Cover Cavalcade

MAY IS POST-APOCALYPTIC FUTURE MONTH!!!!

 This George Wilson cover is from 1968.

The Mighty Hercules, The Final Chapter

 

cover art by Rube Grossman

The Mighty Hercules #2 (October 1963) comes to an all-too-soon end with the last story in the last issue. 

This time, writer Paul S. Newman and artist Rube Grossman move the action to sea. Helena is aboard ship, coming home after trading her sheep for food and spice. (She was herding her sheep in the first story--I wonder if that minor bit of continuity was intentional or a coincidence.) 

On a nearby island, Aeolus, the god of winds, is asleep. The sea witch Wilamene sees this and takes the opportunity to hypnotize him and place him under her control. Knowing Helena's ship will contain valuable cargo, she has Aeolus call up a wind to toss the crew overboard and then bring the ship to shore.

Helena calls on Hercules for help, who jumps down from Olympus. Wilamene tries to use a freezing wind to encase Hercules in ice, but he uses his warm super-breath to melt that ice and then still rescues Helena and the rest of the ship's crew.

That tactic surprised me, though that wasn't a rational reaction. Hercules' frequent use of super-breath can't help but call up images of Superman using his super-breath. Since Kal-el's breath freezes things, it momentarily seemed weird that Hercules' breath is warm. But it is two different universes and each one is allowed to have its own "Super-Breath Logic."

Everyone is soon safe on the island, so Wilamene uses Aeolus to use some wind to bring a shipful of slavers to shore. Hercules drives them off by using a tree as a spear.

Hercules knows Aeolus lives on the island and goes to look for him. Wilamene tries to use wind to bury the hero in sand, but he manages to bury her first, then forces her to release Aeolus from mind control.

The good guys begin to sail away, but the sea witch is a sore loser. She uses her own magic to set the ship's sail on fire. But Aeolus uses a wind to call up a water spout and douse the flames, while Hercules mans the tiller to keep the ship on course during the deluge.

The ship escapes and, well, the comic book adventures of the Mighty Hercules comes to an end. It really is sad. Newman's skill at pacing and plot construction, plus Grossman's lively and expressive art made both issues a lot of fun. There was potential for a lot of good stories yet.

Next week, we'll visit with Captain America to witness an unusual villain team-up.

The Mighty Hercules, Part 5

 

cover art by Rube Grossman

Sandwiched between the two Hercules stories in Gold Key's The Mighty Hercules #2 (October 1963) is a comic book adaptation of the Perseus vs. Medusa myth. Written with by Paul S. Newman with his usual skill at quick exposition and sound plot construction, it is drawn by Rube Grossman. 

After I read it, I was surprised when I leafed back through the issue and discovered it was only four pages long. Newman and Grossman pack a lot of story into those few pages without the story being crowded or rushed.

King Polydectes has the hots for Perseus' widowed mother. (A little cleaning up of the original myth goes on here to match Gold Key's family-friendly standards. Perseus, in this version, is explicitly not one of Zeus' many illegitimate kids.)

Perseus' mom declines a proposal and the king doesn't want to just take her because she's protected by Perseus. So Polydetes sends Perseus off on a mission--he has to bring back the head of Medusa the Gorgon.

It seems like a suicide mission, but the gods Athena and Hermes give him a shield, sword and Hermes' super-speed sandals to aid him. For brevity, the story leaves out the cap of invisibility and a few other magic items also given to him in the original myth.

Perseus uses the reflection of Medusa on the back of his shield to approach and behead Medusa, with our view of the beheading hidden by some rocks. 

Perseus heads home. Again, for brevity's sake, this version leaves out events of a longer version of the myth where Perseus saves his future wife Andromeda from a sea monster. Too bad--Grossman's lively art would have made that look cool.

Perseus arrives at home to discover the king has made Perseus' mom a slave. But the hero uses Medusa's head to turn the evil king to stone, then takes his mom home.

That Newman and Grossman were able to condense the story into just four pages and still make it a satisfying read is a remarkable accomplishment. One of the sadder things about this second issue being the last is that we don't get to see anymore adaptations of classic myths by these two.

Next week, we'll finish our journey through the pages of The Mighty Hercules.

The Mighty Hercules, Part 4

 

cover art by Rube Grossman

According to the reliable Grand Comics Database, the cover and interior art in The Mighty Hercules #2 (October 1963) is by Rube Grossman, who worked for various comic book companies beginning in the 1940s until his 1964 death. Grossman is clearly emulating the look of the cartoon, as did the artist in the first issue, so it's pretty much a shot in the dark whether Grossman drew the first issue. As with the first issue, the stories are written by the prolific and always dependable Paul S. Newman.

