Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos #1-#4 (Jan.-Jul. 1987)

As much as I love Steve Ditko, I have to admit that there are some fairly.....odd....projects that he became involved with in the 1980s. Rom Spaceknight, U.S. 1, his creator-owned Static, to name a few....

And the comic book adaptation of this merchandising fiasco....

From Wikipedia:

Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos is an American animated television series from the 1980s. It originally aired in 1986 as a syndicated five episode mini-series. It was created by and starred Chuck Norris as himself, and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. This fictionalized version of Norris is a United States government operative with a team of "radically diverse" warriors. The team includes Pepper, a technology expert and mechanic; Reed, Chuck's young apprentice and Pepper's brother; Kimo, a samurai; Tabe, a sumo champion; and Too Much, a young ward. Together, they fight against The Claw and his right-hand man, Super Ninja.

The series follows the framing device of Mr. T's animated series (also a Ruby-Spears production): At the beginning of each episode, a live action segment with Norris, usually at a gym or martial arts studio, is shown to explain what is going on. At the end of each episode, Norris narrates a moral lesson for the audience to learn.

There was also a comic book series published by Star Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics which produced comic books aimed at young children.

To coincide with the airing of the show, Kenner Products made a set of action figures based on the main characters of the show. Kenner also made many accessories, including weapons and vehicles, to go along with the figures.

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Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos #1-#4 CBR zip file

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash (Spire, 1976)

I'm a big Cash fan, and was actually lucky enough to have run across this book as a kid in a small used book store/ rummage shop that was located in my hometown as a child.

I distinctly remember it being in a bundle of circa 1970s Charlton war books and Harvey Comics I purchased for the sum of "10 comics for $1"....LOL!

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Hello, I'm Johnny Cash PDF file

Elvira's House of Mystery #1 (Jan. 1986)

I've been a long-time fan of Cassandra Peterson's "Elvira" stage persona (I mean, what's not to love? ), a fascination that goes all the way back to childhood watching the syndicated Movie Macabre program....but, being a young horror film addict, I've always held a soft spot for late-night horror hosts and hostesses.

From Wikipedia:

In 1986-87, DC comics would published a new series, Elvira's House of Mystery. It would last 11 issues plus a special. The series was a quasi-follow up towards the original series, with famed horror movie hostess Elvira temporarily taking over the job as caretaker of the House of Mystery, introducing horror stories similar to the original series.

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Elvira's House of Mystery #1 CBR file

Atari Force #1 (Jan. 1984, DC Comics)

This is definitely one of my favorite DC books of the 1980s...I still say it was one of the better sci-fi space opera comics published during the period, and the artwork by José Luis García-López is absolutely outstanding.

For additional Atari Force info, check out: Atari Force Headquarters

From Wikipedia:

Atari Force was the name of multiple comic books published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1986. It was loosely based on trademarks of Atari, Inc.

Creation

In 1982 writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas published the first Atari Force comics, which were created mainly to illustrate story lines for home console games being released by fellow Warner Communications subsidiary Atari Inc. The comics were packed in with the games Defender, Berzerk, Star Raiders, Phoenix, and Galaxian. Artists included Ross Andru, Gil Kane, Dick Giordano, and Mike DeCarlo. The team name and Commander Martin Champion are also featured in the Liberator arcade game.

The original Atari Force was a team of humans from different nations using the multi-dimensional starship Scanner One to search for a new planet for humanity to inhabit as the Earth was facing ecological devastation. The team consisted of Martin Champion as mission commander, Lydia Perez as pilot and executive officer, Li-San O'Rourke as security officer, Mohandas Singh as flight engineer, and Dr. Lucas Orion as medical officer. A semi-sentient alien creature named Hukka because of the noise he made later joined as team mascot.

Later series

The second series was released monthly, in conventional comic-book format. Gerry Conway returned as writer while José Luis García-López became the main pencil artist. However, original series concept artist Ross Andru did draw issues 4-5. In issue #13, Eduardo Barreto took over as penciler and, in #14, Mike Baron became the regular writer through the final issue, #20. Issues 12-20 also featured backup stories by different writers and artists. In 1986, a "Special" issue was released with work by different creators, some of whom had done backup stories for volume II.

