Fantastic Giants, Vol. 2, No. 24

Sunday, March 04 2007 @ 07:00 PM PST

Charlton’s giant-sized FANTASTIC GIANTS not only stars Konga (a British knock-off of King Kong) but also Gorgo (a British rip-off of Godzilla)! Plus, meet Hogar and the Mountain Monster, all drawn by Spider-Man’s co-creator, Steve Ditko, in his prime! And wait until you see the shocking reason why this ODDBALL cartoonist has always suppressed photos of his face!

[fieldinserts][issuetitle]Title: [subissuetitle]Fantastic Giants[subissuetitle]
[issuetitle][issue]Issue: [subissue]Vol. 2, No. 24[subissue]
[issue][publicationdate]Date: [subpublicationdate]September, 1966[subpublicationdate]
[publicationdate][publisher]Publisher: [subpublisher]Charlton Comics Group[subpublisher]
[publisher][coverartists]Cover Artist(s): [subcoverartists]Steve Ditko (signed)[subcoverartists]

[coverartists][introtext]Charlton’s giant-sized FANTASTIC GIANTS not only stars Konga (a British knock-off of King Kong) but also Gorgo (a British rip-off of Godzilla)! Plus, meet Hogar and the Mountain Monster, all drawn by Spider-Man’s co-creator, Steve Ditko, in his prime! And wait until you see the shocking reason why this ODDBALL cartoonist has always suppressed photos of his face![introtext]

[fieldinserts] Gorillas, dinosaurs and giant monsters have long been staples of the comic book industry – and here’s a “giant” of another type that features ‘em all! But the spotlight is really on the cartoonist who drew this entire issue, the same man who co-created the Amazing Spider-Man, the great Steve Ditko!

The first issue of Charlton’s KONGA comic book series was cover-dated 1960. The series ran a total of twenty-three issues, the last of which was cover-dated November, 1965. There were also two other short-lived “Konga” titles, the one-shot THE RETURN OF GORGO (1962) and the two-issue series KONGA’S REVENGE (1963 and 1964). This one -- and only -- issue of FANTASTIC GIANTS is actually a continuation of Charlton’s KONGA, unfortunately, it was also the final issue. It adapted a feature monster-movie, KONGA (1961), directed by John Lemont and starring Michael Gough as “Dr. Charles Decker”, Margo Johns as “Margaret”, Jess Conrad as “Bob Kenton” and Claire Gordon as “Sandra Banks”. The film’s advertising tag-line was, “Not since "King Kong"...has the screen exploded with such mighty fury and spectacle!” “Very mad scientist Gough, intent on creating a plant-animal hybrid, occasionally enlarges his chimpanzee friend to gorilla size, then sends the ape out to kill his enemies. A climactic overdose makes Konga king-sized for an exceptionally dull rampage. Grassy, silly Herman Cohen-produced knockoff of KING KONG has only Gough’s juicy, hammy performance to recommend it.” – Leonard Maltin, LEONARD MALTIN’S 2001 MOVIE & VIDEO GUIDE (Signet, 2001)

The first issue of Charlton’s GORGO comic book series was cover-dated May, 1961. The series ran a total of twenty-three issues, the last of which was cover-dated September, 1965. There were also two other short-lived
“Gorgo” titles, the one-shot GORGO’S REVENGE (1962) and the two-issue series THE RETURN OF GORGO (1963 and 1964). It adapted a feature monster-movie, GORGO (1961), directed by Eugene (THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, THE GIANT BEHEMOTH) Lourie and starring Bill Travers as “Joe Ryan”, William Sylvester as “Sam Slade”, Vincent Winter as “Sean”, Christopher Rhodes as “McCartin”, Bruce Seton as “Professor Flaherty” and Joseph O’Conor as “Professor Hendricks”. The film’s advertising tag-line was “Neither Bombs, Bullets, Jets or Rockets Can Stop Gorgo...But This Little Boy Knew His Secret!” ”Good sci-fi story of captured baby sea monster put into London circus and gigantic parent coming to rescue it. Exciting special effects.” – Leonard Maltin, LEONARD MALTIN’S 2001 MOVIE & VIDEO GUIDE (Signet, 2001)

Although best-known for his role in creating Spider-Man (and to a lesser extent, Dr. Strange), the cover of FANTASTIC GIANTS – “A Steve Ditko Special!” -- is one of the only comics that has properly acknowledged this unique cartoonist’s talent.

