Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 117: Atlas/Marvel Science Fiction & Horror Comics!

 

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 102

April 1956 Part II

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Mystery Tales #40

Cover by Carl Burgos

"The Hidden Land!" (a: Manny Stallman) ★★

"A Warning Voice!" (a: Vic Carrabotta) ★

"Crossroads of Destiny!" (a: Jim Mooney) ★1/2

"Sammy's Secret!" (a: Werner Roth) ★★

"The Silent Stranger" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★1/2

"March Has 32 Days" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★1/2

In the mediocre "The Hidden Land," an accountant discovers the secret behind the success of his billionaire boss when he stumbles upon the tycoon's powerful ring. When he dons the ring, the numbers man suddenly feels an odd feeling flow through him and realizes he too can make a billion bucks. But, upon reflection, our hero decides the pressure and misery aren't worth the riches. "The Hidden Land!" isn't horrible (and it's got some interesting Stallman penciling), but it's not very believable. If you had a special ring that enabled you to become rich and powerful, would you leave it lying around on your desk for anyone to steal?

Stop me if you've heard this one: Sgt. Harmon is heading back from a two-year stint in Germany, worried if his precocious young son will remember him, when "A Warning Voice!" rings out in his head: "Watch Out! Watch Out!" Thanks to the mysterious messages, Harmon avoids death at several different points. Once home, he discovers the voice is emanating from his son's record player. In "Crossroads of Destiny," a dedicated scientist spurns the woman who loves him in order to perfect his bizarre "time machine." This gizmo doesn't just travel backward and forward but also hypothesizes what might have been! Rather than use the machine for the greater good of mankind (such as going back to the moment Bill Belichick decided to give up on Tom Brady), our hero ultimately learns that the greatest gift is the love of a hot brunette and returns to his girlfriend.

"Sammy's Secret!" is that he can fly like a bird, but Sammy actually has another secret, one even he didn't know about. He's actually from the planet Venus and was left behind years before (as a toddler) on an "exploring survey." No one questions the head of Venus as to why you'd take a little kid on an excursion to another world but, obviously, Venus does things a little differently than we do. In "The Silent Stranger," the residents of Bradford Valley have had it bad lately. The furniture factories have all closed and the town is out of work. What to do? Abigail Denton prays for a solution in front of the statue of long-dead ancestor (and Bradford Valley pilgrim) John Denton, and suddenly a silent stranger arrives in town to motivate the citizens to regroup and reopen the factories and... voila!... Bradford is back in business. But who was "The Silent Stranger"? You have to ask?

Scientists discuss the amazing phenomenon that has just occurred. All are in agreement that the March just ending lasted 32 days, but how? On March 31st, bridge inspector John Billings found himself with two choices: final inspection of the brand new bridge or see his wife off at the airport. Dedicated to the one he loves, John headed to the airport and then sat in horror as he heard the news of the bridge collapse on his drive home. Swearing he'd do it all differently if given the chance, John finds himself reliving the 31st of March. But will John make the right choice this time? "March Has 32 Days" is disposable fun, but don't think about it very much (how do the scientists know there was a 32nd of March?). Ditko's art is making this journey worthwhile again.-Peter

Mystic #46

Cover by Sol Brodsky

"The Mysterious Stranger" (a: Art Peddy) ★1/2

"We Interrupt This Program!" (a: Don Heck) ★★

"The Secret of the Key That Lived!" (a: Mort Drucker?) ★

"The Man Who Found Himself!" (a: Jim Mooney) ★★

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

"For Whom the Sun Shines" (a: Bob Forgione & Jack Abel) ★

"The Mysterious Stranger" ambles into Fowler Junction one night, determined to help out the poor young man held in the town's jail. Seems the prisoner is accused of stealing a gold statue from the town's museum and a jury will surely find him guilty of the crime. The mysterious stranger acts as the accused's lawyer and gets him off, explaining that every man should get a fair trial. There's a strong, atmospheric splash but this one goes downhill from there. The twist, revealing the stranger's true identity, is clumsily handled when the exonerated young man reads the hotel's registration book and sees the name Diogenes.

Space visitors are after an atomic engine invented by Steve Carson. Are the aliens friendly or seeking the destruction of Earth? "We Interrupt This Program!" is notable only for its above-average Don Heck graphics. Heck's name became synonymous with "hack artist" thanks mostly to an infamous Comics Journal interview with Harlan Ellison, where the reliably big-mouthed writer called Heck "the worst artist in comics." The truth is, Heck's superhero stuff was the pits, but his fantasy work for the Atlas and Marvel titles is just fine, thank you. It's certainly more detailed and tolerable than a half-dozen other artists who were working in the Atlas bullpen at the time. Change my mind.

"The Secret of the Key That Lived!" is a ludicrous quickie about a scientist who stumbles upon a key that talks to him and persuades him to do really naughty things. Abner Barlow is "The Man Who Found Himself!" And just in time, to be perfectly frank. Abner is working for pennies at a company he almost single-handedly keeps in the black; his neighbors keep borrowing yard equipment they never return and his wife is starting to lose faith in her husband. Luckily, Abner's "good angel" comes down from above to right these wrongs and put the man back on track. A perfectly average fantasy tale with perfectly average artwork.

Matt envies anyone who has more money than he does, despite the fact that he has the love of a good wife and two spoiled-rotten little children. While moping in a cafe, Matt meets a strange man who promises him that he can find the treasure he's been seeking if he dons "The Magic Shoes!" and follows a handy treasure map. Somewhat skeptical, Matt pops the shoes on and, per the stranger's instructions, calls his address out loud. Amazingly, Matt finds himself back home!

Following the map, Matt spends three months away from the old lady and brats and is transported to Mt. Kilimanjaro, Cuba, and the Amazon. At each stop is another map pointing to the next destination. Exhausted, Mat finally gives in and transports himself to a brothel in Queens right back home again, where he discovers the greatest treasure of all: smiling Karen and the mini-mes. If Stan were still alive, I'd send him the bill for a mouth full of cavities; this is some of the most sentimental and predictable tripe we've stumbled on so far. I will say that Andru and Esposito manage to rein in all the bad habits they were known for in the 1950s and turn in a solid job.

When her sister suddenly passes away, Cathleen Gardner is thrilled to accept her nephew Buddy into her house. Cathleen's husband Avery is none too happy with his new housemate until Cathy explains that her sister was loaded and the lawyer will be calling soon to elaborate on the estate. Suddenly, Avery is all smiles. But the sunshine doesn't last and, one day, Cathleen receives a letter from the lawyer explaining that the wrong child was sent to the Gardners! Buddy explains that his name is really Danny and he kept his mouth shut because the Gardners seemed so nice at first. However, Danny's got a list of complaints about the recent atmosphere.

