Monday, March 6, 2023

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?
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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Monday, February 27, 2023

Russkie-Smashers YOUNG MEN COMICS "Return of...the Human Torch"

When Atlas revived Timely's "Big 3" golden age heroes in 1953...
...look who got the spotlight!
(Heck, colorist Stan Goldberg couldn't even get Captain America and Bucky's costumes correct on the cover by Carl Burgos!)
Though no Russkies are seen in this tale from Atlas' Young Men Comics #24 (1953), they did supply the criminals with Solution X-R and brainwashed Toro into fighting for fellow Communists in Korea!
(And they do appear later on, though the strip emphasizes homegrown American criminals!)
Written by Hank Chapman and illustrated by Russ Heath (with the Human Torch in the splash panel rendered by his creator, Carl Burgos), this story actually handles the explanation of where the flaming felon fighters were for the previous four years very well! 
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Thursday, February 23, 2023

Russkie-Smashers ASTONISHING ANT-MAN "Part 3: The Ant-Man's Revenge!"

When Last We Left The Ant-Man...

...research scientist Henry Pym and his team, working on an anti-radiation gas, have been captured by Russkie spies.
Donning his protective uniform, Pym becomes ant-sized, uses his cybernetic helmet to contact ants and begins freeing the other scientists!
And now the mayhem begins...
Pym battled a number of Russkies during his run in Tales to Astonish!
Trivia: you may not realize it, but the original Ant-Man/Giant-Man costume has a reverse color scheme from Spider-Man's outfit!
Was it a deliberate choice to point up the difference between insect and arachnid heroes?
Only editor Stan Lee and colorist Stan Goldberg knew, and (sadly) we can no longer ask them!
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TPB collection of mini-series about all four people who have been Ant-Man in the Marvel Comics Universe!

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Russkie-Smashers ASTONISHING ANT-MAN "Part 2: An Army of Ants!"

...research scientist Henry Pym and his team, working on an anti-radiation gas, have been captured by Russkie spies...who have no idea what they're in for as Dr Pym becomes The Ant-Man for the first time!
Tomorrow:
The Ant-Man's Revenge!
Don't Dare Miss It!

Plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Dick Ayers, this series premiere from Marvel's Tales to Astonish #35 (1962) clearly demonstrates how Henry Pym differed from most other costumed heroes by using brains over brawn!
BTW: Ant-Man would soon incorporate a microphone and speaker into his helmet so normal-sized humans could hear him when insect-sized.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Russkie-Smashers ASTONISHING ANT-MAN "Part 1: Return of the Ant-Man"

...after Dr Henry Pym's Hungarian-born wife was kidnapped and (supposedly*) killed by Russkies, the embittered scientist took his wife's comment "Go to the ants, thou sluggard!." literally...

Dare You Miss It?
Plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, penciled by Jack Kirby, and inked by Dick Ayers, this series premiere from Marvel's Tales to Astonish #35 (1962) clearly demonstrates how Henry Pym differed from most other costumed heroes by using brains over brawn!
*Years later, it was revealed Maria Trovaya Pym was killed, but resurrected and subjected to experimentation by A.I.M., turning her into a MODOK-like creature known as SODAM/MODAM!
In addition, Maria was pregnant at the time of her kidnapping, though Hank didn't know it.
Maria was kept alive by the Russians long enough to give birth to a daughter, Nadia, who was trained from infancy to become a "Black Widow" agent (like Natasha Romanova).
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