Adventures of Bob Hope 77

Adventures of Bob Hope 77

October - November, 1962

Writer:  ??
Artist: Looks like Bob Oksner to me

Bob, apparently broke and hungry, is in the library trying to suppress his appetite by looking at books with pictures of food. He meets a gorgeous young blonde girl who is there looking for a book about ESP. Sensing an opportunity to get in good with this glamorous chick, Bob manages to convince her he is an expert on mind reading by telling her he can read his landlady's mind, wondering when Bob will pay his rent.

This is just great, because now Bob can fill in for Svengolly, the master mind reader, who was going to perform at her mother's party, but he backed out. Bob isn't sure, until she mentions that her mother is rich, and that makes up his mind for him.

Off they go to her home, which is a castle. They are so rich the gardener lives in a mansion!  Inside Bob meets Mother, who is very happy that Bob has agreed to substitute for Svengolly with a few mind-reading stunts.

Bob is shown to his room by the girl, whose name we learn is Peggy Richstuff, and Bob, ever the romantic, tries to put the moves on her. Left alone, Bob decides he'd better get away before the party before "somebody reads my mind and finds out I'm a fake!" He starts to climb out the window but falls to the ground, where Peggy finds him in a daze, but he convinces her he's just preparing for his mind-reading act by trying to put himself into a trance. Relieved he is all right, Peggy is eager to introduce Bob to her fiance! "I must admit that's one little detail I overlooked in reading your mind!"

Inside they meet up with Russell, who express doubt that Bob is really a mind-reader. Bob offers up a demonstration, stating that Russell is thinking Bob is a phoney who's out for the mother's fortune and using this stunt to steal Peggy away from him. Russell admits that's right, but...

In pops the French maid who interrupts the proceedings by announcing that tea is served. As Bob and Peggy leave the room, Russell and the maid conspire, and she is to call Svengolly to come to the party after all so their plan can be put into effect while Bob is there to distract the guests.

On the patio Bob is entertaining Peggy by reading tea leaves, but declines to read Russell's because he appears to be the coffee type. The maid announces to Peggy that Svengolly can appear tonight after all, and Peggy is excited that there will be two mind-readers at the party! Bob tries to beg off again, but agrees to stay when reminded he'll be paid to perform.

Svengolly appears, and is offended by the amateur, whom he demands leave at once! Bob tries to beg off and just leave, but his blathering is interpreted as a challenge by Svengolly, and a delighted Peggy runs off to tell her mother about the impending mind-reading duel! Bob offers to read the bumps on Svengolly's head if he'll just bend down a bit and let Bob give them to him.

Mother Richstuff arrives and is thrilled by the coming duel. Mother pulls Svengolly into another room to discuss the evening, while Bob tries to take Peggy into the garden to show her a few tricks he has up his sleeve, but when the maid intercedes to try to distract Bob, he decides to pretend he's tired so he can go back to his room and before the party starts. Bob sneaks out to eavesdrop on Svengolly, hoping to pick up some tricks that will help him later, but instead he finds Sven hypnotizing Mother and stealing her jewels, ordering her to forget afterwards. "Cute trick!" Bob thinks, spying through the window.

Later, at the party, Bob appears carrying a round fish bowl, complete with fish, and proceeds to use it as a crystal bowl to read Svengolly's mind. He sees Sven hypnotizing Mother and stealing her jewels, and Peggy notices that they are, indeed, gone from her mothers' neck and wrists!  Russell and the maid yell at Svengolly for getting greedy and taking the jewels when he was just supposed to get the wall safe combination from her!

Svengolly runs away. "I've got von vord -- SCRAM!" Russell and the maid apparently run, too. Peggy tearfully notes that "Sniff. To thint that Russell was one of them..."

Mother is thankful to Bob, but nothing is said of a reward, or even a payment for his mind-reading performance, as we're on the last page and Bob leaves Peggy and the castle. He returns to his apartment where he finds his landlady waiting for his back rent. Bob finds his door blocked by a growling dog, and he knows what's on its mind!

This is the first issue of The Adventures of Bob Hope I've ever read. I'll have to admit it was pretty enjoyable, although there weren't any laugh-out-loud jokes. The art is perfect for this type of humor comic, and the artist, who I think is Bob Oksner, really knew how to draw a pretty, sexy without being sleazy, girl. Bob's characterization was in line with the roles he played in his movies. I wonder if he ever read any of these stories?

