Monday, May 22, 2023

Russkie-Smashers BLUE BEETLE "Rookie Trouble!"

We presented a Russkie-Smashing story featuring this character HERE...
...and, oddly, though Dan Garret had been a cop since 1940, he's still considered a "rookie"....in 1955!
This never-reprinted tale from Charlton's Blue Beetle #20 (1955) was part of the first batch of new stories about the character after several issues of reprints from the original Fox Comics run.
Penciler Ted Galindo, inker Ray Osrin, and an unknown writer treated the character as a less-powerful Superman, with most of the Man of Steel's powers and relationships transposed to Dan Garret/Blue Beetle and his supporting cast!
There are some changes in his abilities from his just-reprinted Fox Comics tales, so this may actually be a reboot, and not merely a continuation of the earlier series, though it's never clearly-defined!
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Monday, May 15, 2023

Russkie-Smashers HUMAN TORCH COMICS "Atomic Ray Gun Toy Terror!"

The Human Torch's return to his own title in 1953...
...after several appearances in other books featured this tale about the perils of toy ray guns!
(I kid you not!)
Though this story from Atlas' Human Torch #36 (1953) was illustrated by Dick Ayers, Carl Burgos (the character's creator/original writer-artist) redrew both the Torch and Toro's flaming forms!
Trivia: Though a number of the 1950s Torch and Toro tales were reprinted (with minor modifications) in the 1970s (after the Comics Code loosened up), this story was too violent to reprint until the 2000s!
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(which features this tale)

Monday, May 8, 2023

Russkie-Smashers MARVEL BOY II "Time-Bomb Terror!"

Though the comic was retitled Astonishing as of this issue...

...it still starred Uranian-born (but quite all-American) superhero Marvel Boy!
You'll note Marvel Boy had to deal with bull-headed ineptitude by the G-Men!
Though the actual writer is unknown, it might be artist Bill Everett, whose Sub-Mariner experienced similar problems with Americans as shown HERE!

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which includes all of Marvel Boy's 1950-51 appearances as well as the 1953 re-intro of Captain America, Human Torch and Sub-Mariner

Monday, May 1, 2023

Russkie-Smashers / NoKo Crushers BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY "Adventure of the Flying Discs!"

Yes, the 20th Century Guy Who Survived to the 25th Century returns to the 20th Century...
...(1950, to be exact) to Take On Commies of Various Ethnicities...and Explain What Flying Saucers Are...and Who's Piloting Them!
(Cover by Murphy Anderson and an unknown inker)
This never-reprinted tale illustrated by Ray Chatton, from Toby Press' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century #100 (1950) was done specifically for the comic, unlike Buck's previous comic book appearances, which were newspaper strip reprints.
(BTW, though the book is "#100", it's actually the first issue from this publisher!)
"Korosa" is, obviously, Korea, where the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950.
It's interesting to note that, in the 25th Century, peace reigns on Earth and there are rocket bases and other facilities in Korosa/Korea!
Plus, the unknown writer apparently wasn't exactly conversant in the concept of time travel...which, even at this stage in science fiction literature, pretty much stated that interference in the "past" usually-resulted in catastrophic rewriting of history in the "future/present" as shown in stories like "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury!
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Tuesday, April 25, 2023

CAPTAIN GLORY "Power and the Glory!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...millennia ago, a highly-developed civilization discovered that humanity on Earth experienced natural disasters eight times previously which wiped out civilization and forced the survivors to restart from a primitive state in cycles of abut 15,000 years!
As their world crumbled, the "Ninth Men" prepared suspended-animation chambers which would preserve the best scientific, philosophical, and military/support service people to assist the next civilization (aka "Tenth Men") when it reached its' 15,000-year "tipping point".
One such person was Captain Keltan, their greatest warrior.
But not all the selected subjects were altruistic.
Some intended to take advantage of the Tenth Men, and rule the future world!
The chambers, located under what is now Chicago, disgorged their subjects during a series of minor earthquakes (a very rare event in the Midwest), with Keltan's chamber being among the last.
Without others to guide him, and unable to speak any current language, the warrior is having trouble communicating with "present-day" (1993) humans...

To Be Continued Next Tuesday at...

Created by Jack Kirby, developed and scripted by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Steve Ditko, this never-reprinted 1993 one-shot from Topps Comics was part of a trilogy of titles introducing the protagonists of the "Secret City Saga" mini-series that followed!
Next Monday:
Russkie Smashing, Chi-Com Crushing and NoKo Clobbering Resume...
...with the Least-Likely Hero of All!