Robots of Saturn - the Fifth Dig Allen Space Explorer Adventure

This penultimate adventure of Dig Allen, Space Explorer brings us one step closer to the final book in the series.  We have visited Mercury, Venus, Mars, the asteroid belt, and Jupiter, and now, in this fifth book, author Joseph Greene takes us on a trip to Saturn - or, more specifically, the rings of Saturn.  Greene offers a great dedication at the beginning of the book, "To the young people whoa re reading stories of space today, and who will on the moon tomorrow."  Since this book was published in 1962, Greene and his readers were still seven years away from man actually walking on the moon; thus, his dedication was more prophetic than he likely ever knew.  Greene lived until 1990, so he was alive to see a number of trips into space and the moon, and one has to wonder if he ever looked back at his science fiction stories and realized just how far-fetched many of them were in light of what science was discovering about our solar system and the planets in it.

 

Robots of Saturn is certainly a dead-on title for this book, since the story deals with exactly that - robots being used to mine the rings of Saturn.   When Dig and his friends get a call from Dr. Barry (the twins' father) asking for their help, they head out immediately.  What they learn is that Dr. Barry is heading an expedition to the rings of Saturn, where they will mine some very rare minerals that cannot be found elsewhere - minerals that can be used to create an indestructible metal that can withstand even the heat and deadly radiation of the sun itself!  But the only way to mine the minerals is through a new technology that allows man to interface with robots - in other words, they can transfer their minds and essence into a robot that they can then "live" through to do work a normal man cannot!  Professor Norwyn is the scientist who has developed these robots, and Greg and Maxie are the two space men who have volunteered to transfer themselves into the robots to mine the rings.  Needless to say, there is trouble when robot disappears, and it seems someone is out to sabotage the entire mining operation!

 

Published in 1962, one wonders if author Joseph Greene got some of his ideas for these robots from the great sci-fi author, Isaac Asimov.  Asimov introduced what is known as the "Three Laws of Robotics" in his 1942 short story, "Runaround," which include (1) a robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to be harmed; (2) a robot must obey human orders except where such order would conflict with the first rule; and (3) a robot must protect its own existence as long as that protection does not conflict with the first two laws.  Greene, in this story, sets up very similar rules, but expands it to five rules:  (1) a robot shall not harm a human being; (2) a robot shall not permit a human being to be harmed; (3) a robot shall not permit a human to bring harm to himself; (4) a robot must obey all orders given by a human unless it conflicts with the first three rules; and (5) a robot must protect itself, unless it conflicts with the first four rules.  As you can see, these are basically the same rules established 20 years prior to Asimov in his short story.

 

Greene does provide some scientific detail (at least, what was known at that time) regarding the various rings of Saturn.  Most of the story, however, takes place in the Central Ring and the Cassini Space-Gap that separates the outer ring from the next one heading towards the planet (p. 61).  As it turns out, these facts are accurate.  The "A" and "B" rings are the brightest, separated by the "Cassini division."  Both of these rings are made up of chunks of water ice, some only an inch in diameter, while others are larger than buildings.  Now, in the book, The Cassini gap is described as being "3,360 miles wide" (p. 61); however, in reality, scientists have determined the separation is actually more like 2,290 miles (4,700 km) wide.  That's still a large distance to cross!

 

The story is adventure from the first chapter to the last, as Dig and Ken have their turn in the robots, only to learn that the saboteur has no problem with trapping them with the ice of the inner ring, or even worse - electrifying the robots to destroy their brains, and thus killing the two boys!  The discovery of more robots (even after the Professor indicated that there were no more built yet) only makes the situation worse, as Dr. Barry and the boys are left to wonder - is someone controlling the robots, or have they gone rogue and are following their own directive?

 

This book sees the return of Myron Strauss as the illustrator (he provided the illustrations in the first book).  Strauss's art is just as good as it was for the first book; however, there are much fewer illustrations, and most of the ones in this book are of the robots - we get very few illustrations that show human characters.  There is no indication who provided the cover art, but since there is no other reference, we can assume that Strauss provided the cover art (since the last book specifically indicated there was a different cover artist than the interior artist).  The only thing I find odd about the cover is Saturn with its rings are shown in the background, but the boys with the two robots are some distance away in the foreground.  No scene like this appears anywhere in the book.  I assume it was simply an artistic way to show the entirety of Saturn, while also showing the main characters and the robots.

