Futura - Chapter 1

One of the better comic book magazines to come out of Fiction House was Planet Comics, a direct descendant of the wordy pulp magazines. Comic books were far easier to read, more accessible to an all-ages audience and the pages were filled with far more pulchritude than a regular text magazine could hope to contain.

The Planet Comics title ran from 1940 to 1953 and gave readers a steady exposure to impossible, fantastic science fiction and featured a few of the stories of Fletcher Hanks. While the contents of the book eventually changed near the end of its run into a one-shot anthology title it was through most of its life a book that hosted long-running serial adventures featuring a familiar stable of characters. It was a title a reader could grow up with.

Many of the characters were modeled with various successes after concepts that could be found in Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon and John Carter along with stylistic elements popularly found in the super-hero comics of the Golden Age. Some of the longest running series such as The Lost World, Gale Allen, Mysta of the Moon, Space Rangers and Auro, Lord of Jupiter lasted a decade and longer.

Another series that had a multi-year life span with Planet Comics was Futura, which was serialized in that title starting in July 1946 with issue #43 and probably ending in Spring 1955 with issue #64. An over 20-issue run of nearly ten years!

Futura is the story of an office secretary named Marcia Reynolds who was shanghaied into space to serve as the test-subject of an alien seeking to repopulate his planet. In the beginning the tale of Futura, while eerily drawn, is very typical of what the market expected in a comic book story with the lead character being a female. Marcia Reynolds, as Futura, was gorgeous, scantily clad, threatened by amorous bug-eyed monsters and tied up a lot. In fact, the story could easily be interpreted as both a dream by the character and a power-fantasy for the reader, the caveat being that the typical audience for the book was male and Futura usually extricated herself from difficult situations and often lead the charge into battle herself.

The quality of the art and writing varied greatly over the next several chapters and much of the narrative added to the idea that Marcia Reynolds was in a dreaming state, in particular the story featuring forest sprites and a magic sword. But soon the creative team picked a direction that leaned more to classic Space Opera and with issue #53 began offering lush art and rich story-telling that were stylistically on par with the details that could be found in the Flash Gordon dailies. Over the course of her story Futura quickly becomes less of a victim and her journey from frightened breeding stock to strong, independent woman is a fun and interesting one.

The first chapter of Futura from Planet Comics #43 (July 1946) is presented below. As ever, click the pictures to make for easy reading. Enjoy!

Son of Hulk: Smash Jr.

I liked Skaar: Son of Hulk well enough as I'm one of those fans who couldn't get enough of World War Hulk. But I'm going to need more in terms of future characterization than that of him simply being "The Hulk Who Kills". When Skaar comes to Earth (and he will eventually, you can bet on that) it will be interesting to see how Daddy deals with him. I hope it has lots of Shatner-esque dialog. "Skaar...you must..LOVE. Not...HATE!"

Marvel has a few angry, young kiddies of heroes out there now. Maybe after Skaar is rejected Daddy he could join up with an all-new Runaways. It could co-star Kid Wolverine, Julie Power (who is calling for a violent revolution against "The Man" for denying her legal definition in marriage), Nocturne and Teen Tony Stark.

I don't know. I hate Teen Tony.

I'll take that ray gun!

Futura doesn't take any crap from no Space Pirate.

From Planet Comics #56 (September 1948).

Happy Father's Day for 2008!

Out with the family for Dad's Very Special Day with me being the honored guest. Don't know yet if we are dining at home, Trailer Trash Buffet or Fondue Fusion & Bistro (Awww..Who's got the crappiest and most annoying website interface ever? Yes, you do!). I'm leaning for the fondue joint as it has less homeless winos camping out at the tables while nursing a slice of bread all day long and doesn't serve as a make-shift day care center for out of control and poorly-behaved kiddies.

Then again, y'know...Fondue. I already lived through the 70s once and have no real desire to visit it again in real life except for those outstanding Marvel comic books and Haley Mills films.


Outer Limits television show ad from Congo Bill #4 (January 2000).

