Comic Books 101: The History, Methods, and Madness by Chris Ryall & Scott Tipton

The BATMAN® Vault by Bob Greenberger & Various

The Books in My Life by Colin Wilson

Skeptic’s Guide to Conspiracies by Monte Cook

January 1, 2010   Posted in: Steven Statements, Uncategorized  One Comment

C.K. Gill

One of the greatest creative minds ever employed exclusively by Bulwark Publications, C.K. Gill is famous for his creations, his odd sense of humor, and his longevity in publishing. Most who met Gill found his easy smile and infectious laugh what they most remember, though more people remember his writing (which varied from strong to strange to the occasional strained joke).

His first records at Bulwark Publishing mention him as a copyboy working for editor August Villers in 1909. He stayed with Bulwark for his entire multifaceted career, retiring only in 1970 due to ill health. He continued writing and contributing to Bulwark Comics until his death in 1988.

According to anecdotal accounts told by more than one source, C.K. Gill was born on August 18 in 1895 on a steam ship two days before it docked in New York harbor. A midwife brought the baby to Ellis Island allegedly wrapped in his mother’s shawl and travel papers; an immigration agent misread the papers of the now-deceased Crotian woman Samantha Gilleva and stamped the boy’s name as Sam Gill.

Gill lived in an orphanage in Brooklyn and by all accounts his youth was hard there. Adopted in 1902, the boy moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin with the new name of William Carson, a name and life he abandoned by running away in 1907. He resurfaced later as C.K. Gill, news hawker turned copy boy at Bulwark’s Chicago offices. Throughout his career, he remained loyal to his immediate superiors and Bulwark’s owners, the Kharm family.

Over time and despite a early lack of schooling, Gill rose through the ranks of the editorial departments with his natural skills at storytelling and writing. Gill once admitted in a 1959 interview, “I learned more about the world, history, science, and writing from fact-checking or composing magazines than I ever might have in school.” The boy who never finished primary school eventually earned honorary doctorates from Northwestern and the University of Chicago in 1968 and 1975.

While not the quickest writer on staff, he always seemed to have a story or essay of an appropriate length on hand when a magazine needed filler material. According to Simon Kharm in 1960, “Gill is probably the most published author we have, once you add up all the words he wrote under house names before he grew famous.”

Gill began work with Bulwark during the heyday of the dime- and nickel-novels and penny papers (or dreadfuls) before World War I. His near-sightedness kept him out of military service but not out of print. He advanced into editorial roles, finally becoming a full editor on Books Bizarre in 1921. He worked throughout the pulp era on many different magazines and was one of the few able to shift his writing style to comic books starting in 1938.

By 1940, Gill had moved fully out of the fiction magazines and into the comics as a lead editor and writer. He remained with Bulwark Comics through 1958, returning to edit Green Gazette until 1965 when he and A.J. Soltare became the only Golden Age creators to work on the Silver Age revamps of many characters they had created 20 years before. Gill remained one of the group editors for Bulwark Comics until 1970. After that time, he continued working either as an assistant editor or freelance writer for a few books, most notably KHARNDAM Tales (for which he and Thomas Roy contributed the only major canon to KHARNDAM outside of Kharndam’s four original writers).

Characters created or co-created by C.K. Gill, whether under pseudonyms or his own name, span more than 50 years, starting in 1917 with BARNSTORM BRADLEY. Others include one version (or more) of AIR RAID REED, AMERIKIDDO, BRICK BRADLEY, THE BULLETEENS, CALAMATINA, THE CATTALION, THE CONSTELLAGENT, DOCTOR ENIGMA, DOC SCARAB, THE DYNAST, THE FIVE PROMETHEANS, THE G.U.A.R.D. (Global Union for Armistice, Reform, & Détente), HANDORR, HEADLINE HAL, JOHN UNKNOWN, MIKE MAELSTROM, THE NEWSIE, O.R.P.H.A.N. (Organized Resistance of Patriotic Heroes Against Nazism), THE PHARLAKANS, THE PHARAOHAWK, THE RAPTANS, TANK TAYLOR, THE THEONS, T.H.R.E.A.T. (The Heroic Resistance vs. Esoteric & Arcane Terrors), USAPES (United Super-Alliance to Protect Europe’s Shores), THE VOID VANDALS, XERXREX, and ZYNTHORN.

Despite his longevity in the office, none can say they knew Gill’s name other than to call him C.K. or Gill. He never offered anyone his full name, preferring to let others guess for what his initials stood. The only time Gill apparently disliked someone’s guess was in an insult. An unnamed rival comic book writer from Fox Syndicate once called him “Chuckle Killer Gill” and received a black eye in 1945. The most common guesses were “Charles Karl,” though many joked it was “Clark Kent” after 1940 when National Periodicals’ hero took off in popularity. As usual, Gill only grinned and kept working.

C.K. Gill died on July 20, 1988 of natural causes. As per his will, he was cremated and his ashes were interred in a custom-crafted urn. The silver urn appears as a hardbound book with its spine reading “The Collected C.K. Gill” and his will stipulated that the book-urn should remain on the bookshelf of Bulwark’s publisher. Those who read his nonfiction Almanarcana wondered about the magical significance of his aping the burial methods of occult figures like Pierre Aurlathe, John Hawksmoor, Stavros Krashos, or Vasily Nashivev. Those who knew him well claimed it was just Gill’s last chance to get in a good joke.

Hidden History

Known to very few even among esoteric circles, C.K. was a member of the Vanguard. Never a field operative, C.K. was one of their longest-serving research historians. One of the reasons his writing focused on magic were his researches—he compiled studies and encyclopedias on the history and practice of magic across the world. Expurgated and bowdlerized versions of which were published by Bulwark as The Almanarcana in seven different editions between 1935 and 1984.

Whether due to Gill’s link to the Vanguard or his reticence, elements of his background remain shrouded in secrecy even now, years after his death. The biggest secret is Gill’s name—all his personal data was destroyed at various times by apparent accidents. So if anyone ever knew his actual given name, they never revealed it. He smiled at those who grew exasperated about his name; a mystery to others seemed to make little difference to him. C.K. never admitted how close any came toward his true name (and some in mystic circles suggest that his true name was something else entirely and C.K. Gill a pen name that became his common name in life).

The Collected C.K. Gill is actually two identical silver book-urns that reside in two locations, each holding exactly half of his body’s ashes. One rests, as stipulated, on Oscar Kharm’s shelf in Bulwark Publications’ central headquarters in Toronto. The other, which also contains Gill’s Vanguard ring among the ashes, sits on a display shelf at Geneva House. The latter book-urn shares its shelf with a photo of Gill along with the seven editions of his Almanarcana and a massive two volume bibliography of Gill’s writing output (an unpublished holograph manuscript compiled by Gill and various Vanguard researchers).

