Atomic Surgery

Dig This Crazy Bill Everett Zombie! (Crazy #4, 1954),

2012-02-02T10:05:00.000-05:00

Art by Bill Everett

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Crazy #4, Marvel, 1954
Cover By Joe Maneely

Famous Explorers of Space No. 3 (Spaceman #3, 1954)

2012-01-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Script: Hank Chapman; Pencils: Al Eadeh

Spaceman # 3, Art by Bill Everett

Famous Explorers of Space No. 2 (Spaceman #2, 1953)

2012-01-24T11:59:00.004-05:00

Spaceman #2; Marvel, Nov. 1953
Script: Hank Chapman; Pencils: Bill Benulis; Inks: Jack Abel

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Famous Explorers of Space No.1 by John Romita (Spaceman, 1953)

2012-01-19T11:50:00.000-05:00

Cover by Bill Everett

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Spaceman #1, Marvel Comics, Sept. 1953
Script: Hank Chapman; Art: John Romita

Life On Other Worlds - Mercury! By Frank Doyle (1948)

2012-01-11T10:27:00.001-05:00

Planet Comics #57. Nov. 1948. Art by Frank Doyle

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Life On Other Worlds - Neptune! By Murphy Anderson (1948)

2012-01-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

Planet Comics #55, July 1948. Art by Murphy Anderson

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Life On Other Worlds - Living Death! By Frank Doyle (1948)

2012-01-06T10:55:00.001-05:00

Planet Comics #54, 1948.
Art by Frank Doyle

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Search For A Werewolf! (Alex Nino)

2011-12-24T09:34:00.004-05:00

Script: George Kashdan; Art: Alex Nino
Weird Mystery Tales #13, DC Comics, 1972

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Mars and Beyond! (Disney - Four Color Comics, 1957)

2011-11-29T14:51:00.001-05:00

Four Color #866, Dec. 1957. Dell Comics. Script: Don Christensen; Art: Tony Sgroi

This Dell comic came out about the same time as the "Mars and Beyond" episode of Disneyland that aired on December 4, 1957. Like the comic, the TV show discussed the possibility of life on Mars and how would man would conquer and colonize the Red Planet. This was, of course, back when we actually thought that there would be a future.

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Monsters of The Moho! (Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea, 1965)

2011-11-23T13:49:00.004-05:00

Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea #2, 1965

The composition of the Earth's core remains a mystery. However, new research shows that oxygen does not have a major presence in the outer core. This has major implications for our understanding of the period when the Earth formed through the accretion of dust and clumps of matter.

With increasing depth inside the Earth, the pressure and heat also increase. As a result, materials act differently than they do on the surface. At Earth's center are a liquid outer core and a solid inner core. The light elements are thought to play an important role in driving the convection of the liquid outer core, which generates the Earth's magnetic field.

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High-speed impacts can generate shock waves that raise the temperature and pressure of materials simultaneously, leading to melting of materials at pressures corresponding to those in the outer core. The team carried out shock-wave experiments on core materials, mixtures of iron, sulfur, and oxygen. They shocked these materials to the liquid state and measured their density and speed of sound traveling through them under conditions directly comparable to those of the liquid outer core.

They conclude that oxygen cannot be a major light element component of the Earth's outer core, because experiments on oxygen-rich materials do not align with geophysical observations. This supports recent models of core differentiation in early Earth under more 'reduced' (less oxidized) environments, leading to a core that is poor in oxygen. link

Ref.: Evidence for an oxygen-depleted liquid outer core of the Earth. 2011. H. Huang, et al. Nature 479: 513-516.

Race Wilkins (Part 2) - Meteor Comics, 1945

2011-11-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

Art by August Froehlich. Rural Home, November 1945

Part 2 of what appears to be the final episode of Race Wilkins' adventures at the bottom of the ocean was published in the only issue of Meteor Comics (#1). We present here the atomically enhanced story from a slightly better scan than was available for part 1.

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Race Wilkins in "Ride That Nightmare" (August Froehlich, 1945)

2011-11-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

Red Band Comics #3 (Rural Home, 1945)
Art by August Froehlich

Froehlich moved from illustrating film posters and magazines to comic books in the 1940's. A polished artist out of the Alex Raymond school he is best noted for drawing The Ghost in Thrilling Comics, Firehair in Rangers Comics, Auro, Lord of Jupiter in Planet Comics, and Simba in Jungle Comics. More info on him at Lambiek.net

Race Wilkins only made two appearances that I'm aware of in what was set up to be an on-going epic adventure. These stories could easily be the plot for the next Brandon Frasier movie.

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Part 2 will be posted very soon.

Black Venus by Harvey Kurtzman (1945)

2011-11-11T14:27:00.011-05:00

Contact Comics #6 (May, 1945), Aviation Press
Art by Harvey Kurtzman

A salute to all the Veterans and others touched by war on this Remembrance Day (Canada)/Veterans Day (US) with a Black Venus story from a 20-year old Harvey Kurtzman freelancing way back in 1945. Atomically enhanced for your reading pleasure!

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Read another Kurtzman story HERE

Read another Black Venus story HERE

The Lady In Black! by Nick Cardy (1958)

2011-11-08T15:09:00.009-05:00

Art by Jack Kirby

Anyone who picked up the recently released Jack Kirby Omnibus Vol. 1 would have seen the above cover by Kirby reproduced inside, and as an inset on the cover. The story features wonderful art by the great Nick Cardy, but, unfortunately, the resolution is pretty pedestrian. With a strong design (presumably) by Kirby, DC let a character with the potential of The Phantom Stranger slip away into footnote history.

House of Mystery #78, DC Comics (Sept. 1958)
Art by Nick Cardy

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The Lady in Black bears a striking resemblance to Natasha Romanoff, The Black Widow, who first appeared in Tales of Suspense # 52 (1964) as a Soviet villain for Iron Man. Kirby delineated her all of her initial cover appearances, although Don Heck drew her first appearance (above).

Man-Ape! by Don Heck (1954)

2011-10-31T00:01:00.002-04:00

Weird Terror #10 (1954); Art by Don Heck

A Halloween Treat from the Atomic Surgeons who've been too busy wrestling with the Iron Curtain of Time in the deep past to post much recently.

The under-appreciated (often maligned) Don Heck was one of the masters of horror back in the 50's, producing some of the most over the top covers of the day reigned in only by his superb sense of design and ink work. Despite Stan Lee's insistence on having him draw some of the top Silver Age Marvel books (The Avengers, X-Men), Heck was always a better fit for stories set in the real world, ala Milton Caniff who was a big influence on his drawing style. With his flair for drawing great looking woman (he defined Iron Man's Pepper Potts) and a noir-like sensibility to his art, Heck would probably have flourished on a comic strip like Secret Agent Corrigan

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My new all-time favourite panel! Great colours!

Life On Other Worlds: Mars (Planet Comics #64, 1950)

2011-10-12T16:23:00.005-04:00

Planet Comics #64, 1950

By analyzing carbonate minerals in a four-billion-year-old meteorite that originated near the surface of Mars, the scientists determined that the minerals formed at about 18°C.

