Friday's Favorite OTR

 The Line Up: "The Two Tough Thugs Thing" 12/19/52

A man is arrested for a year-old murder. His guilt is easily provable, but his partner is harder to track down.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Space Pioneers

 

Read/Watch 'em In Order #169

The fourth Tom Corbett book, 1954's Space Pioneers, has a fun coincidental connection to Star Trek. It involves Earth's first attempt to colonize a planet outside the Solar System. That planet revolves around the star Wolf 359,  a real star which is a tad less than 8 light years away from Sol.

In the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Best of Both Worlds" (1990), the Federation fights a Borg Cube in the Wolf 359 system. The Feds get their butts kicked, losing thirty-nine ships and thousands of crew.

In Space Pioneers, the problem isn't a super-powerful alien foe. Rather, its dishonest politicians.

Tom Corbett and his fellow cadets are assigned to be part of the screening process for deciding who will accompany a thousand-ship fleet to the new planet. Along the way, they turn down several shady characters. But then the man assigned to be the governer of the colony overrules them. This includes making a man named Paul Vidac his second-in-command.

During the journey to Wolf 359, Vidac seems to zig-zag between being a strong leader and being a jerk, at one point sending Tom, Astro and Roger on an unnecessary but dangerous mission to find a path through an asteroid belt, even though it was possible to easily fly around it.

When the fleet arrives at the planet, there is strange interference with ships' instruments when landing, so nearly 400 of the ships are wrecked and the colonists lose a lot of their supplies. Vidac again proves effective in salvaging what can be saved and getting things organized, but he also institutes clearly illegal methods of requiring the colonists to sign over future profits in exchange for help getting started with their new lives. When valuable uranium deposits are found, Vidac uses strong-arm tactics to get personal ownership of those deposits.

When the cadets object, they are told to shut up. When they try to see the governor, the governer can't be found. And when they try to contact Earth, they get framed for murder. That, of course, obligates them to break prison and find proof that Vidac is the real bad guy.

It's a fun story, gradually unfolding so that--though we are fairly certain Vidac is the villain from the first--the nature and depth of his plan takes time to become apparently. As is usual in the series, Tom and the cadets are forced into situations where--though punching people is occasionally called for--they must think through their situation and act intelligently.

Space Pioneers is a science fiction crime story, exploring how greed can turn good men evil and punctuating the tale with effective action scenes. The Tom Corbett books continue to entertain.

Sharks and Teleportation Beams

 

cover art by Dick Giordano

Green Lantern #126 (March 1980) has writer Denny O'Neil & artist Joe Staton picking up the action right from where the previous issue left off. Hal has returned to Earth with the young boy Fabian, only to find that the Weaponers of Qward have already invaded. The Weaponers, though, have gone to ground somewhere.

Hal tries to drop Fabian off with his uncle, but instead runs into the villain the Shark, who has been hired by the Weaponers to take care of Hal. There's a fight underwater and the Shark, using a weapon provided to him by his new allies, encases Hal in a golden coffin.

In the meantime, the Weaponers have set up show in a cavern, where they are putting together a teleportation device that will be used to invade Oa. There's also another reference to their absent commander, General Fabrikant, indicating again to alert readers that the kid Fabian isn't what he seems to be.

Hal manages to again think his way out of the underwater trap by slamming into the side of the gold coffin until it tumbles off a ledge, allowing water pressure to crack it open. After dropping Fabian off with Carol Ferris, Hal tales the Shark back to the Weaponer base. 

The Weaponers "reward" the Shark by deevolving him into a shark. Hal sees this and dumps the shark back in the ocean. Since the Shark once was a normal shark, this isn't such a bad fate for him.

The Weaponers have by now invaded Oa, where they capture the Guardians. Their plan is to use the Guardians and the power battery to create "the greatest weapon in the history of creation!"

Back on Earth, Hal takes out the few guards still in the cavern, then travels through the teleporter. Unfortunately for him, he ends up INSIDE the power battery.

This is another strong issue. It continues to move the story along quickly, has plenty of action and shows Hal using his brains as well as his power ring. The art is great and the story ends with an effective (both in terms of story and art) cliffhanger. In fact, the entire story arc has so far been strong.

We'll return to Hal in two weeks. Next week, we'll pay a long overdue return visit to Turok, Son of Stone.

Edgar Rice Burroughs Podcast: Episode #37: Swords of Mars

Edgar Rice Burroughs Podcast: Episode #37: Swords of Mars:   Tim, Jess and Scott talk about the 1934 novel "Swords of Mars" To listen to or download the audio version, click HERE .  email ...

Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS "WORST DATE EVER" MONTH!!

