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[Kracalactaka]

Okay, so Suzie 49 was a bit of a flop. I personally feel the art and stories were better later in the run when Schwartz took over.

So this week we have that rare item, the comparison. We will follow the high octane goings on of Clint Curtis & his Road Knights. Starting with Fawcett's Hot Rod Comics #2 from April of 1952 (if we had #1 I'd have posted that) up to his last Public Domain appearance on site in Charlton's Hot Rods & Racing Cars #88 from December of 1967. (This title continued into the early Bronze Age, ending with issue #120 in 1973.)
Needless to say, Clint Curtis' permanent obsession with fast cars not withstanding, quite a bit changed in comics from 1952 to 1967.  So dive in and enjoy.  (I think car comics are fun as they take me back to playing with Hot Wheels & Matchbox cars when I was a kid and later with my son when he was younger.)

Hot Rod Comics #2 can be found here: https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=70470

Hot Rods and Racing Cars #88 can be found here: https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=71800

[SuperScrounge]

Hot Rod Comics #2

Safety Comes in First - Okay, but all the technobabble was tedious as I didn't understand most of it.

Hot Rods for Civilian Defense - Some nice character work by the artist on the pup on page 2 - Less technobabble = better storytelling, a lot more enjoyable than the first story.


Hot Rods and Racing Cars #88

The Car-Nappers - Not bad.

The Charlton story felt more generic compared to the Fawcett stories. It actually felt more like the Wild Willie and the Black Baron story that started off the issue. Change the names, no one will ever know. ;-)

[narfstar]

I think we have become so spoiled compared to how things were. We can learn anything about anything by just typing in a search bar. Consider how much time we may spend reading ABOUT our favorite hobby. For a car enthusiast at the time these Fawcett stories would have been a great experience. Very boring to us today but I can imagine the joy of learning for those at the time. The art was really good so that would be a nice plus. The later Charlton story was the more typical action and excitement. Having Keller art in a car story is a winner. With these Charlton stories, they are always better in small doses to enjoy. Too many too soon you get stuck with the sameness. But taken by themselves they are fun.

[K1ngcat]

It's all wasted on me I'm afraid, as I don't drive and never have done (how have I survived, I wonder?) Nonetheless, it's always good to see Bob Powell art, and some of the cars pictured in the Fawcett comic look interesting.   I always wanted a 1938 Duesenberg myself, but I can't afford a chauffeur.    I see they make guitars now, but at

[Morgus]

The first one had Bob Powell doing artwork on machinery, so it was gnarly cool for me. You got the feeling every piece of equipment actually worked. The second one was around when I was a kid, and was a great bridge between HOT ROD magazine and the repair books that came later. You could learn how the parts worked and how to fix them, essentially how to get your feet wet. And it worked. For most of my adult life I have done my own oil changes, tune ups, and before I had to move, even my own brake jobs. Now, with micro chips in everything, and my back a bit more stiff, I had to find a mechanic, but those comics were cool back in the day. True, you would sometimes wonder if it was a Charlton war, romance, or car comic...but...

[crashryan]

I've always liked cars, so I was open to comparing a couple of hot rod books.

The Fawcett issue is of course the winner by far. In an interview Howard Nostrand, Bob Powell's assistant on this book, related how Powell didn't particularly care to draw cars but Nostrand loved 'em. So Powell concentrated on the (beautiful) figures and Nostrand knocked himself out drawing detailed, realistic cars. Note the background sneak on page 30, "Ostrand Shops." I wonder if an editor whited out the "N."

For his part Powell did an equally fine job, drawing well-defined, lively characters and piling on local color. I love pages 24 and 31. The background saga of the puppy adds interest and humor to talky sequences. I'll bet this wasn't in the script.

About the script. The fifties were the golden days of hot rodding. I imagine many boys ate up the technical stuff. However the stories seem also to be aimed at parents. An enormous amount of time is spent assuring the reader that hot rodders are clean-cut, upstanding lads to be neither scorned nor feared.

Let us now jump to Charlton Clint. It's quite a comedown. Two of the stories, the lead story and the story of Peeler Pete, are typical Joe Gill hack jobs. Unlike the Fawcett stories, the technical stuff here sounds like someone who knows nothing about cars plugged in a few details he found in a magazine. The other two stories, written by Jack Keller, are a step better. As a writer Keller was no superstar, but his stories at least had some structure. The Pinewood Derby story is cute--it's the story of Keller's own son.

In general the artwork is meh. The lead story is by Edd Ashe. Ashe had done some nice work in the past, but at Charlton he was winding down. Other Ashe Charlton stories credit an inker. Perhaps the same person inked this story. Jack Keller is a competent craftsman and his cars aren't bad, but his art is unexciting. It's better than the dreary Charles Nicholas job. At least in this story the cars are recognizable. In non-car comics Nicholas usually drew generic Ditko Boxes.

An entertaining pair of reads.

[narfstar]

Where was the Nostrand interview? Can you add the info to the GCD?

[lyons]

After WW2, cars became universally accessible. Teens began hitting the highways and lanes for excitement.  Many horrific accidents occurred throughout the country. Every community had its fatalities.  Teens admired the fast cars and leather jacketed drivers but to adults they became synonymous with alcohol, danger, speed, and death.  Hot Rod Comics suffered adult disapproval as well, which is one of reasons the title managed to sustain itself as it developed its loyal teen readership.  Good art in the Fawcett comic.