The co-creator of Marvel’s amazing Spider-Man, cartoonist Steve Ditko, was born Stephen Ditko on November 2, 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the son of Slavic immigrants. As a kid, Ditko showed promise as a cartoonist; his primary influences included Will (THE SPIRIT) Eisner and the early “Batman” comic book artists. Ditko did military service in post-war Germany after graduating from Johnstown High School in 1945. Following this, he attended New York City’s Cartoonists And Illustrators School (later re-named the School Of Visual Arts); with “Batman” cartoonist (and creator of the Joker) Jerry Robinson as one of his instructors. In 1953, Ditko broke into the comic book business, working for Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s BLACK MAGIC (Crestwood/Prize) and Kirby’s CAPTAIN 3-D (Harvey) and Charlton’s THE THING. The next year, he appeared in Farrell’s FANTASTIC FEARS and did a lot more work for Charlton, including drawing his first covers. In 1956, Steve began freelancing for Atlas/Marvel, primarily working in the genres of horror, mystery and science fiction, while continuing to freelance for Charlton. At Marvel, working with editor/writer Stan Lee, Steve Ditko’s work appeared in such comics as STRANGE ADVENTURES, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY, STRANGE WORLDS, TALES OF SUSPENSE and TALES TO ASTONISH. His ability to craft unsettling stories with a unique “look” eventually led to AMAZING ADULT FANTASY (formerly AMAZING ADVENTURES), a TWILIGHT ZONE-esque anthology series (“The Comic Magazine That Respects Your Intelligence!”) tailored to feature nothing but his short, Stan-Lee-written tales. With its fifteenth and final issue (August, 1962), the comic changed its name once again, this time to AMAZING FANTASY. It cover-featured a new superhero, “Spider-Man”, drawn by Jack Kirby and inked by Steve Ditko. (Steve had previously drawn the cover, but Stan rejected it for being drawn from a different, less dynamic angle.) Inside, in a historical collaboration between Stan Lee and Ditko, it introduced Peter Parker, a geeky high school student who is bitten by a radioactive spider, thereby gaining creepy superpowers – and eventually becoming one of the best-known superhero characters of all time. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN soon received his own title, but a second Ditko character, “Dr. Strange” – who Stan Lee once admitted in a fanzine interview that was entirely Ditko’s concept – first appeared as a back-up series in STRANGE TALES No. 110 (July, 1963). Unfortunately, Dr. Strange was too brilliantly weird to catch on in a big way with the fans, although the character and Ditko’s mind-blowing depictions of sorcery and other dimensions was eventually embraced by the counterculture. (What’s ironic is that Ditko has always been conservative in his viewpoint, the polar opposite of a hippie!) During this stint at Marvel, Steve also worked on such characters as “The Incredible Hulk” in THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 6 (an Oddball story in which the green monster finds himself stuck with Dr. Bruce Banner’s head!) and TALES TO ASTONISH and “Iron Man” (being the first to design a red-and-yellow motif for Tony Stark’s armor) in TALES OF SUSPENSE. Although Ditko was eventually given the assignment of plotting his Spider-Man and Dr. Strange stories, and despite the fact that he was the ideal talent for both series and that he had already co-created the majority of Spider-Man’s arch-villains to this day, he abruptly quit working for Stan Lee and Marvel in 1966 (his last stories for them were both cover-dated July); Steve Ditko has never revealed the specific reason for his decision, but it certainly was the end of an era at Marvel, where his artistic presence nicely complimented