Although it varies by story, Haunt of Fear #17 (May 1950) shows that EC Comics continue to have the best overall stories by 1950, but the art has also stepped up too. Panels are increasingly filled with shadows and monsters and deranged people. Speaking of deranged people, Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein even make a […]
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I’ve lamented in the past how Lois Lane was gradually turned from a smart, fiery, independent career woman into a swooning, vapid, manipulative one-note character before. This causes Superman to develop the affectionate nickname of “little idiot”, as in this panel from “Superman’s Sweetheart”, a story in Superman #65 (May 1950). The women’s lib movement […]
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In Superman #65 (May 1950), “Three Supermen from Krypton!” establishes for the first time that Superman is not the last surviving Kryptonian. Three brothers U-ban, Kizo, and Mala, arrive on Earth with Superman’s powers and wreak havoc. Superman discovers they are also survivors of Krypton who were members of the “Ruling Council” that had attempted […]
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In Batman #59 (April 1950), the criminal Deadshot makes his debut. In 1950, he is bored millionaire Floyd Lawton who uses his expert marksman skills as a crime fighter to win over Commissioner Gordon. Over the course of the story, it is revealed that Deadshot really wants to become Gotham City’s newest crime lord. Batman […]
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Just a couple months after debuting its new lineup of anthology comic books, EC introduces Weird Fantasy #1 (March 1950) to keep Weird Science in weird company. I loved the stories in this book! One involved keeping a human brain alive, another involved time travel, and yet another featured inter-planetary space travel with a twist […]
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Speaking of world-building, in Action Comics #144 (March 1950), we are flashed back to the time when Clark Kent first tried to get hired by Perry White at the Daily Planet. Years after Perry White visited Smallville High School and suggested it, Clark moves to Metropolis and tries to take Perry up on this offer […]
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In Superboy #8 (March 1950), we get a little more world-building in a story that depicts the first appearance of Super-Baby / Super-Toddler and shows where Superboy’s super-suit was inspired from. Ma Kent sews blankets from the Kryptonian rocket into play clothes and gives him a cape. Another story in the issue has Superboy tricked […]
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Despite the clear indication that the comic book industry has moved on to western, horror, and romance books, Fox tries to resurrect the Blue Beetle in Blue Beetle #58 (February 1950). The book picks up where the original left off two years back in 1948, with Dan Garrett returning to the police force and to […]
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Rounding out EC’s new line of horror comics is Weird Science, an anthological science fiction comic taking over the numbering from “Saddle Romances”. The stories are very reminiscent of The Twilight Zone TV series (1959), including an alien that has a third eye :-).
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In January 1950, EC renamed its “War Against Crime” comic to “Vault of Horror” with issue #12. In it, we get even more gruesome tales of horror than in last month’s Crypt of Terror comic, including an evil character using acid to first disfigure someone and then attempt to dissolve their entire body! The Vault […]
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