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[Robb_K]

Good morning, all.  This fortnight's books for reading and review are from The Sci-Fi Genre: (1) Avon's "Flying Saucers (No#)", from 1952, and (2) Dell's "Space Man 2", from 1962.  I thought it would be interesting to compare Sci-Fi comics from two very different publishing operations, and ten years apart.

(1)  Avon's "Flying Saucers (No#)":

This book was issued in 1952, in Avon Periodicals' One-Shot comic book series, whose 5 Science Fiction books were all issued during 1951 and 1952 (“Attack On Planet Mars”, “An Earthman On Venus”, and “Rocket To The Moon” all in 1951, and “Robot Men Of The Lost Planet” along with “Flying Saucers” in 1952.  Avon also had 3 Science Fiction series: "Out Of This World, with 2 issues in 1950, "Strange Worlds", with 14 issues from 1950-55, and "Space Detective", with 4 issues in 1951-52.

"Flying Saucers" is noteworthy because it contains 4 stories drawn by Wally Wood, and its front cover drawn by Gene Fawcette.  This 1952 issue, is a reprint of its original issue from 1950, with its cover modified, with much less background detail, as the original, larger area shone, reveals a more modern and larger city.  Unfortunately, there is no GCD information on who the storywriters were. I'd be curious to find out who wrote them.

Avon's "Flying Saucers (No#)" can be found here:   https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=18917


(2) Dell's "Four Color Comics 1253("Space Man 1") and "Space Man 2"


This book, first numbered issue in its own bi-monthly series, was issued in 1962, after its first issue was "tested" for sales in Dell's Four Color non-regular, periodical release series.

"Space Man" was in a short series of only 6 issues.  It is not very nostalgic for me, as it was issued during my last year of buying new comic books (as I was already a late teenager, and had several other interests that were a lot more important to me).  Unfortunately, there are no GCD credits nor information on these books.


(2) Dell's "Four Color Comics 1253" ("Space Man1") can be found here: https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=33179

"Space Man 2" can be found here:   https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=33180


Enjoy the reading, and I hope we'll have some detailed discussion on the quality of the storytelling and artwork, and the difference in styles of the two books contents and formats from ten years apart.

[Quirky Quokka]

Flying Saucers

[Spoilers ahead]

Spawn of Terror

Well, this first story was a treat, and not nearly as terrifying as the title suggests. I liked the way it was told in three parts so there was time for the story to develop. The writing was pretty good, though the 'Aye' on p. 4 made me wonder if the South American tribesmen were Scottish  The wordiness was good for storytelling, though there was so much in the word and thought bubbles that they sometimes crowded out the art. There was a bit of intrigue once the aliens woke up out of stasis, because we didn't know at first whether they were 'monsters or benefactors' as the cover asked. The 'moral of the story' put me in mind of some of the 1950s sci-fi movies, especially 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (not to be confused with the horrible Keanu Reeves remake). With this being a 1952 reprint of a 1950 comic book, Hiroshima would have still been very much in people's memory, so the threat of nuclear annihilation would have been a real fear for many people. I wonder what the writer would have thought of the escalating Cold War in the years that followed?

I thought the art was good, especially the pencilling. The aliens looked suitably strange, the hero looked suitably heroic and the secondary characters had plenty of variety. I'd be interested to know what others think about the colouring. Some of it has a very red tone, but maybe that's an artefact of the four-colour system. You're all more knowledgeable than me about such matters.

Also, I thought it was interesting that there were two whole pages of synopsis/preview. I thought it was just the page at the beginning, but then there was another at the end (so would have made a double-page spread, or was that last page on the back cover?).

All in all, a great three-parter.

Gooey Ghost

It seemed strange have a funny two-pager after such a serious story, but I guess they needed a filler. It wasn't a bad set-up in the 'be careful what you wish for' vein, though the punchline was pretty weak. Interesting use of solid colours for backgrounds, especially on the second page where we have green, purple and red in a row.

