If you missed the last one…
Here is another collection of Giant Robots from the comics. Front and center are the Marvel Silver Age titles written by Stan Lee. In these robot posts I strive to stick to the closest version of the tin robot I can. There are many robot comics, like those in Superman, where the android is a replica of a human being. This is usually established with a frame that shows Superman’s chest filled with gears. I haven’t included any of these. What has slipped in are more humanoid giant robots but they are still hulking and enormous and right off the cover of a Pulp magazine. Speaking of which, Denis McLoughlin’s cover for The Adventure Annual (1953) reminds me of the design of Marvin the paranoid Android from the 1981 series. I wonder if this old T. V. Boardman annual had any influence? McLoughlin did a series called “The Robot Empire”.
Golden Age
“Secret City of Mechanical Men” (Buck Rogers, June 12-September 18, 1938) was written by Philip Francis Nowlan.
“The Giant Robots of Kilgor” (Fantastic Comics #4, March 1940) was written by Wil Eisner.
(Action Comics #36, may 1941) Wouldn’t you be disappointed? Pay a dime and only get a cover!
“Dr. Weerd and the Metal Monster” (Star Spangled Comics #1, October 1941) was written by Jerry Siegel.
“The Boy and the Giant!” (Clue Comics #1, January 1943) was written by Charles Biro and Bob Wood.
“Jackie Law and the Boy Rangers” (Clue Comics #3, March 1943) was written by an unknown author. (Thanks to Will Shetterly)
“The March of Doom” (Brick Bradford #6, October 1948) was written by William Ritt.
“The Robot Empire” (The Adventure Annual #1, 1953) was written by Colin McLoughlin.
Silver Age
“I Want To Be a Man!” (Alarming Tales #2, November 1957) was written and drawn by Jack Kirby.
“Journey’s End” (Out of This World #9, August 1958) was written by Joe Gill.
“Orogo! The Nightmare From Outer Space!” (Journey Into Mystery #57, March 1960) was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber.
“The Mystery of Caveman Island” (House of Secrets #38, November 1960)
“The Alien Robots From Inner Space” (The Brave and the Bold #33, December 1960-January 1961) was written by Dave Wood.
“This is Klagg!” (Tales of Suspense #21, September 1961) was written by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber.
“Ultra the Super Robot” (Blackhawk #181, February 1963) was written by Ed Herron.
“Ixar — Sinister Statue of the Cyclades” (House of Mystery #135, June 1963)
“The Riddle of the Runaway Rockets” (Mystery in Space #85, August 1963) was written by Gardner F. Fox.
“The Return of Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man!” (Journey Into Mystery #101, February 1964) was written by Stan Lee.
“The Incredible Hulk” (Tales to Astonish #60, October 1964) was written by Stan Lee.
“Death of a Robot” (Tales of the Unexpected #86, December 1964-January 1965)
“The Steel Slaves!” (Mighty Mouse #162, January 1965)
“Lunar Goliaths” (Blast-Off #1, October 1965)
“Among Us Stalk…the Sentinels!” (The X-Men #14, November 1965) was written by Stan Lee.
“Ultimo Lives!” (Tales of Suspense #77, May 1966) was written by Stan Lee.
Frankenstein Jr. #1 (January 1967) was based on a cartoon.
“A Stranger Strikes From Space!”/”The Prince and the Power” (Tales to Astonish #88-89, February-March 1967) was written by Stan Lee.
“The Mystic and the Machine”/”Nothing Can Halt Voltorg!” (Strange Tales #165-166, February-March 1968) was written by Jim Lawrence and Dan Adkins.
“The Case of the Dazzling Hoo-Doo” (Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #330-332, March-May 1968) was written by Carl Falberg.
“The Devil in Paradise” (Justice League of America #84, November 1970) was written by Robert Kanigher.
“Robot War” (Flash Gordon, 1971) was written and drawn by Dan Berry
Bronze Age
“Farewell to the Master!” (Worlds Unknown #3, September 1973) was adapted from the story by Harry Bates by Roy Thomas.
“The Fantastic Spider” (Lion Annual 1976) also featured a text story about “Robot Archie”.
“Zio Paperone e l’invasione dei maxi-robot” (Topolino #1301, November 2, 1980) was written by Giorgio Pezzin and Tony Manieri.
“King Robot” (Starblazer #48, 1981) was written by M. Gorton.
“Death Machine” (Vampirella #94, March 1981) was written by Rich Margopoulos.
“Death Probe” (Star Wars #45, March 1981) was written by Archie Goodwin. Star Wars is full of ‘Droids but this particular issue has a killer robot vibe!
“Battleground O’Hare” (The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #6, April 1983) was written by Paul Kupperberg.
Conclusion
The more things change, the more they stay the same. We started this thread with one of Street & Smith’s Doc Savage strips in Shadow Comics #93, December 1948. Here we are again, coming full circle, with Doc, Batman and the Spirit facing off against a giant robot. Batman squared off with his first bot in “The Robot Robbers!” in Batman #42, August-September 1947. The Spirit had to deal with “The Death Dolls” in his newspaper strip on August 4, 1940. So none of these guys should be too surprised.
I know comic book editors like Julius Schwartz were very sensitive to what was put on the cover of their comic books. The legend of Schwartz’s gorilla is well known. I suspect he was also fond of the giant robot as were other editors after him. Who can resist the immediate threat and action that is as old as H. G. Wells’s tripods attacking London? The gigantic marauder is irresistible! (Too bad Edmond Hamilton never got a royalty every time a giant robot showed up….)
Next time…Back to the Golden Age of Giant Robots!