For all the thousands of pages of writing Gill produced publicly, his research journals and notes for the Vanguard comprise at least several thousand more pages. At the time of his death, Gill worked to uncover the secrets and true history of the Comte du San Gyrmayn and the long-lost volumeternal called the Gyrmayn Annals.

© 2009 by Steven E. Schend. All rights reserved.

November 2, 2009  Tags: A.J. Soltare, AIR RAID REED, Almanarcana, AMERIKIDDO, August Villers, BARNSTORM BRADLEY, Books Bizarre, BRICK BRADLEY, Brooklyn, BROOKLYON, BULLETEENS, Bulwark Comics, Bulwark Publications, Bulwark Publishing, C.K. Gill, CALAMATINA, CATTALION, Chicago, Clark Kent, Collected C.K. Gill, Comte du San Gyrmayn, CONSTELLAGENT, Croatia, Crotia, dime-novels, DOC SCARAB, DOCTOR ENIGMA, DYNAST, editor, Ellis Island, encyclopedia, FIVE PROMETHEANS, G.U.A.R.D., Geneva House, Golden Age, Great Britain, Green Gazette, Gyrmayn Annals, HANDORR, HEADLINE HAL, historian, Illinois, John Hawksmoor, JOHN UNKNOWN, Kharm, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, MIKE MAELSTROM, Milwaukee, National Periodicals, NEWSIE, Northwestern, O.R.P.H.A.N., orphanage, Oscar Kharm, penny dreadfuls, penny papers, PHARAOHAWK, PHARLAKANS, Pierre Aurlathe, RAPTANS, research, Rupert Kharm, silver, Silver Age, Stavros Krashos, T.H.R.E.A.T., TANK TAYLOR, THEONS, Toronto, University of Chicago, urn, USAPES, Vanguard ring, Vasily Nashivev, Villers, VOID VANDALS, volume, volumeternal, William Carson, Wisconsin, World War I, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Vanguard, writer, XERXREX, ZYNTHORN  Posted in: Genre-Adventure Fiction, Genre-Battle Fiction, Genre-Biography, Genre-Contemporary Fiction, Genre-Detective Fiction, Genre-Fantasy Fiction, Genre-Frontier Fiction, Genre-Heroic Fiction, Genre-Holiday Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Genre-Mystery Fiction, Genre-Science Fiction, Medium-Books, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Golden Age Comics, World-Kharndam, World-Silver Age Comics, World-Vanguard  One Comment

Review: Grants Pass

4 out of 5 stars, IMO.

A very well done anthology of stories about a modern apocalypse and the fabled safe haven of Grants Pass, Oregon. The world falls apart due to bioengineered plagues and the chaos that ensues from them. The stories here, like many anthologies, vary in terms of their ability to grab each reader, but they’re all well written even if they’re not one’s cup of tea. Stories that stood out in my mind as the best or most intriguing were “Animal Husbandry” by Seanan McGuire; “Chateau de Mons” by Jennifer Brozek; “A Perfect Night to Watch Detroit Burn” by Ed Greenwood; “Final Edition” by Jeff Parish; and “Black Heart, White Mourning” by Jay Lake.

And to answer the leading question of the anthology, yes, I’d go to Grants Pass. Hope is one of the things that keeps us going when everything else demands we give up.

[Note--I read this in PDF format before the book's release, but I'll be looking to get a copy soon to put on the shelf.]

August 24, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

A.J. Soltare

“A.J. Soltare is one of our authors of whom we’re very proud. He has worked with Bulwark under my father and my uncles Rupert and Sebastian. He claims I’m the easiest `boss’ with whom he’s ever had to work, but I suspect I let him get away with more as he’s been around the offices for decades longer than I’ve been alive.”

—Oscar Kharm, Bulwark publisher, in an interview on March 12, 1981

“What can I tell you about A.J.? Precious little, I’m afraid. Gentlemen’s agreement, you see. I keep his secrets and he keeps mine. All I’ll say is what he’d say about me—look to our fictions and therein you’ll find more than a little of us looking back at you. That’s as close a secret as I’ll share with you and your readers.”

—Blake Hart Montgomery, in an interview on March 4, 1981

“A.J. Soltare is an enigma, to be sure. His ACE BARRIGAN stories are far more polished than most writers’ early works and have an energy that made his stories stand out from his fellow pulpsters. He continues with other Bulwark properties like THE REDRESSOR, BRASS BRADLEY, and THE GASLIGHT and finds new niches within their tales to not just duplicate his success with Fairgeth’s mystic P.I. but transcend it while crafting new shadowy worlds around every character.

“His writing shares some similarities to earlier writers like Jack London and John Solo, though his longevity and his variety make him the stronger author. His work now spans seven decades and while his craft improved as he aged, Soltare’s entire output is eminently readable, no matter when he penned it. Whether he writes hardboiled pulp noir, supernatural horror, weird fantasy, romance, or sword and sorcery, this author knows how to appeal to his readers and expand the boundaries of any genre he chooses.”

—Critic Virginia Harold, New York Times Book Review, October 15, 1994, reviewing Nemeses Nocturnal: The Collected A.J. Soltare (Volume 2) Bulwark/Prospect 1994

“I’m embarrassed to say that I read A.J.’s stuff almost backwards. He hooked me as a reader with his Silver Age comic book work, really. I loved what he did in KHARNDAM Tales, and those led me back to the earlier stories in SAGAS SUPERNATURAL and other places. Only after I’d read through all the KHARNDAM material I could find did I look back and find his reprinted comic book work on DOC ENIGMA, and that was mind-blowing stuff for 1972, let alone for 1942 when it was originally done. A.J.’s a marvel to read in any medium and he’s only gotten better over the years. Doesn’t matter what you first read—you’ll end up reading it all because his knack for characters and plot grabs you too and won’t let go.”

—Curtis Winter, writer of the Ignisceror and Arcaniac Quartets

Alexander James Soltare was born on August 26, 1910 in Portsmouth, Maine. He led an uneventful childhood and only came to notice after his move to Chicago in 1932 where he got work at the Chicago Tribune. His first foray into fiction was “Six-Spell-Shooter,” the first ACE BARRIGAN story in OCCULT THRILLS #264 (November 1935), and he continued to regularly publish in Bulwark’s pulps and magazines and books for decades. Whether as an author or editor of fiction, nonfiction, or comic books, A.J. worked for Bulwark Publications until the age of 75.

