Saturday, May 11, 2013

Comic books on Mars

I haven’t done a Vintage Comics post since September 27, 2012, when I wrote about The Mighty Marvel Superheroes’ Cookbook (1977) and shared some of the favourite (junk-food) recipes of the world’s mightiest heroes. They not only love their burgers and submarines, combos and chowders, and pastas and steaks, they cook them too. The Hulkburger is a particularly mean looking burger.

This morning I read a news item about NASA’s ongoing mission to Mars, which hopes to send the first man to the red planet by 2037, when I decided to explore my collection of e-comics for any adventures on Mars. I found 14 e-comic books about the planet including Flash Gordon published under the erstwhile Indian imprint, Indrajal Comics.

I found all the e-comics at Archive, which deserves praise for showing consideration towards comics buffs like me. In gratitude, I have provided links to all the comics most of which are complete. The list is in no particular order. Happy reading, downloading, and reading!



Buster Brown Goes to Mars 


Publisher: Western Publishing 
Year: Early 1958 


Mystery in Space: Cowboy on Mars 


Publisher: DC Comics 
Year: February-March 1952 


John Carter of Mars #36


Publisher: The Funnies 
Year: October 1938 


Mystery in Space: The Martian Horse


Publisher: DC Comics 
Year: August-September 1952 


Wonder Woman: Mystery of the Rhyming Riddle 


Publisher: DC Comics 
Year: March-April 1949 


Lars of Mars


Publisher: Ziff-Davis Comic #10 
Year: April-May 1951 


The Face on Mars


Publisher: Harvey Comics 
Year: September 1958 


John Carter of Mars #375

 
Publisher: Dell 
Year: 1952 


The Planetary Adventures of Flint Baker

 
Publisher: Planet Comics #1 
Year: January 1940 


The Martian from Gotham City 


Publisher: DC Comics 
Year: June 1960 


First Earthman on Mars

 
Publisher: Fiction House Comics 
Year: July 1944 


Lost in Space


Publisher: EC Comics 
Year: March/April 1955 


Flash Gordon: Trapped on Mars 


Publisher: Indrajal Comics (India) 
Year: November 1973 


Gulliver Jones: Warrior of Mars


Publisher: Marvel Comics 
Year: 1971 

8 comments:

  1. Prashant, some of these are very interesting. Comics sure have changed in the intervening years, haven't they?

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    1. Tracy, comics have made a 180-degree turn since the early 1990s. I don't like the modern-day comics with their glossy covers and pages, superheroes with long hairs and ponytails, and stories that run in several parts across weeks.

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  2. Oh for those lovely Inderjal comics.

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    1. Neer, I'm holding on to my modest collection of Indrajals. However, I find that many people have put up their lot(s) for sale on the internet but with ridiculous price tags. Gold would be cheaper.

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  3. Oh wow, so cool. I've got a couple of the John Carter ones but would to have all these!

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    1. Charles, these comics were an amazing discovery. I'm trying to build up a collection of all kinds of early e-comic books. They're not the same as reading actual comics but, nonetheless, the second best thing to happen to comic-book fans.

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  4. David Bowie apparently missed all these. Great collection.

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  5. Thanks very much, Ron. I've been having a good time reading them though it'd be nice to hold a few of them in hand.

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