A bit miffed, the Gardners take Danny back to the orphanage, explaining that they can't afford another mouth to feed. As they exit the building, they're aware that black clouds and rain are following them. When they get home, they notice the paint is peeling, the carpet is moldy, and John Agar movies are constantly playing on the TV. Suddenly, an epiphany hits both like a right cross and they realize they miss Danny with all their hearts. They race back to the orphanage, somehow convince the director they are fit parents after dumping the kid twenty minutes before, and bring Danny back home. A few hours later, a knock at the door brings even better news: the real Buddy has been located and is on their doorstep, ready for a new life. "Heaven has truly opened for us," enthuses the bi-polar Cathleen.

If "For Whom the Sun Shines" weren't so blatantly stupid, it would be offensive. Never before nor since has there been an about-face like that of the Gardners, a couple who were one step away from burying a hatchet in the kid's head and hiding him behind a brick wall in the basement. A little rain and an unvarnished coffee table is all it takes in the New Atlas World to transform a heartless monster into a loving guardian. Well, unless (s)he's a Commie.-Peter

Spellbound #27

Cover by Carl Burgos & Sol Brodsky (?)

"Trapped in a Mirage" (a: Bob Forgione & Jack Abel) ★★

"Doubting Thomas!" (a: Joe Maneely) ★1/2

"Where There's a Will!" (a: John Romita) ★★

"He Saved the Earth" (a: Joe Sinnott) ★★1/2

"The Man Who Lost Tomorrow" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★★

"The Day the Earth Stopped Turning!" (a: John Forte) ★1/2

While visiting Egypt, Carl Drake sets off by camel to explore the desert and study the stars. He suddenly finds himself "Trapped in a Mirage" where he is back in Ancient Cairo. Prevented from leaving, he sees that it is 955 A.D. and recalls that the people went wild on New Year's Day of 956, when an eclipse blocked the sun. Fortunately, the next day is New Year's, and Carl escapes during the confusion. He returns to his own time but can't explain why his pack now contains fresh bread, wine, and fruit that can't be bought in modern Cairo.

We've read variations of this story many times before, but Forgione and Abel turn in a solid job on the art. What bugged me is the modern date on the Egyptian calendar. There's no way it would have read "955 A.D.," but maybe that's part of the magic of a mirage.

On a park bench, a well-dressed man asks the man sitting next to him why he's laughing and the man shows him a newspaper headline about a new, giant telescope that could determine if there's life on Mars. The two men argue about whether it's reasonable to suspect that life exists on the Red Planet, until the well-dressed man suggests that Martians do exist and can disappear at will. He then disappears before the other man's eyes! The man runs around trying to tell everyone he meets about the Martian, but no believes the former "Doubting Thomas!" and he knows he has learned his lesson.

Three pages is hardly enough space for Joe Maneely to do much with this story, especially when it's mostly comprised of two men sitting on a park bench, talking to each other.

Jerry Wallace inherits a house from his Uncle Fred, moves in, and finds that he's very happy and his paintings are better than ever. He becomes rich, marries a beautiful girl, and buys lots of modern gadgets, all of which attract freeloaders. Soon, he's no longer happy and his paintings are lousy. Jerry realizes that his uncle's instructions were to cherish the house, so he gets rid of the modern gadgets, treats his wife better, and soon he's happy again and his paintings are good.

A really dumb story can be elevated by good art, and John Romita makes "Where There's a Will!" bearable. He signs his name on the mailbox outside the house, which is a cute touch, and Jerry smokes a pipe in many panels, something I think of as a Romita touch.

Young Johnny runs to the barn to call his pop to supper but finds Dad slumped against a post. Johnny hears a whirring sound and Dad perks up; the lad suspects that his father has been replaced and runs and hides. Later, he peers through a window and sees his dad slump forward when his mom leaves the room. Johnny thinks of his train set and the transformer that makes the trains go. He looks around outside the house, digs up a metal box, destroys it, and his dad suddenly seems like himself again. In Outer Space, aliens give up on their plan to control the human race by turning people into robots and Johnny never knows that "He Saved the Earth."

I'm harsh on these Atlas stories, so when one surprises me, I have to give credit where credit is due. I thought that we were heading in a Body Snatchers direction, but having Johnny make the mental connection between his train transformer and what was happening to his dad was not something I expected. I also like Sinnott's art here, especially the purple, big-toothed aliens.

Stefan Bruchok deserts his army in the Balkans in 1945 and runs to an old house, where he asks a very old man to hide him. Thirsty Stefan notices three bottles on the mantel and the old man warns him not to drink from them, since they contain magic potions: one sends you into the past, one sends you into the future, and one makes you live forever. The old man says he's drunk the water of life and lived there for 300 years. Stefan freely drinks from the third bottle but it's a trick--it's the water that sends you to the past!

Stefan is transported to the year 1830, where he is once again a soldier fighting on the losing side. He deserts again and makes his way to the old man's house. This time he intends to drink the water that will send him back to 1945 but he mistakenly drinks the water of life and is sentenced to prison for desertion!

I don't enjoy Ed Winiarski's art but the twists and turns of "The Man Who Lost Tomorrow" kept me engaged, a rarity in a story written by Carl Wessler. It would have been better to find a way to end it by having Stefan sentenced to life in prison, though; as it is, he's only stuck in the past until he's released from the clink.

An Eskimo woman named Akana Migoo asks her husband Nimo to fix the wooden pole that holds up her clothesline. Suddenly, the wind snaps the pole! All around the world, ships go off course and planes land in the wrong place. Unexpectedly (or expectedly, since this is a post-code Atlas comic), no one gets hurt; on the contrary, peoples' lives improve! It seems the world stopped turning for some strange reason. Nimo repairs the pole and the world resumes turning. Why? It was the North Pole.

Cue the wah-wah music for the dopey end to this insipid tale. Forte's art looks pretty good, but...the North Pole? Seriously?-Jack

Strange Stories of Suspense #8

Cover by Bill Everett

"The Strange Crew of the Pegasus" 

(a: Al Williamson & Gray Morrow) ★1/2

"Don't Cross Your Bridges!" (a: Manny Stallman) ★★

"Super-Salesman" (a: Jay Scott Pike and John Forte[?]) ★★

"The Man Who Knew Too Much" (a: Mac Pakula) ★★

"Blind Alley" (a: Ed Moore) ★★1/2

"Thumbs Down for the Gladiator" (a: Bob Powell) ★1/2

Captain Conrad is such a tyrant that no one will come aboard his ship as crewmen. He needs to sail in the morning to keep his ship, so he's pleasantly surprised when several tourists agree to act as his crew. The ship sets sail, but the next morning the captain finds himself alone. The ship emerges from gloomy dark into daylight and is hailed as the first Earth vessel to be brought to Jupiter.

