Short Lived Comic Series #37 - The Nurses (Gold Key Comics)

Gold Key Comics seemed to have a knack, back in the day, for publishing comic books based on various television shows out at the time.  Adam-12, Lost in Space, Bonanza, Happy Days, Family Affair, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, and many others (including my all-time favorite, Dark Shadows!).  Many of them only lasted a few issues, while some of them did manage to keep going for years.  One short-lived series that I was unaware of until recently only had three issues, and it was based upon a prime-time television medical drama that ran from September 1962 to May 1965.  It took me a bit of hunting to find all three issues of the series at reasonable prices and in fairly good condition, but I managed to finish the set recently and have been able to read it.

 

The Nurses is based upon the CBS television show of the same name, the story of which centers around a young nurse named Gail Lucas (portrayed by Zina Bethune) and her older nurse mentor, Liz Thorpe (portrayed by Shirl Conway).  This appears to be the only show that either actress starred on a regular basis, although they both made appearances in other episodic television shows.  The Nurses takes place in New York City at Alden General Hospital, which is said to have been patterned after Roosevelt Hospital in the Midtown West area of NYC.  The show ran for three seasons and boasted a total of 98 episodes, and it even had a crossover in its third season with a companion legal series called For the People (starring none other than William Shatner, of Star Trek fame).  Interestingly, after the nighttime drama ended, ABC picked it up and continued it as a daytime soap opera, using the same name and characters (although the actors changed) and which ran from September 1965 to March 1967.  This three-issue comic series is based on the original prime-time show.

 

The comics did not give credit to any of the creators (as Gold Key was wont to do), but from what I was able to discover online, Paul S. Newman wrote the stories in all three issues.  Newman (not to be confused with the actor) was quite the prolific comic writer, with his earliest work being in the late 1940s for Dell, DC, and Fawcett, later adding work at Marvel, Western Publishing/Gold Key, and a number of other publishers, continuing to write well into the 1970s.  The stories in the first issue appear to have been penciled and inked by Jack Sparling, who also has quite the resume of work for DC, Dell, Marvel, and Western Publishing/Gold Key.  The art for the second and third issues remain uncredited.  Each of the three issues contains two stories about the nurses, with Gail Lucas being the primary character, and her mentor, Liz Thorpe, being the only continuing supporting character.  The rest of the cast changes with every story.  Each issue also features a short, 4-page story starring the "Emergency Crew," which is comprised of two men - Jim Friendly and Carl Blaker - who get called into help rescue people before the paramedics and/or fire department can arrive.  These short strips were also written by Newman, with art in the first issue by Sparling.

 

In the first issue, Gail and Liz are confronted with an old country doctor, Dr. Dart, whose patient is brought to the hospital to be treated in "Call of Duty."  Dr. Dart is old fashioned in his ways and wants no one - no resident, nor nurses, no one! - touching his patient except him.  When Liz offers to take the crotchety doctor home on a rainy night, they get into an accident, and Dr. Dart is forced to accept Liz' help with the other driver, who has been seriously injured.  By the end of the story, the doctor realizes his views are antiquated and changes the way he thinks about the nursing staff.  The second story brings the nurses "The Problem Patient," an overly controlling and paranoid chairman of a multi-million dollar company who is afraid everyone is trying to take his job.  He does not believe his wife, his business partner, or even his own secretary - but it takes Gail's innocence and ingenuity to prove to the man his fear and paranoia are only hurting him.  The four-page Emergency Crew tale has Jim and Carl saving a young boy who has fallen down a well.

 

The second issue starts of with a doctor following in "His Father's Shadow."  Young Dr. Hartly seems to be a prodigy when it comes to surgery, showing expert skill after only a month of internship.  But Liz and Gail quickly learn his superb skill only appears when he is working with his father, Dr. Tyler.  When Tyler is not around, Harty is afraid of doing even the most minor of procedures.  It is only when faced with his father on the operating table that Hartly is able to overcome his fears.  The second story, "Give Me My Baby," finds the nurses dealing with a woman who is deathly afraid to have her sick baby taken to the hospital.  Her first child died in the hospital, and she is scared if her second child is taken to Alden General, he will die as well.  Gail must convince the woman that the hospital is the only chance her son has to survive.  The four-page Emergency Crew story takes Jim and Carl to the docks, where they must help keep a man who has had a heart attack from a nearby oil fire that, if it hits the oxygen tank keeping the man alive, could kill them all.

