Monday, July 25, 2022

Shark Week Special! THE SHARK "Father and Son"

In his second, never-reprinted, appearance in Centaur's Amazing-Man Comics #7 (1939)...
...the Aquatic Avenger meets his long-absent father (who may or may not be the actual Roman god of the sea)!
The two of them make a heckuva team, eh?
Father Neptune would appear in most of the stories, sometimes helping and sometimes hindering The Shark's crusade.
Be Here Tomorrow for Another Adventure of
The Shark!

Sunday, July 24, 2022

SHARK WEEK SPECIAL! Before Aquaman! Before Sub-Mariner! There Was THE SHARK!

We interrupt our ongoing weekly Russkie-Smasher feature this week...

...to present a Shark Week special...a reintroduction to the aquatic super-hero who predated both DC's Aquaman and Marvel's Sub-Mariner!
This never-reprinted story from Centaur's Amazing-Man Comics #6 (1939), written and illustrated by Lew Glanzman, appeared within the same month as Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner's debut in Timely's Marvel Comics #1 (1939) and well before Aquaman's premiere in DC's More Fun Comics #73 (1941)!
The son of Neptune (who may or may not be the Roman god), The Shark once lived in an undersea kingdom, but set out to fight all crime committed at sea by anyone; human, sea-dweller, or extraterrestrial alien!
He's called "Shark" because sharks often accompany him...and eat his enemies!
The character is also a skilled scientist, who creates and uses technology far beyond then-current human science! 
  • His super-powers include...
  • The ability to breathe underwater
  • Superhuman strength and near-invulnerability (which he loses on land unless he's in physical contact with a magic knife given him by his father)
  • Mental control of sea life
  • Ability to create creatures out of water which he can direct mentally
With a strip appearing in both Amazing-Man Comics and Stars and Stripes Comics, The Shark lasted until the company (which also published pulp magazines) gave up comics. 
 Be Here Tomorrow for Another Adventure of
The Shark!

Monday, July 18, 2022

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Z-Food!"

Sometimes, you just have to ask..."What were Joe Simon and Jack Kirby imbibing/inhaling/drinking?"
Perhaps it was this stuff!






It was only 1954 when this story appeared in Prize's Fighting American #3, so how did Simon & Kirby predict the hallucinogenics which would become so prevalent in the early 1960s?

Monday, July 11, 2022

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Stranger from Paradise" and "Red Agent"

Today, we're presenting a couple of short features starring our patriotic heroes!

Art by Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson
First, a two-page featurette from Prize's Fighting American #3 (1954) starring SpeedBoy...
...and a one-page text feature from Prize's Fighting American #5 (1954-55)...
"Stranger from Paradise" was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon.
The writer was either Simon or Kirby...or both!
"Red Agent's" writer is unknown, but could be Kirby, Simon, both...or neither!

Monday, July 4, 2022

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Man Who Sold Out Liberty!"

What could be more patriotic on the 4th of July...
...than kicking American traitors' and Russkie agents' asses on top of the Statue of Liberty?




Written and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, this lead (but not cover-featured) tale from Prize's Fighting American #3 (1954) is sort of a midway point between early serious and later farcical stories!
BTW, Malloy will return later in the series and we'll show it to you!
Happy
4th of July!