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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 15, 2018 22:42:10 GMT -5
Another essential resource for the modern fan of old romance comics is Jacque Nodell's "Sequential Crush" blog: www.sequentialcrush.com/.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 16, 2018 0:42:53 GMT -5
Another essential resource for the modern fan of old romance comics is Jacque Nodell's "Sequential Crush" blog: www.sequentialcrush.com/. Yeah, I looked at some of that in preparation for starting Charlton, looking for samples on the web (I never owned any Charlton romance comics) and you don't find much in the way of romance comic blogs, compared to superhero. I know there are some authorities out there, like Michelle Nolan, who has written a book on the subject.Check out the recommended titles there on Amazon, too. There are some anthologies of some of the material. There were some artists who were never comfortable or suited to superheroes, like Don Heck (who still did some good superhero work) who did fantastic work in the romance and western comics.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 17, 2018 21:16:58 GMT -5
Okay, I just lost two hours work in one click; so, let's try this again.... First, some mood music... YEEHAWwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! Saddle up, pardners, we're a-headin' west, where men were men, women were women and sometimes women were men and vice versa (it's documented!). Get ready for some six-gun blazin', two fisted swingin', schoolmarm savin', alien encounterin' (more later), Nazi fightin" (again, later) and Yeti stalkin' (later) action! In the 1940s, Westerns were all the rage. Westerns had been big business in print and film, since the dying days of the Old West. Cowboy heroes appeared in early silent films and in dime novels and the slicks. The pulps were filled with tales from Frederick Faust (under the pen name Max Brand) and Louis L'Amour; there were the novels of Zane Grey (Riders of the Purple Sage) and the epic films of John Ford and Howard Hawks, as well as the "oaters" from Poverty Row (Republic Studios and Monogram Pictures, among others). Cowboy stars spawned comic books and legendary lawmen, gunfighters and outlaws plied their trade in four-color stories. Charlton's first western appeared in 1948, Tim McCoy, based on the cowboy actor. McCoy had been a popular star in films, until 1936, when he left for other things, before coming back to the pictures. In 1942 he ran for the US Senate, in Wyoming, and lost, rejoining the US Army (well, he had maintained a reserve commission, but applied for active duty), where he was an Army Air Force liason officer in the European theater. Charlton's comic lasted only a few issues, probably due, in part, to the fact that McCoy wasn't making movies. McCoy was soon joined by Cowboy Western Comics, which picked up the numbering of Jack in the Box (Tim McCoy had picked up his numbering from Zoo Funnies). Cowboy Western lasted until issue #67, in 1958. It did have a brief interruption, in 1952, when it was retitled Space Western, in a western/sci-fi mash-up. Issue #44 contains the awesome story of Spurs Jackson, battling space Nazis... This gonzo story came from the typewriter of Walter Gibson, creator of the Shadow. It would have made an awesome movie serial! Charlton picked up a few titles from Fawcett, including Lash LaRue, Cowboy Love, and Six-Gun Heroes. Lash Larue lasted from issue 47 to 84, a run of about 7 years. Much of that material has been reprinted by AC Comics, in their Best of the West anthology and other comics. Six-Gun heroes lasted from 1954-1965, when it turned into Gunmaster, it's then-lead feature. Charlton also latched onto Davy Crockett fever and added some frontier titles. Davy petered out with the Crockett fad and Daniel Boone soon joined it, though he preceded the Fess Parker tv series (there were other Daniel Boone comics, though, including one from Quality Comics) Soon, Charlton had a bunch of westerns, from anthologies to solo series. Some of these lasted a few issues (Wild West had one issue only), some lasted for several years. The longest lasting titles came in around 1957, into the mid 60s and lasted into the 1970s and early 80s (in reprints, pretty much, by that point). These books were filled with great western stories, featuring art from Charlton stalwarts, like Nicholas and Alascia, Rocke Mastroserio, Pat Boyette, and even Sanho Kim. Other artists came along for a story or two, before picking up bigger paychecks. The biggest Charlton westerns, though, were solo books, featuring the heroes Kid Montana (later swapped around as the Montana Kid), Billy the Kid, Gunmaster, and the Cheyenne Kid. Kid Montana was often home to work from Pete Morisi, who even handled this tale, where Kid joins an expedition to find the Abonimable Snowman, in the Rocky Mountains (Must have emigrated from the Himalayas. Dern furriners comin' here and takin' Murican jobs from Sasquatches!)... The part of the yeti is played by Hillman's The Heap, a creature who Morisi was familiar with, having worked at Hillman, in his early days. Morisi was great for this kind of stuff, as he excelled at realistic action and adventure, even more than his excellent superhero work (Peter Cannon). He was a great storyteller, in the mode of Tuska and Toth. Even Bigger was Billy the Kid. Billy the Kid lasted from 1957 to 1983 and featured tremendous art from people like Pat Boyette and Argentine artist Jose Delbo, who would go on to work for DC and Western/Gold Key. Issue #21 even has a John Severin story! The other big western hero for Charlton was the Cheyenne Kid. The Cheyenne Kid is an indian scout, with the 7th Cavalry, as well as a gunfighter. His stories were often a bit different from the normal western fare, largely due to the freedom given writers and artists by both Dick Giordano and George Wildman. Pat Boyette had a long run on the title, as did the surprising Sanho Kim, whose softer line provided a real contrast to the typical American approach, as seen in issue #98.Boyette knew adventure and handled everything from the jungles of bengalla, to the deserts of the southwest, to the spaceways of the future, with equal skill and excitement. Kim brought the Eastern eye to a Western story, but showed how the types of stories weren't much different than the historical adventure he had done in his natike Korea, as he best showed in