Cover Cavalcade

  MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

We close out "SCIENCE GONE MAD!" month with the original Mad Scientist. This January 1973 cover is by Mike Ploog. 

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Sherlock Holmes: "The Iron Box" 12/31/45

Because he was born on February 29, a man has waited over eight decades to reach his 21st birthday and receive the iron box (reputedly containing gold) that is his inheritance. But reaching this milestone might be a motive for someone else to commit murder.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

Sailor Steve Costigan

 

cover artist unknown

I'm glad that so much of Robert E. Howard's stuff is getting reprinted nowadays, especially those stories that show what a strong sense of humor he had.

That humor is probably most apparent in his stories about mountain man Breckinridge Elkins, but you can also look to Sailor Steve Costigan for both great fight scenes and laugh-out-loud moments.

Costigan is a somewhat naive sailor who is quick with his fists. In fact, his solution to many of the problems he encounters is punching someone.

The stories often have him on shore leave in a port somewhere (often but not always accompanied by his bite-happy bulldog Mike), getting entangled in an adventure that requires him to get into fist fights and always features one of those fights being a formal match in the boxing ring. 

"Sailor's Grudge" was published in the March 1930 issue of Fight Stories and is typical of how much fun a Sailor Steve yarn can be. Costigan goes ashore in San Francisco for a few days, this time without his dog, and meets a girl. Later, he finds out the girl has been forbidden to see him again by a big guy named Bert. Costigan deduces that Bert is a villain who is probably blackmailing the girl's father to force the girl to see him. It's not much of a spoiler to tell you that Costigan's deductions lack accuracy.

Anyway, Bert is the fight double for a movie star on a boxing film. Steve lands the job of the opponent in the big finale by beating up four other guys who want the part. Steve and Bert are supposed to fight for real for four rounds--giving the director some great fight footage---then Steve is supposed to take a dive. Close-ups of the movie star will be spliced in later.

What follows is a great fight scene--something that is also typical of the Costigan tales. Here's an example: 

We traded rights to the head and lefts to the body and he brought up a sizzling uppercut which might of tore my head off, hadst it landed. I buckled his knees with a right hook under the heart and he opened a cut under my left eye with a venomous straight right.

He then backed away, sparring and working for my wounded eye with a sharp-shooting left. Much annoyed, I followed him about the ring and suddenly dropped him to his knees with a smashing right cross to the side of the head. He bounced up without a count and flashed a straight left to my sore eye, following it instantly with a right uppercut to the body. I missed a looping right, landed with my left, took two straight rights in the face to sink my left hook into his belly, and he went into a clinch. We worked out of it and was fighting along the ropes at the gong.

The end is hilarious, with the movie almost ruined and a disillusioned Steve learning he's not going to get the girl after all.

Howard, famous for his Conan the Barbarian tales, is not always remembered for his sense of humor. But he should be.

Read "Sailor's Grudge" HERE.  And for a deeper dive into Howard's boxing tales, check out an excellent article HERE. 

The Mighty Hercules, Part 4

 

cover art by Rube Grossman

According to the reliable Grand Comics Database, the cover and interior art in The Mighty Hercules #2 (October 1963) is by Rube Grossman, who worked for various comic book companies beginning in the 1940s until his 1964 death. Grossman is clearly emulating the look of the cartoon, as did the artist in the first issue, so it's pretty much a shot in the dark whether Grossman drew the first issue. As with the first issue, the stories are written by the prolific and always dependable Paul S. Newman.

As with the first issue, there's two Hercules tales plus a direct adaptatioh of a Greek myth. The issue opens with "Journey to the Land of the Dead."

The evil wizard Daedalus' latest shenanigan is stealing the statue of Demeter from the city of Calydon. This ticks off Demeter, who allows the plants around the city to die. With the risk of a famine now looming over the city and Daedalus planning on holding the statue hostage unless he is declared the ruler--well, it looks like a job for Hercules.

The centaur Newton sees Daedalus teleporting the statue into a "Melos's Palace," a floating structure with no apparent entrance. Hercules travels to the city, but it turns out even his strength isn't enough to let him punch an entrance.

The builder of the palace--Melos--is dead. But that minor detail doesn't stop a Greek hero from questioning the man (or rather ghost) about hidden entrances. Hercules travels to the underworld, where he uses his wits and his strength to get by several obstacles. (Cerebus and the Furies, respectively.)

