American TV Comic Books (1940s–1980s) by TwoMorrows Publishing

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AMERICAN TV by

from the small screen... Peter Bosch

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AMERICAN TV From the Small Screen to the Printed Page by Peter Bosch

Elizabeth Montgomery reading Bewitched #2 (July–Sept. 1965). Bewitched © CPT Holdings, Inc.

American TV Comic Books (1940s-1980s) From the Small Screen to the Printed Page ISBN 978-1-60549-107-3 First printing, January 2022 • Printed in China

Written by Peter Bosch Publisher: John Morrow Cover design: John Morrow, with inspiration from Michael Kronenberg Interior design: Richard J. Fowlks Proofreader: Kevin Sharp Editorial package © 2022 Peter Bosch and TwoMorrows Publishing, a division of TwoMorrows Inc. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The viewpoints expressed in the text are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TwoMorrows Publishing. All quotes and image reproductions are © the respective owners, and are used here for journalistic commentary, criticism, and historical scholarly analysis. Every effort has been made to verify the ownership or source of all illustrated material. We regret any errors of attribution, and will make the appropriate corrections in future editions.

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AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION................................................................................ 5 CHAPTER 1: The 1940s & 1950s...................................................... 7 Artist Profile: Gil Kane.............................................................................12 Artist Profile: Wallace Wood....................................................................15 Artist Profile: Bob Oksner........................................................................19 Artist Profile: George Evans....................................................................24 Artist Profile: Everett Raymond Kinstler...............................................46 Artist Profile: Dan Spiegle........................................................................49 Artist Profile: Alex Toth............................................................................66 Artist Profile: Russ Manning...................................................................73

CHAPTER 2: The 1960s................................................................... 83 Artist Profile: John Buscema....................................................................88 Artist Profile: Mike Sekowsky.................................................................90 Artist Profile: Russ Heath........................................................................95 Artist Profile: Reed Crandall...................................................................98 Artist Profile: Bernie Krigstein..............................................................109 Artist Profile: Doug Wildey................................................................... 111 Artist Profile: Gene Colan......................................................................126 Artist Profile: Alden McWilliams..........................................................141 Artist Profile: Warren Tufts....................................................................158

CHAPTER 3: The 1970s................................................................. 163 Artist Profile: José Delbo........................................................................166 Artist Profile: Neal Adams.....................................................................175 Artist Profile: Jack Sparling....................................................................178

CHAPTER 4: The 1980s................................................................. 183 EPILOGUE: The 1990s & ONWARD............................................. 189

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION For my Dad, who bought me my first comic book, who watched thousands of hours of TV with me, and who surprised me when I was a teenager by bringing home my first typewriter after I told him I wanted to be a writer.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No research book is totally written by one person, because it is often accomplished by walking in the footprints left by others. This is especially true when it comes to television and comic books because of the contributions of professionals and fans who have laid down a wealth of knowledge, piece by piece, over many years. Also, in order for me to see some very rare television shows and to be able to review a few obscure comics not in my own collection, I owe thanks to the following people and groups: The Grand Comics Database—possibly the greatest online collection of comic book data about artists, writers, and cover dates ever put together in one place. Located at comics.org. Jeremy Watts—a long-time friend in the United Kingdom who provided books and comics for my research about British equivalents to our American publications. ComicBookPlus.com—their online website, featuring rare comics that have fallen into the public domain, was very helpful whenever I had a hole in my own collection. Eddie Brandt’s Saturday Matinee—thanks to Donovan and Tony for their help in locating videos of obscure television programs. Richard J. Fowlks, the amazing graphic designer of this book. Thank you for turning my manuscript and images into the greatest visual treat ever. And to John Morrow of TwoMorrows, my publisher and editor. Thank you for your support of this book, and for your patience in the time it took to do things right.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Introduction

This book is a chronological listing of American comic books created from live-action TV programs, from television’s beginnings through the 1980s. While there have been many books discussing TV shows created from comic books, this book takes the opposite approach. And it is my hope that this book will serve as a reminder of the changes we saw in television, comics, and the world since the 1940s.

I loved television then and I love it now. And I have always loved comic books. I think the first comic book based on a television program I ever saw was in 1963 with Supercar #3. This was at a time when there were no DVDs or streaming services or internet to watch a TV program once aired (other than reruns). TV-based comics were about the only way for a kid to fill in time between weekly episodes.

Television is now a 24-hour-a-day medium that invites you to experience everything the moment it happens. As one splendid TV series hosted by Walter Cronkite had him saying, “You are there.” Television is immediate. When Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, you saw it when it happened. Television was and is a modern miracle.

One of the great joys of the comics adapted from TV programs is the collectability of their photo covers featuring Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, and other Hollywood greats who starred in TV series… and that is something nearly unique to the genre. However, if all a TV comic was good for was just a photo cover, that would truly be a great waste of a comic book. Thankfully, the opening of the comic would often reveal inside stories drawn by Dan Spiegle, Russ Manning, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Doug Wildey, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, Reed Crandall, Warren Tufts, Gil Kane, Russ Heath, and even Frank Frazetta. Just as it is fun to look at early television programs and spot famous stars when they were still relatively unknown, it is just as enjoyable to see comic art legends when they were starting out.

I was born in the mid-Fifties, but I was really a child of the Sixties and I had three loves: comics, television, and movies. The 1960s were a time of wonder for me. There was a world of entertainment wherever I looked. TV, to me, meant The Red Skelton Show, The Fugitive, Candid Camera, 12 O’Clock High, Naked City, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and on and on it went. And I must never lose sight of glorious Sunday nights when schedules were written in stone: Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Lassie, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Bonanza.

So, with this combination of love for TV and comics for so many decades, I just had to write this book. Peter Bosch Hollywood, California

INTRODUCTION

We Interrupt This Program For A Special Announcement... In this book, each entry discusses the TV program and the comic created from it. This book’s timeline is based on the comic book’s first tie-in to the TV series. Dates are from the comic’s cover or indicia, or if none were available, it was estimated. Where FC is seen listed for a number of Dell comics up to 1962, this is an abbreviation of Four Color, an anthology series that Dell used as a testing ground for possible new standalone titles (or as a final resting place for a comic series whose time had come and gone). It must also be mentioned that, though “Dell” appeared on the cover and throughout their comic books in the period up to 1962, Western Printing & Lithographing Company (aka Western Publishing) was actually producing the comics for Dell, including writing, drawing, and printing them. Western also held the comic book licensing rights for the majority of the TV shows, movies, and other characters. Dell paid the bills and did the

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

distribution. The importance of this will be discussed in Chapter 2. While some lead characters in the TV comic books are perfect resemblances of the actors who portrayed them, others may not even come close. This may occur because a problem many artists experienced was a Hollywood star’s insistence on seeing the artwork and approving how they looked in the comic. On the other extreme, some actors refused to allow their appearance to be in comic books. Two final items: First, animated series are not included. I thought about doing this, but a little preliminary research made me realize that would likely fill two books the size of this one. Second, a few comics based on radio shows, including Captain Midnight; Casey, Crime Photographer; and Meet Corliss Archer, were hesitantly left out because the transition to TV for the program occurred after the comic title had stopped publishing.

CHAPTER 1: THE 1940 S & 1950 S

The evening schedule in the early days of television was filled with laughter as many popular comedians of the day had their own TV programs, including Milton Berle, Jackie Gleason, Sid Caesar, Red Skelton, Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, Bob Hope, Ernie Kovacs, Eddie Cantor, and Jack Benny. And then, of course, there was the actress who performed funny like no one else, Lucille Ball. They, as much as anyone, were responsible for the sales of TV sets soaring from 6,000 sets in 1946 to almost four million in 1950… and over 30 million by 1955. Drama, likewise, was no stranger to early television. TV’s best anthology programs existed within the medium’s first decade, with series such as Studio One, Hallmark Hall of Fame, and Lux Video Theatre featuring Humphrey Bogart, Claudette Colbert, Henry Fonda, and other megastars of Hollywood. It was also the training ground for young newcomers like Grace Kelly, James Dean, Sidney Poitier, and Paul Newman. And the productions were broadcast live! Anthology series were swept away in favor of crime shows and Westerns, the latter of which became the big ratings success of the late Fifties, with 30 to 50 different Western programs scheduled every week, including Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and Have Gun— Will Travel. (this page and following) A highly-detailed, behind-thescenes look at early TV production drawn by George Roussos for a promotional comic released by General Electric, Adventures in Electricity #7 (1950). © General Electric Co.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

An average weekday of mid-1950s television began with religious programming. On CBS, Captain Kangaroo entertained children from 8 am to 9 am and then local programming took over for an hour, followed by CBS’ game shows, soap operas, and talk shows to fill out the daytime schedule. On NBC, Dave Garroway, host of the Today show, would take up the first few hours of the morning, and then the network’s other scheduled programs would be similar in nature to CBS. ABC, though, chose for several years to turn over morning and afternoon air time to local stations. However, TV was not all entertainment during the 1950s. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy used lies and distorted facts to destroy the lives of loyal Americans by asserting they were Communists. On March 9, 1954, CBS broadcast an episode of their See It Now program with host Edward R. Murrow exposing McCarthy and his dirty tricks by playing his own words via film, TV, and audio clips. A few months later, during televised Army-McCarthy Congressional hearings, viewers watched Joseph Welch, the U.S. Army lawyer, scold McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last,

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

have you left no sense of decency?” By the end of the year, the Senate had censured McCarthy. While the tensions of the early 1950s, including the atom bomb and the Korean War, played out in comic books of the period, the first comics of the Fifties that were based on television shows were much lighter in tone. Howdy Doody, Bozo, Beany & Cecil, and other characters from children’s programming made an easy transition to the comic book world… but that would quickly expand to many other TV genres. For comics based on television live action series (including puppet shows), the first half of the decade was fairly evenly divided (science fiction, crime, sitcoms, etc.). TV Westerns were barely acknowledged. However, beginning in 1956, reflecting the Western’s growing dominance on television, more than half of the TV comics published in the last part of the decade followed suit. Dell Comics was the leading label on the newsstand with over 90% of those titles. Dell truly owned the field… until they didn’t.

(top) Illustration from a General Electric 1950 comic-illustrated booklet for various-size television sets. (bottom left) GE television ad featuring Lucille Ball from 1952. (bottom right) A 1950s comic book ad for a piggy bank with interchangeable pictures of TV celebrities. Comic illustrations © General Electric Co. GE Ultra Vision advertisement © General Electric Co. Television Bank TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

The first TV-based comic was Suspense #1 (Dec. 1949) from Marvel. Unusually, though, it featured a photo cover from a movie, The Verdict. TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

1949 SUSPENSE: In 1949, one of the greatest shows of old time radio, Suspense, made a successful jump to television, with both it and the radio series running concurrently. The CBS TV program aired live, featuring a number of Hollywood celebrities of the day—and several actors about to become stars (including Paul Newman, Lee Marvin, Charlton Heston, and Walter Matthau). The program remained on air through August 1954. Marvel Comics was quick to tie in to the new Suspense TV show with a same-titled horror comic which ran for 29 issues (Dec. 1949 to Apr. 1953). (Not to be confused with Marvel’s later title, Tales of Suspense.) The first 11 issues made a cover reference to the TV and radio programs and the first two issues contained comic-illustrated, retitled adaptations of several of the Suspense radio shows. (The first issue also featured a photo cover of grim Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Joan Lorring from the Warner Bros. 1945 movie, The Verdict, and the second issue had a photo cover of Dennis O’Keefe and Gale Storm from a Universal 1949 feature film, Abandoned.)

Hopalong Cassidy #29 (Mar. 1949). TM & © U.S. Television Office, Inc.

HOPALONG CASSIDY: William Boyd starred in 66 movies as Hopalong Cassidy from 1935 to 1948, and he was so much the embodiment of the cowboy hero who roamed the west that it was possible to forget that Boyd was acting. Boyd was also a very wise businessman. In the late 1940s, he purchased the rights to the Hoppy character, the books, his films, and his own likeness. He foresaw that television was going to need material and, in June 1949, NBC launched the Hopalong Cassidy program, TV’s first Western.

The instant success of the series and the merchandising made Boyd a millionaire within the first year. (Fawcett’s Hopalong Cassidy #38, December 1949, was the first comic issue to acknowledge the TV program via an ad for a “Hopalong Cassidy Western shirt.” Ringing the borders of the drawing of a boy wearing the $3.98 shirt were photos of Boyd and his horse, Topper, and the mention of Cassidy in movies, on radio, records, television, and in comic books.) It is almost impossible to describe the immense popularity of Boyd as Cassidy, except in observing the many thousands of fans who waited to see him at personal appearances.

William Boyd’s role as “Hopalong Cassidy” (here with Topper) in films and then on television made him a very rich man. More importantly, though, he was a hero to millions of boys and girls. TM & © U.S. Television Office, Inc.

In 1952, Boyd created a new syndicated series of Hopalong Cassidy, the first 12 shows being condensed versions of his movies, with actor Andy Clyde as his sidekick. The remaining 38 episodes were new productions, with Edgar Buchanan replacing Clyde. The first Hopalong Cassidy comic book title was in 1943, but it took Fawcett until the Summer of 1946 to print a second issue, after which the title took off from there and remained on the newsstands until the final issue, #85 (Nov. 1953). During the Hopalong Cassidy comic run, Fawcett started a second title, Bill Boyd Western, which was published for 23 issues (Feb. 1950 to June 1952). Art for both series was handled cleanly by several Fawcett house artists. After Fawcett ceased publishing comics, DC took up Hopalong Cassidy with issue #86 (Feb. 1954), continuing the numbering from Fawcett. The artwork for issues #86 through #122 was by Gene Colan, and then by Gil Kane from #123 to the final issue, #135 (May–June 1959).

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Artist ProfILe: GIL KANE He was born Eli Katz on April 6, 1926 in Riga, Latvia, and arrived in Brooklyn with his parents when he was three. He grew into an ambitious young man, studied at the School of Industrial Art, and got freelance work at several comic book publishers. And after signing various pseudonyms to his art, he settled on just one… Gil Kane. At the start of the 1950s, Gil Kane had not developed his dynamic art style yet, but the following 10 years of drawing Western and science-fiction tales at DC turned him into a polished artist. He was ready for the big time, which came in 1959 by co-creating (with John Broome) one of the greatest superheroes of DC’s Silver Age—Green Lantern. Two years later, along came another Silver Age hero, the Atom. During the Sixties, Gil Kane drew many superheroes, but he wanted to expand what comics could be. He created the magazine-size His Name is… Savage, a comic-illustrated thriller. It was excellent work but some newsstands returned it to the distributor because of its ultra-graphic violence. Kane had freelanced at Marvel in the 1960s and it led to steady work in the 1970s. However, he could never stand still for long, and he and author Ron Goulart created Star Hawks, a science-fiction strip. Ever the innovator, Kane designed each daily to be two tiers high. The strip ran like that from 19771979, but was reduced to one tier through the strip’s end in 1981. He returned to drawing comic books in the 1980s and 1990s, but his health was not very good. On January 31, 2000, Gil Kane died from complications of lymphoma.

Hopalong Cassidy #126 (Nov.–Dec. 1957). Cover by Gil Kane, inked by Joe Giella. TM & © U.S. Television Office, Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

1950 HOWDY DOODY: In the early days of television, when host “Cowboy Bob” Smith asked the dozens of kids in the audience, “What time is it?”, the answer was a yell heard across America… “HOWDY DOODY TIME!” Howdy Doody was a marionette of a boy that was voiced by Smith when he was offscreen. It was a pretty hokey act but children loved it (Howdy Doody aired on NBC from 1947 to 1960). Howdy Doody #3 (July–Aug. The program contained 1950). The man behind the clown makeup of Clarabelle games and skits with Smith became a bigger TV star than interacting with Doody and Howdy Doody. other puppets. Howdy Doody TM & © the respective holders. was television’s first superstar and Smith was a master salesman, working in plugs for kids to buy every piece of merchandising featuring Doody’s image. Despite its commercialism, there was one great thing to emerge from the

program and that was Bob Keeshan, who portrayed Clarabelle the clown for the show’s first few years. After Keeshan left the program, he won the hearts of America on another series… as Captain Kangaroo. The January 1950 first issue of Howdy Doody from Dell Comics featured a color photo of Howdy sitting atop a piano, with black-and-white photos on the inside covers, and a color picture on the back. The inside stories were drawn cartoon-like, with Howdy looking like a young boy (no strings attached). After the regular series ended with issue #38 (July–Sept. 1956), the title moved to Dell’s Four Color for two last issues (#761, Jan. 1957, and #811, July 1957). In August 1976, the program was revived as The New Howdy Doody Show, with Smith still in cowboy regalia. Show veterans Bill LeCornec, Nick Nicholson, and Lew Anderson were also on hand. The syndicated series only lasted until January 1977. FOODINI THE GREAT: The Adventures of Lucky Pup was a New York City CBS television puppet program that underwent a name change to Foodini the Great when one of the supporting puppets, an egotistical, villainous stage magician (with his assistant, Pinhead), became more popular than the pup. The show was cheaply made and it ran from 1948 to 1951, but remained in syndication for several more years. Doris Brown was the human host. (Lou Prentis and Ellen Parker also served in that capacity.)

Foodini was one of the first comic series adapted from a TV program (Foodini the Great).

Foodini the Great merchandisPictured: Foodini #1 (Mar. 1950). ing spawned two different comic book series. The first TM & © the respective holders. was called Foodini, a four-issue title (Mar. 1950 to Aug. 1950) from Continental Publications, and the second, Pinhead and Foodini, from Fawcett Publications, also a four-issue run (July 1951 to Jan. 1952). There was also a 1951 special 25-cent comic from Stanhall entitled Jingle Dingle Christmas Stocking Comics that contained Foodini and Pinhead (Jingle Dingle was a weather-announcing elf puppet on early television).

The inside cover of Howdy Doody #3 (July–Aug. 1950). TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

THE ALDRICH FAMILY: Each week, The Aldrich Family sitcom began with the bellowing call of his mother’s voice: “Hen-ry! HENRY ALDRICH!!!” To which, Henry replied with his cracked voice, “Coming, Mother!” It was a routine as popular as Tarzan’s yell. Henry was aptly described as a normal teenager with a vision of hope, but he would soon see spots—trouble spots—and things would go hilariously wrong. The Aldrich Family was one of the longest-running programs in radio history, remaining on the air from 1939 to 1953, and the TV version was The Aldrich Family broadcast on NBC from 1949 to 1953. underwent a change During those TV years, The Aldrich Family of name to Henry Aldrich for its Dell underwent important cast changes on a comic book series. frequent basis. Over a four-year period, Henry Aldrich #1 Henry was played by five different actors, (Apr. 1950). while Henry’s mother and his sister were TM & © the respective holders. each portrayed by three different actresses, and the role of Henry’s buddy, Homer, was undertaken by three actors during the run. (While this would be making headlines today, it was a common occurrence in the first years of television.) Skipping the Four Color tryout processes, Dell went straight to a Henry Aldrich comic book series, with 22 issues from April 1950 to September– November 1954. The look of the characters in the first issue by artist Bill Williams followed that of the actors appearing on the television program at the time. YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS: Early television benefited from several comedy geniuses, one of whom was Sid Caesar. NBC’s Your Show of Shows was a live, 90-minute weekly program in which anything went. Caesar was a dynamo of physicality, equally at home with roughhouse slapstick comedy as he was with pantomime. He was aided by a fine trio of supporting players: Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. Your Show of Shows was also a gathering of some of the funniest writers in show business, including Reiner, Neil Simon, and Mel Brooks. The series won the Emmy for “Best Variety” program two years in a row. The series aired from February 25, 1950 to June 5, 1954.

(top) Merchandising of Foodini the Great included puppets, birthday cards, records, a wristwatch, and a magic set. (bottom) Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca were hilarious talents on Your Show of Shows.

Sid Caesar appeared in the second issue (Apr.–May 1950) of DC’s Miss Melody Lane of Broadway, a humorous comic book series focusing on the efforts of a New York actress trying to get a big break. The three-issue title was used as a way to sneak in plugs for entertainers on television, Broadway, and records. In the six-page story, Melody discovered Caesar practicing sound effects for his program in a rehearsal studio. Without much coaxing, Melody got Caesar to tell a mini-bio of his life. Bob Oksner’s art was better than the story.

TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Artist ProfILe: WALLACE WOOD Born June 17, 1927 in Menahga, Minnesota, Wallace Wood took pencil to paper very early in his life. He got his first job in the comic industry as an assistant lettering Will Eisner’s The Spirit, and would soon be drawing a Fox romance comic. In the next year, Wood drew one of the very first TV tie-in comic books, Martin Kane, Private Detective. He also did impressive early work for Avon Comics, and got his chance to draw several weeks of Eisner’s The Spirit. Wood’s style was still developing when he began working for EC in 1950, but over the next few years he became such a star there that he was the subject of “My Story” in Weird Science #22 in 1953. After EC, Wood drew spot illustrations for Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, a science-fiction digest-size pulp magazine. In 1958, Wood teamed with Jack Kirby on the daily and Sunday newspaper strip, Sky Masters of the Space Force, and also on several issues of Challengers of the Unknown for DC Comics. Wood revolutionized the look of Daredevil in the 1960s, as well as penciled/inked other Marvel titles. And, in 1965, Wood co-created T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents with writer Len Brown for Tower Comics. He also worked at Warren on their horror magazines. Wood kept working over the decades but he met the saddest of ends. In 1981, he was in very painful health and, on November 3, police entered his apartment because he had not been heard from for a few days. They found he had committed suicide. He had been held in such great esteem by so many in the industry, that his death came as a major shock. He had inspired so many young artists he never met. In 1989, Wallace Wood was the first inductee into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.

Martin Kane #4 (#1) (June 1950) by Wally Wood. TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Martin Kane, Private Eye was TV’s first private detective show. The comic book series based on it had very early artwork by Wally Wood and Joe Orlando. Pictured: Martin Kane, Private Eye #2 (Aug. 1950). TM & © the respective holders.

Joe Orlando. The first issue (June 1950, identified as #4 because it carried on the numbering of its previous title, My Secret Affair) had a cover by Wood, plus the first story is unofficially listed as by Wood. Much more distinctive Wood was the last story in the next issue (listed as #2, Aug. 1950). (Fox published a third issue but slipped it under a generic cover for Blue Circle #6, which Fox used for remaindered and discontinued comics.)

MARTIN KANE, PRIVATE EYE: Television’s first private detective drama was Martin Kane, Private Eye, starring William Gargan. Broadcast live, the NBC series got its start in September 1949, just a few weeks after the same-titled radio series (also starring Gargan) went on the air August 7, 1949. The television program series was actually just a means for the United States Tobacco Company to sell its product. Kane and his friend, the police captain, always took time out from their criminal hunt each week to stop in at Happy McMann’s tobacco store to have a smoke. The radio series ended in 1952 and the TV program did likewise in 1954. During the program’s five-year run, Martin Kane was portrayed by four different actors: William Gargan, Lloyd Nolan, Lee Tracy, and Mark Stevens. Gargan got another shot at the role in a follow-up series, The New Adventures of Martin Kane, with its 39 syndicated episodes filmed in Europe in 1957. The Martin Kane, Private Eye comic book series from Fox Publications featured early artwork by Wallace Wood and

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

TOAST OF THE TOWN: The Ed Sullivan Show, one of TV’s greatest variety programs, began as Toast of the Town on June 20, 1948. Ed Sullivan was a popular newspaper gossip columnist and celebrity, and acted as the host for what became the mainstay of Sunday night viewing for 23 years on CBS (with the program’s title changed from Toast of the Town to The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955). The production each week contained everything in the Ed Sullivan hosted entertainment world, from tap Toast of the Town, a variety show that would change its dance to ballet, from opera title and become the staple soprano Maria Callas to a of Sunday night viewing as singing nun. Sullivan may The Ed Sullivan Show. have also legitimatized rock TM & © the respective holders. and roll with American audiences by the appearances of Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many others on his program. The series came to an end on June 6, 1971. Sullivan and the Toast of the Town program appeared in the third issue (June–July 1950) of Miss Melody Lane of Broadway. In the six-page tale, Sullivan was impressed by Melody’s singing ability and invited her to appear on his Toast of the Town program. As this was a humorous comic book, things turned out well—but not the way Melody planned. (This was actually Ed Sullivan’s second appearance in a DC comic. The first occurred 11 years earlier in Movie Comics #4, July 1939, when he acted as a narrator in the comic book adaptation of Big Town Czar, a movie he wrote and co-starred in.)

in The Funnies #30, 31, and 33 to 35. That same year, DC did an adaptation of Mexicali Rose in their Movie Comics #3 (June 1939). Fawcett Publications published ten issues of Gene Autry Comics from 1941-1943, followed by Dell adding issues #11 (also 1943) and #12 (Feb. 1944). Dell also released seven issues of Gene Autry Comics within their Four Color series from 1944-1946, and then gave it its own series. (left) Four Color #285 (July 1950) featuring Bozo the Clown and His Minikin Circus, cover by Bob Grant. (right) Bozo #2 (July–September 1951), cover by Lee Hooper. TM & © the respective holders.

BOZO’S CIRCUS: Created in 1946 by Alan W. Livingston for a series of audio recordings for children from Capital Records, Bozo the Clown was first voiced by Pinto Colvig (who was also the voice of the original Goofy in Disney cartoons). Due to the good sales of the “Bozo” records, Livingston produced a local Los Angeles TV series in 1949, Bozo’s Circus, starring Colvig. Dell issued its first Bozo the Clown comic (Four Color #285, July 1950) shortly after the Bozo’s Circus TV program debuted. The comic had exceptional art by Bob Grant, ranking with his fine work at Disney drawing Sunday strips and comic books. The next issue from Dell was under its own Bozo the Clown title, which started with #2 (July–Sept. 1951) and carried on until #7 (Oct.–Dec. 1952), and then back to Four Color for its last four issues (#464, 508, 551, and 594), ending in Oct. 1954. (Performers were hired to portray Bozo at personal appearances, and one of them was Larry Harmon, who ended up purchasing the franchise in 1956… at which time the mass merchandising of Bozo the Clown went into high gear. Harmon also trained people to play Bozo as hosts for local programs on different TV stations around the country.) THE GENE AUTRY SHOW / THE ADVENTURES OF CHAMPION: Gene Autry’s career extended back to the early 1930s when he was one of the premier singing cowboys in movies and on radio. From July 1950 to August 1956, he was also a success on television as the star of his own series, The Gene Autry Show, and as the producer for several other programs, including The Range Rider and Annie Oakley. Autry’s first foray into comics came in an adaptation of his 1938 movie The Old Barn Dance in Dell’s Popular Comics #28. Dell followed up in 1939 with original comic stories of Autry

The Gene Autry Comics title Gene Autry and Champion was changed after 101 issues #107 (Jan.–Feb. 1956). (May–June 1946 to July 1955) TM & © Flying A Pictures, Inc. to Gene Autry and Champion for #102 to 121 (Aug. 1955 to Jan.–Mar. 1959). The name change coincided with Autry’s horse getting his own television show, The Adventures of Champion, on CBS from September 1955 to March 1956. (Prior to the TV series, The Adventures of Champion appeared on radio from 1949 to 1950. Between 1950 and 1955, there were a total of 19 issues of Gene Autry’s Champion from Dell, with the first two issues in the Four Color series, #287 and 319.) Dell’s also published 25 issues of Western Roundup, a 100page comic featuring a variety of new comic stories that featured Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and other Western actors and TV shows. “Gene Autry” tales appeared in issues #1 to #18, with Dan Spiegle illustrating the Autry story in #16. There were also “Champion” stories in #1 to 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21. LIFE WITH SNARKY PARKER: Debuting in 1950, the CBS television puppet program Life with Snarky Parker was a tale of Sheriff Snarky trying to keep order in his small town. The series was produced and directed by Yul Brynner, one year before he achieved acting success in The King and I on Broadway.

The early children’s program, Life with Snarky Parker, was directed by Yul Brynner before he became a Broadway and film star. Pictured: Life with Snarky Parker #1 (Aug. 1950). TM & © the respective holders.

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Fox issued one comic (Aug. 1950) based on the TV series, but the artwork and the stories in it were terrible, even though it was aimed at small children. THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR: NBC’s The Colgate Comedy Hour hit upon a successful formula by enlisting big-name comedians to appear as hosts on a rotating basis and appear in sketches. Eddie Cantor led things off for the first program (on September 10, 1950), and he was followed by Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, and others, each of whom who would appear frequently over the six-year run of the program. ABBOTT & COSTELLO: When it came to comedy, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were true giants. They made millions of people laugh during the 1940s and 1950s, and as long as anyone remembers “Who’s On First” (“What’s on second.” “I don’t know.” “Third base!”), the laughter will never die. In 1952, the team received their own TV program, The Abbott and Costello Show, a syndicated series of 52 episodes that aired until 1954 (they also continued to appear as hosts or as guests on the Colgate program). St. John published an Abbott and Costello comic book series from February 1948 through September 1956, with 40 issues

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

in total (which contained delightful drawings by Charles “Pop” Payne on the first issue, and extraordinary art by Lily Renée and Eric Peters for #2 through 8). In 1953, St. John also issued a one-shot 3D comic. BOB HOPE: Bob Hope was one of the funniest men in Hollywood. A lot of what would be seen in Woody Allen’s characters decades later could be found originating with Hope in his film comedies: the faux bravery undercut by cowardly one-liners, the chasing of beautiful women, the talking to the audience, and the nervous mannerisms. Hope’s talents were honed in vaudeville, and he had some of the best writers in the industry in radio and TV working for him. In DC’s The Adventures of Bob Hope comic book, the Hope persona was as the actor portrayed himself onscreen: vain, cowardly, and a skirt-chaser. The series lasted 109 issues (Feb.–Mar. 1950 to Feb.–Mar. 1968), with art by Owen Fitzgerald for most issues, then by Bob Oksner later in the run. Neal Adams drew the last four issues of the series. (left) Abbott and Costello #29 (Mar. 1955). (right) The Adventures of Bob Hope #85 (Feb.–Mar. 1964). TM & © the respective holders.

Artist ProfILe: BOB OKSNER Born October 14, 1916 in Manhattan, Bob Oksner took a detour from his parents’ plan that he become a lawyer by going instead to the Art Students League of New York. In the 1940s, his work could be seen in comic books published by Timely (Marvel), Hines, and Hillman, and he wrote and drew the newspaper strip Miss Cairo Jones for two years. In 1947, Sheldon Mayer hired him to work for DC, starting with the Golden Age Green Lantern and other hero strips. A year later, Oksner drew a new teenage humor comic for DC, Leave It to Binky, and it was clear that comedy and Bob Oksner were a match made in Heaven. DC used his talent for drawing Hollywood star caricatures and beautiful women in titles featuring Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and other TV favorites. (Oksner also drew an I Love Lucy newspaper strip for two years in the 1950s.) After his work on DC’s humor titles (including the celebrated Angel and the Ape) and a return to their superhero comics, Oksner retired after 40 years with the company to a happy life in Florida. Oksner won the National Cartoonist Society’s Comic Book Award in 1960 and 1961, as well as an Academy of Comic Book Arts Shazam Award in 1970. He was also a teacher at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts in 1978. Bob Oksner passed away in 2007 at the age of 90.

The Adventures of Bob Hope #95 (Oct.–Nov.1965), with a Bob Oksner cover. TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Bob Oksner-drawn page from The Adventures of Bob Hope #97 (February–March 1966). TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

MARTIN & LEWIS: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were an oddball team right from the moment they started working together in 1946, but they clicked with audiences. Dean was the handsome singer who made women swoon, while Jerry was the nebbish young man who existed to make people laugh. They became

successful in nightclubs, on radio, in movies, and then on television as frequent hosts of the Colgate show. DC got the license to create a comic book series about the pair and debuted The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis with a cover date of July–August 1952. Artists on the series included Howie Post, Owen Fitzgerald, and Bob Oksner. The comedy legends broke up their act in real life in 1956, but it took DC until #41 (Nov. 1957) to change the title to The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, which then ran until #124 (May–June 1971), with Neal Adams drawing #101 to 104. (Eastern Color also published comic adaptations of two of their movies: That’s My Boy and The Stooge in Movie Love #12, December 1951, and #13, February 1952, respectively.) THE CHUCK WAGON PLAYHOUSE: Bob Dixon introduced Western movies on his one-hour program airing 19491951, first titled as The Chuck Wagon on a local CBS station in New York and then as The Chuck Wagon Playhouse when it went network. He also talked about cowboys and their gear during breaks from the films.

Sheriff Bob Dixon’s Chuck Wagon #1 (Avon, 1950). TM & © the respective holders.

(top left) DC’s The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #1 (July–Aug. 1952). (top right) The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #74 (Jan.–Feb. 1963). (bottom) Splash page to The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #1 (July–Aug. 1952), art by Howie Post.

Cross Publications’ Uncle Milty #2 (Feb. 1951).

TM & © the respective holders.

Under the title of Sheriff Bob Dixon’s Chuck Wagon, Avon Periodicals published one issue (Nov. 1950) with excellent art by Everett Raymond Kinstler. The stories had Dixon fighting in the southwest where cowboys still rode and outlaws still flourished in the late 1940s. THE MILTON BERLE SHOW: Milton Berle had appeared in movies, on radio, and in vaudeville. Berle, also called “Uncle Miltie,” had a reputation for stealing jokes and routines from everyone, in an industry where a good routine was someone’s survival in comedy. In 1948, he was hired to host NBC’s The Texaco Star Theatre, and soon thereafter was called the highest-paid performer on television because of the revenue he brought in to the network and for all the TVs people bought to watch his show. With a change

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

of sponsors, the program became The Buick-Berle Show, and finally The Milton Berle Show. Cross Publications published a four-issue comic book title, Uncle Milty, from December 1950 to July 1951. In the first few issues, a bio of Berle played out a chapter per issue. Among the artists who worked on his comic were Floyd Torbert and Cal Massey. THE GABBY HAYES SHOW: George “Gabby” Hayes was an on-screen sidekick to almost all of the major movie Western stars in the 1930s and 1940s. His was the comedyrelief character of the white-bearded, wizened old coot, apt to lose his temper, growling with a gummy Southern drawl, “Gol-durn it!” and “It’s a daaaaadburned outrage!!!!” In the early 1950s, The Gabby Hayes Show basically consisted of him sitting on the porch of a shack, whittling away and recounting a Paul Bunyan-esque story about ancestors of his. He would then introduce a film, which would be a highlyedited version of an old Western movie. The TV program ran on NBC from December 1950 to January 1954, and then on ABC from May 1956 to July 1956. Fawcett Publications released 50 issues (November 1948-January 1953) of Gabby Hayes Western, with artwork handled by Leonard Frank, Jack Binder, and others. With the passing of Fawcett Comics, Toby Press produced one issue of Gabby Hayes Adventure Comics in 1954. Charlton picked up the Fawcett title, changing it to just Gabby Hayes, and released nine issues (#51 to #59) from 1954 to 1957.

1951 BIG TOWN: Starting as a radio show in 1937 with Edward G. Robinson and Claire Trevor, Big Town told the dramatic adventures of newspaper editor Steve Wilson and his star reporter, Lorelei Kilbourne, as they exposed racketeers and murderers who threatened ordinary citizens of Big Town. Following cast changes, the radio series ran through mid-1952. (There were also four theatrical films between 1947 and 1948.)

Big Town started on radio and carried on into a movie series before transitioning to TV in 1950. Big Town #15 (May–June 1952).

CBS debuted the TV version of Big Town on October 5, 1950 (with Grace Kelly in an early © DC Comics. episode). The program provided a rotating door of lead performers. Patrick McVey starred as Wilson and Mary K. Wells as Lorelei from the beginning, but Wells was replaced in turn by Julie Stevens and Jane Nigh. The TV series ran on CBS until 1954, at which time NBC picked up the series with Mark Stevens as Wilson and Trudy Wroe as Lorelei, but cancelled it in 1956. DC’s Big Town comic book series began its first issue (Jan. 1951) with excellent art by Dan Barry and well-written crime stories starring Wilson and Lorelei. Regretfully, Barry was off the series almost immediately, replaced by artists not his match (other than Alex Toth and Gil Kane doing some first-rate covers). The series was cancelled with #50 (Mar.–Apr. 1958). SUPER CIRCUS: Super Circus was a weekly half-hour program which aired on ABC from 1949-1956. Each show featured circus acts, plus performances from the cast regulars, including a band led ostensibly by short-skirted, long-haired blonde Mary Hartline, who many tuned in just to see. Claude Kirchner was the ringleader, and he and the clowns acted as candy pitchmen when commercial time rolled around.

(left) Fawcett Publications’ Gabby Hayes Western #1 (Nov. 1948) kicked off a 50-issue run with the company. After Fawcett’s demise, Charlton continued the numbering when it released Gabby Hayes #51 (Dec. 1954), starting its own nine-issue run. TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

The first comic adaptation of the TV program came from Cross Publications with a total of five issues released (Jan. 1951 to Sept. 1951). The inside stories were given over equally to stars Kirchner, Hartline, and the clowns, with art by Floyd Torbert, Cal Massey, and others.

Hartline’s popularity had grown by the time Dell took over the comic and they renamed it Super Circus featuring Mary Hartline. Dell included three issues from 1954-1956 within their Four Color line (#542, 592, and 694, the latter having artwork by Mike Sekowsky). Photos of Hartline took precedence over the other cast members on the covers. CAPTAIN VIDEO AND HIS VIDEO RANGERS: Captain Video ran his operations of protecting the Earth from a mountain top hideaway and enlisted the aid of his Video Rangers from around the world. Captain Video and His Video Rangers was famous for being produced on a minuscule budget. Backdrops, including electronic equipment, Captain Video #4 (Aug. 1951), with Judd Holdren as Captain Video and Larry Stewart as Video Ranger. TM & © the respective holders.

(left) Super Circus Featuring Mary Hartline appeared in issue #592 (Oct. 1954) of Dell’s Four Color series. (right) George Evans’ art for Fawcett’s six-issue series was solid. Captain Video #4 (Aug. 1951). TM & © the respective holders.

were crudely painted and showed it. And when Captain Video went to his monitor to check in on his Video Rangers, what showed on the screen was a clip from an old movie Western (the announcer covered this up by saying that these were Video Rangers in California). Still, none of that mattered because it was one of the first kids’ shows on television, as well as one of the most popular, airing weekdays on the DuMont Television Network from 1949 to 1955, as well as on Saturdays in 1950. Richard Coogan played Captain Video from 1949 to 1950, and Al Hodge (radio’s Green Hornet) took over the role from 1951 to 1955. Fawcett published six comic book issues (Feb. 1951 to Dec. 1951) based on the series, with a shortening of the title to just Captain Video. George Evans provided good artwork for the title and, like the TV program, the comic also contained a short Western tale in each issue.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Artist ProfILe: GEORGE EVANS George Evans (born February 5, 1920) had two major loves when he was a Pennsylvania youth. One was drawing, and he worked in a mill in order to pay for an art correspondence course. The other love was airplanes, and he wanted to be a pilot, but when he tried to enlist in the Air Force, he was rejected due to an eye problem; however, he did become a ground crew mechanic. Following his military service, Evans moved to Long Island and resumed his art career (he had already sold illustrations to an aviation pulp magazine during his teen years). He got a staff job at Fiction House and drew many of their comic titles. Through fellow staff artist and friend Al Williamson, he was hired at Fawcett Publications and he drew a variety of genres there, as well as the comic book TV tie-in, Captain Video. Williamson and Evans drew an impressive “Buster Crabbe” story for Famous Funnies, and both got work at EC Comics, where Evans became a favorite for his aviation and horror tales. In the 1960s, Evans teamed up with Reed Crandall and Frank Frazetta on comics for Dell, and he freelanced for Classics Illustrated, Warren Publishing, and DC Comics. Evans was also an art assistant from 1960 to 1973 for George Wunder on the Terry and the Pirates daily strip. By 1980, Al Williamson had been drawing the Secret Agent Corrigan newspaper strip for King Features Syndicate since 1967 and he had decided it was time to move on. He recommended to the syndicate they should hire Evans (who had previously drawn some fill-ins on the strip for his friend). Evans was assigned the strip and he wrote and drew it until 1996. George Evans died a few years later, in 2001.

Secret Agent Corrigan strip from 10-28-94 drawn by George Evans. © King Features Syndicate. TM Hearst Holdings, Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Panhandle Pete and Jennifer #2 (Sept. 1951). TM & © the respective holders.

PANHANDLE PETE AND JENNIFER: A very charming children’s program in the early days of television was Panhandle Pete and Jennifer about old prospector Panhandle Pete, his donkey George, and Pete’s friend, Jennifer, in Chickamoochie County. Pete and George were both small handpuppets (voiced by Johnny Coons), while Jennifer (Jennifer Holt) was a human grownup neighbor who listened to Pete’s tall tales and sang an occasional song. (Holt was the daughter of actor Jack Holt and sister to

Western star Tim Holt.) Illustrations for Pete’s stories on the program were by William Newton and Stan Louis, with the scripts written by Ray Chan. The NBC TV series aired twice a week in the afternoons for its one season from 1950-1951. Three comic issues were released by J. Charles Lane Publishing Company, with stories again by Ray Chan and artwork by William Newton. Pete and George were drawn full-size, matching Jennifer in height. Stories were fun and well-drawn, with an excellent likeness of Holt. The title was published with dates July 1951 through November 1951, and the first issue was an adaptation of one of the program’s episodes. SMILIN’ ED AND HIS BUSTER BROWN GANG / ANDY’S GANG: Created as a comic strip in 1902, Buster Brown was so immediately popular that the fancy-dressed boy and his dog, Tige, became hot merchandising objects, the most famous of which was tying into the Brown Shoe Company in 1904 (Buster Brown Shoes continue to this day). From 1944 to 1953, Buster Brown Shoes was the sponsor of a Saturday morning radio show for children, Smilin’ Ed’s Buster Brown Gang, hosted by Ed McConnell. While the show was still on radio, a TV version was created in 1950 as Smilin’ Ed and His Buster Brown Gang. McDonnell died of a heart attack in 1954 and the TV series went into reruns until 1955, at which time Andy Devine took over as host and the name of the program was altered to Andy’s Gang. During the radio and TV programs’ prime days, the Brown Shoe Company sponsored a regularly-published giveaway, Buster Brown Comic Book (aka Buster Brown Comics), for shoe stores carrying their line. Unlike many such giveaways,

Jennifer Holt (daughter of actor Jack Holt and sister of cowboy star Tim Holt) was the hostess for the children’s program, Panhandle Pete and Jennifer. Photo from the inside cover of Panhandle Pete and Jennifer #2 (Sept. 1951). TM & © the respective holders.

A pair of Buster Brown Comic Book covers featuring hosts of the popular children’s TV program, Ed McConnell (Book No. 8, Summer 1947) and Andy Devine (#42, Spring 1956). TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

(left) The Buster Brown Comic Book often had excellent adventure story comic art, such as this page by Dan Barry for Book No. 8 (Summer 1947). (right) Buster Crabbe #5 (July 1952), cover art by Frank Frazetta. TM & © the respective holders.

the comic was 32 pages long and featured good adventure stories (written by the radio show’s writer, Hobart Donovan), as well as humorous tales with McConnell and characters from the show. The first issues had only fair art, but Dan Barry and Sy Barry were added around Book 7 (Spring 1947) and the title turned into a quality comic book. Though the Barrys left not long after, the art remained good on the adventure strips because of the addition of Reed Crandall in #25 (Fall 1951), which was also the first issue to mention the TV program. The transition from Ed McConnell to new host Andy Devine began with #39 (Summer 1955) and the comic ended with #43 (Summer 1956).

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THE BUSTER CRABBE SHOW / BUSTER’S BUDDIES: Almost 20 years after he was an Olympic champion swimmer and film actor (portraying Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers), Larry “Buster” Crabbe was still popular with kids for his starring roles in B-Westerns. From 1951-1952, he hosted The Buster Crabbe Show, an afternoon program in which he played old film clips. The show was revived as Buster’s Buddies, airing from 1953 to 1954.

Buster Crabbe #3 (Mar. 1952), cover art by Al Williamson and George Evans.

TM & © the respective holders. Capitalizing on the show, as well as some of Crabbe’s films appearing on TV, Eastern Color (Famous Funnies) published Buster Crabbe, a 12-issue

Original art page from Buster Crabbe #3 (July 1952) by Al Williamson and George Evans. TM & © the respective holders.

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comic title (Nov. 1951 to Sept. 1953). The first issue was just an average Western comic, but the second had a solid Al Williamson cover of Crabbe fighting off several Gila monsters. George Evans’ cover on #3 had several ogres trying to do in Crabbe, and Evans and Williamson drew the accompanying seven-page story inside the comic. The title scored Frank Frazetta covers for its fourth and fifth issues, with the latter having an excellent 11-page story, “Buster Crabbe and the Maid of Mars,” illustrated by Al Williamson and Roy Krenkel. The comic title went back to regular Western stories with Crabbe after that and the art was very bland. Shortly after the title ended, Lev Gleason Publications came out with a four-issue comic book series also titled Buster Crabbe (per the indicia, but the cover logo read The Amazing Adventures of Buster Crabbe). The artwork for the first issue (Dec. 1953) was nothing to speak of, but the second and third issues (Feb. 1954 and Apr. 1954) had smartly-drawn stories by Alex Toth. The final issue (#4, June 1954) contained art by Rocco Mastroserio and others. There was meant to be a fifth issue, which had a story by Doug Wildey, but it was never released; however, the stories for that issue were printed in Fantastic Adventures in 1987 from A.C.E. Comics.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

MAN AGAINST CRIME: Film star Ralph Bellamy was famous for playing nice guys, but he got his chance to portray hard-boiled private detective/insurance investigator Mike Barnett in the TV series, Man Against Crime. The program aired from 1949 through 1953 on CBS and then switched to the NBC and DuMont networks from 1953 through 1954. Off the air for almost two years after that, it returned in the summer of 1956 on NBC with Frank Lovejoy as Barnett. Fawcett Comics published six issues (Dec. 1951 to Oct. 1952) based on the TV show but using the title of Mike Barnett, Man Against Crime. The comic book version of Barnett didn’t resemble Bellamy, not even a little, which was just as well considering how many beatings the tough four-color hero underwent in each issue. Mike Barnett bore no resemblance to TV star Ralph Bellamy in (left) Fawcett Publications’ Mike Barnett, Man Against Crime #1 (Dec. 1951). (right) Mike Barnett, Man Against Crime #4 (June 1952). Cover artists are unknown for these issues. Mike Barnett, Man Against Crime TM & © the respective holders.

A DATE WITH JUDY: The focus of A Date with Judy was Judy Foster, a teenager with the energy of a cyclone, who always came up with a well-intentioned idea that inadvertently drove her family and her boyfriend Oogie crazy. After a run on radio from 1941 to 1949, as well as a movie in 1947, the sitcom transferred to ABC-TV in 1951 with Pat Crowley starring as Judy, but Mary Linn Beller took over the role for the 1952-53 season, which was also its last. From the first issue (Oct.–Nov. 1947) of the DC comic book series, a cover blurb acknowledged the radio program. Starting with #26 (Dec. 1951-Jan. 1952), the cover was changed to “Television and Radio’s Coast to Coast Favorite.” Art for the series was handled by a number of illustrators, including Win Mortimer, with most doing a very nice job of drawing pretty girls and slapstick action. The DC comic ended with #79 (Oct.–Nov. 1960).

Gill Fox (attributed) The Big Top Comics #2 (1951). TM & © the respective holders.

BIG TOP: If 30 minutes of Super Circus was not enough, kids could indulge a full hour every week with CBS’ Big Top. The program ran from 1950 to 1957, showcasing performers from around the world. Included in the show’s regular cast of clowns was Ed McMahon, future sidekick of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.

(right) Television sets made appearances on several comic covers in the early 1950s, including A Date with Judy #26 (Dec. 1951-Jan. 1952), the first issue of the series to, perhaps not-so-coincidentally, acknowledge the A Date with Judy TV program on its cover.

In 1951, Toby Press published two issues based on the series but added fictionalized stories of a young boy named Jimmy O’Leary who joined the circus and gained the nickname of “Topper.” It was a well-drawn comic, with a variety of unidentified artists.

The Big Top Comics #1 (1951). TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

1952

Four Color #368 featuring Bob Clampett’s Beany (Jan. 1952), cover art by Jack Bradbury.

TIME FOR BEANY: One of the joys of early television was Bob Clampett’s Time for Beany, a 15-minute syndicated daily puppet show that served as the introduction to characters that would be beloved later by children in the early Sixties’ animated cartoon series, Beany and Cecil. The series was about the sea travels of little boy Beany, his friend Cecil (a seasick sea serpent), and Captain Huffenpuff, Beany’s uncle and the master of the ship Leakin’ Lena.

Included in the cast of puppeteers and voices for the show was Stan Freberg, who went on to become one of America’s premiere humorists. Time for Beany aired from 1949 to 1955 on the Paramount Television Network and won the Emmy for “Best Children’s Show” in 1950 and 1951 and “Best Children’s Program” in 1953.

TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.

Dell’s Four Color #368 (Jan. 1952), simply entitled Bob Clampett’s Beany, included appearances by the show’s villain, Dishonest John (“the world’s meanest crumb”), and supporting characters Professor X, Clowny (a clown), and the cook Wong, a regrettably stereotypical image of a Chinese man with huge buck teeth who spoke in pidgin English. The title evolved to “Bob Clampett’s Beany and Cecil,” with delightful comedic art by Jack Bradbury throughout the issues from August 1952 to June 1955 (FC #414, 448, 477, 530, 570, and 635). (After the animated series debuted, Dell put out a five-issue Beany and Cecil title between July–Sept. 1962 and July–Sept. 1963.) TOM CORBETT, SPACE CADET: The quartet of kids’ sci-fi TV shows of the early 1950s consisted of Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, Space Patrol, and Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. Corbett was the second of these, about cadets at the Space Academy in the 24th century. Corbett (Frankie Thomas, Jr.), along with his best buddy The painted cover by Alden McWilliams for Four Color #421 (Aug.–Oct., 1952) depicted a spaceship’s portal for Tom Corbett, Space Cadet that resembled some early TV screens. TM & © the respective holders.

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Astro (Al Markim) and egocentric Roger Manning (Jan Merlin), got involved in intergalactic doings at the order of—and sometimes without the authority of—Captain Steve Strong (Edward Bryce). Tom Corbett, Space Cadet had a better budget than Captain Video and, during its run from 1950 to 1955, eventually appeared on all the major networks in turn. The TV cast also appeared in a short-lived radio series in 1952. Dell’s three issues of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet were released as part of their Four Color series (#378, Feb. 1952, #400, May 1952, and #421, Aug.–Oct. 1952), with excellent covers and interiors by Alden McWilliams. When it went to its own title for eight more issues (#4, Nov. 1952-Jan. 1953 to #11, Sept.–Nov. 1954), John Lehti and Frank Thorne handled the drawing chores. Each of the 11 issues had photos from the TV show on the inside front cover. (There was also a Tom Corbett, Space Cadet comics strip from 1951 to 1953, drawn by Ray Bailey.) Feature Publications picked up the rights to the title and published three issues of their own under its Prize Group emblem between May–June 1955 and September–October 1955, but the television program was never mentioned. Art for the covers and stories was by Mort Meskin.