House of Yang. Kim was a master storyteller, equally at home with Western, martial arts and horror, as we will see in the future. Cheyenne kid also gave us one of the most unique Charlton series: Wander. Wander debuted in Cheyenne Kid #66, with story by Sergius O'Shaugnessy and art by Jim Aparo. The series features an alien who comes to Earth in the Old West. His race last had contact with Earth in the Middle Ages, so he speaks the King's English in a rather dated manner. It was a bit more lighthearted than other western material, while still filled action and excitement.O'Neil and Aparo poke a bit of fun at western cliches and tropes, while providing us with the thrills we have come to expect from them. Unfortunately, they went off to DC with Dick Giordano, and Wander passed into the hands of Fred Himes, who didn't quite have the same touch. Our last Charlton western hero was Gunmaster, also from Pete Morisi. Issue #85 provides a fine example of Morisi's work... Gunmaster is gunsmith Clay Boone, aided by the teenaged Bob Tellub (read it backwards), who operates as a masked hero, with advanced weapons. Again, Morisi mixes the worlds of western and superhero well, showing he was a master of action. The idea is another knock-off of the Lone Ranger, crossed with a more conventional superhero, like Batman. It wasn't a unique idea, as the original Ghost Rider and the Two-Gun Kid both tread upon that world, although Gunmaster added a more gadget-laden theme to it, ala The Wild Wild West tv series. Gunmaster was launched in 1964, with his own number 1 and lasted until issue #4. He was then switched to Six-Gun heroes and carried that book until issue #83, whereupon it became Gunmaster, again, with issue #84. It lasted until #89, then became Judomaster. Roger Brough reprinted some material (including John Severin, Sam Glanzman and Al Williamson material, in Blazing Western, which lasted two issues. The best place to find the early Charlton western material, aside from the back issue bin, is Best of the West and other comics, from AC Comics. The later stuff, from people like Pat Boyette and Sanho Kim is screaming to be reprinted, as is Wander. The copyright notices are missing in some of that and it is likely that it is in the public domain, though Roger broughton has tried to claim ownership to a lot of Charlton material, on the sole basis of owning the art files, from Charlton. That ownership has been questioned on several fronts. It would be nice to have some omnibus reprints of the Cheyenne Kid, Billy the Kid, Gunmaster and Kid Montana. Next up, the grisly and goulish world of Charlton's horror and monster comics. Come back if you are brave enough. MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA.......................................
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 18, 2018 16:42:36 GMT -5
Let's put on some music.... (my favorite band) Horror; ghosts, goblins, vampires, murderers, monsters, the undead, nature turning on man. The stories go back to cave paintings and oral traditions, as man deals with his fears via stories of overcoming them, or morality tales. The horrors within represent our deepest fears, though not necessarily the monster itself. These stories have been fodder for literature (Poe, Lovecraft, Bloch, King) and movies (Universal Monster, Hammer Horror, slasher films, psychological killers, monsters) and provided a wealth of material for comic books. Horror existed within comics almost from the beginning, as the comics took their cues from the pulps, which were filled with grisly tales of monsters and murderers, providing the showcase for writers like HP Lovecraft, Robert Bloch and Robert E Howard. The young creators of comics swiped endlessly from these magazines and soon started building their own horror traditions. Some of these got pretty wild and intense, while others (notably EC) went for black humor and twist endings. All of this violence and undead got peoples knickers in a twist and helped set off a witch hunt, with comics as the evil temptress. It drove EC out of business (eventually) and toned down the industry into a bland state for many years. Charlton entered the horror world before the Kefauver hearings; but, came through them relatively unscathed, most likely due to their poor distribution, which kept them out of the limelight. They would soon benefit from the witchhunt, as they picked up a ton of material on the cheap. One element is central to Charlton's line of horror comics, in almost all phases: Steve Ditko. Ditko began his career in Charlton's horror magazines and continued them through their later days, until the decline of the horror comics, in the late 70s. His work first appeared in Charlton's earliest horror book, The Thing. Ditko's work started with issue #12 and appeared through issue 15 and the cover of #17, the final issue. As this was pre-Code the material pushed the envelope further than later material, with nastier visuals and more horrific tales. Here's a sample, from issue #13... Right from the start we can see Ditko's trademark atmosphere and moody visuals. The story is very much in the vein of Lovecraft and his contemporaries, with esoteric volumes that lead to evil things. Already, we can see Ditko's talent for getting into the underlying psychological aspects of horror, something he demonstrated visually, while the text gave the internal. Ditko was prominent throughout Charlton's early horror efforts, even after the Code toned them way down and books took on the name "mystery" and "suspense," since "crime" and "terror" had been banned. Ditko mixed horror and sci-fi in many of his stories and books like Out of This World would feature both. Charlton picked up one horror title from Fawcett, This Magazine is Haunted. The Fawcett, pre-Code tales, were dark and murderous affairs, with the character Dr Death meeting up with people. Charlton carried on Dr Death; but, toned down the stories. They still followed the EC model and Ditko provided many visuals. The title had two runs; the first picked up from Fawcett, until it turned into Danger and Adventure, the second picked up the numbering from Zaza the Mystic, and eventually became Outer Space. Throughout the 50s, Ditko would make his name with sci-fi and horror tales with both Charlton and Atlas. However, by the late 50s, most of these titles had petered out. The early 1960s would feature the second phase of Charlton horror and Ditko is still there. The