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[K1ngcat]

Fantastic Adventures #18

It's been decades since I watched Universal's Invisible Man movie. I read the book only once, when I was in high school. Thus I came to this comic with few preconceptions. After reading Pete Morisi's adaptation, I dug up the late-1950s Classics Illustrated rendition (#153, drawn by Normal Nodel). Both plot and text in Nodel version mirrored the Morisi version closely, often using identical words. To me this suggests Morisi made as faithful an adaptation of Wells' novel as he could in 28 pages with Comics Code restrictions.

The story is rather good. It moves well, makes sense, and doesn't feel choppy as if too much material was dropped. My main problem is with Griffin's motivation. It's not clear why he becomes a murderous megalomaniac. I came to the comic presuming that the invisibility potion drove him mad. Instead it seems he was off his rocker to begin with. The fact that the longer Classics Illustrated version doesn't make this any clearer leads me to believe that Wells didn't spell it out in his novel. After this is over I'll have to reread it and find out. All told, though, I feel Morisi wrote a respectable adaptation. Parenthetically, do you know why I'm sure Morisi wrote the script? See our page 29, panel 6. I've never encountered any writer other than Pete Morisi who renders groans as Unnnn! Look at his Thunderbolt scripts. You'll see what I mean.

The art gives me conflicting feelings. I know Pete Morisi's art is an acquired taste but I really like his work. Trouble is, he's exactly the wrong guy for this job. All the hallmarks of his style--the serene panel compositions, the bright, open inking, the repetitive eye-level camera angles, and especially the frozen, sculptural look of his action poses--work against the mood throughout the book. This is particularly true in the scenes of people fighting with the invisible man. The script begs for twisted bodies flying around but Morisi just can't deliver it. As for the environments, I'm no expert on English country villages. All I know about them I learned from Hollywood movies. I can say that the architecture, particularly the interiors, is generic and fake looking. I'm not saying Morisi hacked the book out. I have the impression he put as much honest work into the art as he did the script. His style simply doesn't suit the story. Too bad.

The impression I've always had from Wells' wording in his novel, and from the 1933 Raines film was that it was the chemicals he was drinking that altered his brain.  His scientist colleagues warned him that what he was dealing with in his experiments was dangerous, but he wouldn't listen.  It seemed that everything pointed to that.  He became a completely different person, with a completely different demeanor and different values.  Drinking chemicals?  Probably non-biological?  What would they do to his cells and tissues?  It is the obvious conclusion that they altered his brain's tissues, which caused a change in his way of thinking and made basic needs and basic emotions supersede deep thinking, or even thinking at all.  He desperately needed money to continue his experiments, which then became everything to him.  So, he was able, without thinking, to hurt, and even kill others, without remorse.  Becoming dedicated only to his experiments wouldn't be enough to make someone change so drastically, as to take others lives.  It is clear that the chemicals ruined his brain.  I don't remember Wells' wording ever saying that outright.  But even if he never stated that, it is clearly implied.

I don't know if anyone's familiar with the 2000 Paul Verhoeven movie Hollow Man? It's basically the Invisible Man story, but what tips Kevin Bacon's character towards megalomania is discovering the freedom to do anything he desires when invisible. Okay, his character's a bit of a know-it-all smart ass to start with but the sheer exhilaration of feeling free from the responsibility of his actions is what drives him over the edge. It's worth a look !

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0164052/

[Morgus]

Wow, King’ forgot all about that one, and it IS worth a look. 23 years ago ALREADY? Like Ray Charles sang; ‘Funny how the time slips away’, huh? 
That same spirit was what I liked about the James Whale Universal version. That flying by the seat of your pants feel that all inhibitions and bets are now off and you were never SURE what that guy was going to do. Would it be an amusing prank, or attempted murder? And the movie DID state that the dog in the experiment went mad, it just wasn't translated for Claude Rains to read in time.

And with Welles, there was almost always a class element. That plays a part too.

[Quirky Quokka]

Hi everyone - Sorry I'm late answering some of your comments. It's been a busy few days, but I've been reading them. Thanks for all of your input.

I've found a lot of stuff on the net that suggests Scarlet is America's first super-powered heroine, and I don't know enough to argue with that, so check out these links for more info:
https://www.hoganmag.com/blog/not-seen-but-not-forgotten-the-invisible-scarlet-oneil
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/russell-stamm/4040-64660/
and it's interesting to find her origin story takes up just four panels of the strip. Now that's economy!

