[MarkWarner]

Last week's Tex Granger got a nod of approval from the group, BUT the interesting thing is the real life text story about Tim Holt's WWII exploits was mentioned by a few of us as a highlight. I am pretty sure it is the first time we have given a text story center stage. I suggest reading it!

This week's choice is a Fawcett one shot "Vic Torry and His Flying Saucer". I am not sure how the book runs, but I am duty bound to suggest the main story which is "The Flying Saucer Chapter 1 The Captive Planet" ... I guess if it is any good the group will read the other two chapters as well The book can be found here https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=19222.

[Morgus]

A classic. I first read it as MR MONSTER'S SUPER SCIENCE (MR MONSTER'S SUPER DUPER SPECIAL #5) WAY the heck back nearly 25 years ago now. Eclipse comics republished the whole thing..well, except the stuff on the covers..anyway, they also did a different colour job, so it was neat seeing the differences with this one...Bob Powell is great, loved planes and things that were mechanical, and you could believe his air craft, (no matter from WHICH  planet) would actually work...and the gals were easy on the eyes.

[mr_goldenage]

Wow......what a great book (all 3 chapters) art and story all top notch. Gets my vote for a best book of the month....just saying...

Richard Boucher

[SuperScrounge]

The Captive Planet - A guy named Vic Torry should really have an arch-enemy named D. Feet.  In some respects the opening is similar to the later Silver Age Green Lantern's origin (jet pilot testing a plane, encounters a dying alien). Not bad, nice art, entertaining story.

Pilot Pete shorts - Eh.

[crashryan]

I really got a kick out of this. Bob Powell is at the top of his game. Lots of imagination and action. Great machinery and great figures.

The story is fun, too, though the writer can't decide whether the zombie-slaves can talk or how cognizant they are of their surroundings. Is there really any benefit in a sentry who notices an intruder only if the Boss tells him  when to look?

I appreciate that the colorist puts extra work into things like skies; it adds to the overall classy look.

The cover is strange. Where did the photo of the man and woman come from, and why did they use it instead of a drawing?

I believe this was lettered by whomever lettered the ACG mystery comics. That's the only other place I've seen the a's of the sound effects drawn with a little serif on the top left. I half expected to see a few ker-pow's, that being Richard Hughes' favorite sound.

The sour note is "Pilot Pete." Take a weak three-line vaudeville joke and stretch it mercilessly, and you get true merriment-free entertainment.

Two thumbs and two big toes up for this comic.

[Captain Audio]

WOW!
The cover had me hooked, then seeing the XF90 as the hero's aircraft completed the attraction. Very good artwork.
Can't read this book right now, way past my bedtime, but this is one I'm certainly going to read with relish.

[mopee167]

Roy S. Ald wrote the Vic Torry book.

Ed Hamilton (1900-1979) was the ACG letterer.

[bowers]

 I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The art was, indeed, great. Excellent action panels with vivid coloring. Laura was a babe!
The writing was another matter. I realize this is a 50's sci-fi comic and characterization must take a back seat to action, aliens, and busty damsels in distress, but most of the dialogue was just plain awful! Vic just didn't seem all that bright and Laura's constant stating of the obvious got pretty old after a few pages. I'm afraid I couldn't find a single character in the book that interested me except for Szzz! At least he had some motivation. With no real character development, this could only be a one-shot.
Still, this was probably a hit with the young gents it was written for. Kids wanted an hour's worth of fantasy and alien-smashing for their hard-earned dimes, and this one delivered.
One thumb up for the art! Cheers, Bowers

[Captain Audio]

Excellent story, with a very unique plot device. So long as the villain thought the hero was dead the hero could move among the brain washed slaves like a ghost. He was right there in front of them but they could not recognize his existence. The ultimate nowhere man. Talk about being off the grid.

[MarkWarner]

So here we go with a book I have bumped across a few times before, but have never opened the cover of. It promises much. However, now after doing so, I hope the rest is better than the one page inside cover "Pilot Pete!" Plus, BIG GULP, I have just realized this is a book which was published without any of my beloved advertisements 

Oh dear! So here we have a pilot who takes his girlfriend on test flights. And people complain about today

[narfstar]

Time just passed me by and I finally got to this book. I am really glad I did. I skim the dialog so it did not bother me as much as it did some. The rest I loved. Pure 50's B movie fun. It had too many "stupid" things to name but who cares. The story was one of my favorites all around. It is what I would have read comics for as a kid. Top that off with great art and this is a super winner and read cover to cover. Pete was however a flop as most others have said.