focus this time is on monsters. While Godzilla was stomping through Tokyo, a bunch of knock-offs started tearing through other cities. Charlton would start out with a British monster film, Konga. The film features Michael Gough (Alfred, in the burton & Schumacher Batman films) as a botanist who has discovered a serum that can make plants and animals grow to enormous size and tests it on a chimpanzee. It's basically a King Kong knock-off and was distributed by AIP. AIP specialized in low budget, often foreign-made films, for the drive-in and smaller movie houses. Just as AIP was second rate to the big studios, like Universal and RKO, Charlton was second rate to DC and the future Marvel. So, they went with a second rate monster. Charlton adapted the film and then turned Konga into more of a Godzilla. Mostly, he is looking for peace; but, he has a rampage or two. Steve Ditko did several stories... From issue #6... Konga lasted a short while, before disappearing and coming back as The Return of Konga, which was then renamed Konga's Revenge. Gorgo was another British monster film... It's pretty much a Godzilla knock-off and the comics follow suit, though, again, Ditko is there. Gorgo wasn't much different than Konga and had a similar path. It petered out with issue #23, then came back as the return of Gorgo, then Gorgo's Revenge. Reptilicus is a Danish film distributed by AIP, with another Godzilla-like monster, smashing through Europe. Charlton brought it out in it's own book, which later became Reptisaurus. We start out with the movie, then go into generic monster smashing... These did not have Ditko. Things kind of quieted down, while Charlton was doing the Action hero stuff; but, at the end of the 60s, we enter phase 3 of Charlton horror. It started under editor Sal Gentile; but, George Wildman and Nicolua Cuti kicked it into high gear. Cuti ad worked for Warren and was keen to follow their success in doing horror tales, in the spirit of EC. The end result is a while slew of magazines, each with a particular host, some dark humor, twist endings and loads of irony. These comics featured horror hosts, such as Dr MT Graves, Mr Bones (Ghost Manor), Mr Dedd (Ghostly Tales), Baron Weirwulf (Haunted aka Baron Weirwulf's Haunted Library), and Countess Von Bludd (Scary Tales). Inside, we found much work by Ditko, who had quit Marvel and come back, then went to DC, then came back for more, while also dabbling at DC and Marvel. The other Charlton mainstays were there; but, we also got work from some young artists, like Tom Sutton, Joe Staton and Mike Zeck. Sutton had worked for Stars and Stripes, while in the military, then drew stories for Warren and Marvel. After moving to Connecticut, he began submitting material to Charlton. Staton and Zeck came out of the fan community and found that Charlton was willing to give them a shot, thanks to Nicola Cuti's eye for talent (and their low rates). Staton quickly became one of Charlton's main artists, working on the horror material, E-Man, licensed comics, and their sci-fi, before moving on to DC. Zeck worked mainly on the horror books, before the Big Two came calling. You can find excerpts of their stories at the Charlton Comics reading Library, Diversions of the Groovy Kind, Rip Jagger's Dojo and other spots on the web. Monster Hunters was Cuti's baby, with art from Joe Staton, Tom Sutton, Mike Zeck and several more. Here's a sample of Sutton and Zeck... One other title was Midnight Tales, which was the brainchild of Wayne Howard. This series is the first to carry a "created by" tag on the cover, as it was the whole idea of Wayne Howard, who wrote and drew much of it. Howard was one of the few African-American artists in comics and his style was very much in the Wally Wood mode. he came from the fanzine world, before publishing a story in DC's House of Mystery He did a bit of work for Warren and Marvel, though Charlton was where he got to do his own material. In the 1970s, when comics seemed to be dying, "mystery/horror" comics were one of the few things selling. Wildman and Cuti put a lot of faith into the genre and their permissive style of editing resulted in a lively line of books, with plenty of gothic elements, creepy things, suspense, monsters, ghosts and more. The success continued until the late 70s, when horror comics started to wane. The books eventually turned into mostly reprint titles, with Ghost Manor, Ghostly Tales and Haunted lasting longest, right to the end of Charlton. Ditko's monster stuff has been reprinted by Robin Snyder and bits; but, much of Ditko's material, as well as the later material remains uncollected. They were great books for sampling as you could usually find a good story in any particular comic and many great ones. The material seemed to bring out the creativity in guys like Nicholas and Alascia, as well as provided the bread and butter of Ditko and Sutton, and a nice playground for Staton and Zeck, which would serve them well when they started doing superhero material at DC and Marvel. Several of Zeck's Captain America covers have nice horrific touches to them. Horror was probably largely responsible for keeping Charlton alive through the 70s, as other material began drying up. Next up, the science fiction of Charlton, with more Ditko and some stuff from Pat Boyette, Jim Aparo, Joe Staton, Continuity and John Byrne.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2018 18:54:23 GMT -5
My first exposure to horror comics as a kid was a Charlton reprint from Modern Comics-Ghostly Haunts #41, which has what remains one of my favorite horror covers of all time... I have acquired a decent smattering of Charlton horror books at shows and such over the past few years, and always keep an eye out for them on the cheap as they can be read as single issues without needing to put together a run to enjoy them. -M
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,057
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Post by Confessor on Jan 20, 2018 17:49:52 GMT -5
Like mrp, the Charlton horror comics were some of the first from that particular genre that I read. In middle school, the "rainy day comic box", which we were allowed to rummage through on days when it was too wet to play outside, seemed to have a lot of issues of titles like Haunted and Ghost Manor. Of the latter title, there's an issue drawn by Steve Ditko that I liked so much that I stole it and still have it in my collection. This one...
