The Guardians of the Galaxy!...umm..kind of?

Keeping on with sharing my happiness over how fun and well done "Marvels 'Guardians of the Galaxy'" movie is, I'm following up the first appearance of Groot from yesterday with the first appearance of The Guardians themselves today.

A different membership than what we see in the movie and modern comics, is great peek back at the original concept in 1969 in Marvel Super-Heroes issue #18.

It's got pure space age fun (1969 after all is when man first set foot on another world, and the universe became a lot smaller.  Also it features a very early appearance of the Badoon who had only premiered a year earlier in a Silver Surfer comic.

BEST of all, it has the stunning storytelling of grand cartoonist/illustrator Gene Colon.  Not your run of the mill comic artist, Gene found dynamism and movement in very different ways than Jack Kirby or any of Kirby's imitators who tried to conform to the new "Marvel Style".   Colon was his own man.  His work is sorely missed.

Dig in, y'all.  A good time is promised!

Talk to you soon.

Atlas "2-Gun Western" - Tuesday is new/old comic book day!

Getcher dimes and head on down to the drug store, it's comic book day, kids!!!

Yup, there was a time (just before my time) when for a pocket full of dimes, you could hit the newsstand and buy up ALL kinds of four color goodness!!  For $3 you could pick up 30, count 'em 30 comics (I came along just at the end of the 12 cent era and through the all too brief 15 cent era :-[ )of every description!!  Super-hero, western, romance, horror, mystery, science fiction, funny animal...you name it!!!

That of course wasn't feasible in the economy of the depression and war years, but by the mid 50's on through the late 60's, SOME kids allowance surely amounted to that!

And oooooooooooooooooooooh the treasure you could find in almost ANY genre!!  Case in point, this little gem from Atlas comics in 1956...issue 4? of "2-Gun Western"!

Don't run a-skeered from a little ol' western comic, kiddoes...thar's GOLD in them thar hills!

Even in the days afore the Mighty Marvel banner, Stan Lee was billing himself as the sole writer...and I suppose as always, in the Marvel Manner, he was.  A glorious cover by now forgotten Joe Maneely and a very spry and emotive 1st story drawn by another relatively forgotten but very, very admirable Chuck Miller prod that thin dime outen your hand...

...and then the real fun begins.  Short little 3, 4 and 5 page parables set in the old west and graced with the creative hands of some of comic-doms soon to be giants.

A stalwart of the Mighty Marvel Bullpen, Joltin' Joe Sinnott!!!  p.s. Joe's still around and hard at work at his drawing board.  You can even "like" him and watch weekly videos he makes with his granddaughter here!

You'll be glad you did.

A glorious western turn from my new favorite from my reviews of "Mad:  THE COMIC BOOK!"  John Severin!

Pre-Spider-Man and Doctor Strange...the legendary...the giant amongst men...Steve Ditko.

And a real turn from what I think is his best era, the recently departed "illustrator" Gene Colon!

Some real pre-Marvel Marvelousness that had to be seen to be believed.  

And it didn't even cost you the $3 you would have spent on a new comic.

Tuesdays are awesome!

Talk to you soon!