 

In the third issue, Gail becomes a "Heroine in White," when she assists a doctor that witnessed a mugging and brings the injured man into the hospital to save his life.  But the muggers are out for revenge, and when Gail helps the newspaper snap a picture of the doctor, the criminals run his car off the road and into a ravine - a car in which both the doctor and Gail are riding!e e (As you might guess, this is the story from which the cover scene was taken.)  Gail must use all of her training to keep the doctor alive until help arrives, and it is her identifying the men that puts them behind bars.  The final story teaches an injured model that "All Scars Don't Show."  Following an accident that left her leg injured and scars to her face, a model refuses to walk, even though her leg is fully healed.  Liz takes center stage and with the help of a photographer, convinces the model that photos can be retouched to hide her scars, and her modeling career can continue - giving her the courage to get up and walk and get back to her life.  The four-page Emergency Crew story finds Jim and Carl racing against time to save the pilot of a crashed airplane from live electrical wires that could kill him at any moment.

 

The first two issues feature photo scenes from the television show on the front covers, with mini-posters of the two main actresses from the show on the back cover.  What is odd about the back cover posters is that the first issue has a photo of Zina Bethune with her character name, "Gail Lucas" over the picture.  The second issue, however, features a photo of Shirl Conway, but instead of her character name over the picture, it has her real name.  There is no explanation why they use the character name on one and the actress name on the other.  The third, and final, issue has a painted cover art, with small photos of the two actresses in the upper right corner on the front cover, and the same painted art on the back cover, but without any title words or photos interrupting the art.  There is no credit given to the cover art, and I was unable to find any information on the artist online.

 

Each issue also features a one-page text story that provides information about various medical people and moments from history.  In the first issue, "Angel of Mercy" provides some information about Clara Barton; in the second issue, "Lady with the Lamp" recounts the story of Florence Nightingale; and in the third issue, "Early Hospitals" gives an account of how hospitals, as we now know them, came into being.

 

While the main stories are 12 and 13 pages in length, and are obviously very fast paced, they are actually very enjoyable and provide some well-written characterization, even though the individuals who appear in each story only appear once.  The art, while some might think is very simple and plain compared to today's comic art, works perfectly for the stories, allowing the reader to focus more on what is actually happening then getting "awed" by the "pretty art."  All three issues were published in 1963 (cover dated April / July / October, respectively), and it's rather a shame it did not continue, especially since the television show lasted another two years (before switching to a daily afternoon soap).  Based on these comics, I'm going to have to try and track down any episodes of the television show and see how they compare!

RATING:  9 unsigned powers of attorney out of 10 for some great drama, not always of the medical kind, and some entertaining stories that make for great reading!

Short Lived Comic Series #33 - Judge Colt (Gold Key Comics)

I am by no means a fan of westerns, whether it be television, movies, books or comics.  I remember watching The Rifleman with my mom every Saturday afternoon, and I can remember being bored to tears, waiting desperately for the episode to be over so we could watch Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  Back in the '80s, when comics increased in price from 40 cents to 50 cents, and DC Comics added those 8-extra page stories, I did pick up Jonah Hex, mainly because at the time, I was trying out pretty much everything.  I did not buy a lot of issues, as the western tales could not keep my interest.  Flash forward 40 years (yowza!  has it really been that long?), and while at a local comic convention, I stumbled across three issues of a Gold Key title about a "hangman judge" in the Old West.  They were cheaply priced for the good condition they were in, so I picked them up, figuring I could find the fourth issue at some point.  And that I did.  So, with all four issues in hand, I sat down to read them, wondering if they would hold my interest any better than past westerns had done...