Hades directs Hercules to Melos, whose afterlife punishment is pushing a heavy boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down again. (Something taken from the story of Sisyphus--the cartoon Hercules' world is not an exact mirror of the original myths.)

Herc solves Melos' dilemma by digging a hole at the top of the hill so the boulder won't again roll down. In exchange, Melos tells him what bricks to press to open the door into his palace.

It's back to Earth, where Hercules and his friends gain entrance to the palace and find the statue of Demeter. Daedalus tries to stop them from leaving with a burst of magical fire, but (shades of Silver Age Superman!) Hercules uses super-breath to put out the flame. Demeter is returned and plants begin to grow again. The day is saved.

This sadly short-lived series continues to entertain. Like the cartoon episodes it is emulating, this tale is another example of quickly setting up the plot, then moving the story along quickly. Grossman's art helps keep it all fun and lively. 

Next week, we'll look at the myth of Perseus, as told in this same issue. 

Cover Cavalcade

  MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

Doctor Doom is about as "mad science-y" as you can get! A February 1964 cover by Jack Kirby.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Suspense: "Short Order" 8/16/45

A hideously deformed man becomes a regular customer at a diner, which begins driving away the other customers.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

NO WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY THIS WEEK!!

 

Because of Laptop Trouble (I needed a new power cord, but I suspect Skynet was behind it), I'm behind in creating posts. I'm afraid there will be no Wednesday or Thursday posts this week.

Cover Cavalcade

  MARCH IS SCIENCE GONE MAD MONTH!!!!

Cover-dated May-June 1950, with art by Al Feldstein.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 The Adventures of the Saint: "Nursemaid" 7/15/51

Simon is hired to convince a young lady not to date a gangster. Unsurprisingly, he ends up having to solve a murder.

Click HERE to listen or download. 

When a Cop has to Multi-Task

 

cover artist unknown

Mr. J.G. Reeder was created by Edgar Wallace in a series of short stories beginning in 1924. Reeder is a fun character--a former cop now working directly for the "Director of Public Prosecution," Reeder is middle-aged, wears out-of-date clothes and gives the impression of being ordinary and unimpressive. But he actually has a keen mind and an ability to anticipate how a criminal thinks.

The first eight Reeder stories were collected in The Mind of J.G. Reeder in 1925, published in England. In the U.S., the book was retitled The Murder Book of J.G. Reeder, with the individual stories sometimes retitled and arranged in a different order. Title changes, of course, are done by editors who think a new title is catchier for their specific audience. I have no idea why the stories were re-ordered, though the tales are self-contained enough not to matter.

cover artist unknown

A good example of how much fun these stories are is "Treasure Hunt," first published in the November 22, 1924 issue of Flynn's Weekly. 

Reeder is looking into the death of Lady Tithermite, who apparently fell off the ferry during a channel crossing. At the same time, an ex-con out on parole, Lew Kohl, is planning on killing Reeder--the man who sent him to prison. Kohl also hopes to find Reeder's secret stash of money, since he's a proponent of the theory that all cops on the take and stash ill-gotten gains away for their retirement.

Reeder decides that Lady Tithermite was murdered by her husband and was never on the ferry, but he doesn't have enough evidence to get a search warrent and find her body. But... well, perhaps a certain hint dropped to Lew Kohl will convince the ex-con that Reeder does have a secret treasure and use Kohl to solve the Tithermite case. 

It really is a fun story, as all of Wallace's yarns usually are. You can read it yourself online HERE. 

Dog Owners: Beware!!!!

 

cover artist unknown

The first story in Richie Rich and Dollar the Dog (September 1977), by an unidentified creative team, includes an important PSA for all dog owners. If you are ever rehearsing a play in which you play a bad guy who dislikes dogs, MAKE SURE your dog doesn't hear you and take the dialogue out of context. This won't end well. It's what happens when Richie's dog Dollar (a dollarmation, of course) overhears Richie and his friend Freckles doing just this.

I don't care how silly the above images are--if you own a dog, this is a heartbreaking scene.

Dollar runs away and begins hitchhiking. He's picked up by a pair of gangster, who by now has heard the news that Dollar is missing and that there's a huge reward. But bad guys are bad guys. Rather than settle for just the reward the Rich family is offering, they come up with a complex plan to smuggle Dollar out of the country the statue of a horse, sell him to a rare animal dealer, THEN tell the Rich family where he is to collect THAT reward.

