474 – Strange Tales
In February 1951, Marvel (Timely Comics) sold their first issue of the comic book Strange Tales. It is a mixture of horror-sci-fi stories, but in later years it becomes the home of Doctor Strange and Nick Fury.
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473 – Flatlandish… or A Willy In Four Dimensions
Weird Science #7 (February 1951) included the story “It was the Monster from the Fourth Dimension”. In it, a farmer, who just happens to have a brilliant scientist for a brother who can explain things to him and us, encounters a four-dimensional being, as a floating, morphing pink blob. The scientist goes on to explain […]
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472 – Mystery in Space
DC debuts another science fiction comic to go along with Strange Adventures: Mystery in Space #1 (February 1951)! Mystery in Space will run for fifteen years straight. This first run features the “Knights of the Galaxy” as well as anthology tales. Many years later, Mystery in Space will feature the popular Adam Strange. The trend […]
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471 – Detachable Bat Cowl
In Batman #64 (February 1951), we get a quick glimpse at how Batman changes into Batman, which apparently involves a stiff mask for a cowl. I always thought that the cowl and cape were part of one piece, but at least in 1951 that is not the case. The cowl, of course, is one of […]
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470 – Mask of Horror
The Vault of Horror #18 (January 1951) includes the story “Mask of Horror”. A story about masks, what they hide, what they do to us inside. It is very reminiscent of The Masks, an episode of the Twilight Zone that aired 13 years later. After being rejected by his cold, cheating fiance, Ken buys a […]
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469 – Decomposing Standards
EC Comics continue to push the standards of what they will show in a comic book, showing rotting flesh on a skull. In Tales from the Crypt #23 (January 1951), “Reflection of Death” is a well-written and creepy tale of two men driving on a dark, country road told in the second-person that turns into […]
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468 – Electric Spot Reducer
Remember that episode of Mad Men where Peggy tries out that electric weight loss belt and it turns out to be a vibrator? Well that was based on real products, one of which ran ads in Marvel and ACG comic books throughout 1950-1951, usually showing a woman “pleasuring” herself seductively. I guess “weight loss”, “can’t […]
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