Unstable Molecules: Recent Episodes
Unstable Molecules
Unstable Molecules is a podcast dedicated to exploring the origins of the Marvel Comics Universe. Beginning in the 1950s with the comics, creators and company who went on to establish Marvel, Unstable Molecules focuses mainly on the period between 1961 and 1968 when the Marvel Comics Universe was established. Characters like Spider-man, Hulk, Thor, Ant-man and the Fantastic Four are discussed along with artists and writers such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee. As Stan would say: "Excelsior!"
In this special Treasury Edition we take a break from looking at comics to review the first episode of Robert Kirkman’s new documentary series...
This episode briefly looks at war comics and Jack Kirby’s work for the final issues of Battle at the end of the fifties. We take a look at Kirby’s covers and stories in Battle issues 64-70 (June 1959 to June 1960). Accompanying information:
We take a quick peek at the type of Romance anthology comic that the Marvel team was producing just before they created the superhero universe.
How the idea of the Marvel interconnected universe - where heroes would crossover or “guest star” in each other’s books - first occurred in the teen comics for girls - with characters like Patsy Walker, Millie the Model, Kathy Carter and others.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Young Romance #1 (1947) launched the genre of the Romance comic which, at one point in the 1950s, sold more than any other genre. It's influence was felt in the early Marvel superhero comics,
Patsy Walker's first appearance is in Miss America Magazine #2. Nov 1944 cover date in a seven page introductory story pencilled and inked by Ruth Atkinson.
In her excellent history of American Romance comics, Love on the Racks, Michelle Nolan describes Venus as Marvel's first attempt to match a character to whatever trend she seemed to fit at the time.
Never to underestimate a trend, Atlas produced 3 imitations of MAD within months of the comic’s first issue - Crazy, Wild and Riot (3 titles) which saw 1st issues in December 1953, February 1954 and April 1954 - followed by Snafu later on. Atlas was the only company to produce more than 1 MAD imitation.
Dippy Duck was the last of Timely/Atlas' Animal Funnies with a cover date of October 1957. It's also the last comic to bear the Atlas Logo.
Homer the Happy Ghost was a bi-monthly kids humour comic that ran for 22 issues between 1955 and 1958. It was clearly another of Goodman’s copycat titles, obviously ripping off Harvey Comics’ Casper the Friendly Ghost.