COVER STORIES for 09/11/2005
COVER STORIES INSTALLMENT #18
Welcome to this 18th edition of "Cover Stories," in which I look at a number of comics covers with a common theme!
This week, a quartet of covers fitting the theme, "Dance Crazes!" Unfortunately, three of the four books I'm presenting today I only have skeleton information on...
...and that sounds like a segue-way to me! Here we have one of Marvel's 1950s horror books, "Adventures into Weird Worlds," with a very funky cover done by the great Joe Maneely.
Unfortunately, I have no data on the stories inside, which included "The Mad Mamba," "Men From Mars," "The Nightmare," or "A Million Light Years Away!" It's possible one or more of these were reprinted in the 1970s... anyone out there have any information?
From the graveyard, we go to the dance floor, as that Golden Age Speedster, Jay Garrick, cuts a rug with his honey, Joan. Yep, it's jitterbug time for the Fastest Man Alive! And dig those seam lines going up Joan's stockings!
This cover was by Martin Naydel, better known for his work on the Golden Age Green Lantern.
The cover story, "The Flash Cuts a Rug" was by Robert Kanigher and Martin Naydel. Also in this issue were the stories "The Mermaid and the Dopes," by the same creative team (the story featured Winky, Blinky and Noddy, aka the Three Dimwits, the Three Stooges-like comedic sidekicks Jay was saddled with... and you thought Wildcat had it rough being stuck with Stretch Skinner? The Spectre had it worse, being stuck with Percival Popp, the Super-Cop), a one-page filler, "Out of the Gag Bag" by the creator of Minute Movies, Ed Wheelan, a text story by John Broome (writing as John Osgood), another Flash story (after all, this is All-Flash!) called "Ton o' Fun," by Harry Lampert, and finally, the Flash in "The Man Who Led Two Lives" this one again by Kanigher and Naydel.
To wrap up this edition of Cover Stories, I present to you a pair of Millie the Model covers! Chances are, most of you reading this are only familiar with Millie's comics when they were done in a pseudo-Archie Comics style... but obviously, that wasn't always the case! This and the next cover, both penciled by Stan Goldberg, were definitely much more realistic!
Now, I have to admit... I have no idea who "The Gears" are... "Cooler than the Beatles" indeed! I have to admit I'm guessing, but I don't think the Gears were a real group that made appearances in Millie's comics (and they did make return appearances!). I guess if DC Comics Comics could have the Maniaks, Marvel could have the Gears, eh?
And here's the final cover for this week's column... despite the dance moves by Millie and her beau, it looks like they're dancing to a jazz band, and not a rock-and roll one! Guess the Gears weren't playing in town that month, hmmm?
Join me next time for another installment of "Cover Stories," and in the meantime, you can check out my blog at http://waffyjon.blogspot.com for other musings and ramblings by me, or email me with comments about this column at !
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