A.J.’s penchant for gripping stories and tight plots, combined with his gift for speedy writing, garnered him a lot of work. According to some pulp historians, he approached H. Bedford Jones’ and Lester Dent’s phenomenal outputs in total words per year. Unlike some pulp authors, he worked exclusively for Bulwark, though this did not limit him from working in many different magazines or genres: BOOKS BIZARRE, BOXING THRILLS, GAMING THRILLS, GREEN GAZETTE, HERO THRILLS (pulp & comic), MISTER CONUNDRUM, OCCULT THRILLS, ORKNEY STREET, RACING THRILLS, ROMANCE THRILLS, SAGAS SUPERNATURAL, SCIENCE THRILLS, SPACE THRILLS, TALES TERRIFIC, TRUE-LIFE MAGAZINE, and WESTERN THRILLS.

While many of Soltare’s works appeared under his own name, editors disguised some of his work under house pseudonyms to hide just how much A.J. Soltare material they published. Thus, assembling his entire bibliography publicly only recently occurred. All told, whether under house names or his own, A.J. Soltare published nearly 200 novels, over 700 short stories or comic books, and nearly 500 articles or essays between 1935 and 2000.

Mr. Soltare’s most recently published work was the “Introduction” for KHARNDAM Collected #1 (TWELVELANDS Volume One; Bulwark/Prospect 2000). For those worried about the man’s longevity into his 90’s, A.J. promised in recent interviews that he’d already written new material (introductions, afterwords, or anecdotal sidebars) for every volume of the promised 14 book collection of his long-lived fantasy collaboration.

“I write to relax, to be honest. For me, it’s never the first thing I do in the morning but the last thing I do at night after conquering my day and its errands. More often than not, my process of unwinding and spooling my experiences and feelings and thoughts out in fictions leads me to watch the dawn before I get some sleep. Even now, in my so-called ‘golden years,’ I’m finding the only way I can get to sleep is to rattle off a little story or article on my trusty Underwood.”

—A.J. Soltare, “Introduction” excerpt, Bold as Brass: The Collected A.J. Soltare (Volume 3) Bulwark/Prospect 1995

© 2009 by Steven E. Schend. All rights reserved.

July 10, 2009  Tags: "Six-Spell-Shooter", A.J. Soltare, ACE BARRIGAN, Alexander James Soltare, Arcaniac, author, bibliography, Blake Hart Montgomery, Bold as Brass, Books Bizarre, Boxing Thrills, BRASS BRADLEY, Bulwark Publications, Bulwark/Prospect, Chicago, Curtis Winter, DOC ENIGMA, Gaming Thrills, Green Gazette, H. Bedford Jones, HERO THRILLS, Ignisceror, Jack London, John Solo, KHARNDAM Collected, Kharndam Tales, Lester Dent, MISTER CONUNDRUM, Nemeses Nocturnal, Occult Thrills, ORKNEY STREET, Oscar Kharm, pseudonyms, quartet, Racing Thrills, Romance Thrills, Rupert Kharm, Sagas Supernatural, Science Thrills, Sebastian Kharm, Silver Age, Space Thrills, Tales Terrific, THE GASLIGHT, THE REDRESSOR, TRUE-LIFE MAGAZINE, Twelvelands, Underwood, Virginia Harold, Western Thrills  Posted in: Genre-Adventure Fiction, Genre-Battle Fiction, Genre-Biography, Genre-Detective Fiction, Genre-Fantasy Fiction, Genre-Heroic Fiction, Genre-Holiday Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Genre-Mystery Fiction, Genre-Science Fiction, Medium-Audio/Radio, Medium-Books, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, Medium-TV/Movies, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Golden Age Comics, World-Kharndam, World-Seven Cities, World-Silver Age Comics, World-Vanguard  2 Comments

Boroughs of Fairgeth (3)

[Continued from posts on June 30, 2009 & July 5, 2009]

Appleton: The smallest borough of Fairgeth is Appleton, tucked in between the Village and Sawgeth. Once the home of many farmers’ markets, the neighborhood mysteriously attracted many spiritualists and psychics (and, according to some, many ghosts along with them) in the 19th century. More inexplicable happenings occur within Appleton than any other borough. Some claim that the curses that envelop Fairgeth originate from this area, which used to also house the slaughterhouses and tanneries in the late 18th century. Appleton’s most famous sons were the monster hunter Matthew Slate and his ghost- and hoax-busting descendant Max Medium.

First Appearance/Mention: “Homecoming,” by Craig Nordoff (4th MATTHEW SLATE™ story, first appearance of Barton Village (1789)), OCCULT THRILLS #169 (December 1927); “Hunting Blind,” by Paul Nordoff & Roger Ashwood (9th MATTHEW SLATE story/20th Max Medium story; brings Slate & Appleton into “modern” Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #322 (September 1940)

Upton: The northeastern sector of Fairgeth, “Up-town” has steep streets to rival hilly San Francisco as the land rises to meet the eastern bluffs and mountains. Settled on these hills were the once-secluded Catholic boarding schools associated with Three Saints Cathedral—Saint Benedict’s School, the Academy (of Saint Brendan), and the Paduan School of Saint Anthony. This neighborhood also plays host to many art galleries, museums, parks, and the Druidica, gardens famous as much for their rare plants and statuary as the group of druids that built the stone circle at its center (and a few secretive cults rumored to dwell in the vicinity).

First Appearance/Mention: “Dread of the Drugged Druids,” by A.J. Soltare (2nd ACE BARRIGAN story), OCCULT THRILLS #269 (April 1936); “Mastromwood,” by Carson Cullen (links Upton schools and a woods to Fairgeth; look at a cult from the inside), OCCULT THRILLS #285 (August 1937)

Marcus Heights: Built as the exclusive domain of the leaders and richest citizens of Fairgeth, Marcus Heights rests upon a bluff overlooking the city to its west. Home to numerous expansive walled estates, there are allegedly more secrets among the cultivated woods and brambles on the Heights than among the shady alleyways in the city below.

First Appearance/Mention: “The Blue Haze Blues,” by Stan Plymouth (2nd THE CHANTEUSE story), OCCULT THRILLS #263 (October 1935); “Return of the Terror Tarot,” by Roger Ashwood (18th Max Medium story; Marcus Heights in Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #315 (February 1940);

The Skirts: The Skirts stand either for what were once the outskirts of the city in the 1920’s or for the two prominent private schools for girls within it. A patchwork of bedroom communities and suburbs, the Skirts has become a web of highways among the many small businesses dominated by its longtime Mediterranean- and Balkan-American citizens.

