Pre-code Classics: Strange Worlds, Vol. 1

by Peter Crowther (Foreword)

The final volume of Ace Magazines' The Beyond is brand new to the PS Artbooks Softee racks, fellow comic book fans and features writers and artists such as Warren Kremer, Frank Giusto, Don Perlin, Ken Rice, Al Hartley. Maurice Gutwirth, Mike Sekowsky, Jerry Grandenetti, Louis Zansky, Jim McLaughlin, Charles Nicholas, Lin Streeter and Richard Case. Just when you thought it was gonna be safe to put your wallet away, think again cos here comes even more horror and suspense in the form of ghouls and cadavers, vampires and ghosts! Collects The Beyond #1-5 (November 1950-July 1951).

Genres: Comics

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

Peter Crowther, born in 1949, is a journalist, anthologist, and the author of many short stories and novels. He is the co-founder of PS Publishing and the editor of Postscripts.

Reviews

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading only the Crom stories that are

Set in 50.000BC

and they are not good.

[MB Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection reprints the first seven issues of an early 1950s comic book: Avon's Strange Worlds. Given that the text above the comic's title says "ASTOUNDING SUPER-SCIENCE FANTASIES" I was expecting mostly science fiction stories.

The first issue did lead off with a science fiction story ("The Corsairs from the Coalsack!" by Gardner F. Fox (words) & Joe Kubert (pictures)), but the second story was a horror story and the last a Conan rip-off (Crom the Barbarian in "The Spider God of Akka!" also by Fox).

On the plus side the collection includes several stories (all science fiction, if I recall correctly) drawn by Wally Wood, one of my all time favorite comic book artists. Unfortunately, they are from early in his career, and not near as polished as his later work. The collection also includes two covers (issues 4 & 5) he drew. Both are very nice and one is classic: A four armed orange space monster looms menacingly over a filmily clad woman chained to a table, while the hero, in the background, looks about to blast away with an ornate pistol.

One story ("Invasion from the Abyss" in issue 3) gives art credit to Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood & Roy Krenkel, a pretty impressive lineup and the art is pretty nice.

It's a mostly fun collection of pre-code 50s comics, which I generally enjoy. The story and art are better than the slightly earlier Adventures Into the Unknown Archives Volume 1 collection I tried not too long ago and generally not quite as good as the collections of mid-fifties EC comics.

There is apparently a Strange Worlds, Volume Two , but I doubt I'll get a copy...