Because Mars now has an average temperature of -63°C, the existence of liquid water in the past means that the climate was much warmer then.

The researchers analyzed one of the oldest known rocks in the world: ALH84001, a Martian meteorite discovered in 1984 in the Allan Hills of Antarctica. The meteorite likely started out tens of meters below the Martian surface and was blown off when another meteorite struck the area, blasting the piece of Mars toward Earth. The rock made headlines in 1996 when scientists discovered tiny globules in it that looked like fossilized bacteria. But the claim that it was extraterrestrial life didn't hold up.

The mild temperature means that the carbonate must have formed in liquid water. Could this wet and warm environment have been a habitat for life? Most likely not, the researchers say. These conditions wouldn't have existed long enough for life to grow or evolve—it would have taken only hours to days for the water to dry up.

Ref. Carbonates in the Martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001 formed at 18 ± 4 °C in a near-surface aqueous environment. 2011. I. Halevy, et al. PNAS 108: 16895-16899.

Life On Other Worlds: Venus (Planet Comics #51, 1947)

2011-10-11T10:08:00.001-04:00

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From Planet Comics #51, Nov. 1947.

The Dark Side of The Moon Seen for the First Time (1959)

2011-10-07T11:06:00.004-04:00

In 1959, the dark far side of the Moon was photographed for the first time (below) and pictures were relayed back to Earth by Russia's Luna 3 spacecraft. After passing the moon, the Luna 3 looked back from a distance of 63,500 km to take 29 photos of the sunlit far side of the moon.

The photos were taken over a period of 40 minutes, developed onboard and then radioed back to earth on Oct 18, 1959. They covered 70% of the far side. Despite the poor quality, they provided the first view ever of this part of the moon.

Nb.: The far side of the moon cannot be viewed from earth because the moon rotates and revolves in such a way that the same part always faces Earth. Taken from Today In Science History

Image and more from Nasa via Wired

Last June NASA released the most complete picture to date of the far side of the moon (above). The picture was made thanks to the data transmitted by the probe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. link

Nice to see that this anniversary coincides with the latest Pink Floyd catalogue reissues.

Watch the End of the Anthropogene Epoch set to The Great Gig In The Sky by Pink Floyd:

Read the complete Pink Floyd Tour Comic Book here.

A cover photoshop experiment done by the Atomic Surgeons for a PF bootleg.

Lon Chaney - Real Fact Comics (1946)

2011-10-05T11:33:00.004-04:00

Script: Jack Schiff; Mort Weisinger; Bernie Breslauer; Art: Lee Harris

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Real Fact Comics #3, (July-August 1946). DC Comics.

Mr. Future, H. G. Wells! by Dick Sprang (1946)

2011-10-04T09:39:00.004-04:00

Real Fact Comics #3. DC Comics (July-August 1946).

Script: Jack Schiff; Mort Weisinger; Bernie Breslauer; Art: Dick Sprang

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Coming Tomorrow....

Lon Chaney!

Bullseye in "Devil Bird"! (Jack Kirby, 1954)

2011-09-29T17:09:00.010-04:00

Another terrific 'dinosaur' story-themed story from one of the last, great uncollected Jack Kirby creations, Bulls Eye, from the short-lived Mainline Comics company of Kirby and Jack Simon.

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Bulls Eye #3 (Dec. 1954 - Jan. 1955). Mainline Comics.
Bulls Eye created by Jack Kirby

BONUS!

A wonderful Bulls Eye splash page from issue #7

Revenge of The Big Birds! (Russ Heath, 1967)

2011-09-08T10:38:00.004-04:00

Star Spangled War Stories #131, Feb.-March, 1967. © DC Comics.
Script by Howard Liss; Art by Russ Heath

Another great story from The War That Time Forgot!

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One of Heath's many great tonal covers for DC.

In a story straight out of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and with the usual terrific art by Russ Heath, I'm surprized that Tommy Smith and his fightin' squadron of pterosaurs never showed up again; he even had a spiffy, Frazetta-inspired origin (below).

More tales from The War That Time Forgot!:

Medal For A Dinosaur!, and,

The Suicide Squad!

Born This Day: Inventor of 'Kiss-Proof' Lipstick

2011-08-17T12:01:00.003-04:00

Young Romance #80.
Art by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon

A great cover by Kirby & Simon from a title (& genre!) they created.

American Chemist and cosmetic executive, Hazel Gladys Bishop (Aug. 17, 1906 - Dec. 5, 1998) made an indelible mark on the cosmetics industry by inventing non-smear ("stays on you not on him") kissproof lipstick. During WW II, as senior organic chemist with Standard Oil, she discovered the cause of deposits affecting superchargers of aircraft engines.

In 1949, after a long series of home experiments, in a kitchen fitted out as a laboratory, she perfected a lipstick that stayed on the lips longer than any other product then available, and began its manufacture. It was introduced at $1 a tube in the summer of the following year. In 1951, a partner forced her out of the $10 million company she created. link

Space Pirates Hideout! (Planet Comics, 1946)

2011-08-15T14:05:00.002-04:00

Click to Enlarge
Planet Comics #46. January, 1946

The GCD suggests that this may have been drawn by Ruth Atkinson.

How A Movie Serial Is Made - The Vigilante by Mort Meskin (1947)

2011-08-02T16:57:00.001-04:00

Real Fact Comics #10 (Oct., 1947), DC Comics
Script: Jack Schiff; Mort Weisinger and Bernie Breslauer;
Pencils: Mort Meskin; Inks: George Roussos

Back in 1947, DC's Vigilante was popular enough to get his own 15 chapter serial starring Ralph Byrd from Columbia Pictures. Although his movie career did not take off, The Vigilante had a long run as a back up feature in Action Comics from 1941 to 1954. He was also a member of The Seven Soldiers of Victory and he still turns up periodically in the DC universe despite the seemingly annual reboots and reimaginings.

A beautiful cover by Mark Chiarello for The Vigilante's 1995-6,
4-issue mini-series.

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Here's a great story from 1950 featuring the art of the under-appreciated Dan Barry. Barry did memorable stints on the Tarzan and Flash Gordon newspaper strips.

An earlier splash page by Bob Lubbers from Action Comics #130 (March, 1949).

Action Comics #149 (Oct., 1950). Vigilante © DC Comics.
Art by Dan Berry

The Vigilante even has his own action figure!

The Fox by Irwin Hasen (March, 1941)

2011-07-22T10:55:00.007-04:00

Story by Joe Blair; Art by Irwin Hasen

Another great adventure of The Fox from Blue Ribbon Comics #10, March 1941, atomicly enhanced for your pleasure!

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The Fox is © the current copyright holders.

The origin of The Fox

The Fox by Alex Toth

Devils of The Deep (1940)

2011-07-14T13:11:00.007-04:00

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Blue Ribbon Comics #3, Jan. 1940 (MLJ)
Script: George Nagle, Art: Edd Ashe

One of only two "Devils of the Deep" stories ever published, this second one bearing no relation to the first.

