Cover Cavalcade

  MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

From May 1927, with art by Frank R. Paul.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Fibber McGee and Molly: "Fibber Buys a New Suit and Steals a Hat" 2/4/41

McGee needs a new suit, so he and Molly head to the store. What could possibly go wrong?

Click HERE to listen or download. 

The Coming of the Ice

 

cover art by Frank R. Paul

It continues to be a universal truth: No matter how familiar one is with pulp magazine authors, you will regularly stumble over one you hadn't heard of before and discover he or she was quite a good storyteller.

For instance, I just read "The Coming of the Ice," by G. Peyton Wortenbaker, published in the June 1926 issue of Amazing Stories. It was the magazine's third issue and was still relying on reprinting classics and stories first published in other pulps to fill the pages. Aside from Wells and Verne, Otis Adlebert Kline and Murray Leinster each had a story included that were reprinted from Weird Tales and Argosy respectively.

But editor Hugo Gernsback was beginning to see original science fiction showing up in his mail box. "The Coming of the Ice" is, in fact, the first original SF story that appears in the magazine. And Wortenbacker, darn him, was only 19 years old when he wrote it. 

The first person narrator is friends with a scientist who has accidentally stumbled over the secret of immortality. It involves an operation that will ensure you never physically die, but will have your emotions deadened. Despite this flaw, the narrator and his girlfriend both choose to give it a go.

The narrator goes first and the operation is a success. Then the scientist and the girl are killed in a car accident before she has the procedure.

The narrator, by the way, is telling us this in the far future--hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of years from now. He's lost count. His story of living on through the centuries as mankind evolves around him--becoming physically weaker but mentally stronger--is filled with melancholy. Those around him gradually forget about the past, concentrating only on the future.

So when a second Ice Age gradually engulfs the Earth, it catches humanity by surprise and the narrator is the only person fit enough to survive. 

This is a great story--hitting just the right note of melancholy to make it work and even injecting a small measure of hope in at the end. It's worth reading and can be found online HERE. 

The Mighty Hercules, Part 3

cover artist unknown

The last story (not counting a 1-page text about olive oil) in The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963), also written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist, shows us that Hercules is a bit of a scaredy-cat.

The nation of Calydon is being invaded. The gates of the city are closed and Helena calls out for Hercules. But Herk's arch-enemy, the wizard Daedalus, offers his services to the invaders in exchange for a share of the loot.

When Hercules arrives, it at first seems that the demi-god will have little trouble dispatching the invaders. But Daedalus casts a spell on him to make him thirsty. Hercules then unwisely takes a drink from the Waters of Illusion. Now everything he seees will appear to be a monster!

The plan works at first and poor Newton the centaur nearly gets strangled by his best friend. Hercules sees Helena and thinks she's a monster as well. And, well, he runs away.

One would think that Hercules would try to fight any monster he finds. I conceed that its a good thing he didn't inadvertently beat up poor Helena, but Hercules should be the last person in mythology to see a monster and say "Gee whiz, I'd better run for it."

Well, he does run. This allows Newton to trip him and dunk him into the Waters of Truth, which cures him of seeing illusions.

He attacks the invaders. Daedalus tries to stop him with a magically-summoned wall of flame, but Hercules uses Super-Breath (did he learn that from Superman, or visa versa, I wonder) to blow the flames back at the bad guys. A few more feats of super-strength and the invaders retreat, taking a stunned Daedalus with them to "fix him later" for failing to stop a demi-god.

It's another short, fun story. Like the cartoon, it sets up the premise quickly and tosses Hercules into action. The artist continues to make it all look great while effectively emulating the look of the cartoon.

But, gee whiz, Herk. You see a monster and run away? That's very un-Hercules like.

Next week, we'll take a break before diving into the second and final issue of this series. Instead, we'll visit with Richie Rich. 

Cover Cavalcade

 MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

This cover is from August 1926, with art by Frank R. Paul

Latest BookTube video

 

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Suspense: "Blue Eyes" 8/29/46

A man plans to murder his wife, changes his mind, then gets accused of murdering her.

Click HERE to listen or download.

Dutchman's Flat

cover art by Sam Cherry

 

Louis L'Amour was at least as skilled in writing short stories as he was writing novels.

For instance, "Dutchman's Flat" (published in the Fall 1948 issue of Giant Western) is about five six men chasing another into the desert. The man they are chasing, Chet Lock, apparently back-shot someone. There's no formal law in the area, so the men include a rope on which to hang Lock when they catch him.

But Lock isn't easy to catch. At one point, he keeps them pinned down with rifle fire. But he doesn't kill any of them, even though he could easily have done so.

Later, he leaves marks on cliff walls to point them towards water or towards a shady area to rest their horses. He even leaves wood for a fire, salt and coffee in one location.

Is he taunting them? Or have they misjudged him? He's not acting like a killer who would shoot a man in the back. 

The story is set up to allow the men to learn about Lock's character, even though they don't actually meet him until the end of the tale. The idea L'Amour brings across is that you can get a feel for who a man is by what he does. Would a man who acts like Lock does, even when being pursued by men who want to kill him, be someone who would commit cold-blooded murder?

"Dutchman's Flat" benefits from L'Amour's vivid description of the desert, presenting the landscape as oppressive and deadly, and his straightforward account of the pursuit. It's a Western adventure story, but its also a solid character study. It's worth reading.

You can find it online HERE.

The Mighty Hercules, Part 2

 

cover artist unknown

Sandwiched between the two Hercules stories in Gold Key's The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963) is a nifty "Greek Heroes of Mythology" feature, written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist. The art style, like the Hercules tales, effectively mimics the designs of the Mighty Hercules cartoon on which the comic book is based. It's a fairly safe bet the same artist drew all three stories, but we simply have no idea who he was.

Anyway, this one is about Theseus, the Greek hero who slew the Minotaur. It follows the myth closely. For years, Athens has been obligated to send seven youths and seven maids to King Minos as a tribute. The young people are then tossed in a labyrinth and eaten by the Minotaur.

Theseus, the king's son, volunteers to be one of the current tributes. Once in Crete, Minos' daughter Ariadne falls for him and gives him a sword and a ball of thread, this latter item to be used to mark his passage through the labyrinth so he can find his way out.

Theseus eventually confronts the Minotaur and slays it. Gee whiz, I didn't expect the monster design we see in a Gold Key comic! The Minotaur is given the bull head and a completely naked human body! Of course, we never see anything inappropriate, but for Gold Key, this was a risque image. The panel showing Theseus finishing off the Minotaur is pretty brutal as well.

Of course, in the end, there's nothing here a reasonable parent would object to their children reading. But I can picture a naughty six-year-old penciling in the Minotaur's wee-wee. It's what six-year-olds do.

The story ends with Theseus and Ariadne sailing back to Athens together. It leaves out the part where Theseus forgets to put up the sail that tells his dad he's alive, leading to his dad committing suicide. But, well, THAT would have been too much for Gold Key. In essence, this is a fun and effective retelling of a classic myth. 

Next week, we'll finish up this issue with a look at the second Hercules Story. 

Cover Cavalcade

 FEBRUARY IS TANKS vs DINOSAURS MONTH!

Even the Haunted Tank eventually got into dinosaur-related combat. This Joe Kubert cover is from 1975.