Space Western Comics #45!

Space Western Comics #45 was published in 1953. It's the last round-up for Spurs Jackson. The art is by Stan Campbell and at least one story is by Walter Gibson. You can read it at this link. 

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Steve Ditko - Outer Limits!

The Steve Ditko Archives Volume 6 is titled Outer Limits, and this final volume in the Fantagraphic series showcases Ditko's work for Charlton in the years 1958 and 1959. The stories in these volumes have been arranged according to the order in which Ditko produced them and not in the order they were published. The science fiction and fantasy stories have hit a formula at this point of a disenchanted protagonist must confront the weird and unusual in order to be punished or find enlightenment. As the years have gone by and comics under the Code have drifted further and further from the EC Comics mode, enlightenment is more common than cruel cosmic justice. 

There's a lot of space opera and oddly as a counterpoint quite a few western tales. These stories are from issues of Charlton's Black Fury and Rocky Lane's Black Jack series, both of which starred coal-black stallions as they main character. In these simple days of Roy Rogers and Trigger, such comics were not uncommon at all, a somewhat bizarre mini-genre of its very own. While he did not interior work for Cheyenne Kid, Ditko doe supply a cover for the series. 

Of the covers produced in this time are some of my very favorite Ditko images. The lyrical and delicate image of an undersea realm for Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds is astounding in so many ways. It's at once beautiful and compelling as we see our own civilization stumbling across this weird and strangely lit undersea world filled with creatures new to our experience., 

 

I've remarked elsewhere about this Out of this World cover, my all-time favorite Ditko cover image, so tender and so elegantly composed. You'd never think this showcased a battle, a battle I imagine fought in complete silence. 

A little more rooted in the pulps is this Outer Space cover. Some folks really hate the practice at Charlton to mar their cover art with blurbs for contests and such. I find these ads all part of the cover experience and clearly Ditko has left room for these announcements. Covers were meant to get you to buy the book and not just a piece of art for its own sake. 

This sidewalk creature on this Unusual Tales cover is one of Ditko's weirdest concoctions and an urban nightmare for certain. I wonder if folks adrift inside the digital worlds of their cellphones think of the landscape like this when they inevitable crash into some of their surroundings. 

The Steve Ditko Archives from Fantagraphics were lovingly put together by Blake Bell, a man dedicated for many years to achieving a clearer understanding of the elusive Ditko and his art. These tomes are a wonderful gateway into the earliest years of one of comic's greatest talents. 

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Ditko's Shorts!

Ditko's Shorts appealed to me from the moment I first saw this oddball collection of teensy tales from the pages of (mostly) vintage Charlton comics.

As the volume testifies, Ditko had a singular charm to compose an effective and memorable tale (often written by Joe Gill) in a few pages. These tiny stories were useful to editors when trying to fit out a full-sized comic for publication and were tucked in alongside longer yarns which often didn't resonate half so effectively.

The late 50's which produced truckloads of comics trying to evoke the feeling of science fiction mystery and horror proved an ideal time and subject for little shockers, vignettes which were crafted to leave a singular impression.

I have read most all of these before, but it was especially nice to see some of the later Ditko tales from issues of Ghostly Haunts, Scary Tales, and elsewhere being included. All too often Ditko's work from this period, which I regard as some of his most muscular and mature, gets ignored in favor of his early softer style.

I did think the asking price for this volume was a tad steep for the density of the package, and I'd have preferred to have gotten a discount on it (which I wasn't able to wrangle) but I'm not terribly disappointed. It's a typically fun tome from YOe Books, and forwards by both Craig Yoe and Charlton fan Fester Flaceplant.

Below are a few examples of the kind of tiny tales you'll find. These are two of my favorites. 

(from Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #12)

(from Konga #3)

I can't recommend this one for any save the Ditko devotee, but for them it's a must have.

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Space Western Comics #44!

Space Western Comics #44 was published in 1953. Spurs Jackson strikes a blow against the Nazis on Mars in a story by Walter Gibson featuring art by Stan Campbell. You can read it at this link. 

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Space Western Comics #43!

Space Western Comics #43 was published in 1953. More Spurs Jackson adventures by writer Walter Gibson and artist Stan Campbell. You can read it at this link. 

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Space Western Comics #42!

Space Western Comics #42 was published in 1953. Walter Gibson and Stan Campbell return with more adventures of Spurs Jackson. You can read it at this link. 

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Space Western Comics #41!

Space Western Comics #41 was published in 1952. Spurs Jackson and his crew return in another issue by Walter Gibson. This issue is drawn by Stan Campbell. You can read it at this link. 

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