Thanks for those links, K1ngcat (or was that Kinglet?  ) She's certainly one interesting gal, and it's always good to find out more about the creators.

Superior Stories #1/Fantastic Adventures #18
Good call to start with the classic! I do agree that the Fantastic Adventures cover is much more dynamic. I can't remember if I've read The Invisible Man before, let's see if it feels familiar. The story really moves along fast, I think the process of adapting it to a comic book has messed up the pacing. The Invisible Man's goals seem to escalate quickly. From continuing his work to theft to terrorizing a town! I think I haven't read the original after all, I don't remember any of the plot points. I expected the story to be a "misunderstood monster" type deal, but the Invisible Man is kind of a jerk the whole time. The art is decent though.

EHowie60, I listened to the audiobook of the original H.G. Wells novel a while ago and it was simmering with tension. It's a slow build, as the man desperately tries to find the antidote to cure his invisibility. Between not being able to find the cure, and the reactions of others once they find out he's invisible, he eventually goes mad, which leads to his reign of terror. I guess it's hard to capture that in a 36-page comic, though the writer and artist still probably could have done a better job. The book is only novella length and worth a read if you're interested. (P.S. I wrote this before seeing Robb's comment about the invisible man going mad because of the chemicals he took. I don't recall that, but it's been awhile since I listened to the audiobook. I'll have to have another look.) Thanks for commenting on the different styles used for invisibility too.

Q.Q.: this was a great idea for a theme; trying to express the unseen in a visual medium. Why am I reminded of the irony of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on the radio where they did a ventriloquist routine?

I give up, Morgus. Why were you reminded of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy?  I've only seen a few clips of them, as I don't think they were big in Australia. Is it that you can always see his lips moving?

The wife walked by at one point took one look at the Guest Goon and said; “You know what kind of shampoo that guy uses??”
I was lost at sea and asked what.
“Head and Shoulders.”

Hey Morgus, tell her that's a great line. Thanks for your other suggestions about invisibility. I'll check them out.

Invisible Scarlet O’Neil #3
This was a well-crafted book.  The Artwork is decent.  I like the bright colours and use of light and shadows used for mood.  I notice The Chester Gould style, with over-emphasized and distorted faces of the criminals.  I like the use of just the invisible character's ink outline, with no fill colour, to show that person's position and movements.  I like the little stars emanating from an unseen character to indicate from where the dialog or thinking balloon's text comes, to show that invisible character's position better than the light blue colouring or unfilled area inside the character's inked outlines, do.  However, when the protagonist is the invisible character, it is important to the reader to see the hero's movements; so I understand why the latter method was used in the case of the latter 2 books, who are superheroes, whose actions are an important part of their fight against crime and all wrongdoing.  In the case of "The Invisible Man", the story is a tragedy about a normal man, who becomes a wrongdoing villain (albeit not from his own choice), and so, no longer is a protagonist.

I find it interesting that there is an information page to warn kid readers against falling for criminal tricks (scams) used by common rackets.  The other filler pages are testing the readers' detecting skills, to provide a vehicle to instill some self-participation in their heroes' work, to get them more involved in the genre.

Hey Robb, I like your explanation for the differences in how invisibility is shown. I hadn't thought of that. I liked the extra features too. Some of the rackets we face these days have certainly changed from the 1950s, but the same ethos is behind them. In some ways it's a lot worse because of the pervasiveness of the internet and social media.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

And some more replies 

One we haven't mentioned yet, is Sue Storm, the invisible woman.

The Invisible Man (1933) | The Terror of Claude Rains' Invisible Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ-AQXw1gUk&ab_channel=UniversalPictures

Thanks for that, Panther. I don't think I've seen the original movie of 'The Invisible Man'. Will have to check it out. Also, I picked up a back copy of a Sue Storm comic recently (Partners in Crime). I really liked it, but unfortunately, my comic book store only had Issue 1 and I think it's a five-part series. I'll have to track down the whole thing.