(top) The inside front cover of Four Color #421 (Aug.–Oct., 1952) pictured a scene from the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet program. (bottom) Interior Tom Corbett, Space Cadet page drawn by Alden McWilliams for Four Color #421 (Aug.–Oct., 1952). TM & © the respective holders.

THE RANGE RIDER: A popular syndicated kids’ program from 1951 to 1953, The Range Rider starred Jack Mahoney. The Range Rider and his young friend Dick West (Dick Jones) rode around and aided people in trouble. Mahoney, who also went by the first name of Jock, was one of Hollywood’s great stuntmen and one of the few to transition to acting roles, including playing Tarzan in two movies and Yancy Derringer in the TV series of the same name. Dick Jones was a trick rider and both actors did their own stunts on the show. The Dell comic book was titled The Range Rider for the first appearance in Four Color #404 (June 1952), but with the transition to its own comic series the official comic book name became The Flying A’s Range Rider. (The “Flying A” was Gene Autry’s film and TV company, “Flying A Productions”). Starting with #2 (June–Aug. 1953) and running to #24 (Dec. 1958-Feb. 1959), the Range Rider stories were drawn by a number of artists, including Tony Sgroi, Dan Spiegle, Alex Toth, Bill Ziegler, and Nat Edson. The character also appeared in Western Roundup from #11 (July– Sept. 1955) through the last issue, #25 (Jan.–Mar. 1959), with art by Toth in #18 (Apr.–June 1957) and Spiegle in #24 (Oct.–Dec. 1958).

Actor and stuntman Jack Mahoney (aka Jock Mahoney) starred as The Range Rider. (left) The Flying A’s Range Rider #13 (Mar.–May 1956). (right) The Flying A’s Range Rider #14 (June–Aug. 1956). TM & © Flying A Pictures, Inc.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

My Friend Irma #22 (Aug. 1952). TM & © Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. or successors in interest.

MY FRIEND IRMA: Marie Wilson played many a dumb blonde in her films, but her best-remembered role was as sweet but naïve Irma Peterson who moved to New York City from Minnesota in My Friend Irma. The person who spoke about her was her best friend and roommate, Jane Stacy (Cathy Lewis), a very intelligent young businesswoman who watched over the attractive Irma in order to keep her out of trouble. The hugely popular comedy began on radio in 1947, and then came two movies (the first of which had Dean

Martin and Jerry Lewis’ screen debuts) and the TV series that ran from 1952 to 1954, with Wilson starring in all. Stan Lee wrote the Atlas/Marvel comic book series inspired by the TV and radio programs, with art by Dan DeCarlo. My Friend Irma began its numbering at #3 (June 1950) and ended with #48 (Feb. 1955). Starting with issue #5, Marie Wilson’s photo appeared in a top left circle on the front cover. The radio program received cover mention from the start and an addition of the television program came with #20 (June 1952). There was also a comic strip of My Friend Irma by Jack Seidel in 1950, and after a time Lee and DeCarlo were brought in to take it over while they continued working on the comic book. GANG BUSTERS: Phillips H. Lord’s television drama Gang Busters was hosted each week by a rotating series of lawmen (or, rather, actors portraying lawmen) who introduced the story of an actual crime. Gang Busters had been on radio from 1935 through 1957, and there had also been a Universal movie serial in 1942. The TV series was introduced in March 1952 but NBC alternated it each week with an episode of Dragnet. Before year’s end, Despite a 22-year run on NBC cancelled Gang Busters radio, Gang Busters lasted less and put their support into than one year on television. Dragnet.

Pictured: Gang Busters #28 (June–July 1952), the first issue of the DC comic series to mention the TV program in its header. Cover art by Ruben Moreira.

Gang Busters was one of the earliest radio shows to be adapted into comic book form. The first was the David McKay Publishing © DC Comics. Feature Book #17, and then it achieved a regular spot in Dell’s Popular Comics from #38 (Apr. 1939) to issue #140 (Oct. 1947).

Marie Wilson played sweet and naïve young women in movies but truly hit her pinnacle as Irma Peterson in My Friend Irma. © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or successor in interest.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

DC picked up the Gang Busters license and published 67 issues (cover dated Dec. 1947-Jan. 1948 to Dec. 1958-Jan. 1959). The tie-in blurb to the radio series began on the cover of the first issue, and the TV program tie-in was added with #28 (June–July 1952). Artists for the DC comic series included Frank Frazetta (#14 and #17), Dan Barry, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, George Roussos, and Win Mortimer.

MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Another program that made the radio-movie-television rounds was Mr. District Attorney. The announcer’s opening elevated a city’s D.A. to almost superstar status: “Mr.—District—Attorney! Champion of the People! Defender of Truth! Guardian of our fundamental right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!” Beginning on radio, the series ran from 1939 to 1953 A cover by Ruben Moreira and spawned three theatrical for another hit radio movies. The television series program that transitioned to television. debuted on ABC in 1951 with actor Jay Jostyn, who Pictured: Mr. District Attorney #56 (Mar.–Apr. 1957). had been radio’s Mr. D.A., but the program lasted only © DC Comics. one season. In 1954, a new TV series sprang up in syndication for two seasons with David Brian playing the title role. Comic book tales based on the radio show ran in monthly segments in Dell’s The Funnies from #35 (Sept. 1939) through #64 (May 1942). (Several of those stories were reprinted in Dell’s Four Color #13 in 1942.) Six years later, just one month after publishing Gang Busters #1, DC released Mr. District Attorney #1 (Jan.–Feb. 1948). DC acknowledged the radio show starting with the first issue and then added the TV show beginning with #28 (July–Aug. 1952). Howard Purcell drew the majority of the Mr. District Attorney stories during its 67-issue run (ending Jan.–Feb. 1949). SPACE PATROL: The third of the four distinctive youth-oriented science-fiction TV shows of the 1950s, Space Patrol flew for five years on ABC from March 9, 1950 to February 26, 1955, with Ed Kemmer as Commander Buzz Corry, Lyn Osborn as goofy Cadet Happy, and Space Patrol #1 (Summer 1952), art by Norman Saunders. TM & © the respective holders.

A humorous publicity photo for Space Patrol featured (L-R) Commander Buzz Corry (Ed Kemmer) and Major Robertson (Ken Mayer) watching with jealousy as Carol Carlisle (Virginia Hewitt) and Tonga (Nina Bara) prefer Cadet Happy (Lyn Osborn) over them. TM & © the respective holders.

Virginia Hewitt as Carol Carlisle, the Secretary General’s daughter. Corry’s job was to protect the spaceways from would-be conquerors and pirates. The TV series enjoyed success both on a daily basis as well as a Saturday program, and then spawned a concurrently-running radio series from 1952 to 1955 with the same actors. Ziff-Davis published two issues of Space Patrol (Summer 1952 to Oct.–Nov. 1952) with stories drawn by Bernie Krigstein. The panels that were not crowded with extreme closeups of Corry, Happy, and others, were bursting with non-stop running, leaping, and fighting scenes. This was not the fine art Krigstein would display at EC Comics, but it was off-the-wall fun for kids.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

THE ROOTIE KAZOOTIE CLUB: The Rootie Kazootie Club was one of TV’s earliest children’s programs, with millions of viewers during its time on air from 1950 to 1954. It started on local TV in New York, and then on NBC for a season, and finally two seasons on ABC. Rootie was a hand puppet (as was his dog, “Gala Poochie Pup”) and he was very sports-oriented, including wearing a baseball uniform with a large-billed cap. He also had a magic kazoo (the “Kazootie”) that he used to whisk him away on adventures. The human host of the program was Todd Russell. Dell put out a total of six issues of Rootie Kazootie between 1952 and 1954, and the comic book stories were silly fluff but also charming in their own playful way. The Four Color issues (#415, 459, and 502) were followed by its own title, with numbering from #4 to #6. There was also one standalone 3D issue called 3-D-ell featuring Rootie Kazootie (circa October 1953) which had a comic page format but used 3D photos to tell the different stories.

1953 THE ROY ROGERS SHOW: Roy Rogers was “King of the Cowboys” and the American public just took it that way. There was something about him… maybe it was his cleancut good looks, maybe it was that he loved his horse, Trigger. In addition to appearing in over 100 movies, he had his own very popular TV program, The Roy Rogers Show, from 1951 to 1957, which co-starred his wife, Dale Evans. The first tie-in to The Roy Rogers Show came in Dell Comics’ Four Color #479 (July 1953, the first Queen of the West, Dale Evans issue for the company) when actor Pat Brady, the comedy relief from The Roy Rogers Show, was included in the comic stories. Rogers’ first appearance in comics was Dell’s Four Color #38 (April 1944), which was also the first comic to feature a genuine full-color photo cover. Following 12 more appearances in the Four Color series, Dell awarded the movie cowboy star his own title (91 issues of Roy Rogers Comics, from Jan. 1948 to July 1955, and then as Roy Rogers and Trigger from #92 to #145, Aug. 1955 to Sept.–Oct. 1961). John Buscema drew Rogers in issues #74 through #108, and Alex Toth came aboard for #119 through #124 (he also had a backup story in #111). Russ Manning had well-drawn stories in #123 and #124 and then was assigned four-page “Dale Evans” backup stories in #132 through #145. Dell also had new “Roy Rogers” stories in their Western Roundup issues #1 through #25. As to Dale Evans herself, she had two comic book series of her own. DC published 24 issues of Dale Evans Comics (Sept.–Oct. 1948 to July–Aug. 1952) but not much care was

In addition to six regular comics, the star of The Rootie Kazootie Club appeared in a special one-shot issue, 3-D-ell No. 1, featuring Rootie Kazootie (1953). TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

(left) Roy Rogers Comics #59 (Nov. 1952) featured a photo cover. (right) Queen of the West Dale Evans #11 (Apr.–June 1956). TM & © the respective holders.

(top left) Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys. (Photo from back cover of Roy Rogers Comics #20, Aug. 1949). (bottom left) Dale Evans photo from the back cover of Western Roundup #16 (Oct.–Dec. 1956). (top right) There had been several artists on the Roy Rogers comics before John Buscema came along, but he brought power to the western hero’s adventures that had been missing before. Roy Rogers and Trigger #100 (Apr. 1956). (bottom right) An exceptional page from the early career of Russ Manning for the “Dale Evans” story in Western Roundup #16 (Oct.–Dec. 1956). TM & © the respective holders.

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taken with the way she was drawn in the stories (with artwork primarily handled by Jim McArdle). After the DC title ended, Dell Comics published Queen of the West, Dale Evans, beginning with the aforementioned Four Color #479 (July 1953) issue, which had a more accurately-drawn Dale. The second issue was Four Color #528 (Jan. 1954), and from there it went on to a regular title, which began with the third issue (Apr.–June 1954). Every issue from #3 until its demise with #22 (Jan.–Mar. 1959) had at least one Manning “Dale Evans” story (except for #11, 19, and 21; however, #21 did have good artwork by Warren Tufts). There were also “Dale Evans” stories to be found in Dell’s Western Roundup from #11 (July–Sept. 1955) through #25 (Jan.–Mar. 1959), with Manning art in #16, 17, 19-23 and Tufts drawing #24. In addition to the Rogers and Evans titles, there was also a separate Roy Rogers’ Trigger comic book series, with the first

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

appearance in Dell Four Color #329 (May 1951) and then under its own title starting with #2 (Sept.–Nov. 1951) and ending with #17 (June–Aug.1955). SPECIAL HONORABLE MENTION—MAD: For almost 70 years, MAD has been satirizing television. Starting with the third issue (Jan.–Feb. 1953), when it was still a color comic book, “Dragged Net” set the pace by poking fun at TV’s Dragnet. Another “Dragged Net” takeoff followed in MAD #11 (May 1954). The MAD satire of TV’s Dragnet was perfect at picturing the deadpan Jack Webb as Joe Friday (originally in MAD #11, May 1954, this is from Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad #4, Summer 1998). Written by Harvey Kurtzman, art by Bill Elder. Art by Will Elder. TM & © E. C. Publications, Inc.

1954

I LOVE LUCY: Lucille Ball had been in movies of the 1930s and 1940s before achieving success on I Love Lucy, playing the most mishap of all TV sitcom wives, Lucy Ricardo.

In I Love Lucy, Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz, her real-life husband), performer, bandleader, and nightclub owner, loved Lucy, but whatever she tried resulted in a comedic disaster. Nothing described Ricky’s incredible stamina over the years better than the episode, “Lucy and

Superman.” Lucy heard Superman (played by TV’s George Reeves) wasn’t going to be able to make Little Ricky’s birthday party and she didn’t want to disappoint her son. She put on a homemade Superman costume, climbed out of the window of the apartment next to theirs, moved cautiously along the ledge to her own window—only to see Superman had arrived inside for the party. She tried backing away along the ledge, but got her cape caught on a drainpipe—and then it started to rain. Superman ended up rescuing her from the ledge, with Ricky screaming at her: Ricky: “Of all the crazy things you done in the fifteen years we’ve been married!” Superman: “Wait a minute. Mr. Ricardo, do you mean to say that you’ve been married to her for fifteen years?” Ricky: “Yeah! Fifteen years!” Superman: “And they call me ‘Superman’!” The series ran on CBS from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957, followed by thirteen 1-hour specials under the heading of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour from 1957 to 1960. Dell released two issues of I Love Lucy under their Four Color series (#535, Feb. 1954, and #559, May 1954) and then moved the series to its own title, from #3 (Aug.–Oct. 1952) to #35 (Apr.–June 1962). Hy C. Rosen drew many of the comic stories and the issues were graced with many cover photos of Lucy. (In addition, from 1952 to 1955, Bob Oksner drew an I Love Lucy comic strip, written by Lawrence Nadel.) MY LITTLE MARGIE: My Little Margie starred Gale Storm as a 1950s Jill-of-all-trades and Charles Farrell played her wid-

(left) My Little Margie #1 (July, 1954) featuring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell photos alongside Chic Stone art. Not many programs in all of television history can equal the lasting success of I Love Lucy. And what was funny then have become comedy classics. (top) Four Color #535 (Feb. 1954).

(right) Charlton Comics was financially prudent in every way possible, but the cover of My Little Margie #7 (May 1955) took that to extremes. TM & © the respective holders.

(bottom) Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy Comics #29 (Oct.–Dec. 1960). TM & © CBS Broadcasting Inc. TM, ® and © Paramount Pictures.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

ower father. It was a rather cloying series, with Margie usually coming up with one harebrained “get rich quick” scheme after another, and the episodes ending with her put-upon father saying, “That’s my little Margie.” The series aired on CBS from 1952-1953 and then switched to NBC from 1953-1955. During its television run, it also became a radio series. The first 16 issues of the Charlton comic featured photo covers of Gale Storm and Charles Farrell, but Charlton often combined the photos with crude drawings (in one instance, headshots of Storm and Farrell were put on stick figures). The series ran for 54 issues (July 1954 to Nov. 1964) with Chic Stone doing the artwork for the early issues. Charlton also created two spinoffs, My Little Margie’s Boyfriends (11 issues) and My Little Margie’s Fashions (five issues). ANNIE OAKLEY: Phoebe Ann Mosey, better known as Annie Oakley, was a superstar in the Old West. Dime novels were written about her, she starred in touring Western shows with Buffalo Bill, and was known as the greatest female marksman ever. Long after she died, there were numerous movies about her, a hit Broadway musical (Annie Get Your Gun),

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

(above left) TV’s “Annie Oakley” (the beautiful Gail Davis) graced this cover of Annie Oakley & Tagg #14 (Jan.–Mar. 1958). (above right) Original art for an Annie Oakley coloring book based on the TV program. (below) Annie Oakley & Tagg #7 (Apr.–June 1956). TM & © Flying A Pictures, Inc.

and from 1954 to 1957 Gene Autry’s TV production company starred Gail Davis in Annie Oakley, with Jimmy Hawkins as her young brother, Tagg. In 1952, Dell’s first issue of Annie Oakley was in their Four Color series (#438), followed by Annie Oakley and Tagg (#481). By 1953, production was underway on the Annie Oakley TV series, and the third Four Color issue (#575, Aug. 1954) had Gail Davis on the cover and the interior art looked like her. Dell moved Annie Oakley and Tagg into its own comic book, starting the numbering at #4 (July–Sept. 1955). The earliest issues were not well drawn until Dan Spiegle took over with the first story in #7 (Apr.–June 1956), but even that was barely an improvement because it was only halfway decent Spiegle. His work got a little better with #8 (July–Sept. 1956), but for the rest of the series his art was smothered by someone else’s inking. The title ended with #18 (Jan.–Mar. 1959).

Jon Hall photo cover to Ramar of the Jungle #1 (Oct.–Nov. 1954). TM & © the respective holders.

RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE: Actor Jon Hall started out in small film roles but then became a star with The Hurricane (1937), a major box-office hit. However, the film’s producer, Samuel Goldwyn, had Hall under contract but didn’t place him in anything. Hall didn’t act in films again until 1940, by which time his chance at “A” class film stardom had come and gone and he was relegated to a string of B-movies. From 1952 to 1954, Hall starred on TV as Ramar of the Jungle, a wilderness-based doctor.

Toby Press published one issue (Oct.–Nov. 1954) based on the TV series. Charlton continued #2 through #5 (Sept. 1955 through Sept. 1956), with run-of-the-mill art, dull and uninspired.

1955 THE MERRY MAILMAN: From 1950 to 1956, a daily children’s program originating in New York called The Merry Mailman starred Ray Heatherton (father of future performer Joey Heatherton) as the mailman host. He presented cartoons, interacted with the kids in the audience, and welcomed visiting guests to the show. Charlton slipped the character into three issues of Funny Animals (#88 to 90, Jan. 1955 to Apr. 1955, respectively). Artwork on the “Merry Mailman” stories was by Fred Ottenheimer and photos of Heatherton appeared on all three covers.

Ray Heatherton photo cover with Fred Ottenheimer art to Funny Animals #88 (Jan. 1955). TM & © the respective trademark & copyright holders.

ROCKY JONES, SPACE RANGER: The last of the big four of early TV sci-fi shows for children was Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, a syndicated 1954 program about a group of handsome, uniformed space cops. In particular, the series focused on the best of them, Rocky Jones (Richard Crane). The show had better production values than Captain Video and Tom Corbett; however, the scripts contained dialogue Space Adventures #17 that was not only bad, it was (July 1955) featuring Rocky terribly sexist. One exchange Jones, Space Ranger, had Rocky telling their female cover by Ted Galindo and navigator, Vena (Sally Ray Osrin, published by Mansfield), that she could Charlton Comics Group. travel with them on a trip TM & © the respective holders. but she should be sure to pack her lipstick. If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, she agreed and said her lipstick was more important to her than oxygen. Jon Hall, center, starred as Ramar of the Jungle, a cheaplymade kids’ actioner with plenty of stock footage, overworked sound effects, and hackneyed dialogue. TM & © the respective holders.

Charlton published four issues of Rocky Jones, Space Ranger within their ongoing Space Adventures comic title. The first, Space Adventures #15 (Mar. 1955), featured a circular photo of Crane on the cover behind a drawing of Rocky Jones and his crew.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

1954, then continued with “Davy Crockett Goes to Congress” on January 26, 1955, and concluded with “Davy Crockett at the Alamo” on February 23, 1955. Though Crockett had been shown fighting to his last breath at the Alamo, Walt Disney saw the enormous popularity of the famous frontier fighter and had two new episodes created, again featuring Parker as Crockett and Buddy Ebsen reprising his role as Davy’s friend George Russell. In adventures prior to Crockett’s demise, “Davy Crockett’s Keelboat Race” aired on November 16, 1955, and “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates” followed on December 14, 1955. The merchandising success of Davy Crockett was the equivalent of Star Wars two decades later. Kids wanted Davy Crockett souvenirs, especially a coonskin hat like Fess Parker wore as Davy. There were also songbooks, records, costumes, gum cards, lunch boxes, candies, toys, and much more… achieving over $300 million in sales.

A Richard Crane photo amid illos of the “Rocky Jones” crew on the cover of Space Adventures #15 (Mar. 1955). TM & © the respective holders.

The artwork on the series was well done, with Ted Galindo credited for most of the work (assisted by Dick Giordano). The final issue of Space Adventures with Rocky Jones was #18 (Sept. 1955). DAVY CROCKETT: The Davy Crockett saga starring Fess Parker was divided over several episodes of the Walt Disney’s Disneyland weekly television program. The original was a threeparter that started with “Davy Crocket—Indian Fighter,” which aired December 15, Fess Parker on the cover of Four Color #631 (May 1955). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Dell’s Four Color #671 (Dec. 1955) featured a photo cover of Davy Crockett star Fess Parker. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Dell wasn’t slow to get in on this, rushing out comic adaptations of Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter (FC #631), Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett at the Alamo (FC #639), Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett in the Great Keelboat Race (FC #664), and Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (FC #671), all in 1955. John Ushler drew the first three issues, with a quick and crude style, and Jesse Marsh did the fourth with only slightly better results. There was also a 100-page one-shot comic from Dell that year called Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier with new stories and excellent color photos of Parker on the front and back covers. In 1963, Gold Key reprinted a few of the Dell stories in a one-issue title, Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier, and then in 1969 printed another standalone issue, Walt Disney Presents Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier, with exactly the same cover as the 1963 release, but with a different shade cover logo and different reprints inside. THE PINKY LEE SHOW: Before there was “Pee-wee Herman,” there was Pinky Lee. Lee was a brash, vaudeville-style comedian with a lot of the mannerisms that Herman would display decades later. He wore a porkpie hat, a checkered coat, and bounced around a lot with almost-childish mannerisms. Of course, his audiences were children at the filming of The Pinky Lee Show and at home watching the NBC program. The show was entertaining, Pinky Lee #4 (Oct. 1955). with songs, bad jokes, and Stan Lee wrote the antics comedy sketches. The show of the popular kids’ TV host started in 1954 and lasted for Atlas’ comic book tie-in. with him on it until 1955, TM & © National Broadcasting Company, Inc. or successor in interest. when he suddenly collapsed on the show due to sickness. He returned to television in the future but not with the success he had with this program. Atlas Comics (aka Marvel) published five issues of The Adventures of Pinky Lee (July 1955 to Dec. 1955), with Stan Lee credited for the writing and Morris Weiss doing the artwork. Each issue was filled with humorous short stories and single-page gag fillers.

THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW / THE HONEYMOONERS: The Honeymooners first appeared October 5, 1951 on DuMont’s Cavalcade of Stars TV program with foultempered bus driver Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) coming home to Alice (Pert Kelton), possibly the mostbeleaguered housewife who ever existed, and the two getting into an immediate argument for several minutes. At the end of the routine, something would be said and Ralph would realize he had been a heel, and then made it up to her with a big hug and kisses. In 1952, when Gleason moved to CBS for their offer of The Jackie Gleason Show, the replacement of Kelton by Audrey Meadows gave Ralph an Alice who truly was his equal in sparring. While Ralph Kramden was the most popular of his characters, Gleason also portrayed several others on the program, including the Poor Soul, Reginald Van Gleason III, and Fenwick Babbitt. However, Gleason put his variety show on hold to do The Honeymooners as its own half-hour program in 1955. After 39 episodes, he went back to the variety show in 1956 and it lasted, in various formats, until early 1959. Gleason tried his hand at a few other programs but none met success until he started a new CBS variety show in 1962, which remained on the air until 1970. St. John published four issues of Jackie Gleason (cover dated between Sept. 1955 and Dec. 1955). Each issue featured a lead story of “The Honeymooners” and then followed with comic tales with his other TV creations. Mike Roy and Mike Peppe’s renderings of Gleason were completely unattractive, not looking like him at all, and the Gleason characters were given a black outline about 10 times thicker than any of the others in the comic stories.

DC Comics published Jackie Gleason and the Honeymooners (left) #1 and (right) #4 (1957). Cover art believed to be by Mike Roy and Mike Peppe. © High Note Productions. Logos, characters, and the distinctive likenesses are TM V.I.P. Corp.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

(left) Poppo of the Popcorn Theatre #1 (Oct. 29, 1955). (right) Four Color #662 (Nov. 1955) featuring Marlin Perkins’ Zoo Parade. TM & © the respective holders.

THE POPCORN THEATRE: An obscure 1950s television program for kids, The Popcorn Theatre featured a retired circus clown named “Poppo” (his real name never identified), and show had cartoons and comedy shorts.

Ralph Kramden and the other characters first appeared in comics in 1955 and got a revival (pictured) by Lodestone in 1986. © High Note Productions. Logos, characters, and the distinctive likenesses are TM V.I.P. Corp.

DC Comics took a run at the rotund performer and his fellow actors, publishing 12 issues of Jackie Gleason and the Honeymooners between July 1956 and April–May 1958. Artwork for the DC series was done with very off-the-wall caricatures of Gleason, Art Carney, and Meadows, and may well have been drawn by Mike Roy, as before, but this time the images were a perfect match. Gone was the thick black outline from the St. John series. Thirty years later, Lodestone published a single-issue comic (Oct. 1986) of The Honeymooners with an amusing script by Robert Loren Fleming and artwork drawn with the right kind of whimsy by Vince Musacchia. The artist also drew an adaptation of a TV episode. A year later, The Honeymooners was given another try, this time with a 12-issue series (Sept. 1987 to July–Aug. 1989) under the Triad Publications banner, the new name for Lodestone.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

The Fuller Publishing Company, Inc. put out 13 weekly issues of Poppo of the Popcorn Theatre from October 29, 1955 to January 28, 1956. The name “Poppo” and the television show title of Popcorn Theatre were listed in the comic book title as patented and copyrighted by George Gale. The comic credited Charles Biro (famous for the powerful comic book series, Crime Does Not Pay) with the creation and production of the interior stories in addition to drawing the covers. The stories related Poppo’s comedy adventures with local kids. ZOO PARADE: The director of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, Marlin Perkins, was the host of the long-running Sunday afternoon program, Zoo Parade. Perkins featured zoo animals, with assistant Jim Hurlbut (replaced later by Jim Fowler) heading into the wild. The 1950-1957 animal program aired on NBC. In Dell’s Four Color #662 (Nov. 1955), a comic book version of Perkins acted as narrator in describing several animals in the wild. WINKY DINK AND YOU: Winky Dinky and You was a charming and highly-interactive kids’ series with Jack Barry as the show’s combination host and straight man for Winky Dink, as well as the pitchman for the program’s 50-cent Winky Dink fun kit. Winky Dink was a not-very-animated illustration of a child with blonde hair in the shape of a star. When Barry wasn’t constantly interrupted by Winky, he told a simple tale of adventure and asked the kids at home to use their fun kit

Dell’s Four Color #663 featuring Winky Dink (Nov. 1955).

to take part. The kit contained several color marking pens, an erase cloth, and a clear sheet the children placed on their TV screen. Barry pointed his finger at a spot on the screen and asked the kids to use a pen to follow his finger on the plastic and draw a car or other object that was part of the story. Winky was voiced by Mae Questel, the voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl for many years. The CBS program ran from 1953-1957.

Dell’s one issue of Winky Dink was within their Four TM & © the respective holders. Color series (#663, Nov. 1955). The comic adventures in the issue had a unique look because the panels were shaped in the form of TV screens. Pines also published one issue, The Adventures of Winky Dink #75 (Mar. 1957).

THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB: The Mickey Mouse Club first aired October 3, 1955, and kids’ TV programming was never the same again. The Mousketeers sang, danced, and acted during the 60minute program each weekday (for the first two seasons, 30 minutes thereafter). Mousketeers included Annette Funicello, Cubby O’Brien, Karen Pendleton, Darlene Gillespie, Sharon Baird, Tommy Cole, Bobby (above) Dell Giant Comics: Mickey Mouse Club Parade #1 (Dec. 1955), cover art by Dick Moores and Don MacLaughlin. (below) A postcard from 1962 promoting The Mickey Mouse Club. Included on it are scenes from The Hardy Boys, Circus Day, and other themes, as well as photos of guest Morey Amsterdam (left) and host Jimmie Dodd. TM & © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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Burgess, and Lonnie Burr. The two adults who emceed the show were Jimmie Dodd and Roy Williams. (Dodd also wrote the theme, The Mickey Mouse Club March.) The show came into being (as did Disney’s prime-time show) because Walt Disney needed money to finish building Disneyland. ABC put up half a million dollars in exchange for the airing of the two series. The Mickey Mouse Club was a gigantic success, but it was cancelled in 1959 because ABC asked for more commercial time and because Disney wasn’t realizing profits from merchandising. Despite the great success of the program and its various reincarnations over the decades, Dell, Gold Key, and Golden Press each published only one comic-related tie-in to the program. The Dell Giant single-issue comic called Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club Parade (Dec. 1955) appeared on the newsstands on October 28, 1955, within weeks of the program’s debut. Similar to the program opening, the front and back covers featured bandleader Mickey Mouse, marching at the head of other Disney cartoon characters, with a young boy and girl wearing Mousketeer hats joining them. Inside the comic were reprints of Disney newspaper strip stories. Eight years later, Gold Key published a one-shot, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club (Jan. 1964), but the only connection to the television program was Mickey on the inside cover welcoming readers to join Donald, Goofy, and others in watching a cartoon show. The “cartoons” were reprint comic stories from Silly Symphonies #1 (1952). The back cover featured a music sheet and lyrics to the Mickey Mouse March. In 1977, Golden Press published The New Mickey Mouse Club Fun Book, a 224-page trade paperback with photos of the young cast members of The New Mickey Mouse Club on the front and back covers. The Fun Book reprinted more stories of the past and included bio pages of the new Mousketeers, with Dan Spiegle drawing spot illos of the cast. CAPTAIN GALLANT OF THE FOREIGN LEGION: In place of the Western prairies Buster Crabbe rode in his movies, the NBC-TV series Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion had him galloping over Moroccan sand dunes. The 1955-1957 kids’ adventure program also starred Crabbe’s young son, Cullen, as the Legion’s mascot, with Fuzzy Knight along for comedy relief. A 36-page Captain Gallant giveaway comic (1955) from U.S. Pictorial, Inc. was drawn by Don Heck, and the issue contained a loose adaptation of the Camel Race TV episode from the program’s first season. Charlton printed the remaining three issues (Jan. 1956 to Sept. 1956), starting the numbering at #2. Art for the Charlton issues was by Charles Nicholas.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

(top) Buster Crabbe and his real-life son, Cullen, are pictured at the top of the cover for the 1955 giveaway first issue, Captain Gallant. (bottom) Captain Gallant and Cuffy tell about the Foreign Legion in this page from Captain Gallant #1 (1955) drawn by Don Heck. TM & © the respective holders

1956

Dick Jones as Buffalo Bill, Jr. Buffalo Bill, Jr. #8 (May–July 1958). TM & © Flying A Pictures, Inc.

BUFFALO BILL, JR.: In Buffalo Bill, Jr., a judge found a young boy and his baby sister in the woods after a wagon train massacre that killed their parents. He named the boy “Buffalo Bill, Jr.” and the girl, “Calamity,” after two of the most famous people in the Old West. The boy grew up into a young man (Dick Jones) who could ride, fight, and draw a gun as fast as anyone, and swore to help people who needed it. Many of the stunts in the series were performed by Jones himself. The syndicated TV series aired from March 1955 to September 1956.

Between 1956 and 1959, there were thirteen issues from Dell based on the series. Bob Correa provided excellent art for Four Color #673, 742, 766, 798, and 828, and Mike Sekowsky drew the next (FC #856) and all issues in its own title, which began with #7 and continued through #13. “Buffalo Bill, Jr.” stories also appeared in Dell’s Western Roundup from #19 (July–Sept. 1957) through #25 (Jan.–Mar. 1959), with Dan Spiegle art in #20. Gold Key printed one issue in 1965, which was a reprint of Dell Four Color #798. THE LITTLE RASCALS: Spanky, Alfalfa, Janet, Buckwheat, Froggy, and Mickey were just a few of the members of the Our Gang movie shorts comedy series that ran from 1922 through 1944. The characters, who were in over 200 film shorts and one feature film, were poor kids at their most playful, even if the child actors who portrayed them went way over the top with double takes and wide-eyed looks. In the 1950s, Hal Roach, the creator of the Our Gang shorts, put together a package of 80 of the shorts for the television market, but discovered he could not use the Our Gang name as M-G-M owned the trademark. Realizing that the early “Our Gang” shorts included an opening title credit that read “Hal Roach Presents His Rascals,” the name affixed to the package was The Little Rascals. Dell’s Our Gang Comics featured the “Our Gang” kids, as well as various M-G-M cartoon characters. However, the true magic of the comic book was the artist chosen to draw the “Our Gang” adventures… Walt Kelly. There was elegance in his drawings of the gang, providing an almost three-dimensional reality to Spanky and the others. The Our Gang stories appeared from #1 (Sept.–Oct. 1942) through #57 (Apr. 1949),

The first few Dell comic book appearances of “The Little Rascals” had humorous interior art by Mike Sekowsky. Four Color (left) #674 (Jan.1956) and (right) #778 (Feb. 1957). TM & © the respective holders.

by which time the comic was called Our Gang with Tom & Jerry because the cat and mouse had already taken over the star position. With the kids’ new popularity on television, Dell gave the green light to 11 issues of original stories between 1956 and 1962 of “The Little Rascals” within its Four Color series (#674, 778, 825, 883, 936, 974, 1030, 1079, 1137, 1224, and 1297). Mike Sekowsky’s work on the first few issues of The Little Rascals was pure farce. STEVE DONOVAN, WESTERN MARSHAL: The producer of The Lone Ranger TV series, Jack Chertok, offered another Western for syndication, this time with actor Douglas Kennedy cast in the fictional role of Steve Donovan, Western Marshal. Donovan was assigned to the Wyoming Territory to enforce the law in towns and badlands. Eddy Waller costarred as his deputy. The program did not get beyond the first season’s worth of 39 episodes.

Four Color #675, Steve Donovan, Western Marshal (Feb.1956).

Dell’s comic book adaptation TM & © the respective holders. of the TV series had excellent art by Everett Raymond Kinstler for the first and second issues (FC #675, Feb. 1956, and #768, Feb. 1957). For the final issue (FC #880, Feb. 1958), Mort Drucker, just then starting his movie and TV satires in MAD magazine, demonstrated how well he could draw actor caricatures.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Artist ProfILe: EVERETT RAYMOND KINSTLER Everett Raymond Kinstler was born in New York City on August 5, 1926. When he was a child, he was copying pictures constantly, and he was heavily influenced by the work of Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond, and Hal Foster. Kinstler’s formal training occurred at the High School of Music and Art, followed by the School of Industrial Art, but he was so anxious and passionate about drawing that he quit so he could seek work in the industry. And, when he was 15, he got work inking pages at Cinema Comics. Even prior to being drafted in 1945, Kinstler was doing illustrations for pulp magazines, including The Shadow, and comic book stories for The Black Hood at MLJ. Following his service, he freelanced at DC Comics drawing “Hawkman,” “The Black Pirate,” and romance comics. In the 1950s, his work at Avon and at Dell produced spectacular results, including TV-comics based on The Chuck Wagon Playhouse and Steve Donovan, Western Marshall. And then there was a change in what he wanted to do. From comics, he turned to painting portraits (approximately 2,000 of them by Kinstler’s own estimate), and his paintings became celebrated. Among the famous people who sat for him were John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Tony Bennett, Paul Newman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg… and two presidents. Everett Raymond Kinstler’s paintings of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan are the official Presidential portraits in the White House. However, he was never dismissive of the comic art medium. He said to an audience at Lipscomb University in 2018, “To this day, I would say that the comic strip storytelling has been probably the most important factor to my life as an artist.” Everett Raymond Kinstler died at age 92 on May 26, 2019.

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Outstanding art by Everett Raymond Kinstler from Four Color #768 (Feb. 1957) for Steve Donovan, Western Marshal. TM & © the respective holders.

GUNSMOKE: The granddaddy of TV Westerns ran from 1955 through 1975, and then continued as a series of made-for-TV movies. Gunsmoke had begun on radio three years earlier, with William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, the law in Dodge City. When it came to television, the producers sought John Wayne, who turned them down, and they hired James Arness to be Dillon. The supporting cast over the years included Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, and Burt Reynolds.

the first page of #15, when Giolitti drew Matt Dillon tipping his hat back as James Arness was wont to do, it was a match made in Heaven. The final issue in the Dell series, #27 (June– July 1961) was drawn by Mike Sekowsky, but it was right back to Giolitti when it became a Gold Key title—though that took eight years to happen. The first of the six-issue Gold Key series was dated February 1969. (In late 1962, Gold Key advertised a special Gunsmoke Film Story in the format of a comic book but using photos as page panels. Looking similar to the Ben Casey Film Stories, it might have made a smart-looking publication but it was never released.)

From February 1956 to June–July 1961, Dell included the first five Gunsmoke comics in the Dell Four Color series (#679, 720, 769, 797, and 844) and then 22 more under its own title (starting at #6). With the 15th issue, Alberto Giolitti took over the artistic chores on the series and remained through #26. From

(top left) Four Color #679 (Feb. 1956). James Arness pictured in his iconic role. (bottom left) A dramatic cover for Gunsmoke #7 (Feb.–Mar. 1958). (right) Eight years after the end of the Dell Comics run of Gunsmoke, Gold Key started a new series… and the TV program was still going strong on CBS, at that time in its 14th season! Gunsmoke #7 (Feb. 1970). © CBS Broadcasting Inc. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Willard Parker as Jace Pearson on the cover of Jace Pearson’s Tales of the Texas Rangers (left) #11 (Mar.–May 1956) and (right) #19 (Mar.–May 1958). TM & © the respective holders.

TALES OF THE TEXAS RANGERS: Tales of the Texas Rangers focused on two fictional lawmen, Jace Pearson (Willard Parker) and Clay Walker (Harry Lauter). In actuality, there were two more Rangers on the show, because Pearson began the episodes by reading from one of two different journals, one of which was of the 1950s Rangers, and the other which dealt with the ancestors of Pearson and Walker in cases from the Old West. Naturally, Parker and Lauter played those parts, too. The TV series aired from 1955 to 1958. (Between 1950 and 1952, movie star Joel McCrea starred as Pearson in the NBC weekly radio series of the same name.) Starting with the radio version, Dell issued the first Tales of the Texas Rangers comic in Four Color #396 (May 1952), and then in its own series, Jace Pearson of the Texas Rangers for #2 through #9 (May–July 1953 to Feb.–Apr. 1955). The tenth issue was moved back to the Four Color series (FC #648, Sept. 1955). All of the issues featured photo covers of McCrea. Nearly a year later, the comic book title was reborn as Jace Pearson’s Tales of the Texas Rangers, and modified to fit the television series, with a continuation of the numbering at #11 (Mar.–May 1956). (The title skipped #10 as the aforementioned Four Color #648 served as the unofficial #10 of the series.) The title lasted through #20 (June–Aug. 1958) and then went back again to Four Color #961 (Dec. 1958) and #1021 (Aug, 1959). All of the issues featured Willard Parker photo covers. The art was mediocre throughout the first half of the series, with John Ushler and Nat Edson handling the drawing for the majority of the stories. The second group of issues had better art by Mel Keefer and Nicholas Firfires, and one issue by Dan Spiegle (FC #961). Dell’s Western Roundup #22 through #25 included “Tales of the Texas Rangers” stories, with #24 drawn by Warren Tufts.

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SERGEANT PRESTON OF THE YUKON: Challenge of the Yukon was one of radio’s longest-lasting kids’ programs, running from 1938 to 1951, at which time it became Sergeant Preston of the Yukon and continued as such until the radio show’s demise in June 1955. Three months later, the stories of the Mounties at the time of the Gold Rush made the leap to television, and remained on air into 1958. Richard Simmons starred as Preston. It was one of television’s first color programs.

Canadian Mountie Sergeant Preston (Richard Simmons) and his lead dog-sled husky, Yukon King, on the cover of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon #28 (Aug.–Oct. 1958).

Dell started the comic book run with four issues between 1951 and 1952 in their Four TM & © the respective holders. Color series (#344, 373, 397, and 419). The first of these tried to meld the original title and its revised version into Sergeant Preston from Challenge of the Yukon, and then fully committed to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Dell moved it into its own series and the numbering continued with #5 (Nov. 1952-Jan. 1953). Gaylord Du Bois is believed to have written almost all of the series, plus there was excellent artwork by Alberto Giolitti throughout. Starting with #19 (May–July 1956), wonderful color photos from the TV series were featured on the front covers, continuing to the last issue, #29 (Nov. 1958-Jan. 1959). CORKY AND WHITE SHADOW: Corky and White Shadow was a 17-part daily serial on The Mickey Mouse Club from January 31 to February 22, 1956. Mousketeer Darlene Gillespie starred as Corky Brady and Buddy Ebsen played her father, Sheriff Matt Brady. White Shadow was the beautiful German shepherd that Corky loved. The plotline involved Durango Dude (Robert Henry) getting shot while committing a bank robbery and collapsing in a forest, where Corky found him Mousketeer Darlene Gillespie starred in the 17-part 1956 serial “Corky and White Shadow” on The Mickey Mouse Club. Pictured: Four Color #707 (May 1956). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Artist ProfILe: DAN SPIEGLE Dan Spiegle was born December 10, 1920 in Cosmopolis, Washington, but the family moved several times over the years before settling in Southern California. After serving in World War II, Spiegle attended the Chouinard Art Institute on the G.I. Bill. His first professional success was being hired by star William Boyd to draw a newspaper comic strip about his onscreen character, “Hopalong Cassidy.” The strip was successful and Spiegle was on it from 1950 to 1955. Western Publishing put him to work on TV-based comic book titles, first for Dell and then under Western’s Gold Key imprint. Between 1956 and 1968, Dan Spiegle drew hundreds of comics based on almost 50 TV programs, including Maverick, Rawhide, The Untouchables, Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone, Lassie, My Favorite Martian, and The Green Hornet. He also worked on non-TV comics for Western, including Space Family Robinson and Korak, Son of Tarzan. In the 1970s, Spiegle drew war stories, horror, and Westerns for DC, and Mark Evanier and Spiegle undertook a much-needed overhaul of DC’s Blackhawk series. In the 1980s, the pair worked on the exceptional Crossfire comic book series at Eclipse, as well as Hollywood Superstars for Marvel. Spiegle illustrated two excellent graphic novels that adapted the Disney movies Shipwrecked and Arachnophobia in the 1990s, and the 2000s had Evanier and Spiegle reteamed for a new eightpage Crossfire story. Dan Spiegle left this life at age 96 on January 28, 2017. Walt Disney’s Corky and White Shadow (Four Color #707, May 1956) was artist Dan Spiegle’s first work on a Disney comic book adaptation. While the interior pages were in color, the inside back cover story page in black-and-white was a standout in its use of zip-a-tone. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

and helped him recover, not knowing he was an outlaw. Dell’s Four Color #707 (May 1956) told the serialized story in one issue, with Dan Spiegle drawing his first Disney adaptation. BRAVE EAGLE: Brave Eagle took the point of view of the American Indian in the Old West (the Cheyenne tribe, in particular) and dealt with their interaction with other tribes and with the white man. Keith Larsen was the star and the CBS series lasted 26 episodes, airing from September 1955 to March 1956. Dell released five issues (FC #705, 770, 816, 879, and 929) from 1956 to 1958, with good art by Dan Spiegle in every issue. SPIN AND MARTY: Though it was not the first serial on The Mickey Mouse Club, “The Adventures of Spin and Marty” (1955) became the most popular one. Over several weeks in 1955, the serial told the story of two young enemies who became close friends. Spin Evans (Tim Considine) was the most experienced boy at the Triple-R Ranch summer camp, having visited it the year before, and the other boys liked him. Then to the ranch came Martin Markham (David Stollery), a stuck-up kid whose parents were wealthy. In actual fact, Marty was more lonely than stuck-up but he did not know how to make friends; however, making enemies he was good at and he started in with Spin. Good adult support on the ranch was provided by veteran actors Roy Barcroft and Harry Carey, Jr. There were two follow-up

TV serials about the boys, The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957). Dell adapted the first two serials in their Spin and Marty comics (Four Color #714, June 1956, and #767, Feb. 1957). The third issue (FC #808, June 1957) was an original story, as was the fourth (FC #826, Sept. 1957), which changed its title for that issue only to Walt Disney’s Spin and Marty and Annette, with a cover photo of the three stars. Then the comic series broke free of the Four Color run and got its own title, with Dell starting the numbering at #5 (Mar.–May 1958) and continuing through #9 (Mar.–May 1959), and back to Four Color for two final issues, #1026 (Sept.–Nov. 1959) and #1082 (Mar. 1960). Dan Spiegle drew most of the series. THE ADVENTURES OF WILD BILL HICKOK: James Butler Hickok (better known as “Wild Bill” Hickok) was a famous gunfighter and marshal in the Old West. In 1951, his rough-hewn features were cleaned up for a television series, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, starring handsome Guy Madison as Hickok, with a comedy-relief sidekick, Jingles P. Jones, in the person of rotund character actor Andy Devine. The television series ran until 1958, first in syndication and then on CBS and ABC. Madison and Devine also starred in a “Wild Bill Hickok” radio show from 1951 to 1956.

Comic book stories based on The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok appeared in two different western titles from Charlton at the same time, Cowboy Western and Six-Gun Heroes. Pictured: Cowboy Western

(left) Keith Larsen as Brave Eagle. Pictured: the second of Dell’s Brave Eagle comics (Four Color #770, Feb. 1957). (right) David Stollery (Marty) and Tim Considine (Spin) on one of the 11 Dell comic issues based upon the “Spin and Marty” TV serials on The Mickey Mouse Club. Walt Disney’s Spin and Marty #5 (Mar.–May 1958). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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Earlier issues of the Charlton #59 (Apr. 1956). comic Cowboy Western had TM & © the respective holders. featured a non-TV interpretation of Hickok. Starting with #59 (Apr. 1956), Charlton modified his appearance to resemble Guy Madison (along with Devine as Jones). The feature spot of “Wild Bill Hickok and Jingles” ran in Cowboy Western through #67 (Mar. 1958), and then Charlton renamed the comic book Wild Bill Hickok and Jingles with #68 (Aug. 1958), continuing as such until #75 (Nov. 1959). But Charlton was not yet done. With Six-Gun Heroes #38 (June 1956), Charlton gave the TV duo an additional venue at the same time the first was already running in Cowboy Western. For Six-Gun Heroes, though, Charlton reversed the billing to “Jingles and Wild Bill Hickok.” The heroes moved on after Six-Gun Heroes #43 (Nov. 1957).

MAN IN SPACE / MAN AND THE MOON / MAN IN FLIGHT/ MARS AND BEYOND: Years before a human being would be sent up in a rocket to outer space, Walt Disney’s Disneyland TV program had already explained the scientific principles behind such an effort in special episodes titled “Man in Space” (March 9, 1955), “Man and the Moon” (December 28, 1955), “Man in Flight” (March 6, 1957), and “Mars and Beyond” (December 4, 1957). These hour-long programs were done with a clarity of understanding that all could follow by the use of Disney animation, paintings, and film. There was even an early version of a space shuttle that was not much different than the real thing 25 years later. Dell released several comics based on the programs: Walt Disney’s Man in Space (FC #716, Aug. 1956), Walt Disney’s Man in Flight (FC #836, Sept. 1957), Walt Disney’s Mars and Beyond (FC #866, Dec. 1957), and Walt Disney’s Man in Space—Satellites (FC #954, Feb. 1959). All provided the same basic information as in the television programs. Scripts for

the Dell comics were by Don Christensen and artwork in each was by Tony Sgroi. THE ADVENTURES OF LONG JOHN SILVER: Walt Disney’s Treasure Island (1950) was the studio’s first completely live-action movie, and Robert Newton stole the film with his wonderful, scenery-chewing performance as Long John Silver. After filming Treasure Island, Newton starred in a sequel, Long John Silver (1954), but this time as a non-Disney picture filmed in Australia. Newton was so popular as the pirate that he was called back to Australia to film a syndicated 39-episode TV series called The Adventures of Long John Silver that was broadcast in the U.S. in 1956.

Long John Silver and the Pirates #30 (Aug. 1956). TM & © the respective holders.

In that same year, Charlton published a comic book title called Long John Silver and the Pirates, the first of which (#30, Aug. 1956) had Long John looking exactly like Robert Newton. However, there was no mention inside the issue of any licensing rights from Disney, the Australian company, or Robert Newton himself, but as the image was altered to not look like Newton by the next issue (#31, Dec. 1956), it might be assumed Charlton didn’t have a license and had possibly heard from one of them. After one more issue, #32 (Mar. 1957), the comic was gone.

Several documentaries on space exploration that aired on Walt Disney’s Disneyland in the mid-1950s were adapted into informative comic books from Dell. Pictured: Four Color #716 (Aug. 1956). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

CAPTAIN KANGAROO: Captain Kangaroo was, until Sesame Street came along, television’s longestrunning children’s series, lasting from 1955 through 1984, and then by incorporating newly-shot pieces with older material it ran on PBS from 1986 to 1993. Bob Keeshan starred as Captain Kangaroo (so named because of his coat’s big pockets) the entire time. A multi-award winning series for CBS, Captain Kangaroo was an institution of kindness and love directed to children viewers. Keeshan was the star, but it never felt there was any ego

Four Color #780 (Mar. 1957), featuring Captain Kangaroo. TM & © the respective holders.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

at work in his playing the Captain, a feat that would be hard to do for many performers since he was often the victim of pranks by two hand puppets (Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose) who tricked him frequently into standing beneath a sudden dropping of hundreds of ping pong balls. The Dell Four Color series had three issues between 1956 and 1958 (FC #721, 780, and 872), with unexpectedly delightful art by Mike Sekowsky. One major difference in the comic books was that Bunny Rabbit spoke, as opposed to TV where he was always mute. THE NATURE OF THINGS: In the first two seasons of The Mickey Mouse Club, there was a series of several-minute shorts called “The Nature of Things” (aka “Animal Autobiography”) with Jiminy Cricket narrating. Each short focused on the history of one animal and combined animation and film footage from Disney’s theatrical True-Life Adventures documentary films. Dell released two issues of Walt Disney’s The Nature Walt Disney’s The Nature of of Things two comic issues Things (FC #727, 1956, and were representative of aired #842, 1957). Jesse Marsh’s art shorts from The Mickey Mouse on both suited the educational Club TV program. Four Color purpose. #727 (1956).

