Waffyjon’s “By the Tens” feature takes a look at some nicely drawn 1940′s HIT COMICS covers from Quality, mostly featuring KID ETERNITY.

http://waffyjon.blogspot.com/2010/01/by-10s-hit-comics.html#more

Here’s a lovely tribute to the late artist Ric Estrada, one of the unsung craftsmen who toiled in comics off and on for five decades and was never really appreciated in his lifteime as much as the flashier guys.

http://todaysinspiration.blogspot.com/2010/01/ric-estrada-quite-possibly-kindest-most.html

In the 1960′s, when I discovered it, Chester Gould’s DICK TRACY was as much a sci-fi strip as it was a police procedural! I LOVE COMIX has archived several years worth of Space Coupe continuity with Diet Smith, Moon Maid and Tracy’s granddaughter, Honey Moon Tracy.

http://www.ilovecomixarchive.com/D/Dick-Tracy

Finally, here’s a nice selection of magazine panel cartoons from the great VIP, Virgil Partch, excerpted from his 1944 collection, WATER ON THE BRAIN.

http://hairygreeneyeball2.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-water-on-brain-by-vip.html

I’ve always been intrigued by the cartoonist Milt Hammer. First, his name. Perfect name for a cartoonist, especially because so many cartooning greats were named Milt: Milt Gross, Milt Caniff, Milton Knight, Jr., etc. And Milt’s style is cool funk: sorta post-early comic strips, pre-underground comix. These pages here appeared in Target Comics Vol.9 November, 1948. Hammer’s writing didn’t exactly hit the funny nail on the head..The hilarious thing about this, really, is how the publisher squeezed in two ads on this children’s comic page below for a pistol and a ring for horny guy “wolves”! Nice!

Wacky Wonder Woman had a little wardrobe malfunction.

The Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom Menace, The Phantom Stranger, Phantom Detective, The Funky Phantom. So many phantoms, it’s hard to tell them apart. But if you ask me, D.J. David B., there’s only one phantom and that’s The Phantom!

Lee Falk’s “Ghost Who Walks” has been stalking the jungles since 1536 and his adventures have been chronicled in comics since 1936. That’s a lot of walking, even for a ghost.

Fun fact: The Phantom is the first comics hero to wear a skintight costume, predating even Superman. And this was before the invention of spandex in 1959, when skintight super-hero costumes were still hand-sewn out of fabrics like wool and burlap. Talk about itchy!

Technically, The Phantom isn’t a super-hero, though, since his only power is being spooky and enigmatic. (And having his eye-bones blunk out like Little Arf ’n’ Nonnie.)

Since The Phantom is shrouded in mystery it’s quite apropos that the record I present to you today is equally mysterious. Those of you who are following along at home will have to credit this tune to “unknown.”

Enjoy this suitably creepy comics tune by clicking the link below.

The Phantom

Here’s a forgotten 1968 Wally Wood story I found buried in a later reprint issue of the Archie comic, MAD HOUSE (of all places!). Not mentioned in Wood checklists, the general consensus is that it’s definitely Wood inks but might be someone else’s pencils! Good stuff, either way!

http://wallywoodart.blogspot.com/2010/01/madhouse-wood.html

A classic anti-racism SGT ROCK story from 1965 is explored in some depth at SILVER AGE COMICS, complete with background info on the Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight that inspired the tale’s creators,Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert.

http://sacomics.blogspot.com/2010/01/rock-against-racism.html

THE HANDS OF THE DRAGON was a one issue only amalgam of martial arts hero cliches from the short-lived seventies Atlas Comics. It’s drawn by Canadian artist Jim Craig (supposedly) but if you’re like me, you’ll swear it’s Jim Mooney.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2010/01/kung-fu-week-if-you-blinked-you.html

Seems like every day lately we’ve had some Walt Kelly. Well, not today. Today, instead, here’s Alan Moore’s 1984 SWAMP THING story that introduces some other familiar looking swamp creatures into the mix with nice art by Shawn McManus.

http://swords-and-veeblefetzers.blogspot.com/2010/01/alan-moores-pastiche-to-walt-kellys.html

Happy Martin Luther King’s Day! When Nancy was helping me scan tomorrrow’s comic today she found this appropriate panel! See the whole story tomorrow then…

— C. Yoe (in the funny papers)

There was a time in the sixties and seventies when Edgar Rice Burroughs fandom parallelled comics and sci-fi fandom. This led to some classic ‘zines such as ERB-DOM, a retrospective of which can be found here today with art by Crandall, Williamson, Frazetta, Krenkel and a silly John Carter of Mars parody by the artist formerly known as Jeff Jones.

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2010/01/erb-dom-one-of-my-all-time-favorite.html

G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES was a now-classic pulp series of the 1930′s. In 1966, Gold Key published a single issue with art by Mike Roy and George Evans that sadly seemed so out of place in the swingin’ sixties but reads quite nicely today.

http://www.goldkeystories.com/2010/01/g-8-and-his-battle-aces-g-8-and-secret.html

Another war story today is DC’s UNKNOWN SOLDIER from the 1970′s in an intense Bob Haney tale drawn by one of my favorites, Doug Wildey, best known for his westerns and for his work in creating TV’s JONNY QUEST.

http://www.comicbookwar.com/2010/01/star-spangled-war-stories-long-jump.html

Finally, today, it’s Flying Saucer Week over at TEN CENT DREAMS, kicking off with Wally Wood and Reed Crandall stories from EC’s WEIRD SCIENCE-FANTASY.

http://tencentdreams.blogspot.com/2010/01/wally-wood-reed-crandall-flying-saucer.html

A horrible mashup of Little Nemo and superheroes from Punch Comics #11 1944. The day isn’t even saved by Nemo but by Dr. Pill-with diet pills!

CHRISTOPHER LEE’S TREASURY OF TERROR was a mass market companion to the 1966 Russ Jones/Al McWilliams DRACULA adaptation and featured new EC-type horror tales by those two guys as well as Johnny Craig and, as seen here under a Mort Drucker cover, DRACULA’S GUEST by E. Nelson Bridwell and Frank Bolle.

Robert E. Howard’s SOLOMON KANE is on his way to a cineplex near you but while you wait, here’s his first ever comics adaptation by Ralph Reese and Roy Thomas at Marvel from more than 35 years ago! Seems like only yesterday.

http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2010/01/solomon-kane-skulls-in-stars.html

Speaking of seems like yesterday, so does 1967 to me but I really don’t recall it being all that much like the supposedly groovy world in Gold Key’s THE MODNIKS, seen here.

http://magiccarpetburn.blogspot.com/2010/01/modniks-1-cube-goes-mod.html

Yesterday we had some seventies (or was it eighties?) Russ Heath art. Today, here’s some fifties Heath work on a war story, one of his better genres.

http://tencentdreams.blogspot.com/2010/01/russ-heath-fightn-friday.html

From NOT BRAND ECHH, Marvel’s 1960′s answer to EC’s original 1950′s MAD, here’s Lee and Kirby with an insane lampoon of their own FANTASTIC FOUR…with the Silver Burper yet!

http://themagicwhistle.blogspot.com/2010/01/not-brand-ecch-10-1-of-5.html