The MAD Readers Ride Again!

The Mad Reader is one of those truly important books. EC Comics made a big splash in the heyday of comics, both critically and financially. So much so, that the furor around them eventually caused them to disappear from the comic racks. But MAD survived, and in fact thrived for decades after becoming a cultural touchstone for millions of kids trying to find a way to interpret adult society. Soon after its sales success in the early 50's, Ballantine Books stepped forward to bring the distinctive humor brand to a broader audience in the first paperback comic book reprint, The Mad Reader. The Mad Reader, first published in 1954 went through many editions and spawned many subsequent collections. It was the perfect fusion of the wildness of MAD with the surge of paperbacks which came to dominate book sales in the decade. 

Some years ago, IBooks under the direction of the late Byron Preiss returned these vintage classics to the market in handsome and faithful reproductions. As you can see, the leering mug of Alfred P. Neuman guarantees MAD-level quality. In point of fact, this was the first time that Alfred's famous puss ever graced a MAD publication, but as we all know it be far from the last. IBooks went on quickly to publish other of the 50's MAD paperbacks. There are later volumes in this esteemed series, but these five from Ballantine Books (MAD moved to Signet with the sixth volume) are the core upon which the long MAD paperback tradition lives. It's exceedingly neat to have most of these clever reproductions in my sweaty mitts. I've seen and read many of the stories in more lustrous volumes, yet the crazy way they are presented in these volumes makes them oddly fresh. 

IBooks made reprints of all the volumes above which originally were published from 1954 to 1961.  (I think I have the order right, but please correct me if I got it wrong.) MAD was in its heyday and seemed indestructible until it fell on hard times in recent years following the demise of the publisher Bill Gaines. There is sure no shortage of MAD paperbacks out there, ninety -three to be exact. Check out this link to the MAD Museum to get a look at the ones IBooks never got a chance reprint. 

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Conan's Gnome Coming!

(Art by John Forte)

(Art by Frank Kelly Freas)

(Art by Ed Emshwiller)

(Art by Ed Emshwiller)

(Art by Wally Wood)

I've been reading up on the publishing history of Robert E. Howard's Conan and while doing so discovered all over again the lovely Gnome Press editions of the stories which appeared in the 1950's. The first appeared in 1950 and the final volume in 1957. These are the stories as reorganized and to some extent re-imagined by L. Sprague De Camp. They quit doing them for a very simple reason, they ran out of Conan stories, so the last one is a bit of fan fiction by Bjorn Nyberg with additions and adjustments by De Camp. The famous Lancer paperbacks which ignited the Conan craze in the 1960's were mostly just reprints of the material first organized in these handsome tomes.

Many folks and fans of REH decry the involvement of De Camp and his willingness to adapt and alter the original REH material. That's an argument for another day, but it's clear to me without his efforts, it's unlikely that Conan might be the recognizable character he is today. Would love to have a set of these on my shelves, but the price is prohibitive. Still, they are exceedingly nice to look at.

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The Summer Of The Garuda Continues!

That's a sumptuous piece of art Frank Kelly Freas whipped up for the debut issue of Marvel's Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction. I can see why Marvel had the late great John Romita Jr. touch it up. His figures are a bit more realistic, and the lighting effects are sharper. But I still like the Freas original as well. 

This month kicks off the second part of my look at all things UFO and associated things paranormal such as the Mothman. I had planned in the beginning of June to have a lot of comics reading as a part of this, but as I kept adding to my stack of vintage UFO tomes the comics got edged out. 

Some of that slack will be taken up by the tremendous art book Wally Wood - Galaxy Art and Beyond which showcases some of Wood's finest illustrations. 

And also the delightful tome Frank R. Paul: Father of Science Fiction Art. Paul's vivid color art on vintage science fiction magazines defined the field. His stuff can be a bit of its time, but it's always beautiful to behold. 

I will wrap up my look at Jack Katz's The First Kingdom as well. Soon this month we wrap up the vintage material already released in magazine format and told the long saga of Tundran. This month also look to see how Katz polished off his epic saga with two standalone volumes produced for Titan Books. 

I will also be spending this month continuing my look at the dizzy science fiction (science fact?) from Richard S. Shaver. His wild "Shaver Mystery" yarns of underground societies filled with dangerous creatures from times gone by have a real hold on me. They don't always make sense, but they have proven to be a lot of fun. 

And look for a bevy of new movie reviews of classic flickers. The one thing they all have in common is alien invasion. I've talked around many of these movies over the years here, but these will be the first reviews in a strict sense. Lots of cinema and lots and lots of aliens. 

It's another hefty summer month and I haven't mentioned a red, white and blue Fourth of July surprise. 

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Some Martian Odysseys!

The "Red Planet is the focus this month at the Dojo. I'll be looking at the planet Mars from a number of pop culture perspectives. 

First and foremost, will be the John Carter stories from Edgar Rice Burroughs. I'm reading the original trilogy again beginning with A Princess of Mars. This tells the story John Carter before the saga drifts off to regale us with his progeny. I'll be taking a look also at some of the comic book adaptations of the character from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's. John Carter though the first of ERB's blood and thunder heroes was not as popular as Tarzan, but then no hero was as popular as the Lord of the Jungle save for Superman and Batman perhaps. His comic adventures were published by Dell, Gold Key, DC and Marvel. There are later versions by Dark Horse and others, but I doubt I'll have time for those. 

Also on the docket is The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. In addition to the classic original novel of alien invasion I want to take a closer look at Marvel's ingenious comic adaptation from the 70's which is perhaps better known as Killraven these days. Marvel has just published the adventures in their Epic line and I'm eager to see how the stories look in nice bright color.

Note: Sadly there's been a delay in my Epic volume order, so I might have to resort to using the Essential volume to begin my reading. I hope not, but any port in a storm. 

In a double dose of the "Showcase Corner" is the Martian Manhunter. J'onn J'onz was in many ways the opposite figure to John Carter. He's the Martian who came to Earth and tried to find a way to fit into the society he chanced upon. Like Carter he was a "stranger in a strange land". (If I have time and I suspect I won't, I might even get around to Robert Heinlein's delightful novel of that name.) Martian Manhunter was the first Silver Age hero, appearing non-stop in the back of Detective Comics after his debut in 1955 and later in the House of Mystery. His adventures were mostly all written by Jack Miller and drawn with great skill by Joe Certa. Later Manhunter became a stalwart of the Justice League of America, standing in for the most part for Superman. When the Kryptonian was allowed to play in the JLA, Manhunter's role became tenuous, and he faded away for many years. 

Ray Bradbury is celebrated as a fine science fiction and fantasy writer and arguably his most famous work is The Martian Chronicles. This is a lyrical collection of short stories that framed together as a mosaic create a subtle understanding of an alien culture. Less subtle but interesting nonetheless is the television adaptation of the work starring Rock Hudson and Darren McGavin. Constrained by television budgets and 70's sci-fi aesthetics this is nonetheless a thoughtful presentation. 

And look for other Martians of all kinds both literary and cinematic to drop by in the Dojo this month which is dedicated to our nearest Solar neighbor. 

"The Sunday Funnies" returns to the Dojo and the comic strip up for review is the revolutionary Tarzan of the Apes. We will do them in chronological order beginning with the epic strips by Hal Foster and moving on to his successor Burne Hogarth. After that Russ Manning will take center stage. For those looking for more Turok Son of Stone, that feature will return next month with luck. 

It's a big ticket for the month and I might not make it, but as they say go big or go home. Meet you on Mars! 

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