Short(est) Lived Comic Series #38 - Emergency Doctor (Charlton Comics)

Here's another one-issue series that should have had more issues.  It's a shame when you find a comic, you enjoy it, and you discover that it only had the one issue - and it seems that a number of the golden, silver, and bronze age independent companies (such as Gold Key, Dell, Charlton, and others) were infamous for this.  While I ignored the whole genre of medical comics (as well as romance comics) back when I was a kid, I have developed a new appreciation for these books as an adult.  I have discovered that they have some truly great art by some well-known comic artists who were just getting their start back in the day ... plus, the stories are actually pretty good, quite often episodic in nature like a daytime soap opera (in fact, Charlton published two short-lived titles that reprinted earlier work under soap opera names:  the five issue Soap Opera Romances and the three issue Soap Opera Love).  Alas, so few of those medical / romance titles lasted, and this one is certainly no exception.

 

Emergency Doctor was published in the summer of 1963, with the indicia indicating it was to be published on a quarterly basis.  While the title seems fairly generic, it actually refers to a specific doctor - one Dr. Jerry Starr, a resident doctor at the County General Hospital.  And, yes, if you look at the cover, you will see that his name is misspelled as "Terry" rather than "Jerry" in that caption under the title.  The cover art is allegedly by Dick Giordano, who was working at Charlton when this comic was published, so it the credit is potentially correct.  The cover depicts a rather dramatic scene of surgery being performed on a patient of indeterminable gender, which scene was taken from the second story in this issue to feature Dr. Starr and his faithful nurse, Anne Adair.  I find it amusing that the lower portion of the cover is taken up by an add for a contest being run by Bonomo Turkish Taffy, in which readers could potentially win "sensational prizes," with pictures of board games, a television, and a bicycle as what I am guessing to be potential prizes.  The details about this contest are in the middle of the comic, right across from a prose story entitled "Recluse Pattern" (whose author is unidentified and remains a mystery today).

 

This comic features two main stories starring Dr. Jerry Starr and Nurse Anne Adair.  The first 10-page story is titled "Fatal Holiday," and it opens with a scene of excitement and danger as the doctor is seen climbing a ladder to get into a burning building.  Readers are quickly taken back to the previous morning, when Jerry and Anne are preparing for the day ahead of them - the day before the Fourth of July!  From a drowning boy (who does not survive, which is surprising to see in a comic like this!) to a horrible car accident involving a pregnant woman about to give birth; from a child who burned her eyes to a gunshot victim who is bleeding out; from a man who swallowed his car keys to that final emergency of men trapped in a burning building - in which Dr. Starr must make a daring rescue that ultimately requires him to jump three stories before the building collapses - readers are given the reality of the lives of emergency room doctors and nurses, who are forever rushing to save one life after another!  Of course, there is time to sneak in a bit of romance, as Jerry more than hints that he would like to make Anne his wife!  Joe Gill is credited with the script for this story, and Norman Nodel is given credit for the art chores.  Gill is best known for co-creating Charlton heroes such as Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judo Master; Nodel is recognized for the large amount of work he did for Classics Illustrated comics.

 

The second story featuring Dr. Starr and Nurse Adair is another 10-pager that focuses more on romance than medical drama.  In "The Perfect Doctor's Wife," Jerry saves the life of a rather beautiful woman who turns out to be Sandra Rees, daughter of the industrialist Alvin Rees.  Mr. Rees is so grateful to Jerry that he offers to fund whatever dream Jerry has - which happens to be the establishment of small neighborhood clinics for the poor.  Before you know it, Jerry is swept into the world of the rich and powerful, and he finds himself drawn to Sandra (much to Anne's chagrin!).  Before the two can marry, however, Jerry learns exactly what it will cost him to marry into such a wealthy family, and he's unwilling to leave his desire to help other behind.  The story has a very strong lesson for its readers, and a happy ending for Jerry and Anne.  The last two panels feature an intercom page for Dr. Starr to report to surgery - and a final caption that reads, "He heard and he answered the call ... just as he does every time an ambulance rolls!  This is Dr. Starr, the Emergency Doctor ... and he's doing a hard, dangerous job ... and he loves it!"  Gill and Nodel are credited with the writing and art for this story as well.

 

In-between the two stories, there is a 3-page story that is a reprint from Sweetheart Diary (another Charlton title), issue 34 from July 1956.  The story is "Last Chance for Love," and it shows readers what could happen when a woman cannot make up her mind between two men that she would love to have for different reasons.  When she finally agrees to make a decision, it turns out both men walk away before she can decide!  There is uncertainty as to whether Joe Gill authored this tale, but the art chores are credited to Charles Nicholas (pencils) and Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio (inks), with lettering by Joe D'Agostino.  It's funny to think that an entire story can be told in three pages, when today's creators cannot seem to fit a complete story into just one full issue!

 

As indicated above, there is a two-page prose tale about a doctor at Mercy General Hospital who must take drastic action in order to convince a wealthy woman that she must eat in order to survive.  There is also a one-page comic strip at the end of the book titled "The Wilderness Scout," which provides some details about the life of Christopher "Kit" Carson.  The writer and artist are not identified, but online sources indicate Gill could have been the writer, and Maurice Whitman might have been the artist.

 

Overall, I would say this was a winning issue for me.  The two main stories kept my attention, with art that, while not exactly eye-catching by today's standards, definitely appeals to me as perfect for the content of the story.  The writing was a bit fast-paced, but Gill superbly integrates just enough of Jerry and Anne's personalities into the story that by the end of those first 10 pages, you feel like you know the characters, and by the end of the second 10-page tale, you are truly rooting for them.  I would have liked to have seen more stories with these two, but alas, that was not meant to be.