those of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Instead, Ditko concentrated on working for Charlton, for whom he’d never really stopped freelancing for and for whom he had already co-created (with Joe Gill) a Cold War superhero, “Captain Atom”, in SPACE ADVENTURES No. 33 (March,1960). Although the Derby, Connecticut publisher paid a much lower page rate, it was run without nearly as much editorial control, and this greatly appealed to Steve, who would eventually have a major part in the creation of such memorable Charlton characters as the “new Blue Beetle” and “The Question.” (both 1967) as well as dozens of science-fiction, horror, mystery, monster and even war comics. During this period, Ditko also did work for Dell (NUKLA, GET SMART, etc., often inked by Sal Trapani) and ACG, By the late 1960s, Steve Ditko’s interest in the writing and philosophy of Ayn Rand -- termed “Objectivism” -- began to manifest itself in his mainstream funnybook stories. This led to Ditko’s creation of what is perhaps his most personal (and Oddball) character, “Mr. A”, first appearing in the third issue of Wallace Wood’s legendary prozine, WITZEND (1967). The embodiment of Objectivism, Mr. A (logically, the next step beyond the Question) practices his belief that there is no grey area of morality, only black (evil) and white (good), with his calling cards designed accordingly. Meanwhile, he had been drawing some of the best work of his career for writer/editor Archie Goodwin in the pages of Jim Warren’s CREEPY and EERIE black-and-white horror magazines. The prolific Ditko was also doing excellent work for Tower’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS and, due to former Charlton editor Dick Giordano’s relocation, DC Comics. There, with writer Don (KONA, MONARCH OF MONSTER ISLE) Segall, he co-created “The Creeper” in SHOWCASE No. 73 (March-April, 1968) and with Steve Skeates, “The Hawk And The Dove” in SHOWCASE No. 75 (June, 1968). Both were memorable concepts that went on to short-lived series and continue to be re-visited in DC’s current continuity. For the next few years, Ditko concentrated on a combination of Charlton assignments (THE MANY GHOSTS OF DOCTOR GRAVES, GHOSTLY HAUNTS, GHOSTLY TALES, STRANGE SUSPENSE STORIES, etc.) and self-expressing material for the alternative market. Finally returned to DC in 1975, where Ditko created co-created STALKER (1975, with Paul Levitz and Wallace Wood) and SHADE THE CHANGING MAN (1977). He also worked on new stories featuring the Creeper, Jack Kirby’s Demon and the Legion Of Super-Heroes, as well as a new incarnation of Starman and a few illustrations for WHO’S WHO. After passing on the opportunity to draw Captain Atom (DC had recently acquired the rights to most of Charlton’s “action heroes”), Ditko returned to Marvel in 1979, but refused to draw anything featuring Spider-Man or Dr. Strange. Instead, he worked on just about every other classic Marvel character or series (including taking over Jack Kirby’s MACHINE MAN) plus creating SPEEDBALL (1988) and drawing a long run of ROM, SPACEKNIGHT, with a diverse and interesting parade of talented inkers. Ditko also worked on all four issues of Marvel/Star Comics’ CHUCK NORRIS AND THE KARATE KOMMANDOS, a four-issue miniseries based upon a Ruby-Spears cartoon show. After brief creative stopovers at Dark Horse, Defiant and Hamilton Comics (on MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, of all things!), Steve Ditko concentrated his efforts on new projects for the independent market. An extremely private man, Ditko was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall Of Fame in 1990, and still lives in New York City. Oddly enough, none of the biographical information available mentions that Steve Ditko has a giant inkwell for a head. (I guess he got better!)

