This post is brought to you by the upcoming Ships of Steel, an anthology of Space Opera fiction in the tradition of Swords of Fire. This book features novellas of 15,000+ words by Jack Mackenzie, T. Neil Thomas and G. W. Thomas’ continued adventure of Sudana and Zaar. These two appeared in four stories in Whispers of Ice and Sand. Zaar is an android of the tin robot variety, though he is closer to Otho than Grag (if you know your Captain Future.) Be sure to check out Ships of Steel later this Spring.
In the previous post I gathered all the Golden Age Giant Robots I could find. The Silver Age, as you will see, has more of them. I’ve had to divide the Silver Bots into two posts. This one goes from 1955 to 1963. And why so many? Superheroes, of course. And the Comics’ Code. With the coming of that agreement from comic book publishers (it was never a government mandate) the Horrors were put away for twenty years. (Well, except for guys like Jim Warren.) The zombies and ghosts had to be replaced with something. Robots and other SF monsters were allowed so…
1955 is sixteen years after the World’s Fair of 1939 that was so important in establishing Robots in popular culture. We now have comic book writers and artists who have had tin robots for a good part of their lives. There is no need to reinvent what a robot is. Readers immediately know when a giant metal man appears that is a robot and it can be dangerous. Which is what you needed for superheroes. Superman appeared almost simultaneously with the tin bot, June 1938. The first issue of Action Comics, which changed everything, was filled with regular crooks. Then WWII required Sup to beat on the Nazis. But after the war, superheroes had to deal with villains of almost equal power. Super-villains! And these guys all had robots!
By the Silver Age, DC Comics had a full stable of superheroes, fronted by Superman and Batman. No surprise here, most of these entries are DC comics. Marvel is still experimenting and will dominate the next post from 1964-1969. Also look back at this post from DC’s Strange Adventures.
The 1950s
“The Mechanical Archer!” (World’s Finest #76, May-June 1955) was written by an unknown author.
“Bridge to Nowhere!” (Wonder Woman #79, January 1956) was written by Robert Kanigher.
“Porky Pig and the Desert Marauders” (Porky Pig #44, January-February 1956) was written by Don R. Christensen.
“The Super-Menace of Metropolis” (Action Comics #216, May 1956) was written by Bill Finger.
“Master of Mankind” (Blackhawk #102, July 1956) was written by Joe Millard.
“Island of the Giants!” (Wonder Woman #87, January 1957) was written by Robert Kanigher.
“The Yellow Claw Captured!” (Yellow Claw #3, February 1957) was written and drawn by Jack Kirby.
“Ultravac Is Loose!” (Showcase #7, March-April 1957) was written by Dave Wood and Jack Kirby.
“Tom’s Terrible Eye” (Supermouse #39, May 1957) was written by an unknown author.
“The Forbidden Robots” (Action Comics #233, October 1957) was written by Otto Binder.
“The Robots of Rhea” (Jim Solar, Space Sheriff, 1958) was written by Walter B. Gibson.
“Dream On!” (Unusual Tales #11, March 1958) was written by Joe Gill.
“The Secret of the Mechanical City” (Batman #114, March 1958) was written by Bill Finger.
“The Robot Planet” (Showcase #15, July-August 1958) was written by Gardner F. Fox and Edmond Hamilton.
“Inside the Mountain” (Adventures Into the Unknown #101, October 1958) was written by an unknown author.
“The Iron Brain” (Forbidden Worlds #71, October 1958) was written by an unknown author.
“I Was King of the Mechanical Men!” (My Greatest Adventure #26, December 1958) was written by an unknown author.
“The Mystery of the Seeds From Space” (Batman #124, June 1959) was written by Dave Wood.
“The Weapons That Backfired” (Blackhawk #139, June 1959) was written by an unknown author.
“Prisoners of Robot Planet” (Challengers of the Unknown #8, June-July 1959) was written by Jack Kirby.
The 1960s
“The Ganymede Enigma” (Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #16, January 1960) was written by Joe Gill.
“Delinquent in Outer Space” (Adventures Into the Unknown #114, February 1960) was written by Richard Hughes.
“Orogo!! The Nightmare From Outer Space!!” (Journey Into Mystery #57, March 1960) was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber.
“Challenge of the Weapons-Master!” (The Brave and the Bold #29, April-May 1960) was written by Gardner F. Fox.
“Elektro! He Held a World In His Iron Grip!” (Tales of Suspense #13, January 1961) was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber.
“The Diabolical Missile of Qward!” (Green Lantern #4, January-February 1961) was written by John Broome.
“The Imprisoned Mind!” (The House of Secrets #43, April 1961) was written by an unknown author.
“The Monster That Changed Our Lives” (My Greatest Adventure #60, October 1961) was written by an unknown author.
“Prisoners of the Dinosaur Zoo!” (The Brave and the Bold #39, December 1961-January 1962) was written by Robert Kanigher.
“He Made me Into a Robot!” (My Greatest Adventure #66, April 1962) was written by an unknown author.
“Punchboard War!” (Star Spangled War Stories #102, April-May 1962) was written by Robert Kanigher.
“The Battle of the Titans!” (The House of Secrets #55, July-August 1962) was written by Jack Miller.
“Prisoners of Kurrgo” (Fantastic Four #7, October 1962) was written by Stan Lee.
“Who Needs You?” (Strange Tales #102, November 1962) was written by Stan Lee.
“The Electronic Monster” (Catman #21, 1963) was written by an unknown author.
“The Challenge of the Alien Robots!” (Detective Comics #317, July 1963) was written by Jack Miller.
Conclusion
This time period also sees the first live-action Superman, George Reeves, who appeared in the first Superman TV show, which ran from 1952-1958. There is much trolling and controversy at the moment about new actors playing Superman. Much of this agro deals with replacing Henry Cavil in the movies. If you are as old as I am Christopher Reeve predates the excellent Mr. Cavil. For even older people, they remember George.
I can’t claim to have watched every Superman show. (Never much for the Lois & Clark formula. Reminds me too much of the worst of the Silver Age DC comics from this time period where good writers like Edmond Hamilton spent their time (endlessly) having Lois try to reveal Sup’s secret identity.) I understand its appeals to the romantic side more than the epic battles between Good & Evil. There is a Superman for everyone. And there are giant robots for some of us.
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