In 1952, Frank Frazetta drew the first issue of Thun’Da King of the Congo, showing the right way to do comics about lost worlds. The editors foolishly wanted yet another jungle lord comic and put the kibash on the prehistoric stuff. Frank quit. His efforts have been honored by fans of that particularly mix of fantastic elements I call “Cavemen & Dinosaurs” but he wasn’t the only one using them in the Golden Age. Here is a dozen pre-1955 work that features either cavemen or dinos (and sometimes both) from the anthology comics, mostly Horror in theme. Anthology comics are those that don’t feature a specific hero or are a non-hero story from a hero mag.
NB. I haven’t included any “frozen cavemen” or “frozen dinosaur” stories because I have done lots of these previously. Most of these stories have unknown authors though we have indicated them where known. All of these comics can be found for free at DCM.
“Dinosaur!” (Airboy Comics v5#7, August 1948) is a three pager that suggests what a good comic might be about but doesn’t actually go there. Colonel Saunders wants to hunt for extinct creatures. I wonder what he would do with those giant chickens if he caught one? Remember this came before that!
“The Lamp of Three Wishes” (Whiz Comics #103, November 1948) has an Arabian lamp send Mona back into the past to attacked by pterodactyls. She is rescued by cavemen. Lance and the rest of the boys follow. Lance uses ju jitsu on a “pre-man”. The cavefolk folk return riding dinosaurs. T rex has to show up before they all return with the final wish. Odd mix of science and magic. Remember this comic is many years before this!
“Giants of the Unknown” (Adventures Into the Unknown #4, April-May 1949) Tom and Betty discover a lost tomb in a palimpsest. They get their colleague Clinton and go to Egypt to unbury it. They are warned of a curse but open it anyway. They discover a sarcophagus of a giant who comes to life. El-Rano is a friendly giant. He takes them on a tour through time, where he beats up a dinosaur. All the wonders of El-Rano’s time are too much for Clinton, who tries to steal them. Tom punches him out before El-Rano disappears. Blummer bases his monster on one of my favorite illustrations from “Child of the Sun” Planet Stories, Spring 1942. For more comic swipes, go here.
“Goddess of the Beasts” (Adventures Into the Unknown #15, January 1951) Joel Hollister and Fern Prescott go to Gibraltar to see a new species of ape. It turns out to be a living missing link but collapses into dust. Back home, Joel and Fern find a cave filled with similar creatures. They are led by Melor the Eternal Queen. Joel falls for the horned goddess but resists her advances. Melor begins to change Fern into a cave woman but Joel agrees to Melor’s wishes if she will stop. When the goddess gets shoved over a cliff, she turns old and dies. The cavemen run off and the couple are safe. The beauty with the cave servants reminds me of La of Opar from Edgar Rice Burroughs. Remember this story came before this!
“Journey Into Madness” (Adventures Into the Unknown #21, July 1951) Martin Fletcher and Betty go to the Everglades to seek proof of his radical paleo ideas. An earthquake sends them back in time. They see dinosaurs and take an egg. Another tremor returns them to our time and proof of Martin’s ideas, a fresh-hatched egg. Remember this came before this!
“Million-Year Monster” (Forbidden Worlds #14, February 1953) has the military discover an ancient egg. Kelvin and Jill and her dad hatch the egg. A weird freak dinosaur (half dino-half caveman) can talk and wants to eat Jill. Dad shoots it then gets eaten. The thing goes on a rampage. Kelvin and Jill realize the creature’s DNA has been scrambled by A-Bomb radiation. Kelvin gives it an injection (of what?), killing it. It turns into a regular dinosaur in death. Remember this came before this by one year!
“Pet Hate” (Space Adventures #8, September 1953) is a pretty standard space adventure. But it does have a planet with dinosaurs. (The other one is usually killer plants.) Remember this came before that!
“Out of the Past!” (Out of the Night #12, December 1953-January 1954) was written by Richard Hughes. Two duck hunters shoot a pterodactyl. The reporters, Cliff and Gail, follow the story by going to Doctor Whitney Craven. The doctor denies any research in that line. Cliff sneaks back later and finds a caveman in his basement. Craven knocks the reporter out and is about to turn Cliff into a specimen. (After explaining he has created a serum that reverses evolution.) The caveman gets loose and the two kill each other. Gail shows up and the reporters get married. Remember this came before that!
“Jackal-Man” (Jungle Comics #162, Spring 1954) Kendall Crane is an ivory poacher. He meets M’Bembe the Hippo Killer. Remember this came before that!
“Out of the Screen!” (Out of the Night #14, April-May 1954) was written by Richard Hughes. When 3D movies become the rage, Dr. Stark causes the winged dinosaur in one movie to come out of the screen. It goes on a rampage. To stop it, they release the T. rex from another film to fight it. A prehistoric rivalry plays out in our time. Civilization is saved! Henry Kuttner used a similar idea for a Cthulhu Mythos story in the 1940s. Remember this came before this!
“Space Scientist” (Out of the Night #15, June-July 1954) was written by Richard Hughes. Another space adventure with a dinosaur planet (one of Uranus’s moon actually.) Remember this comic was long before this!
“The Monster From the Deep” (Web of Evil #20, November 1954) has a team of scientists studying the depths of the ocean. The diving bell attracts an ancient dino that destroys their ship. The survivors have different stories. The lead scientist believes the monster will return. Everybody thinks he is a madman. The author leaves it open-ended. You decide. Remember this came before this!
Conclusion
Dinosaur comics have a long and interesting history beginning with Hal Foster’s Tarzan in the comic strips. We have had dinosaur comics from the movies. Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World was certainly an inspiration. DC Comics had several though most companies used them. DC somehow just did more than the rest. Where ever you find the prehistoric, you can always be sure the action won’t lag.
Nice stuff!