CHEYENNE, BRONCO, and SUGARFOOT: Cheyenne was a Western series starring Clint Walker as Cheyenne Bodie, a government territory mapper, moving from town to town with his friend Smitty. Bodie tried to keep the peace wherever he went, but trouble had a habit of always finding him. Cheyenne was TV’s first hour-long Western and the program ran for seven seasons (1955 to 1963), but it didn’t always star Clint Walker. For a year, Walker stayed away from the studio, holding out for better contract terms, and Warner Bros. (the producer of the ABC series) brought in Bronco Layne (played by Ty Hardin), a character very similar to Cheyenne. When Walker returned to the program, Bronco was given his own series from 1958 to 1962. ABC’s programming schedule alternated Cheyenne and Bronco with another Western series called Sugarfoot, which was the nickname given to an easygoing young man named Tom Brewster. He was considered by strangers to be so inept at guns that he didn’t even rise up to the title of “tenderfoot.” What people didn’t know when they first encountered him

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Dell’s Cheyenne stories and photo covers temporarily featured Bronco Layne (Ty Hardin) while star Clint Walker (“Cheyenne Bodie”) was having contract disputes. Cheyenne #12 (Aug.–Oct. 1959) with Hardin and #15 (Apr.–May 1960) with Walker. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

was that he was actually the son of a famous lawman and he was an expert with a gun; however, Brewster preferred to stick to his quiet ways and studied his law books in hopes of becoming an attorney. When that didn’t work, he had to resort to gunplay. Brewster was winningly played by likeable Will Hutchins and the series aired for four seasons, from 1957 to 1961. All three heroes teamed up in an episode of Cheyenne called “Duel at Judas Basin.” Cheyenne had a three-issue run in Dell’s Four Color series (#734, 772, and 803), and then 22 issues under its own title starting with #4. All told, the different comics ran from October 1956 through December 1961-January 1962, with art unofficially credited to Tom Gill. Several of the Cheyenne comic stories were taken straight from the TV series, including Four Color #734, which adapted the first episode, and Four Color #803’s version of the episode “The Argonauts,” (which itself was a remake of the 1948 movie, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre).

Will Hutchins starred as the gentle, but fast-drawing, Tom Brewster in the Sugarfoot TV series. Four Color #1147 (Nov. 1960-Jan. 1961). © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

(left) Four Color #751 (Nov. 1956), cover for Our Miss Brooks. (top) Four Color #785 (Apr. 1957), Circus Boy. Our Miss Brooks TM & © the respective holders. Circus Boy © Norbert Productions/Screen Gems.

their radio roles to the CBS-TV sitcom were Gale Gordon as Principal Osgood Conklin, tense overseer of the school, and Richard Crenna, as squeaky-voiced student Walter Denton.

Group photo of the stars (L-R) of Sugarfoot (Will Hutchins), Bronco (Ty Hardin), and Cheyenne (Clint Walker) taken during their crossover in the Cheyenne episode “Duel at Judas Basin.” © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Bronco Layne took over as the star of the Cheyenne comic from #10 through #12 during Clint Walker’s contract dispute. With #13, it returned to Cheyenne stories. The comic book existence for Sugarfoot remained in the Dell Four Color issues without graduating to his own comic title. The first two issues (FC #907, May 1958, and #992, May–July 1959) featured excellent artwork by Alex Toth, including the retelling of the pilot episode in Four Color #907. Regrettably, his art didn’t grace the series after those two, and the title reverted to a more simplified Dell house art style for the four remaining issues (FC #1059, Nov. 1959-Jan. 1960; #1098, May–July 1960; #1147, Nov. 1960-Jan. 1961; and #1209, Oct.– Dec. 1961). OUR MISS BROOKS: Repeating her role from the Our Miss Brooks radio program, Eve Arden starred as Connie Brooks, an acid-tongued but heart-of-gold school teacher, frustrated by her students and by her efforts to win the heart of fellow teacher, Mr. Boynton (Robert Rockwell). Also carrying over

The radio show had a successful run from 1948-1957 and as a TV series from 1952-1956, plus there was also a theatrical movie (1956). Despite all of that, Dell went with only one issue of Our Miss Brooks (FC #751, Nov. 1956). Art for the comic was by Mike Sekowsky, who did a satisfactory rendition of the cast… except for the principal, who looked nothing like Gale Gordon. CIRCUS BOY: Circus Boy was a 49-episode children’s adventure series set at the close of the 19th century about a traveling circus company and a young boy named Corky who had been adopted by them when his aerialist parents were killed. Starring as blonde-haired, big-grinned Corky was Mickey Braddock (or as the rest of the world would later know him under his real name, Micky Dolenz, one of The Monkees). In the supporting Mickey Braddock, star cast were Noah Beery, Jr. as of Circus Boy, a decade before Joey the Clown and Robert using his real name of Micky Lowery as the circus owner, Dolenz for The Monkees. Big Tim Champion. The pro© Norbert Productions/Screen Gems. gram aired from 1956 to 1958, appearing for the first season on NBC and then ABC for its second.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Dell’s three issues of Circus Boy (FC #759, Dec. 1956, #785, Apr. 1957, and #813, July 1957) all had artwork by Dan Spiegle. However, it was far from his usually detailed style and the characters bore little resemblance to Braddock/ Dolenz and the others. THE HARDY BOYS: Though the mystery novels of the The Hardy Boys first appeared in 1927, it was not until 1956 that brothers Frank and Joe Hardy made it to the screen, appearing in a 19-chapter serial within The Mickey Mouse Club program. Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk played the young amateur detectives in “The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure,” an adaptation of the first Hardy Boys novel, The Tower Treasure. This was successful enough for Disney to produce a second serial in 1957, The Mystery of Ghost Farm, which did not originate as a Hardy Boys novel, but was an original story by Jackson Gillis.

1957 THE ADVENTURES OF SIR LANCELOT: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot was a very fun British series with William Russell as Lancelot. Lancelot’s squire, Brian, was played by Robert Scroggins and he was a talented change from many of the other youthful inexperienced actors on television, completely looking part of the Age of Chivalry. The series ran for 30 episodes on NBC from 1956-1957.

Dell’s comic book adventures of Walt Disney’s The Hardy Boys were in four issues of the Four Color series. The first (FC #760, Dec. 1956) adapted the TV Applegate mystery. The second (FC #830, Aug. 1957) contained a non-TV tale, followed by FC #887 (Jan. 1958), which adapted the Ghost Farm telestory. The last (FC #964, Jan. 1959) was another non-TV story. Art for all four issues was by Dan Spiegle, who was becoming the go-to artist for Disney productions.

Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk played Frank and Joe, the Hardy Boys of the juvenile mystery novels, in two serials featuring the two young amateur detectives on The Mickey Mouse Club. Pictured: Four Color (left) #887 (Jan. 1958) and #830 (Aug. 1957). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

The British production of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot had tongue-in-cheek humor along with its swordplay. (top) On the cover of Dell’s Four Color #775 (Mar. 1957) are William Russell as Lancelot and Brian Scroggins as his squire. (bottom) Excellent early artwork by John Buscema was a highlight of the adaptation. TM & © the respective holders.

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The one-shot Dell comic adaptation was titled Sir Lancelot and Brian (FC #775, Mar. 1957) and had fine art by John Buscema of knights battling, and his Merlin was very well-rendered. The two stories in the issue were adapted nearly word for word from the first two episodes of the television program. FURY: In Fury, there was nothing that could break the bond between little Joey and his horse. One episode even had Joey (Bobby Diamond) about to go blind, and his adopted father, Jim Newton (Peter Graves), sold Fury in order to pay for the operation that would save Joey’s sight. The horse broke free from the buyer and raced back to the boy, who told his stepfather he would rather go blind than ever lose Fury. (Luckily, the woman who bought Fury gave him back and said Jim could use the money for the operation.) It was an extremely popular television program for children, running on NBC from October 15, 1955 to March 19, 1960. Dell released nine issues of the title within its Four Color series (#781, 885, 975, 1031, 1080, 1133, 1172, 1218, and 1296) between March 1957 and March–May 1962, plus one standalone issue (#01-292-208, June–Aug. 1962). Western Printing also put out one issue (#1, Nov. 1962) under the Gold Key imprint. Tom Gill was the primary artist through the series. ZIPPY THE CHIMP: Proving that if anyone is even a bit popular in the public eye, they will get a comic book named after them. Zippy, a trained chimpanzee, made appearances on a number of television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, interacting with many of the stars, including Ed Sullivan, Howdy Doody, Steve Allen, Captain Kangaroo, and Phil Silvers. Other chimpanzees trained by Ralph Quinlan also went by the name of “Zippy.”

Pines Comics published two issues of Zippy with a logo that read CBS Television Presents Zippy the Chimp. In those two issues, #50 and 51 (Mar. 1957 and Aug. 1957), Gene Faucette drew the misadventures of a family trying to deal with a chimpanzee living in the house. THE ADVENTURES OF THE 77TH BENGAL LANCERS: Kids did not have much time to thrill to The Adventures of the 77th Bengal Lancers (aka The 77th Bengal Lancers) before the program was cancelled, a mere 26 episodes into the run of the show. The program’s highly-fictionalized stories told of the real-life Lancers in the mountainous desert country of northwest India at the end of the 19th century, trying to keep the country safe and at peace, particularly through the exploits of friends Lt. Rhodes (Phil Carey) and Lt. Storm (Craig Stevens). The series debuted in 1956 on NBC.

Pictured on the cover of Dell’s The 77th Bengal Lancers (Four Color #791, Apr. 1957) were Craig Stevens and Phil Carey, as well as scenes from The Adventures of the 77th Bengal Lancers.

Dell Comics’ only issue (FC or successor in interest. #791, Apr. 1957) of the TV series went with the shorter title of The 77th Bengal Lancers. Stories were good, though cliché, and the artwork, which appears to be early Dan Spiegle, was very uncomplicated and straightforward.

TM & © Screen Gems, Inc.

THE ADVENTURES OF RIN-TIN-TIN: The king of all movie and TV dog stars, Rin-Tin-Tin was a German shepherd that was—according to studio publicity—found by a U.S. soldier on the German battlefield in World War I. The dog was brought back to America and trained, and he became a film star in the silent era. Subsequent offspring took his place in films and TV, including in a 1954-1959 ABC-TV series, The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin, a children’s show set in the Old West inside a U.S. Calvary post. In the television program, Rin-Tin-Tin and young Rusty (Lee Aaker) were the sole survivors of a wagon train massacre by Indians and they were “adopted” by the men of B-company as mascots.

(left) Fury was a popular program (five seasons) aimed at kids about a boy (Bobby Diamond) and his horse. Pictured Four Color #1218 (Sept.–Nov. 1961). (right) Zippy the Chimp #51 (Aug. 1957).

Dell issued Rin-Tin-Tin comics (the hyphens came and went) at first through their Four Color series between 1952-1953 (#434, 476, and 573), then continued the numbering with its own title, Rin Tin Tin from #4 (Mar.–May 1954) through #17 (Jan.–Feb. 1957), with beautiful color photos of Rinty gracing all of the covers. However, the title was changed to Rin Tin Tin and Rusty (on the cover only) with issue #18

Fury TM & © the respective holders. Zippy the Chimp © Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.

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ing… and all the time over the top in love with money. The program also featured an excellent group of comedy actors in supporting roles: Harvey Lembeck, Allan Melvin, Paul Ford, Joe E. Ross, Billy Sands, and as the most out-of-shape Army slob ever (and one of the show’s most popular characters), Maurice Gosfield as Pvt. Duane Doberman. The writing for the program was tops in its field. (Neil Simon co-wrote 20 of the later episodes.) A Sgt. Bilko episode was like watching an entire comedy movie squeezed into a halfhour TV sitcom. The CBS series aired from September 20, 1955 to September 11, 1959. SGT. BILKO: Like the television show, the early issues of DC’s Sgt. Bilko comic depended enormously on dialogue. Some pages had so many lengthy word balloons that Bob Oksner’s art was practically squeezed out of the panels. The 18-issue series (May–June 1957 to Mar.–Apr. 1960) had many delights, including the occasional Oksner-drawn bevy of beautiful women. SGT. BILKO’S PRIVATE DOBERMAN: Oksner did double duty with the Bilko TV series by also illustrating a spinoff comic book title, Sgt. Bilko’s Pvt. Doberman. The second title still had Bilko-heavy tales, just with a little more favoritism featuring the rotund private. The DC comic ran for 11 issues (June–July 1958 to Feb.–Mar. 1960).

Lee Aaker and a descendant of the famous canine of the movies starred in the ABC- television series, The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin. Rin Tin Tin #19 (June–July 1957). TM & © the respective holders.

(Apr.–May 1957) in order to capitalize on the TV series and the covers started picturing Rin-Tin-Tin with Aaker and included the TV setting in the stories. Dell put out only two more issues under the Rin Tin Tin indicia title (ending with #20, Aug.–Sept. 1957), and then it officially became Rin Tin Tin and Rusty from #21 through #38 (Oct.–Nov. 1957 through May–July 1961). Dell also published new “Rin Tin Tin” stories in Western Roundup #22 (Apr.–June 1968) through #25 (Jan.–Mar. 1959) . Gold Key also published one issue in 1963, a reprint of #27. Artwork for most, if not all, of the series was by Sparky Moore. YOU’LL NEVER GET RICH / THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW / SGT. BILKO: One of the most enjoyable TV comedies of all time was The Phil Silvers Show (in its first year, it was called You’ll Never Get Rich), though to most viewers it was Sgt. Bilko. Phil Silvers played Master Sergeant Ernie Bilko, a con man extraordinaire and head of the motor pool on a fictional Army base in 1950s Kansas, and Silvers was perfect in the role. He played it alternatively brassy, bullying, and charm-

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

THE BUCCANEERS: Robert Shaw starred in The Buccaneers, a 1956-1957 British TV series that aired on CBS in America. Set in New Providence in the Bahamas in the early 1700s, Shaw played Captain Dan Tempest, brash head of a group of ex-pirates like himself, now helping England. The stories were lighthearted adventure and the TV series lasted 39 episodes. Dell’s only issue (FC #800, May 1957) recapped the first and third episodes of the TV series. The artist, who may have been Tom Gill, did excellent swashbuckling work for the issue, although none of the characters resembled the actors of the TV program.

(opposite page) The success of the DC comic series based on The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sgt. Bilko) warranted a second comic title focused on the popular supporting character, Pvt. Duane Doberman. (top left) Maurice Gosfield and Phil Silvers, Sergeant Bilko #12 (Mar.–Apr. 1959), and (right) Gosfield again, Sgt. Bilko’s Pvt. Doberman #9 (Oct.–Nov. 1959). Bob Oskner created these head-turning covers to (bottom left) Sergeant Bilko #13 (May–June 1959), and (bottom right) 14 (July–Aug. 1959). TM & © Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.

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(left) Spectacular cover of Robert Shaw, star of The Buccaneers, on this issue of Four Color #800 (May 1957). TM & © Official Films, Inc. or successor in interest.

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD: After Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), the finest Robin Hood onscreen was Richard Greene in the likewise-named British television series (1955-1959) that also aired in the United States on CBS. Scripts for the series were intelligent—and occasionally by blacklisted writers from the United States, including Ring Lardner, Jr. and Waldo Salt using pseudonyms. There were 143 episodes produced. Magazine Enterprises had been publishing a comic book of the swashbuckling bandit under the title of Robin Hood, running for five non-TV issues from November 1955 through March 1957. With the sixth issue (June 1957), the M.E. series changed its title to match the television series, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and featured photos of Richard Greene on the cover and the inside front cover. Issues #7 (Sept. 1957) and #8 (Nov. 1957), the final issue, continued this practice. Frank Bolle drew all the Robin Hood adventures, before and after the title change, and did very well with them.

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THE LONE RANGER: The Lone Ranger started as a radio program in January 1933 (lasting through May 25, 1956). From the start, the sole survivor of a group of ambushed Texas Rangers fought for justice in the Old West, accompanied by his trusted Indian companion, Tonto. Created by Fran Striker and George W. Trendle, the “Lone Ranger” property went on to overwhelming success in everything it touched. The ABC-TV series, which starred Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, ran from September 15, 1949 through June 6, 1957, but the program actually only had five seasons of new shows. The balance of (top right) Richard Greene on the cover of the newly retitled The Adventures of Robin Hood #7 (Sept. 1957). (bottom right) Don Spaulding captures Clayton Moore’s likeness on this dynamic painted cover to Dell’s The Lone Ranger #110 (Aug. 1957). The Adventures of Robin Hood TM & © the respective holders. The Lone Ranger TM & © Classic Media, LLC.

the period in-between seasons were reruns. The third season had John Hart replacing Moore due to contract disputes, but Moore returned with the fourth season. Moore and Silverheels also starred in two theatrical movies, The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). While the TV show was on the air, excellent paintings of the Lone Ranger looking like Clayton Moore graced the covers of the long-running comic book series. However, it wasn’t until The Lone Ranger #112 (Oct. 1957), just about the time the final episode was airing, that the comic book cover had a photo of Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger. The photo covers continued for each issue through the final Dell issue, #145 (May–June 1962). Tom Gill drew The Lone Ranger comic book from mid-1951 to the end. His was never a style that cried for attention; instead, he drew tale after tale about the Lone Ranger and Tonto and did so in a pleasing, clean manner.

Dell’s The Cisco Kid #39 (Apr.–June 1958), photo cover featuring Duncan Renaldo. TM & © the respective holders.

When Western started publishing The Lone Ranger under the Gold Key emblem in 1964, the company went with painted covers instead of Moore photos. The one exception was The Lone Ranger Golden West one-shot issue (Oct. 1966), which had pictures of Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels on the front cover and a photo of Moore on the back cover. THE CISCO KID: The Cisco Kid syndicated television program was a joyful adventure series with Cisco and his sidekick, Pancho, riding all over the West, catching bad guys, rescuing beautiful señoritas, and having a great time together. There was usually a bad joke at the end of each show that made them laugh, then an exchange of “Oh, Pancho” and “Oh, Cisco,” and they would ride off together. Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger remains an icon in the hearts of Baby Boomers, a perfect joining of actor and character, a hero who taught children the meaning of goodness. (bottom) The Lone Ranger #123 (Sept. 1958). TM & © Classic Media, LLC.

“The Cisco Kid” was the creation of writer “O. Henry” (William Sydney Porter) and was first brought to the screen in the silent days of cinema. Many films followed in the sound era with various actors as Cisco, but when Duncan

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LASSIE: When one thinks of the Lassie TV series, two images come to mind. One, a somewhat made-up image— the dog rushing up to the adults and barking distressfully—“What’s that, Lassie? Timmy’s trapped in the well again?” And, two, a real image, completely sentimental, during the end credits with Lassie sitting there “smiling,” as it were, and raising one paw. Lassie was the subject of several M-G-M movies and a radio show, but it was the CBS-TV series from 1954 to 1971 and the extended syndicated series from 1971 to 1973 that made the collie such a beloved animal. At first played by a male collie named Pal, Lassies over the next several decades were portrayed

Years before there were “Spaghetti Westerns,” Italian artist Alberto Giolitti was doing excellent work on The Cisco Kid (pictured here from #39, Apr.–June 1958) and other American Western comics. TM & © the respective holders.

Renaldo was cast and then teamed later for five films with Leo Carrillo as Pancho, it was a match made in Heaven, and it continued on for The Cisco Kid TV series from 1950 to 1956. The program was one of the television’s earliest color series. Dell’s first comic of The Cisco Kid was Four Color #292 in 1950. Dell continued with a regular series of The Cisco Kid starting with #2 that same year. However, while the cover paintings often resembled the decorated clothes of the Cisco from television, the interior stories did not. It was not until issue #37 (Oct.–Dec. 1957) that all elements of the television program came together: the first cover photo with Renaldo, the interior art by Alberto Giolitti brought over the clothes, and the story ended with a poor joke by Pancho. The comic title continued with photo covers until #41, the last issue.

(top) Lassie is still the most beloved TV animal of all time. Pictured: Lassie #41 (July–Aug. 1958). (bottom) Lassie deserved to have well-drawn stories and got them, as in this page from Lassie #41 (July–Aug. 1958). TM & © Classic Media, LLC.

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by Pal’s descendants. Among those playing the owners of Lassie on the TV series were Tommy Rettig (1954-1957), Jon Provost (1957-1964), and Robert Bray (1964-1968). The first Lassie comic, entitled The Adventures of M-G-M’s Lassie, was a giveaway in 1950 from Red Heart Dog Food, but the regular newsstand series came from Dell Comics several months later. Reflecting the studio ownership, the title was called M-G-M’s Lassie for the first 36 issues. Starting with #37 (Nov.–Dec. 1957), the title became just Lassie, featuring the adventures of the TV Lassie and Timmy (Jon Provost). Dell’s TV run came to an end with #58 (July–Aug 1962) and Gold Key continued on from 1962 through 1969 with #59 through 70. Gaylord Du Bois was the predominant writer on the series and art was handled extremely well by Bob Fujitani, Jerry Robinson, Warren Tufts, Dan Spiegle and others. Photos of Lassie were used on the first two covers, and then from #37 through 63, and 65 to 70. BROKEN ARROW: Broken Arrow was a major film from 20th Century Fox in 1950 starring James Stewart as real-life Indian agent Tom Jeffords and Jeff Chandler as Cochise, famous chief of the Apaches, and then, six years later, became a television series with John Lupton and Michael Ansara as Jeffers and Cochise, respectively. The TV program carried on from the end of the film when peace had been established between Apache and white man, but it was a constant effort of Jeffords and Cochise to maintain that peace. The series ran on ABC from 1956-1958. The two issues from Dell (FC #855, Nov. 1957, and #947, Nov. 1958) were weak entries into the field of TV adaptations. The stories were subjects that were told a thousand times before and looked like any other Dell Western comic.

TOPPER: In life, George and Marion Kerby (Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys) had been concerned about their friend Topper (Leo G. Carroll) and his lackluster life. When they were killed in an accident, the Kerbys did not ascend to Heaven but remained on Earth as ghosts. Marion realized they needed to do a very good deed… and that was the reinvigorating of their friend Topper, who was the only person who could see the spooks. Also among Topper and Neil on the cover of Four Color #859 (Nov. 1957). the deceased that befriended Topper was a St. Bernard TM & © the respective holders. called Neil. The Topper CBSTV program, which ran from 1953 to 1955, had several episodes written by future Broadway musical composer Stephen Sondheim. (There had also been three theatrical “Topper” movies.) Though the Dell comic adaptation (FC #859, Nov. 1957) entitled Topper and Neil only acknowledged author Thorne Smith’s very popular novel Topper, it was clearly inspired by the television series. The comic eliminated the Kerbys (the raison d’etre for the series’ existence) and left only the dog to interact with Topper. The comic book also gave the Saint Bernard a voice, something not part of either the film or the TV series. Bill Williams drew the Dell comic’s Cosmo Topper looking very much like TV’s Carroll. THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP: There were many marshals in the history of the Old West, but none more famous than Wyatt Earp. Earp’s name has survived over the years and through many movies and a long-running TV series, as well. The ABC television program lasted from 1955 through 1961 and covered many a tale than never happened to the real-life gunman. (top) Fancy clothes and special guns became part of the job for a number of TV western gunfighters in the mid-to-late 1950s.

(left) Four Color #855 and (right) 947 featured lackluster adaptations of the program Broken Arrow. TM & © the respective holders.

Pictured: Hugh O’Brian Famous Marshal Wyatt Earp #7 (June–Aug. 1959). TM & © the respective holders.

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By the time the Dell comic based on TV’s The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp graduated from its three Four Color issues to its own title, it had acquired a similarly lengthy moniker Hugh O’Brian Famous Marshal Wyatt Earp. (top) Issue #4 (Sept.–Oct. 1958). (middle) Early Russ Manning art in Hugh O’Brian Famous Marshall Wyatt Earp #4 (Sept.–Oct. 1958). Charlton was already publishing a Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshall comic but Earp’s appearance went from this in (left) #17 (Aug. 1957) to this in (right) #18 (Nov. 1957) to resemble Hugh O’Brian on the TV show. Atlas did likewise on their Wyatt Earp title. Shortly thereafter, Dell’s covers bore the words “Authorized Edition.” TM & © the respective holders.

The title of the series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, covered that. Earp was such an icon that the TV series had an offscreen male chorus singing “Wyatt Earp… Wyatt Earp… ” within the stories. Hugh O’Brian portrayed Earp as a no-nonsense defender of the law. In the 1950s, several publishers put out comics about Wyatt Earp that imitated the look of the TV version of Earp. However, there was only one official comic based on the TV series and, naturally, that came from Dell Comics (with a necessary “AUTHORIZED EDITION, Wyatt Earp Enterprises, Inc.” boldly displayed on the covers). Dell started with Four Color #860 (Nov. 1957) and followed up with FC #890, and 921 before adding 10 more issues under its own title from #4 to #13 (Dec. 1960-Feb. 1961). Russ Manning’s art truly delivered the goods, showing the tall, lightly-smiling, quick-drawing Earp that was O’Brian. Manning’s run lasted through issue #12, with the final issue drawn by Dan Spiegle. THE SAGA OF ANDY BURNETT: “The Saga of Andy Burnett” was presented on Walt Disney’s Disneyland over two seasons, with three episodes broadcast in each (Oct. 2ndOct.16th, 1957 and Feb. 26thMar. 12th, 1958). Andy Burnett (Jerome Courtland) was a fictional frontiersman from a novel by Stewart Edward White. Burnett carried the long rifle of Daniel Boone (handed down to Burnett) during his travels across the wilderness. Walt Disney’s Andy Burnett appeared in the Dell publication Four Color #865 (Dec. 1957), featuring Jerome Courtland in the title role on this photo cover. TM & © Disney Enterprises, LLC.

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Dell’s only issue of Andy Burnett (FC #865, Dec. 1957) adapted the first three episodes of the TV series. The art by Bill Ziegler was much weaker than his other adaptations. THE ADVENTURES OF KIT CARSON: Famous frontier scout Kit Carson (born Christopher Houston Carson) was made the subject of The Adventures of Kit Carson, a syndicated TV program meant for kids that ran from 1951-1955. The television version of Carson, as portrayed by Bill Williams, helped people right wrongs with his guns and the assistance of his sidekick, “El Toro” (Don Diamond). Two issues of Charlton’s Six-Gun Heroes featured the TV series, #44 (Dec. 1957) and #45 (Mar. 1958), with artists Maurice Whitman and Rocco Mastroserio doing good renditions of the actors. THE SHERIFF OF COCHISE: The Sheriff of Cochise was a Desilu production that had an excellent run in syndication. Aired originally for two years under the initial title from 1956 to 1958, the Sheriff had a job promotion to U.S. Marshal, the new TV series title from 1958 to 1960. John Bromfield played Frank Morgan, a modern-day lawman dealing with problems in Cochise County, Arizona, and later to cover the entire state under his new rank as marshal. Despite having 138 episodes produced, it is a forgotten series today. The American Comics Group (ACG) published a 20-page giveaway comic of The Sheriff of Cochise for Mobil gas stations in 1957. The issue contained three stories with well-done art by Kurt Schaffenberger, resembling the quality of his Superman stories and later ACG work.

(above left) Six-Gun Heroes #44 (Dec. 1957), “The Adventures of Kit Carson.” (above right) A one-shot comic giveaway from Mobil, sponsor of The Sheriff of Cochise. (top right) Interior ad from The Sheriff of Cochise comic. (bottom right) The splash page for The Sheriff of Cochise featured art by Kurt Schaffenberger. TM & © the respective holders.

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1958 TALES OF WELLS FARGO: Tales of Wells Fargo cast Dale Robertson as special investigator Jim Hardie, who traveled to different western towns whenever there was some incident involving a Wells Fargo stagecoach or an office there. Robertson’s performance included a lot of narration, which was never totally necessary but it did manage to bring us closer to identifying with Hardie, an honest man with a very fast left-handed draw. The NBC Western aired from 1957 through 1962, with a change in the last year from 30 minutes to 60 minutes and filmed in color. From 1958 to 1962, there were five comic issues based on the program in the Dell Four Color series (#876, 968, #1023, 1113, and 1167) and one standalone issue (#01-495-207), all of which featured high quality art. The illustrators included Gil Kane, Alberto Giolitti, Mike Sekowsky, and Russ Heath. (With FC #1167, the comic book title changed to Man from Wells Fargo). Gaylord Du Bois wrote many, if not all, of the stories and the first issue, FC #876, adapted two of the TV episodes. Dell’s Western Roundup #22 to 25 also contained Wells Fargo stories. FRONTIER DOCTOR: Not all TV Western programs had heroes who brandished a six-shooter at a moment’s notice. Frontier Doctor was one such program. That wasn’t to say that the good doctor, played by Rex Allen, wasn’t a fighter. It seemed that at least once every episode, he got into a knockdown fistfight with the villains. Stories were nothing spectacular and the 1956-1957 syndicated series ran only 39 episodes.

Dale Robertson starred in the six-season NBC series, Tales of Wells Fargo. (top left) Photo covers to Four Color #876 (Feb. 1958) and (top right) #1113 (July–Sept. 1960), Tales of Wells Fargo. (bottom) Gil Kane was one of several excellent artists who drew the Dell comics based on the Tales of Wells Fargo television series. Four Color #876 (Feb. 1958). TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Rex Allen as Dr. Bill Baxter, star of Frontier Doctor on the cover of Four Color #877 (Feb. 1958).

The Dell comic lasted one issue (FC #877, Feb. 1958), TM & © the respective holders. and the two stories in it were adaptations of TV episodes. The art was by Alex Toth but it was much weaker and thinner than normal, and it stood in stark contrast to his earlier story with the same star in Dell’s Rex Allen Comics #24, Mar.–May 1956, which had Toth’s strong use of light and shadow working perfectly with a very action-oriented tale. (A note about Rex Allen Comics: the bulk of the 31 issues in the series had very weak art, but there was an exception. Russ Manning’s art in #20 and in issues #27 through 30 was not only the best of the entire series, his drawings were a thing of beauty, even at that early point in his career. There were also “Rex Allen” stories in Dell’s Western Roundup #1 through 21, but with Manning art only in #16.)

ZORRO: Zorro, the protector of the poor in old California under Spanish rule, has been one of the most popular characters in fiction since his first appearance in a 1919 Argosy magazine serial called “The Curse of Capistrano” written by Johnston McCulley. In 1920, movie megastar Douglas Fairbanks portrayed him and his true self Don Diego Vega in the silent film, The Mark of Zorro, followed up by Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) with Fairbanks playing Guy Williams was perfect as Walt Disney’s version of Zorro. both Dad and son. A very stylish remake in 1940 of The Four Color #1003 (June–Aug. 1959). Mark of Zorro starred Tyrone Power. Several movie serials © Disney Enterprises, Inc. also featured the masked righter of wrongs (or one of his heirs), each with different actors portraying Zorro.

However, no one was more suited to the role than Guy Williams, the star of the Walt Disney Zorro television series from 1957 to 1959 (plus four one-hour episodes between 1960 and 1961). Williams was tall, handsome, athletic, and portrayed a wry humor… all the requirements necessary for both the fox and the fop. The TV series was an enormous success with kids all across the country; however, Walt Disney decided to end it after just two seasons when ABC, the network airing it, wanted more commercial time put into the program. In comic books, Zorro had appeared in several Dell non-Disney issues going back to 1949, but the Walt Disney Zorro stories started with Four Color #882 (Feb. 1958). The first story in it, “Presenting Señor Zorro,” adapted the TV program’s first episode… and also introduced the perfect artist, Alex Toth, to the series. Toth portrayed Zorro as a supreme man of action, his cape swirling behind him in full majestic glory. (bottom left) The first of the Dell comics featuring Disney’s Zorro was Four Color #882 (Feb. 1958), which adapted the TV pilot. The inside cover features photos from the TV series. (bottom right) Annette Funicello and Guy Williams photo cover to Four Color #1037 (Sept.–Nov. 1959). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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Artist ProfILe: ALEX TOTH Alex Toth was born June 27, 1928 in New York and studied at the School of Industrial Art. He sold his first work to Eastern Color when he was in his teens and continued freelancing for them for several years. Toth was hired by Sheldon Mayer at DC in the late Forties, where he drew Green Lantern and the Flash, as well as Western strips. Toth found drawing to the DC “house brand” of resembling Sy Barry’s art too constrictive and freelanced at EC Comics and Standard. Toth was drafted into the Army in 1954 and, while stationed in Tokyo, he drew an adventure strip, Jon Fury, for the base newspaper. Following his service, Toth settled in Los Angeles and was hired by Western Publishing to work on several of Dell’s TV titles including Roy Rogers and Trigger, Sugarfoot, 77 Sunset Strip, and Walt Disney’s Zorro, which became his masterwork. During the Sixties, Toth went to work in the animation industry as art director on Space Angel, and he was hired by Hanna-Barbera, where he created Space Ghost. Shortly after this, Toth freelanced for DC again and also branched out to Marvel and Warren. It was at Warren that Toth got his last great accomplishment, creating and drawing “Bravo for Adventure,” a story about Jesse Bravo, a daredevil pilot in the 1930s. The feature appeared in second and third issues of The Rook magazine and would be collected later by IDW with previously unseen stories. Alex Toth was an artist highly admired by so very many in the industry and influenced other artists. In recognition, he was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990. Alex Toth died on May 27, 2006.

Zorro and Alex Toth… a perfect combination. Four Color #882 (Feb. 1958). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

The Dell Four Color “Walt Disney’s Zorro” issues ran from February 1958 through September–November 1959 (#882, 920, 933, 960, 976, 1003, and 1037) with Toth in all but the last issue. Warren Tufts was the illustrator of that issue, as well as the next two when it moved into its own title, #8 (Dec. 1959Feb. 1960) and #9 (Mar.–May 1960). Mel Keefer took his turn at #10 (June–Aug. 1960) and then #11 (Sept.–Nov. 1960). Alex Toth returned for one more issue, #12 (Dec. 1960-Feb. 1961), and Warren Tufts was back for #13 (Mar.–May 1961). The final two issues (#14, June–Aug. 1961, and #15, Sept.–Nov. 1961) had weaker art by John Ushler.

THE ADVENTURES OF CLINT AND MAC: Airing during the third season of The Mickey Mouse Club, the serialized story of “The Adventures of Clint and Mac” had two young friends in London—one American (Neil Wolfe), one British (Jonathan Bailey)—trying to earn extra money by delivering a package from a bookseller, only for it to get pinched from them. They went on a desperate hunt to retrieve the package, not knowing it contained the original manuscript of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, which had been stolen from the British Museum. The 15-episode TV serial aired from December 30, 1957 to January 17, 1958.

In 1963, Gold Key’s Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #275 to 278 contained new five-page “Zorro” stories drawn by Nat Edson. Three years later, Gold Key restarted the Walt Disney’s Zorro comic series, with all nine issues being reprints of Dell stories.

The Dell adaptation (FC #889, Mar. 1958), which shortened the title to Clint and Mac, was another powerhouse of incredible illustration by Alex Toth. Even when he drew a panel with nothing in it but the two boys walking off in the background, and silhouettes of the bookseller and a thief in the immediate foreground, Toth was able to stun.

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS: The Last of the Mohicans TV series (syndicated later as Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans) took up where the James Fenimore Cooper novel of the same name left off. Hawkeye, the frontier scout, and Chingachgook, his Mohican friend, ventured across the lands, helping others they met along the way and stopped bad men from preying on settlers and Indians alike. The TV program treated Indians with intelligence and humanity, though it still starred a white man (horror film star Lon Chaney Jr.) as Chingachgook. John Hart played Hawkeye. The syndicated series aired in 1957 for only 39 episodes. The Dell single-issue adaptation (FC #884, Mar. 1958) was drawn by Bob Jenney, whose work here was plain and uninteresting.

(left) Dell’s one issue based on the 1957 TV series Last of the Mohicans featured a cover photo of John Hart and Lon Chaney, Jr. Pictured: Four Color #884 (Mar. 1958). (right) “The Adventures of Clint and Mac,” another serial on The Mickey Mouse Club, starred (L-R) Jonathan Bailey and Neil Wolfe. Four Color #889 (Mar. 1958).

A fine example of Alex Toth’s adaptation of The Mickey Mouse Club serial “The Adventures of Clint and Mac,” from Four Color #889 (Mar. 1958). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Last of the Mohicans TM & © the respective holders. Clint and Mac © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Two illustrations from Alex Toth’s adaptation of the “Clint and Mac” serial from The Mickey Mouse Club for Four Color #889 (Mar. 1958) show the artist’s excellent use of composition. In the first, an elderly gentleman’s immaculate study filled an entire middle panel and it made the reader’s eye scan from a globe filling the left side to the far right side where he sits reading in a comfy chair, highlighted by several ceiling-to-floor windows with white light, thereby separating him from the rest of the panel as an important figure. By contrast, in another panel a thief returned to his flophouse dwellings and Toth did the opposite, filling the panel with hanging clothes, a half-read magazine, an exposed wall where the plaster had come off, and a bed that had never seen a maid. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

THE ADVENTURES OF JIM BOWIE: The Adventures of Jim Bowie was the perfect programming choice for kids, with built-in hero worship for one of the most memorable names to die at the Alamo in 1836. The fictionalized ABC-TV program started out with Bowie (Scott Forbes) getting his specially-designed knife in the first episode that aired September 7, 1956. The series was cancelled after two seasons. The first of Dell’s two issues (FC #893, Mar. 1958 and FC #993, May–July 1959) based on the TV series had art by Scott Forbes on the cover of the second TV tie-in issue (Four Color #993, May–July 1959) of The Adventures of Jim Bowie. TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Dan Spiegle’s art was a major standout in Four Color #993 (May–July 1959), The Adventures of Jim Bowie. TM & © the respective holders.

Bill Ziegler. Ziegler wasn’t always strong with faces (though here he singled out Scott Forbes to draw very carefully), but he did bring a stylized look to the panel layouts, especially in the issue’s second story taking place predominantly in an underground tunnel in New Orleans. The second issue featured Dan Spiegle and his renditions of the Louisiana bayous were jaw-droppingly spectacular. MAVERICK: ABC’s Maverick was one of the most delightful TV Westerns in television history. Bret Maverick was part conman, part rascal, part hero, and part coward. And James Garner was the perfect actor to play him. When other members of the Maverick family showed up to fill in, the other actors never carried off the bit as well as Garner had. (The introduction of his brother Bart Maverick, played by Jack Kelly, in the first season was due to the producers discovering it took more than seven days to film an episode. Having an additional lead and a separate crew made it possible to have a show air each week.) The series ran from 1957 to 1962, but Garner left after the third season.

The Maverick comic featured four members of the Maverick family at different times, and was published April 1958 through April–June 1962. Dan Spiegle illustrated the entire run of the series, six issues of which were in Dell Four Color (#892, 930, 945, 962, 980, and 1005) and then in its own title (running from #7 through #19). Spiegle’s art was perfect for the setting and the characters (capturing Garner with ease), and that was evident from the very first story (an adaptation of the TV series’ first episode). What Alex

Toth brought to Zorro, Dan Spiegle did for Maverick, except where Toth mastered in action sequences, Spiegle drew people who moved leisurely and talked at length, which was completely in tune with the Maverick TV series. LET’S TAKE A TRIP: In 1955, Let‘s Take A Trip, a live weekly children’s program from CBS, was unique for its time by featuring grown-up host Sonny Fox taking two children, Ginger McManus and Brian “Pud” Flanagan, to visit New York-based businesses and sights. The TV series remained on air for approximately three years, with the children replaced late in the run by Joan Terrance and Jimmy Walsh. The single comic book issue of Let’s Take a Trip (#1, Spring 1958) from Pines would certainly make any parent think twice before letting Sonny take their children anywhere. In the comic’s tales, Joan and Let’s Take a Trip #1 Jimmy went on their nor(Spring 1958). mal visits to a Coast Guard © CBS Television, or successors in interest. cruiser, a circus, a Wild West show, and a Seminole village in Florida’s Everglades… but ended up getting caught in a raging sea storm and tied by ropes to the boat, and in the other stories they were menaced by an escaped lion, a wild outlaw bronc, and alligators.

(top) Four Color #930 (July 1958). (bottom) A nice splash page by Dan Spiegle brought to comics the feeling of James Garner’s laid back gambler, Maverick. Four Color #930, July 1958. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

ANNETTE: A Mickey Mouse Club showcase serial for Disney’s favorite Mousketeer, Annette Funicello, Annette (1958) was about a girl from the farm going to live with her aunt and uncle in the city after the death of her parents. The serial had her adjusting to the difference between country and city life (though Disney cities were not exactly Manhattan), and also coming up against the meanness of the most popular girl in school. The serial ran 10 minutes per episode for 19 shows from Walt Disney’s Annette (Four Color #905, May 1958) was a one-issue adaptation drawn by Dan Spiegle of the 19-episode “Annette” serial on The Mickey Mouse Club. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

DC’s The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (left) #1 (May–June 1958) and (right) #5 (Jan.–Feb. 1959). Art by Sid Greene and Joe Giella. TM & © the respective holders.

Disney’s favorite Mousketeer, Annette Funicello, graduated to her own Mickey Mouse Club showcase serial for “Annette” (1958). TM & © Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.

February 11, 1958 to March 7, 1958. The Dell comic adaptation, Walt Disney’s Annette (FC #905, May 1958), had good artwork by Dan Spiegle, though he had trouble getting Annette Funicello just right. Two years later, Dell featured a comic book bio of the young star in Walt Disney Annette’s Life Story (FC #1100, May–July 1960), with Spiegle again but the art was much weaker. THE NEW ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE CHAN: There were two main Asian detectives in the U.S. cinema of the 1930s and 1940s. One was the Japanese Mr. Moto, but that series came to an abrupt end with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The other was the Chinese-American detective, Charlie Chan, along with his very large family. Chan was the creation of Earl Derr Biggers, loosely based on a real-life Honolulu police detective. Chan also appeared on radio for a number of years in NBC Mutual’s The Adventures of Charlie Chan. (Prize Comics had a five-issue run in 1948-1949 of Charlie Chan that tied in to the radio series, with exceptional cover art by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.)

In 1957, a 39-episode syndicated TV series, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, took to the air with J. Carrol Naish as Chan and James Hong as “#1 son.” DC announced in several of their May 1958 comics, “Now, Superman DC National Comics proudly adds to its line of stars the new adventures of television’s top detective… Charlie Chan.” However, DC never really seemed to know how to handle Chan. The comic stories written by John Broome and drawn by Sid Greene did not achieve the feel of the TV series. The title came to an end after just six issues (May–June 1958 to Mar.–Apr. 1959). THE GRAY GHOST: A Civil War adventure series with the South as the good guy? That was the thrust of the syndicated program The Gray Ghost, which was also the nickname of the real-life John Mosby. Each week, Mosby (Tod Andrews) and his militia disrupted the plans of the North and slowed down its eventual victory. The program lasted only one season (from 1957-1958). Of the two issues released by Dell, the first (FC #911, June 1958) was by far the best. The artwork is uncredited, but a compilation of excellent panel layouts and well-drawn characters made it a winner. By comparison, the second The Gray Ghost TV series was a look at the adventures of a real-life Rebel Army leader, John Mosby. Pictured: Tod Andrews as Mosby on the cover of Four Color #911 (June 1958).

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

issue (FC #1000, June–Aug. 1959) had artwork by Ray Bailey, whose efforts on the comic lent more to action sequences. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER: Leave It to Beaver may well be the most enduring family comedy of the 1950s. Theodore (Jerry Mathers), aka “the Beaver,” was always inquisitive about things in life and older brother Wally (Tony Dow) had only half-guesses to some of the answers to the Beav’s questions. This led the Beav into going his own way to find out… which usually got him into some mild trouble. Luckily, he had patient, loving parents (Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley). The series ran from 1957 to 1958 on CBS and then from 1958 to 1963 on ABC. From 1958 to 1962, there were five issues in Dell’s Four Color series (#912, 999, 1103, 1191, and 1285) and just one issue under its own title (#01-428-07, May–July 1962). The artists are unknown but different styles can be detected, with some more successful than others at drawing Mathers and the rest of the cast.

CASEY JONES: Alan Hale, Jr. (best known to everyone in the world as ”Skipper” on Gilligan’s Island) played train engineer Casey Jones in the 1957-1958 syndicated series set in the days when the Old West was dying out and the day of the train was taking over. Casey and his engine, the Cannonball Express, traveled from place to place with Casey aiding friends or being called into service by the government. Four Color #915

Dell’s comic version of the (July 1958), featuring series was limited to just Casey Jones. one Four Color issue (#915, © CBS Television, or successors in interest. July 1958) with art by Bill Ziegler and story by Robert Schaefer. Schaefer was a prolific TV writer whose credits included most of the popular Westerns of the day: The Range Rider, Hopalong Cassidy, The Gene Autry Show, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Annie Oakley, and The Lone Ranger. He also scribed a number of issues in the Dell Four Color series. THE LIFE OF RILEY: “What a revoltin’ development this is!” Actor William Bendix was never better than as eternallyfrustrated working-man, husband, and father, Chester A. Riley, a man of little patience in his pursuit of big dreams. Bendix starred in the radio version that ran for seven years, then a feature film of it, and finally the NBC-TV series in 1953 that aired until 1958. (There had been a one-season version between 1949-1950 with Jackie Gleason as Riley.) Everything Riley did, he did out of the goodness of his heart, but he always screwed things up and then made it worse trying to make things better.

Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow on the photo cover to Four Color #912 (June 1958).

William Bendix was pictured on The Life of Riley one-shot comic (Four Color #917, July 1958), with fun inside art by Mike Sekowsky. © the respective copyright holders.

The Life of Riley comic book adaptation from Dell only lasted one issue (FC #917, July 1958), but it had humorous art by Mike Sekowsky that came close to capturing the puss of Bendix.

TM & © the respective holders.

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BOOTS AND SADDLES: The TV series Boots and Saddles (which was the name of the bugle call for soldiers to get their boots on and mount up) was subtitled onscreen as The Story of the Fifth Cavalry and its 39 episodes were set in and around a fictional Arizona fort. It starred Jack Pickard, Patrick McVey, and Gardner McKay, and like many series of its kind the fort was the stopping-off place for visitors who drove forward each week’s story. The syndicated series aired from 1957 to 1958. Gene Roddenberry wrote four of the episodes, one of which featured his future Star Trek Dr. McCoy, DeForest Kelley. Dell released three issues from 1958 to 1960, with excellent artwork on the first two issues (FC #919 and 1029), but the third issue (FC #1116) had the artist scrimping by using the same photo reference of Pickard on four of the pages. COLT .45: Working undercover for the United States government, Christopher Colt (Wayde Preston) made his way through the Old West, pretending to be a Colt company salesman, but secretly out to capture wanted criminals. The ABC 1957-1960 series, Colt .45, was another Western from Warner Bros., this time created by Roy Huggins, but it was one with a troubled production. The character of Sam Colt, Jr. (played by Dennis May) was brought in when Preston was having a disagreement with Warner Bros during the last season. Preston only appeared in one of the last 13 episodes of the series. The program was also getting bounced all over the week’s schedule as the network tried to find a home for it. The Dell comic book lasted 9 issues (from Aug. 1956 to May– July 1961), three of them under the Four Color series—#924, 1004, and 1058—and then on its own from #4 to #9. Bill Ziegler’s very stylistic art in FC #924 started the run out nicely, followed by excellent work from Dan Spiegle on #1004 and 1058. John Ushler and Nat Edson were brought in for the regular series and the quality of the art went straight south.

Lloyd Bridges in a dramatic photo as Mike Nelson for the cover of Sea Hunt #11 (Oct.–Dec. 1961). TM & © the respective holders.

SEA HUNT: The adventures of skin diver Mike Nelson (Lloyd Bridges) took him everywhere under the sea on assignments ranging from light to heavy, but always ending up with nearly-deadly results. Sea Hunt was a popular program and made Bridges a star. The syndicated TV program, which ran for four seasons (1958-1961), was an Ivan Tors production and featured amazing underwater photography. There were three Sea Hunt issues from Dell under their Four Color title (#928, Aug. 1958, #994, May 1959, and #1041, Oct.–Dec. 1959) and then ten more issues under its own title, running from #4 through 13 (Jan.–Mar. 1960 to Apr.–June 1962). The stories were good, with the best writing occurring in the Four Color issues when it felt more like the show’s early years.

(left) Four Color #1029 (Sept.–Nov. 1959), Boots and Saddles. (right) Colt .45 #7 (Nov. 1960-Jan. 1961). Boots and Saddles TM & © the respective holders. Colt .45 © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Artist duties ended up rotating between Dan Spiegle and Russ Manning, with one issue by Alex Toth. Spiegle’s above-water scenes were good and he excelled in the deep diving exploits of Nelson (FC #928 and #994); however, less so in #7 and #13. Surprisingly, the Toth issue (FC #1041) was

Artist ProfILe: RUSS MANNING With the help of Jesse Marsh, the longtime artist of the Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan Dell comic book, Russ Manning landed his first professional comics work in issue #39 (Dec. 1952) of the title, drawing the ongoing backup feature, “Brothers of the Spear.” Drawing had always come naturally to Manning (born January 5, 1929 in Van Nuys, California), and he studied at the Los Angeles County Art Institute, but it was astonishing how quickly his work would improve from that first published comic story. His clean and realistic style would shine in various Dell movie and TV adaptations, including Rob Roy, Ben-Hur, Summer Magic, Sea Hunt, Rawhide, and 77 Sunset Strip. In the 1960s, Russ Manning’s success grew and grew. In 1963, Magnus, Robot Fighter, a science-fiction comic book series for Gold Key, was a standout in its field. In 1965, Marsh retired and the Tarzan comic book went to Manning (he had already been drawing Korak, Son of Tarzan for a year). And then, Manning was given the daily newspaper strip of Tarzan in 1967 to write and draw, and also the Sunday strip one month later. In 1979, while he was still doing the Tarzan Sunday strip, he was offered the new Star Wars newspaper strip. For a few months, he worked on both titles, but the pressures mounted and he gave up Tarzan. After working on the Star Wars strip for just over a year, however, he had to leave it due to ill health. On December 1, 1981, Russ Manning died from a form of cancer. In 1982, the San Diego Comic-Con established in his honor, “The Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award.” The first recipient was Dave Stevens, who had been Manning’s assistant. An action page drawn by Russ Manning for Sea Hunt #11 (Oct.–Dec. 1961) included an excellent likeness of the series star, Lloyd Bridges. TM & © the respective holders.

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the weakest artistically, with scratchy inking and simplification of panel layouts and faces. Manning took over the drawing when it became its own title (#4) and he was the series’ best artist, giving the characters a realism missing from Spiegle and Toth. HAVE GUN—WILL TRAVEL: If people were in trouble and had enough money, Paladin (Richard Boone) was the gunfighter they called upon. He may have acted refined in the fancy San Francisco hotel he called home, but when he was working he showed up dressed plainly, sometimes in black. Paladin was also inclined to change sides if he didn’t like the person he was representing. Have Gun—Will Travel was one of TV’s best Westerns, with writing superior to most. The program was part of CBS’s lineup for six seasons, from 1957 to 1963. Paul S. Newman wrote all of the Paladin stories for Dell’s Have Gun, Will Travel comic book series. Bob Correa drew the first of the Four Color issues (#931, Aug. 1958), then Alberto Giolitti handled #983 (Apr.–June 1959) and 1044 (Oct.–Dec. 1959). When it became its own title (starting with #4, Jan.– Mar. 1960), the art was given over to Ray Bailey, who also did the fifth issue, but it was back to Giolitti, from the sixth to the fourteenth (and last) issues (July–Sept. 1962).