First Appearance/Mention: “Missing Maidens & Medusas,” by A.J. Soltare (3rd ACE BARRIGAN story), OCCULT THRILLS #275 (October 1936); “Mysteries Matriculate, Immaculate, and Immolate,” by Steve Mark (15th MAX MEDIUM story, links Saint Theresa’s School for Wayward Girls to Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #295 (June 1938)

Eastmore: The most recently built of the sections of Fairgeth, Eastmore grew from the “east moors” or swamps that used to make southeastern Fairgeth a bug-infested summer hell. This area is primarily residential, since the draining and redirecting of the Poole allowed development of the land. The continued growth of the city threatens to move the city through this borough and adding another neighborhood east along the Pierce Highway around Marcus Heights and into the surrounding mountains.

First Appearance/Mention: “Out of the Smoke, Into the Fire,” by A.J. Soltare (32nd ACE BARRIGAN story; 1st mention of Eastmore), OCCULT THRILLS #370 (September 1944)

Editors’ Note: All material above excerpted from Fairgeth on File: Travelogue of a City without Shame (Bulwark/Prospect, 1988) by Norman Crenshaw, Charles Pherris, and Edward Ullers.

© 2009 by Steven E. Schend. All rights reserved.

July 7, 2009  Tags: "Dread of the Drugged Druids", "Homecoming", "Hunting Blind", "Mastromwood", "Missing Maidens & Medusas", "Mysteries Matriculate Immaculate and Immolate", "Out of the Smoke Into the Fire", "Return of the Terror Tarot, "The Blue Haze Blues", A.J. Soltare, Academy, ACE BARRIGAN, Appleton, Barton Village, bluffs, boroughs, Bulwark Publications, Bulwark/Prospect, Catholic, Charles Pherris, Chester Blythe, City without Shame, Craig Nordoff, cult, curse, cursed, druid, Druidica, Eastmore, Edward Ullers, estates, FAIRGETH, Fairgeth on File, farmer, gallery, Gangland Thrills, garden, ghost, haunted, hills, hoax, Marcus Heights, market, MATTHEW SLATE, MAX MEDIUM, monster, moors, mountain, museum, Norman Crenshaw, Occult Thrills, Paduan School, park, Paul Nordoff, Pierce Highway, private school, psychic, rich, Roger Ashwood, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint B's, Saint Benedict, Saint Brendan, Saint Theresa's School for Wayward Girls, San Francisco, Sawgeth, secrets, slaughterhouse, spiritualism, spiritualist, Stan Plymouth, Steve Mark, stone circle, swamps, tannery, THE CHANTEUSE, the Skirts, Three Saints Cathedral, Upton  Posted in: Genre-Detective Fiction, Genre-Fantasy Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Genre-Mystery Fiction, Medium-Audio/Radio, Medium-Books, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, Medium-Electronic Games, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, Medium-Role-Playing Games, Medium-TV/Movies, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Seven Cities  No Comments

Boroughs of Fairgeth (2)

[Continued from Blog Post 06/30/09]

The Pipes: While now the manufacturing and industrial area in which Fairgeth’s water treatment plants reside, the Pipes got their name in the 19th century for the opium dens and tobacconists among the Oriental and Dutch settlers prevalent in this area. The neighborhood remains a crime-riddled area known for wars (over drugs, money, turf, or respect) among the smaller crime lords in this region.

First Appearance/Mention: “The Pipes Play Hokus Pokus,” by Carson Cullen, OCCULT THRILLS #188 (July 1929); “The Scarlet Pearls of Siam,” by A.J. Soltare (4th ACE BARRIGAN story, links the Pipes to Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #279 (February 1937)

Sawgeth: “South Fairgeth” is the first part of the city not hemmed by the Poole River or Algeth Bay. Modern highways and tollways mark its boundaries now, though their erratic paths trace the former walls around this once-autonomous town. Now the city’s theater and restaurant district, Sawgeth only remains relatively safe due to the diligence and control of the Dinetti Mob.

First Appearance/Mention: “Seven Roses for Mother,” by Carson Cullen (1st DINO STILETTO story), GANGLAND THRILLS #30 (January 1928); “Skeletons Make a Racket,” by A.J. Soltare (8th ACE BARRIGAN story (short novel); puts DINO STILETTO and the Dinetti Mob in South Fairgeth or Sawgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #300 (November 1938)

Newfields: The “new fields” that gave this borough its name grew from settlers who chafed under the leadership of the Algeths in the 18th century. Founding a new colony with their own protestant religious community, “New Fields” farmers eventually saw their lands subsumed by graveyards for the larger communities to the west and south. Newfield University is a top-ranked college that rivals the best Ivy League schools, and its campus defines Newton on the west as do the many graveyards and cemeteries on its east.

First Appearance/Mention: “Adrift on a Melody,” by Stan Plymouth (3rd THE CHANTEUSE story), OCCULT THRILLS #269 (April 1936); “Green Tablets & Goldbricks,” by Carson Cullen (Professor Hermegist of Newfield University’s only appearance, linked to Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #300 (November 1938);

The Spires: Like other boroughs, the Spires is the historical name for this borough, so named for the bell towers of First Church built in late 1737. While the church grew in size as did the neighborhood, many of Fairgeth’s buildings collapsed during the April 1906 earthquake. The area name remained and now refers to the abundance of skyscrapers in the city’s heart and its financial district. The Venture Towers (built in 1932) were once the tallest buildings on the west coast and remain the tallest in Fairgeth at 99 floors.

First Appearance/Mention: “The View from Above,” by Stan Plymouth (8th THE CHANTEUSE story, 1st appearance of the Spires), OCCULT THRILLS #312 (November 1939)

Barton Village: Nestled between the skyscrapers of midtown and the Post Tollway is Barton Village, the bohemian sector of Fairgeth. Once an extension of the warehouse district, it became home in the 1920’s for many English, Irish, and Americans who fit uncomfortably in other boroughs. There are more taverns per capita in this borough than in any other city west of the Rockies. Bowman Investigations (and its owner ACE BARRIGAN) nestles three stories above the ground-floor “Spate of Aces” saloon in the Archer Building.

First Appearance/Mention: “Six-Spell-Shooter,” by A.J. Soltare (the first ACE BARRIGAN story), OCCULT THRILLS #264 (November 1935); “One Night Only!,” by Stan Plymouth & A.J. Soltare (6th THE CHANTEUSE story/6th ACE BARRIGAN story), OCCULT THRILLS #290 (January 1938)

Editors’ Note: All material above excerpted from Fairgeth on File: Travelogue of a City without Shame (Bulwark/Prospect, 1988) by Norman Crenshaw, Charles Pherris, and Edward Ullers.

© 2009 by Steven E. Schend. All rights reserved.

