Showing posts with label Exciting Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exciting Comics. Show all posts

13 June 2020

The Abner And The Ringer

One of the more not-Not-Abner looking Hillbilly characters that came along in the comics was Looie Lazybones. He first appeared in The Fighting Yank (in a tale i've never seen). While cashing in on the hillbilly craze, Art Gates did try to make someone who looked liked his own character instead of a re-dressed Abner. Take a gander at his second story, from Exciting Comics, to see what i mean...



Looie lost a little bit of weight, but was essentially unchanged in his third story in America's Biggest Comics, and continued for a few years in Thrilling Comics. But then something happened. Art Gates moved on to other things and a new kid took over the strip. (Or maybe Art was pushed?)

Now the old look was gone. You see, they managed to snag Al Capp's assistant to draw the title, and Fritz went Full-Abner -


Ayup!
For those of you who may have any doubts, Fritz was indeed the legendary Frank Frazetta, as you can see by his next signature. Frazetta started out working on Li'l Abner, and here he got his chance to strut on his own... 




Frazetta only drew seven Looie Lazybones stories. We'll be back next time with the other four.


page art by Art Gates and Frank Frazetta from Exciting Comics #27 and Thrilling Comics #s 67-69 (1943, 1948)

29 May 2020

More Space Roving With Jane And Ted

I'm in the middle of a big work binge on The Third Colony, and loathe to break away for long. So here's a quick post for today - just following the next couple adventures for The Space Rovers by Max Plaisted, continuing from yesterday.

As we ended the previous post, Jane Martin and Ted Hunt were attempting to return home -

"Will They Reach Earth Safely?" 
Oh, they get SO close...

Now you can see what i meant -



You can probably guess whether the make it home or have more adventures, can't you?

page art by Max Plaisted from Exciting Comics #s 4 & 5 (1940)

28 May 2020

The Other Jane Martin - Fly Girl And Space Rover

In the year 1940, Dr. Matthew Martin invented the first Space-Ship capable of interplanetary travel. As his assistants, Dr. Martin planned to take his co-builder, Douglas Hunt, and Doug's younger brother, Ted. A trial trip to the moon was to be their first venture -

Jane Martin, aged 18, daughter of the famous inventor Dr. Martin wanted to go, but the Dr. told her it's impossible, they might never return!

But outside Dr. Martin's laboratory crouch two men, secret agents of a powerful foreign government. The ship with its ray-gun would make a potent weapon of warfare for their country. With it, they would rule the world!

The secret agents rush in, taking Dr. Martin and Doug by surprise. Meanwhile, Jane visits Ted aboard the ship...


So begins The Space Rovers from Max Plaisted, starring the other Jane Martin.

When the enemy agents rush the ship, Jane makes the desperate decision to launch, so as to keep it out of their hands. Naturally, things go awry and instead of a short jaunt to Luna, Jane and Ted wind up headed towards the sun. But they manage to land on Mercury, run afoul of the natives, and have scantily clad adventures as they make their escape from the inner planet.


Oddly enough, both Jane Martins debuted in 1940; the Space Rover premiered in Exciting Comics #2, just four months before the War Nurse showed up in Wings Comics #1. Even more odd, both are Fly Girls - though the Space Rover flew a tad higher. But not nearly as long - only eight adventures.

Perhaps they didn't last long, but by their second tale Jane & Ted were already grabbing the cover...


Let's join them inside...


"Will They Reach Earth Safely?" 

Oh, they get SO close...

page art by Max Plaisted from Exciting Comics #s 2 & 3, cover by L. North (1940)