THE RESTLESS GUN: In 1953, James Stewart starred in a one-season radio show called The Six Shooter about a fast gun in the Old West named Britt Ponset, and Stewart’s folksy charm was a big part of the radio series. In early 1957, a TV adaptation of the program was tested on the The Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, this time with John Payne playing Ponset. When it went to series on NBC on September 23, 1957, it was called The Restless Gun and the character’s name had been changed to Vint Bonner. Bonner was a man who drifted job to job, town to town, but carried him with a reputation for gunfighting, though he preferred to settle things without violence. Payne was rather dour in the role during the series’ two seasons.

(left) Four Color #1044 (Oct.–Dec. 1959), “Have Gun, Will Travel.” (top and bottom right) Cover of Four Color #1146 (Nov. 1960Jan. 1961) for The Restless Gun and inside art by Doug Wildey. Have Gun, Will Travel CBS Broadcasting Inc. The Restless Gun TM & © the respective holders.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Dell did a total of five Four Color issues between 1959 and 1961 based on the TV series. The first issue (FC #934) had very nice art by Mel Keefer, with good resemblances to Payne. The next three issues (FC #986, 1045, and 1089) had much weaker art by Nat Edson. The final issue (FC #1146) had exceptional art by Doug Wildey, so realistic it was as close to actual photos as one could get. HIGH ADVENTURE: Lowell Thomas was a well-regarded real-life reporter (famous for bringing T.E. Lawrence, aka “Lawrence of Arabia,” to prominence with a series of interviews) and he was respected for his world-traveling documentaries. Thomas began reporting in the early 20th century and his fame lasted until he died in 1981. High Adventure was a series of fascinating travelogues starring Thomas in rarely-seen foreign places. The program ran from 1955 to 1958 on CBS. Dell’s two comic book issues (FC #949, Nov. 1958, and FC #1001, Aug.–Oct. 1959) based on the documentaries were written by Gaylord Du Bois and drawn by Bob Fujitani. Both issues were straightforward educational comics with Thomas as the lead character and narrator. THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW: Normally, the singing Lennon Sisters would not make it into a history such as this since they were more a part of the music field; however, they were a very popular part of TV’s The Lawrence Welk Show, appearing on the program from 1955 to 1968.… and there wasn’t just one comic book about them drawn by Alex Toth, there were two! Alex Toth could even make a biography of the Lennon Sisters a visual pleasure. Pictured: interior page of The Lennon Sisters Life Story (Four Color #951, Nov. 1958). TM & © the respective holders.

(left) Dell’s Four Color comic series covered all genres, including two issues for the popular TV documentary program High Adventure. Pictured: Four Color #949 (Nov. 1958). (right) The popularity of the Lennon Sisters on The Lawrence Welk Show led to two Dell comics: One, an account of their show-biz rise (pictured, Four Color #951, Nov. 1958), and the other, a fictional “Nancy Drew”-type of adventure—with both drawn by Alex Toth.

The Lennon Sisters Life Story (Dell FC #951, Nov. 1958) came relatively early in the career of the sisters (Dianne, Peggy, Kathy, and Janet) and told of their rise in show biz. The biography of the musical family was superbly illustrated by Toth. The second comic, however, simply titled The Lennon Sisters (FC #1014, July–Sept. 1959), was a Nancy Drew-like adventure with them getting stranded on a country road one dark and stormy night. The sisters took refuge in a spooky farmhouse, where the young women found themselves amidst a gang of car thieves. Toth’s work had a lot more atmosphere than character work here, dismissing faces to a few simple strokes. RICKY NELSON: A month after the Lennon Sisters had their Dell debut, Ricky Nelson was also given a comic book. His parents, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, were very popular stars on radio, with sons Ricky and David filling out the cast of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which enjoyed a

TM & © the respective holders.

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successful comedy run from 1944 through 1954, appearing in different years for CBS, NBC, and ABC. And during this time on radio, DC published a five-issue comic series of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 1949 to 1950. In 1952, the family starred in a theatrical movie called Here Come the Nelsons, which foreshadowed ABC’s The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet TV program that premiered in October of that year. At the time, Ricky Nelson was only 12 years old… but in five years (the program ran until 1966) he became a handsome young man and a singing sensation, the heartthrob for teenage girls. Dell Comics put together four Ricky Nelson issues within their Four Color anthology title from 1958 to 1961. The first three (FC #956, 998, and 1115) were silly humor comics. However, storywise and artwise, the fourth issue (FC #1192) would make anyone do a double take. Russ Manning’s art was as dramatic as one of his 77 Sunset Strip stories, with Ricky Nelson in Hong Kong, caught up in intrigue and diamond smuggling.

1959 LAWMAN: John Russell starred as Marshal Dan Troop and Peter Brown was his young and inexperienced deputy, Johnny McKay, in Lawman, yet another successful Western series from Warner Bros. The ABC program ran from 1958 to 1962, featuring adventures set in and around Laramie, Wyoming. Troop could be very tough with the villains he faced, but also knew when a gentler justice outweighed Dell’s Lawman #5 the law. Actor Russell’s (Aug.–Oct. 1960). hardened visage and expeTM & © the respective holders. rience as a Marine in World War II certainly gave him a convincing air. On the opposite end of the scale, Brown’s boyish smile and eagerness onscreen was enough to balance things out. There were two issues of Lawman from Dell under their Four Color series (#970, Feb. 1959, and #1035, Nov. 1959-Jan. 1960) and then nine issues under its own title (from #3, Feb.–Apr. 1960, through #11, Apr.–June 1962). Dan Spiegle’s art for all issues was a full-on Western experience. When he drew Marshal Troop walking through a saloon, it was possible to hear the glasses clinking and the upright piano playing… and when a showdown on the street was about to take place, it played out like a movie with townsfolk scurrying to hide. The first story in Four Color #970 was an adaptation of the pilot episode for the television series. WAGON TRAIN: One of the longest-running TV shows with a Western theme was Wagon Train, the story of people striving to go west to find their promised land, led by Major Seth Adams (Ward Bond) and his scout, Flint McCullough (played by Robert Horton). (When Bond died, he was replaced by John McIntyre as Christopher Hale, and Robert Fuller became the new scout, Cooper Smith, after Horton opted to move on.) These were often tales of quiet bravery in the face of impossible odds and hardships by very courageous people who wanted a better life out West. The highly-regarded program aired on NBC from 1957-1962 and

Ricky Nelson, co-star of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, found himself in a world of intrigue in Dell’s Four Color #1192 (Aug. 1961), with superb art by Russ Manning. TM & © Eric Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Gray Nelson.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

(opposite page, top left) The original TV cast of Robert Horton and Ward Bond on the cover of Dell’s Wagon Train #7 (Oct.–Dec. 1960). (bottom left) Dynamic artwork by Warren Tufts for Gold Key’s Wagon Train #4 (Oct. 1964). (top right and bottom right) Warren Tufts took the art of Wagon Train to magnificent heights in Gold Key’s first issue (Jan. 1964). © Universal Television.

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then on ABC from 1962-1965, attracting many of movies’ biggest stars, including Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Darnell, Ronald Reagan, and Mickey Rooney, as well as many actors who were on the cusp of fame (among them were Leonard Nimoy, Lee Van Cleef, Yvonne Craig, Louise Fletcher, and Dennis Hopper). In a time when there were so many Western titles, comic artists were spread thin, but After Ward Bond’s death and Robert Horton leaving the with a hit TV title like Wagon show, the replacement cast Train it should have gone to included John McIntyre, Scott one of their better illustrators. Miller, and young Michael Instead, the stories based on Burns. Gold Key’s Wagon the series during the Dell Train #4 (Oct. 1964). run from 1958 to 1962 (which © Universal Television. included FC #895, 971, and 1019, and its own title #4 to 13, and the tales in Western Roundup #22 to 25) were handled by very weak artists. However, when the title came under the Gold Key imprint for four issues in 1964, the artwork improved in quality a thousand-fold under the pencil of Warren Tufts. There was magnificence in what Tufts brought to Western drawings. Whether it was drawing people on drives or eating by a chuck wagon, Tufts brought style and an understanding of being there. THE PAT BOONE CHEVY SHOWROOM: In 1957, ABCTV gave Pat Boone, singer and sometimes actor, his own variety program, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. The series ran for three seasons, ending in 1960. During that time, DC Comics got involved with Boone twice.

DC’s five-issue Pat Boone series was an unusual comic for its time, a combination of articles and comic-illustrated stories about Boone. Pat Boone #1 (Sept.–Oct. 1959). © Cooga Mooga Products, Inc.

The first involved a guest spot in Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #9 (May 1959). In the story, “Superman’s Mystery Song,” Lois Lane was as big a fan of Pat Boone as she was of Superman. When Boone just happened to visit the Daily Planet, he caught her singing in prep for an office party and asked her to appear on his TV

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Bob Oksner drew several stories in the Pat Boone comic series, all dealing with young teenage problems or looking at the singer’s homelife. Pictured: A page from Pat Boone #1 (Sept.–Oct. 1959). © Cooga Mooga Products, Inc.

show. Lois conned Clark into writing lyrics for a song about Superman but, in a daze after a rough night’s sleep, he came up with words that accidentally revealed his secret identity. The rest of the story involved Superman stopping everyone from hearing the song. Dick Sprang’s drawings of the singer looked more like Dick Clark than Pat Boone. DC’s second time with Boone was giving him his own comic book title, and it was an odd combination of magazine-like articles and comic stories. Bob Oksner was the major comic artist throughout the five-issue series (Sept.– Oct. 1959 through May–June 1960), doing spot illustrations in each issue’s opening text installment about the life of Pat Boone. In addition, Oksner illustrated comic book style stories about Boone helping teenage girls to put on a prom or join a sorority. There were also Oksner-drawn comic stories about the homelife of the Boones. The rest of each issue were photo-illustrated articles about celebrities. Plus, of course, ads for Pat Boone merchandise.

WALT DISNEY PRESENTS: In 1958, the Walt Disney TV program underwent a name change from Walt Disney’s Disneyland to Walt Disney Presents. Under the new title, the program aired recurring serials of three different real-life adventurers: Elfego Baca, John Slaughter, and Francis Marion. While they did not achieve the success of the Davy Crockett programs, they were all excellent entertainment. THE NINE LIVES OF ELFEGO BACA: Elfego Baca, a Mexican American in New Mexico of the Old West, was a lawman, a lawyer, a mayor, and a district attorney. One of the great factual stories surrounding his legend was how, in 1844, he was trapped in a small shack-like building while a surrounding force of gunmen fired approximately 4,000 rounds of ammunition into it—and he came out unharmed. He was a lawman who wrote letters to outlaws to come in and surrender themselves to him, and if they did not he

Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #9 saw a cover appearance by Pat Boone, while inside Lois Lane was featured on the contemporary program This is Your Life. © DC Comics.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE: Each week on This is Your Life, a famous person was surprised by host Ralph Edwards, and then his or her life was examined, with family and friends to talk about the guest. The program debuted on NBC in 1952 and continued on air until 1961. In Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #9 (the same issue that had the Pat Boone story), Lois was the subject of a cruel, elaborate hoax by Superman and everybody she loved. Seeking to make Lois “The Most Hated Girl in Metropolis!”, they did it to get her to leave and go to Hollywood in order to be caught unaware by Edwards on This is Your Life. (It was actually the second time Edwards appeared in a DC comic, the first being Action Comics #127, December 1948, when he was host of the radio game show Truth or Consequences. Guests failing to answer a question were made to do an embarrassing stunt. In the comic, Superman was the fall guy, and wearing an apron he was sprayed in the face by Edwards wielding a seltzer bottle.)

Matching the new name for the Disney weekly TV program, Dell’s Walt Disney Presents comic series included Disney’s “The Swamp Fox,” “The Tales of Texas John Slaughter,” and “The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca.” Walt Disney Presents #3 (Mar.–May 1960), with (clockwise) Leslie Nielsen, Tom Tryon, and Robert Loggia. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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would kill them on sight. The Disney multi-episode series, “The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca,” dealt with all of these parts of his life, and did it well. Robert Loggia played Baca with considerable charm. The 10-part series aired on Walt Disney Presents from October 3, 1958 to March 5, 1960. THE TALES OF TEXAS JOHN SLAUGHTER: In the television serial, which appeared periodically between October 31, 1958 and April 23, 1961, John Slaughter became a Texas Ranger after his ranch hand was killed by the Frank Davis gang. As played by Tom Tryon, Slaughter was a straightforward man who kept on doing what he knew was right even when the odds were against him. (The real Slaughter was also a Texas Ranger, and then joined to fight in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He later became a lawman again, but in Arizona.) There were 17 episodes produced about Slaughter, making it the longest running of the serials based on the three men. THE SWAMP FOX: Lt. Col. (later Brigadier General) Francis Marion was a real-life American hero of the Revolutionary War, known as “The Swamp Fox” for the way he and his militia struck out at British soldiers and then vanished into the swampland of South Carolina. Walt Disney brought Marion to the small screen in the person of Leslie Nielsen. There were a total of eight episodes of this very entertaining series over two seasons of Walt Disney Presents, starting with the first chapter on October 23, 1959, and ending with the January 15, 1961 program. Dell Comics’ first issue based on the Walt Disney Presents TV series—and titled the same—set out to combine the heroes from the series. That first issue was Four Color #997 (June– Aug. 1959) and included only “The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca” and “The Tales of Texas John Slaughter” (The Swamp Fox wouldn’t air for several months yet). Dell moved Walt Disney Presents to its own regular title, with numbering starting at #2 (Dec. 1959-Feb. 1960) and “The Swamp Fox” was added to share space with “Elfego Baca”… but “Slaughter” was temporarily out. Finally, with #3 (Mar.–May 1960), all three shared the comic book through the last issue, #6 (Dec. 1960-Feb. 1961). Artists included Sparky Moore, Warren Tufts, John Ushler, and Dan Spiegle. Following the cancellation of the title, “The Swamp Fox” and “Texas John Slaughter” each got one full issue in the Four Color series (#1179, Mar.–May 1961, and #1181, Apr.–June 1961, respectively). THE RIFLEMAN: The TV Westerns of the 1950s were filled with heroes who rode across this country to right wrongs. The Rifleman was different, featuring widower Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) and his son, Mark (Johnny Crawford), both of whom basically stayed at their ranch or just went into town for supplies. The stories themselves were written for an adult audience but with enough for the younger viewer to identify with Mark. The ABC-TV series, which ran from 1958

to 1963, was created by Arnold Laven and developed by Sam Peckinpah, who later became famous as the director of the film, The Wild Bunch. Dell issued one Four Color comic (#1009, July–Sept. 1959), with art by Dan Spiegle, and then immediately went with The Rifleman under its own series from January–March 1960 (#2) through July–September 1962 (#12), with excellent art by Warren Tufts in issues #2 through #9. Gold Key continued the series from #13 through #20 (Nov. 1962 to Oct. 1964), with several issues drawn by Dan Spiegle once again. BUCKSKIN: The title of the NBC Western series Buckskin referred to Buckskin, Montana where the series was set and where Annie O’Connell (Sallie Brophy) and her son, Jody (Tommy Nolan), ran a hotel/boardinghouse. Stories involved the people who stayed briefly at the hotel. 39 episodes were produced from 1958-1959. Artwork for the two issues by Dell (FC #1011, July–Sept. 1959, and FC #1107, June–Aug. 1960) was by Sparky Moore, offering very good likenesses to Brophy and Nolan. BAT MASTERSON: Gene Barry played the real-life Bartholomew Masterson, known simply as “Bat Masterson.” Masterson was quick with a gun but preferred to not use it, instead defusing situations with a quick use of his cane against people looking for a fight. The TV series glorified those days and showed him to be one of the Old West’s fanciest dressers, with Barry bringing his own class to the role. The NBC program ran from 1958 to 1961. Two years later, Barry was back in another series about a well-dressed lawman, this time fictional, in Burke’s Law.

(left) Though a TV series aimed at adults, The Rifleman was often seen from the viewpoint of young Mark McCain (Johnny Crawford) observing his father (Chuck Connors). The Rifleman #5 (Oct.–Dec. 1960). (right) A dramatic studio portrait featuring Tommy Nolan and Sallie Brophy in Buckskin (Four Color #1011, July–Sept. 1959). TM & © the respective holders.

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Jerry Robinson hopped from drawing Batman to Bat Masterson, providing great art for the run of the Dell Western series which first appeared in its Four Color series (#1013, Aug.–Oct. 1959), and then eight more issues (#2-9) under the Bat Masterson title (cover dated from Feb.–Apr. 1960 to Nov. 1961-Jan. 1962). Robinson’s work was a blessing to the title, not only capturing Barry’s likeness exceedingly well, he brought the same high quality of work to the surroundings that would be found in a Doug Wildey Western story. Gaylord Du Bois handled the scripting for the entire Dell series.

Dell issued two comics in the Four Color line. The first, #1027 (Sept.–Nov. 1959), had two well-drawn stories by Mel Keefer. The second, #1096 (May–July 1960), was illustrated by Dan Spiegle; unfortunately, Spiegle’s work here was very laid back and pedestrian.

THE TEXAN: The Texan was the nickname given to Bill Longley in this Western TV series from CBS that ran from 1958 through 1960. Longley was a real-life gunman from the Old West, but he had a reputation as a cold-blooded killer. Rory Calhoun, who said he identified with the bad boy side of Langley, portrayed him on the show as a heroic type, true to his word and a good friend to people as he roamed from town to town.

RAWHIDE: From 1959 to 1966 on CBS, they kept “rollin’, rollin’, rollin’” as the drovers moved the cattle from place to place in Rawhide, finding trouble along the way, whether it be within the group of men from the pressures of the long drives, or from outside troublemakers. Though Clint Eastwood was on the show, it

Gene Barry starred as dapper, real-life western lawman Bat Masterson on NBC from 1958 to 1961. Four Color #1013 (Aug.–Oct. 1959). © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.

(top) Rory Calhoun as Bill Longley, pictured on the cover of Four Color #1096 (May–July 1960), The Texan. (bottom) Clint Eastwood dominated the cover over Rawhide star Eric Fleming for Four Color #1261 (Dec. 1960-Feb. 1961). The Texan TM & © the respective holders. Rawhide TM & © CBS Broadcasting Inc. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

CHAPTER 1: The 1940s-1950s

Westward Ho-ley Moley! Seven of Warner Bros.’ top TV gunslingers got together for a 1959 photo: (L-R) Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot), Peter Brown (Lawman), Jack Kelly (Maverick), Ty Hardin (Bronco), James Garner (Maverick), Wayde Preston (Colt .45), and John Russell (Lawman). © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

is largely forgotten today that Eric Fleming was the star of the TV series as trail boss Gil Favor, with Eastwood supporting him as ramrod Rowdy Yates. A variety of master craftsman handled the art for the Rawhide comic book, including Warren Tufts whose experience in drawing Western comic stories dated back to his own comic strip, Casey Ruggles. The first of the Dell Rawhide issues (FC #1028, Sept.–Nov. 1959) showed Tufts loved the genre. Russ Manning’s handling of the second issue (FC #1097, May–July 1960) was very clean and pleasant to the eye. Dan Spiegle drew the rest of the Dell Four Color issues between 1961 and 1962 (#1160, 1202, 1261, and 1269), plus the title’s stand-alone issue (#01-684-208) and Gold Key’s #1 (July 1963) and #2 (Jan. 1964) of the title. STEVE CANYON: The TV adventures of Milton Caniff’s comic strip Steve Canyon was one of the most expensive shows ever created for the small screen in the 1950s. Dean Fredericks starred as Canyon, but he was bland-looking, not the hero as drawn by Caniff. The program’s stories took Steve Canyon everywhere people needed help, and plenty of footage of U.S. aircraft was used throughout the series. The NBC series lasted only one season, airing from 1958-1959. Dell’s comic book adventures of Steve Canyon had been within its Four Color series since 1953, but it was only the last of these that had a tie-in to the television program. Four Color #1033 (Sept.–Nov. 1959) featured a cover photo of Fredericks, with other pictures of the actor appearing on the inside cover and the back cover. Ray Bailey, in his best Caniff-like style, drew several of the previous non-TV tie-in issues of Steve Canyon and he did likewise in this issue.

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Dean Fredericks as TV’s version of Steve Canyon on the (left) front and (above) back cover of Four Color #1033 (Sept.–Nov. 1959). TM & © the Milton Caniff Estate.

CHAPTER 2:

It was an era that started with John F. Kennedy beating Richard Nixon in the 1960 Presidential election. Space exploration was the order of the day, but Americans were worried about other missiles—Russian missiles brought to the island of Cuba for the sole purpose of being in range of America. Nuclear war was at hand, but Kennedy’s strong hand made Khrushchev blink and remove the weapons of mass destruction. It was an era when, on November 22, 1963, CBS interrupted their programming and Walter Cronkite told the country that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. The death of the young president put the country into shock. Two days later, Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin, was murdered by Jack Ruby inside a police station—and it was captured live on television. The following day, the Kennedy funeral was broadcast on all three networks. If that pain had not been enough, in 1968, his brother Robert was killed by an assassin a few moments after he had won the California primary, and television cameras were just a few feet away. Adding horror on top of that, Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered that same year. The country was also mired in Vietnam and America’s youth did not want to be there. “Make love, not war” was the slogan of the new generation. It was a country ripped apart and the division between hawks and doves was never more apparent. Television, while documenting the tragedies, still managed to entertain with Batman, Perry Mason, Star Trek,

The 1960s

The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Dream of Jeannie, The Beverly Hillbillies, Honey West, The Green Hornet, and many, many others. Dr. Richard Kimble proved his innocence in the final episode of The Fugitive, garnering the highest viewership of any program to that date. And the decade ended with President Kennedy’s dream realized as the world watched a man walk on the Moon. The comic books in the 1960s were also an amazing time with the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men added to the newsstand racks alongside Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League of America. The 1960s was not only a Silver Age for superheroes, it was that for TV comics, too—starting in 1962 when kids saw their favorite Dell titles bearing a new imprint, “Gold Key.” As mentioned in the Introduction, Western Printing & Lithographing Company had been producing the comics for Dell, including writing, drawing, and printing. They also held the comic book licensing rights for the majority of the TV shows, movies, and other characters, but Dell paid the bills and did the distribution. A clash between the two companies about money ended with Western keeping the comic book titles (and the artists and writers) and printing them under the new Gold Key insignia. Dell’s remaining and subsequent new titles (including Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, and Car 54, Where Are You?) looked weaker than Gold Key’s polished cover design and printing. However, Dell continued on through the rest of the decade, giving competition to Western.

CHAPTER 2: The 1960s

1960 77 SUNSET STRIP: 77 Sunset Strip was one of TV’s most popular private detective series, running from 1958 through 1964 on ABC, but its popularity was not because of the private eyes in it. Though the male leads were handsome Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Roger Smith, it was the attendant of the parking lot next door, “Kookie,” played by Edd Byrnes, whom the teenage female fans loved. He was hip, he was cool, and his speech contained language so bizarre that a translation was needed. The program was TV’s first hourlong private eye series.

1962). With the move away from Dell, Western published two more issues (#1, Nov. 1962, and #2, Feb. 1963) under its new Gold Key imprint. The comic book series had two illustrators who were both extraordinary talents, and each had a style that was completely different from the other—but it is impossible to select who was better suited to handle the title.

Beginning in 1960, Dell released six 77 Sunset Strip issues in their Four Color series (#1066, 1106, 1159, 1211, 1263, and 1291), and then a oneshot issue (#01-742-209, Sept.

The public chooses who they want to make stars and, in the case of 77 Sunset Strip, teenage viewers chose supporting actor Edd “Kookie” Byrnes. The 77 Sunset Strip comics also elevated his role in the stories and his place on the covers (top left: Four Color #1066, Jan.–Mar. 1960). (bottom left) “Standing still” didn’t seem to be built into Alex Toth’s artistic vocabulary. And even sound effects on paper didn’t just hang there—they would curve around a corner with Kookie’s hot rod in this 77 Sunset Strip comic adventure. Four Color #1066 (Jan.–Mar. 1960). (right) Even fans of “Kookie” on 77 Sunset Strip needed “Kookie Talk,” a one-page feature on the inside cover of Four Color #1066 (Jan.–Mar. 1960), that translated his expressions into regular English. © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

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than anybody how to do things. The sitcom was a hit and ran from 1957 to 1962 on ABC and from 1962 to 1963 on NBC. Dell waited until two years into the TV run before coming out with Four Color #1071 (Jan.–Mar. 1960), but it was worth the wait. Alex Toth applied a simple approach to the art and it worked, and the stories were genuinely funny. Scripts for that first issue were by writing partners Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer, who not only wrote comics based on movie and TV shows for Dell and Gold Key, they were both active writers in television. With the second installment, Four Color #1134 (Sept.–Nov. 1960), Toth got very much more detailoriented and the 32 pages made up a joyful tour-de-force. With the third of the Four Color issues (#1193, June–Aug. 1961), Toth was gone and the art was weaker, as it also was with the next (#1265, Dec. 1961-Feb. 1962). Dell did one issue under its own title (#01-689-207, May–July 1962) but it would be the last issue.

Under Russ Manning’s pencil, the actors of 77 Sunset Strip were captured perfectly. They were living, breathing characters in his drawings and he just put them to work naturally throughout the stories. 77 Sunset Strip #1 (Nov. 1962). © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Alex Toth’s excellent line work highlighted the first three issues of 77 Sunset Strip that appeared in the Dell Four Color series, with plenty of action sequences and Toth’s great use of shadows. Russ Manning drew the rest of the issues and the contrast between the two artists was remarkable. Both Toth and Manning captured the stars’ likeness extremely well, but Manning was the victor in that area. Manning’s was a clean, beautiful style, and he seemed to know the actors from every angle. THE REAL McCOYS: The Real McCoys was sort of the first Beverly Hillbillies, except in this case the McCoys were a family that moved from their farm in the hills of West Virginia to another farm in California, this time in the San Fernando Valley—and they were not rich. The cast included Richard Crenna as Luke and Kathy Nolan as his wife, Kate, but the star of the show was Walter Brennan as Grandpa Amos, a cantankerous old soul who always thought he knew better

Richard Crenna, Walter Brennan, and Kathy Nolan starred in The Real McCoys, a six-season comedy hit. Four Color #1265 (Dec. 1961-Feb. 1962). © Brennan-Westgate Productions, Inc. © sfm Entertainment. © Inception Media Group.

CHAPTER 2: The 1960s

The Real McCoys TV series was carried over into five Dell comic issues and the first two featured very funny art by Alex Toth, especially the inside back cover of Four Color #1134 (Sept.–Nov. 1960). © Brennan-Westgate Productions, Inc. © sfm Entertainment. © Inception Media Group.

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THE REBEL: From 1959 to 1961, Nick Adams starred as Johnny Yuma, The Rebel of the title. The ABC series told of his wanderings across the country after his time in the Confederate Army. Yuma’s most important possession was a journal in which he wrote about his life, trying to come to terms with the brutality of the war and living afterwards. Yuma was another knight of the Old West, and the episodes were well-written. Guest stars included Dan

The Deputy was a western drama starring Henry Fonda, but Allen Case as the deputy of the title was the main focus of the stories. (left) Four Color #1077 (Feb.–Apr. 1960) and #1130 (Sept.–Nov. 1960). © NBC Universal, Inc.

Blocker, Robert Vaughn, and Leonard Nimoy. In the summer of 1962, NBC aired it in reruns. Dell’s four issues based upon the show had good stories by Gaylord Du Bois. Mike Sekowsky’s art was excellent at capturing Nick Adams and provided a strong Western atmosphere (or, at least, a TV Western atmosphere). The first issue (FC #1076, Feb.–Apr. 1960) adapted the pilot episode of the TV series in which Yuma returned to his hometown and found out his father, a sheriff, had been murdered. The second and third issues (FC #1138, Oct.–Dec. 1960, and FC #1207, Sept.–Nov. 1961) were equally as impressive. The last issue (FC #1262, Dec. 1961-Feb. 1962) was weaker because a different inker, lighter in style, reduced the impact of Sekowsky’s art (Dec. 1961-Feb. 1962).

(top) Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma in The Rebel (Four Color #1138, Oct.–Dec. 1960). (bottom) All four issues of Dell’s The Rebel (Four Color #1076, 1138, 1207 and 1262) contained good artwork by Mike Sekowsky. Four Color #1207 (Sept.–Nov. 1961). © The Rebel Company.

THE DEPUTY: Henry Fonda took a very rare television series role as the marshal on The Deputy, a part that allowed him to make a short appearance per show and leave plenty of time for making films. The character of “The Deputy” was a local merchant (Allen Case) who also happened to be deadly with a gun, taking up the responsibilities of a parttime deputy when the marshal needed him to help out. It was a good series, sometimes taking overused Western plots and turning them on their head. The NBC program ran two seasons, from 1959 to 1961. There were three issues to the Dell adaptation, and the first two (FC #1077, Feb.–Apr. 1960, and FC #1130, Sept.–Nov. 1960) contained very good artwork by John Buscema, with excellent renditions of Fonda and Chase. The final issue (FC #1225, Oct.–Dec. 1961) had adequate artwork by Jack Sparling. Paul S. Newman wrote the first issue.

CHAPTER 2: The 1960s

Artist ProfILe: JOHN BUSCEMA John Buscema was born Giovanni Buscema on December 11, 1927 in Brooklyn. He attended the High School of Music and Art, as well as the Pratt Institute, and in 1948 joined Timely Comics as a staff artist. After publisher Martin Goodman laid off artists and started doling out assignments on a freelance basis, Buscema got work under the company’s new imprint, Atlas. In the mid-1950s, Buscema was drawing Dell’s Roy Rogers Comics. He would also do exceptional work for Dell’s comic book tie-ins of the TV series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot and The Deputy and several movie adaptations. Buscema left the comic book world to work in advertising, but ended up returning to Marvel in 1966. He was given the drawing of The Avengers series, and would soon handle The Sub-Mariner, The Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, and Thor. He first drew Conan in 1970 with the Conan the Barbarian comic book, and then The Savage Sword of Conan magazine, followed by the Conan daily and Sunday newspaper strip, and then ten issues of King Conan. Buscema taught art in the 1970s, and he and Stan Lee co-authored a best-selling guide for young hopefuls, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Two decades later, Lee and Buscema reunited to work on a comic book, but it was in an unimaginable location—at DC Comics! The single issue was Just Imagine Stan Lee with John Buscema Creating Superman. Buscema died on January 10, 2002.

John Buscema provided strong artwork for Four Color #1077 (Feb.–Apr. 1960), the first of three issues Dell based on the NBC program, The Deputy. © NBC Universal, Inc.

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MEN INTO SPACE: A few years before President Kennedy declared that he wanted to put a man on the moon, the CBS TV series Men into Space undertook that same mission idea and others. It was a well-written, single-season (1959-60) drama series that starred William Lundigan as the head of a U.S. astronaut team. Angie Dickinson portrayed Lundigan’s wife in the pilot episode, but Joyce Taylor carried on the role following that.

For the only issue released by Dell (FC #1083, Mar.–May 1960), a perfect choice was made by having Murphy Anderson draw the comic book. Anderson was doing astonishing work at DC on Mystery in Space and Strange Adventures, as well his comic strip dailies and Sundays on Buck Rogers. While not as great as his DC work, the art for the “Men Into Space” story (written by Gaylord Du Bois) was smart and concise. PETER GUNN: Private detective Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens) was one of the tough P.I.s out of the Mike Hammer school of detecting, except where Hammer was 100% tough, Gunn was tough, charming, and stylish. He dressed in dapper clothes and conducted his business out of “Mother’s,” a jazz nightclub where Gunn’s girlfriend, Edie Hart (Lola Albright) sang, when he wasn’t butting heads with his friend, Police Lieutenant Charles Jacoby (Herschel Bernardi). Blake Edwards was the creator of the series, with frequent collaborator Henry Mancini composing the hard-driving theme for the opening. Peter Gunn aired on NBC television from 1958 to 1960, and then switched to ABC from 1960 to 1961. The Dell adaptation (FC #1087, Apr.–June 1960) contained very bold Mike Sekowsky artwork. Gunn’s adventures required a very action-oriented style, which Sekowsky was known for, and the artist could also draw eccentric people (a staple in the TV series). The drawings of the cast were also excellently done. Regrettably, this was the only issue based on the acclaimed TV series. THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS: Dwayne Hickman became a star on TV with The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

(top) William Lundigan headed the cast in the well-written drama, Men Into Space. Four Color #1083 (Mar.–May 1960). (bottom) Splendid art by Murphy Anderson highlighted the Men Into Space comic (Four Color #1083, Mar.–May 1960). © Ziv Television Programs, Inc. or successor in interest.

(left) For many baby boomers, it is near impossible to hear the name “Peter Gunn” and not think of the show’s jazz theme music by Henry Mancini. Four Color #1087 (Apr.–June 1960). (right) DC’s The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis #1 (May–June 1960). Peter Gunn © Timeless Media Group or successor in interest. Dobie Gillis © The Max Shulman Trust.

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Artist ProfILe: MIKE SEKOWSKY Mike Sekowsky was born Michael Sakoske on November 19, 1923 in Lanford, Pennsylvania, a year after his parents moved to the United States from Czechoslovakia. In 1941, Sekowsky started working in the Timely bullpen, where he drew Captain America, the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and others, as well as romance, crime, and Western comics. When the staff was let go in 1949, he freelanced for numerous publishers, including Western Publishing and DC. For Western, Sekowsky drew almost 20 different TV titles for Dell and then Gold Key, including The Rebel, Peter Gunn, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, The Munsters, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. At DC, he illustrated romance comics for a few years and then got a break by drawing the debut of Adam Strange in Showcase #17 to 19 in the late Fifties. Science-fiction stories then followed in DC’s Mystery in Space and Strange Adventures. Sekowsky also got to draw the first appearance of the Justice League of America in The Brave and the Bold #28 in 1960 (as well as their second and third appearances in issue #29 and 30… and he remained the artist for the first 63 issues of the Justice League of America title). He drew many of DC’s superheroes, but his most notable series after the JLA was his 19-issue run on Wonder Woman, starting with #178 (Sept.–Oct. 1968) in which writer Denny O’Neil transformed the Amazon from a superheroine to a non-powered, martial arts adventuress. Sekowsky returned to Marvel in the 1970s to draw “The Inhumans,” a Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up story, and a few romance comics. He went to Hollywood in the Eighties and worked on several Hanna-Barbera series. Unfortunately, he suffered from diabetes-related health problems and he died on March 30, 1989. Mike Sekowsky’s art for the Peter Gunn comic did exceeding well in bringing over the looks of cast members Craig Stevens, Lola Albright, and Herschel Bernardi. Four Color #1087 (Apr.–June 1960). Peter Gunn © Timeless Media Group or successor in interest.

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WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE: Like the movie roles he played later, Steve McQueen did not need a lot of dialogue in his starring role of bounty hunter Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead Or Alive. McQueen could say a lot more with a look than words ever could express. The Western TV series came early in his career, but it was the last he needed because stardom in movies was on the horizon. The CBS series aired from 1958 to 1961. There were only two Dell issues based on the TV series, Four Color #1102 (May–July 1960) and 1164 (Mar.–May 1961), with Gaylord Du Bois writing both issues. Albert Micale’s artwork on the first issue was very poor. The next issue was a tiny notch above the artwork in #1102.

Dwayne Hickman on the left in his starring role on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and, on the right, recreating the pose decades later. © The Max Shulman Trust.

There had been a 1953 M-G-M movie, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, with Bobby Van as Dobie, but it was never as much fun as watching Hickman in the role, with Bob Denver as his beatnik pal, Maynard G. Krebs. Dobie was always getting involved with beautiful young women but seldom had the money to date them, and his father (Frank Faylen), a grocer, certainly wasn’t going to give it to him, though his mother (Florida Friebus) tried to help him. Most of the time, his father was so frustrated by Dobie, he bemoaned to himself, “One of these days, I’m going to have to kill that boy.” At the top of the list of women Dobie desired was his fellow student, the beautiful and money-hungry Thalia Menninger, played very winningly by the vivacious Tuesday Weld. Thalia made a beeline for those with wealth, such as the rich boy in town, Milton Armitage (Warren Beatty), and always had a plan on how to get what she wanted, to which Dobie became a pawn. Dobie expressed his frustrations directly to the TV viewer while sitting on a park bench, duplicating the pose of the nearby statue of The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. The delightful CBS series ran for four seasons, from 1959 to 1963, with the title changing to Dobie Gillis at the start of the second season.

MACKENZIE’S RAIDERS: A century before Mission: Impossible, Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, head of the 4th Cavalry at Fort Clark in southwest Texas, received a secret order from President Grant to covertly lead several of Mackenzie’s men on missions to wipe out outlaws and renegade Indians who were terrorizing the country. The soldiers could sneak across the Rio Grande into Mexico, but if they were caught the U.S. Government would deny any such orders and the men would be court-martialed. Or, if they were captured by the enemy, they would be hung. A good syndicated TV series came out of that, Mackenzie’s Raiders, and aired for one season starting in 1958, with Richard Carlson portraying the real-life Mackenzie. Dell chose to produce only one issue (FC #1093, June.–Aug. 1960) of the series, but the stories by Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer were consistent with the show’s premise. Art was by Jesse Marsh, who handled the settings and people adequately.

In addition to drawing the cast perfectly, Bob Oksner’s art for the DC comic book series was a dream come true for lovers of his beautiful females. The first issue (May–June 1960) had a one-page text bio of Dwayne Hickman, while the second issue did the same for Bob Denver. Arnold Drake began getting writing credit late in the series’ run, which came to an end with the issue #26 (Oct. 1964).

(left) Steve McQueen on the photo cover to Four Color #1102 (May–July 1960). (right) Photo cover of Richard Carlson on Four Color #1093 (June–Aug. 1960), Mackenzie’s Raiders. Wanted: Dead or Alive © StudioCanal Images. Mackenzie’s Raiders © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

CHAPTER 2: The 1960s

THE TROUBLESHOOTERS: Keenan Wynn and Bob Mathias’ characters were an odd team, often at different poles on things in The Troubleshooters, a one-season drama from NBC in 1959. Wynn played an experienced and cantankerous construction superintendent working for an international construction company, while Mathias’ part was of a collegeeducated expert. In addition to solving dangerous problems at different locations around the world, they often got involved with people and their personal problems. Robert Altman directed many episodes. The single issue from Dell (FC #1108, June–Aug. 1960) covered the coming together of the pair, with friction between them from the outset. The art for the issue was poorly done, though the renditions of Wynn were spot on. THE GALE STORM SHOW: OH! SUSANNA: Before The Love Boat, there was The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna, in which Storm (fresh off of My Little Margie) played Susanna Pomeroy, a cruise ship social director who got involved with the comings and goings of passengers and their problems. Famed film comic ZaSu Pitts played her friend Nugey. The sitcom aired from 1956 through 1959 on CBS and then moved to ABC for its final season, ending in 1960. The Dell comic adaptation (FC #1105, June–Aug. 1960) covered it as Oh! Susanna GALE STORM and contained some of Alex Toth’s most joyous comic book artwork, including a story with Susanna and Nugey sneaking a race horse they bought aboard ship.

(above left) Four Color #1108 (June–Aug. 1960) featured The Troubleshooters, with a Keenan Wynn and Bob Mathias photo cover. (above right) After My Little Margie, Gale Storm went on to another comedy series, The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna, as a social director on a cruise ship. Four Color #1105 (June–Aug. 1960). (top right) With Alex Toth at the helm, the art for Dell’s Four Color #1105 (June–Aug. 1960) was a delightful voyage into pure slapstick. TM & © the respective holders.

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(bottom right) “What horse?!?” Alex Toth’s humor shines in his artwork for Dell’s Four Color #1105 (June–Aug. 1960). TM & © the respective holders.

BONANZA: Bonanza was second only to Gunsmoke in Western television longevity (14 years, from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973), but it is more warmly remembered. The story of the Cartwrights (Ben and his sons Little Joe, Adam, and Hoss) became a staple of Sunday night family viewing and was an hour-long drama that dealt with the simple emotions in people, in contrast to the grand size of the Cartwrights’ land, the Ponderosa, which covered a thousand square miles of open range, forests, and mountains. Bonanza was among the best-written adult Westerns of its time. Pernell Roberts (Adam) left the NBC series after a few years to seek other ventures. He may have been the handsomest one of the bunch, but the warmest sons were Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon), so Adam wasn’t long missed. Their father, Ben Cartwright, was the glue that held it all together, and it is hard to imagine anyone other than Lorne Greene who could have brought him to life. The comic book based on the series started at Dell, with three issues from 1960 through 1962 under the Four Color series (#1110, 1221, and 1283), then two of its own under its own title in 1962 (#01070-207 and 01070-210). Following the breakaway from Dell, Gold Key published a regular run of 37 issues (Dec. 1962 to Aug. 1970). The early issues from Dell shone with better storytelling (by Gaylord Du Bois) and artwork (by Tom Gill) than from Gold Key. (Unfortunately, all issues which had appearance from the Cartwrights’ Oriental cook, Hop Sing, had him speaking like his TV counterpart in stereotypical pidgin English.)

One of the great westerns on television, Bonanza remained on air for 14 years. The program was an essential of Sunday night TV viewing. (top left) Bonanza #1 (December 1962) and (top right) #8 (June 1964). (bottom) Four Color #1110 (June–August 1960): Bonanza. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures. © NBCUniversal.

SHOTGUN SLADE: If the audience closed their eyes, they might have mistaken Shotgun Slade for a 1950s crime show, what with the tough guy narration by private detective Slade (Scott Brady) and an unrelenting jazz score. In actual fact, it was a Western, where his weapon of choice (the most important item, it seemed, in selling yet another horse opera) was only partially clear from the title. The gun he carried had one shotgun barrel and one rifle barrel. The syndicated program ran for two seasons, from 1959-1961.

Scott Brady played a private detective in the old West in Shotgun Slade. Four Color #1111 (July–Sept. 1960). TM & © the respective holders.

Shotgun Slade made only one comic book appearance during the show’s two-year run. The artwork for the Dell adaptation (Four Color #1111, July–Sept. 1960) was an adventurous, well-drawn Western comic.

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LARAMIE: Laramie took place in the time of the stagecoach, when one of the stops was the Sherman Ranch, run by two brothers, one grown, Slim (John Smith), and the other, Andy (Robert Crawford, Jr.), still a boy. They had taken over the ranch after their father was killed and their mother had died. Also on hand to help was Jess (Robert Fuller), a fast gun who settled in with them after he helped rescue them from outlaws and became friends with Slim and Andy. The NBC series was well-written and aired from 1959 to 1963. Dell continued to roll out the television adaptations! (left) Four Color #1123 (Aug.–Oct. 1960), with Pat Conway as Sherriff Clay Hollister from ABC’s TV program Tombstone Territory. (right) Actors Craig Hill, left, and Kenneth Tobey flew a helicopter on various assignments in Whirlybirds. Four Color #1124 (Aug.–Oct. 1960).

Gil Kane had proven he was a major talent in drawing Western tales at DC, and this excellence continued with Dell’s Laramie. His characters and layouts shone in the

Tombstone Territory © the respective copyright holder. Whirlybirds © CBS Films, Inc.

TOMBSTONE TERRITORY: Tombstone Territory was a TV Western that told stories that had already been explored by every other Western series or movie. However, having newspaper editor Harris Claibourne (Richard Eastham) as narrator gave the program a solid voice, as he described the tales of Sheriff Clay Hollister (Pat Conway). The series ran on ABC for two seasons, from 1957 to 1959, but after it was cancelled the producers made another year’s worth of episodes in order to create a better package for syndication. Dell released only one issue (FC #1123, Aug.–Oct. 1960) based on the series. The art, which had good layouts and character drawings, resembled Dan Spiegle’s touch but the inking was scratchy and at odds with the pencil work, leaving positive identification uncertain. WHIRLYBIRDS: Whirlybirds was a three-season syndicated TV series, debuting February 4, 1957, from Desilu Studios, about two for-hire helicopter pilots (played by Kenneth Tobey and Craig Hill). Like so many other series, the adventurers ended up going beyond the job they were paid for, including capturing crooks. In many ways, the program was just a major commercial for the Bell Helicopter, which provided the Bell 47 helicopter in the series. There were two issues of Whirlybirds produced within the Dell Four-Color series (#1124, Aug.–Oct. 1960, and #1216, Sept.–Nov. 1961), appearing a year apart. Both featured art by Ray Bailey, and his working as an assistant for Milton Caniff showed.

(top) A cover photo of Laramie co-stars John Smith and Robert Fuller for Four Color #1284 (Feb.–Apr. 1962) was filled with gunsmoke. (bottom) The first season’s cast of Laramie: John Smith, Robert Fuller, Hoagy Carmichael, and Robert Crawford, Jr. © Universal Studios.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

Artist ProfILe: RUSS HEATH Russ Heath was born on September 29, 1926 in Manhattan. As a teenager, he broke into comics at Holyoke in the early 1940s, but was soon serving in WWII. Following his return to civilian life, he worked at an advertising firm as a gofer but used his lunch breaks to take his portfolio to comic book publishers. He succeeded at Timely and drew every genre from Western to science-fiction comics for them (including at Timely’s resurrection as Atlas). Heath freelanced for various publishers during the 1950s, but the majority of his work would be for DC Comics on their war titles. Heath also worked at Dell Comics in the 1960s, drawing Laramie and Tales of Wells Fargo, and at Playboy magazine working with Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder on “Little Annie Fanny.” He ghosted the Flash Gordon daily strip in the 1970s and co-created with writer Cary Bates a new Lone Ranger newspaper comic strip in 1981. The Eighties would also find him working on several Hollywood animated series, including RoboCop, Conan the Adventurer, and the pilot Pryde of the X-Men, as well as doing commercial storyboards. One of his best works of the period was drawing the singleissue graphic novel adapting the Disney movie based on Dave Steven’s The Rocketeer in 1991. Heath retired from drawing comics in the 2000s, though he kept doing commissions for fans. Russ Heath died at the age of 91 on August 23, 2018. (bottom) Russ Heath’s art for the third Laramie issue from Dell (Four Color #1284, Feb.–Apr. 1962) was some of the finest work ever seen in western comic book history. © Universal Studios.

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first Laramie issue (Four Color #1125, Aug.–Oct. 1960), and it was given solid inking by Russ Heath, bringing drama and realism to the stories (likenesses of the actors were exceptionally well done, especially of Hoagy Carmichael, who was part of the first season’s cast). The comic was one of the best that came from Dell’s TV adaptations. Kane also drew the second Laramie comic (FC #1223, Sept.–Nov. 1961) but without Heath. The art was still very good but without Heath’s intensity. Heath returned unaided for the next issue (FC #1284, Feb.–Apr. 1962) and the two stories with Heath on pencils and inks were outstanding masterworks of American Western comics. (Kane also provided four pages of fillers.) Dell issued one more Laramie comic, this time in its own title (#01-418-207, May–July 1962) with art by Jack Sparling that was surprisingly very good. Though not on the level of Kane or Heath, it was a nice follow-up. HOTEL DE PAREE: Earl Holliman starred in the CBS television Western series, Hotel De Paree, as Sundance, a gunfighter (but not the Sundance Kid). After spending 17 years in jail for killing a man in self-defense, he returned to his hometown where he had a 50% interest in the town’s only hotel.

The other half-ownership belonged to Annette Deveraux (Jeanette Nolan), a relative of the man that Sundance killed. The gimmick of the series was his hat had a headband of silver discs that blinded an opponent when the sun reflected against them. Storylines followed the usual Western TV series bent (e.g., ex-con who shared Sundance’s cell shows up in town); however, the series was well-written, including work by Gene Roddenberry. The program lasted only one season, from 1959-1960. Dell’s only issue (FC #1126, Aug.–Oct. 1960) of the series practically hid the show’s official title in small letters at the top (likely because Hotel De Paree was not a real eye-catcher for boy readers), and opted for Sundance in huge letters. Artwork for the issue was by Mike Sekowsky and, in addition to capturing the look of the show’s stars, he provided a richlydetailed Western atmosphere. JOHNNY RINGO: Hollywood history has a habit of turning real-life bad guys into fictional good guys, especially in Westerns. One who joined their ranks was Johnny Ringo, an outlaw who numbered Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp among his enemies. However, for the CBS TV series of Johnny Ringo, which ran for one season (1959-1960), Ringo was the tough and good sheriff of a small Arizona town. Don Durand starred as Ringo, with Mark Goddard as his deputy. The gun gimmick for this series was that the sheriff’s gun had six shots, plus a lower adjoining barrel for firing a shotgun shell that surprised his enemies when they thought he was out of bullets. Dan Spiegle’s art for the single Dell issue (FC #1142, Nov. 1960-Jan. 1961) was very scratchy and lacking in detail, and the three stories in the issue were clichéd Western tales (beautiful woman distracted young deputy from prisoner breakout; fast-drawing cocky kid learned there were men who were quicker; and unwilling young man got forced to participate in a robbery).

(left) The cover of Dell’s Four Color #1126 (Aug.–Oct. 1960) went with the name of the show it was based on, Hotel De Paree, practically hidden at the top and the main character’s name, “Sundance,” prominently displayed. (above) Four Color #1142 (November 1960-January 1961) featured a photo cover for Johnny Ringo. © Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

1961 THE DETECTIVES: The Detectives was a popular police drama from 1959-1962 (with the first two seasons airing on ABC, and the final on NBC). Robert Taylor, playing things always grim, was Captain Matt Holbrook, and a number of the actors in his squad went on to bigger TV successes, including Tige Andrews (The Mod Squad), Adam West (Batman), and Mark Goddard (Lost in Space).

(top left) M-G-M movie star Robert Taylor took to television in a gripping police series, The Detectives. Four Color #1240 (Nov. 1961-Jan. 1962).

There were three issues released under Dell’s Four Color series. The first (FC #1168, Mar.–May 1961) had excellent Mel Keefer art that was detailed and dramatic. The next issue (FC #1219) may have been misdated or released out of order because it was dated March–May 1962, while the third (FC #1240) was dated earlier as November 1961-Jan. 1962. The order notwithstanding, Four Color #1219 had art by Nat Edson that was not as atmospheric as Keefer. Warren Tufts drew FC #1240 and his art was the best of the series, with many intense moments brought vividly to life and often drawn with film-like angles in order to heighten the tension. THE TWILIGHT ZONE: Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone certainly needs no introduction. Due to syndication reruns, the program has likely never been off the air since the original CBS series ran from 1959 through 1964. While there were a number of other distinguished writers on the series, Serling was able to move viewers with emotional tales of ordinary people, such as “Walking Distance,” an episode in which an wornout advertising executive (Gig Young) got one more chance to visit the home of his childhood—but with less than desired results.

The Twilight Zone, one of TV’s greatest programs, was the impetus for the comic book, but the stories were more like Rod Serling’s later Night Gallery series than anything else. The Twilight Zone #01-860-210 (Aug-Oct. 1962).