July 5, 2009  Tags: "Adrift on a Melody", "Green Tablets and Goldbricks", "One Night Only!", "Seven Roses for Mother", "Six-Spell-Shooter", "Skeletons Make a Racket", "The Pipes Play Hokus Pokus", "The Scarlet Pearls of Siam", "The View from Above", A.J. Soltare, ACE BARRIGAN, Algeth Bay, Algeths, Archer Building, Balkan, Barton Village, bell tower, bohemian, boroughs, Bowman Investigations, Bulwark Publications, Bulwark/Prospect, Carson Cullen, cemetery, Charles Pherris, Chester Blythe, City without Shame, crime lord, Dinetti Mob, DINO STILETTO, Dutch, earthquake, Edward Ullers, English, FAIRGETH, Fairgeth on File, First Church, Gangland Thrills, graveyard, Greek, hokus, Irish, Ivy League, Mediterranean, Newfield University, Newfields, Norman Crenshaw, Occult Thrills, opium, Oriental, Poole River, Post Tollway, Professor Hermegist, restaurant, Rockies, Sawgeth, skyscraper, South Fairgeth, Spate of Aces, Stan Plymouth, tavern, THE CHANTEUSE, the Pipes, the Spires, theater, tobacco, Venture Towers, warehouse  Posted in: Genre-Detective Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Genre-Mystery Fiction, Medium-Audio/Radio, Medium-Books, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, Medium-Electronic Games, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, Medium-Role-Playing Games, Medium-TV/Movies, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Seven Cities  2 Comments

Boroughs of Fairgeth

The fame of Fairgeth spread through the pages of GANGLAND THRILLS™ and OCCULT THRILLS™ magazine and the exploits of heroes like ACE BARRIGAN™, THE CHANTEUSE™, and MAX MEDIUM™ or villains like BOSS MACKAY™, DINO STILETTO™, and MATTHEW SLATE™. In all fairness, the city grew as a random patchwork of background details, buildings, street names, and gangs or supernatural menaces. It was editor Victor Northrup who pieced it together and demanded the generic cityscapes of his authors become one singular city in 1937. After that, a one-upsmanship game among Northrop’s stable of authors filled the city backstreets with so many dangers it had to be cursed (even though such was not mentioned specifically until 1941).

The so-called “thirteen boroughs” of Fairgeth are more a play on superstitions and words than true boroughs. The original seven boroughs, founded between 1736 and 1768, encompassed only one-third of its eventual cityscape. The seven true boroughs each had their own individual fortifications around their homes and even acted at times as self-governing settlements. Across eight decades, an additional six communities grew among and around them as either outlying neighborhoods or politically independent towns. Only local custom and habit labeled these areas as boroughs while the city came together almost despite itself. By 1846, when Commodore John D. Sloat and his navy entered Algeth Bay to keep California territory out of Mexican hands, all thirteen had long since merged to become the city of Fairgeth.

Ilgeth: The larger island where the Poole River meets the Pacific in Algeth Bay is the oldest section of Fairgeth by virtue of its location farthest west. “Old Town” and the original town hall still stand as historical markers, as does the Carter Bridge connecting Ilgeth to Seven Bells, though it is younger by a century or more.

First Appearance/Mention: “A Canary Sings at Midnight,” by Stan Plymouth (1st THE CHANTEUSE story), OCCULT THRILLS #255 (February 1935); “Song on a Bridge’s Edge,” by Stan Plymouth (5th THE CHANTEUSE story; places Carter Bridge in Fairgeth), OCCULT THRILLS #288 (November 1937)

Seven Bells: This smaller island borough connects with the mainland by Minster Bridge. Named for the bells that toll the seven canonical hours, Seven Bells Island holds Three Saints Cathedral and its sprawling abbey complex at its heart. The second oldest church (and by far the grandest) in Fairgeth was dedicated in 1749 in honor of Saints Benedict, Brendan, and Anthony of Padua. The other site of interest here is Algethope, the mansion of the founding Algeth clan.

First Appearance/Mention: “Six-Spell-Shooter,” by A.J. Soltare (the first ACE BARRIGAN story), OCCULT THRILLS #264 (November 1935); “Possessed by Prior Penitents,” by Roger Ashwood, (16th MAX MEDIUM story; places Three Saints Cathedral into Fairgeth); OCCULT THRILLS #306 (May 1939)

River Row: Also called “the Docks,” River Row comprises the northwestern corner and much of the western riverfront of Fairgeth. Shipping yards, warehouses, and docks dominate all corners here. The Mackay Mob controls this borough with a fist that opens only to roll the dice at many of its hidden gambling dens. Little remains here of historical interest, since all such sites have long been sacrificed for commerce’s sake.

First Appearance/Mention: “His Teeth Made a Racket Under My Fist,” by Carson Cullen (1st BOSS MACKAY story), GANGLAND THRILLS #28 (July 1927); “Aces and Hates,” by A.J. Soltare (5th ACE BARRIGAN story, first meeting between BOSS MACKAY and ACE BARRIGAN), OCCULT THRILLS #282 (May 1937)

Editors’ Note: All material above excerpted from Fairgeth on File: Travelogue of a City without Shame (Bulwark/Prospect, 1988) by Norman Crenshaw, Charles Pherris, and Edward Ullers.

June 30, 2009  Tags: "Aces and Hates", abbey, ACE BARRIGAN, Algeth Bay, Algethope, Bartram Algeth, BOSS MACKAY, Bulwark/Prospect, California, Carson Cullen, Carter Bridge, Charles Pherris, City without Shame, curse, DINO STILETTO, Docks, Edward Ullers, FAIRGETH, gambling, Gangland Thrills, Ilgeth, Mackay Mob, MATTHEW SLATE, MAX MEDIUM, Minster Bridge, Norman Crenshaw, Occult Thrills, Old Town, Pacific, Poole River, River Row, Roger Ashwood, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Benedict, Saint Brendan, Seven Bells, THE CHANTEUSE, Three Saints Cathedral, Victor Northrup, “A Canary Sings at Midnight”, “Possessed by Prior Penitents”, “Song on a Bridge’s Edge”  Posted in: Genre-Detective Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Genre-Mystery Fiction, Medium-Audio/Radio, Medium-Books, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, Medium-Role-Playing Games, Medium-TV/Movies, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Seven Cities  No Comments

Guardian Comics (Part II)

Guardian Comics (Part 2)

[For the complete history of Guardian Comics, start with the Guardian Comics post from May 31, 2009.]