British TV had The Invisible Man series way back.  Peter Brady is rendered invisible following a scientific accident.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051285/

Thanks for that, Paw Broon. Is that different to the show that we have here on CB+?

https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=3008

The impression I've always had from Wells' wording in his novel, and from the 1933 Raines film was that it was the chemicals he was drinking that altered his brain.  His scientist colleagues warned him that what he was dealing with in his experiments was dangerous, but he wouldn't listen.  It seemed that everything pointed to that.  He became a completely different person, with a completely different demeanor and different values.  Drinking chemicals?  Probably non-biological?  What would they do to his cells and tissues?  It is the obvious conclusion that they altered his brain's tissues, which caused a change in his way of thinking and made basic needs and basic emotions supersede deep thinking, or even thinking at all.  He desperately needed money to continue his experiments, which then became everything to him.  So, he was able, without thinking, to hurt, and even kill others, without remorse.  Becoming dedicated only to his experiments wouldn't be enough to make someone change so drastically, as to take others lives.  It is clear that the chemicals ruined his brain.  I don't remember Wells' wording ever saying that outright.  But even if he never stated that, it is clearly implied.

Thanks for that explanation, Robb. I listened to the audiobook, so I may have missed that connection. I was thinking it was his inability to find the antidote and people's reactions to him that were sending him mad. I'll have to go back and read the original novel.

Where's Robby the Robot when you need him?

Crashryan, until you mentioned it, I had completely forgotten that. We bought a 50th anniversary box of 'Forbidden Planet' some time back, and it included a plastic Robbie and an extra DVD of Robbie in The Invisible Boy. I'll have to heat up some popcorn and have another look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVFclwHgHsc

I do agree that Siegel was a one-trick pony. After Superman nothing he created (or in The Spider's case, re-created) was very good.

I guess he was no Stan Lee in that regard, Crashryan, but then if you're the co-creator of one of the most iconic and ground-breaking characters of all time, it's not bad to have that on your CV 

I'll give my thoughts on the comics later in the week.

Cheers

QQ

[crashryan]

Invisible Scarlet O'Neil #3

I'll join the others in saying this was the most entertaining of the three books. One thing struck me right away: this strip is really brutal. A tough kids uses a random stiff to scam his buddies into obedience...a kid falls to his death trying to be a tough guy and winds up cemented into a wall...the Boss deliberately sets a kid up to be burned alive in a robbery...

It's not like similar things didn't happen in Dick Tracy, which was an obvious influence on Scarlet. Somehow it seems worse here. Maybe because everyone (except the gangsters) were drawn more realistically than in Tracy. Anyway, the story moves well and Scarlet is a good protagonist. I like that she's the star front and center. Sandy is definitely the second banana and doesn't come running to the rescue in the final reel.

There's something overly specific about Butcher Boy's appearance, as if he's supposed to look like a real person. Funny, the first thing I thought when I saw him was, "He looks like a comic book artist!"

The opening "racket" page proves some things never get old. "Miracle cures" are a bigger business than ever, though today instead of electric magnetism it's chlorine dioxide Miracle Mineral Solution. One difference is that electric magnetism never killed anyone, so far as I know. The fake political donation grift isn't only still around, it's become a consistent source of pocket money for our most recent ex-President.

The jewellery scam reminded me of a totally unrelated matter. Back in the 70s there was a tabloid newspaper called The Overseas Weekly that was aimed at US servicemen stationed outside the US. It was sold in PX's but it was a commercial publication, not a government-sponsored one. Wallace Wood's studio did a lot of work for them (Cannon, Sally Forth). Anyway, the back page was almost always a huge ad ptching diamonds for GI's to send to the girl back home. The prices were tantalizingly low. It was a racket. The diamonds were overpriced and of poor quality. Someone--it may have been the US military--commissioned a short comic in which a GI is suckered by a diamond ad and is shown the truth about the scam. The comic was illustrated by none other than Alex Toth! And a nice job it was. However the comic was never printed. I believe someone was afraid of getting sued. Years later a fan publisher released an 8-1/2x11" b&w booklet with the Toth story. I don't know whatever happened to my copy. It disappeared decades ago. I'm sure a reproduction of the story is out there somewhere but I've had no luck googling since "diamond" turns up endless references to Diamond Distributors. Does someone out there have a copy?

Now back to our regularly-scheduled program.

The mystery short-short has nice Powell art but it confused me at first. There's no indication it's part of a series. The opening caption says, "Unknown to each other..." and Jackie gives Gil a hostile reception. I honestly thought they were going to be suspects--or maybe victims--in the mystery. Then in panel 5 they're suddenly playing lovey-dovey. At least on the next page it became clear Janie and Gil were the detectives. The solution was kind of pushed in our face, but that's how these minute mysteries usually are.