Dell entered The Twilight Zone with their Four Color #1173 TM & © CBS Broadcasting, Inc. (Mar.–May 1961). The writing was not of the television caliber but George Evans and Reed Crandall produced exceptional artwork throughout the issue. Both artists returned for the second issue (FC #1288, Feb.–Apr. 1962). The next two (#01-860-207, May–July 1962, and #12-860-210, Aug.–Oct. 1962) were the last under the Dell imprint (the latter issue had Frank Frazetta providing inks on George Evans’ pencils). Western restarted The Twilight Zone with #1 (Nov. 1962) under the Gold Key imprint. Over the 92-issue run, artists and writers that worked on the title included Alex Toth, Dan Spiegle, Al Williamson, John Celardo, Mike Sekowsky, Jack Sparling, Frank Thorne, Tom Gill, Dick Wood, Walt Simonson, and Frank Miller. The title ended with #92, the May 1982 issue. Western also reprinted stories in several issues of the Mystery Comics Digest series.)

(bottom left) In Four Color #1240 (Nov. 1961-Jan. 1962), the last of three issues based on The Detectives, Warren Tufts’ art elevated the tale of a juvenile’s accidental homicide to incredible dramatic heights. TM & © the respective holders.

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Artist ProfILe: REED CRANDALL Born February 22, 1917, Reed Crandall’s early life was spent on a farm in Indiana, where he showed a talent for drawing when he was just four. At 14 years of age, J.C. Penney used him in a storefront window promotion where people watched him draw. And, in one contest he entered, Crandall won a four-year scholarship to the Cleveland School of Art. In 1940, Crandall moved to New York and was hired by the S.M. Iger Studio, which packaged complete comics (art and story) for publishers, one of which was Quality Comics. Crandall’s artwork on Blackhawk, the Ray, Doll Man, and Kid Eternity, remains some of the most glorious in the history of comics. In the early 1950s, after drawing stories for Atlas, Standard, and Buster Brown Comics, Reed Crandall was given all the work he could handle at EC Comics, illustrating incredible stories of science fiction, crime, adventure, humor, and war. After the demise of EC, Crandall freelanced from the late Fifties to the early Seventies at Dell, Warren, Harvey, King, and Tower, as well as a 12-year assignment drawing for the Catholic-oriented comic book, Treasure Chest. He also provided spot illustrations for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels printed by Canaveral Press. Unfortunately, in the early 1970s, art jobs dried up, with just a little work here and there. Reed had a period of drinking and smoking too much, but he kicked both habits. However, he had a stroke in 1973 and spent two years at a VA hospital, and then in a nursing home until his death from a heart attack in 1982.

An original page with fantastic Reed Crandall artwork for the Twilight Zone #15 (May 1966) story “Vision of Mystir”. Twilight Zone TM & © CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

DENNIS THE MENACE: Jay North played Dennis the Menace on CBS from 1959 to 1963, looking several years older than Dennis in the daily panel comic strip and the comic book series. Mr. Wilson, whose blood pressure went up just by hearing Dennis’ voice, was portrayed with great exasperation by Joseph Kearn, who died in February 1962. Replacing him was Gale Gordon, playing Mr. Wilson’s brother. Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry were Dennis’ parents, always dreading the next bit of havoc the child would cause. Hallden-Fawcett was already publishing a regular series of Dennis the Menace comics when they decided to adapt some of the TV episodes into comic book adventures for Dennis. Dennis the Menace #49 (Mar. 1961) featured the first season’s episode, “Dennis and the Open House.” The publisher also issued several specials that included comic adaptions of TV stories: Dennis the Menace Television Special #1 (1961) and #2 (1962). Another Dennis giant issue, #22 (1964), subtitled Television Special, had several adaptations and contained eight

(top left) Reed Crandall’s art for an early issue of Dell’s The Twilight Zone was absolutely breathtaking. Four Color #1173 (Mar.–May 1961). (middle and bottom left) Frank Frazetta provided inks for George Evans’ pencils in The Twilight Zone #01-860-210 (Aug-Oct. 1962). (top right) Dennis the Menace Television Special #2 (Spring 1962) contained comic adaptations of several TV episodes. (bottom right) Gloria Henry and Herbert Anderson as Alice and Henry Mitchell, and Jay North as their son, Dennis (aka “Dennis the Menace”) in the four-year TV series. Twilight Zone TM & © CBS Broadcasting, Inc. Dennis the Menace TM & © Hank Ketcham Enterprises, Inc. or successor in interest.

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pages from a TV script. “Dennis the Menace in Hollywood” was an original story, one of the around-the-world humorous travelogue Dennis the Menace Giant issues. In this issue, Dennis met Gary Cooper and disrupted the TV taping of Robert Young in Father Knows Best.

Dell’s Four Color #1249 (Nov. 1961 - Jan. 1962): The Danny Thomas Show.

MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY/THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW: Make Room for Daddy was a genuinely funny family comedy. Danny Thomas played Danny Williams, a popular nightclub entertainer. When Williams was on stage, he was in complete control and cool—but at home, his wife, Cathy (Marjorie Lord), and their three kids (Rusty Hamer, Sherry Jackson, and Angela Cartwright) took over his life, and he exploded very easily and very loudly.

The program ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and then on CBS from 1957 to 1964. Entitled Make Room for Daddy during the first few years, it then became The Danny Thomas Show. (For the first three years of the series, there were only two children, but when the character of his wife Margaret died, Danny Williams remarried and Cathy brought her young daughter from a previous marriage.) TM & © CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

There were only two issues from Dell, both called The Danny Thomas Show, with art by two of comic’s greatest illustrators… who brought absolutely nothing to the title. Alex Toth did the first issue (FC #1180, Apr.–June 1961) and his art was good but the stories themselves were flat. Russ Manning drew the second issue (FC #1249, Nov. 1961-Jan. 1962) and his characters were more polished, looking like the actors… but he, too, was given stories that didn’t give him much to showcase his talent. NATIONAL VELVET: National Velvet (M-G-M, 1944) was a very successful movie about a young girl (played by Elizabeth Taylor) whose horse was the most important thing in her life and that she rode at Lori Martin took over the role once played by young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet. Four Color #1312 (Feb.–Apr. 1962). TM & © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. or successor in interest.

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Jack Sparling used darkness and light to great effect in his art for the National Velvet story, “Blue Norther,” in Four Color #1312 (Feb.–Apr. 1962). TM & © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. or successor in interest.

the end of the film in a steeplechase race and won. That was a lot for the subsequent TV series to live up to, and especially for Lori Martin, the young actress cast in the role that brought Taylor to fame. However, the television program was done well and Lori Martin did have touches of Elizabeth Taylor as a young girl, though Martin wisely played it in her own way. Debuting in September 1960 on NBC, the series lasted two seasons. Though the show’s time on air was relatively brief, Dell still got out four issues (two of them as part of the Four Color series and two under its own title) and Gold Key carried it on into their own imprint for two more issues. Jack Sparling drew every issue and his work on the first two (FC #1195, May–July 1961, and #1312, Feb.–Apr. 1962) was astonishingly good. Unfortunately, with the third Dell issue (#01-556207, May–July 1962), his art got looser, scratchier, and less detailed. The last Dell issue (#12-556-210) was cover-dated August–October 1962, and then Gold Key started the numbering over at #1 (Dec. 1962) and ended with #2 (Mar. 1963).

By the time this issue based on the CBS program The Aquanauts reached the newsstand, Keith Larsen (on the right) was off the series, leaving Jeremy Slate to be teamed with a new co-star. Four Color #1197 (May–July 1961).

THE AQUANAUTS: Ivan Tors was back with another undersea adventure series, The Aquanauts, the first since his Sea Hunt. Keith Larsen and Jeremy Slate portrayed freelance divers Drake Andrews and Larry Lahr, respectively, who helped to salvage sunken ships. Larsen developed an ear infection during the filming which made it impossible for him to do dives and Ron Ely was brought in as Mike Madison to replace him. Several months into its one and only season (1960-1961), the title of the CBS series changed to Malibu Run, with Lahr and Madison opening a skin-diving equipment shop and getting into various adventures.

TM & © the respective holders.

Dell only had time to release one issue (FC #1197, May–July 1961) before the cancellation of the show. The cover photo was of Larsen and Slate, with only their characters appearing in the stories within. Artwork by Dan Spiegle was good but it was plain, containing nothing special in the storytelling. HENNESEY: Jackie Cooper starred in the CBS comedy series Hennesey as Lt. Charles Hennesey, a naval doctor stationed in San Diego. When Hennesey wasn’t trying to get out of trouble he inadvertently got into, he was helping patients and friends. Lovely Abby Dalton played a registered nurse that Hennesey was romantically involved with during the run of the CBS series from 1959 to 1962. Dell’s two issues of Hennesey were within the Four Color series. Artwork for both issues was by Gil Kane, but it was much simpler than what TM & © the respective holders. he was drawing at DC at the same time. The first issue (FC #1200, Aug.–Oct. 1961) was the weaker-drawn of the two issues, but most of that can be attributed to the inking, which was among the worst Kane ever had to suffer. The second

issue (FC #1280, Feb.–Apr. 1962) had a better inker on his pencils but the art was still Gil Kane-lite. This was not The Atom or Green Lantern. GUNSLINGER: Gunslinger was a short-lived TV series for CBS about a freelance gun (Tony Young) hired covertly by the Cavalry to do jobs it didn’t want the public to know it was doing. Only 12 episodes aired between February–June 1961. The Dell adaptation turned out to be a one-shot (FC #1220, Sept.–Nov. 1961), with good art by Mike Sekowsky, including several nice pages of fighting in night, rain and fog, with excellent use of shadow work.

Mike Sekowsky’s art was very good in places in the only issue (Four Color #1220, Sept.–Nov. 1961) based on the Gunslinger program starring Tony Young.

DANGER MAN/SECRET AGENT: Patrick McGoohan Gunslinger © Emirau Productions, Inc starred in Danger Man as a or successor in interest. cool, dapper British secret agent who went around the world on spy missions and encountered beautiful women. The series originated in the UK in 1960, pre-Sean Connery James Bond, but it didn’t cause much of a ripple when it aired in the United States on CBS in 1961 as a summer replacement show. And it did not last much longer in England, racking up only 39 episodes by 1962. Two years later, in 1964, the British series was rebooted and became a success. It also helped finance-wise that it was

Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton headed the cast of the comedy, Hennesey. Four Color #1280 (Feb.–Apr. 1962).

After Dell’s lackluster Danger Man debut in (left) Four Color #1231 (Sept.–Nov. 1961), Gold Key launched its revamp of the Patrick McGoohan TV series under the title of Secret Agent. (right) Secret Agent #1 (Nov. 1966). Secret Agent TM & © ITC Entertainment Group Limited.

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The Secret Agent #1 comic (Nov. 1966) from Gold Key had enough photos from the TV series on the front, back and inside covers to please any McGoohan fan. Secret Agent TM & © ITC Entertainment Group Limited.

picked up again by America from 1965 to 1966 under the title Secret Agent, with a jazzy theme song (Secret Agent Man) sung by Johnny Rivers. The Dell adaptation of Danger Man (FC #1231, Sept.–Nov. 1961) was terribly drawn by Tony Tallarico, and involved a ludicrous story of Drake going undercover at a circus as a daredevil horseback rider. Gold Key took up the Secret Agent series with #1 (Nov. 1966), with art by Bill Lignante, who did well in capturing McGoohan’s looks. The second issue (Jan. 1968) had art by Bob Jenney. THE UNTOUCHABLES: The Untouchables was about real-life government agent Eliot Ness and his team’s efforts to break the Chicago mob rule of Al Capone (played in the opener by Neville Brand), though actor Robert Stack looked nothing like Ness. The series dealt with the violent actions of the criminals and how they coerced, defrauded, or killed honest people, and often the Untouchables had to return that violence with their own. The ABC-TV series was very popular, running for four seasons, from 1959 to 1963, though there was pushback from a number of groups about the violence. Newspaper columnist Walter Winchell lent his distinctive voice to the narration of the series and it would not have been the same without it. Dell’s two issues under the Four Color series (#1237, Oct.– Dec. 1961, and 1286, Feb-Apr 1962) and the two under its own title (#01-879-207, May–July 1962, and 01-879-210, Aug.– Oct. 1962) all contained exceptional artwork by Dan Spiegle, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the TV series, especially with scenes of gangster-filled Model T Fords barreling down Prohibition-era Chicago streets at night, machine guns blazing from each car window. This ranks as some of

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The covers of Dell’s (left) Four Color #1237 (Oct.–Dec. 1961) pictured the cast of TV’s The Untouchables cast: (L-R) Abel Fernandez, Paul Picerni, Robert Stack, and Enrico Rossi. (right) Issue #01-879-210 (Aug.–Oct. 1962). TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures. Photography © ABC Photography.

Spiegle’s best work in comics. (Topps also issued a series of four-page mini-comic bubble-gum giveaways in 1962, featuring a small photo of Stack as Ness on the first page and a badly-drawn tale inside.) THE HORSEMASTERS: The Horsemasters (1961) was a twopart TV-movie airing October 1 and 8, 1961 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, and while the story was about a group of young people learning to ride professionally and to love horses, it was a tale without a heart. Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk were in the top-billed positions but were actually merely supporting actors in it, with Janet Munro as the lead as their trainer. And, Four Color #1260 (Dec. 1961Feb. 1962), The Horsemasters. therein, was where the film © Disney Enterprises, Inc. developed its problem. Munro’s character was such a complete disciplinarian that the few glimpses of a softer side when she was alone with her horse went by the side. Gone was the sweet Janet Munro audiences loved in the Disney feature films Darby O’Gill and the Little People and Swiss Family Robinson. The overall story was not engaging and the characters merely paper-thin. The Dell comic adaptation (FC #1260, Dec. 1961-Feb. 1962) followed the film script, with artwork by Sparky Moore that approximated the features of Munro and Kirk but otherwise left little to recommend it.

Dan Spiegle’s atmospheric art for all four issues of The Untouchables captured the feel of the dark, gun-ridden streets of 1920s Chicago. Four Color #1237 (Oct.–Dec. 1961). TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

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1962 THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW: The Andy Griffith Show remains one of America’s most beloved TV shows, even after almost six decades since it first debuted on CBS. The close relationships between Sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith), his son Opie (Ron Howard), Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts), and the rest of the cast in Mayberry may well be the idealized image of Middle America in the 1960s. Mayberry was a peaceable town so small there was only one barber, one bank, one gas station, and one town drunk (who let himself into a jail cell to sleep it off). The Andy Griffith Show ran from 1960 through 1968, at which time Griffith left the series. With a change of name to Mayberry R.F.D., and a new lead of Ken Berry, the program continued for another three years.

Coming at a time when the split from Western was just about to take place, Dell released only two comic issues based on the series. In the first issue (FC #1252, Jan.–Mar. 1962), Henry Scarpelli drew Griffith and Knotts in high-caricature mode, but it was still enjoyable. However, Opie and the other participants, as well as the panel backgrounds, looked more like a tale of Archie Andrews. The second issue (FC #1341, Apr.–June 1962) was weaker in all aspects of the art, this time by Bill Fraccio. DIVER DAN: A syndicated children’s program, Diver Dan mixed human actors and puppets in stories under the sea. Made on a minuscule budget, it resembled something from the early 1950s, instead of 1960 when it aired. However, it still had charm in its humor. The main bad guy was a barracuda who sounded like Bela Lugosi. On the good side was a beautiful mermaid, Miss Minerva (Suzanne Turner) and the hero of the title, Diver Dan (Frank Freda). The first Dell adaptation (FC #1254, Feb.–Apr. 1962) had very nice art, believed to have been by Maurice Whitman, with amusing illustrations of the different fish characters. Diver Dan had one more issue, under its own title, as #2 (June– Aug. 1962). ADVENTURES IN PARADISE: In Adventures in Paradise, Gardner McKay portrayed Adam Troy, the skipper of a schooner that he used to carry cargo from port to port. However, being a good guy, he often got involved in people’s problems, whether they were passengers or people he met on land. It was a popular series, with a number of good guest stars, including Alexis Smith, Lizabeth Scott, Yvonne De Carlo, and Vincent Price, as well as up-and-comers such as

Four Color #1252 (Jan.–Mar. 1962) featured The Andy Griffith Show stars Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, and Frances Bavier on its photo cover. © Mayberry Enterprises Inc. © Danny Thomas Productions and its successors and assigns. © CBS Studios Productions LLC.

(left) An entertaining children’s program, two issues of Diver Dan were released under the Dell logo. Frank Freda was Diver Dan. Four Color #1254 (Feb.–Apr. 1962). (right) Gardner McKay as Adam Troy in Adventures in Paradise, a three-year ABC-TV adventure series. Four Color #1301 (Feb.–Apr. 1962). TM & © the respective holders.

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Jack Sparling’s artistic talent was put to the test by a story of complete manic obsession in the single Adventures in Paradise comic (Four Color #1301, Feb.–Apr. 1962). TM & © the respective holders.

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Barbara Eden, Anne Francis, Patrick Macnee, Inger Stevens, and Martin Landau. The ABC-TV adventure series set sail on October 5, 1959 and got put up in drydock April 1, 1962. Dell only released one issue based on the series (FC #1301, Feb.–Apr. 1962) but it contained the wildest art that Jack Sparling ever drew. While he lavished great detail on the features of McKay and another actor of the show, James Holden, he got into full manic mode with the comic’s story of an insane researcher and his desire for a magic dagger in order to kill a king shark that he said was born from the sun, the moon, and the heavens. This comic was caught up in a perfect storm of madness and put Captain Ahab’s obsessive search for Moby Dick to shame. A genuine treasure of ludicrous art and writing! CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU?: Every once in a while, there get to be so many serious shows of one genre that a satire just has to break out. Car 54, Where are You? was a fun look at two of the most inept cops that could ever be imagined patrolling the streets of the Bronx, Gunther Toody (Joe E. Ross) and Francis Muldoon (pre-“Herman Munster” Fred Gwynne). (The cast also included Al Lewis, who would play Grandpa on The Munsters.) The NBC-TV series ran for 60 episodes from 1961-1963. The comic series from Dell started in Four Color #1257 (Mar.– May 1962) and then on to its own title, starting with #2 (June–Aug 1962) and ending with #7 (Sept.–Nov. 1963). Tony

(left) While Car 54, Where Are You? was a minor success, Fred Gwynne (pictured here with Joe E. Ross) went onto lifelong fame as Herman Munster. Car 54, Where Are You #7 (Sept.–Nov. 1963). (right) Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates was a well-done, two-part miniseries that aired January 7th and 14th 1962 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. However, the comic adaptation that appeared in Four Color #1273 (Mar.–May 1962) was very badly drawn. Car 54, Where are You? © Eupolis Productions. © Shanachie Entertainment Corp. or the successors in interest. Hans Brinker © Disney Enterprises, Inc..

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Tallarico drew the adventures of Gunther and Francis for the entire series, and achieved a resemblance to Gwynne and Rossi, but it is as if they were foisted into a cartoon comic book story when compared to the other characters and the backgrounds. HANS BRINKER OR THE SILVER SKATES: The Disney crew went to Holland to film Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, and the authentic scenery benefited the two-part TV-movie that aired Jan. 7th and 14th, 1962 on the Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color program. The story involved the Brinkers, a mother and father and their two children. When the father suffered a brain injury that required an operation by an expensive doctor, the children tried different things to raise money. However, it came down to Hans (Rony Zeaner) to take place in a yearly ice-skating race that involved cash prizes. The cast was comprised completely of Dutch actors, a number of whom did their own actual hard skating in the big race contest near the end of the film. The Dell adaptation (FC #1273, Mar.–May 1962), with the title shortened to Walt Disney’s Hans Brinker, told the story of the film quite well. Artist John Ushler did approximate the actors’ looks in the movie, and there were good backgrounds of the Dutch towns and countryside, but overall the art was lackluster in layout and in detail of faces. RIPCORD: Ripcord was about two daring skydivers who ran a jump school, and the two partners also parachuted into rescue operations or any other assignment they were paid to do. The stars were Larry Pennell and Ken Curtis (best known as Festus on Gunsmoke) and the show featured a lot of daring stunt work. The opening credit sequence included Pennell’s narration, “This is the most danger-packed show on television. Every jump, every The exceptional painted cover aerial maneuver is real, of Four Color #1294 (Mar.– photographed just as it May 1962) perfectly captured the excitement of the happened, without tricks Ripcord TV series. or illusions. All that stands TM & © the respective holders. between a jumper and death is his ripcord.” The syndicated program ran for two seasons, from 1961-1963. Dell put out only one Ripcord issue (FC #1294, Mar.–May 1962), but it was drawn with handsome style by Ray Bailey. Stories in the issue were written by Paul S. Newman.

MISTER ED: The marital problems between Wilbur Post (Alan Young) and his wife (Connie Hines) began when his horse started speaking—but only to him, leaving others to wonder about his sanity. A popular comedy for CBS, Mister Ed ran from 1961 to 1966, with the voice of Mister Ed provided by movie cowboy Allan Lane. The comic book adventures of Mister Ed the Talking Horse started with Dell Four Color #1295 (Mar.–May 1962), with a Three Stooges-like art rendering by Joe Certa and writing by Paul S. Newman. The

title continued from Gold Key for issues #1 through #6 (Nov. 1962 to Feb. 1964). THE HATHAWAYS: The Hathaways was an ABC comedy about an unsuccessful real estate agent, his wife, and their three “children”— three adopted chimpanzees. Considered one of the worst shows of all time, the program starred Jack Weston, Peggy Cass, and the Marquis Chimps and remained on air for 26 episodes from October 6, 1961 to March 30, 1962. The stories in Dell Four Color #1298 (Mar.–June 1962) were silly fluff with cartoony art by Paul Reinman.

Four Color #1298 (Mar.–May 1962): The Hathaways. TM & © the respective holders.

TARGET: THE CORRUPTORS!: Target: The Corruptors! was an ABC newspaper drama about a hard-edged reporter (Stephen McNally) and his undercover investigator (Robert Harland) exposing criminal operations. The late Friday night program debuted in September 1961 but only lasted only one season. In that short time, though, there were three Dell comic issues, one under the Four Color series (#1306, Mar.–May 1962) and two issues (#2, June–Aug. 1962, and #3, Oct.–Dec. 1962) under its own title. The artwork by Gerald McCann was badly drawn with stiff figures in largely empty-spaced backgrounds, and the stories were far from original.

(top) Following a debut in Dell’s Four Color #1295, Mister Ed the Talking Horse received its own title at Gold Key. Pictured: Mister Ed #2 (Feb. 1963). (bottom) Mister Ed stars Alan Young and Connie Hines pose with Mister Ed in a publicity photo for the six-season comedy hit.

(left) Target: The Corruptors (Four Color #1306, Mar.–May 1962) was the first of three Dell comics based on the series. Pictured: Stephen McNally. (right) Target: The Corruptors #2 (June–Aug. 1962). © Four Star-Velie-Burrows-Ackerman, or successor in interest.

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Richard Gering and Cynthia Pepper appeared on the cover of Margie #2 (July–Sept. 1962), based on the 1920s-era comedy that aired on ABC just before The Untouchables. © Twentieth Century-Fox Television, Inc.

MARGIE: Margie was an unusual television entry for October 1961, a comedy about a teenager girl in the 1920s. Possibly the success of The Untouchables, which it immediately preceded on the ABC-TV schedule, made it a reasonable idea—and, certainly, Margie had been a popular film with Jeanne Crain in 1946—but the TV series didn’t catch on with the viewers, lasting only a few months and coming to an end in April 1962. The one thing it had going for it was the presence of the adorable Cynthia Pepper. The Dell comic based upon it ran for two issues, the first in Four Color #1307 (Mar.–May 1962) and then in its own title, Margie #2 (July–Sept. 1962). Art for the comic was done in an exaggerated, humorous style by Henry Scarpelli.

87TH PRECINCT: 87th Precinct was an exceptional TV drama, based upon the stories by novelist Ed McBain. The NBC series focused on a group of four police detectives, including Steve Carella, played by Robert Lansing. 87th Precinct premiered September 25, 1961 but it lasted just one season. (It lost the ratings in its time period to the one-two punch of The Danny Thomas Show and The Andy Griffith Show opposite it on CBS.) Co-starring as Carella’s wife, a deaf mute, was Gena Rowlands, and her character featured in the plots of the show, as well as the first comic book based on the series.

(above) Behind the cover of Four Color #1309 (Apr.–June 1962) lay an 87th Precinct story that was one of artist Bernie Krigstein’s wildest comic rides. (right) Likely written by the author of the Adventures in Paradise comic, the 87th Precinct story in Four Color #1309 (Apr.–June 1962) contained the same tone of complete madness in one of its characters. Various pages pictured here, drawn by Bernie Krigstein in his last work in comics, illustrated the dementia of the murderous blind painter. © Universal Studios.

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Artist ProfILe: BERNIE KRIGSTEIN Bernie Krigstein’s time as a comic book artist was relatively short (20 years) but what he did in that time, particularly the two years he was drawing for EC Comics, has lasted beyond his lifetime. Krigstein was born March 22, 1919 in Brooklyn, NY. He studied art at Brooklyn College and his earliest published comic work was for Harvey Comics in 1943. After a term in the service during World War II, he freelanced for Fawcett, Hillman, DC, and Timely/Atlas/Marvel. He also drew TV’s Space Patrol for Ziff-Davis in 1952. In 1953, William M. Gaines brought him on board at EC. Krigstein has become so identified with one story, “Master Race” from Impact #1, that people are surprised by all his other great work at the company, including science-fiction, horror, suspense, humor, and adventure stories. In 1962, Bernie Krigstein decided to quit comics and became an instructor at Manhattan’s High School of Art and Design. Coincidentally, his last comic book story was a tale of an insane artist (Dell’s Four Color #1309, a TV tie-in issue of 87th Precinct). Krigstein went on to a career of painting. He died January 8, 1990 in New York. In 1992, he was inducted posthumously into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.

A page from the 87th Precinct story in Four Color #1309 (Apr.–June 1962) drawn by Bernie Krigstein. © Universal Studios.

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The comic book tie-in lasted a mere two issues, both from Dell—but the first, Four Color #1309 (Apr.–June 1962), had artwork by Bernie Krigstein that, in places, was somewhat reminiscent of his “Master Race” story in EC’s Impact #1 (Mar.–Apr. 1955). Krigstein did not so much draw the likenesses of the show’s stars, as he captured the inner being of the actor/character— which was perfect for this issue’s tale of people killed by a blind portrait artist. The detectives investigated the artist to see if he had homicidal tendencies—by having Carella’s wife pose for him. Nothing like having a person who can’t speak or hear, except through lip reading, to get a villain to tell all about himself… and this is where Krigstein went hogwild—with panels of an exploding volcano inside the artist’s head, giant eyes, the Grim Reaper, and, finally, lightning bolts striking the detective’s brain as he got the feeling his wife was in danger. This was Bernie Krigstein’s final work in comics and he held nothing back. The next issue of the series was with its own title but listed as 87th Precinct #2 (July–Sept. 1962). Edd Ashe took over illustrating that issue, and it was much weaker in form.

John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran, and Sammee Tong of Bachelor Father on the photo cover of Four Color #1332 (Apr.–June 1962). TM & © the respective holders.

BACHELOR FATHER: There aren’t many shows that could be labeled as “nice” but Bachelor Father was one of them. Certainly, it lent itself to silliness once in a while, but it was the presence of John Forsythe as wealthy and handsome lawyer Bentley Gregg that gave the series a polish and a kind, loving nature. Gregg had been a happy bachelor, where the only other occupant of his lovely Beverly Hills home was his Asian servant, Peter (Sammee Tong). When his niece’s parents were killed in a car accident, the teenage girl (Noreen Corcoran) came to live with him and he genuinely took care of her like a father would.

The pilot for the program was broadcast on The General Electric Theater on May 26, 1957 as “New Girl in His Life,” with the same cast, and the series followed a few months later. Bachelor Father ran for five seasons, from 1957 to 1962, but it played hopscotch around the networks, with the first two seasons on CBS, then to NBC for the third and fourth, and the last on ABC.

Dell didn’t produce a comic adaptation until that final season, by which time they only had time to release two issues; one as part of their Four Color series (1332, Apr.–June 1962), and the other under in its own title (#2, Sept.–Nov. 1962). The artwork for the series was very stiff, with half the pages consisting of extreme closeups of the stars, all obviously drawn from photo references of the cast. DR. KILDARE and BEN CASEY: Two great TV medical series began within a few days of each other in 1961, Dr. Kildare on NBC and Ben Casey on ABC, and both ended within months of each other in 1966. Those resemblances aside, the two doctors were very different in their approach to patients. Dr. Jim Kildare (Richard Chamberlain) was gentle and caring, while Dr. Ben Casey (Vince Edwards) was a total stranger to the word “tact.” Both wanted their patients to get well, and both series had much human drama happening at their respective hospitals. Both also had aging mentors played by popular Hollywood actors of the 1930s, Raymond Massey (Dr. Gillespie on Dr. Kildare) and Sam Jaffe (Dr. Zorba on Ben Casey). Each show received a comic book series from Dell and, like the two TV series, both comic titles began and ended within a short time of each other. Dr. Kildare got the jump on Casey by appearing in Four Color #1337 (Apr.–June 1962) and then under his own series from #2 (June–July 1962) to #9 (Apr.–June 1965). Ben Casey ran for 10 issues (June–July 1962 through June–Aug. 1965).

(left) Richard Chamberlain brought caring to the role of Dr. Kildare, as opposed to the in-your-face approach of Vince Edwards’ Ben Casey. Dr. Kildare #6 (June–Aug. 1963). (right) Gold Key published this one-shot, Ben Casey Film Stories (1962), using TV film frames for panels. Dr. Kildare © Turner Entertainment Co. Ben Casey © Bing Crosby Productions.

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Artist ProfILe: DOUG WILDEY Born May 2, 1922 in Yonkers, New York, Doug Wildey’s first work appeared in a 1949 Street and Smith comic. Dozens of stories followed there and at other publishers. However, when he was freelancing for Atlas (formerly Timely Comics), it became abundantly clear his strength was in illustrating tales of the Old West. The amazing thing was that Wildey never attended any art schools; he was entirely self-taught. When Atlas reduced their line of comic book titles in the late Fifties, Wildey found freelance work at DC, Harvey, Lev Gleason, and Dell. In the early 1960s, he moved to Hollywood and worked with Alex Toth on the animation series, Space Angel. Joseph Barbera (“Hanna-Barbera”) asked Wildey to come up with an animated series based on the old time radio character, Jack Armstrong. When rights problems developed over Armstrong, the concept was changed to an original character… Jonny Quest. The Jonny Quest show lasted only one season but it became a classic. Wildey returned to comic art, which included drawing Tarzan for Gold Key, a few stories for Skywald, and a new syndicated newspaper comic strip, Ambler. Wildey also drew a few issues of Jonny Quest comics published by Comico. But, in 1983, Doug Wildey created his comic book masterpiece, a Western series called Rio. Rio was magnificent work, appearing in chapters of Eclipse Monthly. Follow-up stories of “Rio” were printed in 1990 in Marvel’s Rio Rides Again and in 1992 in Dark Horse’s Rio at Bay. Wildey was working on two more Rio stories, but he died on October 5, 1994, at the age of 72. (In 2012, IDW published Doug Wildey’s Rio: The Complete Saga, which contained those two extra stories.) Dr. Kildare page by Doug Wildey from Dell’s Four Color #1337 (Apr.–June 1962). © Turner Entertainment Co.

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(left) Barry Coe and Gary Lockwood on the photo cover to Follow the Sun #2 (Sept.–Nov. 1962). (right) A dramatic cover for The Dell adaptation of Cain’s Hundred #1 (May–July 1962) pictured Peter Mark Richman as ex-mob lawyer Nicholas Cain. Follow the Sun © Twentieth Century-Fox Television, Inc. or the successor in interest. Cain’s Hundred TM & © the respective holders.

who had settled in Hawaii and who got assignments from national publications on the mainland. The series, created by Roy Huggins, bid “aloha” after just one season on ABC, from 1961-1962.

Based on the teleplay, “An Expensive Glass of Water,” the first story in the Ben Casey Film Stories (1962) featured Casey (Vince Edwards) running afoul of a bullying business tycoon (Chester Morris). © Bing Crosby Productions.

Artwise, both series had art that was generally unremarkable, with a few exceptions. The Four Color issue of Dr. Kildare was noteworthy for art by Doug Wildey, while Ben Casey #6 and #8 had nice work by Gene Colan. (It is also worth noting that both TV shows had newspaper comic strips, with Ken Bald drawing Dr. Kildare and Neal Adams illustrating Ben Casey.) In a special one-off, Gold Key published Ben Casey Film Stories (November 1962) which was a comic-sized issue printed on superior paper in order to use photos from two television episodes in comic book panel format. FOLLOW THE SUN: After Hawaii was declared a U.S. state in 1959, it quickly became a popular setting for TV programs. One of these was Follow the Sun, an adventure series about two freelance writers (Barry Coe and Gary Lockwood)

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Dell’s two issues came late in the run of the show (#01-280207, May–July 1962, and #12-280-211, Sept.–Nov. 1962), with art by Edd Ashe that was clean and engaging. Ashe had worked for Timely, Fawcett, MLJ, and other companies in the Golden Age and his style on Follow the Sun exhibited it in places, but there were many pages where it showed he was anchored in the 1960s, with the combination resembling Bill Everett crossed with Ogden Whitney. CAIN’S HUNDRED: Cain’s Hundred was an intelligent drama about a former mob lawyer, Nicholas Cain (Peter Mark Richman), vowing to bring his ex-clients down after they killed his fiancée. (The assassin was played by future Murray Slaughter and Captain Stubing… Gavin MacLeod). The problem with the series was that it quickly felt repetitive in the storylines, with Cain bringing to justice a crime leader one week, then another the next. The NBC series lasted just one season (1961-1962). Dell’s two issues adapting the TV series included stories involving gangsters distributing narcotics through a baseball team’s games (#1, May–July 1962) and a truck protection racket (#2, Sept.–Nov. 1962). Ed Robbins, who had drawn a Mike Hammer comic strip in the 1950s, was a good choice for the series.

The excellent artwork by Dan Spiegle for The Prince and the Pauper shows why he became the “go to” person to handle most of Disney’s TV and movie adaptations. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER: Disney made a handsome TV adaptation of the Mark Twain novel, The Prince and the Pauper, about two boys who looked so much alike that they secretly changed places with each other, but neither liking his new life. In the made-for-TV three-parter on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (May 11, 18, and 25, 1962), Sean Scully played both of the title roles, but star billing went

to Guy Williams as the soldier of fortune who befriends the young prince. Williams had little to do in the film as his role did not come into the story until about halfway in, leaving Zorro fans disappointed. The Dell adaptation (May–July 1962) was drawn by Dan Spiegle with rich detail in the castle scenes and, appropriately, little in the squalor of the pauper’s home. Williams, Scully, and Laurence Naismith were recognizable in Spiegle’s renditions of them. KING OF DIAMONDS: It was not long after his hit TV series Highway Patrol came to an end that Broderick Crawford latched onto King of Diamonds, a drama about John King, a security chief who investigated diamond robberies. However, the series ran for only one season, from 1961 to 1962. The one issue (#1, July–Sept. 1962) from Dell told a story about diamonds smuggled to Russia that was very wellKing of Diamonds #1 written, and the art team of (July–Sept. 1962). penciler Mike Sekowsky and © the respective copyright holder. inker Frank Giacoia produced a tight, good-looking, and powerful work. Sekowsky’s rendition of Crawford was topnotch, and his handling of the other characters and backgrounds was equally excellent.

(top) Guy Williams picked up a sword again, this time in defense of a young prince mistaken for a pauper in a TV-movie adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Walt Disney’s The Prince and the Pauper (May–July 1962). (bottom) Photos like this from the inside cover of Disney’s The Prince and the Pauper comic adaptation (May–July 1962) were an extra treat for a number of TV comics from Dell and, soon, Gold Key. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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THE DEFENDERS: The Defenders was one of the best lawyer shows to come out of the early 1960s. Created by Reginald Rose (12 Angry Men), the series was about a senior lawyer (E.G. Marshall) and his son (Robert Reed), a new, inexperienced attorney. The program ran on CBS from 1961 to 1965 and sprang from an episode on Studio One, a well-written anthology series. (In that 1957 episode, “The Defender,” the father and son team were portrayed by E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed played a father-and-son law team. The Defenders #1 (Sept.–Nov. 1962). TM & © the respective holders.

for two seasons on CBS from 1960 to 1962. Despite being the very first TV comic under the new Gold Key imprint, Checkmate #1 (Oct. 1962) had mediocre, sketchy art by Jack Sparling. Stories were likewise lightweight. A saving grace, though, was the smart design of the cover, with portraits of the TV series’ three stars set against white boxes on top of a liquid painting background that was used during the program’s opening credits. The back cover of the issue began Gold Key’s stylistic use of repeating the front cover illustration sans any logo and text. The second issue (Dec. 1962), which was the last, also had art by Sparling but it was a little better than the first issue. THRILLER: Boris Karloff was very possibly the most beloved horror film actor of all. He could both scare the movie audience as Frankenstein’s monster in one moment and then tear Frank Springer’s splash page panel from The Defenders #1, September–November 1962, eerily predated the look of the crowded Dallas police station corridor a full year later when Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy, was gunned down by Jack Ruby. TM & © the respective holders.

Ralph Bellamy and William Shatner, respectively, and their defendant was played by Steve McQueen.) The two issues (Sept.–Nov. 1962 to Feb.–Apr. 1963) from Dell featured fine artwork by Frank Springer, with the opening of the #1’s splash page providing an eye-catching crowded corridor of jostling newspapermen, police, attorneys and others. CHECKMATE: Checkmate was a popular TV series that starred Anthony George and Doug McClure as partners in a private investigation agency, “Checkmate Inc.” Using their detective skills, and with the help of a criminal psychologist (played by Sebastian Cabot), they attempted to stop crimes before they happened. The series was created by novelist Eric Ambler and ran

The first of the new Gold Key line based on a dramatic TV show, Checkmate #1 (Oct. 1962) featured a striking cover that recreated the liquid painting background of the opening credits. Pictured were the show’s leading actors: (clockwise from left) Anthony George, Doug McClure, and Sebastian Cabot. © NBC Television, Inc.

The first issue cover of the Boris Karloff Thriller 80-page giant (Oct. 1962) from Gold Key duplicated the Thriller TV program’s opening of lines crossing. © NBC Universal, Inc.

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out their hearts (metaphorically speaking, that is) as a tortured soul within a body of reanimated life. Besides his 40-plus year film career, Karloff acted in several television series, but was best when he hosted Thriller, a suspenseful and scary anthology program on NBC from September 1960 to April 1962. In addition to introducing the stories, Karloff acted in five of the 67 episodes. Gold Key published two 80-page Boris Karloff Thriller comics. The first (Oct. 1962) featured a large photo of Karloff on the cover, crossed with lines to recreate the opening of the TV series each week. Inside were shock stories drawn by Mike Sekowsky, Tom Gill, Jerry Robinson, and Alberto Giolitti. The second issue (Jan. 1963) had many of the same craftsmen, plus Dan Spiegle, George Evans, and Jack Sparling. With the demise of the Thriller TV series, the comic title was changed with the third issue (Apr. 1963) to Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, and the 80 pages reduced to a standard 32 per issue. The comic series lasted until #97 in February 1980, 11 years after the death of Karloff. (Gold Key also published one Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Story Digest in 1970 and comic reprints in several issues of the Mystery Comics Digest.) An amusing crossover happened in the same month the Boris Karloff Thriller first issue came out, with Karloff guest starring in DC’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #64 (Oct. 1962). In the story, the Daily Planet reporter visited a Hollywood studio and in the commissary found Karloff, James Arness, Mitch Miller, Red Skelton, Elizabeth Taylor, Buddy Hackett, Groucho Marx, Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Sinatra, Lloyd Bridges, Richard Boone, and Jerry Lewis having lunch. Later in the story, Olsen found himself caught in a deathtrap but was rescued by a mysterious person dressed in a black hood and robe. Before the unmasking, DC stated early on that the story had a “thriller” ending. (Two months later, in The Fantastic Four #9 (Dec. 1962), the FF visited Hollywood and they must have been on the same lot as Olsen because Alfred Hitchcock, James Arness, and Bob Hope were there again. Amanda Blake and Bing Crosby also made appearances, and Jackie Gleason gave directions to the Thing.) (top) A panel from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #64 (Oct. 1962) had the Daily Planet reporter visiting a Hollywood studio commissary, with Boris Karloff in the immediate foreground (for more reasons than one in the story). Curt Swan (pencils) and George Klein (inks). (bottom) The Fantastic Four visit a Hollywood studio and encounter Amanda Blake, James Arness, Alfred Hitchcock, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Jackie Gleason. Art by Jack Kirby (pencils) and Dick Ayers (inker), originally printed in The Fantastic Four #9 (Dec. 1962) and reprinted here from The Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 1 (2013). Jimmy Olsen © DC Comics. Fantastic Four TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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SUPERCAR: Supercar featured marionettes as the heroes and villains of the adventure stories. It was the first program by the United Kingdom producing team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson to be released on U.S. television, and featured the exploits of Mike Mercury using the futuristic-looking Supercar, a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) vehicle that also worked underwater and on land, to perform rescue missions and fight against the bad guy of the series, Masterspy. The fun 39-episode series ran in syndication, airing in 1962 on American television, and set the way for the Andersons’ other programs, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, U.F.O., and Space: 1999. Gold Key published four issues of the series (Nov. 1962 to Aug. 1963), and each issue had an exceptional painted cover. The inside cover for the first issue had a four-panel recap of the TV program’s first episode. Paul S. Newman and Gaylord Du Bois each wrote whimsical comic stories for the title that reflected the tone of the television series. The art by Ray Osrin may have appeared to be cartoony (and it was) but it accurately reflected how the characters looked on Supercar.

1963 ESCAPADE IN FLORENCE: Annette and Tommy Kirk co-starred again, this time in Escapade in Florence, as a pair of Americans who met in Italy and became involved—with each other and accidentally with art forgers. The TV twoparter aired on the Disneyland program September 30th and October 7th, 1962, and benefited from filming in Italy. While it could have been a pleasure to see someone like Dan Spiegle illustrate a story about art in beautiful Italy, the Gold Key single-issue (Jan. 1963) went with Sparky Moore, whose work here looks like he had never even been inside a pizza parlor. McKEEVER AND THE COLONEL: Taking place in a military academy, McKeever and the Colonel dealt with a group of young cadets, led by Gary McKeever (Scott Lane), getting themselves in and out of trouble under the nose of their camp commandant, Colonel Blackwell (Allyn Josyln). The wonderful Jackie Coogan (former child star and soon-to-be Uncle Fester on The Addams Family) played Sgt. Barnes and brought a humorous warmth to the proceedings. The comedy series debuted on NBC in 1962 and lasted just one season. Tony Tallarico’s art was never very good; however, Dell’s McKeever and the Colonel was the perfect comic for him. His art style did extremely well with the frantic humor of the scripts for the three issues (Feb.–Apr. 1963 to Aug.–Oct 1963).

(left) Escapade in Florence (Jan. 1963). (right) McKeever and the Colonel #2 (May–July 1963). Escapade in Florence © Disney Enterprises, Inc. McKeever and the Colonel © Four Star-Harlen or successor in interest.

Supercar was the first marionette program from the UK’s Gerry and Sylvia Anderson to be broadcast in the United States. Supercar #3 (May 1963) was a great example the superb painted covers on all of Gold Key’s four-issue series. TM & © ITC Entertainment Group Limited or successor in interest.

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THE NURSES: A three-season drama on CBS, The Nurses had wise senior nurse Liz Thorpe (Shirl Conway) watching over newcomer Gail Lucas (Zina Bethune). The Nurses tended to be more soap opera than Dr. Kildare or Ben Casey. The program was renamed The Doctors and the Nurses for the second and third seasons and aired on CBS from 1962 to 1965. It then moved from a weekly nighttime slot to a daytime daily soap opera from 1965 to 1967 with a return to its original title of The Nurses, albeit with a different cast.

The Nurses #1 (Apr. 1963). TM & © the respective holders.

Gold Key published three issues (from Apr. 1963 to Oct. 1963) based on the nighttime television series. By this time, Jack Sparling was drawing comic titles left, right, and center, and each issue of The Nurses suffered that quickness of pen, though Conway and Bethune were accurately depicted. Paul S. Newman wrote all three issues.

Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer on the cover of Dell’s The Beverly Hillbillies #3 (Oct.–Nov. 1963). © CBS Broadcasting Inc. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES: The success of The Beverly Hillbillies might have surprised everyone when it became a major hit for CBS. The TV series was the height of silliness but the public loved the concept of oil being discovered on the land of Ozarks hillbilly Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), making him a millionaire many times over, and moving his kin to Beverly Hills. Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr. co-starred on the program, which ran from 1962 to 1971. Dell released 21 issues (Apr.–June 1963 through Oct. 1971) of The Beverly Hillbillies. While the covers sported excellent photos of the cast, the inside art for the first few issues by Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico was just bad. With the fourth issue, the team was replaced by Henry Scarpelli, who drew the stars with somewhat more realism, while still providing a cartoony style. Issues 19 through 21 were reprints of the first three issues. (The one cover of the series that wasn’t a photo, #10, was drawn by Gene Colan.)

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THE MOONCUSSERS: Set in 1810, Walt Disney’s TV-movie The Mooncussers was a story of land pirates who put a light on shore to fool incoming ships into thinking it was seeing a safe lighthouse beam. When the ships crashed onto deadly reefs, the pirates plundered them of their cargo. Kevin Corcoran played Jonathan Feather, a local boy who aided the son of the shipping line in locating the pirates. The story played in two parts (Dec. 2nd and 9th, 1962) on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.

Gold Key’s Walt Disney’s World of Adventure #1 (Apr. 1963) adapted The Mooncussers. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Gold Key adapted the telefilm to comics in Walt Disney’s World of Adventure #1 (Apr. 1963). Dan Spiegel’s artwork was excellent, and the story provided several opportunities for him to illustrate atmospheric nighttime scenes. He was also able to draw the actors very accurately, especially Corcoran. (In addition, Spiegle got to illustrate a 10-page backup new story of Captain Nemo from Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.)

Dan Spiegle’s splendid art adapting The Mooncussers two-episode miniseries appeared in the first issue of Gold Key’s Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Adventure #1 (Apr. 1963). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

McHALE’S NAVY: A greater collection of goof-offs, the U.S. Navy had never seen. Basically, a water-bound version of Sgt. Bilko, McHale’s Navy was a TV comedy set during World War II aboard a PT boat, as well as on their South Pacific island base, with Commander Quinton McHale (Ernest Borgnine) trying every kind of flimflam with the officious Captain Binghamton (Joe Flynn). The difference between Bilko and McHale is that Bilko was always trying McHale’s Navy #1 to run a get-rich scheme; (May–July 1963). McHale, on the other hand, © Universal Studios. was a Navy man who often had to use conman skills to extricate someone on his crew from getting into trouble, the most inept of which was Ensign Parker (Tim Conway). The ABC comedy ran from 1962 to 1966. (There was also a pair of McHale’s Navy theatrical movies in the Sixties.) Dell’s three McHale’s Navy comics (May–July 1963 to Nov. 1963-Jan. 1964) were not much different storywise than the TV program. The art by Henry Scarpelli kept it all in a caricatured way. The first film also received a Dell comic adaptation (Oct. 1964), again with art by Scarpelli.

McHale’s Navy featured a great group of character actors, including Tim Conway and Joe Flynn on either side of the show’s star, Ernest Borgnine. Notice future “Murray Slaughter” and “Captain Stubing” Gavin MacLeod grinning over Borgnine’s shoulder. © Universal Studios.

I’M DICKENS… HE’S FENSTER: In the field of people you would not want to hire as carpenters, I’m Dickens... He’s Fenster starred two of the all-time champs. What they didn’t know… was just about everything. John Astin (pre-Addams Family) starred as Harry Dickens, and Marty Ingels was Arch Fenster. The 1962 ABC-TV series ran only one season. Dell released two issues of the I’m Dickens… He’s Fenster title, both with art possibly #1 (May–July 1963). by Henry Scarpelli. The first TM & © the respective holders. (May–July 1963) was drawn very straightforward, with a perfect Marty Ingels in every panel but with a little trouble getting John Astin just right. With the second issue (Aug.–

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Oct. 1963), the art went more to a standard humor comic book look. THE VIRGINIAN: There had been a 1929 movie version of Owen Wister’s Western novel, The Virginian, starring Gary Cooper, as well as a 1946 remake with Joel McCrea, but it was James Drury who became best known as the man who was called “the Virginian.” As the foreman of the Shiloh Ranch, he made sure everything ran well despite the many troubles that came up. The ranch went through a number of owners throughout

the series (played by Lee J. Cobb, John Dehner, Charles Bickford, John McIntire, and Stewart Granger). Doug McClure co-starred as Trampas, one of the ranch workers. The Virginian was a well-written program and it was television’s first Western series to run 90 minutes each week, airing on NBC from 1962 through 1971, with the last season going through a name change to The Men from Shiloh. Despite the nine-season run, only one issue of The Virginian was ever published. The Gold Key comic book (June 1963) had art by Tom Gill. THE LUCY SHOW: Even after I Love Lucy had been off the air for a few years, Lucille Ball proved she still had the comedy timing that made her the funniest woman in America. In her new series, The Lucy Show, Ball partnered with her I Love Lucy crony Vivian Vance. Ball played Lucy Carmichael, a widow with two children, sharing her home with divorced Vance and her son. The first season was shot in black-andwhite, and moved to color with its second year. The second season also added the extraordinary Gale Gordon as Mr. Mooney, the penny-pinching banker whose frustration with Lucy was even greater than that of Ricky Ricardo. The CBS program aired for six seasons from 1962 to 1968. The Gold Key series ran for just one year, from June 1963 to June 1964, with a total of five issues. Art was by Roger Armstrong. STONEY BURKE: Jack Lord starred as Stoney Burke, a professional 1960s rodeo cowboy, traveling with his crew from place to place, getting by on winnings, and still managing to solve the problems of people he encountered along the way. Notable in the supporting cast were Warren Oates and Bruce Dern. A limited concept (how many rodeos are there year-round to make the premise believable?), the ABC series debuted in 1962 but ended after one season.

The male cast of The Virginian (Lee J. Cobb, Doug McClure, and James Drury) was spotlighted on the cover for (top) Gold Key’s only comic (June 1963) based on the long-running series. (bottom) Drury, the “Virginian” of the title, was featured solo on the back cover. © Universal Studios.