Electri-Comics (April 1940 to October 1958; 223 issues);

Since her premiere in Best Comics #35 (December 1938), FULMI-NANCY THE ELECTRI-GAL proved to be one of the biggest hits ever produced by Guardian Comics. In fact, nearly any and every character in her supporting cast likewise proved popular with fans; thus Electri-Comics began as a showcase book solely for the ELECTRI-GAL and her growing family of fellow heroes and evil opponents. Set in the fictional Canadian city of Port Thunder, Nancy had many American, British, and Canadian relatives and friends, and her adventures took her across the world and the galaxy. (Nancy and the FULMINTRIO proved so inspirational that an energy-based alien race renamed their planet FULMINIA in her honor in Electri-Comics #158.) By the end of the series, creators had revealed many ancestors and descendants of the FULMINTRIO, making their power one of the most dominant forces of the universe across time. They even had multiversal duplicates, including Nancy’s evil twin FULMI-NASTY THE ELECTRIXEN™.

Characters/Features of Note: THE FULMENTOR™; FULMIN-ANDY THE ELECTRI-KID™; THE FULMI-KNIGHTS™; FULMI-NANCY THE ELECTRI-GAL™; THE FULMINTRIO™; LT. FULMINANT™; SIR FULMINUS, LORD OF LIGHTNING™; SPARKY THE FULMENTIGER™;

Fantasticomics (August 1938 to March 1955; 200 issues);

Like Blast Comics before it, Fantasticomics featured a cast that had already appeared and proven popular in Best Comics. Between 1938 and 1942, there was little difference between this book and Best Comics as a showcase of rotating ideas and characters. After December 1942, this book only supported Guardian’s most popular features and acted as a second book for the most popular characters from Best Comics, Electri-Comics, and Giant Comics.

Characters/Features of Note: BIG BEN TATE™; THE FULMENTOR™; FULMIN-ANDY THE ELECTRI-KID™; THE FULMI-KNIGHTS™; FULMI-NANCY THE ELECTRI-GAL™; THE FULMINTRIO™; GOLIATH GIRL™; THE HUMAN SWORD™; LT. FULMINANT™; THE MANTICORN™; SPARKY THE FULMENTIGER™;

Giant Comics (June 1943 to January 1955; 126 issues);

Since three of its principal characters all had the ability to grow to titanic size (BIG BEN TATE, CLIFF DOVER, and GOLIATH GIRL), Giant Comics was launched in 1943. The five prominent features in this book all began in Fantasticomics between 1940 and 1942 and remained relatively popular. Despite the title, Giant Comics never produced any other oversized successes (despite tries like TEN-FOOT TAYLOR, JEANNIE DJINNI, or POLLY BUNYAN). The book also proved the dumping ground for many forgettable third-stringers like DANGEROUS DANIEL, MAJOR MEGALITH, or SWORDIANE. Only FIREFIST and FLINT FAIRMOUNT proved to be heroes equal to their larger cousins and resulted in more than five appearances.

Characters/Features of Note: BIG BEN TATE™; CLIFF DOVER™; FIREFIST™; FLINT FAIRMOUNT™; GOLIATH GIRL™;

Rocket Comics (May 1946 to September 1958; 144 issues);

Another single-theme-comic, Rocket Comics was the science fiction dominated comic book for its entirety. While six of its continuing features were popular, at least one-third of each issue contained comic book adaptations of short stories culled from Science Thrills, Space Thrills, and other Bulwark pulp magazines.

Characters/Features of Note: COMET CORPS™; JACQUES ROCKET™; JANICE MARSHALL, UNDERCOVER MARTIAN™; MOON-BASE MAX™; REX RACER, 28TH CENTURY BOY™; STAR SOLDIERS™;

Savage Comics (March 1936 to June 1939; (Vol. 1; 40 issues);

Savage Comics (April 1949 to July 1955; (Vol. 2; 62 issues);

The strangest of Guardian Comics was this book focused on lost world exploration, jungle heroes, and the standard caveman-vs-dinosaur stories. Its early cancellation came more from paper shortages than a lack of interest. Even so, when it was revived in its second volume, the stories took on a more science fiction bent than before, focusing on Atlantis, time travel, and the exploits of DOC HUNTER more than jungle-trained heroes and heroines.

Characters/Features of Note: THE ATLANTISCROLLS™; CAVEMAN CARTER™; DOC HUNTER, EXPLORER™; NITA, JUNGLE QUEEN ™; TARA OF THE TROPICS™; TIME-TRAPPED TALES™; TOR-KAN THE JUNGLE LORD™;

Secret Comics (May 1943 to October 1958; 169 issues);

Like Giant Comics that premiered the following month, Secret Comics had a simple theme to match up popular characters that premiered in in Best Comics or Blast Comics. All the features and characters of Secret Comics were mystical or magical in nature. As the series continued, elements of horror also crept into the stories and characters, and many now-prominent horror and thriller writers and artists got their initial starts with Secret Comics.

Characters/Features of Note: DONNELLA™; DRUID THE DRACADIAN™; DAWES™; HANDORR THE SORCERER™; M.P. OF MAGIC™; THE SHANGRI-LADY™; TRANCE TAMMETT™; THE TUNDRAGON™; THE UNDERNAUTS™;

Victory Comics (February 1941 to August 1952; 131 issues);

Victory Comics was never a great homefront sales hit for Guardian Comics, although an overseas distribution deal made this one of the easiest books for Allied troops to find and read. Quite simply, this was the patriotic war comic book from Guardian Comics (to answer demands by its owners, Bulwark Publishing). Every feature in this comic had direct links to World War II (or, sometimes, World War I). Due to the nature of the book, the subhuman depictions of Japanese, Italian, or German foes (especially in the AIRBURN and STEEL STAG strips) are far from politically correct today. While it featured many powered heroes, this book (and Arrow Comics) had more stories with normal human characters and stories than the other comics.

Characters/Features of Note: AIRBURN™; BLITZCRAIG™; BLITZ BAILEY™; COLONEL LIBERTY & THE REBELS™; ECHO COMPANY™; FRONTLINE FRANK™; PRIVATE BRACE OF DANGER COMPANY™; THE STEEL STAG™; THE TERROR TANK™;

Wondrous Comics (March 1936 to November 1940; (Vol. 1; 57 issues);

Wondrous Comics (August 1947 to October 1958; (Vol. 2; 135 issues);

Often a random fantasy or faerie tale book with pages retelling classic faerie stories, the first volume of this comic focused on the Lang and Grimm fairy tales or tall tales of other cultures including 1,001 Arabian Nights. Cancelled during the war, Wondrous Comics came back with a focus on WISHLAND™ and its inhabitants and environs. These were overseen by the Ventesch family that controlled the WISHLAND copyrights but were not solely written by them. In fact, this comic was the source of most expansions and changes to the WISHLAND properties until D.J. Ventesch’s books in the 1980’s.

