Number 1504: Jack Frost in the Land of the Lost

Brrrr. Much of North America and the United States is gripped right now is what is called a polar vortex, with record-breaking cold temperatures. Jack Frost is definitely nipping at our noses and any other exposed parts.

Speaking of Jack Frost, I’ll bet you wouldn’t place Jack Frost under the ocean (nor would I), but here he is in The Land of the Lost #3 (1946). The story is written by Isabel Manning Hewson, the creator and writer of the then-popular radio series, and illustrated by Olive Bailey.

I have shown other episodes of this charming series, published by EC Comics when EC stood for “Educational Comics,” under the ownership of Maxwell Charles Gaines, father of William Gaines, who went on to a wholly different style of comics when he took over the company after the elder Gaines’s accidental death in 1947.

Stay warm!

********

More Land of the Lost. Just click on the thumbnails.

Number 1157: The Disappearing Desert

In addition to writing scripts and songs for the successful mid-'40s radio program, Land Of the Lost, Isabel Manning Hewson wrote the scripts for the comic book version, published by EC Comics. The comic book apparently sold well enough to have nine issues between 1946 and 1948. I'm not sure whether it was eventually canceled due to a drop in sales, or because EC founder Maxwell Charles Gaines died in the summer of 1947 and his son, William M. Gaines, took over the company.

As is well known in comics history, Bill Gaines took EC in a whole 'nother direction from that of his father.

Land Of the Lost is a clever and charming radio show/comic book, about a kingdom under the sea where lost things go. In the case of "The Disappearing Desert," it's a pair of Z-ray glasses. Red Lantern is joined by two human children, Isabel and Billy, who use "magic seaweed" to allow them to breathe underwater.

Olive Bailey did a terrific job on the artwork. As far as I know Bailey's only comic book credits are in those nine issues. I'm sorry she didn't do more in the field. As I've mentioned before, Hewson and Bailey may be the only female writing and art team in this era. Go to the labels below this posting and click on "Land Of the Lost" for more stories.

From Land Of the Lost #2, 1946:

Number 1025


Land of the Lost...found


I'm very taken by this clever children's comic from the late '40s. Isabel Manning Hewson created and wrote the radio series on which the comic is based, and she also wrote the comic, illustrated by Olive Bailey.

Bhob Stewart explained it in his editorial, "Perigee to Perilune," in Heavy Metal magazine, Fall, 1987:

[Speaking of characters in comics who came from radio]: "Such linkages may have been strongest in the case of Isabel Manning Hewson. As the writer/producer/narrator of Land of the Lost (aired by ABC beginning in 1944) and the scripter of EC's Land of the Lost comic book (illustrated by Olive Bailey), she maintained a consistency of characters and stories in both, duplicating the storylines. She also received credit for the story in the 1948 Land of the Lost animated short. The control Hewson exercised over Land of the Lost enabled her to actually become a fantasy fiction character: she wrote herself (as a little girl) into both the comic book and radio storylines. Each week Isabel and her friend Billy traveled underwater with a glowing red fish named Red Lantern, tour guide to all "of-fish-ally-lost" objects beneath the waves. Today, Red Lantern has himself become "of-fish-ally-lost" and forgotten, even though the radio actor who brought him to life was Art Carney."

You can visit Bhob's fantastic blog, Potrzebie.

You can see the Famous Studios cartoon, "The Land of the Lost" on YouTube here.

I've shown the stories from Land of the Lost #1 in Pappy's #706, Pappy's #859, and Pappy's #944.

This is the first story from EC Comics' Land of the Lost Comics #2, 1946:












**********

I got an e-mail the other day:

Hello,

I've just finished a music video for the Berlin-based band "Rats live on no evil star"

This is an animated video made out of image from old comics collected on internet.

Because some of these images come from your blog i thought i would share the result with you.

You can see the vidéo here :

http://vimeo.com/18264751

don't hesitate to let me know what you think of it, or even post it or share it.

Have a really pleasant day :)

Keep up the good work with the blog

Corentin Kopp

WEB: www.lallali.com

Thanks, Corentin; great work and I'm fascinated by how this looks.

Here's the video:

Rats live on no evil star - Tree in the Green from lallali on Vimeo.

Number 944


Still lost in the Land Of the Lost


This is the third and final story from EC Comics' Land Of the Lost #1, 1946, written by Isabel Manning Hewson--who created the radio show on which the comic is based--and drawn by Olive Bailey.

The other two stories from issue #1 are available in Pappy's #706 and Pappy's #859.

Bailey, who provided the artwork for 9 issues (and one unpublished issue, for which I have scans of original art, available on this blog at some point in the future), and the illustrations for one LOTL hardcover book, is an artist whose comic book career may have been on this one title alone. I looked on the Grand Comics Database and found only her credits for LOTL, so if any more knowledgeable fan knows if she did any other comics work please let me know.

I've also included the in-house ads from the back of the comic.