An uncredited cover from 1940.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Lives of Harry Lime: "An Old Moorish Custom" 12/14/51

"This is a love story. But don't worry--there's action. An Arab chieftain; international gangsters; a buried treasure. But essentially, this is a tale of one of the times I fell in love."

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Family Visit Break

 

Sorry--no Wednesday or Thursday post this week. I have family visiting, though odds are we won't end up stumbling across murders or smuggling rings and solving crimes. Because real-life families are mind-numbingly boring.

Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS "WORST DATE EVER" MONTH!!

A 1933 cover by William Reusswig.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Dragnet: "The Big Streetcar" 4/3/52

A woman shoots her husband and then goes on the lam. The sound of a streetcar bell over the phone might be the clue needed to find her.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Glasshouse Gang #2

 

WARNING: The current ebook reprints of the Glasshouse Gang books lists Desert Marauders (1976) as Book 4 in the series. This is incorrect. It is Book 2 and literally picks up the action where Book 1 leaves off.

 

But the publisher messing up the series order doesn't distract from the quality of the book. Set in North Africa during World War 2, it recounts the adventures of Captain John Offer and his Glasshouse Gang Commando Unit. Except Offer isn't really a captain and the G.G.C.U. isn't a real unit. Instead, it's a ploy used by Offer and his men (all deserters and former residents of brutal military prisons called Glasshouses) to avoid being captured by the authorities.

 

But it turns out Offer is a really good tactical field commander and--when forced to do so--his men can do real harm to the enemy.

 

The book is filled with superb action set pieces as they finish an escape from the German army started at the end of the last novel and, later, find themselves shooting up a German airbase when they run across it by accident during a rain storm.

 

By this time, they've acquired an arch-enemy in the German army and the British army has figured out who they are. But Offer is given temporary immunity from prosecution if he and his men can pull off an apparently suicidal raid on Rommel's oil depot, deep in German territory.

 

This leads to an extended climatic action sequence that is literally edge-of-your-seat stuff.

 

Like the first novel, there's an interesting thematic tension existing just underneath the action. Offer and his men despise the British army because of the brutal treatment they were subject too in the Glasshouse. But to survive the war and stay free, Offer has to recreate a system of military authority within the G.G.C.U.--replicating what he has supposedly rejected. And, when the British finally tumble to what he's doing, a particular major general doesn't react with the same arrogant authority Offer usually sees from the Top Brass. Instead, the general respects what Offer has accomplished and, though he's quite straightforward about his willingness to sacrifice Offer's men on what is probably a suicide mission, he does so out of strict military necessity.

 

So is the series anti-authoritarian or simply critical of abuse among otherwise necessary authority figures? Is Offer a criminal (stealing vehicles, supplies and payrolls without a qualm) or does his skill, courage and the loyalty he shows towards his men lift him up into something more?

 

In the end, it doesn't matter. Desert Marauders works primarily as a cracking good wartime adventure novels. Thematic issues underlying it make for worthwhile discussions, but we come to the novel mostly to watch stuff get blown up.

When Even the Gods Give Up

 

cover art by Ron Wilson

The credits for Marvel Two-In-One #23 (January 1977) include Bill Mantlo as writer for the first 6 pages and Jim Shooter finishing it up from there. Ron Wilson is the artist, but with Marie Severin listed as giving an assist. But, despite having several hands the in the pot, the end result is a fun and satisfying story full of great art (including a couple of epic splash pages), great action and a defining character moment for Ben Grimm.

The last issue ended with Seth, the Egyptian god of death, sending an army of undead against Thor and Ben while in the operating room of a New York hospital. Seth is using the army to weaken his opponents while bringing them a bridge between dimensions. It's not the rainbow bridge to Asgard, but it seems to serve a similar purpose. There's a fun implication that each pantheon has its own bridge leading to its own kingdom.

Seth has his brother Horus hanging from chains, while their parents (Isis and Osiris) are held prisoner. This is the start of Seth's conquest of the universe. And it looks as if he might pull it off, as he is able to hold off attacks from both Ben and Thor.

Set summons up an all-powerful monster called the Devourer. But this works against him, as the Devourer plans to destroy everything, including Seth. In desperation, Seth releases Horus, who had once traped the Devourer. But Horus is too weak to do anying, while Osiris and Isis are fatalistically accepting their doom.

In the meantime, Thor is stunned by the Devourer, leaving Ben standing against the monster on his own.

And, by golly, if you want to get on Ben Grimm's nerves, then you can't do a better job than just giving up when the chips are down. Annoyed by the fatalism of the gods and realizing that the monster wants to kill Horus first, Ben grabs Horus and jumps off the bridge into endless interdimensional space.

