Short Lived Comics Series #36 -The Young Lawyers (Dell Comics)

This 2-issue comic book series is something I chanced upon some time ago at a local convention.  I happened across the second issue for a relatively cheap price (the comic was not in perfect condition, mind you), and I could not pass it up.  As a paralegal myself, having worked for lawyers for some time, I am always drawn to comic books set in the legal realm.  With the photo cover, the identification of the actors on the cover, and the copyright to Paramount Pictures Corporation and Crane Productions, Inc. down in the bottom right corner, I assumed it was based on a television show - and I was right!  So, after some time, I finally found the first issue at a comic shop.  With both issues now in hand, I sat down to read them, and was pleasantly surprised to find out how much I really liked the stories.  With that in mind, I had to go back and see what I could find out about the old TV show...

 

The Young Lawyers was issued in late 1970, early 1971 with cover dates of January 1971 (issue 1) and April 1971 (issue 2).  It was based upon a vintage television show that ran on ABC from September 21, 1970 to March 24, 1971, for a total of twenty-four episodes.  The comic, like the television show, centers on a legal aid center in Boston, called the "Neighborhood Law Office" (or NLO for short), established to help those in need who cannot afford legal help.  The three central characters are David Barrett (as portrayed by Lee J. Cobb), an established lawyer who gives guidance to young law school students who gain experience by representing real cases while they are going to school; Aaron Silverman (as portrayed by Zalman King),  a zealous student with lofty ideas of helping all of the underprivileged and always rooting for the underdog; and Pat Walters (as portrayed by Judy Pace), an African-American woman studying law in an effort to break stereotypes and do some good in the world.

 

As with pretty much all of the Dell Comics published at the time, there are no credits given for writers, artists, colorists, letterers, editors, or anyone else associated with the comic series; however, the Grand Comicbook Database website (The Young Lawyers) indicates Jose Delbo, who is probably most recognized for his work on DC Comics' Wonder Woman title for quite a long run in the 1970s and early '80s, as well as Thundercats and Transformers for Marvel Comics.  The art does strongly resemble Delbo's work, and it is clear the same artist did both stories in both issues, because the characters appearances are consistent throughout.  I would love to know who the writer was, though, because the stories are very much in sync with the stories from the television show - very topical and very much in line with the "buck the system" thinking of the time.

 

The two stories in the first issue are "Team Spirit" and "Kids are People."  The first story is about a young football player (whose name happens to be Jimmy Carter - who was not our President until seven years after this comic came out!) who is injured during a game and may be paralyzed.  The boy who tackled him is being accused of purposefully injuring him the previous day so that he can get the spotlight with the talent scouts who are at the game.  Aaron goes to bat for the accused boy, and with Pat's help (since the injured boy happens to be African-American), they are able to broker peace between the boys and get them both back on the field.  The second story involves a young boy named Angel Rivera who is accused of stealing a typewriter by a store owner.  The boy's reputation is being ruined, and his chance at getting into a prestigious school is lost because of the rumors.  Barrett, Aaron, and Pat all learn a lesson in this story, as they are not so quick to believe the boy's story, and when the truth does come out, it is the three lawyers who are eating crow!

 

The second issue features two more stories:  "Under the Skin" and "Explosive Justice."  In the first tale, a biker is unjustly and unfairly treated by everyone, no matter where he goes, and he comes to the NLO with the hopes of suing "the People of the United States" for denying him his rights under the Ninth Amendment.  Aaron goes for a bike ride with the man who calls himself Captain Freedom, and he sees first hand the way he is treated, merely because of his appearance - long hair, sunglasses, biker clothes.  Even the police are seen to hassle the man.  Aaron believes there is some cause for a lawsuit, but before it can be filed, Captain Freedom takes off, thanking the NLO, and Aaron specifically, for proving there were still good people in the world.  In the second tale, the NLO is the victim of a vicious bomb attack (thankfully at night, when no one was there), and our three main characters must sift through the firm's history to determine which client may want to seek vengeance.  Aaron is attacked one night when he goes back to the office, and the next day, a file is missing - the file of a former client who the NLO defended for allegedly bombing a government office!  As it turns out, that was a red herring, and the real culprit is someone much closer to home!

 

After reading these two issues, I was curious about the television show, so I did some searching and found some episodes available on YouTube.  The original pilot movie aired in October 1969, a year before the actual series began, and it featured Jason Evers as Michael Cannon, a corporate lawyer who leaves his firm to become the director at the NLO.  Zalman King plays Aaron, but Judy Pace's character is named Anne, and there is an additional law student, David Harrison (played by Tom Holland - no, not THAT Tom Holland).  The set up for the show is pretty much the same, but the story definitely gives ample time to both the legal story and the individual characters' characterization.  By the end of that pilot film, you actually have a feel for all four of the main characters.  In the first episode of the ongoing show, which aired in September 1970, Evers and Holland are gone, and Lee J. Cobb is in as new director, David Barrett.  There is absolutely no explanation for the change in characters, no reference at all to Cannon or Harrison.  Comparing the two, I honestly liked the initial pilot film far better than I did the first episode of the ongoing series.  The show is available on DVD on Amazon, so I'm going to buy that and watch the remaining 23 episodes to see if the characterization gets better as the series progresses (I know at some point a fourth main character is added to the series - Chris Blake, as portrayed by Philip Clark.

 

The comic series only features the main three characters from the regular series - Barrett, Aaron, and Pat.  However, in the second story of the first issue, someone got confused, because Barrett refers to Pat as "Anne," which was the character's name in the original pilot film.  They only use that name once, and, in fact, they never call the character by her name again in the entire story.  By the second issue, both stories refer to her as "Pat," her given name in the television series.  Otherwise, I thought both issues were pretty much flawless, capturing the feel and the look of the TV show, and providing some interesting, thought-provoking stories that today may seem dated, but back in the early 1970s would have been considered quite progressive. 

 

Definitely a series worth reading, and it's a shame it only lasted two issues.

 

RATING:  10 tell-tale band-aids on the chin out of 10 for well-written, beautifully drawn comic stories based on a little-known show that is definitely worth a second glance! 

