Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 133: Atlas/Marvel Horror and Science Fiction Comics!

 

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 118

September 1956 Part I

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Adventure into Mystery #3

Cover by Bill Everett

"Next Stop Eternity!" (a: George Roussos) ★

(r: Giant-Size Chillers #1)

"Good-Bye Forever!" (a: Joe Maneely) ★1/2

(r: Chamber of Chills #17)

"Bedlam" (a: Paul Reinman) ★★

"A World Gone Mad!" (r: Jim Mooney) ★

(r: Fear #26)

"When the Time Comes!" (a: Bill Ely) ★1/2

"Behind The Locked Door..." (a: Howard O'Donnell) ★

"Next Stop Eternity!" opens Adventure Into Mystery #3 with a heaping helping of schmaltz. Bus driver Bill Walsh is in love with Jennie but she has eyes only for "the stranger," a handsome bloke who seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Bill wishes the guy would disappear.

One night, while the stranger is riding Bill's bus, the vehicle breaks down in the middle of a driving rainstorm. The stranger exits the vehicle and heads for a nearby station... a station Bill knows should not be there! When the stranger never shows his face in town again, the authorities question Bill, since everyone knew Bill had a thing for Jennie before love found other options. Cleared of all wrongdoing, Bill drives his route again and is amazed when Jennie boards his bus. 

Jennie rides that route for decades, looking for any sign of her vanished lover, and finally hits pay dirt when the station appears one stormy night. Bill watches, downtrodden, as the now old and wrinkled Jennie is reunited with the stranger. The years melt from her face and a smile forms. Bill harrumphs and rides on. Eye-rollingly bland, "Next Stop Eternity!" offers no solutions to the mystery (to be fair, the title of the comic book is Adventure Into... not Answers to...) nor rational behavior. How would the police begin an investigation into a guy who has no name? Does Jennie know his name or does she coo "Oh, stranger... you send me!" in his ear?

Inventor Hugo Valgon deliberately destroys his Valgon Ray Activator™ at the risk of death at the hands of his Commie bosses. Why? Good question. One day, while monkeying around with his VRA™, Valgon accidentally plugs a tube in the wrong slot and... presto!... he's transported to a world of splendor and peace. There he meets the gorgeous and scantily-clad Risa Skara and falls madly in love with the girl. When he asks her father for Risa's hand, Pop turns him down due to Hugo's small bank account.

Determined to prove to Pop Skara that he can provide for Risa, Hugo makes a return trip to Earth and returns to Barsoom with a fleet of Air Force jets and militia arms. Dad goes mad and begins bombing runs, alarming Hugo and convincing him that the arms must be destroyed. Task accomplished, Hugo bids Risa a fond fare thee well and heads back to Earth to destroy his VRA™. When his colonel hears Hugo's sad story, he vows to cover up the destruction of the big gizmo and fight for peace in a Communist world. 

What a load of crap. Though this is hackmeister Wessler at the helm, you can smell Stan's brand of "America--Love Her or Leave Her" politics all over "Good-Bye Forever!" The watering-down of the CCA doesn't help either. The transformation of Colonel Yubek from Red, child-eating monster to olive branch extending Ghandi in a handful of panels is one for the ages. I love how Valgon whines about his future dad-in-law using the materials he brought to impress him to wage war. If he's so concerned about peace in paradise, why pack grenades?! Maneely's a name I always welcome on a strip but this isn't Joe's best work. It looks rushed and lacks the usual Maneely dynamics.

Explorer Eric Lamont stumbles upon a handful of aliens while doing what he does in a South American jungle and begs the little guys to come back with him and bask in the glow of adulation sure to come to outer space visitors. The strangers politely decline, citing the color (yellow) and texture (smooth and silky) of their skin. They believe Earthlings would not take kindly to the intrusion and, to prove their point, they transform Eric into a mirror image of themselves and give him a week to prove them wrong. As expected, the ensuing "Bedlam" causes the aliens to cut their trip short and head back to Pluto. Eric sighs and wishes he'd gone to Colonel Yubek instead.

Returning home from a hard day at the office, Ed Wilson bemoans the fact that nothing ever happens on Maple Street. Then, much to his surprise, a vicious dog approaches Ed on his porch. But Ed doesn't own a dog! When he knocks on the front door, Ed is amazed to find a big, burly man answering and he's sure that he's fallen into "A World Gone Mad!" Well, actually, it's the local kids playing pranks on Halloween night, changing the street signs and all. Obviously, Ed's not the brightest bulb in the box since he can't tell his own house from a neighbor's!

In the three-page "When the Time Comes," astronaut cadet Baker takes his first trip into space and has a hard time quelling his panic. The real panic comes when Baker exits the rocket ship and discovers the whole thing was a training exercise... he never left Earth! Not bad for a short-short but we've seen the twist a time or two. In the closer, "Behind the Locked Door...", pretty but shy Lana Cummings can't find romance but at least she's got her hobby: telepathy. Then one day, her sixth sense leads her into danger when she identifies a "Most Wanted" criminal. But happy endings are aplenty in 1956 Atlas funny books as Lana finds herself a man as a result. More romance comic fodder with banal graphics. One of the worst single issues of the post-code Atlas era... and that's saying something!-Peter

Astonishing #53

Cover by Bill Everett

"The Hidden Valley!" (a: Lou Morales) ★★

"There Were 3 Victims!" (a: Sid Greene) ★★

(r: Weird Wonder Tales #14)

"Trapped in the Tunnel!"  (a: John Forte) ★★

"The Hunter's Prey!" (a: Dave Berg) ★★

"Down in the Cellar!" (a: Ted Galindo) ★

"Build Me a Machine!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★★

Magazine photographer/journalist Todd Scott is obsessed with learning the secret behind the Manaos, a tribe that disappeared 1000 years ago. Heading high into the mountains of Tibet with his faithful manservant, Arnark, Scott stumbles upon a beautiful valley hidden between the tallest peaks.