Characters/Features of Note: BARNEY THE CLOCKWORKER™; CARBUNCLE CARMICHAEL™; FOE OF FIGMENTS™; IN THE GLASSTLE OF GLORA™; THE LANDS BEYONDREAMS™; THE MATHESON FAMILY™; NEIGHBORS OF WISHLAND™; TALES OF WISHLAND™; TONY THE IRON-PONY™; THE WHYLAND GUARD™;

© 2009 by Steven E. Schend. All rights reserved.

June 2, 2009  Tags: 28TH CENTURY BOY, AIRBURN, aliens, American, Andrew Lang, Arabian Nights, Arrow Comics, Atlantis, BARNEY THE CLOCKWORKER, Best Comics, BIG BEN TATE, Blast Comics, BLITZ BAILEY, BLITZCRAIG, British, Brothers Grimm, Bulwark pulps, Canadian, CARBUNCLE CARMICHAEL, caveman, CAVEMAN CARTER, CLIFF DOVER, COLONEL LIBERTY & THE REBELS, COMET CORPS, DANGEROUS DANIEL, DAWES, dinosaur, DOC HUNTER, DOC HUNTER EXPLORER, DONNELLA, DRUID THE DRACADIAN, ECHO COMPANY, Electri-Comics, ELECTRI-GAL, ELECTRI-KID, evil twin, faerie tale, Fantasticomics, FIREFIST, FLINT FAIRMOUNT, FOE OF FIGMENTS, FRONTLINE FRANK, FULMI-NANCY, FULMI-NANCY THE ELECTRI-GAL, FULMI-NASTY THE ELECTRIXEN, FULMIN-ANDY THE ELECTRI-KID, FULMINIA, FULMINTRIO, Genre-Fantasy Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, German, Giant Comics, GOLIATH GIRL, Guardian Comics, HANDORR THE SORCERER, IN THE GLASSTLE OF GLORA, Italian, JACQUES ROCKET, JANICE MARSHALL, JANICE MARSHALL UNDERCOVER MARTIAN, Japanese, JEANNIE DJINNI, jungle, JUNGLE QUEEN, LORD OF LIGHTNING, lost world, LT. FULMINANT, M.P. OF MAGIC, Magic, MAJOR MEGALITH, MOON-BASE MAX, mysticism, NEIGHBORS OF WISHLAND, NITA, POLLY BUNYAN, Port Thunder, PRIVATE BRACE OF DANGER COMPANY, REX RACER, REX RACER 28TH CENTURY BOY, Rocket Comics, Savage Comics, science fiction, Science Thrills, Secret Comics, SIR FULMINUS, SIR FULMINUS LORD OF LIGHTNING, Space Thrills, SPARKY THE FULMENTIGER, STAR-SOLDIERS, STEEL STAG, SWORDIANE, TALES OF WISHLAND, TARA OF THE TROPICS, TEN-FOOT TAYLOR, THE ATLANTISCROLLS, THE FULMENTOR, THE FULMI-KNIGHTS, THE FULMINTRIO, THE HUMAN SWORD, THE LANDS BEYONDREAMS, THE MANTICORN, THE MATHESON FAMILY, THE SHANGRI-LADY, THE STEEL STAG, THE TERROR TANK, THE TUNDRAGON, THE UNDERNAUTS, THE WHYLAND GUARD, thriller, time travel, TIME-TRAPPED TALES, TONY THE IRON-PONY, TOR-KAN THE JUNGLE LORD, TRANCE TAMMETT, UNDERCOVER MARTIAN, Ventesch WISHLAND. D.J. Ventesch, Victory Comics, war, Wondrous Comics, World War I, World War II  Posted in: Genre-Adventure Fiction, Genre-Battle Fiction, Genre-Children's Fiction, Genre-Fantasy Fiction, Genre-Frontier Fiction, Genre-Heroic Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Genre-Science Fiction, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, Medium-Role-Playing Games, World-Golden Age Comics, World-Silver Age Comics, World-Vanguard, World-Wishland  No Comments

Guardian Comics (Part I)

Guardian Comics started in 1936 Toronto, Ontario solely as a medium that collected and republished comic strips in book form, like most early comic books. Terry Zuller, Guardian’s editor in chief, wanted to oversee a creative stable like the one he’d once marshaled on American pulps like Scarab Stories. Zuller commissioned six writers and artists to adapt six stories of his from the pulps and he interspersed these 6- to 8-page stories among the comic strip reprints. Two months later, he had the same twelve creators produce new material to suit the themes of his four 1936 comics—Arrow Comics (American & Candian historical adventures, mainly exploration or Wild Westerns), Best Comics (British heroes & legends, Robin Hood), Savage Comics (jungle heroes & world exploration), and Wondrous Comics (fantasy tales & comics adaptations of faerie tales).

By 1937, Zuller’s gambit had paid off and his “new story comics” were a hit. Guardian Comics was running full swing with an editorial staff and numerous Bulwark Publications’ authors trying their hands at writing for “the funny-books.” Zuller’s assistant E.C. Buckner worked to keep everyone on schedule, while Terry Zuller recruited well-known pulp artists to create comic book covers or interior art. Thus, for at least the years 1937 through 1940, Guardian Comics had pulp-style painted art on its covers, though Bulwark Publications ended that practice in a cost-saving measure. Until his dying day (all too soon in 1950), Zuller believed the change came as “my comics outsold Knight’s down at BC!” While both Zuller and Charles Knight worked for Bulwark Publications, their rivalry and one-upsmanship led to brisk comics sales in both Canada and the States.

Guardian Comics launched twelve books between February 1936 and March 1949, seven of them lasting until 1958 when the Bulwark Publishing parent corporation closed the Canadian company’s doors. Guardian Comics stood out in fans’ minds because their books carried larger stories per issue (twelve to sixteen pages as opposed to a standard six or eight page story). When they began, Guardian books had five stories per issue split among three different features. By the time they truly hit their stride in 1943, Guardian Comics rotated secondary characters in one story each while lead features got three stories per issue (or sometimes one long story in three parts).