Short Lived Comics Series #32 - Super Heroes (Dell Comics)

Dell Comics is not particularly well-known for their superhero comics - in fact, I was not even aware until recent years that Dell actually published any comics with superheroes in them.  Sure, I had heard of Brain Boy (of which I have all but one issue), but I never really considered him a superhero; I saw him more as just a science fiction type tale.  To me, Dell was famous for a lot of licensed material, such as Walt Disney World comics and old Western comics.  In fact, I have some of their books, such as Gil Thorp, Ellery Queen, Friday Foster, Johnny Jason Teen Reporter, Mary Perkins On Stage, and The New People.  But it was not until I stumbled upon a couple of issues of this title that I found a whole susbset of titles from Dell that offered superhero fans some new characters and stories.  I was pleasantly surprised and definitely curious enough to pick them up and give them a try!

 

Super Heroes, as it was so generically titled, was a four-issue series published in 1967 featuring a team known as the "Fab 4."  One might think this is a cheap rip-off of Marvel's the Fantastic Four (the name is even very similar), which first hit the stands back in 1961; however, other than the name similarity and the fact both teams has four members (with only one female), the two books are very different.  While Marvel's "World's Greatest Comic Magazine," as it promoted itself, featured a family dynamic, the Fab 4 is actually made up of four teenagers who, through unexpected circumstances, wind up with the ability to transfer their consciousnesses into four amazing robots with superhuman abilities:  Dan Boyd can become "El," with light-based powers; Polly Wheeler can become "Polymer Polly," with speed and heat resistant powers; Tom Dennis can become "Hy," with sonic powers; and Reb Ogelvie can become "Crispy," with cryogenic powers.  Although not very original, each character's costume has the first letter of their name on the chest (with the except of "El," who has a huge "L" on his chest, I'm guessing because his name is actually pronounced simply as "L").

 

Each issue features three chapters, with some connecting and some simply stand-alone tales.  The first issue,  cover dated January 1967, opens with a 12-page origin story (yeah, let's see any of today's comics tell an origin story in that few pages!), followed by a second chapter that finds our new heroes battling a nuclear powered robot, and a final chapter that brings the Fab 4 versus the rampaging robot story to a chilly conclusion (yes, that's a pun - read the story to find out why!).  The story and plot are pretty simple and straightforward, but I do think the author managed to capture some of the nuances of what it would be like for teenagers to suddenly find themselves able to control super-powered robots.  The only problem is, like Negative Man in DC's Doom Patrol title, when they transfer their essence, their actual bodies basically become comatose; so, they must be sure their bodies are in a secure location before they transfer over to the Fab 4.

 

The second issue was released three months later, with a cover date of April 1967.  This issue features three different tales, as our Fab 4 face off against various villains.  In the first chapter, the kids go up against "The Clowns," a group of dastardly circus men who use their clown disguises take advantage of attendees and steal their valuables - with their ultimate goal of cleaning out the city!  Of course, the Fab 4 manage to round them up and take them down.  The second chapter is the story of "Nutt's Revenge," as an engineer is determined not to see his creations displayed at the Great Fair (a/k/a the World's Fair in our world) destroyed by others - so he decides to take them out himself, until the four kids get in his way, and they have to use their fabulous alter egos to save their bodies!  The final chapter find El enslaved by a criminal who learned electronics in prison - and he uses El to go after the police that put him away.  It's up to the remaining Fab 4 to save their friend and bring him to his senses.

 

Which brings us to the third issue, in which our fabulous foursome must face the threat of the Coalman, an underground creature that gets hotter and more deadly the more the kids throw at him.  The four heroes then face the hypnotizing spells of the Mad Magician, who uses hypnosis to steal from his guests, leaving them with the impression they enjoyed the show and not caring about their lost valuables!  The four have to put their heads together to stop the madman from hypnotizing the entire city and robbing it blind.  In the last chapter, the gang goes up against Nepto of the Reef, an underwater villain off the coast of Florida (yay!  my state!) who, like Aquaman, is able to get the help of marine life to aid him in his tasks - only Nepto's tasks are criminal, and the Fab 4 go underwater to put an end to his crime spree.

 

The fourth and final issue of this series, cover dated June 1967, foretells its own demise, with a cover blurb that proclaims: "The End of The Fab 4!"  Like the first issue, it features three chapters that are interconnected, but these final tales alter the lives of our heroes in an unexpected way.  While the first chapter provides a simple mission of stopping missiles that were somehow controlled to drop on the city, it is the second chapter that changes everything - when the four teens throw their consciousnesses into the heroic robots, only to have an explosion merge them, so that the teens no longer need the robots!  Instead, they find themselves now possessing the powers of the robots, giving them the chance to fight crime in their own physical forms - something they do in the third and final chapter as they face off against Mr. Mod, a hippie musician with the power to influence things around him.  It was he who directed the bombs to be dropped on the city, and it was he who caused the explosion that changed the Fab 4's lives forever.  And it takes some quick thinking and cooperation on their part to bring Mr. Mod to justice at last.

 

And with that final battle, Super Heroes and its tales of the Fab 4 came to an end.  After only four issues and eight battles of good versus evil, the adventures of these powerhouse teens came to a conclusion.  As far as I have been able to find, these four heroes have remained in comic book limbo (with the exception of a short story in InDELLible Comics first issue of Popular Comics, published in July 2017).  I actually found the concept for these heroes somewhat different, and they certainly would have been the perfect fit for comics published back in the 1960s and 1970s; however, I wonder if the fact they were published by Dell, who did not seem to have the same popularity as DC or Marvel Comics, hurt their chances of succeeding.  InDELLible Comics, headed up by David Noe and Jim Ludwig, seems to be bringing some attention back to all of these old Dell Comics characters, so who knows?  Perhaps someone will get inspired and get the rights to bring these characters into the 21st century!

 

There is some dispute about who wrote these four issues of Super Heroes for Dell.  While some websites credit Don Arneson as the writer, the Grand Comics Database indicates that "[i]n an e-mail to Jim Ludwig August 2013, DJ Arneson states that he did not write this series."  Thus, the writer remains a mystery.  The art, however, has been credited to Bill Ely on pencils (according to Martin O'Hearn's blog) for the first two issues and Bill Molno on pencils (according to Martin O'Hearn's blog) for the last two issues, with Sal Trapani on inks on all four books.  The covers for all four issues are credited to Sal Trapani on inks, as well as possibly the pencils.  The art is not overly impressive, with many panels simply featuring the characters against single-colored backgrounds, I did enjoy it for the simple fact that it was not overpowering.  The pages provided backgrounds where necessary, but it focused more on the story and less on flashy splash pages as today's comics do, which definitely was a plus in my book!  Simple stories of good guys vs. bad guys without all of the needless personal crises and forced continuity - just plain old fun!