This second team, formed approximately 20 years after the first, was also led by Martin Champion. He was convinced that the original team's nemesis, the Dark Destroyer, still existed. Although he was correct, most of the rest of humanity did not believe it, but humored him due to his heroic status in successfully leading the original Atari Force to find New Earth. Other team members included Chris "Tempest" Champion, son of Martin Champion and Lydia Perez; Erin "Dart" Bia O'Rourke-Singh, daughter of Mohandas Singh and Li-San O'Rourke; Hukka; Morphea, an insectoid empath; Babe, an alien toddler of immense size and strength; and Pakrat, a humanoid rodent thief. Later additions to the team were Blackjak, Dart's human lover; Taz, a short alien warrior; and Kargg, the Dark Destroyer's former chief underling.

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Atari Force #1 CBR file

To Riverdale and Back Again (Archie, 1990)

Mention to this mediocre made for television flick to any hardcore comic book fanboy of long standing, and you'll get a combination of snickers and groans. In my opinion, this attempt to update and add mature themes to the Riverdale gang was a train wreck waiting to happen, and boy.....am I grateful to have been able to have watched this during it's original network airing.


The really weird thing is, going back and reading the far better comic book adaptation of this flick (written by Robert Loren Fleming and illustrated by the late, great Gene Colan) nearly twenty years after the fact....it reads like some sorta odd Riverdale version of Kingdom Come or Earth X....

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To Riverdale and Back Again CBR file

Mr. A #1 (1973)

from Wikipedia:

Mr. A is a fictional comic book hero created by Steve Ditko. Unlike most of his work, the character of Mr. A and the Mr. A stories remain the property of Ditko, all of which were written and illustrated by himself. The character first appeared in Witzend #3, 1967. Mr. A's name comes from "A is A", a popular way to represent the Law of Identity used often by Ayn Rand in particular.

Rex Graine is a newspaper reporter for the Daily Crusader. He is known for his uncompromising principles and incorruptibility. In order to fight crime Graine will wear metal gloves and a steel mask that resembles a placid face, thus becoming Mr. A. In keeping with the hardboiled detective theme, both personas typically wear suits and fedora hats; Mr A's outfit is completely white. There is no origin story for the character, thus it is unknown why Graine decided to become a vigilante or why he sometimes disguises himself, as both his identities are equally threatened by criminals and sometimes hated by the general public. Mr. A uses half white-half black cards to signify his arrival, as well as to represent his belief that there can only be good and evil, and no moral grey area.

Mr. A is one of the clearest examples of Ditko's belief in Ayn Rand's Objectivism. Typical stories will have one character convince him or herself that doing just a few illegal acts to get ahead in life will not make him or her a bad person. This character's crimes escalate when they must either take action to cover their previous misdeeds or are now too closely tied to more dangerous criminals to simply walk away. The stories invariably end with Mr. A confronting the criminals and telling them that they are all guilty, including the character who had wished to remain good. A staple for most stories involves this character trying to justify his or her immoral actions to both others and him or herself, blaming things such as environment and society rather than taking responsibility.

Almost every character speaks about the ideological reasoning behind their actions on every panel, thus showing that the adventure story is not meant to be just entertainment, but is to show an ideological dialogue and hopefully sway readers over to Objectivism.

Not all of Mr. A's stories are crime adventures. Some are allegorical representations of the guilty trying to explain why they compromised their values. Mr. A, on a white platform, denounces their explanations. These stories typically end with the guilty falling into an abyss off of their black platform. This representation often occurs at the end of the adventure stories as well.

Detractors have said that Mr. A is an unfeeling character who offers no remorse or mercy to criminals. In the stories themselves Mr. A says that he feels only for the innocent and victimized. His brand of justice might seem harsh to some, but on the other hand his punishments for criminals arguably fit the crimes they committed. People who commit "just one crime", such as accepting dirty money are turned over to authorities to stand trial for what they have done. Mr. A refuses to overlook their transgressions, even if they profess they will be good from then on. Killers and would-be-killers generally find themselves in situations where they need Mr. A's assistance to save them, but since they had no respect for innocent lives then he offers no aid for their guilty ones. It is only when an innocent life is directly threatened that Mr. A will kill, and when he does so it is without remorse.

Ditko responded to his critics in a Mr. A essay titled "Violence the Phoney Issue", printed in Guts #5 in 1969. This essay was reprinted on the web site "Dial B For Blog" #298.