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Post by Duragizer on Jan 20, 2018 18:31:59 GMT -5
My first exposure to horror comics as a kid was a Charlton reprint from Modern Comics-Ghostly Haunts #41, which has what remains one of my favorite horror covers of all time... I only ever owned one Charlton comic. I believe it reprinted the same story represented above. Meh. Your cover's cooler.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 20, 2018 22:10:13 GMT -5
Like mrp, the Charlton horror comics were some of the first from that particular genre that I read. In middle school, the "rainy day comic box", which we were allowed to rummage through on days when it was too wet to play outside, seemed to have a lot of issues of titles like Haunted and Ghost Manor. Of the latter title, there's an issue drawn by Steve Ditko that I liked so much that I stole it and still have it in my collection. This one... Don't let Ditko know that, or he might sick Mr. A on you!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 24, 2018 18:36:00 GMT -5
Music please... Science fiction; long a staple of comic books. Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers inspired the look of many heroes (and was swiped endlessly by young artists), Phillip Wylie's work would inspire much of Superman (Gladiator, When Worlds Collide), as did Burroughs' John Carter. There were plenty of comic book features with space adventurers,heroes of the future, menaces from space, etc. By the 1950s, it had really taken hold of comics, as with movies, as the atomic bomb and rocket developments inspired a slew of comics with alien invaders, bug-eyed monsters, space cops and even cab drivers. Charlton was never one to miss a trend and launched their own sci-fi comics. One of their first ventures in this are was in 1946, with Marvels of Science... This was more in line with science and technology magazines of the era, like Popular Science and Mechanix Illustrated, which often featured covers depicting flying cars, superweapons, rockets to the moon, and the World of Tomorrow. Unfortunately, Charlton's rates meant they didn't have the level of illustration seen in those magazines and from pulp illustrators, like Frank R Paul. The series lasted 4 issues, with some nice ideas; but, rather crude artwork. In 1952, Charlton launched bona-fide sci-fi comic, with Space Adventures... A lot of the interior stories feature Nicholas and Alascia on art; but, you could find a decent amount of work from people like Dick Giordano, who did several covers and some interior work, like this... Space Adventures lasted for 21 issues, the first time, with a brief interruption by the debut of the Blue Beetle. The last several issues featured Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, based on the tv series... These were solid sci-fi adventure, with some of Charlton's better art and writing, of the period. The book made way for War at Sea; but, would return in 1958 and feature much art from Steve Ditko, leading into it featuring the debut of Captain Atom, in issue #33. Captain Atom became the lead feature for a while, before petering out and the book went back to regular sci-fi stories, until issue 59, in 1964. Even so, Captain Atom had more of a focus on other-wordly threats and Commies. The series was revived again in 1967, with stories from Ditko, Jim Aparo and Pat Boyette. Issue 4 contains Jim Aparo's amazing art on "The Imitation People." Boyette handled art on Charlton's short run on Flash Gordon; but really showed off some style here, with rocketships that looked plausible, given the technology of the era... As a kid, is used to watch the syndicated Cambria (the people behind Clutch Cargo and The New Three Stooges)cartoon series, Space Angel, which featured designs from artists like Alex Toth, Doug Wildey, Hi Mankin and Warren Tufts. Boyette's stuff is right at home with that; looser detail than Wally Wood; but with a eye towards realism and excitement. Charlton's other space comics included Outer Space, Space War, and Space Western... Several of their books mixed sci-fi and suspense/mystery, with Ditko providing quite a bit of work. Sci-fi kind of fell out of vogue (well, the older pulp-style stuff), after the moon landings and comics moved on. Charlton moved more into mystery and suspense and licensed material, after Dick Giordano left. However, they dove back into it when George Wildman and Nick Cuti were running the show, especially Cuti. Cuti had a long history with sci-fi, which has continued into the modern era, as he has created his own amateur sci-fi movies and comics, with a retro feeling. He was able to dabble in some more sci-fi, thanks to Charlton's licensed comics. Sci-fi was making a more serious comeback by the mid-50s and Charlton picked up on a few sci-fi media properties. The first was the Six Million Dollar Man; the second was Space 1999 The tv series was adapted in two forms: color comics and black & white magazines. The color comic features stories written by Joe Gill and Nick Cuti, with art from Joe Staton. Gill handles the first issue, adapting the pilot, while adding touches from the original Martin caidin novel, Cyborg. With the comic book budget, Statong gets to flesh things out a bit.Cuti is a bit more in tune with the tone of the series and even throws in a bit of fun, in the second issue, where someone has used stolen plans to create a miniature Steve Austin cyborg, poking fun at the popular Stev Austin action figure. Meanwhile, the magazine gave us somewhat darker adventures from Neal Adams and Continuity Associates... Continuity was recruited to handle the magazine, with the promise of a $100 per page rate, well above the Charlton norm. Cuti and Wildman agreed to this and the results were spectacular, until Universal stepped in. It seems Universal's agreement with Charlton put limitations on how much could be paid to the artists and Wildman and Cuti had to go back to Continuity and break the bad news. Continuity ceased work on the magazine and that was that. Steve Austin wasn't alone, as Jamie Sommers came along for the ride, as well. Jack Sparling provided art... The Bionic Duo didn't last long at Charlton; Steve had 9 issues of the comic and 7 of the magazine, while Jamie had 5 issues. Most of Charlton's material was published bi-monthly, so it was spread over a year or two; but, it didn't last as long as the series and Charlton was really spiralling downward. Space: 1999 was the brainchild of Gerry Anderson, the master of Supermarionation, which gave us such tv shows as Fireball XL-5, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. He created a live action series with the paranoid UFO and Space: 1999 was a spiritual sequel, though in a more Star Trek vein. Commander Koenig, played by Martin Landau, assumes command of Moonbase Alpha, just in time for an accident at a nuclear waste storage site to cause the moon to break free of Earth's gravitational pull, sending it hurtling through space. Each week, the team there would discover new worlds and life forms and other phenomena. The series was launched in syndication in the US, often via PBS stations. However, it never quite captured the audience of Star Trek and even the actors were not fans of the often bizarre and lackluster stories. More money and time was spent on the extensive model work and futuristic fashions, and less on the scripts. Charlton, though, had Nicola Cuti, who took the premise and ran with it, aided by Joe Staton and newcomer John Byrne. Staton did the first