The Devourer unthinkingly jumps after them. Thor, who has regained consciousness, throws his hammer near Ben, who is able to grab it and be brought back to the bridge. This leaves the Devourer falling into space forever.

From there, the two heroes return to Earth, where Dr. Donald Blake "arrives" in time to care for the patient that Ben and Johnny had brought to the hospital.

As I already said, it's a great issue. The art is fantastic, the action plays out in a logical (well, according to Comic Book Logic) manner, the pacing is lightning-fast and Ben's willingness to sacrifice himself if necessary by jumping off the bridge is typical of his inate heroism and one of the reasons he is one of the hearts of the Marvel Universe.

Next week, we jump back over to the DC Universe to continue our look at Green Lantern.

Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS "WORST DATE EVER" MONTH!

A Walter Baumhaffer cover from 1934.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Suspense: "This Will Kill You." 8/23/45

Dane Clark gives an excellent performance of a paranoid and narcissitic man who is convinced he's planning the perfect murder.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Taking Crazy Chances

 

cover art by Peter Stevens

A blog worth reading (well, other than mine, of course) is Rough Edges, in which author and master storyteller James Reasoner will review the sort of fiction I love and often add to my list of "Stuff I Gotta Read." A recent entry, found HERE, reviewed the June 1947 issue of Adventure. Reasoner mentioned one particular story--a boxing yarn by Clifton Adams--that sounded like more fun than a barrel full of oil workers.

"The Crazy Kind" is set in the oil fields of Oklahoma and narrated in the style of someone casually telling the story to friends, full of humor as it moves the plot along swiftly.

The unnamed narrator is an oil worker along with his best friend Ed Burk. Ed was once cheated out of valuable land by their foreman, big and brutal Hack Lawson. Ed is someone the narrator classifies as the "crazy kind." In Ed's case, it's because he gambles but always loses. "In fact, Ed don't miss anything that there's a chance to lose money on."

Soon, they meet new guy Duke Hastings. The Duke is another of the crazy kind--in this case a greenhorn who thinks that anyone who works in oil in Oklahoma is bound to strike it rich.

The Duke has a run-in with Hack Lawson, who gives Duke an under-the-belt shot to take him down. 

But Ed finds out that the Duke was a boxer back in Chicago. So he comes up with the idea of setting up a Duke/Hack rematch in the ring, knowing the arrogant Hack would take bets while giving really good odds. Ed scraped up enough money for a large bet. 

Ed's plan goes awry when Hack finds out the Duke has bad legs. If the fight goes more than three rounds, the Duke's gams would give out.

This fun story, written in easy, humorous prose and ending with an exciting and brutal boxing match, is worth reading. I appreciate Mr. Reasoner sharing its existence with us. 

You can read the story yourself HERE to see how it all plays out. 

Death Quest to Qward

 

Cover art by Dick Giodano

Green Lantern #125 (Feb. 1980) begins with GL blocking off a portal that leads to Qward. That won't keep either Sinestro or the Qwardians in Qward, but will keep a stray human from wandering into that less-than-friendly world.

Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Joe Staton keep things moving quickly. Hal tries to report to his new job at Ferris Aircraft, but he ticks off his boss by almost immediately getting a signal that someone has set off the alarm he left set near the portal.

At the portal, he discovers Sinestro returning to Earth, clearing the rock barrier around the portal to do so. There's a brief ring-vs-ring battle, then Hal sets off gas bombs he had planted earlier. This gives him enough of an advantage to take Sinestro's yellow power ring. 

Sinestro retreats through the portal. Hal knows Sinestro can get a new ring from the Weaponers of Qward, but takes a moment to recharge his ring before pursuing. While he's doing this, though, a kid wanders into the portal.

On Qward, Hal dodges a convoy of Weaponer vehicles, reaches the Weaponers' fortress, outsmarts and knocks out a guard, then gains entrance. He soon knocks out the Weaponer who is in the process of making Sinestro's new ring. (The guy also mentions that General Fabrikant is developing a weather control device for an invasion.)

It looks like Hal is in position to take Sinestro by surprise, but that Earth kid shows up and gets underfoot. Sinestro gets his ring. And Hal's ring--well, it doesn't work inside the Weaponers' fortress.

               

Hal keeps his head, though, using one of the lightning javelins carried by the guard he early knocked out to stun Sinestro. 

Once back outside, his ring works again. He quickly returns to Earth with the kid in tow.

Once back, though, he sees evidence that others have been through the portal. He adds up the convoy he saw, the absense of men & weapons from the fortress, and the mention of a weather control device. This tells him that the Weaponers have invaded Earth.