 

One thing I did notice about the Fab 4's costumes - the letters on each of their chests could have spelled the word H-E-L-P (because the "c" on Crispy's chest could easily be mistaken for an "e"), and I wonder if that was intentional, since these kids / heroes were determined to help keep the world safe?  Just a thought...

 

Now the hunt begins for some of Dell's other super hero titles, such as Nukla, Frankenstein, Dracula, Wereewolf, and any others I can discover in my hunt! 

 

RATING:  8 circus-battling, undersea-fighting, robot-defeating, mad-magician stopping adventures out of 10 for giving comic fans a creative new crew of heroes (it's just unfortunate they did not last!). 

Short(est) Lived Comic Series #30 - On Stage (Dell Comics)

It is with shock and surprise that I reach this 1,000th post for my blog!  When I started this blog back in 2015, I don't think I ever imagined I would still be writing it 10 years later, nor do I think I ever expected to have read as many books, short stories, and comics as I have read in that time.  It has been a fun journey, and (for the most part) I have been fortunate to have read so many great stories over those years.  So, it is fitting that for this special post, I review a comic that I have had for a number of years but have been waiting to read.  This one-off comic from Dell Comics (issue 1336 of Dell's "Four Color" series) is based upon Leonard Starr's very popular newspaper strip that ran for 22 years, from 1957 to 1979.  I have the full collection of comic strips in collected editions by Classic Comics Press, which I have been reviewing on this blog, and I never even knew this comic existed until I happened across it at a local comic convention one year.

 

Dell's On Stage comic was published in 1962, with an "April-June 1962" date listed in the indicia.  While the cover gives credit to Leonard Starr, the creator of On Stage, Starr did not actually work on the comic.  While no actual credits are given with the comic itself, which was standard in those days, the Grand Comics Database (Dell Comics - On Stage) indicates the cover art was provided by Robert Williams Meyers, while interior art was provided by Mike Sekowsky/Frank Giacoia (inside front cover); Frank Bolle and Mike Sekowsky/Frank Giacoia (main story); Frank Giacoia (inside back cover); and Mike Sekowsky/Frank Giacoia (back cover).  The script for these stories is credited to Ken Fitch, based on information in the "Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999."  Despite Leonard Starr not being involved, I have to give the publisher credit for finding an artist who was able to mimic Starr's style when drawing Mary and her supporting cast.  Sadly, the one thing that is missing from the comic are the extremely detailed backgrounds that Starr provided in nearly each and every panel of his comic strip.  While the panels in this comic do have some backgrounds, there are quite a few panels that simply have basic, one-color backgrounds against which the characters stand.  For me, though, having only seen Mary Perkins in black and white in the reprint collections, it was exciting to see her brought to life in full color in this 32-page comic!

 

This story takes place during the years collected by the fifth volume of Classic Comics Press' reprint volumes, and it brings back not just one, but two recurring characters from Mary's newspaper strip.  When Mary is asked to take a role in a new play about Shakespeare's life, supposedly based upon diaries found that reveal missing years of his life, she must convince fellow actor and friend, Maximus, to come to the States and take a role as well.  The director's difficulty in finding a backer suddenly disappears when an attorney shows up indicating he has a backer who wishes to remain anonymous.  This is when Mary happens to run into Johnny Q, who warns her about the attorney and his reputation.  So, here we have two mysterious men from Mary's strip who swoop in to help her uncover the truth, not only behind the mysterious benefactor for the play, but also the reality behind those alleged diaries of Shakespeare.

 

There's not quite as much drama in this comic as there is in the daily strip, but it does have its moments - particularly when Frank Stewart, the playwright, is brutally attacked when he refuses to allow the financier to take credit for his script.  Maximus steps in and shows the hoodlums that he is more than just a "pretty face" (and if you have read the On Stage newspaper strip, then you'll understand that pun!).  Between Mary, Pete, Maximus, and Johnny, they manage to turn the tables on the crooked producer and save the play from having any unsavory connections.  And, surprisingly, in the end, Maximus reveals to Pete the truth about his appearance, a revelation that I cannot recall has ever been made in the newspaper strip (at least, not up to the point where I have read).

 

The cover art, by Robert Meyers, depicts the very dramatic moment when Maximus shows the producer's hoodlums that he can fight back and take them down - although, in the story, there is no woman in the background watching.  I am not sure if the woman shown on the cover is supposed to be Mary Perkins, but if so, then it is an inaccurate portrayal, as this woman is a blond, and Mary has dark hair.  And since Dell Comics of that period did not have any advertisements, the inside front cover, inside back cover, and back cover all feature short stories that give readers a bit more inside information, to to speak, about theater life.  "Angels Without Wings" on the inside front cover provides some details about investors, while "The Drama" on the inside back cover gives an abbreviated history of how drama has been depicted on the stage over the years. The back cover provides a color presentation of the "Arts and Tricks of Make-Up," and how strong make-up, simple techniques, and the use of rubber masks are used to hide blemishes, accentuate features, and sometimes change the appearance of actors on stage and screen. 

 

Overall, I would say this issue is a very nice tribute to the characters and stories of Leonard Starr, and it definitely does Mary Perkins proud.  Of course, only being one issue, the story is a bit faster paced than the daily strip, which had stories that lasted weeks, seven days each week, so had plenty of time to build up suspense and drop sub-plots that would come to fruition later.  Also, with just 32 pages, the writer did not have a lot of time for character development, so any readers who were not already familiar with the characters would likely have a lot of questions about who they are and how they are connected.  I wonder what we would have seen if Dell had decided to do more On Stage comics?

 

RATING:  9 electronic door locks out of 10 for keeping the drama in Mary Perkins' life and providing an interesting new theater story centered around the bard himself!

Short(est) Lived Comic Series #29 - Friday Foster (Dell Comics)

Two years go, I reviewed the collection of Friday Foster comic strips published in the Sunday newspapers (Friday Foster Comic Strips), at which time, I mentioned the fact that I was still searching for that hard-to-find issue of Dell Comics' version of the character, a stand-alone issue published with a cover date of October 1972, right in the middle of Lawrence's run of the comic strip.  Well, that search is over!  This past Christmas, a dear friend surprised me with a copy of this particular comic, in absolutely marvelous condition considering its age.  I've been holding off, waiting for the right time to read it, and that time is now!

