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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Space Western Comics #40!

Space Western Comics #40 was published in 1952. This series was conceived and written by Walter Gibson, the scribe who wrote The Shadow for many years. The art in this first issue about alien invaders from Mars is by John Belfi. You can read it at this link. 

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First And Last Kisses!

When the late great Charlton Comics company was going under, one man who was able to see a future for the hapless publisher, or at least some of their vintage material. John Lustig saw gold where most men saw only trash and purchased outright the material related to First Kiss comics and some other romance material from Charlton. He has been successfully mining that material to offer up hilarious satires of American society ever since.

Taking the artwork of Dick Giordano and other great talents, Lustig replaces the sometimes vapid dialogue with biting sarcastic lines which put the images into brand new contexts, always funny.

Last Kiss is a website now mostly, but it's rarely updated. And you can check it out here. But it was also for a brief time a comic book, and the four issues are troves of outstanding artwork and biting comedy. From time to time, Lustig was able to get new material from some great talents to include in these issues. The late Dick Giordano supplied a brand-new story, as well as the outstanding comics man Ernie Colon.

So, if you've never sampled Last Kiss, I highly recommend it this Valentine's Day weekend. You'll love what you find, if you can find them that is. 

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