The Goose-Girl

Unlike the prose itself this illustration for the story The Goose-Girl is clear of gore. The wisdom of the artist aside there are hints that there is plenty of mess to be found by the activities of the hungry gander nibbling away at whatever might be dripping onto the ground below the severed head of the gossipy horse. It is no longer kill-or-be-killed in most societies and there are other ways to educate children and poke at the aristocracy so I understand the sanitizing of the old myths and tales for the children of today. But I sure miss the ultra-violent kiddie stories of years past. It is much more satisfying when the Big Bad Wolf is boiled alive and eaten by his intended victims instead of today's outcome to the tale of the wolf having an intervention about his pork addiction.

Art by Fritz Kredel from The World's Best Fairy Tales, Vol. 2 (1967).

That place was just full of hippies anyways

From Pizzazz Magazine (June 1978).

Help Doctor Strange!

Since the Master of the Mystic Arts won't be waving his hand and making all the Skrull problems go away here's a little puzzle to get Doctor Strange some much needed exposure. The game is easy to play and just because the writers don't know what to do with the Doc* doesn't mean you won't!

Click the sacred Orb of Agamotto to view a page suitable for entry into the Book of the Vishanti!

From Pizzazz Magazine (May 1978).

Link to answer key.


* Hint: Have fun with him!

What If...Steve Ditko never went into a career in comic books?

We'd have had to rely on another creator for weird inter-dimensional landscapes.

Jack Kirby's "Dark Dimension" from Blue Bolt #5 (October 1940).

What If...Jack Kirby never went into a career in comic books?

The King wasn't the only creator capable of the high concept character.

Joe Kubert's "Black Racer" from Eerie #9 (October-November 1952).

And yet I bought most of their albums

Oh, Doctor

Was that intriguing little thing with Sarah Jane Smith's mouth a stage direction or was that ad-libbed? I've been watching all the episodes of the Tom Baker years of Doctor Who and there were a few scenes featuring actress Elisabeth Sladen in this installment that caught my attention as they seemed a bit out of place. As a long time fan of what was basically a children's show with mature science fiction themes I never really looked at any of the characters in anything more than a superficial manner.

That has now changed.

Poised, waiting to strike

It's like a face palm to the nards

What a girl wants

Okay, so you got that job and have made sure you can keep it. So what is the next step? Why, ditching the rat race and catching a man as soon as possible, of course! Why work like a dog when you can take the easy route and stay home, take care of a husband, keep house and cook?

In the 1950s women secured employment for one of two reasons: They were unattractive or were pretty and on the prowl for husbands. In this tale torn from real life, secretarial pool-member Kathy shows the office skanks that predatory slutting around is not the only way to trap a man into giving up his freedom. This story is unusual because it was not the norm for a woman in 1952 not to use her body to get a ring on her finger (or at least a paid apartment in town and a generous monthly stipend). By relying on her wits and intelligence to find a good husband Kathy defeated her office rivals and secured a productive mate. True, you have to grant the story-teller a huge amount of willing suspension of disbelief at that unrealistic plot but it is still a good story.

Enjoy!

While Kathy's story had a happy ending she took a huge risk by relying on her competence and personality to get the attention of her intended target. Most women are not so fortunate, but Kathy rolled the dice and won. If Howard somehow stopped being distracted by her physical charms he would have been repulsed by Kathy's brain power. Kathy would then have died alone and childless and been ostracized forever by all the other office hens until she lost her job for not "playing ball".

From Love Romances #82 (July 1952).

Comic Book Ad: Love's Baby Soft

If you are old enough to remember the print and television advertising campaigns for Love's Baby Soft product line then you may recall that they all shared one element in common: An Ick-Factor.

The campaign for Love's was the most overt attempts I can recall to portray young girls as objects of desire and went far past the usual innocence of the Coppertone Baby in imagery. The intent of the advertising may have been to "help" or "guide" young ladies into blossoming into a proper adult woman consumer, but the spots always came off as kind of creepy and all the packaging of the product was ridiculously phallic. I remember one television spot in particular that showed a couple of tweener kids hesitantly meeting at a party and the tag line "Love begins with Love's Baby Soft." The following commercial was for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. Apparently the studio techs editing the placement of the commercials had an odd sense of humor.