 

Everyone that has praised this series definitely has had reason to do so.  I believe the stories have gotten better and stronger as they series progresses (even if some of the sci-fi aspects are way beyond believable at times - but, hey, written back in the early '60s, after coming through a decade of sci-fi schlock at the theaters, what can we expect?).  It's rather sad that the next book is also the last.  One must wonder, if the series continued, would we have seen trips to Neptune and Pluto, and maybe even beyond?

 

RATING:  9 deadly bolt bombs out of 10 for a crazy-fun robot adventure filled with space-faring feats of bravery and quick-thinking, with just a smidge of mystery to boot! 

 

Marriage is Murder - A Posie Parker Mystery, Book 9

I did not realize it has been over a year since I read my last Posie Parker mystery.  I love this 1920s female sleuth, who shares the same last name as Mildred Wirt's teenage detective from the 1940s and whose name is the reverse of a certain American actress of today.  Author L.B. Hathaway has crafted a world and characters that draw you into the story so easily, and murder mysteries that will keep you guessing right up to the end!  The world Hathaway describes is so vibrant and real, it is so easy to picture in your mind, and the characters are so distinctive and well-rounded, that you cannot help but love or hate them (depending on what the story calls for).  When I got this ninth book in the series from Amazon, I will admit I was surprised at how thin it was - I did not realize when I purchased it that it was simply a novella - a short story that tells the story of how Posie Parker and Scotland Yard's own Richard Lovelace finally tie the knot.  But, of course there are some complications along the way...

 

Marriage is Murder?, and yes the question mark is a part of the title, is only 66 pages in length, but it sure packs a lot into those 66 pages!  It opens with what is supposed to be the most magnificent day of Posie Parker's life. With two previous fiances left behind, Posie is absolutely sure that Richard Lovelace is the one.  After all the dangers they have faced together solving quite a few murder mysteries, and now that they are adopting Katie, the little baby left behind with no family but Posie and Richard, there can be no doubt that the finest that Scotland Yard has to offer is the man who will finally become her husband. So, why, then, is she so nervous?  Is it simply pre-wedding jitters?  Or is a premonition that even the best laid plans never go off without a hitch.  And boy, is there a hitch or two (or three, or even four!) this time!

 

First, the flowers are wrong.  Posie arrives at the church to find yellow mimosa all over the place, instead of all of the white roses she had ordered and paid for herself.  Where did her flowers go, and who replaced them?  Then, who is that minister standing at the altar?  That's not Father Rene Hoffman, the French-speaking reverend who Posie and Richard had specifically hired for their ceremony.  And what in the world was that persistent knocking noise, that seemed to come from somewhere behind the minister?  And more important than any of those things, where in the world was Richard Lovelace?

 

It seems the mystery is one of a missing person.  Until they hear the faint cry for help from behind the wall in the cupboard.  Until the telephone call the Chief Inspector takes that provides a riddle as to Richard's whereabouts.  Until Posie goes racing off to find her betrothed, unaware of the guns being fired into the church sanctuary.  Until Posie arrives at Scotland Yard to find it completely empty - not just of law enforcement, but of all the criminals where supposed to be locked in their cells.  Until Posie discovers she has been tricked, led into a deadly game of cat and mouse.  Until she finally comes face-to-face with an old enemy, one she thought long dead - one who intends to make her his own wife and take her far away from England and the man that she loves. And that is when Posie does something she thought she would never have to do.  What is that, you ask?  Well, you really don't think I'm going to tell you and spoil it!

 

The story is a fun-filled romp from the blessed halls of God's house to the filthy boardwalk along the wharfs, with Posie running here and there and everywhere in her beautiful wedding down and veil.  Oh, and yes, this is the dead of winter, so it's freezing outside, snow on the ground, and a harsh snowfall raining from the sky.  As if things could not get any worse for poor Posie.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable read that flies by way too quickly.  It's a good thing I found a number of the remaining books in this series at my local used bookstore, because now I do not have to wait to receive them from Amazon in order to read the next book - I already have it in hand!

 

If you are not reading this series, you should.  You must!  Hathaway is an amazing author, her mysteries are perfectly plotted, and Posie Parker is definitely one of the finest female detectives out there - right up there next to Miss Marple and Nancy Drew!

 

RATING:  10 cases of mistaken identity out of 10 for a wonderful winter wedding murder mystery well worth the read! 