As with the first issue, there's two Hercules tales plus a direct adaptatioh of a Greek myth. The issue opens with "Journey to the Land of the Dead."

The evil wizard Daedalus' latest shenanigan is stealing the statue of Demeter from the city of Calydon. This ticks off Demeter, who allows the plants around the city to die. With the risk of a famine now looming over the city and Daedalus planning on holding the statue hostage unless he is declared the ruler--well, it looks like a job for Hercules.

The centaur Newton sees Daedalus teleporting the statue into a "Melos's Palace," a floating structure with no apparent entrance. Hercules travels to the city, but it turns out even his strength isn't enough to let him punch an entrance.

The builder of the palace--Melos--is dead. But that minor detail doesn't stop a Greek hero from questioning the man (or rather ghost) about hidden entrances. Hercules travels to the underworld, where he uses his wits and his strength to get by several obstacles. (Cerebus and the Furies, respectively.)

Hades directs Hercules to Melos, whose afterlife punishment is pushing a heavy boulder up a hill, only to have it roll down again. (Something taken from the story of Sisyphus--the cartoon Hercules' world is not an exact mirror of the original myths.)

Herc solves Melos' dilemma by digging a hole at the top of the hill so the boulder won't again roll down. In exchange, Melos tells him what bricks to press to open the door into his palace.

It's back to Earth, where Hercules and his friends gain entrance to the palace and find the statue of Demeter. Daedalus tries to stop them from leaving with a burst of magical fire, but (shades of Silver Age Superman!) Hercules uses super-breath to put out the flame. Demeter is returned and plants begin to grow again. The day is saved.

This sadly short-lived series continues to entertain. Like the cartoon episodes it is emulating, this tale is another example of quickly setting up the plot, then moving the story along quickly. Grossman's art helps keep it all fun and lively. 

Next week, we'll look at the myth of Perseus, as told in this same issue. 

The Mighty Hercules, Part 3

cover artist unknown

The last story (not counting a 1-page text about olive oil) in The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963), also written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist, shows us that Hercules is a bit of a scaredy-cat.

The nation of Calydon is being invaded. The gates of the city are closed and Helena calls out for Hercules. But Herk's arch-enemy, the wizard Daedalus, offers his services to the invaders in exchange for a share of the loot.

When Hercules arrives, it at first seems that the demi-god will have little trouble dispatching the invaders. But Daedalus casts a spell on him to make him thirsty. Hercules then unwisely takes a drink from the Waters of Illusion. Now everything he seees will appear to be a monster!

The plan works at first and poor Newton the centaur nearly gets strangled by his best friend. Hercules sees Helena and thinks she's a monster as well. And, well, he runs away.

One would think that Hercules would try to fight any monster he finds. I conceed that its a good thing he didn't inadvertently beat up poor Helena, but Hercules should be the last person in mythology to see a monster and say "Gee whiz, I'd better run for it."

Well, he does run. This allows Newton to trip him and dunk him into the Waters of Truth, which cures him of seeing illusions.

He attacks the invaders. Daedalus tries to stop him with a magically-summoned wall of flame, but Hercules uses Super-Breath (did he learn that from Superman, or visa versa, I wonder) to blow the flames back at the bad guys. A few more feats of super-strength and the invaders retreat, taking a stunned Daedalus with them to "fix him later" for failing to stop a demi-god.

It's another short, fun story. Like the cartoon, it sets up the premise quickly and tosses Hercules into action. The artist continues to make it all look great while effectively emulating the look of the cartoon.

But, gee whiz, Herk. You see a monster and run away? That's very un-Hercules like.

Next week, we'll take a break before diving into the second and final issue of this series. Instead, we'll visit with Richie Rich. 

The Mighty Hercules, Part 2

 

cover artist unknown

Sandwiched between the two Hercules stories in Gold Key's The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963) is a nifty "Greek Heroes of Mythology" feature, written by Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist. The art style, like the Hercules tales, effectively mimics the designs of the Mighty Hercules cartoon on which the comic book is based. It's a fairly safe bet the same artist drew all three stories, but we simply have no idea who he was.

Anyway, this one is about Theseus, the Greek hero who slew the Minotaur. It follows the myth closely. For years, Athens has been obligated to send seven youths and seven maids to King Minos as a tribute. The young people are then tossed in a labyrinth and eaten by the Minotaur.

Theseus, the king's son, volunteers to be one of the current tributes. Once in Crete, Minos' daughter Ariadne falls for him and gives him a sword and a ball of thread, this latter item to be used to mark his passage through the labyrinth so he can find his way out.

Theseus eventually confronts the Minotaur and slays it. Gee whiz, I didn't expect the monster design we see in a Gold Key comic! The Minotaur is given the bull head and a completely naked human body! Of course, we never see anything inappropriate, but for Gold Key, this was a risque image. The panel showing Theseus finishing off the Minotaur is pretty brutal as well.

