Saturday's random pulp cover: G-8 & His BATTLE ACES : "Wings of the Hawks of Death"_April, 1943

 In the grip of DEATH, it would seem.  This is a really great looking cover that is very well composed and designed.  Every angle leads to the victim being held by the skeleton.  The bayonets all point at him.  The soldiers are all looking at him.  The planes are seemingly diving straight towards him.  And the condemned man is basically backed against the edge of the cover, nowhere to go.  Nicely done.

ON THE AIR: April 17, 1945

 
 

Ep_27_Dead Man's Paradise

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 5

 

"Harry... you're wicked!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 4

 

"To the Cobalt Club, Shrevvy!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 3

 

"What are we waitin' for?  GUN 'IM!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 2

 

"That laugh--! It's like... ice!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 1

 

  Ah, the beauty that is old newsprint and four color printing.  Perfectly suited for The Shadow.  Over time I have come to appreciate M W Kaluta's art more and more.  It felt crude and less than stellar when I came across this 50+ years ago, but I was comparing it to superhero comics.  Aparo, Adams, Kane, Romita and Buscema.  I didn't appreciate the need for the period and the genre to have a different look and feel.  Kaluta was that look and feel.  There have been others who have tackled this historic character, but I don't know that any of them made it feel like they actually loved The Shadow and the world he inhabited.  Kaluta most definitely did!

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 19 - 21

 

Saturday's random pulp cover: Dime Detective Magazine : "Shadow of the Vulture"_November, 1931

 Okay, I have no real love for this cover but found it interesting as it relates to The Shadow.  What struck me first of the cast shadow and the, ugh, red scarf.  Then the title, "Shadow of the Vulture" and finally, the fact that it was published just months after "The Living Shadow".  Fun series of coincidences (at least to the way my mind works).  BTW, the story was written after the author saw the cover.

Happy 250th Independence Day

 Let Freedom ring, this 4th.  Never take for granted what those who came before us fought so hard to achieve.  Have a safe and wonderful Independence Day, agents.

ON THE AIR: April 10, 1945

 

Ep_23_When Killers Meet

Time to go back to where my comics ties to The Shadow began... The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle"

I appreciate what Kaluta accomplished more as time goes by.  The detail he put into this book is astounding.  Especially at a time when reference was not available via a simple Google search and there was no easy fix with Photoshop.  All done with paper, pen, brush and ink.  All by hand.  Enjoy this trip back to the past that was already a trip back to the past.

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 20

 

The End

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 19

 

"...The Shadow has a long-standing reputation of vanishing at just the right moment."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 18

 

"It's a rare treat to be given the opportunity to represent the instrument of divine irony."

 

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 17

 

"I gather the United States owes you a debt of gratitude as well."

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 16 - 18

 

Saturday's random pulp cover: The Spider : "City of Dreadful Night"_November, 1936

 Typical of The Spider, the damsel in peril not only by hanging but apparently she is to be squeezed to death as well.  Is The Spider in time to save the lady in red?  Guess you'll have to read it to find out.  The John Newton Howitt cover sure makes one want to know how this all turns out.

ON THE AIR: April 3, 1945

 

Ep_22_The Devil's Caverns

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 16

 

"And now, as I said, a reckoning."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 15

 

" 'n' I still wanna know what's so funny!"

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 14

 

"Like one guy in a scarf's gonna make a difference."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 13

 

"Don't Comrade me, pardner."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 12

 

"Now you're talkin', Doc..."

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 13 - 15

 

Saturday's random pulp cover: The Spider : "When Satan Came to Town"_December, 1943

 This was the final issue of The Spider.  With paper at a premium during the war, the third most popular pulp action hero was benched.  Only The Shadow and Doc Savage were more popular and they even survived the war and its restrictions.  This issue sports a beautiful cover painted by Rafael De Soto, a true master of the pulp cover.

ON THE AIR: March 27, 1945

 

 

Ep_21_He Woke Up Dead

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 11

 

"...we must remain vigilant."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 10

 

 

BLAM!

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 9

 

"This is our only hope, our only chance."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 8

 

"Stalin is dying."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 7

 

"Not a fan of the Big Apple, are we?"

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 10 - 12

 

End of Part 1

Saturday's random pulp cover: The Spider : "The Song of Death"_February, 1939

 With so much action going on, why do the main figures feel so static?  An attractive enough cover but if one really takes a moment, it feels like it has been pieced together.  The lady in red is both hanging from his neck and being supported by his right forearm.  And, oh yeah, he's firing a gun from behind her as well.  This just doesn't work for me, and that's a shame.

ON THE AIR: March 20, 1945

 

 

Ep_20_The Man Who Knew Everything

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 6

 

"I have spoken..."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 5

 

"Maybe that honor shall fall to your country."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 4

 

TIK...TIK...TIK...TIK...

Midnight in Moscow #6 pages 2 & 3

 

"...you are in grave danger."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 1

 

 

"Comrade Stalin..!"

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 7 - 9