 

Judge Colt was published back from 1969 to 1970, with cover dates of October 1969, February 1970, May 1970, and September 1970.  While the indicia indicated a quarterly schedule, as one can see from the cover dates, that schedule was very flexible.  Cover priced at just 15 cents, with beautifully painted covers by Steve Grass (first issue only) and Richard Green (possibly for issues two, three, and four), the comic was promoted as the story of "The Hangman Judge" - following the adventures of Mark Colt, a judge who is reknowned for issuing harsh sentences and hanging criminals more often than not.  But, as is made clear in the first issue, Judge Colt harbors a secret - he has a reason for the decisions he makes, and his travels have a purpose other than just dispensing justice throughout the towns of the American frontier.  All four issues were written by Leo Dorfman, who authored a number of Superman-related titles for DC Comics, but also writing some stories for Dell, Fawcett, and Gold Key comic companies.

 

ISSUE 1 - "The Hangman Judge" is told in two chapters, Part I being "Trial by Sixgun" and Part II being "The Justice of the Noose."  According to the Grand Comic Database, the story was written by Leo Dorfman, with art possibly provided by John Celardo.  The issue opens with Judge Colt traveling west in the 1870s, drifting across the Arkansas territory.  He happens across a fierce gun battle between a gang of thieves and military men safeguarding the army payroll.  The leader of the gang is the Tattoo Kid, and Colt takes it upon himself to track him down and bring him to justice.  He ultimately brings the criminal, along with several others, to justice, sentencing them to death by hanging.  Throughout this first issue, there is a subplot, as Colt unmasks every criminal, obviously looking for someone specific.  Plus every time Colt is forced to use his gun for any reason, his hands shake uncontrollably, and he seems incredibly frightened.  I rather liked the fact they did not reveal all in that first issue, but dangled some plot threads for the reader to learn about in future issues (which, thankfully, there were...).

 

ISSUE 2 -  "Death Writes the Verdict" is another two-part story, with Part I as "Justice Stands Trial" and Part II as "Twilight of the Chiefs."  This issue is one again written by Leo Dorfman, but the artist is identified as either Jose Delbo or John Celardo.  Oddly enough, Judge Colt looks considerably older in the art of this issue, from a young man of maybe 30 or so in the first issue to a man who appears to be in his late 40s in this issue.  The story finds Judge Colt in Indian territory, where he rescues an Indian accused of stealing from being hanged. He quickly learns there is a war brewing among the Indian tribes, and when Colt works to aid the Indian he rescued, he makes enemies of a warring tribe. In the end, though, Judge Colt sees justice served and heads on his way.  While we do not learn anything more about the man he is searching for, we do see him continue to shake every time he is forced to use his gun.

 

ISSUE 3 - "Time of the Assassin" features yet another two-parter, with Part I titled "A Man with a Mission" and Part II titled "The End of the Masquerade."  Written by Leo Dofrman, this issue is said to have art by Jose Delbo, although like the previous issues, it is unsigned and uncredited.  This time around Judge Colt helps a missionary group, who is being threatened and robbed by a group of criminals posing as actors.  It is finally revealed that Colt is searching for the men who killed his wife Maria on their second wedding anniversary - "I'll remember their faces! I'll hunt them down, Maria, if it takes a lifetime" he promises his dying wife.  And I was pleasantly surprised by the twist ending, which really caught me off-guard - and made for a great read!

 

ISSUE 4 -  "Trial by Fury" is the final story, with Part I ("Medals of Death") and Part II ("The Final Reckoning") providing readers with the last adventure of Judge Mark Colt.  The art is once again provided by Jose Delbo.  In this final tale, Judge Colt must track down a serial killer who leaves a Civil War medal pinned to the chest of each of his victims.  Colt uncovers a list of victims and races to save the next person on the list, coming face-to-face with the killer - the last person he would have suspected!  After sentencing the man to justice (death by hanging, of course), Col rides off into the sunset, wondering, "Am I any better...? Is it justice I'm handing our, or retribution?  Maybe someday I'll find the answer."