I was also confused by the one-pager. The two-shots-not-one thing is a nice gimmick. But why in the world did they close the window after shooting Gilbert? (Gilbert, eh? They ought to have interrogated Jackie from the previous story.) For that matter, why pretend at all that there were two shots? One would have served them just as well and the cops wouldn't have looked for the second bullet.

A good read! Thanks for the Invisible Three, QQ.

[EHowie60]

EHowie, if you get a chance, dial up Universals’ THE INVISIBLE MAN. Like RobbK, my son is a big fan since i showed it to him and you get a REAL sense of his mental unhinging.

Hm, my Dad is a fan of old universal horror. I'll have to ask him about it!

[Morgus]

James Whale made four horror films for Universal, all are masterworks. INVISIBLE MAN is very approachable and draws in he viewer every time. Claude Rains just might have given the performance of his career here. There’s a lot of emotions all at once. There’s that liberation of being invisible, the urge for revenge as he tosses his inhibitions, his child like joy at his pranks, and a real sense that he would kill you just as soon throw some money from the bank till in your direction.
Rains deftly handles the encroaching insanity and desperation as he tries to figure a ‘way back’. And makes you feel pity for...a mass murderer.

[SuperScrounge]

Fantastic Adventures #18

The Invisible Man
Nice adaptation. I think they did leave out the scene of Kemp being amazed at Griffin eating or smoking and seeing it through the skin. A nice visual moment that you'd think they'd want to include. I do remember that scene from Pendulum's adaptation of the story in the '70s. I think Alex Nino did the art on that. But that's a minor quibble. The only nit I can see actually comes from the original novel, not the adaptation, and that's Griffin becoming visible after death. Symbolically it represents a return to normal (and influenced similar scenes in later horror movies & TV shows), but in the book Griffin described the process as bleaching his cells until they became invisible which death shouldn't change.

The Tale of Two Cities
The Book Report.  Well now that I've read this I don't need to read the book or watch the movies. 

Robinson Crusoe
Ditto. Although I might be willing to watch movie adaptations. 


Approved Comics #2

We actually read this in week 53, so I'll just repost my old comments.

"The Secret Formula - The professor has the secret to alchemy, but he just uses it to impress kids??? Ah, the old "one thing you must never touch" trope. How does breathing fumes turn his clothes visible? Well, aside from the nitpicking an okay origin story.

The Impossible Can Happen - Interesting.

Terror In The Streets - Eh, okay.

Accidents That Changed The World! - Interesting.

Magic Manners - Okay.

Abe Lincoln's Star - Interesting.

A-Haunting We Shall Go! - Amusing.

A generally entertaining book. I can believe that Jerry Seigel was probably the writer. The writing had a very Supermannish vibe to it."

Re-reading the book I did wonder if the professor's shelf included the chemicals that would later give Barry Allen super-speed.  And in Terror in the Streets I was amused that Danny is accusing the Reds of causing trouble and look at what color shirt Danny is wearing. 

Buzz Baxter Rides Again!
I wonder if Dan, working for the greeting card company, stole Buzz's bike just to trick Buzz into selling cards? 


Invisible Scarlet O'Neil #3

School for Crime
It really shows that Russell Stamm was a former assistant on Dick Tracy. Enjoyable story.

The Case of the Rocking Boat
Okay for a minute mystery.

[Quirky Quokka]

Approved Comics #2

We actually read this in week 53, so I'll just repost my old comments.

Whoops. Sorry I missed that, SuperScrounge. I did check your list that you have in the forum suggestions thread, but I looked under 'I' for Invisible rather than 'A' for Approved Comics. Will check both next time. Though I guess there have been a few new people since then.

Thanks for your comments.

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Invisible Scarlet O'Neil #3

The opening "racket" page proves some things never get old. "Miracle cures" are a bigger business than ever, though today instead of electric magnetism it's chlorine dioxide Miracle Mineral Solution. One difference is that electric magnetism never killed anyone, so far as I know. The fake political donation grift isn't only still around, it's become a consistent source of pocket money for our most recent ex-President.