When Scott and Aardvark head into the village, they are startled to find that every person there is frozen in time. "They've been stopped in time for 1000 years!" surmises the brilliant cameraman. Heading into a temple, Scott discovers a huge, powerful telescope aimed at the stars. When he looks through the lens, he finds the contraption is aimed at... Mars! Turns out that every 1000 years, Mars is close enough to Earth that we can contact its residents. Scott immediately realizes that it's been 1000 years and... holy cow!... he can contact Martians! He does so but the communication does not go as planned. Never fear, though, since this is a post-code Atlas story we know Scott will be just fine. "The Hidden Valley!" is not too bad a read; it's fanciful and Lou Morales's graphics are above-average for the post-codes.

In 1994, four escaped convicts hide out on the Galaxy, a space shuttle whose main route is between Earth and a new colony on Mars. The cons want to go to Mars and they threaten Captain Sutton with death if he does not comply. Sutton cites Rule #345/3902.4893 of the Spaceway Rules and Regulations: "No escaped felons allowed on Mars!" To show they mean business, the thugs start tossing Sutton's co-pilots out one-by-one until he's the only one left of the crew.

Sutton sighs and agrees with the cons' demand. Later, they land, but not on Mars. They're back on Earth! At the trial for the four murderers, Sutton testifies that his friends and colleagues were heartlessly tossed out the hatch but the defense lawyer claims that, since the Captain has no witnesses, he can't prove a thing. Sutton tells the judge he has witnesses and he'll bring them to court if he's given a few days. Time passes, the court adjourns, and Sutton's three co-pilots appear to testify. 

How did these guys survive their space ordeal? And how did the Galaxy make it back to Earth? Easy! The three men grabbed onto the ship's wings and turned her around! I can't make this stuff up, boys and girls! The craziest thing about "There Were 3 Victims!" is that writer Carl "Do You Want It Good Or Do You Want It For Your Funny Book?" Wessler doesn't even attempt to explain how these three astronauts avoided the pressures of space without spacesuits and made it back to Earth without food. Carl didn't even fall back on the "they were robots the whole time" chestnut. And that makes this nonsense supremely enjoyable. Sometimes it's alright to listen to the Bay City Rollers instead of Cream. Sid Greene's art makes it look like this was a strip that sat around since the early 1940s.

"Trapped in the Tunnel!" continues this issue's theme of "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance..." A crew of tunnel diggers constantly belittle their biggest grunt, Biff, because the guy can't get a girl. Biff heads home one night, cuts a picture out of a Hollywood magazine, and presents the clip as proof he's got a girlfriend. The others are wise to the charade and tease Biff even more. Just then, the ceiling of the tunnel begins to leak and the boys head for the elevator. 

The damned thing's stuck and they say their prayers. Suddenly, the elevator car appears, manned by Biff's "girl!" The boys are rescued and explain to a reporter about their savior. The paperman laughs and points at the empty elevator. When they produce the pic of Biff's girl, the journalist explains that the blonde is Janet Marlowe who died five years ago!!! This one just loads inanity atop ludicrosity and hopes no one will question its logic. I sure won't.

In "The Hunter's Prey!" two big game hunters are looking for water buffalo when they happen upon a mammoth! But those mammals are extinct, I hear you say. Well, the exposition comes in the final panels when an alien arrives just as the two gunmen are about to be trampled. Seems as though he accidentally let the big guy out of his interplanetary zoo cage. 

The Mercers have been trying to get rid of their rundown house for months but no one will buy it. Now there's a torrential downpour and the ceiling is leaking. The basement is flooded. Mary can't even run her hairdryer for fear she'll be electrocuted. Then their realtor calls to tell them a young couple wants to have a look. "What the hell?" exclaims Bob, "This place is a dump!" But the shack must hold some kind of charm, since the couple make an immediate cash offer and ask the Mercers to be out by end of day. Mercers gone, the new occupants take their clothes off and jump in the flooded basement. They're merpeople! Most of these three-pagers are inane and "Down in the Cellar!" is no exception.

A failing commie dictator (well, we're never told he's Russian, but this is a Stan Lee-edited strip written by Carl Wessler, so...) demands that his top scientist build him a time machine so he can travel back fifty years (armed with blueprints for deadly weapons such as H-bombs, jet fighters, and rap music) and be BMOC. Though the egghead warns the czar that there are flaws in the time travel theories, the despot demands success. Time machine built, the egotistical, warmongering madman heads back half a century into the past and comes out the other side as... a baby! The extraordinary work of Steve Ditko would be enough to make "Build Me a Machine!" one of the best yarns of 1956, but the script by Wessler is also a clever winner.-Peter

Journey Into Mystery #38

Cover by Sol Brodsky & Carl Burgos

"Stone Face!" (a: John Giunta) ★1/2

"Those Who Vanish!" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★1/2

"The Mystery of the Missing Man" (a: Bill Walton) ★

"The Box That Wouldn't Open!" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★

"The Secret of the Sargasso Sea!" (a: Bill Benulis) ★★

"The Sea Serpent!" (a: Ross Andru & Mike Esposito) ★1/2

Richard Dell, who runs a sideshow, buys a stone statute from a farmer whose plow uncovered it in a field. Dell displays "Stone Face!" but everyone thinks it's a fake. When Richard announces that he believes the stone man is real, it comes to life and turns everyone but Dell to stone. Distraught at what he has done, Richard announces that he no longer believes the creature is real, and it turns back to harmless stone.