The Eyes of the Tiger

This one promised to be a good story, with a suspenseful set-up and a twist when the 'pet' turns on the master. Both the art and the script really built up the tension and had me turning pages. But what a letdown in the last panel: '... when Flame lay dead in the house? ... or was he dead? Hmm ... We'll never know!' Are you kidding me? I wrote a story with a similar ending in school, but I was 10! Did the writer run out of pages? I was really enjoying it until that point.

All in all, a great little comic book, especially the main feature story. Thanks for the selection, Robb.

Cheers

QQ

[Robb_K]

Flying Saucers

[Spoilers ahead]

Spawn Of Terror

Well, this first story was a treat. I liked the way it was told in three parts so there was time for the story to develop. The writing was pretty good, though the 'Aye' on p. 4 made me wonder if the South American tribesmen were Scottish  The wordiness was good for storytelling, though there was so much in the word and thought bubbles that they sometimes crowded out the art. There was a bit of intrigue once the aliens woke up out of stasis, because we didn't know at first whether they were 'monsters or benefactors' as the cover asked. The 'moral of the story' put me in mind of some of the 1950s sci-fi movies, especially 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (not to be confused with the horrible Keanu Reeves remake). With this being a 1952 reprint of a 1950 comic book, Hiroshima would have still been very much in people's memory, so the threat of nuclear annihilation would have been a real fear for many people. I wonder what the writer would have thought of the escalating Cold War in the years that followed?

I thought the art was good, especially the pencilling. The aliens looked suitably strange, the hero looked suitably heroic and the secondary characters had plenty of variety. (1) I'd be interested to know what others think about the colouring. Some of it has a very red tone, but maybe that's an artifact of the four-colour system. You're all more knowledgeable than me about such matters.

(2) Also, I thought it was interesting that there were two whole pages of synopsis/preview. I thought it was just the page at the beginning, but then there was another at the end (so would have made a double-page spread, or was that last page on the back cover?).

Gooey Ghost

(3) It seemed strange have a funny two-pager after such a serious story, but I guess they needed a filler. It wasn't a bad set-up in the 'be careful what you wish for' vein, though the punchline was pretty weak.

(4) Interesting use of solid colours for backgrounds, especially on the second page where we have green, purple and red in a row.

The Eyes of the Tiger

This one promised to be a good story, with a suspenseful set-up and a twist when the 'pet' turns on the master. Both the art and the script really built up the tension and had me turning pages. But what a letdown in the last panel: '... when Flame lay dead in the house? ... or was he dead? Hmm ... We'll never know!' Are you kidding me? I wrote a story with a similar ending in school, but I was 10! Did the writer run out of pages? I was really enjoying it until that point.
All in all, a great little comic book, especially the main feature story. Thanks for the selection, Robb.
Cheers
QQ 

I'll comment on the stories in detail after everyone else. 

I'll comment directly on your points that are generally about the book, or the genres of the stories.

(1) It seems to me that the over bright basic prime colours with very little blending, come from a malfunction in the colour blending process.  It makes for a greater (mostly too much) emphasis on the character figures and background areas' blocks of colour which are filled with a primary colour, fixing the reader's eyes on them , to the detriment of noticing the other blocks of colour, and thus, the other elements of the panels.  I enjoyed seeing the strong, bright blocks of colour; but it made it tougher to understand what is going on in the panels, and thus, enjoying the story (having to slog through it).

(2) Two whole pages of synopsis takes away too much needed storytelling space for an already too-short story.  I'd prefer a one-page synopsis (or, perhaps even a half to 3/4 page used for that purpose).

(3) The book needed a 2-page filler.  Comedy fillers, being spoofs of that same "heavy-themed" genre (like Horror or ScienceFiction) produce a good "relief", or "come down" break between "heavy" or potentially emotionally straining stories, that required heavy contemplation.  This filler is fine for that purpose, but it is from the wrong genre.  It would be a perfect comedy filler for a Horror series book.  A comedy story about a bumbling, silly scientist or university professor would seem to work a lot better, still staying in The Sci-Fi field.

(4) Solid and bright-coloured, whole panel backgrounds are best used in Funny Animal comics, and very cartoony styled (less serious and less realistic) Human-figure comedy.  They work fine in this comedy story.  I HATE them in serious realistic or semi-realistic genre stories, except for close-ups on the faces of characters when they are saying something very important, or show a strong emotional reaction, that the author wants the reader to dwell upon.  They were used too much in this book, with several that were not needed to emphasize emotions.