Carl Wessler's stories often make little sense, but "The Strange Crew of the Pegasus" makes no sense at all. The tourists sign on and then disappear. The captain pilots the ship alone for days. It heads to a circle of light in the darkness and emerges on Jupiter. How? Where did the crew get to? Even the usually reliable Williamson and Morrow can't make much of this three-page turkey.

Two young couples on vacation come to a bridge, where an old man tells them that the toll to cross is one true smile from the heart. The foursome have no trouble smiling and cross the bridge to find a natural paradise. Naturally, they decide to buy it cheaply and sell lots to make a profit, but they begin to quarrel and, when they return a week later, they are unable to smile from their hearts and thus cannot cross. They realize that they need to shed their selfish behavior if they hope to return.

"Don't Cross Your Bridges!" is another poor story with a sappy moral. The most interesting aspect is the way Stallman draws one of the women. She has short blonde hair and glasses and wears either zany socks or knee-high pink boots. She doesn't look like most mid-'50s comic women.

A "Super-Salesman" named Johnny Fry gets a trial run at selling a new vanishing cream, only to discover that the people who make it are aliens with sagging skin and the cream makes those who apply it to their flesh disappear and reappear on another planet, where they will be subjects for study. Johnny tricks the aliens by selling them vanishing cream labeled as cream to help sagging skin; they all disappear back to their own planet!

Pike and Forte (?) do a fair job with the art and make this story a tad more fun than it should be. Tale after tale, people turn out to be aliens! There were so many of them slinking around in the 1950s.

Victor Wyatt's new novel is rejected by publisher after publisher for being too imaginative. Finally, he finds an obscure publisher who buys it and says it's a hit! Victor receives bags of fan letters and a check for $5000 but can't find a copy in any bookstore. Finally, the publisher meets him at the airport to fly him to go on a lecture tour, only the tour is on Neptune! That's where the book is selling and the publisher remarks that it's amazing that Victor knows so much about the other planet, since he's never been there.

I was waiting for the big reveal in "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and I wasn't disappointed. Yes, the book was selling to aliens! The publisher is an alien! What else would it be at this point? Mac Pakula's art isn't bad but there's not a lot for him to work with here.

Two psychologists laugh about the limited intelligence of a guinea pig in a maze but are put through a series of mazes of their own at a carnival. Little do they know that the mazes were constructed by...aliens...who fly home in a rocket ship and remark on the low I.Q. of humans.

Silly me, I was expecting the maze to have been set up by a giant guinea pig. When will I learn? It's always...aliens. Ed Moore's art is sharp in "Blind Alley" and he draws some cool maze panels. It takes nerve to steal the title of one of the most memorable comic stories of all time, but this isn't half bad.

A boxer named Tony Gladero is arrested for espionage and thrown in prison, where he dreams of a past life. In that earlier incarnation, he was a Roman gladiator who was arrested for espionage and jailed. He escaped and found the real guilty party. He wakes up and the same thing happens in the present.

"Thumbs Down for the Gladiator" manages to be both obvious and confusing, all in the space of four pages. I like Bob Powell's art but this time his characters' lips make them all look like fish.-Jack

Next Week...
Introducing New Love Interest
Policewoman Patricia Powell!

The Hitchcock Project-Six People, No Music by Richard Berg [4.13]

by Jack Seabrook

Arthur Roos, undertaker, comes home from work one evening and drinks two glasses of whiskey while his wife, Rhoda, makes dinner. As they eat, he tells her about an unusual thing that happened at work. Department store owner Stanton C. Baravale died the night before and was brought to Roos's mortuary in the morning. Arthur's apprentice, Thor, left to get a bite to eat and, while Roos was alone with the corpse, Baravale suddenly cleared his throat and sat up, having come back from the dead to provide instructions for his funeral. Not wanting his kids to spend more than was necessary, he told Roos that he wanted "'Six people, one car, no music, cheapest box you carry,'" wrote his instructions on a sheet of paper, and lied back down, dead. Arthur tells Rhoda that an elaborate funeral was ordered and, since he told no one about Baravale's temporary resurrection, Rhoda burns the paper with the instructions for the small funeral, and she and Arthur go out to the movies.

"The Damnedest Thing"
was first published here 

"The Damnedest Thing," a short story by Garson Kanin, was published in the February 1956 issue of Esquire. Only two pages long, it is a humorous anecdote where a greedy couple suppresses news of a miracle for financial gain. The story is a fantasy grounded in reality, and it was adapted for Alfred Hitchcock Presents by Richard Berg. The show aired on CBS on Sunday, January 4, 1959, and it was directed by Norman Lloyd.

The TV adaptation follows the short story closely but makes some changes in how it is told in order to take advantage of the visual medium. When Arthur, whose surname has been changed to Motherwell, begins to tell Rhoda what happened, the screen dissolves to a flashback, allowing events to unfold in real time rather than be related in conversation. The day's events are expanded to fill the half-hour time slot. Baravale's lawyer, Fulton Agnew, is waiting for Arthur when he arrives at the funeral home and they discuss having Arthur handle the large funeral. Humorous musical cues underscore the light touch.

John McGiver as Arthur Motherwell

A conversation with Thor, the apprentice, follows, in which the young man reminds his boss of a promise from five years ago to give Thor "'a piece of the business;'" as with anything involving money, the discussion is painful for Arthur. The tale is given a location, which was absent in the story, and is said to take place in Poughkeepsie, New York, a small city less than two hours north of New York City. The contrast between this small city and the overly serious approach to the funeral of the department store owner adds to the amusement in this episode.

Arthur takes a telephone call from Agnew, who lays out the elements of a large funeral and, after Arthur hangs up, Baravale clears his throat and props himself up on an elbow. At this point, the flashback is interrupted by a scene in Arthur's kitchen that reminds us that what we are seeing is the story that Arthur is telling Rhoda. Another dissolve leads back into the flashback, where Baravale is brusque and officious, used to bossing people around. He tells Arthur: "'Never push goods on people that they can't use. Secret of the department store business. But what they can use, load 'em up to the gills.'" This bit of economic advice is not in the short story and it guides what the revived corpse does next; his sense of thrift was so strong that it worked a miracle and brought Baravale back from the dead.

Peggy Cass as Rhoda Motherwell

"'Six people, no music, one car, and an unpainted pine box,'" he orders, and lies back down, dead, leaving Arthur to wander around the funeral home, despondently looking at the note Baravale wrote. Thor returns and reads Agnew's elaborate order out loud as Arthur winces, thinking of all of the money he will lose if he follows Baravale's post-mortem instructions. Arthur dismisses Thor without telling him what happened and, back at home, the flashback over, Arthur (not Rhoda, as in the short story) burns the paper and washes the ashes down the sink drain. They exit, arm in arm, to go to the movies, secure in their impending financial windfall.