The jewellery scam reminded me of a totally unrelated matter. Back in the 70s there was a tabloid newspaper called The Overseas Weekly that was aimed at US servicemen stationed outside the US. It was sold in PX's but it was a commercial publication, not a government-sponsored one. Wallace Wood's studio did a lot of work for them (Cannon, Sally Forth). Anyway, the back page was almost always a huge ad ptching diamonds for GI's to send to the girl back home. The prices were tantalizingly low. It was a racket. The diamonds were overpriced and of poor quality. Someone--it may have been the US military--commissioned a short comic in which a GI is suckered by a diamond ad and is shown the truth about the scam. The comic was illustrated by none other than Alex Toth! And a nice job it was. However the comic was never printed. I believe someone was afraid of getting sued. Years later a fan publisher released an 8-1/2x11" b&w booklet with the Toth story. I don't know whatever happened to my copy. It disappeared decades ago. I'm sure a reproduction of the story is out there somewhere but I've had no luck googling since "diamond" turns up endless references to Diamond Distributors. Does someone out there have a copy?

Now back to our regularly-scheduled program.

The mystery short-short has nice Powell art but it confused me at first. There's no indication it's part of a series. The opening caption says, "Unknown to each other..." and Jackie gives Gil a hostile reception. I honestly thought they were going to be suspects--or maybe victims--in the mystery. Then in panel 5 they're suddenly playing lovey-dovey. At least on the next page it became clear Janie and Gil were the detectives. The solution was kind of pushed in our face, but that's how these minute mysteries usually are.

I was also confused by the one-pager. The two-shots-not-one thing is a nice gimmick. But why in the world did they close the window after shooting Gilbert? (Gilbert, eh? They ought to have interrogated Jackie from the previous story.) For that matter, why pretend at all that there were two shots? One would have served them just as well and the cops wouldn't have looked for the second bullet.

A good read! Thanks for the Invisible Three, QQ.

Thanks for the extra info about scams, Crashryan. I guess scams have always been with us. There were probably dudes hanging round the pyramids a few thousand years ago, promising passersby that they were buying genuine items owned by Tutankhamun. Then we moved onto snake oil, diamond scams and all manner of internet scams. I guess it's more insidious now because it's hard to get away from it. Almost every day I get a scam email or text. (Unless a formerly unknown Nigerian relative really has left me 5 million dollars!). Good that they were warning kids of some of the common ones of the time.

I had trouble with the two mystery stories as well. Maybe the two detectives from the first one were in a series of these, so we were supposed to know who they were? That one was a bit too obvious to solve and they had to make sure we 'got it'. I had trouble with the second one because the stand with the urn turned out to be an important prop, but it was disappearing into the edge, so I missed it altogether. I guess it's hard to get it right in a one- or two-pager.

Cheers

QQ

[K1ngcat]

I guess he was no Stan Lee in that regard, Crashryan, but then if you're the co-creator of one of the most iconic and ground-breaking characters of all time, it's not bad to have that on your CV 

Cheers
QQ

No disrespect to Jerry Siegel, from all that we've learned about Kirby and Ditko's contribution to Marvel comics, it seems that even Stan Lee wasn't entirely Stan Lee either!

[K1ngcat]

James Whale made four horror films for Universal, all are masterworks. INVISIBLE MAN is very approachable and draws in he viewer every time. Claude Rains just might have given the performance of his career here. There’s a lot of emotions all at once. There’s that liberation of being invisible, the urge for revenge as he tosses his inhibitions, his child like joy at his pranks, and a real sense that he would kill you just as soon throw some money from the bank till in your direction.
Rains deftly handles the encroaching insanity and desperation as he tries to figure a ‘way back’. And makes you feel pity for...a mass murderer.

Morgus, I heartily second your commendation for Claude Rains'  performance as the Invisible Man, and your appreciation of James Whales' horror films for Universal.  I have great respect for Whales, not only for his films but for his courage for living as an openly gay man in a time when such a "scandal" could have ended his career.

Plus he was a fellow Brit, like William "Boris Karloff" Pratt, and I still have a teeny amount of patriotic pride in them both!

[Robb_K]

James Whale made four horror films for Universal, all are masterworks. INVISIBLE MAN is very approachable and draws in he viewer every time. Claude Rains just might have given the performance of his career here. There’s a lot of emotions all at once. There’s that liberation of being invisible, the urge for revenge as he tosses his inhibitions, his child like joy at his pranks, and a real sense that he would kill you just as soon throw some money from the bank till in your direction.
Rains deftly handles the encroaching insanity and desperation as he tries to figure a ‘way back’. And makes you feel pity for...a mass murderer.