-- your pal, Hoy

Adventures of Bob Hope 78

Adventures of Bob Hope 78

January 1963
Published by DC Comics

Writer: Arnold Drake?
Art: Mort Drucker?

Automobile racing is the theme of this issue, as we see Bob and a race car 
babe on the cover and splash page discussing the different meanings of  midget
racing.

Bob, broke as usual, is spending his free time watching beautiful girls 
leave a chorus girl agency and a fashion model agency. A beautiful blonde spots 
him and asks if he would be interested in caring for a model? Va-voom! But of 
course. She slips him a package and runs off as two goons appear trying to
find  her.  They grab a cab to chase off after her. Hearing the package ticking, 
Bob thinks it's a bomb and drops it.

Out pops a model .... racing car, that takes off by itself! Bob gives chase 
and fights off a spoiled brat who also sees it and tries to grab it away from 
our hero. An old lady walks by and tries to help. "Oh you big bully -- Take
your  leg away from that child's teeth!" As she beats Bob on the noggin with
her  umbrella, the two goons return and see bob holding the model car.

They offer to trade for a little red fire engine or a plastic scooter, but 
Bob holds on tight as the car starts off again, dragging him up the side of a 
building! (Holy Schumacher, Batman, as our pal Steve Chung might say!)  The 
model car speedily drags Bob across town, but he is eventually stopped by a 
motorcycle cop.  The beautiful blonde appears with another police officer  in a
patrol car. She explained everything, and Bob and babe are free to go.

She finally introduces herself as Dorinda Dee and explains that she is 
helping her father build the world's fastest racing car, and Bob has been  guarding
the working model for the full-sized version. Now if she can only find  a
driver so they can enter a race and win the $150,000 prize...

"You mean, all you need is a driver? Honey, you're talking to Bob 'Hot-rod' 
Hope, the Indian of Indianapolis, the splinter -- er, sprinter of the
speedway!  Oh Boy!" The couple go off to find daddy, but the goons have seen the whole
thing and predict bob won't even reach the starting line, let along the
finish  line.

At Dorinda's home the meet daddy, who is hopelessly nearsighted (think Mr. 
Magoo) and refuses to admit he needs glasses. He shakes the sleeve of a coat on
a hanger, pleased to meet Mr. Hope.  Daddy explains Bob will be driving the 
most powerful car ever made, but he will be facing tough competition from 
Renaldo, who happens to be Dorinda's fiance. Bob is aghast that this may only be
a summer romance. Daddy is convince Renaldo is only after their designs, 
and Bob admits he has designs on Dorinda himself.  Renaldo enters the room  and
grabs a kiss from Dorinda. Daddy asks "Where is he? I want to glare at  him!"

Dorinda introduces Bob and Renaldo, and after they trade barbs and some  lame
jokes, Renaldo leaves to prepare for the race. The rest go outside to show 
Bob the car he will be racing, and Daddy wants to take it for a test drive with
Bob to show him how it runs. Bob panics, especially when Daddy says "It's
not  difficult sonny -- you just point out the road -- also turn me towards the 
steering wheel..."

Off they go! Daddy remarks about how smooth and quiet the car runs and how 
gently it takes turns. Finished, Daddy wanders off, and Bob notes that the  car
didn't move an inch. "Shhh! Don't tell Daddy -- It'll break his heart!" As 
it turns out, the full-size car doesn't run at all! Dorinda doesn't want to 
break Daddy's heart by telling him, and she asks Bob, the world's greatest 
driver, if he can look under the hood and figure a way to get it running. Sure, 
as long as she can tell him where the hood is. She leaves him to his work, but 
it seems someone is already under the hood, and he's got a mallet! POW!

The goons report back to their boss ... Renaldo, of course! ... that Bob 
will wake up with a headache and a big surprise during the race. They've 
loosened the steering wheel and cut the breaks!

The next day is the big race, and Bob is in the lineup, ready to go! Daddy 
is there too, holding an air pump hose and remarking what small hands Bob has 
for a race car driver. Down goes the flag, and they're off! Except for Bob, 
whose car must be a Nova, which in Spanish means "it won't go." The official 
threatens to disqualify Bob if he doesn't get the heap running. As the 
official attempts to count to 10 while Bob is distracting him, Bob gets an  idea! He
sends Dorinda for the model race car. He ties it to the front of the  heap and
off they go! Bob easily passes the other drivers and catches up to  Renaldo!