Mr. A became the subject of the song "Goodbye Mr. A" by the British indie band The Hoosiers in late 2007, the lyrics talk about Mr. A's uncompromising values and the character's lack of popularity. Also, in The Hoosiers' music video of "Goodbye Mr. A", Mr A is launched into the air by a rocket and the band becomes superheroes in his place.

The Question, originally a Charlton Comics character and currently owned by DC Comics, is a hero very similar to Mr. A. Both men are uncompromising reporters who operate as vigilantes when wearing masks. Both characters also follow Objectivism, and it is often believed that the Question is a softer, more marketable version of Mr. A.

Ditko’s H Series and J Series (standing for "hero" and "justice" respectively) tell the stories of men who never compromise their beliefs, even when their futures or lives are at stake. At the end of H Series, the hero’s brother is distraught because he is disgusted by himself when compared to someone like his brother who never bends to the will of others and never does wrong. This is another common theme with Mr. A, and the heroes in all these stories could easily be interchanged with him.

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Mr. A #1 CBR file

The Dell Comics Monster Superheroes

I remember as a kid in the late 1980s reading about these comics in an article devoted to them in the (now defunct) fan magazine, Comics Feature. Being a young horror fan, as well as a comic book fanboy, I was intrigued.

Memories of this article lay dormant in the back of my head for a couple of decades, until I ran into a copy of Frankenstein #2 at a local convention, and much to my surprise within a few months (via local shops, conventions, and pure dumb luck) I was actually able to amass a near complete collection of the titles (I've never run across a copy of Frankenstein #4, see pic below)....So, without further ado, here's the DELL MONSTER SUPERHEROES:


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Dracula #1-#4 CBR zip file

From Wikipedia:

Dracula is a superhero comic book series published by Dell Comics, based on the three classic Universal Pictures monsters. Dracula lasted 3 issues from 1966 through 1967, numbered 2 through 4. (#1, published in 1962, was an adaptation of the 1931 film). In 1972-73, Dell reprinted the series, numbering them #6-8 (the reason for skipping issue #5 is unknown). The hero of the comic, Dracula, is a direct descendant of the original Count Dracula, now working as a medical researcher in the old Dracula castle. Due to his experiments, he gains certain bat-like powers (like being able to turn into a bat, etc.). He then embarks on a superhero career, making a costume and leaving for America (since the local peasants have burned down his castle). In America, he adopts the secret identity of "Al U. Card." In issue #4, his lab assistant B.B. Beebe accidentally gains the same powers, and became his sidekick, Fleeta.

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Frankenstein #1-#3 CBR zip file

From Wikipedia:

A character based on the literary and movie monster Frankenstein was the star of a short-lived attempt by Dell Comics to publish superhero comic books based on the Universal Pictures monsters.

Frankenstein lasted three issues, numbered 2-4 (Sept. 1966- March 1967). Issue #1 had been a 1964 adaptation of the 1931 movie. Art was by Tony Tallarico.

Frankenstein is Frankenstein's Monster, who has been lying dormant under a castle (while a large modern city has grown around it). Upon awakening, he makes a rubber mask to hide the fact his skin in green (or at least his head), and takes the name "Frank N. Stone". Befriending a billionaire, who dies and leaves Frank his fortune, he now devotes his life to being a superhero.


From Wikipedia:

Werewolf is a fictional superhero that appeared in comics published by Dell Comics. Werewolf was part of Dell Comic's attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the Universal Pictures monsters (the other two were Dracula and Frankenstein). Werewolf first appeared in Werewolf #1 (December 1966).

Werewolf lasted 3 issues from 1966 through 1967, numbering #1-3. Because "Wolfman" was a copyrighted name, Dell went with the more generic "Werewolf". Credit for the scripts is unclear, but they may have been written by Don Segall; artwork for all three issues was provided by Bill Fracchio, with inks by Tony Tallarico.

Werewolf is really Airforce Major Wiley Wolf. After crashing in the Arctic Circle, he lived with a group of wolves, saving one he named Thor. After being rescued he became a CIA operative, along with Thor. The CIA provides Wolf with a high-tech suit, which makes him bulletproof and protects him from chemicals and gases. He uses the suit to fight the enemies of freedom and democracy.

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Werewolf #1-#3 CBR zip file