Friday, December 11, 2015

The Golden Derby - December 1965!






Fifty years ago this month Charlton continued its transition into the "Action Hero" era with the publication of the final issue of Blue Beetle written by a young fan-turned-pro Roy Thomas and drawn by the regular team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico. "The Eye of Horus" showcases one of Roy's go-to plots, drawing in the elements of ancient mythology. And in Captain Atom this month, Cap battles his first full-fledged super-villain, the chromatic Dr. Spectro, a master of color and mood. Cap looked especially good in his gold and red togs as rendered by Steve Ditko and Rocke Mastroserio. The quixotic Dr. Spectro would prove to be one of Cap's more durable opponents and one of his more intriguing as his powers kept altering from appearance to appearance. This month also saw the final issue of the long-running Fightin' Air Force, this one starring short-time flying hero American Eagle. The Pat Masulli and Rocke Mastroserio cover art is magnetic. Also on the war front is an issue of Marine War Heroes with a cover by Masulli and Mastroserio, an odd one which reveals the inner thoughts of soldiers as they trod off to battle about their leadership, a question which gained real potency in the throes of the Vietnam War era. As always Charlton continued to publish romance books as evidenced by this striking issue of Teen-Age Love sporting a typically beautiful cover by Dick Giordano.

More to come next month.

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