Branching out (To pov, zilla)

[tb]

I got curious about some of the comics you guys have been

talking about so I decided to branch out and try a few. Yesterday,

I received my first ever original EC, a Haunt of Fear #16 as well as

an original Planet Comics #41 (inspired by zilla's covers). Since I

did not grow up in the US, I have never seen anything quite like

these. Although I've been reading Russ Cochran's 1990s reprints,

it was cool to actually browse through an original EC for the first

time. I was very surprised by the Planet - some of the contents were

pretty "shocking" and as disturbing as anything I've ever read in pre-

code EC reprint. Some twisted stuff for sure...

 

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for opening my eyes to some

of the cool GA comics out there that I otherwise wouldn't have

gotten curious about. I got a few other books (Strange Adventures

#4 and a Danger Trail) but I have not had time to look at those yet.

 

 

 

 

[aardvark88]

Highly recommend any 50s book with Murphy Anderson cover or interior art. Higher # Planet Comics or most of the Str Adv's run. Decent writing and some silly covers. If u can find any Centaurs, try some of those from 1941. Less than 1/2 price superheros compared to Timelys or National/DC from same yr.

[OldGuy]

"Although I've been reading Russ Cochran's 1990s reprints,

it was cool to actually browse through an original EC for the first time."

 

There's just something about reading a Tales From The Crypt that actualy smells like a crypt that reprints can't offer.

[Arty]

Oh no..another victim of this degenerated message board

 

Until I came here I was an innocent Disney collector looking for Barks ducks.

 

But evil board members have poisoned my mind and now I drool at bondage covers and good girl art

Just bought my first Jumbo Comics recently, and god knows what will happen when I got my hands on that pre-code horror book Pov promised to send me.

 

That Planet 41 is one of the coolest covers in the entire run, really awesome.

 

[Zonker]

Heh. Welcome to the dark side, my friend!

 

Will be interested in your take on Strange Adventures and Danger Trail. I'd expect you'd find Strange Adventures pretty tame (juvenile actually) by the SF standards set by EC or Planet. But Danger Trail was possibly the best thing DC put out between the Golden & Silver Ages (assuming it is one of the issues featuring 'King' Faraday).

 

Cheers,

Z.

[Crowzilla]

Congratulations!

That medusa cover is definitely a nice one, but now you'll be starting the long decent in these really cool esoteric books. The EC's are definitely the best reads around, but some of the Fiction House and Fox covers are just incredible.

 

Welcome to the club!

 

[hammer-migration]

I myself have always been amazed as to how all these Golden age Jungle amazons could be WHITE (Caucasian)!!!! If this alone isn't enough to dissuade any believability whatsoever, where do they all get their peroxide, shaving supplies and toiletries, make-up, etc.?

[aardvark88]

Obviously, the fancy toiletries were provided by Tarzan on his return trip from his estate in England. He made the rounds to visit all the jungle maidens in darkest Africa.

[Crowzilla]

I myself have always been amazed as to how all these Golden age Jungle amazons could be WHITE

 

That's why I love the Jo-Jo's and Rulah - at least you get a brunette. And let's not forget Senorita Rio from Fight comics - my heart goes pitter-patter for the latina ladies. And of course let's not forget the beautiful South Seas Girl from Seven Seas comics - anyone have a #4 that they'd like to sell?

 

[hammer-migration]

I just don't know! I myself would be appalled if I were to make a pilgrimige to deepest, darkest Africa and couldn't even find a trace of women of color swinging from vine to vine, just blondes, latinas, and displaced South Sea Island Amazons!! To say I'd be disappointed to tears to be unable to locate ONE swinging jungle goddess that even remotely resembled L'il Kim would be a gross understatement!

[FlyingDonut]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm l'il kim!

 

 

[tb]

The other books I got were Danger Trail #4, 1951, and Strange Adventures #2, 1950. I enjoyed reading both of them. The art in the "King Faraday" story was fantastic, but the pace of the story ("The Red Umbrella") was a little off: it took 9 pages to find the villain and then only 3 panels to kill him off (hope I didn't spoil the excitement for any of you). Maybe I didn't pick the best issue? Then, there was an ad for a promising career as a "radio-television technician". It predicted that as many as 20,000,000 tv sets might be in use by 1954 and that you could make a fortune repairing radios for your neighbors. The Strange Adventures had a pretty good sci-fi story: the people of the Earth were told that they had 6 months to live before a collision with a "Planet X" would destroy the planet. Makes you appreciate how old some of the cliches in "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" are. (I'd be impressed if anyone can remember how the Earth was saved off the top of your head?).

 

Of the 4 comics, I have to say that Planet 41 gets special points for the sickest bondage-electrocution effects (thank you, Dr. Wertham!) and for some girl art that made it impossible to focus on the rest of the storyline (it was something about giant spiders, but I was fighting a losing battle against the "distractions"). The Danger Trail had by far the best artwork. If I had read these as a kid, I'd probably have enjoyed the "Strange Adventures" the most: the stories were the most exciting & I always loved 1950s sci-fi. I'm not going to compare the "Haunt of Fear #16" since I already liked EC horror a lot.

 

Overall, it's too bad that the stories are so short, though. Did DC have any runs with longer stories (like Dell's one-shots?). Again, I've only seen a handful of GA DCs and know almost nothing about these...

 

 

 

 

[seank]

Then, there was an ad for a promising career as a "radio-television technician". It predicted that as many as 20,000,000 tv sets might be in use by 1954 and that you could make a fortune repairing radios for your neighbors

 

One of the great things about golden age, and old comics in general, is the ads. I love reading them as much as I love the stories themselves. It's amazing to see how times have changed, considering that on the back cover of my Frontline Combat #10 (?) there's an ad for a cigarette case. You won't see that in comic books today.

 

I agree too about those "distractions." I highly recommed looking up some Matt Baker work. "Seven Seas" if you can afford it, or Sky Girl in "Jumbo Comics" for more reasonably priced entertainment.

[OldGuy]

Of the topic of comic books, check out this cigarette add! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3213504595&category=45

 

Cancer?! From a cigarette?! But my Dr. recommended them!

[PovertyRow]

god knows what will happen when I got my hands on that pre-code horror book Pov promised to send me.

 

Sorry Arty - got delayed a bit. But it will go out by the weekend.

 

Jumbo - they have great covers but you MAY find the stories a bit dense word-wise. They folks sure knew how to pack a lot of text in a little area!

[PovertyRow]

Hey Hk! If this weekend is less crazed than the past couple of weeks I will be scanning some interior pages with "story highlights" you may find ... err ... interesting.

[hammer-migration]

ALL RIGHT!!!! A Thread that I can finally, REALLY sink my fangs into!! Benching Out!!! Oh BOY!! Well, on my last chest day, I decided to forego flat benching and start out with incline dumbell presses for my first exercise because I had maxed out 515 for 4 reps last week and the rotators were still not feeling 100% after a 10 second struggle to lock out the fourth rep (especially since I did triceps that day as well and used reverse grip benches 3 sets of 4 reps with 365). So I......

.....oh! The thread is BRANCHING out, not Benching out!!!! Merde!

Never mind.

[COI]

Why were you working your triceps on the same day as your chest? You should be doing chest/biceps one day and Lats/triceps on the other! Come on Man!!! It's a wonder you got so big!!