Lucifer Cove, Book 4 - Masque of Satan (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Jean Benedict came to the Cove to save a soul ... but the lure of its evil threatened her own." (cover blurb)

 

We are now past the half-way point of Virginia Coffman's occult Gothic series, with the fourth entry into the ongoing saga of the posh California spa that is way more than what it first seems.  Originally published in 1971, this later edition was published in 1973 with the stylish logo and similar covers to entice new readers to the series.  In true soap opera style, the series features a number of characters in every book, yet, at the same time, gives us a new protagonist to follow, which provides us with a fresh look at the Cove and unlocks more and more secrets as to what is actually going on in this den of iniquity!

 

Masque of Satan introduces Jean Benedict, a missionary of sorts who has come to Lucifer Cove at the request of Edna Schallert, one of the long-term residents at the spa.   (Oddly enough, the description on the back cover of the book asks the question "But what was Lucy Schallert's plight?" - yet, from the beginning of the series, the character has been named Edna, so not sure whose error this was - the publisher, the editor, or who, but clearly they goofed!)  Good ol' Edna Schallert has been around since the first book, more or less just a supporting character who, when we first meet her, admits to having stolen the man with whom Christina Deeth had an affair while she was married; then later, poor Edna falls for another man at the spa who is little more than a money-hungry swindler.  Now, in this book, Edna's problems come a bit more to the forefront, as the young Jean Benedict arrives, having been asked by Edna to come and help her and Buddy "fight an almost inconceivable menace" (p. 17).  While Jean does not understand what Edna is talking about, by now, readers most certainly know to what ... or rather, to whom ... Edna is referring!

 

Coffman takes a different turn with this book, as she turns the focus not just on a good person being enticed by the attractive temptations within Lucifer Cove, but she addresses how the lure of simple things, such as make up, clothing, and beauty could be a temptation for a woman who has lived her life in a way she believes is in service to God.  Let's face it, by now (the fourth book!), every reader knows that Lucifer Cove is a hotbed of sin and debauchery, with Satan himself personally present in the form of Marc Meridon (and if he turns out to be anyone else, I would be surprised).  Thus, to have a young woman in the form of Jean Benedict arrive, and to have her faith in God, her devotion to serving others and not allowing the ways of the world to detract her from her work, be tested in this way actually made for a very good read.  

 

I honestly did not expect Coffman to bring God into the equation in this series, other than in passing.  And although Jean Benedict is what I would call a borderline God-fearing person (she even admits at one point in the story that she battles her own pride in the work she does, questioning whether she is truly doing it for God or doing it for her own glory so people see what she has done), I thought Coffman did a great job showing how easy it is to be enticed by temptation - it starts off with something small (seeing how well-dressed everyone around you is), then it builds (back-sided compliments of what one could look like), and then an offer to make you look better than you imagined - and then ultimately seeing the difference those superficial changes make and allowing them to lure you into other temptations.  Jean, used to her look being simple and unadorned, never allowing frills or excess to enter her mind; but, from the moment she arrives in Lucifer Cove, she is surrounded by beauty and perfection, and it begins to make her question whether adorning one's self and paying attention to how one looks is truly prideful.  The longer she is kept from seeing Edna (which should have raised questions in her mind right away!), the easier it becomes for her to start questioning her beliefs.

 

The horrors of Lucifer Cove continue, as Jean is confronted with a dead man hanging from the ceiling in her room right after she arrives, and is confused to learn the man is Edna wrote to her about, asking for her help.  Already feeling like she has failed her friend (which failure makes her easy prey for the temptations offered by the oh-so-handsome Marc Meridon), she struggles to not only find a way to convince Edna to leave the place, but also to face the devil-worshippers of Nadine Janos up at the temple on the mountainside.  It seems like no matter what she does, there is no winning, and as she begins to lose hope, she begins to fall away from her faith and right into the hands of evil itself.  And when she is tricked into getting a make-over, even unwittingly signing a simple employment contract to work off her payment for the room and board while she is there (after all, as a disciple of God, she does not have the money to afford to stay at such a posh resort and spa), Jean discovers there is more evil within the confines of Lucifer Cove than she imagined - and her name on that contract could very well prevent her from ever leaving, even if she wants to!

 

And like with the last book, that gave us a quick glimpse at Jean's arrival in Lucifer Cove, so does this book give us a hint of who is to come in the next book:  "Kay Forest-de Landreau-Aronsen," described as "Only the richest female in the world ... Three, maybe four husbands" (p. 185).  Other that those few lines, we do not get any more information about this woman, or why she is coming to the spa. Like a well-written soap opera, Lucifer Cove has ongoing sub-plots, continuing stories involving certain characters that build slowly, and central stories that feature heavily on one or two characters, while giving us quick mentions now and again of what is to come.  This series could easily transition into a television show, and considering the craze for supernatural in today's media, it would likely do pretty well!