Included in this 64-page issue of FANTASTIC GIANTS are the following stories and advertisements:

• “Draw Any Person In One Minute”, a black-and-white, inside-front-cover ad for a “Magic Art Reproducer” available through mail-order from “Norton Products”.

• “Konga”, drawn by Steve Ditko. – This 22-page movie adaptation (a very loose one) begins with this [pic2]splash-page[pic2] intro: “From out of the black, lush weirdness of the unknown jungle he came…A scientist’s dream that became a living nightmare! A creature so colossal, so terrifying it was beyond imagination! This was the horror known to the world as ...KONGA”. In an [pic3]oddly beautiful[pic3] [pic4]three-page[pic4] [pic5]sequence[pic5], the motors of Dr. Charles Decker’s two-man plane catch fire and it crashes in the African jungle with the pilot still aboard. Not only does the scientist finds himself stranded .in the depths of the African wilderness, but when a concerned little brown monkey leads him further into the jungle, he’s introduced to [pic6]a tribe of imposing African giants[pic6]! At first, they’re rather threatening, but the tribe’s witchdoctor, M’Bontu, reasons that since “Konga the sacred one” – their description of the little monkey who brought the scientist to them – accompanies Dr. Decker, he should be treated with respect. Conversing in Bantu dialect, the white man learns that the villager’s size is attributable to eating the seeds of “carnivorous plants…but of a species and size unknown to science”. Dr. Decker decides to stay with the African giants for a while, “engaged in research which might revolutionize scientific thinking! If I can prove my theory, we may have to tear up a lot of text books!” A year later, Dr,. Decker finally returns to the civilization of the West African coast, with the little brown monkey named Konga riding on his shoulder. Greeted by a mob of eager reporters, each hoping to get an exclusive interview, Dr. Decker is more interested in getting back home to his wife, Margaret in London. Reunited, Dr. Decker’s wife shows him the modifications she’s made to his laboratory according to the instructions he sent her from Africa: a “huge” cage (far too big for Konga) and climate-controlled terrariums (in which to grow the carnivorous plant seeds he brought back from Africa). Long-winded Dr. Decker explains his plan, “Some we will plant, some we will make into a serum! These seeds contain the genetic linkage between plants and animals! The plant manufactures, within itself, the drug Colchicine which affects the central units of heredity, the genes! It can more than double the number of genes in each cell, causing tremendous growth…” Soon, the seeds are sprouting and Dr. Decker is getting increasingly fanatical about his project, convinced that his experimentation will enable mankind to “span a million years of human evolution in a fortnight”. Extracting oil from the plants as M’Bontu had shown him, Dr. Decker injects little Konga with a controlled dosage of the stuff. Within a few minutes, it causes the tiny monkey to transform into a full-sized chimpanzee, “the second stage of primate evolution”. Elated by these results, Dr. Decker, the botany professor at Essex College, returns to his classroom job for its necessary income, while continuing to use all of his spare moments to continue experimentation. There, he hires one of his promising students to assist him, a young redhead named Sandra. But when the school’s stodgy Dean Foster orders him to abandon his personal project on the grounds that his “extravagant scientific claims” are reflecting poorly on the college’s reputation, Dr. Decker reacts with volcanic anger. Back in his lab, the botanist injects Konga with another small dose of Colchicine serum, causing the chimp to transform into a 600-pound, dark blue (!) gorilla. Unknown to Dr. Decker, his serum causes the “expansion of that section of the brain which allowed thought transference”, allowing Konga to “read” Decker’s thoughts of revenge against Dean Foster. That night, Konga uses a key to open the key to his cage, then ventures out into the London fog to murder the college administrator in his own study. Analyzing the crime’s “weird clues”, Scotland Yard’s investigators suspects an animal is responsible for the death, but make no mention of that when they interview Dr. Decker, the last man to see Dean Foster alive. The following day at Essex College, Dr. Decker is introduced to Professor Tagore, an East Indian scholar brought in by Dean Foster as a guest lecturer before he was murdered. The turban-wearing professor reveals that he’s been working on a research project that’s startlingly similar to that of Dr. Decker; he even offers Decker his business card so that they could get together and compare notes. Stunned, enraged, and jealous – “I will remain a wretched, obscure teacher, who has lived and died a cipher…unmourned and forgotten!” -- Dr. Decker returns to his laboratory, where Konga once again reads his friend’s thoughts. That night, in [pic7]this montage[pic7], Konga retrieves and reads (!) the scrap of paper on which Professor Tagore’s address is written, then releases himself from his cage and sets out to eliminate his master’s scientific competition. The next day, the campus is abuzz with the news of Professor Tagore’s death due to a blazing fire in his laboratory. Later, Sandra and her bland fiancée, Bob, inform Dr. Decker that she’ll no longer have time to work as his assistant; this greatly annoys the botanist, who blames Bob for the decision. Sure enough, that night, Konga lets himself out of his cage, but before he embarks on his mission of vengeance for his master, the mutated gorilla injects himself with Dr. Decker’s serum – but with a dosage that’s easily fifty times too big! Growing bigger by the second, Konga’s increasing size destroys Dr. Decker’s laboratory, “beyond control…he’s become everything that is bestial!” As their home collapses around them, Charles and Margaret Decker are killed by falling debris. Then, as Konga smashes his way through London, the Army and Air Force are called upon to destroy the rampaging super-ape. Eventually, their combined firepower takes a toll on Konga’s vital organs, and [pic8]the gigantic gorilla’s lifeless form topples[pic8] to Earth, shrinking as it falls – and all that’s left is the corpse of a little brown monkey! Lucky to still be alive, Sandra’s fiancée Bob notes about Dr. Decker, “His life’s work is gone…beneath the ashes! No one will ever know what his great mind could have produced!” (This story is reprinted: from Charlton’s KONGA No. 1, 1960.)