But Renaldo pulls out a sword (!!) and cuts the rope between the model and 
Bob's car! Bob's car spins out with him in it, and it looks like his race is 
over. But...! The car is now facing backwards, and as Bob accidentally kicks
the  gear shift into reverse, it takes off! "Holy smokes! The old man's so 
nearsighted he put the gears in backwards!"

He passes the other drivers again easily, but as he approaches Renaldo's  car
Renaldo uses a device to slice off Bob's front wheel! Bob runs off the road, 
out of control, into a barn, and emerges from another wall with a barn door 
attached to the car like an airplane's wings. Off he goes into the sky, crash 
landing at the finish line in front of everyone, winning the race!

"Of Daddy! We won! We won!" exclaims Dorinda. "Of course, dear -- I see it 
clearly!" says Daddy, facing the opposite direction.

The final panel shows Dorinda bringing tea to Bob in a hospital bed, but 
despite a broken leg and arm, he runs away, because she has asked him to test 
drive dad's new rocket submarine! "With your father doing everything  backwards,
and with my luck, that sub is liable to shoot me to the moon! I'm  getting
out while I'm still in good shape!"

Thus ends another adventure of ol' ski-nose. I chuckled out loud at several 
jokes this issue, especially the nearsighted jokes. I've been there a few
times  when I've lost or broke my glasses!  The midget racing joke on the cover is
politically incorrect now, but I still think it's pretty funny. The exciting
and  silly race at the end reminds me of the type of ending you could see on
some old  comedy films from the '30s and '40s. Maybe even Bob Hope movies.

-- your pal, Hoy

Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis 35

The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis 35

February 1957 (just barely catching the Silver Age)

Story and art: I'm not even going to try to guess

Dean and Jerry are walking downtown when they spot a poster. "Be an artist! 
Draw from models! Enroll in the Arty Art School" it says. Dean thinks its a 
great idea because the poster shows an artist painting a gorgeous model. But 
Jerry is only interested because he wants to wear a beret!

While Dean scopes out the models entering the school, Jerry is off to a hat 
shop. He's upset to find that the beret he wants costs a whole $5, and even
more  upset that $1 of that is duty on the hat, which is imported from France.

Jerry finds Dean still outside the artists school and explains that his 
research has found that he can buy the hat a whole dollar cheaper by going 
directly to the manufacturer, so he's bought ... plane tickets to France! Yep, 
Jerry has spent $500 to save one dollar! Dean almost forces Jerry to return the 
tickets for a refund, until he sees a group of gorgeous models boarding the 
plane to attend a Paris fashion show. "What! Get your money back? Are you crazy?
It's a matter of principal now! You've got to see this thing through!"

On board they meet beautiful fashion designer Mme. La Tour, who hires them 
to watch the girls and to make sure no one steals her fashion designs, 
particularly a fellow called Maurice, who she thinks is out to ruin her.   Dean can't
believe he's being paid to watch beautiful women, but Jerry  is more
concerned with getting to France before the stores close.

Unfortunately, Maurice sees them leaving the plane after they land in  Paris
and begins his plans.

Jerry takes off to find a hat store. He finds a beret he likes and is told 
it costs 500 francs. So off he goes and comes back with...you guessed it...500 
hot dogs. Well, actually he could only come up with 400, so he's thrown in
some  pastrami and pigs' knuckles to make up the difference.

Dean is enjoying his job of watching the models in their dressing room when 
Jerry appears, wearing his new beret. But now he's going to try to find the
rest  of the clothing he needs to make him look like an artist. Dean advises him
to go  to the Left Bank, but Jerry argues that he only goes to the bank to
get money.  He finds an art supply store and wonders if this place will settle
for a couple  of roast beef sandwiches in payment. But around the corner are
Maurice and his  accomplice, the beautiful and sexy Fifi. "No man can resist
Fifi!"