 

This book, just like the previous three, sports three different covers, depending on the edition.  I still like the blue-sky, stylized logo cover (first above), which features what I feel to be the best art of the three.  The look of the tudor-style building in the background, the beauty of the women on the covers.  This one, though, appears to set the house on the water's edge, which does not fit the location of the story inside.  I do like the bits of fog/mist that can be seen rising from the ground.   The Pinnacle Books edition (above center) does give readers the hint of evil that rests within Marc Meridon, as Jean appears to be fearful of him (despite her intense attraction to him within the story itself).  The Lancer Books edition (above to the right) features the same tudor style house, only bigger, at the water's edge as my copy (even having a mountain of sorts coming out of the water on the left side of the cover!); however, this edition finally acknowledges on the cover the fact that Marc Meridon is actually that lovable little cat, Kinkajou, with an image of Marc superimposed over the face of a cat.  The rendition of Jean is probably the most accurate, as this version is very unattractive and plain, which would correspond to the description of her in the book.

 

One of the better books in the series, for sure.  Now I'm well beyond the half-way point in this series, with only two more left to read.  I'm getting anxious to see how things are going to play out and whether Coffman will fully resolve all of the stories before the final book!

 

RATING:  8 cards flagged for the black box out of 10 for upping the ante in the battle of good vs evil, and showing that even the most desirable lure of temptation can be overcome with the right amount of faith and determination! 

Make-Believe Daughter - a Mystery Featuring the Three Matildas

I remember growing up and seeing various Whitman books on the shelves at K-Mart and Kresge and Woolworth's, and I always thought they were sub-par books, not at the same level as series books, such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc.  It seemed to me (as a kid, anyway) that the quality of the Whitman books were not as high as those from Grosset & Dunlap.  As an adult, however, my views on this have changed.  I have come to realize that while Whitman may have used lesser quality paper, and they may not have offered series with the longevity of Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys; yet, I've been finding in recent years that the stories are actually not bad at all - in some instances, equal to, or even superior to, some of those Grosset & Dunlap series!  Now, that being said, this particular book is one I passed on many times when I saw it in antique malls and used book stores.  One day, though, I happened across a copy of the book in excellent condition, with a tight binding, and for a relatively inexpensive price, so I thought - why not?

 

Make-Believe Daughter does not sound like the title to a mystery; and, although it is tagged as a mystery on the cover (in two places: along the top, it says "A Whitman Mystery," while under the title, it says "A Mystery Featuring THE THREE MATILDAS"), the story itself does not have much of a mystery to it - in fact, the first hint of the mystery does not come into play until after page 100!  The first half of the book reads more like a "malt-shop" story, as readers are introduced to Matilda Sterling - a young girl who lives in an apartment building over Brackenbat's International Restaurant in New York City.  She lives with her parents, and the older couple who run the restaurant (who live in the apartment just above the restaurant, while Matilda and her parents live in the apartment above that) are "Uncle" Tor and "Aunt" Alma.  They allow Matilda - or Tilda, as she is called - to stay in the restaurant and do homework every day after school until her parents get home from work.  Tilda's one wish is that she had friends in her area with whom she could hang out.  Sadly, Tor and Alma Brackenbat have no children, nor does Louis Confrere, the single French man who lives in the apartment above Tilda's family.  The top floor apartment is empty, and Tilda believes it is haunted, the way people move in and out so quickly.

 

The story begins with Mr. Confrere's dilemma - he has told his aunt, his only living relative who still lives in France, that he is married and has a daughter named Matilda.  A daughter the same age as and who looks just like Tilda!  This would not be a problem, except Aunt Therese is now coming for a visit and wants to meet his daughter!  Tilda rather likes the idea of pretending to be the Frenchman's make-believe daughter, but her parents are not amenable to the lie.  And that's when we, the readers, meet the second Matilda - also known as Mat.  The young girl is there in the restaurant when Tilda comes running in from the rain after school.  Tilda quickly learns that the girl has been raised in the circus, where her father worked until he died.  The circus fortune teller dropped her off at the international restaurant, and when she does not come back, Mat gives Uncle Tor a letter that reveals the fortune teller has no intention of coming back, asking the bearer of the letter to take Mat in and give the young girl a proper life!  Of course, Tor and Alma readly agree to take her in, and Tilda is thrilled to have a girl her own age in the building.  It seems things are working out for the girls ...