 

Unfortunately, neither Judge Colt nor readers of the comic got that answer, as the series came to an end with that fourth issue.  I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed reading the series.  Perhaps that is because Judge Colt was not your typical western lawman, and while there were certainly some stand-offs and some gunfights, it was clear that the character only turned to violence as a last resort.  The underlying plot thread of Colt searching for his wife's killers added some depth to the character, and to the stories, and gave it a near soap opera feel to the story.  While each issue featured a different location, different villains, and a different supporting cast, one almost got a feel of "David Banner" from The Incredible Hulk television show - a loner, wandering from town to town, facing criminals and ne'er-do-wells while at the same time trying to resolve his own internal struggles.  The western aspect of the series was merely the setting.  Dorman's storytelling is what made the series a good read.

 

I would have to say this is probably a very underrated series.  Gold Key is probably more popularly known for its Walt Disney comics, as well as its Twilight Zone and Boris Karloff horror titles, as well as a number of licensed properties, such as Buck Rogers, Dark Shadows, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, Battle of the Planets, and others; however, the exceptional writing of this book, along with the art of comic great Jose Delbo, definitely serve to make this book more than just a typical Old West title.  Even for those, like me, who are not fans of the western genre, I would recommend picking up this title, if you can find inexpensive copies.  The stories are well-plotted and perfectly paced, the characters are far more than the stereotypical, cardboard cut-outs - they have depth, and Judge Mark Colt especially tugs at your heart strings as you keep hoping he is going to find those men who forever changed his life.

 

More and more, I'm discovering that Gold Key comics, from Western Publishing Company, was way more than a sub-par comic company.  They offered up some fantastic titles, such as this, that far surpass the stories that are being told in today's comics (I mean, let's be realistic - each of these single story issues would be dragged out over six-issued each in today's market!).  I'm glad now that I picked up these issues, and I certainly will take a closer look at other Gold Key titles I happen to run across while combing through back issue bins as comic conventions!

 

RATING:  8 ever-tightening hangman nooses out of 10 for offering up way more than just western action in through-provoking, moving stories about a man with a broken heart and a true sense of justice! 

Freedom Agent a/k/a John Steele, Secret Agent - a Gold Key comic

Back in 1963 and 1964, Gold Key comics put out two comic books starring an American spy by the name of John Steele - a secret agent who initially went by the name "Freedom Agent."  Both comics had stories written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti.  They both featured beautifully painted scenes on the covers, which scenes also appeared on the back cover without any title, logo, or taglines.  Now, these comics should not be confused with the other "John Steel" (without the additional "e" at the end of his last name), who was a British spy and whose stories appeared in issues of Thriller Picture Library in the early to mid-1960s.  Gold Key's John Steele is an all-American spy who is fighting the enemies of the United States, whether it be behind the Iron Curtain or high in the mountains of the Himalayas.

The first issue to be published was titled Freedom Agent, with a cover date of April 1963.  The indicia at the bottom of page one indicates this is issue 1 and states it is "[p]ublished quarterly by K.K. Publications, Inc."  I find it odd they would give a publication schedule for the book, when it was a single issue that had no subsequent issues published (at least, not under the name Freedom Agent).  Not sure if more issues were planned, but they were scrapped when this book did not sell well, or if that language was simply used in the indicia for all of Gold Key's comics, regardless of whether it was a one-short or a series.  In any event, this first issue contains two stories - "The Giant Makers," a 15-page tale about a scientist behind the Iron Curtain who has developed a serum that can increase the size of animals; and "Escape From the Top of the World," an 11-page tale about a mysterious 'fireball' that crashed into the Himalayas that could be a dangerous weapon.  In-between these two stories is a 4-pager titled "Behind Enemy Lines: The Heavy Water Raid," which tells the World War II efforts to prevent the Germans from developing any atomic weapons.  I'm not sure of the purpose of the 4-page historical account, unless it was to give readers a dose of reality between the action stories of John Steele.