The stone creature explains, in a long caption, that it's a dealer in black magic from a distant planet who was turned to stone and banished to Earth as punishment. How can we punish the writer and artist of this story for wasting the five minutes it took me to read it? I was certain that Dell would use a mirror to turn stony solid again, but no such luck.

After spending 20 years in the clink, Pete Arlen is free but without prospects. Near a pool called Chi-Ha-Nichi in Wyoming, he meets Chief Red Dust, an old Indian who claims that the water makes anyone who bathes in it 20 years younger. Since the chief says he's 104 but looks about 80, Pete buys the title to the pool for 25 bucks. In a nearby cafe, he meets Linda and Eddie and makes a nice profit by selling the title to the pool to Eddie for $3000. A few days later, Pete learns that not only are folks paying $500 each to bathe in the pool, it works! After a quick dip, "Those Who Vanish!" are sent back 20 years through a time warp and return looking younger. Pete decides to hop into the pool after everyone is gone, only to discover himself back in jail, twenty years before, once again starting his two-decade stint behind bars.

The GCD credits this story to Carl Wessler and I can believe it, since it makes twists and turns that don't make a whole lot of sense, and because the end is a flop. More impressive is the art by Ditko, who draws an impressive 80+-year-old Indian chief. Pete's face is a bit weird but Linda and Eddie look like they could have stepped out of a Spider-Man comic less than 10 years later.

Harvey Wilson wants to marry Gina and return to the States from the Middle East, but Gordon Dunbar holds an IOU from Harvey's gambling debts and threatens to show it to Gina if Harvey won't go along with his scheme to rob an old curio shop. That night, Harvey steals a small box from the shop and gives it to Gordon, warning him that he should throw it away due to scary noises Harvey heard in the shop. Instead, Harvey and Gordon visit Gina and, when Gordon enters a back room to open the box, a cry for help is heard. Harvey investigates and finds only the box, which the native shop owner quickly retrieves. Harvey and Gina agree to head for the U.S., while in the shop, the native proprietor adds a small figure to his shelf that looks just like Gordon.

The dreadful story in "The Mystery of the Missing Man" is matched by the dreadful art. Bill Walton should have stuck to basketball.

"The Box That Wouldn't Open!" is no better. Three hoods read in the paper that Dr. Neil Farr has made a discovery worth millions of dollars, so they break into his house, find him studying a metal box, and conclude that it must be valuable. They then do all they can to open it while he keeps popping pills. At Police HQ, Sgt. Dan Boyd has a hunch that the doc is in trouble, so he rushes to the house, then to a machine shop where the thugs have taken Farr and his box to try to pry it open. Boyd arrives and corners the thugs; Farr reveals that the box is empty and the pills are his great discovery, since they allow for thought communication.

Why is Captain Pearly Marston insistent on piloting his ship, which carries vital rocket fuel, into the whirlpool near the Sargasso Sea? Even he doesn't know. Once the ship reaches that sea, the crew find other ships that have ended up there. On one of them, the captain explains how he and his ship endured a similar fate. That night, Marston's crew report that the rocket fuel has suddenly vanished and, next thing they know, their ship is being towed to safety by... a rocket ship! It seems that the other ship on the Sargasso Sea was a rocket ship; it took the fuel from Marston's ship, headed out to space, and towed Pearly's vessel to safety. The art by Bill Benulis makes "The Secret of the Sargasso Sea!" worth reading; it doesn't hurt that it only lasts three pages.

It's funny how some of these stories can be elevated by quality art. Benulis, Ditko, Reinman (sometimes) and a few others were toiling for little money and no recognition, yet they turned out pages that still impress seven decades later.

Finally, in the "only at Atlas in the post-code years" comes "The Sea Serpent," which turns out to be a friend to humans and ships rather than a big, scaly monster. At this point in their career, Andru and Esposito draw art that is recognizably theirs but doesn't yet hit the excesses they would reach in the '60s and early '70s with bug-eyed characters. The best panels in this story are the ones with the sea serpent, which is actually pretty cool, at least until it turns into a Disney creature that uses its head to nudge ships out of trouble.-Jack

Journey Into Unknown Worlds #49

Cover by Russ Heath

"Invasion of the Metal Men!" (a: Joe Maneely) ★1/2

"I Am Nobody!" (a: John Forte) ★★

"The Moon for Sale!" (a: Robert Q. Sale) ★★

"Forever and Ever" (a: Kurt Schaffenberger) ★1/2

"The Man Who Never Was!" (a: Harry Lazarus) ★1/2

"Address Unknown!" (a: Vic Carrabotta) ★

After the "Invasion of the Metal Men!" gets underway in 1983, the robots attack the capital city and take over the government. Senate President Milford speaks to the gallery, announcing that the metal men come from another planet and have brain power equal to that of humans, as well as impenetrable bodies. "'No! That's wrong!'" yells Ned Webb, a young ham radio operator who is thereafter mocked by everyone for daring to disagree with the brilliant Milford. A week later, the onslaught of the metal men is suddenly stopped by Ned, who leads them into a lake, where they vanish (and rust?). Ned tells the senators that he figured out that the robots were being controlled by radio waves from outer space, so he got on their wavelength and took over. The senators take credit for Ned's success and he laments that "'I'm still a nothing.'"