 

Enter: the red-headed Matilda!  Before you can blink an eye, a new family is moving into that top-floor apartment.  Big Chief, the huge red-headed man who is an artist, with his son, Genius (not his real name, nor does it accurately describe his intelligence, or lack thereof!), his wife (called nothing more than "Mother"), and Red-Top, which is the third Matilda's nickname.  An unusual family, but Red-Top just happens to be the same age as the other two Matildas, and as such, the Three Matildas are formed!

 

The book merely follows the day-to-day lives and adventures of the three Matildas until Aunt Therese arrives.  It is while at the docks where the huge boat has brought Mr. Confrere's aunt and many other travelers that the mystery begins.  Tilda notices a man in a grey suit appears to be following Aunt Therese, and while she does not like his face, nor the smell of his suit (she eventually realizes it is the smell of mothballs!), she keeps her concerns to herself, as the families welcome Aunt Therese into their building.  Tilda might have forgotten about the man, except she sees him again in the Brackenbat International Restaurant the same night a dinner party is thrown in celebration of Aunt Therese's arrival.  She soon forgets about him, though, as summer vacation begins, and the three Matildas explore New York City with their new "aunt."  A decision is eventually made to take a three-week trip in August across the United States, and it is during that trip that the mystery man makes more appearances, and the actual mystery starts to develop.  But, if you are expecting to have any idea what the mystery actually is, don't get your hopes up.  The actual mystery is revealed in the last two chapters, and it is so quick, you might miss it if you blink!  It's rather a shame we did not get any kind of hint as to the mystery earlier in the story, as it might have actually made it a bit less out of left-field. 

 

One aspect of the book I did rather enjoy was the distinctly different characteristics for each of the Three Matildas.  Tildy, with the light brown hair, was the more curious one; Mat, with the black hair and big hoop earrings, was the serious one; and Red-Top, with the red hair and jump rope, was the playful one.  Each was her own individual, and they actually complemented one another within the context of the story, thus making a simple story more interesting than it otherwise could have been. 

 

The author is Laura W. Douglas, and I'm not sure if this is a real person or a pseudonym (although I'm leaning toward a real person).  What I was surprised to discover, when I went searching for information on Ms. Douglas, is that she authored a book I already have in my possession, The Mystery at Crooknose.   That particular book is aimed at an older audience than this one.  I also found she wrote a third book titled The Mystery of Arrowhead Hill, which I do not have - but which I plan to hunt down and buy.  Both Crooknose and Arrowhead were published in various formats, including paperbacks under Airmont's "Mystery House" banner.  There were no other "Three Matilda" books published, which is rather a shame, as this one ends with Big Chief making an announcement that clearly was intended to be a set up for a second book (and a story that I would have loved to have read!).

 

The illustrations in the book are by Al Fiorentino, who was a talented painter / artist who received his training at the Museum of School Art in Philadelphia.  He worked as a commercial illustrator before becoming freelance in 1960.  A number of children's books containing his art can be found on eBay or other sites.  His work on Make-Believe Daughter is very well done, each illustration being careful to fully depict the scenes from the book down to some of the smallest details (such as Mat's dog stretching its front legs as the girl is getting acquainted with her new room in Tor and Alma's apartment).  A great choice of artist for this book!

 

RATING:  8 white mice rescued from a garbage can out of 10 for a uniquely fun concept that definitely deserved more than just one book!

Trappers of Venus - the Fourth Dig Allen Space Explorer Adventure

Four books in, and this one, by far, is the best one yet!  I was actually caught by surprise as to how much I really enjoyed this story.  The author, Joseph Greene, has definitely got a much stronger feel for his main characters in this book, and he focuses less on back story and more on the actual adventure, which starts right on page one.  This is the second of Greene's planet-hopping books, with the previous one taking Dig and his friends to Jupiter - now they head to Venus, before journeying to Saturn in the fifth book and Uranus in the sixth, and final, book in the series.  With each book better than the last, I can only imagine just how good the stories will be in the last two entries.

 

Trappers of Venus begins with Dig sneaking out for a clandestine meeting with an unknown person (well, unknown to the reader, anyway). Once meeting his contact, Chips, Dig learns he has been asked by an old space pirate friend of his to assist a trapper from Venus named Tim Buckle.  Dig saves Tim's life, after they find him attacked by some hunters, but Tim turns out to be far from grateful.  As Dig is getting ready to blast off, taking Tim back to Venus, Tim wakes up and takes over the ship, blasting off with too much speed and force, sending them way off course!   Dig manages to gain Tim's trust and gets the ship back on track, learning that he, as a Space Explorer, needs to help Tim and his friends on Venus protect the lives of an indigenous species known as the Kohoolies.