 

RATING:   9 cocktail parties in a hospital suite out of 10 for well-written and nicely drawn medical stories with just the right mix of drama and romance!

Ripped to Shreds - a retro-'80s horror graphic novelization

I am a HUGE fan of '80s horror/slasher flicks.  Ever since I watched my first Friday the 13th film on cable TV back in the early '80s, I was hooked.  As the years went by, I watched every slasher film I could get my hands on - Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Prom Night, My Bloody Valentine, Terror Train, New Year's Evil, Silent Night, Deadly Night, Happy Birthday to Me, Final Exam, The Funhouse, Chopping Mall, and the list goes on.  Some were great, some were good, some were bad, and some were just plain awful. The love of this genre has continued on till today, with films like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Happy Death Day, Wrong Turn, and so on - but, honestly, nothing compares to the zany stories that made up those '80s films.  I mean, anyone who has ever seen the Sleepaway Camp films knows exactly what I'm talking about.  So, when I saw the Kickstarter for this graphic novel, there was no doubt that I was going to get it.

 

Ripped to Shreds is a love letter to fans of those '80s slasher films.  In fact, it was originally supposed to BE one of those '80s slasher films!  Ripped to Shreds is based upon a screenplay written by Michael Johnson, which was initially advertised to begin filming in late 1980.  Unfortunately, the project remained in what is affectionately referred to in Hollywood as "development hell" for three years, and ultimately it was scrapped, thought to become just another in a long line of "lost" slasher films never to be made.  Flash forward more than forty years later, and a collector happened to come across the one and only surviving copy of the Ripped to Shreds script - a copy that Apostrophe Comics has brilliantly turned into a beautifully bound, fantastically drawn, and superbly scripted graphic novel that captures the true essence of the film and the genre!  Adapted by Scott Alan Gregory (writer), Thiago Motta (illustrator), and Karla Aguilar (colorist), the graphic novel is the ultimate must-have for die-hard fans of 1980s' slashers!

 

The story is actually a mix of elements that would have turned out an amazingly great film!  An opening flashback to a campfire, where teens are getting drunk, and where three girls take off in a car, only to pick up a lone hitchhiker - a man who slashes them with his metal claw, causing them to crash - and only one girl survives!  Years later (the present - 1980s), another group of teens are around a campfire, talking about the legend of the clawed killer and the fatal car crash.  Some people believe if you drive that same road at night, the ghost of the murdered girls will appear in your car and force you off the road.  Needless to say, one young couple have to put the legend to the test - and they pay the price for it.

 

The two main characters - Madeline (modeled after Lauren Marie-Taylor from Friday the 13th, Part 2) and Richard (modeled after Russell Todd from Friday the 13th, Part 2) set about to uncover the truth.  Is the legend true?  Is there a clawed killer our there?  Or did their friends merely die as a a result of a freak accident?  Like any good slasher movie, there are any number of suspects - the suspicious gardener who is uber-religious and is keeping his daughter (the only survivor of that original accident all those years ago) captive in her own home; the juvenile crime detective, who seems to have an unhealthy interest in the investigation and the teens; or even that girl who survived the original crash, whose mind is now fractured.  Before you can say "booze, sex, and drugs," the bodies start to pile up, ripped to shreds by that deadly claw (hence, the title!), and Scott and Vickie ... er, I mean Madeline and Richard have to work harder to uncover the truth.

 

Fans will enjoy the ultimate revelation and backstory, as you learn the truth about what really happened all those years ago and who was really at fault for the death of those girls.  Madeline gets a fantastic final girl battle against the killer in a darkened house, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her (she was, after all, in the shower when the lights went out!).  I love the ingenuity the character uses to lure the killer into a deadly trap, so just when you think he has her, she turns the tables and kills the killer!  There is a nice wrap-up scene as Richard accompanies Madeline in the ambulance to the hospital, explaining to her the truth about the killer identity and why the murders were taking place ... only to get that one final shock at the end - a surprising twist that would have left the door open for a sequel (of course, that would have necessitated the first film ever being made in the first place!).  

 

The hardcover book contains no only the full adaptation of the script, but plenty of special features in the back to make you feel like you were enjoying a DVD / BluRay version of the story.  From an interview with the original screenplay writer, Michael Johnson, to interviews with both actors (Russell Todd and Lauren Marie-Taylor) about their involvement in the project, to production designs of the killer claw, as well as commentary about the overall production of the graphic novel, character design pages, and a cover gallery.   

 

This book deserves the greatest of all accolades for successfully bringing back a 1980s film in a format that is both visually and artistically pleasing, and will satisfy any fan's appetite for a "new" '80s slasher!

 

RATING:  10 mutilated bodies hanging upside down out of 10 for a true '80s classic - the perfect horror / slasher flick that, sadly, was never made!

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! 

Jacqueline Jones - a Crime Comic for Kids of All Ages

I was completely unaware of this comic, and likely would have never heard of it, had it not been for my friend Kevin.  He came across the comic, purchased it, read it, and liked it, so he told me about it, and well ... since it has a female lead, it was pretty much a given that I was going to get it.  Apparently, the comic was funded via Kickstarter back in 2023, and hard copies are now available via Etsy (which is where I got my copy, and it is autographed by the creator as well!).  While the premise is not necessarily new, the execution and production of the comic, and the story behind the comic, is definitely worth while, and the comic itself - all I can say is WOW!

