Gold Key Comics...The Twlight Zone

 

Celebrating my 300th post today, I thought I would mention the CBS smash hit TV show which debuted in 1959. Gold Key Comics began publishing in 1962 a long-running Twilight Zone comic that featured the likeness of host Rod Serling introducing both original stories and occasional adaptations of the original episodes. The popular comic followed the format of the television anthology as a mixture of self-contained dramas featuring fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, and psychological thriller, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist. The comic outlived this groundbreaking television series by nearly twenty years and Serling by nearly a decade. But one of the biggest draws for this amazing series were the lovely George Wilson painted covers and the legion of talented interior artists. Some of the illustrators used for the series that ran ninety two issues ending in May of 1982 included, Reed Crandell, Alex Toth, Don Heck, Frank Thorne, Al Williamson, George Tuska, Joe Orlando, Bob Lubbers, Angelo Torres, Mike Sekowsky and many others.

Atlas/Seaboard Comics: The Cougar

Another creation in Atlas/Seaboards short-lived comics line was the two issue book called The Cougar. Written by Steve Mitchell with art provided by Dan Atkins and Frank Springer for the first issue, it revolved around movie stuntman Jeff Rand, also known in the business as the Cougar, and his wild adventures on film sets. The origin story dedicated to Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, has Rand inspecting an ancient castle for a horror movie about to be shot there as Jeff's assistant accidentally revives a vampire who goes on a killing spree. Lots of action, romance, and suspense occurs before our hero disposes of the villain with the classic stake thru his heart in the final pages. Continuing in the second, and now last issue of the series we have the same Gothic horror theme with the Cougar, named for his cat-like speed and agility, taking on a ferocious werewolf. The monster turns out to be Jeff's long lost brother, Rick, who also murdered their parents after a witch cast a spell on him years ago in Louisiana. Paralyzed in the attack where Rand kills the werewolf, we are left forever knowing how the stuntman carries on until an ad was seen for the next issue, never to appear...(#3 August 1975) The Cougar fights a fellow stuntman who has a skull of steel. He also gains a new costume and new powers as the book heads off in a new direction in "Claws of the Crippled Cougar" by Gary Friedrich, Alan Kupperberg and Frank Giacoia...Well, with that said, we can at least enjoy this cover to the premiere issue by artist Frank Thorne.

Marvel Page One Title Splashes...Nuff Said!