You'd think that this weird little gem would be so obscure that no one else would ever have noticed it, yet Coles Comics also posted about it earlier this year. Go read about the possible Jack Cole connection.

The Atomic Surgeons now return back to the Future.
Stay tuned for their next appearance.

Krypto's Family Tree (Superboy, 1966)

2011-06-14T09:49:00.001-04:00

Superboy #126, Jan. 1966. © DC Comics
Story: Otto Binder; Pencils: Curt Swan; Inks: George Klein

Kryptonian scientists have no problem testing experimental formula on animals, but only if they're thirsty. Since the drug obviously works, whatever became of the race of winged Kryptonian supermen?

Kryptonian scientists also have no problem endangering children during their experiments, but we've seen this before in old comic stories.

Why is the average dog smarter than the average Kryptonian scientist? If the dogs had of been in charge I'm sure they would have figured out a way to keep Krypton from exploding!

Too bad comic books today don't have stories half as imaginative, fun & well-executed as these.

Apparently Krypto gave rise to his own ancestors!
Bizarro family tree am backwards!

Dinosaurs You Didn't Know About

2011-06-12T10:31:00.003-04:00

Two pages of dino-information from the underground comic Forbidden Knowledge over at the Palaeoblog.

The Man Who Crashed Into Another Era by Steve Ditko (1957)

2011-06-05T10:16:00.002-04:00

Art by Steve Ditko; Do You Believe In Nightmares #1, St. John

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An Elementary Course In Astronautics, Planet Comics #9, 1940

2011-05-30T13:05:00.004-04:00

Art and text by Gene Fawcette. Planet Comics # 9 © Fiction House, 1940

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Species Reemergence After The Collapse

2011-05-22T15:04:00.004-04:00

Species pairs that disappear through hybridization after human-induced changes to the environment can reemerge if the disturbance is removed, according to a new mathematical model that shows the conditions under which reemergence might happen.

By simulating environmental disturbances that reduce the ability of individuals to identify and select mates from their own species, the model explores the mechanisms that cause hybridization between closely-related species. Hybridization can lead to population decline and the loss of biodiversity. For instance, certain species of stickleback fish have collapsed into hybrid swarms as water clarity in their native lakes has changed, and certain species of tree frogs have collapsed as vegetation has been removed around their shared breeding ponds. Such hybrid swarms can replace the original species.

Triplicate Girl, Duo Damsel & The LSH © DC Comics

The reemergence of species pairs is more likely when the disturbances were strong than when they were weak, and most likely when disturbances were quickly corrected. However, even temporary bouts of hybridization often led to substantial homogenization of species pairs. This suggests that ecosystem managers may be able to refill ecological niches, but probably won't be able to resurrect lost species after species collapse.

Ref: Hybridization, species collapse, and species reemergence after disturbance to premating mechanisms of reproductive isolation. Evolution. R.T. Gilman and J.E. Behm, published online April 29.

Napoleon & Benjamin Franklin vs The Thing From Another World (1951)

2011-05-20T11:31:00.008-04:00

Mystery In Space #3 (1951) © DC Comics
Script: Manly Wade Wellman [as Robert Starr]; Art: Bob Oksner; Inks: Bernard Sachs

Manly Wellman wrote primarily for Quality Comics, including a long run on The Spirit. His writing skills elevate a dopey premise into an engaging story obviously inspired by 1951 film The Thing From Another World ("An intellectual carrot? The mind boggles!") that would have only been released a month or so before this story was written.

The scientific team of time-travel inventor, Anne Rell, and super-botanist, Carr Davis, have a nice chemistry and I could easily see these two having been spun off into their own series ala the Inside Earth team of Cave Carson or Rip Hunter's Time Masters (hmm, maybe Anne actually invented Rip's time machine?). Anyone for a revival over there at DC?

I'd even have read more stories of the time traveling team of Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin.

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Single Gene Mutation Shapes Cerebro!

2011-04-28T16:07:00.003-04:00

Jimmy Olsen © DC Comics

The size and shape of the human cerebral cortex, an evolutionary marvel responsible for everything from Shakespeare's poetry to the atomic bomb, are largely influenced by mutations in a single gene.

The findings are based on a genetic analysis of in one Turkish family and two Pakistani families with offspring born with the most severe form of microcephaly. The children have brains just 10 percent of normal size. They also lacked the normal cortical architecture that is a hallmark of the human brain. This combination of factors has not been seen in other genes associated with the development of the human brain, the authors note.

The researchers found that mutations in the same gene, centrosomal NDE1, which is involved in cell division, were responsible for the deformity.

"These findings demonstrate how single molecules have influenced the expansion of the human cerebral cortex in the last five million years," Gunel said. Link

Ref: The Essential Role of Centrosomal NDE1 in Human Cerebral Cortex Neurogenesis. 2011. M. Bakircioglu, et al. American Journal of Human Genetics.

Kids Reading Comics (1951)

2011-04-18T10:53:00.002-04:00

Well, at least one kid.

The photo is scanned from a magazine called Friends, (Ceco Publishing for Chevrolet Dealers, August 1959). There is no photo credit given.

Based on the presence of White Chief of the Pawnee Indians # 1 in the photo, I'm guessing that it was taken in 1951.

Thanks to Clive Coy for the scan!

Born This Day: Francesco Maria Grimaldi

2011-04-02T10:55:00.002-04:00

Gramaldi (April 2, 1618 - Dec. 28, 1663) was an Italian mathematician and physicist who studied the diffraction of light. He observed the image on a screen in a darkened room of a tiny beam of sunlight after it passed pass through a fine screen (or a slit, edge of a screen, wire, hair, fabric or bird feather). The image had iridescent fringes, and deviated from a normal geometrical shadow.

He coined the name diffraction for this change of trajectory of the light passing near opaque objects (though, more specifically, it may have been interferences with two close sources that he observed). This provided evidence for later physicists to support the wave theory of light.

With Riccioli, he investigated the object in free fall (1640-50), and found that distance of fall was proportional to the square of the time taken. link

The Origin of The Fox (1940) by Irwin Hasen

2011-03-25T12:57:00.007-04:00

The Fox © current copyright holders

The Fox was created by writer Joe Blair and artist Irwin Hasen, and this story is his first appearance and origin from Blue Ribbon Comics #4 (June 1940). Hasen also worked on Johnny Thunder, the JLA, The Flash and The Green Lantern.

Irwin was frequently complimented in print by a Alex Toth who also illustrated some Fox stories for Red Circle Comics back in the '80's (you can see one here).

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Fortunately the goofy costume with the shirt shelves sticking out morphed into a more traditional crime-fighting costume over the course of the strip. As it stands, this story has a nice Bob Burden feel about it - one would almost expect The Flaming Carrot to show up!