[Quirky Quokka]

(1) It seems to me that the over bright basic prime colours with very little blending, come from a malfunction in the colour blending process.  It makes for a greater (mostly too much) emphasis on the character figures and background areas' blocks of colour which are filled with a primary colour, fixing the reader's eyes on them , to the detriment of noticing the other blocks of colour, and thus, the other elements of the panels.  I enjoyed seeing the strong, bright blocks of colour; but it made it tougher to understand what is going on in the panels, and thus, enjoying the story (having to slog through it).

(2) Two whole pages of synopsis takes a way too much needed storytelling space for an already too-short story.  I'd prefer a one-page synopsis (or, perhaps even a half to 3/4 page used for that purpose).

(3) The book needed a 2-page filler.  Comedy fillers, being spoofs of that same "heavy-themed" genre (like Horror or ScienceFiction) produce a good "relief", or "come down" break between "heavy" or potentially emotionally straining stories, that required heavy contemplation.  This filler is fin for that purpose, but it is from the wrong genre.  It would be a perfect comedy filler for a Horror series book.  A comedy story about a bumbling, silly scientist or university professor would seem to work a lot better, still staying in The Sci-Fi field.

(4) Solid and bright-coloured, whole panel backgrounds are best used in Funny Animal comics, and very cartoony styled (less serious and less realistic) Human-figure comedy.  They work fine in this comedy story.  I HATE them in serious realistic or semi-realistic genre stories, except for close-ups on the faces of characters when they are saying something very important, or show a strong emotional reaction, that the author wants the reader to dwell upon.  They were used too much in this book, with several that were not need to emphasize emotions.

Hi Robb - Thanks for those insights. That all makes sense.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Space Man #2

Well this was another interesting one. The space race was in full swing by 1962, with the USSR and the US having both sent men into space the previous year. The one-page filler about bouncing beams seems old hat now, but it must have been amazing at the time to think of the uses for the relatively new satellite technology and how that would revolutionise communications. So what wonders will the main story hold?

[Spoilers ahead]

Well, the art was good and the story had a promising premise, but the storytelling and dialogue let it down in parts. It was interesting that the initial enemy was 'The Great Revolutionary People's Republic'. I assumed this was a veiled reference to China, but I did a quick search to see if that was a term that actually came up anywhere. I found one reference online, in a transcript of a 1966 meeting between government representatives from Albania and North Korea, in which the Albanian delegate said, 'We have, first of all, the support and concrete assistance of the great revolutionary People’s Republic of China'.

However, I was more interested in why they chose China as an antagonist instead of the USSR, as I don't think China was involved in the space race at that time. Dr Google tells me that it was 2003 when China launched its first astronaut into space. But I digress.

In spite of the number of pages given for the story, I found it a little hard to follow in parts due to sketchy detail. I had to reread the couple of pages where Garrak-Axos was first introduced. For a minute, I thought it was the character with the Mongol-like appearance, but then I realised it was someone else. CB+ doesn't seem to have Issue #1 of Space Man, so maybe he was introduced there? More intriguing was that the men knew at once it must be Garrak-Axos after the incredibly detailed (??) drawing of the rocket that Mary drew on the blackboard. Yes, in spite of the advanced technology, the writer apparently couldn't visualise anything more advanced than a blackboard 

Ten marks to the writer for including a female character who was undertaking 'preparations to become a space woman'. However, they didn't find anything for her to do except hug her hero boyfriend, lie seductively on a couch while mission plans were being discussed, and occasionally toss in some insightful dialogue such as 'I'd rather die with you than live without you' and 'Will you please lead the way, Ian?' One of my favourites is the following exchange after they had had months to prepare for the mission:

Ian: Well, Johnny, Mary ... We're on our way.
Johnny: I thought this time would never come, Ian. Did you, Mary?
Mary: Perhaps, Johnny. What I really wonder is how long this will take?

Really, Mary? Is that the most important thing you want to know? And why wasn't that covered in all your months of preparation?