Howard Smith as Stanton C. Baravale

"Six People, No Music" is an understated black comedy in which Arthur Motherwell's greed causes him to act dishonestly and cover up a miraculous resurrection. The show succeeds due to its casting; John McGiver is perfect as Arthur and Howard Smith is appropriately gruff as Baravale; their scene together is the show's high point. Director Norman Lloyd uses a light tough without allowing the episode to veer into broad comedy. McGiver has a slight resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock, with his slow, precise speech, round face, jowls, and bald head with wisps of hair; had Hitchcock been an actor, the role would have been a perfect fit.

Joby Baker as Thor

Richard Berg (1922-2009), who wrote the teleplay, went to Hollywood in 1942 to work as a dialogue coach but returned to the East Coast, where he ran an art supply store in Connecticut and wrote TV scripts in the evening. In 1957 he went back to Hollywood and, in the decades that followed, he became a prolific producer of TV movies and miniseries. He wrote for TV from 1955 to 1986 and was a producer from 1961 to 2000. This was the only episode of the Hitchcock series that he wrote.

The short story's author, Garson Kanin (1912-1999), made his debut on Broadway in 1933 as an actor and began directing Broadway plays in 1936. He also wrote plays from 1946 to 1974; his most famous was Born Yesterday (1946), which was also filmed. He wrote and directed films from 1938 to 1969, with a break to serve in the Army in WWII; he also wrote novels and short stories, as well as non-fiction. He was married to the actress Ruth Gordon from 1942 to 1985 and this is the only episode of the Hitchcock series to be based on one of his works.

Wilton Graff as Fulton Agnew

Norman Lloyd (1914-2021), the director, was one of the people most responsible for the success and quality of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Born Norman Perlmutter and active in the theater in the 1930s, he had a long career as a film and television actor, from 1939 to 2015, and appeared in Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942) and Spellbound (1945). He also directed for television from 1951 to 1984. He acted in five episodes of the Hitchcock series and directed 22, including "Man from the South."

Joseph Hamilton

Arthur is played by John McGiver (1913-1975), an actor with a face and voice like no other, except perhaps Alfred Hitchcock. Funny in a deadpan way, he was born in New York City and began his acting career in Irish Repertory Theater. He served in WWII and then worked as teacher, appearing in plays Off-Broadway before becoming a full-time actor in 1955. He had ten children and was on screen from 1955 to his death in 1975. He was seen on Alfred Hitchcock Presents twice (see ("Fatal Figures") and also appeared on The Twilight Zone twice.

Peggy Cass (1924-1999) plays Arthur's wife, Rhoda. She acted on Broadway from 1949 to 1985 and won a Tony Award in 1957. She was on screen from 1950 to 1997 and was a regular on the soap opera, The Doctors, from 1978 to 1979, but she is best remembered today for her appearances on TV game shows, especially To Tell the Truth, where she was a regular panelist from 1960 to 1978.

In smaller roles:

• Howard Smith (1893-1968) as Stanton C. Baravale; he was on Broadway from 1917 to 1964, on screen from 1918 to 1967, and on radio beginning in 1928; he was a member of Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre and had a role in The War of the Worlds. He served in the infantry in WWI and appeared on The Twilight Zone twice (he was the boss in "A Stop at Willoughby"), but this was his only role on the Hitchcock series.
• Joby Baker (1934- ) as Thor; he was born in Montreal and had a career on TV and in film from 1952 to 1984. He was on the Hitchcock show four times, including "Madame Mystery,"  had a regular role on the series Good Morning, World (1967-1968), and later had a career as a painter, as shown here.
• Wilton Graff (1903-1969) as the lawyer, Fulton Agnew; he was on Broadway from 1933 to 1941 and on screen from 1939 to 1964. He also appeared in two other episodes of the Hitchcock show, including "Death of a Cop."
• Joseph Hamilton (1899-1965) has a brief appearance as a funeral home worker; he started in vaudeville as a teenager and then appeared in local theater for decades before embarking on a career on the big and small screens that lasted from 1954 to 1965. He appeared on The Twilight Zone and in five episodes of the Hitchcock show, including "The Five-Forty Eight."

Read "The Damnedest Thing" online here, watch the TV version here, or order the DVD here. Read the GenreSnaps review here.

Sources:

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

Galactic Central, www.philsp.com/.

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

IBDB, www.ibdb.com.

IMDb, www.imdb.com.

Kanin, Garson. "The Damnedest Thing." Esquire, Feb. 1956, pp. 63-64.

"Six People, No Music." Alfred Hitchcock Presents, season 4, episode 13, CBS, 4 January 1959.

Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.org.

Listen to Al Sjoerdsma discuss "One More Mile to Go" here!

In two weeks: "The Waxwork," starring Barry Nelson!

Batman in the 1960s Issue 27: May/June 1964

 

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

Moldoff

Batman #163

"Bat-Girl--Batwoman II!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Chic Stone & Charles Paris

"The Joker Jury!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Charles Paris

Alfred takes a break from dusting the Bat-Phone and types out his latest imaginary adventure, "Bat-Girl--Batwoman II!" In the future, the second Batman and Robin team have been fighting crime for a while when Kathy Kane's niece Betty returns from spending several years in Europe, where her father was sent on business. Betty sees Kathy looking at her old Batwoman costume and decides to take over for her aunt.

That evening, while Dick Grayson (Batman II) and Bruce Wayne Jr. (Robin II) are out of town, Bruce Wayne Sr. dons his Bat-Suit and responds to the Bat-Signal for old times' sake. Commissioner Gordon informs him that Milo, the underworld inventor, is out of prison "'and planning to sell gangland bosses some sensational machines for crime!'" Batman tracks down Milo, who captures the Caped Crusader with a flying mechanical hand. Batwoman II appears and helps free Batman, but his cowl gets caught on a roof shingle and he is unmasked before her.

Meanwhile, Batman II and Robin II get back and start searching for Bruce and Betty, who are at an old baseball stadium, observing Milo's sales pitch to the gathered bosses. Batman and Batwoman II are quickly captured and it takes some help from Batman II and Robin II to set things right again. Back at the Batcave, Betty plants a big kiss on the lips of Dick Grayson, now that she knows he used to be Robin and is now Batman II.

I like Alfred's imaginary tales and I like Batwoman and Bat-Girl, but this story is less entertaining than some of the ones we've read previously. There's not as much sighing and romance-comic silliness, for one thing. Chic Stone's pencils don't look much different than those of Sheldon Moldoff, perhaps because they're both inked by Charles Paris.

Out of prison yet again, the Joker successfully eludes the police, after committing a crime, by dumping a load of bricks from a public works department truck in their path. This inspires him to use Gotham City departments as the basis for future misdeeds. First comes the theft of jewels from the Gotham City International Fair by means of a giant vacuum cleaner stolen from the sanitation department; Robin is sucked into the bag and Batman must rescue him, allowing the Joker to escape.

