The comic book offshoot of Ned Pines’ pulp magazine empire had a good long run during comic’s Golden Age (and beyond, really), operating from 1939 until 1956. This big volume of MOM celebrates some of the best and most interesting costumed adventure characters throughout the companies’ history. BRAD SPENCER, WONDERMAN was an attempt at a cross-genre hero, melding science fiction with superheroics. He was a headliner in Nedor’s Wonder Comics during the late 1940’s, appearing here in “The March of The Dinosaurs” which originally appeared in Wonder #17, from April 1948. The noteworthy artwork is by the unlikely teamimg of Bob Oksner and Frank Frazetta. Thrilling Comics’ cross between Doc Savage and Superman, the original DR. STRANGE could fly and do just about anything, powered by quaffing a liquid made out of “distilled sun atoms” called Alosun. This issues’ first STRANGE adventure “Dr. Strange In The South Seas” comes from Thrilling #8, in 1940; as illustrated by George Mandel. The SCARAB was an interesting hero that just never caught on. With an ancient Egyptian theme, the power of the pharoahs AND a reincarnated priest in the form of a black cat as a sidekick. Here you’ll see The SCARAB’s origin from Startling #34, July 1945. Adapted from the pulp hero The GREEN GHOST, super-magician George Chance fights crime as simply The GHOST, appearing here in an untitled story from 1940. WOMAN IN RED was a very early original costumed heroine showcased here in a story from Thrilling #19 (1941), with art by W. B. Smith. PYROMAN may have been awkwardly named (since he has electrical powers), but he was a pretty cool character. See him here taking on phony Asian versions of himself in a nameless story from 1945, as drawn by Ken Battefield and Everett Raymond Kintsler. Then, it’s Nedor’s most popular hero, The BLACK TERROR in a Sheldon Moldoff-delineated tales from America’s Best #25, “Musical Monkey Murders”. Artist Bob Oksner returns bringing Nedor’s top kid gang group The COMMANDO CUBS to life in (yet another) untitled story from Thrilling #44, from October 1944. The FIGHTING YANK takes down a super-tank in a story (What did this company have agaist STORY TITLES for a time?) from Startling #34, as limned by the ubiquitous Ken Battefield, followed by a CAPTAIN FUTURE story from the same book. FIGHTING YANK plays a return engagement from a 1949 issue of his own title, FY #27 as drawn by the superlative art team of Mort Meskin and Jerry Robinson- “The Return of Fingers”. DR. STRANGE (now referred to as “DOC”) plays an encore in a story originally seen in Thrilling #44 wherin he and his sidekick Mike team up with the Junior Air Wardens of America to stop a stateside gang of spies. Nedors’ other kid gang (these moppets are in costume) rings in as The FOUR COMRADES clean up a gang of fifth-columnists as drawn by Maurice Gutwirth. Add it all up, and it’s a full 140 pages of classic vintage stories from this fascinating company, reproduced in crisp black and white using the most up-to-date technology available.
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