Happy Birthday To the Periodic Table

2011-03-06T10:31:00.004-05:00

On this day in 1869, Dmitry Mendeleev was a Russian chemist who developed & published his first version of the periodic table of the elements. In his final version (1871) he left gaps, foretelling that they would be filled by elements not then known, and even predicting the properties of three of those elements. link

Here are some of the more interesting periodic tables out there:

Comic Books

And here's the entry for our favourite element:

SciFi & TV

Superpowers

Smells

Imaginary Elements

Watch short videos of the elements by real scientists

Prisoners of Gravity (1993): The Sandman Interviews

2011-02-25T14:52:00.005-05:00

Watch The Sandman Interview Episode

For those outside of Ontario, the public broadcasting station TVO (TV Ontario) is a well keep secret. They've recently posted a vast archives of old series they produced (ala, no 'Nightmusic'!), many of which will be of interest to readers of this blog.

One of the best series was Prisoners of Gravity that ran from 1989 to 1994. It was hosted by Rick Green (of The Frantics comedy troupe fame - sort of a Canadian version of Monty Python).

About Prisoners of Gravity:

Prisoners of Gravity, the acclaimed comic book and science fiction news magazine series, is not television. It's the world's orbital oracle. It's the future now. Trapped in geosynchronous orbit, unable to escape the planet he's convinced is hurtling toward self-destruction, Commander Rick (Rick Green) commandeers the airwaves to transmit his weekly pirate broadcasts. He explores crucial issues of the late twentieth century in the language of the faithful: science fiction, comics, computers, fantasy, and horror, all respectfully recognized in the series as adult art forms. He interviews these genres' writers, artists, and filmmakers, focusing on a different theme in each program: politics, war, fears, dreams, addictions, children, new worlds, and even the current popularity of dinosaurs.

Watch The Sandman Interview Episode

About the episode: This week Commander Rick profiles the comic book series that everyone from Norman Mailer to the girl next door is reading - "The Sandman." Featuring the key creators who've worked on "The Sandman": writer Neil Gaiman, editor Karen Berger, cover artist Dave McKean, and story artists Charles Vess, P. Craig Russell, Jill Thompson, Mike Dringenberg and Kelley Jones. Plus, a glowing tribute from science fiction writer Harlan Ellison who wrote the introduction to "The Sandman" graphic novel, "Season Of Mists." 28:50 min

The rest of the TVO archives are HERE

The Frantic's Mr. Canoehead:

Spores From Space by Frank Frazetta (1951)

2011-02-10T21:41:00.004-05:00

Mystery In Space #1 (April-May, 1951) © DC Comics
Story by Gardner Fox; Art by Frank Frazetta

The Atomic Surgeons put a lot of work into cleaning up the original scan. Enjoy!

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The Best Book On Wally Wood That You'll Never Get A Copy Of

2011-01-28T11:58:00.002-05:00

This catalogue has produced for an exhibit put together by Florez and Frederic Manzano last year at Casal Solleric . The softcover version I saw is a thick 352 pages with dimensions of 24 cm x 32 cm. It has no ISBN or price, and was, apparently, only for sale at Casal Solleric and their partnered museum shops in a limited press run.

It's full of jaw-droppingly gorgeous reproductions, many from the original art, of some of Wood's best known pieces, and lots of more obscure items.

More images here

Thanks to Mark Schultz for the image and info!

Vampires of the Void! By Wally Wood & Joe Orlando (1951)

2011-01-24T09:56:00.008-05:00

Vampires of the Void! By Wally Wood & Joe Orlando (1951)

Another Kenton of the Star Patrol story from Strange Worlds #4 (Sept. 1951). The GCD credits the art to Wally Wood and Joe Orlando, but it looks more like the work of Orlando with Wood probably doing some key layouts & figure inking. No matter who did what it still looks great!

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© the current copyright holders

Five Years early there was another story entitled, Vampires of the Void!, starring the Justice Society of America battling metal-eating monsters from space. No offense to Kenton, but when the chips are down my money is on Joe Kubert's mace-wielding Hawkman.

Go read The Lost Kingdom of Athala by Wally Wood from the same issue as this Keaton story!

Beware of The Bug-Belle! (Weirdest Lois Lane Story Ever!)

2010-12-29T23:20:00.009-05:00

This story is so wrong on so many levels. Kafka anyone?

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Where is my mini-series of Scorpion-Lois? Hello DC web comics!

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #69 (Oct. 1966). © DC Comics
Script: E. Nelson Bridwell; Art: Kurt Schaffenberger

“The oriental hornet has built-in "solar cells" that generate electricity from sunlight—a first in the animal kingdom, according to a new study.

Scientists already knew that the hornet species, for unknown reasons, produced electricity inside its exoskeleton. Researchers recently went a step further by examining the structure of the hornet's exoskeleton to find out how the electricity is produced.

Their research revealed that pigments in the hornet's yellow tissues trap light, while its brown tissues generate electricity. Exactly how the hornets use this electricity is still not entirely understood.”

Read the rest of the story at National Geographic News.

Abstract: The Oriental hornet worker correlates its digging activity with solar insolation. Solar radiation passes through the epicuticle, which exhibits a grating-like structure, and continues to pass through layers of the exo-endocuticle until it is absorbed by the pigment melanin in the brown-colored cuticle or xanthopterin in the yellow-colored cuticle. The correlation between digging activity and the ability of the cuticle to absorb part of the solar radiation implies that the Oriental hornet may harvest parts of the solar radiation. In this study, we explore this intriguing possibility by analyzing the biophysical properties of the cuticle. We use rigorous coupled wave analysis simulations to show that the cuticle surfaces are structured to reduced reflectance and act as diffraction gratings to trap light and increase the amount absorbed in the cuticle. A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was constructed in order to show the ability of xanthopterin to serve as a light-harvesting molecule.

Ref.: Solar energy harvesting in the epicuticle of the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis). 2010. Marian Plotkin, et al. Naturwissenschaften 97:1067–1076.

Roy Chapman Andrews - Modern Dragon Hunter (1950)

2010-12-18T23:11:00.010-05:00

From True Comics #81, Parents’ Magazine Press (1950), comes this crudely rendered retelling of the life of famous palaeontologist, Roy Chapman Andrews.

Click to Enlarge

Thanks to Mr. Cairo for the great gift of the original comic!

One War Which Can Never Stop! (1946)

2010-12-07T13:19:00.002-05:00

Picture News #1 (1946)

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It Stands In The Snow (1956) by Sol Brodsky

2010-11-18T11:58:00.004-05:00

World of Fantasy #2, July 1956 © Marvel Comics
Art by Sol Brodsky

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Sol Brodsky (April 22, 1923 – June 4, 1984) was one of the small group of people responsible for making the classic Silver Age of Marvel Comics actually happen. As a go-to artist/inker on many early Marvel comics, he became the companies production manager and Stan Lee’s right-hand man during the Marvel 'Pop Art' explosion. Sol’s name was all over the credits of the 1960’s Marvel Comics, but I’m sure few of the readers actually knew what he did.