Next comes a payroll robbery at the site where a new highway is being constructed; Batman and Robin manage to foil this one but the Joker escapes. Following a clue, Batman and Robin find the Joker's hideout at a castle outside Gotham City. The Joker catches them and puts Batman on trial before "The Joker Jury!" He's found guilty of interfering with the commission of crimes, but he and Robin quickly escape the Joker's prison.

The Joker tries to rob a charity benefit being held in honor of Batman, but the Dynamic Duo quickly put an end to his plans and soon he's back in jail.

I prefer the old version of the Joker that we see here to the more recent, homicidal version. This Joker is in it for the cash and he's not trying to kill everyone in sight. He also does a lot less philosophizing.-Jack

Peter-While the content of 'tec #327 (discussed below) semi-sorta reflects Julius Schwartz's "New Look" policy, this issue decidedly does not. I was hoping this "New Look" would include the banning of the inane series of "Imaginary Alfred Tales" but, alas, that was not to be. Truthfully, there are so many pairs of heroes and imagi-heroes running around in this strip, I couldn't keep track of whose cousin was whose son. The Joker story, while equally juvenile, at least tickled my funny bone. The highlight had to be when the insane clown promised Batman he could be heard in court and then banged his gavel after four words, insisting that "the jury heard you!" Classic Joker.

Infantino/Giella

Detective Comics #327

"The Mystery of the Menacing Mask!"

Story by John Broome

Art by Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella

What's the problem with Gotham Village that half of the city's politicians want the borough razed? Well, it might be the fact that most of Gotham's tenth-tier villains (the guys who have lame monikers) are hiding out somewhere within the village. 

Batman and Robin are interested in the controversy for two reasons: one, Bruce Wayne is on a committee to explore alternatives to destroying this atmospheric section of Gotham, and two, the two are tracking a deadly new criminal, Frank Fenton, who has tagged the Duo's foreheads with a red "X" that allows the evil mastermind to flip a switch and render them paralyzed. Their search for Fenton led them to the village.

In the end, they discover that Fenton is part of a gang of thieves who have taken advantage of an underground hideaway, built by a baddie known only as "Smiler." This perpetually grinning businessman rents sub-street space as a semi-resort for hoods on the lam. There they can take advantage of pool tables, a movie theater (showing only crime classics!), and an assortment of illegal paraphernalia. Batman and Robin burst into the country club to bust Fenton, wearing lead-lined headgear to ward off the paralyzer ray, and arrest the hideout's manager as well. When unmasked, Smiler is revealed to be politician Roland Meacham, Gotham's most outspoken defender of Gotham Village. Well, now we all know why he didn't want it torn down!

"Mystery of the Menacing Mask" is the first story to fall under the "New Look" label, but don't expect many startling changes. Outside of the art, that is. Infantino/Giella will never give Neal Adams a run for his money, but it sure beats the hell out of Moldy and Paris. I'll admit the script is a tad more sophisticated (it certainly is more wordy) than the inanity we've become used to in the 1960s, but it's not, by any stretch, groundbreaking. It doesn't include aliens or other-dimensional bat-dwarves, but it does have the usual outlandish gizmos and nattily-dressed hoods. But, hey, it's a start. This issue also kicks off the Gardner Fox/Infantino Elongated Man back-up that will run through #383 (January 1969). We've decided to avoid covering the back-ups here, but I will say that the first installment is certainly more entertaining, well-written, and more eye-pleasing than any of the abysmal Martian Manhunter episodes we covered. Ralph Dibny's continuing search for respect (or at least someone on Earth who recognizes him) is a hilarious change of pace.-Peter

Jack-From the banner on the cover announcing the "New Look" to the last page of the Elongated Man story, this issue is a feast for the eyes and a breath of fresh air. A true landmark, it seems like Batman and Robin have suddenly jumped from the kiddie land of the 1950s right into the fast-changing world of the 1960s; in the background of one panel depicting Gotham Village, a sign advertises "Cafe Weird," where I imagine beatniks are snapping their fingers in time to spoken poetry. Infantino uses the same dynamic layouts he had been using for several years in Flash comics, with long, skinny panels and floating heads accompanying captions. It may not be at the level of O'Neill and Adams quite yet, but it's a great leap forward from what we've been reading. This issue includes a letters page, something missing from prior issues of Detective; perhaps the influence of Marvel can be felt in the new attention to the fans.

Moldoff/Giella

Batman #164

"Two-Way Gem Caper!"

Story by Ed Herron

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

"Batman's Great Face-Saving Feat!"

Story by Ed Herron

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

A folk-singing group called the Hootenanny Hotshots is coming to Gotham, and Dick Grayson is practicing his guitar playing and singing in hopes of joining them onstage! Bruce shows off the new elevator to the Batcave, the new sports car-like Batmobile, and the new tunnel out of the Batcave. Elsewhere, the bus carrying the Hotshots into town is detoured by a crook who has planned a big job near where they are scheduled to appear; he doesn't want a folk-music-loving crowd to spoil his plans.

A strip of nails in the road stops the bus by causing four flat tires. Batman and Robin arrive but are prevented from following the crook when their hands get trapped in a network of wires painted to look like brush in a thicket. That evening, the crook, calling himself Dabblo, visits the Gotham Square Museum, and uses distraction to make off with a million-dollar pearl. He escapes in a bullet-proof car.

Batman shows Robin the Batmobile's new telephone and Commissioner Gordon calls to report Dabblo's last known whereabouts. The Dynamic Duo locate the hood and Batman is nearly killed in a fall. They discover the crook's secret hideout and some quick fisticuffs end the menace and rescue the pearl. In the end, the Hootenanny Hotshots sing a song in honor of Batman and Robin.

Joe Giella's inks sure make a difference with Moldoff's pencils, but the underlying layouts and the characters' faces haven't changed much from when Paris was the inker. Still, "Two-Way Gem Caper!" does continue the New Look in that it introduces various new gizmos and a sleek, sporty Batmobile. Little by little, the comics are getting closer to the world that will be depicted in the TV show, just two years away.

The Mystery Analysts of Gotham City is a club of experts who solve mysteries, including Batman. P.I. Hugh Rankin applies for membership based on his success in uncovering what Batman looks like under his mask! He brings in a dummy in a Batman costume and whips off its mask to reveal a balding man who looks nothing like Bruce Wayne. Batman then removes his own mask to show that he looks just like the dummy! Rankin's admission to the club seems certain, until an anonymous member blackballs him.

Back at Stately Wayne Manor, Bruce tells Dick that he voted no on Rankin's application, since he was wrong about what Batman looked like under his mask. Bruce then tells a long, wordy tale about "Batman's Great Face-Saving Feat!" Batman had been working with Rankin to foil a gang called the Trapeze Ten and he realized that Rankin was doing various sneaky things to try to figure out what the Caped Crusader looked like under his mask. Batman misled Rankin, whose dummy's face looked nothing like Bruce.