 

Friday Foster is one of Dell's many one-issue comics.  Although the indicia at the bottom of the first page refers to this as "No. 1," there was never any other issues published after this one (which may be why it is so sought after and so hard to find at a reasonable price!).  While the characters and story are based on James D. Lawrence's comic strip, Lawrence was not actually involved in the comic.  The story was written by Joe Gill, and the art (both inside and on the cover) was provided by Jack Sparling.  Joe Gill is probably best recognized for his work at Charlton comic company, where he co-created Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judomaster, as well as others.  Jack Sparling was a rather busy artist back in the day, providing art for publishers such as Harvey, Charlton, Classics Illustrated, DC, Gold Key, Marvel, along with Dell Comics.  Gill does a superb job of staying true to the character of Friday Foster, while Sparling's art is a bit softer than Jordi Longaron's, but he still retains the look of all the cast.

 

The story finds Friday helping her boss, fashion photographer Shawn North, get photographs of an elusive American-born princess - Princess Jenny Shangri, newly wed wife of Prince Wimoweh of Teri-Aki.  She makes every effort to avoid the press, and Friday views her  as nothing more than a spoiled rich girl who has no understanding of what it is like for someone who grew up in Harlem (like Friday!).  She sabotages Shawn's attempts to get clear photographs, and ultimately has to confess her underhandedness to their employer at She magazine.  Well, as any good story goes, fate intervenes, and Friday finds herself having to pose as the princess's close friend in order to ferret out a member of the paparazzi who has been harassing the princess for some time - most recently causing a near-fatal car accident!  Friday is livid, but she takes the assignment, having no other choice.

 

Gill writes a well-scripted tale that could easily be translated to the small or big screen.  Friday spends time with Jenny (the princess), shopping for clothes, and while Jenny insists the dastardly Ferdy Trask is following them, Friday fails to see him (although the reader does spot him in various panels).  Friday begins to believe Jenny is making up the entire harassment scenario in order to gain publicity - but while she is trying to convince Shawn, the sneaky Ferdy Trask is doing his own digging into Friday's identity - and when he learns she works for Shawn North, he decides to turn the tables on her. Suddenly, Friday becomes the target of Mr. Trask's dirty deeds.  Not only is Friday threatened, but she comes home to find he has also threatened her little brother, Cleve!  Needless to say, Friday is not going to let Ferdy Trask get the better of her, so with Shawn and Jenny's help, she sets an ingenious trap to catch Trask at his own game.

 

One thing I like about these old Dell Comics is that you get 32-pages of story and art with no ads (except on the inside front and back covers, as well as the back cover itself).  That means Gill and Sparling have plenty of space to really flesh out the story, providing not only characterization, but also plenty of action and suspense.  Honestly, as I was reading the comic, I could see Pam Grier in my head acting out the entire story (for those who may not know, Grier played Friday Foster in the live action film of the same name back in 1975).  The bad guy gets his comeuppence, and Friday learns a thing or two herself about pre-judging people before she gets to know them.  The story has the same feel as those in the comic strip by Lawrence and Longaron, and I think they honored the source material very nicely.

 

It's so sad we only got one issue of this comic adaptation of the character - I think this would have made for a very dramatic comic book series.  Perhaps it was simply the wrong time period for a strong, black female character to lead a comic, or perhaps Dell was simply not a widespread enough company to attract enough readers to warrant more issues.  Whatever the reason, Friday Foster's one issue was a fantastic read and well worth the wait!

 

RATING:  10 games of bait and switch out of 10 for giving a little known character a chance to truly shine, while paying tribute to the character's creators with a superb story! 

Short Lived Comic Series #27 - Ellery Queen Detective (Dell Comics)

Anyone who is a fan of mysteries will immediately recognize the name of Ellery Queen.  You may not know exactly who he is, but you know that name is associated with solving crimes.  That is pretty much where I stood when I came across these comics in a sale bin at a local comic convention a couple of years back.  The dealer had three issues of the comic, and when I looked it up online, I discovered these were the only three issues that Dell Comics published, so I picked them up.  Yeah, it's taken me a while, but I finally got around the reading them, and surprisingly, they were quite enjoyable!

Ellery Queen Detective is a series of three comics published in Dell's Four Color line of comics, based upon the fictional mystery writer who helps his police detective father solve murders  Created way back in 1929 by Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, Queen appeared in quite a large number of novels, as well as on radio and television and in a number of films.  Queen actually appeared in a four-issue comic series published by Superior Comics back in 1949, as well as a two-issue series by Ziff Davis in 1952.  The three comics I picked up were published in 1961 and 1962 by Dell Publishing Company.  I hate the fact that comics back in the day did not often credit the creators (writers or artists!), so I have no idea who wrote the stories, who drew them, or who provided the beautifully painted covers.  Each issue contains two stories, although the second issue does have a two-page mini-mystery in-between the two main tales.

The first issue (no. 1165, Mar.-May 1961) contains "The Mummy's Curse" and "The Underwater Clue."  In the first mystery, Ellery must figure out who killed the night watchman at a museum where a new mummy's sarcophagus has been brought in by ship for display.  Strange accidents are happening, which several professors believe may be part of the mummy's curse should anyone attempt to find the jewels said to be hidden with the mummy.  What I found to be fun about reading this story is that just before the big reveal, the last panel on the page before asks readers, "All the clues are in ... can you name the watchman's murder?"  Then, the next page provides readers with Ellery's revelation as to the killer's identity.  And, as the caption said, all of the clues were visible within the story, if you knew what to look for!  Thus, heading into that second story, I kept a keen eye open as I followed Ellery along the path to uncover the killer of a fishing supply store owner and a boatman.  And, sure enough, the story provided the clues, and when it came time for the revelation, I was prepared (or at least, I thought I was) - this story provided a little surprise there at the end.