• “With the Help of Hogar”, drawn by Steve Ditko. – This newly-drawn (in 1966)10-pager is entirely told in captions and illustrations but absolutely no dialogue: Africa, the dark continent seethes with mysteries! Some have been explained, while others never will be! The world is still too immature to cope with the the (sp.) truth of many, the witchdoctor, and the kingdom he sought to claim…WITH THE HELP OF HOGAR! It first appeared as a pinpoint of light…which seemed to grow bigger and bigger…as it headed straight for Earth…A meteorite? Perhaps…but one such as has never before been seen by the eyes of man! It entered the Earth’s atmosphere and came to rest, finally, in a hidden valley of South Africa, seen only by Manu! Manu, the power-mad witchdoctor, who had been banished from his tribe for his evil activities…”Hu!” he mused, pacing about the strange stone from the sky! “Can this be turned to a way back to power?” “Sure it is a sign from the gods!” He thought as he set about carving the stone into a huge statue…But the job was not an easy one! He would spend a month as his task! The gods would look at him with favor for his dedication to the task, and all the while he dreamed of his return to power! “Surely,” he thought, “This will prove that I am the only true leader of my people!” Finally his work was finished! Manu had carved out his idol and with the help of it, “I will be a strong leader again! Yes, HOGAR, as he called it, “Will bring me to power again!” With a plan worked out, Manu let himself be seen by his tribesmen! “There,” they shouted, “There is Many! Destroy him! Kill him!” A few spears nearly finished his scheme before it began! “I will not be hurt! The gods will protect me!” he thought as he ran…But with an added spurt of speed, he make it to the valley with the others right behind him! “It is good! Now they will see for themselves!” And he found his plan working when they came upon him and his Hogar! “This is THIS?” asked one…Manu told them, “Hogar is a sign from the gods that I am to be your leader!” But one warrior arose among the listeners who believed differently! “Manu is bad and should never rule again!” he shouted his defiance…But Manu stood his ground, “I will not give in! Hogar is a sign from the heavens that I, Manu, am to be your leader! And Hogar will come to life to prove it!” “When the moon is full, I will breathe life into Hogar, and he will live to show you! I am your new leader, your chosen leader!” Many told them…And deep within his brain, Manu was convinced that it would be thus! What was the strange material from which he had created Hogar, why did it arrive at just the spot upon which he was standing, if not to point him out as the “chosen one of the gods”? Surely “they” would not turn “their” backs on him now…And with that, he dismissed his fellow tribesmen and told them, “Return with the whole tribe on the night of the full moon!” When the full moon was high in the sky, the tribesmen filled the valley! The women and children stood off in the trees to stare in awe at the huge figure of Hogar…With a drum beating loudly, Manu climbed the statue and started a fire in one of the hands! As the flames rose he turned his face to the heavens, imploring, “You who have chosen me, hear me now…” This done, he turned to the face of Hogar and with magic words, began to speak…”I, who have labored mightily to carve this great tribute to the gods, now beseech the gods to help me breathe life into this creature so that all may know that I have been chosen!” Unknown to Manu, devices of the white men and the forces of nature would be helping him make his dream come true! For in the vast desert, the French were exploding nuclear devices…As the radio-active fallout from this device fell upon the valley, the native men danced frantically to the beat of the drums! Suddenly, a storm arose…and lightning danced across the black sky…Manu raved on and on! His frenzy was as strong as the dancing men below! Then suddenly, lightning struck the idol…Manu was stunned by the force and fell to the ground…Then a strange and wondrous thing happened…The combined force of the nuclear energy in the atmosphere and the electrical charge of the lightning created a reaction which set the strange cells that composed the body of [pic9]Hogar[pic9] into motion! And with that motion came life! A life such as the world has never known before! Manu could not believe his eyes! But his mind contained only one thought! “I’ve done it” he exalted, “The gods have heard me!” He had promised to breathe life into the statue and HE HAD! The gods had DISTINED (sp.) HIM TO RULE! There was no fear in Manu. Was this not his creation? Had he not made it come to life? There was nothing to fear…was there? But the statue had satisfied its curiosity about the little man! With a wild sound from its throat, it flung Manu screaming into the surrounding jungle…And with a loud grunt, the huge Hogar began to walk the Earth…In observatories all over the world, seismograph machines began to pick up the tremors caused by Hogar! Scientists were shocked to see earthquakes being recorded where none had ever occurred before…Observation teams were sent out from neighboring African countries! They were to fly over the are of the quakes and report the cause of this unusual occurrence…Hogar was turning the jungle into the nightmare world that foreigners often believe it to be! Whole areas of jungle were ravaged by its feet and sweeping arms…Entire villages became a holocaust of fire and smoke! Animals stampeded through the night! Nothing was safe if it stood in the path of HOGAR…The planes sent to observe had reported the sight of Hogar! But who would believe them? Hogar left death and destruction in his wake! He could not be stopped! The most modern bombs and artillery were not powerful enough to stop Hogar! He crushed the planes sent against him as if they were insects…And back in the jungle, Manu lay dying! Hogar had sent him crashing to earth, his body was shattered by the fall…He realized, all; his sins of lust and greed! He prayed for some way to make up for them before he died! For suddenly, he knew that the gods had heard his prayers! A strange star appeared in the sky above him! It paused over Manu as he died, and then followed the path of havoc that Hogar had left behind…The “star” contained strange creatures from another universe! It had to destroy the huge piece of matter which had escaped an experimental field that they had placed it in…Following the path that the matter had taken as a meteorite, they traced it to Earth! And now the elements in the matter were loose and wrecking this strange primitive planet…People stared in awe at the huge ship as it passed over them! They forgot the destruction caused by Hogar and wondered what or who had sent a new weapon against the destructive thing…something, perhaps a vague memory imbedded in the huge mobile mass of the matter that was Hogar caused it to turn in the direction of the coming spaceship…It recognized the ship as a threat to its existence and suddenly it raised its huge fist to batter it! It was frozen in a field of force too strong for it to overcome…And as suddenly as Hogar appeared, he was gone! Disintegrated by the spaceship! Now, its mission completed, it streaked off into the heavens! The world took a sigh of relief and began to clean up the wreckage caused by Hogar! And in a jungle clearing, the body of a man with dreams of power lay crushed. But there was a smile on his face! The gods had heard his prayer for help and had answered at last.

