Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Commie-Clobbering Kaiju STRANGE TALES "Fin Fang Foom!" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Favorite Comics Kaiju...

Aroused from his centuries-long slumber, Fin Fang Foom pursues the human who awakeened him, not realizing the human has an ulterior motive...using the kaiju as a living weapon against a Communist invasion force!
Yes, we know FFF was green on the cover, but orange on the inside!
It's another of those screw-ups that occur because covers (on slick magazine stock) and comic book interiors (on newsprint) are printed on different presses on different schedules, so they don't get processed or leave the publisher's offices at the same time!
And considering Editor Stan Lee was handling the entire Atlas/Marvel line all by himself, it's lucky FFF wasn't purple on either the inside or outside of Strange Tales #89!
When Fin Fang Foom began appearing in new stories, starting with Marvel's Astonishing Tales #23 (1974), he consistently remained green, though with red, purple or green shorts!
(BTW, you'll be seeing FFF's fellow kaiju It: the Living Colossus later this month!)
He's been a part of the Marvel Multiverse, numerous animated Marvel TV series and even the Marvel Cinematic Universe (named "Great Protector") in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!

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Monday, October 14, 2024

Commie-Clobbering Kaiju STRANGE TALES "Fin Fang Foom!" Part 1

You Know Him!
You Love Him!
You Can't Stop Saying His Name!

And now you're going to see his introduction (though not his origin) exactly as it appeared in Atlas' Strange Tales #89!
You may wonder why we're going to break away.from the story just as the Chi-Com Clobbering is about to begin!
There's a very simple reason!
It's because editor/plotter Stan Lee, writer Larry Lieber, penciler Jack Kirby, and inker Dick Ayers ended the first chapter here!
You'll also note that Fin Fang Foom is orange, yet most fans are used to seeing him green, like this...
...and since the reprint (above) in Marvel's Where Monsters Dwell #21 (1973), he's been some shade of green!
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Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Commie-Clobbering Kaiju KONGA "Evil Eye" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...exiled, disgruntled, and disgraced Russian scientist Osvydni Otogorki utilizes his newly-developed hypnotic abilities to entrance Konga, who wanders near his Siberian prison.
Having already enslaved his Soviet captors, Otogorki schemes to use the giant primate to avenge himself upon the Presidium!

Otogorki was never seen again, so we can assume he was eaten by the ants before the events of the next issue!
Next Monday:
Another Kaiju Steps up to Battle a Communist Threat!
Who?
You'll Have to be Here to See!
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Monday, October 7, 2024

Commie-Clobbering Kaiju KONGA "Evil Eye" Part 1

We Begin Our Countdown to Halloween 2024 Blogathon participation with a non-Asian Kaiju...
...who began "life" as the star of a 1961 British movie!
To Be Concluded TOMORROW!
Konga (1961) was one of England's two entries into the blossoming kaiju genre begun with the coming of Gojira (aka Godzilla) in 1954.
(The other was Gorgo (1961), who also had an American comic adaptation from the same publisher as Konga...Charlton Comics!)
Steve (Spider-Man/Dr Strange/Captain Atom II) Ditko illustrated the first issue of Charlton's Konga, which adapted the movie, then some, but not all, of the two sequel series which ran 25 more issues!
Besides battling other kaiju and extraterrestrials, Konga fought humans, including Commies (both Russian and Chinese) as in this issue, #15 from 1963, illustrated by Ditko and likely written by Charlton workhorse scripter Joe Gill!
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Monday, September 30, 2024

Russkie-Smashers OPERATION: PERIL "Time Travelers in 'Nostradamus!' "

This Wild Series From the Cold War Era...
...which appeared in the AGC adventure anthology Operation: Peril combined Russkie spies, time travel...and the prophecies of Nostradamus!
Operation: Peril was a multi-genre anthology featuring on-going strips about time travel (as seen above), a hard-boiled private eye (Danny Danger), and high adventure in the Pacific (Typhoon Tyler), as well as a historical short story in each issue.
Though Time Travelers didn't appear on the first few covers, by issue #4, they took over the cover spot until their final appearance in #12, after which the book changed focus and became a war comic for the remainder of the run.
But the Russkie spy aspect in TT only lasted for a couple of issues!
This premiere tale from Operation: Peril #1 (1950) was written by Richard Hughes and illustrated by Ken Bald.
October Is Halloween Month Here at Hero Histories!
But That Doesn't Mean the Russkie-Smashing and ChiCom-Crushing is Stopping!
It Just Means We're Gonna Let Monsters Do It!
Be Here Next Monday as We Introduce
Commie-Crushing Kaiju!