The first story is highly fantastical, since it is pure science fiction to think that a serum can be developed that would change the size of animals and humans.  But Steele is sent into an unnamed area behind the Iron Curtain to retrieve the scientist who created the formula, and he ends up becoming a guinea pig for the experiment - causing him to grow into a giant!  Of course, this gives him the needed strength to overcome the soldier and help the scientist escape; yet, the scientist is killed by a crashing helicopter, but lives long enough to give Steele an antidote before dying, taking the formula for the serum with him.

The second story is a bit more grounded, as Steele is sent to Tibet to discover what the mysterious 'fireball' is.  He has to sneak into the country and utilize disguises to get close to the object, which turns out to be a small space satellite.  Steele manages to take out the guidance and radio systems before he is nearly caught, and he has to claw his way to the top of one of the mountains (at 18,000 feet up!) in order to be rescued by an American plane.

The second comic Gold Key published was the self-titled John Steele, Secret Agent, which came out in December 1964.  Interestingly, neither the indicia nor the cover give an issue number for the comic, nor a date, and the indicia merely says this comic is "[p]ublished by K.K. Publications, Inc." without indicating the frequency.  Perhaps by this point, more than a year after the other issue hit the comic racks, the publisher realized it was better to leave out the publication frequency in order to avoid any problems if no further issues were published.  Like its predecessor, this comic features two Steele tales - "The Unseen Foe," a 14-page story about invisible saboteurs; and "Double for Danger," a 13-page story about impersonating a dictator to prevent a dangerous alliance.  The comic also features another 4-page "Behind Enemy Lines" historical account, this time titled "Blow Up the Bridge," which details the mission to destroy a rail bridge to prevent supplies from reaching Germany during the war.

As with the first comic, the first story in this issue is a bit sci-fi in nature.  Steele finds himself sent on a mission to uncover how enemy agents are creating havoc and stealing top secret information without anyone seeing them - not even on camera!  Steele, of course, uncovers a plot to displace American agents from England by the use of enemy spies dressed in specially treated material that makes them "invisible" except under infared light!  The story sounds like something right out of a James Bond film.

The second story is definitely more realistic, as Steele dons the disguise to take the place of a dictator of a small country, to keep them from allying themselves with China.  He must fool the dictator's brother, who seems very involved in the scheme to ally with China, and when Steele's cover is nearly blown, it leads to an explosive escape in which the brother is forced to gun down the dictator - but was it Steele or his own brother that he kills?  It's actually a pretty great little tale, fast-moving  and an adventure that would actually make for a great plot of a movie.

From what I can gather online, all four stories were written by Paul Newman (not the actor!), and the art was by Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti.  Although uncredited in the issues themselves, the art is consistent throughout all four stories, making me believe the same artists worked on them all.  The art is nice - nothing super-spectacular, and far from detailed (many panels have blank backgrounds), but there is no strange style to it, making it an easy read.  The action sequences are a bit stiff at times, but over all, I would say the art fit the stories fairly well.  And with only 11 to 15 pages to work with, Newman's stores move along quickly, with little space for deep characterization.  Thus, we learn literally nothing about Steele's past or about any of the supporting characters other than what is necessary to fit the story.  And, with only two comic books featuring this daring spy, we are destined to never know anything more about him...

The cover art is beautiful, and I'm glad Gold Key publishing the full, clean paintings on the back of each issue - unobstructed by the title, the Gold Key symbol in the upper left-hand corner, or the taglines on each issue.  They would make great poster art - I just wish I knew who did the art.

Not anything spectacular, the if you enjoy spy or adventure stories, then these two John Steele comics would likely give you a good read.

RATING:  7 giant chickens, rabbits, and mice (oh, my!) out of 10 for taking not one chance, but two, on a non-costumed, non-super-powered hero.

Short Lived Comic Series #26 - George of the Jungle (Gold Key)

George, George, George of the Jungle, Strong as He Can Be!

(Tarzan Yell!!!)  Watch Out for That Tree!