• “Gorgo”, drawn by Steve Ditko. – This 22-page movie adaptation begins with this [pic10]splash-page[pic10] intro: “Spewed up from the bottomless depths by a volcanic eruption that reached back 2,000,000 years in time to give the world one horrifying glimpse of a species we had thought extinct, Gorgo came forth, a thing of terror with massive jaws, awesome fangs capable of crushing ships or tanks…as a dog does a bone! Gorgo’s incredible strength was to paralyze the greatest city on Earth…rout the mighty British Navy…and teach Man once more that his own greed is his most terrible danger…and if unchecked could someday destroy him!” Salvage divers Joe Ryan, Sam Slade and their crew are about their small ship, THE TITAN, working off the coast of Ireland, attempting to recover valuable equipment from ships sunk during World War II. But the water around them is complicating a normally simple task; it’s bubbling, roiling and steaming like hot soup, unlike any these experienced seamen have ever seen. Suddenly, there’s a huge and fiery explosion that nearly swamps Joe and Sam’s boat with the monstrous waves it creates – the crew comes to the realization that they’re witnessing the birth of an undersea volcano! Heavily damaged by the waves, THE TITAN limps into dock in a tiny Gaelic fishing port, which took its share of punishment from the storm as well. Weird, prehistoric-looking fish float dead on the water, churned up from the ocean’s bottom. Seeking the local harbor master, Joe and Sam are led to the home of Mr. McCartin, an archaeologist, by his young “helper”, Sean. Requesting help with repairs and fresh water so that they can get back to work, devilish-looking McCartin denies Joe and Sam, claiming they need a permit from Dublin; without one, they won’t be allowed to stay on the island for more than twenty-four hours, “because of the work we’re doing”. Suspecting a ruse, Joe and Sam follow McCartin’s secretive diving crew out to sea in a rented motorboat, but when one of their divers gets in trouble and the salvagers pull him aboard their craft, only to discover that he’s apparently been scared to death and that he clutches a fistful of “Viking gold” coins! Donning scuba suits, Joe and Sam dive overboard and discover a number of sunken Viking ships on the ocean floor below…as well as [pic11]a killer whale and a giant octopus[pic11]! But before either can consume them, the attacks are suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a third creature, one that dwarfs the others! Joe and Sam escape to topside while the killer whale and the giant reptile tussle with one another. That night, while fresh water is pumped aboard THE TITAN before its departure, Joe and Sam witness a grim island ritual, one for “Ogra, the sea spirit”, due to the death earlier that day of Sean’s father at sea. Torch-waving fishermen row the bay, while roaring bonfires are built on the beach, but they only serve to attract an unexpected visitor – the huge bipedal reptile that Joe and Sam saw earlier! The monstrous “Ogra” attacks the men on the beach, but is driven back into the sea by their torches. “With one last flick of his tail that wrecked a dozen boats and twice as many men”, the creature turns back to return to deep water. While the locals drop to their knees, giving thanks for their survival, Joe and Sam can’t help but speculate on ways to exploit the situation. Against Sean’s warnings – “’Tis a terrible bad thing you’re doin’…a terrible bad thing!” – they and their crew take THE TITAN out to sea and prepare to capture “Ogra” with their steel shark net. Joe Ryan volunteers to man their bathysphere as live “bait” for the monster; soon, its display of lights attracts “[pic12]the huge throwback[pic12]”, which attempts to eat the bathysphere, Joe Ryan and all! Fortunately, before this can happen, the crew of THE TITAN manage to tangle the scaly critter in their steel shark net, just as planned. Soon, they’re transporting the monster toward England, where the owner of Dorkin’s London Circus has offered them thirty thousand pounds against fifty percent of the gross for displaying “Gorgo, The Eighth Wonder Of The World” -- the Ogra’s new name, thought up by Mr. Dorkin himself, apparently an admirer of KING KONG (1933) showman supreme Carl Denham -- at Battersea Park. Once they arrive, Joe and Sam discover that young Sean has stowed away on THE TITAN; determined to help Gorgo return to the sea, but the youngster is nearly disemboweled while trying to unlock the chains that bind it. Finally, Gorgo reaches his destination, and after the creature is released inside its electrified enclosure, all it can do is to emit a series of mournful roars. Just then, Sam delivers a bit of chilling news to his partner: “Did you hear what Professor Hendricks said about Gorgo? He says Gorgo’s not an adult specimen! In fact, he’s in EARLY INFANCY! An adult of this species would be well over two hundred feet tall!” Sure enough, Gorgo’s irate mama is already demolishing McCartin’s island, then, catching the scent of her captive offspring, heads straight for London. Despite the efforts of a number of armed military jets and ships, she cuts a swath of destruction up the Thames River and into London directly toward Battersea Park. As the maternal monster approaches, partners Joe and Sam begin to bicker -- then trade punches – over whether or not to release Gorgo. Meanwhile, his mother shrugs off the weaponry of tanks, planes, missiles – not even a wall of flaming gasoline or millions of volts of electricity can stop her – as she inexorably advances through London, its population fleeing like insects before her. But in [pic13]the greatest, most satisfying twist-ending[pic13] in the history of giant monster movies (or funnybooks), once Mama Gorgo collects her titanic baby in her scaly arms, she’s content to return to the sea, leaving Sean a happy boy and mankind behind forever…or, at least until the next issue of GORGO! (This story is reprinted from Charlton’s GORGO No. 1, May, 1961.)