 

Jacqueline Jones is the creation of Carrick Esquivel, who wrote and penciled the book, with the help of Jesse Hansen and Johnny B. Gerardy (inkers) and Jeromy Cox (colors and letters).  The title is the main character's name, Jacqueline Jones, a dedicated police officer in the 1950s who managed to become a cop because she "misspelled" her name as "Jack" on the application (because, let's face it, back in the 1950s, how many women were police officers, patrolling the streets and fighting crime?).  While DC Comics may have had Liza Warner as Lady Cop back in 1975, Esquivel gives readers a 6'2" Amazon-like officer nicknamed "The Lady in Blue" by the good citizens of the city of Themis (which is appropriate, since that is the Greek goddess of justice, divine order, and law).  Esquivel plays the story appropriately for its time period, as Jones faces discrimination because of her gender, gets heckled by her fellow officers, and gets underestimated by the criminals she takes down.   But she fights back, and she fights back hard!

 

One thing I definitely enjoyed about this first issue is that it is not a long, drawn-out origin tale.  In fact, Esquivel manages to give readers everything they need to know (for now) about Jacqueline Jones' backstory in just three pages - showing how she got into the policewomen's bureau and moved up from writing parking tickets to eventually becoming the city's first patrolwoman.  This leaves plenty of pages to tell the real story - Jones is tipped off about a cache of guns found behind a local bar, only to come face to face with some very deadly henchman of a crime lord named "the Czar."  An attempted bribe, a rough-and-tumble fist fight, an exploding patrol car, and a good, old-fashioned car chase with bullets flying fill the remaining pages, as Jones fulfills her oath to bring evil to justice.

 

And Esquivel gives readers a wonderfully surprising cliffhanger on that last page, as we find out the identity (sort of) of the Czar - which makes me anxiously waiting for issue two (which, based on Esquivel's Facebook page, appears to be nearing completion).  

 

The art is perfectly matched for the 1950s setting.  Each panel has the feel of a mid-20th Century cartoon (think Fleischer's Superman cartoons), and you can easily, and the action scenes give off an impression of real movement. The hair styles, the clothes, the cars, the architecture - Esquivel nails it.  The inks are not heavy, for which I'm thankful, as I feel that thick inks can ruin beautiful comic art; and the colors integrate so many wonderful shades of blue in pretty much every single panel, it keeps the focus on the fact that the main character in the book IS the Lady in Blue!  Readers even get some fun pages at the end of the book, including a Jacqueline Jones paper doll with Jackie's Crime-Fighting Gear!

 

The last couple of pages offer fans a look at some real life ladies in blue, with photos of various female police officers that work in San Diego, and to whom Esquivel has shared his creation - after all, these lades were the inspiration for his fictional lady in blue.  Such a wonderful dedication to these hard working women who help keep our streets safe, not just in San Diego, but all across this great country. Jacqueline Jones is definitely a love letter to these officers, and one that's well worth the read!  Looking forward to reading the adventures of Officer Jones for many years to come!

 

RATING:  10 well-aimed garbage can lids out of 10 for bringing to the comic page a non-super-powered superhero that honors the real life superheroes who protect our streets every day!

Short Lived Comic Series #28 - T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (Tower Comics)

I first came across T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents back in the mid-80s at my local comic store in Louisville when I saw the beautifully drawn cover of Deluxe Comics' first issue, as rendered by George Perez (probably the most magnificent comic artist ever in my book!).  I had never heard of the team before, and I thought it was a new concept, so I picked up that first issue.  If I recall correctly, I got the second issue after that, but I did not pick up any more because my money was limited and there were so many comics I wanted.  I never really gave much thought to that comic or those heroes again until many years later when DC Comics got the license for the characters and published a short-lived series featuring that team.  I enjoyed the stories and the heroes, so I decided to go back and hunt down those original books.  Little did I realize they would not be easy to find at prices I could afford!

The very first issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was published by Tower Comics back in the mid-60s (twenty years prior to my first introduction to the team) with a cover date of November 1965.  The name T.H.U.N.D.E.R. was an acronym (obviously, based on the periods after each letter!) that stood for The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves, an organization that worked hard to defend America and the world from the dangers that arose - particular those of a mysterious criminal known only as the Overlord.  That first issue was a 64-page comic for only twenty-five cents, and it featured the origin stories of Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor, alongside the first story of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad (a team made up of Guy, the leader; Dynamite, the weapons man; Kitten, the technical device expert; "Weed," the locksmith; and Egghead, the strategist).  The first issue also introduces readers to the Iron Maiden, a villain who would return time and again to both challenge and aid the Agents, and more specifically, Dynamo!  As with many comics from that time period, there were no credits displayed for the stories; however, it has since become common knowledge that Len Brown, Larry Ivie, Lou Silverstone, Dan Adkins, and Wally Wood scripted the stories, while Wally Wood, Reed Crandall, Gil Kane, George Tuska, and Mike Sekowsky provided the art.  I thoroughly enjoyed those first stories of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and found it to be a pretty solid start to the series.

The series lasted for a total of 20 issues over the course of five years (from 1965 to 1969), with the issues coming out less frequently towards the end of the series (there was an entire year gap between issues 19 and 20!).  While the cover price never changed from twenty-five cents, by issue 17, the page count decreased from 64 pages down to 48 pages for those last four issues.  Additionally, the last couple of issues were more reprint tales than new stories, and the last issue actually featured the origin story of Dynamo from issue one, but completely redrawn.  During the course of the series, two spin-off titles were published:  Dynamo, which lasted only four issues, and No-Man, which only had two issues published.  While Len Brown and Wally Wood provided the stories and art for a lot of the original tales, other creators came and went during the run, including Dick Ayers, Ogden Whitney, Jack Abel, Steve Ditko, and many others.