Although I've never seen a George of the Jungle cartoon in my life, I've heard that song and known that one line from the song ever since I was a child.  A comedic version of Tarzan was not really a character that interested me, so I never went about looking for the cartoon or anything based on it.  In fact, the whole reason I ultimately sought out the two Gold Key comics based on the cartoon has absolutely nothing to do with the title character; rather, it has everything to do with one of the back-up stories in the comics based on another cartoon created by the same production company.  That was the character of Tom Slick.

Honestly, I'd never heard of Tom Slick until the end of 2021, when I purchased a copy of Retro Fan magazine (because it had an article about Dark Shadows actress, Lara Parker - and if it involves anything Dark Shadows, I buy it!).  After reading the article about Ms. Parker and her years as the tormented witch, Angelique, from the 1960's Gothic soap opera, I flipped through the magazine. While glossing over the article about George of the Jungle, written by one of my favorite comic book creators Scott Shaw! (and yes, the exclamation point goes there!), detailing the character's history from its creation through the comic books and eventual movie starring Brendan Fraser, I noticed a little blurb on the bottom corner of page 30 that featured the cover of Tom Swift and his Motor Cycle.  That book, first published back in 1910, seemed out of place in an article about a Tarzan knock-off, so I read what it said under the picture:

Long before "Young Adult" was a book genre, boy inventor Tom Swift was piquing the imaginations of juvenile readers ... He inspired Ward Productions' Tom Slick, shown here racing his Thunderbolt Grease Slapper in a 1967 animation drawing by Lew Keller.  (Retro Fan, No. 17, November 2021, p. 30)

Well, needless to say, my curiosity was now piqued.  As a longtime collector of children's books, I have a near complete set of original Tom Swift books, as well as complete sets of the Tom Swift, Jr. series, the Tom Swift series published by Simon & Schuster in the 1980s, and all of the Tom Swift series that have been published since.  Thus, if there was a character out there who was inspired by Tom Swift, I wanted to know more about it.  The Retro Fan article gave some details about the character, who was basically an after-thought creation by Jay Ward and his production company after ABC picked up his pitch for cartoons of George of the Jungle and Super Chicken.  ABC wanted a third character to fill the time slot being given, and Ward, a self-proclaimed fan of Tom Swift in his youth, came up with Tom Slick!

 

The more I read of the article, the more I learned.  Tom Slick was named after Tom Swift, and the article stated that "[t]he too-subtle-for-kids gag was if Tom Swift was still around, 'he wouldn't be a backyard inventor, he'd be a racecar genius,' definitely not Victor Appleton's 'Tom Swift, Jr.'" (Retro Fan, No. 17, November 2021, p. 33).  At this point, I was hooked.  I went online and discovered some of the cartoons on YouTube and watched them. Then I set about finding those two George of the Jungle comic books published by Gold Key comics back in 1969 (a very important year for me!).  I ultimately tracked them down via eBay (since I could not find either issue any any of my local comic stores, nor at any of the comic book conventions I attended) and set about reading the adventures of Tom Slick.

The first issue (February 1969) features book-end stories starring the title character, with the inside front and back covers also featuring one-page stories of George. In between the two book-end tales are a six-page story of Super-Chicken and a five-page story of Tom Slick.  The second issue (October 1969) follows the same format, but it drops the inside front and back cover stories.  The one bad thing about Gold Key comics (and a number of similar publishers back in the day) is that the issues, in most cases, do not identify the writers and artists on the stories.  Some online sources indicate that Paul Fung, Jr. may have provided the art for the second issue, but there is no confirmation for this.

The first Tom Slick story, "Monster Rally," is based on the second episode of the television series, "Tom Slick and the Monster Rally."  Watching that episode online in comparison with the comic adaptation shows that the comic pretty much nailed it word-for-word (with a few variances to account for the limited page count).  Tom has entered a race in the "gloom-shrouded Transylvanian Alps at Monte Karloff" against some frightening competitors - Lobo Fangosi (driving his Four-Claw Ferrari Road Ripper); Reggie Frankenstarn (driving the La Monsa Special); and Count Lou Gossie (driving his Red Corpuscle Bloodmobile).  While the guys and ghouls of Monte Karloff have no love for Tom, he does have the support of his girlfriend, Marigold, and his elderly mechanic, Gertie Growler.  The three monsters have cars with unique features - claws, coffins, and creepy bats - Tom manages to stay slow and steady (reminiscent of the tortoise in his race with the hare!) and win the race.