Giella can do only so much with another badly-penciled story, and there's very little of the New Look in evidence here. The story itself is terrible and goes on much too long.-Jack

Peter-That Bruce Wayne is a genius, using Dick's caterwauling (folk singing) to mask the sound of construction. Seriously though, how smart can your teen partner be if he never heard any of the drilling, digging, and blasting it took to make the new Batcave exit? And, while we're on the subject, who did Bruce hire to help dig? Superman? The Hootenannys were probably out of a job just a couple months later when the British Invasion overtook the States. "Batman's Great Face-Shaver!" taught me a serious lesson: do not read Ed Herron-scripted Bat adventures when you're tired. I had to start this one several times before I could finish it and I still can't figure out why Bats went to so much trouble to help Rankin.

Infantino/Giella

Detective Comics #328

"Gotham Gang Line-Up!"

Story by Bill Finger

Art by Sheldon Moldoff & Joe Giella

While the Dynamic Duo are elsewhere, on another mission with Superman, Butler Supreme Alfred takes a call from Commissioner Gordon, notifying him that the Tri-State Gang is holding a meeting somewhere in Gotham. Knowing that this signals a very big event on the horizon, Alfred combs the Bat-Computer for clues and up pops the name of Paul Pardee. Alfred hops on the Butler-Bike and heads to Pardee's home, arriving just in time to see the crook pulling out of his driveway. The manservant gives chase on his moped.

Later that day, with another Earth-saving episode behind them, Batman and Robin arrive home at Stately Wayne Manor to discover both Gordon's urgent plea and Alfred's detailed case notes. They hop in the Batmobile and arrive swiftly at Pardee's swanky pad, only to find it empty, with no butler in sight. Knowing Alfred is possibly the second-best detective in the world, Batman puts on his infra-red headlights and picks up Alfred's trail (his moped's tires are treated with a special "infra-red chemical"). That trail leads them to the deserted Gotham Prison.

Inside, the hoods are watching the approach of the Batmobile and the Caped Crusaders walk right into their trap. Later, our wobbly heroes stand in a line-up while each of the gang's decorated hoods explains why he should be the party responsible for the execution of Batman and Robin. Nattily-dressed Duke wins the contest by explaining how his own brother was sent up the river by the Caped Creep and Dunder-Boy. Duke rubs his hands together, tells his friends how much he'll enjoy this, and gets ready to kill DC's cash cows.

One of his colleagues reminds Duke that their big heist is about to go down and they're on a time schedule. The costumed clowns will have to wait until later. As the gang is heading for the exit, Batman reminds them that a condemned man is always granted a final wish. His would be to learn what the big heist is all about. "Sure! No way you can stop us now!" exclaims the world's stupidest criminal, as he relates the details of the plot: the gang has discovered a secret pirate map that leads its owner to a buried treasure on the outskirts of Colonial City. 

Batman and Robin are then locked in a cell and told they're not the first prisoners taken today (hint, hint: that must be Alfred he's talking about!) and, once the gang gets back, all three will die a slow death. Using Houdini's "famous handcuff-escape trick," Batman frees himself and Robin and they ponder how to get out of the cell. Robin looks to the sky and fondly remembers a previous adventure where Batman turned one of his socks into a kite and flew it out their prison window until help came along. Lacking a window, the Dark Knight decides to run a variation on that great escape.

Unraveling one of his (obviously sturdy) wool socks, he fashions a lasso and throws it over a radiator on the other side of the room. When their guard comes in to check his prisoners, the dope trips over the thread and cracks his head open. Batman grabs the cell keys from the man's pockets and opens the door. Meanwhile, in another room, Alfred manages to overpower his guard with a snazzy flick of his boot. Both parties head to each other's cells to find the doors open. Holy jump to conclusion! Alfred, Batman, and Robin all believe the worst and head out to Colonial City to avenge the death of their friend(s).

This has got to be real, no?

The boys meet up and are so happy to see each other that they almost forget they're there on a mission! While fighting the gang, Alfred has a boulder dropped on him and is seemingly killed! A frenzied and emotional Dynamic Duo kick gangster ass and then carry their deceased butler to the Batmobile. The next day, Dick and Bruce plan Alfred's funeral when the doorbell rings. Dick opens the door to find his Aunt Harriet, here to move in and take care of the boys after hearing of Alfred's death. Harriet gets to work on the dishes Alfred left in the sink while our heroes ponder how they'll keep their side job a secret from the new intruder.

After a semi-serious adventure last issue, Julius Schwartz obviously said "Screw it!" and tried to reach the same levels of idiocy as that of his predecessor. Everything about "Gotham Gang Line-Up!" screams camp, from the line-up scene to the prison escapes. There's actually a panel detailing how Alfred just missed seeing the Batmobile heading right by him, on its way to Colonial City. I mean, it's a simple mistake, right? Batmobiles were like VWs in 1964; everybody had one. Only time will tell how long Al will remain buried, but I can't wait to see how Julie and the boys write themselves out of this corner.

According to this site, Aunt Harriet was added by Schwartz because he felt there were "too many men living in Wayne Manor." One way to take that is that the editor didn't want another Wertham swooping in and crying "homosexual!" at the top of his voice; the other is that there simply needed to be a female point of view. Knowing comic book brass in the 1960s, I know which way I lean in this theory.-Peter

Jack-So much for the New Look! The only thing new about the people responsible for this dud is Joe Giella, and his inks can't make this worthwhile. I was happy to see Alfred get more involved but sad to see him seemingly killed. Most surprising of all was the appearance of Aunt Harriet, another piece of the puzzle being put together in anticipation of the TV show.

Next Week...
Any Hidden Gems Among
These 24 Fables?

Journey Into Strange Tales Issue 116: Atlas/Marvel Science Fiction & Horror Comics

 

The Marvel/Atlas 
Horror Comics

Part 101

April 1956 Part I

by Peter Enfantino

and Jack Seabrook

Astonishing #48

Cover by Carl Burgos (?) & Bill Everett (?)

"It Happened at Midnight!" (a: Bill Benulis) ★1/2

"One of Our Ships is Missing!" (a: Bill Everett) ★★1/2

"The Man Behind the Mask!" (a: John Forte) ★

"The Thing in the Box!" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★

"There's No Tomorrow" (a: Bob Powell) ★★

(r: Tomb of Darkness #17)

"When Ends the Dream!" (a: Jay Scott Pike) ★

Fantasy writer Randy Clarke types up a fanciful tale of a man assaulted and kidnapped by aliens, but he doesn't quite know how to put a bow on the climax (sounds like Randy Clarke might have been one of Stephen King's pseudonyms!). Allowing the outcome to be murky and deciding the reader can supply the details, Clarke heads out to mail the manuscript and is kidnapped by... you guessed it, aliens. Now Randy has a better climax! 