issue; but, Byrne took over in the second and stayed through issue 6. Cuti added touches of humor that were greatly missing from the tv series, while giving plenty of room for Byrne to bring the dynamic action (also often missing from the series). Like the Six Million Dolar Man, there was also a black & white magazine, done by Gray Morrow. Cuti also scripts here, with Morrow providing some fantastic art... Again, Charlton just wasn't able to play at DC and Marvel's levels and these books were short-lived. It didn't help that Byrne and Staton had moved on to DC and Marvel, with Pat Boyette handling the last issue of the color comic. Boyette had an affinity for the material, though he employed a looser style than Byrne. John Byrne factored into the other great sci-fi comic of the Wildman and Cuti era, Doomsday +1 The premise has links to a past Charlton sci-fi story, which I will get to in a minute; but, the story here is that a space mission is launched and a Latin American dictator, who sees the end of his rein in sight, launches his country's nuclear weapons, targeting the New York City and Moscow. Each side believed the other launched the surprise attack and launched its own missiles in reprisal, devastating the globe. meanwhile, the three astronauts return to a scorched Earth. They find a Gothic warrior (as in ancient Germanic tribe, not mopey teenagers who like the color black), who is released from suspension in the polar ice by the nuclear heat (along with some mammoths and a saber-tooth tiger). Together, the band goes in search of surviving civilization. This is an exciting series, a mixture of Planet of the Apes, Damnation Alley, Genesis II, and several other post-apocalyptic sci-fi tales. Byrne really begins to develop his art here and this is the series that brings him the most attention from the Big Two, leading to bigger and brighter (and better paying) things. Six issues would be the lot for Doomsday +1, a series that is really looking for a revival/continuation; certainly a collection (though Roger Broughton reprinted the material with his ACG). Now, I mentioned that Doomsday +1 was a spiritual sequel to an earlier Charlton story; that was "Children of Doom," from Charlton Premiere #2 The story is from Sergius O'Shaugnessy and art is from Pat Boyette. This one is truly a classic. The proliferation of nuclear arms lead a group of scientists to develop the ultimate doomsday weapon, which will destroy the entire planet, if a nuclear device is detonated. The idea is that no nation will use nukes, as it will mean destruction of the entire planet. However, an unnamed European dictator decides he can launch an attack, using new weapons: cosmic storm projectors, which rain fireballs down on Earth. While this goes on, a group of astronauts notice the fireballs and launch missiles to intercept them. The missiles are unable to destroy them and the globe is ravaged. People try to rebuild; but, many have been mutated by the effect of the holocaust. The astronauts journey to Venus, to find sanctuary and find a new lifeform there. It turns out to be human, a mutant, with the ability to travel to other worlds, simply by willing it. The astronauts realize he is from Earth and that there is life there and return; but, there rocket's touchdown is interpreted by the doomsday device as a nuclear strike. Can they stop the deadly device in time? The story is an exciting and horrific tale, much in the spirit of Rod Serling. Denny O'Neil really crafted something grand and Pat Boyette creates his visual masterpiece. The use of black and white, for the flashbacks, is innovative, showing Boyette's background in tv broadcasting (and radio), and he shows much love of the story in the depth of his art. Boyette was one of the artists who always delivered his est work, despite the low rates (like Ditko and Giordano); but, he excels himself here. This is a comic for the ages, showing what the medium is capable of. Boyette is one of the under-rated artists of comics and this shows you how good he really was. Next time, we look at the last genre at Charlton, and one of their biggest: the war comics. Come on back for the entire Fightin' line, with much talk of Sam Glanzman.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 25, 2018 10:05:28 GMT -5
Very much enjoying what is not just a labor of love for you, but a well researched, informative series of entries, codystarbuck. Thanks for putting in so much time and efffort. Definitely looking forward to the war comics entry!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 11:26:33 GMT -5
I don't post much and I'm truly amazed of how much that you put into this thread ... I enjoyed every word printed and thanks for your labor of love into this.
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Post by brutalis on Jan 25, 2018 13:53:03 GMT -5
Just found this on Amazon; figure some of you folks might like to know since codystarbuck has been doing such a bang up job on Charlton reviews. Thinking I am going to order ASAP for myself Charlton Comics Classic Covers: Heroes Horror Sci-Fi Romance Western (Volume 1) Paperback – January 16, 2018. Paperback $8.99 Classic covers from the Silver Age of Charlton Comics! Shot from original art and vintage Charlton photostats and recolored by Mort Todd. Includes art by Steve Ditko and Dick Giordano as well as work by Joe Staton, Tom Sutton, Vince Coletta, Rocke Mastroserio and Pat Masulli. Covering all the fun genres of the day with heroes, horror, sci-fi, romance and western covers! Titles include Captain Atom, Fighting’ 5, First Kiss, Gorgo, Ghostly Haunts, Ghostly Tales, Haunted, Konga, Love Diary, Nurse Betsy Crane, Out of this World, Outer Space, Romantic Secrets, Space Adventures, Six-Gun Heroes, Secrets of Young Brides, Strange Suspense Stories, Space War, Teen-Age Confidential Confessions, Texas Rangers in Action, Unusual Tales, Wyatt Earp and some Charlton Horror Host pin-ups!
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 25, 2018 14:26:33 GMT -5
^That would be pretty cool!
Thank you, everyone, for the kind feedback. I enjoy doing this so, much. I work in a retail management job and about my only exercise in creativity is solving crises or figuring how to accomplish things with not enough resources. This lets me use my brain to capture how much I love comics, and have since before I could read.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 25, 2018 20:14:17 GMT -5