(left) The Lucy Show #5 (June 1964), art by Roger Armstrong. (right) Stoney Burke #1 (June–Aug. 1963). The Lucy Show © CBS Broadcasting Inc.. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures. Stoney Burke © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

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As it was ostensibly an action TV series, the two comics issued by Dell were surprisingly dialogue-driven. The first issue (June–Aug. 1963) had a good story involving a tyrannical female film star who had more than a passing interest in using Stoney in her machinations. Mike Sekowsky provided excellent art, but was gone with the second issue (Sept.– Nov. 1963) and replaced by Jack Sparling, who delivered a limited effort with a lot of extreme closeups in a tale of a revenge-minded brother of a rodeo rider crippled in an accident.

Gold Key’s Walt Disney’s World of Adventure #2 (July 1963) adapted Johnny Shiloh. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

JOHNNY SHILOH: Walt Disney’s made-for-television feature, Johnny Shiloh, gave young Kevin Corcoran one of his best roles. As a Union Army drummer boy in the Civil War, based on the exploits of real-life John Clem, Corcoran gave a touching performance as the boy who ran away from home in order to be in battle alongside his elder friends as their mascot. Johnny Shiloh aired January 20 and 27, 1963, on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.

Gold Key’s Walt Disney’s World of Adventure #2 (July 1963) featured a 21-page adaptation of Johnny Shiloh, which had exceptional art by Dan Spiegle, capturing Corcoran extremely well, and the comic script was very faithful to the teleplay. Rounding out the issue was a new 10-page Captain Nemo adventure, also drawn by Spiegle. HAWAIIAN EYE: Though the series was set in Honolulu, Hawaiian Eye was filmed in and around Hollywood. It was another Warner Bros. private detective series, and a popular one at that. Running for four seasons, from 1959 to 1963, the series starred Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad, and then Troy Donahue in the final season when Eisley left. Connie Stevens played a supporting role as “Cricket” Blake, a singer. The ABC TV series spawned one Gold Key issue (July 1963), with a cover that ranks among the best created by the company, with color photos of Donahue and Stevens set against drawings of a Hawaiian statue and a palm branch, with a golden-colored background. Inside, however, was some of the worst art Jesse Marsh ever did for a comic book. Marsh had done much better in other titles, but here he was out of his element. The title would have been more suited to Russ Manning.

One of Gold Key’s best-designed comic covers was for Hawaiian Eye #1 (July 1963). © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

ENSIGN O’TOOLE: The early 1960s saw a number of naval-related TV comedies (including McHale’s Navy, Hennesey, Mister Roberts, and The Wackiest Ship in the Army). Ensign O’Toole had Dean Jones starring as the title character, a charming schemer on the USS Appleby, a fictional destroyer, set in the 1960s. The NBC series had one of the best supporting casts on the air, including Jay C. Flippen, Jack Albertson, Harvey Lembeck, John McGiver, Jack Mullaney, and Beau Bridges, but it lasted only one season, from September 1962 to May 1963.

Dean Jones on the cover to Ensign O’Toole #2 (Aug.–Oct. 1963). TM & © the respective holders.

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Dell’s one issue (Aug.–Oct. 1963) based on the series contained five short, badly-written humor stories, with mediocre art on all by Tony Tallarico and inked by Vince Colletta. The resemblances to Jones and the other performers were adequate. THE GALLANT MEN: The Gallant Men told the story of an embedded war correspondent (Robert McQueeney) as he traveled with a group of American GIs making their way through Italy during World War II. Despite each episode being an hour long, there never was much depth to the tales or in the characters. The ABC series debuted in 1962 but lasted only 26 episodes.

The Gallant Men (Oct. 1963) from Gold Key. TM & © the respective holders.

The program was gone by the time the single issue (Oct. 1963) from Gold Key hit the newsstands. The art by Russ Manning may well have been his weakest and most bland moment in comics. Backgrounds were plain, and faces were lacking the Manning magic.

THE TRAVELS OF JAIMIE McPHEETERS: In 1963, young Kurt Russell starred in his own TV series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. The show’s top-billed actor was Dan O’Herlihy as Jaimie’s father, but it was narrated by Jaimie. Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Lewis Taylor, the stories followed their wagon train heading west and the people they encountered along the way. Jaimie’s doctor father, a widower, was taking Jaimie with him out to California to find gold. For the first 13 of its 26 episodes, the original wagon master was played by Michael Witney; for the final 13, a new wagon master took over and was portrayed by Charles Bronson. The ABC program had some good writing but only ran from September 29, 1963 to March 15, 1964. (There was also a 1965 theatrical release, Guns of Diablo, which took the final episode and added extra footage. Bronson’s character was so much the focus of the film that Russell was relegated to an almost forgotten supporting role for a large part of the picture.) The art for the Gold Key single issue (Dec. 1963) was by Fred Fredericks and it appeared he was having a lot of fun drawing it, especially the character of Jaimie’s happy-go-lucky father getting in and out of scrapes. (top) A young Kurt Russell was “Jaimie” in the short-lived ABC-TV series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. Pictured: The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters #1 (Dec. 1963). (bottom) Fred Fredericks’ art for The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters #1 (Dec. 1963) was a delight, but his very-detailed panels were washed out by the colorist. © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., or successor in interest.

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1964 FIREBALL XL5: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson followed up Supercar with another marionette adventure series, Fireball XL5, a show about the World Space Patrol. The outer space sector watched over by Steve Zodiac and his crew in their rocketship (the Fireball XL5 of the title) seemed to be the most besieged with enemies who sought to destroy Earth. Unlike Mike Mercury of Supercar, Steve Zodiac was a handsome blonde hero in the Flash Gordon mode, not above coming on to the group’s female physician of space medicine, Dr. Venus. Venus was talented and brilliant… but the one Steve got to make the team’s coffee. The 39-episode program ran on NBC from 1963 to 1965. The Gold Key adaptation of the series lasted just one issue (Jan. 1964). In England, a popular British kids’ tabloid weekly called TV Century 21 ran their own comic version of Fireball XL5 with art vastly superior than the Gold Key book. Each week, the large-size UK publication (11" X 14") had two color comic pages of the TV series. Steve Zodiac and the Fireball XL5 #1 (Jan. 1964). © City Magazines Ltd., and A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd., or successor in interest.

(A note about TV Century 21: Focused very strongly on productions by the Andersons, a typical issue from the mid-1960s featured color strips of the Anderson productions Stingray, Fireball XL5, and Thunderbirds. The latter had the distinction of occupying the center spread, and artist Frank Bellamy made the pages spectacular! The tabloid publication also printed original black-and-white strips of American television shows, including Get Smart, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, and Burke’s Law.)

Though Ray Bailey provided adequate art for the single 1964 Gold Key comic issue Steve Zodiac and the Fireball XL 5, in England TV Century 21 magazine was printing a superior, two-pages-a-week, amazingly-colored adventure strip. © City Magazines Ltd., and A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd., or successor in interest.

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Stingray was another Gerry and Sylvia Anderson production, and like Fireball XL5 and Thunderbirds was given epic comic treatment in the weekly TV Century 21 UK magazine. © City Magazines Ltd., and A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd., or the successor in interest.

Even the Fireball XL5 strip paled artwise compared to the drawing of one of England’s best illustrators, Frank Bellamy, on Thunderbirds. (Though Thunderbirds, the showpiece of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s marionette productions, was released in the United States, there wasn’t an American comic book release of it.) © City Magazines Ltd., and A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd., or successor in interest.

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BURKE’S LAW: From 1963 to 1965, Burke’s Law was a wellreceived police detective show with a difference. Captain Amos Burke (Gene Barry) was a dedicated policeman, but he was also a millionaire, arriving at Beverly Hills murder scenes in a Rolls Royce driven by his chauffeur/butler Henry. His entire Homicide team seemed to consist of only Les Hart (Regis Toomey), a wise veteran detective, and Tim Tilson (Gary Conway), a young detective who believed modern crime detection was superior to Captain Burke’s methodical approach. Burke often commented on procedure with a personal “Burke’s Law”… such as “Murder is the only game you can never win. Burke’s law.” The best aspect of the program was the casting of well-known film actors of the past and upand-comers of the new generation as murder suspects. After the second season concluded, the ABC series underwent a drastic change in concept, trying to cash in on the superspy market by making Burke a globetrotting agent of the United States Government, and retitling the third season as Amos Burke Secret Agent. It was quickly cancelled after only 17 episodes.

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN: Over a decade before Mork & Mindy, My Favorite Martian was a popular comedy on CBS. From 1963 through 1966, Bill Bixby starred as Tim O’Hara, a local newspaper reporter, who got the scoop of his life when he saw the crash landing of a one-man spaceship containing a Martian (played by Ray Walston). Tim hid the ship in his garage and nursed him back to health. Convinced no one would believe he had a Martian living with him, Tim decided to pass him off as his “Uncle Martin” until such time as the spaceship could be repaired. To look at him, Martin was a

The Dell comic book could never be as successful as the television program because there were no stars portraying the murder suspects. However, that is not to say the comic stories (by Paul S. Newman) over three issues (Jan.–Mar. 1964 to Mar.–May 1965) were not entertaining in their own right. The first issue also had very good art by Gene Colan. The second issue brought in John Tartaglione to handle the artwork and, while it was generally bland, he was very successful in drawing Gene Barry and the regulars of the TV series. Frank McLaughlin and Dick Giordano drew the third issue (Mar.–May 1965), which was the last.

Gene Barry as Amos Burke, Captain of Detectives, with the ever-present Rolls-Royce. (left) Burke’s Law #1 (Jan.–Mar. 1964) and (right) #2 (May–July 1964). © Blair and Associates.

(top) Ray Walston on an eye-catching cover for My Favorite Martian #1 (January 1964). (bottom) Russ Manning’s drawing of the pilot episode for My Favorite Martian #1 (Jan. 1964) was clean and straightforward, showing that comedy could be drawn without doing caricatures. © The Contingent Trust of Jack & Florence Chertok.

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Artist ProfILe: GENE COLAN Gene Colan was born in the Bronx on September 1, 1926 and was drawing by the age of three. In his teens, he freelanced briefly for Fiction House in 1944, and then enlisted in the Air Force. After the service, he studied at the Art Students League and brought samples of his work to the Timely Comics (now Marvel) office. He was hired on the spot by Stan Lee. For Timely, he drew ever kind of comic story—crime, science fiction, western, etc. —as well as Captain America and the Human Torch. His work kept improving as he freelanced for various comic publishers, including EC, Quality Comics, and St. John. And he was improving his style, a dramatic use of light and shadows born out of a love of film noir movies. Colan got work at DC, and when they took over the Hopalong Cassidy comic book in 1954, he drew it for three years. In the 1960s, he was still at DC, as well as freelancing at Dell and Warren, but Stan Lee was anxious to get him back and gave him the Iron Man feature. Colan’s dynamic layouts and use of shadows were finally fully unleashed. He would also draw many of the other Marvel characters, including Captain America, Daredevil, SubMariner, Doctor Strange, and Howard the Duck, and he was particularly proud of his work on Tomb of Dracula. Due to editorial problems, he left Marvel and went to DC in 1981 where he drew Batman, the Spectre, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Wonder Woman, and several new series. He worked again for Marvel in the late 1980s, but also freelanced at Archie, Eclipse, and Dark Horse. Gene Colan died June 23, 2011. A page drawn by Gene Colan for Burke’s Law #1 (Jan.–Mar. 1964), with good likenesses of the TV cast. © Blair and Associates.

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normal-looking man… except for the two small antennae that rose from his head just before he turned invisible.

for the presence of Jean-Pierre Aumont as a policeman, escargot would have been replaced with fish and chips.

In the first Gold Key issue, Russ Manning drew the retelling of the TV show’s initial episode, with the art looking the same as if he were drawing the 77 Sunset Strip comic book. In doing so, Manning proved it was possible to draw people realistically (his Bixby and Walston were perfect) and still have the situation be funny. Subsequent comics in the 9-issue run (Jan. 1964 to Oct. 1966) were drawn by Dan Spiegle, Sparky Moore, and Mike Arens.

The Gold Key adaptation (Jan. 1964) did very well by the film, bringing over the highlights of the story in a compact 21 pages, with admirable art by Dan Spiegle providing good resemblances to the cast. Spiegle also provided excellent work on the backup feature, a new Captain Nemo 10-pager.

THE OUTER LIMITS: The Outer Limits always ranked as a second cousin to The Twilight Zone but it had many episodes to be proud of and guest stars enough to make its viewing mandatory. Created by Leslie Stevens, the series told some of the best science-fiction tales on television, and the stories had humanity at their core—even if it featured a monster of the week. The ABC program aired for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965, but lived on in reruns. Dell’s published 18 issues of The Outer Limits (Jan.–Mar. 1964 through Oct. 1969, with #17 and #18 reprinting the first two issues) and each was Jack Sparling from cover to cover. Unfortunately, Sparling’s artwork for the series was rather tame at times and the stories’ writing left a lot to be desired. THE HORSE WITHOUT A HEAD: The Horse Without A Head was an original two-part made-for-TV feature that aired September 29 and October 6, 1963 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. The story of five poor children in France and their headless toy horse that held the key to a great robbery was a delight. The characters may have had French names, but the cast was as English as it could get, including Leo McKern, Herbert Lom, and Pamela Franklin. If it were not

DANIEL BOONE: After becoming famous portraying Davy Crockett, Fess Parker once again put on a raccoon hat and picked up a long rifle, but this time as frontiersman Daniel Boone. The Daniel Boone series from NBC ran for six seasons, from 1964 to 1970, and co-starred Patricia Blair as his wife and Ed Ames as Mingo. While there was a lot of down-home simplicity to the show and in the way Parker played Boone, the stories did not shy away from subjects such as slavery and equal rights. Gold Key published a total of 15 issues from January 1965 to April 1969. Fred Fredericks contributed the art for the first three issues, with Mike Roy drawing the rest. Paul S. Newman wrote the majority of the scripts.

(top) Fess Parker was back in the woods with another TV hit, this time as Daniel Boone. Also pictured on the cover of Daniel Boone #8 (Feb. 1967) were (L-R) Albert Salmi and Ed Ames. (left) The Outer Limits #1 (Jan.–Mar. 1964). (right) Walt Disney’s The Horse Without a Head (Jan. 1964). The Outer Limits TM & © Estate of Leslie Stevens - Villa Di Stefano- Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Inc. The Horse Without a Head © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

(bottom) The back cover of Daniel Boone #8 (Feb. 1967) featured a posed shot of Fess Parker as Boone with his TV family and friends. © Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc., Arcola Pictures Corp., Fespar Enterprises, Inc.

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THE LIEUTENANT: Created by Gene Roddenberry, The Lieutenant detailed the training by U.S. Marine Lieutenant William T. Rice (Gary Lockwood) of his squad at Camp Pendleton, getting them ready for combat in Vietnam. Episodes had Rice involved with some human element often taking precedence over military protocol. Several stories included future Star Trek regulars, including Leonard Nimoy, Majel Barrett, Walter Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols (the latter in an episode that went unaired due to the network’s nervousness about racial relations). (Lockwood also appeared Dell’s The Lieutenant #1 in the second pilot for Star Trek. Gene (Apr.–June 1964). Roddenberry gave both Lieutenant TM & © the respective holders. Rice and Captain Kirk the middle name “Tiberius.”) Robert Vaughn had a recurring role as the company commander. The NBC series aired from 1963 to 1964 and was cancelled after the one season. The artwork by Joe Sinnott on the Dell single-issue adaptation (Apr.–June 1964) was good at first, with a lot of straightforward likenesses of Lockwood, but it grew to be very monotonous and lackluster due to its plain scenery setting on the Marine training course. The storyline dealt with two Marines (one experienced, one not) who despised each other but, of course, came to depend on each other by tale’s end. THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh was one of Walt Disney’s best TV-movies, a three-parter that was broadcast February 9 through February 23, 1964 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Patrick McGoohan was both Dr. Syn, the priest of Dymchurch-under-the-Wall, and the Scarecrow, a daring masked rider of the marshes who was a Robin Hood for the late 18th century, helping people oppressed by the British military. (above) One of Disney’s best TV miniseries within Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color was The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, and Gold Key gave it an excellent comic adaptation (Apr. 1964). (top right) The six photos inside the front cover of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (Apr. 1964) told the story of all three chapters of the Disney miniseries from beginning to end. (bottom right) Dan Spiegle’s work for The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh comic adaptation (Apr. 1964) did well with recreating the atmosphere of the Disney miniseries, as well as the appearances of the actors. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

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The Gold Key three-issue series had the first issue retelling the TV story, while the two remaining issues were original tales. The artwork for all three Gold Key issues was by Dan Spiegle and he did an astonishing job in capturing the feel of the television production and the likeness of the stars. The first issue (Apr. 1964) was titled Walt Disney’s The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, and then just Walt Disney’s The Scarecrow for the second (July 1965) and third issue (Oct. 1965). ESPIONAGE: Espionage was a combination U.S./ U.K.–produced anthology television program filmed for England but broadcast over NBC from 1963 to 1964. The focus was on ordinary agents and featured a cast of American and British actors, including Dennis Hopper, Anthony Quayle, Bill Travers, Patricia Neal, Bernard Lee, and Martin Balsam. Espionage #1 (May–July 1964). TM & © National Broadcasting Company, Inc.

No matter the evidence against his client, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) would not only prove him or her innocent, each week Mason would usually get the real killer to confess on the witness stand. Perry Mason Mystery Magazine #2 (Oct.–Nov. 1964). TM & © CBS Studio Productions LLC. PERRY MASON is a trademark of Paisano Productions.

Dell’s Espionage single issue (May–July 1964) had quickly-drawn stories by Jack Sparling. PERRY MASON: Based on the character created by novelist Erle Stanley Gardner, Perry Mason was the great lawyer show in the 1950s and 1960s. No matter how much the evidence made it look like his client was guilty of murder, Mason (Raymond Burr) always made the real culprit confess during the courtroom trial. Barbara Hale played his secretary, Della Street, and William Hopper was Mason’s private investigator, Paul Drake. The CBS program lasted for nine years, broadcast from 1957 to 1966. Almost 20 years later, Burr came back to the role that made him famous. Perry Mason Returns (1985) was the first of 26 Perry Mason TV-movies. After Burr died of cancer in 1993, there were four more TV-movies made

The art by Stephen L. Addeo for the Perry Mason Mystery Magazine #2 (actually, a comic book) was very much in the line of advertising illustration in the Sixties. TM & © CBS Studio Productions LLC. PERRY MASON is a trademark of Paisano Productions.

under the heading of A Perry Mason Mystery but, out of respect for Burr’s memory, the featured roles were of other lawyers and not Mason. The first time that Perry Mason made an appearance in comics was in Feature Book #49 and #50, circa mid-to-late 1940s. It took almost two decades before there was another Perry Mason comic title and that came deep into the TV series’ run when Dell published a two-issue comic book series under the fanciful title of Perry Mason Mystery Magazine (shortened to just Perry Mason on the cover). The first issue (June–Aug. 1964) was an adaptation of Gardner’s novel, The Case of the Counterfeit Eye (adapted to TV as “The Case of the Treacherous Toupee,” which had an early role for Robert Redford). The second issue (Oct.–Dec. 1964) took a try at Gardner’s The Case of the Sulky Girl (the television program’s fifth show). Except for the resemblances to the regular cast, the art and the writing didn’t follow closely to the TV series’ episodes. Photos of Burr appeared on both front covers.

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Petticoat Junction #1 (Oct.–Nov. 1964). TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

PETTICOAT JUNCTION: “Lots of curves, you bet.” So went a lyric from the opening Petticoat Junction theme, referring to the train route to get to Hooterville and also to the three daughters (Bobbie Jo, Billie Jo, and Betty Jo) of Kate (Bea Benaderet), the owner of the Shady Rest Hotel, a trainstop along the way. Racy as it sounds, Petticoat Junction was actually a gentle sitcom from Paul Henning, producer of The Beverly Hillbillies (Benaderet had played Jethro’s mother). The program aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970.

Henry Scarpelli drew the antics at the Shady Rest for the Dell five-issue comic series (Oct.–Dec. 1964 to Oct.–Dec. 1965), though it was clear from the repeated use of close-ups of the characters staring out at the reader that he was working from a limited amount of studio photos.

Sky King Nabisco promotional comic book.

SKY KING: Sky King featured the adventures of a rancher who used his private plane to track criminals, as well as to spot natural disasters and rescue people. The children’s program had its roots in radio, starting in 1946 and remaining on air until 1954. Coinciding with the radio show run, a syndicated television, Sky King logged 72 episodes from 1951 to 1955 with Kirby Grant in the title role. Gloria Winters co-starred as his niece, Penny.

Reruns of the TV program continued in syndication for a number of years and its sponsor, Nabisco, published a 16-page promotional giveaway comic book entitled Sky King Runaway Train in 1964, with art by Paul Reinman.

TM & © the respective holders.

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA: The deep-sea adventures of the atomic submarine Seaview began with the 1961 theatrical movie, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, starring Walter Pidgeon as Admiral Harriman Nelson. For the ABC-TV series built from it, Admiral Nelson was recast

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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea #4 (May 1966). Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TM & © Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation and Irwin Allen Properties, LLC. © Twentieth Century Fox Television and Cambridge Productions, Inc.

with Richard Basehart, and David Hedison was Captain Lee Crane, the skipper of the Seaview and the Admiral’s righthand man. Both were excellently cast and the Irwin Allen production was off to a glorious start… but as the series progressed, it turned into a “monster of the week” show and lost precious believability and intrigue. The program aired from 1964 to 1968. The movie comic adaptation (FC #1230, Nov. 1961) from Dell was faithful to the film, and Sam Glanzman’s art was workable. The TV series version by Gold Key had a variety of artists enlisted for its 16 issues (Dec. 1964 to Apr. 1970), including Mike Sekowsky, Don Heck, George Tuska, and Alberto Giolitti. Storywise, the plots were often beyond ludicrous, an example of which was “The Great Undersea Safari” (#5, Aug. 1966), in which a disgraced great white hunter took his African native bearers underwater to hunt and destroy the Seaview. This included the natives bringing along their drums in order to beat them underwater.

Alberto Giolitti’s art for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea #4 was good, but like the TV series the scripts for the comic book were often downright monster-of-the-moment affairs. TM & © Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation and Irwin Allen Properties, LLC. © Twentieth Century Fox Television and Cambridge Productions, Inc.

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1965

A Quinn Martin production, 12 O’Clock High featured well-written World War II dramas but the series only lasted two-and-a-half seasons. 12 O’Clock High #1 (Jan.– Mar. 1965). © Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc. – QM Productions Inc.

12 O’CLOCK HIGH: The roots of the ABC-TV series 12 O’Clock High lay in the powerful 1949 movie Twelve O’Clock High, which starred Gregory Peck as an unbending Air Force brigadier general, head of an American bomber squadron located in England during World War II. The ABC-TV series debuted in 1964 with stone-faced Robert Lansing, equally as much a hardnose as Peck played in the film. The producers apparently found Lansing hard to work with and let him go, replacing him in the second season with Paul Burke. The series lasted out the second season but only through part of the third before being cancelled by the network.

Paul S. Newman wrote both issues (Jan.–Mar. 1965 and Apr.–June 1965) of the Dell comic series, with artwork by Joe Sinnott, who could draw airplanes, uniforms, and Hollywood stars with accuracy. THE MUNSTERS: “The Munsters” lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane and tried to live peacefully in their town, but people ran at the sight of them. Fred Gwynne was the big and loveable Herman Munster (the Frankenstein monster), Yvonne De Carlo played his devoted wife, Lily (a vampiress), Al Lewis was Grandpa (a vampire), and Butch Patrick was their easygoing son, Eddie (part werewolf, part vampire). Also living with The Munsters #1 them was Lily’s human niece, (Jan. 1965). Marilyn, who was physically © Universal Studios. unattractive in their eyes but a gorgeous young woman to the rest of the human world. (There were two actresses, Beverley Owen and Pat Priest, who played Marilyn over the length of the show and the 1966 theatrical movie, Munsters, Go Home!) The Munsters was a fun TV show, and Gwynne and De Carlo were especially

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Silly and fun Fred Fredericks artwork from the pages of The Munsters #1 (Jan. 1965). © Universal Studios.

winning in their roles. The series aired on CBS from September 24, 1964 through May 12, 1966. The Gold Key comic title based upon the series ran for 16 issues, from January 1965 to February 1968, outlasting the TV sitcom by almost two years. A number of artists worked on the title, including Fred Fredericks and Mike Sekowsky, who kept things light and funny. NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS: The story of Will Stockdale, a good-natured but none-toobright young man from the No Time for Sergeants #1 (Feb.–Apr. 1965). TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

No Time for Sergeants had been a hilarious movie with Andy Griffith, but the TV series based on it was painfully unfunny. The three-issue series from Dell based on the No Time for Sergeants TV show could not stand the comparison when seen next to the one-issue movie adaptation (Dell Four Color #914, July 1958). (left) a fight page from the TV-inspired first issue (Feb.–Apr. 1965) as drawn by Tony Tallarico and a (right) similar scene from the movie adaptation, with art by Alex Toth. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

hills, drafted into the armed forces was at the heart of No Time for Sergeants. Andy Griffith brought his country charm to the part of Stockton, first in the original 1955 teleplay adapted from the No Time for Sergeants novel, then in a successful run on Broadway, and finally to the big screen. On September 24, 1964, a No Time for Sergeants TV series began what would be a one-season run on ABC, this time with Sammy Jackson as Will. Unfortunately, Jackson had none of the southern charm Griffith portrayed. The Dell comic movie adaptation (FC #914, July 1958) was blessed with the very funny and frantic artwork of Alex Toth. However, when it came to the comic based on the television program, Dell’s three issues (Feb.–Apr. 1965 to Aug.–Oct. 1965) had art by Tony Tallarico and it was a terrible comedown.

BEWITCHED: Bewitched was a major hit for ABC, running from 1964 to 1972. The story of a smart, loving housewife, Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery), and her advertising-executive husband, Darren (Dick York), was as perfect as American households could get in the 1960s— with the exception that Samantha was a witch. Her mother, her dotty aunt, and her less-than-straightlaced cousin Serena (also played by Montgomery) were all witches, and her father and

Bewitched #3 (Oct.–Dec. 1965). © CPT Holdings, Inc.

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her uncle were warlocks. Darren made Samantha promise to not use magic but, sometimes, circumstances required a twitching of her nose to make things better, which often led to making things worse. Elizabeth Montgomery was a magical wonder in the role of Samantha Stevens, wife, mother, and peacemaker. Montgomery was lovely, intelligent, and funny. Dick York was the perfect Darren, patient beyond understanding, but also highly excitable, and he made people believe this man could put up with anything, even Samantha’s family, because he loved her. (York left the series in 1969 due to being in constant, excruciating pain after an accident he suffered while making a movie years before. Dick Sargent was hired to replace York but the viewers didn’t take to him.) Agnes Moorehead was a constant delight as Endora, Samantha’s mother, as she always looked for ways to humble and humiliate Darren. Dell published a total of 14 issues between April–June 1965 and October 1969. Some of the stories got downright silly (but, then, so did the TV series). Henry Scarpelli handled the art for all issues and while he leaned towards farce, he did a good job of trying to catch facial resemblances to Montgomery and York. The twelfth issue reprinted #1 and the fourteenth reprinted #2. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was a great success for Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo, David McCallum as Illya Kuryakin, and Leo G. Carroll as Mr. Waverly. Second only in popularity to James Bond, spywise—though it must be admitted it was a very distant second—the NBC series (1964-1968) had the secret agents for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement traipsing all over the globe trying to stop world-domination plots by THRUSH. The Gold Key comic book title ran for 22 issues (May 1965 to Apr. 1969), with the last two issues being reprints. The initial issues were drawn by Don Heck, though faces of Vaughn looked to be the work of Mike Sekowsky, who drew many of the stories for the rest of the series. Almost 20 years later, Entertainment Publishing unfortunately revived Napoleon, Illya, and the rest of The Man from U.N.C.L.E for an 11-issue series (Jan. 1987 to Sept. 1988). The artwork by rotating artists was bad in places and overall horrible in others.

(top) On The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) were world-traveling spies. The comic book cover of the sixth issue (May 1966) captured that. (bottom) A page by Mike Sekowsky from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. #6 (May 1966) depicted poor renditions of Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, but the Leo J. Carroll depiction was perfect. TM & © Warner Bros./Turner Entertainment.

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GALLEGHER: One of the most popular TV serials to appear on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color was Gallegher, a three-part tale that aired January 24 to February 7, 1965). Set around 1890, the story featured a newspaper copy boy named Gallegher who wanted to be a reporter. Being that he was in his teens, Gallegher (Roger Mobley) could not convince his editor (Edmond O’Brien) that he should take a chance on

him; so, like all good Disney young adventurers, he went out on his own to get a crime scoop. Mobley brought an earnest sincerity to the role of Gallegher, and the serial was Emmy-nominated for “Outstanding Children’s Program.” Following this success, there was a new Gallegher serial each year from 1966 through 1968. The Gold Key comic, Walt Disney’s Gallegher, Boy Reporter #1 (May 1965) was a one-and-only issue and it adapted the first two chapters of the original 1965 serial. Dan Spiegle’s art was right for the period, easy paced, with an expectation of hearing a strong Irish brogue from the local street cop. THE SOUPY SALES SHOW: A perfect slapstick comedian for kids (though his jokes and asides had substance for grownups, too), Soupy Sales would have been a perfect baggy-pants comedian in vaudeville. Sales’ main claim to fame in the various TV shows he hosted was getting pies in his face more often than anyone in the silent days of cinema.

One of the most popular Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color miniseries, Gallegher (1965) starred Roger Mobley as an ambitious newspaper copy boy. (top) Walt Disney’s Gallegher, Boy Reporter #1 (May 1965). (bottom) Dan Spiegle could draw any historical period, whether it was the old West, the 1920s, modern day, or even the future. For the comic adaption of Gallegher, it was the late 19th century. Pictured: The splash page of Walt Disney’s Gallegher, Boy Reporter #1 (May 1965). © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

In addition to performing “The Mouse” on his own program, Soupy Sales also demonstrated it on The Ed Sullivan Show and Hullabaloo, a teenage dance program. Pictured: The Official Soupy Sales Comic Book Magazine splash page. © Archie Publications, Inc.

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1966

(left) “Do ‘The Mouse,’ yeah. You can do it in your house, yeah.” Simpler days, cuter dances. The Official Soupy Sales Comic Book Magazine. (right) A 16-page promotional comic for Wild Kingdom, a continuous part of Sunday afternoons on NBC for eight years, had interior art by Dan Spiegle. Soupy Sales © Archie Publications, Inc. “The Mouse” words and music by Sandy Linzer & Denny Randell © Saturday Music, Inc. or successor in interest. Wild Kingdom TM & © Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company.

Lunch with Soupy Sales and The Soupy Sales Show were both very successful, with many major celebrities wanting to get a pie in the face when they appeared on his show. Sales (whose real name was Milton Hines) also made popular a silly song and accompanying dance, “The Mouse.” Archie Comics published just one issue of The Official Soupy Sales Comic Book Magazine (1965), which was not too different than an average Archie comic book, consisting of short comic stories with characters from Soupy’s shows and quick oneand two-page gags. The inside front and back covers had photos of Sales. WILD KINGDOM: While Zoo Parade had occasional forays into the wild, much of it took place within the safe confines of zoos across the country. Host Marlin Perkins’ next program, Wild Kingdom, took to filming animals in their natural habitats. The Mutual of Omaha-sponsored TV series was enormously successful, winning an armful of Emmy Awards, and existed beyond its original airing on NBC (1963 to 1971) to a syndicated run from 1971 to 1988. In 1965, Dan Spiegle did well with the art of a Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom promotional 16-page comic book from Western, which featured Perkins rounding up a hippo in Africa and a baby polar bear in the frozen north.

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THE LEGEND OF JESSE JAMES: ABC aired a one-season (1965-1966) Western, The Legend of Jesse James, starring Christopher Jones as Jesse and Allen Case as his brother, Frank. Like the Tyrone PowerHenry Fonda Jesse James movie of 1939, the TV series depicted the James Brothers as fighting back against unjust authority. The proThe Legend of Jesse James gram was produced by 20 th (Feb. 1966). Century-Fox, which seemed TM & © the respective holders. to have a fascination with the James Brothers, having produced the 1939 movie and its sequel, The Return of Frank James (1940), as well as the 1957 film The True Story of Jesse James. The Gold Key adaptation was a one-shot issue (Feb. 1966) with excellent Western art by Dan Spiegle, creating a number of fine layouts. The only weakness was in a villain whose features looked cartoony evil. FLIPPER: Based on a theatrical movie and its sequel, the TV series of Flipper was an excellent program for kids. While every boy would love to have a dog, it seemed natural for Bud (Tommy Norden), the younger of widower Porter Ricks’ two sons, to gravitate towards having a dolphin as his best friend because his father ’s work as a park ranger and chief warden in Florida kept them close to the water. Luke Halpin starred as Sandy, the elPhoto cover to dest son, repeating his role Flipper #3 (Nov. 1967). from both films as the one © Ivan Tors Films, Inc. and who had found the injured Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. dolphin, nursed him back to health, trained him, and named him Flipper. Ivan Tors’ production for NBC aired from 1964 to 1967 and had some of the most beautiful underwater photography ever seen on television.

There could not have been a better artist to illustrate the Flipper comic than Dan Spiegle. His experience with drawing family life in many Disney stories, as well as his various illustrated tales above and below the sea, made him the perfect choice. His work on the Gold Key series was exceptional. Regrettably, only three issues were published (Apr. 1966 to Nov. 1967). CAMP RUNAMUCK: The sitcom Camp Runamuck related the antics of the male commander and counselors of the summer camp for boys, and the dealings with their female equivalents in the new girls’ camp across the river. The steely resolve of the commander and men of Runamuck (Dave Ketchum and Dave Madden, among them) often fell before the charms of the women. The NBC series debuted September 17, 1965, but lasted only one season. Dell’s one-issue adaptation (Apr. 1966) related the perils of canoeing when the inept camp commander went along, and of the competitiveness of the Runamuck boys playing “Indian” when the rival “tribe” (the girls) turned out to be so much better at it. Art for the issue was adequate, leaning towards caricaturist renderings of the actors in a slapstick setting.

The first issue (Apr. 1966) from Dell was more of a typical teenage comic book story than the tales depicted on the TV series. The second issue (Dec. 1966), though, came a little bit closer to the heartbreak of a sick teenager stuck at home while everyone else was at the prom. John Tartaglione did the art for both issues, with good likenesses of Field. I DREAM OF JEANNIE: If a beautiful blonde witch could make a successful comedy, why not a beautiful blonde genie? Jeannie (Barbara Eden) wasn’t a modern woman like Samantha Stevens, but that was part of the fun and a lot of her charm. She had been in the bottle for so long that she had not seen the progress of the centuries, and she was absolutely delighted in seeing what the 20 th century had to offer. Eden truly made I Dream of Jeannie a joy to watch, with the added good comedy work of Larry Hagman as Tony, the astronaut who rescued her from her bottle. The NBC series ran from September 18, 1965 to May 26, 1970.

GIDGET: Gidget was a popular character, spanning several books, movies and two TV series. Based on the diary entries of novelist Frederick Kohner’s daughter, the cute and sweet 15-year-old girl was a choice role for Sally Field (she was between 18-19 when she started filming the series). This and The Flying Nun were, of course, parts she wanted people to forget about later, but she was really good as Gidget. Honestly, you liked her, you really liked her. The ABC series was well-written, and Field made people smile as she carried on the adventures of the surfer girl, speaking directly to the camera and telling the viewer her frustrations and hopes. The program aired for just one season (from 1965-1966).

Camp Runamuck #1 (Apr. 1966) and Gidget #1 (Apr. 1966). Camp Runamuck TM & © Runamuck Productions or successors in interest. Gidget © CPT Holdings, Inc.

Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman on the photo cover to I Dream of Jeannie #2 (Dec. 1966). © CPT Holdings, Inc.

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Dell crossed their arms, nodded, and in a blink, there were two issues adapting the TV series (Apr. 1966 and Dec. 1966). Unfortunately, the art was horribly inept, with cartoon-like figures, pasted-on facial likenesses, and terrible layouts.

Walt Disney’s The Legend of Young Dick Turpin (May 1966), from Gold Key.

THE LEGEND OF YOUNG DICK TURPIN: The “Legend” part of the title The Legend of Young Dick Turpin was definitely on display in the two-part Disney TV-movie that aired February 13 and 20, 1966. The English-made telefilm glossed over almost everything about the real 18th century highwayman, but it was reasonably entertaining. The young Turpin (David Weston), unfairly fined and put off his lands, joined up with a professional group of crooks in London, but quickly left their “fair” care to start his famous career.

The Gold Key single issue (May 1966) retold the Disney story and Dan Spiegle’s art was good, but it didn’t compare to his more atmospheric handling of the three issues of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh saga. Though, to be fair, the telefilm of Turpin was not as good as Scarecrow, either. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

LAREDO: Laredo was about three fun-loving, roughhousing Texas Rangers (Neville Brand, Peter Brown, and William Smith) plus their very stern captain (Philip Carey), headquartered in Laredo, Texas, of the Old West. They were as different as any three people could be, always quick to jab other each with putdowns and jokes, but in battle they were like the Three Musketeers, all for one and one for all. The actors showed a great chemistry together, and one more was added in the second (and last) season, Robert Wolders. The NBC series ran from 1965 to 1967. Gold Key published only one issue of Laredo (June 1966), with fine art (left) Laredo #1 (June 1966) featuring the TV cast: (L-R) William Smith, Neville Brand, and Peter Brown. Phillip Carey is pictured below. (right) A two-page, all-out street brawl in Laredo #1 (June 1966) gave artist Alberto Giolitti a chance to shine. TM & © NBC Universal, Inc.

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on both stories in it by Alberto Giolitti. The Italian artist had an affinity for Western scenes and showed great detail on many pages, including an incredible street brawl that lasted two pages.

Can anyone ever forget “the Cone of Silence,” the shoephone, and “Sorry about that, Chief”? Pictured: Barbara Feldon as Agent 86 and Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Get Smart #5 (Mar. 1967). TM & © Home Box Office, Inc.

GET SMART: Before Mel Brooks was parodying Westerns (Blazing Saddles), monster movies (Young Frankenstein), and Alfred Hitchcock (High Anxiety), he and Buck Henry were sticking it to the spy game that had proven so popular for James Bond and the men from U.N.C.L.E. Get Smart featured Maxwell Smart (Don Adams), aka Agent 86, the most inept of all spies. Still, Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) loved him and the Chief (Edward Platt) kept him on the payroll for some reason. The first four seasons aired on NBC (1965-1969), followed by a move to CBS for its final season (1969-1970).

followed with the second and third issues, with Ditko at his goofiest—and loving it! (However, his depictions of stars Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and especially Edward Platt were far from accurate.) Henry Scarpelli took over for #4 through 7 (Jan. 1967 through Aug. 1967). The final issue (#8, Oct. 1969) was a reprint of the first. HOGAN’S HEROES: Hogan’s Heroes could genuinely be amusing, once one got past the premise that German concentration camps in World War II were funny places to be. In the 1965-1971 CBS series, Colonel Robert Hogan (Bob Crane) and his men, supposedly prisoners of war, were actually more in charge of the concentration camp than its bumbling commander, Col. Klink (Werner Klemperer), and rotund Sgt. “I know nothing!” Schultz (John Banner), by helping the Allies win the war by acting as an Underground resistance. The Dell comic book series was not very good from a writing standpoint, but it still lasted nine issues (June 1966 to Oct. 1969, with the last issue reprinting the first). The artists drafted into service of the title included Dick Giordano, Steve Ditko, José Delbo, and Henry Scarpelli.. THE BIG VALLEY: The Big Valley was an adult Western, and one of the best-written dramas on television. Running for four years on ABC (from 1965 through 1969), The Big Valley

The first issue (June 1966) of the Dell comic book series was drawn by Dick Giordano and Sal Trapani. Steve Ditko

(left) Hogan’s Heroes must have been the hardest pitch in the history of Hollywood… a TV sitcom about a Nazi POW camp. What was more startling was that it became a hit! Hogan’s Heroes #9 (Oct. 1969). (right) In a time when male actors ruled westerns, it took an actress of strength, dignity, and charm to not only take the lead role in such a series, but to also make it a winner. Barbara Stanwyck was such an actress. The Big Valley #6 (Oct. 1969).

Steve Ditko’s artwork in Get Smart #3 (Nov. 1966).

Hogan’s Heroes © CBS Broadcasting Inc. “Hogan’s Heroes™” is a trademark of Rysher Entertainment, L.L.C. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures. The Big Valley © 1965-1966 Four Star-Margate. Renewed © 1993-1994 Four-Star Margate. © 1997 New World Communications Group Incorporation. TM & © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

TM & © Home Box Office, Inc.

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were the best of the comic series run. The subsequent issues drawn by Frank Springer for the second and third, then José Delbo for the fourth issue, and Springer returning for the fifth (Oct. 1967) were never as good as Bolle. The sixth issue (a reprint of the first) did not appear until October 1969. THE WILD WILD WEST: The Wild Wild West was a secret agent thriller set in the Old West. James West (Robert Conrad), U.S. Government operative, and his partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin), master of disguise and gadget-maker extraordinaire, traveled across the countryside in their specially-fashioned train car, carrying out assignments for the Secret Service. From 1965 to 1969, West and Gordon saved the country from mad criminals bent upon world domination (the best of whom was the brilliant but demented Dr. Loveless, played by diminutive actor Michael Dunn). There were also two made-for-TV reunion movies a decade after the series went off the air.

Paul S. Newman’s script retained the feeling of The Big Valley TV series for the first issue of the Dell comic book title (reprinted in #6 here, Oct. 1969), and Frank Bolle’s art was a good match. © 1965-1966 Four Star-Margate. Renewed © 1993-1994 Four-Star Margate. © 1997 New World Communications Group Incorporation. TM & © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

was the story of the Barkleys, a family of means who owned the magnificent valley their home was in. The bedrock of the family was their mother, widow Victoria Barkley, played by Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck brought strength and dignity to the series, and her screen credit always read “Miss Barbara Stanwyck,” a title and honor she deserved. The scripts presented characters of multiple dimensions, even the bad guys, which was a very welcome relief from some other Westerns where everything was either black or white. The comic book series by Dell ran for six issues. Paul S. Newman’s script for the first issue matched the tension of the early episodes by focusing on illegitimate son Heath’s non-acceptance in the family by some members. Frank Bolle’s art for the first issue (June 1966) did well with a story of criminals poisoning waterholes and the Barkleys fighting back. His renditions of Stanwyck and the rest of the cast

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Despite Robert Conrad’s lead role as U.S. operative James West in The Wild Wild West, supporting actor Ross Martin as Artemus Gordon was often more entertaining because of Artemus’ inventions, disguises, and wit. The Wild Wild West #4 (Dec. 1968). © CBS Broadcasting Inc. and TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

Artist ProfILe: ALDEN MCWILLIAMS Born February 2, 1916, Alden (“Al”) McWilliams never had enough on his plate. In the 1930s, he was an assistant on the Tim Tyler’s Luck newspaper strip, attended the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, sold illustrations to pulps, and drew dozens of comic stories for Dell. At the start of the 1940s, his artwork was appearing regularly in Quality’s line of comic titles, but WWII was more important and he joined the Army. For his bravery on D-Day, he was awarded a Bronze Star and France’s Croix de Guerre. After the service and into the early 1950s, he freelanced for several comic publishers and adapted TV’s Tom Corbett, Space Cadet for Dell. In 1952, Twin Earths, a new sci-fi strip co-created by McWilliams, appeared in newspapers, and its run extended into the early 1960s. The 1960s also had McWilliams drawing several titles at Gold Key, including Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, The Wild Wild West, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, and The Twilight Zone. Further, he drew a paperback novelization of the classic Dracula story for Ballantine Books and illustrated two stories for the Warren horror magazine, Creepy. In addition, McWilliams drew the Davy Jones underwater adventure newspaper strip for a time and he co-created the Dateline: Danger! strip that debuted in 1968. He inked several comics for Marvel in the 1970s, as well as drawing Buck Rogers in the 25th Century for Western. And, as the man whose art style kept Alex Raymond alive, McWilliams finally got to draw an issue of Flash Gordon comic book in the 1980s. Alden McWilliams died on March 19, 1993 at the age of 77. Alden McWilliams art page from Run, Buddy, Run #1 (June 1967). © CBS Broadcasting Inc. and TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

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The seven-issue comic book title (from Aug. 1966 to Oct. 1969) was a mixed bag. The first two issues were drawn by Alden McWilliams, who did a decent job here with good likenesses of Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C.: On The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) was the not-very-bright mechanic in Mayberry. He had been a popular part of the CBS show, but just as a supporting character, so it was a shock when Gomer joined the U.S. Marines in 1964. The subsequent spinoff, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. was a hit and was on the air for five seasons, from 1964 to 1969. The television show was Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. #2 based around Camp Wilson (Jan. 1967). in North Carolina, where © CBS Operations, Inc. the countrified Marine with the gentle heart was assigned to Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton, in a superb comedic performance). If ever a tough-as-nails U.S. Marine sergeant could get an ulcer, Carter was the one to get it from Pyle. Gold Key published three issues from July 1966 to October 1967. The first two issues of the title were drawn by Warren Tufts in a completely caricaturist style, looking as though he were adapting a cartoon show, quite unlike Tufts’ normally realistic artwork. I SPY: The trick in the mid-1960s was finding a network night that didn’t have some variation on James Bond. ABC had The Avengers and Blue Light. CBS had The Wild Wild West, Secret Agent, and Mission: Impossible. And NBC had The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart—plus one more that was the best of them all: I Spy. A well-written adventure series that starred Robert Culp and Bill Cosby as globetrotting undercover I Spy was an intelligent TV spy series from producer Sheldon Leonard. I Spy #2 (Apr. 1967). © Three F Productions.

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Alden McWilliams drew the majority of the six-issue series from Gold Key. I Spy #2 (Apr. 1967). © Three F Productions.

agents, I Spy was filmed on locations throughout the world from 1965 to 1968. The Gold Key comic title (six issues from Aug. 1966 to Sept. 1968) had Paul S. Newman contributing the scripts for all issues. Alden McWilliams did an excellent job drawing the first five issues of the series, with Mike Roy doing the art for the sixth. F TROOP: It seemed every branch of the military was reflected on TV as having at least one incompetent commander and his ragtag collection of soldiers, even back in the days of the U.S. Cavalry. Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry) accidentally sneezed and his men thinking it was “Charge!” followed him into a surprise victory. He was given command of Fort Courage and “F Troop”, the greatest bunglers in army history. Even the local Indians, the Hayakawas, and their chief (Frank DeKova) were business partners with Sergeant O’Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Corporal Agarn (Larry Storch). Melody Patterson played Wrangler

Jane, Pony Express rider and shopkeeper, who had a desire to marry Parmenter. It was a fun series and had several excellent guest stars, including Edward Everett Horton, Don Rickles, Vincent Price, and Julie Newmar. The program ran for two seasons on ABC, from 1965 to 1967.

The comic book version of F Troop had excellent photo covers, but the interior art for all seven issues by Tony Tallarico was terrible. F-Troop #2 (Nov. 1966). © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Dell published a total of 7 issues of F-Troop (Aug. 1966 to Aug. 1967), with a dash added in the title. While the comic had excellent frontcover color photos of the cast on all seven issues, the inside art by Tony Tallarico for each issue was plain awful.

(left) “Honey West,” as portrayed by the lovely Anne Francis, was the first female private detective on television, a decade before Charlie’s Angels. Pictured: Honey West #1 (Sept. 1966). (above) A page of Jack Sparling art from Gold Key’s Honey West #1 (Sept. 1966). TM & © Honey West Entertainment LLC.

HONEY WEST: Based on a series of novels by G.G. Fickling, private detective Honey West made her TV debut in the person of Anne Francis in the “Who Killed the Jackpot?” episode of Burke’s Law (April 21, 1965). Francis was ideal casting, able to be sexy one moment and tough the next, with her partner Sam (John Ericson) as backup in the muscle department. Based on this episode, ABC approved a series and Honey West debuted September 17, 1965. At the end of the season, the series was not in the top-rated programs and it was cancelled by the network after 30 episodes. Dell offered only one comic book issue (Sept. 1966) based on the TV series and the artwork by Jack Sparling was generally very good in places. His Honey West was attractive but his rendition of Anne Francis was merely superficial (a blonde with a mole).

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IT’S ABOUT TIME: In It’s About Time, two astronauts (Frank Aletter and Jack Mullaney) accidentally traveled back in time and landed in the Stone Age. This 1966 bad sitcom proved that, after the success of Gilligan’s Island, producer Sherwood Schwartz could sell anything to a network. The humor was moronic, with Joe E. Ross, Imogene Coca, and Mike Mazurki as part of the cave clan that the astronauts became buddies with. The It’s About Time #1 program got a reworking (Jan. 1967). when the premise didn’t © Redwood-Gladasya-UATV. appeal to audiences, and the astronauts took a few of the cave people back to present-day New York City and set them up in an apartment. CBS cancelled the program after 26 episodes. The one issue (Jan. 1967) put out by Gold Key was poorly written and the artwork by Dan Spiegle was a quick nothing, equal to what the title deserved. TARZAN: The screen adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan began in the silent days of cinema and lasted for several decades with only a change here and there of the actor playing the vine-swinging Lord of the Jungle. For the 1966 Tarzan television series, the part went to Ron Ely, who was too thin for the Ape Man. Though there was no

Doug Wildey’s rendition of Tarzan (from Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes #162, Dec. 1966). TM & © Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

Jane, Cheeta was still part of the adventures, plus the addition of Jai, a small boy played by Manuel Padilla, Jr. The Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan yell was brought over because, honestly, no imitation could stand up to the original. The two-season show on NBC was aimed at kids, but it did have its surprising moments… such as when Diana Ross and the Supremes portrayed three nuns trying to bring modern medicine to an African native village.

Ron Ely was television’s first “Tarzan,” pictured (left) on the cover of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes #162 (Dec. 1966) with Rockne Tarkington and Cheetah, and #171 (Sept. 1967) with the additional title TV Adventures. Tarzan TM & © Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

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In the history of comics, only two of the movie Tarzans appeared on the covers of Dell’s ongoing Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan comic book series, Lex Barker (continuously from #13, Jan.–Feb. 1950, to #54, Mar. 1954) and Gordon Scott (#80, May 1956, to #110, Jan.–Feb. 1959). After Gold Key took over the series, Ron Ely was cover-featured on Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes #162 (Dec. 1966), 165 (Mar. 1967), 168 (June 1967), and 171 (Sept. 1967), with a cover title addition of TV Adventures. Doug Wildey drew the adventures of the TV Tarzan in #162, followed by Dan Spiegle in #165 and #168, and Alberto Giolitti in #171.

1967 THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E.: The distaff side of the spy game was The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. starring Stefanie Powers as April Dancer and Noel Harrison as Mark Slate. The characters had their introduction in the February 25, 1966 episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E called “The Moonglow Affair,” but with Mary Ann Mobley as Dancer and Norman Fell as Slate. The NBC series began on September 16, 1966, but was cancelled with the April 11, 1967 show, losing viewers to Daktari in that time slot on CBS.