 

Meanwhile, twin brothers Ken and Jim Barry are visiting their father on the asteroid science center, where they meet the business man, Linton Wells, and his prideful, egotistical son, Chuck.  It seems Wells needs some Space Explorers to come to Venus with him to determine that an indigenous species there is nothing more than another animal species, not as intelligent as man, and therefore open for hunting.  The brothers, while not particularly liking Wells and his son, see no issue with going to Venus to make a determination of the alien species' level of intelligence and humanity, so that a report can be made to the scientists who will give authorization for hunting or protection of the animals.

 

Can you see where this is headed?

 

Greene goes beyond just your typical adventure story with good guys vs. bad guys.  In addition to that, we get the misunderstandings that cause a rift between Did and the Barry brothers; we get the mystery surrounding the Kohoolies and whether they are intelligent life forms; we get the question of who are the real good guys and who are the real bad guys; we get some very intense life-and-death scenarios; and we get a story of real redemption for one, if not two, of the characters in the tale.  There is a strong human nature element to the story that causes you to suspend your disbelief over the idea that Venus no only has a breathable atmosphere for humans, but also has a thriving planet of fauna and life forms.  In reality, we know its closeness to the sun would prohibit life as we know it; but hey, this book was published back in 1961, back before man ever actually reached the moon and not long after all of those wacky space films from the '50s. 

 

The rotation of artists for this series continues with this book.  Walter Dey, who provided both the cover and interior art for the third book returns to provide the cover art for this book.  Honestly, the art is not quite as crisp and defined as his cover for Journey to Jupiter was, but it is definitely superior to that of the second book.  The interior illustrations, however, are provided by Charles Beck - who, as it turns out, was an artist for Fawcett Comics, illustrating the first Captain Marvel (a/k/a Shazam!) stories!  When he severed his ties with Fawcett, Beck moved for Florida, where he became a freelance illustrator.  This was the only book in the series that Beck illustrated.  (One disappointing thing I have noticed about this series is that the further it goes, the less interior illustrations each book seems to have!)

 

The back cover for this book (my copy, at least) features the same design as that on my copy of the first book; however, my copy of Venus is obviously an earlier printing that my copy of Forgotten Star, as the series all list fewer books than the earlier novel - and Vicky Loring is listed as "Coming Soon" rather than the three titles shown on the first book.  

 

This book definitely cemented my enjoyment of this series, and I'm now really looking forward to the last two books.

 

RATING:  9 deadly scorpion lizards out of 10 for science fiction, space adventure with a strong dose of human drama and good vs. evil! 

Mary Worth: 1943 Career Girl Drama - a Blackthorne Publishing Collection

Anyone that has ever read the "funny pages" from a newspaper is more than likely familiar with the name Mary Worth. The name is pretty much synonymous with the soap-opera-style comic strips, such as Rex Morgan, M.D. and Apartment 3-G, among others.  The strip began in 1938, although sources indicate the strip started even earlier than that in a previous incarnation as "Apple Mary," which had its beginnings in 1934.  "Apple Mary" was a strip created by Martha Orr, with art and lettering by Dale Conner and Ruth Belew, respectively.  When Orr left the strip in 1941, and this is when Allen Saunders took over the writing, and Ken Ernst came in to take over the art.  By 1940, the strip was already using "Mary Worth's Family" as a subtitle, and when Saunders and Ernst took over, it eventually transitioned to simply Mary Worth.  There is, of course, disputes regarding whether "Apple Mary" really was a precursor to Mary Worth, but respected sources, including Saunders himself, indicated it was.

 

In 1986, Blackthorne Publishing was doing a number of collection of comic strips under the "Comic-Strip Preserves" banner, including Betty Boop, Brenda Starr Reporter, and others.  One of those was Mary Worth, with, unfortunately, only had this one book.  Labeled a "1943 career girl drama," the book features a storyline that ran from October 1943 through April 1944.  A number of things surprised me about the strips as I sat down to read them.  First, the name of the strip alternates between "Mary Worth's Family" and simply "Mary Worth."  Second, and probably most surprising, is the fact that the title character actually features very little in this story!  She plays heavily in the first few strips, as she heads to Elm City where Bill Biff is to have found them a place to live, and she shows up in the last few panels to bid some of the major characters farewell, as two of them head out on military duty.  Otherwise, she is only seen in a few strips, and usually those scenes are simply as a plot device to move the characters in a certain direction!  This is a far cry from the strip I remember glancing out now and again as I was growing up, where the elderly woman was always sticking her nose into everyone's business and offering advice, whether it was solicited or not!