More than two-thirds of the Guardian Comics characters and trademarks became new entities in the Silver Age Bulwark Comics lines. Like the older Golden Age BC properties, all were extensively re-imagined, only their names staying the same. Many of the properties even became villains, due to the overabundance of heroes from the combined Bulwark and Guardian lines. For example, Guardian Comics’ AIRBURN™ was a heroic paratrooper who gained fire-based powers after drifting through a glowing cloud on D-Day; in the Silver Age, Bulwark Comics’ AIRBURN (with similar powers) was the primary aide-de-camp of BRIGADIER BLACK™ in the ECHELON OF EVIL™. The ECHELON contained seven misanthropic ex-soldiers exposed to and altered by experimental weaponry, and they were a primary foe of the revamped G.U.A.R.D.™

In 1977, Guardian reemerged as part of the modern age Bulwark publishing pantheon, though this time as its subsidiary game company. Famous most for their BULWARKS & BASILISKS™ fantasy role-playing game, Guardian produced a wide variety of board, card, and role-playing games over the next few decades. The closest Guardian Games came to relaunching its comics was in having their CAPES & COWLS™ heroic role-playing game include comics art with each adventure or sourcebook. Before his death in 1994, E.C. Bruckner managed to write and produce a Guardian Comics book that highlighted the worlds of GC and gave the fans a great look back at a short-lived but creative publisher.

Arrow Comics (February 1936 to October 1943 (Vol. 1; 92 issues));

Arrow Comics (March 1951 to July 1958 (Vol. 2; 68 issues));

This was Terry Zuller’s favorite book due to his yen for historical adventures, especially those of the Wild West and the Canadian frontier. This comic, more than any other, provided solid, well-researched history lessons for comics readers of the Golden Age (in its “Bulls-eye on History” and “Wanted!” features). Another benchmark for this book was its use of Native Americans in non-stereotypical ways; RED ROBINSON was the mixed-race son of a Native woman and a Caucasian mountain man, and THOMAS TWO-EAGLES was a Harvard-trained lawyer fighting for justice for his people.

Characters/Features of Note: THE BRAVES FOUR™; COACHWHIP HAMMOND™; THE HANGING JUDGE™; JIM ADAMS, SHARPSHOOTER™; MIKE HARRIGAN, BOUNTY HUNTER™; RED ROBINSON™; SECRET SHAMAN™; TALL TRAILS™; THOMAS TWO-EAGLES™; THE TRAIL-BLAZERS™; WILD WEST TRAIL TALES™;

Best Comics (February 1936 to October 1958; 273 issues);

This was Guardian Comics’ premiere book and the initial forum for every lead feature from 1936 in 1940; thus, the characters listed below are only those featured prominently in this book after June 1940. Zuller’s editorial fiat made Best Comics the showcase for chiefly British characters and stories. Its early features on Robin Hood and the Knights of the Round Table remain in people’s minds due to the early work of later-famous creators like Marshall Ranheart, Richard West, and Clive Horrach. By late 1940, newer British superhumans (including Australian, Indian, and Canadian subjects) took over the book for the majority of its run. More characters first saw print through this comic than any other, though only DOC DRAGON, the HUMAN SWORD, KID SPITFIRE, and the MANTICORN proved to be long-term crowd-pleasers (and featured in Fantasticomics as well).

Characters/Features of Note: CORPORAL KANGAROO™; DOC DRAGON™; THE FOUR FAKIRS™; GIRISH™; THE HUMAN SWORD™; KID SPITFIRE™; THE MANTICORN™; THE THAMESERPENT™;

Blast Comics (August 1937 to January 1949; 81 issues);

The first comic after Guardian’s initial four-book launch, Blast Comics featured the six most popular heroes out of the previous year’s Best Comics, including BOB BLAST, after whom the title was named. Ironically, Bob got ejected from his own book by 1946 when team features grew in prominence. By 1949, the editors decided to cancel the mildly-selling book in favor of a new book focusing on more popular characters.

Characters/Features of Note: BOB BLAST™; DONNELLA™; DRUID DAWES™; THE EVERGLADIATOR™; HUMANTA™; SIR FALCON & PEREGRINE™; SUB-MARIE™; THE WIDOW & VEIL™;

Clash Comics (March 1949 to August 1958; 114 issues);

This book replaced Blast Comics in Guardian’s lineup. From #1 until its 114th issue, Clash Comics had the same structure—four features (noted below) of 14 pages each with a 2-4 filler story or special backup. While popular, these nine heroes were always considered second-tier characters (compared to the leads of Electri-Comics and Fantasticomics) until they were all revived in new ways in the Silver Age.

Characters/Features of Note: BLITZ BROTHERS ™; SIR FALCON & PEREGRINE™; THE TRINITEAM™; THE WIDOW & VEIL™;

To Be Continued

© 2009 by Steven E. Schend. All rights reserved.

May 31, 2009  Tags: AIRBURN, Arrow Comics, Australian, Best Comics, Blast Comics, BLITZ BROTHERS, BLITZCRAIG, BOB BLAST, BRIGADEMONS, BRIGADIER BLACK, British, Bulls-Eye on History, Bulwark Publications, BULWARKS & BASILISKS, Canadian, CAPES & COWLS, Charles Knight, Clash Comics, Clive Horrach, COACHWHIP HAMMOND, comic books, comic strips, CORPORAL KANGAROO, DOC DRAGON, DONNELLA, DRUID DAWES, E.C. Buckner, ECHELON OF EVIL, Electri-Comics, exploration, faerie tales, Fantasticomics, G.U.A.R.D., Genre-Fantasy Fiction, GIRISH, Golden Age, Guardian Comics, Harvard, historical adventures, HUMANTA, Indian, Jim Adams Sharpshooter, jungle, KID SPITFIRE, Knights of the Round Table, Marshall Ranheart, Mike Harrigan Bounty Hunter, Native Americans, Ontario, pulps Scarab Stories, RED ROBINSON, Richard West, Robin Hood, Savage Comics, SECRET SHAMAN, Silver Age, SIR FALCON & PEREGRINE, SUB-MARIE, superhumans, TALL TRAILS, Terry Zuller, THE BRAVES FOUR, THE EVERGLADIATOR, THE FOUR FAKIRS, THE HANGING JUDGE, THE HUMAN SWORD, THE MANTICORN, THE THAMESERPENT, THE TRAIL-BLAZERS, THE TRINITEAM, THE WIDOW & VEIL, THOMAS TWO-EAGLES, Toronto, Wanted!, Wild West, WILD WEST TRAIL TALES, Wondrous Comics  Posted in: Genre-Adventure Fiction, Genre-Battle Fiction, Genre-Children's Fiction, Genre-Fantasy Fiction, Genre-Frontier Fiction, Genre-Heroic Fiction, Genre-Horror/Weird Fiction, Medium-Comics/Graphic Novels, Medium-Magazines & Pulps, Medium-Role-Playing Games, World-Bulwark Pulps, World-Golden Age Comics, World-Silver Age Comics, World-Vanguard  No Comments

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