It's not just Ned. Wessler's script is terrible and Maneely's art isn't much better. The story never really gets going and ends on one of those typical Wesslerian letdowns.

John Mason is an actor who hosts the popular TV true crime show called Booked. He is so worn out from all of his celebrity appearances that he is happy to accept an offer from a mysterious fat man who will send him to a parallel world where he is unknown. It only costs $10,000! John agrees and forks over the money. He walks into the parallel world, where he is happy to realize that "I Am Nobody!" Happy, that is, until he overhears a couple of spies plotting and karate chops the gun from one of their hands. The F.B.I. rush in and want to arrest John, thinking he's a spy too and not believing him when he says he's a famous actor. He runs off and returns to his original world, relieved to be famous.

John Forte's art always seems a bit wooden to me, but it is decent enough to match this silly story. I've reproduced a panel where the word balloon is supposed to point to the man in the hat but looks like it points to the screaming teenaged girl.

Despite having been swindled before, Herman Doakes can't resist responding to an ad offering to sell lots on the moon for a dollar. He borrows a buck from his skeptical friend John, mails it off to P.O. Box X, and waits, his faith unshaken. Soon, a moon man knocks at his door to tell Herman that he now owns the whole moon because he was the only person who responded to the ad. As a result of his faith, he will run the moon men's business when Earthlings conquer space travel.

"The Moon for Sale!" contains no surprises, since anyone who has read more than a handful of Atlas comic book stories knows from page one that the ad will turn out to be legit by page four. The moon man is yellow with black spots all over his head and he wears a red turtleneck. I guess it was hard to keep coming up with interesting designs for alien creatures.

After his spaceship suddenly explodes on a trip to Venus, an astronaut is cast into the vast reaches of space, where he is lucky to be picked up by the space version of the Flying Dutchman. Kurt Schaffenberger's cartoony visuals are the only thing that makes this three-pager worth a look.

Two years ago, while on a picnic with Bess, his fiance, Vic Marshall was sucked up into a tornado and deposited in the year 1654 after passing through a time warp! He met and married Angela and they had a son. All was well until another tornado tossed Vic back into 1956, where he discovers that he is his own descendant. Fortunately, another tornado is on the way to return him to 1654.

If the GCD didn't credit this story to Carl Wessler, we wouldn't have much trouble identifying the author, since (as usual) the twists and turns never quite make sense. It's like a plot developed by Yogi Berra. The art by Harry Lazarus is serviceable.

When a young couple from Venus and their baby son mysteriously appear in Alex Gordon's barn, the farmer must fend off an angry mob. The GCD editor suggests that Ross Andru may have done some work on this story, which is signed by Vic Carrabotta; I've reproduced a panel here that could be the work of Ross the boss.-Jack

Next Week...
Nope, that's not Peter griping
about mediocre Bat-comics, it's
the latest Penguin epic!

Batman in the 1960s Issue 43: January/February 1967

 

The Caped Crusader in the 1960s
by Jack Seabrook
& Peter Enfantino

Infantino/Anderson

Detective Comics #359

"The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Carmine Infantino & Sid Greene

Barbara Gordon sews up a fabulous costume for the Policeman's Masquerade Ball and then hops in her convertible to get to the gig. En route she happens upon the Moth-men attempting to kidnap sexy playboy bachelor millionaire Bruce Wayne. She takes advantage of her Judo expertise and launches into the fray while Bruce slinks away to look for a convenient place to change into his work clothes.

Transformation complete, Wayne emerges from the woods as Batman (though no one questions the coincidence) just as Babs (who has announced to the world that she is to be known as... Batgirl!) is trapped in a cage of silk. Batman kicks the Moth-men in the rear and they fly away, leaving the Dark Knight to unravel his sexy new ally. When prompted, Batgirl refuses to divulge her secret identity and the two part friends.

The next day, Babs is back in the stacks of Gotham Library (her day job) and the excitement of the battle the night before is tugging at her... insides. Meanwhile, Bruce and Dick are having a lavish breakfast of flapjacks, egg whites, toast, and extra-caffeinated coffee while discussing the letter Wayne got from Mothman. Seems that Bruce Wayne will be roughed up in the near future unless he pays one hundred grand. The note gives Bruce an idea and he and Dick suit up and visit nine other millionaires in the area. All nine have received the letter and already paid. Bruce Wayne does not negotiate with terrorists!

Alfred is instructed to deliver a "F**k You" letter to Mothy and then settles down for a lengthy hibernation at Wayne Manor, hoping Mothman will take the bait. After a few days, Babs gets itchy, missing action, and decides this is a perfect time to deliver that rare first edition of Bay Psalm Book (which, we are told by Gardner, sold in 1947 for $150,000!) to Bruce Wayne. She arrives just in time to see Mothman murder Bruce!

Babs performs a quick change into her fight gear and throws back the door, confronting Moth and his henchmen. A grand kerfuffle ensues and, in the shadows, Batman and Robin watch the girl fight with a passion. When Mothy delivers a knock-out punch and he and his crew exit the Manor, Batgirl awakens to find the Dynamic Duo standing over her. The boys explain that they planted a life-like replica of Bruce Wayne to convince Mothman he'd killed the real deal. Batgirl begins to cry like a girl, thinking she's fumbled the ball. Robin tells her to cheer up as he's planted a tracer on the Mothmobile (just in case a gigantic four-wheeled moth managed to slip under the radar) and now he and Bats are going to make tracks. Batgirl pleads her case to accompany them but they tell her this is a man's job (ignoring the fact that Robin is twelve years old) and she should get back to washing the Bat-dishes.

