Buz Sawyer-Roy Crane-1949

Via KING COMICS reprint, here's some choice strip art and story from the very influential Roy Crane with his second signature strip (after WASH TUBBS/CAPTAIN EASY). If you've ever wondered what happened to Buz's nose, you'll find out here.

Fangs For the Memories-O.G. Whiz-1972

Created by LITTLE LULU's John Stanley, here's O.G. Whiz, an ordinary young shoeshine boy who through odd circumstance ends up running a toy company. Stanley apparently left after the first issue and this is from issue 6 but I still find it amusing and nicely drawn by...someone.

Johnny Earthquake-"Sid Tyler"-1946

What can I say about this story and its artist? Well, virtually nothing, actually. Read it and you'll know as much as I do. Great logo!

Something Fantastig (sic)-Lee and Ditko-1962

Is that a misprint in the title or am I missing some reason for it? Anyway, here's an amusing little pre-Spidey trifle from Steve Ditko featuring himself and Stan. In the oft-debated "Who created Spider-Man?" argument, this might actually offer some insight as to how the pair worked together on the very title in which the web-slinger would soon debut. 

Pact With The Devil-Jack Cole-1953

Of those few Golden Age artists who very quickly mastered their craft, Jack Cole was perhaps the first to transcend it. Cole moved into magazine illustration and later became PLAYBOY's first popular panel cartoonist. He later began a reasonably successful newspaper strip which was still running at the time of his suicide. Here's an amazing of Cole's later comic book work, followed by PLAYBOY's obituary for him in 1958.

The Golden Gladiator-Russ Heath-1955

It was 1955 and DC, like most of the comics industry, was floundering, trying to find an acceptable balance between violence and action under the newly instituted Comics Code and trying to find a new trend to bring sales back up to what they had been a decade earlier. Toward this end, THE BRAVE & THE BOLD premiered as a catch-all title with Vikings, Knights and Gladiators. Here's Russ Heath's downright amazing artwork for the latter. Guy was--and is--too good for comic books!

Mr. America and Fat Man-Bernard Baily-1942

We cam ;et this slide because Baily also did Tick Tock Tyler the Hour Man as well as Jerry Siegel's Spectre, both better strips. I tend to thibk of Mr. America as DC's version of The Angel from Timely. He has a mustache and a cape and fights bad guys but is otherwise thoroughly forgettable except for some nice art.