Jerry leaves with a smock, paints and a canvas, convinced he's a real  artist
now. Fifi meets him and offers to be a model for him to paint. But he's 
already got an airplane model at home that needs to be painted. After a series  of
jokes involving misinterpretations of French words, Jerry agrees to paint 
Fifi so he can give the painting to Dean. Out come the paint tubes, but of 
course he squeezes too hard and they splatter all over Fifi. She gets angry, 
gives up and heads back to Maurice. He persuades her to try one more time to use 
Jerry to bring back the fashion designs he wants so he can be the King of 
Fashion.

Jerry meets Dean, but he's all covered with paint and Dean makes him take a 
bath in turpentine. While he's in the tub Dean and Mme. La Tour go out to 
dinner, leaving Jerry in charge of guarding the designs. This can only end in 
tears.

Fifi shows up in a sexy gown, apologizes for leaving earlier, and offers 
again to model for a painting. While Jerry goes off to put on his artist outfit, 
Fifi grabs the designs and sneaks out. Dean and La Tour return to find the 
designs are gone! And so is Jerry!

It seems Jerry saw her from his window leaving in a limousine and grabbed a 
bicycle to chase after her. He's got to catch up with her if he's going to
paint  her picture to give to Dean! Dean and La Tour have no trouble following
him as  he leaves a trail of paint splatters wherever he goes.

Maurice and Fifi arrive at a cable car that will allow them to cross the 
Alps and get away, but Jerry is right behind on his bike! Crash! Fifi invites 
him to ride the nice little trolley with her to see the Alps. She explains to 
Maurice that it would be safer to have him with them than to leave him behind
to  talk to the police. Jerry thinks he's on a trolley car, but can't see the 
tracks, but she explains it's a cable car. Jerry says he doesn't want to send
a  cable...

Dean and La Tour arrive to see the cable car leaving, and Dean grabs a  lever
that reverses the car and will bring it back. Dean and La Tour climb into  a
car that's traveling in the opposite direction so they can meet it and rescue 
Jerry and the plans. Maurice says they must get rid of the plans rather than
be  caught with them, but before he can throw them overboard Jerry grabs them
away!  "You'd better unhand them over, big boy! There are some crooks trying
to get  them and we can't let them do that, you know!" While tugging the plans,
Maurice  lets go and Jerry goes tumbling out the cable car window!

Fortunately his legs catch the edge of the window and he holds on long 
enough for Dean to grab him as his own car passes by. His mind ever on the 
situation, Jerry asks if he can get another beret, since he lost his hanging  upside
down. "No!" says Dean, who has had enough excitement.

Later, the fashion show is over and was a big success, so La Tour asks what 
she can give them to show her thanks. Jerry wants a new beret, but Dean vetoes
that request and they head back home. Jerry still wants a new hat and Dean 
agrees to help him find one, but when Jerry spots a pith helmet Dean pulls him
away, declaring they are not going on an African safari!

This is the first issue of the Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis 
I've ever read, and my poor review can't come close to the hilarity I found 
here. Jokes are crammed in everywhere, and if some don't work the next ones do. 
This truly puts the funny in funnybook, and I'm looking forward to reading
more.  I've never seen a Martin and Lewis movie, either, but if they are as funny
as  this comic, I'm going to have to try to track some down.

-- your pal, Hoy

Kona 17

Kona, Monarch of Monster Isle #17

March 1966

"Krym's Conquering Monsters"

Twenty-seven pages

Written by Paul S. Newman
Drawn by Sam Glanzman
Published by Dell


Kona is a character I have no knowledge of beyond this issue, which I fished out of the slush box as something unusual to review. He is apparently a Ka-Zar-like character who lives on an island of monsters, of which he is the monarch. Says so right on the cover.

From the opening page:  "For as Kona stands alone, desperately trying to stem the dread tide, instinctively he knows that if he loses this battle – evil will win!"

Kona is pushing a boulder into a cave opening, trying to stop an outflow of monsters, but he is unsuccessful. Fortunately, it is just a dream. Unfortunately, he walks in his sleep, and just as he is jumping off a cliff in his dreams, he jumps out a window at the home of his host in the city. Luckily for him he lands on an awning. Unluckily, it doesn't wake him up, and he attacks a crane with his long knife thinking it's a monster. Bright guy, that Kona.

A guard's efforts to stop him are unsuccessful, and he continues his sleepy-time rampage, attacking a trolly car because he thinks it's a triceratops. Police arrive to stop him, but before they can shoot, Kona's host, Dr. Dodd, shows up and wakes him, then takes him back to his house. Kona sees the dream as a premonition of bad things to come, "A warning of EVIL things befalling Monster Isle!"  Foreshadowing, your guarantee etc.

