This post is brought to you by the Sudana and Zaar stories in G. W. Thomas’ Whispers of Ice and Sand. This collection has four space opera adventures featuring Captain Sudana and her android companion, Zaar. They go from worlds of icy wastes to fetid jungles. The duo will be featured in a longer tale in the upcoming Ships of Steel.
We continue our look at Silver Age giant robots with plenty more superheroes. As in the last post, DC Comics dominates, until 1967 when the Marvel heroes take over. The Doom Patrol, Batman, Blackhawk, Rip Hunter bow out to Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men and Daredevil. Of course, it isn’t all superhero titles. There are some Archie Comics and Gold Key but even these feature superheroes like Betty as Superteen. As the Bronze Age approaches, the caped crusaders and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes steam along, battling bots as always.
Perhaps worthy of note is the British contribution here, TV Century Annual. These yearly collections of stories and comics were based on the Gerry Anderson shows featuring marionettes like Stingray, The Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. These (along with the Doctor Who books) were naturals for giant robots, being Science Fictional with many vehicles to fight mechanical enemies in.
“The Brotherhood of Evil” (The Doom Patrol #86, March 1964) was written by Arnold Drake.
“Man of Metal” (Adventures Into the Unknown #148, April-May 1964) was written by an unknown author.
The Day…The Earth Gave Up!’ (Gorgo #18, May 1964) was written by Joe Gill.
“The Challenge of the Split-Man!” (The House of Secrets #67, July-August 1964) was written by Bob Haney.
“Transivac the Energy-Consuming Computer” (Doctor Solar #9, October 1964) was written by Paul S. Newman.
“Showdown on Nightmare Road” (The Doom Patrol #93, February 1965) was written by Arnold Drake.
“The Blackhawk Devil-Dolls” (Blackhawk #207, April 1965) was written by Bob Haney.
“The Day The World Went Mad” (The Doom Patrol #96, June 1965) was written by Arnold Drake.
“The Renegade Robots” (Tales of the Unexpected #89, June-July 1965) was written by Jack Miller.
“The Robot Rulers of 2165 A. D.!” (Rip Hunter…Time Master #27, July-August 1965) was written by George Kashden.
“Nightmare Valley” (She’s Josie #15, September 1965) was written by Frank Doyle.
“Bullion Raid” (TV Century Annual 1966, September 1965) was written by an unknown author.
“Die Again, Blackhawks!” (Blackhawk #213, October 1965) was written by an unknown author.
“I, Kranus, Robot Emperor!” (The Doom Patrol #101, February 1966) was written by Arnold Drake.
“The Master of Yesterday and Tomorrow!” (The House of Secrets #79, July-August 1966) was written by Bob Haney.
“Mind Over Matter” (Mighty Samson #7, September 1966) was written by Otto Binder.
“Danger Is Where You Find It” (Betty and Me #4, October 1966) was written by Frank Doyle.
“Eterno the Immortal” (Action Comics #343, November 1966) was written by Jim Shooter.
“Baron Bugg and His Insect Army!” (The House of Mystery #163, December 1966) was written by Dave Wood.
“Dr. Cyclops–The Villain With the Doomsday Stare!” (The House of Mystery #164, January 1967) was written by Dave Wood.
“The Freak Super-Heroes!” (The House of Mystery #165, March 1967) was written by Dave Wood.
“A Killer Called Honey Bun” (Teen Titans #8, March-April 1967) was written by Bob Haney.
“The Trap of the Test-Tube Terrors!” (Metamorpho #12, May-June 1967) was written by Bob Haney.
“War –In a World of Darkness!” (The X-Men #34, July 1967) was written by Roy Thomas.
“Rampant Run the Robots” (The Brave and the Bold #74, October-November 1967) was written by Bob Haney.
“The Killer Robots!” (TV Century Annual 1968, 1968) was written by an unknown author.
“Action On Pura” (Indrajal Comics #64, April 15, 1968) was written and drawn by Paul Norris.
“When Calls Galactus!” (Fantastic Four #74, May 1968) was written by Stan Lee.
“The Day of the Demolisher!” (Iron Man #2, June 1968) was written by Archie Goodwin.
“Beware Computo Commander of the Robot Hive!” (The X-Men #48, September 1968) was written by Arnold Drake.
“Where Treads the Living Totem!” (Fantastic Four #80, November 1968) was written by Stan Lee.
“The Son of the Montross Monster” (The House of Mystery #177, November-December 1968) was written by an unknown author.
“And Fear Shall Follow”/”Between Hammer and Anvil” (Captain Marvel #8-9, December 1968/January 1969) was written by Arnold Drake.
“If I Fall In Battle–” (Daredevil #50, March 1969) was written by Stan Lee.
“Within This Tortured Land”/”The Victims!” (Fantastic Four #85-86, April/May 1969) was written by Stan Lee.
Conclusion
An important change happened during this end period of the Silver Age. With issue #174 (May-June 1968) The House of Mystery and other DC anthology titles dropped “Dial H For Hero” and other superhero stuff to return to true Horror comics. The curse of the Comics’ Code has ended. While this meant less giant robots, it was good for comics over-all.
Reading these late-in-day superhero comics from Marvel you have to wonder what the real difference is between Fantastic Four 1969 and Fantastic Four 1970? The answer: not much. The lines of demarcation are somewhat arbitrary. The Bronze Age is next but the real changes there for robots are after 1977 and the advent of Star Wars. The superheroes will continue until the release of George Lucas’s Space Opera classic. After 1977, the giant robots are more often found in Science Fiction comics, or the superhero get more Sci-Fi. But more on that next time!
Giant Robots of the Bronze Age…
Discover the classic Military SF series
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