[MarkWarner]

After February's massive "Love Fest", this week's comic is something a lot different. In fact flicking through the pages this looks like a hybrid book: a comic outer with a magazine center.

I thought that the Reading Group had run its collective eye over one of these before, but apparently not. As the content appears to be really varied, I though that rather than choose a story (or article) we could just dip in and make our comments.

So just to confirm we are reading Camera Comics #5 which can be found here: https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=7763 and it is a free for all (we are not concentrating  on any one story).

[SuperScrounge]

Bill Brett - Not bad. Although hiring a photographer to use a camera to figure out what's causing elevators to fail seems a bit out there.

Louis Daguerre - Okay, but fails to explain why he thought he could impress a picture onto a plate. Without that Daguerre seems a little nuts. 

Art Fenton - Okay, but the general premise is kind of odd, "Exciting wartime action of a soldier armed with a camera!" 

Two War Giants - Interesting article. Have to show it to my dad as he used to work for Boeing.

Kitchenware Caricatures - Cute.

Kodaflashes - Interesting way to advertise.

MacArthur Studios - Interesting. Did a Google search trying to find more info about their movies, but only brought up another article from a photography book.

The Black Market Bombshell! - Kind of funny that the heroine didn't want to do the interview that let her solve a case she didn't even know about when she got the assignment.

The Grey Comet - Meh. Just didn't grab me.

Kid Click - Man, that Horace is an attempted murderer. One day he'll be telling a prison psychiatrist how his life of crime is all the fault of losing photography contests. 

[narfstar]

I have a different issue of Camera Comics with Linda Lens on the cover. So I went to that story. It was nothing special and pretty typical. It was typical pretty good GA story. I especially liked Linda hanging on the truck. Liked the splash a lot too.

[crashryan]

The off-beat theme makes this comic worth sampling.

Graflex ad: In my youth I lusted after a Crown Graphic, though I would have been satisfied with a Speed Graphic. The reporters in all the movies used them. I fancied that with a Graflex camera I'd become another Flash Casey. Does anyone bother with them any more? Getting film developed is a chore nowadays, and I've no idea whether one can still buy do-it-yourself developing chemicals.

Bill Brett: Let me get this straight. Billings hires Brett to save his elevator company. So Brett finds the culprit and then lets him shoot Billings dead in the grand finale?! Something of a Pyrrhic victory, I'd say. For Brett's sake I hope Billings paid up front.

Louis Daguerre: I like how Daguerre is listed on the cover as is he were one of the book's heroes. This isn't the greatest comic book biography. The problem is that Daguerre's actions make no sense unless the reader already understands the concept behind imaging photosensitive plates.

Art Fenton: A so-so war story. I'm not sure why the Americans take a PT boat on a long-range scouting mission. Seems to me they'd want a larger craft with greater fuel capacity. The artist draws the PT boat's machine guns inside a dome like those on bombers. Is this accurate?

Two War Giants: My favorite feature. This system of using huge photo-templates to speed aircraft production is fascinating. I should have remembered that automated machinery was still in its infancy. Most of the work on wartime planes was hand work. Very interesting.

The other rotogravure features are ho-hum (with "Kitchenware Caricatures" scoring sub-ho). I wonder if the MacArthur Studio fan films still exist, and whether any of the kids went into movies or TV.

Linda Lens: Fair story. It rather takes the wind out of Linda's sails to make her big discovery only to have Vince say, "I've been on their trail for weeks." Though the figure drawing is clunky, the artist draws a nice car.

The Grey Comet: Given that name I expected a costumed hero. Is he really just some guy named Grey Comet? Another lackluster war story. As with Art Fenton, I wish photography played a more important role in the story's resolution.

Kid Click: Innocuous teen story that telegraphs its ending early. Very early, as in "on the cover."

Final grade: C. Nothing special, but enough to keep my interest.

[Morgus]

My favorite story was the first one. The idea of a detective using a camera reminded me of a Firesign Theatre character: Young Guy, Motor Detective. Made as much sense as this. The characters looked like Mr Lodge and Veronica from ARCHIE. Didn't see the ending coming, either.
So who was behind the whole thing? Camera or film company I'm guessing.

[crashryan]

The cover says "A U.S. Camera Publication." U.S. Camera was a magazine for photography enthusiasts. I guess they thought they might pull in new readers by putting out a comic.

[bowers]

 An interesting format, blending drawn comics with photographic features. I've seen this format used in other comics, such as True Aviation Picture Stories.
I have to say much more thought and effort were put into the photographic features than the comics. The art was passable (just), the stories were somewhat entertaining but forgettable. It seems more likely they were just thrown in to get kids to buy a more adult oriented magazine.  I did enjoy the comment by Chrash regarding the Bill Brett story.
My favorite feature was Kitchen Caricatures, just because I love visual nonsense. Also enjoyed the story regarding the B-29 manufacturing. Boeing was always in the forefront of design and built some damn fine and sturdy aircraft.
Not a bad read. Cheers, Bowers

[SuperScrounge]

My dad read the Boeing article and liked it. He did note that when he was cutting templates for Boeing in the '60s the tolerances were much higher than that listed in the article.

[John Kerry]

My first thought was that a comic focusing on stories about using cameras would be somewhat limited, then I recalled that the television series "Casey, Crime Photographer" lasted 2 seasons (57 episodes) so I dived in and read. Besides if there had been pulp magazines on every topic from 'A' to 'Z' why not a comic on cameras.

The comic wasn't too bad actually. Not great but readable. Actually I found the second story interesting as it showed what uses coud be found for a camera during WWII. That Horace kid in the cover story manages to make Reggie Mantle look like a saint though. The other stories were standard mytery stories. Finally the art was acceptable. Nothing spectacular but nohing horrendous either.

All in all not a bad book. I might check out some other issues.

[MarkWarner]

Bill Brett - This did not start too well "Somewhere a man listens to a broadcast" ... did not really fire me with enthusiasm. Interestingly the baddie managed to take out the company boss he was trying to destroy before coming to his own sticky end.

Louis Daguerre Father of Photography - I rather enjoyed this. To be honest it doesn't tell you much, but Louis Daguerre has great hair and there are a couple of really cool hats.

Art Fenton - A rather silly story about flares. But I rather enjoyed it.  To keep with the theme Art Fenton is a reconnaissance photographer. 

At this point we move into the inside photography magazine, with its various articles ...  It was interesting how they used cameras to help produce some of the big WWII planes. Plus the Kitchenware Caricature photographs are great fun

Linda Lens- To be honest I am getting a bit fed up of cameras. Luckily the villain Han Gordon looks a lot like an old boss of mine. So that kept my attention and I was VERY glad he got his comeuppance at the end.

The Grey Comet - I am afraid I skimmed this ... just about had enough

Kid Click- Luckily this was light fare ... so I completed another cover to cover mission.

Verdict: A hit. But I think they overdid the camera angle a tad too much.