Dr. Dodd promises to take Kona home, but elsewhere, Captain Krym (Crime, get it?) is with his crew on a whaler,  searching the Pacific for Monster Island in the fog.  With the aid of Professor Faks, he finds it and lands. They soon discover an ancient cave that has been blocked off, presumably by Kona to keep the bad monsters from escaping. Of course, they blow it up.

Inside they find lots of monster eggs being guarded by cave men.  The egg thieves hold the cave men off with machine guns (not killing any, of course, because it's a Dell comic) and tear gas. Back at the whaler, the evil guys inject the eggs with chemical additives and head to Norwalla Island, where the U.S. has an advanced nuclear weapons base. "And then, the eggs in our little plot really will hatch!" observes Dr. Faks, whose head resembles an egg itself.  The excitement builds!

As part two begins, we see Kona and pals returning to Monster Isle in the Explorer, Dr. Dodd's hydrofoil, but their trip is interrupted by an urgent request for help on Norwala Island where prehistoric monsters have been sighted!  Oh, no! A sentry has seen a two-headed monster that gets angry after he shoots it, so it eats him.  Off camera, of course.

On another part of the island, Captain Krym and his crew are watching the quick-hatching and even-quicker growing monsters attack more sentries. As soldiers show up to investigate, the bad guys make things worse by throwing nerve gas to make the soldiers even more afraid, and they run off screaming after seeing a chipmunk. "Most effective! If a small animal frightens them, imagine what will happen when they see our real monsters!" The fiends!

Now we have a few pages of soldiers vs. monsters, with more nerve gas thrown in to make it worse for the soldiers. Captain Krym's plan to distract the soldiers while he makes off with nuclear weapons stored on the island is working! Nyaa ha ha!

A recon plane is knocked out of the air by a monster as Kona, Dr. Dodd and his unnamed older daughter approach the island, so they instantly figure out what is going on.  They land and Kona jumps out and attacks and kills a monster (off camera), using only his long knife.  A couple of Krym's men spot Kona and dump more nerve gas on him, causing him FEAR!  Oh no!

Part three begins with Kona dreadfully afeard of a little white bunny wabbit that two more of Dr. Dodd's unnamed younger kids helpfully chase away.  Elsewhere, Krym's men attack the island stronghold, frightening the soldiers with more nerve gas while more monsters attack. They break into a storehouse where the nuclear weapons are all thoughtfully packed up in cardboard boxes and ready for transport.


Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I mean, hydrofoil, Dr. Dodd is trying to treat Kona's fear while absent-mindedly leaving his two younger children out on the beach to play with the monsters. Kona sees them and overcomes his fear to rescue them by shouting "Oraanu-Kilooe!" and "Arilooo-Lak!" at one monster to control it and make it attack the monster that is bothering the kids.  After Kona's monster kills the other one (off camera), the two kids, whose names are finally given (Lily and Mason) come down out of a tree to safety. "Kona is Kona! Fear is not a part of Kona!"

Kona uses his monster to attack and kill the remaining monsters on the island (off camera, except for a little neck bite). But Captain Krym's men see what's happening and start shooting at Kona and his pet monster, this time with bullets instead of gas! The monster, with Kona riding on its back, overturns the bad guy's vehicle and they take off running, but not before lobbing a grenade into the monster's mouth, blowing it up real good (on camera!) Kona and the recovered soldiers manage to chase Captain Krym and his Krew off the island. "Not a single nuclear weapon was stolen!" Dr. Dodd observes. "Krym's plot was cunningly prepared – but it failed!"

However, Krym has escaped, and Kona repeats his feeling that his dream was a premonition that Krym will return to endanger Monster Island! "A chill fills the Dodd family, as they silently wonder if Kona's prediction will come true." The end.

Dinosaurs, monsters, a savage hero and a bad guy with a bad name. Why didn't this sell?

Anyway, the story itself is a bit more entertaining than my dreary recap, if you put your mind on numb. The art is decent but not outstanding. I swear I see some Ditko in the inks on some pages, but that's probably wrong.  My mind may have been numbed, or I absorbed some of that tear gas.

-- your pal, Hoy

Action Comics 320 "The Three Super-Enemies!"