Of course, in the end, there's nothing here a reasonable parent would object to their children reading. But I can picture a naughty six-year-old penciling in the Minotaur's wee-wee. It's what six-year-olds do.

The story ends with Theseus and Ariadne sailing back to Athens together. It leaves out the part where Theseus forgets to put up the sail that tells his dad he's alive, leading to his dad committing suicide. But, well, THAT would have been too much for Gold Key. In essence, this is a fun and effective retelling of a classic myth. 

Next week, we'll finish up this issue with a look at the second Hercules Story. 

Gold Key Hercules--Part 1

 

cover artist unknown

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the 1960s cartoon version of Hercules. I thought it might be fun to look at the two Gold Key issues adapting that cartoon to the comics. Each issue had two Hercules stories, so we'll be with the demigod for the next four weeks. 

The Mighty Hercules #1 (July 1963) starts with "The Curse of the Stone Statues," written by the prolific Paul S. Newman and drawn by an uncredited artist who does a good job of emulating the look of the cartoon.

Hercules' gal, Helena, is visiting the palace of Prince Dorian, only to discover the building is full of stone statues. Apparently, Helena needs to read up on Greek Mythology--it doesn't at first occur to her that the statues are people turned into stone.

She calls for Hercules, who comes down from Olympus to investigate. Herc, at least, realizes that evil is afoot and that the statues are people. But the person responsible is not a Gorgon, but the evil wizard Daedalus, Herc's arch-enemy. He's zapped the local humans to draw Hercules into an ambush, with plans on using his "Sceptor of Medusa" on the hero, then taking over the kingdom.

Newton the centaur spoils Daedalus' aim, but Helena gets statue-fied by the stray shot. Daedalus uses a cloak of invisibility to get away, but loses the sceptor. Hercules destroys this, but must now find the Flower of Life in order to restore Helena and the other victims to life.

This involves a sea voyage to a remote island. A sea witch allied with Daedalus puts obstacles in the way, but Hercules fights past them all. (This includes the surprisingly violent killing of a sea monster--a scene that's a bit edgy for a Gold Key comic based on a kid's cartoon.)

Hercules gets the flower. Daedelus tries one last time to defeat the hero, this time using his invisibility cloak and a Sword of Death. (I feel like I should be putting the TM symbol after the name for all the magical devices Daedalus uses in this story.) Hercules defeats him again, turns the statues back into people and saves the day.

It's a short, entertaining tale, constructed with Newman's usual skill at storytelling. Just like the cartoon on which its based, it jumps into the story quickly, gives Hercules some dangers to deal with using both his strength and his brains, then barrels quickly to a conclusion. The art, as I mentioned, effectively matches the design of the cartoon. With the script and art firmly in sync with one another, the story is more fun than a barrel of Gorgons.

Cover Cavalcade

 JANUARY IS HERCULES MONTH!

Gold Key's Hercules was an adaptation of the Saturday morning cartoon. The artist of this 1963 cover is unknown. 

Cover Cavalcade

 NOVEMBER IS HUCKLEBERRY HOUND MONTH!!

Huckleberry Hound covers were a lonely business--this one is also uncredited. It's from 1968.

Cover Cavalcade

 NOVEMBER IS HUCKLEBERRY HOUND MONTH!

 Here's another uncredited cover--this one from 1967.

Cover Cavalcade

 NOVEMBER IS HUCKLEBERRY HOUND MONTH!

This uncredited cover is from 1963.

Gee whiz, Aliens ARE jerks!

 

cover art by George Wilson

Space Family Robinson #21 (April 1967) brings the "medieval" story arc to an end. The issue, though, starts out with writer Gaylord Du Bois and artist Dan Spiegle bringing the Robinsons and the medieval refugees new troubles.

They are boarded by an alien race called the Xotalec, who are-- well, they are jerks. A lot of aliens in this series are jerks, but these guys are particularly obnoxious.

They decide to take the space station for study and strand the humans on a nearby planet, stating that microbes found on board might be a threat to the Xotalec. Tim sneaks away to hide, but the other humans are forced aboard the Xotalec ship and brought to the planet.

Fortunately, the planet is a nice place. The humans explore, finding eatable flora and fauna, a goat-like creature to provide milk, a wheat-like plant that can be cultivated, and a strategic spot to build a defensive wall. They seen nothing threatening yet, but better safe than sorry.

Spiegle's depiction of the planet, by the way, is perfect. There's enough slightly-odd plants and animals to remind us its an alien environment, but it also looks beautiful. It's BOTH alien and inviting.