The second Tom Slick story, "Blimps Away!" is based on one of the final episodes of the television show, "The Badyear Blimp."  Instead of a car race, this time Tom is competing in a blimp race.  He has converted his Thunderbolt Grease Slapper into a hot air blimp and is set to win the race. But the dastardly Baron Otto Matic is determined to cheat and beat Tom.  First, he throws a melon with a bomb in it - only to throw the wrong melon, having the one with bomb blow up in his face (literally!).  Next, he tries moving the pylon the blimps are following, but falls into a hole in the street.  He tries shooting a cannonball, but hits the wrong blimp; and he fires himself into the sky on a rocket that leaves too early to hit Tom's blimp!  Once again, Tom wins the race (and during the whole race, Gertie is trying to shoot an apple place on Marigold's head, but continually misses and hits the villains trying to stop Tom!).

In reading the comics (and watching the cartoons on YouTube), I did not really see much of a connection to Tom Swift, other than the similarity in name.  Tom Slick does not come across as a super-genius inventor, and he doesn't solve any mysteries; however, he does manage to convert his Thunderbolt Grease Slapper into whatever is needed for the particular race (such as changing it from a car to a blimp in the second story above).  I supposed that could be considered a similarity, although that's stretching it, in my opinion.  Other than the reference in the article in Retro Fan magazine, I am not able to find anything that connects Tom Slick with Tom Swift.  I suppose we will just have to take Shaw's word for the fact that Jay Ward was a fan of Swift and based his character on him.

The George of the Jungle stories, which were obviously the main feature of these two issues, were not really my cup of tea.  In them, George has to help a doctor figure out what is ailing Shep, George's "bow-wow" (but is actually an elephant); he inadvertently saves a sultan's 300-pound pearl; he has to outwit a real estate mongul from taking all of his land; and he must escape the clutches of a hunter intent on getting the head of an "ape-man" for his trophy wall.  George is a dim-witted clutz who normally escape danger through his own clumsiness.  I suppose if I were a young child, I might find them amusing, but as an adult, I thought they were rather trite.  And I did not even bother reading the Super Chicken stories - not a concept that appeals to me at all.

RATING:  5 quickly-knitted bat-mittens out of 10 for introducing me to a cartoon character of years past of whom I had never heard and who has a (very) loose connection to a children's series icon!

Short(est) Lived Comic Series #16 - Blake Harper, City Surgeon (Gold Key Comics)

Over the numerous decades that comic books have entertained readers, there have been quite a few short-lived series - titles that only lasted two, three, sometimes four issues before being cancelled.  Out of those myriad of titles, a select few can claim to be the shortest-lived series, having had only one issue published (despite indications that more issues were planned, considered, wanted, or hoped for). In all the years that comics have been published, there have also been hundreds of publishers who have come and gone, most of whom are no longer in existence, and many of those not even known by comic readers today.  Hopefully, Gold Key is not one of those long-forgotten publishers.  For me, I remember Gold Key as publishing television-related titles such as Dark Shadows, Star Trek, Space Family Robinson (a/k/a Lost in Space), and Battle of the Planets (among others).  But at a comic convention a couple of years ago, I came across a book that caught my eye, and I finally got around to reading it.

Blake Harper, City Surgeon is a single-issue comic series that, according to the indicia, was published by K.K. Publications, In. in cooperation with Golden Press (Gold Key).  Published in 1963 (with a cover date of August 1963), it is one of Gold Key's non-television related titles that has an original creation in an original story.  The early '60s seems to have been a time for a number of medical-related comic books, with Dell and Charlton publishing a number of medical romance titles.  It was also around this same time that The Doctors and General Hospital both made their television premieres, which could potentially be a reason the comic companies decided to jump on the medical drama bandwagon.  Whatever the reason, Gold Key was apparently not going to be left out (although, since this series only had one issue, it apparently didn't sell as well as they had hoped!).