How importrant was he? When Jack Kirby and Stan Lee concocted a story for What If? in 1978 reimagining the Fantastic Four as being members of the Marvel Bullpen, Bordsky filled the roll of The Human Torch, with much beloved Flo Steinberg (Lee’s secretary and chief letter-answerer) becoming the Invisible Girl (although Merry Mary Severin could also have filled this role). Lee and Kirby were, of course, Mr Fantastic and The Thing, respectively.

Sol Flames' On!

Nightmare Island! (1952) by Carmine Infantino

2010-11-12T11:07:00.009-05:00

Sensation Mystery #110 (July-Aug.), 1952 © DC Comics

Sensation Mystery is the mostly-forgotten offspring of Sensation Comics, picking up its numbering and continuing on from #110 to #116. While the art is solid by DC’s stable of reliable pros such as Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson & Frank Giacoia, the stories are generally uninspiring. Still, there are a few gems scattered amongst the run of the book.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Pencils: Carmine Infantio; Inks: Sy Barry

A new study shows how an amphibious fish stays alive for up to two months on land. Mangrove killifish are small fish that live in temporary pools in coastal mangrove forest. During dry seasons when their pools disappear, the fish hole up in leaf litter or hollow logs. As long as they stay moist, they can survive for extended periods out of water by breathing air through their skin.

The key to their survival is found in special cells called ionocytes, normally found on the gills of other fish that are clustered on the skin of the killfish. Other fish species have skin ionocytes in their larval stages of development, but usually these cells disappear from the skin during development.

The skin of the mangrove killifish is also equipped to help the fish deal with varying salinity. When out-of-water fish were placed on a surface moist with salt water, the skin ionocytes got bigger, indicating that they're working overtime to keep the right salt balance. When those fish were placed back in water, the skin ionocytes returned to normal size.

It's adaptations like this that make this fish special—even among amphibious fish. Lungfish, for example, need to alter their physiological state to live out of water. But with its special skin, mangrove killifish can maintain all of their normal physiological processes at nearly the same level as being in water—and they can do it for over 60 days. link

Ref. A Fish Out of Water: Gill and Skin Remodeling Promotes Osmo- and Ionoregulation in the Mangrove Killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus. 2010. D. M. LeBlanc, et al. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 83:932–949.

Tim Burton's "Trick or Treat"

2010-10-28T14:26:00.003-04:00

© Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Jim Hill Media has ths scoop on an unproducted Tim Burton project still owned by Disney, complete with lots of Tim's artwork.

Top Cat in The Ghost Host (1968)

2010-10-27T07:40:00.004-04:00

Top Cat © Hanna-Barbera

Here’s a Halloween item for the kids featuring Top Cat and his gang of cool cats. Was there ever a better series from Hanna-Barbera?

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Well, Top Cat might have been topped by Frankenstein Jr. in concept, if not actual plot and writing. If ever a cartoon series reflected the ideals of Atomic Surgery, this is it! A Frankenstein super-robot that fights weird villains aided by his kid-sidekick (or was it the other way around?):

Frankenstein Jr. Vs The Monster Mobile

Adventures Into Darkness! (1953)

2010-10-26T09:33:00.005-04:00

More Halloween goodies from Adventures Into Darkness #12, from Dec., 1953! And who did that great cover logo!?

CLICK TO ENLARGE

“The Living Dead of Kulatum” might be by Jack Katz, while “Nightmare” may be by Bernard (The Spectre) Baily.

FYI, AID #12 leads off with a great story by Alex Toth, Serpent of Doom!, that you can read over at The Horrors of It All.

Steve Rude On Sale

2010-10-26T07:41:00.003-04:00

Crystal © Marvel Comics. Art by Steve Rude

Our favourite witch by Jack Kirby!

Heads up True Believers! As of the time stamp on this post you can order a copy of the deluxe, signed edition of Steve Rude’s, Artist In Motion over at Amazon.com for under $20!

From Flesk Publications

The True Story of Frankenstein! - Batman (1948)

2010-10-25T09:53:00.007-04:00

Welcome to Halloween Week here in the Atomic Surgery! To kick things off we present this reworking of the Frankenstein story starring Batman & Robin:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Detective Comics #135, May, 1948; DC Comics
Story: Edmond Hamilton; Art: Bob Kane/Charles Harris

Hey DC Animation! We've got your next Batman movie right here!

Life on Other Worlds: Neptune by Murphy Anderson (1948)

2010-10-23T16:02:00.009-04:00

Planet Comics #56, Sept., 1948; Fiction House
Art by Murphy Anderson

Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal a distant planet with a warm spot in the wrong place.

The gas-giant planet, named upsilon Andromedae b, orbits tightly around its star, with one face perpetually boiling under the star's heat. It belongs to a class of planets termed hot Jupiters, so called for their scorching temperatures and large, gaseous constitutions.

One might think the hottest part of these planets would be directly under the sun-facing side, but previous observations have shown that their hot spots may be shifted slightly away from this point. Astronomers thought that fierce winds might be pushing hot, gaseous material around.

But the new finding may throw this theory into question. Using Spitzer, an infrared observatory, astronomers found that upsilon Andromedae b's hot spot is offset by a whopping 80 degrees. Basically, the hot spot is over to the side of the planet instead of directly under the glare of the sun.

They've guessed at some possibilities, including supersonic winds triggering shock waves that heat material up, and star-planet magnetic interactions. But these are just speculation. As more hot Jupiters are examined, astronomers will test new theories.

"We really didn't expect to find a hot spot with such a large offset," said Ian Crossfield. "It's clear that we understand even less about the atmospheric energetics of hot Jupiters than we thought we did."

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology

This animation illustrates an unexpected warm spot on the surface of a gaseous exoplanet. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope discovered that the hottest part of the planet, shown here as bright, orange patches on the surface, is not directly under the glare of its star but over to the side. link

Ref: A NEW 24 μm PHASE CURVE FOR υ ANDROMEDAE b. 2010. I.J.M. Crossfield, et al. Astrophyscial Journal 723: 1436.

“I Was A Big-Game Hunter On Neptune!”

Click to view full size

The Boy Who Saved The World by Alex Toth (1952)

2010-10-22T10:53:00.008-04:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Fantastic Worlds #6 , November, 1952, Literary Enterprises, Inc.
Art by Alex Toth

... Toth couldn't help but design cool characters...!

... plus,
fun sun science facts from the same issue:

Al Williamson Art Show & Tribute: Scranton, PA, Oct. 8-11, 2010

2010-10-05T14:35:00.007-04:00

Al Williamson Postcard Sample 1 of 5. Available For Free at the Exhibit. © 2010 Al Williamson Estate. They will be given away free to all those who attend.

Celebrate the art and career of Al Williamson at a special exhibit at Marywood University’s Mahady Gallery in Scranton, Pennsylvania from October 8-11, 2010. “Al Williamson: A Tribute” will showcase over 60 original works spanning five decades. More than ten pieces will represent each decade from 1950 to 2000.