(Warning: Shocking imagery, NSFW) Preach on, Brother Edwin! Comic books, as we know them, began in 1933 (there is debate; but, stick with me). War was part of the news, as the Japanese and Chinese fought in Manchuria. By the time Superman arrived, Europe was about to explode. World War II was part of our society's daily life, and that of most of the world. Comics reflected that, both with patriotic covers, nods to war efforts, battles against Axis foes and similar things. It was also reflected in comics devoted to tales of sailors, soldiers and airmen. When the war ended, comics mostly moved on, until the Korean War broke out. That put it right back in people's minds and war comics emerged again. Everyone from Atlas (who published dozens, like Combat Kelly), to EC (with the anti-war leaning Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales), Quality, DC, and everyone in between. Charlton was there, starting around 1955, when they picked up Don Winslow of the Navy, a comic, based on the popular newspaper strip, about a Naval Intelligence Officer, who battles spies and saboteurs. Charlton soon followed with a slew of war comics. The 50s and 60s were their glory decades; but, a few continued right up to the end, in the early 80s. Of all of those war comics, these two were the greatest... Well, maybe there's room for debate... If there is one word that is synonymous with Charlton's war comics, it is Fightin'Fightin' Army, Fightin' Air Force, Fightin' Marines; and, the greatest of them all, Fightin' Navy! Well, maybe I'm a bit biased on that one (USNROTC 1984-88, USN 1988-1992). Charlton had a Fightin' comic for all 4 branches. They would soon follow up with Boardin' Coast Guard, Diggin' SeaBees, Typin' WACs & WAVEs, Nursin'-um-Nurses, Bribe-Takin' Dept. of Defense, and Donutin' USO! Okay, some of those may be made up; but, there really should have been a Donutin' USO and the Coast Guard could have been thrown a bone. They were activated in combat roles in WW2 and assisted with operations in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. You could have also gotten some pretty exciting stories about their lifesaving and law enforcement mission. The first wave of Charlton War comics came in the mid-50s. Soldier and Marine Comics came out in two volumes, with 5 issues (11-15) in the first, and one (#9) in the second, as it picked up other numbering. The real meat of Charlton's output would come in 1956, when they started Fightin', starting with Fightin' Marines (First to Fight, don't you know...) Fightin' Marines actually began at St John Publications, a higher class outfit that published comics from notable creators like Wally Wood and Joe Kubert. Their Fightin' Marines featured stories set in Korea and WW2, with the regular humor feature Canteen Kate, a sort of take off on GI comics, like Milton Caniff's Male Call. Charlton picked up the title (starting wit issue #14) after St John went out of business and started a long run with it, which would last until 1984, though after about 1978/79 it consisted of reprints. Charlton started by reprinting some of the St John material, then began new stories. The main writer throughout its life was the prolific Joe Gill, who had served as a signalman in the US Navy, in WW2. Art came from a number of artists, with Charlton Stalwarts Charles Nicholas & Vince Alascia, Bill Molno, Bill Montes & Ernie Bach, Rocke Mastroserio (who had served in the USMC), Pat Boyette, Diemetrio, and some of the Latin artists that Charlton hired. Early issues were a mixture of stories set in Korea and World War II, with themes of heroic Devil Dogs battling heavy odds, nightmarish battles along the Yalu and at Chosin, and similar fare. Issue #78 would introduce a regular feature, which would continue through issue #103: Shotgun Harker and Chicken. This was the brainchild of Joe Gill, with Bill Montes and Ernie Bach on the art. The feature is set in Vietnam, with a veteran sgt (Harker) and a skinny, bespectacled private (Chicken Smith). However, the series would be mostly remembered for the work of Sam Glanzman. The series is a bit satirical, as Sgt Harker is so gung ho he makes Nick Fury look like a pacifist. He chews his cigars and blasts VC with his double-barrell shotgun (shotguns were used in the jungle; but, usually pump-action or semi-automatic), while Chicken brings up the rear (but gets his own body count). Issue #88 sees the pair escorting Miss brigit La Flamme to Duc Hao. She's the "sweetheart of the 1st Marine Division," (which may require some penicillin, I would wager) and they get ambushed in the jungle. While Harker kills VC, Chicken loses the blond bombshell. They track her down to a VC village, where they are captured and interrogated. Chicken talks and Harker starts taking names and kicking ass, freeing them, then signaling some flyboys to bomb the village, where ammo stocks are stored. back at the base they get their rewards; not medals, but a kiss from Miss La Flamme (and probably a trip to sick call for a "short-arm" inspection). Issue 89 sees the pair come across a tiger, while on patrol. fearing the tiger more than the VC, they rush the enemy and run to safety. They come across a village where Chicken finds another tiger in a cage, starving and dehydrated. he gives it water from his canteen and some C rations. Harker thinks he is nuts and threatens him and the tiger protects Chicken. The soo "di-di" out of there; with Chicken telling Harker to never volunteer him again. Chicken can't sleep that evening, wondering if the tiger will ever get out of the cage. A new mission to go back to the area comes up and Chicken volunteers to find the tiger, much to harker's disbelief. They run into VC and tigers; but, the tigers rescue them, as one is Chicken's little kitty buddy. Issue #93 sees a spoof of the peaceniks, as Chicken has come under their influence, wearing a headband, with flowers. A radio call comes in, saying three Americans are with the VC, calling for a halt to bombing. harker and Chicken are sent to find them, which they do, but Shotgun shaes Chicken out of their influence as they fight the VC and bring back the peaceniks. It's something that would probably be dear to Steve Ditko's heart; but, it it kind of falls flat to me, with the rather one-sided lampoon. Issue 102 sees Shotgun and Chicken escort a documentary film crew through the jungle, getting themselves in all kinds of trouble. Harker is fightin' and killin' left and right, saving their bacon; but, the final footage is mostly Chicken. It is then we find out that the cameraman is a cousin of Chicken. World War II was the main setting for Fightin' Army, though Korea became more heavily featured. Vietnam was rarely depicted, during the entire run, which ended in 1984. From issue #132 on, it was entirely reprints, not only of earlier issues; but also stories from some of the other war comics. Art was from the same crowd as Fightin' Marines, with later additions from Sanho Kim (who was a refugee during the Korean War), John D'Agostino, Jack Keller, and Warren Sattler. Most features were what you would expect, tales of GI heroics and historical pieces. However, that changed in the 60s, with work from a young man, by the name of Will Franz. Franz started out as a teenager, who around 1965/66 was corresponding with Sam Glanzman, about his work on Combat, at Dell/Western. Franz sent his own drawings for critique and Glanzman was impressed with his details. He asked about Franz's research material, as he was always looking to expand his own. franz replied he got all of his research from Glanzman's work! Glanzman put him in touch with Dick Giordano, who hired him in 1967, as a writer. He has an early story in Charlton Premier #19 (which had been intended to be Marine War Heroes #19, but was retitled), about a sniper in Vietnam. That led to further assignments, almost exclusively in the war comics, mostly drawn by Sam Glanzman. Their recurring feature in Fightin' Army is the legendary Lonely War of Captain Willy Schultz. The series features an American Army captain, in North Africa, a child of German immigrants. He is wrongfully accused of cowardice and murder and convicted in a court martial. he escapes and heads into the desert and ends up hiding out with an Afrika Korps panzer unit. There, he finds his loyalties tested when he is made a driver and must face American tanks. he finds a way not to kill Americans and ends up winning the respect of his German comrades. He soon gets over to US lines again and changes uniform, aiding an American tank unit, against his former friends, seeing them die in a blaze that has engulfed a