Dynamo was definitely the lead character for the title, as he appeared in more stories than another other, often having two stories in each of the early issues.  No-Man also had his own stories in each issue.  Menthor was surprisingly killed-off in issue 7 of the series in a powerful tale written by Dan Adkins and drawn by Steve Ditko and Wally Wood.  The story had an impact because the man behind the mask was originally a plant within the Agents by their enemy, but he eventually decided to take the path of good and right, which is what ultimately cost him his life as he tried to make it out and warn his fellow Agents of the threat awaiting them.  While the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents held on to Menthor's helmet (which is what gave him his powers), no one else ever wielded that power again during this original series.  

The team was not static, though, as two new members were introduced during its run.  In issue 4, Guy Guilbert, who was the leader of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad, was given a suit that granted him super-speed, but at the cost of knowing every time he used the speed, it shortened his life span.  He donned the costume anyway and assumed the name Lightning. He appeared in several individual stories, as well as team stories throughout the remaining issues.  Then, in issue 8, the team recruits an ex-trapeze artist / acrobat / gymnast by the name of Craig Lawson to wear a newly designed cape that allows its wearer to fly - and thus, the Raven is born!  At first, he plans to use the cape and its costume for his own profit, but eventually he becomes a part of the team and the hero he was meant to be.  I was hoping at some point they would add a female hero to the team, but, alas, that 20th issue came and went, the series ended, and the team remained exclusive to men (with the exception of Kitten, who was a part of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Squad and played only small parts here and there when the Squad would appear in the title).

The quality of the stories and art went down as the series progressed, and even the addition of Lightning and Raven was not able to keep the title afloat.  By December 1967 (issue 17), the series was already faltering, and issue 18 did not come out until nine months later (September 1968).  Issue 19 was published in November 1968, and the final issue a year later in November 1969.  Issues 18 and 19 were even published with no ads, featuring cover-to-cover action, but even that was not enough to save the title.  So, in November 1969, the series ended, and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents were sent off to comic book limbo...

Until 1983 when John Carbonaro acquired the rights to the title and its characters and relaunched the series under his JC Comics company.  There were only two issues of new stories published as T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, as well as three issues of reprints under a Hall of Fame: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents title.  There was also a one-issue crossover special with Justice Machine that same year published by Texas Comics.  The next year, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents resurfaced at Deluxe Comics, who published five issues of original stories over the course of three years (1984 - 1986).  The books featured gorgeous covers provided by George Perez (1 through 4) and Mike Machlan and Jerry Ordway (5), and the stories were actually very well done.  Sadly, that series came to an end because it turned out Deluxe did not have the rights to the characters to be able to publish stories about them.  In 1987, the Agents made a guest appearance in an independent comic called Thunderbunny (issue 11).

Eventually, DC Comics acquired the rights and published a 10-issue series in 2010, with a follow-up six-issue series in 2011.  In 2012, IDW got the rights and published an 8-issue series.

The original 20-issue series is definitely a classic, and the first half of that series, at least, is well worth the read.  The stories are well-written, there is great characterization, and the art is nicely done.  There is a lot of continuity among the stories, even between the individual and team tales.  Later issues seemed to move away from that and simply tell one-off stories, some of which were extremely unusual (including one where No-Man is taken off-planet!).  Nevertheless, it was this series that gifted the world with some unique and fun characters that have managed to stay in the comic world for nearly sixty years - will be curious to see where they show up next!

RATING:  7 super-charged belts out of 10 for creative characters and stories that were not afraid to take chances with something new!

The Pathfinders Society, Vol. 3 - The Legend of the Lost Boy

With this graphic novel, we reach the third and final book in the saga of the Pathfinders Society.  It's been a fun, three-book ride, and this last book provides readers with a conclusion to the five kids' quest to uncover the truth behind the Merriweather mystery and the alleged "treasure" that the family was trying to find, as well as whatever really happened to Henry Merriweather all those years ago.  While each book has had its own self-contained portion of the tale, there is an over-arching story that makes for some interesting reading.

The Legend of the Lost Boy picks up shortly after the end of book 2, The Curse of the Crystal Cavern, as the kids - Kyle, Beth, Harry, Victoria (Vic), and Nate - find themselves mysteriously transported back to 1962.  Nate has had a very strange dream, where he finds himself on the ship, The Lost Boy, and a mysterious stranger warns him he must hurry because the path is fading.  What that means, however, is unknown - Nate just knows that time is running out.  The kids are concerned about finding a way back to their own time, and they eventually enlist the aid of Mildred Merriweather (who they knew as an elderly woman in their own time, but how is a pre-teen in this time) to help them out.  Which involves getting a cranky old man named Gideon, who used to be a pathfinder himself, to lead them to the ringing rocks.  He is reluctant, only agreeing to do so once they find a map that shows the way.   It's a dangerous trip down a treacherous river that seems to fight against them, and then a race against time to find the right rocks to "ring" before a deadly wind dragon takes them away.  And once they hit that right combination of rocks?  Well, let's just say the story gets really interesting from there...

Writers Francesco Sedita and Prescott Seraydarian stay spot-on with the characterization, and it is fun to read the interaction among the characters as they face new challenges in this book.  The story moves quickly, but not so fast that the readers feels like he or she has missed anything.  Steve Hamaker does a fantastic job with the art, although I will say something I noticed more in this volume than in the previous two is that it seems all of the eyes of his characters are opened wide nearly all the time, as if they are surprised or in shock.  I think that has a direct affect on the expressions of the characters, so there does not seem to be much variation from which the reader can tell the emotional state of the characters just from the art.  Thankfully, the art mixed with the dialogue and story help keep that from becoming too much of an issue.