The tribe of giants was interesting. Was the thought library a precursor to talking-book services like Audible? And due to the rapid nature of their rescue and departure, did they have time to save the thought archives that they had spent so much time preserving?

Before the expected clinch at the end, Ian says, 'You have been wonderful, Mary. There is no one like you in the whole universe.' Well, she knew how to look sexy in that red spacesuit, but she didn't do anything.

Actually, it's not as bad as I've made out. I enjoyed reading it, but the dialogue deserved a bit of lampooning 

The one-page fillers 'Glossary Illustrated' and 'The Modern Space Age' were a strange mix, though the cyborg preceded Dr Who's cybermen, and no doubt cyborgs had appeared in fiction before. (Dr Google tells me that although the term wasn't coined until 1960, the concept had been around in sci-fi for decades.) Also, would someone really fall asleep while reading a newspaper in a centrifuge? I think they'd probably be more likely to throw up.

All-in-all, good art and some interesting concepts, but let down by some of the storytelling and dialogue. And if you're going to include a space woman in your story, please have her do something!

Thanks for these selections, Robb. I enjoyed them.

Cheers

QQ

[crashryan]

I've read both this fortnight's selections before, but that was so long ago that it felt like I was reading them for the first time.

I've always appreciated Flying Saucers for Wallace Wood's terrific art. In 1950 (when this book originally appeared) Wood was just hitting his stride. His youthful energy bursts out of every panel despite being crowded by heavy dialogue. Great stuff.

The big surprise this time was the story. I genuinely like the script. It plays with readers' preconceptions of scary-looking aliens to deliver an unexpected conclusion. Not many GA comics utilize 21 pages so well. The ending is a bit rushed. I'd gladly have dumped the fillers to give the feature more breathing room.

Speaking of the fillers, the GCD reveals that they were reprints even in the 1950 printing. They came from a 1947 horror comic, Eerie #1. That explains why Bob Fujitani's art is weak. The double reprinting suggests to me that St John wanted to save money by not paying to fill 10 pages.

What bugs me about "Eyes of the Tiger" is that Carl Cattler doesn't deserve his fate. There are two main types of "protagonist gets it in the end" stories. The "eye for an eye" story shows someone doing bad things getting payback by meeting an ironic fate related to their transgressions. Countless EC stories mined this formula. In the "life sucks" story a good person meets a grisly end at the hands of a seemingly benign character who "unexpectedly" turns out to be a vampire, werewolf, ghoul, etc. etc. Warren horror magazines did this to death. The victim in each formula either totally deserves his fate or totally doesn't. Carl falls awkwardly in the middle. He's a crazy SOB but he doesn't hurt anyone. True, he scares Dr Manton's pants off (to frighten him into approving an insurance policy??) But he doesn't harm the guy. Moreover he doesn't mistreat Flame either. The tiger's reverting to type comes out of left field. The writer needed to dump the insurance scam and provide a motivation, good or ill, for Flame's transformation.



.

[neil meikle]

Allow me to help you QQ, here is a link to Four Color 1253
  https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=33179
    Dell used this as a try out series and if a book was adapted into an ongoing series they began with issue 2 (nobody said being a comic fan was easy) if you read either Kona or Brain Boy you will have to do similar. I hope that's helped, due to personal problems I haven't been commenting a lot recently but I'll try to get back to this thread later on this week but don't hold your breath.

[Robb_K]

Allow me to help you QQ, here is a link to Four Color 1253
  https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=33179
    Dell used this as a try out series and if a book was adapted into an ongoing series they began with issue 2 (nobody said being a comic fan was easy) if you read either Kona or Brain Boy you will have to do similar. I hope that's helped, due to personal problems I haven't been commenting a lot recently but I'll try to get back to this thread later on this week but don't hold your breath.

Actually, "Space Man" 's first (trial) issue in its "Four Color Comics" series must have been a very good seller, as they chose to give it its OWN numbered series after only ONE month; whereas, their ultra-successful "Uncle Scrooge" series had 3 "trial" Four Color issues before it was given its own series.  "Henry Aldrich" and "Howdy Doody" got their own numbered series from their start (upon receipt of their publication rights), and "Howdy Doody" was DEMOTED to becoming sporadically issued only in The Four Color series after 38 issues in its own series.  "Charley McCarthy" started in The Four Color series, earned its own series, and after its sales declined significantly 3 years later, was demoted BACK to the Four Color series.