The defensive wall does prove to be a good idea. They are spotted by a tribe of savage humans (or humanoids--this is never made clear), who soon attack, bringing us a superbly depicted battle scene. The Robinsons and their allies are outnumbered, but have better weapons and a good defensive position. They push back the savages. When a leader of the enemy demands the issue be settled by a context of champions (Craig has a small language translator to understand what he's saying), Sir Gilbert rises to the challenge. He knocks out the enemy chief with the flat of his sword and wins final victory.

The enemy chief is given a translator and soon the two sides make peace. The savages thought the humans were working with the Xotalec, who come by to snatch a few of them for unknown reasons every so often.

In fact, that happens now. A small Xotalec craft lands, shooting out metal tentacles to grab Sir Gilbert and Tam.

Fortunately, Tim has been busy. After the space station had been put into orbit around a frozen planet, the Xotalec had left it. Tim comes out of hiding and uses a spacemobile to travel to the planet on which his family had been stranded. He shows up in the nick of time, using the spacemobile jets to cut the tentacles holding Gilbert and Tam. A side effect of this is it causes the Xotalec ship to blow up. Those guys really were jerks--so its difficult to mourn their loss.

The medievals decide to stay on this planet. Craig leaves them an industrial laser to both cut rocks to build a castle and defend against any future Xotalec incursions. The Robinsons then return to the space station. When the Xotalec are about to catch them, they use the broken phase-shift device to teleport to another part of the galaxy. They still have no idea where they are, but at least they got away from their rather unpleasant persecutors. 

That ends the four-issue story arc, with the Robinsons' friends happy building a new civilization on another planet, but with the Robinsons themselves still lost in space. It brings an end to an intelligently-written, suspenseful, action-packed, and beautifully illustrated Space Opera. There's a few minor glitches--peace with the savages comes conveniently quickly after a brutal battle, but that's probably a reflection of having to tell the story within a set page count. And this is indeed a minor glitch. I still love this story.

For next week--we haven't visited the Looney Tunes comic universe in a while, so let's do that.

I Didn't Know It Was a Time Machine!

 

cover art by George Wilson

Space Family Robinson #20 (February 1967) is the penultimate chapter in the "medieval" story arc--with writer Gaylord Du Bois and artist Dan Spiegle literally taking the characters back in time to mediveval Earth.

The story begins with the crew using a new gadget installed on the space station to bring them through a wormhole back to their home galaxy. (By the way, the script does not use the term wormhole, but it is so obviously the go-to term that a modern writer would use, I think it's a pretty accurate description.) This works, bringing them to the Milky Way galaxy. 

The next step is homing in on Earth. This is the dangerous part, as even a slight miscalculation could plunge them into a star. Craig elects to try a test run in one of the spacemobiles, taking only his son Tim and Sir Thomas with him.

The test flight seems to work great, with a jump to Alpha Centauri followed by a jump to Earth. But when Sir Thomas bumps against the controls, they also travel back in time. You would think the aliens who gave them this tech in the last issue might have casually mentioned "By the way, it's also a time machine." But they didn't. Sometimes, aliens are just jerks.

They figure out the time frame and discover that they are on Earth only four years after Sir Thomas and his fellow kidnappees were taken from Earth by the Iklatalians. Eager to see his wife and young son, he asks to be taken to his castle.

There's a neat bit here when they fly over a medieval village--Spiegle adds a nice touch of realism by showing us a muddy street, chickens, a dog and a few other touches that make the environment look real.

They discover Sir Thomas' castle is besieged by brigands. Sir Thomas charges across the field and gets inside. Craig and Tim are chased by the bad guys, but get back to the spacemobile and scare the brigands off by buzzing them with the craft. They then fly off, leaving a happy Sir Thomas behind, standing next to his wife and holding his young son.

It's human elements like this that add a lot to the story. The way the Robinsons worry about each other when they are seperated is another aspect of this. We are presented with people who care about each other and, thus, make us care about them.

But the heck with human touches. There is still cool science fiction stuff that has to happen. 

+

The space station had landed on a planet to wait for the return of the spacemobile. They are forced to take off when the weather turns violent. The spacemobile finds its way back to that planet, but has to perform several time jumps and a tense search before finally finding its way home. 

BUT, the space-phasing device has broken down. A key element has gone kla-blooie, which prevents them from easily locating Earth again. The Robinson family (and the 13 remaining refugees from the 12th Century) are still lost in space.

Once again, I'm very impressed with Spiegle's dynamic art, but perhaps even more impressed with Du Bois' skilled plot contruction. As I said last week, if this had been a prose story, I can easily imagine it as the cover story in an old issue of Amazing Stories. It is intelligent, imaginative Space Opera.

Next week, we'll look at the final chapter in this saga.