Furious about the rebuff, Babs heads out anyway. And good that she does as, once they've followed Mothman to his Lepidopteral Lair, the Dynamic Dunderheads fall into a Moth-trap and face a sure death. Batgirl helps them to escape and locate the hiding Killer Moth (Moth had somehow gotten some of Babs's perfume on his costume and she "scented" him down) and deliver the whole bunch to police. When she asks Bats if he's glad she followed along, he tells her he could have gotten himself and Robin out of their jam but that she's easy on the eye. He'll let her know if they ever need help again. Babs Gordon goes back to the library, awaiting the call.

Peter: It took six years but we finally got a "landmark" issue. All involved elevated their game to deliver one of the better adventures of the 1960s. Sure, the plot is microwaved but the fun is in the details. Batgirl being Gordon's daughter is brilliant and, twenty years on, delivers one of the biggest gut punches ever in funny book history. Legend is that Bat-editor Julius Schwartz was tasked to deliver a female counterpart to Batman in the comics that could later be utilized in the TV show. That incarnation (in the form of actress Yvonne Craig) is easily the most familiar and became, along with Diana Rigg's Emma Peel, the number one fantasy of teen boys in the late 1960s. The comic book version was less successful and meandered along for decades before being brutally incapacitated in Alan Moore's The Killing Joke and then rebooted in the 1990s for No Man's Land. We covered Batgirl's so-so solo gigs when we tackled Batman in the 1970s.

That presto change-o panel leads me to believe that Babs Gordon gave a lot of serious thought to this Batgirl gig, perhaps more than she was letting on in her thought balloons. I only have one question about the efficient and lean construction of the suit: when she reverses her handbag to form her utility belt, does she simply dump her compress, lipstick, eye shadow, nail polish, eye liner, and other misc. chick necessities into a nearby bush and go back for them later or does the make-up bric-a-brac transform as well into weapons?

I like nicknames just like the next guy but Dominoed Dare-Doll just doesn't roll off the tongue like "Caped Crusader." How about The Dark Dame or, in keeping with 1960s societal ignorance, The Dynamic Dishwasher? It's hard to believe that sexism was so ingrained in the culture that Batman and Robin would dismiss the new heroine so cruelly. The Big Guy doesn't even admit she was all that useful in their rescue, explaining that he already had an escape route mapped out in his head when she stumbled in. Babs will return very soon.

Jack: Yes, it's a landmark issue, but I thought the writing and art seemed rushed in spots, like Fox and co. had to get this on the stands quickly. I like the layout of the big panel you reproduced where Batgirl gets dressed; it's in line with other examples of Infantino's inventive page designs. The overall character design is great and I love her motorcycle, but I don't love the way Batman and Robin condescend to Batgirl. I must admit that it wasn't till I was an adult that I realized the TV Batgirl was wearing a wig! I never made the connection between Yvonne Craig's short haircut and Batgirl's flowing locks.

Infantino/Giella

The Brave and the Bold #69

"War of the Cosmic Avenger"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Win Mortimer

The citizens of Gotham City are shocked to see that Batman is being held captive in a "weird metallic bat figurine." Police tools are not sufficient to free him, so Batman summons Green Lantern, who uses a beam from his power ring to release Batman from the trap. Minutes later, Green Lantern is flying home when he encounters Batman in his Whirlybat, flying home from upstate and knowing nothing about the metallic trap. The heroes assume that the fake Batman was created by the Time Commander in order to steal energy from the power ring.

Elsewhere, the Time Commander uses the stolen energy to summon a humanoid named Cosmo from the farthest reaches of outer space, but when Cosmo arrives, he's none too happy and attacks the Time Commander, who flees to a temporary time plane. Cosmo goes on a rampage and Batman and Green Lantern discover that the creature is searching for Dr. Carruthers, his creator, who is dead. The heroes find Dr. Carruthers, who is not dead, but is rather in a nursing home, having lost his memory. They return to the place where Cosmo is wreaking havoc and bring Dr. Carruthers. The Time Commander suddenly appears and grabs a "molecular reagent" from the scientist before it can be used to destroy Cosmo. Surprisingly, the old man decks the Time Commander with one punch!

It turns out that Batman was disguised as Carruthers. Once the real doctor shows up, he tosses a chemical at Cosmo and the creature disappears. Carruthers admits that the appearance of Batman and Green Lantern shocked him back to reality and he sent Cosmo back to limbo. Carruthers laments having to destroy his creation twice and hopes that someday the time will come for humanoids to live among us.

Peter: Right off the bat, I'm thinking, "with all the team-ups Batman has been a part of, he tells the Commish the only man who can help him now is the Green Lantern? What about Superman or Wonder Woman or Hawkman or even Robin? Well, ok, never mind Robin, I get it." Brilliant way to throw a seasoned veteran like myself off guard! I liked this sci-fi-heavy installment but the whole Cosmo thing threw me. Time Commander blathers on about the creature as if it's been around the DC Uni for years, but quick research tells me this was his one-and-done. Mortimer's art is not bad, but Cosmo comes off a bit sketchy and hurried. 

Jack: The story is titled "War of the Cosmic Avenger" and I guess that refers to Cosmo's rampage in and around Gotham. I also enjoyed this issue and thought it was fast-moving and pretty well drawn--somewhere between Moldoff and Infantino in quality. I flipped through the Time Commander's prior appearance in Brave and Bold #59 and saw no sign of Cosmo.

Infantino/Giella

Batman #189

"Fright of the Scarecrow!"

Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

As Dick Grayson is teaching boys how to climb a jungle gym in a Gotham City park, he happens to see a submarine approach along the river. The Scarecrow emerges! Bruce Wayne and Alfred the butler arrive in an ice cream truck to dispense treats to the boys, and Dick and Bruce quickly change into their Batman and Robin costumes in order to confront the Scarecrow, who is supervising two goons as they dig up bags of stolen loot that he had buried in the park.

Moldoff

From the nearby sub, a chemical spray causes the Dynamic Duo to be gripped with fear of falling, allowing the Scarecrow to escape with the bags of cash. After the spray wears off, they see clues written on the ground by the villain that read "Park Ark Mark." It's back to the Batcave, where some time with the Bat Computer reveals that Ark refers to a replica of Noah's Ark made for a movie and recently bought by Raymond Archer, whose testimony helped send the Scarecrow to jail. Rushing to the ark, Batman and Robin encounter the Scarecrow once again, but he is waiting for them and uses black light vibrations to strike them blind. He locks them in a room and vamooses, but soon the door to the room opens to admit a panther and a cheetah! Though our heroes can't see, they manage to out-fight the big cats and escape.

They figure out the last clue, which refers to Jeremy Fall, a rich friend of Bruce Wayne's who keeps lots of cash on hand to give to charity. Batman and Robin race to his home and find the Scarecrow and his goons menacing the man; some quick fisticuffs end the menace.

From World's Finest #3

Peter: Only in Gotham would you hire Dick Grayson to be playground instructor for kids that are older than he. Only at DC would you assign the world's safest art team to provide graphics for a yarn starring one of the most macabre DC villains. Imagine "Fright of the Scarecrow!" laid out in four colors by Steve Ditko or even Carmine with an exceptional inker. What we get instead of horrific atmosphere is panels that elicit chuckles. You could have the most literate word balloons in funny book history, but they're for naught when surrounded by this stick-figure pap. What a waste. Still, there's that wonderful opening sequence; if you squint, you can see Doc Wertham on the playground bench taking notes.

Jack: Peter refers (I think) to the three-page summary of the Scarecrow's origin from World's Finest #3 (fall 1941), in which the Scarecrow starts out as a psychology professor who turns to a life of crime so he can have the respect of his colleagues and enough money to buy all the books he wants! Yes, this great villain is motivated by a love of buying books. I went back and read the original story and the recap follows it very closely. The original features striking Bob Kane art that is much more atmospheric than what we get from Moldoff.

Infantino/Giella

Detective Comics #360

"The Case of the Abbreviated Batman!"
Story by Gardner Fox

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

In court, listening to Batman on the witness stand putting him at the scene of the crime, Gunshy (pronounced Gun Shy) Barton watches the stenographer and muses that his criminal career would have been a success if only he'd learned an "abbreviated language" known only to Barton and his hoods. A new criminal is born!

Behind bars, Gunshy throws himself into "speed-writing" and quickly learns how to apply that to spoken words. Paroled thanks to "good behavior" (now we know how Riddler and Penguin do it!), Barton exits Gotham Pen not a rehabilitated but a rebooted criminal. He quickly assembles a band of nattily-dressed dimwits who somehow take to Gunshy's lessons in abbreviated talk. He hangs unrelated letters on his wall and teaches the dopes what they mean; HCB equals Here Comes Batman, etc. 

The Gunshy Gang then commits a series of brilliantly abbreviated heists until Batman and Robin interrupt their break-in of a medieval castle full of expensive junk. Immediately labeling them "The Alaphabet [sic]-Talking Gang," the Dynamic Duo use their fists to abbreviate the fight but the gang gets the better of them T.A.T.A (time and time again), eventually knocking the boys out and rolling them up in carpets, with an eye to delivering two dead bodies to Commissioner Gordon.

But our heroes prove to be hard to kill and they escape, engaging once again in fisticuffs with the "Alaphabet[sic]-Talking Gang" at their hide-out. Discovering that the WCD (World's Greatest Detective) has learned how to drown out his letter calls, Gunshy puts into operation a particularly deadly form of communication: SLA (Special Light Arrangement)! From a hidden room, Gunshy operates a panel that lights up certain letters of the alphabet in order to relay his messages to his boys. (No, I'm serious!) When Batman finds the switch to turn off the SLA, Gunshy turns to yet another method: a "cream-puff gun" which splats a letter on the ceiling. Batman, realizing at about the same time as his readers that this battle has waged about ten pages longer than it should have, whips out his own "cream-puff melter gun" and puts the kibosh on Gunshy's plans. Exhausted, Gunshy surrenders and GISOA (Gotham is saved once again).

Peter: Speaking frankly, I thought "The Case of the Abbreviated Batman" was a POS and I didn't LOL once. The only inspiration I derived is that I'm leaning toward abbreviating this entire review. Seriously, when the entire creative team takes the issue off and delivers such vapid, uninspired dross, why bother dissecting it? I'm sure I've probably labeled one of the previous 300 yarns we've binged "Worst Batman Story of the 1960s," but this is up there with the most dreadful. Especially coming on the heels of a big win the issue before.

I understand the gimmick is to deliver the message to your muscle faster and in code, but why talk code when there's no one else around? I would have deemed this parody, what with the sequence of Gunshy's elevating methods of relating abbreviations to his dummies and his sudden epiphany in court, but the whole thing seems so serious. Wouldn't you, as a hardened criminal, at some point abandon the subterfuge and just yell out the damn directions? I was waiting for the guy to stand on the sidelines with an etch-a-sketch when his cream-puff gun didn't work. ATOJCL (A tale only Jack could love!).

