Harlem Heroes

 
Audiences in the States may know 2000AD as the UK magazine that spawned Judge Dredd. Our readers know we love 2000AD for the dinosaur series Flesh, the violent time-traveling fantasy of writer Pat Mills. Artist Dave Gibbons may not be a household word, but the American film industry made more people aware of the most famous book he drew: Watchmen. Our gallery today features another of Pat Mills’ brilliant ideas: the Harlem Heroes.

 

 
Dave Gibbons drew the Harlem Heroes, of which we share with you the first 50 pages or so. Tom Tully’s script delivers action and heroism at a breakneck pace. The Harlem Heroes play a futuristic game called Aeroball, and the series blends an outrageous dose of science-fiction themes with sports in a barrage of non-stop conflict. Well, when one of your team members is a brain in a vat, what else can you expect?

 

 
These second-hand scans we found years ago while looking for images from Flesh leave something to be desired, we know. Still, they give a good impression of the awesomeness of this little-known series. If you want a high-quality reproduction of the complete series, you can buy the collected Harlem Heroes on Amazon. Also know that the UK’s version of Amazon has three informative reviews of Harlem Heroes that do not appear on the States’ version of Amazon.

Well – what are you waiting for? Let’s play aeroball!
 

Captain Science: The Dark O’ The Moon!

We discovered Captain Science in a Caliber Press reprint called Buried Treasure. They created a fine black and white re-print of “Captain Science and the Insidious Dr. Khartoum!” Love the Wally Wood artwork!

Like many Golden Age Comics now in the public domain, you can find Captain Science scans at the Digital Comic Museum. Or, you can collect the original issues of Captain Science.

Weird War Tales: It Takes Brains to Be a Killer!

It takes Brains to be a killer!

Script by George Kashdan.

Collector’s Guide:
– From Weird War Tales Vol. 1, #81.

 
 
See more of our Weird War Tales gallery.

Mystery in Space: The Billion-Year Evolution!

This has got to be one of the trippiest cosmic brain evolutions we’ve ever seen!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Mystery in Space #70; DC, 1961.

Adam Strange stars in “Vengeance of the Dust Devil!” (pencils by Carmine Infantino). Back-up stories: “The Billion-Year Evolution!” (art by Murphy Anderson) and “The Bravest Man in Space!” (art by Sid Greene?). Infantino cover pencils. Cover price $0.10.

Ego the Living Planet! John Byrne’s Fantastic Four

John Byrne created some of the most memorable Fantastic Four epics during his run on Fantastic Four #234-292 and Annuals #17-19. We will share with you a few of our favorites. With five years of work to pick from, it wasn’t easy choosing just a handful!

Today’s Feature: Ego – The Living Planet! Taking the reins of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine with #234, Byrne wasted zero time getting our adventurers into the most cosmic kinds of trouble he could imagine. Here, they take on a planet with a huge brain that’s gone horribly insane. And guess who gets stuck lugging a modified rocket engine down to the brain in the planet’s core to blow it all to smithereens? You bet your Aunt Petunia – it’s the ever-lovin’ blue eyed Thing! Whatta Revoltin’ Development!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Fantastic Four # 234-235.
– Reprinted in the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus – Volume 1, 2011.
– Byrne’s run spans Fantastic Four #234-292 and Annuals #17-19.

There’s a Dinosaur War A-Coming!

“By the 23rd Century, most animals had been destroyed. Man survived on synthetic foods alone. But he still craved real meat…

With the discovery of time travel, he was able to go in search of it – back 65 million years to the Age of the Great Dinosaurs!”

Mars Will Send No More celebrates the original epic Flesh from 2000 AD magazine, by Pat Mills, and starring Old One Eye, the mother of Satanus!

Now fire up your electric whip and get ready for some major dinosaur mayhem!

Collector’s Guide:
– Collected in Flesh: The Dino Files TPB; Rebellion, 2011.
– Originally printed in 2000 AD #1-19; Fleetway, 1977.

His Brain Lived On!

It just goes to show – Sometimes you can be TOO smart!

Collector’s Guide:
– From Weird Wonder Tales #2; Marvel, 1974.

Now let’s rock this jolting tale of brain power gone wrong: Murdock’s Brain!