The event also doubles as a memorial service of sorts. Al would not have liked a day of maudlin sentiment, but would have approved of his friends getting together to look at great art, although I'm sure he'd have rather that folks were looking at a wall of Krenkel's or Foster's!

Featured will be original art done for comics, posters, trading cards, preliminary sketches, family birthday and Christmas cards, as well as drawings he did for his own pleasure. Comic pieces include finished pages for Flash Gordon, Star Wars pages and covers, Secret Agent Corrigan strips, and comic pages for Eerie magazine (“The Jungle”). Examples of Al’s pages from Weird Science (“Captivity”), Classics Illustrated (The World Around Us: Prehistoric Animals), Blade Runner, Dark Horse Presents (“One Last Job”), his Sub-Mariner story, as well as inked pages completed for Marvel Comics, and more, will be on display.

The exhibit reception will be held on Friday, October 8 from 6-9 PM. The Mahady Gallery is located on the Marywood Universtiy campus in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Gallery hours and directions. More details are available here.

Flesk Publications has donated copies of Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic and Al Williamson Archives, Vol. 1 for the reception. All proceeds from the sales of these titles will go towards the Al Williamson Scholarship Fund at the The Joe Kubert School. Those unable to make the show and would like to make a donation can send a check to:

The Joe Kubert School
37 Myrtle Avenue
Dover, NJ 07801
Attn: Al Williamson Scholarship Fund

Link from Flesk Publications

The Dinosaur in Times Square (1961) By Mort Meskin

2010-09-26T14:32:00.009-04:00

Cover pencils: Dick Dillin; inks: Sheldon Moldoff

CLICK TO ENLARGE

House of Secrets #41 (Feb. 1961) © DC Comics
Pencils by Mort Meskin; inks by George Roussos

The Moon Monster by Bernard Baily (1960)

2010-09-16T19:32:00.008-04:00

A nice story by Bernard Baily, co-creator and long time artist on The Spectre & Hourman.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

House of Mystery #97, April 1960 © DC Comics
Art by Bernard Baily

Abstract: By using high-resolution altimetric measurements of the Moon, we produced a catalog of all impact craters 20 kilometers in diameter on the lunar surface and analyzed their distribution and population characteristics. The most-densely cratered portion of the highlands reached a state of saturation equilibrium.

Large impact events, such as Orientale Basin, locally modified the prebasin crater population to ~2 basin radii from the basin center. Basins such as Imbrium, Orientale, and Nectaris, which are important stratigraphic markers in lunar history, are temporally distinguishable on the basis of crater statistics.

The characteristics of pre- and postmare crater populations support the hypothesis that there were two populations of impactors in early solar system history and that the transition occurred near the time of the Orientale Basin event.

Ref.: Global Distribution of Large Lunar Craters: Implications for Resurfacing and Impactor Populations. 2010. James W. Head, III, et al. Science 329: 1504-1507.

The Lost Kingdom of Athala by Wally Wood (1951)

2010-09-10T15:56:00.008-04:00

From 1951, The Atomic Surgeons have polished up this great Wally Wood tale for your edification. Say, as a minor, did Tommy sign a waiver form for this trip? No? Why, what could possibly go wrong?

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Strange Worlds #4 (Sept., 1951) © Avon
Art by Wally Wood

Too bad about Tommy, but the Time Machine would have been a bit crowded on the way back!

Marvel's First Mutant (Nov. 1959)

2010-09-08T13:51:00.003-04:00

Pencils: Jack Kirby; Inks: George Klein

Behind this typical-for-era Jack Kirby monster cover hides a story that introduces the concept of mutants with special powers that must remain hidden from a suspicious humanity - 3 years before Lee & Kirby debuted the same concept in X-Men #1 in Sept. 1963!

The Atomic Surgeons aren't up of the X-Men universe, but surely some scribe has retroed this story into continuity?

Steve Ditko's First Changing Man (1960)

2010-07-29T14:42:00.004-04:00

Steve Ditko’s Shade: The Changing Man debuted in 1977 from DC Comics, with story and art by Ditko, and dialogue by Michael Fleisher. Many creators have recycled old ideas more than once, and we can’t help but wonder if Ditko recalled this old story he did for Marvel when he came up with the initial concept for Shade.

Presented below is a mash-up of what a Changing Man book might have looked like if it came out from DC during the early 60’s.

Batman In The Future! (1950)

2010-06-21T14:04:00.008-04:00

You know that any story that opens with the lines, “Look Robin – The Bat-Signal! We’re wanted back on Earth!”, is going to be a lot of fun! Give me the Sci-Fi, ‘Zebra’-Batman from the 1950’s over the psychopathic version on the stands today…!

Click To Enlarge!

Batman #57 © DC Comics
Script: Bill Finger; Pencils: Bob Kane (Batman & Robin figures only)
& Lew Schwartz; Inks: Charles Paris

and...

FYI, The Atomic Surgeons will be returning to the future for most of the next few months. We'll send back dispatches when we can. Otherwise, look for further updates in Sept.

The Metamorphosis of the Gkmloooms (1952) by George Evans

2010-06-11T07:59:00.001-04:00

Fawcett’s “World of Fear” showcased a lot of top talent – like the underappreciated George Evans, and featured some genuinely creepy stories that would not have been out of place over in the EC horror comics. This tale presents Atomic Surgery at its most disturbing. Poorer summer blockbuster movies have been made out of slimmer ideas than this.

Centenary of Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s Birth

2010-06-11T07:51:00.003-04:00

Jacques-Yves Cousteau (June 11, 1910 – June 25, 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, marine biologist and ocean explorer, known for his extensive underseas investigations. He was co-inventor of the aqualung which made SCUBA diving possible (1943).

Cousteau the developed the Conshelf series of manned habitats, the Diving Saucer, a process of underwater television and numerous other platforms and specialized instruments of ocean science. In 1945 he founded the French Navy's Undersea Research Group. He modified a WWII wooden hull minesweeper into the research vessel Calypso, in 1950. From Today In Science History

Here’s salute to the great man with a showcase of covers from our favorite undersea adventure series:

The Blank! by Angelo Torres (1956)

2010-06-06T17:05:00.008-04:00

A nice little tale with art by Angelo Torres who is still going strong more than 50 years after this story was published. This would have been from towards the start of Torres' career and was probably knocked out over a weekend with the help of rest of the ‘Fleagle Gang’, including Al Williamson (layouts?; e.g., panels 3 & 4, page 2) and Frank Frazetta (figure work?, especially on Dora, e.g., bottom of page 2).

Things don’t look too good for the professor. Perhaps the young lovebirds should have given the old guy a better alibi than "there are blanks in my memory” to explain their ‘disappearance’!