• “The Mountain Monster”, drawn by Steve Ditko. -- This newly-drawn (in 1966)10-pager begins with this introductory caption: “It stood there silhouetted against the stormy sky. Within its hands lay strength enough to destroy an entire village! Its mind contained knowledge that could benefit the whole of a continent…and yet it was as frightened of itself as any of the persons who had ever seen it! Somewhere locked tightly into that portion of what is called a brain lay the answer to the enigma of [pic14]the MOUNTAIN MONSTER[pic14]! One day, around the turn of the century, some boys frolicked in the woods near their central European village. They had been warned not to wander too far from home, but…” While out playing ball, the boys are the first to see the masked mountain monster, which follows them back into their village and -- shrugging off a local lawman’s bullets-- begins to search for the house of the noted Doctor Caesmer Karv. The lumbering creature smashes through its door, finding the doctor and his young blonde daughter inside. Ignoring their pleas, the mountain monster grabs Dr. Karv and carries him, flung over his massive shoulders, back through the deep, dark forest outside of town, up a steep mountain and into the half-ruined castle of its master, the one-eyed Dr. Hans Leiter. The eyepatch-wearing scientist straps the unconscious Dr. Karv to a waiting upright lab table and the monster (which Leiter has dubbed “Adam”) to another, removing its mask to reveal that -- it’s actually a sophisticated robot! After placing metal domes over both of their craniums, Dr. Leiter throws a switch to transfer a copy of Dr. Karv’s memories into his creation. When Dr. Karv awakens, he finds that he’s in a dungeon cell with other male villagers, all kidnapped victims of Dr. Leiter’s experiments on Adam. But when Dr. Leiter unstraps his creation from the lab table, it re-dons its mask and takes off into the woods, back toward the village. Dr. Leiter had failed to realize that, if Adam’s memories were duplicates of his victims’ most recent memories, that it would awake in a mentally terrified condition – and is desperately trying to run away from itself! Releasing Dr. Karv and the others from captivity, Dr. Leiter explains the situation. As Dr. Karv exits the ruined castle, he encounters a mob of torch-carrying villagers, all on the trail of the mountain monster. Meanwhile, stumbling through the woods, terrified Adam decides to take refuge atop another mountain. Scaling it, he seeks shelter in a mountaintop cave, but discovers that it’s occupied by a pack of ravenous wolves. Waging a pitched battle against the furry predators, Adam involuntarily draws the attention of the irate villagers – but instead of fearing them, begs them for help! Below him, Dr. Karv asks the monster’s identity, further confusing Adam. But when he notices, through the rents torn in his clothes by the wolves’ fangs and claws, that he’s made of metal, Adam becomes hysterical and climbs up to the mountain’s peak, where he’s blasted by a bolt of lightning. This triggers an avalanche, in which Adam’s mechanical body is crushed beyond repair…or is it?, as one of his robot hands seems to ask as it clings to artificial life.