The horse with Dollar inside is loaded on a plane, but the pilots hear Dollar barking and immediately land again. Dollar makes a break for it.

The gangsters spot him and give chase. Fortunately, Dollar runs into the local school in his attempt to get away, where that play is currently being performed. Richie and Freckles take care of the gangsters (and, wow, does Richie pack a powerful gut punch!), Dollar finally understands that Richie doesn't hate him and everyone is happy. Well, everyone except the gangsters. They get arrested.

It is a silly story, but it's fun. And, by golly, if you own a dog, the story will become an emotional roller-coaster. It can't be helped.

Next week, we return to The Mighty Hercules. 

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.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Crime Club: "Mr Smith's Hat" 1/23/47

"A very intriguing story of a finger that puts its print on death."

Click HERE to listen or download. 

One Reason Why the Original Star Trek is Still the Best

 

I made the mistake of watching not just the first episode of Starfleet Academy, but the first TWO episodes in hopes that the show might not continue to be a dreadful insult to the legacy of Star Trek. Well, it is. Good heavens, its terrible.

The show's writers ignorance or indifference to how any military organization works highlights one reason the original series is still the best version of that universe. I do realize that Star Fleet is not purely military and should not be purely military--they do exploration, diplomancy, science, etc as well. But they are structued as a military organization, with ranks, traditions and all that goes with that. And they pack phasers and photon torpedoes--if we go to war with the Klingons, Star Fleet will be on the front lines.

Take a look at any scene set on the bridge of the Enterprise in the Original Series. The bridge always had the right ambiance to it--it gave the impression of being the busy nerve center of a large vessel. The bridge crew (including the extras at the sub-stations) looked busy. There were always people moving about as if they were accomplishing things. Kirk was always signing off on orders, requests or reports. It looked right.

Many of the writers of the original series were military vets, including Roddenberry. They were able to show us how a large military vessel operates. It's only one small detail among all the other things that made it great. There were also intelligent scripts, great characters (with the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic being key) and a respect for excellence. The bridge crew were there because they were the best there is.

Sorry for taking up a Thursday post to rant about this. But I made the mistake of watching Starfleet Academy and needed to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. Always remember, the original works that made a beloved francise beloved are still there. Later iterations, whether good or bad, don't affect them. Adjust your Head Canon accordingly and don't worry about the terrible stuff.

Gold Key Hercules--Part 1

 

cover artist unknown

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the 1960s cartoon version of Hercules. I thought it might be fun to look at the two Gold Key issues adapting that cartoon to the comics. Each issue had two Hercules stories, so we'll be with the demigod for the next four weeks. 

The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963) starts with "The Curse of the Stone Statues," written by the prolific Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist who does a good job of emulating the look of the cartoon.

Hercules' gal, Helena, is visiting the palace of Prince Dorian, only to discover the building is full of stone statues. Apparently, Helena needs to read up on Greek Mythology--it doesn't at first occur to her that the statues are people turned into stone.

She calls for Hercules, who comes down from Olympus to investigate. Herc, at least, realizes that evil is afoot and that the statues are people. But the person responsible is not a Gorgon, but the evil wizard Daedalus, Herc's arch-enemy. He's zapped the local humans to draw Hercules into an ambush, with plans on using his "Sceptor of Medusa" on the hero, then taking over the kingdom.

Newton the centaur spoils Daedalus' aim, but Helena gets statue-fied by the stray shot. Daedalus uses a cloak of invisibility to get away, but loses the sceptor. Hercules destroys this, but must now find the Flower of Life in order to restore Helena and the other victims to life.

This involves a sea voyage to a remote island. A sea witch allied with Daedalus puts obstacles in the way, but Hercules fights past them all. (This includes the surprisingly violent killing of a sea monster--a scene that's a bit edgy for a Gold Key comic based on a kid's cartoon.)

Hercules gets the flower. Daedelus tries one last time to defeat the hero, this time using his invisibility cloak and a Sword of Death. (I feel like I should be putting the TM symbol after the name for all the magical devices Daedalus uses in this story.) Hercules defeats him again, turns the statues back into people and saves the day.

It's a short, entertaining tale, constructed with Newman's usual skill at storytelling. Just like the cartoon on which its based, it jumps into the story quickly, gives Hercules some dangers to deal with using both his strength and his brains, then barrels quickly to a conclusion. The art, as I mentioned, effectively matches the design of the cartoon. With the script and art firmly in sync with one another, the story is more fun than a barrel of Gorgons.