tank. Schultz finds himself running and hiding on both sides and is taken prisoner, while in German uniform. Later in the series, he ends up helping an SOE agent train and lead partisans. Franz said in The Comic Book Artist #9 that Willy was never going to make it home, as he had lost sight of who he was any more. He and Glanzman prepared and ending for Roger Broughton's ACG; but, it was never printed. He said Willy would end up in German uniform, after the partisan unit is destroyed and shipped off to the eastern Front. he would survive the fighting and lead his men to surrender to the Americans, but he could not. He would meet with his accuser and tell him he was innocent; but, the man would not recognize him. he would go off to start a new life with a German woman. The series was notable for its human portrayal of both sides of the war, with the common German soldiers displaying the same traits as their American foes; the same wants and fears. There were some fanatics on both sides and Franz and Glanzman illustrated the horror and toll of war on both sides. It is a series calling out for a collection; but, beyond the few black & white reprints from broughton (and a few reprints in later Charlton comics), it has not happened and looks to have a complicated future. Fightin' Air Force was the shortest-lived of the Fightin' line, ending at issue #53. For the most part, the stories were standard fare of WWII tales, with jet combat over Korea and the odd WW1 story, as well. Issues 50-53 showcased the lone recurring feature, The American Eagle, about a trio of pilots, fighting the Germans. It was pretty much from the Hillman playbook of Airfighters (Airboy, Sky Wolf, The Bald Eagle, The Flying Dutchman, Black Angel, the Iron Knight, etc...) Fightin' Navy continued the numbering of Don Winslow and had a variety of stories about naval warfare, primarily in WW2. Some focused on ship battles, others on submarines, some on aviation and several featured the frogmen of the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams), as they clear beach obstacles and conduct reconnaissance. Sam Glanzman did much work here, in the 60s, including some proto-USS Stevens stories (though not with that name). The original run lasted until issue #125, in 1966, then was revived in the early 80s, with reprints, until issue #133, in 1984. Further additions to the war line occurred, with Attack, War at Sea, Submarine Attack and Battlefield Action. These series lasted until the mid 60s, with War at Sea having the shortest life, ending in 1961. The strangest "war" series was Space War. This was primarily a sci-fi comic, though it tried to cover both bases. However, lacking the realism that was a staple of the war comics (relatively speaking) it never really caught on with that crowd. The mid-60s saw the next wave, with Army War Heroes, Marine War Heroes, Navy War Heroes (sorry flyboys, no Air Force War Heroes), Army Attack, War & Attack, War Heroes, US Marines, Special War Series, D-Day, Marines Attack, and US Marines. Most of these were little different from the other books, except for War Heroes and Army War Heroes. War Heroes featured stories of actual soldiers and their exploits, with people like John Basilone who won the Congressional Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal. Army War Heroes featured another collaboration of Will Franz and Sam Glanzman, on the Iron Corporal. The Iron Corporal featured stories of an American, serving in the Australian Army, in the Pacific. Ian Heath accompanied his father to Australia, on business. He wrecks his car, misses a date, loses $400, and gets mugged by some thugs in an alley, who kick in his rib cage. he barely survives and his father devises a metal brace to cover his chest and protect his internal organs. It's a bit ridiculous; but, Ian soon finds himself fighting with the Aussies against the Japanese. The metal corset helps protect him from knives and bullets, though not without some trauma. The stories are psychological in nature and the gimmick isn't much more fanciful than something like The Unknown Soldier. Franz's writing and Glanzman's art makes it something worth reading. The last two Charlton war comics are Attack and War, which appeared in the 1970s (1971 and 1975, respectively). These were Charlton's last attempt at catering to the dwindling war comic market. These featured a mixture of new material and reprints, going to sole reprints in the latter days. There is nothing too distinguished here, though there are fine stories. A few even made it into the Modern Comics bagged sets, which is where I found Attack #13, which includes a tale of GIs protecting orphans, in a temple or monastery, while getting milk airdropped to them, when they are besieged by the Chinese (with art from Tom Sutton). Here's a sample from War #6The ending of "A War to End All Wars," has a rather nice twist. The cover painting is by Pat Boyette, who did several beautiful paintings for Charlton, when they started using them. Charles Nicholas and Vince Alsacia were probably the biggest contributors to the war comics line, with Bill Molno and Rocke Mostroserio providing excellent work. Dick Giordano did some covers; but, Sam Glanzman is the contributor who is best remembered for his work here. Willy Schultz is probably the apex and is a classic which stands with the best war comics, like Frontline Combat, Two-Fisted Tales, Enemy Ace and Sgt Rock. The work would help sell his services to DC, where he spent years working on features like The Haunted Tank and his USS Stevens stories, which would inspire his autobiographical A Sailor's Story. Franz did a little work for DC; but found editorial dictates to be stifling, missing the freedom of Charlton. He ended up drifting out of comics. he remarked that when Roger Broughton got in contact about finishing Willy Schultz, he thought Franz was an old German officer, not a young man, when he wrote those stories. Franz would re-team with Glanzman to produce some work at Caliber and online. When Franz had medical difficulties (he has suffered from diabetes since childhood), Sam auctioned off artwork to raise money for him. He went on to teach writing and work with people with disabilities. Next, a look at some odds and ends of Charlton and the work of the CPL Gang, leading to the end of Charlton. For now............ peace.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 27, 2018 2:36:18 GMT -5