CANDID CAMERA: Candid Camera, which began in 1948 and reached its zenith in the 1960s on CBS, set up funny pranks (such as the car, approaching a traffic cop, that split in two and went around both sides of him) and focused hidden cameras on regular people reacting to what was playing out in front of them. Some setups lasted several minutes until the unsuspecting victim wanted to run away, only to be stopped by host Allen Funt who pointed to the hidden camera. It was a hilarious, good-hearted TV program that audiences not only loved, but hoped that one day they would be caught in some ridiculous situation and Funt would say to them… “Smile, you’re on ‘Candid Camera.’”

Gold Key published five issues between January 1967 and October 1967 of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Art for the first issue was by Alden McWilliams, and it was the best of the five. The following issues were drawn by Bill Lignante and José Delbo. The scripts for all issues were by Paul S. Newman.

(top left) Stefanie Powers and Noel Harrison starred in The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., a one-season attempt to cash in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. #1 (Jan. 1967). (bottom left) Alden McWilliams was the perfect artist for April Dancer’s adventures but The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. #1 (Jan. 1967) was his only issue. (right) Okay, sure, Allen Funt of Candid Camera catching Clark Kent changing to Superman in a phone booth was silly, but it was also fun. Action Comics #345 (Jan. 1967), with a cover drawn by Curt Swan. The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. TM & © Warner Bros./Turner Entertainment. Superman © DC Comics.

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Well, everyone that is—except Clark Kent in Action Comics #345 (Jan. 1967). As the cover revealed, Clark was caught changing to Superman in a phone booth when Allen Funt opened the door and said, “Smile, Clark Kent… you’re on Candid Camera!”, live in front of 40 million viewers. The inside story played out that way, too, but with Kent turning the tables on Funt. Curt Swan provided the art for the memorable cover and Al Plastino did very well in drawing Allen Funt in the story. THE GREEN HORNET: From January 31, 1936 until December 5, 1952, across several radio networks, the Green Hornet and Kato fought “the biggest of all game, public enemies who try to destroy our America.” The Hornet and Kato also appeared in two movie serials from Universal Studios, The Green Hornet (1940) and The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941). The Green Hornet television series made its debut on ABC on September 9, 1966, (top right) The Green Hornet TV program was what the Batman series should have been, played straight. Van Williams and Bruce Lee. The Green Hornet #1 (Feb. 1967). (bottom left and right) The inside covers of The Green Hornet #1 (Feb. 1967) offered a comparison of Van Williams (Britt Reid/the Green Hornet) and Bruce Lee (Kato) to their Dan Spiegle-drawn representations. A photo of Wende Wagner, who portrayed Reid’s secretary, Casey Case, is beneath that of Bruce Lee. TM & © Greenway Productions, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc., and The Green Hornet, Inc.

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Dan Spiegle captured the nighttime hunting by the Hornet perfectly, as well as the bright daytime business of rounding up facts by Britt Reid. (The Green Hornet #1, Feb. 1967) TM & © Greenway Productions, Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc., and The Green Hornet, Inc.

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and was played seriously, as opposed to the Batman TV program. Everything Batman should have been, The Green Hornet was, including having Van Williams as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato, a great car (the Black Beauty), and Al Hirt playing the jazzed-up theme. Unfortunately, the series failed in the ratings and was yanked after just one season, with only 26 episodes to its credit. The masked duo first appeared in the four-color medium in The Green Hornet Comics #1 (Dec. 1940, Helnit Publishing), which contained comic-adapted stories of radio episodes from earlier that year. Helnit published five more issues and then Harvey Comics (under their Family Comics imprint) took up the series from #7 (June 1942) through #47 (Sept. 1949). There was a gap of four years before the Hornet and Kato were seen again, and it was a one-time issue from Dell as part of their Four Color series, #496 (Sept. 1953). The Gold Key comic series based on the television program lasted only three issues (from Feb. 1967 to Aug. 1967), but each featured excellent work by Dan Spiegle, with plenty of nighttime action sequences with the Hornet and Kato to bring over the feeling of the TV show. All three issues had photos of Van Williams and Bruce Lee on the front and back covers (#1 and 2 also had photos on both inside covers, while #3 had only the inside front). THE TIME TUNNEL: Before Quantum Leap, The Time Tunnel featured the adventures of two U.S. scientists caught in a time-travel experiment and thrust into several eras, hoping to eventually be returned to the top-secret government installation of “Project Tic-Toc.” Unlike Quantum Leap, which dealt with the human aspects of each story, the adventures of Drs. Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert) and Tony Newman (James Darren) had them appear very conveniently at famous moments in history (e.g., Pearl Harbor, Custer’s last stand, and the sinking of the Titanic) with enough time to warn people of the coming event, but never being believed until too late. The Irwin Allen production was enjoyable at first, until the program brought in prehistoric creatures and alien invaders. The series aired on ABC for only one season, from September 9, 1966 to April 7, 1967.

(top) Back cover photo from The Time Tunnel #1 (Feb. 1967). (bottom left) The Time Tunnel #1 (Feb. 1967). (bottom right) The Monkees #8 (Jan. 1968). L-R: Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones. The Time Tunnel © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Irwin Allen Properties, LLC. The Monkees TM & © Rhino Entertainment Company.

Paul S. Newman wrote the stories for the two Gold Key issues (Feb. 1967 and July 1967) and, like the TV series, Tony and Doug arrived shortly before a famous event took place (including Lincoln being assassinated). Art for the comic was very poorly done.

Tork were each quite different but together they clicked with the audience. Each episode followed a standard sitcom storyline with the four young men trying to make it as musicians but spending a lot of their time helping others, especially attractive young women. And, of course, there was also a song or two during the half hour. Their humor could be called “madcap” but that hardly described it or them. The Monkees were like the Marx Brothers on speed. They never met a joke they didn’t like.

THE MONKEES: A wildly popular show on NBC from September 12, 1966 to March 25, 1968, The Monkees was meant to cash in on The Beatles, but the group’s stars achieved a lifelong fame of their own via this series. Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter

The art for the first of Dell’s 17-issue comic series was by Mo Marcus, and then followed up on the remainder of the series by José Delbo, whose work was a joy to behold. The title was published from March 1967 to October 1969 (with the last issue a reprint of the first).

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Years before he danced on the giant piano keyboard with Tom Hanks in Big, Robert Loggia played an ex-thiefturned bodyguard in TV’s T.H.E. Cat. Dell’s T.H.E. Cat #2 (Mar. 1967).

T.H.E. CAT: In 1966, NBC introduced an ex-cat burglar who had turned over a new leaf to act as a bodyguardfor-hire. Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat—or shortened to the title of the series… T.H.E. Cat—was played by Robert Loggia (who had portrayed Elfego Baca in the Disney TV episodes in the 1950s and would dance on the giant keyboard with Tom Hanks in Big). T.H.E. Cat was an excellent adventure drama but failed to catch on with an audience and lasted only the one season.

Dell published four issues, from March 1967 to October 1967, and each comic had TM & © National Broadcasting Company, Inc. excellently-designed photo covers of Loggia. The artwork by Jack Sparling, however, was rushed and his likenesses of Loggia were fair.

In 1967 and 1968, Dell sporadically published some TV comic covers with black-and-white photos. A bad decision, The Rat Patrol #1 (March 1967) was the first of these.

THE RAT PATROL: The Rat Patrol, an exciting ABCTV program, chronicled the adventures of a WWII American unit (actually, three Americans and one British soldier) in North Africa who rode their jeeps in and out of dangerous Nazi strongholds, usually on search-and-destroy or rescue missions. Star Christopher George led the Allies’ side for the two seasons of the series from 1966 through 1968.

Dell published six issues based on the TV series, with the first five released in 1967 and the final coming out two years later in 1969 (which © Mirisch-Rich Television Productions. was a reprint of the first issue). Artwork for the first two issues (Mar. 1967 and Apr. 1967) has been ascribed to Joe Sinnott, with inks by Vince Colletta. José Delbo took over the art for the third, fourth, and fifth issues.

For this introductory page of the characters that comprised The Rat Patrol, Joe Sinnott drew accurate renditions of The Rat Patrol cast for the first issue (Mar. 1967). © Mirisch-Rich Television Productions.

IRON HORSE: Iron Horse was a two-season (19661968) ABC television show about Ben Calhoun, a gambler in the Old West who won a train in a card game, and then decided to build a railroad to the West. Dale Robertson (Tales of Wells Fargo) played Calhoun, a man of steely determination and complete loyalty to his friends and employees. Ellen McRae (better known later as Academy Award-winning actress Ellen Burstyn) joined the cast in the second season.

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Dell published two issues (Mar. 1967 and June 1967) with art by Frank Springer, who was normally an exceptional comic book artist but here appears to have done both issues in a hurry.

This group shot of the actors for The Monroes— in combination with the comic’s plain but effective logo masthead—may well be the best representative of what a TV-comic cover should look like. The Monroes #1 (Apr. 1967). © Twentieth Century Fox Television, Inc.

THE MONROES: In The Monroes, an ABC-TV program in the fall of 1966, a group of orphaned children were determined to make it in the Old West on their own after their parents died. Clayt (Michael Anderson, Jr.) and Kathleen (Barbara Hershey) were the eldest of the family, so the responsibility of caring for the young twin brothers (played by Keith and Kevin Schultz) and their tiny sister (Tammy Locke) fell to them. They set up home on a small piece of land they said their father had claimed years before, a piece of property that two feuding land barons wanted. The ABC series was filmed on location in Moose, Wyoming territory, including the majestic Grand Teton National Park, but only lasted the 1966-1967 single season.

Dell’s only issue (Apr. 1967) had two quickly-drawn stories by Jack Sparling.

Peter Lupus, Greg Morris, Barbara Bain, and Steven Hill took center stage on the cover to Mission: Impossible #1 (May 1967). TM Paramount Pictures Corporation. © CBS Studios, Inc.

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: “Good morning, Mr. Phelps.” Each week of Mission: Impossible, that unmistakable voice addressed Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) and sent him and his IMF (“Impossible Mission Forces”) team on another exciting, high-intrigue assignment to stop saboteurs, third-world dictators, and other dangers to the free world. The CBS series began September 17, 1966 with regulars Stephen Hill (as mission head Dan Briggs), Greg Morris, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Peter Lupus. Hill quit the series after the first season and was replaced by Peter Graves as Jim Phelps.

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Mission: Impossible #4 (Oct. 1968) was the only cover in Dell’s five-issue series to include both stars Peter Graves and Martin Landau. TM Paramount Pictures Corporation. © CBS Studios, Inc.

Landau and Bain left the series at the end of the third season, and Leonard Nimoy (right off of Star Trek) came in but he was gone after two seasons. Lesley Ann Warren was the first replacement for Bain, followed up by Lynda Day George, and then Barbara Anderson. The original series came to an end on March 30, 1973, but Peter Graves returned with a new IMF crew for a two-year run on ABC from October 23, 1988 to February 24, 1990. Dell published five issues (from May 1967 to October 1969) based on the original series. Each issue dealt with the “Dan Briggs” character. Even the fourth issue, which pictured Graves on the cover and his likeness in the story, still called him “Dan Briggs.” Art for the series was by Jack Sparling and, while he did good likenesses of the actors, his work was weaker than some of his other adaptations. Paul S. Newman wrote the scripts for the first three issues and Joe Gill did the fourth. (The fifth issue was a reprint of the first.)

RUN, BUDDY, RUN: Run, Buddy, Run was a clever comedy from Leonard Stern (one of the writers for Get Smart). The CBS series focused on the terror felt by Buddy Overstreet (Jack Shelton) after he overheard a crime boss (Bruce Gordon) telling his underlings to kill someone. The criminals discovered Buddy had been listening and he ran for his life. Crossing the country, Buddy took odd jobs as he got them, until the crooks discovered where he was and he was off again.

Jack Sheldon did a good job as Buddy, but the best performance was by Gordon doing a satire on his Frank Nitti role in The Untouchables. The series was short-lived, airing from September 1966 to January 1967. Though the Gold Key comic had but one issue (June 1967), and added an exclamation mark to the title on the front cover, the comedy story got realistic-looking art by Alden McWilliams, who drew excellent renditions of Sheldon and Gordon. DAKTARI: Daktari (Swahili for “Doctor”) was an Ivan Tors production about a game preserve in Africa. Starring in the cast were Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy and Cheryl Miller as his daughter, Paula… plus Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion. The series started in January 1966 and lasted four seasons on CBS. Fans of the TV series had very long waits between the four issues of the Dell comic book title. The first was published with a cover date of July 1967, and the second was dated November; it was a year before the third issue, dated October 1968, and then another full year before the fourth (Oct. 1969)… which was a reprint of the first issue. Bob Jenney drew issues #1 and #3, while Henry Scarpelli drew #2. RANGO: When you’ve got nothing good to say about a genre, make a comedy about it—but be sure it is humorous, first. Tim Conway, fresh from McHale’s Navy, put on a Texas Ranger tin star and became the Old West’s most-inept lawman, Rango. Considered one of the worst TV series ever aired, the 1967 ABC series was cancelled after only 17 episodes. The only good thing about the show was the opening theme sung by Frankie Laine (Rawhide, Blazing Saddles).

Run, Buddy, Run was created by Leonard Stern, an executive producer and writer of the Get Smart TV series. Pictured on the only comic book tie-in (June 1967) was Jack Sheldon and Bruce Gordon, with possibly the most humorous back cover “pin-up” ever from Gold Key. © Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.

(left) Daktari #4 (Oct. 1969). (right) With the conclusion of McHale’s Navy, America looked forward to seeing Tim Conway in another TV comedy series. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Rango. Daktari © Ivan Tors Films. Inc. Rango © Thomas/Spelling/Timkel Productions.

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(top right) The Bomba the Jungle Boy comic book series may have been “All new!” as per the header of the first issue (Sept.–Oct. 1967), but the TV program actually consisted of re-edited Bomba movies. (bottom) In a change of pace, Bomba the Jungle Boy #6 (July– Aug. 1968) told the story in captions, with no dialogue balloons. Denny O’Neil’s script clearly inspired Jack Sparling to turn out exceptional and emotional artwork. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The Dell comic one-shot (Aug. 1967) was just as painfully unfunny as the TV show was. The artwork by Sal Trapani, though, was sufficient for its purpose. BOMBA, THE JUNGLE BOY: The character of Bomba, the Jungle Boy, had similarities to the early sound films of Tarzan, the Ape Man starring Johnny Weissmuller, which had as his son a character named “Boy.” Bomba was like “Boy” but as a teen. In reality, that was not far from the facts, as actor Johnny Sheffield played both parts. Like Tarzan, Bomba was established in a series of novels. Bomba movies were a staple of Monogram Studios, with a total of nine pictures produced there, and then Allied Artists did the final three in the series, all of which were produced between 1949 and 1955. In the 1960s, the films got a revival (in edited form) on a Chicago television station, and from this DC went ahead with Bomba, the Jungle Boy, a seven-issue comic book series (Sept.–Oct 1967 to Sept.–Oct. 1968) with the tagline, “TV’s Teen Jungle Star.” Though the comic had an exceptional first issue cover by Carmine Infantino, with Bomba wrestling the most vicious-looking alligator in comic history, the interior of it and the second issue had poor art by Leo Sommers. Jack Sparling took over the art chores with the third issue and, again, his art was very loose and exaggerated. However, the sixth issue was a standout by Sparling, possibly because of the writing by Dennis O’Neil, with a tale of Bomba becoming friends with the son of a chief. Sparling drew the friendship of the two youths with reverence, and the art had a quiet dignity that was not seen in any other issue in the series. STAR TREK: Finding new things to say about the original Star Trek television series is impossible. Star Trek couched the fantastic in the real and there was little in alien life that Kirk, Scotty, Bones, Uhura—and even Spock—did not recognize in their own humanity. The mission of the Starship Enterprise, as envisioned by Gene Roddenberry and played out by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the cast, was A striking photo design on the cover to Star Trek #7 (Mar. 1970). TM & © Paramount Pictures Corporation.

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Gold Key transitioned the covers from photo collages (top left) #8 (Sept. 1970), to painted artwork (top right) Star Trek #21 (Nov. 1973) and (bottom left) Star Trek #25 (July 1974), to pen and ink Star Trek #30 (May 1975). TM & © Paramount Pictures Corporation.

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(left) Alden McWilliams’ several issues of Star Trek featured the best art of the Gold Key series, including this page from #41 (Nov. 1976). TM & © Paramount Pictures Corporation.

to be a five-year mission exploring strange new worlds. And while the NBC series may have lasted just three seasons (September 8, 1966 to June 3, 1969), the Star Trek phenomenon remains alive and healthy over 50 years later. What follows is a necessarily very brief overview of the comic books based on the original Star Trek TV series from different publishers between 1967 and 1989. GOLD KEY: While Gold Key’s October 1967 to March 1979 run of 61 issues started out with many cringe-worthy errors, including Spock’s use of a “Holy Cow!” type of phrase (“Shades of Pluto!”), the writing improved when Len Wein came onboard with the ninth issue, followed by Arnold Drake and others. Artwise, Nimoy was the only one recognizable in the art by Nevio Zeccara on the first two issues. From #3 on, when Alberto Giolitti took over, the illustrations improved, but not as much as when Alden McWilliams began in issue #38. With McWilliams, and his Alex Raymond-inspired style, the comic title reached artistic excellence.

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Marvel continued the missions in (top left) Star Trek #17 (Dec. 1981). (top right) Who’s Who in Star Trek #1 (Mar. 1987) from DC Comics. (bottom left) Star Trek #1 (Oct. 1989). (bottom right) IDW told tales set after the television series in Star Trek: Year Four #1 (July 2007). TM & © Paramount Pictures Corporation.

MARVEL: In addition to publishing the comic adaptation of the first movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, in Marvel Super Special #15 (Dec. 1979), Marvel initiated a brand new Star Trek 18-issue series (Apr. 1980 to Feb. 1982), the first three issues of which reprinted the Marvel Super Special. The title contained new stories written by Marv Wolfman, Denny O’Neil, Mike W. Barr, Martin Pasko, and Michael Fleisher, with artwork by Dave Cockrum, Klaus Janson, Mike Nasser, Tom Palmer, and Gil Kane… to name a few. DC: DC Comics did extremely well by Star Trek, starting with a 56-issue title (Feb. 1984 to Nov. 1988) and three annuals. A great portion of the comic’s run was written by Mike W. Barr, while Tom Sutton handled the

majority of the artwork. DC was barely done with that when they started a new Star Trek comic book series, this time lasting 80 issues (Oct. 1989 to Feb. 1996), plus six annuals, three specials, several graphic novels, and a four-issue miniseries. DC also got the majority of the movies to adapt between 1984 and 1992: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Following the fourth film, DC published a well-researched Who’s Who in Star Trek, an illustration-and-text, two-issue comic book publication in 1987 that discussed key characters in the TV series, movies, and DC comics, with drawings by John Byrne, Carmine Infantino, George Perez, Dan Spiegle, Colleen Doran, Gray Morrow, Curt Swan, Todd McFarlane, Walt Simonson, Howard Chaykin, and Murphy Anderson.

The Invaders was a dramatic look at one man (Roy Thinnes) trying to convince the world that aliens had already landed and were among us in human form. The Invaders #1 (Oct. 1967). © Spelling Entertainment Inc. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures. © ABC Photography Archives.

THE INVADERS: While driving off-road one night, architect David Vincent (Roy Thinnes) witnessed the landing of a UFO. Reporting it to the police the next day didn’t do much good because he was taken as a nutcase—except by members of the alien race who had taken human form and had already infiltrated themselves with plans to take over Earth. The ABC series of The Invaders ran from January 1967 to March 1968 and was from Quinn Martin, who had also produced The Fugitive, which shared the common theme of one man traveling across the country trying to prove he was telling the truth.

The four issues (Oct. 1967 through Oct. 1968) that Gold Key published were good Dan Spiegle, and his art got more tuned in with the TV series with each succeeding issue. However, he was not the right artist for the title. Spiegle’s characters were drawn more along the line of a Disney film, and this series required a more realistic and hard-edged style.

William Daniels as Captain Nice and also in his secret identity of police scientist Carter Nash. Captain Nice #1 (Nov. 1967). © National Broadcasting, Inc.

CAPTAIN NICE: Captain Nice was a 1967 NBC midseason replacement created by Buck Henry and was quite amusing. Unfortunately, the story of a police chemist (William Daniels) who gained super powers from a foul-tasting liquid formula had no chance for success because the program was scheduled opposite The Lucy Show on CBS and The Rat Patrol on ABC. It also had the disadvantage of competing against CBS’ superhero satire, Mr. Terrific, which debuted the same night as Captain Nice, and, of course, ABC’s Batman. Captain Nice ended after 15 episodes. The single issue (Nov. 1967) of the Dell comic sported a great photo of Daniels in the ridiculously gaudy Captain Nice costume as he used one finger to stop a falling pillar. The artwork by Joe Certa was meant to completely play up the humor, but instead just made everything look silly.

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an audience, which was a shame because there were some good scripts in the short-lived series.

1968 GARRISON’S GORILLAS: It was World War II and an American officer recruited men from prison for a daring mission behind enemy lines. The premise of The Dirty Dozen was the obvious starting point for the TV series Garrison’s Gorillas. (The pilot episode even had Telly Savalas, playing a soldier not far removed from the psycho he portrayed in The Dirty Dozen.) The difference was that, instead of misfits, each member of Lt. GarriGarrison’s Gorillas #1 son’s (Ron Harper) team was (Jan. 1968). an expert in his field. Their © American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. efforts to win the war were not always sympathetic—one time kidnapping a child and holding him hostage so that a German general helped them. The ABC drama lasted only one season, from September 5, 1967 to March 12, 1968. Sam Glanzman may not have been polished in the area of drawing human beings but he had an excellent sense of page composition, and when it came to drawing military equipment, he was exceptional, which made him a good match for drawing the first three issues (Jan. 1968 to July 1968) of Dell’s Garrison’s Gorillas. Chic Stone handled the art for the fourth issue (Oct. 1968). The fifth and final issue (October 1969) was a reprint of the first issue.

Dell published only one issue (Jan. 1968) based on the TV series. The art was assigned to Frank Springer who, like he had done with The Iron Horse, gave it a rush job. CUSTER: 1967 was an unusual year to attempt a series like Custer (aka The Legend of Custer) in which Wayne Maunder played George Armstrong Custer as a Lieutenant Colonel taking over the 7th Cavalry at Fort Hays in Kansas. The 1960s was a time when the American Indian was looked on more sympathetically; however, in the first episode of Custer they were portrayed as blood-crazy murderers. Slim Pickens had a recurring role as a scout. The ABC series lasted only 17 episodes, from September to December 1967. Dell issued only one comic, under the title of The Legend of Custer (Jan. 1968), with weak art by Jack Sparling. GENTLE BEN: Gentle Ben was based on a novel of the same name and a 1967 film called Gentle Giant. Clint Howard (Ron Howard’s brother) starred in both the film and the TV series as the boy who adopted a black bear cub in the Florida everglades when hunters killed its mother. Playing the boy’s father in both the movie and the TV series was Dennis Weaver as the game warden for the area. It was a good family adventure series from producer Ivan Tors and ran on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The Dell adaptation of the TV program lasted five issues. The first issue (Feb. 1968) had art by Henry Scarpelli, followed by José Delbo on the second (May 1968) and third (Aug. 1968). The fourth (Nov. 1968) has gone without identification but the artwork was very rushed, and the fifth and final issue (Oct. 1969) was a reprint of the first.

CIMARRON STRIP: The Cimarron Strip TV series debuted on CBS in September 1967 and ran just one season before being cancelled. The show starred Stuart Whitman as a marshal trying to manage the area known as “the Cimarron Strip,” with the border region of Kansas on one side and Indian Territory on the other. Cimarron Strip was an experiment of a 90-minute TV Western but it failed to find Stuart Whitman appeared on the cover for Dell Comics’ only issue (Jan. 1968) based on the series Cimarron Strip. TM & © Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. or successors in interest.

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Two entries from Dell. (left) The Legend of Custer (Jan. 1968). (right) Gentle Ben #1 (Feb. 1968). Custer © Twentieth Century Fox. Gentle Ben © Ivan Tors Films, Inc.

After Gidget, Sally Field took to the air as Sister Bertrille in The Flying Nun. The Flying Nun #4 (Nov. 1968).

THE FLYING NUN: The rationale for The Flying Nun was that Sister Bertrille (Sally Field) was so lightweight, and her nun’s coronet picked up the strong winds in San Juan—or, rather, the strong winds in San Juan picked up Sister Bertrille—and off she went. The trick was to keep it a secret from the public, which did not always happen; however, the sight of a nun flying was enough of a religious experience for some sinners to turn over a new leaf. The ABC sailed along from 1967 to 1970.

Dell’s first issue was cover dated February 1968, with Henry Scarpelli doing an excellent job of rendering the cast, especially Sally Field, drawing her with the joy she portrayed in the TV series. Scarpelli was back with the second and third issues (May 1968 and Aug. 1968, respectively), but with each issue he was getting looser and looser with his caricatures and letting his own humorous style take center stage until nothing was left but clowning and mugging. The fourth issue (Nov. 1968), artist unknown, had art so terrible that Sister Bertrille should have flown away and never looked back.

Post-The Rifleman and Branded, Chuck Connors starred in Cowboy in Africa. Cowboy in Africa #1 (Mar. 1968). © Ivan Tors Films, Inc.

COWBOY IN AFRICA: The original basis for the TV series Cowboy In Africa was a 1967 movie, Africa—Texas Style (1967) starring Hugh O’Brian and Tom Nardini, in which two American cowboys rounded up wild animals in Africa for a research project. An Ivan Tors production, the film… just like his Flipper, Gentle Giant,, and Clarence the Crossed-Eyed Lion movies… seemed a natural to become a TV series, and it did. Chuck Connors starred in the television program, with Nardini reprising his role from the movie. The program ran on ABC for just one season, from 1967 to 1968. The March 1968 one-shot

(left) The ex-Dennis the Menace star Jay North in Maya, a series about a boy and his elephant. Maya #1 (Mar. 1968). (right) Leif Erickson starred as “Big John” Cannon, the no-nonsense head of the High Chaparral ranch. The High Chaparral #1 (Aug, 1968). Maya © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. High Chaparral © National Broadcasting Company, Inc.

published by Gold Key had good art by Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti, but the story was rank. Though it started out well with a mystery of animals suddenly getting sick and their bodies turning green, the tale quickly turned into an unbelievable story of an ex-Nazi and his counterfeit money operations. MAYA: In Maya, a TV series based upon a same-titled movie, Jay North carried over his role as a teenage boy looking to be with his father, a hunter in India. The TV series varied from the film in that when he arrived his father was missing, supposedly killed by a tiger. The boy set out to find him with the help of the East Indian young man (Sajid Khan, also repeating his role from the film). The NBC TV series ended after one season, airing from 1967-1968. The movie adaptation of Maya (Dec. 1966) was printed by Dell (with very good artwork by Sam Glanzman), and the TV-version single issue (Mar. 1968) was published by Gold Key (which had lesser art by Bob Jenney, not capturing the ever-present feeling of being in India that was in the Glanzman comic). THE HIGH CHAPARRAL: While there were many TV series devoted to a cowpoke wandering across the West, there were only a few dynasty Westerns where a family who owned huge tracts of land was the focus of the series. Bonanza was one and The Big Valley was another. In each of those cases, the families (the Cartwrights and the

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Artist ProfILe: WARREN TUFTS Born December 12, 1925 in Fresno, California, Warren Tufts turned out to be a wunderkind. While still a teen, he wrote and acted all the parts for a radio show at station KFRE, and he was an announcer for the station and news writer. When he graduated high school, he joined the Navy, and he was acknowledged by the government for using his “cartooning talent” to illustrate a contest between naval bases to sell war bonds. After his military service, he decided he could get rich like Chester Gould did with his creation of Dick Tracy, came up with a strip idea, and showed off samples of it. And at age of 23, United Features Syndicate was selling his Casey Ruggles Western strip to newspapers across the country. After a few years, Tufts left the strip in anger because the syndicate would not allow it to be licensed for a weekly TV series, so he created both his own syndicate and a new strip, Lance, about a U.S. Cavalry officer. Towards the end of the Lance run, Tufts turned to comic books. Starting in 1959, he provided exceptional art for Dell’s (and then Gold Key’s) television line, including Zorro, Rawhide, The Rifleman, and Wagon Train, and then switched to a cartooning style for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.; The Pink Panther and others. He also drew Korak, Son of Tarzan and a few movie adaptations, including How The West Was Won. His interests switched again in the 1970s. In 1979, he was contacted by Marvel to do work for their Epic Magazine, but he wrote back he was unable to do so because he was devoting all his time to building an airplane he designed. Three years later, at age 56, Tufts died in a crash of a plane he created.

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Barclays, respectively) were already established and respected. However, in the case of The High Chaparral, the stories focused on John Cannon carving out an empire of his own in Arizona. Cannon was a grim, hard fighter and cowboys didn’t slack off a moment if they wanted to continue working for him. The stories were intelligent and well-acted by a cast that included Leif Erickson as Cannon, Linda Cristal as his wife, Cameron Mitchell as his brother, and Henry Darrow as his brother-in-law. The series ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 10, 1967 to March 12, 1971. Gold Key published just one issue of The High Chaparral (Aug. 1968) but it was an excellent tie-in to the television series. In the story, Cash Cade bore a hate for John Cannon because of a range war and because Cannon’s deceased wife, Annalee, chose to marry John over him. Cade hired men to kill Cannon and destroy everything he had. An all-out battle emerged throughout the entire issue, with only Indians standing back to observe the fight. The comic had very fine artwork by Warren Tufts, including excellent renditions of the TV show cast.

For the only Americanpublished comic of the 1960s based on The Avengers, the cover pictured Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee in a scene from the 1967 episode, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station.” © STUDIOCANAL FILMS Ltd.

THE AVENGERS: The Avengers was one of the greatest television hits to come out of the United Kingdom, but prior to playing on ABC-TV in America it had already been on the air for three seasons in its native England. The first, in 1961, was a teaming of Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and British agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee), at the time a supporting character. With Hendry’s leaving the program, Macnee got the lead and Honor Blackman became a partner as Cathy Gale, a leather-clad, judo expert. Blackman stayed for two years (1962 to 1964) and then departed to make Goldfinger… which brought in Diana Rigg as Emma Peel.

The fourth season was filmed in black-and-white and debuted on ABC in America in early 1966. With the fifth season, The Avengers went to full color and was a hit in the United States. Episodes were at their tongue-in-cheek best, with Steed and Mrs. Peel stopping murderers, lunatics, and would-be world conquerors. At the start of the sixth season, the first episode featured the leaving of Diana Rigg/Emma Peel and the arrival of her replacement, Linda Thorson as new agent Tara

In England, fans of The Avengers TV series got to see John Steed and Emma Peel on a more frequent basis with beautifully-illustrated comic adventures in 1966-1967 issues of Diana, a British weekly magazine for young girls. These were reprinted by Big Finish in a 2018 trade paperback, The Avengers Steed and Mrs. Peel: The Comic Strips. © Big Finish. © STUDIOCANAL Films Ltd.

King, who did not have the same chemistry with the viewers. The Avengers remained popular in the UK, with a stage production and radio shows. There was also a sequel TV series, The New Avengers, which had Macnee returning as Steed with two new partners, Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt) and Purdey (Joanne Lumley). The New Avengers aired for two seasons (October 22, 1976 to December 17, 1977). Gold Key published its one and only comic (Nov. 1968) with a heading of John Steed Emma Peel in large letters on the top of the cover, and in much smaller font halfway down the cover “Based on the TV Series The Avengers”, likely to hold off trouble from Marvel. (The indicia on the first page of the inside, however, listed it as “The Avengers, No. 1”.) The poorlydrawn stories in the issue were reprinted from a British weekly. (On a much brighter note, in 2018, Big Finish Productions Ltd. published The Avengers Steed and Mrs. Peel The Comic Strips, a collection of the hand-painted comic stories of

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The comic book from Gold Key had five issues (Nov. 1968 to Sept. 1969), all written by Dick Wood, and, like the TV show, ended without any return to their own world. The artist who drew the series is not positively identified but the work was competent, though figures were labored and stiff. THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN: In The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Hanna-Barbera produced a TV series with actors portraying Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher (Michael Shea, Kevin Schultz, and LuAnn Haslam, respectively). While on the run from the murderous Injun Joe (Ted “Lurch” Cassidy), the three children rushed into a cave which suddenly thrust them into an animated world. Each week, the young adventurers would intermingle with cartoony characters of history and legend. The NBC series began in September 1968 but lasted only five months.

Land of the Giants #5 (Sept. 1969).

Paul Norris drew the single Gold Key issue (December 1968) based upon the series. A photo of Shea, Schultz, and Haslam appeared on the cover, along with a comicillustrated Mummy that would have been more at home on Scooby-Doo. The comic, using the alternate TV title of The New Adventures of Huck Finn, adapted the TV series’ episode, “The Curse of Thut.”

The Avengers published in Diana magazine in the UK from 1966 to 1967. The art by Emilio Frejo offered perfect likenesses of Macnee and Rigg, using production photographs as references.) LAND OF THE GIANTS: Land of the Giants was a 1968 Irwin Allen series about people in the year 1983 on board a transcontinental flight that traveled through space as part of its flight pattern. Encountering a space storm, it crashed on the planet… but what planet? While it looked like Earth, the people and animals were the size of giants, while the crew and passengers were as small as dolls by comparison. The cast included Gary Conway, Heather Young, Don Marshall, Deanna Lund, Don Matheson, Stefan Arngrim, and Kurt Kasznar (as the obligatory Irwin Allen villain posing as a good guy). The ABC series ran two years and was cancelled without a conclusion.

(top) The New Adventures of Huck Finn #1 (Dec. 1968) from Gold Key. (bottom) A Hanna-Barbera painted image from the series The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. © Hanna-Barbera.

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1969 THE MOD SQUAD: The Mod Squad was groovy and with it, and it was where the audience made the scene every week or else they would be labeled as totally square. (Yes, they did talk like that.) It was the Sixties and it was a time of rebellion, of drugs, of free love, and of anti-war feelings. Tough-but-decent cop Captain Adam Greer (Tige Andrews) rescued three young lawbreakers, Pete (Michael Cole), Linc (Clarence Williams III), and Julie (Peggy Lipton), from continuing down the path they were headed, and gave them a chance to prove their worth as undercover cops, infiltrating the young counterculture in order to weed out the bad guys preying on “the Now Generation.” The Mod Squad was a good series and aired from 1968 to 1973. There were a total of eight issues published by Dell (#7 and 8 were reprints of the first two issues) from January 1969 to April 1971. The photo covers were mod-like layouts, with added text such as “Groovey!”, “Outasite!”, “Danger is their bag!!”, and “The dove of peace is DEAD!” The insides were drawn by José Delbo, not yet showing the good artist he would become. However, it was the comics’ stories that were truly cringe-worthy. What could have been excellent writing with a view on politics and the happening scene, instead sunk to unbelievable depths, including a story’s reveal that a disco club owner was trying to turn protesters into revolutionaries because he was an undercover “commie,” with Linc holding the evidence: a large-sized photo of Mao Tse-tung and a Red Chinese flag. The Dell comic adaptation was a bad scene, man.

LANCER: In the CBS TV series Lancer, two sons of rich landowner Murdoch Lancer (Andrew Duggan) came together, not knowing beforehand of the other’s existence (each was from a different mother). Both men had different personalities, one a hothead (James Stacy) and the other very deliberate (Wayne Maunder), but the stepbrothers would fight for each other and for their father. The series was well-written but lasted only two seasons (1968-1970). Gold Key published three issues based on the Lancer TV program, running from February 1969 to September 1969. Art for the series was moderately good. DARK SHADOWS: Daily TV soap operas had been standard drama for many, many years. And then, on June 27, 1966, ABC aired Dark Shadows and things got very creepy very quickly as Victoria Winters (Alexandra Moltke) arrived at the Collins family mansion to act as a governess. However,

(left) Three youths, Linc (Clarence Williams III), Julie (Peggy Lipton), and Pete (Michael Cole), avoided jail time by working undercover for a police captain as The Mod Squad. (right) Gold Key gave the cover for the second issue (June 1969) of Lancer a modern-day thriller look, but the series was strictly set in the old West. The Mod Squad TM & © Spelling Television Inc. Photography © American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. Lancer © Twentieth Century-Fox Television, Inc.

Vampires like Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) feared nothing except the Holy Cross, garlic, and a lot of large text on the cover of Dark Shadows #4 (May 1970). TM & © Curtis Holdings LLC.

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it was not until May of 1967, when the program introduced Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), a vampire released from his coffin and back at the mansion, that the show became a giant hit for ABC, airing until April 2, 1971. There was also a theatrical movie, House of Dark Shadows (1970), which was followed up by Night of Dark Shadows (1971). Joe Certa’s art on the Dark Shadows 35-issue comic book run from March 1969 to February 1976 was extremely mediocre. The one saving grace for the title were the photo covers featuring Frid as Barnabas Collins on the first seven issues. (Issues #1 and 3 contained foldout posters of Frid.) In 1970, there was also a Gold Key single-issue release of Dark Shadows Story Digest Magazine, which contained text stories and illustrations by Certa. THE BANANA SPLITS ADVENTURE HOUR: A combination of Hanna-Barbera animation and Sid and Marty Krofft costumes made up The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, a Saturday-morning kids’ show on NBC. The program featured a Monkees-type atmosphere of goofiness as a band of hip animals (actually human performers in oversize costumes) did slapstick routines, as well as played musical instruments and sang pop songs. The group consisted of Drooper (a lion), Fleegle (a dog),

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(left) George Wilson’s dynamic painting and striking likeness of Jonathan Frid as Barnabas Collins adorned the cover to Dark Shadows #11 (Nov.1971). (right) The wacky, zany, bonkers Banana Splits. The Banana Splits. © Hanna-Barbera. Dark Shadows TM & © Curtis Holdings LLC.

Bingo (a gorilla), and Snorky (an elephant). The hourlong show also contained several continuing-adventure cartoons, including “The Three Musketeers” and “Arabian Knights.” The program debuted on September 7, 1968 and ran for two seasons. Gold Key published eight issues of Hanna-Barbera The Banana Splits (June 1969 to Oct. 1971), each with color photos of the TV characters on the front covers. The cartoony-drawn comics covered only the antics of the group and not the animated features. However, the “Arabian Knights” and “The Three Musketeers” shared stories in a separate Gold Key title, Hanna-Barbera Hi-Adventure Heroes, along with another H-B animated series, The Adventures of Gulliver, which was only in the first issue (May 1969) and Micro-Ventures in the second (Aug. 1969) (Micro Venture was a short that ran for only four weeks on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.)

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The 1970s were a time of rebellion. The United States pulled out of Vietnam. Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. Young Hollywood talents were edgier, hipper, and more willing to go against the norm. Yet, in movies, the top-grossing films leaned towards subjects that had roots in cinema past… The Godfather, Star Wars, and Jaws… but they were made by “the Movie Brats” (Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg) and appealed to a new audience. On television, America laughed its head off watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Saturday Night Live, M*A*S*H, All in the Family, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Mork & Mindy. Other popular fare included Dallas, The Waltons, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and Charlie’s Angels. At the time of the early 1970s, comic publishers reduced their output. Dell would be out of the comic business after 1971 and Gold Key/Whitman was hanging on by its fingernails. However, there was to be a champion, even if it was temporary, and it was the least suspected comic publisher of all. Charlton Publications (which was notorious for shoddy printing and poor art) had a new editorial team and they jumpstarted the return of television comics.

1970

ROOM 222: Room 222 was a well-respected TV comedydrama about teachers and students. Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haynes) communicated well with his students, not only about the schoolwork, but also because he had compassion about their problems. The series, which was likely inspired by To Sir, With Love, dealt with a number of important topics, including drugs, Vietnam, and obesity, and how

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great teachers could make the difference in many students’ lives. The supporting cast included Denise Nicholas, Karen Valentine, and Michael Constantine. The Emmy-winning program, created by James L. Brooks, aired from 1969 to 1974. The comic book adaptation by Dell, The cast of Room 222. on the other hand, Room 222 #3 (July 1970). lasted only four © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. issues, from January 1970 to January 1971, with #4 being a reprint of #1. Art for all issues was by Jack Sparling, who seemed to have only three or four photos of the actors to work from because the head shots of the cast were repeated within the same story, and not always appropriately, such as grinning during a very serious moment. Sparling’s art was also very simplified and messy.

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A satirical take on Room 222 from MAD #136 (July 1970). Room 222 © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. MAD TM & © E. C. Publications, Inc.

The Courtship of Eddie’s Father was one of the best TV series of the 1970s. However, the Dell comic was a failure for both of its issues. Issue #2 (May 1970). © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.

THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE’S FATHER: Bill Bixby, Brandon Cruz, and Miyoshi Umeki starred in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, one of the best TV comedies of the late 1960s/early 1970s—possibly the very best when it came to love between a father and son. Bill Bixby played Dad to Brandon Cruz’s Eddie, and there was a genuine bond between Bixby and Cruz. Unlike other series, Eddie was a sweet kid, and Tom Corbett (Bixby) wasn’t a goofball TV dad. Corbett was a widower, trying to be both parents for Eddie. Eddie, on the other hand, wanted his dad to be happy again and was actively trying to find someone to take his mother ’s place. Children that good don’t grow on trees. Miyoshi Umeki played their Japanese housekeeper, Mrs. Livingston, a gentle soul who was still having trouble with English. Jodie Foster made several appearances as Eddie’s friend, Joey. Based on the

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1963 M-G-M movie starring Glenn Ford and Ronny (Ron) Howard, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father ran three seasons on ABC, from September 17, 1969 to March 1, 1972. There were two Dell issues (Jan. 1970 and May 1970), both with incredibly horrible art. Forget that none of the characters in the comics looked like the actors, this was a nightmare of disproportioned bodies, gigantic blank areas in the background, and incomplete inking. FAMILY AFFAIR: Similar to Bachelor Father, Family Affair featured Bill Davis (Brian Keith), who lived in a swanky New York apartment with his valet, Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), but then had the sudden arrival of his two nieces and a nephew whose parents were killed in a car crash. While he tried to retain the romances of his bache-

(left) Family Affair #2 (Apr. 1970). (right) Before there was Lost, there was The New People. The New People #2 (May 1970). Family Affair © Family Affair Company or successor in interest. The New People © Thomas/Spelling Productions.

lorhood, Uncle Bill, as the kids called him, became a loving and protective guardian to them. The CBS TV series ran from 1966 to 1971. Gold Key’s four-issue comic series (1970) had art by Jack Sparling and Sal Trapani, and the rendering of Keith, Cabot, and the others was excellent. However, the stories were short, three to four per issue, never giving much chance to play out the humor and warmth of the show. While #2 to 4 were priced at 15 cents each, issue #1 was 25 cents because it had a foldout poster of Buffy (Anissa Jones, whose life ended at 18 years of age from a drug overdose). THE NEW PEOPLE: 35 years before Lost, there was another drama on ABC about a downed airliner crashing on the beach of a mysterious island. The story of The New People involved the adults on the plane being killed in the crash (save for one who met his death shortly thereafter in the series), which left a group of teenagers who had to survive on their own. The cast included Tiffany Bolling, Zooey Hall, Jill Jaress, and David Moses. The series got a good start-off with the pilot written by Rod Serling, but soon went downhill, and the episodes were 45-minutes long, an experimental concept that didn’t catch on. The program debuted in September 1969 but was cancelled in January 1970. There were two issues published by Dell (#1, Jan. 1970, and #2, May 1970), and both had fair artwork by Frank Springer, who employed a lot of shortcuts here, including almost entire pages where characters and settings were in complete silhouette.

THE GOVERNOR AND J.J.: The Governor and J.J. was a delightful comedy series starring Dan Dailey as a state governor and the effervescent Julie Sommars as his grown-up daughter, J.J. The Governor was a widower and part of the older generation, but J.J. took it upon herself to handle all the things a First Lady would and tried to bring him into the present day. The sitcom debuted in September 1969 with smart writing, but the The Governor and J.J. #1 (Feb. 1970). program never found an audience, even with a lead-in TM & © the respective holders. of The Red Skelton Hour. CBS cancelled the series during its second season. Gold Key published three issues based on the series in quick succession, dated between February 1970 and August 1970. THE BRADY BUNCH: The Brady Bunch told of Mike Brady (Robert Reed), a man with three sons, who married Carol (Florence Henderson), a woman with three daughters, and all the situations they encountered as one big family. The sitcom certainly bore more than a resemblance to a very successful 1966 movie called Yours, Mine, and Ours, which starred Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, as two people who met and fell in love… The Brady Bunch #1 and each with a secret: his ten (Feb. 1970). kids and her eight. The Brady TM & © Paramount Pictures. Bunch ran for five seasons on ABC (from 1969 to 1974), as well as an attempt to revive the series (The Brady Bunch Hour) for a few months in 1977. There were also various TV-movies, plus two satirical film remakes with a new cast. Dell published two issues of The Brady Bunch. The first (Feb. 1970) and the second (May 1970) both featured art by José Delbo, who drew the characters in a very stylized, humorous manner that was pleasing and managed to retain the “cuteness” of the family members, even if not quite capturing the actors’ features.

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Artist ProfILe: JOSE´ DELBO José Delbo was born December 9, 1933 in Argentina. From his youth, he was enamored with the works of American comics, and like so many other artists was a fan of Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond, and Hal Foster. His first work was published when he was 16, drawing for the Poncho Negro comic book. As a young man, he had been a soldier in Juan Perón’s army, but left Argentina to escape the political climate and moved to Brazil. He immigrated to the United States in 1965 and found work almost immediately at Tower Comics and at Charlton Comics. However, it was at Dell Comics that he quickly became their go-to artist for the numerous TV-based comic books they published (The Big Valley, The Rat Patrol, Hogan’s Heroes, The Monkees, The Mod Squad, The Brady Bunch, etc.) In the 1970s, Delbo freelanced for Gold Key, including drawing their comic adaptation of the Beatles’ movie Yellow Submarine and the TV-pilot of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. He also illustrated numerous issues of Turok, Son of Stone, The Twilight Zone, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery. In the mid-1980s, Delbo worked for DC, where he drew Wonder Woman for five years. He also depicted many of the other DC superheroes and then moved over to Marvel, where his work included The Transformers and ThunderCats. Delbo ghosted for a year on The Phantom daily newspaper strip and later drew the Superman newspaper dailies and Sundays from 1982 to 1985. Delbo started teaching at the The Kubert School in the 1990s. After retiring to Florida in 2005, he opened a cartooning summer camp school for kids wanting to learn to draw. José Delbo art from The Brady Bunch #1 (Feb. 1970). TM & © Paramount Pictures.

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HEE HAW: It is amazing, in retrospect, how popular Hee Haw was. It was a countrified Rowan & Martin’s LaughIn, and the overriding philosophy seemed to be the old comedy line, “If you didn’t like the last joke, just wait, there’ll be another along in a second.” Buck Owens and Roy Clark served as hosts over the program’s fill of singers, hillbillies, and beautiful country gals. Debuting in 1969, the program aired on CBS for its first two seasons and then in syndication for almost 20 years. The Charlton comic series had a much shorter run, only seven issues (from July 1970 to Aug. 1971), but if someone liked the TV show, the comic book adaptation was more of that kind of humor. Each comic issue had pages of bad jokes, activities, and an occasional short story. NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR: Bearing a resemblance to the concept of Mary Poppins, ABC-TV’s Nanny and the Professor told of a modern-day English nanny (Juliet Mills) arriving unexpectedly in America at the home of Professor Everett (Richard Long) to help him with the raising of his kids. He and the others soon discovered that she always seemed to mystically know what to do to help them. She talked to animals, flowers, and all living things, and to some that others couldn’t see… but everything she did turned out to be in the family’s best interest. The TV series was a lightweight comedy, with practically no substance, except for the nice presence of Juliet Mills, daughter of actor John Mills and sister of Hayley Mills. The series ran for two seasons, from January 21, 1970 to December 27, 1971.

H.R. PUFNSTUF: It may be difficult to believe, considering how H.R. Pufnstuf is still part of our consciousness, but there were only 17 episodes made of the Hanna-Barbera live-action kids’ program, with the series running from September 6, 1969 to December 27, 1969. The story involved young Jimmy (Jack Wild) and his magic flute, Freddie, being shipwrecked on Living Island by an evil witch who wanted the flute at any cost. The good-hearted mayor of the island, where everything was alive, was H.R. Pufnstuf, a goofy-looking dragon who protected Jimmy from Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes) throughout the series. A theatrical movie followed the end of the series, Pufnstuf (1970). Gold Key published eight issues of H.R. Pufnstuf (Oct. 1970 through July 1972), with stories written by Don R. Christensen and artwork by Roger Armstrong that fit with the TV series’ style.

Dell’s two issues (Aug. 1970 and Oct. 1970) based on the sitcom had genuinely attractive art by José Delbo.

(left) Hee Haw #1(July 1970). (right) Nanny and the Professor #1 (Aug. 1970). Hee Haw © GPSI, Inc. Nanny and the Professor © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Jack Wild, who played the Artful Dodger in the 1968 hit film Oliver!, starred in the H.R. Pufnstuf TV series and movie. H.R. Pufnstuf #7 (Apr. 1972). TM & © Sid & Marty Krofft Productions, Inc.

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1971 THE YOUNG REBELS: The Young Rebels was a 1970 ABC series about three American youths forming the Yankee Doodle Society (a fictional group) in 1777 in British-controlled Philadelphia a year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The program lasted only 15 episodes before it was removed from the schedule, running from September 20, 1970 to January 4, 1971. There was only one issue from Dell of The Young Rebels, cover dated January 1971, with stories on par with the TV series and art by José Delbo. THE YOUNG LAWYERS: The Young Lawyers was set in Boston… but not in the well-to-do section of the city. The Neighborhood Law Office (aka “NLO”) was there to help those who could not afford an attorney. When the rich did something wrong, their attorney got them off. However, when the poorer neighborhood’s kids did not do anything wrong, but were still charged and believed to be guilty until proven innocent, it was the NLO who came to the rescue. Lee J. Cobb starred as experienced and cranky attorney David Barrett who headed the small law office, while the rest of the cast (Zalman King, Judy Pace, and Philip Clark) played law students who were able to practice in court as long as a senior lawyer was present. The ABC series debuted in September 1970 but lasted only the one season. Dell published two comics (Jan. 1971 and Apr. 1971, respectively) based on the TV series. Art was handled by José Delbo for both issues, and he drew excellent representations of the main cast without making them look like posed photos.