Overall, this has been a fun series, and while the story provided a very satisfying conclusion, I do wish there were more stories to tell of these young pathfinders.  Perhaps Sedita, Seraydarian, and Hamaker will eventually come up with another tale they just have to tell, and we'll get a sequel series ... only time will tell!

RATING:  9 outdated camp uniforms out of 10 for a great mix of mystery, comics, and time traveling to make for a fun read!

Love on the Racks - a History of American Romance Comics

I developed a love for comic books ever since my dad bought me my first comic book back in 1979 - an issue of Super Friends based on the Saturday morning cartoon.  For years after that, I can remember going to the nearby convenience store (Magik Mart, if I recall correctly), as well as the Walgreen's located in the local mall, to comb through all the comics on the spinner rack and pick out which ones I wanted to read next.  Needless to say, it was those colorful superhero titles that caught my eye and quickly filled up my ever-growing collection.  Never in a million years would I have considered buying, let alone even picking up and paging through, a romance comic.  Yuck!  Those were for girls!  So, flash-forward more than four decades, and suddenly I have discovered the beauty of the stories and art that fill the pages of many romance comics from the '50s, '60s, and into the '70s. With today's comics becoming more focused on splash pages and "pretty art," and less about the story, I find myself gravitating back to the yester-years of comic books, where each issue was filled with tons of story, making each comic book well worth the price paid.  In recent years, I've developed an interest in and appreciation for romance comics, which, often times, were written and drawn by talented creators who later went on to make a name for themselves in the industry - people like Dick Giordano, Jack Kirby, Gene Colan, Kurt Schaffenberg, Gil Kane, and countless others. So, this book offered me a chance to go beyond the stories themselves and find out more about the behind-the-scenes drama that went on with America's romance comics.

Love on the Racks is the first in-depth study of romance comics in America, looking at the entry of romance stories into comics in the late 1940s all the way through to the demise of romance comics in the late 1970s.  The author, Michelle Nolan, was a newspaper and magazine writer who has also spent time as a comic and pop culture historian.  With this book, Nolan offers fans of romance comics an opportunity to read a chronological history of the comics, learn about the driving force behind the expansion and collapse of the genre during the 1950s, see what affect the Comics Code Authority had on the books and their publishers, and consider the reasons why romance comics finally left the market entirely by the end of the 1970s.  The book also contains numerous examples of romance covers, as well as some interior pages, with eight color pages showcasing some of the important covers throughout the thirty-year period.

Nolan opens the book with a look at what existed before the advent of romance comics, to wit: the romance pulp!  I had already read about a lot of these romance pulps in The Art of Pulps Illustrated History book that I reviewed previously; but it was enlightening to see how a lot of these stories and magazines were just one step on the path to romance comics.  The next chapter gives readers a brief glimpse of the early teen humor comics (such as those published by Archie), as well as some of those early Marvel comics (such as Patsy Walker), which featured romance, but were more focused on the humor side of things.  It's eye-opening to see just how politically incorrect comic humor was back in the day, with Nolan showing "Moronica" (otherwise known as Miss Nitwit) as a prime example.  Personally, I think the strip still holds humor when read and appreciated for the time period it was created.  It's so easy to look at comics from the past through today's lens and condemn them; but it takes a true fan and collector to see and read the comics with an understanding of when it was written and drawn to be able to grasp the full impact of the strip.

Nevertheless, with Chapter Three, Nolan begins to study of romance comics with the publication of Young Romance #1 in 1947 from Crestwood Publications by two creators who eventually hit it big in the comics industry:  Joe Simon and Jack Kirby!  From this one comic spawned three-decade boom of romance comics that flooded the market (and perhaps over-saturated the market) and took the publishers, retailers, and fans by surprise.  Nolan goes into each of the first four issues of this comic, providing details of the stories contained within those issues.  Then she moves on to the second romance title, My Romance, which was published by Marvel Comics in 1948, who was hoping to cash in on the success it saw in Young Romance.  An odd romance comic also came out from Marvel that year called Venus, which starred the goddess of love herself; however, only certain issues actually fit into the romance genre.  Nolan indicates the title underwent numerous changes during its 19-issue run, from science-fiction to fantasy to others.  This was followed by Fawcett Comics, who published Sweethearts in late '48, oddly enough starting it with issue 68 (see below for a discussion on the whole numbering of romance comics during their heyday).  Sweethearts, it seems, was the first romance comic to be published monthly - its precursors were bi-monthly or quarterly.  This, according to Nolan, was a big chance to take, since the romance genre was still so new to comics.

 

Each chapter thereafter looks at the succeeding years and how the realm of romance comics grew exponentially, then contracted, and then expanded once again, gaining considerable popularity to the point where there were periods when nearly 1 in every 5 comic published was a romance title!   I have to say, Nolan educated me on quite a bit regarding the history of romance comics - I never realized just how many comic publishers existed at the time, and how many non-DC/Marvel publishers were out there, pushing out books each month.  It was surprising to learn that some smaller companies only published a few titles a month, and one company only published one book!  Yet, from 1947 to 1977, just about every company out there that published comics joined the bandwagon and pushed out title after title of romance books.  If one failed, they would throw another one out there.  Titles ranged from Secret Loves to Girls' Romances to Thrilling Romances to Love Diary to Sweet Love and so many others.  Of all the companies, though, it was Charlton comics, who entered the game late, that published the most romance comics of any company - more than 1,400 individual issues in all!  The only company who got anywhere close to that many was DC Comics, who came in at only 931 individual issues over the three decades.  