Jack: EICSI (even I couldn't stand it)! This is dreck. Moldoff and Giella phoned in the art and the story was so bad that I kept looking at the bottom right of each page to see how many more I had to read. Having a character say something in code requires each thing he says to be translated, thus using up more panels for a minimal story. It reminds me of the Go-Go Gophers--one of them would say something in gibberish and the other would translate it. At least they were well-drawn and funny!

Jack and Peter both agree a reassessment 
of the career of B'wana Beast should be
their next project!

Next Week...
More Ditko!

The Hitchcock Project-The Safe Place by Michael Hogan [3.36]

by Jack Seabrook

"The Safe Place" is based on a short story called "The Unsuspected," by Jay Wilson, which was first published in the February 8, 1958 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

The story concerns Mr. Piper, a 55-year-old bachelor who works as a senior bank teller at the New Amsterdam Trust Company. An affable man, Piper has a regular customer named George Manetti, who makes a living playing poker. Every Friday afternoon, Manetti withdraws between $5,000 and $15,000; every Monday morning, he deposits an amount that is often more than he withdrew. Over time, Piper begins to grow jealous of his younger customer and imagines killing the man in order to take his money and supplement his pension when he retires.

"The Unsuspected" was
first published here

Piper, who owns a small pistol, watches the people come and go at Manetti's apartment house, deciding that the murder he plans to commit carries few risks. He will keep the money in a safe deposit box and not spend it until after he retires. In order to solve the problem of what to do with the money between Friday evening, when he will kill Manetti and take his cash, and Monday morning, when the bank opens and he can put it in a safe deposit box, Piper decides that the safest place to put it is in his cash drawer at the bank, where it will go unnoticed among the other bills.

Two weeks later, Manetti withdraws $25,000 and, that evening at six o'clock, Piper rings his bell, claiming that he thinks he overpaid Manetti earlier that afternoon. Welcomed into his customer's apartment, Piper shoots Manetti twice and the sound of the gunshots is drowned out by the loud noise from western TV programs his neighbors are watching. Piper wears gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and, when he gets back to his own apartment, he calms his nerves with a drink. Manetti's death is reported in Sunday's paper and on Monday morning Piper hides the money he stole in his cash drawer at the bank.

Robert H. Harris as Piper

Detective Sergeant Henderson arrives and Piper is summoned to the office of Farnsworth, the bank's branch manager. Piper is interrogated and his boss defends him; the detective leaves, but Farnsworth is upset at the anticipated negative publicity and its effect on his chance at a promotion. Piper admits that Manetti's behavior made him slightly suspicious but, when the teller stands up for himself, Farnsworth fires him on the spot and orders another teller to clean out his drawer!

The reader realizes that, after the story ends, the stolen money will be discovered and this will lead to Piper's arrest for murder. "The Unsuspected" is an entertaining story where a haughty man ends up too clever for his own good.

The author, Jay Wilson, is credited with dozens of short stories in the FictionMags Index between 1937 and 1959. They appeared in both general fiction and pulp magazines, but this is the only one to be adapted for the screen.

Joanne Linville as Millie

"The Unsuspected" was adapted for Alfred Hitchcock Presents by Michael Hogan, in his only teleplay for the Hitchcock TV series. It was retitled "The Safe Place" and aired on CBS on Sunday, June 8, 1958. Hogan (1893-1977) was an English film actor from 1927 to 1935 who then became a film writer from 1935 to 1956. He had a couple of small acting roles on TV in the 1950s and wrote two TV shows; "The Safe Place" was his last credit. Hogan is best known as one of four credited writers on Hitchcock's film, Rebecca (1940). Patrick McGilligan writes that Hogan was known as an actor on a popular British radio series and that he and his wife were social friends with the Hitchcocks. He adds that Hogan worked with Philip MacDonald on a first draft of Rebecca.

"The Safe Place" expands the short story by adding new characters and situations, but the additions only serve to dilute the tale's effect. The show begins by introducing Henry Farnsworth, the brusque, no-nonsense branch manager of the bank, who doesn't respond to Piper's attempt at humor when they discuss a new account. Piper, who has no first name in the story, has been christened George, and he approaches a young clerk named Millie Manners to remind her that they have a date for lunch. Victor Mannet enters; his name has been changed for TV from the more ethnic George Manetti in the story. The scene between him and Piper is essentially the same as the one in the short story.

Phillip Pine as Manett

At noon, Piper's lunch date is threatened when Farnsworth gives Millie a stack of bonds to put in the vault. In order to keep their date, Piper grabs them from her and locks them in his cash drawer, which he calls as "'safe as Fort Knox'"--this early example of Piper putting something in the drawer familiarizes the viewer with the "safe place" of the show's title. A new scene follows, where George and Millie share lunch at a restaurant and discuss their age difference. Millie admits that she has heard from other women at the bank that Piper is eager to date them but is too old to be looking for a wife, unlike the younger men she might choose to date. Another new character is introduced in this scene when George's younger brother Fred enters the restaurant; he is tall, handsome, and charming, all characteristics that George lacks.

Jerry Paris as Fred

George is next seen at home in the evening, dressed in a robe and holding a brandy snifter. He fancies himself an eligible bachelor, despite his physical appearance as a stocky, balding, middle-aged man. A phone call with a woman named Barbara is interrupted by the arrival of Fred, who remarks on George's frequent dates. Fred reminds George that the older brother will soon retire and won't have the resources to maintain his lifestyle. Fred tries to talk his older brother into joining him in investing in a company that is in trouble, suggesting that George needs to begin planning for retirement. Admitting that purchasing fifty percent of the business would cost $10,000, Fred intimates that George could embezzle the money from the bank. Although he quickly dismisses the suggestion, George begins to muse that he might have succeeded in a life of crime. This leads him to think of Mannet and to consider robbing him and putting his money in a place where it would be safe for a few days. After Fred leaves, George ponders the idea.