The comic features two stories about the title hero, Blake Harper. The first is a 16-page lead story titled "Crash Victim" (on which the cover of the comic is based), and finds surgeon Blake Harper and his faithful nurse, Miss Lake, rushing to the site of a plane crash in the middle of Park Avenue (New York, perhaps?) where they must save the life of one Professor Harder, who holds the answers to problems the space program is facing.  From emergency surgery right there at the plane crash site, to pulling him to safety from the burning plane, to an emergency blood transfusion to save his life, the story is filled with tension and drama.  

After a brief four-page interlude ("Donora's Deadly Fog," which tells the story of the real-life terror that affected the town of Donora, Pennsylvania back in October 1948) and a one-page prose tale ("Early Surgery," telling the story of Ambroise Pare of France, said to be one of the first great surgeons of modern times), readers find a second Blake Harper tale.  This second story is 11-pages in length and is titled "Plague."  Based on the title, it's pretty obvious what the story is about (and how apropos is that to the world we are living in right now?).  When a patient of Dr. Harper shows up with strange symptoms after being on a cruise, Harper suspects the man may be carrying a contagious disease.  Once he confirms the ship made two calls at African ports, the doctor is convinced this could be the start of a plague.  Once again, the drama ensues as Dr. Harper and Miss Lake must track down and inoculate all of the passengers from the cruise - but two crew members have taken off-ship and are nowhere to be found!  One turns up dead, and the other is trying to sneak into the country undetected.  An appeal on the TV gets the final crew member to show up at Miss Lake's house, where he attacks and threatens her to keep his whereabouts a secret.  The man is tricked into being given the antidote, and it becomes a matter of waiting the virus out.... and just when they think they have it kicked, a new patient shows up with the symptoms of the plague!

As with many of the comic book titles by Gold Key and other smaller publishers of that day, there are no credits given in the book to the cover artist, the writers, the artists, the letterers, editors, or anyone else who worked on the book.  A search online reveals that Jack Sparling provided the interior art for the two Blake Harper stories, as well as the "Deadly Fog" tale.  Ben Oda is identified as the letterer for the stories.  There are no credits found for the writer of the stories, and no credit for who painted the beautifully rendered cover to this comic (which is also featured as "Pin Up No. 1" on the back cover without the title and blurb to obscure any of the art).  This is one thing I have to give Gold Key credit for - a lot of their comics featured beautifully painted cover art, for which I would love to find out the artist's identity!

I have to say, the two Blake Harper stories are very well written, although they are clearly dated now.  With only 16 and 11 pages, there's obviously not a lot of room for build-up and character development, particularly of the supporting characters, the writer does manage to give readers a clear feel for both Blake Harper and Miss Lane (even if we never do learn her first name).  The two have a very good rapport, going beyond just doctor/nurse - employer/employee (but definitely not anything of a romantic nature).  Miss Lake is very loyal and professional, and Dr. Harper definitely trusts her capabilities and knowledge.  It's nice to know that even back in 1963, a writer could give a nurse such a strong position within the story, and not just write her in as a love interest.  Another thing I noticed, and enjoyed, is that with both stories, there are very few caption boxes in the story - pretty much everything in the story is moved forward with the art and the dialogue - the readers do not need all the captions that most comics today have to move them forward in the story.  The few captions that are used in these two stories are to either introduce the tale or to provide a transition through a montage.  

While there is no "To Be Continued..." or "Next Issue:" blurb at the end of the comic, the indicia on the first page indicated this is indeed issue "No. 1" and that the title is "[p]ublished quarterly," which would indicate that this was intended to be an ongoing series with more than one issue.  Sadly, though, the world was only give one issue of Blake Harper, City Surgeon, and we'll never know what future stories held in store for the gifted physician.

RATING:  10 units of Type A Negative blood out of 10 for giving comic readers an original medical drama that had such fantastic potential (that it's such a shame it never got to fulfill...)