So, having enjoyed that first issue, my own "detective" skills were itching to solve another crime, so I immediately delved into the second issue, featuring "The Witch's Victim" and "The Missing Man."  While advertised in that order on the cover, the stories were actually reversed inside.  The first story finds Ellery searching for a man who has gone missing, believed to have stolen $200,000 worth of diamonds!  For me, this was one of the easier ones to figure out, and I managed to be right!  And in the second story, a superstitious man is scared of the coven of witches, who he believes are determined to see him dead.  And eventually, he is murdered.  The killer in this story is relatively easy to spot as well (it seems the more you read these stories, the easier it becomes to spot the clues!).  And this issue features a surprise two-page mini-mystery in the center of the book - "A False Alibi."  It's a quick one, and there is really only one clue that gives away the identity of the jewelry thief - but if you're careful, you'll spot it!

The third, and sadly final, issue features more supernatural-themed stories with "The Voodoo Victim" and "The Curse of Kane" (gotta love the alliteration!).  In the first tale, Ellery and his father head to Haiti to find a gun smuggler and end up having to disprove a voodoo hoax and find a murderer!  This one proved a bit more difficult to figure out, although there was one element of the story that was pretty easy to figure out (even if it didn't help me identify the killer).  The second story, though, was one of the most interesting of the series - a family of fortune hunters, all waiting for their father to die to get their hands on his money.  But, the wrong person is killed, and Ellery must figure out who did it!  While it was not difficult to spot the killer, it was a rather intriguing story. 

I have to give the writer(s) credit, whoever they were, because it can't be easy to tell a well-plotted mystery in just 14 to 16 pages, but whoever wrote these tales managed to do it beautifully.  Each story could easily have been an episode of the television series, and each story did, indeed, show the readers the clues along the way - you just had to be skilled enough to spot them!  And while the artist remains unnamed in the comics, the art does remind me a lot of Dan Spiegel, whose comic book art I remember from the old Crossfire series published by Eclipse back in the '80s.  I did discover that he did quite a bit of work for Dell back in the day; however, one online source indicates Mike Sekowsky may have done the interior art for these stories.

In any event, it is the covers that I truly have to admire.  It appears from what I can find online, George Wilson provided the painted cover art, and a magnificent job he did.  The covers, all painted in mostly dark colors to set the mood, have a definite action scene from one of the stories inside, and the characters truly come to life.  Wilson appears to have been a rather prolific cover artist for Dell, Gold Key, and even Classics Illustrated.  I wonder what ever became of the original art used for these covers...

It's rather a shame there were only three issue of Ellery Queen Detective.  The stories were fun, the art was great, and the character was definitely one worth reading.  In fact, I'm curious now about the television series, which a friend of mine says followed this same format of asking the viewers if they had caught all the clues and could identify the killer.  I may have to see if I can dig up some of those old episodes...

RATING:  10 poisoned fruit bowls out of 10 for combining murder mysteries with comic books to create some truly great stories to read (and solve!)

Short(est) Lived Comic Series #26 - Walt Disney's Clint and Mac (Dell Comics)

Sometimes you come across something, and you're not sure why, but you just know that you have to have it.  This comic book is one of those things.  While on a recent trip to New York (State, not the City), my friend and I were browsing through an antique store we chanced upon - and while it was definitely filled with antiques, the store reminded us both of the front yard from Sanford & Son - and I happened upon an old Dell comic book with a photo cover featuring two young boys with a tagline that read: "A MYSTERIOUS errand leads to exciting adventure in old London."  Being a fan of children's mystery series, this piqued my interest enough, and while the cover is chipped here and there and the comic is well-read, I paid the $1.00 to purchase the comic.

Walt Disney's Clint and Mac is the story of Clint Rogers, the son of a United States Air Force captain, and Alastair MacIntosh (a/k/a "Mac"), the son of a Scotland Yard detective inspector.  The Rogers are in England while Clint's father is stationed there, and during that time, Clint and Mac have become fast friends.  When Mac informs Clint that his father is commanding the police detail at the lavish birthday party being given for Prince Charles (yes, that truly dates this book, since the current King Charles has not been a boy for a VERY long time!), the boys decide to find the perfect gift for a prince who has everything.  They come across a turtle that they believe will make the perfect gift, but they don't have enough money - so what are a couple of boys to do?  Why, find a job, of course!  And thus starts their adventure, because when they talk a book seller into hiring them as errand boys, little do they realize their first job is to deliver a stolen manuscript to an unscrupulous buyer!  The mystery leads the boys to meet young Pamela Stuart, a proper young girl who takes an instant liking to the boys and who ultimately plays a crucial part in rescuing the boys from the hands of the villains in the story.  They unwittingly give the parcel to the wrong person and as they travel throughout London trying to get the package back, they discover that what's inside is way more valuable than they could have realized.  There is plenty of danger, adventure, and mishaps that makes for an enjoyable story, and, as with any good children's mystery, they manage to solve the puzzle and capture the criminals in a dramatic climax.

As with most comics back in this time period (this was published in 1958), there are no credits given for the writer and artist(s) of the book.  However, some online research indicates that comic legend Alex Toth provided the art for this issue (and possibly the story, as one website suggests).  Toth is a prolific comic book artist, having worked on a number of comics for DC Comics, Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics, and even some Marvel Comics throughout the 1940s, '50s, '60s, '70s, and even into the '80s.  His comic panels go back and forth - from very detailed backgrounds to non-existent backgrounds (showcasing the characters against a plain colored background) - but the style works well for the story, as it keeps the attention on the characters and dialogue when needed, while allowing the reader to still get the full import of the London setting in the detailed panels.

Since the cover to the comic featured what a photo of real boys, I had to assume this was a Disney film or television show from back in the day - and I was not wrong.  It turns out "The Adventures of Clint and Mac" was a serialized story that aired back in 1957 during the third season of the original Mickey Mouse Club.  Well, my friend and I were both curious, so we looked it up and YouTube and discovered that all fourteen (14) episodes, as well as the introduction, were available to watch - and watch we did!  The acting was probably not award-worthy, but Neil Wolfe and Jonathan Bailey did a fairly decent job as Clint and Mac, respectively.  It's funny how the director (Terence Fisher) visually emphasized the difference between the American (wearing a white t-shirt and jeans throughout the episode) from the British boy (who wore shorts with matching jacket, knee-high socks, and a cap).  From what we discovered online, the serial was filmed entirely on location in London.  While neither of these actors went on to film or television success, it is interesting to note that Bailey (Mac) did go on to act in a film version of Enid Blyton's The Famous Five.  The comic does leave out a number of scenes that were in the serial, and the ending in the comic deviates from the serial (leaving one to wonder if the comic is based on an earlier version of the script that was later changed).