It's interesting to me that I don't remember having seeing the first (Four Color) issue of "Space Man" when it was out in early 1962.  Yet, it must have sold enough to be assigned its own series.

[Robb_K]

Space Man #2

Would someone really fall asleep while reading a newspaper in a centrifuge? I think they'd probably be more likely to throw up.


Cheers
QQ 

And some of us thought "Car Sickness" was a miserable experience.  I can't imagine trying to read small print while being spun in circles in a centrifuge.  That sounds like a torture method used to make double agents give up their secrets.  It would make the "Crazy Spinning Barrels" ride in a country fair amusement park seem tame.

[Morgus]

A nice selection, Robb. You just have to love an ‘all Wood’ issue. Especially the science fiction stuff...where you get the idea that the flying machines actually work. Great work on each sections splash pages. I didn’t even bother with the ‘humorous’ filler.

I know you said there’s no GCD info for SPACE MAN, but I have the feeling I should know who the cover artist is. Maybe either model boxes or trading cards? Something seems familiar and I can’t figure it out.

Ah well. Thanks for an afternoon’s enjoyable read.

[K1ngcat]

And after Robb posted two enjoyable sci-fi comics, I'm sorry to say I had a fall at home a couple of days ago ànd I'm now in hospital while orthopaedic consultants try to work out what they should do with me.

Sorry guys I'm gonna hafta take a raincheck on my planned spot  for the 13th, I'll be in touch again when I've got a better idea of what's happening.

All the best
K1ngcat

[The Australian Panther]

Kingcat, All our sympathy!
Seems like you must have a laptop there in the hospital. Or perhaps a smartphone?

I'm now in hospital while orthopaedic consultants try to work out what they should do with me.

I hope they don't take long to make up their minds.
Don't worry about your slot, I will find somebody to fill it.
I know I'm reading between the lines, but you seem to be in good spirits.
Can we PM you while you are in the Hospital?
Some of us might like to.
You will be missed, please be back with us soon.
Cheers!   
 

[Morgus]

Take it easy, ‘King. Those things can be serious. Companero at work just had to step off the curb the wrong way and opened up a bottle of trouble for her foot. Still isn’t right.
Take your time and get well. And keep us posted. Calcium is also probably a happening deal.

[Robb_K]

And after Robb posted two enjoyable sci-fi comics, I'm sorry to say I had a fall at home a couple of days ago ànd I'm now in hospital while orthopaedic consultants try to work out what they should do with me.

Sorry guys I'm gonna hafta take a raincheck on my planned spot  for the 13th, I'll be in touch again when I've got a better idea of what's happening.

All the best
K1ngcat

Good luck with the diagnosis and have a speedy recovery.  Let us know when you get good news.  Looking forward to your return home and back to our forum.

[Quirky Quokka]

And after Robb posted two enjoyable sci-fi comics, I'm sorry to say I had a fall at home a couple of days ago ànd I'm now in hospital while orthopaedic consultants try to work out what they should do with me.

Sorry guys I'm gonna hafta take a raincheck on my planned spot  for the 13th, I'll be in touch again when I've got a better idea of what's happening.

All the best
K1ngcat

I'm sorry to hear that, K1ngcat. I hope you make a speedy recovery. I can swap to the 13th if needed. I've just send a message to the main people who are usually on the roster to ask about that.

Take care

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Allow me to help you QQ, here is a link to Four Color 1253
  https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=33179
    Dell used this as a try out series and if a book was adapted into an ongoing series they began with issue 2 (nobody said being a comic fan was easy) if you read either Kona or Brain Boy you will have to do similar. I hope that's helped, due to personal problems I haven't been commenting a lot recently but I'll try to get back to this thread later on this week but don't hold your breath.

