Number 686


Rise up, Lazarus!


Harry Lazarus was one of three brothers working in the comic book industry. Leon Lazarus was an editor working at Marvel Comics until 1950, when he went on to be a prolific writer for comics and even Little Golden Books. Sid Lazarus was an artist, as was Harry. Harry is probably best known for his work in the 1950s, especially for editor Richard E. Hughes at American Comics Group. These examples all come from ACG. Two from the pre-Code Forbidden Worlds: "Realm of the Moonsters" is from #7, "The Wax Demons" from #11, both 1952. "Your Number's Up!"* is from the 1955 Comics Code-approved Adventures Into the Unknown #65.

I'm sorry I don't have examples of Sid and Leon to show.

























*The story is about bad luck for a poor sap brought about by the number 27 on his 27th birthday. The Little Book of Curses and Maledictions For Everyday Use, by Dawn Rae Downton, didn't take this Harry Lazarus story into account, but in a section called "Curse 27" she says: "You've made it to age twenty-seven? Congrats. Now, run quickly toward twenty-eight. Order your cake and gather your friends ahead of time, especially if you're a musician. For rock stars, that twenty-seventh birthday can be a tough act to follow. Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Al Wilson of Canned Heat, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan of the Grateful Dead, Gram Parsons, Steve Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kurt Cobain--all died at twenty-seven."

Number 685


The Hot Flame Goddess!


Until I saw this story, attributed by the Grand Comics Database to Sid Greene, I didn't realize Sid could draw such great-looking babes.

My familiarity with Greene, besides one Target story I showed in Pappy's #540, is from the Silver Age science fiction he did at DC, like this story from Pappy's #527, and for various inking jobs which I thought were very distinctive.

Shelia is a sexy chick in a pin-up fan's delight of a story. From Avon's Strange Worlds #3, 1951.

Number 684


A Valentine from Pappy



With a title like "Love In Bondage" from Harvey's First Love Illustrated #45, I settled down for a hot read. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was more routine romance, without anybody being tied up. Then I got to the final panel and thought, "John and Perdita are gonna have a very interesting honeymoon!" It's hard to mistake the intentions of John's future mother-in-law.

As a Valentine's Day bonus, I've got some historic love, "Famous Love Affairs:" the passions of Antony and Cleopatra told in three breathless pages from ACG's Lovelorn #3.

Number 683


Right out of the gate


I know Steve Ditko served an apprenticeship in comics; he worked in the Simon & Kirby stable for awhile, where he was reportedly influenced by Mort Meskin (who also influenced Joe Kubert). But it's not stretching things (hyuk hyuk) to say when Ditko went solo he came right out of the gate as a solid professional. He showed even in his earliest stories that he stretched head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries in the industry.

...and speaking of stretching...

..."Stretching Things" was Ditko's first solo story, although not his first published story. It appeared in Fantastic Fears #5, and this is a black and white reprint from 1971, Terror Tales Vol. 3 No. 4.

I'm also including an early crime story to show that even in otherwise routine stories his artwork elevated the material. It's from Charlton's Crime and Justice #18, 1954.

You can read the original color version of "Stretching Things" at The Horrors Of It All.

Number 682


The spy who me loved...


This is such a pretty comic strip! Jerry Grandenetti, who was an assistant to Will Eisner, did an excellent art job on this episode of Señorita Rio. The sexy spy had a distinguished career as a lead in Fight Comics for a few years until displaced by Tiger Girl. Her adventures were drawn by top artists like Nick Viscardi (later known as Nick Cardy), Lily Renée, and Jack Kamen (if my art-spotting skills are correct with what copies of Fight Comics I've seen).

There's a recap of Rio's origin in the splash panel. This is from Fight Comics #65, 1949.