While online sources indicated "The Adventures of Clint and Mac" did not fair very well, thus ending any potential for sequel serials, I found it rather enjoyable.  I would have liked to have seen additional tales with these two characters, and it's rather a shame Dell did not produce any additional comics with the further adventures of these two young crime-stoppers.  While they were not brothers, it was clear that they were based on The Hardy Boys, with Mac being the analytical, think-before-you-act "brother" (a la Frank) and Clint was definitely the more physical, jump-head-first into the situation "brother (a la Joe).  With the London setting, I think more stories would have provided the American viewers (and comic readers!) with an opportunity to see more of what life is like across the pond!

 

The comic book is a part of Dell Comics' "Four Color" series, identified as issue no. 889.  What is interesting (at least to me) is that there are no ads whatsoever in the comic - the inside front cover features scenes from the television serial, while the back cover and inside back cover feature short stories by Alex Toth about canine detectives and fingerprinting.  While doing some online research about this comic, I discovered that it was apparently translated into the Dutch language, where it was republished in a serial format, where it was issued in three-page installments.  These can be seen online at Clint and Mac - Dutch.

I'm definitely glad I picked this one up, as it opened me up to an entirely new "detective" pair that, up until now, I had never known!

RATING: 8 exploding fireworks out of 10 for preserving in comic book form this wonderful little piece of Mickey Mouse Club and children's mystery stories history!

Short(est) Lived Comic Series #24 - Gil Thorp (Dell Comics)

Growing up, I remember seeing the Gil Thorp comic strip in the funny pages of The Courier Journal and Louisville Times (don't really remember which it was in - the Journal was our morning paper, the Times was our afternoon paper).  I never paid it much attention, since it was about sports, and as anyone who knows me knows, sports is the absolute LAST thing in the world I care about or would ever want to read about!  When we moved to Florida, I never gave that strip another thought - until over this past summer, while at a local comic convention, I came across a rather inexpensive copy of a Dell Comic that was in unbelievably great condition of ... yup, you guessed it ... Gil Thorp!

Gil Thorp is a newspaper strip that was created and originally written and drawn by Jack Berrill.  Online sources reveal that Berrill worked on the strip from the date of its creation back in 1958 until he died in 1996 (nearly 40 years - I'd say that's a pretty good chunk of time for a writer/artist to work on a daily strip!).  After Berrill died, Jerry Jenkins took over the writing, which surprised me, as I recognize his name from the Left Behind series of books.  Apparently, Jenkins only stayed with the strip until 2004, when Detroit News columnist Neal Rubin took over the writing chores.  Rubin stuck around for 18 years on the strip, and this year, graphic novel writer Henry Barajas became the new writer on the strip.  From what I can find online, it appears there were a number of artists who drew the strip once Berrill was no longer able - William Sattler, Frank Bolle, Ray Burns, Frank McLaughlin, and the current artist, Rod Whigham.  Having never read the strip, I can't say whether the writing and art remained consistent through the changes over the years, but considering the fact the strip is still being published, I guess it must have something going for it.

So, when I came across this comic at the convention, I did a quick online search and discovered that Dell only published one issue of the Gil Thorp comic, even though the indicia on the inside first page indicates it is "No. 1" and states the comic is "Published quarterly..."  Don't know if any other issues were planned, or if it was always intended to be just a one-off. Since it was only a one-issue comic, and it was not at all expensive, I thought to myself, "Why not?"  The cover is a beautifully painted scene of Gil Thorp watching two high school baseball players as one sldes into the plate, and the other tries to catch the ball.  The tagline on the cover reads "With the new baseball season, a serious problem arises for Coach Thorp!"  Obviously, Thorp is going to face some king of drama/dilemma in coaching the baseball team, which creates the conflict for the story.

Sadly, back in those days, the comic companies (particularly smaller companies like Dell, Gold Key, etc.) did not give credit to any of the creators within the comic.  As such, I have no way of knowing for sure who wrote the story and who provided the pencils, inks, colors, lettering, etc.  I will say, though, the art is very clean-cut, and the artist manages to give distinct appearances to each of the characters so they are easily discernible from one another.  The  backgrounds are not very detailed, except on a few occasions when we see some books on a bookshelf (p. 8) or stone details on a sidewalk and the side of a house (p. 12).  Otherwise, the backgrounds are kept simple, which actually works, as it keeps the focus of the story on the characters, while at the same time giving the feel of a comic strip (which, more often than not, are not very detailed).  One website I found (Gil Thorp) lists the artist as Eddie Robbins, with the caveat that Robbins was trying to imitate the style of Thorp creator, Jack Berrill.  Whether this is true or not, I have no idea.

The story itself has Thorp being asked to take over as coach for Milford High's baseball team after the previous coach suddenly resigns.  Thorp finds himself faced with resentment from the high school boys, all of whom loved their prior coach, and he especially finds trouble when it comes to one particular boy, Bob Burwell, who is determined to play short stop and his father will do anything to ensure that happens - even if that means trying to get Thorp fired!  The story focuses on Thorp trying to get the boys to work together as a team, rather than trying to impress scouts with their individual talents, and Burwell causes many a problem along the way.  Of course, a small level of romance is thrown into the mix, as Burwell's sister finds herself attracted to Coach Thorp, and she is placed in the middle between her brother and father wanting Thorp out of the picture and Thorp trying to teach Bob Burwell the importance of teamwork and taking responsibility for one's own actions.

I can't deny that the story was not exactly thrilling - unlike superhero or crime comics, there are no big fights, no dangerous shoot-outs, and no unexpected surprises.  About the closest thing you get is when two thugs try to convince Burwell to throw a game so that they can win some big money - but he does not hesitate to tell his father and Thorp, who set up a trap to catch the men.  The comic is basically alla about Thorp trying to teach the boys a lesson that will help them later in life, and it ends with a moral being instilled, and both Burwell men coming to realize the error of their ways.  The story is what you would expect from a tale published in 1963 - very clean cut, right always wins, and nothing untoward or scandalous that might offend anyone (although, viewing it from today's standards, I'm sure people would take offense to the fact that the comic has only white characters - there are no minority characters whatsoever).

 

I guess I should be grateful that there was only one issue, as I honestly don't think I'd be interested in reading another sports story about Coach Gil Thorp.  Sports fans may enjoy the comic, but, no, this one was not for me.