Morgus, I heartily second your commendation for Claude Rains'  performance as the Invisible Man, and your appreciation of James Whales' horror films for Universal.  I have great respect for Whales, not only for his films but for his courage for living as an openly gay man in a time when such a "scandal" could have ended his career.

Plus he was a fellow Brit, like William "Boris Karloff" Pratt, and I still have a teeny amount of patriotic pride in them both!

They are two of my all-time favourite actors, along with Basil Rathbone and Ronald Colman (all of whom had training on "the stage").

[K1ngcat]

James Whale made four horror films for Universal, all are masterworks. INVISIBLE MAN is very approachable and draws in he viewer every time. Claude Rains just might have given the performance of his career here. There’s a lot of emotions all at once. There’s that liberation of being invisible, the urge for revenge as he tosses his inhibitions, his child like joy at his pranks, and a real sense that he would kill you just as soon throw some money from the bank till in your direction.
Rains deftly handles the encroaching insanity and desperation as he tries to figure a ‘way back’. And makes you feel pity for...a mass murderer.

Morgus, I heartily second your commendation for Claude Rains'  performance as the Invisible Man, and your appreciation of James Whales' horror films for Universal.  I have great respect for Whales, not only for his films but for his courage for living as an openly gay man in a time when such a "scandal" could have ended his career.

Plus he was a fellow Brit, like William "Boris Karloff" Pratt, and I still have a teeny amount of patriotic pride in them both!

They are two of my all-time favourite actors, along with Basil Rathbone and Ronald Colman (all of whom had training on "the stage").

Robb, "the stage" is always a great place to lean your craft, as witness the tremendous modern popularity of actors like Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. Even my training as a master of ceremonies at a blues jam taught me "you have to learn to PROJECT, luvvie!" 

[Quirky Quokka]

Hi everyone

Thanks for all of your comments about this fortnight's selections. As usual, I've learned a lot from your observations. I'm not sure that I have a lot to add that hasn't already been said, so I'll just make a few comments rather than giving complete reviews.

The Invisible Man

Well, this one turned out to be not as popular as I thought it would. It sounds like a few of us like the original book and some of the TV and film adaptations, but most agree this isn't the best comic book adaptation. I didn't mind the art, though it is patchy in places and could have been more dynamic. I was interested in the technique of leaving out the bits of the man's physical body and just drawing the clothes and props, and the asterisks so we knew where the speech was coming from. But the story lost a lot in the abridged format. Would be great to see a full-length graphic novel that followed the original book more closely.

The Invisible Boy

I'm sorry I missed that this one had already been discussed in the forum some years ago, but hopefully it was new to many of you. I agree with the comments about the origin story. What kind of scientist lets a boy play with anything in his chemical lab except for the one bottle of stuff we know will cause all sorts of problems? I worked in a Science Faculty for 25 years (though in the Psychology Dept), and I can assure you that would not have gotten past the Workplace Health and Safety Officer - LOL But then there'd be no story.

Thanks for pointing out that Jerry Siegel was the writer. I'm a longtime fan and hadn't even noticed that. As there are four stories, I did wonder if the Invisible Boy was going to be a regular character in a comic book, but I couldn't find any more. Maybe it didn't get the readership they were hoping for. The boy did remind me a bit of Kid Flash (Wally West) who made his first appearance for DC in Flash #110 in 1959. I did wonder if that was more than coincidence. And of course, Kid Flash is all grown up and is the Flash now, so he's had the longevity the Invisible Boy didn't.

For the one-pager The Impossible Can Happen, I did wonder if any of those things have since been found to be hoaxes or otherwise explained.

Invisible Scarlet O'Neil

Phew! Lucky I picked this one because it seemed to meet with the greatest approval. I really liked it. The greater length meant that the story had time to play out. Some parts may have been a little dark for kids, but it does show the 'crime doesn't pay' motif. I did wonder about the two different art styles, between fairly realistic for some characters and more cartoony for the bad guys. Though after reading your comments about the artist's work on Dick Tracy, it makes more sense. I really liked Scarlet and will look forward to reading her other comics and strips.

The cover was also interesting, with the three-panel preview of what would happen later in the story. I don't think I've seen one like that before.

I also thought the comic book had some interesting extra features.

Beware of the Rackets may have been helpful at the time, and shows that nothing much has changed. There are still lots of rackets, though probably more insidious now with the internet.