Thankfully, Nolan has a "Catalogue of Romance Comics" that she, along with other romance aficionados Dan Stevenson and Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., compiled, listing virtually every known romance comic to have ever been published.  The list is sorted by publisher, and it lists the titles, the number of issues published in each title, and the total number of individual issues published by each company.  This is an excellent guide, because as mentioned above, a number of companies did not start their series with issue 1; rather, if another series they published was cancelled, they would simply pick up the numbering with a new and different title, even if it was a completely different genre (for example, some companies switched science fiction or super hero titles to romance titles, continuing the number, but renaming the book and changing the content!).  According to Nolan, this happened many times because the publisher wanted to avoid having to set up new books with the postal mailing requirements; if they simply changed the title, but kept the numbering, they could try and slide it in under the old application with the post office and not have to pay any new fees for a new title!  I had always wondered why companies back in the day would do that.  This results in a number of romance titles that never saw an issue 1!  Charlton was really bad about this - Career Girl Romances began with issue 24; Romantic Secrets began with issued 5; Hollywood Romances began with issue 46; Summer Love began with issue 46; and so on. Today, with the internet, it's easy to find out exactly what issue a particular series started and ended with; but back when these comics were first published in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, I'm sure a lot of fans were frustrated when they could not find any "early issues" of these series!

I particularly enjoyed reading about how the implementation of the Comics Code Authority affected the stories and covers to the romance comics.  Nolan cites to a number of examples of how covers were changed, with woman no longer allowed to show cleavage, and how the "drama" depicted changed from physical altercations or sexual insinuations to the more generic girl crying as she sees her man being tempted by another woman (no sex indicated, of course!).  Nolan also provides an example of a story from First Love #27 (April 1953) titled "Sinful Surrender" was altered when it was reprinted just three years later in First Love #61 (February 1956) to "Foolish Dream," with certain suggestive dialogue removed to avoid any sexual context,.  And yes, as the romance period went on, it seems more and more comics began to reprint older stories in order to fill out content for the considerable numbers of books that were being published.  Gradually, though, the Code began to loosen its grip, as many of DC Comics' later titles in the '70s began to feature stories with what might be considered somewhat "risque" at the time, including the free-love of the hippie years, interracial romances, and even some darker teen angst.  

Sadly, by 1977, the romance genre had reached its ever-lovin' end, and DC Comics' Young Love #126 (July 1977) was the last romance comic to hit the stands.  Oddly enough, this book was one of the books DC purchased from Crestwood when that company went out of business, along with Simon and Kirby's Young Romance (the book that started it all!).  Young Love made its debut in 1949, and was a sister title to Young Romance.  It was created by Simon and Kirby as well, so I suppose it is only fitting that this tremendous team that created the first romance comic would have one of their original series also serve as a closing book end to the era.   

Nolan does an outstanding job of detailing the history of romance comics, and while there is a bit of repetition here and there throughout the book, as she mentions some of the same titles and publishers over and over, it does not get monotonous nor annoying - in fact, the repeated statistics and information serves as a great reminder as the reader is trudging through this thirty-year period of just how much these comics played an important part of comics history - even if they are nearly forgotten by today's fans!  And for a fan like me, who only recently came into the genre, this is a spectacular resource that will provide invaluable aid in my search for issues to complete various series.  This book is a definite must-have for any fan of romance comics!

RATING:  9 romantic photo covers out of 10 for providing unbelievable details about the nearly forgotten and sordid history of romance comics and the impact it had on the comics industry!

Fran Frazer, Girl Reporter - an Archie Comics girl detective

It would seem the Golden Age of comic books actually had more interesting characters than I ever believed.  I'm aware there were some female characters from back in the first half of the 20th Century who were popular enough to headline their own titles, no matter how short lived - such as Jane Arden and Brenda Starr, just to name a couple.  And while I knew there are any number of male detective characters who made their comic book debut back in the '30 and '40s, I was not aware that there were some female detectives who also appeared back then, as well!  One of those happens to be a young photographer named Fran Frazer.  I was completely unaware of this until I glanced at one of those Archie digest-sized comic books in the grocery store recently (World of Archie Jumbo Comics no. 136, to be exact!).  The very first page of the first story inside was a tale belonging to Fran Frazer!

"One Shot Worth a Million" is a five page story written by Ian Flynn and drawn by Holly G! (yes, with an explanation point after the "G"), and it introduces readers of the 21t Century to the red-headed freelance photographer / journalist, Fran Frazer.  I was intrigued enough to pick it up.  The story obviously plays into the fun and humor that is Archie comics, but it also tells a brief, not too complicated mystery of how a crime syndicate is raiding Lodge industry shipments.  Archie is aiding Fran in her investigation (with hearts in his eyes), when along comes Veronica Lodge, who is assisting a reporter named Hal Davis, who is following up on the same scoop.  Of course, Archie and Veronica fight it out, since they each cancelled their date to "help" their respective reporters, and while they have a lovers' quarrel, Fran and Hal uncover the identity of the one helping the crime syndicate.  Again, it's a short, fun story, but it piqued my interest in this character, and I wanted to know if she is someone new, or if she were perhaps an old character being brought back into the limelight (such as Archie Comics did not long ago with Young Dr. Masters, who has been making appearances in various Archie digest comics).  