Wendell Holmes as Farnsworth

Back at the bank, Mannet enters and withdraws $15,000; at home that evening, George telephones Fred to ask about the investment they had discussed, revealing that he is expecting a windfall. George soon arrives at Mannet's apartment and, when Victor takes out his money to count it, George pulls a gun and shoots him before taking the cash and leaving. On Monday morning, George hides the stolen money in his cash drawer before Martinson, another teller, remarks on George's cheerful mood and asks if he came into a fortune. George approaches Millie's desk, claiming that he has something important to ask her, but he is interrupted and summoned to Farnsworth's office.

George is briefly interrogated by Sgt. Henderson and Farnsworth states that Piper has "'been with the bank  for more than 30 years,'" suggesting that he is above reproach. The sergeant leaves and the subsequent exchange between George and the manager is similar to that in the short story. When Farnsworth tells Martinson to tally up the money in George's drawer, the music swells and George looks horrified as the screen fades to black. Piper has learned too late that neither his drawer nor the bank are quite the safe places he thought they were.

Robert Karnes as
Sgt. Henderson

When Michael Hogan adapted "The Unsuspected" for TV as "The Safe Place," he decided to expand the story by adding new characters and scenes, but the additions do not improve the tale. Casting is the biggest problem with this show. As George Piper, Robert H. Harris is not believable as a middle-aged man who has a series of young women that he seduces and disappoints. Jerry Paris is not believable as his brother; the two men could not look less alike and seem to be acting in different shows. Joanne Linville is somewhat pathetic as Millie, a dull young woman lured into dating an older man who offers her next to nothing. Fortunately, the supporting cast are all well-chosen, especially Phillip Pine as the slightly shady poker player, Victor Manett. Wendell Holmes is perfect as Farnsworth, the bank manager, and Robert Karnes makes the most of his brief scene as Sgt. Henderson. The show would probably work better with another actor playing Fred, with more scenes with Mannet, and with fewer scenes with Millie.

"The Safe Place" is directed by James Neilson (1909-1979), who had directed thirty-three episodes of Janet Dean, Registered Nurse in the 1954-1955 television season; that show's producer was Joan Harrison, who was also the producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and who probably brought Neilson along with her to her new assignment. This was the last of twelve episodes he would direct for the Hitchcock series, including "On the Nose." Neilson worked mostly in television from 1953 to 1973 and also made movies in the late 1950s and the 1960s, often for Disney.

Joel Mondeaux as
Martinson

Robert H. Harris (1911-1981) was born Robert Hurwitz and was only 47 years old when he played George Piper, a bank employee of more than 30 years who is nearing retirement. He began in Yiddish Theater and moved on to roles on Broadway before embarking on a screen career that lasted from 1948 to 1978. His special brand of creepiness can be seen in nine episodes of the Hitchcock show, including "The Dangerous People," and he was also on Thriller.

Joanne Linville (1928-2021) makes her only appearance on the Hitchcock TV show. She studied under Stella Adler and later taught at her academy; she appeared mostly on TV from 1956 to 2016, including guest starring roles on The Twilight Zone and Star Trek.

In smaller roles:

• Phillip Pine (1920-2006); although this was his only appearance on the Hitchcock show, he was seen in many films and TV shows from 1945 to 1990, including The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Star Trek. He also acted on Broadway from 1943 to 1954.
• Jerry Paris (1925-1986) was a busy character actor who is today better known as a director of TV sitcoms. He studied at the Actors Studio and served in the Navy in WWII before acting in films from 1949 to 1986 and on TV from 1951 to 1983. He had a recurring role on The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966, but his name is more familiar from his career as a director, which lasted from 1964 to 1986. He made two appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents; the other was "Whodunit."
• Wendell Holmes (1914-1962) started out in radio in the 1930s and had a screen career mostly on television from 1955 to 1962. He appeared on The Twilight Zone and in four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "The Twelve Hour Caper," which premiered 11 days after his death.
• Robert Karnes (1917-1979) had many small roles, often as a law enforcement officer, in a screen career that lasted from 1946 to 1980. He appeared in eight episodes of the Hitchcock show, including "Escape to Sonoita," and he was also on The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery and The Night Stalker.
• Joel Mondeaux (1920-2001) plays Martinson, who is promoted to head teller at the end of the show; he had a short screen career from 1956 to 1964 and this was his only role on the Hitchcock show.

Read "The Unsuspected" online here or watch "The Safe Place" online here. Order the DVD here. Read the GenreSnaps review of this episode here.

Sources:

The FICTIONMAGS Index, www.philsp.com/homeville/fmi/0start.htm.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. OTR Pub, 2001.

IMDb, www.imdb.com.

McGilligan, Patrick. Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light. ReganBooks, 2003. 229, 235.

"The Safe Place." Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 3, episode 36, CBS, 8 June 1958.

Stephensen-Payne, Phil. Galactic Central, www.philsp.com.

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.

Wilson, Jay. "The Unsuspected." Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories to Stay Awake By, Random House, 1971, 453-466.

Listen to Al Sjoerdsma discuss "The West Warlock Time Capsule" here!

In two weeks: "How to Get Rid of Your Wife," starring Bob Newhart!