Adventure Comics - "Starman"!

Continuing my "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comic Book Super Heroes" we meet the third super hero to take up residence in National Periodical's "Adventure Comics, Starman!

Created in 1941 for the 61st issue of Adventure by Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley, Starman was astronomer Ted Knight who found a way to harness the power of faraway stars and invented "The Gravity Rod" with which he could control the force of gravity, allowing him to fly as well as several other tricks.

One trick, seldom if ever seen in the comics, was one which should interest you ladies who struggle every day with the negative effects of gravity. Ted "Starman" Knight demonstrates here as he visits "Ye Olde Drink Hole".

Ah, Rusty was a happy gal that day.

Starman later learned to shoot energy beams from the rod and changed it's name to "The Cosmic Rod". He later, alongside Dr. Mid-Nite (more on him later) replaced Hourman and Green Lantern (again...more to come) in the Justice Society of America.

Very slick art and some genuine dynamic storytelling soon earned Starman the cover spot in Adventure Comics which he wrested away from Hourman who had of course taken it from Sandman. Quite the line-up of heroes each and every month, no matter WHO got the cover.

Here's Starman's story from Adventure Comics #67, which also features the debut appearance of one of the classic golden age villains, "The Mist".

Enjoy!

READER REBUTTAL:

I don't believe this has ever occured in the life of this blog, but a concerned citizen from Lompoc, California registered a complaint about the gag in yesterday's post featuring Hourman. In the interest of fairness and equal time, Jeffy lends an ear to this concerned citizens greivance.

He's right. "Jay Ward" cartoons are immeasurably more funny than "Total TV" cartoons.

Talk to you soon.

Adventure Comics - "The Hour-Man"!

Time for another post in my on-going "A 'Slight' History of the Golden Age of Comic Book Super Heroes", every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday inside my head. Hit the A'S'HGACBSH label below to see what's come so far, or just start here and...whatever.

The next hero after The Sandman to color up the pages of National (DC) Comics "Adventure Comics" was a mild-mannered chemist by day, Ray "Tick-Tock" Tyler who invented "Miraclo" which when taken in handy pill form, gave Tyler the power of 10 men for sixty minutes. For 1/24th of a day, he would become "The Hour-man"!! I think Rusty would like him.

With the advent of every hero on the block having a kid sidekick, Hourman was no exception, though instead of just a lone boy in a copycat costume, Tyler was given a team of boys. A loyal bunch of junior fan-boys called "The Minutemen of America" who aided our man of the hour.

Created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Bailey (just like Sandman), Hour-man debuted in "Adventure Comics" #48 in 1940 and would soon become (again...like Sandman) one of the 8 charter members in The Justice Society of America, comics' fist ever superhero team.

Here he is in a sweet little solo adventure with giant-robot-flame-throwing-dinosaurs from Adventure Comics #61.

Ride along with the Minute Men of America and have some fun!

Talk to you soon.

"Ping Pong!" - Will Elder - "Mad Mondays"!

"Mad" the COMIC BOOK issue #6 from 1953 comes to a close with this immortal classic...

Will (Bill) Elder and Harvey Kurtzman's partnership, or synchopation or penchant for working together is really kicking in by this point, and this time they take on "The 8th Wonder of the World"!! King Kong hisself, in their own minor classic, "Ping Pong!".

This one's really a treat. Enjoy!

That's some good stuff!

Talk to you soon!

4 Color Sunday Funnies Like They Used-to-Was!

Curl back in bed kiddoes, it's Sunday and that means four color fun and adventure. And this way you don't get that nasty newsprint ink on yer fingers!

Al Capp's Li'l Abner from November 22, 1953...whut are them gals up to?


Cliff Sterret's "Polly and Her Pals" from January 10, 1926. Get-rich-quick schemes are nothin' new. They had 'em back even in those beautiful art deco 20's.

George Herriman's "Krazy Kat" from June 8, 1935. That eternal triangle under the Coconino moon.

Milton Caniff's "Terry and the Pirates" from December 16, 1934. Terry dreams of pirates and junk(s) and he and Pat are captured by a...a...a WOMAN!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, don't it feel like Sunday now?

Talk to you soon.

Craig Yoe Comic Strip Sirocco - Unca Jeffy's Toy Box!

Continuing from last weeks peek at the nifty Craig Yoe Studios sirocco figurines of classic comic strip characters that were distibuted by the smart folks at Dark Horse Comics and continuing pimping the new "All Color Sunday Funnies" right here inside my head, here's a look at a few more!

From George Herriman's "Krazy Kat", everyone knows Krazy loves Ignatz Mouse who does NOT love her back, but Offica Pup does. Here he's got his standard "Move along mouse, and stay out of Kelly's Brick Yard look. See 'em every Sunday right here.


"Hully Gee!" Here's he very first newspaper comic strip star ever, Richard Felton Outcault's Mickey Dugan from right outen Hogan's Alley, "The Yellow Kid"!


Everyone what has any sense already knows, my blogger buddy Thomas Haller Buchanan celebrates the wonderfully talented Walt Kelly regularly in his blog "Whirled of Kelly" which covers all of Kelly's work, including the land of Pogo Possum in the Okefenokee Swamp. Here's Pogo's pal, "Albert Alligator"!

The king of fantasy art in the comics, master of design and perspetive, innovator in animation Winsor McCay is represented on my library shelf with "Little Nemo in Slumberland"! You can check out all of his adventures in high-res scans at this h'yar web page "The Comic Strip Library"!

And finally for today's batch. Everyone knows my love for the epic work of Harold Gray and his famous little redhead, "Little Orphan Annie".

More next week.

Talk to you soon.