With the decision by the powers-that-be to cut the script pages to three or four from here on out (at least until the big purge hits, two years down the road), the onus settles even more firmly on Atlas's stable of artists. Ideas were hard enough to gel within five or six pages of story length; try hatching something in three pages. "It Happened at Midnight!" suffers due to that malady, but even more so from a dearth of fresh ideas. There's only so much excitement Bill Benulis can illustrate when the story is a bunch of talking heads.

All across the globe, vehicles of transportation disappear into thin air. What's the story? Turns out the King of Mars had the cars, boats, trains, and a bicycle teleported to the Red Planet for the amusement of his son. The Prince selects the bike and all the other vehicles are returned to Earth. The previous owner of the bike is happy to find a bag of gold on his porch the next morning. A cute little fantasy, "One of Our Ships is Missing!" also benefits from three pages of gorgeous Everett penciling.

In "The Man Behind the Mask," the poor people of a small village are gifted blankets, food, and money to buy essentials by a mysterious man in a scary mask. Good fortune comes to the hidden gift-giver when the shoe is on the other foot and morals are taught to the tiny audience who still buy Astonishing. A double dose of dull as John Forte's scratchy pencils are just as unsatisfying as the maudlin script. Equally awful is "The Thing in the Box!" A small treasure chest makes its way from sea to shining sea, picked up by all manner of despicable characters. Whenever the box is opened, the man holding it gasps in fear and tosses it right back into the water. When a kindly boy finds it washed up on the beach, he opens it and finds... a mirror. More phony morality.

Captain Blackheart's crew are the victims of a very predictable disaster in "There's No Tomorrow." Blackheart's pirates hijack a ship and kidnap an old fortune teller. The captain asks for his fortune and receives news he's not happy with. There's a decent twist in the tail and Bob Powell's old hags are always fun to look at. "When Ends the Dream!" is an overly complicated fantasy about three sailors who find themselves shipwrecked on an island that is actually a multi-dimensional portal. A mediocre climax to a mediocre issue.-Peter

Journey Into Mystery #33

Cover by Sol Brodsky & Carl Burgos

"The Flame That Burned a Thousand Years!"

(a: Manny Stallman) ★★

"There'll Be Some Changes Made" (a: Steve Ditko) ★★★

"The Fabulous Traveler!" (a: Chuck Miller) ★★

"The Meddler!" (a: Bill Benulis) ★

"The Man Who Had No Friends!" 

(a: Al Williamson & Gray Morrow[?]) ★★

"Footprints From Nowhere!" (a: Ed Winiarski) ★★1/2

Flint Wentworth finds a unique relic in an antique shop, a small incense burner that glows brightly; the shop owner explains that it is "The Flame That Burned a Thousand Years!" Flint pays a steep price for the item, but the shop owner explains that Flint must keep the fire burning as long as he owns the bowl or else he will have bad luck.

Flint being Flint, he decides he's not going to feed the flame and, as the fire dims, bad luck arrives in many forms. Realizing he'd better get with the program, Flint reignites the flame and good luck arrives at his door! There's not much sense to a man paying two hundred bucks (in terms a comic fan might understand, that would be about how much Marvel paid its artists in a calendar year) for a burning bowl and then making it a point to extinguish the flame. This guy isn't just lazy; he makes it his goal to watch the fire go out! Well, I guess without his inane stance, there would be no story. But guess what, there is no story.

Warped genius Paul Haines creates a giant TV screen that can telecast events from the past. The best thing about it (besides the low cable bill) is that Paul can change the events occurring before him. So, he does what any dopey genius would do: he sets the way-back machine to when his great-great-great-etc.-grandfather, Cedric Haines, decided to blow his millions on trivial pursuits. As Cedric heads to the chest that holds his cash, Paul zaps the container and teleports it to the present day, only to discover it contains Continental currency, as worthless as the paper it's printed on. "Oh well," sighs Paul, "at least I learned a good moral lesson about the value of love vs. money (or something like that)."

"There'll Be Some Changes Made" is a very apt title for what became the first story Steve Ditko illustrated for Atlas/Marvel. Right from the get-go, you can see this guy had something extra. Every detail of every panel screams "weird and eerie!" If only the CCA had not popped up to rein in what Steve could have wrought in these titles. In all, Ditko would illustrate 271 fantasy/horror stories for the Atlas titles.

"The Fabulous Traveler!" has an intriguing set-up: Bill Fleming finds a book in the library detailing the flora and fauna of Mars and takes it to a scientist friend, who claims it could only have been written by someone who actually had visited the red planet. Turns out the book accidentally found its way from a Jupiter-Venus library system. It's not really supposed to be on Earth! There's no explanation of how the book actually turned up at the library (UFO lands in the parking lot and drops off one book?) or why Bill's scientist buddy is so convinced only a space traveler could have detailed the plant life and canals on Mars when no one from Earth has actually landed there. Couldn't it just be someone writing a fanciful tale? 

In "The Meddler," a scientist perfects a pill that puts its user into suspended animation but makes a fatal mistake when he stores the bottle of pills in his medicine cabinet next to his sleeping tablets. Yep, the dolt swallows some pills and wakes up hundreds of years in the future to an aggressive scientific community that wants no part of him or the past. But, good news, it was all a dream! Yeesh! 

"The Man Who Had No Friends!" is a bit better, thanks to atmospheric art by Williamson and Morrow. A pirate ship takes on a new crew member who doesn't cotton to raping and pillaging and lets his captain know of his growing disdain. This was Morrow's first work for Atlas (he'd do a total of 22 stories through 1957), and the first of three he'd collaborate with Williamson on. Williamson, fresh off a stellar stint with EC, would appear 33 times, usually inked by Roy Krenkel or Ralph Mayo. In the sendoff story this issue, "Footprints from Nowhere," the first men to land on the moon find footprints leading to... a wrecked spaceship! Despite the weak graphics from Winiarski, this science fiction tale is not bad at all and has a good shock ending.-Peter

Journey Into Unknown Worlds #44

Cover by Sol Brodsky

"Someone is Waiting!" (a: Bob Forgione) ★★1/2

"Where the Dinosaurs Roam" (a: Bob Powell) ★★

"The Blue Men!" (a: John Forte) ★1/2

"The Wrong World!" (a: Carl Burgos) ★

"Enchanted Town!" (a: Joe Orlando) ★★

"They Come By Night" (a: Paul Reinman) ★1/2

A pair of scientists named Lanner and Dunbar make contact with intelligent life on another planet and build a rocket ship to make the one-way trip from Earth. Lanner kills Dunbar and travels alone, only to discover that the planet is inhabited by robots, leaving him the sole human there, unable to return home.