Thanks for that, Neil. I've had a quick flick through and that certainly does fill in a few blanks. I'll look forward to reading it in full. I can understand the rationale you give for Dell trying things out first, but it sure makes it tricky when you think a series starts at #2. I'll have to remember to look in the Four Color ones next time it looks like something starts 1 or 2 issues in.

Thanks a bunch

QQ

[Robb_K]

Allow me to help you QQ, here is a link to Four Color 1253
  https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=33179
    Dell used this as a try out series and if a book was adapted into an ongoing series they began with issue 2 (nobody said being a comic fan was easy) if you read either Kona or Brain Boy you will have to do similar. I hope that's helped, due to personal problems I haven't been commenting a lot recently but I'll try to get back to this thread later on this week but don't hold your breath.

Thanks for that, Neil. I've had a quick flick through and that certainly does fill in a few blanks. I'll look forward to reading it in full. I can understand the rationale you give for Dell trying things out first, but it sure makes it tricky when you think a series starts at #2. I'll have to remember to look in the Four Color ones next time it looks like something starts 1 or 2 issues in.

Thanks a bunch

QQ

Some of Dell's series started out in Four Color Comics, had their OWN numbered series, and their own series jettisoned years later, and they returned to sporadic release back in The Four Color series.  Both "Howdy Doody" and "Charlie McCarthy" were demoted to "Four Color Comics" after long runs or several years of their own series.  If I remember correctly, "The Nearsighted Mr. Magoo" started in "Four Color Comics", then had its own numbered series, and following that, returned to "Four Color Comics".   I'm sure there were several more series that had that result.  So, if you like a Dell or pre-Dell K.K. Publications or other pre-Dell Western Publishing series a lot, you should also check to see if it had returned to or been demoted to The Four Color Series.

[crashryan]

Space Man #2

This is a fascinating mess of a book. Having read it some sixty years ago I didn't remember anything about the storyline. I'm here to tell you, I was confused. I felt like I came in halfway through a movie. The author, Ken Fitch, writes as if he thinks his readers are already familiar with the Galactic Guard, Earth politics, Garrak-Axos, and all the rest of a complicated backstory. I had to read the first issue (Four Color #1253) to get a handle on things. To those of you who haven't read that, do it. This issue will make a whole lot more sense.

Ken Fitch was a prolific comic book scriptwriter who started back in the Golden Age. I'm puzzled that such an old hand would fail to recap his setup for the benefit of new readers, especially when three months pass between issues. I get the impression Fitch had dreamt up a detailed science-fiction universe for Space Man. It's a mishmash of both interesting ideas and comic-book cliche.

This was probably the first comic book appearance of cyborgs. Strange that the cyborgs can talk through a radio but not hear. The idea of having to communicate with them through lip reading is a bit daffy. I can point you to Fitch's inspiration for this aspect of his world. The 11 July 1960 issue of Life magazine ran an article, "Man Remade to Live In Space," with Fred Freeman's illustration of a future cyborg cavorting on the Moon. The article was based on proposals by Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline. I remember reading this article when I was a kid. Here's an analysis at The Cybernetic Zoo.

https://nsaxonanderson.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/the-cyborg-more-humanist-than-human/

Despite cutting edge concepts like cyborgs we still get stuff like a spaceman carrying a space map of "the Alpha Centauri galaxy" in his pocket. There's just enough good stuff to have made the series worth sticking with--if the art had been up to the task.

I've had a long, mixed-up relationship with Jack Sparling's artwork. When I was a schoolboy about the time Space Man hit the stands, to my friends and me Sparling was The Great Satan of comic art. We didn't know his name because he never signed anything. We christened him "Droop Lip" (Droop for short) because of his tendency to emphasize the creases at the sides of men's mouths. In our eyes his sloppy artwork destroyed every comic he illustrated.

It wasn't until I encountered ComicBook+ that I revisited my prejudice. From his work in the 40s and 50s it was clear that Sparling could draw very well. I don't know why his work changed so radically. Was he sick of the business? Hacking for low-paying markets where he made up in volume what he lost in page rates? Today I respect his native ability while still bemoaning the stuff he dashed out for Dell. If you want to see a real hack job, check out the final (#7) issue of Space Man. I'd swear Sparling even drew it print size to save time. It's too bad. Imagine Space Man with classy art. Think of how Wood would have handled those alien landscapes and space armadas.