Robin Dies At Dawn! (Batman, 1963)

2010-05-31T15:12:00.007-04:00

One of the great 1960's iconic DC covers for an otherwise dopey story. The editors must have released how good the cover was because they tried to tie three otherwise separate stores in to a 3 part ‘epic’. As we saw two days ago, the ‘Ant-Man’ story (part 1) has little to do with this story (part 2). Part 3 has a brief flashback to part 2, but is mostly about Batman catching bad guys while wearing a gorilla suit.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Batman #156 (June, 1963) © DC Comics
Script by Bill Finger; Pencils by Sheldon Moldoff; Inks by Charles Paris

The Hero of 50,000,000 B.C. (1965)

2010-05-30T17:15:00.004-04:00

Discovered This Day: Krypton

2010-05-30T10:20:00.002-04:00

Morris William Travers (Jan 24, 1872–Aug 25, 1961), was an English chemist who, while working with Sir Willam Ramsay in London, discovered the element krypton (30 May 1898). The name derives from the Greek word for "hidden."

It was a fraction separated from liquified air, which when placed in a Plücker tube connected to an induction coil yielded a spectrum with a bright yellow line with a greener tint than the known helium line and a brilliant green line that corresponded to nothing seen before. link

To make a long story short, after Phantom Girl finds an ancient tablet at an archaeological project on a little island in the Atlantic Ocean in the 30th century, the LSH split into two teams & set off in Time Bubbles to Earth & Krypton's “remote past” to investigate “The War Between Krypton and Earth”.

As it turns out a group of Kryptonian scientists set up shop on Earth because they were persecuted back home.

Too bad the uninhabited Earth had already been colonized by the Vruunians who had established a town called Atlantis. After the "Civil War of the Legion" that saw the two teams taking sides with their new friends, came this inevitable ending after Brainiac 5 uses "artifical evolution" to turn the Atlanteans into mermen:

The Secret of the Ant-Man (Batman #156, 1963)

2010-05-29T23:22:00.005-04:00

In an issue more famous for its cover (see tomorrow’s posting) comes this story from 1963 featuring DC’s own Ant-Man, debuting almost a year after Hank Pym assumed the same nom de plume over at Marvel.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Secret of the Ant-Man (Batman #156, June 1963) © DC Comics
Pencils: Sheldon Moldoff; Inks: Charles Paris

Life on Other Worlds: Jupiter (1945) by Murphy Anderson

2010-05-16T09:16:00.004-04:00

Kepler Discovers Harmonice Mundi

2010-05-15T07:20:00.002-04:00

Link. More on Sidney Harris

On this day in 1618, Johannes Kepler discovered his harmonic law later published in his five-volume work Harmonice Mundi. Kepler explored analogies between the solar system and the ratios found in musical tones, an extension of what Pythagoras had described as the "harmony of the spheres". Link

More on Kepler HERE

Dalek Comic Strip (1965): The Origin of The Daleks!

2010-05-13T08:56:00.001-04:00

It’s 1965 and Beatlemania has swept the world. On TV, Gerry Anderson’s Stingray is chronicling the adventures of Aquanaut, Troy Tempest, and The Thunderbirds are awaiting their signal to ‘GO!’ On the newsstands the pseudo newspaper magazine, TV Century 21, launches, mixing stories of real science with comic strip-style stories of TV shows from both sides of the pond.

Presented here are the first 13 strips of The Daleks, scripted by David Whittaker, but credited to Terry Nation who created them for the Dr. Who TV show. For more info go HERE

CLICK TO ENLARGE

image

Haunted #1: 3 by Ditko

2010-05-11T08:50:00.011-04:00

An all-Steve Ditko issue kicks of the new series, Haunted, from Charlton Publishing in 1971. Steve puts in a much better than average effort on all of these stories, showing a lot of the creative spark he had brought to his earlier Marvel and DC work.

THE ROOM OF MADNESS!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

REVENGE OF THE GHOST-SLAVE!

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

Haunted #1 (Sept., 1971) © Charlton Publishing
All art by Steve Ditko

I Became The Sun Creature (1961) by Bruno Premiani

2010-04-24T17:03:00.007-04:00

A story by an unknown writer given a stylish realism by artist Bruno Premiani a few years before he first rendered The Doom Patrol in the same magazine. This story rips a page out of the BBC’s Quatermass dossier, and I could see this as a Hammer movie coming right after 1955’s The Creeping Unknown (The Quatermass Experiment). Atomic surgery, indeed!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

NASA's recently launched Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is returning early images that confirm an unprecedented new capability for scientists to better understand our sun’s dynamic processes. These solar activities affect everything on Earth.

Some of the images from the spacecraft show never-before-seen detail of material streaming outward and away from sunspots (see video). Others show extreme close-ups of activity on the sun’s surface. The spacecraft also has made the first high-resolution measurements of solar flares in a broad range of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.

Launched on Feb. 11, 2010, SDO is the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun. During its five-year mission, it will examine the sun's magnetic field and also provide a better understanding of the role the sun plays in Earth's atmospheric chemistry and climate. link

My Greatest Adventure #52 (Feb. 1961) © DC Comics
Cover by Dick Dillin (pencils) & Sheldon Moldoff (inks); Art by Bruno Premiani

AIA caught this beautiful prominence eruption only a few days after its doors were opened.

“... and when the planet hit the sun I saw the face of Allison.” (Mose Allsion, that is)

The Hyborian Age by Howard, Thomas & Simonson

2010-04-19T18:46:00.002-04:00

Click to enlarge

Script by Roy Thomas; Art © Walt Simonson;
The Hyborian Age and Conan © their current copyright holders.

Read: Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

A repost!

Life on Other Worlds: Callisto (1947) by Murphy Anderson

2010-04-16T11:44:00.005-04:00

The well-known Martian meteorite, ALH84001 is unique among Mars rocks available for study on Earth, since its formation age is more than 2.5 billion years older than any other recognized Martian meteorite, giving scientists the only sample of material formed early in Mars' history.

The true age of this meteorite is has now been determined to be 4.091 billion years old, about 400 million years younger than earlier age estimates. This stone formed during an important time when Mars was wet and had a magnetic field, conditions that are favorable for the development of simple life. This finding precludes ALH84001 from being a remnant of primordial Martian crust, as well as confirming that volcanic activity was ongoing in Mars over much of its history.

"This research helps us better refine the history of Mars," Lapen said. "This has huge ramifications for our understanding of volcanic processes active in Mars and for the nature of deeper portions of the planet that are sources of magmas that produced the largest volcanoes in the solar system. These data also are used to refine models of initial planetary formation and early evolution." link

Ref.: A Younger Age for ALH84001 and Its Geochemical Link to Shergottite Sources in Mars. T. J. Lapen, et al. Science 328: 347 - 351.

Abstract: Martian meteorite ALH84001 (ALH) is the oldest known igneous rock from Mars and has been used to constrain its early history. Lutetium-hafnium (Lu-Hf) isotope data for ALH indicate an igneous age of 4.091 ± 0.030 billion years, nearly coeval with an interval of heavy bombardment and cessation of the martian core dynamo and magnetic field. The calculated Lu/Hf and Sm/Nd (samarium/neodymium) ratios of the ALH parental magma source indicate that it must have undergone extensive igneous processing associated with the crystallization of a deep magma ocean. This same mantle source region also produced the shergottite magmas (dated 150 to 570 million years ago), possibly indicating uniform igneous processes in Mars for nearly 4 billion years.

