Number 1903: Reversing Ditko

I admire Steve Ditko’s art and the effects achieved on this story for Charlton’s Out of This World #4 (1957). In getting the effects, Ditko had the line artwork photographed and then photostats made from the negatives. You can see the initial stage in the process by looking at the original art of the cover. I found the scan online.

The story seems fairly typical for the time, though. Invaders come to Earth and of course we smart Earth people are smarter than people who can travel from another dimension. After tricking the invaders the Earth people dust off their hands and say, confidently, “They won’t be back.” But next issue there would be yet another menace. That’s not a negative...that’s just the science fiction comic book biz!

Number 1102


Crom the Barbarian


As promised Monday, here's another story by John Giunta, this time signing himself "Jay Gee."

Giunta did "Crom the Barbarian and the Spider God of Akka" for Avon's Out Of This World #2, in 1950. It appeared in a 32-page comic book insert for an issue of Avon's pulp magazine of the same name, where I got the scans for this story.

From what I understand, Gardner Fox wrote "Crom," and based him on Conan the Barbarian. Crom was Conan's god, to whom he swore mighty oaths. I'm not sure why Fox named his character after Conan's god, but appears to have been giving a nod to readers in the know, referring to the stories of Robert E. Howard.

Giunta, who worked in comic books during the 1940s through at least the mid-'60s, died in 1970 at the young age of 50.