The Case of the Rocking Boat was a bit short to be effective, and I'm not sure how convincing the premise is. It was easy to tell that the culprit couldn't have written the letter while on board. But even if it had been smooth sailing, surely you'd need more of an alibi than someone claiming they were writing a letter.

I actually managed to get 5 out of 5 on the sleuth quiz by guessing the ones I didn't know. I'd never heard of the Brink's Robbery.

How Good a Detective Are You? Well, apparently not very good because I had trouble with this one. But in my defence, I blame the fact that the urn on the stand was disappearing into the edge of the panel, and it was a vital clue. 

Thanks for sharing this trip into invisibility with me. I'm sure you'll have some more visible comics to enjoy on Monday.

Cheers

QQ

[The Australian Panther]

Superior Stories 1 - The Invisible Man
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=12005
Out of curiosity i had a look at other covers for this story.
https://www.qwant.com/?q=classics+illustrated+-+the+invisible+man&t=images&o=0%3A65569C7CE19D0B23373CC92BD9F5523F0AC736C5

This one and the Ross Andru are by far the best. They are much more dynamic and show other people's reaction to seeing an invisible man. The others are dull and static.
Also, that list alters me to the Marvel classics series, of which I have seen very few.
Their Invisible Man is scripted by Doug Moench, but here there is no artist credited.
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/marvel-classics-comics-25-the-invisible-man/4000-49266/
Thinking about it, visually there is not much to see in this story. (unintended but accurate pun!) so the  drama comes from the visual reactions of the people trying to work out what is going on with Griffin.
For mine, Pete Morisi does a good job of that. I think what's disappointing about the art comes from the limitations of the 6 panels per page grid.

The peoples' faces are too much the same, and too "good looking", and show too little emotion, when surprise, shock, fear, apprehension, and relief are needed.   

 
On that we'll have to agree to disagree!

Morisi’s art was okay, in fact, a notch above a lot of CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED would-be competitors. But he was done in by the script and the editing. 

On that most of us would seem to concur.
So why does Griffith go crazy?
Most of Wells work had a deeper purpose and theme, but here what he was getting at is not so clear as say, 'The Time Machine'
Here is one theory,

https://bookanalysis.com/hg-wells/the-invisible-man/historical-context/

Rather than playing into class expectations, Wells chose to focus on how a simple town, Iping, responded to the presence of the “invisible man.” The common, religious, and faithful people of the town are described as far more good-natured and caring than people from bigger cities and certainly more caring than Griffin himself. They do not have the false sense of superiority that Griffin has or that Dr. Kemp has in the novel.
----------------------------------------
t’s not 100% clear why Wells chose to write this novel. But, he was likely interested in a variety of subjects, including the dangers of technological advances that go unchecked, class discrimination, and how out of control one person might become if they were not held responsible for their actions.
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Some of the themes in H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man include isolation and loneliness, which are seen through Griffin’s desperation to reverse his invisibility. Another theme is community, depicted through the villagers’ ability to come together in the face of a crisis.
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As I am writing this, it occurs to me that one constant in the story is fear. The villagers fear the unknown that Griffith represents, he reacts badly to that and aggravates the situation.
And yes, it is significant that Wells locates the story in a small village and not in a city.
It also occurs to me that when we describer someone as an 'invisible man' we refer to an insignificant person that doesn't make much of an impression on people. Is Wells saying that if someone was actually invisible that would be intolerable and lead to madness?     
Enjoyed this. Might find the book and actually read it rather than the adaptations.   


 

[The Australian Panther]

Approved Comics 2 - Invisible Boy
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=19048
Very dynamic cover and that is definitely the behavior of 'a boy' 
So 'the scientist' uses a 400 year old formula to turn lead into gold.in other worlds he's an alchemist.
First question, what is Danny doing in the laboratory in the first place?
The 'intelligent' professor has a cup with the fomula in it on the table, forgets about it and then tells the criminal that he can turn lead into gold?!
Danny crashes into the shelf and the one bottle that spills onto him is the one that turns him invisible.
This may be the clumsiest bit of writing for an origin story I have yet seen.
Accidents that changed the world!
Humbling that so many discoveries come from accidents and co-incidents rather than from purposeful work.
Who needs a University degree?
Magic Manners.
Can't help myself here. In panel one, where is Percy's other hand?  And look at the expression on Margie's face. You wonder about artists sometimes.
And why is Danny wearing glasses. Or did the colorist confuse the boys?     
In the whole story, Percy's behavior is obnoxious but Danny's is not much better.
The idea here (of the INVISIBLE BOY) is one that could have let to something bigger, but it has been wasted.
Siegel would have benefited from a canny editor.
Wasted potential.   
Also makes it clear that Superman owes as much to Shuster than to Siegel, if not more.
Actually, I recently looked at the original few Superman stories and was seriously impressed.         
       