Action Comics 320

January 1965
The cover and splash page look to be by Curt Swan, but the rest of the 
Superman story looks like Al Plastino. Supergirl art is by Jim  Mooney.
Superman in "The Three Super-Enemies!"
Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy  Olsen volunteer to test an underground bomb
shelter for three days. "It'll be a  bit crowded for three," notes Jimmy to
Lois. "However, you and Clark had to have  somebody to chaperon you!" "Oh,
Jimmy, don't talk nonsense."
Soon, Clark's super senses indicate that  an inhibitor wave from somewhere
has shut down all electrical equipment in  Metropolis. How will he get out of
the shelter to help? His solution? He sends  Lois and Jimmy to go make lunch
while he checks out the radio. With them gone,  he quickly turns the radio into a
time drawing device to bring his friends from  the 30th century to help. I
think he and Luthor went to the same  vocational school in Smallville.
Unfortunately, the inhibitor even affects time machines, but he finds it 
will draw people from the past, so he calls on Hercules, Atlas and Samson, who 
land outside the city limits.  Clark informs them by super  ventriloquism that
he needs their help. He sends them to the Jimmy Olsen fan  club building to
put on copies of his super suit so people will think Superman  is on the job.
But as they do so, Clark's  suspicions are raised as the three heroes boast of
having powers they shouldn't  have… And why would the Jimmy Olsen fan club
have three Superman suits? Perhaps  Atlas would have looked swell in a green suit
with a red bow tie.
They quickly find and destroy the inhibitor ray being run by a criminal 
gang, but then refuse to return to the past. They want to stay in the present  and
take over the world! "We only stopped those thieves because they were 
stealing what should belong to us!" declares the red-headed Hercules. They begin  by
conquering Metropolis, using the power of Neptune to raise the ocean, the
thunderbolts of Jove, and  the sleep powers of Morpheus. With the waters
threatening to engulf the bomb  shelter, the three reporters are released and Clark is
free to take charge of the situation as  Superman!
But the three menaces soon get the drop on Superman, and he has to use  his
wits to win. Oh, the pain! He concocts a story about an even greater menace 
who has the powers of all the gods, and his name is Omni-Menace. They agree to 
let him go to find this new challenger. Of course it's Superman in a purple 
outfit and a mask, so they don't recognize him. Works like eye  glasses.
He uses his powers to convince the evil dictators that he his godly  powers
make him mightier than they, and so they surrender. He puts them to work 
building a giant fortress, and the work is so hard they sneak away into the time 
machine to get away! "Just in time to escape that slave-driver!"
Back in his Fortress, a scientist from Kandor calls up on the view screen 
and explains that the inhibitor ray distorted the time drawing device, bringing 
the three from a parallel world like Earth, but with a different history,
where  the three were evil instead of heroes.  D'oh!
Supergirl in "The Man who Broke Supergirl's Heart"
Evil aliens scan Supergirl to study her personality and emotions so they  can
determine what would make up the perfect man for her. They build a mold and 
fill it with protoplasm to make an artificial dream date for the Girl of
Steel.  They send "Randor" to Earth to meet Supergirl, he discovers her identity
as  Stanhope  College student Linda  Danvers, and they begin a whirlwind
romance. Randor "admits" he's an alien from  Calyx and he asks Supergirl to move
there with him. She turns him down but  agrees to go take him home and visit for
a while. Once there, her powers are  drained into one of the evil alien
scientists, and he reveals Randor as only an  android. Poor stupid Supergirl! 
But Randor has exceeded his programming and truly fallen in love with 
Supergirl, so he helps her escape and regain her powers, although it costs him  his
artificial life. She captures the evil scientists and tenderly holds Randor 
as he slowly melts away into protoplasm. Who's going to pay for that dry 
cleaning? Supergirl vows to maroon the scientists on an uninhabited planet, and 
then carves Randor's face into an asteroid with a vow to never forget him. And 
he's never mentioned again. The end.
Unca Mort and his writers sure crammed a lot of story elements into a few 
pages. Time travel, parallel worlds, ancient heroes, false identities and 
powers, aliens, androids, and even a love story featuring a foolish teenager. As 
silly as these stories seem now, I ate them up as a pre-teenager when they were
first being printed in the mid-1960s. 

-- your pal, Hoy