spades robbing them...

Oh, look!

Another ape (on the Jerry Lewis cover)!

Wow, they were everywhere in those days!

Though writer Arnold Drake would remain for the rest of the title's run, this was artist Win Mortimer's swan song as he went on to extended stays on both Legion of Super Heroes (in Adventure Comics and Action Comics) and Supergirl (in Adventure Comics, when Legion transferred over to Action Comics)!

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Plastic Man 80-Page Giant

Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)

PLASTIC MAN "Plastic Man's Fantastic Old Man" Part 2

When Last We Left Our Heroes...

...it turns out the Silver Age Plastic Man is the son of the Golden Age Plastic Man, who now runs a retirement home!

The tawdry tale concludes...TOMORROW!

BTW, I mentioned we did an editorial change to the art for this never-reprinted story by writer Arnold Drake and artist Win Mortimer.

Nobody posted what it was, so I'll tell you.

I photoshopped the Golden Age Plastic Man's legs back to their "bare flesh tone" color!

The published story had both the Silver Age and Golden Age PMs with the red leggings that defined the Silver Age version, which made it difficult to tell them apart in panels where they appeared together!

So for the sake of historical accuracy, I modified the pages.

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Plastic Man 80-Page Giant

Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)

PLASTIC MAN "Plastic Man's Fantastic Old Man" Part 1

We presented a never-reprinted tale with three different origins for the Silver Age Stretchable Sleuth...

...but this never-reprinted tale is the real deal, we pinky-swear it!

When DC bought the Quality Comics line in the mid-1950s, they kept four titles going...Blackhawk, G.I. Combat, Heart Throbs, and Robin Hood Tales.

The rest of the titles (and characters) were held in abeyance, and apparently forgotten about.

(I'm not sure if editor Julie Schwartz even remembered DC had the rights to Plastic Man when the Elongated Man was created in The Flash, then given his own strip in Detective Comics!)

When Plas was revived in 1966, many fans were disappointed that he wasn't Jack Cole's Golden Age version with sidekick Woozy Winks.

This tale by writer Arnold Drake and artist Win Mortimer from DC's Plastic Man #7 (1967) was meant as a tie-in to that version.

You'll note the older Plas has the angular, almost lupine look of the original version.

In addition, I've taken the liberty of making an editorial alteration throughout the tale to keep the Golden Age version "on model".

If you haven't already figured out what it is, you'll discover what it is...TOMORROW!

Please Support Hero Histories

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Plastic Man 80-Page Giant

Featuring classic tales from each of his eras (Golden Age/Silver Age/Bronze Age)