 

This sixth month tale is, in reality, the story of Gypsy Monez, a professional dancer from New York City.  She happens to be on the same train as Mary Worth, and she sneaks into Mary's cabin, asking her to hide her from the men that are looking for her.  Mary (and the reader) knows there is more to the story, so it goes without saying that Mary helps her sneak off the train at Elm City.  Mary opens up her new home to the young actress (over the objections of Bill Biff, who is upset to be put out of his own room!).  Soon enough, Gypsy is directing the charity benefit to support the war effort - there is only one catch - she must use the chairwoman's son in the leading role!  Gypsy is unsure until she meets the boy, who turns out to be a handsome young man.  The two quickly hit it off, but as with any good story there's a snag.  An unscrupulous man discovers by accident the secret Gypsy is keeping from everyone and threatens to expose her if she does not date him instead.  As her feelings for Bud (the chairwoman's son) grow stronger, she eventually walks away from the man blackmailing her - a decision she is sure to regret.

 

The story takes a romantic tangle of a turn when Bud's older brother comes home on leave from his service in the armed forces.  He happens to be on the same train Gypsy is on after spending time in New York City (no, I'm not going to spoil her reasons for being there - let's just say, it has to do with the resolution of the first half of the story), and, of course, the two hit it off, neither suspecting who the other really is.  Once home in Elm City, though, Rick is the one to realize his new love is actually his brother's fiance-to-be.  He tries to bow out, but his feelings for Gypsy and hers for him are too much.  Luckily, another young lady happens to come to town, and she catches Bud's eyes - and with a little help from Mary Worth, the entangled lives become untangled, and we end up with two very happy couples. Well, happy that is, until the final panel, when both Rick and Bud head off into the service for their country!

 

Again, it is odd (to me, at least) that the title character appears so little in the strip.  While I didn't necessarily expect to see her in every panel, I did expect her to have a much larger role than simply an advice giver every couples of weeks or so, and matchmaker for a few strips.  We can't even go so far as to say "Mary Worth's Family" is an appropriate title, since the characters involved in this story are not a part of her family at all.  I am now curious to learn when did Mary Worth take a much more active and consistent role in her own strip? 

 

The art, by Ken Ernst, is enticing, and he gives each of his characters very distinctive looks that make them easy to identify without being named repeatedly.  His rendition of Gyspy is pretty spot on, since she is meant to be a seductive beauty - he even manages to give her clothing that only accentuates her sexy side - when she tries to wear "normal" clothes that would be appropriate in Elm City, it comes across very unnatural.  Unlike Mary Perkins, On Stage (another strip that I have been reading in collected editions),  this strip does not always concern itself with detailed backgrounds; in fact, a number of panels have no backgrounds at all - the characters simply appear against empty space.  This does not detract from the storytelling, though.  In some cases, it actually gives more focus to the character(s) speaking, so the reader is not distracted looking at what is in the background.

 

I will admit - I took a look online to see what the strip looks like today - and it is a FAR CRY from these strips from the 1940s!  While I loved June Brigman's work on Marvel's Power Pack back in the '80s, her work on the current Mary Worth strips does not hold a candle to Saunders' work represented in this collection.  It is a shame no one has collected more of these early years of Mary Worth.   I'm aware there is a mass-market paperback collection out there, as well as a comic collection published by a company called Argo; and there are several issues of a Harvey-published comics; but that is so little compared to eighty years of daily newspaper strips!  Someone needs to get work preserving these strips for future readers!

 

As a side note - I'm not really sure where the "career girl drama" banner on the cover comes from.  Mary Worth is definitely not a career girl, so the only thing I can figure is that it is referring to Gypsy Monez, who settles down in Elm City and opens a fashionable clothing store for the women about town. 

 

RATING:  9 autographed photos of Gyspy Monez out of 10 for an interesting trip back in time to the simpler times of comic strip tales filed with romance, drama, and lessons learned!