 

This is a great issue. It starts out in high gear and keeps moving rapidly, telling the story well and keeping the action almost non-stop. Hal is required to use his brains in addition to his ring to survive. Also, the story drops in a clue to a plot development we'll see in the next issue. The Weaponer general whose name was mentioned is Fabrikant. The kid who "accidentally" wandered into Qward and "accidentally" messed up Hal's chance to get Sinestro is Fabian. It's a nifty clue that gave the readers a chance to pick up on it, but subtle enough so that many readers would miss it. 

Next week, we'll return to the Marvel Universe to see how the Thing and Thor are doing against an army of undead. In two weeks, we'll return here to visit again with Hal Jordan.

Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS "WORST DATE EVER" MONTH!

This 1940 cover is by Rafael De Soto.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 I Was a Communist for the FBI: "Card Game in the Clouds" 6/4/52

Matt thinks the communists might suspect him of being a double agent and that they have sent him on a mission designed to force him to reveal himself. 

Click HERE to listen or download.

Road House (1948)

 

SPOILER ALERT! if you haven't seen it.

Toss Richard Widmark into a Film Noir and it will be good. Especially if he's the villain.

In Road House (1948), Widmark plays "Jefty" Robbins, the owner of a place called... well, "Road House." It's a bar/bowling alley establishment, which Jefty's friend Pete Morgan (Cornell Wilde) runs efficiently as manager.

Things get complicated when Jefty brings a singer back with him from a trip to Chicago. This is Lily Stevens, played by Ida Lupina. Pete doesn't like this--Jefty often gets crushes on girls like Lily, then gets tired of them. Pete is then stuck with the unpleasant job of paying off the girl.

He tries to get Lily to leave, but she's strong-willed. She's also a good singer and brings in customers. So Lily stays. Jefty's crush on her intensifies, even though she makes it clear she's not romantically interested in him. In the meantime, Pete and Lily gradually fall for each other.

This first act of the movie is just a tad slow-paced, but this allows the movie to take the time to solidly establish character personalities and relationships, making the Pete/Lily stuff believable rather than a contrived plot point. Also, the dialogue is snappy and the cast is strong. This cast includes Celeste Holme as a cashier who also likes Pete, but proves to be a friend to both him and Lily when needed.

The Film Noir stuff kicks in when Jefty learns that Pete and Lily are going to get married. Jefty doesn't take this well. Widmark's performance here is superb, gradually taking Jefty down a slope that starts with "deceitful, selfish jerk" to "full-on pyscho." 

He frames Pete for embezzlement. After Pete is convicted, Jefty puts on a "I wanna help my friend" act for the judge, getting Pete probation on the condition that he comes back to Road House and gradually pays back the stolen funds. But once Pete is back, Jefty makes it clear that Pete is essentially no more than a slave--either do what Jefty says (including "don't marry Lily") or go to jail.

This all leads to an intense climax at an isolated cabin in the woods, with a drunken, gloating Jefty driving both Pete and Lily to consider drastic measures.

It's a strong, well-made Noir with a great cast. You can watch it in its entirety on YouTube:

Visiting Hours at the Hospital are Hectic!

 

cover art by Ron Wilson

Marvel Two-in-One #21 ended with the villain Black Sun either dead or near-dead. The next issue (December 1976) begins by telling us that maybe there's a chance to save him, with Johnny technobabbling a way to use his heat to freeze Black Sun's body until they can rush him to the best doctor they know. That doctor happens to be Donald Blake.

Writer Bill Mantlo is stuck with a lot of exposition in this issue, but he still moves the story along relatively quickly, while Ron Wilson's art looks (as always) great. While Ben and Johnny are bringing Black Sun to the hospital, Donald Blake receives another visitor. This visitor really, really, really wants to see Blake (who is currently performing surgery) and if he has to kill a bunch of people to get to the doctor, well, by golly. that's just fine with him.

The guy reaching the operating room, but fortunately Blake has finished the surgery. He sends the rest of the OR team out of the room along with the patient, then transforms into Thor. A fight begins, with dialogue that tells us the bad guy is the Egyptian god of death Seth and that he's looking for vengeance because Thor had previously beaten him. (Since the title of this issue is "Touch Not the Hand of Seth," his identity isn't that much of a surprise.)

When Ben and Johnny arrives, Ben joins Thor in his fight. Seth responds by calling up an army of the dead.

That's the cliffhanger ending this issue. It's a pretty straightforward issue, so there's not a lot to add to what I mentioned above: The pacing is fast despite a fair amount of exposition and the art is great. It's a fun issue, entertaining in its own right while setting up the story for the next issue.

We'll look at that issue in two weeks. Next week, we'll return to the Green Lantern and see where he's at in his search for Sinestro.