 

RATING:  6 wicked bouncers toward third out of 10 for at least giving the strip a try as a full-length comic.

Short Lived Comic Series #22 - The New People (Dell Comics)

This two-book series was a totally unexpected find at the recent Daytona Beach Comic Book Convention.  I was combing through a box of vintage Dell and Gold Key comic books when I came across this series titled The New People.  The two covers were photos rather than art, and with a copyright showing 1969 "Thomas/Spelling Productions," I assumed it must be based on a television show of which I had never heard.  I did a quick search online and discovered there were only two issues of the comic, and since this dealer had both issues in beautiful condition for only $5 each, I snatched them up.  Not wanting to be spoiled, I wanted until after I read the two issues to go online and read more about the actual television show - that way, the stories would not be tainted by any knowledge of what happened in the show.

The New People was published by Dell Comics in 1970, issues one and two bearing the cover dates of January 1970 and May 1970, respectively.  The cover to the first issue is what actually caught my attention, as it shows a crashed plane in the background, with a man and a woman burned and scarred in the foreground (although the man and woman appear more like mannequins than actual people).  The cover to issue two features a photo of six of the cast members from the show, with the actors' names placed directly below each one.  The tag lines for each issue were clearly meant to grab the readers of 1970:  "Teenagers ... Marooned Forever - Survive or Die! Which Will It Be?" on issue one and "Their Chance to Change the World.  Do They Dare?  Would You?" on issue two.  Definitely a product of its time, as the late '60s and early '70s were a period of counterculture for teenagers, and this comic (and obviously the TV show) capitalized on that.

Each issue contained two stories, and the characters varied in the four stories.  Susan, Bob, Gene, George, Ginny, and Stanley were the six main characters (and the six actors featured on the cover of issue two) - yet, not all of them are in each story.  In the first story in issue one, Bob is the only main cast member to appear, as the story centers around a young man named Jamie who spots a ship floating offshore and is determined to take it and escape the island - but ultimately with devastating results.  There are a number of people in the story, but only "Ned" and "Larry" and "Hank" are the only named characters, none of whom actually appeared in the television show.  The second story features a young man named Alf, who can't stand the thought of living out his life stranded on the island and starts acting crazy.  Sue appears, and Bob is mentioned, but again, the rest of the main cast are not present.  

If I were expecting to see any of the same characters in the second issue, well, such was not the case.  The first of the two stories features Phil, a character who appeared in only four episodes of the TV show, while the rest of the characters in this tale were all new.  Rather than focusing on someone who wants off the island, this story gave us the tale of Tom, who was determined to sabotage any chance to get off the island, as he saw the island as a way to start a new society in what he deemed to be "the right way."  The second story has nothing to do with staying or leaving, but instead is a bit of a "horror" story, with a "thing" that attacks poor Carol (again, another character not in the TV show).  While there are plenty of guys and gals in this story, only three are named - "Ivan" and "Paul" and "Bob," with Bob being the only one from the TV show, and who also appeared in the first issue. 

Now - once I had read the two issues, I went online and researched a bit about the TV show.   It aired on ABC from September 1969 to January 1970 (with only 17 episodes) and told the tale of a group of college students returning from Southeast Asia when their plane goes down.  As fate would have it, all of the adults die, as do several of the students, and all who remain alive are college students.  The island turns out to be an atomic testing site for the military, but it was never used and abandoned, so the buildings are still in tact and, oddly enough, there is plenty of food and supplies (how convenient).  The island is filled with mannequins (which explains the cover to issue one of the comic!), and the college kids ultimately decide they can create a new society - a better one than the one they had with all of the adults.  Of course, this creates plenty of drama, since everyone has a different idea on what constitutes the "new" society.  The show dealt with a number of topical issues, including death, pregnancy, sexism, racism, drugs, and violence - and the six main cast members appeared in all 17 episodes, while supporting cast members, such as Jack and Laura only appeared in 6, Rube appeared in 4, Ben appeared in 3, and a few others appeared only in two each through the show's run.

 

From what I could find out, there were originally 40 college students, and since a few died from the plane crash, that only left a little more than 30 on the island.  I find it odd that the two Dell comic book issues not only avoided using all of the main cast (in fact, Susan and Bob were the only two to appear - Gene, George, Ginny, and Stanley never made an appearance in any of the stories - only on the cover of the second issue), and the remaining characters in the stories, for the most part, went unidentified.  And in two of the stories, the "villain" (if you can call them that) is killed off.  Having not seen the show, I can't say whether any of the college students died (other than those in the plane crash).  However, the whole concept for the show seems a bit dark for the times, with so much death from the plane crash.  (Of course, how many years later, ABC created another tale of a plane crash stranding people on an island with Lost., although that was not a group of rebellious teenagers and the island was definitely not your typical island.)

The interior art for the stories is actually pretty good.  Like many of the comics of that day, there are no credits to reveal who wrote the stories and who provided the art.  A search online indicates that possibly Joe Gill wrote the stories in the second issue and Frank Springer provided the art for that issue - can't say whether that's true or not, and if it is, don't know if they also wrote and drew the first issue.  However, what I can say is, the stories are decent enough - very fast-moving, since they are only 16- pages each (the only ads in the comics were on the inside front and back covers and on the back cover itself), and the art is nicely defined - the characters are distinct, the backgrounds provide the perfect settings when necessary to remind the readers that these characters are on a remote island.  Not sure why the show was cancelled, since I found a number of blog posts from people who had fond memories of watching the show.  Perhaps it was just too expensive for its time, or maybe the fact that it was a 45-minute show instead of a half-hour show turned away some viewers.  In any event, at least viewers had a few more stories after the show ended (even if they did not actually star the cast of the show).  

While not necessarily the best comics I've ever read, I am certainly glad I picked them up.  The stories did spark enough interest that I intend to hunt down episodes of the show (hopefully there are some preserved on YouTube or other online sites, since the show has never been released commercially on DVD) and see how it compares with the comic tales!

RATING:  7 bowls of poisoned soup out of 10 for expanding on a unique television show that barely had a chance and providing some interesting tales in the spirit of Lord of the Flies!

