Steve Ditko - Unexplored Worlds!

The second archives volume of early Ditko comics from Fantagraphics is titled Unexplored Worlds. This is work by Steve Ditko after the advent of the Comics Code of America, and so the work is of a more benign nature than that which had preceded it. These are light stories, often little morality dramas and not unexpectedly upbeat endings. Comics now existed in a world in which the good guy wins or at the very least the bad guy is properly punished. There had been plenty of punishment before, but just as in real life the relative goodness of an individual didn't necessarily preclude bad outcomes. [It should be noted that two of the stories in this volume are from Atlas (not yet Marvel) Comics produced for Stan Lee in a short period when Charlton Comics was out of business due to a devastating flood which destroyed the plant. I'll have more to say about Ditko's Marvel work in this era in later posts.]

The early stories in this volume are light science fantasy, tales of a doughty space hero and his ubiquitous gal sidekick as they confront outer space menaces and always come out on top despite overwhelming odds. They win because they deserve to win. Alongside these are many tales of men who behave badly but just as often as they are punished for that disregard for ethics and the Golden Rule are often forgiven and brought back into society having been chastised. Sometimes greedy bastards get theirs, but usually they learn the error of their ways. These stories are likely written by Joe Gill, the scripting machine who made Charlton Comics operational for decades. I've said before that I assumed as a teenager that Joe Gill was a house name and not a real person, but when I learned differently, I bowed before his stunning industry and found his prodigious output humbling. 

Now the Steve Ditko who drew these stories is a more mature artist. He is older, wiser and chastened possibly by a brush with death. He contracted tuberculosis at about the time the comics industry contracted and spent a year convalescing at his Pennsylvania family home under the care of his parents. When he was finally strong enough to rejoin the workforce, he found Atlas (Marvel) waiting but they did not offer enough quantity of work and so once again he headed for Connecticut and Charlton Comics. This was a Charlton recovering from a flood and despite some likely shenanigans with public funds, they plead poverty and cut their rates making their staff even more eager for work. Men like Gill and Ditko were ready. 

As this volume closes, we meet The Mysterious Traveler, a ghost host with a radio history. More on him next time Here are the Ditko covers collected in this volume. 

In these covers it easy to see the specific stylings which we all associate with Steve Ditko's work throughout the balance of his long career. 

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Rocky Jones - Space Ranger!

Rocky Jones Space Ranger was syndicated on television in 1953. Space shows were all the rage at the time, but Rocky Jones was filmed as opposed to being broadcast live, so the shows have a more refined look than most of the others of the time. I have most of these on DVD, but some I had to resort to YouTube to watch. The show stars Richard Crane in the role of Rocky Jones. Crane was a sturdy actor who I remember as the sidekick in some of the Rocketman serials. Rocky flies the "Orbit Jet" (in the second season called "The Silver Moon"), a spaceship which is part of the supposed fleet guarding Earth from stellar menaces. 

He's assisted by Winky (the excitable sidekick played by Scotty Beckett who loses the part halfway through the run when he gets into repeated trouble with the cops), Vena (the fireball chick played by Sally Mansfield), and Bobby (the young aspiring space ranger played by Robert Lydon). This team is often assisted by Professor Newton played by Maurice Cass who passed away during the season and was replaced by another actor as Professor Mayberry. It's presumed that the Rocky Jones project came Charlton's way because the producer Roland Reed was the same as My Little Margie which Charlton also produced an adaptation of. Nick Cuti details much of this history in the first of two collected volumes containing the first two issues of the run. 

Space Adventures #15 is from Charlton's first run of this title. The debut of Rocky Jones Space Ranger follows a few appearances by the newly acquired Blue Beetle. The writer of this issue is unidentified but presumed to be Joe Gill. The artist is Ted Galindo, who does an above average job rendering the characters to the printed page. The cover is by Galindo with Vince Alascia inks. There are three Rocky Jones stories in this debut issue -- "Space Infantry" which introduces us to a young Rocky Jones and details his first big victory to protect Earth, "Velocity X" which details the theft of a super-fast spacecraft and how Rocky and crew recover it, and "First Landing" which features Dick Giordano inks over Galindo's pencils. There are several text pieces and a few brief non-Rocky space tales. 