This magazine ad from 1978, with the young model's breasts presented with a ribbon (blue, even, as if marking her as the property of a boy) like she is a gift to be unwrapped and some of the others are tame in comparison to what is regularly presented in media today. Yet for the most part current advertising for this age group, as extreme as it is on the internet and cable, does not usually present the model as innocent jail-bait up for grabs by a lecherous Uncle.

Today advertisers are wise enough to kind of shy away from the Pretty Baby imagery and when they don't, they receive some pretty fast and furious negative feedback from public and watchdog groups. Having to avoid this form of advertising must make advertisers chafe as there are entire industries devoted to the sexcapades of young starlets and celebrities. Even though the Pandora's Box has been flung wide open decades ago (so to speak) it is one thing to describe in detail a young celebrity's acts at a house party and very much another to try to sell the personal intimacy products she used during the evening to the average 16 year old.

From Marvel Comics Pizzazz #8 (May 1978).

Grocery Store Artifact: Preach it, Piper!

Welcome to my world.

Scenes from Countdown #46 (June 2007).

Memorial Day

Memorial Day isn't about a Midnight Madness weekend mattress sale or three days off from work, but a call for a nation to reflect on the sacrifices made by our citizens. No matter how you feel about the rationalization for any war, past or present, don't forget that it is human beings and not slogans, flags or banners that are in harms' way.

To those who fought,

To those who objected,

To those who came home,

To those who remained on the field,

To those who were reunited with their families,

To those who were orphaned and widowed,

To those who believed and did their duty,

To those who did not believe but served anyways,

To those who sent others into battle,

To those who led the charge.

These are the people Memorial Day is for. If one does anything today to mark the occasion it should be to pledge that the each conflict is the last one and work for it until it becomes true.

Garrigan's BEMs

Planet Stories (May 1951).

Share the Gene Colan love!

Here's a Gene Colan-drawn tale of a girl trying way too hard to find love and romance. This is another cautionary story from the Marvel Romance Department credited to Stan Lee. Marge is unsuccessful at finding a boyfriend, even though she is cute and a lot of fun. After reading a romance comic book she happened to have lying around the house, Marge realizes that she is changing her behavior and sabotaging her own relationships. She then vows to change but just continues on the same course, not really changing even though she believes she does. She goes from one extreme to another.

Marge then takes relationship cues and adapts her behavior by emulating the characters from such sources as comic books and popular cinema all with disastrous results. Predictably, Marge tries and fails at love using one false persona after another until she finally takes on the long-forgotten character of the one special girl any boy would be sure to fall in love with!

But who could that be? Read and find out!


That's right! Marge choose to be just herself and found true love! Of course, her real self is a flaky, weird, neurotic schizoid with a tenuous grasp on reality as only Stan Lee could write her, but she's cute as heck! Yet, that is okay. As every boy knows, attractiveness goes a long way to balance out the crazy side of the scale.

From Our Love Story #36 (October 1975).

Totally uninformed opinion

McCain is surely self-destructing a bit but the media seems to ignore it as usual. I'm cynical enough to think that it sure feels like the fix is in for him to be our next President.

I don't know if Barack or Hillary will be the better choice, but I sure know I don't want another Republican in the White House. I heard McCain giving a speech on the radio while I was driving in to work the other day and I actually thought it was Bush for a while. The manner of speech, tone, topics and cadence sounded exactly like an old speech from George. I've had enough of that. Plus, he's 72 years old and McCain himself said long ago he would be too old to run in 2008. Think about Reagan's mental state during the latter part of his Presidency, who around him was actually running the country back then and take note that the same people are in the halls of power today.

Clinton really needs to suck it up and throw her support behind Obama and beg to be Co-President as soon as feasible and in a way that she does not appear to be weak or a quitter.

You know, I am getting tired of never voting someone in but always voting someone out.