Image of Evil - a Dell Gothic

This is a book I specifically hunted down because of the haunting cover.  The lone woman, standing in the swamp in her flowing white dress, with a dark mansion in the background - no light in an upper story window as so many Gothics are wont to do.  The greens and blacks setting the somber mood, the moss hanging from the trees, the moon barely visible in the sky.  To me, this cover screams creepy, and so I had to know if the story could match the horror of the cover art!  Took me a while to track down a copy at a reasonable price, but I finally managed to do so.  The book is written by Rosemary A. Crawford, and from all I can find, this appears to be the author's real name and this book appears to be the only Gothic I can find that she wrote!  If she did write any others, I would sure like to find them, especially if they are as good as this one turned out to be.

 

Image of Evil was first published by Dell in November 1971. The story is told in first-person, from the point-of-view of the main character, Susan (whose name is not actually stated in the book until page 15, when another character finally calls her by her name!), a twenty-three year old clothing designer from New York who comes to Louisiana to meet a family she never knew she had.  After her parents pass, she receives a mysterious letter from one Corinna Hamilton, who claims to be her aunt (her mother's sister).  The woman invites her to come stay at Southern Moon, the Hamilton homestead, and meet the rest of her family - which includes Corinna's two children, Paul Hamilton (a lawyer) and Lacy Hamilton (a spoiled debutante), as well as the brother of Corinna's deceased husband, Cedric Raimond.  Before she can even reach the mansion, which is deep in the Louisiana bayou, she has the misfortune of meeting the deputy sheriff, Billy Ben Curtis, to who she takes an instant dislike (due to his complete lack of manners and unpleasant disposition).  Once at the great house, she meets not only the family, but also the housekeeper, Matilda, and the surly cook, Lucille.  Susan is not overly ecstatic about this sudden appearance of a family she never knew existed, and so she is somewhat reserved when she arrives ... if only she had turned around and left the moment she arrived, perhaps she would not have experienced the terrors she did.  Of course, had she left, then she never would have learned the truth about why her mother left the Hamilton family and never looked back ...

 

I will admit, the story gets off to a somewhat slow start.  Crawford goes back and forth in the first two chapters between the present, as Susan is arriving at Southern Moon (the name of the Hamilton home) and Susan's receipt of her aunt's letter, her meeting with the attorney to learn more about the invitation to Louisiana, and her not-so-great experience on her first entrance into the swampland surrounding the great house. Once all of the backstory is told, Crawford then moves forward in a more normal, linear narrative form.  Susan's first observations of the family are somewhat accurate - Lacy is spoiled and clearly has no interest in knowing her; Paul is a playboy of sorts who takes a shine on her; and Corinna is playing a part, but just what part that is, Susan is unsure.  The only one she feels she can trust is the housekeeper, Miranda, who admits to remembering her mother and slowly, as the story progresses, tells her more and more about Meg Hamilton and why she left the way she did.  Of course, the more she learns about that, the more she learns about Corinna, and the more she begins to realize there is a lot more to this story than she realizes!  Things truly start to come to light when she meets Dr. Clay Foster, a young physician who is treating Miranda's daughter Lillian - and when she tells her new family she has a date with the doctor, she finds they are quite vocal on the matter.  By no means will a Hamilton ever go out with "white trash" like Clay Foster!  This is the beginning of the battle lines being drawn, and soon enough, more truths are revealed about Corinna, about Paul, about Clay, and about Lillian - and about Rosalie, the one no one is allowed to talk about!

 

Crawford build the suspense slowly, but as it rolls along, it gets more and more intense, and as it speeds towards the climax, the terror builds, as Susan finds herself first locked in the attic where Rosalie was hidden away for a number of years, and then ultimately as she runs through the swamps at night, daring to face any danger to escape the evil plans the Hamilton family has in store for her if she were to remain at Southern Moon!  What started out rather uninteresting definitely turns into a page-turner that I could not put down.  

 

The original printing by Dell has full cover art, interrupted only by the title and author's name at the top and bottom, respectively.  However, the book was later reprinted in October 1979 under Dell's "Candlelight Intrigue" banner; while the reprint used the same cover art, it reduced it to just a smaller square under the title and author's name, cutting off portions of the top and bottom of the art, so you do not get the full effect of the image.  Personally, I prefer the full cover printing (which is the version I have).

 

While several blogs and reviews I have read online seem to find this book not overly appealing, I found it to be rather engaging, once you get past the opening sequence.  I would certainly recommend it to those who love a good Gothic read from this time period - and the Louisiana bayou setting is definitely a nice twist to the theme!

 

RATING:  8 extra bolt locks out of 10 for taking our poor heroine through the ringer, with some intensely dangerous moments and a couple of unexpected deaths!