[SuperScrounge]

Flying Saucers

The Flying Saucers
There were some nice elements to this story, but I felt let down by the ending. I mean the writer sets up all this fear and worry about what the aliens will do, and then undercuts all that by revealing they're just nice guys who want to help humans and swan off to another galaxy. What?!? It's not that such twists can't work, but I don't think the writer earned that twist. It just felt like a quickie twist to end the story.

Goofy Ghost
Lame.

The Eyes of the Tiger
Now I've got the Rocky III theme song stuck in my head.  Interesting story. The unusual art style helped ramp up the weirdness of the story. I could probably nitpick things about it, but the strangeness of it just added to my entertainment.

[The Australian Panther]

I've had a long, mixed-up relationship with Jack Sparling's artwork. 

So say we all! [And yes, that's a quote.]
Had he worked with an inker, the work would have improved 100%.   
Believe it or not, when Marvel was trying to find a replacement for Kirby on the original X-men,Jack Sparling actually drew an issue. Forgettable, as you can imagine. No way was he a good choice for that book. 

[SuperScrounge]

Four Color #1253

Cover
"Man has broken the ties of Earth and is about to conquer space-"
And how did that work out for us? 

Main story
Ugh. Not a big fan of stories involving the Masquerade ("There are things normal people can't know, so we keep it secret to 'protect' them."), so yeah, not a fun story for me. Also the various typos and casual uses of things like attackers from another galaxy completely ignoring the distance and time required to travel back and forth.


Space Man #2

Main story

Page 19, panel 5. The artist shows the reader what he'd rather be drawing. 

A much better story than the Four Color one because the Masquerade is pretty much ignored and focus is on the story.

Although I do wonder how the destruction, or near-destruction, of a whole country will be reported to the rest of the world.  "The Great Revolutionary Free People's Republic was destroyed today because of... a gas leak. Yes, a ruptured pipe blew up every city in the country." 

[crashryan]

Had he worked with an inker, the work would have improved 100%.   
Believe it or not, when Marvel was trying to find a replacement for Kirby on the original X-men,Jack Sparling actually drew an issue. Forgettable, as you can imagine. No way was he a good choice for that book. 

I remember that issue, Panther. Inked by John Tartaglione of all people.



Round about the same time Sparling drew an issue of Green Lantern inked by Sid Greene (was that ever an odd combination!).



The strangest combo of all had to be Jack Sparling and Joe Sinnott on the Captain America story in Tales of Suspense #78. Dig those zebra-striped long johns.



Heritage has a Sparling and Colletta cover original, which contrary to what you'd expect doesn't look bad.

[SuperScrounge]

Was the thought library a precursor to talking-book services like Audible?

Yeah. Audible didn't come along until 1995.

Although audiobooks seem to have started in 1932 with the American Foundation for the Blind.

This was probably the first comic book appearance of cyborgs.

No, DC's Robotman appeared in 1942, and as a man whose brain was transplanted to a robot body he does qualify as a cyborg. Not sure if there were any earlier cyborgs*, but 1942 is the year to beat.

* Centaur's Iron Skull is questionable as he simply had his real skull replaced with a metal one and he did have some kind of weapon implanted in his arm, but I'm not sure that those details qualify.

[crashryan]

No, DC's Robotman appeared in 1942, and as a man whose brain was transplanted to a robot body he does qualify as a cyborg. Not sure if there were any earlier cyborgs*, but 1942 is the year to beat.

You're right, of course. Mechanically-enhanced humans go back to the early pulp era if not before. I meant the first time a comic book character was labelled "cyborg." Oxford Reference says that Manfred Clynes coined the word in 1960. Ken Fitch seems to have been the first comics writer to have read that Life article and stick one of the critters in a comic book.

[The Australian Panther]

Crash, thanks for those.
The Green Lantern isn't half bad for the period.
The House of Secrets cover, to my eyes, in black and white is a minor masterpiece.
Superb design and if that is Colletta on inks, that's about the best work I've ever seen from him.
The Cap page is just silly, and I blame the writer mostly!   

Cheers!