The sudden murder is a surprise and doesn't make a lot of sense, other than to make Lanner a less sympathetic character. Forgione's art on "Someone is Waiting!" is not bad and has a '60s DC look to it.

Having never read any fiction by Ray Bradbury, Mr. Pruw signs on with Time Safari, Inc., to go back to a time "Where the Dinosaurs Roam" and hunt a T-Rex. He kills the giant beast but objects when his guide spots two other dinos and feels like he's supposed to kill them. When the duo return to the present, they discover that the failure to kill the last two dinosaurs meant that dinosaurs did not become extinct and still roam the planet.

The uncredited writer adds insult to injury by plagiarizing the setup of "A Sense of Wonder" and then tacking a dumb ending onto it. The last panel shows the dinos wandering around amidst futuristic buildings, so humans must have evolved alongside the dinos. It doesn't make much sense.

Morgan is a test pilot who takes a new super jet for a ride and seems to land on the moon, where he encounters "The Blue Men!" After a tussle, he sees that he's on a movie set and returns to base. He goes to every space movie for months but never sees the blue men; he does not realize that he was really on the moon and stumbled into a movie being filmed there by its inhabitants.

Haven't we seen this plot before? John Forte's art can get pretty stiff at times.

Uod and his wife, a Martian couple, land on Earth in disguise and befriend an Earth couple at a charity bridge game. The Martians invite their new friends over to their home for another game and abduct them, but on the way to Mars, the ship's controls get stuck and they head straight for Pluto, where the Earthlings turn out to be Plutonians who thought that they were abducting an Earth couple.

I was intrigued to see a story drawn by Carl Burgos, but text and art are awful. Fortunately, "The Wrong World!" is only three pages long.

Arbor Haven truly is an "Enchanted Town!" Each man who approaches it sees something different. Clive, a composer, sees castles and palaces, while David perceives it as an Arabian Market Place, with danger lurking in every street. Those who are turned off leave, but Clive stays, marries Linda, and lives happily in a castle.

As Peter noted, now that the stories are three or four pages long, the quality of the art is key. Joe Orlando makes this slight tale as enjoyable as it can be, despite the lack of any semblance of plot or suspense.

Harsh words promising conquest are broadcast over the airwaves, but no one knows where they're coming from. A TV receiver is built and the speaker turns out to be Julius Caesar, preaching domination from the distant past. Everyone is calm, thinking the receiver picked up events that happened long ago. That's just what the people of Mars wanted to happen--Earthmen will be lulled into complacency prior to the invasion!

"They Come By Night" is another example of Carl Wessler rehashing old plot points he's used before. Fortunately, Paul Reinman's art bounces back after last month's dreadful "Take a Giant Step."-Jack

Marvel Tales #145

Cover by Sol Brodsky

"Run All the Way" (a: Paul Reinman) ★★

"Philander's Last Performance" (a: Al Hartley) ★★1/2

"No Turning Back" (a: John Forte) ★★

"This Never-Ending Dream" (a: Dick Ayers) ★1/2

"The Last of Angus Merriwell" (a: Jim Mooney) ★★

"The Machine That Ruled!" (a: Bob Powell) ★★1/2

Greg reads in a 1930 newspaper that Pharaoh Amon Hatok was buried in a pyramid with a fortune in gold and gems. Greg loves Helene Bixby, but her father won't let her wed a man who is not rich, so Greg heads to Egypt to find the hidden wealth. Entering the pyramid, he finds a secret passageway that leads to a surprise: the pharaoh is very much alive and living in a chamber where he has found the secret of eternal life! Greg escapes, ignoring the pharaoh's warning that it will take him 25 years to find his way out of the pyramid. He emerges, thinking it's only been 24 hours, but when he gets home, he discovers that his girlfriend Helene now has a grown daughter and 25 years have passed!

"Run All the Way" may only be four pages long, but it contains enough confusion for a story of at least, oh, five pages. If 25 years have passed, why didn't Greg age? What did he eat and drink while he was stuck in the maze for 25 years? Where did he relieve himself? And most puzzling of all, why does the final panel tell us it's 1953 which, if my math is correct, is not 25 years after 1930, the date given in the first panel? Paul Reinman's art is  shaky again; not as good as in "They Come By Night" but not as bad as in "Take a Giant Step."

The great magician Phil Philander disappoints his public by retiring. They dog his every step until he agrees to give "Philander's Last Performance." Before the eyes of the crowd gathered in a hotel lobby, Phil fades away into nothingness.

Philander's Last Performance may be anti-climactic, but Al Hartley's art is impressive, especially his work on the magician's face. The panel reproduced here may be a photo swipe, but it looks good.

Joe Simpson is a shy, lonely guy who wishes he'd find a shy girl. On Mars, Ogu is a shy, beautiful blonde who has no one to love. One day, Joe volunteers to take a one-way trip to Mars, hoping to find the girl of his dreams. Sadly, Ogu volunteered for a one-way trip to Earth, and the two will keep pining away and never meet.

I was kind of hoping that Joe and Ogu would find each other. Curse you, uncredited writer! My heart is broken again.

Steve Marlin, sailor, has "The Never-Ending Dream" while working on a ship. He keeps seeing men dressed in green togas, welcoming him. When he's swept overboard by a wave, Steve plummets to the ocean floor, where he meets a bearded patriarch who explains that Steve is descended from the people of...wait for it...Atlantis.

Raise your hand if you didn't guess Atlantis right away. Is this your first post-code Atlas comic? All is forgiven. Reading Atlas post-code comics is like "This Never-Ending Dream" in a way, except there are no men in green togas to welcome us at the end.

Angus Merriwell is a lonely man who wishes he had friends. One day, picnicking in the mountains, he meets a group of wee folk who call themselves Hokies and welcome him. After whiling away the afternoon bowling with them, Angus says he must head back to town, and the Hokies offer him a choice: stay with them or take a bag of gold. Angus chooses the gold and, when he gets back to town, he discovers that everyone is suddenly his friend. Realizing they're only after his newfound wealth, Angus flees to the mountains and rejoins the Hokies.

Jim Mooney is a reliable, if unexciting, artist, and "The Last of Angus Merriwell" contains no surprises, except for the last panel, where Angus rejoins the Hokies and is suddenly their size. The story may be set in either the Blue Ridge or Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, where Virginia Tech students are known as Hokies.

Fred plans to fire employees at his factory and replace them with machines, but when he is suddenly catapulted into a future world where a computer is in charge and no one can think for themselves, he has a change of heart.

Bob Powell elevates this issue of Marvel Tales with four pages of above-average art in "The Machine That Ruled," a story that, once again, contains little to surprise. The big computer that runs the future society is referred to as a "giant calculator."

I really like Brodsky's cover and wish some of the exciting scenes pictured were as interesting in the interior stories.-Jack

Next Week...
Will the "New Look"
Save Batman?