Re: Dinos - Comics

["King, Norm" <nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu>]

I know this isn't exactly serious dinosaurs, as someone has already 
noted.  But, for a chnage of pace, I can add a little to the list of 
comics showing dinosaurs.  Those that I mention here that aren't entire 
series are just the ones I have in my own collection (my secret's out!).  
I'm not aware
of any master compilation, so nobody really knows how many more might be 
lurking out there.  I just keep my eyes open.

Some of these have just pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, pelycosaurs, or some 
other extinct reptile, but the authors and artists may have considered 
all such animals to be dinosaurs.  Some of the "dinosaurs" are rather 
fanciful.  Just about all of them, including the herbivores, wear scowls 
and have wicked-looking, sharp teeth, ready to crunch any humans they can 
catch.

Since garrison (Re: It's war, I tell you!; 6/26/97; 7:44a) commented on 
war comics with dinosaurs, I've listed those first.  These are series, 
with many (or all??) having dinosaur encounters: 

Four **** Battle (in case this doesn't come throug in e-mail, that's Four 
Star Battle)
G. I. War Tales
Star Spangled War Stories
Weird War Tales (including Weird War Tales starring The G. I. Robot)

One of my favorite series is Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, which mutated from 
Xenozoic Tales in 1990, since I am the proud owner of a "funky" 1976 
Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham de Elegance with full sunroof and 500 cu. 
inch power plant, Indiana licence plate "T REX"--it seemed approporiate 
for the vehicle, which works and looks fine, but isn't driven too much 
anymore.  I got a kick out of the name for one of the heros of the 
series, Jack Tenrec.  You thermoregulation officianadoes might also 
appreciate that.

The longest series that always had dinosaurs or some kind of prehistoric 
critters was Turok, Son of Stone, with at least 130 issues.  I have 55 of 
those, including issues no. 1 (1956) and 2.  Turok, Dinosaur Hunter is a 
recent reincarnation. There was a very abrupt drop in the quality of the 
cover artwork from issue 129 to 130, the latter being the most recent 
issue (1982) I have.  The new style cover art looks like something on a 
Donald Duck comic, and could well have killed the whole thing off.  As 
Dinogeorge pointed out, Whitman was the nameplate on later (actually, 
more than half) of the issues.  Dell was the trademark of Western 
Printing and Lithograph Company; Gold Key and Whitman are both trademarks 
of Western Publishing Company.  I don't know, but I assume that Western 
Publishing is a descendant of Western Printing and Lithograph.

Devil Dinosaur was mentioned earlier as a forgettable series.  I have 
nos. 1-9 of that, and issue no. 1 cost me one dollar--which shows just 
how forgettable the series is (and also reflects a more recent vintage).  
Issue no. 1 for Turok cost me, shall we say, considerably more.

My favorite artwork is in the series Rip in Time, a five-issue series by 
Fantagor Press; Richard Corbin was the artist.

Richard Corbin also did a dinosaur issue for Ray Bradbury Comics (Topps).

Others:

Ka-Zar, Lord of the Hidden Jungle; then Ka-Zar the Savage, a later 
series, both by Marvel comics; Ka-Zar, Lord of the Jungle first appeared 
in joint issues with Dr. Doom (1969 or 70); in 1981, Ka-Zar teamed up 
with the Hulk--ugh!

Arak, Son of Thunder was a Turok look-alike by DC.

Conan The Barbarian was mentioned already.  There was also a series 
called King Conan, in which he once encountered dinosaurs; also Conan 
Saga.

Dinosaurs for Hire (Malibu Comics) was actually a spoof on some genre, 
but I'm not sure which genre is being spoofed (you gotta see it!).

Batman Family battled dinosaurs in v. 2, no. 3; it was just Batgirl and 
Robin.  In Marvel Fanfare a bunch of superheros ran afoul of dinosaurs.  
There were also dinos in one issue of Alpha Flight; also in at least one 
issue of X-Men Adventures and one of Classic X-Men--I'm not sure what the
difference is; one issue of Wonder Woman, The Sensational She-Hulk, and 
in one "two-in-one" issue of The Thing and Iron Man, and one of The Thing 
and Quasar; at least one Monsters on the Prowl and Worlds Unknown (these 
are all Marvel).  Dino Riders was a short-lived Marvel series featuring 
dinosaurs, as were The Destroyer and Dreadland.

There was one dinosaur issue that I know of for The Super Friends, and at 
least three for Superman Action Comics; also Team Titans; Spelljammer; 
Blackhawk; Suicide Squad; Time Masters; Lobo; Mystery in Space (these are 
all DC), and DC Unexpected.

Miscellaneous comics:  Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds and Monster Hunters 
(both Charlton Comics); Adventures into the Unknown (American Comics 
Group); Twisted Tales (Pacific Comics); Weird Science-Fantasy 
(Entertaining Comics); Tor no. 2 in 3-D, with 3-D glasses included 
(Eclipse); Blood & Roses (Sky Comics); Epic Comics Book Four anthology; 
Mechanics, by Fantagraphic Books--stated as recommended for mature 
readers--suffice it to say it's not politically correct in portrayal of 
female characters; Cave Woman also has rather sexist art; X-O Manowar by 
Valiant; Dark Horse Monsters by Dark Horse Comics; there was a three-part 
series called Dinosaur Rex by Upshot Graphics; two issues of Creepy 
(Warren); Tragg and the Sky Gods (Gold Key); Archer & Armstrong 
(Valiant).  Issues/series for which I didn't have the publisher info 
handy include: Dinosaur Shaman; Eerie; Green Lantern; Naza; Power Pack; 
Strange Adventures; Strange Sports Stories; Sun Runners; Tyrant; Wonder 
Man.

Tarzan was mentioned--there was a series by Dell, and another one later 
by Marvel, both with some dinosaurs.  Then, don't forget Korak, Son of 
Tarzan, who also clashed with dinosaurs.

There were 6 issues of King Kong by Monster Comics (about 1991). 

Hanna Barbera had a sereis called Valley of the Dinosaurs.

Dell put out some "comics" with dinosaurs including three issues of The 
Outer Limits, and the"movie classics" Dinosaurus! and Journey to the 
Center of the Earth; Dell's Animal World was a sort of educational comic 
on dinosaurs.  Gilberton Co. put out a "Classics Illustrated" series 
including The Illustrated Story of Prehistoric Animals (1959); this 
series also included A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

In a lighter vein:  one Mickey Mouse has already been mentioned; there 
was also Mickey Mouse in "A Snatch in Time."  Don't forget Uncle Scrooge 
in "Coffee, Louie or Me?" and Donald Duck in "The Golden Dinosaur."



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Norman R. King                                       tel:  (812) 464-1794
Department of Geosciences                            fax:  (812) 464-1960
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712                      e-mail:  nking.ucs@smtp.usi.edu