Does anyone still use the phrase “the life of Riley”? It indicates someone enjoying a great life. The story here is called “The Life of Riley,” to indicate a criminal named Riley who has his own life of Riley after a successful robbery. It is a horror comic, so a good life can turn bad before the end of the story. At least for Riley. The artwork is signed by Myron Fass, who drew comic books for a few years. Fass began living the life of Riley when he started his own magazine publishing business after his career in comics. Fass’s magazines were lowbrow, but successful. I don’t believe any co ..read more

Jon Juan, is, as today’s title declares, a great lover. In the story we are told he is a man who gets what he wants. Jerry Siegel and Alex Schomburg are the writer and artist who did this story of a gallant gentleman/sex addict. Jon is not only the world’s greatest lover, he can fight, too. Swordplay! Even a scene of knife fighting! To Jon Juan a kiss is worth risking a fight with armed interlopers. He is immortal. On the make and doesn't die. A longtime dream of many men...although 'tis just a fantasy.  The story was originally published in Toby Comics’ one-shot, Jon Juan (1950). I go ..read more

In the early days of comic fandom (early 1960s) a man* had a letter published in a fanzine with an article telling why Amazing Man was so amazing. Amazing Man (or John Aman, taking a test by some Tibetans who had raised him) could fight a cobra with his hands tied behind his back, and he could survive knives being thrown into his body. The writer of the letter called those events "thrilling."  It took me a couple of decades before I was able to see the origin story of Amazing Man, and I guess those panels are thrilling. (I was impressionable in those days.) Bill Everett, who created, wro ..read more

Over 11 years ago I first showed this story of the notorious serial killer, H. H. Holmes. At the time I neglected to mention it contains one of the most egregiously violent panels in crime comics. In the panel Holmes kills a child with a knife. The action is done in silhouette, but the dead mother is in the foreground, with blood dripping from her dead mouth. I wonder if that panel might be the reason that Fred Gardineer did not sign the splash panel with his signature, something he was otherwise known to do? H. H. Holmes was born Herman Webster Mudgett, in 1861. He is the murderer known for ..read more

In the '60s I had disdain for the Blackhawks. Jack Schiff, editor, had changed the characters into one of those teams challenged by some science fiction creatures. Going back over a batch of coverless and poor condition comics I got years ago for a couple of dollars, including early '60s issues of Blackhawk, I have a different attitude. The stories are wild and oftentimes just silly, but nowadays, with my brain burned out by what seems like a million comic books that are wild and silly, I have at least decided to recognize Schiff by giving him something of a pat on the back. (Schiff is deceas ..read more

  I showed this story by John Buscema in 2009, in Pappy’s #616. Since I am having some production challenges of late I have decided to go to some of my older postings, which many of you have either a) never seen it, or b) have forgotten. Rest easy. They won’t all be re-runs. As I have exclaimed several times, John Buscema did some excellent work in comics over the years, capping off his career with Marvel Comics, where I thought of him as a one-man production department. My interest in his work in the early '70s, for instance, were the black and white Marvel magazines, especially Conan ..read more

Despite the title of today's post, I am not sure the story, “Ol Witch Hazel and Her Niece, Little Itch,” is the actual debut of Little Itch. I looked at various sources, including the Grand Comics Database, and they list the story as the debut, but with a question mark. They are guessing, like me. You’d think a grown man would have better things to do than spend a morning looking for such arcane information, wouldn’t you? You’d be correct. Despite wasting time on the search, I am happy for the story, typical to me of writer John Stanley’s talent. My favorites from the Little Lulu comic book ..read more

How dumb can people get, anyway? The city fathers have brought to America a castle from Transylvania and rebuilt it as a museum for a park. It is said that at one time a vampire lived in that castle. Ewwww...that is dumb, folks! In this comic book there is a mad scientist and a superhero who is a young boy in “real life.” One should not tempt fate by putting innocent people in a place where a vampire lived. After all, vampires don’t just die, do they? Everybody knows that...don’t they? Maybe not. This story appeared in The Marvel Family #4 (1946). According to the Grand Comics Database It is ..read more

Newsboys, once a common sight in big cities, sold newspapers on the street. In the pre-television and pre-Internet days they hustled their papers to the many people on the sidewalk, morning and afternoon. Newspapers are becoming passé, and kids selling them on the street are gone. Jack Kirby and Joe Simon used newsboys as another kid gang. Their token adult was the Guardian, a civilian who put on a costume and used underage boys to help him fight. The Newsboy Legion, along with the Guardian, were created in the early '40s and got cancelled later in the decade. Simon and Kirby also created Bo ..read more

In the splash panel of today’s story Ginger seems not too hot on buying a pair of spike heels, but a couple of pages later we see her in platform shoes. Her boyfriend, Ickky, feels threatened by her added height, and has to do something about it. It reminds me of an old advertising campaign for Adler Elevator Shoes, whose shoes could add 2 inches to a guy’s height. The slogan was, “Now you can be taller than she is.” They don't mention, “Unless she is wearing 3" or 4" heels or platforms, that is.” Ginger was published, as you have probably noticed, by those folks who gave us the Archie comic ..read more