This time, we will look, briefly, at some Charlton odds and ends and some books I forgot to include in previous installments. For some of them, blame depending on a Wikipedia article to be an exhaustive list of Charlton titles. Not even close! Learn this lesson well, kiddies: do not depend on Wikipedia for accuracy or as your key source for homework. First up, Charlton actually tried at least two sports-themed comics... You'd think there would be a market for sports comics, given the overlap of interests; but, there aren't many, after the 40s. Sports were a big source of newspaper strips, though more in the days before tv and most tended to be single panel kinds of things. Charlton tried it with the NFL, in 1969 and with All-American Sports, which featured the central character Chat Chatfield. Chat (yeesh, what a nickname!) is a high school sports coach, who cares about his players. He gives them encouragement, training, and rides in his convertible, which looks more than a little creepy in retrospect. One story features gamblers trying to get one of his players to throw a game. Seriously, a high school game! I haven't been to Vegas; but, I'm pretty sure the line on high school sports betting is pretty short. The art isn't particularly spectacular and the writing is kind of bland and cliched (I have a digital copy, included with a collection of Charlton titles). You can see why it didn't really catch on. The shame of it is there might have been a market for good sports comics. Matt Christopher made a pretty good living writing YA sports-themed novels, which were some of the few titles you could get young boys to read. In the world of law and law enforcement, I missed a couple of titles... Nothing spells action like a writ of habeas corpus or a motion to dismiss! I missed a few humor comics. The first is one that, at first glance I thought was an attempt at mimicking Archie... This was actually a continuation of a Dell/Western comic, which was based on a newspaper strip by Lee Holley. Holley was an assistant to Hank Ketchum (Dennis the Menace), which is obvious from the similarity in style. The series features humorous tales from the life of a teenage girl. Looking at a few samples online, it looks kind of charming. Definite rip-offs, though, could be found in these two series... These are pretty much from the Mad playbook. Here's a sample, from Eh! #1... It's actually not bad, as these things go, with art from Dick Ayers. I also missed a couple of westerns... Both were continuations of Fawcett titles. In case you are unaware, singing cowboy star Tex Ritter was the father of actor John Ritter. I missed several licensed titles, which isn't too surprising, as Charlton had a ton of them, especially in the late 60s and into the 70s. My Little Margie adapted the popular tv series and did well enough that Charlton had two spin-offs, My Little Margie Boyfriends and My Little Margie Fashions. Captain Gallant was a tv series, starring Buster CRabbe and his son, Cullen, about an officer in the French Foreign Legion. The series was originally shot in French Morocco, before moving to Italy to save money. The comic had begun elsewhere, before Charlton picked it up, for a short run. Valley of the Dinosaurs was a Hanna-Barbera series, which aired on CBS, in 1974. It features an adventurer and his family who are sucked into a whirlpool and end up in a pre-historic valley, where they meet up with a caveman family (not the Flintstones). It was rather similar to the Krofft series, Land of the Lost, only animated. Korg, 70, 000 BC was a live action Saturday morning series, also from H-B, which featured the stories of a prehistoric people. The comic is notable for painted covers by Pat Boyette, who also wrote and drew the stories... Boyette's work elevated it above some of the other licensed books; but it still only managed 9 issues, before Charlton lost the H-B license. One of the more unique licensed comics from Charlton was Ronald McDonald... McDonalds and King Features were developing a comic strip and they took the idea to Charlton, who had licenses for several KFS properties, to do a comic. I would assume they were inspired by the Big Boy comics, available from the Bob's and Topps' Big Boy restaurants. If that last image doesn't give you nightmares, you just aren't trying! Another notable licensed comic was Primus, based on the Ivan Tors (Flipper) tv series, starring Robert Brown. The series features an marine developer and explorer, who designs and builds advanced submersibles and habitats. The scripts were from Joe Gill, who did a decent adventure story and art was from a young Joe Staton. Rip Jagger's Dojo has a pretty good summary of the issues. Issue 6 features a tale of drug smuggling, which was something rare, in Code-approved comics of the era. Another licensed comic, based on the rescue series, was Emergency! The tv series featured the exploits of firemen/paramedics Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto, played by Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe. It was popular in its day and was one of my favorites (my next door neighbor and I used to play Emergency, with tackle boxes and his dad's pickup truck) and the comic features similar tales as the series. Joe Staton did the covers of the first two issues, while John Byrne did the interior art on issue #1. Issue two is credited to Latin artist Demterio, with no credits for issues 3 and 4. Continuity did a magazine comic... The stories are okay but not exactly riveting and Byrne's art on the first issue of the color comic is the best of that short run. I haven't see interior art for the magazine (which I think is rarer than the color books); but, Continuity is usually pretty good. One of the really odd licensed books was a tie-in to the film version of the musical 1776. I've seen the film and it needed the Phantom to show up! I'm sure the comic did, too. That leaves two Charlton titles that are worth seeking out. The first is Charlton Action. Static was a late-era creation by Steve Ditko, which was some of the rare new material from Charlton, by this point. Ditko threw Charlton a bone, while Static also appeared in Eclipse Monthly, at Eclipse Comics. It was one of Ditko's better 80s strips, though Missing Man was kind of fun. The other was a Giordano era title, Charlton Premiere. Issue 19 was actually the material intended for Marine War Heroes #19, with an early story by Will Franz, about a sniper, who has the heroes pinned down. That would pick up the numbering from Marine War Heroes; yet, was the only issue of that run. Why they introduced the new title, I don't know. They relaunched the title with issue 1, which I discussed previously. issue 2 was also covered with the sci-fi tales. Issue three is a humor piece, with Sinistro, a "superhero" for evil. It's pretty goofy; but, also pretty fun! Grass Green did the script and Henry Scarpelli the art. The letters page is notable for missives from Rich Buckler and Michael Uslan! Issue 4 features Unlikely Tales, a horror-themed issue. The first story is fom Pat Boyette and features a trio of explorers in Africa, running into giant animals and insects. The second story isn't credited; but, deals with a force that makes a man a success, until he suffers some setbacks that knock him back down, deliberately, to keep a balance. Steve Skeates and Jim Aparo handle the third tale, "The Insignificant Man." It's straight out of the Twilight Zone, as William Bland, a nothing of a man goes through a minor existence, until he notices a beautiful woman, in his office. He fixates on her; but, swishes everyone would leave him alone. He soon discovers no one but the woman can see him. She is drawn to him; but, since no one else can see him, they all think she is crazy and she is eventually carted away to a mental hospital, leaving Bland alone and unseen. The final story is a time travel piece from Steve Ditko. This is a terrific issues and all of the issues of Charlton Premiere are keepers. Unfortunately, without a regular feature to draw in readers, the series wasn't a huge hit and was discontinued. Next, we will look at the transition from Dick Giordano to Sal Gentile, to George Wildman, as the editor of the comic line and how Wildman and assistant editor Nicola Cuti reshaped Charlton, giving it its first brand image and attracting new, young talent. We will look at a specific segment of that talent, the CPL Gang, as well as their in-house fanzine, The Charlton Bullseye and its comic book spin-off. Then, we will look at the end of Charlton and its aftermath and legacy.
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