Syd Barrett & Astronomy Domine

Tommy Tomorrow (1947) by Virgil Finlay

2010-04-13T20:19:00.008-04:00

Real Fact Stories #6 (C) DC Comics

If you're going to introduce a new Sci-Fi hero in the late 1940's then who better to handle the art then Virgil Finlay, artiste extraordinaire of the Pulps. Alas, poor Virgil did not count on the crumby pulp paper of the comics to ruin his fine line work.

The script is credited to Jack Schiff, George Kashdan, & Bernie Breslauer by the good folks at The Grand Comics Database.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Plus, some "Just Imagine" inserts by Virgil from the same series:

Real Fact Comics #4

Real Fact Comics #5

Real Fact Comics #6

The True Story of Batman and Robin: How A Big Time Comic Is Born! (1946)

2010-04-07T12:15:00.006-04:00

From Real Fact Comics #5, comes a contractually obligated DC party line story on the creation of Batman. It’s fun to note that Bob Kane had nothing to do with this feature.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Plus - Some nonsense filler from the same issue:

Real Fact Comics #5, 1946. (C) DC Comics.
Script by Jack Schiff; Mort Weisinger, & Bernie Breslauer; Art by Win Mortimer

Behold! The Forbidden Dimension!

2010-04-04T23:32:00.005-04:00

Tom Bagley (aka Jackson Phibes) has been producing great art AND great music as the de facto leader of Calgary’s own horror-themed rock ‘n roll band, Forbidden Dimension. His art graces some the best indie LP covers and his gig posters (like these) are things of beauty.

Check out more art by Tom at Tom-Bagley.com and check the band out at their MySpace site. Don’t forget to follow Tom and 6(+) of his fellow sinners at the 7 Deadly Sinners blog

If the film Carnival of Souls was a rock band it would be Forbidden Dimension!

Did someone mention Vaughn Bode?

I Was Big-Game On Neptune (1958) by Jack Kirby

2010-04-02T12:28:00.004-04:00

Inaugurated This Day (1889): The Eiffel Tower

2010-03-31T07:29:00.003-04:00

In 1889, the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, was inaugurated, becoming the world's tallest tower of its era. With a height of 300-m (986-ft), it remained the world's tallest structure until surpassed by the Empire State Building, 40 years later. The designer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, 56, celebrated by unfurling a French flag at the top of the tower.

The immense iron latticework design was chosen unanimously from 700 proposals submitted in a competition. Construction took from 26 Jan 1887 to 31 Mar 1889, using 300 steel workers. It was erected for the Paris Exposition of 1889, which had 1,968,287 visitors. link

A very young version of The Pixies tip their collective hats to Alex Eiffel:

How To Build A Monster

2010-03-25T13:38:00.005-04:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE

We Found The Super-Tribes of Tomorrow (1963) by Alex Toth

2010-03-19T09:47:00.011-04:00

Blackhawk “Madame Butterfly” (1948) by Reed Crandall (plus Jack Cole)

2010-03-16T09:33:00.007-04:00

Even though evolutionary biologists have long recognized the size discrepancy (sexual dimorphism) between male and female animals, they have struggled for decades to solve a major paradox: How can males and females of one species be of different sizes, given that they share the same genetic blueprints dictating their development and growth?

CLICK TO ENLARGE

To solve the problem researchers followed more than 1,200 caterpillars of the giant hawk moth (Manduca sexta) from the time they hatched, all the way through four molts and until they pupated.

Stillwell and Davidowitz discovered that female caterpillars initiate final larval stage a bit later than the males. By the time the female caterpillars pupate, they are larger, making for larger moths when they emerge.

So where is the advantage in being larger if you're a female insect?

"Biologists think selection favors large females because they can produce more offspring," Stillwell said. link

Modern Comics #78 (Oct. 1948); © DC Comics (probably).
Pencils by Reed Crandall; Inks by Chuck Cuidera

(Is it just me or do those henchmen look too much like they should be working for The Monarch from the Venture Bros. series?)

Ref.: A developmental perspective on the evolution of sexual size dimorphism of a moth. 2010. R. C.Stillwell and G, Davidowitz. Proc. Roy. Soc. B, published online before print on March 10.

Plus, from the same issue, a one-page gag strip by Jack Cole:

Shmegeggi of The Cavemen By Harvey Kurtzman & William Stout

2010-03-14T16:09:00.009-04:00

Twenty years ago Marvel Comic’s published “Harvey Kurtzman’s Strange Adventures” through their Epic Comics line. The oversized hardcover featured a bunch of Mad-style stories written by Kurtzman and drawn by some of the best in the business.

This story has Kurtzman showcasing his Goodman Beaver character in a different guise, while Bill Stout lovingly channels Frazetta's finest cavemen & women.

The Scorpion's Reversible Evolution

2010-03-13T14:48:00.003-05:00

Blind scorpions that live in the stygian depths of caves are throwing light on a long-held assumption that specialized adaptations are irreversible evolutionary dead-ends.

According to a new phylogenetic analysis of the family Typhlochactidae, scorpions currently living closer to the surface (under stones and in leaf litter) evolved independently on more than one occasion from ancestors adapted to life further below the surface (in caves).

"Our research shows that the evolution of troglobites, or animals adapted for life in caves, is reversible," says Lorenzo Prendini.. "Three more generalized scorpion species living closer to the surface evolved from specialized ancestors living in caves deep below the surface."

The family Typhlochactidae includes nine species of scorpions endemic to the karstic regions of eastern Mexico. All species in the family have adapted to the dark with features such as loss of eyes and reduced pigmentation.

Three of the species (including T. mitchelli) live closer to the surface and are more generalized morphologically than the other six, making this family an excellent model with which to test and falsify Cope's Law of the unspecialized (novel evolutionary traits tend to originate from a generalized member of an ancestral taxon) and Dollo's Law of evolutionary irreversibility (specialized evolutionary traits are unlikely to reverse).

The results show that adaptation to life in caves has reversed among this group of scorpions: two of the less specialized, surface-living species, T. mitchelli and T. sylvestris, share a common ancestor with a much more cave-adapted species, and a similar pattern was found for the third less specialized, surface-living species, T. sissomi.

"Scorpions have been around for 450 million years, and their biology is obviously flexible," says Prendini. "This unique group of eyeless Mexican scorpions may have started re-colonizing niches closer to the surface from the deep caves of Mexico after their surface-living ancestors were wiped out by the nearby Chicxuluxb impact along with non-avian dinosaurs, ammonites, and other species." link

Ref.: Troglomorphism, trichobothriotaxy and typhlochactid phylogeny (Scorpiones, Chactoidea): more evidence that troglobitism is not an evolutionary dead-end L. Prendini, et al. Cladistics 26: 117-142.