(left) The popularity of ABC’s The Partridge Family kept the comic adaptation going for 21 issues, one of the longest runs of a Charlton TV comic. The Partridge Family #19 (July 1973). (top) The Partridge Family comic title couldn’t contain the whole of the David Cassidy catalogue of posters, wallet-size pictures, and whatnot for sale; thus, a David Cassidy comic was added to Charlton’s output. David Cassidy #8 (Nov. 1972). TM & © Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Inspired by the real-life family singing group “The Cowsills,” ABC struck gold with The Partridge Family. Shirley Jones played a widowed mother of five singing children and, in trying to make ends meet, the children convinced her to literally take the show on the road in a psychedelically-repainted school bus, along with their manager, Reuben Kincaid (Dave Madden). Though Jones was top-billed, David Cassidy (Jones’ stepson from her marriage to Jack Cassidy) was the breakout star of the show (to teenage girls, anyway). The program aired from 1970 to 1974. Charlton Comics published 21 issues (Mar. 1971 through Nov. 1973) of The Partridge Family. Art is signed as being by Don Sherwood, and the drawing of actors was well done. Ads for the Partridge Family Fan Club could be found on the back cover, and almost every inside non-story page offered photos, posters, and magazines for the David Cassidy fan. Generally, any leftover sales space was given to plug Susan Dey’s advice book on how girls could learn to be popular.

(left) The Young Rebels #1 (Jan. 1971). (right) Dell’s The Young Lawyers #1 (Jan. 1971) pictured the TV cast: (clockwise) Zalman King, Judy Pace, and Lee J. Cobb. The Young Rebels TM & © the respective holders. The Young Lawyers © Paramount Pictures Corporation and Crane Productions, Inc.

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Concurrent with The Partridge Family title, Charlton also published a David Cassidy 14-issue comic book title (Feb. 1972 to Sept. 1973). Similar to The Partridge Family, page after page promoted David Cassidy collectibles, including David Cassidy “super luv stickers,” David Cassidy biographies, David Cassidy choker beads, David Cassidy posters, David Cassidy private photo albums, and the David Cassidy Fan Club. Squeezed in-between the ads were comic stories of David Cassidy, drawn by Sururi Gumen.

(left) Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp #1 (May 1971). (right) Bugaloos #1 (Sept. 1971). Lancelot Link TM & © the respective holders. Bugaloos TM & © Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, Inc..

LANCELOT LINK, SECRET CHIMP: Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, was a combination of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the James Bond films, but with a cast of chimpanzees. On the good guy side was Lancelot Link (with Dayton Allen dubbing in a Humphrey Bogart-like voice), the #1 agent of A.P.E. (Agency to Prevent Evil), who was locked in a neverending battle against C.H.U.M.P. (Criminal Headquarters for the Underworld’s Master Plan) and its notorious leader, the Baron (dubbed by Bernie Kopell using his “Siegfried” voice from Get Smart). The amusing series ran on ABC from 1970-1971. The Gold Key eight-issue series (May 1971 to Feb. 1973) outlasted the program by almost two years. The art was cartoony but still captured the looks of the chimps on the TV program.

(top) The Partridge Family comic from Charlton seemed to exist only to push merchandising of the show’s stars. The back cover of #19 (July 1973) was just one of nine full pages promoting David Cassidy and Susan Dey souvenirs. (bottom) Spoof #3 (Jan. 1973) laid open the commercialism of David Cassidy in its “The Part-Rich Family” satire. The Partridge Family TM & © Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. Spoof © Marvel Characters, Inc.

THE BUGALOOS: This close… that’s how close in 1970 Phil Collins came to getting the role of the grasshopper on the Sid and Marty Krofft children’s live-action program, The Bugaloos. If Collins had won the part, he would have been wearing a green costume, wings, and antennae, instead of becoming a music superstar. The series was about four singing insects in Tranquility Forest. The cast included Caroline Ellis as a butterfly, John McIndoe as the grasshopper, Wayne Laryea as a bee, and John Philpott as a ladybug, but the most delightful role was played by veteran Martha Raye in an over-the-top, hilarious turn as Benita Bizarre, an untalented singer and songwriter who was jealous of the Bugaloos. Famous dwarf actor Billy Barty portrayed a firefly, their goofy sidekick. The program ran for two seasons on NBC, from 1970 to 1972. Charlton published four issues of Bugaloos, released with cover dates from September 1971 to February 1972, with amusing art and excellent caricatures of Raye as Benita.

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still developing but some of it was very good. The title ran from February 1972 to October 1972.

1972 PRIMUS: Primus starred Robert Brown as Carter Primus, a wealthy oceanographer who helped people in trouble with the aid of his invention, the mini-sub DASH (“Deep Sea Habitat”). The syndicated adventure program by Ivan Tors ran for one season, from 1971 to 1972. Scripts for the seven-issue Charlton comic series were by Joe Gill, with art supplied by Joe Staton. Staton’s work was

GETTING TOGETHER: Spun off from an episode of The Partridge Family, Getting Together starred singer/actor Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as a songwriting team. The sitcom debuted in September 1971 but ABC pulled the plug in January 1972. Though the Charlton comic book was called Bobby Sherman, the first several issues were an adaptation of the TV series. Tony Tallarico was the artist on the comic and his work was uniformly poor throughout. Sherman’s comic ran for seven issues (Feb. 1972 to Oct. 1972). LIDSVILLE: The Great HooDoo (Charles Nelson Reilly), an evil magician, had complete control of the people of “Lidsville,” a town of citizens whose heads were shaped like hats and helmets, until a young lad named Mark (Butch Patrick, best known for playing “Eddie Munster”) fell through a magician’s large hat from the real world into their land. With the help of a genie, Mark inspired the people to rebel against HooDoo. A Sid and Marty Krofft live-action production, the Saturday morning program ran on ABC from 1971-1973. Reilly got to display his wonderful hammy ability and trademarked chuckle as HooDoo. Billie Hayes, who played the genie, shone in an episode as Witchiepoo (her role on H.R. Pufnstuf), a love interest of HooDoo. Gold Key published five issues of Lidsville between October 1972 and October 1973, with cartoony artwork throughout. The first issue adapted the pilot episode of Mark’s arrival.

(top) Primus star Robert Brown on the cover of issue #1 (Feb. 1972). Though Primus ran for just one season, Charlton published seven issues, (bottom) with early art by Joe Staton. Pictured: page from Primus #2 (Mar. 1972). © Metromedia Producers Corporation.

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(left) Getting Together, a TV spinoff of The Partridge Family, made it into the comic book world as part of the first several issues of Bobby Sherman. Bobby Sherman #4 (June 1972). (right) Lidsville #4 (July 1973). Getting Together © Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. © Charlton Press, Inc. or successor in interest. Lidsville TM & © the respective holders.

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1974

ADAM-12: Adam-12 was the Jack Webb-produced cop show about patrol car officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed (played by Martin Milner and Kent McCord, respectively). The NBC series featured the officers’ police work, with plenty of time between emergencies for the pair to discuss Jim’s married life and Pete’s bachelor existence. The program aired for seven seasons, from 1968-1975.

THE ELECTRIC COMPANY: Beginning a six-season run on PBS in 1971, the Emmy-winning children’s informational program The Electric Company featured cartoons and comedy sketches as part of its teaching methods. In 1974, Marvel’s Spider-Man (with Danny Seagren inside the costume) became a part of the cast and would be featured in short adventures that ran until 1977.

Mike Roy drew the first issue (Dec. 1973) of the 10-issue Gold Key series, with writing by Paul S. Newman. Roy’s art made the officers look a little goofy, and Jack Sparling took over the art for the rest of the comic’s run, providing a more realistic look to Milner and McCord. Stories were on a par with the TV series’ scripts.

Marvel published a 57-issue comic book tie-in (Oct. 1974 to Mar. 1982) called Spidey Super Stories, with a masthead that read “Marvel Comics and The Electric Company Present.”

Kent McCord and Martin Milner (pictured on the cover of Adam-12 #1, Dec. 1973) starred in Jack Webb’s drama of L.A. patrol car officers. © Adam-12 Productions. © Universal City Studios LLC.

The Electric Company characters teamed up with Spider-Man in Marvel’s Spidey Super Stories, including issue #2 (Nov. 1974) with Jennifer of the Jungle (played by delightful comedienne Judy Graubart on the program). TM & © Children’s Television Workshop. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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1975 SHAZAM!/ISIS HOUR: In 1974, Filmation (in concert with DC) produced a live-action Captain Marvel TV series for CBS called Shazam! The television program veered away from much of the comic book history, basically leaving only Billy Batson (Michael Gray) and the gods who gave him his powers as Captain Marvel (Jackson Bostwick). The gods sent him on the road in a Winnebago across the United States, accompanied by a mentor (Les Tremayne) to gain wisdom through the people he met and helped. John Davey replaced Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel after the first weeks of the second season. In September of 1975, Filmation expanded the time slot from 30 to 60 minutes by attaching a new live-action TV series, Isis, to Shazam! under the combined title of Shazam!/Isis Hour. In the new half-hour segment, American high-school teacher Andrea Thomas (Joanna

(above) Jackson Bostwick as Captain Marvel on the cover of Limited Collectors Edition #C-35 (Apr.–May 1975). (top right) Joanna Cameron as Isis in the SHAZAM/Isis Hour. (bottom right) Isis #1 (Oct.–Nov. 1976). Shazam! TM & © DC Comics. Isis © Filmation Associates. TM & © DC Comics.

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Cameron) was traveling in Egypt and found an ancient amulet through which she could channel great powers from the goddess Isis and fight for good. The attractive Cameron’s superheroine stint predated Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. The combined series ended in 1976. Except for a small banner across the top of the covers of Shazam! #16 (Jan.–Feb. 1975) through #33 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) and a “DC TV” emblem, DC barely acknowledged the Shazam! program. The only appearance of the Shazam! TV actors on any comic was the treasury-sized Limited Collectors Edition C-35 (Apr.–May 1975) with a front cover color photo of Jackson Bostwick in his Captain Marvel costume and seven black-and-white pictures on the inside back cover of Bostwick, Gray, and Tremayne. DC Comics introduced Isis in Shazam! #25 (Sept.–Oct. 1976), costarring with Captain Marvel, a month before she got her own comic title. The first issue of Isis (Oct.–Nov. 1976) carried over the characters from the TV program and got off to a good start with an excellent cover by Kurt Schaffenberger, and an interior story written by Dennis O’Neil and drawn by Ric Estrada and Wally Wood. Following issues had Steve Skeates and Jack C. Harris taking over the writing chores, with Mike Vosburg handling the bulk of the drawing of the series (which came to an end with the eighth issue, Dec. 1977-Jan. 1978). KORG: 70,000 B.C.: The Hanna-Barbera live-action Saturday morning series about a Stone Age family, Korg: 70,000 B.C. only lasted 19 episodes, airing on ABC from September 1974 to January 1975. Burgess Meredith provided the narration for the program starring Jim Malinda, Bill Ewing, and Naomi Pollack. Charlton’s comic tie-in ran nine issues (May 1975 to Nov. 1976), well beyond the cancellation of the TV series. Artwork for all issues, Korg: 70,000 B.C. #1 including painted covers, (May 1975). was by the much-underrated © Hanna-Barbera Productions. Pat Boyette. Boyette had an excellent sense of how to move the reader’s eye from one panel to the next in a seamless, flowing way over the entire page. While he could never really draw handsome men or beautiful women, that made him ideal for Korg: 70,000 B.C. and its cavepeople population. Boyette delineated the bony, puffed-out faces of ancient man and provided a grim and strong look on their faces at the struggle they had to survive.

Korg: 70,000 B.C. was the perfect vehicle for artist Pat Boyette. Pictured: An interior page by Boyette from Korg: 70,000 B.C. #1 (May 1975). © Hanna-Barbera Productions.

SPACE: 1999: Martin Landau and Barbara Bain had not long left the Mission: Impossible television series when they signed on to star in the British science-fiction adventure, Space: 1999. The program’s storyline began with nuclear waste being stored on the Moon near the Earth colony “Alpha” base. When the waste suddenly exploded, the resulting force pushed the Moon away from the Earth, leaving its crew stranded on the Moon Joe Staton provided the art for the cover and interior of the regular comic size edition of Space: 1999 #1 (Nov. 1975). TM & © ITC Entertainment Group Limited.

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unless they could find a planet they could colonize. The syndicated series, the creation of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, ran for two seasons, with a total of 48 episodes airing from 1975 to 1977. November 1975 was the cover date for both the Space: 1999 black-and-white, comic-illustrated magazine and the regular-size color comic’s first issues. Charlton published both and each had stories different from the other, though both #1 issues had a quick recap of the TV pilot. The magazine contained stories from writers Joe Gill and Nicola Cuti, but the artists went generally uncredited, except for Gray Morrow. The magazine also contained photo-and-text articles about the television series, but it came to an early end with #8 (Oct. 1976). The comic book had only seven issues, ending with a date of November 1976, and the covers by Joe Staton (#1 and 2), John Byrne (#3 through 6), and Pat Boyette for #7 also correlated to who drew the interiors. Nicola Cuti wrote the first five issues, followed by Byrne on #6, and Mike Pellowski on the last.

Interior art page by Gray Morrow for the first issue (Nov. 1975) of the Space: 1999 magazine. TM & © ITC Entertainment Group Limited.

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1976 EMERGENCY!: Clearly a Jack Webb production, Emergency! contained much of his standard strong attention to working details, in this case the step-bystep procedures of firefighting and of emergency rooms, just as he had with police detective work in Dragnet and patrol cops in Adam-12. The scripts, unfortunately, contained the banal dialogue found in those programs. Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe were the main focus on the firehouse side and Robert Fuller, Julie London, and Bobby Troup on the medical half. The NBC series debuted on January 15, 1972 and stayed on air for six seasons. In addition, there were six Emergency TV-movies after the program ended. Coming late in the TV series’ run, Charlton published both a comic magazine and a comic book concurrently, each with different stories. The comic book came first by one month with #1 dated June 1976, which had a story drawn by John Byrne. The remaining three issues had story interiors by other artists.

Both the regular comic and the magazine-sized issues of Emergency! featured great cover art and inside stories. Emergency! magazine #1 (July 1976) by Neal Adams. © EMERGENCY! PRODUCTIONS. TM Universal City Studios LLC.

Artist ProfILe: NEAL ADAMS Neal Adams (born June 15, 1941 in New York) studied at the School of Industrial Art and upon graduation approached DC about assignments, but walked away empty-handed. He went to Archie Comics where they used one panel of his samples for Adventures of the Fly #4 (Jan. 1960) and that led to him getting Archie page work. He worked as an assistant on the Bat Masterson newspaper strip. In 1962, he was assigned the new syndicated Ben Casey strip, which ran until 1966. In 1967, he drew several stories for Warren Publishing. Trying again at DC, he got backup stories to draw, as well as several issues of The Adventures of Bob Hope and The Adventures of Jerry Lewis. By the end of 1967, amazing covers by Adams were appearing on various DC titles; however, it was his revitalization of Batman that most affected how the caped crusader would look going forward. While still working at DC, he freelanced at Marvel, bringing fresh excitement to The X-Men, The Avengers, and Thor. And, at DC, Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams took over the Green Lantern comic book. When their first story (#76, Apr. 1970) had an old black man asking Green Lantern why he had worked for blue skins, had helped orange skins and purple skins on other worlds… but he never helped black skins, the media went crazy covering it. Great as his art was over the following decades, the two most important things Neal Adams ever did were to use legal clout to get comic publishers to return original artwork back to the artists, and to get DC to recognize Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for their creation of Superman, including providing financial and medical assistance.

The Emergency! hospital sequences drawn by Neal Adams were reminiscent of his work on the Ben Casey newspaper strip. Emergency! magazine #1 (July 1976). © EMERGENCY! PRODUCTIONS. TM Universal City Studios LLC.

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The magazine’s first of four issues (July 1976 to January 1977) started out with a dramatic Neal Adams cover. The first story in the issue set up the premise of the TV’s program’s pilot episode, with fireman John Gage frustrated by a law that only allowed him to provide moderate first aid to an accident victim until the ambulance arrived, instead of more serious medical attention that could save the person’s life. Art for the magazine’s stories was by Neal Adams and other illustrators making up Adams’ Continuity Associates. Scripts were by Joe Gill, Nicola Cuti, and Mike Pellowski. Each magazine also had articles about the show. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN: For five seasons (1973 to 1978) on ABC’s The Six Million Dollar Man, Colonel Steve Austin (Lee Majors), the victim of a crash of an experimental flying ship and rebuilt with mechanical parts to become a cyborg, helped people in trouble with his amazing abilities and performed covert missions for the United States government.

Neal Adams’ cover to the magazine version of Charlton’s The Six Million Dollar Man #1 (July 1976). TM & © Universal Studios.

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Like Space: 1999 and Emergency!, Charlton published the The Six Million Dollar Man as a comic and as a magazine, with each having different stories. The comic book’s first issue (June 1976) contained a more detailed recap of the Austin crash and surgery than the magazine version, and Neal Adams’ very dramatic painting on the cover of the second issue (Aug. 1976) was the highlight of the comic book run, which came to an end with the ninth issue (June 1978). The magazine’s first two issues (July 1976 and Sept. 1976) featured painted covers by Adams, but the stories contained far less of his artwork than he did for Emergency! Jack Sparling got a chance to shine with some of his best artwork in years on an adventure story for the third issue (Nov. 1976), involving Austin with an old-timer, his gorgeous granddaughter, a biplane, and air bandits. The magazine’s tales were written by Joe Gill, Nicola Cuti, and Mike Pellowski. The magazine series folded with #7 (Nov. 1977). WELCOME BACK, KOTTER: In Welcome Back, Kotter, Gabe Kotter returned to the school where he had been a student to teach a group of juvenile delinquents, called “The Sweathogs” (with newcomer John Travolta as the breakaway star of the series). The ABC series ran from 1975 to 1979. Four years of “Up your nose with a rubber hose!” Four years of Horshack’s laugh. Four years of “Mr. Kot–ter.” If it were not for the appeal of comedian Gabe Kaplan as Kotter, the show would truly have been unbearable. The best moments were the openings and closings with Kotter telling an extended joke to his wife (Marcia Strassman).

The combination of styles of artists Jack Sparling and Bob Oksner were not a good match, taming each other’s humorous drawings rather than enhancing them. Welcome Back, Kotter #1 (Nov. 1976). © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and the James Komack Estate, or successors in interest.

DC Comics published ten issues of Welcome Back, Kotter (from Nov. 1976 through Mar.–Apr. 1978) and a treasury-sized Limited Collectors’ Edition (#C-57, 1978). Jack Sparling and Bob Oksner handled art for the first issue, with Oksner and Ric Estrada working on most of the run. Though drawings of the cast were semi-caricatures, the accuracy was surprisingly good.

1977

1978

THE BIONIC WOMAN: In a series of episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man, the character of Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) was established as the childhood love of Steve Austin (Lee Majors). In a return to his hometown, he met up with the now-grown Jaime, which led to a proposal. Prior to the wedding, however, a skydiving accident nearly killed Jaime and, like Austin, she underwent surgery that outfitted her damaged parts with mechanical parts. Unlike Austin, though, her brain started rejecting the imitation body limbs, causing her violent outbreaks and a mental breakdown whenever she was in the proximity of Austin. And she died.

MAN FROM ATLANTIS: “Mark Harris” was the name given to the mysterious amnesiac with webbed hands and feet who had been found on shore after a storm at sea. Tests on Harris (Patrick Duffy) showed he had great underwater abilities beyond man and man’s machines, and a U.S. Navy Admiral used him on dangerous undersea missions. Following four Man from Atlantis TV-movies (aired between March and June 1977), NBC gave the green light for a series, debuting on September 22, 1977, but then cancelled it after 13 episodes.

However, a good spinoff character like Jaime was much too hard for the television producers to leave dead. So, while Steve Austin was still mourning, Jaime was taken to a brilliant scientist and her physical and mental problems were fixed. In The Bionic Woman, she was given a new job as a school teacher and as the government’s secret operative. The series aired January 1976 to May 1977 on ABC and was then picked up by NBC for the 1977-1978 season. Jaime and Steve reunited in three TV-movies between 1987 and 1994. Charlton published five issues of The Bionic Woman from October 1977 to June 1978, with Jack Sparling occasionally doing some very good art.

(left) Charlton’s The Bionic Woman #1 (Oct. 1977) and #2 (Feb. 1978) featured action-packed Jack Sparling covers and a decent likeness of the television program’s star, Lindsay Wagner, as Jaime Sommers. TM & © Universal City Studios, Inc.

Marvel’s first Man from Atlantis was an 80-page issue (Feb. 1978), with art by Tom Sutton and Sonny Trinidad and a story by Bill Mantlo, which retold the basic highlights of Mark Harris’ origin from the first TV-movie. Included in that same issue were 12 pages of interviews and details on the making of the TV program. Mantlo wrote the rest of the seven-issue series, now at a regular 32-page size, with a new art team of Frank Robbins (pencils) and Frank Springer (inks). THE KROFFT SUPERSHOW: ABC’s The Krofft Supershow was a live-action Saturday morning kids’ anthology TV series from producers Sid and Marty Krofft. Among the series-within-the-series were “Magic Mongo,” “Bigfoot and Wildboy,” “Wonderbug” and the best of the bunch, “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl,” two female crimefighters played by Diedre Hall and Judy Strangis, respectively. Each show contained wraparound bits by Kaptain Kool and the Kongs, a singing group put together by the producers.

& copyright holders. The program ran from 1976 to 1978 and was reworked into The Krofft Superstar Hour from 1978 to 1979 for several episodes before being retitled The Bay City Rollers Show.

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Artist ProfILe: JACK SPARLING Jack Sparling was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on June 21, 1916, and moved with his family to the U.S. when he was a child. He attended the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. After working as a cartoonist for a New Orleans newspaper, he co-created the newspaper strip Hap Hopper, Washington Correspondent. Sparling left the strip in 1943 and created a new one, Claire Voyant, which ran from 1943 to 1948. From the 1940s onward, he worked for Parents’ Magazine Press, DC, Harvey, Toby, Ziff-Davis, ACG, and Dell. It was at Dell that he drew a large number of TV-adaptations, including Laramie, Room 222, The Outer Limits, and Mission: Impossible, He would continue the same at Gold Key (Adam-12, Honey West, and Thriller, among others), at Charlton (The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) and at DC (Welcome Back, Kotter). But TV adaptations were only one part of what he drew over the years. A spin of the newsstand comic rack could find him on Green Lantern, Challengers of the Unknown, Mighty Samson, Naza, Captain America, Secret Six, and The X-Men, as well as drawing romance, science-fiction, and horror titles. He averaged several hundred pages of comic art every year. In addition, he drew the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century daily and Sunday for a year and a half. Jack Sparling died February 15, 1997 at the age of 80.

Charlton’s The Bionic Woman had good art by Jack Sparling, including this page from issue #1 (Oct. 1977). TM & © Universal City Studios, Inc.

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Gold Key published six issues (Apr. 1978 to Jan. 1959) of Krofft Supershow, which focused on the second season (which was, regrettably, without “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl”). Various artists worked on the issues, including Jack Sparling, Ernie Colon, and Win Mortimer. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Battlestar Galactica borrowed from the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, this time as a race of robots (“Cylons”) conducted a murderous sneak raid in outer space on humans during a peace treaty gathering, catching them and their planets unaware, and wiping out all but one Battlestar ship, the “Galactica.” Lorne Greene played the commander who took the ship, its crew, and rescued passengers in search of a lost human civilization, located on a distant planet called Earth. TV producer Glen A. Larson created Battlestar Galactica for ABC and tried to make it TV’s Star Wars, but it most definitely was not. The special effects for the series were extremely weak (rods could be seen holding spaceships, explosions in space had reflections, and space flights were used again and again throughout the episodes). The program lasted one season, from September 17, 1978 to April 29, 1979, but ABC approved a follow-up series, Galactica 1980, which aired for only a few months (from January 27, 1980 to May 4, 1980). In 1978, Marvel Comics published a one-shot, treasury-sized adaptation (Marvel Super Special #8) of the series’ pilot. However, the two stories in it appeared to have been done without writer Roger McKenzie and artist Ernie Colon having access to the final cut of the telefilm. When Marvel took the title into its regular comic-sized

(above left) The Battlestar Galactica adaptation from Marvel Super Special #8 (Oct. 1978) was heavily retooled in (above right) Battlestar Galactica #1 (Mar. 1979) to closer resemble the television program. (right, top and bottom) Ernie Colon’s artwork for the treasury-size Marvel Super Special #8 (1978) and the same scene redrawn and simplified by Colon for the regular-size Battlestar Galactica comic’s second issue (Apr. 1979). TM & © Universal City Studios, Inc.

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series, the art for the two chapters was reprinted in the first few issues but with modifications to names, costumes, and characters’ faces in order to resemble the TV cast. Marvel’s regular Battlestar Galactica comic series ran for 23 issues, with cover dates from March 1979 through January 1981. Colon’s work appeared in the first three issues, and then the title became a revolving door of artists (Rich Buckler, Sal Buscema, Pat Broderick, Jim Mooney, and Brent Anderson), but it was Walt Simonson, inked by Klaus Janson, who was the main artist on the title. Simonson also had the opportunity to write several of the issues. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has been a comedy institution for generations of TV viewers. The casts have come and gone, and each viewer has their own favorite, but for many it was the first that is most fondly remembered: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Larraine Newman, and Dan Aykroyd.

1979 HAPPY DAYS: Happy Days got its start on the Love, American Style anthology comedy series in an episode called “Love and the Television Set.” In actual fact, it had been an unsold pilot in 1971 (pre-American Graffiti) and ABC incorporated it into the February 25, 1972 Love, American Style episode. In the cast were Ron Howard, Marion Ross, and Anson Williams, all three of who carried on to the regular TV series when the Happy Days series aired on January 15, 1974. Though Ron Howard was still the star, it was obviously Fonzie (Henry Winker) who became the most popular character on the series. Dressed like Marlon Brando in the 1954 film, The Wild One, Fonzie set the style for “cool.” The TV series lasted 10 years, ending in 1984. Gold Key’s Happy Days adaptation began with the March 1979 issue and lasted only six issues, but it was clear the Fonz was their selling point. Art for the series wasn’t successful in making the comic characters look much like the actors.

For Marvel Team-Up #74 (Oct. 1978), in a plot remiSince Spider-Man is a niscent of the Beatles movie New York City superhero, Help! (1965), a ring was Marvel Team-Up #74 (Oct. sent anonymously to John 1978) just had to happen. The webspinner joined with Belushi at NBC’s Saturday the Saturday Night Live Night Live studio in New cast and guest host York City. He put it on but, Stan Lee in a tale of course, could not get it of comedy and bad guys. off. Also, quite naturally Spider-Man TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. there was someone who Saturday Night Live TM & © National Broadcasting Company, Inc. would kill to get it. In this case, instead of the Kali sacrificial cult priests from the Beatles film, it was a Marvel Japanese villain called “Silver Samurai” and he disrupted the filming of SNL where Stan Lee was the guest host. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were in the audience, so Spider-Man got involved. Chris Claremont wrote the comic script, with Bob Hall penciling and Marie Severin inking. The quality of the caricatures of the cast (minus Chase, but with the addition of newcomer Bill Murray) ranged from very good to “who is that supposed to be?”

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BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY: The TV series, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, starred Gil Gerard in an updated take on the original 1928 pulp magazine tale appearing in Amazing Stories and the subsequent 1929 newspaper comic strip of Buck sleeping hundreds of years in a cave, only to wake up and find himself in Earth’s future society. In the TV version, Buck was an astronaut from 1987 who took an accidental trip through a cosmic storm, which caused Buck Rogers #5 his onboard computer to (Feb. 1980). malfunction and froze him TM & © Dille Family Trust. for 504 years. Waking to find the Earth in danger from alien forces, Buck sided with Col. Wilma Deering (Erin Gray), commander of Earth’s defenses. The NBC production came from Glen A. Larson, who also produced Battlestar Galactica. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

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(top left) The TV series, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, tried a combination of tongue-in-cheek humor and science-fiction adventure… which equaled a mess that never came close to the success of the Star Wars saga. Buck Rogers Giant Movie Edition (1979). (top right) The Buck Rogers Giant Movie Edition (1979) was a Treasury-sized edition that contained three chapters (which also were printed individually in the regular comic-size Buck Rogers issues #2 through 4). Al McWilliams’ art for the second chapter was the standout of the series. TM & © Dille Family Trust. Photographs © Universal City Studios, Inc.

wasn’t well-received and lasted only two seasons, airing from September 1979 through April 1981. Gold Key had published a single-issue Buck Rogers in the 25th Century comic in 1964, and Gold Key/Whitman started the new series at #2 (Aug. 1979). Issues #2 through #4 adapted the TV pilot. The comic book series continued through #16 (May 1982). (Issue #10 was not printed.) There was also a treasury-size edition collecting #2 through #4, and featured photos on the front and back covers (the regular-sized comics had paintings on the covers).

CHAPTER 4:

Ted Turner started the world’s first 24-hour news channel, CNN, on June 1, 1980, and there would be much to cover in its first decade, both uplifting and heartbreaking. People everywhere watched live on television the royal wedding of Charles and Diana, but the world also witnessed the moment the space shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff. The 1980s was a time when John Lennon was murdered, hundreds of Americans were killed by a bombing in Beirut, and there were individual assassination attempts on President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. However, it was also a decade of coming together for humanity’s sake as music superstars joined each other for specially-written songs, first in the United Kingdom, and then in the United States and Canada, to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The decade came to a close in celebration with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Eighties were also a time of incredible entertainment. “Pac-Man” devoured not just dots, but also billions of dollars in people’s quarters. Personal computers were offered for sale, CDs replaced records, and the Walkman debuted. At the movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, Die Hard, Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi provided escapism. On television, new shows included The A-Team, Cheers, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, and Quantum Leap. And a new network debuted… MTV. In the 1980s, while DC and Marvel were predominant in the creation of new TV comics, there were fewer titles published than in previous decades. This was not specific to just TV tie-in comics—the entire comic book industry was going through a downturn. However, the late 1980s saw the rise of independent publishers and things would change for the better.

The 1980s

1980 DOCTOR WHO: The canon of Doctor Who has filled many in-depth appreciations, with a convoluted history as large as that of the world of Star Trek. The story is of a Time Lord who stole a time machine, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), from his home world Gallifrey in order to travel freely throughout the universe and, as revealed in the 2017 Christmas special, learn why evil doesn’t win when The fourth TV “Doctor Who,” so much effort has to go into Tom Baker (Marvel Premiere being good. #57, Dec 1980).

TM & © British Broadcasting Corporation. The first Doctor was played Marvel Premiere TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966, but when the actor suffered from a disease that made it mentally difficult for him to perform, the gimmick of “regeneration” came into being, where the Doctor came to the end of a life and was reborn into another body… in other words, replaced by another actor. Since that time, it has become an event by fans that is sometimes sorrowful but oftentimes celebrated as a bridge to something new. Hartnell was replaced by Patrick Troughton, who in turn was replaced by Jon Pertwee, and then Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy.

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The television series initially came to an end in 1989, but it was revamped several years later with new Doctors and is still a major British import. In the comic field, the UK had a steady run of Doctor Who strips appearing in comic weeklies almost from the beginning. In the United States, however, it took until 1980 to recognize the phenomenon. There had been a Dell Comics movie adaptation of Dr. Who and the Daleks starring Peter Cushing in the 1960s, but Marvel Premiere #57 (Dec. 1980) was the first American comic to feature a television Doctor (Tom Baker, the fourth actor to portray the Doctor). The stories in Marvel Premiere #57 through 60 (June 1981) were reprints from England’s Doctor Who Weekly magazine and featured art by Dave Gibbons and writing by Pat Mills and John Wagner. Marvel also published a Doctor Who regular series of 23 issues (Oct. 1984 to Aug. 1986), though its contents were still reprint comic stories from the British magazines.

1984 LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: In The Avengers #239 (Jan. 1984), several members of the Avengers team appeared within that issue as guests on NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman. Of course, a third-rate villain thought this was the perfect time to show to the world how he was superior to the Avengers. Roger Stern wrote the humorous tale, with art by Allen Milgrom and Joe Sinnott. THE A-TEAM: The basic background for The A-Team was that a skilled American military unit was sent to prison for a crime they did not commit, but they escaped into the underground of Los Angeles where they helped good people who were overwhelmed by criminals. The team consisted of leader Hannibal Smith (George Peppard), “Howling Mad” Murdock (Dwight Schultz), “Face” (Dirk Benedict), and B.A. Baracus (Mr. T). The television series from Stephen J. Cannell ran on NBC from January 23, 1983 to March 8, 1987. The Marvel regular series didn’t match the success of the TV program and lasted only three issues (Mar. 1984 through May 1984).

(left) During the tomfoolery of “Assistant Editors’ Month,” the comic book version of Late Night with David Letterman had guest members of the Avengers battling with a B-grade villain in The Avengers #239 (Jan. 1984). (right) The A-Team #1 (Mar. 1984). TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. (The name and likeness of David Letterman was used by Marvel with his consent.) The A-Team TM & © Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Licensed by Universal City Studios Inc.

Original Gene Day art to Marvel Premiere #59 (Apr. 1981). TM & © British Broadcasting Corporation. Marvel Premiere TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

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1985 V: ABC’s V had the arrival of alien visitors in massive spaceships centered over strategic cities around the globe. Appearing at first to be friendly, the aliens’ true mission to subjugate the human race was soon exposed, and ordinary citizens rose up to fight them. V was a modern version of the rise of Nazism in the 1930s and 1940s and the Resistance movement that organized to fight them. The miniseries

aired on ABC over two nights (May 1-2, 1983). It was followed up by the three-part V: the Final Battle (May 6-8, 1984) and then continued in a regular V TV series for 19 episodes (October 26, 1984 through March 22, 1985). The cast featured Marc Singer, Faye Grant, Jane Badler, and a pre-“Freddy Krueger” Robert Englund. DC Comics’ V ran for a total of 18 issues (Feb. 1985 through July 1986). For the first 16 issues, Cary Bates delivered good stories and Carmine Infantino penciled most of the series. FRAGGLE ROCK: Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock took place in two primary locations, one of which was a storefront where a human inventor and his Muppet dog worked. The other, which was accessible by a hole in the store’s wall, was Fraggle Rock, a community of 18-inch high furry creatures inside a carved-out huge rock. The beings, called Fraggles, cohabitated peacefully with the Doozers, a tiny race of workers who loved Marvel’s Fraggle Rock #4 to construct things, but they (Oct 1985). were not on friendly terms TM & © The Jim Henson Company, Inc. with the Gorgs, giants who lived just outside another exit to the rock. The stories were often about getting along with each other and offered a few songs each episode. The four-year series (1983-1987) was an international production, with funding from Canada, England, and the United States, and was broadcast worldwide in different languages. An animated series continued the adventures of Fraggle Rock for 13 episodes in late 1987.

(top) Eduardo Barreto cover to DC’s V #1 (Feb. 1985).

Eight issues of Fraggle Rock stories were published by Marvel under their children’s series brand Star Comics between April 1985 and September 1986. Stories by Stan Kay were amusing, especially with the art of comics’ queen of mirth, Marie Severin. Marvel also published a second series (Apr. 1988 through Aug. 1988) to tie into the animated series, but these were just reprints of the first five issues of the original series.

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1986

1988

ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE: Cassandra Peterson had been a showgirl in Las Vegas, plus part of a rock band, a model, and an improv comedienne. However, it was in 1981 she got fame by creating Elvira, the delightful late-night horror film host for Movie Macabre. The funny and sexy Elvira made watching really bad movies a pleasure and the program ran until 1986, after which she headed out to star in movies of her own.

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: Nearly 20 years after Star Trek went off the air, the original cast kept busy every few years with a new Trek motion picture, but it was time for a new TV series with a younger, unknown cast at the helm of an Enterprise. What viewers got with Star Trek: The Next Generation was even better than they wished for… superbly-written scripts and an exceptional cast: Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker, Michael Dorf as Worf, and Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data, the android searching to feel what it is like to be a human. The syndicated program aired from September 28, 1987 to May 23, 1994.

On the four-color front, Elvira was the headliner of a resurrected DC horror comic which became Elvira’s House of Mystery. The DC comic ran for 11 issues (Jan. 1986 through Jan. 1987) and had one special that same year. In 1988, Marvel published a comic adaptation of the 1988 movie, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

The first comic book based on the TV program was from DC as a six-issue miniseries (Feb. 1988 through July 1988). Scripts were by Mike Carlin, with weak art by Pablo Marcos. DC followed up with a regular series, starting with #1 (Oct. 1989), with improved Marcos art and writing by Michael Jan Friedman. The comic book title came to an end with #80 (Feb. 1996). (In 1994, DC published a one-shot adaptation, Star Trek: The Next Generation—The Series Finale, with a script containing all the complexities of the show’s last episode, as well as the comic book adaptation of the Star Trek: Generations feature film.)

(top) The cover to DC’s Star Trek: The Next Generation #1 (Oct. 1989), art by Jerome Moore. (bottom) Patrick Stewart and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures.

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SLEDGE HAMMER!: “Trust me… I know what I’m doing.” So said the title character of Sledge Hammer! at the beginning of the ABC-TV series, a satirical look at the Dirty Harry movies. Hammer was violent towards everything, and loved only his gun (which he talked to). David Rasche played Hammer very straight, but the humor was weak, better mined by Leslie Nielsen in the Police Squad! TV series four years earlier. Sledge Hammer! managed to last for two seasons, from September 23, 1986 to February 12, 1988. Marvel published two issues (Feb. 1988 and Mar. 1988) based on the series, with writing for both issues by Jim Salicrup and art by Alex Saviuk. Saviuk’s art was very much in the Marvel house style and he ably captured the likeness of Rasche as Hammer. ALF: Not since Mork & Mindy had an alien kept so many people laughing as ALF did for four years. Nicknamed “ALF” (for “Alien Life Form”) by the family whose house his spaceship crash-landed into and he ended up staying with, small and furry Gordon Shumway from the planet Melmac quickly won hearts with his human-like behavior… except for wanting to eat the family cat. Paul Fusco‘s puppet handling and voicing made the character of ALF a winner. Playing the head of the family was the marvelous Max Wright, who could do a slow burn better than any actor alive. The NBC series ran from September 22, 1986 to March 24, 1990. Marvel’s comic book version of the sitcom ran for 50 issues, from March 1988 to February 1992, with Michael Gallagher as the main writer and Dave Manak— in a completely manic cartoon style—providing pencils (with Marie Severin on the inking for almost every issue). There were also several annuals and special issues, a comic digest, and even an ALF magazine from Marvel.

(left) Sledge Hammer! #1 (Feb. 1988). (right) Marvel’s 50-issue run of ALF lasted two years longer than the actual NBC program. (ALF #6, Aug. 1988). Sledge Hammer TM & © the respective holders. ALF TM & © Alien Productions.

ONCE A HERO: A short-lived TV series, Once A Hero, had aging comic book writer/artist Abner Bevis (Milo O’Shea) unable to come up with new ideas for his comic book superhero, Captain Justice (Jeff Lester), a Superman-like character who had been around since the 1940s but was now being cancelled due to not changing with the times. On the other side of reality, Captain Justice realized he and everybody in his comic book world were literally fading away and he crossed over to Abner’s world to do what he could to right the situation.

ABC’s Once A Hero was off the air before Captain Justice #1 (Mar. 1988) was on the newsstands.

TM & © New World Television. Like the adventures of Captain Justice, the 1987 TV show was out of place for its time. The program was cancelled by ABC after only seven episodes were made (and only three aired).

For the comic book version of the series, Marvel chose to call it Captain Justice. The two-issue title (March 1988 to April 1988), which adapted the pilot episode, hit the newsstand after the TV series had been taken off the air. CAPTAIN POWER AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE FUTURE: Aimed at kids, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future was about a crack team of mostly young people in high-tech armor suits trying to stop the worldconquering efforts of Lord Dread (David Hemblen). The syndicated television program ran just one season, from September 1, 1987 to March 27, 1988. J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) wrote a number of the episodes.

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future first issue (Aug. 1988).

Neal Adams’ Continuity Comics published only two TM & © Landmark Entertainment Group issues of the title, in which or by respective copyright holder. © Continuity Publishing Inc. Adams and co-writer Peter Stone adapted Straczynski’s two-part TV story “A Summoning of Thunder” (episodes 15 and 16). Adams also drew both issues (Aug. 1988 and Jan. 1989).

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1989 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Attorney Catherine Chandler (Linda Hamilton) was attacked by hired thugs who mistook her for someone else, cut her face, and dumped her in Central Park. Vincent (Ron Perlman) found her, carried her to his underground home and nursed her back to health, which established a bond and a love between them that even his lion-like appearance could not destroy. When she returned to her life above ground, he remained her protector when she was in trouble. Beauty and the Beast aired on CBS from 1987 to 1990.

(left) The Prisoner Book B (1988). (right) The rare original art pages by Jack Kirby and those of Gil Kane for Marvel’s abandoned 1976 adaptation of the first episode of The Prisoner were gathered together in Titan’s 2018 hardcover, The Prisoner: Original Art Edition.

First Comics published two graphic novels written and illustrated by Wendy Pini, Beauty and the Beast: Portrait of Love (May 1989) and Beauty and the Beast: Night of Beauty (Mar. 1990).

THE PRISONER: Patrick McGoohan’s classic television series, The Prisoner, had an angry British secret agent (McGoohan) hand in his immediate resignation, and unknown forces wanted to know why. Kidnapping him and taking him to a mysterious resort called “The Village,” a place of serenity on the surface but with high-tech treachery underneath, they swore to find out why he quit. Seventeen episodes aired between 1967 and 1968, and audiences had more questions left unanswered by the end of the last episode than probably any series before or since, but the enthrallment of The Prisoner was in the journey, not the destination. In 1988, DC Comics published a four-issue sequel of sorts, written by Dean Motter and Mark Askwith, with art by Motter, in which a young woman became the newest arrival in The Village, where only an older and grizzled Number 6 and the Leo McKern rendition of Number 2 remained. Though there was no comic book of The Prisoner at the time of the original TV program, a project was pitched to Stan Lee in 1976 for a Marvel adaptation to be written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Gil Kane. Lee decided to give it to Jack Kirby, who worked on it, but it did not get published. The existing original art pages, with Kirby also writing the script, showed Kirby’s very strong pencils for what would have been the first issue (with several pages completed by inker Mike Royer). The issue followed the storyline of “The Arrival,” the TV series’ first episode. The original art pages by Kirby and those by Kane, plus the script by Englehart were collected in 2018 in a special hardcover by Titan Comics, The Prisoner—Original Art Edition.

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Beauty and the Beast: Portrait of Love graphic novel (May 1989). TM & © Republic Pictures Corporation. © First Publishing, Inc. Cover Painting © Olivia De Berardinis.

EPILOGUE:

The TV-comics story doesn’t end with the 1980s. During the ‘90s, the number of new television shows adapted to the comic book medium doubled that of the previous decade. The truly revealing thing about the comic releases for the 1990s was that while the major publishers were in there for the beginning of the decade, young independent comic publishers, such as Dark Horse, started to jump in. The TV comic boom of the 1990s continued into the 2000s with over 30 television series brought over to the comic medium for the first time. And, like the feel of the country at the time, the programs chosen to be adapted were often more adult than before.

The 1990s & ONWARD

SUPERBOY: Before Smallville was a hit, another liveaction TV series about the Boy of Steel, Superboy, aired for four seasons in syndication and accumulated 100 episodes. The program debuted October 8, 1988 and ran until May 17, 1992. The comic title lasted 22 issues (Feb. 1990 to Feb. 1992). The writing was by John Moore, Dan Jurgens, and others, with Jim Mooney penciling and Ty Templeton providing excellent inking for many of the issues. But as good as Mooney was, when Curt Swan, the Superman artist, did the art for issue #9-12, 14-17, and #22, he showed just how great Superboy/ Superman could be drawn.

Between 2010 and 2021, there were an astonishing number of brand new comic book titles made from TV series, more than 50 in total. And the independents became healthy competition for DC and Marvel. In addition to new TV programs, they also paid attention to series of the past. Dynamite revived Battlestar Galactica, The Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The Avengers saw a rebirth via Eclipse and later with BOOM! Studios. IDW gave Star Trek fans more comic titles with more starship crews than any other publisher. And while IDW also released comics about Doctor Who, Titan became, far and away, the strongest publisher of Doctor Who comics, covering many incarnations of the Doctor. So we’ll sign off with a sampling of 10 of the best TV-comic series and one-shots published from 1990 on:

(left) Superboy #1 (Feb. 1990) from DC Comics. (right) NOW Comics’ The Twilight Zone #1 (Nov. 1990). Superboy TM & © DC Comics. Twilight Zone TM & © CBS Entertainment.

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THE TWILIGHT ZONE: CBS revived The Twilight Zone in 1985 for two seasons, and then CBS created a year of shows for syndication from 1988 to 1989. Tying into the 1985-1989 revival series, Now Comics published several different titles, the first of which was The Twilight Zone #1 (Nov. 1990), an incredible team-up between artist Neal Adams and legendary writer Harlan Ellison, adapting Ellison’s TZ episode from 1989, “Crazy as a Soup Sandwich.” ARCHIE: TO RIVERDALE AND BACK AGAIN: A soon-tobe married Archie Andrews returns to his hometown for a school reunion and finds old love beckoning to him in the live-action NBC TV-movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again, which aired May 6, 1990. It was not always worth watching, but it did have some good moments.

Archie Comics published an excellent one-issue adaptation, To Riverdale and Back Again (1990), starting with the cover art by John Byrne of the adult characters. Robert Loren Fleming handled script duties, with framing sequences of the youthful Archie drawn by Stan Goldberg and Mike Esposito. Gene Colan applied his cinematic art style to the adult sequences, expanding on the deep emotions that existed still among Archie, Betty, and Veronica. THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES: A spinoff of the “Indiana Jones” movies, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a fun TV series with Indiana, ranging from birth to college days, exploring the world. The ABC television program aired from March 4, 1992 through July 24, 1993 and then The Family Channel picked up the rights to the series and produced several TV-movies between 1994 and 1996. The 12-issue comic series (Feb. 1992 to Feb. 1993) from Dark Horse adapted a number of the teleplays, with writing by Dan Barry for the entire run, plus excellent art by Barry and Gray Morrow in many issues. FIREFLY: Firefly was set in a bleak 26th-century future where Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) was an exsoldier and now the captain of the somewhat honest crew of the “Serenity,” an interplanetary cargo and passenger transport ship. The TV series had exceptional characterdriven writing by Joss Whedon and others; however, Fox aired just 11 episodes from September 20, 2002 to December 20, 2002 and then cancelled it. Whedon went to Universal and they approved a theatrical movie, Serenity, which was released in 2005. Dark Horse published several Serenity miniseries and one-shots from 2005 to 2017. In 2018, Boom! started an ongoing Firefly comic series, in addition to publishing several one-shots and graphic novels featuring characters from the TV series. JIM HENSON’S THE STORYTELLER: Jim Henson’s The StoryTeller was a nine-episode program starring John Hurt as a wise and hermit-like caretaker of ancient stories. The Emmy-winning program aired originally in the UK and was later rerun on HBO.

(top left) To Riverdale and Back Again (1990). (top right) The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles #1 (Feb. 1992). (bottom left) Firefly #1 (Nov. 2018). (bottom right) The StoryTeller #1 (Nov. 2011). To Riverdale and Back Again TM & © Archie Comics Publications, Inc. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles © Lucasfilm Ltd. TM, ® & © Paramount Pictures. Firefly TM & © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The StoryTeller”: TM & © The Jim Henson Company.

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In 2011, Archaia published a hardcover graphic novel of The StoryTeller featuring well-written and beautifullyillustrated new stories from a variety of talents, as well as several miniseries, all under the heading of Jim Henson’s The StoryTeller: “Witches” (2014), “Dragons” (2015), “Giants” (2016), “Fairies” (2017), “Sirens” (2019), “Ghosts” (2020), and “Tricksters” (2021).

adaptation proved him again to be an artist almost without peer in the comic book industry. DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency revolved around oddball holistic detective Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) whose means of solving cases was not with fingerprints, etc.; rather, he studied the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, causes and effects, where everything is connected… and nothing is also connected. If that sounds mad, welcome to the life of Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood), Gently’s new assistant. The BBC America series ran for 18 episodes (October 22, 2016 to December 16, 2017). While there had been two Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency comic book miniseries from IDW prior to the TV program, their 9-issue maxiseries (Oct. 2016 to June 2017) of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency: The Salmon of Doubt featured the comic Dirk interacting with the Dirk and characters of the TV series. The comic script by Arvind Ethan David was engagingly silly and the humorous art by Ilias Kyriazis was brilliantly creative. THE LIBRARIANS: The Librarians was a revamped series based on a few TNT TV-movies of the early 2000s, but this time with a team of three new recruits and a NATO counter-terrorism specialist working to keep magic out of the hands of those who would turn it to evil. The Librarians series for TNT ran for four years (December 7, 2014 to February 7, 2018).

(top left) Batman ’66: The Lost Episode #1 (Jan. 2015). (top right) Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency: The Salmon of Doubt #1 (October 2016). (bottom left) The Librarians #1 (Sept. 2017). (bottom right) Dark Horse Comics’ Stranger Things #1 (Sept. 2018) Batman ‘66 The Lost Episode TM & © DC Comics . Dirk Gently © Completely Unexpected Productions. The Librarians TM & © Turner Entertainment Networks Inc. Stranger Things TM & © Netflix.

BATMAN: The best thing to come out of the high-camp Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward was the parade of guest stars in villainous roles, including Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Julie Newmar as the Catwoman, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin, and Cesar Romero as the Joker. The TV program was a success and ran January 12, 1966 to March 14, 1968. Nearly 50 years later, DC suddenly had a yen to do new stories inspired by the original television series, but the comic series, Batman ’66, had overall weak writing and art… except for one item. Batman ’66: The Lost Episode, an 80-page one-shot dated January 2015, had writer Len Wein expanding on an unproduced story treatment by Harlan Ellison for the TV series. Two-Face was Ellison’s villain of choice and José Luis Garcia-Lopez’s work on the comic

Dynamite published a four-issue miniseries (Sept. 2017 to Mar. 2018) with writer Will Pfeiffer concocting a delightful tale of an other-dimensional Earth’s plot to invade this world. The art by Rodney Muchemi was superb throughout, comparable in many ways to George Pérez. The Librarians was one of the best TV-comic miniseries in many a year. STRANGER THINGS: A Netflix original series, the first season of Stranger Things told of the supernatural disappearance of a young boy, Will, and the desperate efforts of his family and friends to rescue him from the hellish monster holding him prisoner in the Upside Down, an otherdimensional, uglier version of our world. The first season debuted on Netflix on July 15, 2016. Dark Horse’s four-issue miniseries (Sept. 2018–Jan. 2019) focused on the events of the first season, but concentrated on Will’s time in the Upside Down not seen on television. Jody Houser (writer), Stefano Martino (pencils), and Keith Champagne (inks) created an excellent companion piece to the TV program with this. Dark Horse followed up with other miniseries and one-shot graphic novels.

EPILOGUE: The 1990s & Onward

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TWO-FISTED COMIC BOOK ARTIST

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