[K1ngcat]

Panther, your link introduced me to more Invisible Man covers than I could have ever imagined! My favourites were the Illustrated Classics (2005) edition,  the campycreatures prints version, the Audio Book from downpour and the grotesque romance paperback version, though the two movie posters were nicely done too. So much invisibility to see! Thanks for opening my eyes  .

[Morgus]

Robb’ and King’: The 30’s and 40’s in Hollywood are going to be decades that will be studied and re-studied like the Renaissance. Rathbone and Coleman and Rains and Karloff and the rest are just some of the English expats that will continue to astonish future generations.  I think my great grandkids are still going to see Rathbone as the ultimate Sherlock Holmes, and Karloff is the one and only Frankenstein.
One Whale project to be on the lookout for is JAMES WHALES DRACULA’S DAUGHTER. Softcover. It’s a script that was handed in to Universal so that Whale could do SHOWBOAT. It’s out of print but worth a look.
I expect you old hands already know about it or even read it.
The idea was that the script would be so over the top that the censors would freak and that would give James Whale a clear shot for SHOWBOAT.
It worked, he made SHOWBOAT, but you have to wonder what might have happened if Universal had thought it was a good idea and toned it back ever so slightly. In the book one of the writers wonders out loud why only deMile can get away with sleaze as long as there is a moral ending in the last reel.
What if Carl Jr had wanted the deMile sized profits and decided to get the project through? Would James Whale had been able to resist? What would Whale’s direction have looked like?

[The Australian Panther]

Invisible Scarlet O’Neil #3

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=20997

Yes, Chester Gould's work has had an obvious effect on this strip.
Also, whoever edited the strip to fit this format, did a good job.
There are some serious jumps but they work.
Look at page 8. Jump between Panel 1 and 2 and then between #6 and #7.
The art is messy, not as clear as Chester Gould's work and the editing into the new format destroys the pacing, the rhythm of the original.,
The Jackie and Gil minimysteries. Don't know who wrote but Powell drew them.
They are also to be found in Harvey's Dick Tracy and Kerry Drake books.
I'm not a puzzle fan so they never grabbed me.
In those books they also interrupt the main storyline of the books, which made them annoying.       
How good a detective are you? Also Powell.
Liked it, but I will have to read more of the strips, to experience it in the original.
Thank you QQ. Looking forward to your next post in the Reading Group.     

[The Australian Panther]

Tomorrow is my slot but our guest is  EHowie60.

Looking forward to it. 

[EHowie60]

Tomorrow is my slot but our guest is  EHowie60.

Looking forward to it.

I'm probably going to post it in the evening on Sunday my (American) time so it shows up Monday morning for the Australians

[Robb_K]

Tomorrow is my slot but our guest is  EHowie60.

Looking forward to it.

I'm probably going to post it in the evening on Sunday my (American) time so it shows up Monday morning for the Australians

And The Brits and Europeans as well!

[Robb_K]

Approved Comics 2 - Invisible Boy
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=19048

Magic Manners.
Can't help myself here. In panel one, where is Percy's other hand?  And look at the expression on Margie's face. You wonder about artists sometimes.
And why is Danny wearing glasses. Or did the colorist confuse the boys?     

There is no doubt that the colourist, indeed, did mistake Danny for Percy.  When I worked on colouring, we had one of us read through the story and mark each separate enclosed space with a colour number code, so that mistakes like that weren't made.  We also looked for author's notes made to assure that no colours essential for the reader to understand story flow were different from what was desired.  But both Carl Barks' and my own experience with our own notes, as well as that of most of my artist colleagues, were that most of them were ignored, and coloured incorrectly.

[SuperScrounge]

Also, that list alters me to the Marvel classics series, of which I have seen very few.
Their Invisible Man is scripted by Doug Moench, but here there is no artist credited.

The GCD entry https://www.comics.org/issue/66457/ lists Dino Castrillo on pencils and Rudy Mesina on inks.

Here's the entry for the Pendulum Press version I referenced https://www.comics.org/issue/1251111/