Starring William Baldwin as Richie Rich

Richie Rich #39 (November 1965).

Wife of the Party!

No election is complete without a few things to interest the voters other than the important issues of the economy, terror and immigration! Namely, plenty of sex, sleazy campaign managers, a brain-dead populace, torrid affairs, and factoring in public opinion when choosing a spouse!

From Our Love Story #28 (June 1974).

Science vs. Superstition

Science wins!

Science always wins when up against spooks and devils, though often the loser disputes the outcome. Such is the power of fear, gullibility and delusion.

From Devil Kids #2 (September 1962).

Hobos in La Jolla: The Movie

Some say that years ago he used to be a fashion model. Take away the years of self-abuse and one could see from his build and bone structure that in his younger days it could have been possible that once he made hearts beat faster from interest whereas now it would be from the fear of being accosted.

He was discovered drunk and barely conscious in a loading dock driveway, empty beer cans nearby. When someone asked him to move out of the driveway so a delivery truck could pull into the loading dock he started screaming and crying. He said he has AIDS. He said he is having a seizure. He said "If I could get up I would knock you in the head." He said he can't walk. This was probably a new development because the last time I saw him he was running at high speed out the door of a grocery store after shoplifting a chicken and several bottles of alcohol. He begged for an ambulance. In spite of the threat of violence (or because of it) someone called the police and paramedics to assist him. His journey from walking a runway to crawling in the street could be an interesting and cautionary tale.

My two cents on Gene Colan

As many have reported, comics veteran and my personal fave comic artist Gene Colan is ill and is having difficulty meeting the expenses of health care. There are available auctions of his work and some creators have pledged that a portion or all of profits from their material will go to Mr. Colan.

While buying some more Colan goodies is fine, I prefer the direct donation approach the TCJ recommended. You can go to Paypal and make a direct donation to Gene at genecolan@optonline.net. Now, I am by no means rolling in cash myself but I can spare a few bucks out of my Economic Stimulus check for the Colans. While the Government would probably prefer I go buy a television with it I'm using it to reduce my bills a bit and give myself a break, just like much of the populace of America will likewise be doing. Instead of buying that new memory card for the camera, patio furniture or that Starbucks travel mug you had your eye on skip a few coffees in the morning and make a donation to Gene, who gave us all so much over so many years. You'll never miss it and you'll do a good thing.

Get well soon, Gene!

The page above from Tomb of Dracula #50 is actually one of the few pieces of original art I own I have not divested myself of. When I saw it way back in the 1980s at the San Diego Comic Con I just had to have it. No, it isn't for sale and it never will be. When I do part with it I will probably donate it a museum or library or something.

Young Tarzan - JERK!

It's amazing Tarzan survived to grow into adulthood.

From Pizzazz #2 (November 1977).

She started out pretty and smart

Click the picture to "Fly Me".

Info page about the airline personnel who serve you while on your flight. From the 1968 issue of AstroComics, an American Airlines giveaway comic book published by Harvey Comics promoting air travel.

Speed Racer - Alternate opening theme

I'm not a fan of the 70s import Speed Racer cartoon. The thrifty animation, dialog, that stupid kid brother and chimpanzee irritated me to no end. But I did always like the English and Japanese opening theme songs as they are fun and peppy. While not enthusiastic about that particular entry of anime I am very much a fan of angry, selfish alternative songstresses. So with the (short-lived) interest in all things Speed due to the live-action movie that was just released I'm presenting a third opening title sequence for your enjoyment featuring the music styling of the sometimes-uncompromising singer-songwriter Liz Phair.

It's Liz Phair, so obviously the video contains some NSFB (Not Safe For Bully) language.

Evolution gone mad!

Fish would develop limbs and venture onto land? Unthinkable!

From Amazing Stories (February 1940).

Now Bob's out front in every parade

Click the picture for the thrill of a lifetime!

Oh, Baby...YES!

Now that's my kind of porn!

Click the picture for hot internet video!

Comic Book PSA: Don't forget to register

From Showcase #5 (December 1956).

