CoronaVirus Comics UNUSUAL TALES "Incredible Advice"

Most of pioneering Black comic artist Matt Baker's work on medical-themed comics...

...usually involved beautiful nurses in torrid romances!

But not this never-reprinted tale...

This story from Charlton's Unusual Tales #20 (1960), written by Joe Gill, penciled by Matt Baker and inked by Vince Colletta has a weird Twilight Zone vibe to it.

Was it coincidence or fate...or something more that lead him to this particular old farmhouse?

Was the kindly old couple a pair of messengers?

And how did his sudden obsession with blueberries come about?
If we knew the answers, this wouldn't be such an...Unusual Tale...would it?

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Matt Baker
Art of Glamour
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CoronaVirus Comics REAL HEROES "Plague Vanquished"

Not all comic book heroes wear capes...

..as this tale of Edward Jenner, the doctor who saved us from smallpox, proves!

Who says comics ain't educational?

Not me, kiddo!

This never-reprinted story from Parent Magazines' Real Heroes #15 (1946) was one of several graphic dramatizations of Dr Jenner's achievement which has saved countless lives since its' introduction!

Depending on how long the Covid-19 lockdown continues, we may have time to run all of them!

Sadly, both writer and illustrator(s) are unknown!

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Rabbit and Cat's CoronaVirus Jokes for Such a Time as This

Volume One

PATSY WALKER "Great Idea!"

There used to be lots more to teen humor comics than just Archie and his friends...

...with every comics publisher from the late 1940s through the early 1970s doing them! 

Created by writer Stuart Little (no, he's not a talking mouse) and artist Ruth Atkinson, Patsy Walker first appeared in Timely's Miss America Magazine #2 (1944).

Redheaded Patsy Walker, parents Stanley and Betty, boyfriend Robert "Buzz" Baxter, and insanely-rich, raven-haired friendly rival Hedy Wolfe appeared from the 1944 through 1967 in various teen humor anthologies as well as several self-titled comics.

Trivia: Patsy Walker (along with Millie the Model and Kid Colt: Outlaw) were the only titles published continuously by Marvel from Timely in the Golden Age, through Atlas in the 1950s, to Marvel in the  Silver Age!

Patsy, Buzz and Hedy are all part of the Marvel Universe from Marvel's Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965) when Patsy and Hedy attended the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm!

Patsy later became the superheroine HellCat, and Buzz was revealed to be the supervillain Mad-Dog!

Patsy (and HellCat) appeared on the NetFlix series Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Defenders, played (at various ages from child to adulthood) by Rachael Taylor, Catherine Blades, and Audrey Grace Marshall, making her part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

(Note: she's called "Trish", not "Patsy" in the MCU)

Written and illustrated by the versatile Al Jaffee (before he moved over to MAD Magazine), this never-reprinted story from Atlas' Patsy Walker #36 (1951) promoted contributing to the charity created in 1946 by newsman Walter Winchell (best known today as the narrator of the 1960s TV show Untouchables) to honor his friend, writer Damon Runyon, who died of cancer!

The charity, now called Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, still exists!

CITY SURGEON "Plague"

With RFK Jr about to become the Surgeon General of the US...

...we want to look at an example of how graphic fiction portrayed pandemics such as anti-vaxxer Kennedy seems to want to happen!

So the theme of this never-reprinted tale from Gold Key's City Surgeon #1 (1963)  shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone!

Tell the truth, Nurse Lake seems to be brains of the operation!

She's the one who figures out one of the two missing crewmen might already be deceased, and her quick thinking immobilizes the other when he shows up at the office!

In the early 1960s, one of the most-popular genres in pop culture was "medical drama"!

Spearheaded on TV by hunky prime-time physicians Dr Kildare and Ben Casey along with the related series The Nurses as well as daytime soap operas with hospital settings and paperback romance novels with covers featuring "studs in scrubs" with swooning nurses, comics hopped on the medical bandwagon!

DC and Marvel simply ran more medical-themed tales in their existing romance books.

But the smaller publishers were another matter...

Charlton launched numerous series featuring doctors and nurses in separate titles including Cynthia Doyle: Nurse in Love, Dr Tom Brent: Young Intern, Nurse Betsy Crane, Young Interns, and Sue & Sally Smith: Flying Nurses.

(Oddly, there were never any cross-over stories between the various books!)

Archie Comics published a short-lived series about Young Dr Masters!

Dell had popular comics based on Dr Kildare. as well as their own Nurse Linda Lark!

Gold Key published two different Ben Casey comics (including one done "fumetti" style using photos of the TV actors with captions and word balloons) and created their own doctor in City Surgeon!

Unfortunately, artist Jack Sparling's illustrations weren't consistent, showing Dr Blake Harper as young and virile in one panel and middle-aged in the next on the same page!

Plus there was no romantic element to the book!

For whatever reason, there was never a second issue of the title and Dr Harper never made another house call...

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Cornered

Benign Humor Medical Cartoons

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SURGEON X SPECIAL "Trial and Error"

When is a Surgeon X story not a Surgeon X story?

When Rosa Scott MD, isn't the protaganist, but a supporting character in a tale involving her cousin, research scientist Dr Sun Walker!

Written by Sara Kenney and illustrated by Warren Pleece, this was a digital-only tale set in 2037, a year after the end of the mini-series.
There haven't been any more Surgeon X stories since the story's release in 2017.
But this potential future may be closer than you think...

In the meantime, go...HERE

(And yes, I'm as surprised as you are that the site is still up almost a decade later!)

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Surgeon X

Path of Most Resistance

TPB Containing the Complete Mini-Series

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SURGEON X "Path of Most Resistance" Chapter 6 "Gods and Monsters" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Heroine...

...if you haven't been following the series up to now, at least go back to last week's post HERE, then continue from this point!

So,what were you expecting?
A happy ending?

Speaking of which, Just before issue #5 was released, artist John Watkiss passed away from cancer,.
The editorial page for this issue, which was about to go to press, was modified to present the tragic news, but comic websites like Bleeding Cool had already gotten the word out.

While the Surgeon X series hasn't (to date) continued, there was a one-shot digital comic published on-line, written by Sara Kennedy and illustrated by Warren Pleece, who assisted Watkiss with the art on #6!

You'll see that final, far more optimistic tale...
NEXT WEEK!

In the meantime, go...HERE

(And yes, I'm as surprised as you are that the site is still up almost a decade later!)

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Surgeon X

Path of Most Resistance

TPB Containing the Complete Mini-Series

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