• “3 Complete Fishing Outfits”, a black-and-white, inside-back-cover ad for fishing gear available through mail-order from “Niresk Discount Sales”.

• “Boys, Girls, Men, Women – If you Know Just 10 People…You Can Make At Least $50 – More Likely $100 To $200 In Your Spare Time!”, a back-cover ad soliciting for door-to-door greeting card salespeople to represent “Wallace Brown, Inc.”

ODDBALL Factoid – While in junior high school, young Steve Ditko built miniature wooden models of German airplanes to aid civilian World War II aircraft-spotters!

Bonus ODDBALL Factoid – Cartoonist Steve Ditko shared a Manhattan art studio from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s with bondage fetish artist Eric Stanton, a former schoolmate! To this day, Stanton asserts that he was responsible for choreographing some of Spidey’s greatest Ditko-drawn fight sequences, and that his specializing in drawing bondage situations was an “inspiration” for Spider-Man’s use of his webbing!

Double-Bonus ODDBALL Factoid – Speaking of giant movie monsters, Charlton also published two issues of REPTILICUS (1961) and six issues of REPTISAURUS THE TERRIBLE, an unlicensed continuation of the series (1962) and a “Special Edition” (1963). These were based on the feature monster-movie REPTILICUS, directed by Sidney (JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET) Pink, starring Carl Ottosen, Ann Smyrner, Mimi Heinrich, Absjom Andersen and Maria Behrens. “The tail of a prehistoric monster – recently discovered – spawns the full-sized beast. Only good for laughs as script hits every conceivable monster-movie cliché, right to the final shot. Filmed in Denmark.” – Leonard Maltin, LEONARD MALTIN’S 2001 MOVIE & VIDEO GUIDE (Signet, 2001)

Triple-Bonus ODDBALL Factoid – While in production, KONGA’s working title was I WAS A TEENAGE GORILLA!

Next Week -- ODDBALL COMIC #1,164: MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2007 – What happens when the stars of a licensed comic book adaptation of a popular TV sitcom receive an ODDBALL makeover that turns ‘em into completely unrelated characters -- who are also fun-loving hippies? For the answer, you dare not miss this in-depth look at a mind-blowing issue of DC’s SHOWCASE that features “THE WAY-OUT WORLD OF WINDY AND WILLY”, drawn by the late, great master of cute-girl-art and talking giraffes, Bob Oksner!

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