I wonder how many of these things in the PSA are illegal now or legal only because it may influence voters. Literacy test? Giving free babysitting services could be construed as vote-buying and what dirty trick-playing political hack wouldn't try to steer people who have a poor understanding of English into voting for their party? I comprehend English just fine and I have a heck of a time figuring out what those Vote NO on YES ads are really trying to tell me. Don't laugh or sneer until you read some history.

And 37 per cent of eligible voters didn't cast a ballot for President in 1952? I assume this means not the eligible people who were "mistakenly" listed as felons or didn't have photo ID but didn't bother to go to the polls. That 37% gave us Eisenhower and Tricky Dick! Ouch! We all know how that's turned out. Or maybe not. People forget what a candidate said a month ago.

The benefits of registering to vote:

• You get to contribute to making things worse than before.
• One less box to check on that form at the DMV.
• You get called for jury duty.
• Naive yet attractive college-age women may come to your house with many pamphlets, something most comic book fans are not used to.
• 4 a.m. phone calls from auto-dialers with recorded messages about the "issues".
• Going to the Candidates' debate.
• The knowledge that you did something worthwhile, because that annual five dollar donation to the Salvation Army at Thanksgiving just isn't enough to erase all the crappy things you did to everyone all year.
• The smug feeling you get when ignoring all those guys in front of grocery stores trying to get you to sign petitions and register for their preferred party.
• Write-in candidates on ballots, i.e.: SLEESTAK FOR PRESIDENT.
  

Dick Strong vs. Kurt Johnson

This scene from an old comic book romance title is Silver Age gold and stuff like this is the reason I bother getting out of bed in the morning. Let me dissect these panels for those of you who don't actually read the old comics so many bloggers take the trouble to post. Yes, you.

Take a look at this scene.
It's like if Animal Planet produced a comic book and it starred frat boys and débutantes instead of Meerkats and Chimpanzees! With a minimum of posturing the Alpha Male stakes a claim on an available female of child-bearing age as his mate and stymies his challenger. Unlike in the animal world, violence is very likely if someone blocks the way to the vagina. Kurt is fortunate he backed down or he could have been seriously injured and therefore easy prey for other predators.

Now let's break the panels down even further.

Dick Strong: Obviously, his name means Mighty Penis.

Kurt Johnson: The definition of the onomatopoeic name Curt is "rudely brief" and Johnson of course refers to the slang name for penis. Dick's unsuccessful rival has a name that advertises his virility as sub-standard and alludes to finishing sexual congress prematurely. For some selfish reason, women seem to be concerned about that and find it undesirable in a male partner. Not that we care.

Private Property: That would be the females. Women belong to the Alpha Male, who keeps the girls around only for procreation and sandwich-making.

Don't ever tell me these comic book creators didn't know what they were doing.

From Romantic Story #33 (August 1956).

Land of the Lost news: Preview picture of movie Sleestaks?

Commenter Elu-Lux directed me to a preview picture of Sleestaks from the upcoming Land of the Lost movie that is currently in production. If the image is accurate the Sleestaks look a bit more fierce and scary (given the better budget) but I don't understand the scene. If it is just a promo picture then fine, but if the image represents a scene in the movie I'm worried. The Sleestak Army looks as if if they were slumbering in alcoves in the cliff wall (the Rock people did something similar in an old Flash Gordon serial) and are waking up and attacking because someone trespassed in their hive or something.

That's kind of worrisome to me because again, it seems as if a plot of a science fiction movie is all about the protagonists causing a problem and then being forced to clean up their own mess and then being declared heroes (See: Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, etc. etc). I have a feeling that in the film the Sleestaks will be a cautionary legend among the denizens of the LotL until zany dad Marshall wakes them up, causing many wacky chase scenes and Jerry Lewis-like mugging for the lens.

I'll wait and see until I know more about the film but my extrapolations from what I have heard do not make me enthused about the project. I have already mentioned my misgivings and expectations due to who was cast as the lead actor.

Well, if nothing else I will be able to get cool movie tie-in toys!

Which is what the producers are counting on, darn it.