The next issue gives us two Rocky Jones stories by the same team with inks on the first by Ray Osrin and the second by Giordano. The stories are titled "The Forbidden Frequency" about a secret frequency which can control minds, and "The Petrified Man" featuring a revived Old West character named Wild Bill Jupiter who assists Rocky with some pirates. Again, there are sundry short bits by the likes of Frank Follo and Tony Tallarico. A longer story by Frank Fitch is illustrated by Bernie Krigstein. A chap named Michael Ressner runs a contest among readers for the best futuristic inventions. The cover is probably by Galindo and Giordano. 

The second Charlton Neo issue offers up the final two Rocky Jones issues from Space Adventures. The text pieces in this volume are by Greg Ward who details the history and salvaging of The Silvercup Rocket, a vehicle built by Silvercup Bakeries, the sponsor of the TV show for touring and being an attraction for the young fans of the show. There is also a history of Charlton Comics by Michael Ambrose, who is identified as a "Contributing Editor" to both issues. There is a brief into by Nick Cuti, who is identified as a "Consulting Editor". Mort Todd, the "Editor-in-Chief" of Charlton Neo also offers up an illustrated version of the cover image seen above. 

Space Adventures #17 gives the reader three Rocky Jones adventures -- "Fate of the Treasure Seekers" about unsavory types seeking a lost city gold, "The Ark" about people being fooled into thinking their world is ending, and "The Invisibles" about unseen criminals. There is an assortment of short features including one by Joe Gill and John Belfi titled "Action on Uranus". The cover is by Ted Galindo and inker Ray Orsin, who also handle the interior artwork save for one story in which Galindo inks himself. 

In the fourth and final issue of this brief Space Adventures run we get a cover by Dick Giordano and Jon D'Agostino. We get two more Rocky Jones stories titled "Gravity-Plus" about a scheme to increase Earth's gravity and hold its people for ransom, and "The Prison Planetoid" showcasing Rocky battling escaped criminals. It's possible the Giordano-D'Agostino team supplied the art to the first story. There is a third longer story titled "Two Worlds" with art by Giordano. Several assorted shorter features with one featuring art by Tony Tallarico. 

I don't have the nostalgic attraction to this TV series that Nick Cuti has, but there's no denying the show has charm and for a kids show is competently done. The same can be said for the comic, it's not the greatest, but it's great fun. 

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Ditko Classic Covers - The Thing #17!

It's a magic brew for the seventeenth issue of Charlton's The Thing with this wacky Ditko cover showcasing a sorcerer at work. This cover is all Ditko contributes to this particular issue.  Check out the issue at this link. 

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Ditko Classic Covers - The Thing #15!

The worm well and truly turns in the fifteenth issue of The Thing from Charlton. Ditko's image of a giant worm demolishing a town center is simultaneously offbeat and creepy.  In addition to the story "The Worm Turns", Ditko also drew "Day of Reckoning", "Comeback", "If Looks Could Kill" and "Family Mix-Up". You can read this full issue at this link. 

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Ditko Classic Covers - The Thing #14!

Here's the truly strange cover for the fourteenth issue of The Thing from Charlton. This is one of Ditko's weirdest images.  In this issue Ditko draws another perverse fairy tale titled "Rumplestiltskin" as well as the stories "The Evil Eye", "Doom in the Air", and the cover story "Inheritance". You can read the issue at this link. 

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Ditko Classic Covers - The Thing #13!

It's time for the thirteenth issue of Charlton's horror comic The Thing. There are three stories drawn by Ditko -- "Library of Horror", "Die Laughing", and "Avery and the Goblins". There is also early work in this Pre-Code comic by Chick Stone and Tony Tallarico.  Check it out at this link. 

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Ditko Classic Covers - The Thing #12!

This is Steve Ditko's first published cover art. It's for the twelfth issue of Charlton's horror comic The Thing. It illustrates the story "Cinderella", which was also drawn by Ditko. There is also early work in this Pre-Code comic by Dick Ayers, John Belfi, and Tony Tallarico.  Check it out at this link. 

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