Short Lived Comic Series #18 - Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter (Dell Comics)

One of the biggest reasons why I love comic conventions (particularly the smaller, local conventions) is that there are always plenty of back-issue comic book boxes to comb through.  Some dealers have their comics in alphabetical order, others have then categorized by theme, others by publisher, and still others simply throw out the comics with no order whatsoever, and you have to really dig to find some great treasures!  No matter which way I find them, it's always the thrill of the hunt that excites me and has me spending literally hours making my way through box after box after box, hoping to come across some obscure book that catches my eye.  And such is the case with this latest short-lived comic book series.

I discovered the first issue of Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter a year or more ago (right before COVID hit) in a box full of old Dell / Gold Key comics that a dealer had set out.  The title of the comic, as well as the tagline - "A Daring Teenage Reporter Uncovers a Menacing Plot Against Wilton High School" - easily caught my attention.  The cover sported painted art of a young man lifting another young man, apparently about to throw him, while in the background, a number of young men and women watch with anticipation.  The title, the tagline, the cover - they all are very reminiscent of those series books of the '50s and '60s, so I splurged and bought the comic.

This issue of Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter sports a cover date of Feb-Apr 1962, and it was numbered as No. 1302 (which number is apparently part of the "Four Color" comics numbering - which, it seems, a lot of Dell Comics followed that numbering, regardless of what the actual title to the book was).  There are absolutely no credits provided in the book, so the writer and artist(s) are unknown.  Online research shows that Don Ameson was the editor for the comic.  And upon further research, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was not a one-off comic (as Dell Comics was known to do quite a number of one-off stories).  A second issue of Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter was also published later that same year with a cover date of June-Aug 1962.  Oddly enough, the second issue was numbered as No. 2 rather than whatever the next "Four Color" numbering would have been.  Perhaps Dell was hoping since the series spawned a second issue, it might actually spring into an ongoing series.  Sadly, though, that wasn't the case.

The first issue features a story titled "Johnny Goes Dancing" - not exactly the most thrilling title in the world, but it definitely tells the reader what to expect from the story!  Green City's leading newspaper has decided to start a column for, about, and by teenagers, and as you can probably guess, young Johnny Jason, who already edits his own school's newspaper, gets the job.  His first assignment is to cover a dance at Sheridan High (in the tough section of the city), where the students have gotten together to raise money for new equipment for their school basketball team.  When Jason and his girlfriend arrive, however, they discover the dance is a bust, thanks go a neighborhood gang who has threatened everyone away from the dance in order to take their money instead!  Jason and Sheridan High's gym teacher go to confront the gang, which results in a big fight!  As with the series books I enjoy, everything works out in the end - the kids all return to the dance, the money is turned over to the school for basketball equipment, and Jason gets a fantastic story for his first article.  A couple of interesting things I did note about the comic - first, I thought the cover depicted Johnny himself as a part of the scene taking place, but it turns out the scene is actually the gym teacher lifting up one of the gang members, as he prepares to throw him to the ground!  Odd that they would not include the title character on the cover.  Second, it is strange that Johnny himself does very little to solve the mystery or fight the gang members - he pretty much stands in the background and lets the gym teacher, Mr. Barker, take the lead.  Third, the tagline on the cover is misleading, as it claims there is a plot against Wilton High School (where Johnny goes to school), when, in the story itself, it is Sheridan High on the other side of town that is actually facing the menacing plot.

The second issue provides a bit more accuracy on the cover to match the story inside.  The painted art shows Jason carrying on unconscious girl away from the crashed plane, while two thugs are chasing them down.  The tagline reads, "A Death-Defying Plane Ride Leads Teen Reporter, Johnny Jason, and a Young Movie Star Into Terror and Trickery, as Treacherous Kidnappers Close in on Them..."  This pretty much sums up the adventure inside, which is simply titled "The Brat."  And let me tell you, the young movie star, Shelley Marks, is definitely a brat!  She is rude to everyone, including her parents, and very incorrigibly entitled.  The excitement begins on the very first page, when she is kidnapped!  Fortunately for her, the kidnappers blow a tire, and she is rescued while they escape.  Johnny is sent to get the story, spending the weekend at the Marks' family ranch outside of Green City.  He is somewhat awed by her stardom, but the ranch foreman, Chuck, is not thrilled with the attention Shelley is showing Jason.  Shelley decides to show off her flying skills by taking Johnny on an impromptu plane ride, which results in them crashing in the mountains nearby.  Before you know it, the kidnappers show up and take both Shelley and Johnny hostage in an isolated cabin.  But our young reporter manages to escape with the movie star in tow and are ultimately found by a search party.  Upon return to the Marks' ranch, Johnny shocks everyone by revealing the truth behind the kidnapping and unveiling the true mastermind behind the whole thing.  Shelley learns some humility, Chuck admits his feelings for Shelley, and Johnny once again walks away with a great story!

While neither story is "exciting" by today's standards, they both fit the standard formula for pre-teen series stories of that day.  A teenager has some great and sometimes threatening adventures while trying to help someone in need and ultimately stops the criminal and saves the day!  Both comics feature a full 32-pages of story and art with absolutely no ads.  As I don't have a lot of Dell Comics in my collection, I'm not sure if this was a standard for their comics of that day, but I definitely like the idea of getting my money's worth.  Even the inside front and back covers, as well as the back cover, feature one-page comic strips detailing some aspect of newspapers and reporting the news (the first issue showed how a newspaper is printed, what's in a newspaper, and the aspects of a newspaper reporter's life, while the second issue highlights the war correspondent, famous journalists, and the history of how news has been spread over the years).  Thus, back in 1962, for 15 cents, a comic fan got a quite a lot!

 

I really wish there was a way to find out not only the author of the stories, but the artists as well - both for the interior pages and for the covers!  It would be amazing to track down the original art for these two covers - truly a collector's dream to have something like that in his or her collection!

Overall, I enjoyed both issues and wish the series had continued.  While Johnny Jason never made any other appearances in Dell Comics, interestingly enough, he did appear again in 2018.  It seems Dark Horse Comics published a series of comics based on the successful Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show.  However, instead of dealing with cheesy movies, this time around, the comic book series dealt with what they deemed to be cheesy comics.  And, wouldn't you know it, the first comic they feature is our very own Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter!  I am in the process of tracking down these issues so I can add them to my collection with my Johnny Jason comics.  After all, I can't be a true collector unless I have everything, right?

RATING:  8 stolen cash boxes out of 10 for some great series book stories in comic book form!