As it turns out, Fran Frazer is not someone knew; rather, she made her first appearance back in the October 1940 issue of Top Notch Comics, no. 9.  In an untitled story beginning on page 28 of that issue, Fran Frazer is described as a beautiful girl photographer who "lives in a constant whirl of romance, excitement, and danger ... caught in a maelstrom of Europe-at-war, Fran is given a roving assignment, by the famous magazine 'Strife,' to cover the tumultuous events of future history!"  Speeding into a war zone aboard a train that gets derailed, the fearless young woman jumps out with determination, telling herself, "I"m going to get some shots of this!"  As she stands amid the explosions and fire-fights around her, she snaps shots with her camera, reveling in the fact that "Sure as I'm a foot high, I'll get a bonus for these pix!"  A reporter by the name of Hal  Davis happens to be on the scene, and he hurls himself at Fran, knocking her out of the way of oncoming danger - to which she responds with indignation, of course, because he ruined one of her best pictures of the year! She tricks a local into driving her into town, leaving Hal behind, in the hopes she can scoop him - but instead finds a telegram waiting for her, telling her if she does not come through with "sensational news," she can find another job! In quick fashion, she sends a report that the troops have stormed a castle - something that has not yet happened!  Yet, with her womanly wiles, she convinces the general to "storm the palace like the knights used to do," and soon enough, that's exactly what they do, giving Fran a sensational scoop (even if her story was sent in BEFORE the storming actually took place!).  The credits for the four-page story are given to Irving Novick and Joe Blair.  Interestingly, the writer actually receives secondary credit, as Blair authored the tale. He was a regular writer for MLJ Comics (the publisher), and he created some popular Archie super-hero characters such as Fox and Inferno, besides his co-creation of Fran Frazer.  Norvick, who received the top credit, was a comic book artist who apparently worked for more than 50 years in the industry, serving as the primary artist for MLJ's superhero characters, such as the Shield, the Hangman, Steel Sterling, and others. 

The unstoppable photographer appeared again in the very next issue of Top Notch Comics, cover dated December 1940.  In another untitled tale, which begins on page 29 of this issue, this time attributed to Irving Norvick and Harvey A. Biern, Fran is described as having "proven that, in spite of her sex, she is a better man that any of her male revivals."  For this story, Fran is sent off to Murania to get a picture interview with King Farol, only to discover that her competition, Hal Davis, is also heading to Murania - "for his health," he claims.  By pure coincidence, Fran saves a dog from being run over by a plane taking off, and it turns out the dog is the favorite dane of the crown Prince Miklas.  Upon meeting the prince, he offers her a ride to the palace, leaving a frustrated Hal behind!  At the palace, the prince confides in Fran that one Madame Mupescu has been wrongfully influencing the king to turn over his country's oil fields to the Nazis! Before you know it, Fran finds herself kidnapped, right along with Hal - but through a fortunate hole in the floor of the cell where she is being held, Fran manages to snap some pictures of the enemies plotting against the king!  She tosses the film out the window, where Prince Miklas' dog is waiting - who then carries the film to the prince, who shows the photos to his father, and the criminals' plans are thwarted!  All thanks to Fran Frazer and her photographs!  Once again, she saves the day in a simple, four-page story that packs more story in it than four issues of today's comics!  As far as the writer goes, I could not find much information on Biern, other than the fact that he is credited with writing a number of stories for Top Notch Comics, and at least one story in Blue Ribbon Comics (another MLJ title of that time).

Fran Frazer continued to take photos and stop criminals in every issue of Top Notch Comics from October 1940 through issue 25, published with a cover date of March 1942.  This final four-page story starts on page 25 of this issue, and it provides no credits as to writer or artist.  The art, however, is plainly different from that of the earlier stories, leading one to believe that Norvick was no longer providing the art by this point.  This tale opens with a German military man parachuting down behind Russian lines - where, it just so happens, Fran Frazer and Hal Davis are bicycling back from the war front, where they failed to get any story.  Hal spots the parachute, and the two race to intercept him.  Sadly, they don't find him, but wehen they report the incident to general headquarters, Fran is observant enough to spot the mud on the general's boots - and soon enough, the two are being arrested! Thinking quick, Fran tricks the general, and she and Hal sneak into the general's office, where they find a secret staircase into the cellar - where they discover a German about to do away with the real general! Hal dukes it out with the German, and Fran uses her wits, and a pair of tongs to pull a coal from the furnace and drop it into the back pocket of the German's pants, giving him a real hot seat!  Hal and the real general quickly overcome him, where Fran reveals it was clear the German intended to kill the general and take his place!  This last story ends with no final caption and no tagline as to seeing Fran Frazer in any future issues.  Thus, Fran Frazer's career seemingly ended in 1942...

Flash-foward 82 years (literally! from March 1942 to March 2024!), and Fran Frazer was given new life (and a fresh new look, to boot!), as she was brought into the modern world in that issue of World of Archie Jumbo Comics discussed above.  But she did not stop there.  The very next month, Fran Frazer made her second modern appearance in the April 2024 issue of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics issue no. 322.  "Only Mysteries in the Building" is the name of the story, obviously a take-off of the popular television drama, Only Murders in the Building.  The writer and artist for this second modern tale are not the same as the first, as this time, Tom DeFalco provides the story and Bill Golliher provides the pencils.  DeFalco is a long-time comic writer, usually associated with his tenure and work at Marvel Comics, having written long runs on titles such as Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, and Fantastic Four.  I did not realize he did work for Archie Comics, but doing a bit of quick research reveals that he has provided stories for Archie going back as far as 1974!  Golliher is an unknown to me, but apparently he has been doing work for Archie for several years now.  His art is definitely the standard Archie-style, with the characters looking like what you would imagine Archie and his gang to look.

