OH SKWEEZIL BE GOOD

From King-Cat #69.

SSERPO: THE CREATURE THAT CRUSHED THE EARTH

I have loved Marvel Monster Comics since I was a wee, college-aged post-adolescent.  These stories were first published in the late 1950's and early 60's in Atlas brand comic books like Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense, and Journey into Mystery. Beginning in the late 1960's, Marvel Comics began reprinting these stories in titles like Monsters on the Prowl, Creatures on the Loose, and Where Monsters Dwell, which is where I first encountered them.  They're my favorite comics of all time. 

This is the first in a series of Spotlights on Atlas-Age Marvel Monsters.

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One hundred years ago, scientist Thomas Burke is hard at work in his lab, toiling away to perfect his growth serum.  But try as he might, he can't discover the ultimate, final ingredient that's needed for his formula to become active.  Finally, in frustration, he hurls the stoppered vial into the ocean, where it settles untouched on the bottom for decades.

One hundred years later, a hungry sea-creature, of unknown species, comes across the bottle while out looking for food.  It innocently opens the vial-- the contents of which mix with the sea water-- and drinks it down.  Lord love a duck!  How was Prof. Burke supposed to have known that the missing ingredient that had escaped him for so long was actually common, everyday water???

The poor little creature begins growing at a rapid rate   He's soon discovered by some sea-going natives, who bring him ashore to their tropical island, and name him Sserpo.  Soon enough though, little Sserpo has grown so large that his enormous bulk causes their island to sink beneath the ocean waves!

Heading back out to sea, Sserpo quickly grows to over 1,000 feet, and makes his way to Japan, where even nuclear weapons prove useless against him--  he's simply too large for them to be effective!

Meanwhile, a modern day American scientist works feverishly to come up with some way to halt Sserpo's frenzied growth.  At this point, the creature has become so large that  he towers over entire continents, and if unstopped, he'll soon be so huge that his weight will throw the Earth off its axis, dooming the entire planet to destruction!

I won't reveal how mankind finally thwarts Sserpo's untamed growth, but it does involve the planet Jupiter, and the darndest intergalactic contraption ever devised.  And the shocking twist ending has to be read to be believed!

Truth is, I always felt a little sorry for ol' Sserpo.  He was just a hungry little sea-creature of unknown species, looking for a quick meal.  He certainly didn't mean to cause the human race so much grief.  But such is life, I guess.  Fare thee well, Sserpo...  wherever you are.

"Sserpo! The Creature That Crushed the Earth!"
Story: Stan "The Man" Lee
Artwork: Jack "King" Kirby
Original appearance: Amazing Adventures #6, Nov. 1961 (Atlas Comics)
Reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl #27, Nov. 1973; and Amazing Adult Fantasy Omnibus (Marvel)
  Images from the great Monster Blog and the Grand Comics Database.

NEXT TIME:  Groot, the Monster from Planet X!

DOC ABBOTT'S GUIDE TO WIMMIN

Comic above from King-Cat Classix.

Sorry ladies!  I love you all!

(DO THE) PETE DUNCAN!

For a personal history of my involvement with this comic, please see King-Cat #70.  Meanwhile, enjoy!

SNAPDRAGONS

"Snapdragons," from King-Cat #50 (Available in King-Cat Classix).

JOHN RININGER

I met John Rininger in DeKalb, in the late 80's, when I was publishing my zine Cehsoikoe.  He worked at the Kinko's on Lucinda and printed it up for me.  Soon enough he was contributing to it as well, and we became very good friends.

Though we were good friends, John was a little inscrutable to me.  His mind moved at a much, much higher rate than mine, and held in view, simultaneously, seemingly hundreds of disparate ideas and directions.  Looking back, his art was really a tangible record of this thinking.

We hung out at his place on Lincoln Highway, where he lived with Katherine.  The apartment was full of books, old junk, cups of coffee, and various, as he called them, "devices."  He liked to listen to phonograph records at the old spoken word speed of 16 rpm.

On one of the only two "dates" I've ever been on (a "first date" no less!), I took my gal to John's house for Friday Night Movies, which consisted of two (or three?) projectors running simultaneously onto one screen.  I will spare you the contents of the films, but suffice it to say, to John, there were no restrictions.  Amazingly, I went on a second date with that girl, and more.  She was cool.

After a few years John moved into the city, and I moved to Denver.  We corresponded through the mail.  John sent me his weird, dark zines, Catalyst Komics, and I sent him my sappy zines.  We'd visit each other from time to time.   He started having gallery shows, and became deeply involved with the Artist's Stamp sub-culture.  His prized possession was an old-school perforating machine.

"Telegraphes"

Cyberstamp, 225 x 225 x 16 million,

from a full sheet of 14

John Rininger, aka Rausch Post

It was no secret that John was troubled.  How could a brain like that not be?  He became somewhat infamous for being held against his will in a psych ward, his experience of which was written up as a cover story, featuring his artwork, in Chicago's New City weekly.  Afterwards, he was delighted that he finally achieved an enormous press run with some of his work.

John's masterpiece was what he called "The Scroll," a 1200 foot long continuous image, which he worked on for years and years.

In November of 2006, John passed away at home.  He was 45 years old.  I feel lucky to have shared some of life with him.

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Other John R. links:

Photos, Postcards, and Ephemera
Xerolage #39
Tom Long's reminiscences of John

THE SOUND OF BIRDS

Happy Spring!

"The Sound of Birds", from King-Cat #62.