Strangely, DeFalco changes Fran's occupation from a freelance photographer to a young woman who "beautiful, brave, and resourceful, she lives in a whirlwind of excitement, solving mysteries for her true crime podcast."  Which is quite odd, considering the history of the character as a news photographer, and her appearance just one month prior as a freelance journalist and photographer.  The change is jarring, but the story is still full of silliness that is Archie Comics.  The mystery begins when Ms. Grundy is unable to find her English final exam - who took it and why?  Betty and Veronica trail along with Fran as she questions suspects - Reggie Mantle, Simon Silverstein, Principal Weatherbee, Coach Clayton, and even Big Moose!  But none of them have any information on the missing final exam - leaving the girls only one final suspect, Mr. Svenson, the school custodian, who happens to be dumping trash that he has collected from all of the classrooms into the garbage compactor.  It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it, and Fran Frazer is never afraid of getting her hands dirty if it means solving a case!  Of course, digging through all that garbage leaves them with quite a mess to clean up after.  

I haven't seen any indication of any Fran Frazer stories in any of the upcoming Archie Comics releases, but I'm holding out hope that this is not the last we've seen of Fran Frazer.  In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing an entire comic devoted to our intrepid journalist / photographer / podcaster!  This is too good of a character for Archie to let fall by the wayside.  After all, they brought her back after 80 years, so surely she deserves more than just two stories!  (And let's see some friendly competition between her and Hal Davis - after all, he's had 80 years to sit around and think about all the times she scooped him on stories back in the early 1940s!)

 

 ***A special acknowledgement to The Digital Comic Museum, who has preserved the Golden Age issues of Top Notch Comics and made them available for readers like me who could otherwise never read the stories contained therein!  You can find the Fran Frazer stories in those issues at their website (Fran Frazer in Top Notch Comics).

RATING:  9 episodes of a true crime podcast out of 10 for breathing new life into a Golden Age character that deserves a second chance in the comic world - and introducing new readers to a female crime-solver worthy of attention!

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!

The Very Final Last Girls - a Darby Pop Publications graphic novel

Connor Monday survived an alien invasion of pod people.  Shawna Little survived a sadistic puzzle master.  Deena Azarian survived a summer camp slasher.  Heather Perez survived a psychic warlock.  And then there's Megan Williams, who survived an attack by a horde of zombies.  Each of these five have one thing in common - they are all survivors.  Each has face a completely different horror, each has had to conquer their fears and insecurities, and each has managed to defeat the evil that was set to kill them.    But instead of just moving on, each of them has been taken to a government facility in an undisclosed location, where one Dr. Black is looking to help them cope with what they have gone through, with the assistance of her head of security, Hal Piers.  But there's only one problem - Megan Williams doesn't give a flying leap about their program, and she doesn't want or need their help - all she wants is to find her little sister, and she'll do whatever it takes to get back to her!

The Very Final Last Girls is a creative tale of what happens to the survivors of some of the most horrific events one could experience after they win their battle against the vicious killers.  Written by Josh Eiserike and with art by Z. Crockett and Andres Barrero, this six-chapter story combines a number of horror genres for a superb story of some very strong girls (and one very strong boy!).  As a horror film fan, I've always loved the whole "Final Girl" idea - from Laurie Strode to Alice Hardy to Sydney Prescott and so many others.  I especially loved the parody take of the trope with the films The Final Girls, which takes an honest look at what it means to be a final girl in a horror film.  Well, this comic delves into that idea as well.  What exactly does it take to be a "final girl" (or boy, as the case may be)?  How in the world do the men and women who survived The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, and Saw deal with the normal world after facing such unimaginable evil?

Throw in some off-the-books government agency (a la Cabin in the Woods), and you have not only a great horror story, but also a wonderful little mystery.  What exactly is Dr. Black up to?  Who is she, really?  Why won't anyone let Megan see her little sister?  What are the dreams that Megan is having?  And what secrets are the other survivors hiding - secrets that could place all of them in even greater jeopardy than they could imagine?!  And who is that raggedy man with his lips sewn shut and the tattered ears?  By the end of Chapter Three, one of the survivors finds out pretty quickly that the tattered man is not one to be messed with!  With one survivor down, that leaves the remaining four on edge - and Megan more determined than ever to get out of there and find her sister!  This, of course, means - road trip!

The story really picks up the pace by the fifth chapter, as Megan and two other survivors escape the compound and head out to find Megan's sister - but a confrontation with the tattered man leaves Megan wounded, and the survivor they left behind may be the only one who can save her.  By the time they reach the facility where Megan's sister is being held, all the secrets get revealed in a truly spectacular climax - is anyone really who they claimed to be?  One survivor holds a killer secret, while another turns out to be more deadly than any of the killers they all faced.  It's a final battle to beat all final battles,and the question is - how many final girls will truly be the very final last girls?

The art by Crockett and Barrero is pretty spot on for this kind of story.  It's not as refined as say George Perez or Jerry Ordway, but it's so wildly stylistic that you can't enjoy the story.  It's dark, it's moody, and the characters are distinct and perfectly matched with their personas.  The backgrounds stay pretty basic, which is fine, because that keeps the reader focused on the characters, which is what this story is about anyway.  And while we do get short bios for each of the characters (backstories on the events that made them a final girl (or boy)), I would have enjoyed seeing more of those backstories. Of course, what I'd love to see even more is a sequel in which we get some new final girls (because let's face it, there are plenty of final girls out there to pick from!).  Another wonderful thing about this book is each chapter is opened with a homage cover to some of the greatest horror films (and the ones on which the characters and their backstories are clearly based, albeit loosely).  I loved them!

I've never heard of Darby Pop Publishing before, but this book definitely has me interested in checking out some of their other titles - if they are anywhere near as good as this, then they will be worth the purchase!

RATING:  9 face-filled pizza boxes out of 10 for finally giving horror fans an imaginary look at which comes next for all of those final girls we love so much!